Tag: opioids

6 Health Risks of Prolonged Substance Use Disorder

Rhiannon McKinnon | Posted on October 19, 2022 |

6 Health Risks of Prolonged Substance Use Disorder

Substance Use Disorder (SUD) is characterized by addiction or the uncontrolled use of a substance despite its negative effects. Prolonged Substance Use Disorder can result in a host of complications ranging from behavioral issues to serious diseases. Entire books have been written about the harmful effects and damage that result from severe addiction. The list could truly be endless.

So we’ve selected a few conditions that arise from long-term substance abuse to discuss. Health risks like cardiovascular disease, stroke, cancer, HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis B and C, respiratory/lung disease, and mental disorders are the most common and/or dangerous conditions that contribute to chronic addiction. In most cases, these health risks are permanent, life-long struggles that individuals must be treated for alongside addiction recovery.

The Invisible Dangers of Fentanyl-Laced Drugs: Heroin

Shehan Karunaratne | Posted on June 3, 2022 |

Heroin has been the most popular illicit opioid for recreational use for decades, but fentanyl is relatively new in illicit markets, and it has made a huge impact in the last few years. You may already be aware that heroin overdoses and deaths are on the rise around the country, but that only tells part of the […]

Why Are Opioids Addictive?

Shehan Karunaratne | Posted on May 27, 2019 |

Why are opioids addictive?Opioids are highly addictive because they flood the brain with endorphins and dopamine, which produce feelings of pleasure, satisfaction, and euphoria. The “high” is so powerful and unlike any natural rush of endorphins and dopamine that the only way a person can experience those feelings again is by using opioids. There are […]

Texas Overdose Deaths Have Nearly Tripled in the Last 18 Years

Shehan Karunaratne | Posted on March 13, 2019 |

The entire U.S. is facing an ongoing opioid crisis, and Texas is no exception. Although the Lone Star State isn’t typically known for being a hotspot for opioid overdoses, recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) prove the face of the substance abuse problem in Texas is changing.

Saying Goodbye to a Double Life

Shehan Karunaratne | Posted on February 6, 2019 |

Eric Sease grew up in Kingwood, Texas and was raised in a loving and supportive home. He was very active and heavily into sports, especially soccer, which he played competitively. He describes himself as a happy, joyous, and free kid who was well-liked and sociable.

Battling Prescription Drug Abuse in Texas

Shehan Karunaratne | Posted on January 30, 2019 |

Like most states in the U.S., Texas is facing a severe problem with abuse of and addiction to prescription opioids. What is Prescription Drug Abuse? Prescription drugs are carefully controlled substances that are prescribed by a doctor to an individual patient for a specific condition. Taking a drug that was prescribed to someone else, in […]

Signs of Being High on Drugs

Shehan Karunaratne | Posted on December 31, 2018 |

If you suspect that a loved one is using drugs to get high, there will be noticeable differences in their physical appearance and behavior. Although drugs can cause many different kinds of effects, many of the signs of being high are very similar.

Texas Opioid Overdoses are Increasing

Shehan Karunaratne | Posted on September 13, 2018 |

According to recent news reports from Houston Public Media, opioid overdose deaths in Texas have been rising at a rate of about ten percent a year since 2014.1 As other states across the U.S. also grapple with increasing opioid overdose deaths, the need for high-quality addiction treatment continues to be high. Surprisingly, new data released […]

What Are the Most Common Addictions in Texas?

Shehan Karunaratne | Posted on August 6, 2018 |

While drug problems plague every region of this country, the specific substances of abuse differ from state to state. In this post, we’ll look at some of the most common addictions in Texas. Drug addiction is a public health crisis that has reached epidemic proportions across the United States and the soaring rates of heroin […]

America’s Opioid Crisis: A National Emergency?

Shehan Karunaratne | Posted on August 2, 2018 |

America's Opioid Crisis: A National Emergency?

Earlier this week, NPR published an article about a White House commission report that was released, urging President Trump to declare America’s opioid crisis a national emergency.1 The opioid crisis is considered by some to be a public health emergency and the article highlights the disturbing fact that drug overdoses now kill more people every […]