After writing promotional content for non-profit organizations and healthcare professionals for 25 years, Karen turned her focus to drug addiction and recovery. She spent two years working in the trenches in a Narconon drug rehab center and two more years at Narconon International with their drug information services. For nearly two decades, she has followed the trends of drug abuse, addiction and drug trafficking around the world, as well as changes in the field of addiction treatment. As a result of her constant research, she has produced more than two million words of educational and informative material on drug use and recovery so those who are addicted and their families can find lasting solutions. She gives talks and presentations to educate and inform those interested in countering substance use and arming people with educational tools to improve their communities. She continues to travel across the United States to learn the experiences and opinions of individuals related to substance abuse and recovery.
Hydrocodone is often sold as Vicodin or Lortab and is the prescription drug most frequently abused by those who have chosen opioids as their drugs of choice. While it eases pain for some injured or sick people, hydrocodone also contributes greatly to the addiction problems of millions of Americans.
Cough medicine sounds like a pretty innocent and harmless thing to have around the house. But many formulas contain dextromethorphan, an abusable and addictive drug that can put a person in the hospital if too much is consumed.
People who decide to misuse their prescription for an amphetamine drug don't realize the risk they are taking. That risk includes problems like convulsions, comas, addiction and death.
Some people may think that it's safe to misuse benzodiazepines but it is anything but safe. Not only is addiction possible, but death by overdose from these drugs may also occur. Withdrawal from these drugs offers its own life-threatening dangers.
What are prescription depressants? These are drugs that depress the function of the central nervous system (CNS). In general, they are used to reduce anxiety or bring about sleep.
Fentanyl and its analogs are deadly, powerful synthetic opioids that are not only found in supplies of heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine. Fatal doses are also being pressed into several types of counterfeit pills. It's never been more dangerous to be addicted to any drug.
Morphine has been around for hundreds of years but it is just as much of an abused and addictive drug as any other opioid. It comes with the same dangers of overdose and the same severe symptoms of withdrawal.
Codeine may be seen as harmless because it has so often been prescribed for children. Actually, it is an addictive opioid, similar to oxycodone. It can also cause overdoses if enough is consumed. In recent years, government agencies have begun to restrict its use among youth to prevent children from suffering harm.
Codeine may be seen as harmless because it has so often been prescribed for children. Actually, it is an addictive opioid, similar to oxycodone. It can also cause overdoses if enough is consumed.
For many people, short-term alcohol rehab does not provide enough time to recover. It takes longer to rebuild one’s self-esteem and learn how to make sobriety one’s top priority. For many people in this situation, it takes long-term alcohol rehab.
By choosing a residential alcohol rehab, a person in recovery has the support and supervision they need to get through the early days so they can build the skills they need to stay sober.
It is very common that a person struggling with addiction to alcohol does not realize or cannot admit the extent of their own problem. If family members appeal to them to stop drinking or to get help, in so many cases, they are unable to take their own first steps toward sobriety.
It would be impossible to list all the drugs that are actually circulating through these venues, but the drugs listed here are the most sought-after drugs named by partygoers.
Because a cocaine user will often try to conceal their drug use, it's important for friends and family to be able to identify the signs of use. When cocaine use develops into long-term use and addiction, the signs usually become unmistakable. At that point, finding an effective rehab program is essential.
A heroin user normally tries to conceal their drug use from loved ones. Therefore, family and friends often have to observe the many mental, physical and behavioral signs and symptoms of heroin use to realize the cause of their loved one’s problems.
Abusable inhalants are literally everywhere. It's no wonder that these substances are more commonly abused by younger Americans who might not have easy access to illicit drugs.
Prescription drugs can help people overcome medical conditions, manage pain, and are essential for people with chronic diseases, such as diabetes. When they are abused by a person wishing to get high, they no longer help the user. In fact, they may cause unconsciousness, amnesia and death.
Some people misuse barbiturates to alleviate the side effects of stimulant abuse or to self-medicate their own anxiety. They may not realize that they are playing with fire. The difference between a dose that creates the sedating effect they are seeking and a dose that triggers a coma or even death is very small.
