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He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will reward him for what he has done Proverbs 19:17
 
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"And I just can't keep living this way
So Starting today
I'm breaking out of this cage
I'm standing up, I'ma face my demons
I'm manning up, I'ma hold my ground
I've has enough, now I'm so fed up
time to put my life back together right now (now)
It was my decision to get clean, I did it for me
Admittedly, I probably did it subliminally
For you, so I could come back a brand new me..."

-Not Afraid, Lyrics - Eminem

Nearly 72,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in 2019. That’s an increase of 5% from 2018. 1
From Janis Joplin to Jimi Hendrix to Jim Morrison to Prince and more – drug overdoses have claimed the lives of many talented and well-loved celebrities. While these famous deaths are the rock n’ roll lifestyle fatalities that make the headlines, a drug overdose can happen to anyone.

Drug overdoses are a serious health issue and a risk for anyone who uses drugs – whether by prescription or recreationally. It’s critical to understand what a drug overdose is, why it occurs and what happens in the body when someone overdoses.

If someone you care about is using drugs, you may be worried about their risk of overdosing and wondering how you can help them. It’s essential to know how to react in this medical emergency, as this knowledge may save their life.

Keep reading to learn more about drug overdoses, how they happen and a few other very important things you should know.
Table of Contents
What Is A Drug Overdose?
What Drugs Do People Overdose On?
Depressants
Opioids
Alcohol
Stimulants
Are There Factors That Put People At Risk Of A Drug Overdose?
What Are The Signs That Somebody Is Overdosing? 13
Are All Overdoses Fatal?
What Is The Treatment For An Overdose?
VIEW ALL ABOVE SUBJECTS ON WEBSITE

The misuse and abuse of alcohol, tobacco, illicit drugs, and prescription medications affect the health and well-being of millions of Americans. SAMHSA’s 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (PDF | 1.6 MB) reports that approximately 20.3 million people aged 12 or older had a substance use disorder in the past year.

Alcohol
Data:
The 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health reports that 139.8 million Americans age 12 or older were past month alcohol users, 67.1 million people were binge drinkers in the past month, and 16.6 million were heavy drinkers in the past month.
About 2.2 million adolescents aged 12 to 17 in 2018 drank alcohol in the past month, and 1.2 million of these adolescents binge drank in that period (2018 NSDUH).
Approximately 14.8 million people age 12 or older had an alcohol use disorder (2018 NSDUH).
Excessive alcohol use can increase a person’s risk of stroke, liver cirrhosis, alcoholic hepatitis, cancer, and other serious health conditions.
Excessive alcohol use can also lead to risk-taking behavior, including driving while impaired. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 29 people in the United States die in motor vehicle crashes that involve an alcohol-impaired driver daily.
Tobacco
Data:
Data from the 2018 NSDUH reports that 58.8 million people were current (i.e., past month) tobacco users. Specifically, 47.0 million people aged 12 or older in 2018 were past month cigarette smokers.
Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death, often leading to lung cancer, respiratory disorders, heart disease, stroke, and other serious illnesses. The CDC reports that cigarette smoking causes more than 480,000 deaths each year in the United States.
The CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health reports that more than 16 million Americans are living with a disease caused by smoking cigarettes.
Opioids
Data:
An estimated 808,000 people had used heroin in the past year, based on 2018 NSDUH data.
In 2018, there were 10.3 million people age 12 or older who misused opioids in the past year. The vast majority of people misused prescription pain relievers (2018 NSDUH).
An estimated 2.0 million people aged 12 or older had an opioid use disorder based on 2018 NSDUH data.
Opioid use, specifically injection drug use, is a risk factor for contracting HIV, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C. The CDC reports that people who inject drugs accounted for 9 percent of HIV diagnoses in the United States in 2016.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Understanding the Epidemic, an average of 130 Americans die every day from an opioid overdose.
PLEASE SEE MUCH MORE DETAIL ON WEBSITE

AA Proven Effective for Abstinence
Clinically Reviewed By Daniel Callahan MSW, CAP
Author QuitAlcohol.com Editorial Team
Updated On October 12th, 2020
It’s a well-established fact that Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), and many other twelve-step programs based on AA, are successful. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be over 2 million AA members worldwide. Joining is free and as simple as showing up. It’s a wonderful program for recovering alcoholics, and it’s a brilliant option for those with limited resources, unable to enter into a professional treatment program or receive professional aftercare. However, AA and similar groups are not treatment programs. They are meetings that encourage long-term sobriety using open conversation and the famous twelve steps.

