Keeping you in-the-know about addiction and recovery.
Pregnancy and Alcohol… Disturbing New Data.
It’s a well accepted fact that alcohol consumption during pregnancy is fraught with risks for the fetus, at times leading to what are called fetal alcohol spectrum disorders or FASDs. FASDs are health issues known to occur in some individuals whose mother drank alcohol during pregnancy. These health problems can
Patient Safety or Profit First?
One of the most puzzling aspects of the opioid crisis has been the fact that despite the known dangers of these drugs, physicians have continued to prescribe them recklessly. What could possibly explain this behavior? That’s a question we have raised with regularity in these pages. Why is it that
The Deepening Opioid Crisis in Rural America
The stats are well known. America is in the midst of a crisis of opioid drug addiction and deadly overdoses. The current annual death rate from drug overdoses stands at 62,000. That’s a 19% increase from 2015 – much of it driven by opioid deaths. And incredibly – physicians in
The Opioid Crisis – Has America Relapsed?
Today, at least 2.5 million Americans are addicted to opioid drugs and over 30,000 are dying from opioid overdoses annually. Families are being destroyed. Careers lost. It’s worth noting that the danger of opioid drugs has been known for a very long time. And America’s problem of addiction to these
Alcoholism in America – An Escalating Public Health Crisis
Alcohol is one of the oldest intoxicating substances known to humankind. According to a study just published in JAMA Psychiatry, it’s also increasingly leading to addiction in the form of “alcohol use disorder” or alcoholism. According to the study, one in eight Americans over the age of 18 meets the
A National Emergency Several Times the Size of 9/11
On September 11, 2001, 2,996 people were killed and another 6,000 wounded in a coordinated attack on U.S. targets. It was a day of unimaginable tragedy – one few Americans will ever forget. Incredibly, 142 Americans are now dying daily from opioid overdoses – a death toll the equivalent of
Number of Women Seeking Emergency Medical Care for Opioid Overdoses Skyrocketing
It’s a well-documented fact that opioid addiction is at epidemic levels in the U.S. And sadly, opioids are equal opportunity addictors – effecting men and women in alarming numbers. Data from a newly released report shows a huge spike in opioid and heroin related hospital stays for women in the
Opioids and the Internet. A Deadly Combination.
The opioid crisis continues unabated across the nation and a new source of supply is greatly complicating efforts to stem the tide of addiction and death. What’s the new source of supply? The internet. Health officials and police in every region of the country are now reporting an alarming rise
The Most Unlikely First Responders To A Drug Overdose…
With death rates from opioid overdoses spiraling ever higher, one would expect EMTs, police and fire personnel to know how to treat someone in crisis. But librarians? According to CNN, librarians are finding themselves increasingly on the front lines in a number of major cities in the battle to save
Few Teens Receiving Life Saving Medications for Addiction
Thirty-seven million Americans died from an opioid overdose (prescription drugs and heroin) in 2016 and over 2 million in the U.S. are addicted to these drugs. Among all adults in treatment for opioid addiction, one-third started using opioids before the age of 18, with two-thirds starting before the age of
Number of Fatal Drug Overdoses Climbs Sharply in U.S.
We are in the midst of what the CDC characterizes as a major public health crisis – the spiraling epidemic of drug addiction in America. The scary question is, “Can it get any worse?” Sadly – newly released data shows it is. In 2016, there was a 19% increase in
Opioids or Heroin? Depends on Your Age…
If it’s possible – the opioid addiction crisis is morphing by generation and getting more deadly. Researchers at the University of Maryland now report that older consumers are overdosing on prescription opioids at alarming rates while younger Americans are dying disproportionately from overdosing on heroin. Sadly – in both cases
