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Addiction and recovery can be viewed as opposing cyclical systems. There are a number of parallels between these transformative experiences, but the two are also in constant conflict. Whereas addictive behavior spirals a person’s life into distress and turmoil, beginning a recovery program gradually rebuilds a needed sense of stability. Understanding how these mirrored processes are related can help people reduce destructive behaviors and transform them into productive ones.

Although mental health and addiction both require recovery, their attitudes toward using medication are strictly distinct. While addressing addiction calls for an element of abstinence, more severe psychological conditions require pharmaceutical practices in order to ensure stability. However, if people struggling with mental illness become too reliant on their prescription use, treating their disorder can unintentionally lead to a substance use disorder.

Canada isn’t crossing any T’s or dotting any I’s on legalizing marijuana quite yet. According to CBC News, the government recently deployed a task force to investigate best way to plan and execute legalization of marijuana. Legalization was one of the liberal promises made by the young and popular Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Right now the legalization movement is in nothing more than a preliminary research phase. However, legislation is expected any moment. The task force has been working and creating a plan since November of last year. They recently stated legislation would be announced April 20. In the article on CBC News, many questions are answered. Some of the questions missing from CBC include concerns regarding addiction, increased substance abuse, and mental health. Canada has led the way on the medical use of marijuana and progressive treatments for illnesses. Currently, Canada is struggling to keep up with addiction and alcoholism issues. Marijuana has many medical properties, but it is still a psychoactive drug which produces mind altering effects. Though research has found that alcohol is more of a “gateway” drug than marijuana is, the use of marijuana can inspire experimentation. Problematically, legalized marijuana will mean it is available in investment-backed and government regulated strengths, which can be incredibly potent. Abuse and misuse of marijuana is a concern. The Diagnostic And Statistical Manual Of Mental Disorders added “marijuana use disorder” to the category of substance use disorders, which is the list of diagnosable addictions. Previously, marijuana wasn’t thought to be dependency forming or addictive. Despite a growing medicalization and legalization movement, there is a growing amount of people becoming dependent upon the drug. Marijuana can cause an intense physical and psychological dependency in which people are unable to function, eat, or sleep, without use of the drug. Without it, they experience symptoms of withdrawal which includes obsessive thinking, compulsive cravings, and many effects similar to withdrawal of other more “serious” drugs.

We all know that energy is transferable – that’s why it’s typically easy for us to tell when someone is upset or very agitated with us – their energy shifts. When we feel an energy shift, we can either ward off the energy or take it on as our own and become upset or agitated as well. The same can happen with anxiety - Dr. Jim Harter and Sangeeta Agrawal from Gallup News, a website aimed at providing businesses and organizations with analytics and advice, found distinct links between the well-being among team members and amongst their managers. In their study, they evaluated 105 teams with 1,740 people whose well-being was measured among three 6-month intervals. With this, they found that the well-being levels among team members were significantly connected to and dependent on the well-being of others on the team. Although the study conducted was in a workplace situation, anxiety can be transferred from anyone within any context. The key is to remember not to allow yourself to take on others’ anxiety. Anxiety.org, a website that provides information on the several types of anxiety disorders, states that unlike anxiety disorders, natural responses of anxiety and stress can easily be taken on by others simply due to exposure. By remaining actively aware of the stress responses of others, we can better manage our own energy levels to ensure that we don’t adopt a response that isn’t beneficial for us. Judith Orloff, MD and author of a book titled The Empath’s Survival Guide: Life Strategies for Sensitive People, wrote in a 2011 article for The Huffington Post provided a compelling step-by-step guide to avoid absorbing negative energy and anxiety from others:

Personality disorders are more common than you might think. When someone develops an issue with substance abuse, they are likely living with an undiagnosed personality disorder, mood disorder, or psychiatric disorder. Living with a mental illness increases the chances of developing a substance use problem. Prone to thrill seeking, maladaptive behaviors, and a skewed sense of reward, there is a heightened vulnerability to the powerful effects of substances.

