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 […]
Full of unconditional love, dogs really can be man’s best friend. Humans have long realized the ways in which dogs can be helpful. Even from the earliest interactions, humans and dogs shared common goals, including avoiding predators and finding food. More recently, dogs have taken on important roles in therapeutic and educational settings.1 And dogs […]
While not everyone who uses drugs or alcohol misuses them or becomes addicted, there are some things that you can do to prevent substance misuse. These include: 1. Understand the differences between substance use, misuse, and addiction. Not every person who uses alcohol or drugs develops an addiction. In fact, it’s important to understand the […]
The one-day-at-a-time mantra is used frequently in the world of recovery, particularly among people who follow the 12-Step principles of Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous. Its purpose is to remind individuals in recovery to stay in the present, focus on today, and not think too far ahead about sobriety. Because the saying has become so […]
Plenty of articles talk about sober dating in terms of when it’s OK to start dating again and various do’s and don’ts of dating after rehab. Some pieces even offer a list of apps designed to help those in recovery connect with one another. But aside from apps, how can you get the ball rolling? […]
Many people in the United States, and globally, struggle with an Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), and will often go to great lengths to hide their problematic drinking and their alcohol. This page will demonstrate some of the common places and ways that those struggling with alcohol use will try to hide their alcohol consumption. Common […]
Individuals who are addicted to drugs or alcohol may resort to various means to be able to fund their addictions. These actions are typically driven by the need to feed their addiction and often do not represent responsible or legal behavior by which they would usually conduct themselves; however, when addiction takes control, individuals who […]
Making the decision to seek addiction treatment is a big first step in the recovery process. With this being such a big decision, it’s important that you take the time to research and evaluate your options before choosing a rehab facility. With there being so many options for treatment, there are often bad rehab facilities […]
What Is Loneliness? Humans have an innate need to feel like they belong. Loneliness, then, is an emotional state typically defined by painful feelings associated with a sense of isolation and/or a lack of social contact or belonging.1 Loneliness and social isolation, however, are two different things. The latter is simply a lack of human […]
Startling Statistics About Substance Misuse and Overdose Deaths The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) releases monthly provisional counts for drug overdose deaths each month. For the 12-month period ending in March 2023, there were 105,224 drug overdose deaths reported in the United States.1 Unfortunately, overdoses have become the leading injury-related cause of death […]
What are Hard Seltzers? Hard seltzers consist of clear carbonated water mixed with an alcohol base—usually derived from fermented cane sugar—and flavored with real fruit or natural flavors. Most hard seltzers are free of gluten and contain 4%-7% alcohol by volume (ABV). Less alcohol means less calories, which is part of the appeal for some. […]
Why is it Important to Have Fun in Recovery? Simply put, fun is a form of self-care that can ultimately help you avoid relapse. But let’s dig a little deeper to better understand what this means. Relapse happens over time and in various stages. That is, you typically don’t just wake up one day and […]
Benefits of Pet Ownership During Recovery When it comes to addiction treatment and recovery, pet ownership usually doesn’t make the top-10 list of therapy recommendations. However, based on a host of studies and anecdotal reports about the perks of pet ownership, maybe it should. Pets—including everything from cats and dogs to lizards and rabbits—can offer […]
