Drug Addiction

How Mental Health Conditions Contribute to Substance Abuse

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) reports, “Nearly 7.4 million American adults suffer from both a mental health condition and a substance use disorderâ€. Living with comorbidities means living with co-occurring conditions that can drastically affect one’s quality of life. Many factors contribute to developing a dual diagnosis when someone suffers from a mental health condition and a substance abuse problem simultaneously. Environmental Factors Various environment...
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Finding Your Spirituality

Spirituality plays a pivotal role on the road to recovery from addiction. Developing a sense of a “higher power†can push us to make significant strides toward healing our mind and body in a way that may have been unachievable otherwise. Even though finding a higher power or spiritual connection may be difficult for most, once it is found, it becomes a very important part of recovery. A simple step to finding your spirituality is to start with a connection. A few q...
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The Dance of Addiction

The long road of recovery is sure to bring one thing: change. Good or bad, change is always uncomfortable and exhausting. We resist change, for better or worse, and in doing so risk sabotaging our progress, or worse, our loved one’s progress. Imagine yourself dancing with a partner in a well-choreographed dance. You don’t particularly like the dance or the music, but you know the steps and are completely in sync. Suddenly, one of the dancers changes the moves...
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Obama Administration Announces Actions to Escalate Fight Against Prescription Opioid Abuse and Heroin Epidemic

The President has made clear that addressing this epidemic is a priority for his Administration, and today’s actions represent further steps to expand access to treatment, prevent overdose deaths and increase community prevention strategies. (See full article)...
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Chasing Heroin – A 2 hour investigation into America’s heroin crisis.

A searing, two-hour investigation places America’s heroin crisis in a fresh and provocative light — telling the stories of individual addicts, but also illuminating the epidemic’s years-in-the-making social context, deeply examining shifts in U.S. drug policy, and exploring what happens when addiction is treated like a public health issue, not a crime.  Watch Film Here...
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A Living Nightmare: 5 Things Doctors Don’t Tell You About Benzos

It’s no secret that prescription drugs can work miracles when obtained legally and taken as directed. But do you know that some prescription meds can also make your life a living hell, even if you follow your doctor’s instructions? Such is the case with Benzodiazepines, or “benzos†for short. These drugs, which include popular brands like Klonopin, Xanax, Ativan, Valium, and Halcion, are used to treat conditions like anxiety, i...
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Is ‘Nurse Jackie’ a good portrait of addiction in the medical profession?

‘Nurse Jackie’ returned for a final season on Showtime on Sunday night and once again received praise for its realistic portrayal of addiction. At the start of last season, I asked an expert about the chances that I’d ever receive care from an addicted medical professional and if I did, would she still be able to handle the job. The answer, from Lisa J. Merlo, an assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Florida who has studied the prevalenc...
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Doctors, medical staff on drugs put patients at risk

Anita Bertrand doesn’t remember much about the first time she stole narcotics she was supposed to administer to surgical patients. She doesn’t remember exactly when she installed the intravenous port in her ankle so she could inject the drugs more efficiently. And she doesn’t remember how many patients she may have put at risk before getting into treatment. But she remembers how easy it was to get away with it. “I was absolutely impaired, using narcotics while working. &a...
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Drug addiction among nurses: Confronting a quiet epidemic

Your colleague on the night shift is a stellar nurse. Her background, experience, and demonstrated skills are top-notch. She is working extra shifts to help cover expenses while her husband is between jobs. While raising three young children, she also cares for her severely disabled father. You wonder how she does it all. This description fit Patricia Holloran, RN, whom friends and colleagues regarded as a “super nurse”—until hospital administration and the Connect...
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Alarm at Growing Addiction Problems Among Professionals

Experts are calling for urgent action to tackle the “significant challenge” of rising levels of alcoholism and substance abuse among professionals including doctors, dentists and lawyers. At the first international conference of its kind, in Ireland this weekend, there were calls for the UK government to help the silent mass of professionals who were “functioning alcoholics”. Rory O’Connor, the UK co-ordinator of health support programmes for dentists and veterinary...
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