We wrote about the disturbing trend of the drug Molly this past summer. And with the start of a new school year, we’ve already seen the alarming effect of a drug that is being hyped as “pure and innocent.” At the MTV Video Music Awards this year, former Disney star, Miley Cyrus, even sang about it while she danced on stage with giant stuffed animals. The darker side of this drug is the number of overdoses it’s caused in the past two months. Read more →
Drugstore chain CVS has joined the fight against prescription drug abuse. As reported by NBC News, CVS has announced that it has and will revoke dispensing privileges for physicians and other healthcare providers who write too many prescriptions for painkillers (including, hydrocodone, oxycodone, alprazolam, methadone and carisoprodol). So far, they have revoked the privilege of 26 physicians and healthcare providers.
In an attempt to crack down on prescription drug abuse, and in lieu of the Drug Enforcement Administration revoking the license of two CVS pharmacies in Florida after they were accused of dispensing excessive amounts of oxycodone in 2012, CVS began monitoring who was prescribing how much of certain painkillers. Read more →
With September being National Recovery Month, it is a time to educate people on the fact that addiction treatment is available, and living a healthy and rewarding life in recovery is possible. This national observance is also a time to praise the gains made by those in recovery for substance abuse and/or mental disorders. National Recovery Month encourages and celebrates those managing illnesses and “spreads the positive message that behavioral health is essential to overall health, prevention works, treatment is effective, and people can and do recover.”
Spearheaded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA.gov), National Recovery Month is now in its 24th year. Read more →
Volunteering in recovery can be a great way to heal yourself while helping others. Volunteering reduces loneliness and enables someone to hone social or work skills in a low-stress environment. It builds confidence and makes someone feel like a valued member of a community. Many enjoy the structure and schedule that volunteering in recovery provides as they build their new life. And it offers the opportunity for someone in recovery to meet new people, who often times share in the same passion, interests or beliefs that drove them to volunteering at the same place. Read more →
Time-lapse images show wiring changes (the growth and loss of spines) in the brain cells of a live mouse over multiple days.
In an alarming new study, researchers found that cocaine may rewire the brain and significantly alter decision-making after just one use. The study, performed by UC Berkley and UC San Francisco’s Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center, found that “cocaine can speedily rewire high-level brain circuits that support learning, memory and decision-making.” The study also revealed new insight into the role of the brain’s frontal lobe when it comes to drug-seeking behavior. This discovery is important in understanding addiction and its treatment options. Read more →
Addiction Treatment Magazine recently ran an interesting article about recognizing the five stages of grief in addiction recovery. Yes, paying close attention to your actions is important in addiction recovery. But checking in with your feelings and emotions is also just as important. Sometimes, we think that if we ignore our feelings they will simply go away. But the truth is, submerged or dismissed feelings can reappear, sometimes in more harmful ways. Read more →
