I grew up in a rather large family and like most brothers and sisters we roughhoused a little. Our dad always warned us, “It’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt.” We thought, “Dad, we won’t get hurt.” Sometimes we were smart enough to stop, but other times we would just get injured--clunk heads or fall on the floor too hard. Read More →

You’re stuck with it. Your brain has changed. Addictive substances have re-structured the inner workings of your mind, and the squishy stuff beneath that head of hair (or lack thereof) has taken on a new challenge: the challenge of addiction—and all that comes with it.   Read More →

Most of us share a common goal: we want to make a difference in this world or impact someone’s life in a positive way. Even though that sounds like a daunting task and we scramble about where to even begin, we can be inspired by those who have gone before us. Read More →

You’ll probably never see someone try to smoke a big mac, or inject ice cream into their forearm. But recent neurological studies argue foods similar to America’s iconic burger, and the dessert we all scream for are as addictive as drugs that end up in syringes and pipes.   Read More →

Beautiful, sunny, 85-degree Orlando here we come--with Disney World at the top of our list. At least--that's typically what one's plans would be when traveling to Orlando. But last week, we would have found more than just families on vacation gathering at the Walt Disney World Swan Resort. Last week, Orlando also became ground zero for the prescription drug problem.  Read More →

“Hey. Did you hear what I did at the party last weekend? It was crazy awesome.” In society today, teens view drinking as normal and cool. They will boast about the crazy things they do while drunk. But while they view drinking as cool, new drinkers haven’t learned to like the bitter taste of alcohol. So what do they drink instead? Alcopops. Read More →

When taking a prescription drug, addictive qualities of the drug should be considered. Some kinds of prescription drugs are more addictive than others. Prescription pain relievers can be highly addictive and include drugs such as oxycodone, or "oxy" as it is sometimes called, Xanax, Valium, and Vicodin, among others. How addictive each is depends on several factors. Warning Signs for Prescription Drug Addiction Read More →

A woman in Panama City, FL. claims that she violently attacked a monster in her living room—but the “monster” turned out to be her mother.  In Indianapolis, a 29-year-old woman leads squad cars on a wild chase before crashing and being removed from her car. She was discovered “incoherent, laughing uncontrollably and speaking nonsense.” A Florida man is subdued by police, but not before he rips a radar unit out of the squad car with his teeth. No, these stories aren’t from Stephen King novels or The Onion news network—these are real incidents. And what did they all have in common—Bath Salts.   Yes, you didn’t read that wrong—bath salts are the newest rage to hit the drug market. Read More →

Have you ever chased something—a person, a job, or an idea—only to discover that that wasn’t really what you wanted or thought it would be? Sometimes we alcoholics and addicts chase being “clean” and “dry” in the same way. We say, “If I could just get dry” or “If I could just stay clean.” But then we get dry for a few hours or days, and discover we’re miserable. If we’re honest with ourselves, just being dry and clean didn’t cut it for us—so, we easily go back to what made us happy—drinking and Read More →

It’s a truth universally acknowledged that any teenager desires to have fun. Everybody wants to have a good time, to enjoy themselves. But do you need a drug to get you there? Is it true that a party can’t be a party unless everybody there is on ecstasy? Let’s reconsider. Read More →