Scheduling and Drug Classification Charts: Making Sense of Drugs
Are Sleep Aid Medications Gateway Drugs?
According to a 2017 review published in the journal The Gerontologist, about 1 in 5 adults use an over-the-counter sleep aid medication to get some shut eye.1 While the study cited Benadryl as being one of the most commonly used sleep-inducing drugs (even though it’s actually intended to treat allergy symptoms), the long-term use and misuse of over-the-counter and prescription sleep aids like Sonata, Doral, Trazodone, and Ambien may increase a person’s risk for developing a substance use problem with more harmful drugs or illegal substances. (more…)
Set Free from the Bondage of Addiction
Al Lesem’s upbringing in Houston, Texas was difficult. His mother passed away when he was just six years old and his father remarried several times after that. Although his father cared for him and had a great job as a psychiatrist, Al had no structure or guidance as a child.
“My childhood was very stressful,” he says. “I was raised by nannies. I didn’t really have anybody that would ask me if I did my homework. I was given the freedom to go to bed whenever, ride my bike as far as I wanted … there wasn’t that much parenting done on my father’s end. It wasn’t ideal.” (more…)