It's common these days to hear people assert that addiction is an illness, but what exactly does that mean? The implications are primarily social and psychological. People will view an addict differently if the...
Tag: addiction
6 Books to Read About Addiction for World Book Day
For some, books are better than people. Some books can take you to places and allow you to feel things that you’ve never imagined you could. That’s why we’ve decided to gather together a list of 7 of the ...
Celebrating Our Nurses for World Health Day
Every year, the World Health Organization (WHO) celebrates World Health Day. Like the WHO, Recovery Unplugged’s goal is to provide everyone we can with the care they need to live happy and healthy lives. With...
Are Video Game Addictions Real?
Video game and gaming addictions are issues that have had profound effects on our youth. Since technology and recreational gaming became normal features in our daily lives, there have always been those concerne...
5 Children’s Books That Discuss Drugs and Alcohol
Many people often refer to addiction as a family disease. This is because everyone in the family, especially the children, are impacted by a loved one’s substance abuse. That’s why for International Childre...
Do You Have A Sports Addiction?
We may chuckle reading about addiction associated with sports, but for some it is a very sad reality that can consume their time, money and relationships. Most of us have a favorite team or hometown hero that w...
How Do Meth and Other Drugs Affect Your Teeth?
Bad teeth are a pervasive stereotype for many people who struggle with or have struggled with substance use disorder. Unfortunately, the truth is that drugs do have an extraordinarily negative impact on teeth. ...
Black Success Stories: Honoring Recovering Addicts in Music
There are stories of struggle, success, and overcoming obstacles in every community. For Black History Month, Recovery Unplugged has decided to highlight black success stories and honor recovering addicts in mu...
Rebuilding and Repairing Relationships After Addiction
In order to start rebuilding and repairing relationships after addiction, you have to rebuild yourself into a new person. It’s significant to take into consideration what your actions have done to others befo...
Love Addiction: The Love Drug
In case you didn’t already know, Valentine’s Day is well on its way. For some people, Valentine’s Day is one of the most wonderful days of the year. For others, it can be the day that reminds them of thei...
A Look At Addiction and Codependency
When Prince penned his iconic love song “I Would Die for You,” it’s safe to assume that he was exaggerating. For many people, however, these sentiments and possibilities are far too real, as are their str...
Stigma Still Impacts Every Part of Addiction Recovery
In case those affected can’t feel it every day, it’s been confirmed that stigma is present in all areas of addiction recovery. A study from Harvard and Massachusetts General Hospital found that many adults ...
Thank You for Your (Lip) Service: Are We Doing Enough to Help Veterans with Addiction and Mental Health Issues?
Addiction and mental health issues continue to be a problem for our nation’s veterans. As we observe another Veterans Day, a 24-hour period when we celebrate the efforts, sacrifices and unmatched contribu...
LGBTQ Workers, Mental Health and Addiction: What You Need to Know
Earlier this month, the Supreme Court heard an important LGBTQ workers’ rights case. It looked at whether federal laws barring sexual discrimination protect gay and transgender employees. The Court’s ruling...
RecoveryFest Music Series Celebrates Addiction Recovery in Nashville
There’s never been a better time than today to get clean. The city of Nashville agrees, which is why hundreds of people in recovery came out this past Saturday, September 28, to have a festive, drug- and alco...
A National Recovery Month Message from Recovery Unplugged Co-Founder/Vision Leader Paul Pellinger
This September marks the 30th anniversary of National Recovery Month, an event established and sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to raise awareness about the di...
Must-See TV Shows and Movies About Addiction
It can be difficult to find shows or movies about addiction that offer honest and authentic messaging. Whether it’s the depiction of how substance use disorders begin, the wreckage that it leaves trailed behi...
Recovery Unplugged Featured on A&E’s Addiction Unplugged
The stigma against substance abuse and addiction has impacted those struggling with substance use disorder in innumerable ways. Although people in recovery ought to be applauded for the strength and initiative ...
Art Alexakis Releases Debut Solo Record
Everclear founder and front man, and friend of Recovery Unplugged, Art Alexakis has announced the release of his debut solo album, Sun Songs, which is expected to drop mid-October. The album gives Alexakis the ...
