Research indicates that drug use can be linked to a number of negative stimulants that can range from depression and loneliness to peer pressure, self medication, and casual recreation. In some cases, individuals can even be predisposed to use drugs based on their genetic makeup. The subject of addiction, however, is a different story entirely.…
Substance addiction is a disease that forces your brain to seek pleasure from something that does your body an incredible amount of harm and has absolutely no upside, save the fleeting feeling of euphoria that soon becomes weaker and weaker as your body begins to crave more and more of said substance. Those that abuse…
The short answer is a resounding yes. Research indicates that the detoxification process can be one of the most difficult and testing periods of an individual’s life. In this process, an individual effectively forces themselves to enter into a stage of intense withdrawal and allow their bodies to purge themselves of a substance that has…
Arguments abound over whether drugs like suboxone and methadone are more effective in treating addiction that abstinence-based treatment and recovery programs. The controversy, it seems, revolves around two factors: mortality rates and quality of life. The medical community recognizes that opioid maintenance medications reduce the risk of death in opioid-dependent users, while abstinence-based treatment recognizes…
Going to treatment is just the beginning of living a rewarding and happy life in sobriety. Many people attempting to recover from addiction and alcoholism make several attempts before they are finally able to live a life of sobriety. However, as opioid overdose rates skyrocket and the drug becomes more lethal with the introduction of…
Drugs like suboxone and methadone are used to treat opioid addiction by delivering enough narcotic to reduce the symptoms of withdrawal. The theory is that these medications will keep a person addicted to opioids from using them by replacing their drug of choice with a safer prescription medication. Suboxone, in particular, contains naloxone, an opioid…
Drug overdoses now lead the charge in cause of accidental death in the United States. Many experts point to specific events such as legislation that was passed and pharmaceutical companies introducing powerful, long-acting drugs. These are critical to point out but avoid the true ramifications of the crisis. Building Cooperation While the epidemic of opioid…
Opiate users are opiate addicts This perpetuation of this myth is, you could say, well-intended. America is becoming more aware of the danger of opiate medications, leading to a growing stigma surrounding them. However, it’s important that the public understands that opiate medications, like prescription painkillers, themselves aren’t bad; that no medication can be characterized…
A new study from a major insurance provider has revealed that opioid addiction is still on the rise and that, sadly, many who are struggling with opioid addiction are not getting the care that they need. Blue Cross Blue Shield released data analyzing the number of diagnoses for “opioid use disorder” between 2010 to…
For the first time in Rhode Island state history, a man has been convicted of murder for selling drugs that led to a fatal overdose. Aaron Andrade was convicted of second degree murder in an overdose death where he was found to have supplied the drugs. Andrade admitted to selling almost pure Fentanyl to Kristen…