What is Medication Assisted Treatment and is it effective?
Medication Assisted Treatment, or MAT, is the use of medications with counseling and behavioral therapies to treat substance use disorders and prevent opioid overdose.1 MAT can be pivotal in helping someone with an opioid use disorder (OUD) get off, and stay off, opioids. To some, it seems like using opioids to treat OUD is a […]
Rise Above — the Stigma of Addiction 8-Sep-19
Since September is National Recovery Month (https://recoverymonth.gov/), I thought I would revisit the topic of stigma reduction… Stigma prevents addicts from getting the help they need. Stigma they place on themselves-“I am so worthless. Nobody should have to deal with me.” Stigma society places on the addict-“He’s a junkie and thief. Why should I help […]
WHAT IS VIVITROL? 17MAR2019
What is Vivitrol? Vivitrol is an extended release Naltrexone. It is a non-addictive medication to prevent relapse in opioid addicted people and is given by injection once a month. Vivitrol blocks opioid receptors in the brain so that if opioids are used, there are rendered ineffective, in other words, the user gets no high. Abstinence […]
03Feb2019 Are You a Practicing Nurse with an Active Addiction? Do You Want Help?
I am a nurse. I am also a recovering addict. I have been in recovery for 14 consecutive years now. That seemed an impossible feat 14 years ago, but here I am, safe and clean and sober today. I have also regained my full nursing license and am able to practice safely without any restrictions. […]
Avoiding Temptation 26Nov18
My Mother has been diagnosed with cancer. As difficult as that is to type, there is nothing I can do to change it. As the family nurse, it falls to me to take care of the medical side of things. I certainly have had help from my sisters, aunts, husband and daughters, but I feel […]
Milwaukee’s Drug Treatment Court 30Sep18
Milwaukee’s Drug Treatment Court 30Sep18 You may or may not be aware of Milwaukee’s Drug Treatment Court. It started in 2009 and is designed to decrease repeat drug crimes, provide an alternative to incarceration, improve public safety, and manage limited criminal justice resources. It focuses on coordinating resources for substance abuse treatment and recovery. Simply […]
22ul18 These Children Need Our Help
These Children Need Our Help Drug and alcohol addiction adversely impacts families, especially children, nobody would argue that. As discussed in the article linked below, there are many ways this occurs. There has been an alarming increase in child abuse and neglect cases as the opioid epidemic continues to progress. When an addict is consumed […]
Reducing the Stigma of Addiction 29Apr2018
Reducing the Stigma of Addiction 29Apr2018 Stigma prevents addicts from getting the help they need. Stigma they place on themselves-“I am so worthless. Why would anyone help me?” Stigma society places on the addict-“They are junkies and thieves. Why would I help them?” Stigma the healthcare community places on the addict-“They are just drug seeking. […]
Is This Really What Wisconsin Needs?
21Jan18 This week Governor Walker signed two executive orders. The first order will create a Governor’s Commission on Substance Abuse Treatment Delivery. The commission will be made up of co-chairs of the Governor’s Task Force on Opioid Abuse, or their designees, as well as folks from the health care industry. The panel will study the […]
29Oct17 Whose Fault is the Drug Epidemic Anyway?
We are a society that likes to place blame. It’s not my fault, don’t blame me. So who do we think is to blame for the drug epidemic currently plaguing our country? Is it the addict? The drug dealer? Is it the doctor who prescribes too many narcotics? Maybe all of the above. It seems […]