Except in One Group Florida adults, taken as a whole, drink less riskily than the rest of the country. Roughly 32 percent of Floridians report risky drinking compared to...

Roughly one in six adults in Florida binge drinks at least once a month. That’s the actual number, somewhere between 16 and 17 percent depending on which year’s survey...

Overdose deaths fell nationally again last year, roughly 14 percent, the third year in a row that number has dropped. That’s real and it’s good. It’s also not the...

Here’s What Actually Predicts It. Somewhere between 40 and 60 percent of people treated for a substance use disorder relapse within the first year. That number gets repeated constantly,...

For the last few years, Ozempic and Wegovy have mostly been a weight loss story. Doctors are now looking at something else these drugs might do, something that has...

If you’ve ever called your insurance company about treatment and gotten a runaround, you already know this fight. A confusing denial letter. A provider list full of people who...

Here’s What the Research Says You’re probably reading this because someone you have heard inpatient treatment is the answer, and you want to know if that’s actually true or...

It has been a busy few days at Florida Springs Wellness and Recovery Center. Bay County marked International Overdose Awareness Day, and local officials showed up here at Florida...

Good news doesn’t come around often when discussing overdose numbers, so when it does, it’s worth actually looking at instead of just repeating the headline. Bay County’s overdose numbers...

Ask most people what the Good Samaritan law protects them from, and they’ll say something about drugs. That’s if they are familiar with it at all. Fentanyl, pills, and...

If you give or sell someone drugs in Florida right now, that could be enough to charge you with murder. It doesn’t matter if you’re a stranger who sold...

Meeting People At Their Worst Moment You don’t always get a second chance handed to you in a hospital bed. Most people who survive an overdose and get discharged...

You might have heard someone say that handing out Narcan gives people an excuse to keep using drugs. Maybe you have seen people who are just a little bit...

Many people go into withdrawal expecting it to feel like it did in the past. You may have detoxed off of pain pills or heroin before and remember a...

Family members often struggle to distinguish between actions that help a loved one recover and actions that improperly shield them from the natural consequences of addiction. Enabling behaviors usually...

Addiction affects both the brain and daily behavior, we talk about those things all the time here. Treatment that relies on a single intervention often fails to address the...

First-time attendance at a recovery support group can be scary. This is a very serious topic, as there are absolutely many people who have never attended a support group,...

Completion of residential treatment marks the first step in a much longer process. We talk about this all the time here, because it’s so important. When you leave a...

(Or Managing New Stress Once You Get a Job) In some respects, returning to a job after drug and alcohol treatment is a luxury many don’t have. Drug and...

Returning to familiar settings or spending time with old acquaintances can create immediate physical and mental stress during early recovery. In support groups they have called this pattern “people,...

During early withdrawal some patients struggle to focus, remember details, or follow conversations. Tasks that usually take little thought, like filling out paperwork or keeping track of schedules, might...

During early drug and alcohol recovery, everyday annoyances can trigger irritation or angry outbursts. Waiting in line or listening to a noisy room can feel more frustrating than it...

During the early withdrawal and detox from drugs and alcohol, physical pain often spreads to the entire body. Muscles feel bruised and joints grow stiff. This makes it difficult...

Severe abdominal cramping along with persistent nausea represents one of the most distressing physical challenges encountered during early withdrawal. A total loss of appetite also develops, causing patients to...

Waking up during early withdrawal often involves a distinct pounding in the chest. Your pulse rate increases and your breathing shifts to shallow patterns while physical anxiety develops. This...

If you have gone through detox more than once, you might expect the second time to be easier. You know what is coming, and you know you can survive...

One minute you shiver under blankets. The next, you sweat through your clothes. Your skin feels cold and you get goosebumps, then you are hot a few minutes later....

After drug and alcohol rehabilitation, walking into a house where everyone is tip-toeing around you can feel strange. It could make for a weird homecoming. In their effort to...

Substance use masks underlying physical pain. For years, prescription opioids, alcohol, or other substances dull the nervous system. When you clear these chemicals from your body, the old injuries...

Overcoming Second-Time Shame Checking back into a treatment facility for a second time carries a heavy weight of guilt. Patients feel they failed their families, their employers, and the...