Author name: Liv Gillespie

Comorbidity, Co-occurring Disorder, & Dual Diagnosis: What’s the Connection? While the three terms above are sometimes used interchangeably, there are subtle differences between them. The term comorbidity refers to a diagnosis of any two or more diseases or disorders, like chronic insomnia and diabetes, or Parkinson’s and heart disease. While the diseases do not have

Study Drugs When someone hears the term “study drugs,” several things may pop into their mind. Perhaps the prescription drug Adderall comes to the tip of their tongue. Or maybe someone thinks of that uncanny movie with Bradley Cooper, Limitless, which was inspired by the use of study drugs like Adderall. In the movie, Cooper

Addiction Has a Ripple Effect Substance abuse does not just affect the person using drugs or alcohol: it has a ripple effect that often touches friends, parents, partners, and, unfortunately, children. Children who live with parents who struggle with addiction experience adverse effects in adolescence and adulthood. If you are a parent struggling with substance

Nutrition: What’s the Big Deal? On a very basic level, without proper nutrition the human body just doesn’t function well, if at all. People need to eat well and diversely, exercise regularly, and sleep peacefully every night in order for their bodies to work optimally, repair themselves, and fight off sickness. If the body does

The Power of Essential Oils If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably dodged more than one essential oil (EO) sales rep rattling on about how lavender changed their life. And, like me, you’ve probably decided that anyone who would spend hundreds of dollars on scented oils to lose weight or lengthen their attention span isn’t

More Than the Marketing If your main exposure to yoga has been through advertisements for yoga clothing or the latest online class, you might view it as just another health craze that pops up every few months–and one that is primarily for people who are already extremely flexible, strong, and graceful. However, if you ignore

There’s an ongoing misconception that addiction and dependence are one and the same. But while they’re undoubtedly connected, an addiction involves a psychological drive to continue using a substance despite the harmful consequences, while dependence is a purely physical phenomenon. Addiction Versus Dependence Let’s take the consumption of coffee as an example. People may joke

Creativity & Substance Use: Myths There’s this myth that consuming substances like marijuana, psychedelics, or club drugs gets our creative juices flowing. Maybe we can attribute it to all the famous writers–Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, Carson McCullers–who struggled with alcoholism. Or perhaps the myth comes from famous musicians who struggled with substance abuse: David Bowie,

Getting Help So you’ve taken a positive step: you’ve decided to get help for your substance abuse disorder, and you’re looking for the right facility to accompany you to sobriety and independence. A simple Google search reveals the large number of drug and alcohol rehab centers available, whether you want to stay near your home

Addiction Recovery & the Pandemic Here we are, two years into the coronavirus pandemic, and many of us are still working from home, still quarantining as needed, and still doing our best to stay healthy. But even if you’re staying physically well, the pandemic has probably taken an emotional, mental, and psychological toll–especially for those

Valentine’s Day Madness Here I am, at 11:00 AM on a Saturday in a grocery store, trying to find hot sauce in an aisle bursting with glittering, plastic hearts and pink-and-white streamers. When I finally push aside the dangling cupid cutout to grab the sriracha, I make a beeline for the checkout. The cashier offers

Sleep Hygiene & Your Recovery When was the last time you slept for longer than seven consecutive hours? If you can’t remember, then this is the post for you. Most adults need anywhere from seven to nine hours of uninterrupted sleep. During that period of time, the body recharges. Scientists do not know exactly how

Journals & Your Recovery Journey Diaries: many of us keep them. Others have never entertained the thought of writing in one. But diaries, or journals, can be wonderful tools for working through intimate feelings, relationships, and anything we feel hesitant to speak about out loud. Beethoven, Leonardo da Vinci, Charles Darwin, and Courtney Love would

Self-Care in Recovery Let’s imagine that or a loved one have entered treatment with us at St. Gregory’s. You’ve detoxed, gotten sober, and learned a bunch of new strategies to permanently cut an addictive substance out of your life. You no longer need drugs to cope with life’s present stressors or past traumas. You’re finally

Hopelessness v. Hopefulness It’s easy to feel helpless, hopeless, and unmotivated on the journey of sobriety–and of life. Often, these types of negative emotions are connected, and becoming aware of their source can help you climb out of the dark hole of hopelessness into which you might have stumbled. According to one psychologist, Luis Muiño,

