Being in recovery is about more than simply refraining from the use of drugs or alcohol. Lasting sobriety requires you to find new ways to manage your emotions—including anger.
Anger isn’t inherently negative. Sometimes, anger lets you know that an aspect of a situation needs to be changed. (more…)
Addiction thrives on stigma and misunderstanding. Whether you’re worried about a loved one or wondering if you might be struggling with a Vicodin addiction, it’s important to make sure you have the facts you need to make informed decisions about your next steps.
Addiction doesn’t always look like how it’s portrayed on TV—especially when a person is addicted to Vicodin or other opioid painkillers. In this case, what begins as a legitimate prescription turns into something much more sinister.
A night spent dancing with friends at a concert, bar, or nightclub can have lasting consequences if you turn to club drugs to fit in, unwind, and have fun. Despite the popularity of websites that claim club drugs are as safe as watersports or giving birth, this type of substance abuse comes with real risks.
There are many different illegal drugs that fall under the broader ‘club drug’ umbrella, but some of the most common include:
The COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has drastically changed many aspects of daily life. One unexpected side effect of virus mitigation plans has been an increase in overdose deaths.
A study published in JAMA Psychiatry, a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal published by the American Medical Association, in February 2021 analyzed nearly 190 million emergency department visits and found significantly higher rates of overdoses in 2020 compared to the same dates in 2019. From mid-April onward through the pandemic, the weekly rates of emergency visits for drug overdoses increased by up to 45% when compared against the same period in 2019. Emergency visits for opioid overdoses increased by 28.8%.
The opioid epidemic may attract more attention, but the United States is still struggling to deal with an epidemic of methamphetamine addiction. A powerful stimulant that can lead to addiction with just one use, crystal meth is cheaper, more potent, and more easily available than ever.
Most of the meth in the United States comes from large Mexican labs, and just $10 can buy enough to get a person high for a full day or two. The drug can also be made at home using common household chemicals such as ammonia, battery acid, and the pseudoephedrine found in many cold medicines—creating an amateur science experiment with potentially deadly consequences.
An illegal synthetic stimulant with potentially hallucinogenic properties, ecstasy is commonly used as a party drug or club drug at raves and concerts. Ecstasy use can lead to a wide range of addiction-related problems affecting a person’s health, cognitive function, and relationships with others.
Ecstasy is the most common street name for a version of MDMA, or 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine. It produces euphoria, as well as feelings of long-lasting energy, heightened sensations, and empathy for others. The effects of the drug typically last between three and five hours, but this can vary based on the dosage taken as well as a person’s height, weight, metabolism, and body type.
Many people in recovery struggle with co-occurring mental health disorders. This includes seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a type of depression related to the changes in the seasons. Typically, people with SAD start to notice changes in their mood and behavior in the fall as the days become shorter.
As with addiction, no two people with SAD are exactly alike. However, some common symptoms that people with SAD may experience include:
Hydrocodone is commonly prescribed to treat moderate to severe pain. However, this prescription painkiller carries a real risk of addiction. Abuse of hydrocodone can affect nearly every aspect of a person’s life, but it’s important to remember that there’s always hope for recovery using an evidence-based treatment program.
Hydrocodone is an opioid analgesic. Like all opioids, hydrocodone is a derivative of the poppy plant. However, it’s a semi synthetic opioid that is created by chemically modifying the opium derivative codeine—which is a naturally occurring opium derivative.