The Addiction & Recovery Resource Blog

Addiction Recovery: How to Apologize and Mean It

• Mandy Sandhu
• 14 Jul 2022

You’ll go through many steps in addiction recovery, including apologizing to people you’ve harmed. While this sounds easy enough, the process itself can be much more difficult. Furthermore, if you don’t take the right approach, your apology may appear “less than genuine.” The way you apologize is every bit as important as the apology itself. You want to be authentic...

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5 Things to Know About “Study Drugs”

• Mandy Sandhu
• 7 Jul 2022

Study drugs, also known as smart drugs, are prescription stimulants used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in students. While students take these drugs to enhance their focus and alertness—with the goal of improved performance—there are also potential drawbacks when they are misused. Examples of Study Drugs Study drugs come in many different forms with some of the most commonly prescribed...

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The Benefits of Journaling for Mental Health & Healing

• Mandy Sandhu
• 21 Feb 2022

Once upon a time, when you were in primary school, you probably filled your notebook with everyday happenings in school, wrote about your crush(es), and drew a couple of hearts here and there. The humdrum of adulthood typically takes away journaling habits and replaces them with something a little less exciting like writing meeting notes, reminders, and to-do lists.   Why...

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History of Addiction Treatment and Rehab Facilities: A Timeline

• Mandy Sandhu
• 17 Feb 2022

Substance use isn’t new. Humans have been using (and abusing) substances since ancient times.  The frozen body of Ötzi, who’ve lived in 3300 BC and was recovered in the Alps in 1991, carried with him a variety of fungi with interesting psychedelic properties.  South American tribes in 300 BCE used a hallucinogen called cohoba. Made from mimosa beans, it was...

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The Importance of Substance and Alcohol Addiction Treatment for Veterans

• Mandy Sandhu
• 14 Feb 2022

What does patriotism mean? If there’s anyone out there who truly knows, it’s veterans.  Whether they’ve served in the military, navy, or air service, they’ve spent a significant portion of their lives on active or reserved duty. Some have even put their lives on the line or have been disabled in the process of serving and protecting their country. Unfortunately,...

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Addiction Recovery Advocates You Should Know

• Mandy Sandhu
• 7 Feb 2022

There’s a lot of work involved in recovery: working through concurring disorders, unresolved guilt, and the emotional and psychological issues that come with it. There’s so much to deal with that sometimes the path to recovery feels painfully long.  During this time, listening to successful recovery stories can ignite hope. It motivates us to push on. That’s why it’s helpful...

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Simple but Effective Habits to Improve Mental Health and Well-Being in 2022

• Mandy Sandhu
• 17 Jan 2022

There’s a lot of hype about how we should focus on mental health to achieve a happy, well-balanced life. And while we can’t stress enough how true that is, the thing is, we sometimes get so caught up in the big picture that we forget it’s the little things that will bring us there. So what can you do to...

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AA Sponsors: What They Are and How Can They Help Sponsees in Addiction Recovery

• Mandy Sandhu
• 13 Jan 2022

There’s no doubt Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) helps individuals get sober. Research shows it has helped more people achieve sobriety than therapy. The success of this international fellowship can be attributed to the social interaction model it uses. AA believes a person who’s trying to get sober must be surrounded by others with the same goal to achieve optimal success. A...

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What Are the 3 Prescription Drug Categories?

• Mandy Sandhu
• 10 Jan 2022

There’s a big challenge surrounding prescription drugs in Canada: how can prescription drug-related abuse be reduced while ensuring access to those who need it for medical applications? Tightening regulations further could help prevent abuse and harm. But it could also mean jeopardizing the lives of people who medically need it if they don’t get timely access. It’s a tricky issue...

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What Is Comorbidity and How Does It Differ From Concurrent Disorders?

• Mandy Sandhu
• 6 Jan 2022

Relatives of individuals with drug dependence often wonder what made their loved ones abuse drugs. Did the substance abuse happen because they have a mental illness? Or did the substance abuse cause the mental illness? Often, mental illness contributes to substance abuse and vice-versa. But sometimes, a person can have both substance abuse disorder and mental illness at the same...

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