So is AA truly an effective method of staying sober? Members would obviously say yes, and this is something known as self-selection bias. AA works for people who join because they were motivated to join. Nobody forces membership – it is entirely voluntary. The effectiveness of AA cannot be measured for those who are not in AA.

Here’s a simpler way to describe self-selection bias… Say 100 students are going to take an exam a week from now. The day before the exam, there is a study course, which half of the students take. Exam scores are significantly higher for those who took the course, but that does not necessarily mean the study course was effective. Motivation, status, studiousness, prior exam-taking experience, and many more factors caused that half of the students to take the study course. The study course’s effectiveness can only be measured if all 100 students take it and then test scores are compared from before and after.

So what if self-selection bias were to be removed from the equation? What if there was a way to determine the effectiveness of AA overall, not just for those who self-selected themselves into the group? A study published recently by UK-based Drug and Alcohol Findings (DAF) found a way.
PLEASE VIEW MANY MORE DETAILS ON WEBSITE

What is Alcohol Abuse?
Alcohol abuse is the abuse and misuse of liquor, wine, and beer. It is not about how much you drink or when you drink. It is about the effect that drinking alcohol has on you and your life. Alcohol abuse can escalate quickly into a use disorder, indicating an addiction.

Alcoholism, or Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), is the chronic dependence and consumption of alcohol. The disease arises when consumption cannot be controlled either due to physical or emotional obsessions with drinking. Individuals suffering from alcohol use disorders continue to drink, even as increasing harm comes to them and their loved ones. They will also experience withdrawal symptoms when trying to stop drinking.

You do not have to drink every day to have an alcohol use disorder. Drinking over the long-term often leads to dependency and dire life consequences for the individual. When abuse becomes compulsive, physical addiction occurs.
Table of Contents
What is Alcohol Abuse?
Types of Alcohol Abuse
Effects of Alcohol Abuse
Signs of Alcohol Abuse
Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms
Alcohol Detox
Alcohol Rehab
Seeking Treatment for Alcohol Addiction
PLEASE VIEW WEBSITE FOR ALL OF THE ABOVE CONTENT

How We Choose The Best Rehab Centers
Published on June 17, 2019 | Written by the AddictionResource Editorial Team

Choosing the best rehab centers to highlight is no easy task, and we aim to provide only the most integral, accurate, and current information regarding these facilities for our audience.

Every rehab facility promoted within our website has been reviewed by our editorial team using a predetermined set of criteria.
Our Criteria For Choosing The Best Rehab Centers And Rehab Programs
Each addiction treatment and recovery experience will vary. However, long-term studies conducted on treatment for substance abuse and addiction have found that the most effective rehab programs include the following features:

A variety of rehab programs: because each person differs from the next, recovery experiences will also differ. Treatment should be customizable to fit each person’s unique needs.
Ready availability for new patients: incoming recovering individuals often need treatment right away and cannot afford to be placed on a waiting list.
Multidisciplinary approach: more than ⅔ of those coming into addiction treatment are fighting a co-occurring mental health disorder or an additional substance use disorder. All issues must be treated at the same time for a greater chance at lasting recovery results.
Long-term rehab program options: Short-term treatment can be effective, but for those with severe addictions, long-term is proven the most effective form of treatment.
Behavioral therapies: addiction is a disease which affects the brain and body, altering behavior. Much of recovery is spent modifying behavior in order to manage addiction.
Medication-assisted treatment: the most addictive drugs cause harrowing withdrawal, which keeps individuals from successfully entering recovery. Certain medications can help curb withdrawal symptoms so a person can receive treatment.
Medically supervised detox: it’s extremely important that anyone who needs detox receive proper medical monitoring, medication, and support during this process.
Ongoing treatment assessments: each individual will progress through treatment and recovery at their own rate. Close monitoring during treatment ensures their recovery plans are modified to their needs and gives them the best support possible.
It’s important to note that not all rehab programs will offer all of these methods, but the best rehab programs will offer the majority of these effective treatment features. We aim to select rehab centers with programs offering as many effective features as possible.

