Quitting Smoking Significantly Reduces Risk of Alcohol Relapse
Quitting Cigarettes Helps Prevent Alcohol Relapse A new study published in Science Daily finds that alcoholics in recovery who smoke are at a greater risk for alcohol relapse than individuals in recovery who don’t smoke. Traditionally recovery has included therapy for all mind and mood altering substances, but left cigarettes out of the equation. Now […]
Would You Give Your Child Heroin To Remove A Wisdom Tooth?
If You Give Your Child Opiates, They Could Turn to Heroin These days heroin addiction does not begin in a back alley or in a cheap motel. It starts in a place where we normally go to feel better, the doctor’s office. Over the last several years doctors and dentists have been prescribing oxycodone and […]
Heroin Abuse and The Negative Health Effects
Heroin Abuse Has Severe Mental and Physical Health Consequences With the availability of heroin of a higher purity and the swift and drastic decrease in cost to obtain the drug, heroin deaths have ben on the rise nationally. The increase in demand for heroin and the subsequent saturation of the market is doing to the […]
Can Energy Drinks Be Dangerous for Teens?
Can Energy Drinks Be Dangerous for Teens? Energy drinks have become widely popular in adolescences. Instead of going for a coffee, they grab an energy drink to give them a boost. When teens are drinking so much energy drinks at a young age does affect the way they consume caffeine? We will talk about what […]
Why is Hepatitis C Spreading Across the US in Record Numbers?
Hepatitis C in America What’s the worst disease you can think of? Most people would probably say AIDS, cancer, or maybe the avian flu. Not many are going to say hepatitis C. Guess what though? Hep C is currently spreading across the United States at far greater rates than any of the above. It isn’t […]
Is Narcan Coming Soon to a School Near You?
High School Heroin Overdoses It’s the start of the school year. That means parents everywhere are buying their children pencils, notebooks, TI-89 graphing calculators, and opioid overdose kits. Wait…what? Okay, parents aren’t buying their children overdose kits, but a new trend is emerging in middle and high schools across the country – they’re stocking Narcan. […]
“Almost Everything We Think We Know About Addiction is Wrong”
Are We Wrong About Addiction? According to bestselling author Johann Hari, we’re very wrong about addiction. In fact, the title of this article is a quote taken directly from Hari’s recent TED Talk about addiction, recovery, and how we treat both. Hari’s been in and out of the media for several years now, sometimes for […]
When Is It Time to Quit Smoking and How Can I do It?
What’s Wrong With Smoking While in Recovery? Smoking and recovery go hand in hand. Alcoholics and addicts are portrayed in pop culture as cigarette smoking maniacs, even if they’re sober! This depiction is actually pretty accurate. The American Family Physician Organization states that around 85% of recovering alcoholics smoke, compared to only 25% of the […]
Find Out the Truth: are E-Cig’s Safe?
What’s the Deal, are E-cig’s Safe? Electronic Cigarettes, or E-cig’s for short, are the newest fad to come out in the smoking cessation community. Vaporizer, or vape for short, sales have grown tremendously since 2008. That year there were 50,000 sold, versus the 3.5 million in 2012. Find out if you’re powerless over smoking […]
This Common Trait May Actually Predict Alcoholism
Blue Eyes = Alcohol Abuse? Do you have blue eyes? Well, not only were you genetically gifted with a beautiful set of peepers, but you may also be at a higher risk for developing a drinking problem. At least that’s what the latest scientific research suggests. A recent study from the University of Vermont discovered […]
A Controversial Court Decision about Painkiller Prescription
A Landmark Legal Decision about Painkillers The West Virginia Supreme Court recently issued a landmark ruling. Their decision, simple as it may seem, has opened the floodgates for doctor accountability and possible manipulation of the legal system. I’m talking about West Virginia’s decision to allow patients to sue pharmacies and doctors for negligently prescribing opioid […]
People are Overdosing & Officials Don’t Know Why
Heroin OD? Painkiller OD? No One Knows Americans are abusing opioids like never before. They’re crushing and sniffing painkillers, cooking and injecting heroin, illicitly buying and detoxing with Suboxone, and overdosing left and right. The exact nature of these fatal overdoses is often left a mystery. NPR recently reported on how Pennsylvania has no legal […]
Why is the New “Hep C Cure” So Expensive?
