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Archives for Author: Olivia Gillespie

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Olivia Gillespie

Liv Gillespie is an AI-fluent copywriter and editor with master’s degrees in Linguistics and Teaching English as a Second Language. Her work spans behavioral health, insurance, and personal finance, with clients including American Express.

Articles by Olivia Gillespie

A gray car parked at a gas station next to a fuel pump with multiple colorful nozzles. The scene is slightly wet, suggesting recent rain.

What Is Gas Station Heroin?

Olivia Gillespie February 20, 2026

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

A person sits on the floor beside a bed, hugging their knees, silhouetted against a window with sheer curtains, appearing thoughtful or sad.

What’s Contingency Management for Meth Dependence?

Olivia Gillespie January 30, 2026

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

A person holds a broken cigarette in both hands, symbolizing quitting smoking. The background is blurred, focusing on the cigarette and the persons hands.

Why Quitting Nicotine Cold-Turkey Isn’t Necessary in Recovery

Olivia Gillespie January 16, 2026

When you enter a medically-assisted detox program, you might feel like your brain and body are both throwing an epic, debilitating tantrum at the same time. If you’re a smoker or you consume nicotine in some form, those products might be the last thing that gets you through the day. Now imagine someone casually says, “Oh, and by the way, you should quit nicotine, too.”  You might just see red.  The good news? If nicotine is

A man sits on a gray couch in a cozy living room, looking thoughtful and concerned, with his hand to his mouth and a cup in his other hand.

Do Substances Help Anxiety?

Olivia Gillespie December 26, 2025

It seems like anxiety wears us all down these days, and given that anxiety disorders are the number one mental health condition in the country, you’re probably no stranger to its symptoms: the constant worried thoughts, racing heart, and tension throughout the body. Untreated or unmanaged anxiety—especially when it shows up alongside other illnesses or traumas—can feel like it’s getting the best of you.  When anxiety takes over for long periods, it’s easy to imagine

A woman in an elegant black dress and a man in a suit stand on a red carpet facing photographers, with bright camera flashes lighting up the scene.

Why These Celebrities Entered Recovery

Olivia Gillespie December 19, 2025

You might look at Katy Perry, Jamie Lee Curtis, Dax Shepard, or Kristin Davis and think that they have it all. Fame and talent can create a pretty picture from the outside, but each of these celebrities reached a point where substance use disorder (SUD) deeply impacted their mental health, relationships, or work in negative ways.  When you look more closely at their stories, three main motivations tend to emerge: the need for emotional stability,

A doctor in a white coat holds and examines a sheet of brain CT or MRI scans, with several images of brain cross-sections visible.

What Neuro Images Tell Us About Substance Use Disorder

Olivia Gillespie December 1, 2025

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

A person sits with head bowed and hands clasped, silhouetted against a dramatic sunset sky with clouds.

What’s The World’s Deadliest Addiction?

Olivia Gillespie November 13, 2025

The dangers of substance use disorder (SUD) can look different from person to person. For some families, it may mean their loved one’s health or relationships deteriorate. For other people, SUD may mean that holding down a job and or enjoying any kind of stability is impossible. The point is that substance use affects different parts of life for different folks. And while there’s no single world’s deadliest addiction yet, some substances show up in