A New Study Revives Concerns About Vivitrol
Vivitrol is time-release formulation of naltrexone that is administered once a month via injection. It is an opioid antagonist, which means it binds strongly to opioid receptors, preventing opioid drugs from having any effect. Whereas other opioid treatment medications such as buprenorphine or methadone function as weak opioids, that reduce withdrawal symptoms and cravings while allowing recovering addicts to function [...]
When Does Gaming Become an Addiction?
The line between enthusiasm for video games and addiction is fuzzy. Someone can spend a lot of time playing video games without suffering negative consequences. Some studies even show that video games might have some cognitive benefits, such as improved visual memory, better peripheral awareness, and better spatial reasoning. Someone might spend just as much time painting or playing music, [...]
There are 4 Types of Drunks
Alcohol changes your behavior. We typically characterize this as a loss of inhibition. Researchers at the University ofMissouri-Columbia in the United States conducted a study on 147 undergraduates to find out how our personalities change when we drink. They surveyed friends of the participants to learn how the participants behaved differently when drunk. They described these changes in terms of [...]
What’s the Difference Between Vivitrol and the “Addiction Vaccine”?
Amid the growing awareness of the opioid epidemic in the US, there has been a lot of interest in an experimental “addiction vaccine” that would render opioid drugs useless in anyone who has been vaccinated. This sounds very similar to Vivitrol and other naltrexone drugs that block the effects of opioid drugs. What’s the difference between the experimental vaccine and [...]
Does the Disease Model of Addiction Make Recovery Harder?
AA has been arguing for decades that addiction is a disease and a recent poll shows that a slim majority of Americans now believe that addiction is a disease that requires treatment. Despite the popular acceptance that addiction is a disease, there are some experts who argue the designation isn’t apt and say it even makes recovery more difficult. The [...]
Learning to Focus Without Adderall
People often have trouble focusing after quitting Adderall or other stimulants. Adderall, in particular, is abused as a productivity drug because it allows you to focus intensely for hours with no effort. This isn’t always the best way to work, and it certainly isn’t healthy, but it is a way to accomplish a lot of tasks. When that crutch is [...]
Why do Anti-drug Campaigns Fail?
When President Trump declared the opioid epidemic a national public health emergency, one of his suggestions was to start a "really tough, really big, really great" ad campaign to deter drug use, leading every American older than 10 to ask, “Wait, haven’t we been doing that for the past 40 years?” Indeed we have, so why don’t anti-drug campaigns seem [...]
Birth Order’s Effect On Addiction
Birth order does seem to affect personality to some degree. First-born children are typically more responsible and conscientious. They do better in school. They learn early on that they have to look out for someone else. They may feel pressure from their parents to excel. Youngest children tend to be more impulsive and self-centered. They are protected by both their [...]
Can You Overdose on LSD?
It is possible to overdose on LSD. You may have heard the urban legend about that guy your cousin’s friend knew who took too much acid and thought he was a glass of orange juice. He’s still in the local psychiatric hospital and he has to sleep sitting up because he’s afraid he’ll spill. In reality, taking too much LSD [...]
How To Know When Its Time To Find A New Therapist
A good therapist is a valuable asset in recovery. While meetings are great for social support, introspection, and inspiration, they aren’t really intended to provide help for specific mental health issues. However, about half of people seeking treatment for addiction have a dual diagnosis, often depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, ADHD, or schizophrenia. Clearly, these issues require specific [...]