HealthyLife Articles

Tag: Drug Abuse

Importance Of A Drug-Free Workplace

WORK LIFE

Keeping the workplace drug-free is essential for everyone’s health and safety.

Unhealthy use of any type of drug or substance

These can include:

* Illegal or prescription drugs

* Alcohol

* Tobacco

* Marijuana

Risks with substance abuse

* Dependence or addiction

* Poor decision making

* Damaged relationships

* Declining physical health

Workplace impacts

* Missed days of work

* Higher cost of healthcare

* Legal issues

* Poor productivity

* Safety concerns

Seeking help for substance abuse: If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, seek help. Talk to your doctor about your concerns. Usefindtreatment.govto find treatment options in your area.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
What To Know About Rainbow Fentanyl

WELL-BEING

Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid, 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. Doctors prescribe pharmaceutical fentanyl to treat severe pain. However, illegal fentanyl is often mixed with other illicit drugs, such as heroin and cocaine.

Rainbow fentanyl is an illegally manufactured drug dyed in bright colors and shaped to mimic legitimate medication. It only takes a small amount of fentanyl to overdose.

* It’s impossible to know how much fentanyl may be present in a rainbow fentanyl pill.

* Fentanyl-laced drugs are among the most common drugs implicated in overdose deaths.

* The bright colors of rainbow fentanyl may increase the appeal among teens and young adults.

* Rainbow fentanyl is extremely dangerous. All it takes is one to be at risk for overdose.

* Signs of an overdose include pinpoint pupils, limp body, choking or gurgling sounds, loss of consciousness, and slow or weak breathing.

* Call 911 at the first sign of overdose.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
Drug Addiction Triggers

Substance Use & Abuse

Are some people more at risk than others?

Addiction is a chronic, often relapsing brain disease. It causes compulsive drug seeking and using, despite the harm it costs. Over time, brain changes occur that destroy a person’s ability for self-control. Even if a person wants to quit, willpower is not enough to fight the urges.

The brain on drugs

Drugs contain chemicals that disrupt the way nerve cells normally send, receive, and process information. Over time, changed brain cells reduce the user’s ability to enjoy the drug’s effect without higher dosages. Long-term abuse also alters other brain chemicals and circuits. This impairs areas of the brain that are critical for judgment, decision-making, learning, memory, and behavior control.

Why do people relapse?

Addiction is a chronic disease that can be managed, but relapse is common. Treatment helps counter the addiction’s powerful effects. This includes medications and behavioral therapy. A relapse should not be viewed as failure. It is a sign that the treatment should be adjusted.

Why me?

The risk for drug addiction is due to a mix of:

* Genetics – The risk is higher if other family members have addiction issues.

* Environment – Finances, peer pressure, abuse, stress, and the quality of parenting play roles. Having family and friends who abuse drugs is also a factor. So is age. The younger a person is when drug use starts, the greater the risk for addiction.

Tips to deal with triggers:

* Try to avoid situations that involve alcohol and/or drugs.

* Do things you know and do well to build confidence.

* Attend self-help groups for drug users. These include:

– Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)

– Cocaine Anonymous (CA)

– Narcotics Anonymous (NA)

Action Step

If you or someone you love has a problem with drugs, seek professional help.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
Friends Help Friends Through Addiction

Substance Use & Abuse

Support and gentle guidance may be key to recovery.

It’s hard to be supportive and caring when you’re watching a person you love destroy him or herself with drugs and/or alcohol. People who abuse alcohol or other drugs may not be able to admit they have a problem. If family members or friends have a drug problem, help them to help themselves.

Be supportive and caring.

For most addicts, bullying them into treatment doesn’t work.

Offer help on your terms.

You want to help the person get clean and sober, not support the habit. Tolerate the struggle, not the abuse.

Encourage the person to seek professional help.

* Offer to go with him or her to a health care provider visit.

* Provide phone numbers and websites for places that can help, such as: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) – 800.662.HELP (662.4357)www.findtreatment.samhsa.gov

* Find out if his or her workplace has an Employee Assistance Program for drug abuse. If it does, remind the person that what is said to a counselor is kept confidential.