Why Are Your Employees Struggling with Addiction?
Determining the cause of addiction among your employees is as simultaneously simple and difficult as asking someone why they’re having trouble paying their bills or why they’re estranged from their families...
What Does Independence from Drug and Alcohol Addiction Really Mean?
In case we couldn’t tell from the smell of lighter fluid wafting through the air and the thunderous boom of fireworks sending dogs all over the country under couches, today the United States celebrates the 24...
Important Tips for Cultivating and Maintaining Recovery
Welcome to recovery! Getting clean and sober is like getting another chance at life. As difficult as it can be to finally make that decision to put down the drugs and alcohol, the truly hard part is often stayi...
Addiction in the Workplace: Industries with the Highest Rates of Substance Abuse
Anyone who has impacted by addiction, whether it’s in their own life or the life of a loved one, knows that the career and professional life are often one of the earliest casualties of substance use. Unfortun...
Beyond Pride Month: Preventing LGBTQ+Addiction Every Day
Another June is quickly passing and reality is that, for many, the support and advocacy shown to the LGBTQ+ community during Pride Month is passing right along with it. As well-intentioned as people may be in t...
Examining and Addressing Addiction among Millennials
Addiction among millennials has been on the rise for some time. This age group is more likely to die from drugs, alcohol, or suicide than any other age group, and reform in our healthcare is needed to cater to ...
Examining Addiction in the LGBTQ+ Community
As we continue to celebrate Pride Month, Recovery Unplugged wants to take a moment to examine some of the origins, sustaining factors and ramifications related to addiction in the LGBTQ+ community, as well as s...
Her Smell Movie Combines Blistering, Beautiful Music and the Heartbreaking Reality of Addiction
Recovery Unplugged went to the movies to take in the gritty, unflinching and painfully realistic “Her Smell” starring The Handmaid’s Tale’s Elizabeth Moss; a film that chronicles the decline, addiction ...
Race in Addiction Treatment: Addressing the Accessibility Gap
A recent study from the University of Michigan shows that white, non-Hispanic patients are getting treated for opioid dependency through prescribed buprenorphine at rates exponentially higher than the black com...
Examining Specific Workplace Issues Faced by Addiction Care Nurses
Nurses in every area of medical care face unique and extraordinary professional and personal challenges, many of which are due entirely to the nature of their field of specialization. These challenges can be es...
Addiction, Depression and the Future of America
The American teenager has long been dogged by a stereotype of moodiness and melancholy. Very often these characteristics are dismissed as age-related issues, and chalked up to “hormones” or “just a phase...
Upcoming Elton John Biopic Discusses Acclaimed Songwriter’s Drug and Alcohol Addiction
There was a well-documented time in the career of Elton John, during which his Rocketman moniker had a double meaning, representing both the smash hit that he wrote of that name, and is frequently intoxicated s...
UBH Lawsuit Verdict Strikes Important Blow to Stigma against Addiction
A federal court ruling in Northern California against the nation’s leading health insurance provider shines a light on the power of stigma against addiction, and how it can often prevent patients from getting...
The Role of Environment in Addiction Recovery
People, places and things; that’s the common motto among individuals in recovery when discussing relapse triggers. While this may seem like a broad and generalized phrase, it specifically refers to the role o...
What Peter Tork’s Alcohol and Drug Addiction Struggle Says about Reinvention in Recovery
Last week the music and performance art world said goodbye to Peter Tork, bass player for The Monkees. Tork passed away on February 21st at the age of 77 from cancer. His musical legacy is often a polarizing on...
Valentine’s Day, Addiction and Relationships: The Impact on Romantic Partners
We get how hard navigating healthy relationships can be already without the additional issue of addiction. With Valentine’s Day around the corner, it can be easy to dwell on past mistakes or get caught up in ...
Addiction in Families: A Roller-Coaster Ride
A FEW WORDS ABOUT ADDICTION IN FAMILIES FROM RECOVERY UNPLUGGED NATIONAL OUTREACH MANAGER BLAKE COHEN. “Whatever those therapy groups you go to are doing, it’s working.” My mother said that line to me o...
