According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), an estimated 1.5 million Americans aged 12 or older were using cocaine in 2014. Annual surveys suggest that cocaine use has been quite stable since 2009 – with nearly 505,224 emergency… Read More ›
Tag: addiction
What is THC?
With marijuana becoming legalized in various parts of the United States for medical and/or recreational purposes, it’s important to know what you’re consuming. According to a 2017 poll conducted by the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion, 52% of Americans… Read More ›
How Do People Become Addicted to a Substance?
If you have a loved one who is struggling with substance abuse, you may feel frustrated, angry, or downright hopeless. “How could they have gone this far?” you may ask yourself. Many friends and family members of loved ones with… Read More ›
What Is The Definition of Being “In Recovery”?
The following quote was found on The Mighty, “You wake up every morning to fight the same demons that left you so tired the night before, and that, my love, is bravery.” Yes, it’s true that recovery is quite subjective –… Read More ›
What If I Don’t Like My Therapist?
Therapeutic relationships are similar to other professional relationships in that it takes time for both parties to come to an understanding of one another. At first, you may have an idealistic view of your therapist – but these perceptions may… Read More ›
How Likely Is It That I Will Relapse?
It’s normal to feel worried about relapse – in the addiction and mental illness recovery realm, many people fear relapse because it is seen as this horrible sign of failure, even though it isn’t. In fact, many recovery experts say… Read More ›
What Happens When Someone Overdoses on Heroin?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), around 828,000 people reported using heroin in the United States in 2015, and the numbers have likely increased from there. Heroin is a synthetic but highly addictive opioid that produces… Read More ›
As A Parent, How Can I Break My Family’s Cycle of Addiction?
Growing up in a family where addiction is ever present can feel like a never-ending cycle that you’re destined to repeat. For many, addiction is all they’ve ever known – whether you’ve had to take on additional roles as a… Read More ›
Everything Will Be Okay: The Stages of Change in Recovery
Recovery is a lot like life. It has ups and downs, twists and turns, and a lot of unexpected surprises. While many people dread the unexpected, it’s actually what works best for us because it forces us to grow and… Read More ›
Is There A Lot of Pain with Benzodiazepine Withdrawal?
Most often used for anxiety, epilepsy and alcohol dependence, benzodiazepines are man-made drugs that help treat symptoms such as the reduced need for sleep, racing thoughts, unusual talkativeness, agitation, and more. By increasing GABA (a neurotransmitter in the central nervous… Read More ›