Renaissance Recovery Blog

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…)

Drug abuse, and particularly opioid addiction, has skyrocketed over the past decade. Based on current models that rightly view addiction as a mental disorder, addiction has become an epidemic that has spread across the entire country. Indeed, addiction adversely affects every demographic in the United States, regardless of class, race, gender, or geographic divisions. Not only does this problem destroy the lives of millions of Americans, but it also is a costly issue that causes billions of dollars in losses for our economy. Here is some information about how our government is planning to handle the problem, and what issues are going overlooked… (more…)

Obviously, engaging in heavy drinking doesn’t do any favors for your health. However, over drinking can cause a lot more damage than you think it can. There is an ample amount of research that shows it is very likely that alcohol can be a major component of increasing an individual’s risk to cancer. Here are some of the links between cancer and alcohol abuse that an alcoholic should be worrying about… (more…)

Marijuana is a drug that has gained immense popularity in recent years, although it has always been prevalent in American society. The main difference now is that marijuana use is visible at the surface of so many parts of our culture, from its widespread usage in media, to the states that have legalized its use, recreationally and medically. While we don’t want to ruminate on the ethics of this situation, as it is complicated and full of grey areas, it is important to keep in mind that we need to be aware and vigilant about the effects that this can have on our society, and particularly our young people. Recently, there was a study conducted about the effects that marijuana can have on young people, and the effects must be noted… (more…)

PART 2

Note: All numbers are cited from the Center for Disease Control.

We are currently in the midst of a large national problem. If one prescribes to the notion that addiction is a mental disease, then one cannot deny that the alarming rise of opioid abuse in the United State constitutes nothing less than an all out epidemic. Oftentimes, this gets framed into the picture of rising rates of heroin abuse. However, the much more disturbing truth is that the biggest culprit behind this epidemic in American society is not an illegal substance like heroin, but one that is recommended by our own health professionals. Indeed, it is prescription opioids that largely drive opioid abuse in many forms. Here is a quick look at the challenges posed by prescription opioids… (more…)