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Here is an excerpt of a story that a woman shared about her recovery on the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services website: “As much as it pains me to admit, I let that foundation slip away and relapsed with nearly three years clean. Due to [the drug’s] availability and relatively low price, I used heroin this time, and jumped straight into using it intravenously…I was able to stop using after four days. It was incredibly discouraging having to change my clean date, but I didn’t give up.” Compared to popular belief, relapse is a common component of recovery. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) states that approximately 90% of those with alcoholism are likely to experience at least 1 relapse over the course of a 4-year period following treatment; those who do not seek treatment are less likely to achieve a 3-year remission, thus having higher chances of relapse. However, relapse should be considered a normal part of recovery and should not be considered a sign of failure or weakness. Whether you are in recovery for an addiction or mental illness, relapse can happen with either one and there are many reasons why a relapse may take place. Psychology Today states the following as triggers that could lead to relapse:

“Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t, you’re right.” – Henry Ford Perspective is everything in recovery – it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy, which makes it a very big deal. What makes one person successful and another person fail? Whether it comes to creating and maintaining a business, learning a new instrument or reaching a goal in recovery, people become successful first and foremost because they believe they can. They have a vision, and they have identified the steps to getting there. The people that haven’t reached success yet or have stopped chasing after a venture is likely because they have imposed on themselves one of the following harmful beliefs:

Previous research has shown that engagement in activities can benefit one’s recovery; meaningful activities, as stated in a 2009 study published in the Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research, are typically expressed as “pursuits that allow a person to grow in connection, confidence, and contribution through development of skills, education, vocation, or relationships.” Games during recovery can be a great way to connect with others, focus on living in the present moment, and rationalize steps towards becoming a better version of ourselves. The following are some excellent games that can be played that incorporate all these things:

According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 23.5 million people aged 12 or older need treatment for illicit drug or alcohol abuse. Addiction affects nearly all of America – a person with an addiction is affected mentally, physically, and spiritually – and their loved ones experience devastating moments of despair as they feel helpless watching their loved one struggle daily. No discrimination is exhibited when it comes to addiction, as all populations deal with this major issue. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) provides some excellent information on various populations: African Americans Illegal drug use among this population is 12.4%, compared to the national average of 10.2%. According to a 2014 study titled “Less Drinking, Yet More Problems: Understanding African American Drinking and Related Problems”, researchers from Indianapolis found that African Americans report a later initiation of alcohol use during adolescence and generally lower rates of use into adulthood, but they experience more social consequences from drinking as well as alcohol-related injuries and illnesses. African Americans are also at higher risk for polydrug use. American Indians and Alaskan Natives SAMHSA states that this population has amongst the highest rates of substance abuse and mental disorders compared to other U.S. racial or ethnic groups. The National Institute on Drug Abuse claims this is likely due to limited socioeconomic opportunity; American Indian youth are also initiating substance use earlier than other populations. Alaskan Native adolescents show to have the highest rates of lifetime tobacco use, marijuana use, nonmedical use of prescription relievers, and nonmedical use psychotherapeutics than other populations. Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Other Pacific Islanders Among people ages 12 and older, the rate of illegal drug use was 4.1% amongst Asian Americans and 15.6% amongst Native Hawaiians or other Pacific Islanders. Binge drinking was also lowest among Asian Americans with a 14.5% rate, while Native Hawaiians or Other Pacific Islanders experienced a rate of 18.3%. Many people in this population find difficulty seeking treatment for substance abuse due to language barriers and external societal perceptions of success. Hispanics or Latinos Of about 52 million Hispanics or Latinos in the United States, the rate of illicit drug use among Hispanics ages 12 and up was 8.9%, while the national average was 10.2%. Binge drinking amongst this population was 24.7%, and alcohol use within the past year among Hispanic youth was 23.9%. A study conducted by researchers from Chicago found that this population is about average with the general population on drinking rates, but tend to have poorer outcomes in substance abuse programs due to language and cultural barriers.

