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Get expert insight from the clinicians and professionals at Mountainside Treatment Center. Watch this space to see what’s trending now!

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6 Steps for Setting Boundaries with Someone in Recovery

When someone pursues recovery, your relationship with them can change for the better. By setting up boundaries early on and communicating your feelings effectively, you and your loved one can develop a mutual respect that tends to your needs just as much as their sobriety. Follow these 6 important steps from Addiction Recovery Coach Rick Lepkowski.

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What Does It Feel Like to Go Through Drug Withdrawal?

Drug and alcohol withdrawal is a painful and disruptive period of time, but there are ways to alleviate these difficult symptoms. By using pain management tools and healthy coping mechanisms, experiencing withdrawal can be more manageable.

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Recovery coach Bill Blaber in a counseling session with a female client in recovery

Detox vs. Rehab? Which is Right for You?

Although many use these terms interchangeably, detox and rehab each have their own purpose. While detox primarily focuses on addressing the physical effects that addiction has had on the body, rehab focuses more on the psychological effects.

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Categories

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Mental Health

Dual Diagnosis: Coping with Substance Abuse and Bipolar Disorder
Living with both bipolar disorder and substance use requires navigating complex challenges like self-medication and shared biological factors. Recovery for dual diagnosis is achievable through integrated treatment plans that simultaneously address mental health and substance abuse issues via professional therapy, specialized medication, and strong support networks. Living with both bipolar disorder and a substance use […]
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Family Wellness

Addiction Signs: Is My Loved One Struggling?
This article serves as a guide for identifying potential signs of addiction in loved ones, emphasizing that recognizing these patterns is an important first step toward offering help. It outlines various behavioral, physical, emotional, and financial indicators to watch for, while advising readers to approach the situation with empathy, support, and professional guidance rather than […]
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Personal Stories & Accounts

Jenna O: An Honest Chance - July 2026 Alumni Spotlight
5/2/2024 – I crashed my car and wound up on crutches with bruised ribs and an even more bruised ego. Nothing was coming to save me. Not time. Not luck. Not another apology. Not another promise. I’ve been asked if that was my rock bottom. Honestly, I don’t know. I called Mountainside the next day. […]
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Personal Stories & Accounts

Sean R: The Bedtime Stories I Almost Missed – June 2026 Alumni Spotlight
When I was asked to write this column, I was a little taken aback. Me? How could I possibly be asked to write something that is supposed to inspire people in recovery? A little over six months ago, I would have told you that I would never be “in recovery” because I didn’t have a […]
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Teens

Gaming Dangers & Addiction in Teens: How to Help
The article addresses teen gaming addiction, distinguishing it from a hobby by focusing on behavioral patterns like loss of control and negative impacts on school, sleep, and relationships, rather than just time spent gaming. This addiction is rooted in how video games activate dopamine pathways in the still-developing adolescent brain, potentially leading to issues with […]
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Family Wellness

Is an Intervention Right for My Loved One?
A thoughtfully planned intervention is a structured, compassionate conversation intended to help a loved one recognize the impact of their substance use and accept support. Families should consider an intervention when substance use consistently interferes with daily functioning, such as missing work or experiencing repeated health or legal issues. The article describes models like the […]
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Teens

Gaming Dangers & Addiction in Teens: How to Help
The article addresses teen gaming addiction, distinguishing it from a hobby by focusing on behavioral patterns like loss of control and negative impacts on school, sleep, and relationships, rather than just time spent gaming. This addiction is rooted in how video games activate dopamine pathways in the still-developing adolescent brain, potentially leading to issues with […]
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Teens

Understanding Social Media Addiction in Teens and Adolescents
The article addresses the growing concern of social media addiction in teens, defining it as compulsive technology use that, unlike normal screen time, results in loss of control, withdrawal symptoms, and disruption of responsibilities. This dependency is fueled by the adolescent brain’s unique response to the platforms’ engineered reward systems, which can exacerbate issues like […]
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Teens

What Parents Should Know: Addiction to Screens
This article addresses the growing concern of screen addiction in children and teenagers, emphasizing the need for parents to differentiate between heavy use and genuine addiction characterized by impaired control and harm to wellbeing. It outlines common symptoms like withdrawal and preoccupation, explains the neurobiological role of dopamine in driving this behavioral addiction, and provides […]
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About Sober Living

What Exactly Does One Day at a Time Mean?
The phrase “One Day at a Time” is a central philosophy in addiction recovery, offering a powerful, manageable strategy for daily sobriety when the thought of “forever” clean feels impossible. It serves as a practical, psychological, and spiritual tool that encourages focusing solely on the current 24 hours, thereby making change achievable by aligning commitments […]
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Personal Stories & Accounts

Worth the Investment: Lessons from a Three-Year Commute
An author who is in recovery shares a multi-year personal story about their connection with an unhoused veteran struggling with addiction at Union Station. Over the years, the author offered nonjudgmental support and conversation that provided the man with inspiration and hope, even through several setbacks and relapses. The article concludes with the man achieving […]
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More About Drugs

What Are the Symptoms of Opioid Withdrawal?
Opioid withdrawal is a syndrome that occurs when opioid-dependent individuals stop use, with early symptoms mimicking the flu (such as yawning and muscle aches) progressing to a peak of intense physical distress that includes severe muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, and anxiety. The onset and duration of withdrawal symptoms vary depending on the type of opioid, […]
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