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I remember watching Requiem for a Dream when it came out (looking back a 12-year-old had no business watching that movie). It probably didn't seem like a strange movie to watch because I had seen people close to me become addicted to cocaine, pills, and heroin my whole life. The drugs were never visible, but […]

Throughout my time in active addiction and recovery, I’ve only met three people whose drug of choice was crack cocaine. There have been plenty of cocaine and meth addicts but only those three people specifically sought out crack. To me, it seemed like a rare drug. It was never around while I was out there. […]

At most meetings, people are hanging out and socializing beforehand and afterward. Sometimes this is called the meeting before the meeting or the meeting after the meeting. It’s a great way for newcomers to meet people and for friends to catch up with each other, to find out how other people are doing. If you […]

Many medical diagnoses are combated with prescription drugs, but each drug can affect each patient differently. What works for one patient may not be effective for another. Doctors therefore often have several potential options when it comes to selecting a prescription drug to help their patients. One example of this is with the drugs fentanyl […]

The last time that I was in detox, a heroin addict arrived the day after I did and was in terrible shape. When he was feeling a little bit better after a couple of days, we started getting to know each other. In talking about our experiences he told me something intriguing. During a previous […]

Like a pebble dropped in water, addiction has a ripple effect. The actions of an alcoholic or addict eventually impact the lives of family, friends, law enforcement, medical professionals, and strangers. Within this list of people, the most endangered are the babies of addicted mothers. When women use drugs during pregnancy the child can become […]

Methamphetamine, (meth), is an odorless, white and bitter-tasting crystalline powder that can dissolve quickly in liquid substances. It is illegal and mostly taken in the form of snorting, smoking or injecting it into the bloodstream. Once ingested, meth produces an almost immediate high that is often described as an “intense rush” and can last anywhere […]

Until recently most of what I understood about ketamine was in the context of it being a party/club drug. I remember trying it in college the first time. Apparently, I did too much and went into a “k-hole”. I was stuck on the couch. The world seemed far away, I couldn’t move, and couldn’t process […]

Seeing a loved one go through the process of a life-threatening addiction is hard. Family members will often do whatever it takes to help their loved one to get better. This can become even more difficult when the loved one is not able to see the toll their addiction has on their family or are […]

Drugs affect the human brain and body in a variety of ways. When these drugs are prescribed by doctors, the hope is that these bodily effects are changes are for the better. If and when drugs, whether prescribed or obtained illegally, are being abused, however, the changes can be possibly detrimental and cause significant amounts […]