Articles looking at options when people are struggling with distancing themselves from drugs or alcohol.
Addiction itself is difficult to deal with. It can be difficult to even admit to yourself and others that you struggle with a substance abuse problem. Addiction is a chronic and potentially relapsing disease that chemically alters the structure of the addicted person’s brain. It takes a life long commitment to overcome and maintain sobriety. […]
Addiction is a scary thing – no doubt. Parents fret over it, schools try to prevent it, politicians politicize it (that’s another discussion), but everyone is afraid of it. Let’s face it - addiction comes with a label and that label is hard to get out from under. Some would say almost as hard to […]
The price of heroin in California is more than you can afford. In fact, it’s more than you should afford. Although a 2018 study by the National Drug Early Warning System (NDEWS) found that heroin use in the Los Angeles area was lower than the national rate, heroin treatment admissions were still at a dangerously […]
We all think we know what substance abuse looks like. Maybe it’s your aunt who drinks to much at birthday parties and then stumbles through your house starting arguments with your friends and family. Or maybe, it’s your brother who started smoking marijuana while away at school and never quit when he “became an adult”. […]
Drug addiction and alcoholism are synonymous with each other in the fact that they both destroy lives, families, and the homes of those who suffer from them. Alcoholism is simply just being addicted to alcohol, which is a drug itself, whereas drug addiction is an addiction to pretty much everything else that is substance-related, such […]
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse “Addiction is a chronic disease characterized by drug seeking and use that is compulsive, or difficult to control, despite harmful consequences. The initial decision to take drugs is voluntary for most people, but repeated drug use can lead to brain changes that challenge an addicted persons self-control […]
It is never a good situation to be in when someone may have to wonder whether or not a family member is addicted to alcohol or drugs. However, if you do find yourself in this situation, just know that you are not alone, as nearly 21 million Americans struggle with an active addiction in our […]
Marijuana, also known by cannabis, weed, grass, shake, ganja, reefer, dope, hash, herb, chronic, and many other names, has a reputation for being a safe narcotic. In reality, there are no 'safe' narcotics, and the potential for addiction to 'weed' (as it will be henceforth referred to) has well earned its place on the DEA […]
Drug addiction can happen to anyone at any time. Luckily, there are identifiable risk factors for high-risk individuals and even yourself. There are two types of major risk factors: biological and environmental. BIOLOGICAL RISK FACTORS: FAMILY HISTORY The first and primary risk factor for addiction is family history or genetics. Both genetic and environmental variables […]
There is an unfortunate number of substances that can be seriously dangerous for your health and well-being should you quit taking them cold-turkey, or without the supervision of a healthcare or addiction professional. The nature of addiction means that your body or brain has a dependency and requirement on the substance you are withdrawing from. […]
