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 →

Alcohol is not only embedded into our culture, but it is shaping our future. Today, more than ever, alcohol affects the economy, raises the nation death toll, and touches the lives of our children—who are our future. Over 7 million children live in a household where at least one parent is dependent on or has abused alcohol. Each day, over 10,000 children under age 21 take their first drink. Our children are the future. Impact their decisions about alcohol use, and you are changing our future.  ... 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 →

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 →

How can I tell if my loved one is addicted? What are the warning signs of drug abuse? I think my friend is addicted, but how do I know? Although it seems difficult to prove a drug addiction, there are many warning signs that strongly point to an addiction. Below are seven common signs of drug addiction. If your loved one is exhibits at least 2 of these, you should help him or her to seek treatment.  1. Lies and Secrecy Lying and secrecy is the most consistent component of addiction. For an addiction to survive, it must remain secret. Below ... Read More →

As we pointed out in our previous blog post, New Year’s resolutions can really change your life--as long as they are the right type of resolutions--the realistic, simple, day-by-day type of goals because these are the ones that will last. These are the ones that can help to refresh you along your recovery journey. This blog is the second blog post in our sequel on new year’s resolutions. If you haven’t read the first one, you can check it out too. 4. Thank One Person a Month As you probably know, gratitude is one of ... Read More →

New year’s resolutions have become something of a joke. So unless you’re part of the 8% who actually succeed in achieving their goals, you’re probably not banking on this holiday tradition to actually make a difference in your life. But recovery is different because recovery is a day-by-day process and not a once-a-year deal. Recovery is also about change and movement, and the start of a new year is one of the best times for trying something different. The reason that so many great resolutions never survive past the first few weeks is that many ... Read More →

It doesn’t matter where you live; New Year’s is the wettest day of the year as people across the nation celebrate by breaking out the booze. During a time where everyone is drinking, it may seem like those in recovery are the only ones not swimming in party hats, sparklers, and empty beer bottles--and makes us wonder if it’s even possible to stay sober and enjoy yourself during a New Year’s party. The answer is a loud, challenging, yes. It is possible to stay clean, dry and sober on New Year's ... Read More →

What do you get when you combine great information with great design? Great Infographics! We all know that the disease of addiction affects all of us, but sometimes seeing that information in picture format helps us to grasp those concepts more easily. These addiction and recovery infographics cover everything from how much drugs affects the state of California to how to be thankful in recovery.  1. California Drug Abuse Stats & Infographic Just how prevalent is illegal drug abuse in California? From emergency room visits to the marijuana market to treatment and rehab, this infographic gives you numbers you ... Read More →

We thank our Duffy community and all those who have read and commented on our blog posts this past year! Here we have compiled our most popular blogs of 2012.  1. Top 10 Most Commonly Abused Drugs and Their Effects Ever wondered which drugs are the most commonly abused? As our number one hit in 2012, thousands of people are wondering the same thing. Based on data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, this blog lists the 10 most popular drugs in the nation. 2. Vicodin 301: Why is Vicodin Addictive? We’re not blowing an issue out of proportion is we ... Read More →