Substance misuse does not always result in addiction requiring residential treatment. The fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5)—the principal authority for psychiatric diagnoses—no longer uses terms like alcohol abuse or chemical dependence. Instead, the DSM-5 refers to substance use disorders (SUD), which are defined as mild, moderate, or severe to indicate the level of severity.
As an experienced improvisation instructor and coach, Lisa Kays knows that the skills that make an excellent improviser are in many ways the same that make an excellent partner, friend, and colleague: listening, mutual support and trust, willingness to take risks, ability to collaborate, capacity to both lead and to follow, and a sense of spontaneity and fun.
Addiction is a family disease. Active addiction typically prompts families to make slow, incremental, adaptive changes over time in response to the steady progression of the disease. Unfortunately, those changes often exacerbate the problem. In his presentation as part of the Williamsburg Place Lecture Series, family therapist William Mock, Ph.D. explored some accepted techniques that can help reverse this toxic process. Dr.
Addiction is often described as a chronic brain disease. People with substance addictions compulsively ingest psychoactive substances to experience changes in perception, mood, consciousness, and cognition. They want to feel better or at least subdue any emotional pain they may be experiencing. Many are suffering from anxiety, depression, and intense stress, or have experienced trauma.
On September 29, Farley alumni will come together for the annual reunion on The Farley Center campus in Williamsburg, Virginia. Over a hundred alumni are expected for a day filled with food, fun, music, games, presentations, and discussions. It’s an opportunity to reflect, reconnect, and relax with fellow members of the recovery community.
Transgender people are at an elevated risk of developing substance use disorders, according to the Center for American Progress. An estimated 20–30 percent of transgender people misuse substances, compared to around 9 percent of the general population in the United States.
International Overdose Awareness Day is a global event held on August 31 each year. It aims to raise awareness of overdose and reduce the stigma of a drug-related death. It acknowledges the grief felt by families and friends remembering those who have died or had a permanent injury as a result of drug overdose.
Overdose Awareness Day originated in Australia in 2001. After more than a decade, the observance has grown into a global campaign. Last year almost 500 events were held across the world and 2018 promises to break that record.
Many people go into recovery light-heartedly saying things like “It’s a piece of cake. I will never miss it. They couldn’t pay me to have a drink,” explains John McClanahan, Ph.D., who has been practicing in the addiction field for more than three decades.
In his presentation as part of the Williamsburg Place Lecture Series, Dr. McClanahan—who is a recovering alcoholic—compares the stages of recovery to the grief process. “As a society, we tend to think of loss as losing something positive. So how can you think of recovery as a loss?”
Misusing drugs and alcohol is dangerous and can lead to addiction. Abusing multiple substances concurrently can increase those dangers exponentially. Unfortunately, this is fairly common behavior for people with substance use disorders. Combined drug intoxication is a frequently encountered cause of emergency room visits and has claimed the lives of many people.
