For many people, starting the new year off with a hefty list of New Year’s resolutions just makes sense, but for someone in recovery from a substance use disorder, things like weight loss or saving more money can seem pretty trivial. About 40% of the population participates in forming resolutions these days, but a mere...
International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD) is a global event held on August 31st each year and aims to raise awareness of substance overdose and reduce the stigma of a drug-related death. It also acknowledges the grief felt by families and friends remembering those who have met with death or permanent injury as a result of...
Whether or not you have been keeping up with current events lately, you may have heard about something called fentanyl. Maybe you’ve seen it time and again on your Facebook feed and just haven’t had the time to investigate further or maybe it’s something you did a quick speed read through before you headed to work...
Prescription drug abuse is not as rare as many might think. In fact, 23.5 million Americans are currently addicted to drugs or alcohol and only a mere fraction of these people get the addiction treatment that they need. Often times, the problem starts out innocently enough. There are cases of mothers who start taking painkillers...
A new drug has made the headlines recently when it was announced that Prince died due to an overdose of Fentanyl. Everyone is talking about it but, really, what is Fentanyl and what makes it so dangerous? What Exactly is Fentanyl? Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid analgesic that has a rapid onset and a...
If you’ve ever had major surgery or chronic pain you know the reality of having to rely on pain medication. You take your medication on time, sometimes even having to watch the clock, waiting anxiously for the next time you can take another. Just so you can feel okay. This is a reality for many...
In our country, many people are in need of opiate rehab. Opiates cover a wide range of drugs, including illegal drugs such as heroin and opium, and they also include many prescription pain medicine drugs such as Codeine, Morphine, Oxycodone (i.e., Oxycontin), and Hydrocodone (i.e., Vicodin). Opiate addiction is a major problem in the U.S.,...
The United States is currently in the midst of a major heroin epidemic. The rate of heroin-related overdose deaths have almost quadrupled between 2002 and 2013, and in the year 2013 alone, 8,200 Americans lost their lives to heroin. Many are butting heads on what the best solution would be to solve the growing heroin...
Every 19 minutes someone dies from an opioid overdose. The rate of opioid overdose rose 14% from 2013 to 2014. If you work in the addiction treatment industry or if you simply keep up with the news out of interest, you have statistics like these memorized. It’s a long-awaited relief that the Obama administration also...
Change is in the air for the prescription opioid problem that has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. After the CDC announced their new guidelines for doctors who prescribe opiates just last week, The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had an announcement of their own. The FDA announced this month that it’s making it...
