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IOP stands for intensive outpatient program, and while there are many types of IOPs, IOPs for substance abuse are specifically designed to help addicts and alcoholics. IOP is an integral part of the rehabilitation of anyone who has struggled with substance abuse.

If you need help with drug addiction, you need to read this article. Drug addiction is a serious condition that is extremely hard to treat.

Ever wonder why people become addicted? It’s actually a lot more complex than you might think. Despite being a widely researched topic, the reasons that people fall prey to addiction are often misunderstood. Some people like to attribute addiction to moral failings on the part of the addict or the addict's family, but the reality is that addiction is largely based on a complex interplay between social and biological factors.

On the surface, the idea of being sober might seem clear, but for many, what it means to be sober can vary. Unfortunately, it’s easy to view the disease of addiction, as well as the “addiction-recovery” world, in terms of black and white. If you take one sip of alcohol or take one hit off the crack pipe, you’re not sober. You’re either sober or you’re not.

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a 12-step program that helps you overcome your addiction to alcohol through reliance on a higher power. For most people, this means God, which might be associated with some sort of religion. For others, this just means spirituality in a more vague sense.

Substance-induced anxiety disorder (also known as drug-induced anxiety disorder) is a condition caused by the consumption of drugs or alcohol. What’s frightening about this disorder is that it can happen after using a substance even a single time, and it’s very hard to predict who will experience it and who won’t.

Self-sabotage is a nasty habit that can ruin our lives and make us miserable. It’s a pattern of behavior that keeps us from doing what we need to do to reach our full potential. But it doesn’t have to be this way. With the right strategies and tools, you can break these self-defeating patterns and find success in your life. Here are 5 strategies for overcoming self-sabotage and getting your life back on track.

Addiction is a complex and deadly illness that affects millions of people around the world. Many people who struggle with addiction also have underlying mental health issues, such as depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorder. This makes treatment even more difficult as both the addiction and the mental health condition need to be addressed simultaneously. In some cases, the mental health condition has nothing to do with the addiction, while in others they’re closely linked.

Holistic addiction treatment is when you combine traditional treatment modalities, like the 12 steps, with other types of treatment, like trauma therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy. Addiction is a chronic disease that affects your brain and behavior — it’s that second part that’s most important when it comes to therapy.

Anxiety and addiction are closely related. If you're in recovery, anxiety can be a significant obstacle — it can trigger a relapse, keep you from going to 12-step meetings or IOP, make it difficult to manage cravings, and generally make you miserable. Unfortunately, benzodiazepines like Xanax — the most commonly prescribed type of anxiety medication — are highly addictive and dangerous. Detoxing from benzodiazepines can even be deadly.