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First Step to Recovery: Stop Flying Solo What compels us to take that proverbial ‘first step to recovery‘?   What compels us to do that which is bad for us?  Why do we repeatedly self-inflict pain when we know our choices are bad and that they are destructive?  We actually DO CARE, yet CANNOT STOP! […]

Masochists: Destruction from Opioid Addiction Abuse Are you a masochist?    Do you like pain?  Opioid addiction abuse has no doubt become an epidemic of epic proportions. Two million Americans are addicted to opioids including those who have moved onto to heroin or even worse.  Fentanyl, Oxycontin, Percocet or Vicodin, which are ALL highly addictive […]

Heroin Addict Tough Love? It’s an emotionally draining process in the extreme trying to get help for kids who are possessed by drugs. Addicts are tricky and using tough love on a heroin addict, or any type of addict for that matter could be a death sentence.  Remember, addicts are manipulative, powerful and have ironclad […]

Substance Use Disorders (SUDs) – See Beyond! Substance Use Disorders (SUDs) are often characterized by a pathological a need for a substance, resulting in reckless actions and compulsive seeking behaviors. Professionals in the field of psychology are in agreement that addiction and abuse generally stem from SUDs. Despite the mountains of research and the professionals’ […]

Substance Abuse Myths Misconceptions abound when it comes to substance abuse. With how prevalent substance abuse is in our society, it is important to differentiate fact from fiction. Here are a few of the more prominent substance abuse myths. Substance Abuse Myth #1: If I relapse, I am a failure Relapse is a very common […]

Whippet Inhalant Abuse One of the deadliest types of drugs is inhalants. Whippet inhalant abuse is an often under-reported problem, despite the inherent dangers, and it is on the rise. Regardless of this fact, inhalant abuse usually flies under the radar and hardly gets any public attention.   What is a “whippet”?  The street names […]

Some people struggle with the thought of whether they need to go to rehab or not. Some people find the thought of telling their family and friends that they have a problem with substance abuse to be a terrifying concept. But, how do you know if you need help or not? These questions may be […]

Addiction Recovery – This is Your Year With the beginning of the new year, it is time to stop dwelling on the past and begin focusing on the present and, ultimately, the future. Some people take the new year as a time to make resolutions to improve themselves throughout the year such as addiction recovery. […]

New Year’s Resolutions Good for Recovery? For many people, a new year brings with it a clean slate—a fresh chance to make some significant personal changes. That’s what the New Year’s resolution process is all about—resolving to change your life in some way, big or small, that will transform you into a happier, healthier, or […]

Holiday Season Recovery with Family During the holiday season, many families spend time together, gathered in celebration. This can be an ideal time to talk with your loved ones about your own addiction recovery. Doing so is never easy, yet it can be essential to gather their encouragement and support.   As you consider ways […]

Turning Prisons into Transformation Centers Brief History of the Prison System Part 1: Derived from the concept of “penitence” over two hundred years ago, Quakers and reformers in Pennsylvania developed the institution of the penitentiary. Its purpose was for sinners to engage in hard labor and think about what they had done (Mauer, 2006). The […]

Drug Addiction a Crime in America? War On Drugs In America? Is it a War? Drug addiction is considered a diagnosable disease, just like cancer, diabetes, and HIV. So why do we arrest people who are sick of being sick? Would we arrest someone for being diabetic and carrying around a needle and insulin? Of […]

Keep Your Addiction Recovery on Track For those who are in addiction recovery, the Thanksgiving holidays aren’t all fun and games. While it can be encouraging to spend time with loved ones, it can also be stressful. That, combined with the easy access to alcohol, sometimes makes relapse a big concern. The good news is, […]

Likely results of recreational marijuana use in California?   First, let’s talk about recreational marijuana, or pot, as a drug in relation to drug rehab treatment, or addiction treatment. Having treated thousands of addicts in drug rehabs over the years, one commonality amongst almost all of them was the regular use of marijuana.   This doesn’t […]

Drug Rehab Fraud – Find Good Drug Rehabs You may or may not have heard about a few drug rehabs across the country, particularly some Florida addiction treatment centers, sober living homes, and organizations that have been investigated for drug rehab fraud in the last few years. There are two primary types of fraud allegations […]

Is Your Child A Drug Addict? It is hard to predict who will become addicted to drugs. Not every adolescent who experiments with drugs will become addicted.  Of those adolescents who experiment with illicit drug use, only a small percentage become severely addicted.  Those that do get addicted fall into one of several categories; those who […]

The Power of a Morning Routine Are you a morning person? Some people leap out of bed each morning, bursting with energy and optimism for the day ahead.  Others most assuredly do not and would prefer to linger under their warm, cozy covers for as long as possible.  Then what, they have to to rush through […]

I’m Dr. Brendan Bickley and as a psychologist, I’ve seen first-hand the damage that addiction can do—not just to individuals, but to their families as well. Thankfully, that’s not all I’ve seen. Working in addiction recovery for more than 20 years now, I’ve witnessed just how effective clinical intervention can be. I’ve seen that therapy […]

Drug addiction and overeating, while not exactly the same thing, have a lot in common. At least, that’s what a recent New York Times story on meth and cookies reports. According to the story, those who eat their way into poor health don’t like it any more than those who abuse drugs and alcohol—so why […]

Opioid Addiction – How to Help Your Loved One We’ve all seen the headlines about America’s opioid epidemic. We know that addiction to opioids is increasingly commonplace—and increasingly dangerous. There is a decent chance that someone you know and love is facing a struggle with opioid addiction. Yet, there is one thing these headlines don’t […]