Maia Szalavitz believes that science can be an effective option for those struggling with an opioid addiction. She should know. She’s had to go through her own struggle with heroin and cocaine addiction. For almost 30 years, Szalavitz has been doing research and has written about addiction and drug policy and what she has found

In a recent article by Gina Kolata and Sarah Cohen published in The New York Times, statistics regarding drug related deaths are examined. After examining 60 million death certificates from the Center for Disease Control in the years between 1990-2014, the data collected indicates that the mortality rate due to drug overdoses is on the

While cough medicine is extremely beneficial when taken and used as directed, when taken in large quantities, it can mimic the effects of illegal drugs. Most people compare the high stimulated by cough medicine with that of alcohol or marijuana. The most common group of people who abuse cough medicine are teens. The reason being—it’s

What is Motivational Interviewing? It is a system of interacting with clients that is designed to assist them in buying into their own wellness and taking responsibility for their treatment. It was developed by Bill Miller and Steven Rollnick in the early 1990’s. They define Motivational Interviewing as, “A directive, client-centered counseling style for eliciting behavior change by helping

The first time my son, Ryan, came home drunk he was fifteen years old. It was the first day of school, his sophomore year. There was a half­-day of school, and he had spent the afternoon with friends. He’d called his dad and I to come and pick him up. When he got into the

Bath Salts: Signs and Symptoms of Abuse Bath salts cause excitation in terms of euphoria and increased activity and sex drive. A person can become agitated and paranoid, can have panic attacks and hallucinations as well as violent and psychotic outbursts. These substances also cause cardiac symptoms such as high blood pressure, fast heart rate and

In a recent article by Gina Kolata and Sarah Cohen published in The New York Times, statistics regarding drug related deaths are examined. After examining 60 million death certificates from the Center for Disease Control in the years between 1990-2014, the data collected indicates that the mortality rate due to drug overdoses is on the

Every night you turn on the news, there's something new to worry about - the Zika virus being the latest. In the drug and alcohol arena, the Heroin epidemic is getting a lot of attention now that it's taking center stage in the presidential race. While this coverage continues to raise awareness of a national

Learn the Truth About Addiction Johann Hari’s New York Times best selling book Chasing The Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs has been turned into a YouTube documentary called Everything We Think We Know About Addiction, over 5M views proves this one’s a good use of your time to watch.

Alcohol, Teens and Trouble Contrary to what some believe, just because you have a teen and there is alcohol available nearby doesn’t mean that your teen (or college student for that matter) will automatically use and abuse alcohol. However, the chances of your children not partaking in the substance are better if you actually play