Both alcohol and drugs create a dangerous welcome mat for any disease – coronavirus included. For alcohol users, excessive drinking can damage many internal organs – including your overall immune system. For drug users, especially opioid users, it can directly affect lung compacity. All of this means that those with substance use disorder can be…
Addiction: The Population I Never Knew I Wanted to Work With
Many people are drawn to this industry because of personal experience or a passion for working with substance use disorders. Some people find recovery for themselves and then want to share the gift with others, while some people focus their studies on this population while in graduate school. Not me. When I was nearing graduation,…
What is Addiction?
Addiction covers a wide spectrum. Some people perceive addiction as a voluntary lack of discipline while others view it as an involuntary physical condition. So what is addiction? Well, according to the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), addiction is a primary, chronic disease of brain reward, motivation, memory, and related circuitry. It’s important to…
Is Suboxone Just As Addictive As Heroin?
There is no doubt that we are in the midst of a devastating heroin epidemic. Every day, opioid overdoses are responsible for more than 130 deaths across America. These overdoses are destroying families and ravaging entire communities. They are ruthless and terrifying. Nobody is immune to these horrifying statistics, and people of all ages and…
How Can I Help Someone Who Is Going Through Withdrawal?
Withdrawal can undoubtedly be the ugliest part of the addiction and recovery cycle. It can be emotionally and physically excruciating for the individual experiencing it. However, even for loved ones, it can be just as challenging and heartbreaking to watch. Fortunately, most withdrawal processes are not life-threatening. With appropriate supervision and monitoring, peak symptoms often…
How do you stop the craving for alcohol?
If you or a loved one has struggled with alcoholism, then undoubtedly you have had some experience with alcohol cravings. When someone is addicted to a drug like alcohol, the chances are that they’ll experience a very strong desire for that substance when they don’t have any. Learning to manage these cravings is one of…
How Fast Can You Get Addicted To Heroin?
America has a devastating opioid problem, and heroin rates continue to rise every year, with about a million people using it in the past year. Heroin, of course, has its distinct, life-threatening risks. Every use results in potentially fatal consequences. Furthermore, as more and more drug dealers lace heroin with harder, cheaper substances like fentanyl,…
How Can You Tell If Someone Has Relapsed On Drugs?
It’s your greatest fear. It’s a living nightmare, and it’s a nightmare that keeps you anxious, hypervigilant, and even obsessed. Watching loved ones struggle with an addiction is one of the hardest experiences you can encounter. There is such a moment of relief when they complete treatment or start to embrace the concepts of sobriety….
How Can I Help my Alcoholic Daughter?
It can be very difficult to live with an alcoholic, regardless of your relationship to them. The problem becomes even more difficult if the alcoholic is a close family member of yours, such as your daughter. You will likely be dealing with a difficult emotional situation, and it’s natural to wonder what you can do…
How Can You Tell if Someone is Abusing Drugs?
Drug addiction is not only dangerous for the person who is struggling with it, but for those around them. It can be challenging to understand and deal with someone who is addicted to drugs – especially if you’re not confident that they’re dealing with a drug problem. Because of the way that many struggling addicts…