Category: Addiction/Substance Abuse

Recovery Month: A Time for Celebration and Hope

It’s easy to feel hopeless and defeated when you’ve struggled with drug and alcohol abuse for years. The addiction cycle keeps many people trapped for months, years, and even decades. One report from the National Institutes of Health revealed that 10% of U.S. adults have drug use disorder at some point during their life. The

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COVID-19 Sends Drug Overdose Deaths Skyrocketing

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an incredible number of unpredictable circumstances and situations. From increased time spent at home as a result of such factors including job loss, children and young adults being home from school or college, and businesses of all kinds closing, the pandemic created unexpected situations for everyone around the world.

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Understanding Alcoholism During Alcohol Awareness Month

Each April marks Alcohol Awareness Month, a campaign to spread the truth about those trapped in the grips of alcohol abuse. Alcohol Awareness Month is sponsored by the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD). NCADD encourages communities and organizations to put on events that raise public awareness and educate people on the prevention

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Alcohol Use on the Rise During COVID-19: What Are the Consequences?

As the United States settled into their residences amidst statewide stay-at-home orders, media outlets reported skyrocketing alcohol use during COVID-19. Headlines in major news publishers pointed to rising percentages of alcohol sales during March and April. Concern for the country’s consumption levels grew, too. Newsweek reported a 55 percent increase in alcohol sales over a

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Is Internet and Video Gaming Addiction real?

What does the word addiction mean? According to Merriam-Webster, it is the “compulsive need for and use of a habit-forming substance (such as heroin, nicotine, or alcohol) characterized by tolerance and by well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal.” Many people view addiction being associated with substances like food, drugs, or alcohol, but we know that is

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Depressed Man

Suicide is on the rise. Is mental illness to blame?

Although global suicide rates have declined nearly a third since 1990, they are on the rise in the United States. According to data released in June 2019 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), US suicide rates are at their highest level since World War II.  Rates have increased an average 1% a

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The Most Common Myths about Addiction

By: Michelle Quilter, PsyD, CASAC Frequently, individuals that struggle with substance use disorders battle societal stigma and array of misconceptions about addiction in general, often causing a barrier for seeking treatment. There is progress being made to reduce societal judgment and clarify the myths surrounding substance use disorders. Unfortunately, this progress is happening slowly while

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What should you know about Opioids?

We are recognizing National Prevention Week, an annual health observance dedicated to increasing the awareness of. and action around, mental health and substance use disorders. Each year different themes are included to focus on major substance use and mental health topics. One of them is Preventing Prescription and opioid misuse. Thinking about this theme, let’s

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Depressed man drinking beer at the bar

How can alcohol make anxiety worse?

Anxiety is a relatively common symptom of increased alcohol use, and for people who are prone to bouts of anxiety, it can exacerbate symptoms and impair functioning.  Everyday anxiety over stressful situations can be normal, but when anxiety becomes too intense and prolonged it can become a problem. Individuals with an anxiety disorder will often

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Tablet with the chemical formula of fentanyl.

Fentanyl: Everyday Life in America

Apache, China Girl, China Town, Jackpot, Murder 8 – these are just some of the many street names for fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is 80-100 times stronger than morphine. It is an FDA approved prescription drug that is typically used to treat long-term severe pain or pain after surgery. For this purpose, it is

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