Tag: Drug Addiction

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Stress And Addiction: How Are They Related?

Stress and addiction can feed into and cause each other. “Stress” could be anything that taxes or exceeds your ability to healthily adapt1. For example, stress could prompt you to drink to cope with negative emotions. Similarly, having a heavy drinking habit could cause stress when it affects your life and well-being.

The bi-directional, sometimes cyclical relationship between stress and addiction can seem tricky to separate and treat. But with therapy and the right approach to treatment, you can heal from each and find an improved quality of life.

What Is The Relationship Between Stress And Addiction?

The relationship between stress and addiction is complex and multifaceted. Numerous studies have investigated their relationship and have provided insights into how stress can increase the risk of addiction.

Crucially, stress can cause someone to take and crave substances2. Chronic stress can further increase the risk of drug use and addiction. Stress can induce changes in neural pathways and cravings, which can contribute to substance-related disorders. The stress response system, including the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, plays a critical role3 in the development and maintenance of addiction.

Stress can also impact your ability to control impulses or other inappropriate behaviors, along with craving instant gratification.

Ultimately, the effects of stress can all lead to substance use. The American Psychological Association (APA) reveals that “stress is one of the most commonly reported precipitants of drug use4” and relapse. 

More stress, or chronic stress, is also associated with a higher risk of substance use2 and addiction. 

The Neurological Relationship

Stress can raise your levels of dopamine5, which is a neurotransmitter responsible for feeling good and reinforcing the activity that feels good. Alcohol and drugs increase your levels of dopamine6, too. Stress-induced alterations in dopamine transmission can increase the risk of addictive behavior.

Because it releases dopamine, you can even become addicted to stress7. And with stress and substance use affecting the system, it can be more difficult to disconnect one from the other and cope without the dopamine they produce. 

The dopamine-intertwined relationship between stress and addiction can have negative but treatable effects on mental health and overall wellness.

Individual Factors

The relationship between stress and addiction is also influenced by individual factors, such as coping strategies and resilience. Effective coping strategies8 can protect individuals from the maladaptive effects of stress that can contribute to addiction.

On the other hand, maladaptive coping strategies, such as procrastination9, can increase the risk of addiction. Using substances as a maladaptive coping skill certainly increases the risk, too.

Additionally, those with lower levels of psychological resilience may be more susceptible to the effects of stress10 and more prone to developing addiction.

Effects of Stress And Addiction on Mental Health

Stress makes addiction and mental health conditions more likely to develop2. The untreated effects of stress increase your risk of anxiety, depression, and other mood-related disorders. In some cases, stress can cause trauma11 and conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). 

Multiple stressors or chronic stress can also be the catalyst2 between using a substance and becoming addicted to one. The more stressors you have in your life, the more likely you are to develop an addiction. 

How to Treat Stress and Addiction

Treatment that addresses your stress and addiction simultaneously can help you heal from both conditions. Therapy, wellness activities, and at-home coping strategies can help you manage stress and recover from addiction.

Therapies for Stress and Addiction

  • Stress management skill training1: This therapy can reduce emotional reactions to stress, helping you avoid relapses. You’ll usually attend 12 sessions in group therapy, learning a specific skill each time.  
  • Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)1: CBT can help you regulate your emotions and how to respond to stress without using substances. You’ll learn and practice coping skills in and out of therapy. 
  • Mindfulness meditation12: This therapeutic intervention helps you enter a state of meditation where you’re mindful of what you’re feeling and accepting how the emotions feel in your mind and body. Meditation practices can then lower your breathing and slow your heart, helping you calm your mind and body simultaneously. 
  • Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT)13: A mindfulness-based behavioral therapy focusing on emotional regulation. Similar to mindfulness meditation, you’ll work on becoming more aware of what you’re feeling and accepting the emotions. Then, you’ll learn how to regulate your emotions and your stress, which can help lower stress and prevent relapse. 

Stress-Reducing Activities

  • Yoga: the guided movements and stretches of yoga can help you manage stress.
  • Mindfulness: everyday mindfulness can help you hone in on big and small experiences, like feeling the wind or noticing the birds in the sky as you walk into work. Mindfulness can calm your body as your focus drifts to what’s happening around you. Mindfulness can effectively reduce stress without alcohol or drugs.
  • Exercise: movement can reduce stress and burn off nervous energy it may cause. You could go on a daily walk, spend time in the gym, or move in any way that feels good to you. 
  • Baths: a warm bath, especially one with epsom salts and essential oils, can calm the mind and body. Baths can also reduce soreness and pain. 
  • Progressive muscle relaxation14: a mindfulness technique where you gradually tense and relax your muscles. You can start at your toes and end at your head, but the pattern is up to you. 
  • Create something: art, music, or writing can take you out of a stressful mindset and help you process what’s stressing you out.
  • Self-compassion15: Dr. Kristin Neff suggests self-compassion as a tool for stress reduction–one you can do at any time. Her research has found self-critical approaches to failure or struggle only results in further stress. Practicing self-compassion can cause greater emotional calm and keep your stress from escalating.

Find Relief for Stress

Treatment can effectively stop the cycle of stress and addiction, help you avoid relapse, and feel better as a whole. You can find rehabs treating stress by browsing our list of rehabs for stress with photos, reviews, and insurance information to help you make an informed decision.

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Celebrity Recovery Stories

Celebrity recovery has long found itself in an unsavory spotlight. Magazines, paparazzi, and the general public place intense focus on the plight of suffering celebrities, often with an air of mockery. 

Celebrities coming forward with their addiction and recovery have started changing the lens of celebrity recovery stories. This is a far cry from old reports of a new celebrity in rehab suggesting culpability, shame, and judgment. 

Instead of making life unwaveringly easy, celebrity addiction stories suggest fame and fortune were not the cures to pain the general public may first assume. Despite the public scrutiny, many celebrities have recovered and inspired thousands on the way.

Elizabeth Taylor

Elizabeth Taylor was one of the first celebrities who acknowledged their addiction and advocated for recovery. She became addicted to prescription painkillers after a spinal surgery. She also struggled with alcohol addiction. 

Elizabeth Taylor decided to publicly announce her admittance to Betty Ford Center in 1983, Betty Ford’s first treatment center. By doing so, Elizabeth helped normalize the need for addiction treatment when such news was scarcely discussed, even in private.  

Though her famous career and life have since come to an end, Elizabeth showed many what living in recovery looks like—and that it’s achievable, even as a celebrity. A quote from ElizabethTaylor.com1 reads,

“Her willingness to remain open and honest, while under intense scrutiny, brought millions of people out of the darkness of shame and into the brilliance of healing.”

Jamie Lee Curtis

Jamie Lee Curtis nursed a secret addiction to alcohol and prescription drugs. She was prescribed Vicodin after a minor plastic surgery2, which she then took for years.

A friend finally caught her taking the pills and encouraged getting help. Jamie also stole Vicodin from her sister, who supported her in getting into treatment. 

Jamie has been sober since 1999; she revealed this to the public two years after gaining sobriety. She’s attended recovery meetings since her sobriety, sometimes hosting them herself in her set trailer. 

She was at first nervous she’d lose sponsorships and acting roles, but that was far from the case. Even in the earlier days of outspoken addiction recovery, her story was still widely well-received. 

Her public journey and commitment to the sober community have made her an encouragement to celebrities and non-celebrities in recovery.

Bradley Cooper

Bradley Cooper used alcohol, drugs, and “mean humor”3 to fit into the environment of Los Angeles actors. Despite his efforts, he realized he hadn’t made progress in becoming more popular—and was even doing the opposite.

In 2004, Bradley’s friend, Will Arnett, held an intervention to help him see the scope of his addiction and the harm it caused (forgetting to let his dog out all day after being on cocaine, for example). Cooper focused on his sobriety from that moment on and has been sober for almost 20 years.

Treatment also helped him grow his self-esteem and become confident without using substances to fit in. Now, he’s known to be generous, charming, and kind.  

Robert Downey Jr 

Robert Downey Jr’s experience with drugs began at age 64, when his father offered him marijuana. They used various substances together throughout his childhood. Downey Jr, like many others, was soon caught in the cycle of using to self-soothe and hide from the negative effects his addiction had on his life.

Robert Downey Jr has been arrested multiple times for drug use5 and spent a year in prison. After his third arrest, he checked himself into rehab and has stayed sober. A recent documentary featuring his late father details his recovery and history with addiction.

After becoming sober, Robert Downey Jr went on to have a wildly successful career. He speaks about his addiction and recovery to highlight the sobriety journey and offer his real-life success story.

Daniel Radcliffe

Daniel Radcliffe, best known for his role as Harry Potter, used alcohol to cope with the scrutiny and pressure6 of such a monumental role. He’s said his way of dealing with it was “just to drink more or get more drunk, so I did a lot of that for a few years.”

He would drink to forget he was being watched, then drink more to forget they were watching the “boy wizard” get drunk. As the movies drew to a close, Daniel continued to use alcohol to distance himself from the end and from figuring out who he was outside the role. 

With support from friends, he started his sobriety in 2010. He’s been sober since and enjoying new roles outside the wizarding world. 

Lindsay Lohan

Lindsay Lohan has a successful acting career freckled with jail time, arrests, and rehab. She described alcohol as a gateway drug for her, and she dabbled in cocaine to fit in with the party scene. 

She received her first DUI at age 207 and was in court for various drug/alcohol-related convictions 20 times from 2007-2012. A judge ordered her to go to court-ordered drug rehab in 2012. She credits that as what turned her life around. 

