Addiction stigmas can discourage individuals that struggle with a substance use disorder from reaching out for help, which can be a major barrier to recovery. Although addiction progresses, meaning symptoms become worse until you receive substance abuse treatment, recovery is possible even when you have a severe or lengthy addiction. Addiction causes changes to your…
Polysubstance abuse disorder occurs when a person develops a physical dependence on multiple dangerous chemicals (causing impairment, pain, and distress) that can result in death due to overdose. This dependence can occur with or without the person’s knowledge, making this condition particularly unnerving. Chemical dependency is complicated enough when there is only one substance involved.…
In the late 1990s, there was a push by pharmaceutical companies to market painkillers that they insisted were not as addictive as opiates used previously. With this assurance, the medical community believed that they could prescribe them without fear that their patients would become addicted to the medications. This was the root of the opioid…