NARCONON BLOG

DRUG REHABILITATION

Recovery Can Last a Lifetime

Everyone has an opinion on the best way to get off drugs and alcohol. But some people don’t believe that anyone can break free from addiction, that addiction is a disease and one has it for life.

ADDICTION

What Happens During an Overdose and What Can You Do About It?

I’ve always believed the best way to tackle a problem was to first learn as much about the problem as possible. So when one of my closest friends died from an overdose in 2012, I dedicated a good deal of time and my career to learning about the dangerous...

DRUG REHABILITATION

The Difference Between Enabling and Help

Every parent wants to help their child, wants to ensure that their kids have the best chances possible for a good and happy life. This imperative is built into a parent’s nature. But it’s not enough to just hope for a good life for our kids.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

American Fix: Ryan Hampton Says What Needs to Be Said

This new book, American Fix: Inside the Opioid Addiction Crisis and How to End It, addresses reasons for the hundreds of thousands of lives lost and the tough decisions that must be made to stop the carnage. It is an important book for anyone who wishes...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Makers of Fentanyl Under Fire for Bribing Doctors

There’s something special and even a little energizing when the bad guy finally gets caught. When the underdog hero somehow manages to win against insurmountable odds.

DRUG INFORMATION

Is Carfentanil the New Super-Drug?

We often ask questions such as “Why has the U.S. drug problem been going on for so long?” We might look for the answer in the fact that nearly every year we are exposed to a new drug (or two or three).

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Rural America—New Epicenter of Drug Use

The drug problem is no longer a “big city“ problem—it's in every city across the US. How did this happen? Growing up in rural, farmland Michigan, I would never have thought that drug addiction would become a problem for those of us accustomed to...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Teens Exposed to Opioid Painkillers in Medical Settings

When we think of how young people are exposed to opiate drugs, what is the first thing we think of? Probably the most likely answer is “peer pressure.“ And not without good reason.

DRUG INFORMATION

Fentanyl—The Drug Ten Times More Potent Than Heroin

It’s difficult to single out any, one drug as being “the worst drug” of them all. Different drugs have varying degrees of harm for those who consume them. Some drugs are more dangerous than others (take marijuana compared to heroin, for example).

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Safeguarding Our Future—Marijuana and Alcohol Use among Youth

The health and well-being of our young people is something to safeguard. Our youth of today are our leaders of tomorrow. An investment in their future is really an investment in ours, too. As parents, we want our kids to grow up to lead successful, happy,...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Bad Habits Lead to Bad Habits—The Importance of Maintaining a Sober and Healthy Life

A headline in U.S. News caught my eye. It read, “Teens’ Opioid Abuse May Be Gateway to Heroin.” Written by U.S. News contributor Robert Preidt, the article talks about how one type of drug use can lead to another type of drug use.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Will the Next Generation of Doctors Be Better Equipped to Treat Pain?

We look to our doctors for help in improving our physical condition, and that covers a broad range of areas.

DRUG INFORMATION

Is Naloxone Creating a Barrier in Solving the Opioid Epidemic?

Naloxone is hailed as a revolutionary medicine, a turning point for the medical industry, a lifesaving approach to opioid addicts, and a solution to the opioid epidemic. Three of those four statements were correct, and one was not.

ADDICTION

Summertime and Sobriety—How to Stay Sober During the Party Season

Summer is upon us, and for most people, this an exciting and fun season. The sun’s out, the temperatures are up, and there is an energy and aliveness in the air. But for some of us, the summertime can bring a bit of a struggle.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Study Shows Acetaminophen as Effective As Opioids with Some Chronic Pain Sufferers

When I see a headline in the media about opioid painkillers, the first thing I think of is addiction. And rightly so, as most news stories tend to be about the addictive nature of opioid painkillers, about overdoses, drug crime connected to painkillers,...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Treatment, Not Incarceration Is The Solution To Drug Addiction

The United States differs from other wealthy nations in that we prefer to incarcerate drug addicts rather than provide effective long term treatment for their addictions.. Take a cursory glance at the Federal Bureau of Prisons’statistics on rates of...

DRUG INFORMATION

Cocaine Still a Popular Drug of Choice

Addiction and drug use is a significant health concern. Much of our attention goes to the opioid crisis. The opioid crisis is a national public health emergency, a severe and critical issue that claims tens of thousands of lives every year.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

New Data Suggests Mass Incarceration Contributed to the Opioid Crisis

The American incarceration system earns a fair amount of criticism amongst Americans and foreigners alike. And there’s some good reasons for that. For one thing, the U.S. incarcerates its citizens at a rate exceeding all other countries in the world.

ADDICTION

Taking a Look at Drug Education—No One Can Avoid Responsibility

Drug and alcohol addiction is tearing our society apart, creating a severe struggle and hardship for millions of American families. While teens and young adults as a demographic do not experiment with hard drugs to the same degree that grown adults do,...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Prevention Is The One Thing We Can Agree On—It's Still Not Happening

In my ongoing research, I came across Dr. Nora Volkow’s June 27, 2019 blog post at the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Dr. Volkow is the director of NIDA, which itself is a part of the National Institutes of Health.