Renaissance Recovery Blog

During the holiday season, it’s nearly impossible to turn on a television or walk into a store without being bombarded with images and videos of holiday joy and cheerfulness. While the intention of these messages is to spread joy, the constant reminders of happy times can have the opposite effect on those who struggle with the holidays. If you experience depression during holiday seasons, then you aren’t alone. Holiday and depression can be twin sides of a coin, but the good news is there are ways to cope and enjoy recovery from holiday depression and anxiety. The following are a few helpful tips and tools for how:

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Today, one of the biggest risks facing teens is the prescription painkillers sitting in medicine cabinets in most American households. Most teens abuse prescription painkillers because they see the adults in their lives taking them, to manage various health conditions, and can easily access these prescription medications compared to other drugs. Moreover, teenagers are very vulnerable and can be lured easily into trying out new drugs that they have never seen before. While these prescription drugs may seem less dangerous than other addictive drugs such as heroin and cocaine, misuse of painkillers can lead to a serious addiction or death due to a fatal overdose. (more…)

The holidays are upon us. That means it’s time with family and friends. And for many of us, it also means being in the presence of alcohol or drugs, and we know what challenges that bring to the dinner table. So, to be sure this holiday season is what you want it to be, have a three-fold plan: (1) consult with your sponsor before any holiday planning; (2) if traveling someplace, research in advance for local meetings for recovering addicts; and (3) customize your holiday season according to three scenarios in which you may find yourself.

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Addiction is a personal human struggle as old as time. In its latest iteration, addiction has resurfaced at crisis levels. Clinically, addiction is a condition that begins when a person takes a chemical substance (or engages in a behavior), which begins as hedonistically gratifying, but quickly evolves to an uncontrolled compulsion that interrupts your life.

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Have you ever come across a chronic alcoholic? If you have, you might already know that people who are used to substance abuse usually suffer from some degree of psychiatric disorder. This combination is sometimes referred to as co-occurring disorder or dual disorders. The psychiatric component is extremely crucial, as people with mental disorders are more likely to indulge themselves in substance abuse. It is just like a vicious cycle.

Alcohol and mental health disorders

A chronic alcoholic individual usually suffers from several mental disorders including diseases such as mania, major depression, personality disorder, or even schizophrenia. Sign symptoms might vary depending on conditions. For example, people suffering from mania might exhibit periods of high excitement or euphoria, often interspersed with periods of depression. Because alcohol is so closely associated with having a good time, both extremes may drive the individual to drink, whether to celebrate or to console oneself. (more…)

Each person has pains, bad habits and hang-ups in their life. These can often lead individuals to consume alcohol or drugs to dull the pain. Renaissance Recovery Center in Gilbert, AZ is a faith-based addiction treatment center that helps people with all sorts of addictions find freedom and deliverance from the substances. God is bigger than our troubles, and he can help us overcome any obstacles we encounter. Having this in mind, here are 14 Bible verses to turn to when working to overcome an addiction. (more…)

Addiction is a behavioral disease that affects people all around the world, regardless of demographics like class, race, or gender. However, it would be naive to assume that these factors didn’t play a part in particular substances and their prevalence on a particular demographic. For example, despite its stereotype for primarily being a male drug, cocaine addiction is actually more prevalent amongst women, who are more likely to get addicted to cocaine than men. Here are some reasons why this appears to be the case… (more…)

While addiction is a prominent problem in the United States, it’s important to recognize that it is something that goes far beyond our borders, and is truly a global epidemic. Addiction is an issue that is pronounced all over the world. One area of the world that has a particular effect on addiction everywhere might surprise a lot of people: Afghanistan, the source of 90% of the world’s heroin. Afghanistan is no stranger to its own issues with addiction. Here is some information about the rising addiction rates in Afghanistan… (more…)

In the world of addiction recovery, there are many different tools that we have available to us to help people who are struggling with addiction. However, our options are sometimes mitigated by the trends of the market around us. The rising prices of many lifesaving drugs on the marketplace have been commonplace for years, and have recently become a hot topic in the national conversation about healthcare. In particular, Naloxone is one drug in the addiction recovery world that has been particularly susceptible to this issue… (more…)

For many people in America, binge drinking has become a core part of their social lives. This has created a culture that, in many cases, excuses dangerous behavior that is caused by alcohol abuse. Because of this, it is imperative that we, as a society, have a hard discussion about what this means for our young people, our future, and how far past the point of unacceptability we have come. Recently, HBO and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism have produced a documentary called Risky Drinking, which looks into the lives of various people who suffer from their own battles with alcohol abuse. (more…)