If your friend chooses rehab, let him or her know you will continue to be supportive. If the person refuses to seek help, contact a health care professional for advice on ways best suited to help him or her get the care that is needed.

Offer to go with him or her to a local support group.

Alcoholics Anonymous

212.870.3400

www.aa.org

Cocaine Anonymous

310.559.5833

www.ca.org

Narcotics Anonymous

818.773.9999

www.na.org

Action Step

Be patient. Addiction does a lot of damage. During the rehab process, that damage is unraveling. It takes time.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
Get Help For Addictive Behaviors

Substance Use & Abuse

Don’t let drug or alcohol dependence rob you of a quality life.

You know you can’t go on this way much longer. Your drug or alcohol addiction is destroying your relationships, your career, and your health.

Reasons to get help:

* Calling in sick at work, showing up late, or making errors could cause you to lose your job.

* You can destroy relationships with your family and friends.

* You risk injuring yourself or others.

* You are destroying vital organs in your body that cannot be fixed.

* You are putting yourself at risk of contracting a sexually transmitted infection including HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

* Using non-sterile needles increases your risk of hepatitis or blood poisoning.

* You could die due to an overdose.

You’re not alone

* If you are working, find out if your employer has an Employee Assistance Program (EAP). With this, you can get help at work with a counselor. You do not need to give your employer a reason for your request. The information you share with your counselor remains private.

* Ask your doctor or health care provider for referrals.

* Find out about substance abuse services in your area from 1.800.662.HELP (662-4357) orwww.findtreatment.samhsa.gov.

* Admit yourself into a drug treatment clinic.

* Look for area support groups, such as:

– Alcoholics Anonymous atwww.aa.org

– Cocaine Anonymous atwww.ca.org

– Narcotics Anonymous atwww.na.org

Action Step

Don’t wait. Seek help. Take it one step at a time and be prepared to fight for your life. Believe that you and the people who love you are worth it.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
If You Suspect A Narcotics Overdose, Act Fast

Substance Use & Abuse

Horse. Harry. Scag. Junk. Lords. Schoolboy. Morpho. Hocus. Unkie. Powder. Joy. Snow. Miss Emma. Dollies. These are just a few of the street names for narcotic drugs. Heroin, morphine, and cocaine are the three most common illegally used drugs. Each is powerfully addictive. Obvious symptoms of ongoing drug use include:

* Euphoria.

* Drowsiness.

* Apathy.

* Mood swings.

* Constricted pupils.

* Flushed skin.

* Red, raw nostrils (in cocaine users).

* Scars, “tracks,” or abscesses at injection sites on the arms or legs.

Signs of overdose include:

* Constricted, pinpoint pupils.

* Clammy skin, with a bluish tint.

* Slow pulse.

* Shallow breathing (which can lead to respiratory arrest).

* Convulsions.

* Coma.

If you suspect someone has overdosed on drugs, call an ambulance or drive the victim to the nearest hospital emergency room immediately.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
Use Caution With Sleeping Pills

Medication

Used improperly, prescription sleeping pills (called sedative-hypnotics) can be as addictive as alcohol and can produce unpleasant withdrawal symptoms if stopped abruptly.

You can develop a tolerance to sleeping pills in as little as two weeks of frequent use. In other words, you need higher and higher amounts to fall asleep. Older people should be especially cautious about taking sleeping pills, since their tolerance for medication is usually lower than middle-aged or younger adults.

If you or someone you’re close to takes prescription sleeping pills, possible signs of misuse include:

* Taking sleeping pills nightly for more than two weeks.

* Needing to take higher doses to fall asleep.

* Increasing the dosage without consulting the doctor.

If you’ve become dependent on sleeping pills, don’t quit cold turkey-you’re apt to suffer confusion, slurred speech, drowsiness, difficulty concentrating, relentless insomnia, and possibly death. So contact your doctor for instructions on how to wean yourself off the drug.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026