Seniors aged 60 years and up have often been overlooked during the opioid epidemic. But that has started to change. Recent research shows that seniors are also highly prone to opioid use disorder. This is especially true of seniors grappling with chronic illness, loneliness, and other stressors. In California, a study from 2011 to 2017 [...]
How do people in recovery cope with obsessive behaviors? Many aspects of addiction are closely linked to other types of compulsive behaviors. Risk-taking behaviors, in particular, can be detrimental to a person trying to stay sober. After all, a “rush” of adrenaline can be just as addictive for some people as picking up a drink [...]
Many people in recovery find relief throughdrug treatment, the 12 steps, and other forms of therapy. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is one type of therapy people may find helpful. This therapy is often practiced alongside mindfulness techniques to help people change their thinking and reactions. It is beneficial with triggers and helping an addicted [...]
Everyone in recovery learns to cope with new feelings and replace negative behaviors. Learning new cognitive skills is vital for “growing up” in recovery. When a person gets high or drunk, their cognitive skills are usually not up to their potential. Breaking the law and taking dangerous risks are part of the lifestyle caused by [...]
In 2020, the first year of the pandemic, there have been many lessons for people in the addiction recovery field. In San Francisco, however, the lessons of 2020 help reduce overdose deaths and increase services to people who needed them, according to about sixty treatment centers that responded to a series of research surveys. Reducing [...]
In the state of California, overdose deaths have skyrocketed over the past few years. New research shows the numbers are higher than previously believed, with a 43% increase for drug overdoses in California. Those numbers are already higher than 2021. In 2021, California had an increase of over 6,000 deaths 2020. Over 10,000 people have [...]
While many people who are addicted get help from their families, there is usually a complicated relationship dynamic at play. For professionals in recovery, learning to help a client navigate healthy boundaries, helping them be responsible, and teaching them to communicate effectively are all important. One of the top goals of people when they get [...]
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has announced the launch of a new loan repayment program that will help encourage medical professionals to work in the field of addiction. The program, similar to others in the field of medicine and public service such as education, will reward medical students who pledge to work full-time [...]
The Biden administration has announced they will be lifting restrictions on the popular Medication-Assisted treatment drug buprenorphine. The move will give more doctors access to the life-changing drug that has helped thousands of addicted people stop using opioids. Before this action, buprenorphine administration had many restrictions on it. It is considered to be the “golden [...]
A drug used for Medication-Assisted Treatment is now being tried as a pain medication replacement for opioids. Naltrexone, a form of Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT), is typically used to help people cease using opioids. What is Naltrexone? Traditionally, Naltrexone is a once-a-month injection for opioid use disorder. It is often the MAT of choice for people [...]
