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Is the small screen – not so small in many households – offering programming about addiction and recovery? The answer for broadcast/cable TV and streaming denizens is resoundingly “YES”. In fact, there are way too many tv shows about addiction to cover in just one post. Sorting through the possibilities to come up with a […]

To say the mental health of many Americans has been negatively impacted by the 2020 pandemic is an understatement. Anxiety, stress, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), addictions to drugs or alcohol, among other mental health conditions, may have risen to the surface for those individuals who already were struggling with these conditions before COVID. The invisible […]

What is it about well-known writers and addiction? Many famous writers have had strong affinities for alcohol or drugs – some for both. This voluminous list spans time and space. As case in point, the British Romantic poet John Keats (1795-1821) used opium. His countrymen Charles Dickens (1812-1870) used morphine; Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) used mescaline […]

It’s been roughly a year since COVID made its debut in the United States, and at this point, many are experiencing pandemic fatigue. Specifically, the mental health of teens and adolescents is being tested. Place drugs or alcohol in the mix, and it’s a recipe for angst and tragedy. Sadly, in early February 2021, Dr. […]

Music enhances the lives of so many of us. Stevie Wonder captures that essence in “Sir Duke.” “Music is a world within itself/With a language we all understand/With an equal opportunity/For all to sing, dance and clap their hands.” The Hamilton Brothers agree in “Music Makes the World Go Round.” “Music makes my world go […]

Hollywood has created some good and not-so-good movies about addiction over the years. Although subjective to the viewer, the ‘not-so-good’ movies tend to romanticize, water-down, or misrepresent addiction, while the ‘good’ movies offer a level of gritty realism and authenticity on the nature of addiction. While character motivation, drug of choice, and circumstance differ in […]

Despite the pandemic driving up alcohol sales, there are still people who simply don’t drink—pre-COVID and even now. Part of this population are those who used to drink, but have chosen to quit and are now sober. Another part of this population are known as a teetotaler. Teetotalism is the practice of abstaining from alcoholic […]

To those battling a substance use disorder and a co-occurring mental illness, may not feel like there’s necessarily a new you just because it’s a new year. And maybe you’re also dealing with the loss of a loved one or a job due to COVID-19. Compound those challenges, and each day may feel overwhelming. Dealing […]

As with all forms of anxiety, social anxiety disorder (SAD) can destroy our ability to connect with others. Oftentimes, anxiety can lead us to believe that we’re “different”, “too much”, or “not enough”. Someone with SAD may feel extreme fear or anxiety in social situations and feel uncomfortable meeting new people or simply having a […]

It’s often said that necessity is the mother of invention. Considering the ongoing opioid epidemic and the 14 million adults with alcohol use disorder, the demand for addiction treatment is rising. The onset of the coronavirus pandemic has caused stress on the addiction treatment industry, challenging traditional treatment methods. In short, there is an ongoing […]