Substance Abuse and Addiction Medical Reference

Naloxone and naltrexone are both opioid antagonists, but they’re not the same drug and they aren’t used for the same reasons.

To avoid a relapse into opioid use disorder, it helps to know your triggers and how to avoid them.

Early intervention can help to prevent a substance use disorder from getting worse. Learn where to find these services and get help before specialty care is needed.

If you have an opioid use disorder, you’ll keep using opioids even if they are causing you harm. Learn more about treatment and where to find help.

Opioids are among the most addictive drugs, and beating that addiction isn’t easy. Learn how to avoid accidental opioid overdose if you relapse.

Those who are transgender or nonbinary are at higher risk of substance misuse. Discrimination can lead to mental health challenges that play a role.

Learn about how often opioid addiction affects different groups and why.

Over 21 million Americans have at least one addiction. But only 10% get treatment. Here are some reasons why.

If you’re in treatment for opioid use disorder, your doctor may prescribe Suboxone. Learn how this medication can help you stay in therapy and recover.

What happens at a meeting of Narcotics Anonymous? Find out how this program can fit into your substance abuse recovery plan.

Mixing opioids and benzodiazepines can be a dangerous combination. Here’s what to know if you take both of these drugs.

Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) is when a baby goes through withdrawal from drugs they were exposed to in the womb. Learn about possible complications.

What is the difference between tolerance, physical dependence, and addiction? Learn about these levels of drug use.

Buprenorphine as part of medication-assisted therapy (MAT) may help you avoid overdose and prevent relapse. Here’s what you need to know about this drug.

Do you use drugs? Here’s why it’s important to tell your ER doctor and why it won’t get you in trouble with the law.

If you have an addiction disorder but are uninsured, there are ways to get help getting clean without breaking the bank.

Street drugs are often laced with fentanyl. Learn how test strips can help you prevent an overdose.

When you stop using opioid, it’s common to have cravings. Here are some tips to help you stay on track with your recovery.

If you have OUD and aren’t using illegal drugs, you have civil rights across federal, state, and local levels. Learn which laws protect you, and how.

How do your genes and your environment interact to influence your likelihood of drug addiction? Here’s what researchers are learning.

Post-acute withdrawal syndrome (PAWS) happens when you stop using opioids. Here’s what to expect and how to best handle it.

Health care providers have many tools to help assess whether your use of alcohol or drugs is risky or has crossed the line into harm. Here’s what to expect.

People who have used or still use opioids, and even those in treatment, often feel judged. Learn more about stigma and how to decrease it.

Doctors use methadone to treat opioid use disorders and pain. But it can be misused. Learn more about the risks of addiction.

Alcohol-related deaths are a leading cause of preventable deaths in the U.S. Here’s why.

Hexahydrocannabinol, or HHC, is a cannabinoid that creates heady effects. Find out more about the research and the risks.

Substance misuse has adverse effects on our overall health, especially on the eyes. Learn about this condition today.

Find out what you need to know about alcoholic myopathy, and discover the symptoms and treatments, and how it may affect health.

Find out what you need to know about congeners in alcohol, their role in hangovers, and discover how they may affect health.

Find out the differences between methadone and Suboxone, and discover the pros, cons, risks, and benefits, and how it may affect health.

Get the facts on what harm reduction is and how it could help people with substance abuse disorders.

Fentanyl is an opioid medication 50-100 times stronger than morphine. Learn more about this drug, overdose symptoms, and harm reduction.

There are many ways to manage your addiction recovery. These methods bring the power of your mind and body together to help you on your journey to sobriety.

Delta-8 is the latest craze in the cannabinoid world. It’s made from hemp and is claimed to give you a milder high than delta-9 THC. It’s easily available and considered legal. But is safe? WebMD finds out.

Find out what you need to know about dry drunk syndrome, and discover what causes it, how it's treated, and how it may affect health.

Alcohol laws set legal limits on who can drink, buy, or sell alcohol, and even how much alcohol in your blood means you’re drunk. Some alcohol laws are national, but states and counties have their own laws too. Find out when it’s legal for people under 21 to drink in some situations.

Find out what you need to know about gabapentin for alcohol withdrawal and discover the pros, cons, risks, and benefits, and how it may affect health.

Find out what you need to know about alcoholic ketoacidosis, and discover the risks it poses to health.

Find out what you need to know about support groups for people with alcohol use disorder, including how it can help you manage alcoholism.

The CAGE Assessment is a questionnaire for substance abuse. Learn about the types of questions, how to recognize substance abuse, treatment options, and more.

Find out what you need to know about sniffing glue, including the risks, why some people do it, and how it may affect your health.

Ketamine is a short-acting anesthetic with hallucinogenic effects. Researchers are looking at whether it may help people with addiction.

You’ve realized you have a problem with opioid addiction. Here’s how to get help.

Whether or not you are ready to start treatment for opioid addiction, many resources are available to offer support and rehabilitation and to keep you safe.

Detox clears drugs and alcohol from your system so you can start recovery from addiction. It’s not an easy process. Learn about the support you’ll need.

What is a urine drug test? Learn how these tests work, when you might take one, and what to expect.

Find out what you need to know about alcohol dependence, and discover the pros, cons, risks, and benefits, and how it may affect mental health.

Percocet helps ease pain, but it can sometimes cause unwanted side effects, like sleepiness and constipation. Learn how to manage these and other issues.

Learn about nutrition therapy for alcohol use disorder. What is it, why do you need it, and how can it help?

If you use a nasal spray for more than a few days, you might notice that you need more and more of the medicine to ease your congestion. Does that mean you’re addicted to nasal spray?