For decades, society clung to the belief that addiction belonged to a specific category of people. The stereotype was predictable: unemployed, unstable, reckless and visibly unwell. It was an easy caricature to point to, because it allowed everyone else to feel comfortably distanced from the possibility of addiction touching their own lives. Today, that belief […]
The Crisis Blindspot When addiction finally reaches the point where a family admits that external help is needed the atmosphere is usually thick with panic and exhaustion. The situation has often been deteriorating for months or years but the actual moment of action is usually triggered by something dramatic such as an arrest a medical […]
The “Fun” Drug That Turned Predatory There’s a reason GHB became infamous. It didn’t sneak into society quietly, it arrived with flashing lights, loud music, and promises of a “better buzz.” It was the underground drug that made everything feel easier, the beat, the body, the night. Somewhere between chemistry and culture, it became known […]
The Lie We Tell Ourselves Most people do not wake up one day and announce that they are addicted, they tell themselves a softer story first. I can stop anytime, I am just having a rough patch, I have been under pressure, everyone drinks like this. That story is comforting because it keeps the problem […]
The term dual disorders or dual diagnoses refers to cases in which the individual has both a substance abuse disorder (also referred to as chemical dependency or addiction) and a coexisting psychiatric illness such as depression, schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder, social phobia and other illness. The symptoms of one condition may mask or aggravate the […]
Heroin Detox Isn’t “Harder” Than Other Drugs Heroin detox has been mythologised into this dramatic, cinematic crisis, sweating, shaking, screaming, writhing. Families whisper about it in the same tone they reserve for emergency surgery, as if heroin is the “worst” drug and everything else is somehow less serious. This belief has kept more people sick […]
As a result of drinking too much alcohol, symptoms of alcohol poisoning can include; semi or total loss of consciousness (passing out), slow, irregular or shallow breathing, low body temperature, persistent vomiting, no response to pain. If you think somebody may have alcohol poisoning it’s best to seek medical attention immediately. Alcohol poisoning occurs when […]
Detox, Primary Care, Secondary Care, and Halfway Houses Families trying to help an alcoholic loved one often get thrown into a world of unfamiliar terms that sound interchangeable, detox, rehab, primary care, secondary care, tertiary care, halfway house. On top of the terminology, there is the emotional pressure of urgency, because alcoholism rarely stays stable […]
Why people mix them up Families often phone me with the same question dressed up in different accents, is detox the same thing as rehab, and if not, why does everyone talk about it like it is the finish line. A UK family asked me to explain the difference between alcohol detoxification, primary care treatment, […]
