In a society where drinking alcohol is common and binge drinking is considered normal, it may be difficult to tell whether or not your loved one is exhibiting signs of alcohol abuse. Below are a few warning signs to help you figure out whether you... Read More
Dealing with an addiction in a loved one can be a roller coaster. It’s common to try to rationalize and normalize your loved one’s addiction and behavior, to make excuses for them, or to try and minimize the severity of the addiction. However,... Read More
Heroin is a highly addictive and extremely dangerous drug, a member of the opioid family. The potential for overdosing on heroin is high – in 2018, nearly 15,000 people died from a drug overdose involving heroin in the United States alone. If you... Read More
Back in April, we hosted our first-ever national webinar. It was a privilege to orchestrate a Q&A session with one of Any Length Retreat’s alumni, Anthony Brooks, about his experience with addiction, his time at the retreat, and what his life... Read More
Suspecting a loved one of a drug or alcohol addiction at any time isn’t easy. In fact, it can be downright terrifying. During this unique time in human history, though, it may feel even scarier. The world has almost completely shut down. Will... Read More
Over the last month, we’ve posted a lot about different ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic can affect those in recovery. We’ve talked about the feelings of loneliness and boredom that may arise during self-isolation and how to be proactive... Read More
Recovering from addiction during a worldwide lockdown presents a unique set of challenges to overcome. Many recovery programs (including us!) speak about the importance of being involved in a community. However, it can be hard to feel a connection... Read More
It’s certainly an interesting time to be in recovery – adjusting to a new normal is difficult thanks to COVID-19, which is making life anything but normal. One thing we often suggest as a way to ease into your new, addiction-free lifestyle is... Read More
For a lot of people, a part of recovering from their addiction is rediscovering who they are without the substances that they used to rely on. Some people might feel like they need to find a whole new identity outside of drugs or alcohol. This... Read More
At this point, the COVID-19 pandemic has been running rampant across the United States for about a month. In order to slow the spread, many people are social distancing and self-isolating. In our last post, we talked a bit about how, even though... Read More
The COVID-19 pandemic has completely changed the world. People are staying inside more than ever, avoiding contact with those outside their immediate household. These precautions are necessary for stopping the spread of a virus, but may have a... Read More
COVID-19 has changed the concept of “normal” for nearly everyone in the United States. Many people may be struggling with extended periods spent indoors or without seeing certain friends or family members. If someone you love is currently in... Read More
Over the past couple of months, the COVID-19 virus has spread around the world, and many people are making an effort to avoid spreading or contracting the disease. At the time of writing, over 1.3 million cases of the disease have been reported... Read More
For most people over the last few weeks, everyday life has completely changed thanks to COVID-19. To slow the spread of this deadly virus, people are practicing social distancing: limiting contact with other people. Many companies have their... Read More
COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019), initially known as coronavirus, is an infectious respiratory disease in the same family as the SARS virus, of which there was an outbreak nearly twenty years ago. Common symptoms include coughing, fever, and... Read More
Recovery from addiction to alcohol or drugs is a journey, and that journey looks different for every individual. For many people, one stop on that journey is a sober living facility. Sober living homes act as a transition stage for people who have... Read More
If you or someone you love is suffering from a substance addiction, you may have done a bit of research into treatment and recovery options in your area. We took a look at how many substance abuse treatment centers there are in each state and... Read More
If you’re currently suffering or in recovery from an addiction to drugs or alcohol, you may be looking for different types of professionals who can help support you through your journey to sobriety. You may have come across licensed therapists or... Read More
If you or someone you love is looking to get help for a drug, alcohol, or any other type of addiction, you’ve probably seen that both long and short term options are available. You may be tempted by a 30-day treatment program, thinking you can go... Read More
Over the past month, we’ve been taking a look at how the United States compares to other countries in terms of drug laws, and how we compare to Europe specifically in terms of alcohol abuse. When looking at the alcohol abuse rates, we saw that... Read More
