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How Science Has Revolutionized the Understanding of Substance Use

Today, thanks to science, our views and our responses to addiction and the broader spectrum of substance use disorders have changed dramatically. Groundbreaking discoveries about the brain have revolutionized our understanding of compulsive substance use, enabling us to respond effectively to the problem. […]

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How Do Substances Work in the Brain to Produce Pleasure?

Nearly all substances directly or indirectly target the brain’s reward system by flooding the circuit with dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter present in regions of the brain that regulate movement, emotion, cognition, motivation, and reinforcement of rewarding behaviors. When activated at normal levels, this system rewards our natural behaviors. Overstimulating the system with substance, however, produces effects which strongly reinforce the behavior of substance use, teaching the person to repeat it. […]

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Alcohol

People may drink to socialize, celebrate, or relax. Alcohol often has a strong effect on people—and throughout history, people have struggled to understand and manage alcohol’s power. Why does alcohol cause people to act and feel differently? How much is too much? […]

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Understanding Relapse

A person who’s trying to stop using substances can make mistakes, feel bad, and start using again. This return to substance use is called a relapse. Relapse is common and normal and happens to a lot of people recovering from substance use disorders. People will often have one or more relapses along the way. It takes practice to learn how to live without using substances. […]

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Comorbidity: Substance Use Disorders and Other Mental Illnesses

Substance use disorders change the brain in fundamental ways, changing a person’s normal needs and desires and replacing them with new priorities connected with seeking and using the substance. This results in compulsive behaviors that weaken the ability to control impulses, despite the negative consequences, and are similar to hallmarks of other mental illnesses. […]

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Why Do Some People Become Addicted to Substances, While Others Do Not?

As with other diseases and disorders, the likelihood of developing a Substance Use Disorder differs from person to person, and no single factor determines whether a person will become addicted to substances. In general, the more risk factors a person has, the greater the chance that taking substances will lead to continued substance use and addiction. Protective factors, on the other hand, reduce a person’s risk. Risk and protective factors may be either environmental or biological. […]

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National Drug Early Warning System (NDEWS)

The National Drug Early Warning System (NDEWS) was first funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) in 2014 as an expansion of its longstanding Community Epidemiology Workgroup (CEWG). Ongoing data collection will provide an integrated and comprehensive characterization of drug use and availability by synthesizing traditional, indirect sources with new, direct sources of data, as well as on-the-ground epidemiologic investigations within high-priority areas of concern. […]

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Understanding the Basics of Substance Use Disorders

Substance Use Disorder is not a choice. Nobody is born with the idea that they want to choose to become addicted and lose control over their desire, intense desire to take substances. It’s something that you may have the vulnerability because actually, you have a genetic risk, family history, or because you have a very stressful environmental upbringing. The choice starts, and again it’s relative when you are exposed for the first time to the substance. And then some people become addicted and others do not. And that’s where a lot of the research is going. To try to understand what are the differences in that transition. […]

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Substance Use in Youth: What Are Risk Factors and Protective Factors?

Risk and protective factors can affect children at different stages of their lives. At each stage, risks occur that can be changed through prevention intervention. Early childhood risks, such as aggressive behavior, can be changed or prevented with family, school, and community interventions that focus on helping children develop appropriate, positive behaviors. If not addressed, negative behaviors can lead to more risks, such as academic failure and social difficulties, which put children at further risk for later substance use. […]

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What is Naloxone?

Naloxone is a medication used to reverse the effects of opioid overdose. Specifically, naloxone allows an overdose victim to breathe normally. It is not addictive and cannot be abused. Training on recognizing and responding to opioid overdose is encouraged and available for first responders and community members. Contact overdose.prevention@odmhsas.org for more information. […]

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Do I Have a Substance Use Disorder?

If you can’t stop using a substance, even if you want to, or the urge to use a substance feels too strong to control, you could be struggling with a substance use disorder. Ask yourself questions like: 1. Have I ever tried to stop using this substance but couldn’t? 2. Have I ever thought you couldn’t fit in or have a good time without using a substance? […]

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If I Seek Treatment, I’m Worried Other People Will Find Out

You can tell your employer or friends you need to go on medical leave. If you talk to your doctor or another medical expert, privacy laws prevent them from sharing your medical information with anyone outside of the healthcare system without your permission. In addition, most health care providers who specialize in addiction treatment can’t share your information with anyone (even other providers) without your written permission. […]

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If I Seek Treatment, What Will the Doctor Ask Me?

The doctor will ask you a series of questions about your use of alcohol and substances and other risky behaviors like driving under the influence or riding with other people who have been using substances or alcohol. Your doctor can help you the best if you tell the truth. The doctor might also ask for a urine and/or blood test. This will provide important information about your substance use and how it is affecting your health. […]

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Women and substance use

Gender-related substance use treatment should attend not only to biological differences but also to social and environmental factors, all of which can influence the motivations for substance use, the reasons for seeking treatment, the types of environments where treatment is obtained, the treatments that are most effective, and the consequences of not receiving treatment. […]

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What Should I Look for in a Treatment Center?

Treatment approaches must be tailored to address each patient’s substance use patterns and also other medical, psychiatric, and social problems. Some treatment centers offer outpatient treatment programs, which allow patients to continue to perform some daily responsibilities. However, many people do better in inpatient (residential) treatment. […]

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Does My Loved One’s Relapse Mean They Won’t Ever Get Over Their Substance Use?

It’s common for a person to relapse, but relapse doesn’t mean that treatment doesn’t work. As with other chronic health conditions, treatment should be ongoing and should be adjusted based on how the patient responds. Treatment plans need to be reviewed often and modified to fit the patient’s changing needs. […]

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My Friend has Considered Treatment but is Afraid of What Others Will Think. What Can I Tell My Friend?

Many employers, friends, and family members will be compassionate if they see a person is making a sincere effort to recover from a substance use problem. But you can also reassure your friend that laws protect the privacy of a person seeking drug treatment—or in fact, any medical treatment. […]

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If My Teen or Young Adult Confides in Their Doctor, Will I be Able to Find Out What’s Going on?

If your child talks to a doctor or other medical expert, privacy laws might prevent that expert from sharing the information with you. However, you can speak to the doctor before your child’s appointment and express your concerns, so the doctor knows the importance of a substance use screening in your child’s situation. In addition, most health care providers that specialize in substance treatment can’t share your information with anyone (even other providers) without your written permission. […]

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My Child or Loved One Has a Substance Use Issue… How Will We Pay for Treatment?

If your child has health insurance, it may cover substance use treatment services. Many insurance plans offer inpatient stays. When setting up appointments with treatment centers, you can ask about payment options and what insurance plans they take. They can also advise you on low-cost options. […]

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What Helps People Stay in Treatment?

Because successful outcomes often depend on a person’s staying in treatment long enough to reap its full benefits, strategies for keeping people in treatment are critical. Whether a patient stays in treatment depends on factors associated with both the individual and the program. Individual factors related to engagement and retention typically include motivation to change drug-using behavior; degree of support from family and friends; and, frequently, pressure from the criminal justice system, child protection services, employers, or family. […]

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