Taking leave from your place of employment to address a substance use disorder is nerve-wracking. Negative beliefs about treatment might deter you from seeking help. Fortunately, many companies offer an employee assistance program that can help you tackle the problem. It’s important to know federal laws and policies to protect you from losing your job.…
Benzodiazepines, or benzos and alcohol should not be combined. Yet, this can happen both on accident and as a way of enhancing the use of the drug. Benzos are used to help treat a variety of health complications including anxiety disorders, sleeping problems, and seizures. They are some of the most commonly prescribed drugs today, but…
Opioids vs opiates – the two terms are often used interchangeably but are often misunderstood. No matter which version you use, both types have contributed to the early death of over 480,000 people from 1999 through 2018, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These figures are very scary, especially if you realize you…
If you are addicted to substances, getting help to move into recovery is very important. But you might not be sure about the signs of drug addiction. The signs may be obvious, or they could be harder to spot, depending on how long you have been dealing with addiction and how big of a role…
What is mental illness? The Mayo Clinic defines mental illness as a “disorder that affects mood, thinking, and behavior.” Generally speaking, all people struggle with different variations in these three aspects on occasion. However, you may have a mental illness if your symptoms continue, repeat themselves frequently, cause stress, and impact your ability to function…
Alcohol kills more people every year than car crashes, drownings, or accidents. It is the third-leading cause of preventable death in America, coming in behind only smoking and leading an unhealthy lifestyle. This is only one of many startling substance abuse statistics that everyone should know. The more you know about addiction, the easier it…
Addiction is a complicated issue. Even though some believe that addiction is either strictly a physical problem or a psychological issue, neither is correct. An individual may use opioids because they like the way the substance makes their body feel. However, the medication creates a strong psychological dependence on your brain as well. To gain…
Motivational interviewing programThe opioid epidemic is a national tragedy. It is marked by high rates of opioid fatalities and a lack of medical recognition of the addictive nature of opioids. The opioid epidemic has rocked many communities. It has flipped how we see pain medicine on its head. Doctors prescribed opioids for every kind of…
Scientists have long referred to addiction as a disease. Scientists know that addiction is a disease because real physical changes occur in an individual’s brain chemistry that causes addiction. Once these changes happen, it is extremely difficult for a patient to heal themselves. Just as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease require medical treatment, so does…
If you are wondering, “What is physical dependence?” you are not alone. Professionals often use physical dependence to describe types of addiction that relate to the body. Physical dependence often contrasts with psychological dependence. If you are struggling with drug addiction and need a drug addiction treatment program, you may experience physical dependence either on…
