Addiction Recovery News

All the Dangers of Cocaine Part 2

An open bag of cocaine.

PART 2: Damage to Society

No single drug works as a pop-culture reference to the high-life of Western culture than cocaine. We’ve seen it in films. We’ve heard it in music. And there is a strong possibility that we have known someone who has struggled with cocaine abuse. However, despite the fun and high-energy portrayal that we frequently assign to cocaine, there are plenty of dangers that are directly attributable to the drug. Aside from marijuana, cocaine is the single most used illegal substance on the planet, and it is one that is highly physically addictive. Using cocaine presents a clear danger to your health, greater society, and disadvantaged people in the countries that produce it. This 3-part series will examine the effects of each of these categories...

All the Dangers of Cocaine Part 1

Cocaine shaped like a skull and crossbones.

PART 1: Effects on Health

New Jersey Hospital Cuts Opioids

A hospital hallways is blue and grim. One of the sad truths about addiction in modern day America is that one of the largest pushers of gateway drugs are our own doctors. The sheer volume of dangerous prescriptions on the streets, and the number of people addicted to them, leaves one to wonder if we are being far too relaxed in how we distribute these drugs. While there is certainly a need for some of these drugs, the current system that is in place now has been disastrous, and needs to evolve to face the epidemic of drug abuse that millions of Americans witness on a daily basis. A hospital in New Jersey has recently cut down their opioid use by using them only in the most severe of situations. Here’s a little look at their course of action...

A man in a grey hoodie sits on the ground, waiting to deal drugs.

This article is a continuation in a series about drug abuse and addiction relates to other types of crimes. In this series, we will examine the connections that have been shown to stem, at least presumably, from effects of addictive properties, whether physical or psychological.

Drugs create a circle on a table made of wooden planks.

A man in a red hoodie sells some drugs. He's white.

Approximately 1 out of every 100 people in the United States is incarcerated, which is higher than the once ration rate of anywhere in the world. The truth is that many of these prisoners and their crimes pertain to drug use. We all know that nonviolent drug users make up a significant portion of our prison population, but how does drug use relate to other types of crime? And what effect does it have on our criminal justice system and its method of reducing crime in our communities? This series will explore some of the facts and statistics of how prevalent drugs are in the entire world of crime, and how these numbers have adapted over the years.

A recent study conducted by researchers at Oregon Health and Science University and published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine has outlined some guidelines for physicians and pharmacists in order to reduce the likelihood of opioid dependence in patients being prescribed opioids.

Accountability is a critical element in recovery. It helps keep you grounded, gives you a sense of routine, and sometimes it might be what keeps you going in sobriety when your motivation to stay clean is running low. Because accountability comes in so many forms, it will look different in every individual’s recovery. Here is a look a some of the many ways that you might find and build accountability in your own recovery.

Earlier this month we discussed in this blog post what the downward spiral of addiction looks like, taking you through a cycle that involved repeated negative feelings and compulsive actions. It can be easy to see addiction as a downward spiral, where there appears to be no way out; but the good news is that it’s possible to break the cycle of addiction. In fact, you might imagine breaking the cycle of addiction as a kind of “upward spiral,” where the individual actively rewires the brain and engages in positive actions as they progress in recovery.

When describing the negative effects that addiction can have on a person’s life, people frequently use the phrase “downward spiral.” But what does this phrase mean, exactly?