Author name: Kyle Schwartz

If you or a loved one has been through treatment for substance use disorder one or more times in one or more different facilities, and have yet to find lasting recovery, you are most likely asking yourself what will be different this time.

It can often be challenging speaking to a loved one about their substance use. In the past, when we have tried to do so we have most likely met with resistance, denial, and anger. These past experiences and the inertia of the current state of affairs can sometimes make us hesitant.

In this talk Markus Heilig presents new findings in the science of addiction, as viewed from a neuroscientific view point. Dr Heilig is a professor of psychiatry and the founding director of a new Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience at Linkoping University.

I spent a good portion of my day yesterday speaking to a potential new patient. She, very clearly, was nearing the end of her road. She was depressed, lonely, and afraid. She had a very common story to tell.

In the above video clip, Michael Botticelli makes a compelling argument for the necessity of changing the stigma attached to addiction. In it, He makes an impassioned plea from personal experience.

In the first two parts of this series we have examined how to approach the subject of treatment with a loved one suffering from drug or alcohol addiction. Further we looked at how to help that individual make the transition into treatment.

Over the last twenty years increasing amounts of research has been done showing the link between exercise and a reduction in all sorts of symptomatic disorders. It has long been known that exercise is beneficial for reduction in cardiac problems, diabetes, obesity, etc.

When it is time to seek help for drug and alcohol addiction there are many factors that need to be taken into consideration. The decision whether to stay close to home for treatment or to go out of state can often be seen as a minor part of the decision.