American Addiction Centers Blog
Effective Techniques for Managing Social Anxiety
April 14, 2025
Living with an anxiety disorder can be incredibly disruptive and negatively impact your quality of life. Social anxiety is a type of anxiety disorder where an individual will feel anxiety or an intense fear about situations that could involve feeling scrutinized, judged, evaluated, or where they might meet new people. This fear can be so […]
Are you thinking about having a few drinks before going to sleep? Think again. If you’re looking forward to a restful night, even moderate drinking may undermine those plans. As it turns out, research shows that alcohol negatively affects sleep patterns. But doesn’t alcohol induce calmness and contentment? Having a couple of drinks to dampen […]
Myriad factors can lead people to use and ultimately misuse substances. However, childhood trauma appears to be a key factor related to substance use disorders. Childhood trauma can stem from any number of things, but some causes include neglect along with physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. These traumatic experiences can make the individual more susceptible […]
To complete this four-part series concerning population underrepresentation in addiction treatment, we’re going to address the underrepresentation of Hispanics, who could be considered uniquely disenfranchised for several reasons. While the previous three blogs articulated the importance of program competency and responsiveness regarding culture, gender, and sexuality for blacks, women, and the LGBTQ community, many within […]
There are many different substances that individuals can become addicted to. This includes everything from alcohol to cocaine, to opioids, and many others. A substance addiction—clinically known as a severe substance use disorder—is considered a mental health condition, often necessitating professional help. American Addiction Centers (AAC), a nationwide leader in addiction treatment, treats substance use […]
Of the many helpful tools you can use to aid you in your recovery, keeping a journal is among the easiest and most powerful. It’s easy in the sense that you can do it pretty much anywhere, at any time. All you need to start journaling in recovery is a piece of paper and a […]
Whether you’ve been in recovery for years or you’ve just started the path to sobriety, you probably know how hard it can be to stay sober if your friends drink. After all, alcohol isn’t known as one of the most commonly used social lubricants for nothing. One of the most difficult things about getting sober […]
When you’re in recovery, the people you live with can have a big effect on your well-being—and vice-versa. For you both to succeed, it’s important to think about how you can help each other. It’s particularly important to find clean and sober roommates with a similar desire to improve their lives. To maximize your recovery, […]
On the occasion of Mother’s Day, we start with at a statistic. About one in five children live with a solo mom. This information comes from a post by the Pew Research Center. It refers to children younger than 18 years of age and to a snapshot of life in the U.S. It’s a big […]
A slice of life about seven parolees, all addicts, filled the pages of The Second Chance Club, a new book about the criminal justice system. These individuals shared the same legal status, penchant for using and parole officer. There was another common thread. Their parents – or, most often, the one and only parent on […]
Addiction Talk’s fourth episode focused on sobriety and sexuality and featured Tawny Lara as a guest. Often described as the “Sober Sexpert,” Tawny Lara is the host of the Recovery Rocks podcast and the founder of Sobriety Tea party. Lara writes about dating and sexuality for people in recovery, and shared some of her thoughts […]
Desirée Bujanda Misle is the mother of a son with addiction and the author of I, Mother of an Addict. Recently, she took time to write for AAC about her experiences with addiction, codependency, and motherhood. Addiction in the Family As the mother of a recovered addict, I went through this process burdened with guilt […]
As the world become more connected through the Internet, online support groups are revolutionizing the addiction treatment space. Especially in light of the COVID-19 Pandemic, online support groups have become a vital part of telehealth and addiction treatment. For those in recovery, online support groups may be one of the few ways to maintain connection […]