A National Health Interview Survey conducted by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) discovered last year that 18 million Americans practiced meditation, and this is no surprise, as the benefits are bountiful. Meditation has been shown to reduce stress, increase concentration, encourage a healthy lifestyle, increase self-awareness and happiness, increase acceptance, slow aging and more, according to the Huffington Post. The practice consists of focusing the mind on a thought, object, or activity to achieve mental clarity and emotional calmness. The Scientific American states that meditating regularly can change the way different regions of the brain communicate with one another – MRI scans have shown that, after an 8-week course on mindfulness practice, the brain’s “fight or flight” region, the amygdala, appears to shrink. This primal region of the brain is associated with feelings of fear and anxiety, and typically becomes active as a response to stress. Furthermore, as the amygdala shrinks, the pre-frontal cortex, associated with awareness, concentration, and decision making, becomes thicker. Thus, a person who practices mindfulness and meditation often is more easily able to accept things as they come and live in the present moment. It is also stated that the amygdala’s connection to the rest of the brain becomes weaker with more meditation practice. People have reported feeling less pain from meditating, and research hints that it’s because individuals are able to separate the anterior cingulate cortex – associated with the unpleasant feelings of pain – with the prefrontal cortex, instead of allowing them to interact with one another. It’s clear to see that the benefits of meditation and mindfulness aren’t just happening outside the body. Fleur Carter explained her story with mindfulness on the website, Mind Body Green. She stated: “I felt agitated, unsettled, and completely overwhelmed, yet I had no idea why…And so I did, diligently each day I’d sit for 15 minutes and practice smiling from the inside out. I generated thoughts of loving kindness from my heart and allowed the feelings to permeate through my body…After a week, I had already noticed a shift in my state of mind: I was not as agitated and the feeling of overwhelm was slowly melting away…I would finally follow my dreams and let go of the life I had carved out for myself that was filled with other people’s ideals and a huge list of ‘shoulds’”.

President Donald Trump is a hot topic for Democrats and Republicans alike, as past statements he has made have surfaced their way for analysis and defense by many Americans. Several books have been published examining the president’s mental health, as there is a growing argument of whether he is mentally stable enough to run the country. Books such as “The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump” contain essays from 27 psychologists, psychiatrists, and mental health professionals on Donald Trump’s mental state – and here is what they’re saying: “We submit that by paying attention to the president’s mental state as well as his actions, we are better informed to assess his dangerousness. Delusional levels of grandiosity, impulsivity, and the compulsions of mental impairment, when combined with an authoritarian cult of personality and contempt for the rule of law, are a toxic mix.” According to the Washington Post, Trump has been theorized as having narcissistic personality disorder, which is characterized by grandiosity, inflated sense of self-importance, exaggerated achievements, expecting to be recognized as superior, monopolizing conversations and looking down on others, taking advantage of others to get what they want, and more. Other claims suggest that he shows indications of sociopathy, which includes lacking empathy, absence of guilt, and intentional manipulation. Are these theories true? Psychology Today recognizes the ethicality that must come into play. As many of these health professionals state, they are not “diagnosing” the president, but rather “assessing” him based on his past words and actions. A true diagnosis can only be conducted by a licensed health care professional, and would include a psychological evaluation that assesses a person’s symptoms, thoughts, feelings, and behavior patterns. Lab tests would also need to be completed, as well as a physical screening. While there are many concerns that people have surrounding President Trump’s mental health, an official diagnosis is required to truly determine his “stability”. However, this heated topic does bring to play the fact that much of America is divided and needs to come back together. Our differences are causing more hatred and less support, and, according to the 2017 Stress in America Survey, Americans are more stressed than ever on the topic of our political climate.

Personality disorders affect the way a person thinks, acts, perceives events, and interacts with others. NBC News states that 1 in 5 Americans has a personality disorder; this may include narcissistic, borderline, bipolar disorder, dependent or avoidant personality disorder, and more. One disorder that isn’t talked about as often is paranoia personality disorder (PPD) – if you’re experiencing these symptoms and they are significantly distressing you and causing you difficulty in your day to day life, you may want to seek the help of a health care professional. Known for being grounded in excessive distrust and paranoia, this disorder causes people to rarely confide in others and misinterpret harmless events as malicious. For example, a person with this disorder may interpret the actions of someone else as being threatening or demeaning, when there is really no reason to think this. Psychology Today notes that people with PPD do not lost their sense of touch with reality, but they often deny their own negative feelings towards others. A person with PPD’s worst fear is being exploited or betrayed, even if a person has proven time and time again that they are trustworthy. Self-sufficiency is often crucial for those with PPD, as they do not want to rely on someone else in fear they might betray them. The following are some examples of scenarios that may involve a person with PPD:

There are a variety of reasons why someone may make impulsive decisions; risky choices may be related to theft, drunk driving, violence, sexual promiscuity, vandalism, substance abuse, and more. Actions towards these things can cause a person to lose family, friends, security from a job, housing, health, money, etc. The FBI states that approximately 1,197,704 violent crimes were committed in 2015; another 2015 study conducted by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) estimates that 15.1 million adults age 18 or older have an alcohol use disorder – and these are just a couple of the activities listed above. What, then, factors into someone making impulsive, risky decisions? Much of research has paired the discussion of impulsivity and riskiness with personality – so far there are studies that have explored neuroticism, extraversion, venturesome-ness, and psychoticism. As it comes to personality traits, researchers have theorized several things:

