Family

Family

How Important Is Family In Drug and Alcohol Treatment?

By Suzanne Kane

Let’s face it. Going through treatment for drug and alcohol dependence or addiction is a tough process. Not only is it hard on the individual seeking to get clean and sober, but it is also a difficult experience for family members. Addiction in any form affects the entire family. There’s no way any individual can get through treatment and on to recovery without a lot of support. That support comes from counselors, group meetings, friends you meet in treatment and recovery—and family.

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Family

How to Combat Your Elderly Parents’ Prescription Drug Abuse

By Suzanne Kane

This can be a tough subject to broach with your parents, particularly as they get on in years. But the truth is that as we age, we find ourselves with a variety of health problems, some minor, some serious, that may require a prescription medicine to cure, help alleviate symptoms, or just manage pain. These could be for heart-related concerns, arthritis, diabetes, problems with dental, vision or hearing. Prior to performing dental surgery, a dentist may prescribe an antibiotic. After minor or major surgery, the physician could prescribe a medication for temporary relief of pain and to stave off infection. Over time, medications seem to accumulate in the medicine cabinets of the elderly. Often times they don’t even remember what the medications are for. Mixing prescription medications, as well as over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, can be very dangerous – even deadly. Full Story

Family

Reluctant Family Members and Intervention

The ideal situation would be for all of the members of a family to be concerned about each other and to be willing to help when one family member is in trouble. Unfortunately, sometimes people are reluctant or completely unwilling to participate in an intervention that is intended to help an addicted individual to become free of his or her dependency. Full Story