How to help an alcoholic is one of the most challenging questions and one with no fixed answer. All cases of alcohol use disorder are different, but watching a loved one succumb to alcohol is always a painful experience. From your point of view, they just need to stop drinking. If only helping an alcoholic were…
Is there a link between exercise and addiction recovery? Well, for many people in the early phases of treatment for alcohol use disorder or substance use disorder, regular exercise can be a valuable component of a comprehensive treatment plan. For this reason, many treatment centers offer you access to experiential and adventure therapies. Using drink…
What happens to your body when you stop drinking is a question many people ask, from heavy drinkers to binge drinkers. With the most recent NSDUH data showing over 28 million people in the United States meet the criteria of alcohol use disorder – up from 14.5 million pre-COVID – the coming year is likely…
If you’re asking “I got a DUI, is my life over?” then the unthinkable has already happened and you find yourself pondering both your alcohol use and the implications of a drunk driving conviction. According to NHTSA, the number of deaths caused by drunk driving in the United States reached an all-time low in 2019. …
While binge drinking and alcoholism are not necessarily synonymous, this phenomenon is both widespread and potentially damaging in many ways. Data from the 2019 NSDUH (National Survey on Drug Use and Health) shows that 26% of all over-18 reported binge drinking in the previous month. Among college students, this proportion of people binge drinking is…
Well, detoxing from alcohol involves purging your body of the substance. Unfortunately, the alcohol detox procedure can involve disturbing withdrawal symptoms, depending on the level of dependence involved. Alcohol withdrawal is believed to arise due to changes in brain activity triggered by prolonged and abusive alcohol consumption. Sustained alcohol abuse disrupts the balance of inhibitory…
It should come as no surprise that the heroin effects on the body can be severe and wide-ranging, especially once addiction sets in. Addiction to heroin, formally known as opioid use disorder, is characterized by an array of distressing and unpleasant symptoms, both physical and psychological. For the purposes of today’s brief guide, we’ll focus…
While crystal meth may have been overshadowed by the opioid epidemic in the media, the long-term effects of meth are extremely damaging. Not only do you risk damaging your body and mind if you abuse crystal meth, but you could end up with substance use disorder. Today, we’ll be exploring the permanent effects of methamphetamine,…
For decades, scientists have studied the link between genetics and addiction to work and determine a better understanding of the nature vs. nurture of alcoholism and addiction in general. They were searching for a simple answer to one question: Is addiction genetic or not? This is often referred to as the “nurture vs nature” addiction…
The long-term effects of cocaine abuse can trigger myriad problems, both physical and psychological. In some cases, it might be possible to reverse the damage caused by sustained abuse of this highly addictive substance. Often, though, long-term cocaine or crack abuse causes irreversible effects. As with any addictive drug, the most effective way of avoiding…