Currently, only 25 states feature laws regarding psychiatric advance directives—yet one in 25 adults will experience a serious mental illness each year, according to the National Alliance of Mental Health. A psychiatric advance directive is a legal document that outlines an individual's preferences regarding future ... Read More
The Four Levels of Being Drunk
When you think of dangerous drugs, you don’t first think of alcohol, do you? Most people are more likely to think of crack or heroin, or maybe even prescription painkillers. Because of its widespread social acceptance in this country, drinking—even getting drunk—often gets written off as a largely harmless form of ... Read More
How Parents Can Talk About Their Addiction with Their Children
Talking about drug use with kids is one thing, but what about if you are struggling with drugs and/or alcohol yourself and you need to explain it to your children? According to a 2012 study, more than 10 percent of children in America live with a parent with alcohol problems. Another report shows that an annual average ... Read More
Smoking & Lung Health – How Inhaling Drugs Affects the Immune System
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues in the U.S. and worldwide, researchers are learning more about how the virus harms the body and who is more at risk of contracting it and dying from it. For example, recent reports of COVID-19 patients experiencing acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) have physicians worried ... Read More
Panic Attacks That Strike Out of the Blue Could Be This Diagnosis
The Anxiety and Depression Association of America estimates that around 6 million people are currently living with a panic disorder. While panic disorders also involve other issues and symptoms, one of the biggest markers is experiencing panic attacks. Having a panic attack, or even a few, throughout the course of your ... Read More
The Role of Family in Supporting Recovery
Never underestimate the role of family in supporting a loved one’s recovery from addiction. That’s the takeaway of a large body of research that helps to explain why high-quality rehab providers will, whenever possible, involve family in the treatment process. But, just what is the nature of healthy participation in a ... Read More
Soak Up That Sun: How Sunshine Improves Mental Health
As a society, we typically gravitate to sunlight and bright spaces, whether at home, at work or when out and about. Dark homes and workspaces carry a negative connotation more often than not, but some may not know why. The tendency of humans to be drawn to light, however, is rooted in biological and psychological ... Read More
The Terrifying Path from an Opioid Prescription to Heroin Addiction
How do prescription opioids lead to heroin use? The answer to that question is one that every American can benefit from knowing, in light of distressingly high rates of addiction to painkillers in this country. Heroin is a highly addictive drug that's made from morphine, which is a natural substance that's taken ... Read More