Tired of setting big goals only to experience big failures? Frustrated with what seems to be a cycle of motivation, hardship, and a subsequent loss of motivation? Setting Goals & Dreaming Big Welcome to the club. Many of us dream big and later get overwhelmed by the nightmare that failure can be. Here’s a personal

Winter Superfoods & Their Many Benefits What exactly makes a food “super”? This is an excellent question. The answer, unfortunately, is a little disappointing: nothing in particular. In fact, the word superfood is pure invention, a buzzword that marketing strategists have made up to get more clicks. Still, dietitians agree that some foods are healthier

A Sober Christmas It’s here: tinsel, pine trees, wreaths, jingling bells—and perhaps an overwhelming sense of anxiety. That’s right: it’s the Christmas season. If you or a loved one aren’t struggling with sobriety, Christmas can be a joyous time. However, for many people this winter season, the holidays are a source of intense nerves. If

There’s a refreshing chill in the air. Brown and yellow leaves fall from trees as the wind rustles through them. Bonfires, baked goods, sweaters, and pumpkin-spiced everything…fall has fallen upon us, and it’s time to celebrate! To that end, we offer some great, substance-free ideas to help you enjoy fall’s primetime months. Staying Local: Substance-Free

Anxiety There it is again: that creeping feeling that you’ve been keeping at bay all day. The feeling that the floodgates holding back all the negative thoughts, the all-consuming fears, and the worst case scenarios are about to fly open. It’s called anxiety, and it can often feel like a natural disaster that occurs solely

Recovery Isn’t a Straight Line So you’ve acknowledged that you have a substance abuse problem. You’ve gone to treatment, and you’ve done the work. But you’ve found yourself in some tricky, trying spots after finding sobriety. Now you’re tackling what might be your worst nightmare: relapse. If you’ve relapsed, you may feel like all of

How much do you like yourself? The confidence you feel in our own worth and abilities is what determines your level of self-esteem. A short quiz from PsyCom can help you see how high or low your self-esteem may be. Someone who has a healthy self-esteem believes that their thoughts, emotions, and work have value;

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) If the thought of fall, pumpkin spice lattes, and bonfires bums you out… If you find yourself confused by the unnerving cheer on a snowman’s face…f your mood lowers rapidly along with the liquid mercury in the thermometer… If you mysteriously cheer up as soon as spring rolls around… You may

When a Loved One Gets Help Having a loved one in addiction treatment can spark a range of emotions: relief, worry, loneliness, and hope, to name a few. Whether it’s our partner, son, daughter, or other close family member, we feel their absence when they are undergoing residential or inpatient treatment. We may also feel

In the Movies In Forrest Gump, actor Tom Hanks plays a young southern man who goes to the Vietnam War and befriends Lieutenant Dan. Later in the movie, we see that Lieutenant Dan has become a paraplegic and alcoholic after he completes his service. Life isn’t always a box of chocolates. Veterans and Addiction Obviously,

It’s unspoken but loud. It’s in the back of our minds and makes us hesitate to move forward. It’s the feeling that we’re weak and negligent for going to recovery–a feeling that increases ten-fold if we’re parents. If you are a parent battling addiction, you may feel like you have to choose between your children

Physical Fitness Many of us look at fitness like a chore. The sweat, the pain, the lack of instant results: it can be pretty disheartening. When it comes to addiction and substance abuse disorders, what causes us pain can often be eradicated instantaneously. That easy fix, in the form of a substance or a harmful

You Did It You took that first step to getting your life back. You entered treatment. You did the work. You’re finally ready to be employed and gain financial independence. If this is the case for you or your loved one, getting back into the job market after addiction treatment can be a tricky endeavor

What Exactly Are Antidepressants? Antidepressants are a type of medicine that may aid in the relief of depression symptoms, social anxiety disorder symptoms, anxiety disorder symptoms in general, as well as other mental health ailments. They work by supporting the balance of serotonin in the brain, a neurotransmitter that plays an important role in our

Conquering opioid addiction, whether the addiction involves prescription medication, heroin, or other forms of opiates, typically requires professional treatment that includes detox, intensive therapy, education, and relapse prevention planning. We can look to several famous people for examples of the dangers of opioids: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Prince, and Amy Winehouse died because of opioid overdoses.

