choice house blog

Relapse prevention is critical to maintaining long-term sobriety following treatment. Creating a relapse prevention plan often includes recognizing triggers, managing cravings, practicing relapse prevention tools, and establishing a support group. It also includes contacting people for motivational reminders to stay sober. Taking part in appropriate prevention activities will help when it comes to those critical…

Trauma affects people in different ways. A distressing situation may be traumatizing for one individual but not for another. The symptoms of trauma can vary, depending on the type of traumatic experience and how the person processes what happened. Mental health professionals need to understand the individual experience and the types of trauma that can…

Addiction takes a significant toll on your body, especially in the long term. When you enter into recovery, you must go through the effects of detox and withdrawal and then begin healing. This can take time, but the physical changes will be a great motivator to continue the path to sobriety. Seeing the before and…

When a person has been diagnosed with a substance use disorder in addition to another mental health disorder diagnosis, this is called a “dual diagnosis.” Dual diagnosis treatment can be a little more difficult because the addiction and mental illness are being treated simultaneously. However, this form of treatment will give you the best chance…

Many individuals believe that getting sober means simply abstaining from drugs or alcohol and that’s it. However, recovery is much more comprehensive and involves the creation of a brand new life of sobriety. Stopping the usage of drugs or alcohol is easy, but doing the work to heal the part of yourself that craved drugs…

The importance of family involvement cannot be overlooked in your recovery process as it is a key component for you to be able to heal. The effects of addiction and the early recovery process can take an enormous toll not only on the person who is getting help, but it affects the family and loved…

Trauma can change your life forever. Whether it be an event during childhood, your teenage years, or in your adult life, trauma has the ability to change your outlook on life and the world. This is why it is not uncommon for many individuals who have gone through a traumatic experience to develop a drug…

Trauma survivors have a difficult time with the effects of the distressing event or experience they went through. It can be exhausting to be so hypervigilant all the time, have symptoms of depression, and just a general lack of trust in the world around you. Many may often ask themselves, “Will I feel this way…

Trauma has a profound effect on those that experience it. Even years after the traumatic event or experience, an individual can exhibit PTSD symptoms caused by trauma, such as increased stress and fear in certain situations and places. This is because of changes in the brain that are caused by trauma. While various parts of…