Alcohol is so intertwined with our day-to-day lives and so widely accepted that we rarely take a second to consider the implications of that and what it means for quitting. We have drinks while watching the game, drinks to celebrate weddings, birthdays or promotions, drinks at networking events, and the list goes on. It’s just … Read more
When thinking about recovery from addiction, it’s not uncommon to think about the treatment program itself; evidence-based counseling, individual and group sessions, alternative therapies like yoga and things of that nature. Before starting any of the important work of recovery though, there’s one critical step that precedes it all: detox. The National Institute on Drug … Read more
Addiction is insidious in the way it latches onto you and takes full control of your life. The cycle of use serves to build an ever-increasing tolerance which means you need progressively more and more of the substance just to get by and stave off withdrawal symptoms. It’s a slow-motion train wreck. The path into … Read more
Watching someone you love descend into addiction is a brutal thing to witness. You feel absolutely helpless and it seems like whatever you do or say is wrong. Somehow it all seems to backfire and further entrench self-destruction. The distance between you and them – and them and everyone else who loves them – grows … Read more
The straightforward answer is that it depends. Each and every substance, be it alcohol, cocaine, benzodiazepines or opioids, stays in your body for different lengths of time. So, the answer to how long does detox last is essentially reliant on what you’re taking as well as how dependent you’ve become on that particular drug or … Read more
Nestled in the foothills of Santiago Peak in the Saddleback Valley and just a quick jaunt from the glistening shores of the Pacific, it’s tough to conjure a more idyllic setting than Mission Viejo from which to start your journey of recovery. Boasting those enviable and eternally comfortable Southern California and located outside of the … Read more
Drunkorexia Drunkorexia is a slang term for a person that avoids eating food or reduces the amount of food they eat so they can drink or drink more.1 Doctors consider this a risky behavior because it can lead to other harmful disorders, including binge drinking and anorexia, or restrictive eating. Some people may even purposefully … Read more
First things first, eating disorders are not a choice. Among the biggest and most pervasive myths around these disorders is that people actively choose them. It’s just not the case. To that end, the first thing that the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) notes before describing eating disorders is that very fact. They add … Read more
