“Advances in medical imaging have revealed that addiction is a complex disease of the brain,” said the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Nora Volkow four years ago. “By understanding how addiction affects different neuronal processes, we can gather insights that give us a better understanding of why the behaviors of people […]
More than 70 percent of US adults feel the healthcare system is failing to meet their needs in at least one way, according to Harris Poll data reported by TIME magazine in 2023. “More than half of the roughly 2,500 US adults who took the survey graded the US healthcare system a ‘C’ or below. […]
American teenagers and young adults—especially college students—used to be able to party and experiment with drugs and alcohol without necessarily risking their lives. Not anymore! The drugs that kids encounter nowadays are much more powerful and in some cases deadly. The THC (delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol) levels in cannabis products have dramatically increased in the last few decades […]
This article discusses suicide. If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for a list of additional resources. Back in 2017, psychologist and author Jean Twenge warned of a mental health crisis on the horizon. In her influential book iGen she […]
“In the most health-obsessed society ever, all is not well,” wrote addiction expert Gabor Maté in The Myth of Normal in 2022. “Multibillion-dollar industries bank on people’s ongoing investment—mental and emotional, not to mention financial—in endless quests to eat better, look younger, live longer, or feel livelier, or simply to suffer fewer symptoms.” We do […]
In 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that life expectancy at birth in the United States was 77.5 years, which is 1.1 years higher than in 2021 but still 1.3 years lower than in 2019. This is a reversal from 2021, when life expectancy dropped to 76.4 years, the lowest it […]
Addiction to substances like alcohol, cocaine, heroin, and cannabis used to be described as “chemical dependency,” suggesting that these substances simply hijack the brain promoting further misuse. In recent decades, neuroscience revealed that reality is far more complicated. “We are all chemically dependent,” declared Ward Blanchard, MA, MBA, CCS, LCAS, the founder and CEO of […]
We’re celebrating recovery! Recovery Awareness Day at The Blanchard Institute is an annual cornerstone event highlighting the importance of understanding, treating, and celebrating recovery from addiction. This special day is dedicated to shedding light on the challenges and successes associated with recovery, and to enhancing community knowledge and support for those affected by substance use […]
“Substance use disorder is a highly prevalent condition, leading to significant morbidity, mortality, and burden on the healthcare system,” wrote Muhammad Iqbal, and Charles and Frances Levin in their 2019 review of the treatment for substance use disorder (SUD) with co-occurring mental illness. “Substance use disorders are overrepresented among individuals with a mental illness. The […]
According to addiction expert Gabor Maté, “addiction is a complex psychological, emotional, physiological, neurobiological, social, and spiritual process.” Treating this complex disease effectively often requires individualized, holistic approaches involving multiple treatment modalities. Founder and CEO Ward Blanchard wanted The Blanchard Institute to be a modern clinic treating addiction but also functioning as a community resource, […]
