American Addiction Centers Blog

It was early in the day on Christmas Eve. Before the dental surgeon went off on holiday, he saw one last patient for a complex wisdom tooth extraction. That’s not quite accurate. All four of the teenager’s impacted wisdom teeth were going to be removed. The procedure went smoothly and the young man and his […]

Funny how finding sobriety after a long and very active illness cleared up so much. Not only do I feel better and think more clearly, but I also look better, my eyes are not as sensitive, my nose has lost the redness and bumps that worried me so much, and I have a lot more […]

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 […]