Cocaine is a well-known addiction portrayed often in movies and on t.v. But what is cocaine? Cocaine, a powerful stimulant drug, raises levels of pleasure chemicals in the user’s brain. The flood of chemicals causes extreme pleasure, calmness, and suppresses appetite. The drug relaxes some people and energizes others. Repeated drug use causes the brain…
“It’s not stress that kills us; it’s our reaction to it.” – Hans Selye, Nobel Prize-nominated endocrinologist, coined the physiological term “stress” On February 29, 2020, the first COVID-19 death was reported in the U.S.[1] In the nine weeks since that date, the coronavirus has caused more than 68,000 deaths with over 1.17 million confirmed…
When we think of addiction, we automatically think about people with substance use disorders. The stereotypes often cloud our judgment. While drugs and alcohol can cause physical and psychological dependencies, there are also some common addictive behaviors. How does someone become addicted to a behavior? How Do Common Addictive Behaviors Develop? It is easier to…
Sure, the current coronavirus pandemic is nothing to sneeze at (pun intended). On March 5th, 2020, the CDC had reported there were 100 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the U.S., with 11 deaths attributed to the disease. As of yesterday (4/27/20), just seven weeks later, there have been nearly 1 million confirmed cases and over…
In a recent report by the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) updating how opioid use disorder (addiction to opiates) should be diagnosed, assessed and treated[1], a number of important guideline revisions, as well as new recommendations, have been put forward to the addictions professional community, taken together offering increased hope and encouragement for those…
“For without some degree of humility, no alcoholic can stay sober at all.” – Bill Wilson, 12 Steps & 12 Traditions Last night, I participated in a Zoom “remote” 12 Steps meeting of people in recovery and the discussion topic was ‘humility.’ Toward the end, a fellow with over 30 years of sobriety—a doctor on…
Heroin is an opioid that is most commonly used for its euphoric effects. Other slang terms used to describe heroin are smack, horse, brown sugar, junk, skunk, black tar, big H, dope, skag, Negra, white horse, china white, Chiva, hell dust or thunder, etc. Heroin is a popular drug in the United States. However, consuming…
On April 6th, researchers at the National Institutes of Health announced guidelines relating to the coronavirus and marijuana use, saying it could be a risk factor for complications from Covid-19. “Because it attacks the lungs, the coronavirus that causes Covid-19 could be an especially serious threat to those who smoke tobacco or marijuana or who…
If you know someone who uses cocaine, they are probably having a hard time quitting. That is because cocaine is highly addictive. Prevention of cocaine experimentation and early intervention on cocaine use is key when it comes to addressing cocaine use in teens. Cocaine is one of the most commonly abused drugs in the United…
“We are like islands in the sea, separate on the surface, but connected in the deep.” – William James Although our entire world is facing the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic, doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals in addiction treatment are facing a particularly trying time. While people everywhere are marshaling their efforts to…