According to research published in the Journal of Addiction Medicine, most physicians who abuse or become addicted to prescription drugs describe their motivation, not as being pleasure- or recreational thrill-seeking, but rather: To relieve stress To diminish physical pain To cope with emotional challenges or upset To cope with undiagnosed depression Nonetheless, if you are…
According to a current assessment published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), “Opioids are the most effective and widely used drugs in the treatment of severe pain.”[1] Given they’re so commonly used, what is problematic is how addictive these powerful pharmaceutical drugs are. The Mayo Clinic states, “Opioids are highly addictive, in large…
The title of this article is not a teetotaler’s threat. It’s a recounting of the infamous words countless doctors have told people who try to quit drinking on their own. Of course, the reasoning and science behind this declaration could easily slide right by a man or woman struggling with an alcohol dependency problem, making…
Depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and bipolar disorder are common forms of mental illness. A person with one of these disorders may find it hard to communicate what they are facing or how much it impacts their daily life. Often, they keep working, keep trying, and continue to fight their symptoms, but it’s exhausting and…
Having occasionally felt myself to be “in the trenches” of recovery myself—as perhaps you have, as well—I’d say some of the most challenging, frustrating and baffling experiences in learning to live this new way of life (especially early on) occur when our insides don’t match our outsides—that is, when what we’re doing at any given…
It’s sometimes hard to be social when all of your friends think hanging out at a local bar or drinking the night away is the normal experience. It does not have to be like that, especially if you are in recovery. The key is to look for new ways to have fun that don’t put…
Given medical professionals—surgeons, doctors, nurses, etc.—have dedicated huge amounts of schooling, training time and effort to prepare for their jobs and then go on to dedicate their lives to helping others recover their health and wellness, their very lives in some cases, it may seem paradoxical there would be such high percentages of alcoholism…
In a study published in the West Journal of Emergency Medicine[1]—the first published report of its kind—examining the performance and outcomes of emergency room doctors enrolled in Physician Health Programs (PHPs) for substance use disorders (SUDs), it was found emergency physicians (EPs) do well following treatment of SUDs with monitoring in PHPs and generally return…
Drugs and alcohol can wreck a life, and if you fail a DOT drug test, you may feel like it’s the end of the road. You may be afraid that you’ll lose your job or that your significant other will leave you. This is the situation one of the alumni of BoardPrep Recovery found himself…
“I haven’t been able to stay sober/clean in the past – why should it be any different this time?” “I hurt everyone around me, no matter what I do.” “I’m not strong enough to achieve any of my real goals.” Negative self-talk is the stream of thoughts and dialogue in our minds that’s linked to…
