Addiction Science

Why Do People Use Drugs?

April 7, 2020 / Addiction Science, Drugs and the Brain, Intervention, Prevention, Research/Trends/Statistics

Are you or a loved one struggling with substance abuse and you’re not sure why? Gaining insight into the motivation behind the drug use is a great first step towards recovery. There is no one answer to the question “why do people use drugs?” but we have provided the following list of potential reasons as a starting point for your inquiry. Feel free to call the Two Dreams admissions team at 504-510-2331 to jumpstart your recovery today! Physical Pleasure. Addictive drugs stimulate the release of dopamine, a “feel-good” chemical in the brain that invokes the euphoric high commonly associated with …

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What is the Definition of Addiction Recovery?

April 7, 2020 / Addiction Science, Holistic Care and Treatment

There is no universal definition of addiction recovery. Recovery is highly individualized because so many factors come into play: physical condition, emotional/psychological condition, support network strength, motivation, socioeconomic factors, personality/demeanor, religious beliefs, etc. Recovery goals vary widely from facility to facility and from person to person, but on a basic level the aims are usually to get the individual to acknowledge their addiction, to have them commit to recovery, and to reduce or eliminate their inducements to use. Contrary to popular belief, the goal is not to “cure” people of their addictions; chemical dependence is a chronic, long-term disease that …

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Applying the “Stages of Change” Model to Drug Addiction Treatment

April 6, 2020 / Addiction Science, Holistic Care and Treatment

Individuals with a substance use disorder are oftentimes in denial about their addiction for a period of time. Denial is a simple way to minimize and rationalize any problem at hand. It is a defense mechanism that shifts the blame away from the denier and hands it off to anyone available to accept the responsibility. Disordered substance users will argue against evidence, minimize the facts, and deny responsibility. Denial functions as an ego defense mechanism for them that is meant to ward off discomfort caused by repeated emotional injuries. It results in poor treatment outcomes and is a major obstacle …

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Commentary: When it Comes to Opioids, Doctors Need to Focus on People, Not Pills

April 6, 2020 / Addiction Science, Heroin and Opioids, Pain, Prescription Drugs & Cold Medicines

Medicine cannot be considered a strictly formulaic field; medical professionals must consider each individual holistically in order to make appropriate decisions regarding opioids. There are physicians on both sides of the spectrum: some are “pill-pushers” who prescribe opioids for every case of pain they encounter, while others are so stingy about prescribing painkillers that they deprive their patients of care they desperately need. It is important for doctors to find a middle ground between the two extremes in order to provide the highest quality and safest treatment plans possible. Opioid prescription rates are too high right now, yes, but they …

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Faith – March 2016 Dream Journal

April 6, 2020 / Addiction Science, Chicago, Dream Journal, Mental Health, Mindfulness, New Orleans, Outer Banks

Dream Journal Volume XXXVII / March 2016 Note From Dr B. Faith has been a significant part of my recovery journey with chronic pain. It keeps me optimistic in the face of surgeries and steroidal injections. It allows me to push through agonizing physical therapy sessions, knowing that I will come out on the other side stronger and more relaxed. It prevents me from submitting to the pain, even when I feel that shifting focus is impossible. It inspires me to keep stretching, even when I want to give up. It is important to remember that faith is not a plan, …

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Link Between Chronic Pain and Depression

April 6, 2020 / Addiction Science, Pain

If you suffer from chronic pain, you certainly know what that feels like. Whether it’s your lower back that aches, your shoulder that gives you trouble or your entire body that hurts from head to toe on a regular basis, it’s no fun being in agony. After a while, you may feel like giving up, and feel like there’s no solution to the pain that wracks your body on a day-to-day basis. And that may be when depression sets in – when you feel like there’s no end in sight to the pain you’re experiencing. Furthermore, you may be finding …

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Urine Drug Testing Facts

April 7, 2020 / Addiction Science, Drug Testing, Research/Trends/Statistics

Urine Drug Testing Around 21.5 million Americans suffer from substance use disorders, and approximately 90% of them go untreated. On average 43,982 people die every year due to drug overdoses, amounting to a shocking 120 deaths per day. Overdose deaths, especially from prescription drugs and heroin, have reached alarming levels and addiction professionals are concerned to say the least. Clinical recommendations are quickly emerging in an attempt to alter these disturbing statistics. For example, urine drug testing has long been used as a therapeutic device in addiction medicine, but use has been largely unstandardized. There is a significant lack of …

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Hope – February 2016

April 6, 2020 / 12 Steps, Addiction Science, Art Therapy, Chicago, Dream Journal, Holistic Care and Treatment, Inpatient, Intensive Outpatient, Mindfulness, New Orleans, Outer Banks, Outpatient, Recreation, Research/Trends/Statistics

Dream Journal Volume XXXVI / February 2016 Note From Dr B. Hope is the driving force behind recovery. You can see it in the glowing smile of the elderly man who finally made it through a full year without a drink. You can feel it in the bouncing step of the middle-aged woman whose regular physical therapy sessions have caused her pain levels to decrease. You can hear it in the proud applause of parents watching their now drug-free son walk across the stage to receive his college diploma. You can taste it in the glass of water that the teenage …

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Outpatient Suboxone Treatment vs. Methadone Treatment

April 6, 2020 / Addiction Science, Heroin and Opioids, Outpatient, Suboxone Treatment

Addictive drugs directly activate the brain’s reward pathway, a system involved in behavior reinforcement and memory production. Activation of the reward system can be so intense that normal activities, like eating and sleeping, may be forgotten and/or neglected. Drugs of abuse characteristically enhance dopamine signaling in an area of the reward pathway called the nucleus accumbens (NA.) The NA is sometimes called the “pleasure center” of the brain. It releases dopamine when the brain senses a rewarding stimulus, such as a narcotic, and this rush of chemicals reinforces the behavior that caused the sensation, for example ingesting a pill. Thus, …

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New Study Highlights Risks of Combining Benzodiazepines and Opioids

April 6, 2020 / Addiction Science, Heroin and Opioids, Research/Trends/Statistics

A new study published in the British Medical Journal suggests that co-prescribing benzodiazepines with opioids increases the patient’s risk of overdose by four times that of opioids alone. Even patients on low doses of opioid analgesics have this increased chance of fatality. Researching physicians suggest that prescribers should thoroughly consider their options and weigh the risks and benefits before prescribing these drugs. Safer alternatives are usually available and oftentimes improve quality of life more effectively than opioids and benzodiazepines do. Read More Here

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