Addiction treatment often begins with high hopes and apparent success, but it’s important to remember that addiction is a disease with a relapse rate of 40%–60%. Be realistic: Expect that patients will go through cycles of relapse and recovery. Learn the warning signs for relapse, the measures you can take to prevent it, and what to do after it has occurred.

For many people, the word “recovery” means being in AA or another 12-step program where the goal is to stay abstinent. It’s a culture of mutual support where people help and assist each other toward the goal of sobriety.

Naltrexone is an opioid blocker that is FDA-approved for the treatment of alcoholism. However, it is also effective off-label for treating opioid use disorder. The medication comes in two forms: an oral pill (brand name ReVia) and an injectable version (XR naltrexone, or Vivitrol). XR naltrexone is composed of 380 mg of naltrexone, given as an intramuscular injection once a month. During that month, patients who try to use opioids will feel little if any high. This works well to prevent relapse if patients keep getting the shot.

While the age-old tradition of smoking cannabis remains very common, several other options for preparing the drug are becoming widely available and frequently used. In this article, we’ll update you on the modern preparations and routes of administration.

The post-test for this issue is available for one year after the publication date to subscribers only. By successfully completing the test you will be awarded a certificate for 2 CME credits.

From Don Juanism to nymphomania, sex addiction has long been recognized among the lay public, but recognition among professionals has been more controversial. Although highly stigmatized, excessive sexual behavior doesn’t qualify as a disorder until it causes real problems for patients, such as relationship issues, losing one’s job, and getting arrested.

Pornography addiction is more of a process or behavioral addiction where the effect on the brain is the same, but you’re not putting a foreign chemical into your body. Pornography is just one behavior that we would put under that umbrella of sexual addiction. And for some people who become sex addicts, it actually starts out with pornography—as a sort of gateway drug.

If you have not yet heard of kratom (usually pronounced kray-tom or krah-tom), consider this an introduction. Kratom preparations are gaining popularity among substance users because of the plant’s opioid-like and stimulant properties.

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These days, opiates are primarily prescribed to treat pain. But there is a long history of using opiates to treat depression and other mental illness. Starting in the 700s, Arabian cultures used opium in mental hospitals in Baghdad, Damascus, Fez, and Cairo that also incorporated milieu therapy such as music,...