No one I know who’s an addict and became trapped in the web of addiction started out with the goal to become addicted. People start drinking alcohol, smoking pot, snorting cocaine, taking opiates, etc,, for many reasons. Alcohol is socially accepted, so, it’s not…
When considering opiate prevention efforts and what young people need to know about opiates, there are basic facts and general outcomes. They need to know the basic facts, that opiates are highly addictive — that opiates can cause overdose — that opiates are necessary…
So, what is an addiction counselor? This is an excerpt from Sokana: A drug & alcohol counselor is a trained professional who works with addicts to help them better understand and overcome their addictions. Drug abuse is an epidemic all over the world. Many…
I was watching Morning Joe on MSNBC this morning and saw the interview with Eric Bolling regarding his son’s opiate overdose and death. I’m not fond of Bolling as a political pundit, but I once heard him talking about his son a few years…
Addiction treatment: where to start? First of all, don’t be intimidated by the word “addiction”. The word has been loaded with negative connotations, but it’s a medical term. Someone who goes to a doctor for chronic pain treatment and is prescribed opiates for pain…
A periodic addiction treatment review is helpful, I believe, because many people reaching this blog don’t know much about addiction treatment. There’s a lot of bad information floating around. Because addiction is difficult to treat, the perception among many is that treatment doesn’t work….
In addiction treatment and recovery, we talk about lapse and relapse. Lapse is when someone is just beginning addiction treatment and starts using again shortly after. Lapsing is common. Think about dieting and how easy it is in the beginning to eat a candy…
Benzodiazepines and opioids are a dangerous combination. Used together the combined sedative effect can lead to overdose and death. A large portion of people who overdose from opioids are also using benzodiazepines, like Xanax or Klonipin. Below is an excerpt from the National Institute…
I wish everyone a happy holiday season. Just because I work in the field of addiction treatment doesn’t mean I’m a prude about drinking. For all who enjoy their drink and don’t have a problem — Cheers!…
When considering motivation and recovery from addiction, there are basically three types of motivation: submission to external pressure, calculation, and commitment. A person can recovery through any of these motivations, but they’re not all equally effective. The first is when someone comes to treatment…
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