Cocaine has a long history that many don’t know about. Its first known use occurred over 3000 years ago, back when cocaine was simply the coca plant. Coca is one of the oldest, most potent and most dangerous stimulants of natural origin. Ancient Incas in the Andes chewed its leaves to get their hearts racing and to speed their breathing to counter the effects of living in thin mountain air. 

When a family member is addicted to opioids, you can feel powerless, guilty, or confused. Let us at Direct2Recovery be the first to say that it’s not your fault. Drug addictions are complex and have numerous factors that go into them — it’s rarely just one instance or one oversight. Many things go into it and you should not blame yourself for it. 

Telemedicine allows anyone to receive counseling and see a doctor without leaving their home. There are a few types of telemedicine: it can be done over the phone, over a video call, through a website portal, or in a hybrid model. However it is done, it was created to make healthcare accessible. 

If you or a loved one ever tried to quit an addiction — any addiction — then you know how horrible withdrawal symptoms can be. We are a Suboxone Clinic in Phoenix and we want you to be prepared for everything that recovery from substance use means. 

We understand that therapy and counseling often come with a negative stigma. Despite that, time and time again, therapy and counseling have proven that they are for everyone and that they really do help. When it comes to substance use disorder, the methods are a little different but the core value is still the same: to help you work through a problem. 

We get this question a lot, so we wanted to outline the differences between an inpatient and an outpatient rehab clinic. Both of them provide programs and assistance to live a drug-free lifestyle, but in different ways. 

Addiction takes hold of our brains in several ways — and is far more complex and less forgiving than many people realize. There are stages of addiction, withdrawal, and recovery. When it comes to opioids, more than 2 million Americans abuse them, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse and every day, 90 Americans die by opioid overdose. 

Many people think narcotics are every type of illicit drugs, but that’s only partially true. So, what is a narcotic? It is an illicit substance, but it is a specific type. A narcotic is another name of opioid. They are one in the same and come from the poppy plant. 

Narcotics produce a “stupor” effect that dulls the user’s senses and relieves pain. That’s why they’re commonly prescribed by doctors as powerful pain relievers. 

When your body is used to having something in its system, it often expects to continue getting it. Take sugar for example. If you have a sweet tooth and can’t go a day without a treat, that’s likely because your body is accustomed to the amount of sugar each day. If you don’t have it, you develop cravings, right? And after a day or so without eating a cookie, ice cream, or candy of your choice, your cravings get worse and worse. That’s because you’re experiencing withdrawal symptoms from sugar. 

The first step in fixing a problem is recognizing and admitting there is one. For many people that can be difficult. Some people are unable to admit this, even if all the signs are there. Often it comes to friends and family, those closest to us to recognize when something is truly amiss and that help is needed. Hearing an objective third party identify can help those who struggle to reconcile the fact that there is a problem. To do that, they need to know the signs of alcoholism.