The Dangers of Fentanyl As the opioid crisis continues to grow across the nation, authorities in Orange County reported last week that they seized 18 pounds of fentanyl with a street value of $1.25 million in a single bust. The results of an Oct. 16, 2019, fentanyl bust in Orange County. (O.C. Sheriff’s Department) The…
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Fixing Your Life After Rehab If you or a loved one has completed Rehab, congratulations! You’re on the road to recovery. If you’re serious about recovery, you’ve chosen to continue the recovery process by enrolling in outpatient treatment or maybe you’ve entered a sober living home. Once you’ve settled into some form of Aftercare program,…
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Substance Abuse and Homelessness For years, scientists, government agencies and others have been studying the link between substance abuse and homelessness. The two are directly related and studies reaffirm this. For example: substance abuse can lead to homelessness and vice versa. That’s probably no surprise to anyone, especially if you’ve seen celebrities struggle with addiction.…
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Addiction Relapse Rates Statistically speaking, addiction relapse rates range from 40% to 60% on average. The rates can be even higher if treatment protocols aren’t followed. Another factor is the support structure surrounding the recovering patient. Studies show that the stronger the support network, the greater the chance of success. A support network might include:…
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When to Call Your AA Sponsor Knowing when to call your AA sponsor is sometimes difficult and confusing. We’ve put together the top 10 times you should call your sponsor. 1. If you find yourself stressed out by friends, family, work, school or in any situation (ex. during the holidays), you should pick up the…
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Questions to Ask Your Treatment Provider If you’re thinking about going to or sending someone into treatment, you need to know what questions to ask your treatment provider. This is the minimum amount of due diligence that must be done to ensure any reasonable chance of success. There are many reasons that getting it right…
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Treatment of Substance Use Disorders In a recent edition of the American Psychiatric Association Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV), substance use disorders (SUDs) were divided into two distinct categories–substance abuse and substance dependence. An individual could receive a current diagnosis of either abuse or dependence (not both) for a single drug class. A current SUD…
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The research and statistics are irrefutable: methadone treatment is successful at improving almost every quality of life measurement for patients and creates safer, healthier conditions for families and communities. It is one of the many treatment options for those suffering from addiction. Methadone remains controversial though, with no shortage of myths, misinformation, and outright lies…
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Opioid Doctors Face Jail A Virginia doctor was sentenced to 40 years in prison on Wednesday October 2, 2019, for prescribing a half-million doses of opioids to patients over two years, prosecutors said. Dr. Joel Smithers, 36, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Abingdon. He was found guilty in May of more than 800 counts of illegally…
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How Does Addiction Start? One of the most commonly asked question is “how does addiction start?” We hear this question asked by addicts in recovery, and also by family members and loved ones. The short answer is that it varies by the individual. Each person goes through their own journey to addiction – and to…
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