More often than not, we reach into our medicine cabinets for some Ibuprofen to ease a migraine; We take Aleve for arthritis, Vicodin for post-wisdom teeth removal, oxycodone for a severe sports injury. We rely on these painkillers to literally kill the pain, forgetting that, in actuality, these pills do not “cure” anything at all. […]

As spring settles in and the semester comes to an end, you may be noticing a change in your son’s academic performance. He may be staying out later, coming home drunk on the weekends, and saying that there is no studying to be done. He is acting like everything is under control, but for some […]

The road to recovery is different for every individual, and completing a drug treatment program is just one of the many steps to getting there. If you or a loved one is currently battling drug addiction, you know that this road is not an easy one to ride out. There are unexpected bumps, turns, and […]

Just over three years ago, the legendary powerhouse Whitney Houston was found unresponsive in the bathtub of her Beverly Hills hotel. It was later determined that a significantly high amount of cocaine flooded her system at the time of her death.  Just under three months ago, Bobbi Kristina Brown, Houston’s only heir, was discovered in […]

A recent study recorded that one in every ten drug addicts has been to rehab at least five times before achieving abstinence. It is no wonder, then, why so many addicts and their families grow frustrated with the promise of rehabilitation. After experiencing the heartbreak of a drug relapse, it is especially hard to believe […]

They say there is an opiate epidemic. Growing up, all I knew was that an epidemic was bad. A wide-ranging widespread sickness or disease that, if I wasn’t careful, I could catch and end up dead. It was something to fear. Twenty-nine years later, I still have a similar emotional reaction. The Black Plague. Cholera. […]

Just as every individual is unique, every addiction story that a person bears is one of a kind. This is, perhaps, why choosing a rehabilitation program for a loved one can be such a trying decision for families to make. It’s hard enough to see your son face to face with addiction, but with all […]

Drug addiction is a complex disease of the brain that provokes compulsive behaviors and intensified, irrepressible cravings in an individual. Stemming from consistent substance abuse, addiction alters brain structure and disrupts its function over time, ultimately imprinting adverse changes in the brain that last long after drug use has ceased. Addiction is, therefore, deemed a […]

Prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications, after marijuana, are the most commonly abused substances in the United States. Adderall, the latest trend in prescription drug abuse, is the third most common drug used among 12th graders, according to the 2014 Monitoring the Future Study. People often think that, because prescription drugs have been approved by a […]

Substance use is a monster, addiction a persistent demon, and yet, Hollywood always seems to find a means of masking the two with lavish charm and glamour. All the while, the media continues to do just the opposite.  They’re all too eager to take down the tragic stories of celebrities’ drug use—another overdose, another relapse—as […]