Author Dr. Saba Riaz will explore how trauma and emotional stress from early life experiences can disrupt the neurochemical balance in the brain. According to Dr. Riaz, “Addiction strongly affects neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin that regulate mood, reward, and impulse control. Chronic stress and trauma cause changes in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis that create a biochemical environment that increases the probability of addiction.”

The Role of Inner Child Healing in Overcoming Adult-Child Syndrome explores the importance of reconnecting with the inner child to address Adult-Child Syndrome (ACS).Stephanie Watterson is our author. Stephanie grew up in a home affected by mental illness, with a mother who struggled with mental health issues and an emotionally unavailable workaholic father.

Kirsten Rabuck collaborates with me as a co-author for this issue. She is a substance abuse counselor and an adult child of an alcoholic father, just like me. Together, we draw on our experiences as adult children to help others facing similar challenges.

Cendie Stanford is passionate about understanding and preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). Drawing on her personal and ancestral history of trauma, Cendie is dedicated to educating and inspiring others.

Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional. Pain is a natural part of life, but it does not have to rule it. Our thoughts and perceptions about pain cause suffering. People needlessly suffer for many years with substance abuse addiction. Unfortunate events, problems, and disappointments are the first arrows that cause pain. The second arrow may be self-deprecating thoughts, self-blame, or getting down on yourself. The key is not to grab a substance, alcohol, or drugs to heal t

In Part I of The Power Of Recovery, Chad shared how his addiction began and what changed his life.  In Part II, Chad will share details about his present life and ongoing recovery. His wife, Christy, will share her life story and the factors that brought them together. 

The Power of Recovery is rooted in the life story of our co-author, Chad Perdue, as he faced his substance use disorder.

Effective treatment of addiction is paramount to saving lives. We must collectively strive to end the opioid crisis in America.

When you are in substance use recovery, you need a supportive community to surround, challenge, encourage, and bolster you.

I am truly privileged to have Joudy Ghata as my co-author for this issue. She bravely surmounted devastating family trauma.

Substance use disorder is the most stigmatized health condition in the world. It is one of the most significant barriers to recovery.

Next Generation: Special Issue Thomas O'Connor. Author September 25, 2024 Case Study. College sweethearts, each 40 years old, have been married for ten years and have two young children. The husband recently reached out to me for help. His wife developed alcoholism after their first child was stillborn. He relayed that his wife refuses to leave their home. At most, she functions as a mother with their children for three to four hours daily. As a result, despite having a full-