Benefits of Out-of-State Addiction Treatment
One of the unfortunate realities of addiction is that it often begins at home. The dysfunction we experience in our family dynamics, careers, personal relationships and various other areas of our lives are comm...
What Are The Most Addictive Drugs?
This time of year, everyone loves a countdown, from the best songs of the year to the most commonly used (and most ridiculous) phrases, and everything in between. Recovery Unplugged is starting your new year of...
In Case You Missed It: Three Stories from the Week that Address Addiction in the United States
It’s been quite a week: the government remains millimeters away from shutting down, President Trump has announced plans to pull out of Syria. The never-ending news blitz combined with the madness of the last-...
Three of 2018’s Must-See Movies about Addiction
2018, and the past few years before it, have brought about a heightened state of cultural awareness in practically all areas of life, from how we treat each other in everyday interaction to how we choose to tal...
How Does The Marchman Act Help Address Addiction in Families?
What do you do when a family member or loved one struggles with substance abuse and they’re unwilling to seek treatment out for themselves? The reality for millions of families across the United States is tha...
The Role of Stigma in Addiction and Relapse
Imagine you’re in dire need of serious medical treatment— you’re in an incredible amount of pain, you have infected wounds, you can barely walk— and you know that your medical care provider isn’t goin...
Wilco Frontman Jeff Tweedy’s Addiction and Trauma Discussed in New Memoir
At Recovery Unplugged, we discuss at length the power of music to alter mood, improve our day and enrich our emotional experiences. What we’ve left out up to now, however, is that listening to Wilco’s Yanke...
Is Vaping Addiction a Threat to Teens?
Over the past few years, the advent of the vape pen and e-cigarette has changed the way that society approaches nicotine consumption. Unfortunately, however, what was initially created to help provide cigarette...
The Power of Playing Music in Addiction Recovery
Early on, we are often taught the advantages of playing an instrument or singing such as improving math and comprehension skills, but there are so many other benefits that we don’t learn about as we get older...
Using Music in Addiction Recovery Each Day
As National Recovery Month rolls on, our first order of business is, of course, music. Part of maintaining successful recovery is enriching our everyday lives with the things we love; this is not only critical ...
How Has Your Recovery Routine Changed in the Last Year?
With another National Recovery Month just around the corner, millions across the nation are preparing to educate and empower themselves to take a more proactive role in combatting addiction and relapse in their...
The Year in Recovery: What Has Been Done to Fight Addiction Since Last Year’s National Recovery Month?
September 1st marks the beginning of another National Recovery Month, a 30-day event established by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) aimed at providing educational resource...
Examining the Link between Addiction and Suicide
On the heels of the apparent suicides of fashion designer Kate Spade and chef, author and television host Anthony Bourdain, the United States has become engaged in an immediate dialogue about this increasingly ...
K2 Part 2: Synthetic Marijuana Overdoses Making a Comeback
Last week more than 25 people were hospitalized in Brooklyn after they had apparently overdosed on K2, a form of synthetic marijuana that has been a persistent public health threat for the past few years. Polic...
Is The Perception of Addiction Changing?
Most people would like to consider themselves as enlightened, progressive and deeply in tune with the inner workings of just about everything; but when push comes to shove, we all have our inherent biases, incl...
So…Just Who’s Responsible for Combating Drug Addiction?
We’ve all seen those after-school public-service announcements about drug addiction prevention is everyone’s responsibility: the cartoon animal that simplifies addiction as a matter of choice; the abbreviat...
Children: The Often-Forgotten Casualties of Drug Addiction in Texas
Each and every one of us who has dealt with addiction in our lives understands that it doesn’t just affect the user. This disease has the power to ruin the lives of users’ families and loved ones, as well a...
Addiction Treatment in America
At the end of last month, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Brenda Fitzgerald resigned after it was discovered that she purchased stock in the tobacco industry; a clear conflict of inter...
Forging Your Own Path: Creating A Recovery Plan that Works for You
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to addiction recovery. In the past few decades, more and more treatment facilities have been correctly utilizing a customized care approach that addresses each patient’s...
