Help With Substance Abuse

If you've paid attention to the media at all over the last few decades, you may have seen countless public service messages with the goal of reducing illicit drug use. Over the years, these have run the gamut—from the relatively calm appeals such as "Just Say No!," to more shocking vignettes of young women vandalizing ... Read More

Vitamins and minerals are crucial to the body for producing energy, fighting illnesses, allowing blood to clot, and countless other functions. For those with less-than-perfect diets, taking vitamins and supplements can seem like a sensible way to bridge the gaps between what their bodies need and what they take in ... Read More

A Short History of Opioid Use As early as 5000 BCE, Sumerians living in southern Mesopotamia were consuming or smoking the leaves and flowers of opium poppy plants. Archaeologists have interpreted ideograms found in Sumerian writing examples that translate as HUL GIL, which means "joy plant" or "rejoicing". As early ... Read More

The United States is still going through an opioid epidemic that's seen many transformations. What started as an opioid prescription drug issue transitioned to increased use of substances like heroin and synthetic opioids like fentanyl. Now, there's a new drug on the streets that's taking over.  According to the ... Read More

In January 2021, Alyssa Pastrana of Abilene, Texas, died of an accidental fentanyl overdose at the age of 21. Her parents have been sharing her story to warn others about the danger of using drugs that have been laced with fentanyl, sometimes without the user's knowledge. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency has even ... Read More

According to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control's National Center for Health Statistics, opioid-related deaths in the United States increased from 56,064 to 75,673 during the 12 months ending April 2021. This shocking statistic shows that it's critical for family members and loved ones to recognize the ... Read More

If you or a loved one is living with heroin addiction, you likely already know it can have a negative effect on mental health. As dependence on the drug grows, reaching a stable mood only becomes harder. What you might not know is that heroin and depression are closely linked and this can impact the recovery process. ... Read More

The term "heroin chic" rose to prominence in the 1980s, both as a metaphorical and literal reference to the popularity of heroin in the modeling industry. Characterized by pale skin, a very thin frame, dark undereye circles, androgenous clothing, and limp or stringy hair, heroin chic was the favored style for many ... Read More