Substance abuse

Substance abuse taxes the American workplace

Substance abuse exacts a heavy toll on the American workplace, a new analysis shows. Employees who struggle with drinking and drug addiction miss many more days of work, have higher health care costs and are less productive than those without these disorders, researchers report. An analysis revealed that employees with substance use disorders miss nearly [...]

Understanding addiction

Addiction is a disease that affects both the brain and behavior. The National Institute on Drug Abuse defines it as “a chronic, relapsing brain disease that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences.” The following answers to common questions about addiction can help you understand the impact of this disease. Since [...]

2020-03-22T22:34:31-04:00July 1st, 2017|Substance abuse, What's new at FIRSTCALL|

Longer addiction treatment is better

The longer patients receive treatment for addiction, the greater their chances of success, a new study finds. The study included 72 people, with an average age of 30 years. The participants were being treated for a variety of addictions, including alcohol and drugs such as opioids, amphetamines and benzodiazepines. The only significant factor in treatment [...]

2017-06-30T14:57:27-04:00July 1st, 2017|Substance abuse, What's new at FIRSTCALL|

Drug addiction in health care professionals

The abuse of prescription drugs—especially controlled substances—is a serious social and health problem in the United States today. People addicted to prescription medication come from all walks of life. The last people we would suspect of drug addiction are health care professionals-those people trusted with our well-being. Unfortunately, health care workers are as likely as [...]

Prescription drug addiction

People take prescription medications for many reasons. They may use them to ease pain, anxiety or attention deficit disorder. Most of these people use such potentially addictive drugs correctly. But some people end up abusing them. In some cases, people may abuse drugs that aren’t prescribed to them. They may get them from friends or [...]

2016-05-31T11:57:56-04:00June 1st, 2016|Substance abuse, What's new at FIRSTCALL|

Chronic pain may trigger many cases of painkiller addiction

Chronic pain may be a major driver behind the recent surge in addiction to prescription painkillers, a new survey finds. Opioid addiction and prescription drug abuse in the United States are among the country's biggest public health threats, the researchers said. And, more than eight in 10 people abusing prescription drugs said they were doing [...]

2016-06-02T14:05:10-04:00June 1st, 2016|Substance abuse, What's new at FIRSTCALL|

Avoid addiction to pain medication

People who suffer from pain are often prescribed medications such as Vicodin, OxyContin, and Hydrocodone. These pain medications are beneficial when they’re taken as directed—but when misused, they can be dangerous and addictive. One study of more than 900,000 people with chronic pain published in the journal Population Health Management found that only 25 percent [...]

2020-03-22T22:34:37-04:00June 1st, 2016|Substance abuse, What's new at FIRSTCALL|
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