Do Drugs Cause Mental Illness? Understanding the Connection Between Substance Use and Mental Health
Can drugs cause mental illness? Learn how meth, marijuana, cocaine, opioids, and other substances affect anxiety, depression, psychosis, and mental health.
How to Help Someone Addicted to Drugs: A Guide for Families and Loved Ones
Learn how to help someone addicted to drugs, recognize warning signs, set healthy boundaries, respond to overdoses, and encourage addiction treatment.
What Are the First Steps to Take When Realizing Alcohol Is Ruining My Life?
Think alcohol is ruining your life? Learn safe first steps, when withdrawal needs medical care, and how to find treatment and support in Tennessee.
Akuamma vs. Kratom: Can This West African Medicinal Plant Cause Opioid Dependence?
What is akuamma? Explore its opioid-active alkaloids, differences from kratom, addiction potential, research, and treatment considerations.
What Is SHR9352? The Experimental Synthetic Opioid Being Compared to SR-17018
What is SHR9352? Explore this potent experimental synthetic opioid, its research, comparison with SR-17018, safety risks, and approved treatment options.
MG001: Could a Kratom-Derived Medication Become a New Treatment for Opioid Withdrawal?
MG001 is an experimental kratom-derived medication. Learn about its clinical research, opioid withdrawal potential, and FDA-approved alternatives.
Am I an Addict? Signs You May Have a Substance Use Problem
Wondering if alcohol or drugs have become a problem? Explore 11 warning signs, take an educational self-check, and learn when to seek professional help.
How to Choose an Addiction Treatment Center in Tennessee: Questions to Ask Before Admission
Key Points Choosing an addiction treatment center in Tennessee involves more than finding an available bed. You may be comparing programs near Nashville or Knoxville while worrying about withdrawal, insurance, work, or a loved one’s safety. A clear set of questions can turn an overwhelming search into a more manageable decision. Start with clinical fit, […]
Why Emotional Regulation Is a Core Skill in Addiction Recovery
Key Points Stopping substance use and learning how to live without substance use are not exactly the same challenge. Someone can complete withdrawal and still experience anger, anxiety, loneliness, grief, shame, relationship conflict, stress, boredom, or traumatic memories. If drugs or alcohol have repeatedly been used to change, numb, avoid, or escape those internal experiences, […]
Does Insurance Cover Drug & Alcohol Rehab Costs?
Key Points Rehab Insurance Coverage at a Glance Question Quick Answer Does health insurance cover rehab? Often, yes Does insurance cover detox? Often, when medically necessary Does insurance cover residential rehab? Many plans do when clinical criteria are met Does insurance cover PHP? Frequently, depending on benefits and authorization Does insurance cover MAT? Many plans […]
What Does FMLA Cover? Addiction Treatment, Mental Health & Other Qualifying Leave
Key Points Medical and Legal Disclaimer: This article is provided for general educational purposes and is not legal advice. FMLA eligibility depends on the employee, employer, medical circumstances, treatment needs, documentation, and other factors. Employees with questions about their individual employment rights should speak with their employer’s human resources department, the U.S. Department of Labor, […]
How to Get a Loved One Into Rehab: A Step-by-Step Guide for Families
Key Points Watching someone you love struggle with alcohol or drugs can leave you feeling responsible for finding the perfect words, choosing the perfect moment, and somehow convincing them to enter rehab. The reality is rarely that orderly. Some people ask for help after a frightening consequence. Others resist treatment, change their minds repeatedly, or […]
Can Ozempic Reduce Alcohol Cravings? What the Semaglutide Research Actually Shows
Updated on: September 2, 2026 by John Ingham Key Points Reports that people taking Ozempic suddenly lose interest in alcohol have circulated for several years. Some people describe pouring a drink and barely touching it. Others say alcohol simply does not seem as appealing as it once did. Those experiences initially sounded anecdotal. Now, researchers […]
Emotional Incest and Children of Addicts and Alcoholics
Key Points Growing up with a parent who struggles with addiction can create a confusing emotional world for a child. In some families, the child does not only witness the effects of substance use. They also become the person who comforts the parent, manages the parent’s emotions, keeps family secrets, listens to adult problems, or […]
Low-Dose Naltrexone: Uses, Risks, and Addiction Recovery Context
Key Points What Is Low-Dose Naltrexone? Low-dose naltrexone, often called LDN, refers to naltrexone prescribed at much lower doses than the standard doses used for alcohol or opioid use disorder treatment. Standard naltrexone is commonly prescribed at doses such as 50 mg orally or as a monthly extended-release injection. Low-dose naltrexone is usually discussed in […]
Combined Drug Intoxication: What Happens When Substances Mix?
Key Points Combined drug intoxication happens when a person is under the influence of more than one substance at the same time or within a short period. This may involve alcohol, opioids, benzodiazepines, stimulants, prescription medications, illicit drugs, or counterfeit pills. The CDC commonly refers to this as polysubstance use, which can happen intentionally or […]
The Top 10 Hardest Addictions to Quit: Substances, Behaviors, and Why Recovery Can Be So Difficult
Key Points Some addictions are harder to quit than others, but not always for the same reason. Alcohol and benzodiazepines can create dangerous withdrawal symptoms. Opioids can cause overwhelming physical dependence and cravings. Methamphetamine and cocaine can leave people emotionally depleted and mentally consumed by the need to use again. Nicotine can become woven into […]
Buprenorphine/Naloxone (Suboxone) Identification Guide
Key Points What Is Buprenorphine/Naloxone? Suboxone is a prescription medication used to treat opioid use disorder (OUD). It combines buprenorphine, a partial opioid agonist that helps reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms, with naloxone, an opioid antagonist added primarily to discourage misuse through injection. It is commonly prescribed as part of medication assisted treatment (MAT) alongside […]
Does Suboxone Cause Depression?
Key Points For people working to break free from opioid addiction, Suboxone is one of the most effective tools available. It reduces cravings, lowers overdose risk, and creates stability during recovery. But some patients notice changes in mood and start asking a serious question: Does Suboxone cause depression? The honest answer is more nuanced than […]
Where Can You Get Ibogaine Treatment?
Key Points If you have been researching ibogaine, you have probably noticed something quickly. It is not something you can just walk into a clinic and receive in most places. That is not by accident. Ibogaine sits in a complicated space between medical interest, legal restriction, and underground access. So the real question is not […]