Addiction and Recovery Blog

Teens have many excuses to start smoking marijuana, including boredom, peer pressure or curiosity. However, new research shows that some young people are turning to marijuana to cope with anxiety. What’s more alarming is the age of onset. A study conducted at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine found that teens with anxiety disorders [...]

People in New Jersey don’t have to be afraid of calling 911 to help someone who is overdosing, even if they are using drugs at the time. Last week, Governor Chris Christie signed the Good Samaritan Emergency Response Act. Many families and friends are grateful for the change of heart and compromise of the governor. [...]

Academy Award winning actress Catherine Zeta-Jones is known for her films and gracing the red carpet. In 2011, she checked into a mental health facility to treat her bipolar II disorder. This brought the issue of mental health to the limelight. This week, the actress entered treatment again for medication maintenance and stabilization for her [...]

The world of mental health treatment is changing soon. This May marks the publication of the fifth edition of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), the book mental health professionals use to diagnose patients. The release of the new DSM will impact many people’s lives. The criteria for disorders form part of a [...]

The celebrations of marijuana synonymous with 4/20 have ramped up this year in Colorado. There are public parties, entertainment, contests, workshops and conventions scheduled all in honor of one mega-popular plant, which was approved for recreational use in the Centennial State, although the law has yet to take effect. World Cannabis Week One company—My 420 [...]

Imagine you’re a parent deployed on active military duty. You’re already thinking about your family back at home, especially the children. Are they doing well in school? Are they eating nutritious food? Are they doing drugs and binge drinking? Wait, what? Doing drugs and binge drinking? In a 2010 study, more than 78,000 students were [...]

Vending machines have advanced from dispensing candy, to DVDs to grams of gold. Now in California, you can get marijuana in vending machines. There aren’t many out there but the number of machines is growing. Currently, Los Angeles has at least three medical marijuana dispensaries with vending machines. Easy Access Weed…for Some Before the masses [...]

Drugs get a free plug in music. From rap to rock and most music genres in between, drugs are glorified. It’s not something new, either. Drugs have been sung about for years. Musicians are drugs’ biggest distributors, bringing them to every iPod, stereo in every car, home and neighborhood. Marijuana, ecstasy, prescription drugs and other [...]

Spring break means time off from school, studying and time to blow off some overdue steam.  Over the years, spring break has become a tradition synonymous with alcohol, sex and the beach. A few years ago, Girls Gone Wild brought spring break debauchery to a new level, preserving spring break behavior on video for the [...]

The U.S. Army has a long association with St. Patrick’s Day and now is spreading the message of celebrating safely. St. Patrick’s Day is the Catholic feast day for Patrick, who brought Christianity to Ireland.  In 1903, St. Patrick’s Day became a public holiday in Ireland. This religious holiday over the years has become known [...]