Substance Abuse Articles, Blogs and Resources

Man on mountain thinking about Substance AbuseAddiction Hope is dedicated to providing timely and helpful information on the dangers of Substance Abuse as well as alcohol abuse.

Drugs are a chemical substance that can be used in the prevention, cure and treatment of an ailment or disease. Often, medications can be used to help an individual’s emotional and psychological well being, and they can enhance one’s physical abilities or well being.

Medicines can help heal a person or destroy a life. They can be naturally derived from plants or synthesized in some type of laboratory. A drug addiction can ruin a man or woman’s existence. It is disappointing that many of the medications that were originally developed to help heal people will be abused and devastate the life of someone with a substance abuse addiction.

Substance abuse is when a person begins using a drug in a way other than its intended use as prescribed by a doctor. A drug addiction can be created when a man or woman continually abuses drugs in order to get high (an intense euphoric feeling). Some drugs are so addictive that someone using for the first time can become instantly addicted.

When someone has developed a drug addiction, they can build up a tolerance to the drug and need more and more of the substance to have the same effect. The person will sometimes begin smoking, snorting, or injecting the drugs so as to reach a quicker and more intense high. This leads to constant repeated use and, thus, the creation of a drug addiction.

Substance abuse addiction is outstandingly difficult to quit. Often one substance is abused with other drugs or alcohol. Sadly and frequently, substance abuse co-occurs with other mental disorders such as mood disorders, mental disorders and eating disorders.

This adds to the complexities of stopping the drug abuse. However, it is imperative that the drug addiction is ended because constant substance abuse can be deadly. Heart attacks and strokes often occur. Some of the more common drug types include opioids (heroin, morphine, hydrocodone), hallucinogens (LSD, DXM, PCP), stimulants (cocaine, Ecstasy, meth), and depressants (alcohol, Quaaludes).

Please continue reading below to see our latest blog posts on substance abuse. Under the “Substance Abuse Navigation” menu, you can click on the drop-down arrow to see evergreen, general information on dozens of individual drugs, including prescription substances.

Acute Stress Management in Our Sad Era of Terrorism

Woman in hat struggling with Mixing Cold Medications with Prescription Drugs Everyone experiences pain, whether it be physical or mental. When pain becomes too intense to handle, as humans, we attempt to find a solution to cope. Some examples of coping with physical or mental pain can be consuming large amounts of alcohol or other drugs, engaging in bingeing and/or purging, or inflicting harm to oneself. [...]
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The Process of Medical Stabilization for Opiate Addiction

Woman thinking about how Substance abuse can cause COVID vulnerability Contributor: Staff of Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center It is so easy to become addicted to opiates and so very difficult to break that addiction. Opiate drugs, this includes heroin, impact an individual on every level, physically, mentally and emotionally. Medical stabilization for opiate addiction and detox from opioid drugs is not quick nor easy. [...]
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How Opiates Uniquely Affect the Developing Teenage Brain

Teen struggling with addiction to marijuana Misuse of prescription drugs is now ranked only second in prevalence to that of marijuana in the United States. The young adolescents are identified as the age group with the highest rates of prescribed opiates abuse with 5.9 percent reporting nonmedical use. What makes matters even more concerning is that young adolescence is essentially characterized [...]
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Netflix Documentary “Heroin(e)” Highlights the Opioid Epidemic

Remote control showing netflix button Contributor: Staff of Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center. Opioid-related destruction has increased to such a large degree that it is now considered an epidemic, with ER visits for non-medical use of prescription opioids more than doubling from 2004 to 2011[1]. Even more upsetting is the fact that opioid-related overdoses deaths have more than tripled since [...]
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How to Recognize Opioid Abuse in Loved Ones

Friends discussing opioid abuse in loved ones Contributor: Megan Wilson, BS, CADC, Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center You may be concerned about opioid abuse in loved ones. Examples of opioids are heroin, morphine, codeine, and other prescription pain medications. These substances come in several different forms and can be used orally, intravenously, smoked, or snorted. Opioids could be obtained by a prescription [...]
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