When dealing with an alcohol or drug addiction, many drug addicts and alcoholics also struggle with a dual diagnosis. A dual diagnosis, also known as a co-occurring disorder, involves a concurrent presence of both of a substance use disorder and a mental health disorder. Studies have found that those who struggle with a mental health…
It’s never easy to watch addiction or alcoholism take a life on the public stage. Celebrities such as Amy Winehouse and Heath Ledger pass away due to drinking or drug abuse, leaving tragedy in their wake. Fans wonder what untold wonders might have awaited us in the future if their beloved celebrity had lived. Grieving…
Everyone is guilty of self-medicating at one time or another. After all, to self-medicate is simply to take one’s problems into one’s own hands. If you are feeling down and you decide to eat a few pints of ice cream, you are self-medicating. If you are in pain and you decide to numb yourself with…
If there is one thing for which addicts and alcoholics are not widely known, it is our emotional stability. We may have our good days. We may spend years as high-functioning addicts and alcoholics, able to appear normal despite our intoxication. At times, we may even have others convinced that we really are better off…
This is the third article in our multi-part series on addiction and the five stages of grief, following the introduction and the article on denial. The second stage is anger, and is a stage with which both addicts and their families are already quite familiar. Some might not even realize how familiar they are with…