RIP Chuck Mosley: Another Casualty of the Disease of Addiction
Last Thursday, the music world said goodbye to another one of its own as former Faith No More front man, Chuck Mosley succumbed to an apparent heroin overdose after a long period of recovery from the disease of...
The Never-Ending War: Examining the Plight of Addicted Veterans
Objectively speaking, it’s hard to think of circumstances more treacherous than the battlefield during an active armed conflict; the deafening blasts of bombs and gunfire, the chaos, the violence, etc. It’s...
Advantages of Florida Addiction Treatment
For the past few decades, Florida has become a hub for addiction and substance abuse care. Patients suffering from every type of substance abuse issue have been able to find quality treatment in the sunshine st...
Russell Brand’s New Addiction Book Discusses Path to Recovery
It’s often said that addicts have to embrace recovery in their own way, and there is no clearer example of this adage than comedian, actor, radio host, activist, and author Russell Brand. A man who has, more ...
Three Ways to Help an Addicted Friend
Very often we look at a friend who is vulnerable to drug or alcohol dependency and convince ourselves that it’s not our business to intervene or not our place to say anything about it. In theory, this sense o...
Remembering Glen Campbell – 1936-2017
Earlier this week, the world said “adios” to yet another music legend. Country superstar Glen Campbell passed away on August 8th after a long and courageous battle with Alzheimer’s disease. During an unpa...
Addressing and Managing the Burden of Guilt in Addiction Recovery
Those who are recovering from drug and alcohol addiction experience a full range of emotions, particularly during the first few months or the first year after treatment. Often chief among these emotions is guil...
The Importance of Community in Preventing Addiction
Very often, when we think about the growing addiction epidemic in the United States, and the need for drug and alcohol addiction prevention, we tend to look at it as something abstract; as numbers on a spread...
Three Career Choices that Are Prone to Higher Rates of Addiction
When we start to examine our career choices early on in life, we immediately start making inevitable comparisons: money vs. time; opportunity vs. job scarcity; travel vs. telecommuting, etc. Very few, if any, o...
Is It Time To Adopt A State-by-State Approach to Addiction Treatment?
Yesterday it was announced that the American Addiction Treatment Association launched new industry regulations for addiction care facilities in the state of Michigan. Michigan is the ninth state in which AATA m...
The Importance of Perseverance in Recovery
Recovery Unplugged Texas was recently impacted by a tornado that left us temporarily unable to fully provide the unmatched level of care our patients deserve, and have come to expect. While none of us can contr...
Misinformation Plays Significant Role in Texas Drug Epidemic
It’s, frankly, little surprise that many healthcare organizations and state agencies would have a hard time keeping up with the glut of addiction-related fatalities consuming the United States. The reality is...
PA Lawmakers Propose Compulsory Addiction Treatment
One of the fundamental tenets of recovery is that it ultimately has to be the addict’s decision. Conventional wisdom indicates that an addict can’t get clean for anyone else but themselves and they have to ...
A Closer Look at What Addiction Does to Families
When discussing addiction and its impact, brief and superficial lip-service is often paid to damage it creates within the family unit. We hear common tropes like how substance abuse takes its tolls on families ...
Are Regulatory Roadblocks Impeding Quality Addiction Treatment?
Let’s start with some statistics. The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that there were over 54,000 overdose deaths in 2015, easily eclipsing the record-setting number of roughly 47,000 the prior year....
The Voice of Experience: Recovering Addict Warns of Escalating Meth Problem in Texas
Earlier this week, authorities in East Texas seized guns and drugs from two locations in the latest battle in the war to curb trafficking, distribution and subsequent addiction within the region. The raid drew ...
Dropkick Murphys’ New Album Tackles Addiction and Substance Abuse
It’s called 11 Short Stories of Pain and Glory and it’s the ninth album from Quincy, MA punk legends Dropkick Murphys. The record was made right here in Texas and was deeply inspired by the Massachusetts op...
Unpacking and Dispelling the Concept of Rock-Bottom
It’s one of the oldest tropes in addiction recovery, and an assertion that’s been repeated for decades: You have to hit what is known as “rock-bottom” before you realize you have a problem with drugs or...