With movies, phrases, and common misconceptions, mental illnesses often get a bad reputation. Many people see a major event or upsetting situation that involves a mental illness and they believe that all people with that mental illness act a certain way or they develop negative views of a certain mental illness – causing an unbalance in societal views and perpetuating negativity. Stigmas often lead people to believe that mental illnesses are dangerous, unpredictable, that a person is responsible for their mental illness, or that a person is generally incompetent, and these views promote discrimination. For those of us who suffer from a mental illness, stigmas surrounding our disorder can be debilitating and can perpetuate the negative symptoms of the illness itself. If we can gain a better understanding of how stigmas impact people, we can change the conversation of mental illness to a more hopeful, positive, and realistic one – that each person, circumstance, and disorder is different and should be treated as such. Stigmas surrounding mental illnesses often exclude people from job opportunities, social events, educational opportunities, can cause people to be excluded from receiving patient-focused treatment and care, and even causes internalization. When a person experiences internalization, they believe the negative thoughts of others and think of themselves as unable to recover, undeserving of love and care, dangerous, unpredictable, and responsible for their illness. A 2015 review conducted by Clement and colleagues seen in Cambridge University Press found that of 90,189 participants identified in numerous studies, internalization and treatment stigma were most associated with reduced help-seeking. Disclosure concerns were the most prevalent reason for why people didn’t want to seek treatment. These are perpetuated by stigma and cause us to feel badly about ourselves or others. Stigmas perpetuate fear, and in turn cause people to be treated poorly for no reason. Author Samantha Gluck from Healthy Place identified in 2015 that prejudice, mistrust, and violence on those with mental disorders as mechanisms that further damage us as a society. They cause people to turn from their loved ones, create distance, and delay seeking help when it’s truly needed. On a basic level, stigmas provide no benefit to anyone because they are based on assumptions without knowing the facts. To reduce stigmas surrounding mental illness, we need to share our stories. Telling others about the reality of our symptoms will show that each person is different. Continue researching and providing facts to others. If we hear someone making an incorrect assumption about mental illness, and it is safe to do so, we should stand up for those who suffer from that mental illness and gently correct our loved ones. We should begin conversations surrounding mental illness to educate and inform others. Joining organizations that support mental illnesses is a fantastic way to get involved and to meet others who also suffer. Lastly, we should continue believing in ourselves and embracing who we are, no matter what anyone says.

Canada is going to legalize marijuana, most feel. The federal government is on its way to pushing and officiating legalized marijuana throughout the country. Attention around the world is turning toward Canada as the country prepares to lead the way with innovative production, distribution, and regulation. Yet, not every province of Canada is looking forward to the progressive move. Drug addiction and substance abuse riddle Canada in certain areas making lawmakers nervous about the federal legalization of the psychoactive drug. CBC News reports that Manitoba’s new laws are being called “short-sighted” and “unnecessary”. Problematically, the article reports, Manitoba officials didn’t consult medical cannabis users or cannabis-prescribing doctors to make their decision. “The legislation would bring in restrictions for marijuana similar to those for alcohol, banning people from consuming it in a vehicle and giving police the right to suspend a driver’s license for 24 hours if they thought the person was under the influence of the drug.” Driving under the influence of marijuana is becoming a concern in many areas throughout North America as marijuana continues to see legalization. One source contributing to the article claims that the Manitoba laws increase the stigma and shame faced by clinical patients who depend on medical cannabis for healing. However, the Manitoba authorities may not be far off in their measures. Manitoba is one of the areas of Canada being heavily hit by the opioid crisis. CBC News has also reported that 1 in 10 drivers in Manitoba are tested positive for marijuana, meth, and other drugs.

Making the decision to attend a treatment center is the best decision you could have made. You already know that you want optimal care and a supportive healthcare team to help you achieve your goals. With so many treatment facilities available, it can seem daunting to select the right fit. Depending on whether you have decided to partake in an intensive outpatient program, inpatient program or a residential treatment program, there may be several factors you want to consider. The following is a universal list of questions and concerns that you can utilize to ensure your treatment facility is the best fit for you:

Heroin today is regarded as a deadly drug which is contributing to the growing number of opioid overdose deaths happening every day in Canada, the US, and other countries around the world. Most people understand that heroin is an illegal drug bought on the black market and primarily comes from either China or Mexico. However, few are aware of the curious history of heroin, like when it was an over the counter drug.