After regaining sobriety, Lindsay Lohan moved to the United Arab Emirates for a quieter, more anonymous life. She’s since gotten back into acting and helping others along their sobriety journeys.

Drew Barrymore

Drew Barrymore’s struggles with drugs and alcohol began as young as 9 years old. She attended rehab twice by age 128 and was hospitalized for 18 months following a suicide attempt and continued substance use. Her public struggles with addiction and mental health at first made it difficult to find roles. 

After her hospital stay, Drew emancipated from her parents. She eventually found success in acting again and married. She then divorced and married again later, having two children before a second divorce.

Her second divorce in 2016 drove her to alcohol use9. She says, “It was just trying to numb the pain and feel good—and alcohol totally did that for me.” An unnamed rehab facility and her daughters helped her recover.

Now, Drew Barrymore inspires other celebrities to talk about mental health and addiction on her talk show The Drew Barrymore Show and beyond.

Ben Affleck

Ben Affleck rose to fame in the early 90s. He went to rehab for alcoholism10 and a reset in 2001, then again in 2017 and 2018. 

A divorce in 2016 exacerbated his drinking. He went to rehab again, regained sobriety, and has since had relapses—some of which were famously documented. But he didn’t let that derail his recovery. 

Ben has become strong in his 12-Step program and, more generally, as a celebrity in recovery. He’s been quoted to say11, 

“It doesn’t really bother me to talk about alcoholism and being an alcoholic. It’s part of my life. It’s something that I deal with. It doesn’t have to sort of subsume my whole identity and be everything, but it is something that, you know, you have to work at.”

Demi Lovato

Demi’s first experience with drugs came when she was 13 and prescribed opioids after a car accident. Bullying and an early rise to fame led her to start cocaine in 2009, at age 17.

A sexual assault, and the coping skills she used after, eventually led her to treatment for self-harm and an eating disorder in 2010. There, she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder12. Demi checked into a sober home shortly after, in 2013.

Demi stayed sober for 6 years after years of heavy drinking and drug use (mainly cocaine). She highlighted her eating disorder recovery in 2017. But in July of 2018, she suffered a near-fatal heroin overdose13. After a 2-week hospital stay, Demi was released. 

She later relapsed on heroin, which served as another wake-up call. Demi got back into treatment and adopted a California sober approach to recovery, which meant she still used weed and alcohol in moderation. In the last couple years, she’s changed her approach to sober-sober14, or not drinking and using drugs in any amount.  

Now, Demi continues to take her journey day-by-day with an attitude of humility and hope.

John Mulaney

As one might expect, comedian John Mulaney describes his addiction with a unique level of hilarity. He first went to rehab in December 202015 after initially getting sober in his early twenties.

He became addicted to cocaine and prescription pain pills, which he kept on hand through shady (or clever) routes. One included buying and pawning a watch to purchase drugs with the cash. In other schemes, he went to low-rated doctors who he knew wouldn’t turn down the prescription requests of any new patient. 

At first, he feared the public’s response to his addiction and how it went against his public-facing demeanor. However, many received the news with little to no judgment, instead feeling glad he sought help. This highlights the upward swing in the public’s perception of addiction. 

He credits his friends and their intervention as what got him to get help. Reflecting on his 3-year sobriety, he says, “​​I used to care what everyone thought about me so much…And I don’t anymore. Because I can honestly say, ‘What is someone gonna do to me that’s worse than what I would do to myself?'”

Start Your Recovery Journey

Time has shown the deep humanity of celebrities, despite what the media might have us believe. Their stardom doesn’t save them from suffering; but it can make them excellent advocates for recovery. Money and fame didn’t make them recover. Their own personal choices and efforts did. 

Whether or not you’re a famous actor, comedian, or other celebrity, you have resources for your recovery. Celebrity addiction stories highlight that truth. A residential rehab could provide the safe, structured environment you need to begin, and maintain, your recovery.
You can browse our list of rehabs to see photos, reviews, insurance information, and more all in one place.

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Addiction and Arrested Development: How Substance Use Impacts Personal Growth

Addiction and arrested development often feed into each other. Someone with arrested development might start using substances as a coping mechanism. In turn, substance abuse can hinder emotional, social, and cognitive development. While this often feels discouraging, it’s a cycle you can break out of. Rehab for addiction and mental health treatment may be a good place to start.

Defining Arrested Development

Arrested development happens when something prevents your ability to mature1 emotionally, socially, or cognitively at the expected rate. It’s often the result of early trauma or neglect. That’s why an adult experiencing arrested development might overreact to a situation, using coping mechanisms they learned as a child. 

Substance abuse can also impede how we’d normally mature. Personal development is a natural progression. As life changes, we learn about ourselves and the world around us. And as a result, we adapt. Addiction disrupts this process. It hinders key growth areas, including decision-making abilities, impulse control, and maturity. It can also leave you feeling very isolated.

The Relationship Between Addiction and Arrested Development

Substance use often starts during adolescence2—a crucial period for emotional, cognitive, and social growth. It’s common for adolescents with addiction to struggle to transition into adulthood.3 

One of the most important changes during adolescence is brain development. The prefrontal cortex—the part of the brain responsible for rational thinking, impulse control, decision-making, and emotional regulation—develops greatly from adolescence until age 25. Our brain is especially vulnerable to the effects of substances during these years. Marijuana use impairs the development of the hippocampus,4 which plays a crucial role in memory and learning. Meanwhile, heavy alcohol consumption during adolescence disrupts the development of the prefrontal cortex.5 These disruptions can lead to long-lasting cognitive defects. 

Continued substance use prolongs arrested development, especially for teens. Many teens experiencing addiction struggle to reach important life milestones. They might prioritize substances over other important life areas like relationships and education, for example. 

How Addiction and Arrested Development Impact Emotional Well-Being

Arrested development can affect your emotional well-being. It’s normal to struggle with managing your emotions from time to time. However, arrested development impairs your ability to regulate emotions.6 This can heighten stress and anxiety—known risk factors for substance abuse.7 

Often, people stuck in these heightened emotional states use substances to cope. One study found that 41% of U.S. adults use alcohol to manage their mental health,8 even though 80% viewed it as unhealthy behavior. This dynamic between addiction and arrested development can persist indefinitely without treatment and healthy coping tools.

The Social Implications of Arrested Development

Someone with arrested development might struggle to maintain a healthy social life. There’s a strong link between arrested development, emotional detachment,9 and impaired social skills. Without emotional connection, it’s hard to form close bonds. This can put a strain on your relationships. It can also make social interactions feel challenging or daunting. As a result, you might feel even more socially isolated.

Aside from being emotionally distressing, social isolation can lead to substance abuse10 and other high-risk behaviors. This is one way addiction and arrested development feed into each other. 

How Addiction Affects Cognitive Functioning and Academic Performance

Substance use negatively impacts academic achievement.11 The teen brain is highly sensitive to experiences. Abusing substances during these years disrupts important brain maturation processes. This can cause symptoms like poor concentration, memory loss, and problem-solving issues. One study found that alcohol-dependent teens recalled 10% less information12 than their peers, even after 3 weeks of abstinence. 

On top of cognitive disruptions, addiction changes priorities. Teens who use drugs are less likely to enroll in college.13 This limits long-term educational and career prospects. Treatment can help you shift your focus back to your personal growth and life goals. 

Addressing Dual Diagnosis

Arrested development often co-occurs with other mental health disorders: 

Because addiction and arrested development are so intertwined, finding treatment that addresses both is key. An integrated approach combines rehabilitation for addiction and mental health support, focusing on the underlying causes of each concern. Specialized treatment for co-occurring disorders is more effective14 than addressing each issue separately. 

Breaking the Cycle of Addiction and Arrested Development

It’s possible to break the cycle of addiction and arrested development, and many people do. What you’re going through now doesn’t define your future. Personal growth can happen at any age. 

Neuroplasticity, or the brain’s ability to change, means we can rewire the brain from addiction. Comprehensive treatment doesn’t just address addiction; it also fosters personal development. Many rehabs offer a combination of treatments to address different aspects of healing.

Inpatient Rehab

If you’re struggling with substance abuse, you might consider an inpatient rehab. In this type of program, you’ll live onsite in a protected environment with daily care. You’ll follow a daily schedule that includes therapy and other recovery activities. And if you’re looking to treat more than one concern, several rehabs treat co-occurring disorders. 

Outpatient Programs

Outpatient programs offer similar care to inpatient rehab. A key difference is that you live at home. Treatment is tailored to your needs, but keep in mind that it can be nearly as intensive as inpatient rehab. 

Therapy 

Psychotherapy, or talk therapy, offers a safe space to work through difficult emotions and learn new coping methods. There are many different forms of therapy. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is among the most common and widely recognized. It teaches you to challenge and change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. One study found the success rate of CBT is 60%15 among patients with cocaine dependence. 

Counseling

Counseling is considered a short-term, goal-oriented treatment.16 Meanwhile, psychotherapy addresses a wider range of issues. In counseling, you’ll work with a trained mental health professional toward specific goals. These can include new coping skills, academic growth, and more. 

Support Groups

Arrested development can feel isolating. It’s comforting to find a community of others going through similar experiences. Support groups offer just that. In these social networks, people in recovery help each other stay accountable, share coping strategies, and encourage each other’s growth.

