How Addiction Can Affect Marriage
It’s no secret: married couples often experience disagreements, infidelity, financial strain, and, sometimes, tragedy. They can fail to be on the same page or feel like they’re falling out of love. Many factors can influence a divorce. However, research shows [...]
Why Some People are at Higher Risk for SUD
Three main areas in life can play a role in whether or not someone develops a substance use disorder (SUD), abuses drugs, or becomes exposed to alcohol and other intoxicants. These areas include genetics, living and working environment, and development [...]
What to Do if Your Loved One Refuses to Go To Treatment
Not too long ago an insightful story by author David Sheff about his son’s battle against addiction was published in the New York Times. Sheff relays searching for his child at night, checking all the neighborhoods he knew he might [...]
What Cigarette Addiction Reveals About Substance Use Disorder
It’s the nicotine in cigarettes that makes them exceptionally difficult to quit. When someone consumes a cigarette, vapes tobacco, or uses chewing tobacco, they’re introducing nicotine into their bloodstream. Just seconds after inhaling, the brain detects the nicotine and releases [...]
Nitazene: What You Need to Know
In 2023, the Boulder County community of Colorado recorded two unique opioid-related deaths. Upon further investigation, officials found that the victims had consumed a newly modified, powerful synthetic opioid called nitazene. Because the type of nitazene currently on the market [...]
The First Signs of a Meth Addiction
Methamphetamine, known more commonly as meth, is a popular stimulant that targets the central nervous system. Over 2.5 million people use the substance and over half of those have methamphetamine use disorder. The stimulant has several forms and goes by [...]
How Heroin Addiction Develops
Heroin is highly addictive and can lead to physiological dependence within days of repeated use. Dependence can lead to addiction when the person finds that they cannot stop using heroin despite negative consequences. In 2018, a study showed that around [...]
The Most Commonly Abused Drugs in Pennsylvania
It’s interesting but unsurprising to note that drug abuse is largely concentrated in Pennsylvania’s most populated major city: Philadelphia. Chances of finding illicit drugs, using them, and abusing them are more prevalent in Philly than anywhere else in the state. [...]
How Cocaine Addiction Develops
Stephen King famously struggled with cocaine addiction—even at his most productive and lucrative career points. One of his entertaining debut films, Overdrive, is a great example of the brain on cocaine: fast, hyped up, and disjointed. Although King quit using [...]
Let These Beautiful PA Hiking Spots Support Your Sobriety
When you enter St. Joseph Institute’s treatment program to recover from a substance use disorder (SUD), you’re called to make radical changes that prioritize your well-being. One of the ways you might begin to care for yourself is by taking [...]
