Category: Alcohol

A doctor in a white coat holds and examines a sheet of brain CT or MRI scans, with several images of brain cross-sections visible.

What Neuro Images Tell Us About Substance Use Disorder

Substance use disorder (SUD) can show up in your habits, your reactions, and your roughest days, but your brain also carries a big part of your substance-use picture. If you’ve ever read our deep dive on the blacked-out brain and thought: yep, that sounds familiar, then you already know substances impact your brain’s ability to store memory. But neuroimages can show how substance use affects so much more of the brain than just memory. Neuroimages

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What’s The World’s Deadliest Addiction?

The dangers of substance use disorder (SUD) can look different from person to person. For some families, it may mean their loved one’s health or relationships deteriorate. For other people, SUD may mean that holding down a job and or enjoying any kind of stability is impossible. The point is that substance use affects different parts of life for different folks. And while there’s no single world’s deadliest addiction yet, some substances show up in

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Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome: An Often Overlooked Risk of Alcohol Use Disorders

Excessive alcohol consumption has been linked to a wide range of medical problems, including Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. This is a serious and potentially irreversible form of brain damage that causes dementia-like symptoms.  Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome is most common in people ages 30 to 70 and occurs more often in men than in women. Typically, people diagnosed with this condition have consumed an average of 35 drinks per week for men or 28 for women over a period

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A woman sits by a window, wrapped in a blanket and holding a mug, gazing outside thoughtfully. Green plants and soft natural light are visible near her.

What Areas of Life Are Impacted By Addiction?

We can divide the areas of our lives more or less into categories: medical, mental, spiritual or religious, financial, social, and societal. Unfortunately, addiction impacts all areas of life–not just for the individual struggling with a substance use disorder (SUD), but also for the people and family closely connected to the situation. However, there’s one more element that we often overlook when it comes to addiction: how it affects our identity. Identity is an aspect

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Why High Achievers Often Struggle With Substance Use Disorders

One of the most common myths about addiction is that problems with drug and alcohol abuse only affect “unsuccessful” people. Addiction doesn’t care where you went to college, how much you earn, or what awards you’ve won for your volunteer work. It’s a chronic illness—not a character defect.   Success Can Be a Double-Edge Sword Researchers are still struggling to fully understand what factors trigger the development of a substance use disorder. Studies with identical

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The Blacked Out Brain

Imagine that you wake up tomorrow with no memory of the night before. Feelings of anxiety, disorientation, and panic set in. Pieces of memories or flashes of conversations materialize in your mind, but you can’t get a clear picture.  Or maybe an entire chunk of the night is totally missing. You could be questioning your decisions. Blackouts don’t automatically mean you have a substance use disorder (SUD), but you may be kicking yourself. You’ve had

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A woman in a white sweater sits on a couch, resting her head on her hand and looking thoughtful or concerned, with a plant and kitchen in the background.

What Is a Dry Drunk?

Being in recovery involves more than just abstaining from drinking alcohol. If you’re still engaging in self-destructive behaviors and making impulsive decisions that put you at risk of relapse, you might be what’s commonly referred to as a dry drunk. While this term is sometimes criticized as being insulting or demeaning, it refers to an overall attitude that puts a person’s long-term recovery in jeopardy.   Understanding the Dry Drunk In Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), the

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The Body’s Recovery Time After Heavy Alcohol Use

Watching yourself or a loved one struggle with alcohol use can be heartbreaking, especially when you see glimpses of who the person was and what they looked like. Maybe you’ve noticed changes in their energy, memory, or overall health, or perhaps you’re wondering if your own drinking habits have started taking a dangerous physical toll. No matter the case, understanding how and when the body recovers from alcohol use can provide clarity, hope, and a

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Two people sit across from each other at a table, engaged in conversation. The woman speaks with her hands clasped, while the man listens attentively. There are plants and shelves with books in the background.

How to Tell Your Boss You’re Battling an Addiction

Admitting you need treatment for a substance use disorder is not easy. While you’re entitled to your privacy, you do need to share this information with certain individuals—including your boss.    Consider What Your Boss Already Knows You may think you’ve done a good job hiding your substance abuse, but addiction isn’t easy to keep a secret. Anyone who has spent a significant amount of time near you probably either knows you have a problem

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A man comforts a woman who appears upset, holding her arm as she sits with her head in her hand. They are indoors, sitting closely together on a couch.

Signs That Your Spouse Struggles With Addiction

Waypoint Recovery Center understands the reality of addiction for many couples. When individuals seek out residential treatment for substance abuse, they often have spouses supporting their return to sobriety. That’s why we always encourage couples to take advantage of our family services. They’re designed to provide you and your loved one tools for successfully moving forward through therapy, education, and recovery management.   How To Know If Your Spouse Struggles With Addiction Drug abuse and

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