Articles

You might think you know all about addiction. [...] Then, there are some things you could stand to learn about addiction. [...] In 1987, they expanded on the definition to officially term addiction as a disease.

Early sobriety is a time of new beginnings. [...] While early recovery can bring about new opportunities and excitement, there may be times you find yourself very lonely. [...] Many times, those in early sobriety are tempted to jump into relationships, often with another "newcomer".

As of 2014, reports concluded that the “Garden State” surpassed the national overdose rate by 3 times, totaling a per capita rate of 8.3 fatalities per 100,000 people. [...] In hopes to combat this issue, NJ will be proposing a new bill that allows for the addict to turn their narcotics into local police stations and not face arrest. Rather, these individuals will be referred to drug treatment.

With the recent hype about the current opioid crisis, it easy to forget about all of the other substances people abuse on a daily basis. Although it is very difficult and uncomfortable to detox from heroin and pain killers, it is not fatal. That is not the case for some substances such as benzodiazepines and most famously, alcohol. If a chronic user of alcohol or benzodiazepines is not detoxed under medical supervision, the withdrawal effects can be lethal.

Rehab is an important tool in the recovery process. [...] Addiction cannot be cured. Rehab is just the beginning and sobriety is an ongoing process. [...] There’s a reason that twelve step programs have such good reputations.

Relapse, in a broad sense of the word, is defined as “falling back into a former state, or returning to an active phase of a disease after a partial recovery.” Maybe the biggest key to this definition is the part that says "partial recovery."

President Obama and recording artist, Macklemore, met to discuss addiction and the toll it is taking on our nation. Macklemore, who is famously known for his song “Thrift Shop”, has battled his own personal addiction and has suffered the loss of friends to prescription overdoses, something he mentions in his message with the President.