“Broward County is expecting to lose nearly 1,000 people in 2022 to opioid-related overdoses, based on the most current available data. This is a substantial increase from last year. Heroin-related deaths are on the decline, but fentanyl deaths are on the rise. Nationwide we are forecasting about 120,000 overdose ... Read More
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The Dangerous Effects of Drug Abuse on the Heart
How Drug Abuse Damages the Heart Can drug abuse damage the heart? The answer to that is yes, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The type of impact ranges widely, from creating abnormal heart rates to putting you at risk for a heart attack. Injections themselves pose risks as they damage the veins and ... Read More
“Meth, Not Even Once” – How Effective Are Anti-Drug Campaigns?
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
Revealing Differences in Opioid Use Trends Across Generations
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
What New Drug Is 20 Times Stronger Than Fentanyl?
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
Rolling the Dice: Fentanyl-Laced Pills
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
Signs That Someone May Have Opioid Addiction
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
What Is “Heroin Chic” and Why Its Return is a Problem
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, androgynous clothing, and limp or stringy hair, heroin chic was the favored style for many ... Read More
