U.S. Surgeon General Issues a Call to Action on Addiction

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy’s release of Facing Addiction in America: The Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health at yesterday’s Facing Addiction Summit was an unprecedented moment in our country’s fight against addiction and substance misuse. It is the first time in history that a U.S. surgeon general has issued a report focused on drug and alcohol addiction. The report comes at a time when more and more Americans are struggling with the effects of addiction to opioids and heroin. One person dies every 19 minutes from an opioid or heroin overdose. And, the statistics related to other addictions are no less grim. One in seven people in the United States will face a substance misuse disorder, and only 10 percent will get the treatment they need to overcome it. Read More

Marijuana Addiction is No Joke

Can a person really become addicted to marijuana? You never hear of any dying from daily pot use. You certainly don’t hear about it in the same way you hear about deaths and other tragedies caused by alcohol and other “harder” drugs. And, there are some serious medical conditions for which marijuana is now believed to be an effective treatment. Additionally, the movement to legalize marijuana seems to be growing—25 states have legalized medical marijuana, while four states plus Washington, D.C. have gone even further and legalized recreational use of pot. So, what’s the big deal? Read More

Addiction and Eating Disorders Often Linked in Young Adults

In a recently published Recovery Campus magazine article, Remuda Ranch at The Meadows Senior Fellow Jessica Setnick takes a closer look at the Collegiate Recovery Community (CRC) eating disorder program at Texas Tech University. It is one of the first communities of its kind to recognize the need for eating disorder support services among students who are also struggling with drug or alcohol addiction. Read More

The Downward Spiral of Self-Harm and Drug Abuse

When a person has no healthy outlet for emotions like anger, frustration, self-hatred and sadness, he or she may turn to acts of self-harm as a way of expressing and dealing with distress. Self-harm, also known as self-mutilation or non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), is a type of self-inflicted bodily injury that causes pain, bruising, or bleeding. Cutting is the most common form of self-harm, but hair pulling, biting, burning, head-butting, hitting, carving, scratching, skin picking, poisoning, and intentional interference with wound healing are also typical. Read More

Video Game Addiction Can Signal Larger Problems

Do you or someone you know play a lot of video games? Probably! The Pew Research Center says that “Two-thirds of those aged 18 to 29 say they play video games, and 22 percent say the term “gamer” describes them well. But how much gaming is too much? Video games, like most things in life, should be consumed in moderation. Even the bravest heroes must take a break now and then from saving Azeroth, or adventuring through the land of Skyrim. Read More

August 31 is International Overdose Awareness Day

Drug overdose is now the leading cause of deaths from injury in the United States. According to data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention deaths caused by drug overdose are on the rise. Deaths of women who overdosed on benzodiazepines have risen a staggering 640 percent over the last 12 years, while deaths for both men and women from prescription drug overdose have risen 340 percent. Read More

Pain is at the Heart of Heroin Addiction

According to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control, the rate of heroin-related deaths has quadrupled in the past 10 years. Of people surveyed between 2011 and 2013, nearly 663,000 said they had used heroin in the past year; 379,000 said they had between 2002 and 2004. Read More

Three Challenges Facing Young Adults

Young adults have a lot on their plates and, at times, their lives can feel overwhelming. Here are three areas that can be particularly challenging for young adults – peer pressure, college life, and dating. The Claudia Black Young Adult Center is here to help young adults in these areas and in every step on their journey of recovery. Read More