Not wanting AA is a reasonable choice, but “not AA” isn’t a recovery plan yet. A Chicago addiction therapist on staying safe, handling cravings, therapy, medication, SMART Recovery and building support.

Nearly 20 million Americans met criteria for cannabis use disorder last year. What it looks like, why night three is where quit attempts die, and what actually helps.

Your job is fine. Your relationships are mostly intact. And you keep making rules about drinking — then renegotiating them. A Chicago addiction therapist on how to tell whether you have a drinking problem before anything falls apart.

Maybe. For some people moderation is a realistic goal; for others, repeatedly trying to control drinking becomes part of the problem. A Chicago addiction therapist on how to tell which one you are — and what the research actually says.

You can go all week without drinking. So why can’t you stop once you start on Friday? A therapist’s plan for the hours when the decision actually gets made.

Therapists, IOPs, residential programs and detox ads all use the same language. A Chicago addiction therapist on what each level of alcohol treatment actually provides, and why the right starting point is an assessment, not a program name.

The first drink can feel like the moment the day finally ends. A Chicago addiction therapist on why alcohol works so well for anxiety, why the anxiety comes back worse the next day, and how to change the sequence rather than just the drink.