Ask the Advocates: International Overdose Awareness DayEditor's Note: This article discusses overdose and its impacts, which may be distressing for some readers. If you need support, please reach...reactionscomments
When Numbing Turns to Drowning: How Opioids Amplified My Trauma Instead of Healing ItEditor's Note: This article discusses overdose and its impacts, which may be distressing for some readers. If you need support, please reach...reactions2comments
There is Power in the RebuildI, unfortunately, dismantled my life with my opioid use disorder. Since surrendering to the recovery process, I have been able to rebuild...reactionscomments
What I Wish I Knew Before Starting OUD TreatmentStarting treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) can be one of the scariest endeavors in the recovery process. Although each year hundreds...reactionscomments
Myths and Misconceptions of Opioid Use DisorderOpioid use disorder (OUD) affects millions of people worldwide. Unfortunately, myths and misconceptions about OUD can negatively impact people living with OUD...reactions5comments
You Can Choose Recovery For Someone Other Than YourselfIn my experiences battling opioid use disorder, I have been told, "You cannot stop using for anybody but yourself.” It is widely...reactions2comments
The Art and Science of Treating OUD: A Whole-Person ApproachTreating opioid use disorder (OUD) is like uncovering a gemstone. Detoxification is the first step—dusting off the stone to reveal its potential...reactionscomments
Breaking the Stigma: Supporting Individuals with Opioid Use Disorder Without JudgmentDespite growing awareness of the opioid overdose crisis, stigma remains a significant barrier to recovery. Individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) often...reactions2comments
Tough Love Broke Me, But Love Helped Me HealYou can’t bully a person living with opioid use disorder into choosing recovery. In my case, certain family members went the “tough...reactionscomments
When the Chaos Clears: Coping with Boredom in Middle RecoveryMost conversations about recovery focus on the beginning: detox, cravings, white-knuckling through the first weeks without the substance that once controlled everything...reactionscomments
Bridging the Divide: Chronic Pain, Addiction, and the Compassion We All DeserveThere’s a tension in medicine that many people feel but few want to talk about: the strained relationship between chronic pain patients...reactionscomments
Hypervigilance in RecoveryI am safer now than I have ever been in my existence. Yet somehow, I’m considerably more anxiety-ridden than ever before. Recovery...reactionscomments
The Resume Gap Isn’t Empty: How Starting Slow Helped Me Return to Work SustainablyIn advocacy spaces, we often talk about recovery, healing, and second chances. What is less discussed is the moment after. It involves...reactionscomments
Tolerance: Why the First Use After a Break Can Be DeadlyMany of us have experienced this loss, sometimes more than once. Someone we loved was doing well. They had time in recovery...reactionscomments
Recovering, Not RecoveredI finally understand why people choose to say “recovering” instead of “recovered” when they talk about opioid use disorder or substance dependency...reactionscomments
Real Talk: The Realities of Opioid Use DisorderLiving with opioid use disorder can mean facing struggles that most people never see. In this three-part series, Nathan Smiddy and Natalee...reactionscomments
Navigating Withdrawal: My Journey Through Detox and RecoveryNavigating opioid withdrawal was one of the hardest parts of my chaotic use. At some point, it went from just getting high...reactionscomments
The First 7 Days: A Real-World Guide to Surviving Opioid DetoxDetoxification from opioids involves removing opioids from the body and managing withdrawal symptoms. It is the first step toward recovery from opioid...reactionscomments
Cravings & Triggers: A Sign of Healing (and How to Get Through Them)If you’re noticing opioid cravings or triggers, there’s something important to say first: this means you’re in recovery, and that’s worth celebrating!...reactionscomments
The Science of Addiction: How Opioids Affect the BrainAnyone who takes opioids, whether by prescription or not, is at risk for opioid use disorder (OUD). This is true even if...reactions4comments
