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.

Do You Use To Please? 5 Signs You’re Dating An Influential Partner

5 Warning Signs Of An Influential Partner

Being pressured by your significant other to abuse drugs or alcohol can be an emotionally trying experience. Part of you might know that you are opening the door to addiction and other health problems, but you might fear that refusing will cause your relationship to end. Below, we’ll take a look at some of the [...]
Read More

How to Identify Substance Abuse Among Students

Woman researching Substance Abuse Among Students on her laptop

Contributor: Cross Creek Hospital clinical team member Kathryn Taylor, MA, LPC/MHSP Most teachers and qualified educators are required to learn a few things about substance abuse pre-vention during college. This basic information is important, but many teachers find themselves faced with questionable situations involving students that were not always explained in textbooks. It can often [...]
Read More

Adderall is Growing in Popularity on High School Campuses

Young woman struggling with Co-occurring Disorders

Contributed by: Staff Member of Timberline Knolls Many pharmaceutical drugs are being vastly overprescribed and abused throughout the United States today. Adderall, an amphetamine, is one of them, and Adderall is growing in popularity. Adderall is legitimately used to treat narcolepsy and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The Benefits as Students See Them Use of [...]
Read More

Do Addicted Parents Raise Addicted Kids?

Mother Consoling Daughter After Discussing Misusing Prescription Drugs

The unfortunate truth about addiction is that it causes people to abandon everything that they once cared about. It can be heartbreaking to watch someone lose their career, their home and their happiness to a substance abuse problem. When children are involved, the situation can become truly tragic. Drug-addicted parents may try to raise their [...]
Read More

The Real Reason Certain Drugs Were Made Illegal

Arrested Student Handcuffed for Cocaine Possession - Addiction Hope

While the war on drugs is beginning to be recognized as a failure with regards to keeping illicit drugs off of the street, the political narrative of the dangers of drug use remains deeply ingrained in the American psyche. When we take a deeper look at the roots of drug criminalization, however, we see that [...]
Read More