Opioid dependence and addiction is a growing problem in the United States that involves compulsive use despite dangerous and legal consequences. It ruins lives, wreaks havoc on families, destroys personal and professional relationships, and, more often than we’d like to believe, ends up fatal. The […]
Most long-time smokers enjoy cigarettes despite the health risks. But if they need a little motivation to stop, seeing the quit smoking timeline and understanding what happens to the body when you quit smoking might provide an incentive to becoming a non-smoker. Smokers are all […]
The medication Gabapentin (Neurontin) is considered a safe, non-addictive alternative to opioid painkillers. Recently, though, law enforcement and health care professionals witnessed a spike in the number of arrests and hospital visits associated with gabapentin abuse and people only using it to get high. “We […]
Mood disorders, such as Unipolar Depression and Bipolar Depression, are the most common cause of hospitalization in the United States for people under the age of 45 (besides pregnancy and birth), according to the National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI). Make no mistake, the struggle […]
Because depressive symptoms have become such a normal part of life for millions of people, it’s no surprise Hollywood has used them as an underlying theme and produced so many films and movies about depression. Depression is more than just being blue. While quite common, […]
Most people are familiar with the term “substance abuse,” but many have never heard of “polysubstance abuse.” Until there’s a social consensus, it bears repeating that addiction is a complex and complicated disease of the brain. People develop the condition for a variety of different […]
There’s a saying that rings true for many people – “If you have to ask if you have a drinking problem, you probably do.” Because addiction is complex, it’s not always clear for individuals with the condition, or for those around them, to know they’ve […]
Despite criticism from several members of its own advisory committee, and in the midst of a national epidemic of opioid overdoses, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in late 2018, approved a new opioid painkiller called Dsuvia. Originally developed by the Department of Defense (DOD) […]
Because of the stigma associated with mental health issues, the diagnostic phrase Schizoid Personality Disorder (SPD) is likely to evoke images of someone in serious mental distress. In fact, this type of personality disorder is characterized by a person who’s fully in touch with reality […]
For anyone who overindulges with alcohol, it’s important to know the difference between mild alcohol poisoning symptoms and a hangover the next day. One of these conditions is extremely dangerous and can even be fatal, while the other makes for a lousy the next day […]
