October 27, 2020

Prescription Painkillers to Opioid Addiction

Prescription opioids are not to be taken lightly. Drugs like OxyContin, Percocet, and Vicodin are prescribed at unbelievably high rates, even amid an opioid addiction epidemic. While such drugs can alleviate pain, they are highly addictive and can dramatically alter the course of one's life.  Last week, we shared the...

August 21, 2019

Opioid Addiction: A Long History

As the American addiction epidemic rages on, the catalyst of which is believed to be opioids, it's easy to forget the age-old history of pain-killing narcotics. Not that the origins of opium-based drugs have any bearing on the lives of addicts, but acknowledging previous attempts to rein in addiction...

March 29, 2019

Fentanyl: Opioid Epidemic’s Third Act

The number of overdose deaths involving fentanyl was stable in 2011 (1,663) and 2012 (1,615), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Then, there were 18,335 fentanyl-related overdose deaths in 2016. The dramatic rise is staggering enough to give anyone pause. The opioid crisis in America...

March 8, 2018

FEND Off Opioid Use Disorder

Millennials who grew up in Southern California are familiar with Vans Warped Tour, an annual event for the last 24 years. The festival is primarily a roaming music tour that showcases half pipes and professional skateboarders, from sometime in June right into August. In fact, many musicians cut their...

February 7, 2018

“The Trade:” A Five-Part Opioid Epidemic Doc

Some people would argue that the American opioid addiction epidemic originated in the late 1990s when the health care system began placing a more significant emphasis on patient pain. Treating pain is especially tricky because it is a "subjective concern;" everyone handles discomfort in different ways, injuries and conditions...