Texas Addiction Recovery Blog

Is Portugal a Destination for Drug Tourism?

Portugal decriminalized drugs in 2001. Since that time, more Portuguese adults have used drugs and sought rehab, but fewer drug users have contracted HIV and fewer teenagers have tried drugs in that country. One of the concerns about decriminalization was that reduced...

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Drug Decriminalization in Portugal

Thousands of miles away, a new approach to drugs might be what’s needed to fight drug addiction in the United States. Portugal decriminalized many drugs in 2001. If Portuguese police find small, specific amounts of drugs on people, such as marijuana, cocaine, or...

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May Day and the Promise of Hope after Alcohol or Drug Abuse

Have you ever celebrated May Day? I haven’t. When I hear about May Day, I always think of people dancing around a Maypole, but maybe I’m confusing that with the Festivus tetherball pole featured in the television program Seinfeld. Of course, there’s also the May Day...

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Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Substance Use Disorder

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and substance use disorder bear very similar symptoms—repetitive actions and unwanted thoughts. While an addict might compulsively use drugs or alcohol regardless of the consequences, someone with OCD might engage in repetitive...

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Talking about Substance Use Disorder to Remove the Stigma

We’ve been talking a lot lately about hiding addiction and uncovering it, of acknowledging people and things as well as the unsung heroes of life. In just my lifetime, I’ve seen things change for the better when it comes to drug treatment and mental health. A lot of...

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Women, Discrimination, and Admitting Alcohol and Drug Abuse

We recently discussed how the late Henrietta Lacks may be one of the most important figures in medical research, yet not many people had heard of her before the publication of the book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and the subsequent television movie based on...

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