A Connected Life

If someone mentions a “drug overdose,” it’s natural to link illegal drugs like heroin, cocaine, or methamphetamine (meth) to the cause. Although it’s less common to think of legal, prescribed drugs as being involved in overdoses, certain drug classes like benzodiazepines warrant serious attention.  As prescription rates for benzos have exploded over the years, so…
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Treating alcohol use disorder (AUD) has evolved significantly and includes much more than Alcoholics Anonymous. Alcohol abuse treatment options now include behavioral therapy treatment plans, web-based programs, prescription medications, and more. Despite the differences in how they provide rehabilitation, they each have one thing in common: the individual must participate in treatment.  According to a…
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As the number of prescriptions written in the United States continues to rise, so does prescription drug abuse. Prescription drug abuse involves taking a prescribed medication in any other way than the prescribing doctor intended. Whether this is because access to medications has increased, teens and young adults are hosting “ prescription parties”, and/or there’s…
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Being a teenager is not easy. Academic, social, and family pressures pile while trying to navigate friendships, extracurricular activities, personal style, and hormones. Teens and young adults are bombarded with messages from parents, teachers, their friends, television, and more. Unrealistic expectations from parents, friends, coaches, teachers, and themselves can lead teens to feelings of disappointment…
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Methamphetamine (meth) is a powerful stimulant drug that is highly addictive and can have damaging effects on the central nervous system. It has very few legal medical uses, including the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and as a short-term aspect of weight loss treatments. In fact, there is only one prescription drug on…
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Cocaine in and of itself is a powerful and addictive drug. When the powder is mixed with baking soda and water, boiled, cooled, and then cut into rock-shaped pieces, the resulting crack cocaine is even more potent, addictive, and deadly. Even though the high from smoking or snorting crack only lasts 5-15 minutes, it’s instant…
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Clonazepam (the generic drug for Klonopin) is one of the top benzodiazepines prescribed to treat anxiety, insomnia, mood disorders, and seizures. Benzos, including clonazepam, are sedative drugs and are among the top ten most addictive drugs. Clonazepam helps to “take the edge off,” and that’s a feeling many enjoy and get addicted to, and for…
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Cocaine is a highly addictive stimulant drug that creates a short-lived, intense high quickly followed by edginess and a low that frequently results in the craving for more of the drug. The majority of cocaine users either inhale or snort the drug, rub the drug onto their gums, inject cocaine through their veins using a…
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Klonopin (generically known as Clonazepam) is a medically-prescribed drug used to treat some seizure disorders in children and adults, panic disorders in adults, epilepsy, and provide short-term relief of anxiety-related symptoms. The drug acts as a sedative that decreases electrical activity in the brain. It’s in a class of drugs known as benzodiazepines (benzos), and…
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Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is very effective at relieving moderate-to-severe chronic pain. It’s roughly 100 times stronger than morphine, and 50 times stronger than heroin. Although it can be effective when used in a monitored medical setting, there are several illegal versions of the drug available on the street that are even stronger…
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The United States accounts for 81% of oxycodone prescriptions written in the world, and it’s one of the most prescribed painkillers in the United States. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the number of prescriptions for opioids (like hydrocodone and oxycodone products) have jumped from around 76 million in 1991 to nearly 207…
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Drug addiction and substance abuse disorder affects millions of people. Those with an addiction have intense cravings, an inability to control drug cravings, and develop a tolerance and eventually a dependence on their drug(s) of choice which could be a prescription drug and/or an illicit drug. Drug addiction interferes with life at all levels, and…
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