Developing Coping Skills and Resilience

Recovery is all about learning healthy coping skills and emotional resilience. Challenges are a natural part of life, but we are in control of how we respond to them. Therapy plays a key role in this process. It offers a structured environment to explore underlying triggers, manage stress, and confront challenges in a healthy way. Therapy can give you insight into your own patterns and behaviors. As part of your recovery journey, you’ll learn to change what no longer serves you.

Self-care practices can promote personal responsibility and growth. They remind us that it feels good to take care of ourselves. There are plenty of self-care tools that nourish the mind, body, and soul: 

  • Exercise
  • Meditation
  • Adequate sleep
  • Journaling
  • Maintaining a healthy diet

These practices show us there is joy in healing. Consistently practicing healthy habits builds your resilience, empowering you to better handle future challenges. 

Long-Term Recovery Can Ignite Personal Growth 

Recovery itself is growth. Pursuing life goals and seeing progress is one of the joys of healing.

If you’re looking for recovery from addiction and arrested development, rehab can be a great place to find it. Reputable centers are committed to their clients’ long-term recovery. In addition to primary treatment, they often provide aftercare and alumni programs, and can put you in touch with resources for ongoing support. 

Search addiction treatment centers to learn more about the recovery process and connect directly with admissions teams.

Frequently Asked Questions About Addiction and Arrested Development

Can addiction disrupt personal development?

Yes, addiction hinders personal development by interrupting emotional, social, and cognitive growth. Substance use often starts during adolescence, a crucial period for personal development. Substance abuse can impede decision-making, impulse control, and maturity, creating a cycle that stunts personal development.

How can someone cope with both addiction and arrested development?

Coping with both addiction and arrested development involves integrated treatment. Getting to the root cause of both issues can be more effective than treating them separately. Treatment often includes therapy and support groups. Therapy helps you explore underlying emotional triggers and develop healthier coping mechanisms, while support groups provide a sense of community and shared experience.

How can long-term recovery impact personal growth?

Long-term recovery can advance personal growth. Healing from addiction lets you resume your journey towards personal growth, and find renewed purpose in pursuing life goals. Therapy, support groups, and positive lifestyle changes can support ongoing recovery and personal growth. 
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7 Signs of Self-Medicating With Drugs or Alcohol: Recognizing Unhealthy Coping Behaviors

Self-medication is the use of drugs or alcohol as a coping strategy. In many cultures, this behavior is normalized. Phrases like “take the edge off” or “drown your sorrows” downplay the seriousness of self-medicating. It can quickly escalate to substance abuse. Recognizing the signs of self-medicating and getting treatment early on are key to avoiding addiction and keeping your life on track. 

Self-Medication Explained

Self-medication is the use of substances, like drugs and alcohol, to cope with mental or emotional distress. It also includes taking prescription drugs without medical supervision. 

Everyone experiences stress, difficult emotions, or challenging situations, but it’s important to learn how to manage them in ways that don’t cause further harm. Unhealthy coping strategies include anything that negatively impacts your mental or physical health. That includes substance use. 

Using substances to feel better may offer temporary relief, but it carries harmful risks. Self-medication often develops into a substance use disorder.1 It’s also very common. One study showed that up to 24.1% of people with mood disorders used drugs or alcohol to cope. 

To prevent this from happening to you, watch for these warning signs:

1. Using Substances to Cope With Your Emotions

Using substances to deal with stress, anxiety may not seem harmful at first, especially when it’s so normalized. In many countries, using alcohol to manage burnout and stress is common. However, alcohol is a drug, just like any other substance. And suppressing emotions with substances only prolongs the issue and prevents you from growing your emotional resilience. 

Unresolved stress is linked to increasing substance use2 over time. Increasing your substance intake causes you to build tolerance. And when that happens, your body requires more of a substance to feel the same effects as before. Tolerance is a sign that you’re heading toward addiction.3 While substances offer temporary relief, ultimately, they only make problems worse.

2. Escaping Reality: Isolating and Avoiding Problems

Someone who is self-medicating uses substances to detach from everyday life. This can look like neglecting responsibilities, isolating, and emotionally numbing.

Ignoring responsibilities is a sign that substances are taking priority over other areas of life. Teens with addiction tend to miss school4 and other important milestones. Adults might miss deadlines, or not show up for work. In the long run, these decisions impact career prospects and increase financial stress. 

Substance abuse fuels isolation.5 You might withdraw from social events or distance yourself from your support network. And social withdrawal makes mental health issues worse. Too much social isolation leads to anxiety6 and depression, and increases the risk of heart disease and dementia.  

When emotional pain becomes too much to bear, it’s natural to want to escape it—and substances present an easy way to feel better. If you slip into this behavior, it doesn’t mean you’re broken; it means you’re human. 

Being able to recognize when this is happening is a great first step towards healing. Fortunately, you have several avenues for recovery, from individual therapy to residential rehab.

3. Mood Swings and Emotional Instability

Emotional instability and self-medication feed into each other. Some people self-medicate to avoid difficult emotions, making it hard to process them healthily. Substances also alter your brain chemistry and affect areas that play a role in mood regulation. For example, drugs and alcohol decrease levels of GABA,7 a brain chemical that helps you stay calm. 

Mood swings are sudden mood changes that vary in intensity and duration:

  • Increased irritability 
  • Hyperactivity 
  • Angry outbursts
  • Paranoia or anxiety with no apparent cause 
  • Unusual giddiness 
  • Strong reactions to minor stressors

A long-term effect of self-medicating includes substance-induced mood disorder,8 in which someone develops depressive, anxious, psychotic, or manic symptoms as a result of substance use. Another long-term symptom is emotional dependence, or relying on substances to feel “normal.”

4. Changes in Routine and Priorities

Changes in routine and priorities are worrying signs of self-medication. These can look different for different people:

  • A teen might prioritize substances over school.   
  • An employee might be far less productive than usual, or miss work. 
  • A spouse might lose interest in spending time with their loved one.

Several factors cause these changes. Substances interfere with the brain’s dopamine-based reward system, reducing your ability to feel pleasure. That’s why when you’re depressed, things you normally enjoy may no longer interest you at all. 

These changes to the brain’s reward system can cause cravings.9 And cravings have a powerful impact on priorities, making it hard to focus on anything else. When this happens, important responsibilities—even relationships—take a back seat. You might start changing your daily routine to accommodate substance use. 

5. Decline in Health and Physical Well-Being

A dip in your physical health indicates that self-medicating has become a problem. Substance abuse takes a toll on the body.10 Because these issues aren’t always noticeable at the surface level, they’re often overlooked. For example, self-medicating with alcohol over a few years impairs your liver’s ability to regenerate. While it might not be apparent for some time, long-term drinking causes permanent liver damage.11 This is generally irreversible and reduces life expectancy.  

There are other, more immediate health concerns related to substance use: 

  • Unexplained health problems, such as fatigue or pain 
  • Weight fluctuations
  • Engaging in risky sexual behavior or other decisions that jeopardize your health
  • Missing doctor visits due to substance use

Physical and mental health depend on each other. It’s hard to treat one without addressing the other. That’s why many mental health treatment programs also focus on physical wellness, with options like nutrition therapy, personal training, yoga, and more.

6. Relationship Strain and Isolation

When self-medicating becomes a go-to coping mechanism, it shakes the foundation of our relationships. You might notice rifts between you and the people in your life. Conflicts with loved ones due to substance use12 are a common experience. They arise for a number of reasons:

  • Drugs and alcohol impair your judgment, making it hard to maintain healthy dynamics.
  • Long-term substance abuse can lead to mood and personality changes.
  • You may prioritize drugs or alcohol over relationships and spend less time with others.
  • You might act in ways that erode trust.
  • Addiction leads to financial and legal issues, putting further strain on relationships. 

Self-medicating can be isolating—loneliness is typical among people with who regularly use substances. In one study, up to 71% of people with substance use problems reported feeling lonely.13 If you’re struggling with isolation, remember that you have options for support. You can confide in a therapist, find community in support groups, or seek solace in group therapy.

7. Decline in Work or School Performance

A decline in work or school performance is an indicator of self-medication. Some people show a sharp drop in performance, while others decline more gradually (such as with high-functioning alcoholism). While it may seem like you can keep up appearances, this lifestyle isn’t sustainable. It’s a sign of shifting priorities. In the U.S. alone, alcohol use disorder is linked to 232 million missed workdays14 per year.

Poor work performance can lead to job loss, heightening stress and anxiety.

A Path to Healing: Find Professional Help for Self-Medication

If self-medicating is how you cope with life’s challenges, you’re likely doing yourself more harm than good.  

Thankfully, there are plenty of healthier ways to cope, and various avenues for learning them. If you’re ready for support, you can explore treatment options and compare providers based on what they treat, price, insurance accepted, and more. 

Frequently Asked Questions About Self-Medicating With Substances

What are the signs of self-medicating with drugs or alcohol?

Self-medicating is using drugs or alcohol to cope with mental or emotional distress. It can cause mood swings, increase social isolation, and lead to health issues. Here are some common signs of self-medication:

– Using substances to cope with stress, anxiety, or other emotions
– Escaping reality, isolating, and avoiding problems
– Mood swings and emotional instability
– Changes in routine and priorities
– Decline in health and physical well-being
– Relationship strain and isolation
– Decline in work or school performance

What are the risks of self-medicating with drugs or alcohol?

Self-medicating with drugs or alcohol has several negative consequences:

– Addiction
– Mood disorders
– Social problems, such as relationship strains, job loss, and financial issues
– Difficulty managing emotions in a healthy way
– Building tolerance to drugs or alcohol

What can I do if I’m self-medicating with drugs or alcohol?