According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the United States – approximately 40 million people aged 18 or older suffer from one. Anxiety attacks are an unfortunate yet common aspect of anxiety disorders – people often experience chest pain, chills or heat sensations, trembling, sweating, heart palpitations, fear of “going crazy”, nausea, fear of dying, and more. In 2016, Medical Today accurately defined anxiety as nervousness, fear, apprehension, and worry. When we feel extremely anxious or nervous about something, our body activates its stress response, which causes the body to secrete stress hormones into the body where they travel to targeted areas that bring about physiological, psychological, and emotional changes that enhance the body’s ability to perform “fight or flight”. Our stress response triggers energy to help us deal with a threat – and the degree of our stress response is directly related to the degree of our perceived threat. This is incredibly important for us to remember because this explains why we may “suddenly” experience anxiety attacks.   Anxiety can make us feel debilitated and helpless, and can significantly impact all aspects of life. If we experience an anxiety attack, it may feel like the world is falling apart. However, anxiety attacks alone are not deadly and there are several steps that we can take if we are experiencing an anxiety attack to help relieve the symptoms:

Fentanyl is a prescription opioid medication without any morphine. Some people have a natural inability to metabolize morphine. For such patients, typically those in need of treatment for chronic pain, pharmaceutical companies created fentanyl. Instead of being based in morphine, it is a synthetic opioid. In order for the drug to work, however, it has to be stronger than morphine. Fentanyl is reported to be up to 100 times stronger than morphine. In recent years, overseas manufacturers found the public files which contained information on the formulas for producing fentanyl and other synthetic opioid types like W-18, carfentanil, and U-47700. Once drug producers found a way to make fentanyl for cheap, they started selling it on the black market. Discovering the intense addiction and effect of the drug, they also started putting it into other illegal medications including heroin, cocaine, and pills meant to mimic benzodiazepines. Fentanyl is considered highly dangerous because of how strong the drug is. Most frighteningly, in its powder form, fentanyl is undetectable. Translucent and almost invisible, as well as tasteless, the presence of fentanyl in any drug is impossible to predict without laboratory testing. In March of 2017, the United Nations declared fentanyl as one of the most dangerous drugs in the world, according to The Daily Mail. Two of the ingredients used to create fentanyl were put on the UN controlled substances list. “Overtime, fentanyl can increase your risk for anoxic injury (damage due to significantly decreased oxygen in the body tissues) and multiple organ system damage,” the article writes. “It can also initiate or worsen pre-existing mental health conditions, including depression and/or frequently changing moods.” Fentanyl can also cause an addiction, which some have described like playing russian roulette using a ticking time bomb on the wheel. Overdose on fentanyl is possible at any moment, whether or not a tolerance has developed. Abuse of fentanyl happens through intravenous use, pill form, and through the use of medicated patches.

Toxic people are of a wide variety – some are just fleeting interactions while others are relationships, whether intimate or not, that we have held on for a little too long. Toxic relationships can lead us into a depth of despair – clinging on for more, even when more isn’t available. This holding on causes us to sink rather than swim, and we deserve more thriving connections in our lives. It can become so easy to give all our energy to others, but that leaves us feeling depleted both mentally and physically. Toxic people, whether they act in overt cruelty, passive aggressiveness, or out of sheer pleasure – never want to take responsibility for their actions. They either dismiss, deny, or place blame on others and refuse to admit they have done anything wrong. For those of us who are willing to admit when we’re wrong, it can be hard getting blamed by those we care about and we can accidentally take on that blame – a weight that does not need to be carried. Peg Streep, author and co-author of 11 books and writer for Psychology Today, provides an effective strategy for stepping out from underneath the toxic people in our lives: