Wall | Trauma | The Hills

Does Trauma Contribute to Addiction?

What is trauma anyway, and does it contribute to addiction? In this post, we’ll be tackling that complicated question. We’ll start by looking into what causes addiction in the first place, and then we’ll take a deep dive into trauma. Along the way, you’ll learn how unresolved trauma can contribute to the development of addiction.…

Hug | Addiction Recovery | The Hills

Addiction Recovery and Forgiveness

According to Greater Good Magazine, “psychologists generally define forgiveness as a conscious, deliberate decision to release feelings of resentment or vengeance toward a person or group who has harmed you, regardless of whether they actually deserve your forgiveness.” Forgiveness is a way of letting yourself release negative feelings in order to move forward in a…

Vapes | Vaping | The Hills

Vaping & Addiction: What You Need To Know

Insider reports that “people have been coming up with inventive ways to get high on nicotine for [nearly] a hundred years.” The most recent way that people have begun to ingest nicotine is with e-cigarettes, commonly called “e-cigs,” “mods,” and “vapes” that they use for vaping. Simply put, an electronic cigarette is “a handheld battery-powered…

Road - Sobriety - The Hills

Sobriety and Starting Over

Starting your life over after treatment for addiction can be difficult. Once you’ve left the sober confines of a rehabilitation center or treatment program, you have to tackle daily life without substances while still facing triggers. The first 90 days of your recovery are absolutely crucial to your sobriety. This is the time when relapse…

Pills | Relapse | The Hills

Relapse: Recognition & Toolkit

As a recovering addict, recognizing that you’re potentially relapsing is one of the most important skills you can develop. Relapse can happen suddenly, as in the case of the dreaded slip, or it can come on over a long period of time. It can feel like an inevitable force. It can even feel like a…

Group | Dual Diagnosis | The Hills

Dissecting Dual Diagnosis

Dual diagnosis was first recognized over two decades ago. The term was coined to diagnose individuals that were suffering with severe mental illness and substance abuse disorders. The occurrence of dual diagnoses is much more common than you’d think, and the treatment for the co-occurring disorders or addictions is more intense and complex than that…

Celebrities | Addiction | The Hills

Addiction and Celebrities: A Common Cause?

Celebrities who are battling drug addiction seem to be everywhere, don’t they? Stories of celebrity overdose or overindulgence used to be confined to the pages of tabloids, but that is no longer the case. Overdose and addiction seem common, and every year, we lose more and more of our beloved stars. Why is this? Are…