If you’re self-medicating with drugs or alcohol, it’s a good idea to seek treatment early. There are a number of treatment options available, including individual therapy, group therapy, counseling, and support groups. These can help you understand the root cause of your behavior, learn healthy coping tools, and receive open-minded support.
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What Is Biohacking?

What is biohacking? Biohacking allows scientists and nonscientists to use various techniques to alter and improve the genetic makeup of humans, plants, and other living species. By doing so, they can enhance existing characteristics or introduce new ones to create the desired result. They take a DIY approach to even some of the most advanced experiments, like DNA splicing.

Biohacking involves making lifestyle adjustments and dietary changes to enhance your body’s natural workings. For instance, altering your diet to improve your physical appearance or overall wellbeing.

Anyone interested in biohacking can become a biohacker, but many have tech, science, health, or engineering backgrounds. Artists and designers also enjoy the creative aspect of biohacking. When done safely, there’s benefits for all types of people.

Types of Biohacking

Biohacking involves many types and varieties of science. Some biohackers enjoy optimizing their body’s natural functions through health technology. Others splice and research DNA. Some also implant in-body technology to enhance their senses. 

Biohackers can also work alone or in shared biohacking labs. Lab members often pay a membership fee to access lab equipment and work with other biohackers. 

Nutrigenomics

Nutrigenomics studies how nutrients impact your genes and how they’re expressed1, including how nutrition can protect genomes (all the DNA in a cell). A biohacker using nutrigenomics tailors their diet to enhance their genetic makeup, protect their genes from damage, and generally learn more about genes and food. Nutrigenomics also examines how nutrition affects all the protein and metabolites in a cell. 

Doing so, researchers and biohackers can learn more about how they, or members of the population, will respond to dietary changes. Biohackers can use nutrigenomics to predict what diet changes will do and adjust their diet accordingly. They “hack” the way their body responds to food to enhance their functioning and reap specific rewards. 

For example, a biohacker using nutrigenomics may take and test a gene sample after eating processed food with biochemicals. (If they don’t have access to the right machinery, biohackers often send their results to another lab for processing.) Based on the results, the biohacker will know how that food affects them and how adverse/beneficial the effects are. 

DIY Biology

Someone using DIY biology operates alone, usually working towards a solution with self-invented tools, modified tech, and their own resources. 

Because it’s more solitary in nature, most DIY biologists have a scientific or engineering background. Their knowledge and experience allow them to tinker with biology independently, sometimes just in their garage or spare bedroom. 

Many DIY biologists enjoy the freedom of doing what they want, when they want. Without any oversight, as some biohackers have when they join a shared biohacking lab, DIY biologists can create almost anything and test on themselves whenever they’d like. For example, they may implant a chip made only with parts they already had on hand. 

DIY Gene Therapy

In this form of biohacking, biohackers aim to splice and change their DNA or the DNA of other organisms directly. They’ll add in and remove specific DNA blocks to create a new function or feature. For example, one biohacker created glowing plants2 by splicing plant genes and bioluminescent coding to make plants that glow. 

A biohacker also bioengineered a radiation-resistant plant3. And, biohackers stitched together horsepox, a long-extinct disease, using DNA splicing. Some biohackers use gene therapy to (try to) make themselves HIV-resistant, un-lactose intolerant, have bigger muscles, and stop aging. So far, these attempts haven’t been successful, but biohackers continue to work at it. 

Lifestyle Changes

Not all biohackers need scientific equipment to “hack” how their bodies work. Some less intensive, lifestyle-change-only biohacks include:

  • Diet changes
  • Sleep routines  
  • Exercise
  • Supplements
  • Wearable technology, like a Fitbit 
  • Apps that store your biometrics when inputted, including what you eat and the calories you burn

Many people have been or are a biohacker, even if they don’t deeply understand the science behind why lifestyle changes work. Someone with that knowledge will have a stronger understanding of how and why the changes occur. They can tailor their body’s response more finely than someone broadly choosing to eat healthy, for example. 

Implanted Technology

Some biohackers, called grinders, aim to blend living and non-living material to enhance their senses. They implant devices, sensors, and cosmetic items4 to feel new sensations and monitor processes in their body, among other things. Some implanted devices include:

  • Neodymium magnets. Biohackers implant a small neodymium magnet into their fingertip to supposedly feel electromagnetic fields like a 6th sense. Some don’t report any sensation at all. In either case, it still functions as a magnet. Those with the implant can pick up small metal objects, like bottle caps, with their fingertip. The magnet could trip certain switches to open a door, turn on a device, and activate other sensors. 
  • Biometric sensors. Small sensors can relay biometric information about areas and processes in the body. For example, some small chips monitor temperature and communicate via Bluetooth with phones and other devices. Biohackers also created an identifying chip to communicate an unconscious patient’s medical history with first responders. 
  • Lighting implants. Small light implants serve a cosmetic purpose for now, but biohackers are working to create gesture-responsive, Bluetooth-connected devices that won’t need recharging. A handful of biohackers implanted a circle of LED lights into the tops of their hands. Newer versions of the device change color through a phone app. 

What Are Some Examples of Biohacking?

See examples of the different types of biohacks. 

Cold Water Therapy

Cold water therapy improves circulation and can reduce depression5. The temperature of ice baths shocks your body into survival mode, causing a flush of circulated blood and increased blood flow. Cryotherapy, another cold-temperature treatment6, offers similar benefits.

The adrenaline from cold shocks can also reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety over time, though research has only loosely connected that as a benefit. Cold water therapy can also help athletes recover muscle and reduce inflammation.

Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting puts stress on your cells7, which can make them more stress-resistant over time. However, one of the main benefits of intermittent fasting often comes from weight loss. Losing excess weight can help your joint health, heart, and overall functioning.

Consult with a doctor before fasting. They can help you determine a safe fasting schedule and what to eat on your feeding days.

Vagus Nerve Stimulation

Stimulating your vagus nerve can reduce depression8 and anxiety. The vagus nerve runs through part of your ear, where you can non-surgically stimulate the nerve. Acupuncture or gentle massage both stimulate the vagus nerve.  

Stimulation of the vagus nerve sends electrical signals in your brain8, which can treat treatment-resistant depression and improve overall mood. And, since you can stimulate the vagus nerve anytime, it’s a useful biohack for combating in-the-moment stress.

Red Light Therapy

Right light therapy can alter and repair damaged cells9. You can target certain body parts, like facial acne scars, or experience full-body red light therapy. It can make your skin feel smoother, reduce wrinkles and fine lines, and fade scars and stretch marks. 

Caffeine

Caffeine, a central nervous system stimulant, blocks the receptors for adenosine10. The chemical adenosine builds up throughout the day, causing sleepiness. Caffeine “plugs” the adenosine receptor and stimulates the central nervous system, making you feel less tired and more awake.  

Drinking safe amounts of caffeine can make you feel focused and alert. You may feel more productive if you drink a cup of coffee or tea in the morning. Just be sure to moderate your intake and not have caffeine too close to bedtime.

Nootropics

Nootropics, or cognitive enhancers, are supplemental “smart drugs”11 that can improve cognitive function. Most nootropics, like a plant or pre-existing chemical compound, have a natural origin. Some biohackers use nootropics to enhance their memory, intelligence, reaction speeds, and general wellness. 

Examples of nootropics11 include the compounds deanol (improves learning and memory), lecithin (improves attention and thinking), and plant products like ashwagandha (antioxidant), ginseng (mental and physical resilience), and more. 

Cybernetics

Biohackers using cybernetics create cyborgs, or cybernetic organisms. Cyborgs are anyone with an in-body mechanical enhancement. For example, one colorblind biohacker found a way to “hear” color12 using a device permanently set on his forehead.

Biohackers have used cybernetics to implant sensors, one of which can unlock certain doors. One “cyborg’s” implant allows him to feel the same sensations his similarly-equipped wife feels13 on her hand, even on the other side of the ocean.

Wearable Technology

Wearable technologies like Fitbits and Apple Watches give you real-time insight into your biometrics, like your heart rate. You can also use them to track your sleep and its stages. 

Wearable technology can track and store information about your nutrition, exercise habits, calories burned, and menstrual cycles. Most fitness watches will also prompt you to stand and move throughout the day. Some even detect falls and car crashes, and can alert emergency services.

These benefits can help you better understand your body, attune your diet and sleep schedule, and add extra safety for your day-to-day life. 

Research on Biohacking

Biohacking connects scientists and non-scientists alike to biology of all types. It enables anyone to play with biology, down to their DNA. But its effects on the world haven’t been wildly remarkable14. 

Researchers compare biohacking to the 1970s boom of self-taught computer builders and hackers, finding less advancement in biology compared to the lengths tinkerers advanced computer technology. That’s mostly because biohacking tools and materials aren’t yet as accessible as computer materials are and were. 

But, that doesn’t mean biohackers could or should stop. Any biohacker could discover a life-changing breakthrough. Many argue self-DNA manipulation, for example, could lead to live-saving gene therapies2. Researchers and biohackers alike agree anyone exploring biology and technology should feel encouraged to do so.

Biohacking can and does lead to lifestyle improvements. So for some, it can be an extremely effective tool that positively changes their lives. This may be especially true for lifestyle changes, like creating a sleep routine to feel more rested and productive during the day. 

Each example of biohacking has the potential to benefit lives. 

What Are the Risks Associated With Biohacking?

