Addiction can affect anyone. We often associate addicts and alcoholics with those living on the streets, but in reality, drug and alcohol addiction can affect anyone. At Duffy’s we recognize the reality that your addiction has become a disease in your life and needs to be treated. Therefore, we embrace the medical model that your addiction is a disease, and we use the social model—which includes education, counseling, and peer support—to treat it. The following blog posts and articles are designed to help you to better understand the disease of addiction.
America has fallen hard for Vicodin. It was love at first sight when Uncle Sam first laid eyes on Vicodin in 1978. Thirty-four years later, the infatuation still holds strong: With over 131 million prescriptions filled in 2011, Vicodin is the most popular drug in the nation. The United States makes up only 4.6 percent of the … Read More
For years, ecstasy (or MDMA) has commonly been thought of as a “safe” drug because previous studies have indicated a link between MDMA and long-term impaired brain functions, but never conclusively proved the connection. That may be about to change. A new study by psychologist Daniel Wagner at the University of Cologne suggests that ecstasy does, in … Read More
Earlier this spring, Napa County police rushed to the scene of a 66-year-old man who was involved in a car crash. The reason? Not a heart attack, not poor vision, but alcohol intoxication. The adverse effects from alcohol touches all aspects of life, and its influence stretches across our lifespan. It’s not a problem you … Read More
For a man of 88 years, my grandfather is pretty healthy. Besides being confined to a wheelchair, he doesn’t have cancer or heart disease. His diabetes is under control. Mentally, he is still pretty sharp. However, my grandfather suffers from a disease, a sickness, that will plague him until death. . . My grandfather is an alcoholic. … Read More
The use of medications to treat substance abuse has become the new “biggest thing” in addiction treatment today. Have you ever wondered what drugs you can take to treat an opiate addiction? methamphetamine addiction? or alcohol addiction? Sometimes, you even avoid quitting, simply because you don’t want to deal with the negative effects of withdrawal. … Read More
The epidemic of prescription drug abuse has kicked a lot of doctors into action. Among the preventive measure set up, the newest (and coolest) is a video game designed to train doctors to identify deceptive behavior by people likely to abuse prescription painkillers. Video Game Helps Doctors Discover Hints of Prescription Abuse Designed by Dr. Michael F. … Read More
Update: President Obama issued a final rule on February 20, 2013 requiring insurers to cover the treatment of drug addiction and alcohol abuse. Insurance health policies will cover anywhere between 60-90 percent of costs, but minimal benefits will vary from state to state, reports the New York Times. Will the new healthcare insurance cover treatment for … Read More
A research study done by the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health proved what thousands before have believed to be true: that the 12 step program works, specifically for adolescents. Researches studied 403 participants between ages 13-18 who were enrolled in a treatment programs in northern California and followed their progress for over 7 … Read More
It seems that the days of Oxycontin are just about over. USA Today recently reports that the rise of Opana (another opioid painkiller) has overtaken Oxycontin in certain states as the most abused prescription painkiller. While the complete prevalance of Opana has yet to be explored, statistics show a significant increase in overdoses from and prescriptions for Opana. … Read More
Prescription drugs and painkillers are a rising problem, but we are pleased to see that Alameda County is aggressively pursuing options that can help lower easy access to prescription drugs. Bay Area Rehab has published a good post about the news if you’d like to learn more about this first-in-the-nation ordinance that requires pharmaceutical companies to … Read More
