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Alcohol is a wildly popular recreational drug. Classified as a depressant and legal for purchase and consumption in America by those over the age of 21, alcohol is socially prevalent,
The fact that you’re asking this question suggests you may already be experiencing negative life consequences from using cocaine. These problems may have convinced you that you need to get
Beer is a major engine driving recreational activities in American society. Incredibly popular and relatively inexpensive, it is backed by a billion-dollar advertising industry that works relentlessly and unscrupulously to
Methamphetamine addiction and dependence on crystal meth may not be as headline-grabbing today as it was a few years ago, overshadowed by the deadly opiate epidemic that continues to rage.
Depression is a garden-variety mental illness in this country and worldwide. The condition accounts for roughly 10 percent of physician office visits in the U.S., according to the Centers for
The short-acting benzodiazepine Xanax (generic name alprazolam) has been prescribed for anxiety and panic disorders since 1981. While many find it helpful for short-term relief, it is highly addictive and
Addiction is a chronic, relapsing disease defined by dangerous irresponsibility and impulsivity. Convincing a substance-dependent individual to voluntarily seek treatment is difficult at best. Many live in chronic denial about
In the rapidly expanding universe of addiction, success stories always offer a welcome light through a dark and seemingly endless tunnel. Overcoming addiction to any substance is, at best, difficult—
Heroin is a dangerous, unpredictable opiate that continues to claim lives and wreck families despite its illicit, Schedule 1 status. The black-market drug, once sold almost exclusively in inner cities
Women’s mental health has become a source of growing concern in this country, as women’s rates of alcoholism and other drug addictions, especially heroin and opiates, continue to rise at
No longer a pure derivative of the opium poppy plant, modern-day heroin is a killer of epidemic proportions, resulting in 8,260 deaths in 2013 and continuing its deadly ascent into
Addiction is a chronic, relapsing brain disease characterized by compulsive use and drug seeking that persists despite mounting negative consequences. Substance use disorders (SUDs) affect millions of Americans. Heroin addiction
The frightening statistics of heroin addiction and misuse, not to mention the increasing number of heroin overdose deaths, is enough to strike fear into parents of adolescents and teens. Being
Even with the staggering increase in drug overdose deaths in 2017 linked to heroin (15,858), other synthetic opiates, predominantly fentanyl (29,406) and drug combinations including heroin, the signs of heroin
Heroin is classified as an illicit, Schedule 1 narcotic by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) because of its incredibly dangerous, unpredictable nature. Despite its reputation for being highly damaging
Alcohol is America’s ever-present recreational drug of choice. With the backing of a powerful, billion-dollar advertising industry that ensures that alcoholic beverages are available almost everywhere, alcohol is an integral
Heroin is an illicit opiate and central nervous system (CNS) depressant that works by binding to opiate receptors in the brain. This binding process alters both the perception and physical
Heroin is a derivative of morphine naturally found in the opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) plant but considered approximately three times more potent. Classified as a Schedule 1 illicit narcotic by
“Medical detox” is the first step to recovery for anyone serious about kicking a drinking habit once and for all. Medical detox from alcohol refers to a supervised, inpatient passage
Cocaine is a potent psychostimulant derived from the coca plant indigenous to South America. Originally used by natives until the 19th century, and erroneously assumed to be safe, cocaine’s highly
Families desperate to find help for a loved one with a drug or alcohol addiction who refuses treatment may turn to an intervention as a last resort. The truth is
What is wet brain? “Wet brain,” officially known as “Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome” (WKS), is a serious neurological disorder caused by habitual, long-term alcohol abuse. The disorder was named after Russian physician
TABLE OF CONTENTS Synthetic drugs are an increasingly popular category of addictive substances derived from chemical compounds. Illicitly manufactured by “street chemists” using technically legal chemicals, they are considered far
Methadone is a synthetic opiate painkiller commonly used to treat individuals suffering from opiate addiction—especially to heroin and prescription painkillers. A long-acting opiate, methadone was originally introduced in the mid-1900s
Oxycodone belongs to a class of narcotic drugs known as opiate analgesics. Frequently prescribed for the management of moderate to severe pain, Oxycodone is classified as a Schedule 8 Substance
