One of the most common questions people ask is: Does rehab work? The short answer is yes! It can be a scary time when you or a loved one is lost in substance abuse and addiction. It is incredibly important that a person in this position gets help as soon as possible, before the addiction or alcoholism gets out of control and causes severe consequences. […]
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The Addiction and Brain Disease Definition
Official definitions of addiction describe it as a brain disease and, importantly, not a choice. It may come as relief to many people who are stuck in the terrifying cycle of addiction that they have a medical condition and are not necessarily weak or bad people. But how exactly does addiction manifest in the brain and the way it functions? Read on to understand what […]
Continue readingWhy Addiction Is Now Thought of as a Brain Disease?
We’ve known for over 20 years that addiction is a brain disease. People become addicted due to genetic, developmental, and psychosocial factors, but PET scans showed how addictive substances “hijack” the brain. Once addicted, the brain’s reward, motivation, and memory pathways are changed and alcohol or drug abuse becomes obsessive and compulsive. Once addicted we continue to drink and use, despite all the negative consequences. […]
Continue readingWhat Causes a Relapse? Here Are the Top 5 Relapse Triggers
The Top 5 Relapse Triggers Understanding what causes a relapse is essential in maintaining your sobriety because getting clean and sober is the best decision an addict or alcoholic can make. But the unfortunate truth is that relapse is common. Research shows that 40 – 60% of people relapse within the first month of leaving an inpatient drug or alcohol rehabilitation programme and up to 85% relapse within […]
Continue readingWhat Are the Symptoms of Withdrawal (and When to Get Help)?
Withdrawal from drugs can be dangerous and should be managed by a medical professional. Learn when to get help for the symptoms of withdrawal and you might just save a life.
Continue readingWhat is Crystal Meth?
If you have been asking the question, what is crystal meth? we answer that question in this post, and include information on how it’s used, how it’s experienced by the user, the long- and short-term side effects, and conclude with the street names. “When you can stop, you don’t want to. And when you want to stop, you can’t. That’s addiction.” What is crystal meth? […]
Continue readingWhat You Need to Know About Marijuana and Marijuana Addiction
Marijuana addiction is more common than you think, in this post, we break down what it is, how it’s used, the side effects of short-term and long-term use, withdrawal, and treatment. What is marijuana? Marijuana refers to the dried material harvested from the Cannabis Indica or Cannabis Sativa plant. The main psychoactive (mind altering) chemical found in marijuana is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, often referred to as THC. […]
Continue readingAll You Need To Know About Heroin Addiction
Heroin addiction, an overview Heroin is an illicit and powerful drug that comes from the pod of the opium poppy which is grown and harvested in parts of Asia, India, the Middle East, parts of South America, Afghanistan, Columbia, and Mexico, and more often than not the use of this substance is more than just recreational, many users develop a sometimes deadly heroin addiction. Heroin […]
Continue readingCocaine Addiction – Cocaine and Crack Cocaine, What’s the Difference?
Cocaine addiction may not look the same in each person, that’s because there are key differences in the substance, how it’s used, and how it’s refined. Understanding how cocaine and crack cocaine work, and how they affect the user, will help in knowing how to address the problem What is it? Cocaine is an addictive stimulant drug derived from the leaves of the Coca plant […]
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