For a lot of people, drinking starts as a way to cope. Not cope in the abstract sense — cope with something specific. A memory that surfaces at night. A hypervigilance that makes ordinary days feel exhausting. A pain so familiar it doesn't have a...
Of all the combinations that make up the dual diagnosis landscape, bipolar disorder and substance use disorder may be the most clinically complex — and the most commonly misunderstood. Bipolar disorder already involves dramatic shifts in mood,...
When someone enters treatment for a dual diagnosis — a co-occurring mental health and substance use disorder — the focus, naturally, is on them. Their detox. Their therapy. Their recovery. But there are other people in this story. A spouse who has...
Fentanyl has changed everything about addiction in this country. It's 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine. It shows up in counterfeit pills, cocaine, and other drugs — often without people knowing. And it kills faster and more unpredictably...
When mental health and addiction exist together, finding the right treatment program isn't just about finding a program. It's about finding one that is genuinely equipped to treat both — simultaneously, with clinical expertise, in a setting that...
When Addiction and Mental Health Are Connected This can be confusing — and discouraging. For many people, substance use doesn’t exist on its own. It’s often tangled up with anxiety that never fully quiets, depression that feels heavier over time,...
