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Stimulant drugs such as cocaine are powerful substances that can negatively affect users when abused. If a mother decides to use drugs while she is pregnant, she is putting her child at risk for many health problems including having neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). Almost every drug or medication taken by the mother can be passed from the mother’s bloodstream through the placenta to the unborn baby. Cocaine use during pregnancy can cause NAS and cocaine withdrawal symptoms in newborn babies.

Cocaine is a powerful central nervous system stimulant that prompts the brain to artificially elevate dopamine levels in the body. The Schedule II controlled substance is derived from the coca plant native to South America and holds a high risk for abuse and addiction. Cocaine produces brief but intense initial feelings of euphoria, pleasure and increased energy. Once these effects begin to wear off, the body reacts to the sharp decline in dopamine, which can result in the development of uncomfortable negative symptoms. This is often referred to as a cocaine comedown.

Codependency and alcohol addiction are intersecting occurrences. They occur simultaneously, they become a catalyst for each other and they occur quite often in situations of substance use disorder. Especially when it comes to alcohol use disorder. Psychology Today defines codependency as a relationship in which a caring, highly functional and helpful person, supports, enables or perpetuates a loved one’s irresponsibility and destructive behaviors. Codependency is not recognized as an official mental health disorder. It is a significant trigger to alcoholism and alcoholic codependency.

According to the American Society of Addiction Medicine, addiction is a “treatable, chronic medical disease involving complex interactions among brain circuits, genetics, the environment and an individual’s life experiences.” Addiction is a difficult disease to overcome. Addiction is a disease in which people continue to engage in harmful behaviors despite the negative consequences. This is because addiction has changed the brain’s reward system and increases the desire for dangerous substances and chemicals.

Substance abuse addiction is a disease that can affect every part of the brain chemistry, physical health, mental health, behavior, mood, sleep and appetite. Overcoming an addiction is not easy. Behavioral health programs such as outpatient substance use disorder treatment can help people address their addiction and develop healthy coping mechanisms to overcome this disease. Two of the most popular outpatient treatments are partial hospitalization programs (PHP) and intensive outpatient programs (IOP). Both PHP and IOP are levels of care in the continuum of addiction treatment services recognized by the American Society of Addiction Medicine Criteria (ASAM).

Psychedelic and hallucinogenic drugs are increasingly popular for recreational use. Some popular ones include magic mushrooms and DMT. N, N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is a strong psychedelic chemical compound naturally occurring in some animals and plants. It has a similar chemical structure to magic mushrooms and is known to produce intense short-term visual hallucinations. DMT is also the main psychoactive ingredient in the controversial practice of ingesting Ayahuasca.

Like food and drinks, medications also have an expiration date. In 1973, the FDA began requiring all manufacturers of medication to provide an expiration of the expected shelf life date. In general, medications have two different expiration dates. The first expiration date is set by the drug maker, which is about 2-3 years from the date of manufacture. The second date is one set by pharmaceuticals, which is one year from which the medication has been prescribed to the patient. Pharmacists are usually limited to the expiration of one year because of the unpredictable storage conditions in which a person will store their medications. In addition, patients should also be re-evaluated for their condition after a year.

Synthetic opioids are the most common drugs involved in drug overdose deaths in the United States. Fentanyl is a prescription drug used to treat chronic pain, severe cancer pain, nerve damage, back injury pain, and any type of major trauma surgery pain. It is about 50-100 times more potent than morphine and is considered the strongest opioid substance with a high risk of dependence, tolerance, addiction and overdose.

SMART Recovery is just one of many peer-led support groups available for those who are struggling with a substance addiction. SMART is an evidenced-informed recovery method whose goal is to recognize self-empowerment when it comes to recovery from substance and alcohol addiction. It helps people learn to change maladaptive behaviors through scientific research, which is constantly evolving and changing as new research and studies are discovered and adapted into the program.

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, about 15 million American adults have an alcohol use disorder (AUD). About 20% of Americans with an alcohol use disorder are also high-functioning alcoholics. Functioning alcoholism is not an official medical diagnosis. It is an informal term used to describe a person suffering from alcohol abuse and dependency but is still able to function in their daily life. Functioning alcoholics may drink too much and may drink too often, but they keep up an appearance of being under control without any noticeable negative impact on everyday life.