Is The Overdose Crisis Evolving?
Olivia Gillespie
August 25, 2026
As new drugs enter the market, and shifts occur in supply and demand – so does the persistent crisis of overdose plaguing the nation.
As new drugs enter the market, and shifts occur in supply and demand – so does the persistent crisis of overdose plaguing the nation.
Tranq, or xylazine, is a drug that is increasingly showing up in opioids, stimulants, and other drugs used on the streets.
Read this article to help shift your idea of OUD away from a personal failure to a chronic medical condition.
Since cannabis does increase the amount of adenosine in your brain, a neurotransmitter that helps you fall asleep, it may help with insomnia
If you’re more prone to cannabis-induced paranoia than others, you can have adverse, paranoid reactions to cannabis
But the issue with spliffs and blunts is that they expose you to harmful combination that can come with several disruptive consequences.
If you’ve been taking drugs that people can legally buy at a gas station, you might feel pretty good. Relaxed, less in your head—at least for a while. But when it wears off, you might feel irritable or restless, or even worried that this is becoming a habit. If you catch yourself thinking about the next dose soon after the first, you may even start to feel panicked. Now you keep hearing people talk about
You might’ve heard about medications that help keep cravings under control for people who struggle with opioids or alcohol—but why isn’t anything sold over the counter or prescribed for stimulant use disorder (StUD)? Well, while it might seem confusing or, honestly, unfair, the truth is that there is no such medication yet. But the 3 million+ people with StUD deserve to be prioritized when it comes to supplementing recovery treatment with effective medicines. At Waypoint
Stimulant use disorder (StUD) can be serious and, sometimes, all-consuming. Learn more about StUD and available treatment options.
Substance use disorder (SUD) can show up in your habits, your reactions, and your roughest days, but your brain also carries a big part of your substance-use picture. If you’ve ever read our deep dive on the blacked-out brain and thought: yep, that sounds familiar, then you already know substances impact your brain’s ability to store memory. But neuroimages can show how substance use affects so much more of the brain than just memory. Neuroimages