For those which are lacking any components, they often offer referral services and access to resources to help recovering individuals fill in any treatment gaps and receive the best care possible.

PLEASE VIEW MUCH MORE INFORMATION ON WEBSITE

A Complete Guide to Substance Abuse in College
Julie Goldberg
Featuring expert review from Julie Goldberg, MA, LAC

Leandra Spilka
Q&A with current college student Leandra Spilka

Substance abuse is by no means an issue just among college students—it affects people of all ages and education levels. The college years in particular are a unique time in a person’s life—they can be both exhilarating and overwhelming, which can contribute to the conditions for substance abuse by some students.

This guide addresses substance abuse in college, with the goal of helping students, faculty, and staff understand how to recognize signs and what to do.

What Is Substance Abuse vs. Substance Use?
When discussing drugs and alcohol, substance use and substance abuse are often used interchangeably—yet they have very different meanings.

Substance use is the consumption of any alcohol or drug. Meeting a friend for an after-work beer is substance use, but it does not indicate an issue or pattern of harm.

Substance abuse occurs when someone continues to use alcohol or drugs despite patterns of harm and misuse. Failing your mid-term due because you were partying and then sleeping through the final after a night of drinking is a sign of substance abuse.

In general, if substance use is negatively impacting relationships, academics, sleep, or health, it may be time to cut back. There aren’t specific numbers or hard and fast “rules” that define a substance use disorder. But if you or someone you know continue to use substances despite negative outcomes, you should start paying attention. More detailed warning signs are provided later on this page
PLEASE SEE MUCH MORE ON WEBSITE

How to Find a State-Funded Rehabilitation Center
For individuals or loved ones struggling with drug or alcohol addiction who have limited resources to pay for treatment is an option. State-funded programs may be an affordable option to get started on the road to recovery. The Directory of Single State Agencies for Substance Abuse Services provides contact information for each state’s governing substance abuse agency. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration also provides a comprehensive listing of options available in each state.

HERE ARE SOME OF THE SUBJECTS
What Are State-Funded Rehab Centers?
Who Qualifies for State-Funded Rehab?
How Quickly Will Treatment Begin?
How Does State-Funded Rehab Compare?
How Does Cost Compare?
Paying for Treatment
Rehab Centers Near Me
PLEASE VIEW WEBSITE WITH A LOT OF DETAILS

The internet has provided the opportunity for anyone to publish information online, and it can be difficult to separate credible information from untrustworthy sources.

In a scientific credibility review, researchers found that nearly three-fourths of the leading health articles shared online were either entirely false or had some portion of misinformation.

Whenever you are scouring the internet, you want to make sure you are obtaining your information from a reliable, unbiased provider. This is especially true in finding health information. Health literacy is important because the wrong diagnosis, suggestion, tip or treatment can be detrimental to the reader.

Finding information about symptoms or identifying health concerns can not only save you from spending
PLEASE VIEW WEBSITE FOR COMPLETE DETAILS

NEW HAMPSHIRE DRUG REHAB CENTERS

For over 10 years, Granite Recovery Centers has been transforming the lives of alcohol and drug dependent adults from New England and well beyond. Our New Hampshire addiction treatment centers offer a unique blend of evidence-based clinical psychotherapies with a comprehensive 12-Step curriculum. Our addiction treatment programs feature a full continuum of care that includes medical detox, medication-assisted treatment, primary residential treatment, extended care, sober living, and intensive outpatient counseling. Our success is evidenced by our active, growing alumni community, each of whom will tell you that what we do, along with the skills we provide, saved their lives – and continues to do so.
FOR FULL DETAILS PLEASE VIEW WEBSITE

College Students Guide to Ergonomics

We often discuss a sedentary lifestyle in the context of adults who work in jobs that require them to spend long periods of time sitting, but there’s a demographic less often discussed but perhaps just as impacted by being sedentary.

