The Effects of Addiction on Relationships Drug Addiction InfoBy Promises AustinJune 25, 2014The number of Americans addicted to either drugs or alcohol has reached roughly 130 million, according to a WorldNetDaily article. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, in an average year 30 million Americans will drive while intoxicated and 10 million will drive while under the influence of illicit drugs. Even with…
What Actually Causes a Person to Develop a Drug Habit? Drug Addiction InfoBy Promises AustinApril 28, 2014It’s been said that if you practice a behavior for 30 days you can develop a new habit, good or bad. In that case, a habit is an intentionally learned behavior. Is that what happens in drug addiction? Do users intentionally use repeatedly and for long enough to form a bad habit? An animal study…
Children Imitate Parental Drug and Alcohol Behaviors Alcohol AbuseBy Promises AustinApril 15, 2014As every parent knows, children tend to pick up more of what they observe than what they are told, and parents don’t get to choose which habits children will imitate. A new study reveals that parents who abuse substances are more likely to have children who do the same. The study from Sam Houston State…
Study Finds Alarming Death Rate for Opioid Addicts Prescription DrugsBy Promises AustinMarch 5, 2014Opioid addiction, known formally in the U.S. as opioid use disorder, is known for its ability to produce seriously negative outcomes for affected individuals. Addiction specialists can help significantly reduce the impact of these outcomes by providing appropriate treatment options. However, the potential for problems does not end when treatment begins. In a study published…
Drug Use Surges Among Baby Boomers Senior IssuesBy Promises AustinOctober 8, 2013Addiction rehab centers across the U.S. are seeing more of an older demographic than your typical troubled teen or young adult: baby boomers. According to a new government study, addiction rates among baby boomers are on the rise. Substance addiction among men and women in their 50s and 60s comes with its own set of…
Wets: Angel Dust Making a Comeback Drug Addiction InfoBy Promises AustinSeptember 24, 2013The 1970s saw the rise in the use of PCP (Phencyclidine), or “angel dust,’’ as well as its eventual decline. While the drug provided the desirable high, the paranoia, frightening hallucinations and violent side effects kept it from becoming a mainstream high. Years later, cocaine and crack took over as the drugs of choice among…
Contemplating Your Great Escape After Rehab RecoveryBy Promises AustinAugust 5, 2013If you have struggled with drug or alcohol addiction, going through treatment and rehabilitation can be the beginning of a whole new life. But, not necessarily. In reality the relapse rate following rehab is disturbingly high for recovering addicts and alcoholics, proving that treatment is by no means a panacea or a miracle cure for…
How Promises Austin Changed the Way I Make Choices TestimonialsBy Promises AustinJune 15, 2013One Alum’s Story of Learning to Live a Healthy Life Suzanne started using substances at the age of 12. That’s not the saddest chapter of her story. By the time she had reached her 20’s, she was drinking alcohol and abusing cocaine and had been in and out of several drug treatment facilities. Again, it…
When Drugs Win the War on Drugs, It’s Time to Focus on Treatment Drug Addiction InfoBy Promises AustinMay 19, 2013Back in 1998, the satirical newspaper The Onion featured the following front-page headline: “Drugs Win Drug War” This introduction and the story that followed were obviously intended as a spoof, but humor is frequently used as a subtle way to reveal the truth and that was undoubtedly the intent in this case. Fifteen years later,…
Family Rules: Don’t Talk, Don’t Feel, Don’t Trust Family ResourcesBy Promises AustinApril 30, 2013As an addict’s use spins out of control, what happens to the rest of the family? In families where one or both parents develop an addiction, certain “rules” about how to behave and how to survive develop alongside the addiction. In addition to these rules, family members take on roles that shore up the rules…