It isn’t easy to describe the 2020 holiday season. Under the best of circumstances, people are trying to coordinate meals, gifts, travel, and time off from work. This year, however, people are figuring out how to stay safe from the Covid-19 epidemic and cope with some typical holiday stressors. For people in recovery, the stakes…
When most people think of drug and alcohol abuse, they may picture a homeless person with a liquor bottle, someone buying heroin on a street corner, or someone searching a medicine cabinet for a prescription benzodiazepine. They don’t often think of the cough syrup in the house or even the hand sanitizer that we see…
As science has evolved, a wide array of drugs are now available that can make a tremendous, positive difference in the lives of tens of millions of people who suffer from a variety of painful disorders. Sadly, as far as we have come, we still have a long way to go, as ample evidence exists…
Cocaine can be a very addictive substance as it creates a rush of dopamine in the brain that increases feelings of pleasure. By altering the chemical composition of the brain, cocaine becomes increasingly difficult to quit. The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that over 14 percent of Americans who are 12 and above have…
Xanax, most commonly prescribed for anxiety and panic attacks, is a highly addictive benzodiazepine. Due to the fact that is very easy to develop a tolerance to Xanax, there is an extremely high potential for addiction, even when the drug is prescribed by a doctor. Currently, Xanax is the most commonly prescribed psychoactive drug in…
There is a reason that substance use disorder reaches a point where a person cannot resist their cravings and cannot avoid their triggers. The way drugs and alcohol affect the brain after continued use changes the way neurons send and receive signals to stimulate behavior and emotions. In short, understanding the way drugs and alcohol…
While it may be difficult to notice if a loved one is internally struggling with addiction, physical signs are often the most tangible way to detect a potential addiction. When there is a dramatic and noticeable change to someone’s physical appearance in a short time span, it is often hinting at a larger problem. If…
In October 2019 CNN’s “This is Life with Lisa Ling” (CNN) explored a growing drug epidemic, an increase in prescriptions for benzodiazepine, and their misuse. A year later as the world struggles to manage the Coronavirus pandemic, studies show an increase in people reporting anxiety. In fact, in the US, a recent poll by the…
After 16 years of sobriety and a substance-free life, actor Dax Shepard recently revealed that he has relapsed and recently struggled with an opioid addiction. Last week, Dax Shepard released a very vulnerable and uncharacteristic episode of his podcast “Armchair”, where he bravely opens up about his recent relapse. In this episode titled “Day 7”,…
Nationally recognized and observed every September, National Recovery Month is finally here! With the goal of educating and raising awareness about substance use treatment as well as mental health treatment, National Recovery Month aims to shine an important light on recovery in a number of ways. Most importantly, National Recovery Month is a way to…