Biohacking does pose some safety risks. Around 2009, concerns arose about what biohackers could create, and why. Some feared biological weapons. In response, the FBI sent agents to a biohacking event2, a collaboration many biohackers welcomed. Law enforcement found little bioterrorism threats  as they continued to work with the biohacking community.

Risks of DIY Biology and DIY Gene Therapy

The International Gene Synthesis Consortium further protects against malevolent experiments14 by carefully monitoring what DNA sequences are purchased and by whom. They also ensure all buyers have an academic affiliation, or something similarly relevant. 

The nature of shared biohacking spaces also prevents security risks. Todd Kuiken, Senior Research Scholar at the Genetic Engineering and Society Center, North Carolina State University, says, “It would be nearly impossible for someone to work on such a project in a community lab without someone noticing what they were doing and stopping it.” 

Any nefarious DIY biologists would hit roadblocks regarding mass-production, storage, and distribution of a chemical weapon. Creating it in the first place, with restrictions and limits on genetic material, is just as complicated. 

Risks of Implanted Technology

Implants and biotech require a skilled biohacker to build and implant. The risk of infection always exists, as does the risk of contamination from a leaking implant. Your body may also reject the implant.

Risks of Lifestyle Changes

Before you majorly adjust your diet or take supplements, consult your doctor. Some supplements could interact with each other or with your current medications. You’ll also want to ensure you’re not malnourished through intermittent fasting or other restrictive diets. See what your doctor thinks before you get started. 

Is Biohacking Safe?

Usually, yes. Biohacking often is as safe as the biohacker makes it. So, if you create a new gene-based cure for gluten sensitivity and inject it into yourself without prior testing, most would see that as unsafe. But most biohackers dabble in small enhancements with plenty of testing beforehand. 

In any case, biohacking has no FDA approvals or strict government testing saying it’s safe. Though that’s the appeal for many, they do put themselves at risk. 

But small lifestyle changes, like wearing a Fitbit or occasional cold showers, pose little safety risks. You can decide how much safety you’re willing to risk before adopting a new bio-hack. Always consult a doctor before making major changes, or if you have questions. 

Hack Your Recovery

In addiction and mental health recovery, some rehabs use biofeedback, biochemical therapy, and biohacking to enhance healing. Patients coming out of detox can find biohacking helpful for withdrawals and their overall health in recovery.

You can turn whichever form of biohacking works for you into a life-long habit for your recovery. Biohacking can help you manage low mood, recovery triggers, and physical health. Once you run changes past your doctor, biohacking also empowers you to control and understand aspects of your health.  
Browse our list of rehabs with biofeedback to see photos, reviews, insurance information, and more.

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How to Set Boundaries in Recovery

Boundaries allow us to protect our mental well-being, have healthier relationships, and meet our own needs—and learning how to use them is a crucial part of recovery. You can set boundaries by respectfully communicating your needs. 

Boundary-setting is a skill that takes practice. The process may seem daunting at first. But it’s also a rewarding part of recovery. Showing up for yourself is healing. 

If you’re recovering from addiction, rehab can be a great place to learn how to set boundaries while in recovery and practice this new skill. You’ll learn how to state your needs in a safe environment with professional and peer support. And you’ll walk away with boundary-setting tools that will serve you in recovery and throughout life.

What Are Boundaries?

Boundaries are the limits you set to protect your physical, mental, and emotional well-being. They define what is and isn’t acceptable in your interactions with situations, other people, and yourself. Setting and enforcing personal boundaries teaches us lessons that are important for recovering from drugs or alcohol: 

  • Boundaries safeguard your personal space. Having a sense of security allows you to process your emotions and focus on healing. 
  • They foster healthy emotional responses. Emotional stability helps you make rational decisions1 and cope with stress.
  • They protect your mental health. Saying no gives you more control over your life and grows your emotional resilience. 
  • They teach you to conserve your time. Giving too much of your time to others is draining. Setting time boundaries ensures you have the energy to focus on your healing. It also helps to prevent burnout and stress. 

Usually, treatment programs teach boundary setting in the early stages of recovery.2 You have several resources to help you establish healthy boundaries:

  • Rehab: Rehab teaches you how to set healthy boundaries for long-term recovery. You’ll have a chance to practice in individual therapy, group therapy, life skills coaching, and more. 
  • Wellness centers: Burnout, stress, and depression are signs of unhealthy boundaries. Wellness centers teach you how to undo unhealthy patterns so you choose how you spend time and energy. 
  • Therapy: Therapists help you set boundaries using different techniques, including role-playing, self-empowerment workshops, cognitive behavioral therapy, and more. 
  • Recovery coach: If you need help staying on track in your healing journey, you might consider recovery coaching options. Recovery coaches can offer non-clinical assistance with enforcing boundaries.
  • Online resources and books: Credible websites and books are an affordable way to learn the basics of boundary setting. They’re a good way to get started on your journey, or supplement what you learn in treatment.

Different Types of Boundaries in Recovery

During recovery, you’ll learn how to set various types of boundaries to safeguard your well-being. 

1. Physical Boundaries 

Physical boundaries protect your body, personal space, and comfort zone. They include physical touch, personal belongings, and the right to privacy: 

Examples of physical boundaries: 

  • Communicating that you don’t want to be touched without permission  
  • Setting limits on personal space
  • Asking for privacy

2. Emotional Boundaries 

Emotional boundaries safeguard your feelings and emotions. Communicating your needs protects you from emotional harm and fosters healthier relationships. 

Examples of emotional boundaries:

  • Saying no when you don’t feel comfortable about something
  • Limiting how much you share about your recovery—you may not want to talk about it at all with certain people, and that’s okay
  • Asking for help when you need it 

3. Mental Boundaries

You set mental boundaries on your own thoughts and beliefs. They protect you from getting caught up in negative or harmful thoughts. 

Examples of mental boundaries:

  • Challenging negative thoughts
  • Focusing on the positive
  • Recognizing when to not take things personally

4. Time Boundaries

Time boundaries protect your energy. By managing your schedule, you avoid the stress that comes from over-committing. 

Examples of time boundaries:

  • Saying no to things that aren’t a priority
  • Taking breaks
  • Setting time aside for self-care, therapy, interpersonal relationships, and more

Benefits of Establishing Healthy Boundaries During Recovery

  • Boundaries enhance self-esteem. Addiction and self-esteem3 are linked. Learning to believe in yourself again is monumental for healing. One way to do that is by setting boundaries. They teach you to value your own needs, reinforcing self-worth and self-respect. 
  • You learn to build better relationships. Boundaries are key to building and maintaining healthy relationships. Communicating your needs fosters mutual respect and healthier connections. There’s a strong link between social support and long-term recovery.4 
  • You can reduce stress and anxiety. The recovery process is joyful and stressful at times. Boundaries help you gain back a sense of control, focus on your own needs, and avoid overextending yourself. This helps minimize unnecessary stress. 
  • Boundaries protect your recovery. Unhealthy boundaries can expose you to triggering situations or people. That’s why learning to say no is a relapse prevention strategy.5 Boundaries teach us to respect our healing journey. 

Set Boundaries for a Healthier and Happier You

Setting and enforcing meaningful boundaries is a form of self-love. It’s also an ongoing process. Recovery is a chance to learn about yourself. As you do that, you start to understand how to show up for yourself. 

If you want to learn more about your recovery options, connect directly with a treatment provider and compare them by price, insurance accepted, what they treat, and more. 

Frequently Asked Questions About How to Set Boundaries in Recovery

Why are boundaries important for addiction recovery?

Boundaries are essential for addiction recovery because they protect your physical, emotional, and mental well-being. They help you feel safe, respected, and in control of your life. By enforcing boundaries, you can avoid triggers, build healthy relationships with family and friends, reduce stress, and more.

What are the different types of boundaries in addiction recovery?

There are 4 main types of boundaries in recovery: physical, mental, emotional, and time boundaries. These protect your space, emotions, thoughts, and energy. You learn to set these boundaries in rehab and therapy. If you have a recovery coach, they may offer non-clinical assistance with boundary setting.

How do I set boundaries in recovery?

To set boundaries in recovery:

– Identify your needs and wants.
– Be clear and specific.
– Communicate your boundaries respectfully.
– Enforce your boundaries.
– Be patient with yourself.

Boundary setting is usually taught in the early stages of addiction treatment. You learn to reinforce them throughout your journey.
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Drug-Induced Psychosis: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

Drug-induced psychosis can be caused by a number of substances, and can trigger underlying mental health conditions. Here’s how to recognize a psychotic episode, what to do if someone you know is having one, and how to go about getting treatment for long-term recovery.

Definition and Causes

According to the American Psychological Association, drug-induced psychosis (DIP) is “a psychotic state resulting from use or abuse of a variety of illicit or therapeutic substances.” Whether from prolonged use, high levels of use, or substances that are more likely to cause a negative reaction, DIP is an extreme reaction that requires immediate care. Substances alone can cause psychotic episodes, or they can trigger underlying mental health conditions. Drug-induced psychosis can also happen during withdrawals. 

Certain substances are known to more commonly trigger psychosis.

Common Substances Linked to Psychosis

Substances like hallucinogens, stimulants, and some prescription drugs can trigger psychotic episodes. While a variety of factors may lead to this acute mental state, certain substances have a known history of being linked with psychosis. 

Stimulant or Amphetamine Psychosis

It’s not uncommon for people who use stimulants like meth regularly to experience psychosis, usually as a result of sleep deprivation combined with the drug’s effects. This “transient psychosis”2 usually takes place during use and subsides after coming down. Using sedatives like opioids or benzos to sleep off a meth binge can also increase this risk. Researchers say “There is ongoing debate about whether the amphetamines themselves produce the psychotic symptoms,3 if they unmask vulnerabilities in individuals already susceptible to psychosis, or both.” 

