A poison is defined as any substance that can enter your body and is harmful to it. Toxins can be swallowed, inhaled, absorbed, or injected. Poisoning always results in some level of illness and, depending on the toxin, can lead to death. Anyone who has experienced alcohol intoxication may be familiar with the day-after symptoms…
Addiction is a disease that affects over 20 million Americans each year. People can be vulnerable to addiction either because of genetic propensity, social pressures, mental health challenges, or a combination of these and other factors. If you or someone you love is struggling with a substance use disorder (SUD), help is available. Professional treatment…
Though cannabis is different from opioids or stimulants in some ways, it affects the body and brain; it is very much a psychoactive drug that can be abused. About one in ten regular users of marijuana have a cannabis use disorder (CUD). If you are concerned about your use of cannabis or worried about a…
Fentanyl was first created by scientists in a medical lab for use in pain relief. In the approximately seven decades since, fentanyl has played a major role in the opioid epidemic. Like so many drugs originally intended for legitimate use, fentanyl is now available on the street, and its recreational use is illegal and dangerous.…
When addiction and mental health disorders co-exist, they are called co-occurring disorders. These overlapping diagnoses make treatment all the more important and also challenging. But in a dual diagnosis treatment program, you can receive the needed help. Addiction and mental health therapists work together to address both disorders simultaneously under a coordinated treatment plan. To…
Prescription painkillers have played a major role in the opioid epidemic since the introduction of oxycodone, or Oxy, in the 1990s as an allegedly safe and non-addictive pain-reliever. In time, it became clear that Oxy is as addictive as other opioids, and the spike in the abuse of prescription pain medications at that time was…
There is no addiction recovery without the very first step: withdrawal. When you stop drinking or using drugs, your body has to adjust. This process of withdrawal is challenging because addiction also means dependence. Your body and brain have become physically dependent on drugs and/or alcohol and must now relearn how to function clean. Knowing…
Cocaine is a stimulant drug derived from the coca plant. First synthesized over 100 years ago and used in common products like over-the-counter remedies and even Coca-Cola, cocaine soon became recognized as addictive. An accessible street drug in powder form or as smokable crack, cocaine sends thousands of people into cocaine addiction treatment programs annually.…
Heroin abuse and addiction still affect hundreds of thousands of Americans annually. Opium, derived from the opium poppy flower, had been used as a recreational drug for thousands of years, but it was not until 1874 that heroin was synthesized from opium. It was used medically for pain management until its extreme addictiveness was understood…
There are several dangers of opiates, particularly their highly addictive nature. In the 90s, they were marketed as non-addictive but are now one the leading causes of overdose cases in the United States. Moreover, these overdoses occur when people combine opiates with other drugs such as benzodiazepines. The opioid epidemic has swept the nation and…