More than ten years ago, buprenorphine hit the market with critical acclaim from government officials and treatment professionals alike. It was seen as a helpful tool to use for opiate withdrawal, but was then later pushed as a maintenance drug as well.
Historically seen as the standard of care for alcohol treatment and substance abuse disorders in general, 12-step programs are extremely limited. Only in recent years have those limitations been examined.
Statistically, people are living longer and healthier lives. But the changes both physically and mentally, and even how medications, alcohol, and other substances are processed in the body do occur with aging.
Five Obstacles to Substance Abuse Treatment–Shame is often at the top of the list of reasons people don’t seek help for an addiction problem. Another reason people sometimes don’t go into treatment is that they have feelings of guilt over things they may have done while addicted, as well as guilt over the people they may have hurt.
When Mitzi and Brad met and started dating, Brad was sober, but he shared with Mitzi that although he had a history of addiction, he had been sober for quite a while.
Celebrity deaths due to drugs or alcohol, or a mixture of substances often make shocking headlines and happen all too frequently. The list is long: Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Heath Ledger, Lil Peep, Mac Miller, Tom Petty, Prince, and Chyna, to name just a few. People who seemed to have it all have died, proving that they are fighting their own battles with addiction – and sometimes losing the battle.
When we talk about addiction, the last thing that may pop into our heads is Sesame Street. But the makers of the enormously popular children’s educational show recognized an issue most of us don’t think about—the impact of opioid addiction on the children of addicts.
Relapse. A word that strikes fear in the heart of anyone who loves someone battling addiction. A word filled with shame for those who have achieved sobriety and then began to drink and/or use again.
In the United States, over six-million women become pregnant every year. Approximately 9 out of 10 of those pregnant women take medication. About five percent of pregnant women use one or more substance that is addictive. Almost ten percent of pregnant women have smoked tobacco within the past month.
Sometimes what we think we know might not be entirely true. Take our ten-question quiz to see how you score.