Tag: drug testing
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Gabapentin: A New Way to Die
In 2012, at the height of the opioid epidemic in this country, the US had 95% of the hydrocodone prescriptions in the world, despite having only 5% of the world’s population. The shocking fact that was thrown around was that “health care providers wrote 259 million prescriptions for opioid pain medication, enough for every adult…
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Helping the Tiniest Victims
The tiniest victims of the opioid crisis are the babies born with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), and, specifically, neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS). Overall in the US, the number of babies born with NAS is considered to be 6.7 per 1,000. However, those numbers increase based on different factors: American Indian/Alaska Natives have babies with…
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We Can’t Incarcerate Nor IGNORE Our Way Out
To be clear, addiction is a chronic, progressive, lethal brain disease. We don’t criminalize other diseases by virtue of having the disease. That is, if someone with type 2 diabetes is under supervision through the criminal justice system for a crime, he doesn’t get sanctioned for having a diabetic episode – because society recognizes that…
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Alcohol and Other Drug Testing: No Room for Gotchas
In continuing the theme of looking at addiction as the chronic, progressive, lethal disease that professionals say they believe it is, the question should be posed: why do we spring tests on people suffering from a disease? My husband recently underwent heart surgery, and when the doctors need him to have lab tests, they make…
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Hello, World!
Welcome to my blog. This blog is dedicated to learning more about addiction and substance use disorders so that we can reduce the impact and help those who suffer from this chronic, progressive, lethal disease. The four Cs of addiction can help you or your loved one determine when substance misuse has turned to addiction.…
Guided by Guida 