The “Hep C Cure” is Essential & Expensive! The breakthrough in treating Hepatitis C over the past three years has been nothing short of amazing. Two new drugs, Harvoni and Sovaldi, have largely replaced the standard treatment of Interferon and its host of negative side effects. What’s even more impressive are how effective these drugs […]
Hep C on the Rise & More Dangerous than HIV
An Outbreak Worse than HIV A lot of noise has been made lately about Indiana’s HIV outbreak. It’s understandable, especially with over 150 residents testing positive for the infamous virus and numbers expected to keep rising. There’s another outbreak that’s been causing quiet waves over the last few years. It hasn’t been getting as much […]
Hillary Clinton’s Plans to End Substance Abuse
A “Quiet Epidemic” It came as no surprise to anyone when Hillary Clinton announced her bid for the Presidency. What will surprise most Americans, however, is one of the issues she wants to tackle. That’s right, Hillary Clinton wants to end drug addiction once and for all. The former First Lady and Secretary of State […]
Teen Smoking is Way Down…Because Vaping is Way Up
Why Do Teens Love Vapes? Vaping has, over the past five years, exploded from a geeky subculture to a lucrative, multi-billion dollar business. Along the way, it’s picked up celebrity endorsements (Jenny McCarthy as the face of Blu E-Cigs), mainstream approval (anti-tobacco groups are, generally speaking, vocal supporters), and millions of devotees worldwide. It’s also […]
Coffee Reduces the Risk of Cancer!
Thank God for Coffee! In a new report from the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), coffee has been shown to significantly reduce the risk of liver cancer. Three cheers and three shots of espresso all around! Even better news is that coffee can actually counteract the harmful physical effects of alcohol. The WCRF’s data concluded […]
Why Are More & More Pregnant Women Taking Painkillers?
Pregnancy + Pain Pills = Disaster The prevalence of women taking opioid painkillers during pregnancy is on the rise. In fact, the number of women who take short-acting opioids, think Vicodin or Percocet, while pregnant has doubled over the past fifteen years. Using painkillers during pregnancy brings with it a number of potentially harmful implications […]
Painkiller Manufacturers’ Shady Marijuana Agenda
The REAL Reason Marijuana’s Illegal In a story that could come from the corrupt political drama “House of Cards,” some of America’s largest pharmaceutical companies seem to be striking backroom deals to keep marijuana illegal. My previous statement may sound like a bit much. It may sound like the ramblings of someone who’s watched one […]
Massachusetts Unveils New Drug Plan
Overdoses in Massachusetts are at a Record High Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker recently released details on a new plan to fight prescription painkiller abuse. His plan, which I’ll touch on below, is desperately needed in the Bay State, which has been among the states hardest hit by the pain pill epidemic. Before unveiling his new […]
Can Texting Help Prevent Suicide?
Yes, “Text Message Therapy” is Real In 2011, Stephanie Shih and Nancy Lublin formed something called the Crisis Text Line. The nonprofit is a 24/7 crisis intervention hotline. It’s also, as the name suggests, conducted solely through text message. The Crisis Text Line (or CTL) traces its history back to DoSomething.org. Shih was an employee […]
Drinking Significantly Raises Risk of Stroke
Alcohol Intake Linked to High Stroke Risk According to a paper recently published in the journal Stroke, those who have more than two drinks per day have a 34% higher chance of having a stroke. Heavy alcohol intake in middle-aged individuals, ages fifty-to-sixty, has also been linked to stoke at a younger age. Pavla Kadlecova, […]
Is My Dr. Stoned?
My Doctor Was an Addict I’d like to share with you all a story. It’s not pretty and it doesn’t have a happy ending. It’s the story of the medical director at the first residential treatment center I went to. See, the medical director was an addict. He was, and is, a talented doctor, but […]
Is Suicide Contagious?
Parents Who Attempt Suicide May Pass it On to Children According to a new study from the University of Pittsburg, children of parents who’ve attempted suicide are nearly five times as likely to attempt suicide themselves. Any factor that makes someone almost five times as likely to attempt to kill themselves is serious business. Equally […]
My Doctor Made Me a Drug Addict
By: Tim Myers An Overmedicated Kid to an Addicted Adult I couldn’t sit still. I daydreamed a lot. I had a hard time focusing in class. I liked to fidget with things, doodle, draw, and talk…a lot. So, my doctor prescribed me drugs. I was twelve years old. Tell me the name of one twelve […]