By Wesley H. Gallagher Opioid-related deaths exceeded 33,000 for the first time in 2015, despite increased efforts to curb the epidemic. Almost half of those deaths involved prescription opioids.1 In a recent press conference, President Donald Trump even officially declared the opioid crisis in America a national emergency. But what can healthcare and government agencies do to turn the tide? One practice contributing to the current crisis is “doctor shopping,” in which patients seek prescription painkillers to feed their opioid addiction, often seeing several doctors simultaneously and filling prescriptions at multiple pharmacies. In an example from a report released by […]

Of the many root causes of addiction, trauma has some of the most extreme mental health side effects. Luckily, trauma-specific treatment is available in addiction recovery. Whether the trauma stems from your childhood, teenager years or even from early adulthood, it has the capacity to affect how you use and abuse substances. By learning more about the types of trauma and how they are treated, you can become equipped with resources that lead to a path of healing. Regardless of your trauma history, there is hope and help out there.