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Individual therapy sessions are an important part of the treatment process for substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health disorders. Working with an individual therapist helps a treatment team understand where a client is in their treatment process. Each session helps a therapist unpeel the ubiquitous onion of their client as they discover more layers of underlying issues. With each discovery, a therapist can better report to the treatment team what needs to be worked on. As a result, each modality of healing and treatment will be specifically catered to helping the client work through what they are currently processing. How does this come to be? For starters, a conversation. Therapists can employ different therapy techniques including cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavioral therapy. Motivational interviewing, meta therapy, narrative therapy, and many other modalities can be used as well. Typically, specific therapy types are reserved for group therapy sessions where all clients can learn how to apply the tools of the therapy type to their everyday lives in recovery. Individual therapy sessions are for talking and discovering. A therapist might ask to hear about a client’s past, more about their addiction, or how they are doing in treatment. Withdrawing from drugs and alcohol, being on new medications, and a change in environment can also cause dreams. During treatment, dreams can be especially useful in helping a therapist identify what is coming up for their client, even though their client might not be able to identify it themselves. Generally, individual therapy during treatment is for helping clients begin to process their emotions and seek the source of their drinking and using or their co-occurring mental health disorders. More often than not, substance abuse and even conditions like depression or anxiety happen in reaction to a significant life event. Therapy helps the client work through the layers covering up their sources of suffering to find a way to heal.

If you’ve seen the YouTube star Logan Paul’s horrific video from Aokigahara, a wooded area in Japan also known as the “Japanese Suicide Forest”, you saw the aftermath of a life lost. The disturbing footage left many distraught, traumatized, saddened and upset – understandably, considering the video footage should not have been filmed in the first place. Paul insensitively filmed parts of the victim’s body, shouted insensitive comments, and ultimately proceeded to publish all of the disturbing content. We can’t take back the images seen, but we can bring to light an important conversation of how suicide should be discussed, how we can best honor those that have become victims to suicide, and how we can prevent our loved ones, our communities, and our world from going through this. First, we must focus on the language that we use surrounding the topic. Much of the words used further perpetuate the stigma that suicide is a crime. Instead of saying “committed suicide”, “successful suicide”, “completed suicide”, “failed attempt at suicide”, or “unsuccessful suicide”, we must say “died by suicide”, “ended his/her life”, “took his/her life”, or “attempted to end his/her life”. When discussing suicide, it’s more important that we focus on the life lived rather than how the person took their life. By focusing on the life they lived, we place the focus in a more positive place that recognizes the contribution they made while they were alive. This brings respect and honor to the person. Second, we must discuss this topic directly with those whom display symptoms of suicidal thoughts. If there is someone you are concerned about, make sure that you have suicide resources available, such as the National Suicide Prevention Hotline number, 1-800-273-8255. Instead of asking the person a question that will elicit a “no” answer, such as “You’re not thinking about killing yourself, are you?” ask the person, “Are you thinking about ending your life?” This type of question is direct and will inform your loved one that you are open to talking about this with them without judgment. Lastly, we must recognize the symptoms that could lead to suicide. Warning signs of suicide include feelings of hopelessness and despair, anxiety, agitation, sleeplessness, mood swings, feeling as though there is no reason to live, rage or anger, engaging in risky activities, increasing substance abuse, withdrawing from friends/family, and more. Immediate attention is needed if a person is thinking about or seeking ways to hurt/take their life, talking about death, dying, or suicide, and taking part in destructive behavior whether it’s through substance abuse, weapons, etc.

Depression affects a lot of us – 350 million of us, to be exact. The symptoms of depression can leave us feeling hopeless, lonely, empty, and fatigued, to name a few. During those times where we feel depressed, it’s incredibly important to take steps towards easing that depression so that we can feel more calm, relaxed, and content. Thankfully, there are several activities that one can do to help alleviate the symptoms of depression:

