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 should be concerned about your loved one’s behavior. They Binge … 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, once you know your loved one is indeed dealing with an addiction, … 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 suspect that a loved one might be abusing drugs, but aren’t sure … 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 is like now that he’s two years sober. If you didn’t have a chance … 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 doctors be available if your loved one needs them? Can your loved … 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 about reducing these feelings to avoid triggering a relapse. However, we know that in some … 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 with other people when you’re not able to physically see them in person! You may want … 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 eating in a way that will support you through recovery. Now, during … 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 process can take time and be incredibly difficult. That’s especially … 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 self-isolating is effective at slowing the spread of a virus, it can … 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 negative impact on mental health – particularly for those who are recovering from addiction and require regular … 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 recovery for substance addiction, you may feel a bit of extra concern regarding how well they’re … 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 around the world. For many people, cases are mild and can be … 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 employees working from home while others have completely shut their doors for the next few months. Large … 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 shortness of breath. The virus typically spreads via respiratory droplets produced by coughing or sneezing. It can be … 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 completed their time in inpatient recovery but still require a bit of … 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 compared those numbers to the number of people who have … 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 treatment centers that can help you overcome your addiction. If you prefer a less … 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 into treatment and come out cured just a month … 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 European countries with looser laws around alcohol tended to have … 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 recovery: by simply complying with what is being asked of us, or … 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 by AA, are as follows: We admitted we were powerless over alcohol and … 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 bandwagons, but what if they actually work? More specifically, … 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 amazing supplemental tool for prayer – praying helps you establish a connection to God … 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 sobriety. Mediation is another helpful and important component in recovery from addiction and … 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. We’ve told you that it’s important to nourish your body with lots of fresh … 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 children of addicts are around eight times more likely to develop an addiction … 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 addiction, it can seem a bit surprising that a person’s need to drink or use drugs … 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 drinking age is 21. Most of our friends across the Atlantic Ocean over in Europe have … 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 develop one versus those who are not. We know that people who … 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 example, alcohol and sex or gambling. Other terms for cross addiction include addiction transfer … 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 – that is, learning not to associate so heavily with your thoughts and … 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 drugs each day. Other countries, however, have different and much more lenient laws around … 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 disorder and around 38% suffered from an illicit drug use disorder. Approximately … 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 the benefits of healthy food and the implementation of an … 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 spiritual properties and use it during traditional ceremonies. But what about … 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 change. When you were in the thick of your addiction, you were probably neglecting … 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 codependency. A codependent is a loved one of an addict who puts the addict’s needs … Read More
Don’t let the name fool you – legal highs are not necessarily legal. In 2010, some legal highs became illegal in the United States, based on information from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). As a result, these herbal highs became Schedule I controlled substances, which means they are illegal and have no permitted medical uses. … Read More
There is a difference between legal research chemicals used in scientific research and those that are used as a way to get high. The latter are developed in a laboratory and are meant to simulate the effects of other commonly misused drugs like marijuana, cocaine, and opioids. These substances tend to be inexpensive to make … Read More