NARCONON BLOG

STATISTICS & TRENDS

How One Police Chief Is Changing the Conversation Around Addiction

A 30-year law enforcement veteran from Newtown, Ohio, Police Chief Tom Synan has stepped up and launched the Hamilton County Addiction Response Coalition, a partnership between law enforcement and behavioral health programs. The coalition’s goal is to...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Digital Currency and Fentanyl, New Elements of 21st-Century Drug Trafficking

“Two Dutch nationals, an Englishman, and nine companies have been targeted for sanctions by the U.S. government for allegedly operating an illegal fentanyl ring that generated millions of dollars in virtual currency.” That is the opening line from...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Without Sufficient Drug Treatment of Addicts, Current Overdose Plateau Will Not Last

Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest a slight leveling-out in overdose deaths across the U.S. This has led some to believe the worst of the addiction epidemic has passed. Unfortunately, no leveling-out or even a downturn...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

CDC Releases New Guidelines for Opioid Prescribing

In what many consider a step backward for the movement towards cautious, conservative opioid prescribing, the CDC has softened its recommendations on how doctors should prescribe potentially addictive painkillers.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Marijuana Is on the Ballot, but Are Advocates Ensuring Voters Are Informed?

If voters are to decide the fate of marijuana legalization, voters must know the truth about marijuana, and they must be informed about the short and long-term effects of the drug.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Clandestine Labs in the U.S.? Illicit Fentanyl No Longer Just a Transnational Trafficking Problem

When illicit fentanyl production first became a serious problem in the United States, it was almost entirely a trafficking problem, with the fentanyl being made in Mexico and China and then trafficked to the U.S. But according to recent DEA reports, many...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Most Americans are Open to Non-Opioid Pain Relief Post-Surgery

A survey published by Orlando Health showed that 68% of Americans would be willing to try alternatives to opioids for post-surgery pain. Given that opioid prescriptions are one of the most common ways Americans become addicted to drugs, these findings...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Research Suggests a Link Between Pandemic Drinking and Alcohol-Related Deaths

A unique drug, alcohol is known to be an unhealthy substance that carries both short-term and long-term harm, yet the substance is socially accepted and normalized within American society. New research shows how alcohol-related deaths spiked 26% during...

DRUG INFORMATION

As the Holidays Approach, Learning the Signs of Addiction Could Save a Life

With the holidays around the corner, people should familiarize themselves with the signs of substance abuse. Most Americans will spend quality time with family members in the coming weeks, potentially with loved ones they don’t see often. Given those...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Alcohol Is the Cause of One in Five Young Adult Deaths

An alarming new study shows that not only do more Americans lose their lives from alcohol-related causes each year than drug-related causes, but an increasing number of those who die are young-to-middle-aged adults. These findings suggest that the American...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

New York Next in Line to Settle Opioid Case with Big Pharma

Over the past few years, dozens of lawsuits have culminated in major pharmaceutical companies being held at least somewhat accountable for creating America’s crippling opioid addiction epidemic. Most recently, New York State settled a $524 million lawsuit...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Health Experts Sound the Alarm Over Allergy Meds Found in Street Opioids

Newly published research has produced evidence of yet another drug risk, i.e., allergy medications being added to illicit street opioids. This development poses an increased risk to users, as antihistamines have a drowsiness effect, which, when coupled...

ADDICTION

Talking to Loved Ones About Drugs Saves Lives

With numerous factors like the spread of fentanyl into the drug supply, soaring overdose deaths, increasing normalization of drug use, and greater access to drugs, it seems as though drug abuse is becoming more likely and more dangerous. In this landscape,...

DRUG INFORMATION

Nitazenes, A New Drug with Fentanyl–Like Potency Hits the Streets

In Tennessee, four times as many fatalities were recorded for nitazene overdoses in 2021 than in 2020, with some experts saying nitazenes are as potent or more potent than fentanyl. Further, naloxone does not always work to counteract the effects of nitazene...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

New Study Shows Doctors Prescribing Lower Dosage Opioids

A study out of Canada shows that many doctors are now prescribing less potent doses of opioid pain relievers for post-surgery pain. While this is certainly a step in the right direction, advocates say doctors should also recommend nonopioid pain relief...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Recent Overdoses in New York Show How Drug Abuse can Harm People of All Backgrounds

When three New Yorkers of remarkably different backgrounds overdosed and died on the same day, many believed their deaths were coincidental. But investigators later began to see a pattern when they discovered that all three users had ordered drugs from...

DRUG INFORMATION

Cannabis Users at Greater Risk for Heart Rhythm Disorder

A new study showed that cannabis users experience a 35% increase in their risk for developing the heart rhythm disorder atrial fibrillation. A-fib reduces quality of life and increases the risk of stroke, heart failure, kidney disease, heart attack, and...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Research Shows Cannabis Legalization Leads to a Spike in Use

The subject of marijuana legalization has been hotly debated for decades. New research has found that when states legalize marijuana, consumption rates go up. Since marijuana has harmful short-term and long-term effects, constituents, policymakers, and...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Small Group of Doctors are Responsible for a Majority of Opioid Prescriptions

Even as opioid prescribing rates decline, a few thousand doctors are still responsible for the significant overprescribing of opioids to the broader public. With that in mind, the American people will not overcome the opioid epidemic until all doctors...

DRUG INFORMATION

New Studies Show Another Reason Why Fentanyl Overdoses are Often Fatal

A new study has shown that fentanyl is so potent it can stop the user’s breathing and cause death while the user is still conscious. That is different from other opioid overdoses that typically involve the user going unconscious before experiencing halted...