Most articles about substance abuse tend to focus on one particular substance or another. They may explore alcohol addiction or dependence on opioid pain medications and the risks and consequences associated with those substances.  The reality is that addiction is rarely neat and orderly and many people find themselves addicted to more than one substance....Read More

  The word addiction has primarily been used to describe a pattern of behavior for those who drink alcohol and ingest drugs. Over the last several years, the word addiction has taken on new meaning. There are now addictions to shopping, eating, gambling, working, sex, exercise, Internet use, and hoarding. This has raised some questions...Read More

The Broad Category of Addictions   An addiction is a broad term used to describe a pattern of compulsive behaviors related to any activity—using drugs, drinking, gambling, sex, shopping, work, investing, gaming, Internet use, exercise, or even other people. Drinking and using drugs involves the ingestion of a substance; however, there are numerous addictions that...Read More

  Which Drugs Are Most Commonly Used? Questions might arise in substance abuse treatment regarding which drugs are most commonly used and what affect they have on the body. There are many drugs, legal and illegal, that individuals can use and abuse today. A drug can be defined as any substance other than food that...Read More

Is Inhalant Use a Disorder?   Inhalants include a range of chemicals that can be inhaled without burning or heating the chemical.  Inhalant abuse can involve the sniffing of fumes from glue, amyl nitrite, or nitrous oxide.  The types of inhalants used include spray paint, glue, nitrous oxide, solvents, aerosols, medical gases, and poppers.  Here...Read More

What Is Medical Detox? Detoxification or detox, can be the beginning stage of substance abuse treatment for many individuals.  Detox is necessary to manage the symptoms of withdrawal safely and with medical supervision.  Detox alone does not reinforce long-term abstinence from substance abuse but it does provide the first step to becoming drug free. Detox...Read More

Like many substance addiction, meth addiction is characterized first and foremost by intense physical and psychological cravings for the drug. An addict will feel compelled to use ever-increasing quantities of meth and to maintain a meth high for hours or days at a time. While high on meth, an addict will experience bouts of anxiety...Read More

Marijuana abuse begins when it is used habitually, and typically as a reaction or response to some other issue. Marijuana is smoked and inhaled, but the active ingredient in marijuana, THC can be extracted and used in food. It may not have the same harmful tar and nicotine ingredients as tobacco, but marijuana smoke can...Read More

Commonly Abused Prescription Drugs Prescription drugs can be found through doctors, emergency rooms, and drug dealers. After experiencing the sensation of the drugs through a personal prescription or taking one from a friend, a family member, or another source, it is easy to get addicted. Barbiturates These medications were popular for abuse in the sixties...Read More

Cocaine is a central nervous system stimulant and an amphetamine. As a natural substance, cocaine excites the brain and the body with high amounts of activity and energy. Producing large volumes of the neurotransmitter dopamine, cocaine has a highly pleasurable effect on the brain, which the brain quickly takes notice of. Almost immediately after ingesting...Read More