SPEEDBALLS
When you hear the word speedball, your first thought might be of a particularly fast baseball pitch. Unfortunately, in the context of addiction, it’s something much more sinister. A speedball is a mix of cocaine and heroin or morphine that can be taken either intravenously or by snorting into the nose, which is called nasal […]
THE METH EFFECT
Crystal Meth is rising in popularity in use simply because of its quick high and low price tag. Unfortunately, meth is manufactured by street criminals and contains several poisonous chemicals. Not only can these chemicals pose a serious threat to your health immediately, they can have a lasting negative effect on your mind, body, and […]
KROKODIL
Krokodil is the street name for a drug called desomorphine that first appeared in Russia around 2002. It is made up of codeine-based headache pills and household ingredients like gasoline, iodine, hydrochloric acid, paint thinner, and red phosphorus from matchboxes. These are mixed together and then injected. Some of its other names are zombie drug, […]
DEATHS OF DESPAIR
For nearly as long as we’ve been hearing about the opioid epidemic, we’ve been told that the crisis is worse in rural areas. And it’s true – according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Americans who live in rural communities are more vulnerable to prescription painkiller abuse and overdoses. Unbelievably, despite only 20 […]
RURAL VETERANS AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE
According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, one in ten members of the armed forces who are seen by the VA after returning from Iraq and Afghanistan have a problem with alcohol or drug use. Alcohol is often used while overseas, both as a way to relax and as a social activity. Misuse of painkillers […]
WET HOMELESS SHELTERS
It’s a common belief that most homeless people are addicted to drugs or alcohol. While this isn’t true of everyone, there are a distressingly high number of homeless who struggle with substance abuse. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, in 2003, 38 percent of homeless people were dependent on alcohol and […]
DRUGS AND MALE FERTILITY
Apart from the many other reasons people shouldn’t do illegal drugs, studies show that certain substances can affect the male reproductive system, lessening the chances of having offspring. Some drugs affect sperm count, sperm motility (movement), and the testes, and can even pass on damaged genes to children. Anabolic steroids (also called anabolic-androgenic steroids) are […]
AVOIDANCE
Many people with alcohol or drug use disorders started using in reaction to some stimulus – depression, anxiety, trauma – and will relapse for the same reason. This is one of the reasons that it’s so important to incorporate mental health care with addiction treatment. Unfortunately, some people simply don’t want to face their demons, […]
DRUGS AND THE BRAIN WALLET CARD
The first couple weeks after completing substance abuse treatment are when people are at the greatest risk for relapse. The stress of returning to the “real” world and having to learn to deal with unstructured time, finding a job and possibly somewhere to live, and dealing with the friends and family members you left behind […]
PREDICTORS OF RELAPSE
According to the view of addiction as a disease, it is not something that can be fully cured. Like other chronic illnesses, such as heart disease or asthma, it can only be managed. Sometimes you can go for years in remission, only to relapse somewhere down the line. 40 to 60 percent of people with […]