It’s hard for anyone to see themselves clearly and honestly enough to realize that they have an addiction to drugs or a problem with alcohol abuse. The whole reason someone gets hooked by a substance is because it makes them feel good somehow. It fills some kind of need. It’s scary to admit that you need help and… Read More
When people hear the word addiction they almost always think of substance addiction first, but behavioral addictions are just as common and destructive. There are many types of behavioral addictions: gambling, shopping, hypersexuality, kleptomania, and even some eating disorders. There is a common misconception that due to the chemical nature of substance addiction, it is more serious or… Read More
You could probably hear my eyes roll the first time my friend drug me to a meditation center. The whole idea sounded so stupid to me. She said that learning to live a healthier lifestyle meant I had to confront a lot of things I’d been avoiding and that I that I needed to learn new coping strategies…. Read More
Xanax is a drug used to treat anxiety and panic disorders. It can also relax a person’s muscles and help them go to sleep. Unfortunately, it is also quite addictive. In Florida and many other states Xanax is a frequently abused drug. Michael Jackson, for example, was reportedly taking around ten Xanax a night before his death. … Read More
During a Senate hearing earlier in the year, U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander managed to get to the heart of a complicated question: Why are we prescribing mostly opioids to fix opioid addiction? The answer Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and Walter Koroshetz, director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, gave… Read More
Manatee County in Florida has had a hard time with the opioid crisis, and an even harder set of decisions to make. The county is one of the leaders in the state for removing children from their families for drug crimes, with the rationale that the children will later be reunited in safer circumstances. This is not punitive,… Read More
Florida Funds Opioid Battle Florida lawmakers passed legislation to fund the opioid battle, including programs for prescription limits, education requirements and funding for treatment. As reported by FloridaPolitics.com, In the waning hours of the annual session, the Florida Legislature approved tough new restrictions on prescription drugs and agreed to spend more than $53 million on treatment and prevention… Read More
Southwest Florida reeling from opioid crisis Cape Coral is set on a picture perfect stretch along the Gulf Coast of Florida, but it’s also at the center of a surging opioid crisis that has claimed thousands of lives all across the Sunshine State. As reported in the News-Press, overdoses, (a majority of which are not fatal), have risen… Read More
Mystery drug brings death in Pensicola With two overdoses deaths in the same week, authorities in Pensicola are investigating if a new drug is now circulating on the streets, possibly some type of IV painkiller. According to the Pensicola News Journal, Police Department spokesman Mike Wood said a man was found deceased in the Dollar General parking lot… Read More
Mail order fentanyl flows in from China According to experts, every day more than 1 million packages reach the United States through the global postal system without the important security information law enforcement agencies need to stop and inspect packages that could contain deadly drugs and other illicit items. In Florida, this flow of drugs arriving in the… Read More