At the end of last week, we covered an important subject matter regarding the disease of addiction. Specifically, regarding how substance use and abuse is viewed. The American College of Physicians (ACP) published a position paper recently containing recommendations for reigning in the American opioid addiction epidemic. While opioids were the focus of the organization,...Read More

The ever-changing landscape of marijuana law throughout the country demands that copious amounts of scientific research be conducted. Without such studies, there is no way to understand the true risks of legalizing a drug that’s use has been prohibited for nearly a century. Recently, a new study was presented that showed that marijuana users are...Read More

Last week, the U.S. Congress approved the 21st Century Cures Act, which, among other things, aims to tackle the American opioid epidemic. The bill calls for $1 billion in funding for expanding access to addiction treatment centers across the country and strengthening existing mental health parity laws. While there are several critics of the Cures...Read More

The stakes are incredibly high for people using heroin today, much more so than for people who used heroin over a decade ago. There was a time when heroin addicts would wonder if a bag was either weak or strong; however, today’s heroin addicts find themselves wondering if their heroin is weak, strong or fatal...Read More

There is a serious lack of understanding when comes to marijuana. Decades of prohibition in the United States made it very difficult to conduct research on the drug, a substance that some believe is relatively harmless and should be legal for adult use, while others believe it should be illegal. Then there is a group...Read More

It is not uncommon for people with a family history of addiction for themselves to have a problem with drugs or alcohol. Addiction is often referred to as a family disease for two reasons. 1) A person’s addiction affects the entire family. 2) Young people with a family history of substance use disorder are more...Read More

Role playing is a common technique used by addiction counselors to help people new to recovery learn how to navigate their way through (seemingly) real life situations without picking up a drug or a drink. While such techniques may be effective, they require participants to imagine that they are not in a clinical setting, but...Read More

Addressing the opioid crisis in the United States has become a top priority among government officials on multiple levels, including President Obama. The prescription opioid epidemic and subsequent, concurrent heroin scourge cuts people’s lives short everyday; the crisis is tearing families apart and is bogging down both emergency health and mental health services. While it...Read More

Humans have been brewing and distilling alcoholic beverages for  millennia, on top of being used for entertainment, it is used in many religious ceremonies. Worldwide, no other mind altering substance is used more than alcohol. The reasons for alcohol’s popularity are varied, but perhaps the greatest cause of use (in developed nations) is the fact...Read More

If you are in early recovery you may be finding, with Christmas approaching fast, that the holidays are proving to be a challenge. It is a feeling that is completely normal; it can take some time to learn how to cope with the multitude of emotions that rise up. For many in early recovery, there...Read More