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Many young adults and adults who come to treatment are shocked to find out they’ve been living their lives with untreated ADHD. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder affects millions of adults- many of whom are unaware of the struggle they live with on a daily basis. For someone who has ADHD, their mind is running, all the time. Loop thinking, constant distraction, an inability to sit still, difficulty being productive, and a general feeling of never being able to reach one’s potential is challenging to cope with. ADHD is a highly co-occurring disorder with alcoholism and drug addiction. When someone with untreated ADHD experiments recreationally with drugs and alcohol, they find a certain kind of relief. Compared to the ongoing noise and debilitation happening inside their minds, the way they feel under the influence of drugs and alcohol is preferable. Medication ADHD in adults can be treated with medication. Typically, ADHD medications are amphetamines, or, stimulants. Abuse of and addiction to stimulant ADHD medication is common. Some research suggests that people who have taken ADHD medication since a young age were being set up for addiction. Thankfully, there are non-stimulant solutions in medicating and treating ADHD. Treating ADHD takes more than taking a pill. Certain lifestyle changes, habits, and routines have to be set up to create organization and calm. Here are some symptoms of Adult ADHD:

Divorce is something that happens between parents, not a child. However, it is often the child who is most affected. Adult children of divorce live with a special kind of fear: anything can break the love between two people and most of the time you don’t see it coming. Not every divorce is obvious. Without the security of a blatant reason for a parent’s love to end, a child is left with a particular insecurity. What causes two people to stop loving each other? What causes someone to leave? Each step becomes when of fear when a child of divorce grows up and starts engaging in romantic partnerships. Every fight is terrifying. The fear of not knowing what could be wrong, what could cause them to leave, is paralyzing. Some children of divorce grow up to be codependent and needy while others become counter-dependent and avoidant to love.

Avalon By The Sea offers transitional care and planning for each resident. Our certified dual diagnosis treatment center is eligible to treat both mental health conditions and substance use disorder conditions as well. For a private consultation of more information call 1 888-958-7511.

The only thing you have to change is everything it is often said in recovery. Getting sober seems intimidating because many people assume they have to give up and change their whole lives. Ironically that mind state indicates the deeply enmeshed role drugs and alcohol plays in ones life. The power of habit is real and the substances we choose to abuse are but a symptom of deeper habits. Getting sober is primarily a process of changing ones habits from unhealthy and destructive to healthy and productive. Whether or not you give up your entire life is really a choice you have to make.

Step ten of the twelve steps originally outlined by the fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous reads, “Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.” Step ten is one of three steps considered to be the maintenance steps. Ten, eleven, and twelve of the twelve steps are the steps incorporated into daily living to ensure ongoing participation in one’s recovery. Taking regular inventory, making amends where necessary, meditating, praying, and being of service to others should all be part of one’s daily life. Each serve a distinct purpose for maintaining serenity and freedom from the bondage of self.

What is the definition of “recovery”? By one definition, recovery means returning to a “normal state”. Normal may not ever be a reality for those who suffer from a mental health disorder. What the normalcy the definition refers to is in health, mind, and strength. Another definition of recovery sees it as “the action or process of regaining possession or control of something stolen or lost”. Addiction, alcoholism, and mental health issues can certainly make us feel as though we’ve lost our sense of normalcy when it comes to our physical health, mental health, and our strength. We lose strength of mind, strength of heart, as well as strength of spirit. We lose our strength in being able to cope with life on life’s terms and do what is required of us to maintain.

Before President Barack Obama transitions out of office in January of 2017, he has a few laws to sign into place during his “sitting duck” interim. One such law will be the bill just approved by the senate regarding mental health. In 2016, various levels of government tried to pass large budgets and bills for mental health, many of them losing steam or not turning out with full promise. This bill however, finally pulled it together. $1 billion dollars in grants will be made available for treatment of opioid and heroin addiction. The bill also improves the opportunity for those in need to receive medically assisted treatment, often referred to as Assisted Outpatient Treatment. The bill was for Connecticut and other states. As the Obama administration comes to a close, local governments are trying to get bills passed and signed into law for mental health.

Recovery, therapy, personal development, leadership, mindfulness- everything that has to do with helping you grow into a more authentic, fulfilled, happy, and healthy individual talks about it. Gratitude. Gratitude is a very popular word. People have gratitude journals, they make gratitude lists, they schedule time in their day to stop and reflect on what they are grateful for. Religious people practice gratitude, secular people practice gratitude, and everyone is just grateful all the time. To really assume everyone is that grateful, all the time would be a vast generalization.

Addiction can take many forms. One of the characteristics of addiction is impulsivity, recklessness, lack of foresight (thinking about consequences), and thrill-seeking. Together, these character traits can cause someone to become a walking, talking experiment. Willing to try anything, an addict in the making is susceptible to try getting intoxicated or high off of obscure substances. Commonly, the information about the “high” is rarely accompanied by information about the side effects. Consequently, many can find themselves getting sick or putting themselves at risk for severe health complications or even death.

Holding to go to treatment for support with a mental health disorder or to seek recovery from drug and alcohol addiction is life changing decision. Treatment is an opportunity to heal, regain your health, and learn about how to cope in life with your mental health issue. Treatment is different for everyone and each treatment facility is a little bit different from the next. However, there are some components of treatment which are similar across the board. Preparing for treatment won't give you control over all of your  experiences but it will help you be informed for what is coming up during this time of change in your life.

Research has found that substance abuse or recreational experimentation with drinking or drug use in adolescent years has a long lasting effect. People are more likely to become fully developed addicts or alcoholics if they experimented with substances in their early years. Additionally, it can cause an early reaction to substance abuse, creating long lasting damage in the heart, brain development, and more. Adolescence is a precious time. The body is ripe for formation. Hormones are changing, personality is developing, and memories are being made. The memories we make in adolescence are some of our strongest memories. Our early teenage years and our early twenties can feel more vivid and alive than any other time. If our memories of those nostalgic years are riddled with episodes of substance abuse, our brain has a funny way of making that association for a lifetime.

Most treatment facilities which offer programs for recovering from drug and alcohol addiction incorporate regular attendance to sober support meeting like those of Alcoholics Anonymous. Going to meetings for the first time can be strange, new, and overwhelming. Here are a few quick tips for what you need to know about going to your first meeting.