Synthetic Drugs

Also known as bath salts, designer drugs, or novel psychoactive substances (NPS) in the clinical world, these chemical compounds are known to cause intense, unpredictable effects. As synthetic drug use continues to rise, so do a range of “new psychoses”4 that differ from psychotic episodes clinicians have seen in the past. 

The adverse effects of synthetic cannabinoids5 (such as K2 and Spice) can include “paranoia, catatonia, dissociation, auditory, and/or visual hallucinations.” These drugs can also trigger psychosis in people with underlying psychotic disorders. 

Marijuana and Schizophrenia

Consuming high doses of cannabis can sometimes result in a form of drug-induced psychosis that includes symptoms like “delusions of being controlled by an outside force,6 grandiose identity, persecution, thought insertion, auditory hallucinations, altered perceptions, and emotional blunting.” There’s also a possibility that marijuana can trigger schizophrenic episodes,7 or cause earlier onset of schizophrenia. 

A range of other substances can also cause drug-induced psychosis:

  • Alcohol 
  • Cocaine 
  • Dissociatives such as PCP and ketamine 
  • Hallucinogens such as LSD or mushrooms 
  • Prescription drugs (opioids, antidepressants, etc.) 

Your likelihood of psychotic symptoms may have to do with your individual sensitivity to certain drugs. Some substances, like synthetic drugs, can cause severe reactions within just one use—regardless of your tolerance.

Symptoms of Drug-Induced Psychosis

Drug-induced psychosis symptoms can be grouped into 3 categories: 

1. Thoughts 

Someone experiencing psychosis might have delusions like thinking they have special powers, or being paranoid that someone is following them. Hallucinations—sensory experiences that aren’t based in reality—are also very common.  

2. Feelings

Drug-induced psychosis usually involves some combination of fear, agitation, and confusion. Someone might experience a roller coaster of emotions: being angry one minute, and depressed and lethargic the next. 

3. Behaviors  

Someone in this state might have a hard time remembering things or being present in conversations. They may laugh at things that aren’t funny or otherwise respond inappropriately to situations. They’ll likely have trouble interpreting social cues or being aware of their surroundings.  

Drug-induced psychotic episodes can be highly dangerous. They can even be fatal if someone is seriously injured due to erratic behavior, or has a physiological response to their heightened state, such as cardiorespiratory collapse.8 

That’s why it’s important to recognize early warning signs. The most common symptoms of DIP9 include distorted perceptions, hallucinations, disorientation, and memory problems.

How Long Does Drug-Induced Psychosis Last?

Drug-induced psychosis symptoms typically appear quickly, setting in shortly after use. In most cases, they go away within a few days or so—but not always. Some people experience lingering symptoms for weeks or even months after the episode. And for those who have an underlying mental health condition triggered by DIP, the experience can be life-changing. 

Can DIP Be Permanent or Long-Term?

Whether or not you incur long-term effects of drug-induced psychosis has to do with a few factors. One study found that while most people with substance-induced psychotic disorders eventually recovered,10 “those who started illegal drug use early, used drugs for prolonged periods, or had a family history of psychiatric illnesses were more likely to develop a chronic psychosis.” The same study found that 60% of patients’ symptoms went away within a month, 30% had symptoms lasting 1-6 months, and 10% had long-term symptoms or a diagnosis of schizophrenia. Those patients more commonly had a family history of mental illness, and had been using drugs longer. 

The duration of symptoms can also depend on what substance that caused the episode. One study on psychosis from synthetic cannabinoid use11 said “The protracted presence of psychotic symptoms well beyond acute intoxication—sometimes lasting months—is concerning.” Other research found that for those who have psychotic reactions to synthetic cannabinoids,12 the “effects are usually transient and resolve within 5 to 8 days; however, up to one-third of patients will transition to schizophrenia.”

It’s important to keep in mind that for most people who experience DIP, symptoms resolve relatively quickly. If you’re concerned about symptoms you have, it’s vital to get an accurate diagnosis from a professional.

Risk Factors and Vulnerability

Drug Sensitivity

Some people simply have stronger reactions to substances. “People who have experienced psychosis tend to be particularly sensitive to the effects of drugs13 and can experience negative effects even at very low levels of use,” explains researcher Frances Kay-Lambkin.

Using the Same Substance Again

Chances of another psychotic episode14 also go up drastically if you use the same drug again. The good news is that this can be avoided by abstaining from that drug. One study on cannabis-related DIP15 found that “patients who completely abstained from cannabis after the 1st episode of Cannabis-Induced psychosis had no relapse of psychiatric illness.”   

Genetics and Environment

Genetics can also play a role. “Primary and drug-induced psychosis seems to be genetically interlinked,”16 say neuropathology researchers Vahid Farnia and Senobar Golshani. For example, “Relatives of amphetamine users with a history of amphetamine psychosis are five times more at risk of developing schizophrenia compared with amphetamine users without a history of psychosis.” 

Pre-Existing Mental Health Conditions

People with pre-existing mental illnesses are at higher risk of drug-induced psychosis.17 Some people with psychotic disorders—whether or not they’re diagnosed—self-medicate with drugs or alcohol. Substance use, in turn, worsens symptoms of mental health conditions. Some symptoms of drug-induced psychosis overlap with those of some mental health disorders, making it hard to tell what the exact cause is. 

Differentiating From Underlying Mental Illness

Drug-induced psychosis symptoms are similar to other psychotic disorders, but they typically come on suddenly (after drug use) and go away faster. But underlying conditions, co-occurring disorders and the unpredictable nature of DIP makes it complex to diagnose. Untangling the difference between a drug-induced psychotic episode and a primary psychotic disorder can be difficult, even for professionals. 

“A struggling clinical dilemma is how to clearly identify a substance-induced psychosis from a primary psychotic illness or a psychotic illness with comorbid substance use,” say researchers on substance-induced psychoses.18 And differentiating between the two is necessary for effective treatment. 

Because symptoms of psychoses can be similar19 regardless of their origin, clinicians may use a patient’s clinical history, as well as detailed assessments, to make a diagnosis. If you’ve experienced symptoms of psychosis, it’s important to get a comprehensive evaluation by a qualified mental health professional.  

Treatment Approaches

What to Do Immediately Following

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) recommends these steps if you see a loved one having a psychotic episode:20

  • Stay calm 
  • Listen 
  • Be empathetic to what they’re going through
  • Focus on the person, not the delusion
  • Offer support 
  • Seek professional help

Professional Treatment With Medication

Often, doctors will prescribe medication like benzodiazepines or antipsychotics21 to help patients stabilize until the substance leaves their system. Medications may be prescribed longer-term if someone has an ongoing psychotic disorder. 

*Please note that this is not medical advice, simply an idea of what you might expect in follow-up treatment. Treatment plans should be created by qualified professionals, based on an in-depth assessment. 

Detoxing and Managing Withdrawals

Susbtance withdrawal can be dangerous under normal circumstances, but the situation is even more delicate when psychosis is involved. It’s important to detox from drugs or alcohol under medical supervision. Make sure you find a reputable facility with everything you need in place for a safe and supported detox. 

And remember, detox is just the first step. Following up with an intensive treatment program, like inpatient drug rehab, is an effective way to set the stage for long-term recovery. 

Long-Term Recovery and Support

Whether or not it results in a formal diagnosis, drug-induced psychosis can have a significant impact on your mental well-being. That’s why it’s important to find comprehensive support for your recovery. 

Rehab can be a great place to start. Quality addiction treatment programs not only provide intensive treatment for immediate concerns, but also teach strategies to prevent relapse and equip you with coping tools for the future. 

Search for addiction treatment centers to compare programs and contact admissions staff directly.

Frequently Asked Questions About Drug-Induced Psychosis

What is drug-induced psychosis?

Drug-induced psychosis (DIP) is an episode where a person experiences a disconnection from reality due to the influence of drugs or alcohol. It can occur as a result of prolonged or high-level substance use, or can be triggered by specific substances, often leading to acute mental health disturbances.

Which substances are commonly associated with drug-induced psychosis?

Several substances are known to be linked to drug-induced psychosis. These include hallucinogens, stimulants (such as methamphetamine), synthetic drugs, marijuana (especially in high doses), alcohol, cocaine, dissociatives (such as PCP or ketamine), and certain prescription drugs (such as opioids or antidepressants).

How long does drug-induced psychosis typically last, and can it be permanent?

Drug-induced psychosis symptoms usually appear quickly after substance use and often subside within a few days. However, for some people, symptoms can persist for weeks or even months. Whether it becomes long-term or permanent depends on various factors, including the substance used, individual sensitivity, duration of drug use, and genetic predisposition. It’s essential to seek professional evaluation and treatment for a precise diagnosis and appropriate care.
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What Is Carfentanil?

Carfentanil is a fentanyl analog, or a synthetic opioid chemically similar to fentanyl. It’s 100 times more potent than fentanyl and 10,000 times more potent than morphine. Because of that, carfentanil is considered the strongest and most dangerous fentanyl derivative. 

People usually take carfentanil by accident. But since you need so little (about one grain of salt) to overdose, these accidental uses can quickly become life-threatening. 

What Is Carfentanil Used For?

Carfentanil has only one approved use: a large-animal tranquilizer. The veterinary field uses carfentanil on elephants and other similarly sized animals; it’s not approved for human use in any way.

