Is My Urine Drug Test Positive?

April 6, 2020 / Addiction Science, Drug Testing, Marijuana

Urine drug screening tests are often performed in clinical settings to determine whether or not an individual has taken drugs recently and still has them in their system. These tests use specific antibodies to capture and detect drug breakdown products that are secreted out of the body during urination. A different type of urine screening process is required for each different drug, so positive results have different numerical values and mean different things. For instance, the drugs marijuana and cocaine contain two different chemicals, and they are broken down in the body at different rates into different byproducts. Because they …

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Forgiveness – September 2016 Dream Journal

April 6, 2020 / Dream Journal, Mental Health, Mindfulness

Dream Journal Volume XLII / September 2016 Note From Dr B. When we harbor resentment towards others, we cause nervous system dysregulation, or a buildup of negative energy in the body. This leads to the increased production of cortisol and adrenaline, as well as an over-stimulated amygdala, a part of the brain that plays a large role in emotional control. This state of chronic anxiety may lead to health issues and truly hurts us more than it hurts the person we harbor resentment against. So let go of your resentments. Let go of your negative feelings. Forgive your oppressors for your …

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B Vitamin Deficiency

April 6, 2020 / Holistic Care and Treatment, Nutrition

Drug users often suffer from vitamin deficiencies because they do not eat enough food for various reasons. Some use drugs as a way to stay thin, some do not realize they are hungry, and some forget to eat because they are consumed by other problems. These behaviors can lead to serious medical conditions caused by malnutrition, such as neurological damage. Two Dreams provides its clients a well-balanced diet and emphasizes that the feeling of hunger may be a stressor. It is important to seek out food instead of drugs when hunger strikes. Vitamin B deficiency (especially deficiencies in vitamins B1, …

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Stay Motivated To Quit Smoking

April 6, 2020 / Mindfulness, Tobacco/Nicotine

40 million people in the United States smoke. Nearly half (16 million) of them are living with a smoking-related disease, and in the United States, about 1 in 5 deaths (480,000) occur every year as a result of cigarette smoking. The negative health effects of nicotine addiction are widely known, but only a small percentage quit. Every year, 7 out of 10 smokers want to stop smoking, but only 4 make the attempt to and even fewer succeed. Smoking cessation is quite challenging; smokers often need to change their lives completely in order to quit the habit. They need to …

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A Response to President Obama’s Health Care Reform Article

April 6, 2020 / Public Health, Research/Trends/Statistics

President Obama recently published an article discussing the Affordable Care Act (2010) in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). This publication is monumental for being the first medical article ever to be published in a journal by a president. It is a useful resource for members of the public, especially researchers, who want to gain a better understanding of the president’s perspectives and the progress made with health care reform.   Accomplishments of the Affordable Care Act In this article, President Obama stated that health care reform is necessary because, at the rate health care costs are increasing, …

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What is K-2?

April 7, 2020 / Drug Testing, Marijuana, Research/Trends/Statistics, Synthetic Drugs

K-2, which has been around in the United States since 2008, is becoming more and more popular in recent years and has been linked to multiple drug poisoning outbreaks. If you know someone who is young and adventurous with drugs, you may need to be concerned about K-2. This product is sold in small packets labeled with cutesy names and described as incense. The package carries the disclaimer “not for human consumption,” which many of those working to stop the illegal drug trade consider an unfunny joke. Inhalation is a form of product consumption…how can you not breath in incense? …

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Tools for Tobacco Cessation

April 7, 2020 / Addiction Science, Public Health, Research/Trends/Statistics, Tobacco/Nicotine

Cigarette smoking and nicotine addiction lead to 400,000 deaths annually, despite the fact that the detrimental consequences of smoking are widely known and accepted. While smoking rates have declined considerably since the Surgeon General first announced its health hazards in 1964, still about 21% of the American public continues to smoke. Nicotine addiction is one that is particularly important to treat because it often leads to other addictions and its use has a tremendous impact on health.   Why Quit Smoking? Smoking has been linked to multiple diseases and can worsen many health conditions. Smoking tobacco is responsible for causing …

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Methamphetamine Drug Use During Pregnancy

April 6, 2020 / Methamphetamines, Prevention, Synthetic Drugs, Women and Drugs

After cannabis, amphetamines are the most widely used illegal drugs in the world, with about 14 to 57 million people using methamphetamine. Based on the increasing number of drug busts for methamphetamine laboratories in the United States, it is clear that its use is on the rise. 45% percent of users are women, and according to the ongoing IDEAL (Infant Development, Environment, and Lifestyle) study examining the affects of meth use on child development, 6% of women used the drug while pregnant.   What Is Methamphetamine? Methamphetamine (also known as meth, crystal, and ice) can be put in various forms …

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Opioid-Induced Hyperalgesia: How Painkillers Can Paradoxically Cause More Pain

April 6, 2020 / Addiction Science, Drugs and the Brain, Heroin and Opioids, Pain

What is opioid-induced hyperalgesia? Opioid-induced hyperalgesia is the occurrence of increased pain sensitivity in response to opioid administration. In other words, taking opioids in excess and/or for a long period of time has been known to lower the individual’s pain threshold so pain seems worse even if the opioid dose is increased. This phenomenon is often associated with opioid tolerance and opioid inefficiency.   What is the difference between opioid tolerance, and opioid-induced hyperalgesia? “Tolerance” suggests that the drug has progressively stopped causing a pharmacological response, but that the issue can generally be overcome by increasing the dosage. “Opioid-induced hyperalgesia” …

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Six Weeks Until Christmas – Chapter 13

April 6, 2020 / Alcohol, Sober Living

Six Weeks Until Christmas by Simon Tait Chapter 13: Brain New World I’m writing this on the last day of January, having “graduated” IOP. A couple of months ago, I watched Tom pass a similar milestone and was in awe of him. Three months, ninety days, a quarter of a year, all seemed impossible. Merely considering it felt like a challenge. During this time, I noticed mental and physical changes – gone are the shakes, sweats, self-hate, tears and fears. But I’m still an alcoholic. When I left the center into a dark, cold night, I walked along Montrose and …

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