After two years of continuous sobriety, “Nicole” was let go from her job at the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic, and among the stress, idle time and loneliness, picked up drinking again. WMAR in Baltimore allows her to tell her story, including how seeking help at Foundations Recovery Center put her back on the right…
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June is PTSD Awareness Month. During “normal” times before the COVID-19 pandemic, it was estimated that 7 or 8 out of every 100 people would experience PTSD in their lifetimes. 2020 has not been normal. With the collective and ongoing trauma of a global pandemic, PTSD Awareness Month is especially apt. The isolation and stress…
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Substance abuse can produce silent effects. You start with a drink or a pill, experience the high, and wake up the next day as if nothing happened. If you do this enough times, your body begins to change. You can develop a tolerance, also known as physical dependence. Physical dependence is what begins the dark…
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Alcohol plays an outsized role in our lives. Whether it is consumed during meals, leisure activities, or special occasions, alcohol is seemingly always at the center of these events. For some, it can be very dangerous, and drinking alcohol can turn into a focal point. So, how do you know when it goes too far?…
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Substance abuse is one of the nation’s biggest public health challenges. The data behind it tells a story of pain and loss: emergency room visits, deaths, broken relationships, and lost jobs. Given the toll on individuals and society, we must seek to understand the signs of addiction. When you see these signs, seek treatment at…
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People with Depression often feel hopeless. Now with the pandemic and recent police brutality, the world can seem hopeless even to people who don’t have Depression. In the coming weeks, we will share mental health resources for Black people dealing with racial trauma. In this particular blog I’m going to focus on Depression in general,…
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Our main goal with all of the content we create is to destigmatize addiction and mental health. That means we use specific language to talk about these issues. Because stigma often thrives in silence, we wanted to be transparent about why we use certain terms. In general, it’s respectful of a person’s humanity to use…
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I know a couple people who got sober only months before the pandemic hit the US. As someone with nearly five years of sobriety, I commend them. I have five years’ worth of recovery coping skills; still, during the pandemic, I’ve found myself relying on tools I used in very early sobriety. Which, in a…
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Right now many people are focused on survival. It’s okay if you just need to make it through each day. But if you have the mental capacity, social distancing is an opportunity for reflection. For some of us—not everyone—life has slowed down. In fact, just making it through each day can force you into the…
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In March, alcohol sales rose 55% compared to the same time last year. When establishments started closing and people realized they might be home a while, one study found that 22% of people reported stockpiling alcohol over groceries. Since the pandemic, calls to the Amatus Recovery Centers contact center about alcohol have increased by 20%. …
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