Helpful Articles

Many people who follow a path of recovery in 12-step programs feel intimidated by Step Five. In this step, we learn that we need to face and admit the exact nature of the things we have done wrong. We need to make this admission to ourselves, to our Higher Power and to another human being. Once we have done a fearless more...

You’ve made the decision to get sober. You’ve done what you had to do to get through detoxification and you have taken recovery seriously. You go to meetings, share your experience, strength and hope with others. You ask for help. You don’t drink or drug no matter what. But you still have the urge to use. How more...

With more Americans claiming Irish ancestry than there are people in the Republic of Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day is a widely celebrated holiday in the U.S. that is synonymous with excessive drinking. While many will be tempted to binge drink—defined as consuming five or more drinks in two hours for men and four or m more...

Spring break is defined as a week’s worth of vacation for students and usually takes place in the spring, typically around Easter. For some students, it’s a time of relaxation and letting go of the stressors of school. But for many others, it’s also a time when risky behaviors, such as binge drinking and unprotec more...

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the harmful health effects of prescription pain reliever abuse have dramatically increased over recent years. Unintentional poisoning deaths caused by these opioids quadrupled from 1999 to 2010. This growing trend is especially troubling considering the large number more...

A substantial number of U.S. teenagers abuse a restricted opioid medication normally prescribed for the treatment of pain or certain other medical issues. Some of these teens initially receive such a medication from their doctors, while others obtain access through non-legitimate means. In a study published in 2014 in more...

Going through rehab at a young age is a major accomplishment, but facing a long life of sobriety ahead can be daunting. Especially in today’s culture and youth climate, being young and sober is like wearing a target. Most young people drink, often heavily. Many use drugs recreationally. And many people will look at y more...

Certain college students have elevated risks from participation in drinking games, according to current findings from a group of researchers from the U.S. and the Philippines. (more…) more...

In the U.S., significant numbers of young adults enrolled in college (and college-age young adults not enrolled in school) abuse some sort of prescription medication. This form of drug abuse poses a number of risks, including clearly increased odds of developing diagnosable symptoms of drug addiction. In a study publis more...

Heavy drinking is the accepted public health term for a pattern of excessive alcohol intake that increases any given person’s chances of eventually meeting the criteria used to diagnose alcohol abuse and alcoholism (jointly known as alcohol use disorder). Unfortunately, students enrolled at America’s colleges often more...