Cocaine is highly mentally and physically addictive, and crack cocaine is an especially menacing form of cocaine. Smoking crack brings on an intense feeling of exhilaration because it causes the release of excess dopamine that is picked up by neurotransmitters. The high becomes so desirable to the pleasure centers, it is believed the brain begins rewiring itself even after the very first hit. Someone using crack will typically have an elevated heart rate, dilated pupils, dry mouth, rapid breathing and tense muscles. They may sweat a lot. Someone experiencing crack addiction will be hyperactive and overconfident, talking a lot and not sleeping. The effects of crack are not as long lasting as with powder cocaine, and therefore the need for another hit, and then another, will mean the user is often disappearing, going off to get high. The intensity of the addiction will make the person uncharacteristically irresponsible, and sometimes paranoid or aggressive. Little bags with off-white rocks or residue may be found in places the crack addict frequents. There may be crack pipes of metal or glass found around. Crack addiction may lead to burns on fingertips from holding onto the pipe as it heats up, and smoking from a hot pipe can lead to cracked or blistered lips. Work performance suffers from the restlessness of the crack addict, and because work tasks cannot compete with the allure of the high. Driving under the influence of crack is very dangerous as crack addiction may make a person feel invincible, or they may experience paranoia and hallucinations. A crack user may think there are bugs crawling on or under their skin. The contents in crack are not always the same, which adds to the danger for users. Stroke, seizures, heart failure and severe breathing problems can result from crack use. Funding the extreme pull of crack addiction can lead some to theft or prostitution. Over the long term crack addiction will typically lead to depression. Damage to the body’s vital organs such as the liver, kidney and heart lead to signs of premature aging, and possibly a compromised immune system. Crack addiction is a dramatic example of life out of balance. The elation and agitation the drug causes are far outside of the more normal range of human ups and downs. While a body and a life are severely impacted by crack addiction, compassionate treatment is available and recovery is possible.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a tool most often used to help people change their negative thought patterns and develop newer, healthier mind scripts. CBT has been proven to be an extremely effective way of training emotion regulation skills. A 2013 meta-analysis conducted by researchers from Boston University found that CBT has been most used to treat substance use disorder, schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders, depression and dysthymia, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, somatoform disorders, eating disorders, insomnia, personality disorders, anger and aggression, criminal behaviors, general stress, and so much more.  If you are currently in therapy and are learning about cognitive behavioral therapy, or you are researching this on your own, there are some necessities of CBT that can be challenging but are worth it, and you need to be prepared for these to be most successful:

Gambling addiction is listed in the Diagnostic And Statistical Manual Of Mental Disorders. When gambling becomes a problem wellness is on the line mentally, physically, and spiritually. Gambling addiction is often co-occurring with alcoholism and drug addiction.

New Year’s is a time to reflect on the past year and have hope for the future. It’s a time to celebrate with friends and loved ones, converse with those you haven’t seen in awhile, and have fun. Many people have been choosing to throw “sober parties”, an event where the host can control the temptations of alcohol to help their own and others’ recovery, or to create a welcoming environment for a sober loved one. Hosting a sober party is a fantastic way to connect with others in a safe and clean environment. The following are steps you can take to host your own sober party for NYE:

Perhaps you have just received a call from your loved one, and they are scared. They may have taken many drugs or aren’t feeling too well after consuming a lot of alcohol. Substance abuse can bring about a lot of unpleasant side effects such as mood swings, anxiety, depression, irritability, euphoria, hyperactivity, blackouts, and more. There is a fine line between drug misuse and drug overdose, and knowing when to call for help is important. Understanding the signs of an overdose could save you or your loved one’s life. Symptoms of overdose include:

Many people search for outlets to feel their emotions and work through their struggles – some outlets are healthy, such as an adequate amount of exercise, taking on a new hobby, or jotting down thoughts can be effective ways of coping. Music is another great avenue, as music allows us to express ourselves creatively and connect with another person’s life experiences through their lyrics or musical instrument. If used effectively, music can be a wonderful stress management tool. Music provides a soothing, relaxing atmosphere where you can release your stress and overcome negative thoughts.

So many things happen on New Year’s Eve. Parties, dancing, food, music, games – you name it. While New Year’s Eve can be a wonderful time to spend with friends and family, there are many things that can set you up for failure both psychologically and physically that night. Taking care of both your physical and mental health can ensure that you will have a safe and successful evening with those you love. Implement the following things on NYE to optimize your mental and physical health:

Many people seek out 12 step programs to help them develop a connection with a Higher Power and work through the steps leading them through recovery. While this has worked for many people, there are many others that are seeking a non-conventional approach to recovery because they do not wish to base their recovery on religious beliefs. With so many options available for group therapy and treatment, you can determine what works best for you. Non-12 step programs are available, and they are slightly different from traditional 12 step programs. Below are the key differences:

What most people do not realize is that the diet you consume does have an impact on your brain and how you process information and regulate your emotions. With fast-food chains like McDonald’s and Taco Bell, we tend to miss out on important nutrition that our body needs to function optimally. Learning about how food impacts us means that we can make smarter, healthier choices to potentially avoid unnecessary mental anguish such as depression and anxiety.