But in illicit drug markets, dealers use carfentanil to increase the potency of their drugs and sell them for more money. Additives like carfentanil make drugs like heroin feel stronger, leading to faster dependency and continued profit for the dealer. 

Carfentanil easily blends into other substances, so you never truly know if you’re taking a clean or laced substance. Even fentanyl test strips often don’t pick up on carfentanil. To the naked eye, carfentanil doesn’t stand out against the substance you think you’re taking—which is why it poses such a risk.

What Does Carfentanil Look Like?

Carfentanil looks white and powdery, like powdered sugar. If it’s been dissolved into a liquid, it can look as innocent as water. It may also look grainy, like salt grains. Carfentanil has no smell or taste. 

Dealers manipulate carfentanil to create new ways of ingestion. For example, you could take carfentanil as a pill, inject it intravenously, snort it as a powder, or place a small piece of carfentanil-soaked blotter paper on your tongue for a few minutes.  

What Are The Potential Effects of Using Carfentanil?

As a synthetic opioid, carfentanil’s effects mirror those of heroin, including:

Euphoria

Carfentanil is a mu-opioid receptor agonist, which means it triggers mu-opioid receptors to send a cascade of chemical signals in your brain. This ultimately releases dopamine, and lots of it. The flood of dopamine causes both euphoria and the need to repeat the behavior. 

Pain Relief

When used as prescribed, opioids work as powerful pain relievers. Carfentanil is no different. It calms the neurons in certain areas of the brain, leading to pain relief. But because of its potency, no amount of carfentanil has been approved for pain relief. 

Sedation

Carfentanil can calm the brain and nervous system to the point of total sedation. That’s why veterinarians use carfentanil to sedate large animals. 

Overdose

Carfentanil overdoses continue to rise in the US. Just two milligrams of carfentanil could kill you. Anything below that tiny amount would likely cause a non-lethal overdose. 

What Are The Symptoms of Carfentanil Overdose?

Overdosing on carfentanil causes a host of side effects. Even accidental exposure to carfentanil, like getting some of it on your hand or having the powder blow on your face, could cause an overdose. Knowing the signs of an overdose can help save lives. 

Blue Lips And Nails

Look at the nail beds and lips for blue coloration. Carfentanil overdoses can cause low blood pressure and a dangerously slow heart rate, which can lower breathing and oxygen intake. Less oxygen in the blood makes it look blue in areas like the lips and fingertips.

Choking And Gurgling

Overdosing on carfentanil can slow your breathing and dangerously sedate you. Because of this, you may choke on your spit or be too disoriented to remember to swallow it. That can cause choking and gurgly breathing, almost like snoring.

Pin-Point Pupils

A carfentanil overdose often causes tiny pupils. Someone who’s overdosed may have strangely small pupils that don’t dilate in different lighting.

Slowed Breathing

Your breathing may slow to null if you overdose on carfentanil. This can then lead to black outs, blue fingers and lips, and death.

Losing Consciousness

Overdosing on carfentanil could cause you to black out. The reasons for losing consciousness can include sedation/sleepiness, slow breathing, slowed heart rate, and a combination of all 3. 

Hypothermia

Someone who overdosed on carfentanil may feel cold to the touch, shiver, and have a bluish tint. 

Clammy Skin

Carfentanil overdoses also cause clammy skin, or like someone’s slightly sweaty and cold at the same time. 

Heart Failure

Too much carfentanil could cause total heart failure. An overdose can depress your central nervous system enough to stop your heart. Without immediate help, this symptom often leads to death.

Can You Reverse a Carfentanil Overdose?

You can save someone who’s overdosed on carfentanil by immediately using Naloxone. If you administer it fast enough, you can reverse the effects of carfentanil and save their life. Since carfentanil is so potent, you’ll likely need several strong doses of Naloxone. You can inject it intravenously or, if your kit includes a nasal spray, squirt it up their nose.

 If you’re injecting Naloxone (Narcan), be sure to fill the syringe with liquid and not air. Then poke the needle into a large muscle, like a shoulder or thigh muscle. To administer the nasal spray, stick the nozzle into their nose and push up on the plunger. You’ll likely need to spray into each nostril. Narcan takes 2-3 minutes to show effects. 

Once stabilized and physically safe, treatment begins. 

Get Treatment for Opioid Use

Treatment for synthetic drugs like carfentanil includes medical and emotional care. You’ll begin with detox, which safely removes carfentanil from your body. Once carfentanil is out of your system, you and your treatment team will address the thoughts and behaviors leading to your drug use. Then, you’ll work together to learn new coping skills and navigate difficult emotions, cravings, and triggers as they come. 

Your treatment journey may begin in a residential rehab, where you’ll have 24/7 care, 1:1 and group therapies, and a safe space to detox. After residential treatment, you can move into day treatment or an intensive outpatient program, which provides intensive but more independent care.
To start your journey, you can browse our list of rehabs for opioid use to see pricing, photos, reviews, and more.

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What Is Wellbriety?

Wellbriety is just what it sounds like — wellness and sobriety. The Wellbriety Movement supports Indigenous people in the process of addiction recovery. This holistic approach supports clients’ physical, mental, and spiritual healing.

Origins of the Wellbriety Movement

Don Coyhis, Mohican nation, founded the Wellbriety Movement in 1988.1 He began by teaching people the spiritual methods that helped him heal from alcohol addiction. Over time, these practices would help his daughter heal from meth addiction and grow into a nationwide movement empowering Indigenous communities.

How Is Wellbriety Different From Traditional Programs?

Wellbriety stands out from other recovery programs in several ways. This approach to recovery is open to Indigenous people nationwide. You can also learn from the movement’s published resources. 

These teachings are available through White Bison, a nonprofit organization Don Coyhis founded in the 1980s. Based in Colorado Springs, White Bison offers free in-person and online meetings. According to their website, this organization is “dedicated to creating and sustaining a grassroots Wellbriety Movement – providing culturally-based healing to the next seven generations of Indigenous People.” 

Coyhis’ philosophy marries several different traditions. For example, members of the Wellbriety Movement follow the Medicine Wheel 12 Steps.2 This framework combines Indigenous spiritual beliefs with the principles of Alcoholics Anonymous.

White Bison and the Wellbriety Movement address an urgent need. While drug and alcohol addiction, trauma, and mental health issues can affect anyone, they’re especially prevalent in Indigenous communities. The Red Road, another nonprofit supporting Native communities, notes the scope of this problem: “Despite only representing 2% of the U.S. population, Native Americans have the highest rates of alcohol,3 marijuana, cocaine, and hallucinogen use disorders and the second highest methamphetamine abuse rates.”

Cultural Values

Wellbriety encourages people to heal from addictions by committing to shared cultural values. Many of White Bison’s principles4 direct communities to support each other. For example, they believe that “healing will take place through the application of cultural and spiritual knowledge.” This and other principles inform their holistic approach. In recovery, members come into alignment with themselves, their communities, and the natural world. 

Spiritual Focus

Spirituality is central to the Wellbriety Movement. Members believe in a Supreme Being and follow the teachings of community leaders. Many Wellbriety practices honor the Sacred Hoop, which holds great spiritual significance. In 1995, Indigenous Elders met in a sweat lodge and formed it out of a sapling. Since that time, the Sacred Hoop has traveled more than 200,000 miles around the U.S., connecting White Bison leaders with Indigenous communities.

Physical and Mental Health

Wellbriety encompasses both physical and mental health. Certain activities address both these goals at the same time. For instance, several studies show that drumming has powerful physical and emotional benefits.5 Partly for that reason, Wellbriety meetings often include drum circles.6 This practice also has spiritual meaning.

Wellbriety and the 4 Laws of Change 

Among other principles, the Wellbriety Movement follows 4 laws of change.7 Coyhis received these laws from an Elder in the 1980s. Today, they are pillars of White Bison’s work. 

1. Change Is From Within

This law, Coyhis explains, “means that we must have an internal desire to make changes in our lives.” Only the person with an addiction can commit to recovery. That commitment can’t come from a loved one, or even from your whole community. But when you cultivate an inner desire to heal, you can accomplish remarkable things.

2. In Order for Development To Occur It Must Be Preceded by a Vision

Members of the Wellbriety Movement begin by imagining what their lives would be like without substance abuse. As Coyhis puts it, “What would our lives, our community, or our nation look like if it were working in a good way?” This question invites people to start dreaming about a better future. Once you have a clear vision of your best possible life, you can start bringing it into reality. 

3. A Great Learning Must Take Place

This law frames the healing process as a communal effort. Coyhis says that recovery “must include the individual, the family, the community, and the nation acting as an integrated whole.” In most addiction treatment programs, holistic recovery combines the different aspects of the self. Wellbriety takes this a step further, seeking to integrate personal wellness with communal growth. 

4. You Must Create a Healing Forest

When it comes to addiction and mental health recovery, your environment is essential. Members of the Wellbriety Movement understand this through the metaphor of the healing forest:8

Imagine a forest of damaged, dying trees. The sickness is in the air, the soil, and the water supply. It’s all around them. You notice one tree that seems especially unwell. You dig it up, move it, and plant it in rich soil. You give it water and sunlight and plant food, and it starts to thrive. When it’s ready, you bring it back to the original forest and replant it. Does that one tree heal the rest of the forest? No, of course not. Back in an unsupportive environment, it just gets sick again. 

