Substance Abuse Articles, Blogs and Resources

Man on mountain thinking about Substance Abuse Addiction Hope is dedicated to providing timely and helpful information on the dangers of Substance Abuse as well as alcohol abuse.

Drugs are a chemical substance that can be used in the prevention, cure and treatment of an ailment or disease. Often, medications can be used to help an individual’s emotional and psychological well being, and they can enhance one’s physical abilities or well being.

Medicines can help heal a person or destroy a life. They can be naturally derived from plants or synthesized in some type of laboratory. A drug addiction can ruin a man or woman’s existence. It is disappointing that many of the medications that were originally developed to help heal people will be abused and devastate the life of someone with a substance abuse addiction.

Substance abuse is when a person begins using a drug in a way other than its intended use as prescribed by a doctor. A drug addiction can be created when a man or woman continually abuses drugs in order to get high (an intense euphoric feeling). Some drugs are so addictive that someone using for the first time can become instantly addicted.

When someone has developed a drug addiction, they can build up a tolerance to the drug and need more and more of the substance to have the same effect. The person will sometimes begin smoking, snorting, or injecting the drugs so as to reach a quicker and more intense high. This leads to constant repeated use and, thus, the creation of a drug addiction.

Substance abuse addiction is outstandingly difficult to quit. Often one substance is abused with other drugs or alcohol. Sadly and frequently, substance abuse co-occurs with other mental disorders such as mood disorders, mental disorders and eating disorders.

This adds to the complexities of stopping the drug abuse. However, it is imperative that the drug addiction is ended because constant substance abuse can be deadly. Heart attacks and strokes often occur. Some of the more common drug types include opioids (heroin, morphine, hydrocodone), hallucinogens (LSD, DXM, PCP), stimulants (cocaine, Ecstasy, meth), and depressants (alcohol, Quaaludes).

Please continue reading below to see our latest blog posts on substance abuse. Under the “Substance Abuse Navigation” menu, you can click on the drop-down arrow to see evergreen, general information on dozens of individual drugs, including prescription substances.

Dilemmas of a Broken Substance Abuse System

Woman struggling with Alcohol Abuse and Depression

As a society we know what leads to addiction and how it manifests, but treatment options in America are still largely inadequate. To start, there’s no national standard of care for addiction. Secondly, despite addiction being a chronic illness, treatment programs tend to offer acute interventions, and not long-term treatment programs. [1] Many treatment programs [...]
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Effects of Binge Drinking on Women

60 percent of women in the United States have at least 1 drink once a year, but 13 percent have more than 7 drinks per week [1]. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, the guidelines for moderate drinking is no more than 1 drink per day for women [1]. The Centers [...]
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Insurance Barriers For Addiction Treatment

According to Addiction Medicine, approximately 1 in 10 individuals with alcohol or drug addiction receive treatment [1]. Many individuals find obtaining addiction treatment difficult due to lack of addiction treatment within their insurance plan, lack of resources in their community, facilities available may only treat the addiction or the co-occurring mental health issues, and not [...]
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Increasing Prevalence of Cannabis Use in the NFL

According to a survey conducted by ESPN, which looked at the 226 player’s cannabis usage, 22% of players reported knowing that a teammate used marijuana prior to a game [1]. Typically NFL players are not drug tested weekly, and those that are not in NFL are typically only tested yearly and are aware of when [...]
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Approaching an Adolescent Who Is Engaging in Underage Drinking

Approaching an adolescent who is engaging in underage drinking can be a daunting task. Often times parents and caregivers are often unsure of how to know if their child is drinking besides looking for visual signs, or a feeling that their child is engaging in drinking behaviors. Certain indicators will tell you if your child is [...]
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