Substance Abuse Articles, Blogs and Resources

Man on mountain thinking about Substance AbuseAddiction 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.

Connection Between Drug Use History and Postpartum Anxiety

baby's feet Typically in the media, postpartum depression is heard frequently, affecting up to 600,000 women annually [11]. According to Postpartum Depression: Causes and Consequences, postpartum depression can affect women who have given childbirth between 2 weeks and 1 year following the birth of their child [1, 2]. The symptoms of postpartum anxiety are similar to depression, [...]
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Legislation That Fights Opioid Abuse

Military veteran struggling with chronic pain It is estimated that between 24.6 and 36 million individuals worldwide abuse opioids, with 2.1 million individuals in the United States suffer from opioid abuse problems [1]. During President Obama's presidency, the White House stated that insurers need to cover treatment of drug addiction and be comparable to that of other conditions, such as depression, [...]
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Recovery Coaching in Addiction Recovery

Woman in hat Recovery Coaching is fairly new concept in addiction treatment. Coaches work in the present, assisting clients with achieving goals, such as, maintaining addiction recovery, improved health, work goals, relationships, and finances [1, 2]. Coaches are paid, highly trained individuals who work with you to ask questions around creating achievable goals and future planning. Typically these [...]
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Celebrities That Have Overcome Prescription Drug Addiction

Movie film We have all heard of numerous celebrities that have overcome prescription drug addictions. Between 1997-2005, methadone prescriptions increased by 1000%, and oxycodone prescriptions rose by 600%, and vicodin prescriptions increased by 200% [1]. Often times celebrities practice polypharmacy, using multiple pharmacies, and physicians, or aliases to obtain medications [2]. It is estimated that 22.7 million [...]
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Can a Ban of Fentanyl Spur Change in the US Drug Addiction Crisis?

Woman on ledge thinking about Banning Fentanyl Contributor: Megan Wilson, BS, CADC, Timberline Knolls Residential Center In an unexpected and significant move on the international drug stage, China recently made the decision to ban the manufacturing and sale of fentanyl, including four types of the synthetic drug: valeryl fentanyl, acrylfentanyl, carfentanil, and furnanyl fentanyl. This unprecedented move is something that will not [...]
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