If you were to read through the twelve steps, you might find that the wording, at least for the first few steps, has a distinct feeling of “surrendering” to it, particularly surrendering to a higher power. There are two ways we can approach... Read More
When it comes to beating an addiction, the 12-step recovery model is one of the most effective tools used in treatment. They were created by Alcoholics Anonymous as a guideline to working through and overcoming an addiction. The 12 steps, as defined... Read More
Thanks to the Internet, we’re living in a world of diet trends and fads. In the last few years, we’ve seen a huge increase in people following keto diets, veganism, and more. A lot of people roll their eyes at others who jump on these diet... Read More
At Any Length, we’re big believers in the effects of the twelve-step program for overcoming drug and alcohol addictions. One of the most important aspects of the twelve steps is turning to a higher power and practicing prayer. Meditation is an... Read More
Recovering from an addiction to alcohol or drugs is hard, but we believe that it’s always possible. We believe that twelve-step programs are the most effective method of treatment, but it’s by no means the only way an addicted person can achieve... Read More
Over the last few months, we’ve talked a lot about the importance of diet – not just for your overall health, but also particular foods that contain specific vitamins and minerals that can support your brain and body through your recovery.... Read More
You may have heard that addiction is genetic, and someone descended from a former alcoholic or addict needs to be careful around drugs and alcohol so that they don’t become addicted themselves. This is true in many cases. One study concluded that... Read More
We know the basics of what constitutes an addiction: a compulsive need for a particular substance that takes priority over things like relationships, work, and the person’s financial situation. To many people who have never had a brush with... Read More
Here in the United States, we have an interesting relationship with alcohol. As you might remember from history class back in school, the prohibition era outlawed alcohol consumption and sale entirely from 1920 until 1933, and the current legal... Read More
As we know, addiction is a disease, and some people may be more susceptible to certain diseases than other people. When it comes to a disease of the mind, like addiction, social factors are the biggest differentiator between those who are likely to... Read More
“Cross addiction” is a term to describe someone suffering from two or more addictive behaviors. In most cases, the person will have addictions to multiple substances, like drugs or alcohol, but it also includes when a person is addicted to, for... Read More
Being in recovery from addiction requires you to make major changes to your life if you want to remain recovered. Building an entirely new mindset is much easier said than done. Changing your mindset can be made easier by becoming more mindful –... Read More
In the 1970s, President Nixon declared a war on drugs aimed at stopping the illegal drug trade in the United States. Many people consider this campaign to have been largely ineffective as new people continue to develop addictions and dependencies on... Read More
Addiction is no joke. In 2017, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health estimated that nearly 20 million Americans over the age of 12 were struggling with a substance use disorder that year. Of that, around 74% suffered from an alcohol use... Read More
We know that eating well and exercising often are two of the keys to living a long, healthy life. This is true for everyone, but it becomes even more true for people who are recovering from a drug or alcohol addiction. We’ve talked recently about... Read More
The legal status of marijuana is a hot topic – nearly everyone seems to have an opinion. The drug does have some medical uses and in many places around the world, patients use it to manage their chronic pain. Different cultures believe it has... Read More
Completing a treatment program is only the first step in achieving lifelong recovery from an addiction to drugs or alcohol. Once your treatment is over, there’s still work to be done – it’s likely that your entire lifestyle will have to... Read More
Recently, we’ve talked a bit about enabling an addict – that is, protecting your addicted loved one from the consequences of his or her actions. Another common, similar behavior that can develop between an addict and their loved one is... Read More
Don’t let the name fool you – legal highs are not necessarily legal. Legal highs are another name for designer drugs or research chemicals and refer to synthetic drugs created to mimic the effects of a naturally-derived drug. These substances... Read More
There is a difference between research chemicals used in scientific research and research chemicals used to get high. The latter are developed in a lab and are meant to mimic the effects of other commonly misused drugs like opioids, cocaine, and... Read More