When you think of opioids, what comes to your mind? Heroin? Fentanyl? Morphine? Oxycontin? Chances are high that you probably didn’t think of cough or cold medicine. But codeine is an opioid used in many cold medicines. While stronger products that carry larger amounts of codeine require a prescription, many people can ‘sample’ the effects

You found yourself addicted to alcohol, drugs, and/or prescription medications. You lost control, but you put yourself on a new path by going to treatment. You cleansed your body from the substance, talked with therapists and others in recovery about what led to your addiction, and took back the reins of your life. A New

You may or may not be familiar with Tramadol, often sold under the brand name Ultram. In the United States, The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) classifies Tramadol as a controlled substance–a fancy term meaning you can only purchase it with a doctor’s prescription. A Little About the Drug Normally, a doctor prescribes Tramadol for

For many, March is an eventful month. In addition to welcoming spring, people are encouraged to celebrate poetry, teenagers, potato chips, water, cats, and much more. March is also a month for awareness of various health issues, including tuberculosis, kidney health, multiple sclerosis, and the topic of this post, brain injury. The Human Brain The

Losing Sleep? Ever find yourself feeling like Nancy in A Nightmare on Elm Street? Not in that sense that a sleep demon lurks around at night, waiting for you to fall into blissful slumber, but rather that you just can’t fall asleep or stay asleep. Maybe you wake up throughout the night. Maybe you sleep

Why do we describe our traumas and negative experiences as heart-wrenching, coldhearted, heartless, or disheartening? Why can frights and panic cause a heart attack? Why do we assign adjectives like heartfelt, heartwarming, and kind-hearted to moving moments or pleasant people? The Heart As we make our way through the month of love, it’s time to

A Look at Heroin The focus of this post is heroin: its composition, its effect on the body and brain of those who struggle with dependence on it, and options for heroin addiction treatment. Heroin is derived from morphine and belongs to the opioid family. Opioids are chemicals that bind to receptors in the brain

Sound Familiar? How many times have you heard someone tell you that you have an addictive personality? The person warns you to exercise caution in whatever activity you’re about to engage in: a new video game, a new exercise, a new partner, drugs, or alcohol. “You had better be careful with that! You have an

During this difficult pandemic, many state governments now mandate that children stay at home with their families or guardians. For countless children, weeks stuck inside prove boring but essentially harmless. For children who live in an environment with substance abuse or addiction, the extra time at home can be perilous. Restricted Access to Positive Interactions

If you or a loved one has struggled with a substance use disorder, you know that recovery requires a wealth of resources and energy. In the face of what may seem like overwhelming odds, self-help books about addiction may seem superficial or even pointless. DIY Addiction Recovery? Sure, self-help books might help tremendously in romantic

The Thanksgiving holiday can be tricky for those in addiction recovery. For some, Thanksgiving poses no threat to their sobriety. For others, the holiday may create anxiety, discomfort, or fear because of its connection to alcohol or drug use. Thanksgiving Tips and Encouragement This post aims to calm any Thanksgiving fears you may have, offer

The notion of success often ties to fame. Movie stars, musicians, singers–when they attain success, we tend to look up to, admire, and envy them. And when they fail? We notice–and we can either turn their dirty laundry into gossip or use it to glean wisdom for our own lives. Celebrities and Addiction In the

One of the greatest challenges faced by the loved ones of someone suffering from addiction is knowing how to help. But no matter how much we desire to rescue friends or family from the burning houses of their addictions, we can’t force anyone to recover. Your loved one must recognize their need for help and

Many artists and creative people believe that drugs and alcohol enhance their art or creative production. This is a myth. In reality, substance abuse chokes creativity and weakens the mind and body. It physically degrades every ability a person has, both natural and acquired. Creativity Benefits the Recovery Process As the body and mind heal

Before we enter recovery for substance use disorder, we may hear the terms individual therapy and group therapy tossed around. For many, these terms are vague and conjure mental images of Sigmund Freud scribbling notes as a hysterical woman lies on a fancy couch, spilling her innermost secrets. Examining Two Types of Therapy In reality, individual

What Happens During an Opioid Overdose? Opioids are a type of drug that includes heroin, synthetic opioids and pain relievers prescribed by doctors. [1] Common prescription opioids include oxycodone, hydrocodone, morphine, fentanyl, codeine and many others including milder formulations like tramadol, which was recently reclassified by the U.S. government as a more dangerous drug. Opioids