The opioid epidemic has been raging a deadly war in the United States for over two decades.  In the late 90s, Big Pharma readily reassured doctors that their patients would not become addicted to opioid pain relievers, so they started doling out prescriptions at greater rates than ever before. Unsurprisingly, this led to widespread misuse …

Waiting on a loved one to hit “rock bottom” before getting help for an addiction is not only harmful, it is potentially lethal. While we may have been encouraged to proceed with tough love by not “enabling” a loved one, we can inadvertently push them further into their addiction.  Instead, a more helpful approach would …

Awareness is up. New remedies are in the works. But the stats related to the opioid epidemic are still staggering. Opioids were involved in nearly 50,000 overdose deaths in 2019. In 2019, 7 million people misused prescription pain relievers. In 2020, U.S. doctors wrote more than 142 million opioid prescriptions. (In some counties, they wrote …

The U.S. continues to not only fight the COVID-19 pandemic, it is now also grappling with some major supply chain issues that are leaving the country in chaos. Caused in part by the pandemic, disruptions to the global supply chain are responsible for gridlock in ports, material scarcity, bare shelves in grocery stores and prison …

The opioid crisis is a complex issue in the United States. Opioids kill 50,000 Americans every year, yet they’re still considered to be an effective pain reliever for chronic pain. That’s something lawmakers hope to change by implementing more training programs for doctors and providers prescribing opioids. The Scope of Opioid Prescribing in the US …

“Two out of every five fentanyl pills that we are seizing are a lethal dose.” – Kyle Williamson, Special Agent, El Paso Drug Enforcement Agency It’s unprecedented. Fentanyl seizures by the El Paso DEA are up over 524%, and methamphetamine seizures are up over 200%. These numbers were reported by Kyle Williamson, a recently retired …

Dave seems…different. He used to laugh easily, and he was always up for socializing. But lately, not so much. He seems moody and now he snaps at people over little things. And he’s less likely to accept invitations to get together. It’s like he’s withdrawing from me and everyone else. He’s also lost some weight. …

“When will things ever get easier,” Samantha wondered aloud. Thanks to this pandemic, she couldn’t interact with anyone for four more weeks! That’s an eternity. Samantha knows if she doesn’t have support for a single day, it feels like she’s on the verge of kissing her six weeks of sobriety goodbye. “Guess it’s time to …

When it comes to OxyContin addiction and heroin addiction, people often question if one is worse than the other. The initial assumption is that heroin is worse. After all, doctors prescribe OxyContin, while heroin is bought on the street. A prescription painkiller can’t be as dangerous as an illicit street drug like heroin…right? Wrong. The …

From trained therapy dogs to spoiled lap dogs, there’s no doubt our canine pals are amazing. And without the strength and love of my dog, I never could have overcome opioid addiction. Some dogs play vital roles in assisted therapies, while others are tasked with jobs like searching for drugs, tracking the scent of a …