Methamphetamine (“meth” for short) is classified as a highly addictive stimulant by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Also known on the black market as “ice,” “crystal,” “chalk,” “blade,” “quartz,” “glass,”
In 2016, approximately 2.1 million people had an opiate use disorder (OUD) involving opiates, drugs such as painkillers like hydrocodone, oxycodone and fentanyl, or the street drug heroin. Overcoming chronic
Klonopin (Clonazepam) belongs to a class of prescription drugs known as benzodiazepines (benzos), which are sedatives commonly used as anti-anxiety and anti-convulsant medications. Klonopin was originally designed by chemist Leo
Fentanyl is an extremely potent, synthetic opiate prescribed for the management of severe pain. Popular on the street and profitable on a growing black market, it is illicitly manufactured in
Codeine is an opiate medication commonly prescribed for the treatment of pain. Classified as a Schedule 11 narcotic by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in pain relief products containing codeine
Adderall, a popular stimulant combining amphetamine and dextroamphetamine, is used primarily to treat attention hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and (less commonly) narcolepsy. The drug also appears on the Drug Enforcement Administration’s
Two of America’s most recreationally abused substances, alcohol, and cocaine, form a particularly dangerous combination when mixed. Alcohol is, without a doubt, America’s most prevalent recreational drug. Enormously popular and
Drug addiction is neither chosen nor curable, but a chronic illness like asthma, cancer or diabetes. While proper treatment can send symptoms into remission, there’s always risk they’ll come back.
Cocaine and Xanax are two popular drugs of abuse that are even deadlier when used in combination with one another. Even so, the practice of mixing “uppers” like cocaine (a
The most popular intoxicating drug after alcohol, marijuana has been exalted and vilified, used in ancient religious ceremonies and twenty-first-century medicine, demonized and dismissed… Records from ancient China show that
Although heroin has been feared for two generations as an addictive drug of the worst kind, it originally was marketed as a cure for other opiate addictions. Heroin was first
Hydrocodone, a pain killer commonly prescribed in combination with acetaminophen, is the most popular opiate (narcotic) available in the US. Hydrocodone abuse is rampant, with illicit distribution and immoderate use
Treatment of opiate addiction, or “opioid use disorder” (OUD), is a complex and comprehensive process that involves assessment, diagnosis, medication, psychosocial support, planning a treatment program, monitoring and numerous other
There are no legal uses for crystal methamphetamine, also called crystal meth, “ice” or “glass.” Methamphetamine, however, has a long history, originally given to soldiers during World War II to
Alcohol addiction is often hidden behind a veil of secrecy and denial. Loved ones may notice subtle changes in behavior but fail to recognize these as signs of a drinking
You’ve decided to seek treatment for your substance abuse problem. No doubt, you made this decision in part after watching your addiction taint the most important areas of your life,
Those considering treatment for a drinking problem naturally may wonder about the success rate of alcohol recovery as it relates to their own prospects for finding freedom from the drug.
Before attempting alcohol detox, there are some life-saving facts that you need to know— including why medically supervised withdrawal is an imperative for chronic heavy drinkers. Put on your alcohol
Naloxone vs Naltrexone. They are two must-have tools in the fight against today’s opiate epidemic but what’s the difference? Learn all about them here: The scourge of opiate addiction and
Starting higher education is stressful for both the new student and the family left at home. Parents, especially, worry about the influences their child might encounter. All those horror stories
Xanax, a benzodiazepine medication introduced in 1981, is used to treat anxiety and panic disorders. In the early twenty-first century, it was the most commonly prescribed psychotropic (mood-altering) drug in
Leaves of the coca plant, native to Central and South America, release a stimulant and are chewed by rural laborers to keep their energy up. Pure cocaine powder was first
Alcohol is the most widely used substance in the world and one of the most addictive. In 2016, of the 20.1 million people in the United States with a substance
Although they may make up half the general population (official estimates range from 26 to 50 percent), introverts often feel like a second-class minority. The American ideal is the gregarious,
Most chemical addictions begin with attempts to “self-medicate” negative feelings—feelings that life is less than it was meant to be. With or without accompanying addictions, that problem is extremely common.
