Information on Addiction and Recovery for Individuals and Families

Welcome to Recovery

You can recover from addiction. This website is provided as a public service to help you or a loved one overcome addiction. It is based on independent and verified medical research.

You can use this site in a few ways.

  • Decide if you have an addiction.
  • Learn about the genetics of addiction.
  • Read about alcohol, tranquilizers, marijuana, and cocaine.
  • Learn relapse prevention techniques.
  • Discover recovery strategies that will improve your chances of success.

What are my credentials? I'm a doctor who specializes in addiction medicine, and I've had the privilege of working with people and helping them transform their life. Some of those people were just like you. That's why I know the techniques in this website will work, because I've seen them work.

You are not alone. Many people have overcome their addiction. All of them had moments of despair. All of them doubted their strength. But in the end they succeeded, and now they're enjoying a new life. It can be done. You too can do it.

What is Addiction?

A substance addiction meets two criteria:

  1. You have difficulty controlling how much you use or how long you use. For example, one drink leads to more drinks, or one line of cocaine leads to more.
  2. You continue to use even though it has negative consequences to your life. For example, you continue to drink even though it has hurt your relationships.

Those two criteria define all addictions. They are true for alcohol and drug addiction, but they're also true for gambling addiction, eating disorders, and sexual addiction.

There are different levels of addictions. At one end of the spectrum is the non-functioning addict. They've lost their job and have to use everyday. It's what people think addiction is like, but that stereotype is rare.

At the other end of the spectrum is the functioning addict. They still have a job and their relationships are relatively intact, but their life is suffering because of their addiction. That is the most common scenario. You don't have to suffer major losses to have an addiction.

The consequences of addiction get worse over time. Addiction is a progressive disease. It's never easy to quit. But if you've already suffered negative consequences and don't want them to get worse, there's never a better time to quit than now.

A Site Summary

To learn more about addiction follow theses links:

To learn more about the various drugs follow these links:

To learn more about recovery follow these links:

 

This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information. Verify here. The Health On the Net Foundation is an NGO in special consultative status with the United Nations.

Created: March 11, 2007, Last Modified: June 2, 2008

Included information: Addiction recovery coping skills, addiction recovery techniques and strategies are included. Relapse prevention skills and relapse prevention strategies and techniques are included. Addiction recovery guide and prevention of addiction are included. Overcoming addiction is included. Relapse prevention facts are included. Stages of relapse: emotional, mental, and behavioral are included along with relapse prevention strategies.
The first rule of recovery from addiction is discussed. Relapse triggers and high-risk situations are discussed. HALT, the importance of honesty, relaxation meditation, and evidence based methods are included. Definition of addiction, definition of drug addiction dependence DSM criteria and ICD criteria are included. Definition of drug abuse and definition of alcohol abuse are included. Drug addiction, drug dependence, drug and alcohol addiction facts information are included. Drug abuse, substance abuse, drug and alcohol abuse help and information are included.
Alcoholism, alcohol addiction and alcohol dependence facts and information are included. Alcoholics in recovery, hope, and AA 12 step groups. Alcohol abuse is compared to alcoholism. Alcoholic liver damage and alcohol liver disease elevated liver enzymes, cirrhosis and drug induced depression are discussed. Liver blood test and alcohol liver disease symptoms are included. Alcohol withdrawal symptoms are discussed. Benzodiazepine, tranquilizer, benzos, sleeping pill facts and information are included. Benzodiazepine addiction and benzodiazepine abuse are included.
Benzodiazepine detox and benzodiazepine withdrawal including anxiety, panic attacks are discussed. Benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms and Ashton manual are discussed. Marijuana, cannabis, THC, pot, weed facts and information are included. About marijuana, the effect of marijuana, and facts about marijuana are included. Cross addiction to marijuana and gateway drugs are included. Marijuana as a cause of depression is discussed . Pain control by marijuana use and pain management are discussed. Marijuana withdrawal symptoms are discussed.
Cocaine, coke, crack and cocaine addiction facts and information are included. Cocaine anonymous CA and narcotics anonymous NA are included. Cocaine induced heart attack and cardiac arrest are included. Cross addiction between cocaine and other drugs is discussed. Cocaine withdrawal symptoms are discussed.
Genetics of addiction and genetics of alcoholism are included. Disease model of addiction, family history of addiction, children of alcoholics, and twin studies of addicts are included. Addiction questions and drug addiction assessment are discussed. AUDIT alcohol assessment, and CAGE alcohol screening are included. Addiction screening and addiction self-assessment are included. AUDIT assessment, and AUDIT questionnaire by WHO are included. Consequences of addiction, consequences drug abuse, and cost of addiction are included.
Post-acute withdrawal symptoms, post-acute withdrawal syndrome, and PAWS are discussed. Physical withdrawal symptoms, emotional withdrawal, and psychological withdrawal symptoms are included. Tremors, shakes, sweats, nausea, seizure, anxiety, irritability, mood swings, depression, and delirium are discussed.
12 step groups (AA, NA, CA) benefits and how they work are discussed. Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, and Cocaine Anonymous are included. AA 12 step recovery program and NA 12 step program and CA are included. 12 step program finding supports, choosing a sponsor, working the program for AA, NA, CA are included. Antabuse, disulfiram and Antabuse side effects are included. Antabuse reaction and anti-alcohol craving effects are included. Bibliography of addiction recovery articles, medical articles and scientific studies are included.
Treatment resources and links to addiction recovery resources are included. Relapse prevention resources are included. Find an Addiction specialist Toronto, Addiction counselling Toronto, Addiction medicine specialist and counselling Toronto. Addiction recovery coping skills and relapse prevention strategies are included. Author of the book Make Room for Happiness. The content is provided by Dr. Steven M. Melemis addiction medicine specialist.