Methamphetamine is a highly addictive drug that can induce addiction with just a few uses. Similar in chemical composition to amphetamine, meth is a stimulant that provides the user with a euphoric-like rush, feelings of grandiosity, and sleeplessness that can last as long as twelve hours following a dose. This high is then followed by...Read More
Sending a child off to college is a big moment for a parent. They worry about how their offspring will juggle their various responsibilities, if they will eat healthily, and if they will be safe on campus. In addition, parents are often concerned about whether their children will be able to resist the urge to...Read More
An Overview Deaths from opioid overdose have been at record levels in recent years. As a result, there has been more interest in ways to prevent deaths from overdoses. Narcan is the solution currently in use. Narcan is the trademark name for the drug naloxone hydrochloride, a prescription medication used to reverse overdoses from opioids...Read More
The opioid epidemic has had a staggering impact on the United States, killing Americans across the country at alarming rates, but it has now taken on an additional terrifying dimension thanks to a synthetic opioid known as fentanyl. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, “In 2016, synthetic opioids (primarily illegal fentanyl) passed prescription...Read More
It is no coincidence that people struggling with substance abuse often also experience mental illness, including depression.Not only can substance abuse and mental illness both share underlying causes, but they can each complicate the other condition.Risk factors for addiction can be related to family history, relationships, high stress levels, and living with a mental illness....Read More
Nearly two years ago, the Surgeon General declared substance abuse a public health crisis. At the time, a government report was issued, stating that our country needs to start treating addiction, “Not as a moral failing, but as a chronic illness that must be treated with skill, urgency and compassion. The way we address this...Read More
It is natural to want to love and support people who are important to us, especially when they are suffering from an illness. Addiction, like any other illness, can wear on the person diagnosed and the people around them. It is important, therefore, to ensure that the people who make up the support system of...Read More
Although the opioid crisis attracts the most media attention, prescription benzodiazepines are also being abused at record high rates. In fact, growing numbers of public health experts fear a new addiction epidemic affecting teens as well as vulnerable seniors. An Overview of Benzos Benzodiazepines, often simply referred to as benzos, are a class of medications...Read More
Something feels wrong. Until now, you’ve never suspected your teen son or daughter to be abusing drugs or alcohol because they’ve never given you a reason. They come home when they are supposed to, they excel in school—aren’t teens involved in drugs and alcohol reckless and absent? Herein lies the standard misconception that people who...Read More
The war on drugs is nowhere near over, and we continue to lose our loved ones to illicit and prescription overdoses. According to the CDC, in 2015, 47,055 people died from drug overdoses – 1.5 times greater than the number of people killed in car crashes. Typically it’s heroin and opioids that contribute to the...Read More
