Today, May 9, is Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day, the climax of the week on mental health awareness. This year’s theme is Out of the shadows: Exposing stigma. Stigma is a mark of shame and disgrace, a negative judgment placed on someone or something. Too often, people are quick to judge and assume the worst in a person that has difficulties—which we all have difficulties at some point in our lives. But, imagine a world in which people had compassion for others who are struggling rather than judging them. A Model of Compassion A classic ... Read More →

Chris Kelly, half of the 1990s kid rap duo Kris Kross that had a chart-topping hit with “Jump,” died in Atlanta on Wednesday, May 1, from a suspected drug overdose at age 34 according to the LA Times. Kelly was found unresponsive on his couch and had no signs of life when paramedics arrived at his home in Atlanta Wednesday afternoon. Although no official cause of death is determined, the former teen star had an extensive history of drug abuse. According to a police report released Thursday, Kelly had taken a mixture of cocaine and heroin the night before his ... Read More →

Nobody can avoid the effect of drinking too much, nor escape the consequences thereof. Even if you’re famous. Even if you’re Reese Witherspoon. According to CNN, the Legally Blonde actress was in Atlanta for the filming of a new movie when she was charged with interfering with the arrest of her husband, Hollywood agent James Toth, on a drunken driving charge--and even telling the officer that this was “going to be on national news”. Well, she was right. The arrest itself may not have attracted much attention had it not been for the colorful ... Read More →

If you're a serious or heavy alcoholic drinker, you might have experienced a blackout before. A blackout is different than passing out—this is a moment where you are basically functioning, walking around, talking, performing tasks, but aftewards you have no recollection of what happened.  What is a Blackout?  Real Blackout Stories The following are true blackout stories told by Gene Duffy, our founder. These are powerful reminders of how subtly dangerous excessive alcohol use can be.  Blackout Stories: How the Hell Did I Get Here?  Blackout Stories: What Can't You Do During ... Read More →

When I was a child, the issue of drugs and alcohol was presented one dimensionally. "Good girls and boys' didn't drink or do drugs." If we simply behaved, we never had to deal with the ugly problems of addiction. Poof, it was just that easy. Or so I was told. My Perspective: Bad People The complete avoidance of the real issues of addiction left me with the impression that anyone seriously addicted to anything could not be a good person. Period. They were people to be afraid of. People whose primary purpose was to give oneself a warm and ... Read More →

Held every April, Alcohol Awareness Month is a national effort to highlight the effects of alcoholism and alcohol-related problems. At Duffy's, we are passionate about helping those who are struggling with alcohol, so we are excited to participate in this special month on our blog.  Who Sponsors Alcohol Awareness Month? The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD) What is the Goal for Alcohol Awareness Month? The goal for Alcohol Awareness month is to raise awareness and to support recovery.This is a time dedicated to support prevention, research, education, intervention, treatment and recovery from alcoholism and ... Read More →

Throughout history, people have turned to all kinds of bizarre sources to discover the ultimate high. From salamander brandy to cobra venom, the following list of hair-raising, gag-stimulating drugs demonstrate the intensity of drug abuse and the power of addiction throughout the world. 10. Hand Sanitizer One of the most recent among a lengthy list of inhalants, hand sanitizer reached headlines when Los Angeles hospitals admitted several teens with alcohol poisoning from drinking hand sanitizer. With the help of social media, chugging a bottle of hand sanitizer—or distilling the sanitizer to separate the alcohol from the liquid—quickly ... Read More →

A New Obsession I'll never forget the first time my friends and I got a case of beer and got drunk together. I loved it. I wanted more. Nothing was ever the same after that because unless there was booze and drugs involved I wanted nothing to do with it. The booze and drugs took hold of me from day one. I never knew what would happen. . . I could hook up with a pretty girl, get in a fight or black out and wake up covered in vomit. But I still loved it. It was adventure in a bottle ... Read More →

On Friday, March 15, reports announced that rapper Lil Wayne was in a coma after suffering multiple seizures from an overdose of the popular recreational drug, Sizzurp.  What is Sizzurp? Sizzurp, also known as purple drank, syrup, or Texas tea, is a combination of prescription strength cough syrup with 7-Up or a similar fruit-flavored soda and dissolved hard candy, such as jolly ranchers. Sometimes users add alcohol or crushed painkillers for an even stronger high. The main ingredient is the codeine and promethazine based prescription cough syrup. This is not the same as dextromethorphan (DXM) based cough syrup, which is ... Read More →

For decades, society has dreamed of a miracle drug that can end substance addiction. We've hoped for a way to make recovery from addiction effortless and painless--that “quick fix” for addiction itself. Lunbeck, a Danish international pharmaceutical company, claims to have finally bagged that dream and squished it into a little tablet dubbed Selincro. Have we finally found a "miracle fix" for addiction? Touted as the “first major innovation in the treatment of alcohol dependence in many years,” Selincro is one of the few medications to be approved by the European commission for the reduction ... Read More →