Pregnancy and Addiction
When women become pregnant they must make a number of sometimes tough changes to their lifestyle for the health of the baby including giving up things like alcohol, cigarettes and caffeine. This can be a difficult shift in their usual habits for most women but what about for those who struggle with a serious addiction?…
Trading One Addiction for Another: The AA Smoking Paradox
Last updated: April 17th, 2025 Alcoholics Anonymous sets up strict rules regarding abstinence from alcohol consumption, encouraging all members to avoid drinking permanently. AA has proven to be a highly successful program for people to end their addiction to alcohol, but the single focus of the program chooses not to address outside issues with other…
Marijuana Edibles are Rising in California
One of the fastest growing segments of the medicinal marijuana industry in California has been pot in the form of edibles. Marijuana dispensaries all over the state now provide THC in an immense array of products such as candies, cookies, crackers, breath mints and even potato chips. Edibles are now a popular way for people…
Why Celebrities Overdose
Although plenty of people dream of being a famous musician, singer or actor, the price of fame can be high and it is all too common to lose some of our favorites artists to addiction. Celebrity overdoses have always been a rampant problem even since the 1960s when talented legends like Jimi Hendrix and Janis…
Country Music Makes the Most Drug References
While most people associate drug references with genres such as rock and roll and rap, it was recently discovered that country music is actually the worst offender of all. Drug references have occurred in music as far back as the 1930s when jazz, bluegrass and swing musicians would mention them casually from time to time….
Where Addiction & Mental Health Intersect
When someone develops an addiction, it is rarely due to the addictiveness of the substance alone. While physical dependency plays a role in drug addiction, there are a wide range of other factors that make a significant contribution to whether or not someone will struggle with abuse. Genetic factors, cultural environment, and social influences all…
Addiction & Alcoholism Fuel Mental Health Issues
Addiction and alcoholism and mental health issues have a close relationship with one another. Many people who suffer from mental health conditions (such as depression, post traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder, or anxiety) turn to alcohol or drugs to self-medicate. Alternatively, the chemical changes in the brain caused by drugs and alcohol can cause mental…
Understanding Prescription Drug Addiction
Did you know that every single day there are over 2,500 adolescents, from the ages of 12 up to 17 who will abuse some type of prescription pain reliever in the United States? While the abuse of prescription drugs is most widely seen in the U.S., it is an issue that faces communities all over…
A Portrayal of Addiction by Hollywood
If you’re not familiar with drug addiction, some of your knowledge may have come from how the movie industry portrays addiction and alcoholism. What most people fail to realize is that the fictitious Hollywood portrayals of drug addiction sometimes are sensationalized in order to make a point. Because of this, they may not be doing…
Addressing Prescription Drug Addiction
It should come as no surprise when the extensive use of hard drugs such as cocaine, heroin and crystal meth result in jail, institutionalization and even death. Unfortunately, one of the most common types of drugs that can lead to harder drug addiction originates from the use of prescription drugs for pain management, and opioid…