You may have heard the term “tolerance” at one time or another as someone spoke to you about addiction. Tolerance is one of the first symptoms of a developing or present addiction. If you think you have built up a tolerance, you should seek the guidance of a professional immediately. Tending to the problem right away can help you fight the addiction if one is developing.  What Does Tolerance Mean? Tolerance is a common term that refers to the amount of a substance that you can tolerate without showing any effects. You have a low tolerance for beer if one glass causes you to feel dizzy, drunk ..read more

Addressing the Whole Disease   When people think of addiction treatment, they often think of a group of people sitting around in a circle at meeting or an individual being psychoanalyzed by a counselor. While meetings and psychotherapy are a major part of addiction treatment, they are only the tip of the iceberg. The word “holistic” means addressing the whole of something. Addiction is a complex disease. There is not only one cause; therefore, there cannot be one type of treatment. Addiction is a physiological, psychological, social, and family disease. Holistic treatment addresses all of thes ..read more

Sometimes it’s the surprises that get us. Things are going along well. We have our support in place. We are working our program. Taking things one day at a time. And then one of those days steps up and completely knocks us down. It hits like a fire in the chest. And everything gets turned upside down. When tragedy comes, there is no way to be prepared for it. It just comes and leaves chaos in your mind, heart, and sight. And when this happens, the temptation is as strong as ever to return to the numbing effects of drugs or alcohol. Tragedy and Addiction For every one of us, tragedy will occu ..read more

Psychedelic drugs are notorious for their ability to alter perception and mood, sometimes in spectacular fashion. Many are derived from plants or fungi or created synthetically. They come in forms from pills to liquids to impregnated blotting paper, and many are in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. This means that they have a high risk of causing a substance use disorder and currently have no medical use or safe dosage.  Psychedelic Effects  The effects of psychedelic drugs on an individual person depends on the drug that they are taking, the dose, their mood and where and when the ..read more

Polysubstance use is the clinical term used that describes when individuals mix two or more drugs to achieve a particular effect. Feeling too lethargic on heroin? Why not throw in a little coke to get the blood flowing? A more popular combination is mixing cocaine with alcohol. A little sniff here and there when you are partying to improve your confidence may seem like nothing. Caffeine, cocaine, an energy drink, what is the difference?  Why is Alcohol and Cocaine a Particularly Lethal Combination?  The difference is that the two drugs metabolize in the liver and produce the highly toxic subst ..read more

Drinking on the job. Isn’t that something that only happened in the ’60s in New York, as seen in Mad Men? While that approach to alcohol is certainly glamorized in some people’s eyes, it is one of the many types of alcohol abuse in the workplace. And each time alcohol use crosses the path of a work environment, there are consequences. Whether its simply brand management (buying life insurance from someone with whisky on their breath isn’t exactly confidence building) or the critical aspect of safety (drinking while operating heavy machinery), if you suspect a coworker or employee is being aff ..read more

With the overwhelming prescription and distribution of painkillers throughout the country, the opioid crisis is reaching an all time high. This vicious cycle of curving pain with opioids (both synthetic and natural), which creates a real possibility of patient addiction, is a major problem in the United States. And seems to only be getting worse. However, a new chemical compound is beginning to be developed that could potentially be a help in this desperate time. The chemical is AT-121, and it may be the light in the dark for individuals experiencing chronic pain with no way out or ability to ..read more

Spend any amount of time in, around, or near recovery or a group of people who are living recovery, and you will here some common phrases. “One day at a time.” “Surrender to become victorious.” “A drug is a drug.” Nothing changes if nothing changes.” And so many more. Each of these can feel trite, as any cliche can. However, the reality is that these kinds of phrases or truths stick around because they mean something. They injected some kind of truth into someone’s soul that helped them go another day with out taking a drink or finding a fix. Probably, they did this for many, many people. And ..read more

Fentanyl is an extremely powerful synthetic opioid that produces a narcotic, euphoric effect when taken. For a long time, fentanyl was simply a pain killing medication used to treat various medical problems. However, more and more people are beginning to use it recreationally, often with tragic results. Like just about all pain meds in the opiate family, these drugs can be used for good in the lives of people in chronic or acute pain. The flip side of its good properties brings a high possibility for addiction. Sometimes it begins with a prescription to manage pain and moves to a dependence ..read more

Heavy drinking will cause long-term damage to anyone. If you are consuming alcohol regularly, you should know about the signs of liver disease.  If a person has been drinking for a significant amount of time, he or she has done some damage to many parts of their body. One of the most frequently damaged areas of the human body due to an alcohol use disorder remains liver damage.  The liver controls many other areas of the body. In fact, the liver influences 500 other bodily functions. So a sick liver remains a severe health issue.  Acute Alcoholic Liver Disease  Symptoms of acute liver disease ..read more