NARCONON BLOG

DRUG INFORMATION

Cold Weather and Cold Hearts— Why People Turn to Substance Use during Winter Months

Is there a seasonal factor in drug overdoses? New research from Brown University seems to suggest so. We’ve heard of the negative aspects of winter. We know about the uptick in depression and the poor mental outlooks that seem to get worse during cold...

CHARACTERISTICS OF ADDICTION

A Growing Drug Problem Overseas—What Can We Learn From It?

When we consider our drug problem here on U.S. soil, it’s difficult to imagine a drug crisis like this occurring somewhere else. The U.S. drug addiction epidemic has expanded and grown over the last twenty years, developing into a health crisis, unlike...

DRUG REHABILITATION

Early Recovery Aided by a Change of Environment

What is it about driving down certain roads that just makes us feel better? Or why do we feel that unique calm wash over us when we walk through a park we’ve been coming to for years? Conversely, what is it about a stroll by our old school that brings...

FAMILY ADDICTION

E-Cigarette Deaths and Resulting Bans—Exploring the Controversy

All you have to do to get the public in an uproar about something is to talk about how dangerous that thing is for young people. And that’s perfectly understandable. We are inherently inclined to protect our young. When it becomes evident that something...

FAMILY ADDICTION

Driving High and Pot Breathalyzers—Consequences of Marijuana Legalization

Marijuana legalization has increased across the nation throughout the last twenty-some-odd years. We are now seeing the side effects of that legalization and the harm it has had on American communities.

DRUG PREVENTION

Schools Increase Drug Testing—Is This the Right Path?

Schools are increasing their drug-testing programs. When I saw that headline mentioned in a recent article in U.S. News, it caught my eye. School drug testing is undoubtedly an effort to combat the growing drug epidemic. It’s an effort to protect our...

DRUG INFORMATION

Fentanyl Overdoses Still on the Rise

Some newsworthy developments on the subject of opioid overdoses have been published recently. On the one hand, recent reports indicate that overdose deaths from most opioids have dropped slightly. But those same reports also suggest that fentanyl-related...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

The Silent Generation Is Silent on Alcohol Misuse

When we think of drug and alcohol addiction, we almost always think of grown adults or young adults. Sometimes we think of teenagers or adolescents. But we rarely think of senior citizens, the demographic over the age of 65. And that’s a big mistake.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

National Panel Urges Changes to Addiction Screening

A surprising headline in an August 13th, 2019 issue of “U.S. News“ reads, “All U.S. Adults Should Be Screened for Illicit Drug Use, National Panel Urges.” That came as a bit of a shock. Such an approach has never been suggested before.

SOBRIETY

How Social Interaction Can Inspire Sobriety

For some time, addicts, addiction experts, family members of addicts, treatment center employees, scientists, and others have tried to probe the secrets of addiction. For decades, centuries even, mankind has sought to unravel this seemingly universal flaw...

DRUG REHABILITATION

Why Potentially Addictive Drugs Are Not a “Fix” for Anything

I would hazard to say that America has become the land of the quick fix; the nation where we jump for band-aid approaches and fast solutions to problems. Americans move fast and tend not to linger on things.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Why Is the World’s Wealthiest Nation Also a World Leader in Drug Overdoses?

The United States is undoubtedly one of the most powerful, wealthiest, and most advanced countries in the world. And while we should always anticipate some shortcomings in even the greatest of nations, it comes as a surprise that the United States takes...

DRUG PREVENTION

Leftover Prescription Drugs Are a Huge Liability

As parents, we want to take every precaution we can to protect our kids from harm. That’s just in our nature. Yet, even in the United States, one of the safest countries in the world, it seems like there is a never-ending array of dangers and risks that...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Marijuana Legalization Seven Years Later

Where is marijuana legalization taking us? What will be the result of legalization in the years to come for the states that have already legalized? Much of the apprehension over marijuana legalization comes from the fact that we just don’t know what...

NARCONON ARROWHEAD REVIEWS

I Am Not a Statistic Anymore

When one reaches a breaking point and is searching for help with an addiction, it is vital to find a place where one can grow and heal. I was broken and desperate for a new chance. I attended a 12-step in-patient program looking and begging for help.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

What Can We Do to Reduce Drug Use in Our Communities?

While it is true that drug addiction can affect anyone, it is also true that drug use touches down in some communities more than it does in others. What makes certain areas of the U.S. different than others?

CHARACTERISTICS OF ADDICTION

8 Things No One Told You About Addiction

Addiction: nobody expects for it to happen, nobody wants it, and certainly nobody signs up for it. If there was a sign-up sheet, it likely wouldn’t mention the downsides. But there are downsides, a lot of them, perhaps more than one realizes.

DRUG INFORMATION

What Do Legalization, Marijuana, and Pregnancy Have in Common?

One of the most concerning things about increasing marijuana legalization is that individual states are quickly legalizing cannabis before truly understanding the potential risks in doing so .

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Medical Marijuana Is Not the Answer to the Opioid Epidemic

As interest in marijuana use has moved forward (partially thanks to state legislation), some proponents of the cannabis movement have said that medical marijuana might be a solution to the opioid epidemic.

DRUG INFORMATION

How Does Alcohol Use Affect People Who Don’t Drink?

A common line you hear when trying to recruit someone to help you address any one of the many societal problems that face our nation is this classic phrase: “That problem doesn’t affect me directly; why should I be concerned about it?”