When someone returns to substance use after a period of recovery, the language around that experience can carry a lot of weight. Terms like “lapse” and “relapse” are often used to describe different patterns, but they are not moral labels and they are not a substitute for a clinical assessment. What matters most is safety, […]
Google search data for substance abuse treatment searches shows sharp declines in 2026, most dramatically in alcohol treatment searches. Deep analysis and exploration of what may or may not explain the pattern.
MGM-15 is emerging as another semi-synthetic version of kratom. As many states and the federal government move to ban 7-OH, manufacturers have begun selling MGM-15 to skirt those regulations. Several states have explicitly banned MGM-15, other states ban 7-OH, and it is unclear whether MGM-15 is included in the ban. The federal government has taken steps to schedule MGM-15, […]
The gas station. No longer just a place to pick up a can of coke and bag of chips to fuel you through your drive. Today, gas stations are selling a wide variety of psychoactive substances, and many of them are completely legal, unregulated, and capable of causing addiction, overdose, and other serious health consequences. This growing phenomenon has been dubbed ‘gas station […]
We’ve been hearing so much about kratom and 7-OH recently. But as fast as kratom and 7-OH popped up on the market, another kratom derivative has appeared on the market: MGM-15. MGM-15 is a chemical modification of 7-OH that acts like a standard opioid, and bears no resemblance to natural kratom, except that it is sold under the kratom umbrella. This convinces buyers that they are buying a ‘natural […]
Nearly half of fatal pedestrian accidents involve alcohol, and in majority of those cases, it’s the pedestrian, not the driver who was intoxicated. Drunk walking is an overlooked risk in drinking and is rarely reported or emphasized in public safety messages, despite clear evidence of the dangers of walking drunk. Alcohol is killing pedestrians, and it’s the walkers that are drunk The CDC reports that alcohol is involved in 48% of fatal pedestrian crashes. What’s notable about this finding is the breakdown: only 18% of the […]
Methamphetamine is a dangerous enough drug as is. According to CDC data, it is highly addictive and contributes to tens of thousands of overdose deaths annually. Add in the problem of fake meth, and the complications associated with meth use multiply. In this guide, Wellbrook Recovery, experts in addiction rehabilitation, explain what is fake meth, how […]
An emerging cardiac epidemic. A tsunami. (JACC Journals) Alarmingly common. A true public health issue. (Dr. John Richards) Different terms being used by researchers to describe the same thing: Meth use is increasingly being linked to a host of serious heart diseases, and while the concept isn’t new, the numbers are. As meth use rises in the US, so does its debilitating effects. And now, what was once a rare occurrence described in medical papers […]
Once a mild anesthetic and kitchen tool, nitrous oxide has become a widely abused inhalant, now sold in gas stations, vape shops, and online. Often assumed to be a harmless, legal high, its misuse has been linked to emergency room visits, neurological injury, paralysis, and death. What is nitrous oxide (also known as laughing gas, galaxy gas, […]
In Greek mythology, the Hydra was a monster that grew multiple new heads each time one was cut off. Drug regulation often seems to operate in a similar way. A problematic drug is declared illegal, scheduled, and penalized, but several others pop up to replace it. Recently, while authorities worldwide were busy with stemming fentanyl, another lethal concoction was beginning to being marketed: Brorphine and its analogues, a family of drugs similar to fentanyl. What is brorphine? Brorphine is a potent […]