PAGE CONTENT
What Is a Sedentary Lifestyle?
College Students and Sedentary Lifestyles
Sitting and Back Pain
Being Sedentary and Mental Health
Tips to Be Less Sedentary
Ergonomic Tips for College Students
General Tips
Use a Laptop Riser
Making Your Dorm Bed More Comfortable
Summing Up—Ergonomics For College Students
PLEASE SEE WEBSITE FOR FULL DETAILS

My current initiative is to assist seniors in this time of crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically changed our lifestyles, and it has made seniors even more vulnerable to a problem that was already a crisis in the US: isolation, loneliness, and mental health struggles among our seniors.

Preventing those issues while maintaining a safe lifestyle during the pandemic has presented new challenges. My hope is that some simple measures can help, for example, using internet technologies to connect with friends and families.

So, I am aiming to increase access to relevant information for both caregivers and seniors themselves.

It is properly researched and includes practical tips for maintaining mental health during this crisis.
Hailey Durand
hailey@webadvocacy.org
Web Advocates
1541 Ocean Ave. Santa Monica, CA 90401

The aging population, ages 65 and older, is one of the most vulnerable demographic groups in the United States. The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic puts seniors and their mental health at significant risk.

Seniors are more likely to have chronic health problems, lower income levels, and isolated living situations.

This combination increases the risk of poor cognitive function, dementia, heart disease, and stroke.1, 2 It even brings a greater risk of contracting illnesses like the common cold, and suffering from more intense symptoms.3

Even for healthy adults, loneliness is as dangerous to health as smoking 15 cigarettes per day, according to a study published in 2015.4 Another report, published in 2013, found that older men and women who were lonely or isolated had a significantly higher risk of dying.5

Because seniors are more likely to experience serious consequences after contracting COVID-19, many must stay in their homes or retirement communities, without seeing friends, family, or even neighbors for weeks at a time.

Loneliness and fear have a huge impact on mental health, which in turn has a big impact on physical health.

Seniors can learn to manage their mental health until the COVID-19 situation stabilizes and social distancing orders can be eased.

While there is no easy solution, there are things that can be done to improve overall outlook and boost mental well-being during these challenging times.
PLEASE GO TO WEBSITE FOR MORE SETAILS TO THIS GUIDE

History is full of stories of intimate partner violence

In ancient Rome, men had life and death power over wives. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the “rule of thumb” applied, where men in England and America were allowed to discipline their wives with a stick no thicker than their thumbs.

Today, we may be more aware of social injustices, but domestic violence remains problematic. More than 12 million women and men are victims of rape, physical violence, or stalking every year in the United States. More than one-third of women and one-fourth of men have been raped, assaulted, or stalked by an intimate partner.

Such problems have never gone away despite activism and legislation like the Violence Against Women Act, but there are several programs emerging all over the United States that are designed to prevent, protect, and educate.

Domestic Violence Defined
Domestic violence is far more than simply being pushed around. Abuse comes in many forms and can affect anyone. Types of violence include:

Physical: pushing, kicking, shoving, hitting, strangling
Verbal or emotional: threats, humiliation, insults, intimidation, monitoring, social isolation
Sexual: sexual abuse, rape, genital mutilation, harassment, overseeing birth control
Abuse can take a number of forms. Technology or social media can be used to harass, threaten, stalk, or monitor a current or former partner.

Stalking can be done in real life, too, by following someone’s activities or leaving unwelcome gifts. Abuse can be economic as well, in that one partner controls the finances, or withholds or takes money, or keeps the other partner from working.

Some sources bring up symbolic violence as well, where the media or culture either perpetuate or normalize brutality, in particular against women.

While this problem is far from solved, in recent years new tactics are being implemented to try to put a stop to intimate partner violence.

VIEW WEBSITE FOR MUCH MORE INFORMATION