Designer Drugs are a category of psychoactive narcotics created from synthetic chemicals to mirror the effects of other drugs. In some instances, a slight chemical modification can increase the potency of these illicit products, making them even more powerful, addictive and dangerous than they were […]
So, here’s a complicated conundrum: many divisions of the federal government, including the Department of Health and Human Services, consider substance abuse and dependency a “public health problem.” After all, it’s widely advocated in the medical community and many U.S. government departments that addiction is […]
Pot has come a long way in the last 30 years, and to coin a phrase, not all of it has been “totally chill, man.” For instance, as the science of growing marijuana has evolved, levels of THC, its primary psychoactive ingredient, have also dramatically […]
Though there’s been a lot of discussion about the issue, let’s take a moment and review the facts about addiction. Addiction is defined as a chronic, relapsing brain disease. Substance abuse actually alters the chemical structure of the brain. The result can be long-term changes, […]
One of the most stigmatized mental disorders in the United States is Schizophrenia. Much of the population associates this severe, chronic and disabling illness with violence, drug abuse and even homelessness. It’s then startling to find out that the National Institute of Mental Health estimates […]
In San Francisco last month, more than 600 former NFL players, led in part by hall of fame quarterback Jim McMahon, filed a class action complaint against the National Football League in U.S. District Court. The players claim that they were regularly administered addictive pain […]
Is it time for a coffee break yet? Thanks in part to a designer coffee house on every block, America is the now largest consumer of stimulants, both legal and illegal, in the world. Our relationship with these drugs is a complicated one, too. Air […]
More prevalent among teenagers, inhalants are a growing drug abuse problem. Products that readily found around the house such as paint, glue, aerosols and cleaning solvents all have mind-altering properties and therefore the potential for abuse. Also known as “huffing”, most inhalants can cause slurred […]
The chaos of addiction isn’t limited only to addicts and alcoholics. It extends outward to a person’s family and friends, who suffer right alongside their addicted loved one. While addiction is a disease, it’s a unique medical condition that can tear families apart, and often […]
Teens in the 60s did a lot of drugs and they turned out okay, right? Well…maybe some of them would have turned out better without the drugs. Saying that the human brain is a complex system is an understatement. Four weeks after conception, the brain […]
