There were more fatal drug overdoses in 2014 than in any other year on record in the United States. That number, to be exact, was 47,055. 47,055 drug overdose deaths in one year alone; 1.5 times more drug-related deaths than fatal motor vehicle crashes. Published at the start of the New Year, the Centers for […]

For years, teen drug use has climbed the charts, with more and more high school students adopting drug using activities as part of their recreational pursuits each year. High-risk drugs like ecstasy, cocaine, and prescription painkillers have all taken seats as “drugs-of-choice” for teens over the last decade, and until now, it seemed as though […]

Approximately one third of high school seniors report using an illicit drug at some point in the past year. More than ten percent report nonmedical use of prescription painkillers, and 20 percent smoking marijuana within the last 30 days. Adolescence is the time in which teens are most likely to experiment with drugs. It is […]

One in ten Americans over the age of 12 is currently addicted to drugs or alcohol. That is 23.5 million people in the United States that have been clinically diagnosed with a substance use disorder in a single year. Yet even still, there are hundreds of binge drinkers, closet drug users, regular party-goers, and self-medicators […]

Despite being administered by a physician or prescribed by a doctor, prescription drugs are some of the most dangerous substances rigged up against our youth today. Unfortunately, it is these exact substances that have become the drugs of choice for many adolescents and young adults, with nearly 7,000 new initiates of prescription drugs a day. […]

Those battling substance addiction do not always understand how their drug abuse impacts others. It can be difficult for someone caught amidst the drug-using cycle to recognize the harm they are actually doing to the people around them. We are not necessarily talking about secondhand smoke, either. Drug abuse can bear a deeper kind of […]

Last year, approximately 21.5 million people were diagnosed with a substance use disorder. Today, over 27 million Americans are current illicit drug users, and 16.3 million people remain heavy alcohol abusers. It is easy for us to jump to conclusions when we think of these people; when we think of drug addicts. It is easy for us […]

A recent Huffington Post article quoted, “Relapse may be part of my story, but it doesn’t need to be part of my recovery.” This mantra is consistent with many 12-Step programs. The truth is, relapse happens—but it doesn’t always have to. Understanding the various underlying aspects of relapse, and committing to a renewed lifestyle after […]

Last Spring, the federal CARERS Act of 2015 was proposed. This bill, if passed, will let states legalize medical marijuana without federal interference and relegate pot from a Schedule I drug, a drug of high abuse potential, to Schedule II. It seems that the efforts towards legalization of marijuana are gaining full momentum. According to a […]