The decision you’ve made to go to rehab for problems with drugs or alcohol no doubt took a great deal of thought, courage and determination. Now that you’re about to
Whether they are active duty or retired, returning military personnel experience significantly higher rates of alcohol abuse than the general U.S. population. Men and women in the military also have
The popular image of a soldier (depending on whether you believe in the cause they’re fighting for) is either “fearless, tough, unyielding” or “brutal, insensitive, ruthless.” In either case, the
The teenage years present an often-tumultuous period of growth and development. Learning how to effectively cope with raging hormones, conflicting emotions, rapid or delayed physical and emotional growth, peer pressure,
Despite the decline in fixed ideas of “man’s job” and “women’s work,” despite increasing acceptance of gender-atypical and even gender-neutral individuals, most experts agree that, as a rule, there really
When it comes to addiction, pride makes you your own worst enemy. Pride leads people to numb emotional and physical pains with drugs rather than heed their bodies’ “You aren’t
If problems with drug and alcohol abuse have begun to wreak havoc with your life and you’ve decided that treatment is your best option, it’s not as simple as walking
If you or a loved one are experiencing difficulties due to drug and alcohol abuse, you may be eligible for addiction treatment. In fact, millions of Americans are eligible for
Initially, it may seem like a stretch to consider how treatment for a drug or alcohol problem could actually benefit your future career. After all, deliberations about how 30-plus days
Families considering treatment for a loved one with addiction can benefit from knowing that the gold standard for treating substance use disorders (SUDs) involving alcohol or drugs is dual diagnosis
When you or a loved one enters treatment to overcome addiction, you want the best treatment available, one that’s evidence-based to be effective, and that offers the best prospects for
Looking forward to your life in recovery post-rehab may fill you with simultaneously conflicting emotions of hope and fear. Being new to sobriety means you will be vulnerable to life’s
You or your loved one has taken the all-important first step to recovery by making the initial call to a drug or alcohol treatment center. Maybe it was to begin
When you first get clean from drugs, you experience a great sense of relief, even euphoria. For a while, it feels as though you will never have another problem. That
In the 1970s and 1980s, drug-addiction concerns focused primarily on teenagers who got high for fun because “all my friends were doing it.” Even where it was acknowledged that many
With all the talk today about painkiller addiction, people can get a little uneasy about accepting any painkiller prescription—especially when they have everything to lose. Someone who’s old and terminally
For the first decade after electronic cigarettes were introduced to the international market in 2006, they were largely unregulated—even adolescents under 18 could legally purchase e-cigarettes throughout much of the
Drug addiction treatment reduces drug use and its associated health and social costs, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), which has estimated that addiction costs the U.S.