As a woman stated on the NY Daily News, “You wake up tired and you just count the hours until the day is over. And you hope tomorrow’s going to be better.” Ambien is a widely used hypnotic medication that was designed for short-term use to combat insomnia. The prescription drugs work by activating the neurotransmitter GABA and binding it to the GABA receptors in the same location of benzodiazepines such as Xanax and Valium, according to the Huffington Post. Ambien works very efficiently at causing someone to feel sleepy – typically within 20 minutes of taking it. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health estimates that approximately half a million people in the United States are currently using Ambien and other sedatives – but many are probably not aware of the dangers of this prescription medication. For one, the effects can be very harmful when Ambien is paired with other drugs, particularly anti-anxiety medication and pain relievers. A report stated that between 2005 and 2010, emergency room visits from Ambien rose from 6,111 visits to 19,487 visits. Mixing medications is like a science experiment to the body because you don’t know how each medication is going to react to the body and to one another. Ambien also can take longer to leave the body, causing many people to feel impaired while driving or operating machinery. Women take much longer for the medication to leave their system, and the recommended dosage for medications like Ambien has been reduced because of this. Common complaints associated with Ambien and similar hypnotics have included daytime drowsiness, dizziness, hallucinations, agitation, sleep-walking and drowsiness while driving, according to The Atlantic. Does this mean you should not accept this medication if your doctor prescribes it to you? Not exactly. Ambien can be relatively safe if you take the doses recommended and you stay in close contact with your doctor to discuss your symptoms. If any symptoms of concern arise, always seek out medical attention immediately. Stay informed on what you are taking and how much you should be taking, and do not mix Ambien with other medications, especially other depressants.

Whether you’ve just recently started seeing a therapist or have been seeing one for awhile, much of the success that you and your therapist reach in your sessions is based on how open and vulnerable you allow yourself to be with them. Most people do not disclose enough information to their therapist; Common reasons for this are due to feelings of pain and embarrassment surrounding the information, not realizing the importance of telling the information, fear of therapist’s judgment, fear of being reported, not having enough trust with their therapist yet, and more. Honesty is important in the client-therapist relationship because you won’t be able to get anywhere meaningful without it. Being open with your therapist means:

Time Magazine has stated that Americans are angrier now than ever, but why? It seems political debates and news of violence have enraged many, understandably – but are we letting too much get to us? As soon as we become upset about an issue, we set ourselves up to be irritable or agitated more easily than we would be if we felt content. This later translates into fights/arguments with our loved ones, road rage, substance abuse, and more. There are healthier ways to channel this anger, however, and they are healthy because they involve physical movement. Here are some things you can do to channel your anger for a worthy cause (your health):

As stated on "Tell Your Story," an Australian website that allows people to express themselves, a man described his experience with an addiction. Here is an excerpt from his story: “Throughout my twenties and like many others I know, I worked hard during the week at my job, paid my rent and bills, went shopping, dined at restaurants and then on weekends partied with my friends using coke, speed, and amphetamines. I never felt out of control or felt it was an issue…3 years ago I met my partner…on one of these occasions, my partner came home and said his mate didn’t have any [speed] so he gave him some ice instead. He produced a glass pipe and taught me how to smoke it…Needless to say, it wasn’t long before we were both hooked…Our priorities shifted from creating a loving and happy home for the kids, to shoplifting their school lunch snacks to save money for our own needs.” As the above story illustrates, addiction can cause people to neglect the very goals, dreams, and wishes they once had. A 2013 study conducted by researchers from Seattle Pacific University titled “The Experience of Addiction as Told by the Addicted: Incorporating Biological Understandings into Self-Story” found that participants expressed several personal views on addiction, with one perspective being called “Pedal to the Metal”. Participants with this view expressed addiction as a sabotage of the mind – one participant stated, “We forget…we forget even a month ago how bad alcohol had affected us, how we get sick, how we become homeless, how we lose all the money…” This perspective holds some truth, as addiction changes the chemicals in the brain which causes a person to think, perceive, and act in ways that are different from before. When a person abuses substances, the brain receives an influx of dopamine, the “feel good” chemical”, and eventually comes to rely on this large amount of dopamine to feel happy and relaxed on a typical day. A person who experiences this will go to great lengths, even if it sometimes means losing much of what they love, to fulfill what their body “needs”.