The amount of media attention that has been devoted to the pandemic may obscure the longevity and potential danger of another national problem: the opioid epidemic. Indeed, addiction to opioid drugs—including fentanyl, an extremely potent opioid—has continued to rise in recent years. Unfortunately, fentanyl addiction is far too common, and this addiction can be deadly.…
When it comes to painkiller abuse, there are critical differences between oxycodone and hydrocodone. Both are addictive and powerful medications; addiction to either should not be taken lightly. If you or a loved one is struggling with the misuse of either, the substance abuse treatment programs at BoardPrep Recovery Center® can help. Contact us at…
Xanax is a powerful sedative drug that raises levels of pleasure chemicals in the user’s brain. The flood of chemicals causes extreme pleasure, calmness, and suppressed appetite, which relaxes some people and energizes others. Repeated drug use causes the brain to adapt to higher levels of chemicals. As a result, the user gets agitated, depressed,…
A significant number of doctors, nurses, and physicians are likely to struggle with addiction at some point in their careers. As such, medical professionals struggle with alcohol abuse and addiction at rates that are similar to, or slightly higher than, the general public. There are certainly a wide-ranging set of problems associated with having a…
Young adults should heed the mounting evidence regarding marijuana’s effects on the young adult brain. In a recent evidence-based review of research published in the Journal of Addiction Medicine, Dr. R.D. Crean et al bring forward the results of a wide array of evidence-based studies on the effects of marijuana use on cognition, identifying a…
New research confirms what many people already know about marijuana. In spite of its increasing popularity, weed is not the benign, all-purpose nutrient that the industry promotes. Damage to the brain from cannabis use includes a person’s response time, executive functioning and residual verbal memory. In laymen’s terms this means that the cannabis user’s decision-making,…
Methamphetamine (“meth”), a highly addictive stimulant, is a drug that starts and fades quickly, giving rise to people taking repeated doses in a “binge and crash” pattern. Often, those who abuse meth or become chemically dependent on it will forego food or sleep to stay high, while continuing to take meth every few hours for…
Substance Abusing or Addicted Healthcare Workers Spawn Recommendation of Random Drug Testing, Expanded Treatment Services Given the potential for doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers to have substance abuse or addiction issues (a.k.a. substance use disorders), many have suggested the need for enforced random drug testing of hospital staff, as well as expanding supportive addiction…
Drugs and alcohol can wreck a life, and if you fail a DOT drug test, you may feel like it’s the end of the road. You may be afraid that you’ll lose your job or that your significant other will leave you. This is the situation one of the alumni of BoardPrep Recovery found himself…
Clearly, since its arrival here in the U.S., the COVID-19 pandemic has increasingly wreaked havoc upon the American population and the U.S. healthcare system. However, according to recent CDC (Center for Disease Control) numbers, so has the opioid epidemic. Specifically, between May 2019 and April 2020, 76,000 people died from an opioid overdose, “setting 2020…