What to Expect for Addiction Treatment in 2017
As we begin to settle into another year, it can be overwhelming to contemplate how quickly time passes, and to think about what we failed to accomplish the year prior. The passage of time can be even more overw...
New Father-Son Book Highlights Treatment Gap and Prison Rates for Addicts
When most people are in the midst of a lengthy prison sentence, they tend to think their life is over, or at least severely disrupted. The last thing they’re thinking about is writing a book with their dad. R...
A Word (or 400) about Addiction in Media and Pop Culture
The media we consume has always been a product of the culture and collective opinion of our time. However exaggerated and stylized, the messaging that we see in movies, on TV and in other media usually, in some...
Avoiding Relapse during the Holidays
While the holidays are a wonderful opportunity to get together with friends and family, they can also be problematic for those in recovery. The free flow of alcohol, tense interactions with family members, fina...
State Medicaid Funding Changes to Encourage Addiction Counseling
Those who are in need of more intensive counseling as part of their drug or alcohol treatment program may soon get their wish. Maryland is just one state whose Medicaid program is being altered to encourage mor...
Honoring Veteran’s Service and Recognizing Their Plight
Today we proudly honor the active and retired members of our armed forces. We extend our deepest and most profound appreciation for their service and everything they’ve done to ensure our safety and tranquili...
Recovery Unplugged Releases New eBook on the Impact of Addiction on Families
Families are the lesser-discussed casualties of addiction. For practically every one of the over 23 million Americans suffering from chemical dependency, there is a whole separate group of people suffering righ...
Population of Addicted Homeless Rises Dramatically in Austin
If you live in the Austin area, and have noticed a dramatic increase in the region’s homeless population, you’re not imagining things. A recent survey conducted by Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (E...
Holding Them Accountable: Find Out Where Your Candidates Stand on Addiction Treatment
As coverage of the 2016 presidential election dominates virtually every media outlet in the country, far less attention is being paid to the down-ballot races that will be decided on the same day. We’ve only ...
The Importance of Specialized Therapies in Addiction Treatment
Recovery Unplugged recently published a FREE white paper on the positive impact of music in addiction treatment, and its power to heal those suffering from deep-rooted emotional trauma. We are exceedingly proud...
Dr. David Kramer Releases White Paper on The Effects of Music in Treatment
In an effort to further illustrate the profound healing powers of music and the modernity and innovation of the Recovery Unplugged treatment model, our very own resident psychiatrist, Dr. David Kramer, has rele...
Are We All Wired for Addiction?
Last month, researchers at Texas A&M published a white paper making a decidedly bold claim: We are all wired for addiction on some level. The paper, entitled “What is Abnormal about Addiction-Related Atte...
How Much Will the First Presidential Debate Focus on Addiction?
On Monday, an estimated 150 million viewers (approximately half the country) will tune in to see the first debate of what can safely be described as one of the most unusual presidential elections in American hi...
Recovery Unplugged Celebrates National Recovery Month
A day after recognizing International Awareness Day, Recovery Unplugged is now fittingly observer another important event within the recovery community. This September marks the 27th annual National Recovery...
Senate to Vote on Landmark Opioid Prevention Package
This is a potential game-changer in the way the United States will fight the spread of opioid addiction going forward. The Senate is set to vote on a package of measures aimed at, among other things, increasing...
Nearly $1 Billion in Medicare Fraud Sheds Light on Addiction among Senior Citizens
Things seem to just keep getting worse for the medical community, and arguably the patients for whom it cares. Last week a study revealed that a free meal paid for by pharmaceutical companies can sway many doct...
The Relationship between Addiction and Poverty
According to the United States Census, approximately 45 million Americans live below the poverty line. Meanwhile, it is estimated that just over 40 million Americans are struggling with addiction. For years, th...
The Faceless Nature of American Addiction
Addiction affects Americans of every age, ethnicity and economic background. It’s important that we recognize this for treatment and prevention purposes. One of the most common questions regarding drug a...
Remembering Our Addicted Veterans on Memorial Day
As we endeavor to observe another Memorial Day this weekend, Recovery Unplugged feels it appropriate and necessary to observe the widespread addiction and mental health issues plaguing our servicemen and women....
