She’s on call virtually all day, every day. She does the impossible. She’s the real superhero. And she goes by “Mom.” In celebrating Mother's day, we often show our appreciation and love through an emotional card, beautiful flowers, and a phone call. We thank her for giving us life, for caring for us—changing endless diapers, bandaging our cuts—and for being the one person who never stopped worrying about us. But, who’s always there to worry about her? Who’s there to notice her struggle? According to ... 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 →

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 →

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 →

When Purdue Pharma released a new, abuse-resistant version of Oxycontin in 2010, many thought we had taken a solid step toward reducing the abuse of prescription drugs. As it turns out, they were correct; the new coating on Oxycontin did reduce prescription drug abuse. A study released by the drug manufacturer reported that since the reformulation of the drug, the number of addicts who abused Oxycontin fell 30% since the reformulation of the drug. So the new pills have changed the world. Purdue Pharma should get a Nobel prize out of this deal, right? Wrong. In Purdue Pharma’s haste to ... Read More →

There’s a new drug out there called Smiles, more technically known as 2C-1. Like Bath Salts, K2 or “fake weed”, Smiles is another illegal designer drug popular among young adults. Smiles, made sometime in the early 2000s by a drug guru called Alexander Shulgin, was first popular in Europe before it made its way to the US. Introduced as a hallucinogen in 2005, Smiles didn’t attract much attention until September 2011 when it took the lives of two North Dakota teens. The drug has been smiling at the world from media headlines ever since. Here&rsquo ... Read More →

It's the holidays--Christmas and New Year's--some of the hardest times of the year to stay sober--especially at a party. And chances are, every December, you get invited to multiple Christmas or New Year's events. Is it actually possible to hang out with your friends and not drink? If you're in recovery (or just don't want to drink), consider some of these helpful tips for staying sober at a party. (By the way, these tips aren't time sensitive--you don't have to use them just during the holidays; they'll actually work any time ... Read More →

Staying sober during the holidays isn't easy, probably because you're surrounded by friends and family, creating emotionally charged and stressful situations. Some of the sticky situations you might encounter this season might may include   Family conflict. Strained relationships may complicate holiday planning--or leave you with little to plan for.  Past Guilt. Memories of what happened during past holidays create feelings of guilt and embarrassment. Self-consciousness. Worrying about what others think of you and fear of being put on the spot may further add to the holiday stress.  These situations are prime opportunities to trigger a ... Read More →

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day. Between turkey, celebration, pumpkin pie, and more pie, it's easy to get distracted from the real meaning of the holiday. So, I encourage you to step away from the busy hustle and just reflect on the blessings you have--and perhaps take the time to personally thank those who have made your recovery possible. To get you started, we have created an infographic of 10 things we can be thankful for in recovery.  ... Read More →

Every Thanksgiving is an opportunity to stop, pause and think about where we'd be in our disease without recovery. For this thanksgiving, we're creating a Top 10 Gratitude Countdown. Each day, leading up to Thanksgiving, we will post one more idea we are grateful for in recovery. Take a few moments this holiday season to thank your higher power and your friends and family who have made your journey of recovery a possibility.  Top 10 Things I'm Thankful for in Recovery  I'm thankful for . . .              1. Freedom and Hope > ... Read More →