The cost burden of a drug or alcohol addiction is often measured in societal terms. Thanks to statistics from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, we know, for example, that
Although two-adult households where both partners have addictions are in the minority, just one parent’s being chemically dependent multiplies eightfold each child’s risk of developing a similar problem. Everyone has
Whether it’s for you or a loved one, getting help for an addiction often begins with a simple phone call to a drug or alcohol treatment provider. After that, depending
Could genetic testing help reduce the opiate epidemic? The question is more than academic. Eradicating the opiate scourge has proven difficult since the epidemic began in 1999 with the explosion
Things might have begun to change in the way your parents, older spouse or other loved one go about their daily lives. With advancing age often comes the onset of
Having a loved one finally agree to professional addiction treatment is a relief—and also a source of new anxieties. Will they manage to stick it out? Will withdrawal do them
When you’re dealing with chronic or acute pain as the result of an injury or illness, taking a doctor-prescribed pain medication may be unavoidable. This is where understanding what doctors
At first glance, it might seem like an addiction to substances like alcohol, cocaine, heroin and prescription drugs has nothing in common with process addiction. However, there is increasing scientific
If you or your loved one has begun treatment for drug or alcohol addiction, or a dual diagnosis of substance use disorder and mental health issue, or a process addiction,
Intervention—a formally arranged group confrontation to convince someone to get addiction treatment—can be the spur needed to stop chemical dependence before it does irreversible damage. Or it can be the
Drug addiction is a major albatross around the neck—as much for the stigma surrounding it as for the direct physical, relational and functional problems it causes. Everybody makes mistakes, but
It can be agonizingly painful to watch a loved one or family member struggle with addiction to illicit drugs or prescription drugs used nonmedically. The fact that chronic pain is
What’s next for you after treatment for drug and alcohol abuse? Whether you’re now about to complete residential or inpatient treatment to overcome your addiction or are going to transition
Social isolation and loneliness may be a bigger threat to public health and wellness than even obesity, according to a 2017 press release from the American Psychological Association (APA). As
Benzodiazepines, called “benzos” for short, besides their therapeutic effects, have another notable effect that quickly captured public fancy among some demographic groups and facilitated a deep dive toward abuse: euphoria.
Lacking follow-up treatment or post-discharge aftercare services contributes to a high rate of relapse in the first year after treatment. Yet, as research has found, enhanced post-treatment care, such as
The best addiction-recovery journey is one that involves, not just the person struggling with the actual addiction, but his or her entire family. Whatever the specific details of the situation,
When you’re choosing a drug or alcohol treatment center for you or a loved one, one key consideration to keep in mind are differences between “in-network” and “out-of-network” coverage for
Upon first thought, a consideration of personal lifestyle preferences may not seem that relevant in the process of choosing a treatment center that is right for you. When you’re suffering
Mindfulness-based therapies are behavioral interventions for addiction and other health conditions that apply elements of mindfulness meditation to help make healthy habits stick and improve overall wellness. Often, mindfulness-based therapies
The growing consensus in the field of substance abuse treatment is that addiction is a disease of alienation, and that love and connection are central to successful recovery. With Valentine’s
Embarking on the journey to sobriety and the end goal of living in effective recovery requires ongoing commitment, detoxing from addictive substances and following up with a comprehensive, integrated treatment
If you’re beginning to think that you might need treatment for a problem that’s gotten out of control with alcohol or drugs, your instincts are on target. On the other
True addiction recovery means more than losing immediate physical cravings: it implies a long-term healthy life. The typical recovery path has four stages: Acute detox or withdrawal: the physical process
There’s a lot to think about and put into practice when you start on the path to recovery from addiction. If you’ve gone through professional treatment, you’ve likely gotten quite
In the case of any chemical dependency, whatever the substance, there are physical and/or psychological symptoms of withdrawal that can occur upon quitting the drug. “Detox” is the term that
When you’re struggling to overcome addiction, you need to get the best possible treatment to meet your needs. Unfortunately, too many who desperately want and need addiction treatment fail to
The concept of drug rehab treatment has some people seriously nervous these days, as the public becomes increasingly informed about unscrupulous treatment centers that bribe doctors for patient referrals, bill
