As debate continues to stir regarding the recent passing of Proposition 47, it has come into question how this will affect the world of treating addiction. Also known as the Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act, many Californians are displeased with the passing of this proposition. […]
Category: Drug Addiction
The New Face of Heroin Addiction
There is a new face of heroin and it hits way too close to home for comfort for suburban families. Heroin tendencies have transferred from inner cities and impoverished neighborhoods to white suburban neighborhoods. Where affluence used to mean stability, it now means drug experimentation. […]
Opioid And Prescription Medication Addiction In The Elderly
Despite common belief, addiction is a nondiscriminatory disease that can affect anyone, regardless of age, color, race, ethnicity, financial status, or gender. Addiction can take place in a wide range of forms, including prescription medication addiction. Of the large majority of the United States population […]
How Long Does It Really Take To Kick Addiction?
So, how long does it really take to kick addiction? Like most illnesses, addiction recovery timelines are directly dependent on the individual at hand. Many considering seeking treatment are more concerned with how long they will have to commit to such treatment programs, as opposed […]
NIDA – 13 Principles for Effective Treatment of Addiction
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) is a federal agency affiliated with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and its mission is to use scientific research about drug and alcohol abuse to aid in prevention, treatment, and public policy. In 1999, NIDA issued 13 […]
7 Designer Drugs Parents Should Know About
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 […]
An Evolving Prison Door? The Benefits of Drug Courts
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 […]
These Aren’t Your Grandma’s Brownies: Marijuana Edibles
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 […]
No U-Turns? Why Relapse Addiction Isn’t Failure
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, […]
Schizophrenia and the Risks of Substance Abuse
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 […]