The Addiction & Recovery Resource Blog

5 Common Relapse Triggers and How to Avoid Them After Rehab

• Mandy Sandhu
• 10 May 2021

The initial stages of addiction recovery can be extremely challenging for anyone. Without the controlled environment of rehab, you’re exposed to several triggers of addiction that can cause relapse. Although it's impossible to hide from your relapse triggers forever, there are many actions you can take to set yourself free from them.  External vs Internal Relapse Triggers Relapse triggers can...

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How to Overcome the Guilt of Relapse

• Mandy Sandhu
• 6 May 2021

The battle against substance abuse comes with significant emotional baggage. Guilt and shame in addiction can happen at different stages in your journey, however, these feelings may be magnified during an episode of relapse after many years of living a life in sobriety. Oftentimes, people struggling with addiction view this as a personal failure or a sign that they are...

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How to Identify Your Addiction Relapse Triggers

• Mandy Sandhu
• 3 May 2021

Addiction is a chronic disease that has the potential to re-enter one’s life at any point. Completing an addiction treatment program is a major step towards recovery, but it does not always guarantee lasting sobriety.  Relapse is an inevitable part of the addiction recovery process. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, it will happen at least once to...

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How Mental Health Disorders are Treated in Addiction Recovery

• Mandy Sandhu
• 15 Apr 2021

According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, there is a definite connection between mental health concerns and substance abuse. Eliminating drug or alcohol dependence is a major achievement, and mental health treatment through counselling is one of the most effective ways to prevent the occurrence of relapse. Forms of psychotherapy such as cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), family counselling, and other...

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How Are Concurrent Mental Health Disorders Diagnosed?

• Mandy Sandhu
• 8 Apr 2021

Concurrent disorders is an umbrella term used to identify co-occurring addiction and mental health concerns. People with a mental illness are twice as likely to have a substance use concern compared to the general population. Adding to that, 20% of individuals with a mental health concern experience a concurrent substance use issue. For individuals with schizophrenia, the percentage may be...

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Why Co-Occurring Disorders Can Be Challenging to Treat

• Mandy Sandhu
• 1 Apr 2021

Addiction can exist alongside mental health concerns. When this happens, the combination is known as a co-occurring disorder or a concurrent disorder. When this occurs, a subsequent treatment plan is carefully prepared in conjunction with addiction treatment. There can oftentimes be challenges in the execution of co-occurring disorder treatment due to the complexities and risk factors that are present in...

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The Cost of Addiction on Your Life

• Mandy Sandhu
• 28 Feb 2021

Addiction, whether it be to substances or alcohol, is detrimental to a person suffering from it and to the people close to them. The cost of addiction bears many negative effects on important life foundations, such as family ties, social relationships, careers, and financial stability. In fact, there is a strong correlation between addiction and poverty, and this is only...

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How Would Canada Deal With Decriminalizing Illegal Drugs?

• Mandy Sandhu
• 19 Feb 2021

Decriminalizing illegal drugs has been an ongoing topic of national conversation. In 2020, Canada’s police chiefs have expressed support for the decriminalization of personal drug possession and the use of illegal drugs. Drug reform groups and health agencies such as the Canadian Public Health Association have voiced out congruence in this notion. The question is, would it bear positive effects...

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Identifying and Dealing with Teenage Drinking

• Mandy Sandhu
• 5 Feb 2021

Most parents experience the effects of teenage drinking at some point during their children’s adolescent years. While many factors can influence drinking, such as pop culture or the influence of friends, it is important to know that alcohol is the most commonly abused substance in Canada. Teenagers are exposed to alcohol as much as adults are. In 2019, seven million...

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The Many Benefits of Group Therapy

• Mandy Sandhu
• 29 Jan 2021

The sense of belongingness is a basic human need. This is the reason why group therapy works in many ways for people going through counselling programs. The benefits of group therapy encompass a wide range of problems; it can help people stay clean and it can address any adjacent mental health issues.  In Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, “belonging” is...

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