Examining the Impact of Addiction on Parents
We are now square in the middle of the month-long swing between Mother’s and Father’s Day, and while for many, these holidays are spent eating brunch, buying gifts and honoring our parents, mothers and fath...
Recognizing Addiction in A Child
Every year hundreds of thousands of children fall victim to drug and alcohol addiction, often paying the ultimate price as a result. For each one of these bright, vibrant and promising lives that are threatened...
The Evolving Depiction of Addiction in the Media and Popular Culture
Over the past few years, the themes of addiction and chemical dependency have been more and more prevalent in the television shows and movies we consume. This past winter, Netflix released two new series (Love ...
7 Rappers That Struggle with Addiction
No one is safe from addiction. More than 23 million Americans aged 12 or older — or 9.2 percent of the population — have abused drugs in the past month, according to the most recent 2012 data from the Nati...
Addiction Perception – Then and Now
From the start of the 1900s we have demonized addiction. In the 1950s (just like now) heroin use was a hot topic. Clinicians at the thought of addicts as having its roots in neurosis and obsession referring to ...
Too Little, Too Late For Drug Offenders?
“These men and women were not hardened criminals,” Obama said in his Facebook Video “but the overwhelming majority had been sentenced to at least 20 years—14 of them had been sentenced to life—for non...
Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Relapse
Jonathan Rhys Meyers is back on the wagon. The Tudors actor, who has struggled with substance abuse for years, opened up about a "minor relapse" he recently had via Instagram on Tuesday, May 26....
Recovery Unplugged – Raising The Bar
On Friday, April 17 the Family Law Section of BCBA held another sold-out full day seminar & reception event called Raising the Bar. Recovery Unplugged Treatment Center is a full year sponsor of the Broward Coun...
Recovery Unplugged’s NCAD 15 Plenary Speaker
It was announced yesterday that Richie Supa, Recovery Unplugged Treatment Center’s (a Florida drug rehab) Director of Creative Recovery, will be the Opening Plenary Speaker for the 2015 National Conference ...
Recovery Unplugged Attends White House Substance Abuse Forum
Scarlet Gleeson, Director of Business Development at Recovery Unplugged, attended a meeting at the White House on January 21, 2015, hosted by the ONDCP (Office of the National Drug Control Policy) and SAMHSA (S...
Long Term Sobriety
For those who have never struggled with addiction, it may seem like rehabilitation is the final step to lifetime sobriety. Unfortunately, the challenge of long term sobriety is a lifelong task as those who comp...
The Role of Social Media Promoting Alcohol, Drugs and Addiction
At this point, most people have a general knowledge of social media and many people have accounts of their own that allow them to connect with past friends and colleagues. Social media is a great resource that ...
The Dangers of Addiction and Pregnancy
When someone who is struggling with drug and alcohol addiction becomes pregnant, the dangers become not only prevalent to the mother, but her unborn child, too. While many people may know it is dangerous, it is...
Codependency
When referring to addiction and recovery, we often spend our time talking about the person that is using, but not much about those around them. I want to start by saying that I have been in this situation befor...
Rehabilitation at Home
When you suspect a loved one in your home is struggling from addiction to drugs and alcohol, many people have a natural instinct to solve it. They feel they are capable of helping that person overcome. In some ...
Eating Disorders
While many people typically think of drugs and alcohol as the main source of addiction, eating disorders are another form of addiction that requires treatment. Eating disorders are most rampant in young girls, ...
Molly: Not the girl next door
Molly. It sounds extremely harmless and reminiscent of a childhood friend or the girl next door. Unfortunately this couldn’t be further from the truth as “Molly” is sweeping through college campuses aroun...
Physical Side Effects of Addiction
Drug addiction is a very serious situation that often has severe physical side effects. After extensive drug use, a person can begin to look very different from their pre-addiction selves. Weight loss and weig...
The Benefits of Youth Activities for Preventing Addiction
There is no magic combination of checklist items that are sure to keep your kids from choosing alcohol and drugs. While no one can provide a sure-fire solution into preventing addiction, research shows that par...