Substance Use Therapy

If you have ever seen a truly terrible play, then you understand the difference between two people talking and two people communicating.  So much is happening beyond words when people communicate.  Frequently, when conversations don’t go well it isn’t just because of the words we use, it is the way we use them.  We can say the ‘right’ thing all day long, but if we accompany it with an eye roll, or say it while sending a text, then we probably weren’t really heard.

Nitrous oxide is a gas and belongs to a class of drugs called dissociative anesthetics, the same drug class as ketamine. A drug that “dissociates” is one that makes people feel separate from themselves and/or their environment. While not considered a psychedelic, like mushrooms, dissociative anesthetics can cause people to experience hallucinations. Nitrous oxide comes in pressurized canisters of assorted sizes depending on the intended application.

People often use the word mania to describe their increased energy or why they cleaned their kitchen so thoroughly. It has become a bit of buzzword that gets used casually. However, mania is both more severe and more serious than a bout of increased energy. Mania comprises signs and symptoms that characterize a mood disorder, not a mood.

In media, it is opioid withdrawal that gets all the attention. Countless movies and TV shows have depicted someone addicted to heroin and the harrowing experience of coming off it. Yes, opioid withdrawal sucks, but it is not likely to kill you. Withdrawing from alcohol might.

A CNS depressant is a drug that slows down the central nervous system. Many CNS depressants work by increasing the activity of the neurotransmitter GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid). GABA is a chemical that prevents or delays the delivery of messages between cells. Examples of the most common CNS depressants are substances most of us have used at one time or another. They include alcohol, opioids, barbiturates, and benzodiazepines.

The surge of research and understanding of trauma in the past few decades has been crucial in getting people connected to meaningful support.  Part of developing understanding is having a common language.  Unfortunately, sometimes widespread awareness of something can create an opportunity for the language around it to become co-opted.

Most people don’t think of cannabis as something that can make us sick. Especially considering it is frequently taken to improve nausea. Since cannabis has activity at a variety of receptors, it has a unique ability to be both a pro- and anti-emetic (something that can make us vomit and something that can ease vomiting.)

Drinking less is a reasonable goal and for many an important way to begin taking better care of themselves.

Prior to 2008, the only drugs you could (usually) buy at the gas station were the legal and well controlled drugs like tobacco and...

We live in a culture in which we have become accustomed to things happening fast.  Food is fast, online order deliveries are often same...

Important information to reduce risk of harm when using Xylazine.

The human body is complex, and the human mind is creative, thus we have found all kinds of ways to get drugs into our bodies. The method...

You may have recognized that the way you drink is causing you some problems. Perhaps you want to change your drinking patterns, but you...

The abundance of treatment options is ultimately a positive, but it can make selecting the right one for you an arduous process. Although there is a lot to consider about what makes an approach right for you, several key things to consider are: setting, intensity, approach, finances and insurance.

Interestingly, ayahuasca is not a plant, but a recipe made from two different plant species. Portions of the liana vine (Banisteriopis caapi) and leaves of the chacruna bush (Psychotria viridis) are boiled together until the contents become a brown syrup.

Ketamine has an interesting history. Developed in the early 1960’s, it has well established safety as an anesthetic and analgesic. Yes, it is used as an animal anesthetic, but it was also widely used during the Vietnam War and its therapeutic potential was noted in the 1970’s, but research into various applications was thwarted (along with many psychoactive substances) during Nixon’s war on drugs efforts.

In the world of substance use treatment, the term codependency is used with such great frequency it has become almost synonymous with addiction.

The concept of gaslighting is not new, but the term has gained massive attention in recent years. The benefit of the increase in attention is that it sheds light on something many people have experienced and they now have a way to identify it. The downside of important terms like this gaining so much attention is that they become over used or used incorrectly. This serves to minimize the severity of something that can be very real and very scary.

Overdose deaths have been receiving massive amounts of coverage for the past two years as the numbers continue to rise.

Do you know someone who identifies in the LGBTQ+ community? Odds are that you do. If so, there is a chance this person, like others you...