NARCONON BLOG

ADDICTION

Nine Ways to Keep Your Kids Drug-Free this Summer

When school lets out, any child not spending the summer in a full-time program will have a lot of time on his hands. Here’s some advice on what you can do to keep kids safe and drug-free this summer.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Are American Doctors Still Overprescribing?

In April 2017, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) sponsored a National Prescription Drug Take Back Day to collect unused prescriptions across the country. The staggering quantities of drugs collected seems like conclusive proof that doctors must...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Penn State: Alcoholic Fraternity Hazing Destroys Dozens of Lives in One Night

It’s no secret that fraternity or sorority initiation events sometimes end in some young adults drinking to drunkenness or even blackout. At Penn State, one of these nights destroyed the lives of many young men who were present, all of their families...

DRUG INFORMATION

Is Your Loved One at Risk for an Overdose?

While it’s true that addiction is not restricted to any particular social, economic or cultural groups, a study of those who have overdosed could provide a description of those most at risk for this fate.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

In Whiteclay, Nebraska, A Sigh of Relief as Beer Stores Close

Four liquor stores in Whiteclay, NE (population 14) have been selling 4 million beers each year. The most severe effects have been felt on the adjacent Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, where possession of alcohol is illegal. But now, those stores are shuttered.

ADDICTION

Special for Prom Season: How Teens Hide Alcohol Use from Parents

Yes, it’s prom season. A time of excitement, shopping, tuxedos, long dresses and corsages. In the minds of many young people, it’s also a time for planning secret celebrations of their own.

ADDICTION

Prom Season Excites Teens and Worries Parents

Spring is prom season. This is a time that parents need to take action to prevent a night of drinking, drug overdose, hospitalization or traffic accident.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

How Much Are YOU Paying for the Drug and Alcohol Abuse of Americans?

It’s very likely the majority of Americans think drug abuse and addiction are problems that don’t directly affect them. Unless it’s present in their household, they’re free of any effects, right? Actually, no.…

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Florida Grabs Two Slots in a “Top 15” List – and Why that’s Really Bad News

It seems like it’d always be desirable for a city to show up in a list of the Top Ten or Twenty for some particular quality. Florida is no newcomer to these honors. But this time, Florida is not exactly honored by taking two places on a new “Top 15”...

ADDICTION

Increasing Positive Drug Tests Send American Jobs to Immigrants

While immigration controversies hit the front pages of news media over the last year, behind the headlines, America’s drug problem has been turning some jobs over to drug-free immigrants.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Can You Listen to this 911 Call About an Overdose without Weeping?

In Cincinnati, the 911 emergency system recorded a terrifying event – a young girl calling for help as her parents overdosed in the front seat of their car. The operator tried to calm her terror as emergency help was sent her way.…

DRUG INFORMATION

Just a Box in the Street… But it Tells an Important Story

It was just a grubby, flattened box that had obviously been driven over a hundred times as it lay in the street. But since it had once held a constipation remedy, could it have been a sign of heroin or opioid addiction in the neighborhood?

DRUG INFORMATION

Maryland Sheriff Cites Marijuana as Beginning a Path to Overdose For Many

In Maryland, a recent poll showed that 58% of Marylanders are in favor of legalizing marijuana. Would they feel that way if they realized how many started with marijuana and ended up with deadly overdoses?

STATISTICS & TRENDS

China Bans Four Kinds of Fentanyl —Why Won’t This Help the U.S.?

After months of dedicated work by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Chinese government has banned the production of four highly dangerous synthetic opioids. Learn why this may not make things much better in the U.S.

DRUG REHABILITATION

The Full Spectrum of Care for the Addicted

In the world of addiction treatment, there is a full spectrum of care available, a spectrum that extends from a program that tries to prevent harm as you continue to use drugs, all the way to programs with the goal of restoring the ability to live a fully...

DRUG INFORMATION

Teens Misuse Cough Medicines ’Lean and DXM Without Knowing They’re Deadly and Addictive

Walk into any average-sized middle school or high school classroom in America. You’ll probably be looking at about 25 teenagers. One of those young people has probably already misused cough medicine to get high without realizing the dangers.

ADDICTION

A Parent’s Challenge: Offset a Constant, Daily Deluge of Pro-Drug Messages

The majority of parents sit down with their kids and talk about drugs and alcohol, ensuring that their kids understand the consequences. But is it even possible to overcome all the pro-drug messages that they receive every day?

DRUG INFORMATION

Are There Any Good Reasons to Drink Alcohol?

A couple of intense news articles in a row raised a question in my mind—is there any good reason to drink alcohol? Is it is a defensible practice? A quick examination of the possible health risks and benefits was revealing.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Big Pharma Seeks Expansion Following the Model of Illicit Drug Dealers

In Part I of this series, we looked at the emergence of an opioid epidemic in the U.S. that was fueled by the overprescribing of painkillers by doctors in every corner of the country. Now it looks like this problem may soon take on global proportions.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Is America’s Opioid Epidemic Going International?

Over the last several years, hundreds of thousands of American families have suffered the heartbreak of losing someone they love to a drug overdose. Now, it appears that this scourge may begin to wreak a similar havoc in other countries as pharmaceutical...