Why is it that some teens and young adults can try alcohol or experiment with drugs, and it somehow does not evolve into a substance addiction? Whereas, with others, they try it once or twice, find themselves not being able to control their compulsion to use more, and spend years struggling with addiction? Perhaps it’s environmental; that is, if an individual has grown up around one or two parents or adult family members that abused substances, they will abuse substances themselves. Perhaps it’s genetic. Or maybe it’s a bit of both.

Coping with drug and alcohol cravings is a major component of changing problematic addictive behavior, so much so that the DSM5 added craving as a diagnostic criteria for substance use disorders.  It is next to certain that any change in habitual behavior will at some point result in urges or cravings for the old behavior.  Who hasn’t experienced a craving for something salty or sweet when trying to eat healthier?  Below we discuss 10 tried and true methods that help people manage drug and alcohol cravings.

What Do You Do About Addiction in Marriage?

You said ‘I do’ in sickness and in health for as long as you both shall live, but you never imagined life would turn out like this. While your partner becomes consumed by their addiction, you may feel helpless, abandoned or scared. You have not, however, given up, and you want to learn how to cope with addiction and find your spouse the help they need. It is our hope that this blog affords you a moment of solace by providing you with essential information about how to cope with addiction in marriage and by addressing questions you may have about your marriage.

You don’t have to be addicted to have an increased risk for disease associated with alcohol or drug use.

Addiction can have a massive impact on your relationships, emotional health and mental well-being. That can make it easy to forget that using drugs or alcohol — even recreationally — can raise your risk for some physical illnesses, including cardiovascular disease and cancer. Considering the physical impacts of substance use can be scary, but there’s good news: getting sober or reevaluating your relationship with drugs or alcohol can help you reclaim control over your health.

Addiction not only impacts those who are battling the disease themselves, but it impacts the lives of their friends and loved ones. The emotional roller coaster that these families seem to continuously ride on with very few stops in between can be overwhelming. Substance addiction affects all of us if it affects just one of us, but it’s family members that are confronted with the realities of the disease on a regular basis.

Joy Sutton, host of American Addiction Centers’ (AACs’) talk show, Addiction Talk, touches on addiction and the family in this latest episode titled “Addiction is a Family Disease: Loss, Love, and Living in Truth.”

You can build trust again!

Often, building trust with loved ones is a significant part of the recovery process. It’s not uncommon for people in the midst of an addiction to engage in lying, sneaking, and other behaviors that create a loss of trust in relationships. While it can be daunting to think about repairing your important relationships, here are 5 ways to help you manage the process: