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.

How to Share with Others Your Commitment to Sobriety During the Holidays

Contributor: written by Sunrise Recovery Ranch clinical team member Ryan Poling, M.A. As much as family members and loved ones can be supportive and caring during the holidays, it can still be difficult to determine how to explain to them your sobriety during the holidays and what being committed to sobriety means. Making a commitment [...]
Read More

Sexual Addiction and Medication

Medical document and test tube with stethoscope . The root causes of sexual addiction are multifaceted. Emotional and psychological factors often intertwine, with biological influences playing a pivotal role. In some cases, elements such as hormonal or biochemical imbalances—factors beyond one's control—can precipitate the addiction. For these reasons, a comprehensive treatment approach is needed to address the complexity associated with a sexual addiction. [...]
Read More

How do I Share my Struggle with Sexual Addiction with my Spouse?

Contributor: Paul Loosemore, MA, PCLC, and writer for Addiction Hope. Sharing a sexual addiction with a spouse is a disruptive event. And it can be life changing. You must be prepared to walk the tension of “tearing down the house” so that you can build a new and more satisfying one. The old house was [...]
Read More

Long-Term Sobriety and Alumni Programs

Contributor: Matthew Abbasfard, Social Media Marketing, Content Creation for Northbound Treatment Services Addiction is a disease that robs people of their self-esteem, relationships, and sense of purpose. The behaviors that addicts engage in are demoralizing and humiliating, and chip away at their humanity. Family and friends do everything they can to help and stay involved, [...]
Read More

The Five Core Competencies of Drug Treatment

Contributed By: Robert Pfeifer, MSW, Founder of Sober College August 2015 marked the four year anniversary of the American Society of Addiction Medicine’s (ASAM) monumental change in redefining addiction from a behavioral/character disorder to a brain based disease. This definition change is well entrenched into the drug and alcohol treatment community, however the methodologies and [...]
Read More