What’s key to keeping a resolution to stay sober in 2018? The question is never more relevant than at the start of 2018 and another New Year. Getting sober—detox—is a
Over roughly the last decade, the science of behavior change has become a hot topic of research in the medical field— and it is easy to see why. The more
Following the commercial success of Sonja Lyubomirsky’s 2007 book, The How of Happiness, happiness and other emotions have gained the dignified status of being serious scientific matters—and perhaps the key
Nine out of 10 Americans who get addicted to drinking, smoking or using drugs started experimenting with drugs and/or alcohol in their teens. That data makes substance abuse “our nation’s
When you were a kid, you probably engaged in a lot of experimentation. In fact, youth is the time when the human species indulges curiosity to boldly check out unfamiliar
If the obvious stresses and traumas of addiction haven’t convinced you to get treatment, consider what other harm you may be doing to your health. Carrie Fisher, who made the
Drug abuse and pregnancy don’t mix. Period. An unborn child is at the mercy of its mother’s decisions. If a pregnant woman sees her doctor regularly, puts the right substances
Xanax (also known by the generic name “alprazolam”) is a fast-acting benzodiazepine medication that is prescribed for a wide variety of conditions—but especially panic, anxiety and insomnia, because of Xanax’
What’s one ingredient that’s essential to a positive recovery outcome? Get the answer and related tools here. Once the decision is made to enter treatment to overcome drug or alcohol
When holidays approach, instead of facing them with dread because you aren’t confident you can handle festive gatherings, office parties and other events without jeopardizing your recovery, be a little
Making it through the holidays without a precipitous slide into relapse is never far from the minds of those in recovery. The earlier the stage of recovery, the more vulnerable
If you dread celebrating the holidays when one of your family members is addicted, there are ways to reduce the risk of a major incident. For many people, winter holiday
Holidays. Maybe you think that now that you’re sober you can’t enjoy yourself anymore. Family gatherings? If you’ve crossed them off your list, now’s an appropriate time to rethink that
Will you be celebrating the holidays with family this year? If so, learn what three addiction triggers to watch for—and, how to manage them with your family’s help. Your family
According to estimates from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), more than 25 million Americans live with chronic pain daily, and more than 40 million adults experience severe pain levels.
Prescription drugs are big business, both in America and globally, forecast to reach nearly $1.5 trillion globally and as high as $610 billion in the U.S. by 2021. While projections
Quality of life is something everyone wants, but few find easy to describe. Even professional researchers agree only that it touches most life circumstances and is based on personal perceptions
Most people naturally love music in one form or another. And many doctors consider music a useful tool in treating various illnesses, including Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, depression—and substance use disorder.
If you’ve come to the realization that your life is falling apart or that you’ve become dependent on alcohol, drugs, some combination of the two, possibly in conjunction with anxiety,
What’s the difference between early and late-stage alcoholism? Learn what it is— and, why it’s never a good idea to wait to get help for a drinking problem. Addiction, like
Addiction experts now know that gratitude can improve treatment outcomes for substance abuse. But there is another invaluable way in which gratitude can boost your long-term recovery. Gratitude can strengthen
You’ve got a lot invested in yourself by going into treatment for addiction. Give yourself credit for making the tough decision to do so and to stick it out despite
Researchers in recent years have sought to understand the link between gratitude and health. Specifically, they have wanted to know whether a practice of giving thanks yields positive health benefits
A growing body of research has revealed that certain factors correlate with positive recovery outcomes. What are these biggest predictors of success in recovery? This article provides an overview based
Cravings are common in recovery from drugs and alcohol. Knowing the oncoming signals and how to resist them is thus critical to avoiding relapse. Arm yourself with these helpful tips:
Employee substance abuse is a frequent issue in the workplace— one that managers and higher-ups must handle with vigilance and discretion. Get equipped with this quick but exhaustive guide that
It’s the latest dangerous new drug trend among today’s teens, with as many as one in four having tried it. Learn what every parent should know about dripping and its
“Love is all you need,” went the Beatles hit. Now, there’s scientific evidence to vouch for it. Discover why love and connection are an integral part of recovery from addiction,
Not every therapist is good for your recovery. A good therapeutic fit and strong rapport is key to progress. Learn what to look for and key considerations when vetting prospective
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