Unintended Addictions to Prescription Painkillers Pose a Serious Threat
Although the general public often assumes anyone in rehab actively set out to develop an addiction, this couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, most people who struggle with an addiction to prescription painkillers originally took their medication exactly [...]
Signs of Opioid Addiction
Opioid abuse remains a serious public health issue throughout the United States. This is, however, an often misunderstood type of addiction, since many people who use opioid pain medication have a valid reason for doing so and abusers often begin [...]
Prescription Pain Medication: a Gateway to Heroin
WPSU radio station wanted to discuss the increased use of heroin and the inherent dangers. One of our graduates joined me for the interview and made a great contribution. Emily was celebrating her third anniversary of sobriety and we are [...]
Pittsburgh, Heroin, and the Road to Hell
Pittsburgh, Heroin, and the Road to Hell A Mother’s Call for Help Not long ago, a mother from Pittsburgh called me seeking help for her daughter. She described a two-year journey that began when her daughter started taking prescription meds [...]
Dear Heroin, I want a divorce. I want a new life.
It’s frustrating. No matter how terrible the impact of heroin has been on a user’s life, they keep returning to the same sick relationship. The dependence is so great that the resolve to stop using can easily crumble. Why is [...]
10 Reasons to Hate Heroin
There was a time when heroin was seen as the drug used by those who had tumbled deep into the drug culture. It would never be found in nice neighborhoods or on the campuses of good schools. Heroin was not [...]
The Case Against Methadone, Suboxone and Other Medication-Assisted Treatments for Addiction
I spend a lot of time talking to families determined to find help for a loved one who is addicted to drugs. Inevitably the conversation includes the questions: “Aren’t there some medications that will make them stop?” “I’ve heard about [...]
7 Hard Truths About Opiate Addiction
I recently spoke with a young man who was “having a problem with opiates.” In actuality, he was trying hard to convince both himself and me that his prescription medication abuse wasn’t serious. Certainly he felt it would be wrong [...]
