Over the years, mental health has not been given the same importance as other health care specialties. Although a high level of effort and resources have been expended in an effort to increase the awareness and accessibility of mental health care, it is still inaccessible to many people. For some, mental health care simply isn’t […]
For many of us, the holidays are a time in which we surround ourselves with families and friends and enjoy the respite from day-to-day stress related to school or work. For many others, the holidays amplify mental health and emotional issues and as a result, turn to drugs and alcohol in an effort to squelch […]
The daily, grinding stress so often experienced by people in the helping professions is what causes the psychological injury we know as burnout. Burnout is a state of depletion—mental, emotional, and physical exhaustion—that leaves us feeling drained and overwhelmed, unable to meet the constant demands that created the problem in the first place. Like any […]
Do you think a loved one might be addicted to opioids? Have you experienced behaviors of a loved one that doesn’t add up, or doesn’t seem like “them”? Knowing the signs can help you identify whether a loved one might be using drugs or addicted to a substance. Opioids are a class of drugs […]
Our Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) treatment approach combines behavioral counseling with medication for higher levels of success. Counseling is the main focus of MAT, with a prescription for medication provided under the guidance of a medical doctor. The combination gives our doctors the ability to customize patient treatment plans based on each patient’s unique cravings and […]
Do you feel extreme sadness despite great accomplishments or disappointments in your life?Depression is a serious mental illness that goes untreated. It’s hard to know how to deal with depression and sadness, alone. Have you ever heard someone say, “If you would get out of the house then you wouldn’t be depressed anymore?” This […]
Cocaine and methamphetamine will cause an individual to seem extremely alert and have increased energy along with increased heart rate and blood pressure. I remember the first person I encountered as a doctor in the Med ER who was on cocaine. It was the mid-1990s in Memphis, and people came to the ER every night […]
Keeping Your Sobriety When Life is Tough One of the biggest challenges people face is when things in life get hard. Things like COVID-19, or when family crises arise, when financial hiccups happen, when career and job life is stressful, it can be difficult for people dealing with addiction for several reasons. Stress is a […]
Since the war on drugs began almost 50 years ago, we have learned much about the science of addiction. Today, we know that when an adolescent is exposed to substances that produce pleasure chemically, the individual’s brain undergoes permanent changes regarding their balance of pleasure and pain. The typical response to substances that cause the […]
How to Plan a Successful Recovery When it comes to working with a certified addiction counselor on your recovery, you’ll quickly learn that it’s more than just avoiding alcohol or drugs; it’s about replacing alcohol and drugs with positive things that give your life meaning and help you stay happy and healthy. One of the […]
