Are some cases hopeless, or should we always have hope? Sandy was coming in again. She was being admitted to the dual diagnosis unit at the psychiatric hospital where I was employed. I knew Sandy well. She had thirty-eight (38)…
It is rare for an alcoholic or drug abuser to maintain sobriety the first time they make the attempt. Bill Wilson speaks about this in the following quote. “About this slip business — I would not be too discouraged. I…
A well known actress has “tweeted” her fans to acknowledge she has failed a drug test, thus violating terms of probation. A well known celebrity has made a plea deal to avoid jail or prison time for her recent escapades…
Acamprosate is the generic drug name of Campral. Campral is one of the few drugs approved to treat alcoholism. Campral is used to decrease the likelihood of alcohol relapse. All medications that are approved for alcohol related disorders have the…
There is a report today that a celebrity in England, with a history of addiction treatment, has been found guilty of driving under the influence of Marijuana when he crashed into a storefront. He was sentenced to prison and will…
Thank God for Beer commercials. They pay the networks big money who then pay Sports leagues to carry their games. We get to watch these sporting events “free”. A series of beer commercials that is getting a lot of play,…
There have recently been a few celebrity related news items related to the use of drugs (cocaine) and alcohol. Human nature (and paparazzi) dictate the high demand for news about self-destructive behavior. However, we, the public, are less interested when…
A passage in the book, “As Bill Sees it”, is attributed to him stating “When we look back, we realize that the things which came to us when we put ourselves in God’s hands were better than anything we could…
I get a lot of inquiries about drugs and what classification or group they are in. Some people confuse an opiate based drug for a benzodiazepine and vice versa. I will list a number of drugs under the heading of…
Opiate withdrawal symptoms can be unexpectedly brutal. Opiates like Heroin, Morphine, Oxycontin, Oxycodone and others can be miracle drugs, but they can also be very difficult to stop once dependence or addiction takes place. They take unbearable pain and make…