Have you ever given a friend a painkiller to soothe a sore back? Maybe you gave them an anti-anxiety pill before a long flight? Even if it was not intentional, you might have inadvertently contributed to a serious substance abuse problem. This can increase your friend’s chance for a deadly overdose. It is important to…
Watching someone you care about sink deeper and deeper into addiction is frightening and frustrating. Self-destructive behavior, followed by regrets or denials, becomes the norm. Then, sober days become few and far between. This is not only damaging to your friend who is struggling but can be damaging to your friendship and their relationships as…
We leap for joy when we hear of someone’s remission from cancer. However, we keep a quiet and judgmental countenance when it comes to alcohol remission. Why is there such discrimination against those struggling with alcohol and not against those coping with heart disease? Do we fail to understand that alcoholism is indeed a disease?…
Drinking heavily and doing drugs are casual habits that can quickly become uncontrollable for many people. For couples, spending a night “blowing off steam” can turn into a devastating cycle of abuse, anger, resentment, and violence. Substance abuse can harm your relationships with your loved ones. There are many ways that you can help stop…
Drug addiction is devastating not only for the person struggling with addiction but also for those who are close to that person. For the children of those who suffer from addiction, this statement rings truer than for most. The sad fact is that children of people with a drug addiction far too often grow up…
When you pull the trigger on a gun, it releases a bullet at a rapid speed that races until it runs into something that stops it. A trigger is, then, an appropriate word that describes when someone who has struggled with alcohol and drug addiction finds themself in a situation where they are tempted to…
There are many social obligations that involve alcohol. For example, maybe you are going on a first date. Or, maybe you have to go to a holiday party for work. Maybe you must attend a high school reunion, or you are simply out to dinner with new friends. It can be difficult to say no…
Drug detox is a term used heavily today, but many people don’t recognize what it is or how powerful it can be for men and women dealing with drug or alcohol addiction. Who needs drug detox programs, and why are they so important? At The Ranch PA, we offer this type of treatment, and we…
As you recover from addiction, you must focus on emotional and physical health. True sobriety requires a balance of all of the things that make us human. The holistic approach to rehab focuses on the client as a whole. It involves clients forming bonds with their caregivers while talking about their needs. Holistic sessions provide…
One of the biggest mysteries in addiction science is why some people get addicted to drugs or alcohol and why others do not. The factors that contribute to addiction are extremely complex. We cannot yet point to a specific gene or underlying health problem as the cause of addiction. However, there are certain commonalities among…