Six years ago, I had my last drink. I was in the Minneapolis airport in active withdrawal on my way to Nashville to check into treatment one last time. This “one last drink” approach had an oddly satisfying, familiar feeling to it – it always offered me the comfort of perceived control. However, this time … Continued
What fueled your passion for helping those who struggle with addiction and mental health disorders, and what brought you to Journey Pure? I have had jobs. I have had a previous career. This is a calling. Six years ago, I had my last drink. I was in the Minneapolis airport in active withdrawal on my way to … Continued
The most critical key to reducing the stigma around addiction is understanding that addiction is a complicated disease of the brain, not a moral failing. Odds are, many people you know deal directly with addiction. One in seven Americans suffers from a substance use disorder. People with substance use disorder come from all walks of … Continued
If you have the luxury of a little time to prepare before you enter in-patient drug addiction treatment, you are sure to be overcome with questions. In addition to the unknowns of treatment itself comes the laundry list of unfinished tasks and “to-dos” you didn’t quite get to before your program begins. The truth is, … Continued
Editor’s Note: Your Brain on Drugs has been updated for 2022. Since this article was first published in 2017, just five years ago, incredible advances have been made in understanding addiction and how it affects our loved ones and us. Marijuana is now legal for recreational use in many states, and psychedelics are being touted … Continued
Addiction is a chronic disease that can negatively affect a person’s life and health. What many people don’t know is that addiction is a family disease. It doesn’t just make the sufferer sick, it also harms their loved ones, colleagues, and acquaintances. One of the casualties of a battle with addiction is the trail of … Continued
We are excited to announce the appointment of Jamie Bercich as Executive Director of JourneyPure at The River. This facility is one of the jewels in the Regard Recovery family of facilities and offers a wide range of therapeutic options on over 100 acres of property outside Nashville, TN. In her new role, Jamie will … Continued
Making the decision to enter a treatment facility to get help with an addiction is certainly not easy. There are many common fears of entering rehab that come up when contemplating this decision. The good news is, you’re not alone in feeling this way, and there are steps you can take that will help you … Continued
More than 20 million adults struggle with substance use disorder in the United States. The vast majority of those adults (roughly 15%) are addicted to alcohol, while the rest are addicted to drugs like heroin, cocaine, benzodiazepines, and meth. Unfortunately, less than 10% of those addicted to drugs and alcohol seek professional addiction treatment. There … Continued
Two of the biggest problems facing society today are addiction and the mental health crisis. With more people overdosing on prescription drugs, street drugs, and alcohol than ever before, and with an increasingly shocking amount of shootings and violent acts tied to poor mental health, it is no wonder these two issues are making front-page … Continued
Worrying is a normal part of everyday life, but debilitating anxiety is not. Anxiety can be one of the more difficult mental illnesses for people to seek help for since many believe their issues simply aren’t worthy of a medical opinion. Many people live with anxiety, but they don’t have to. You wouldn’t try to … Continued
Family problems, traffic jams and looming deadlines. Everybody has experienced stress at some point, but for individuals suffering from addiction and co-occurring mental health disorders, stress can be destructive. Stress overload – or an inability to find stress relief – can lead otherwise healthy people to drug and alcohol abuse. For people in recovery, stress … Continued
Our nation is facing an opioid crisis. Or is it an opiate crisis? If you’ve been reading the news you’ve likely heard about the opioid epidemic, but you might have also heard there’s an opiate epidemic. Obviously, the words ‘opiate’ and ‘opioid’ are similar – but do they mean the same thing? There’s plenty of … Continued
Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) for pregnant women living with opioid use disorders might at first sound like a risky proposition, but, for many in the addiction treatment industry, it could be just what the doctor ordered. And with nearly 88 infants diagnosed with neonatal abstinence syndrome every day, health care systems in Kentucky are taking measures to … Continued
Heroin is a deadly and dangerous drug. Even when users want to quit it can be difficult due to the severe detox and withdrawal symptoms that heroin users are likely to experience when they stop using. There’s no question that heroin detox can be an unpleasant experience, but a little knowledge can teach you that … Continued
The United States has an opiate problem. From heroin to codeine-infused cough syrup, opiates are a growing problem that accounts for thousands of deaths and hospital visits annually. One of the toughest opiates to get over is the powerful methadone, which has been prescribed and abused for decades. Let’s learn more about the risks of … Continued
In the U.S., the most common mental illness is anxiety, with more than 40 million people diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. From obsessive-compulsive disorder and panic disorder to generalized anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorders like these are conditions that can develop because of biological, genetic, and environmental factors. While millions of people live … Continued
Many people are drawn to meth because of how it makes them feel when they are high. When meth is abused, an increased sense of self-confidence and euphoria come on in a sudden rush that keeps users coming back for more. Because of its addictive properties, it does not take long for someone to go … Continued
Benzodiazepines like Xanax are some of the most commonly prescribed medications in the United States. They are used in the treatment of anxiety disorders (e.g. panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, social anxiety disorder) and sometimes to treat narcolepsy and other sleep-related disorders. Today, more than 40 million American adults have a clinical anxiety disorder, hence why … Continued