In the digital age, where smartphones and virtual platforms play such an integral part of our lives, technology has emerged as a beacon of hope and support for those walking along the challenging path toward substance use recovery. Once thought of as a potential distraction, technology has now become a powerful complementary tool in standard …

We spend a lot of time focused on the struggles that come along with mental health and substance use disorders, but during National Recovery Month, we’re taking a different approach and recognizing and honoring those who have come through on the other side. At Retreat Behavioral Health, we see firsthand just how difficult it can …

When we talk about social stigma and substance use disorders, it’s the women and mothers who often bear the brunt of negative perceptions and the weight of guilt and shame. It’s this factor, in fact, that often plays a major role in preventing women from receiving the type of effective treatment and recovery they need, …

When it comes to substance use disorders, gender affects everything from how alcohol and drugs are metabolized to the social and cultural impact of substance use on the kind and support and treatment available. Add in compounding factors like race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status, and it’s easy to see why women’s recovery hurdles might feel …

If you or a relative are involved in substance use, you are among tens of millions of Americans fighting the battle. Close to 38 million adolescents and adults are active users of illicit drugs, and 29.5 million people 12 and over suffer from Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD). With so many people throughout the U.S. impacted …

As many as 8.7 million U.S. children live in a home where at least one parent has a substance use disorder (SUD). While the fallout from living in an environment punctuated by a parent experiencing substance dependency varies from child to child and household to household, it’s fair to say that growing up with a …

Substance use disorder can happen to anyone. However, a career in law enforcement comes with a lot of unique stressors, any of which can increase the risk of substance dependency.  Alcohol and drug use among police officers is not uncommon. An estimated one in four officers struggle with a substance use disorder. Further research shows …

Substance use and other mental health conditions touch all communities and types of people. But for individuals who are transgender, addiction rates and rates of other mental illnesses tend to be much higher than those in the general population. This is largely due to the increased social, political, and economic barriers that many transgender people …

Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), including paramedics, are often the critical link between the site of an emergency and the hospital. Being among the first healthcare professionals to arrive on the scene, they provide crucial assistance in emergency medical care and transportation. However, their roles come with various challenges and hazards, exposing them to multiple rigors …

Every day, an average of 16 veterans die by suicide. This is well above the national civilian average and an unmistakable sign that more needs to be done to support the mental health of veterans. Effective veteran suicide prevention, however, requires a multi-faceted approach that takes into account, not just the unique challenges that veterans …