Joe Putignano is a Cirque du Soleil acrobat that performs death-defying leaps and dangles from a 40-foot-high catwalk. He is an addiction recovery success story, as he has nearly six years of sobriety after a harrowing heroin addiction. Pushing his body to the limits night after night doesn’t come without a price. Putignano’s shoulder has
Keep ReadingWe know tobacco is bad for you, but when individuals are tackling addiction to heroin, cocaine, meth or prescription painkillers, are you really going to deny them a few cigarettes? In a recent Scientific American podcast Christopher Intagliata addressed the topic of instituting bans on tobacco at rehab centers. At first glance it seems obvious.
Keep ReadingIt’s easy to have firm ideas about how much you’ll drink, but, as the hours pass, your judgment becomes impaired by alcohol. You may lose track of just how much you’ve had. Enter: alcohol-monitoring ice cubes. An MIT graduate student, Dhairya Dand, created the new tool after he wound up in the hospital after binge
Keep ReadingIf you are in recovery and start to feel like you are beyond relapse, this story is for you. It’s a cautionary tale that shows that everyone is vulnerable – even treatment professionals. It is important to start each day with a renewed commitment to sobriety and the choices that make it possible over the
Keep ReadingFor years now recovery and Starbucks have gone hand in hand, but that may be coming to an end now that the java giant has decided to try out serving alcohol. Of course, not everyone who goes through drug or alcohol treatment develops a new dependence on nonfat lattes or mocha frappuccinos, but those who
Keep ReadingMusic can definitely be healing to our souls, but new research shows it has benefits for our bodies, too. Who hasn’t turned to their iPod to soothe the hurt of a bad break-up or to provide the soundtrack for a relaxing road trip? We knew music was medicinal, but now there’s scientific proof. Music has
Keep ReadingWhat does New Year’s mean to someone in recovery? What opportunities await you in 2012? As we begin another new year, TV shows, magazines, newspapers and the Web are filled with ideas for creating a new you, keeping resolutions, making changes inside and out. They shout at you with promises of 10 easy steps or
Keep ReadingCatherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, includes a substance abuse treatment organization among the charities she plans to champion. A princess may seem like an unlikely proponent for drug treatment, but Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, has included an organization that helps those struggling with addiction in the short list of charities she plans to champion
Keep ReadingA horrific accident nearly took his life in 2008, but that tragedy gave the Blink-182 drummer the motivation to tackle a painkiller addiction. Three years after the South Carolina plane crash that killed four and critically injured Travis Barker and DJ AM, Barker is speaking out about the positive changes that resulted from the horrific
Keep ReadingNational Recovery Month aims to bring hope to the issue of substance abuse, despite a continuing perception problem. It’s National Recovery Month, a time to shine a light on the problem of addiction and celebrate the heroes who are winning their battle with substance abuse every day. Unfortunately, unlike cancer or heart disease, substance abuse
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