How to Come Up with a Treatment Plan for Substance Abusers

Recognizing the need for alcohol or drug addiction treatment is the first step towards healing. The second step revolves around creating a treatment plan for substance abusers. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach. Each person responds to different types and levels of care in varied ways. Yet, in every situation, it is critical to recognize help is…

couple in therapy discussing Signs of a Codependent Relationship

9 Warning Signs of a Codependent Relationship

A codependent relationship is a kind of dysfunctional relationship where one person is a caretaker, and the other person takes advantage. Codependent relationships are extremely common among people with substance use issues. Typically, one partner will take care of the other to the extent of enabling that partner’s addictive behavior. Often, the caretaker is raised…

How Drugs and Girl with her hands on her face thinking about how Alcohol Damage the Brain

How Drugs and Alcohol Damage the Brain

Addiction is a brain disease that causes physical and physiological changes to the brain. The brain controls our thoughts, memory and speech, movement of the limbs, and the function of many organs within our body. Drugs and alcohol affect the brain’s neurotransmitters, which release an excess level of dopamine, causing temporary pleasurable feelings and euphoria.…