Medication Assisted Treatment, or MAT, is defined by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration — or SAMHSA – as the use of FDA-approved medications as part of the treatment process to help individuals struggling with a substance abuse disorder.
For decades scientists and researchers have studied the nature of addiction and the environmental landscapes that can put someone at risk for drug use. But only recently have studies taken into account the Biopsychosocial model, and started looking more inward at the individual risk that mental health issues carry for drug use.
Shocking Alcohol Abuse Statistics It is common knowledge that alcoholism and alcohol abuse are problems that affect us in the United States. However, some recent studies, which quantify and measure alcohol abuse related statistics, are somewhat shocking. The website learn-about-alcoholism.com posted some surprising statistics related to alcohol abuse. They indicate that: Alcohol is the #1 […]
Symptoms of Depression Depression varies from person to person, but there are some common signs and symptoms. People with depressive illnesses do not all experience the same symptoms. The severity, frequency, and duration of symptoms vary depending on the individual. However, the more symptoms are exhibited, the stronger the symptoms are, and if the symptoms […]
What is cocaine? Although you may have heard it called coke, dust, toot, line, nose candy, snow, sneeze, powder, girl, white pony, flake, C, the lady, Cain, neuro-Cain, rock, or crack, it’s all cocaine: a powerfully addictive pain blocker extracted from the leaves of Erythroxylon coca, a plant that comes from the Andean highlands in […]
What is drug abuse? Drug abuse is the use of illicit drugs, or the abuse of prescription or over-the-counter drugs. The abuse of legitimate drugs (prescription or over-the-counter) can happen when people use the drugs in a manner or in quantities other than directed, or for purposes that are not legitimate. (health.nytimes.com) According to drugabuse.gov, […]
What is mental health? Recently, many have recognized that mental health is more than the absence of mental illness. Most people don’t suffer from mental illness; however, it is apparent that some individuals are mentally healthier than others. Defining mental health seems a little more difficult than defining mental illness because there is no manual […]
Addictions defined: The American Psychological Association defines addiction as, “…a condition in which the body must have a drug to avoid physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms. Addiction’s first stage is dependence, during which the search for a drug dominates an individual’s life. An addict eventually develops tolerance, which forces the person to consume larger and […]
Alcoholism Although many people think they are one and the same, alcoholism (alcohol dependence) and alcohol abuse are two different forms of problem drinking. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, alcoholism is defined as one who has signs of physical addiction to alcohol and continues to drink, despite problems with physical health, mental […]