American Addiction Centers Blog
Is There a Difference between Concerta and Ritalin?
May 9, 2024
Central nervous stimulants, like Concerta and Ritalin, have been prescribed for decades to help treat the effects of ADHD in adolescents and adults. Many people wonder “is there a difference between Concerta and Ritalin?” Read on to learn more about these medications, how they work, and what to do if you or someone you love […]
What prevents people struggling with substance abuse from undergoing treatment? Start counting the ways. We interrupt this exercise to offer a reason that may not be top of mind. One word sums it up: transportation. Having a means of getting to treatment makes a difference. How important is it? An article in Modern Healthcare explains. […]
Some people consider an office their second home, which is somewhat appropriate. Considering that the average person spends roughly a third of their lives working, it’s only natural to develop a connection to your workplace. However, this also means that sometimes household and family problems can become workplace problems. Case in point: alcohol abuse. Traditionally […]
The Saga Continues… After several months of high-profile lawsuits against some of the country’s biggest opioid companies filling the headlines, we have reached what is perhaps the most dramatic episode yet. Earlier this month, a federal jury convicted top executives at the pharmaceutical producer Insys Therapeutics of bribing doctors to hock its fentanyl-based painkiller, among […]
Did Lynette Scavo deserve the moniker “desperate” in the former TV series Desperate Housewives? You bet ya’. Here’s a case in point. In “Running to Stand Still,” during the first season, this mother of young children had way too much to do in a compressed amount of time. How did she accomplish her must-do tasks? […]
Memorial Day weekend is here, and we know that holidays and family gatherings can be difficult for those struggling with addiction. Old family feuds, drama between family members, or disapproval of things that have happened in the past tend to come up during family functions. All of this can be extremely stressful. There is no […]
When we last left Purdue Pharma and its Sackler family owners, they were deliberating a new line of products. It was the year 2014, marked by massive numbers of users addicted to Purdue’s OxyContin pills and other opioids. The team recognized the crisis they helped make; however, rather than seek ways to stave it, they […]
Is the opioid crisis a recent phenomenon or did it unfold over time? According to a CNN timeline, the opioid problem surfaced in the 1860’s. During the Civil War, medics used morphine as an anesthetic when treating fighters wounded in battle. As a result, many soldiers became addicted to morphine. The next major date in […]
It can be days, weeks, months, or years before you notice your loved one has an addiction problem. It can take even longer to get them to check into a drug or alcohol treatment center. The day finally comes, and your loved one is in rehab. Your hopes are high. It’s such a relief. But after all […]
New Charges in the Opioid Arena As the United States continues to endure the worst of the opioid epidemic, the nation has reached the point where it starts asking difficult questions. Like all those who’ve found themselves in crises of various types throughout history, there’s a watershed moment where one pauses, considers their situation, and […]
What is Enabling? The Definition Enabling means the family or friends of an addicted person help that person continue their addiction, often by not allowing that person to experience the consequences of their addiction. Enabling can be spending money on a person with an addiction or buying them things that allow them to spend more […]
Although national studies show that underage alcohol use has steadily declined since 2002, there were still 7.4 million drinkers between the ages of 12 and 20 in 2017.1 With this in mind, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration is leveraging Alcohol Awareness Month in April and National Prevention Week May 12-18 to bring […]
In April 2016, rock legend Prince, suffering from intense hip pain, consumed a Vicodin for relief. Shortly afterward, he overdosed and died at his Paisley Park estate. Investigators determined that the pill was counterfeit and laced with fentanyl and that Prince, in all likelihood, did not know it. That incident brought attention to fentanyl on […]