It’s fair to say we’ve all been struggling to some extent with the negative impacts COVID-19 has made in our lives. Anecdotally, it would seem that social distancing, disrupted routines, cancelled life milestones, and ongoing financial uncertainty is taking a big toll on each of us. It’s too early to know the exact impacts [...]
Racism is a public health crisis in this country, and nowhere is that more evident than in Portland, Oregon. Our state has a unique history of white supremacy. BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) in Portland have worse health outcomes and lower access to healthcare than white residents. Racism is a chronic stressor [...]
At Shanti Recovery and Wellness, we see a lot of patients who struggle with substance use disorder in addition to other mental health concerns, especially depression and anxiety disorders. Studies have shown that our clinic isn’t unique in this respect. There is a well documented link between depression, anxiety, and addiction. Scientists are still [...]
Here’s the truth: battling addiction is hard work. Although the longer you’re sober, the easier it becomes to stay sober, it’s still going to take effort to stick to your program, especially during challenging times. Newsflash: we’re in a challenging time right now. At least one in five people has lost their [...]
How are you holding up? All of us at Shanti Recovery and Wellness are working overtime to respond to this unprecedented health and economic crisis that our nation and our world is currently facing. These are difficult times but we will get through them together. Here’s a quick update on what’s going on at [...]
At Shanti Recovery and Wellness, we are big proponents of Medication-assisted treatment for substance use disorder (AKA “MAT”). We keep MAT in our arsenal of tools for people seeking recovery from addiction because it works and because we love to see our patients reach their goals, repair their relationships, gain stability in their lives, [...]
When most people think about a first date, they think about dinner, a movie—and drinks. Now that you’re sober, that “social lubricant” is out the window. Your entire life is different, and your dating life is no exception. Dating while sober is a new skill you’re going to have to learn if you’re in [...]
The holidays can be a challenging time if you’re in recovery. Everywhere you go, there are holiday parties where substance use is almost mandatory. Taking care of yourself, sticking to your routine, and developing a relapse prevention plan for the holidays is essential. Another good idea: seeking out sober-friendly events where you don’t have to [...]
For too long, addiction treatment wasn’t treated as a science and failed to meet basic evidence-based criteria for patient care. There simply weren’t many studies being done on the science of getting sober. Now that Addiction Medicine is a moderately funded branch of science, and a formally approved medical specialty, we know quite a [...]
When you or your loved one is struggling with a Substance Use Disorder (SUD), it’s easy to rush into outpatient addiction treatment in Portland Oregon without doing your research. This blind leap of faith would work well if all treatment centers were the same, but the truth is not all treatment centers are [...]
