Can You Use Insurance for Inpatient Treatment Abroad?
Key Takeaways Sometimes yes, sometimes no — and you usually have to fight for it. Expat international plans (Cigna Global, William Russell)...
Addiction Recovery Resources
Evidence-based guides on addiction treatment, detox, therapy, and recovery — written by the team at One Step Rehab Thailand.
Dual Diagnosis and Eating Disorders: When Both Need Treating Together
Key Takeaways Around half of women in substance use treatment have a current or past eating disorder — the overlap is the...
Cannabis-Induced Anxiety, Panic Attacks and Psychosis
Key Takeaways Cannabis-induced anxiety, panic attacks and psychosis sit on a spectrum — anxiety and racing-heart paranoia are common, panic attacks are...
Cannabis Withdrawal Symptoms and Timeline
Key Takeaways Cannabis withdrawal is a real, recognised condition — formally added to the DSM-5 in 2013 after decades of dismissal. Roughly...
Marijuana Addiction in Thailand After Legalization (and Recriminalization)
Key Takeaways Thailand removed cannabis from its narcotics list on 9 June 2022, then reversed course on 25 June 2025 — recreational...
Alternative Therapies for Addiction at One Step Chiang Mai
Key Takeaways “Alternative” doesn’t mean alternative to treatment. At One Step in Chiang Mai, mindfulness, exercise, nutrition, and outdoor therapy wrap around...
Urge Surfing: A 6-Step Skill for Riding Out Cravings
Key Takeaways Cravings behave like waves: they build, peak in roughly 20-30 minutes, and fall on their own — whether you use...
The Opioid + Benzo Polysubstance Crisis
Key Takeaways Combining opioids and benzodiazepines is one of the most dangerous mixes in addiction medicine: each drug suppresses the brainstem signals...
Opioid Withdrawal: Symptoms and Day-by-Day Timeline
Key Takeaways Withdrawal from short-acting opioids (heroin, oxycodone IR, fentanyl) starts 6-12 hours after the last dose, peaks at 36-72 hours, and...
Prescription Opioids and Chronic Pain: When Treatment Becomes Addiction
Key Takeaways Physical dependence is not addiction. Anyone on daily opioids for more than a few weeks will develop dependence — that...
CBT for Dual Diagnosis Treatment Explained
Key Takeaways CBT for dual diagnosis means one shared formulation linking the mental health condition and the substance use, not two parallel...
Opiates vs Opioids vs Heroin: An Honest Beginner’s Guide
Key Takeaways Opiates are the natural ones: morphine, codeine, and heroin — all derived from the opium poppy. Opioids is the umbrella...
The First 90 Days After Rehab: A Survival Guide
Key Takeaways Most relapses happen in the first 90 days after discharge. Treatment shorter than 90 days produces worse outcomes than treatment...
Benefits of Inpatient Substance Abuse Rehab
Key Takeaways Treatment dose matters most. NIDA says fewer than 90 days of treatment is of limited effectiveness — residential delivers that...
Benefits of Outpatient Alcohol Rehab (and Where It Falls Short)
Key Takeaways Outpatient alcohol rehab works best for mild alcohol use disorder (2–3 DSM-5 criteria), where a person can keep their job,...
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for Addiction Recovery
Key Takeaways ACT (pronounced “act,” not A-C-T) does not try to eliminate cravings, painful thoughts, or low mood. It teaches people to...
EMDR for Trauma and Addiction: How It Actually Works
Key Takeaways EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) is one of two trauma therapies the WHO and NICE recommend for PTSD —...
Why Aftercare Is Non-Negotiable in Meth Recovery
Key Takeaways Residential treatment resets the nervous system and builds skills, but the brain takes 12–18 months to rewire after heavy meth...
Holistic Meth Addiction Treatment Options That Actually Work
Key Takeaways Holistic is not an alternative to clinical treatment for meth. It’s the wraparound — sleep, nutrition, exercise, meditation, group —...
Why Meth Addiction Is So Hard to Overcome
Key Takeaways Meth addiction is hard to quit because it physically downregulates dopamine D2 receptors in the brain — the receptors that...
Why Chiang Mai (Not Bangkok or Phuket) for Rehab in Thailand
Key Takeaways All three Thai cities run credible rehab programmes — but they suit different clients. Bangkok suits short stabilisation stays and...
Types of Dual Diagnosis Therapies
Key Takeaways There are roughly ten distinct therapies used in dual diagnosis treatment. No clinic uses all of them on one client...