Better Addiction Care Blogs

Codeine addiction is a complex medical condition that occurs due to both physical and psychological dependence on opioid medication. Similar to morphine and hydrocodone, codeine leads you to take higher doses repeatedly to achieve pain relief, increasing the risk of addiction and its associated health issues.

For those who rely on Dramamine (dimenhydrinate) to manage motion sickness during travel or daily activities, it's important to understand the serious risks involved when combining this common over-the-counter medication with alcohol. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, combining alcohol with medications like Dramamine significantly increases the risk of dangerous interactions, with timing being crucial since harmful effects occur even when substances aren't taken simultaneously.

To support a friend recovering from alcoholism, use compassionate communication, encourage professional help, practice active listening, set healthy boundaries, and provide consistent encouragement without enabling harmful behavior. Your friend is among 28.9 million Americans who faced Alcohol Use Disorder in 2023—a sobering reminder that this struggle affects millions and that recovery requires tremendous courage.

Alcohol cravings are intense urges to drink, common in those with alcohol dependence. Among U.S. adults, 17% binge drink and 6% drink heavily, with nearly all heavy drinkers also engaging in binge drinking. They cause physical symptoms like restlessness and sweating, and psychological symptoms like intense emotions. These episodes last 15-20 minutes and are more frequent in early recovery, contributing to the fact that over 90% of adults who drink excessively report binge drinking. Internal emotions and external alcohol-related cues trigger them, as per the CDC.

Medically assisted alcohol rehab combines FDA-approved medications with behavioral therapies and counseling to address both the physiological and psychological aspects of alcohol dependence. You undergo medical detox to mitigate severe withdrawal symptoms, ensuring a safer recovery environment.

If you or someone you know struggles with fentanyl addiction, you’re not alone in facing a powerful and dangerous challenge. Fentanyl addiction is an addictive behavior to overuse fentanyl, which is a synthetic opioid that is 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine. According to NIDA data, illicitly manufactured fentanyl has caused 73,838 overdose deaths in 2022 alone in the United States. This represents a more than 7.5-fold increase in fentanyl-related deaths since 2015, highlighting the unprecedented severity of the current crisis.

Ketamine addiction is the dependence on ketamine, a powerful anesthetic often misused for its hallucinogenic effects. Causes of ketamine addiction include recreational use, mental health disorders, or self-medicating for trauma or depression.

Polysubstance addiction presents a profound and urgent challenge that deeply affects your life and those around you, rooted in the simultaneous or sequential use of multiple substances that intensifies the complexity of the disorder. According to Rockhill, K. M.’s 2025 study, "Polysubstance Use Profiles Among the General Adult Population, United States, 2022," the national prevalence of polysubstance use was found to be 20.9% among the general adult population in the United States.

1 in every 311 emergency department visits related to prescription misuse involves alprazolam. This highlights the seriousness of Xanax (alprazolam) addiction, which starts when people take more than prescribed or use it without a prescription, leading to abuse. Alprazolam's widespread availability, with over 48 million prescriptions in the United States in 2013, combined with its unique pharmacological properties, creates a perfect storm for misuse, leaving devastated lives and families in its wake.

Morphine addiction develops when your body becomes dependent after prolonged use, especially for chronic pain. As tolerance builds, you need more of the drug to feel the same relief, leading to addiction. In the U.S., heroin-related overdose deaths, linked to opioids like morphine, rose from 3,036 in 2010 to 15,469 in 2016, then dropped to 5,871 by 2022, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. These numbers reflect the serious impact of opioid addiction across the country.

In 2017, 3.2 million Americans aged 12 and older struggled with methadone addiction, and 3,000 lives were lost to overdose, as per the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). Methadone is meant to help with opioid recovery, but without proper supervision, it leads to addiction. This kind of dependence affects both the body and mind, making everyday life feel overwhelming. If you're facing this, you're not alone—help is possible, and recovery is within reach.

Long-term treatment centers are residential facilities that provide extended care and support for individuals recovering from substance abuse or mental health disorders, typically lasting several months to a year. Long-term rehab treatment centers are ideal for individuals with severe addiction, chronic relapse patterns, co-occurring mental health disorders, or those who need immersive support and a structured environment to achieve lasting recovery.

Tramadol was prescribed approximately 15.5 million times in 2021, according to Statista. This widespread use shows how easy access turns into dependence. If you're struggling with tramadol addiction, you're not alone—and recovery is possible with the right support.

Sobriety presents a challenging journey filled with obstacles from everyday triggers such as places, people, memories, and media. Words of encouragement provide support and remind individuals that they are not alone in their struggles.

When speaking to someone in rehab, focus on expressing empathy, offering encouragement, providing support, and practicing active listening. Effective communication with individuals in rehabilitation requires compassionate, nonjudgmental language that validates their feelings and experiences.

Addiction recovery is a personal journey with challenges and growth. Common questions regarding addiction recovery focus on recognizing addiction, the recovery stages, and how long recovery takes. It involves acknowledging the problem, detoxifying, rehabilitation, and maintaining sobriety.

Medicaid is a government-funded health insurance program that provides access to essential healthcare services, including addiction treatment, to low-income individuals and families, with coverage varying by state.

Substance abuse triggers are situations, emotions, or environments that provoke a strong urge to use drugs or alcohol. They fall into two categories: external triggers and internal triggers. Identifying these triggers is crucial for recovery, as it helps individuals manage cravings and reduce relapse risk. Recognizing both types of triggers supports long-term sobriety.

Five Alcoholics Anonymous tips are being punctual to meetings, maintaining an open mindset, forming supportive connections, sharing experiences openly, and avoiding self-pity throughout the recovery journey. Punctuality builds trust and respect. An open mind fosters healing and growth. Meaningful connections provide essential support and reduce loneliness. Honest sharing and active listening break cycles of denial and shame. Replacing self-pity with purpose shifts focus to empowerment. These strategies enhance the experience of first-timers and lay a strong foundation for successful recovery.

You are a closet alcoholic if you hide your alcohol addiction from others, consume alcohol in secrecy, and make efforts to conceal your habits from your partner, friends, family, and coworkers. This involves hiding alcohol bottles, drinking alone, or making excuses to leave events early to drink privately.