The forest is a metaphor for the way addiction, poverty, and intergenerational trauma affect Indigenous communities. White Bison teaches that while one person going to rehab or attending therapy can help, it’s not enough. Entire groups of people have to commit to recovering together, supporting each other throughout a complex healing process.

Find Additional Resources and Support for Addiction Recovery

White Bison supports Indigenous communities9 around the country. The nonprofit also trains and certifies residential centers in Indigenous treatment methods. If the Wellbriety Movement resonates with you, look for a rehab that offers this approach to recovery.

Start your healing journey in a rehab that honors your culture.

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Codependency and Addiction: Understand the Relationship and Get Help

Codependency and addiction have a complex relationship. A codependent person may unwittingly enable their loved one to keep using substances without consequences. The codependent person themself may struggle with an addiction to cope with the pain of codependency. 

Addiction often results from codependency, as codependents may turn to drugs or alcohol to cope with their issues and to fill an emotional void. Codependency can also lead to addiction by enabling an individual to continue substance use even when it harms their health or relationships. Someone with a substance use disorder may also be more likely to form codependent relationships to gain approval and validation.

Addiction and codependency can feed into each other—though one hasn’t yet been found to definitively cause the other. Codependency doesn’t just happen in a relationship with someone with an addiction, either. 

To find help for codependency and addiction, you can attend peer-support groups, therapy, and go to a rehab that focuses on codependency. 

Codependency: What Is It And Where Does it Come From?

Codependency is a type of dysfunctional relationship where one person has a dependent pattern of behavior that’s emotionally destructive to themselves and/or the other person. It’s typically characterized by an excessive emotional, physical, or psychological reliance on another person—to the point of neglecting your own needs. Codependents also tend to be overly controlling of the other person in their relationship.

Codependency isn’t a diagnosis, nor does it have a mutually agreed upon definition. Some psychologists, scientists, and members of the public think the traits of codependency could just be part of the emotional human experience. 

Others argue codependency can be separated from the bulk of human experiences as a unique adaptation to stress, trauma, unstable childhoods, and living with someone with an addiction. And as codependency becomes a more common phenomenon, more people may realize they fit into its broad definition. 

Generally, a codependent person will aim to control another person or situation by losing themself in the other’s desires and perceived needs. They accept unacceptable behavior as a way to maintain some control of the situation or of the other person. But this can make them disappear—hiding away to continually meet others’ needs. 

Where Does Codependency Come From?

Some definitions of codependency suggest it only develops if someone you live with has an addiction. More accurately, the source of codependency may stem from personality, childhood experiences, trauma, and an intermingling of each. Living with someone who has an addiction can certainly cause codependent tendencies. 

And, none of those factors can cause codependency, too. Some people who live with a person with an addiction may never struggle with codependency. Studies have proven an addicted spouse or child isn’t the sole cause of codependency; but for some family members, addiction can be a catalyst. Someone with childhood trauma may never become codependent either, but it’s a common cause since childhood shapes your adult personality.

Childhood Roots of Codependency

Someone who grew up in a dysfunctional or emotionally distant family may resort to codependency to survive—taking on more responsibilities than they should, making others’ emotions their duty to manage, and losing their true self in the instability of those they seek to control. Doing this may offer a sense of safety and security. 

Codependency in childhood usually causes codependency in adulthood. A child of an alcoholic parent, for example, may gravitate toward a spouse with drinking problems because that unstable relationship feels normal, as does forfeiting their sense of self for safety and control. Being in fight-or-flight mode during childhood can cause a codependent to seek that feeling in adulthood. Someone who takes them out of fight-or-flight mode may feel too unfamiliar, and even daunting, to pursue.

Addiction in Both Parties

As defined by the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), “addiction is a treatable, chronic medical disease involving complex interactions among brain circuits, genetics, the environment, and an individual’s life experiences.” Addiction can affect the codependent, the other in their relationship, or both of them. 

A person with substance addiction isn’t the only half of a codependent relationship that can struggle with an addiction. Often, a codependent person will use alcohol, drugs, sex, food, and other substances to manage the pain of codependency. Addressing substance use in both parties can help the relationship heal as a whole.  

The Relationship Between Codependency And Addiction

A spouse, parent, or sibling may become codependent as a way to manage the turmoil of their loved one’s addiction. Someone with an active addiction often has unpredictable emotions, behaviors, and moods. Their codependent will likely appease their every whim to self-manage their unreliability. 

A codependent person also believes they can force their loved one to stop using out of sheer will—or by succumbing to their every need and demand, hoping they can abate the feelings causing them to drink or use drugs. Failing to stop the substance use may drive the codependent to drugs, alcohol, or risky behaviors to cope with that pain.

Someone who’s codependent can enable their loved one’s addiction by accepting the behavior. Codependent people often live in denial—denial of their loved one’s addiction, how they need help, how they both need help—as a way to manage the problem. 

Denying the issue can give it fuel. The person with addiction may knowingly or unknowingly take advantage of that denial to continue using without consequences. So, their addiction may get worse, as would how they treat their codependent partner. The codependent, meanwhile, resorts further and further to their codependent tendencies to find some element of control. And so the cycle continues.

A lack of control and a codependent’s limitless desire for control can perpetuate their codependent behaviors. They may reason that if they just keep trying, they’ll eventually gain control; one day it’ll work and they’ll never drink again. But, as many come to realize, you can’t force someone out of addiction.

Challenges of Breaking The Cycle

The codependent may feel too scared or anxious to stop seeking control through appeasing their spouse/child/parent. They may also fear speaking up about their emotional pain, or even recognizing it at all. 

Someone with an addiction could find it easier to stay addicted if their partner goes along with it or pretends they can’t see it. They might not consider treatment, thinking they’ve “got it handled” and don’t need help. Over time, and without any treatment, their addiction can worsen. 

The codependent often experiences an addictive cycle of emotions. They can go from extreme lows to extreme highs, depending on how their partner treats them. The codependent may crave the next high just as a drug user craves a drug high. 

Treatment And Recovery

Professional treatment can help you find the cause of your codependency traits and develop new ways to manage a lack of control, real and perceived. Each person in a codependent relationship can benefit from treatment.

Treatment for The Codependent

Codependents can benefit from psychoeducation and taking a dive into their childhood. Psychoeducation teaches a codependent the “why” behind their behaviors, including the biochemical reactions that make the cycle so hard to leave. 

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can help a codependent recognize the traits of codependency and examine the emotions behind them. Since most codependents have had a traumatic or dysfunctional childhood, CBT sessions will likely focus on your childhood to find the root belief behind your emotions and behaviors. 

For example, you may believe others’ needs are your responsibility and will feel guilty if you don’t completely satisfy their needs. This ingrained belief may have begun in childhood, perhaps because of an emotionally volatile, mentally unwell, physically unwell, or addicted parent. CBT will help you identify what caused that belief and the guilt related to it, then change your coping tool (codependency).  

You can also benefit from peer support and self-help groups, whether they’re 12-Step-based or not. Support groups can help you find an explanation for your experience and others who share it. Other resources, like books and podcasts, can also help a codependent understand their traits and heal. Here’s a few books you could check out:

Treatment for The Partner

The “partner” in a codependent relationship could be your romantic partner, but it broadly refers to the other person in your codependent relationship. That could be your spouse, child, parent, relative, or close friend. 

The codependent partner may not mean to drive someone to codependency. A codependent’s empathy and conscientiousness might be so highly attuned to negative emotions that healthy expressions of sadness, anger, or other negative emotions could trigger their partner’s codependent traits. 

But in some cases, if not most, the codependent’s partner has similar traits as the dysfunctional or abusive parent(s) the codependent grew up with. They have poor relationships in adulthood because it feels normal. That means a codependent is more likely to fall for a narcissist, an abuser, or someone exploitative. 

When your partner has a personality disorder, an addiction, or dark personality traits, they need professional treatment to heal. Treatment for addiction, for example, can help your partner address the cause of their addiction and identify new coping strategies for difficult emotions. After treatment, you’ll hopefully find your partner much more stable, reciprocative, and safe. In those cases, your codependent traits may fade because you simply don’t need them anymore. 

Once your partner has received proper treatment, you could both attend couples therapy. Here, you’ll address what triggers your codependency traits. Your partner will learn more about how it works for you and how they can help. They may also be able to reassure you that codependency isn’t their intent for you and that they’ll work with you to get well.

You and your family can also attend family therapy to address codependency in your family and how it affects each member. 

Prevention And Self-Care Strategies for Codependency

One way to prevent codependency is to educate yourself on what it is and what causes it. If you do recognize it in yourself, you can seek professional treatment and practice self-care strategies to prevent it from getting worse. Some strategies you can try include:

  • Practice self-acceptance. Each day, try to take stock of the times you blame yourself for someone else’s negative emotions. Then, challenge the blame. Write down the process and your thoughts on it. See if you can make it a daily habit. 
  • Surround yourself with people who make you feel safe. Can you identify people in your life who don’t make you feel responsible for their emotions? People who make you feel safe being yourself? Keep them close as you navigate your codependency.
  • Set aside time just for you. Spend an hour, three hours, or any amount of time however you want—just not on the other person in your codependent relationship. Take a bath, go to the library, or take a walk. Anything that sounds nice to you. 
  • Pursue what brings you joy. Rekindle old hobbies or try something new to give you an extra boost of happiness and confidence in your abilities. 

You can also attend treatment for codependency and addiction at rehab, which provides 24/7 support, intensive treatment, group and 1:1 therapy, and wellness services. 
Explore our list of rehabs treating codependency with pricing information, reviews, photos, and more.