Yes, Addiction Is a Disease - Backed By Scientific Evidence For many years, there has been an ongoing debate on whether drug addiction is a disease or a personal choice. Some believe that addiction stems from lack of willpower, poor decision-making, and moral failure, while others point to growing scientific evidence that shows addiction is a medical condition affecting behavior...
All Posts By Joseph Barker
According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, over 20 million people are suffering from alcoholism over the past year. When you add people who suffer from drug addiction, the number rises to over 40 million people. Because of the overwhelming amount of adults dealing with addiction, it is estimated that the number of children exposed to alcoholism...
If you are looking into options for drug and alcohol rehabilitation, a common and effective approach used in our city is called abstinence-based treatment. This model focuses on encouraging the individual to stop using substance entirely or going through a drug detox if they experience withdrawal symptoms, while aiming for achievable goals like strengthening recovery and long-term sobriety. While there...
1st Annual Running Towards Recovery 5k will Help Offset Treatment Costs When a loved one is struggling with alcoholism or substance use addiction it often can be challenging to get them to accept help. They may say that can stop on their own, or maybe not even accept they have a problem. Getting a person to see the need and...
[lwptoc] Things have changed for the families and loved ones struggling with alcoholism and drug abuse. Trying to intervene or help will take different strategies in 2025. There was once a philosophy to help your loved ones become motivated for change, and it was simply “Leave them alone and they’ll come home.” Meaning the best motivation for change would come...
People struggling with drug addiction and alcohol abuse often experience high levels of shame and guilt. This shame and guilt comes from doing things while we were using that we normally wouldn’t do. To some, even the fact of being physically dependent on a substance is enough to create high levels of guilt and shame. To others the memories of...
Alumni Successful Sobriety Strategies Bay Area Recovery Center’s Alumni are an important part of the recovery process. Alumni are individuals who have completed our addiction treatment program, remained sober, and continue to return to our facilities to provide peer support. Our Alumni Association organizes sober BBQs, camping trips, dances, and other recreational activities. These events provide opportunities for newcomers to...
Most everyone who has had too much to drink has woken up the next day with a headache and hangover and told themselves they weren’t going to do that again. Or maybe someone makes a mistake or has a lapse in judgment and gets a DUI after a night of drinking. They tell themselves they are going to stop,...
Men and women experience addiction differently.1 They start using alcohol and drugs for different reasons, keep using alcohol and drugs for different reasons, and women have different needs during and after treatment. In our overall philosophy, we believe gender makes a difference when seeking help for alcohol or drug addiction. Why do Women Start Using? Studies have shown that women...
We will start this article with a phrase from Alcoholics Anonymous “A.A.’s Twelves Steps are a group of principles, spiritual in their nature, which, if practiced as a way of life, can expel the obsession to drink and enable the sufferer to become happily and usefully whole.” - Foreword Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Decades of research has been completed...