Patient Info

OPIOID ADDICTION

​

Opioid overdose (heroin, fentanyl, oxycodone, morphine, hydromorphone, etc.) caused 46,800 deaths in the US in 2018. This is more deaths than motor vehicle crashes that year. Additionally, opioid addiction can cause major health, social and economic problems. For example, a lethal consequence of the opioid crisis is the increased incidence of blood borne infections such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV, and bacteria that cause heart valve infections (endocarditis).  Also, the estimated cost of the Opioid epidemic was 504 billion in 2015. Furthermore, family instability, the emotional burden that family members may experience (worry, anger, shame), along with relationship distress, are some of the social consequences of opioid addiction. Opioid addiction is a chronic treatable disease of the brain that has been shown to improve with office based medical treatment and therapy. This two pronged approach, support and encourage a process of change that lead to much higher rates of remission, and with continued care can lead to the lifelong practice of recovery. 

​

​

ALCOHOL

​

More than 95,000 people die from excessive alcohol use in the United States each year. Alcohol use and alcohol use disorder have been linked to over 200 diseases and health issues, a few of which include seizures, heart disease, liver disease, prostate cancer, stroke, and breast cancer.

​

​

TOBACCO ADDICTION

​

Cigarette smoking is responsible for more than 480,000 deaths in the United States each year, (41,000 of those deaths result from second hand smoke exposure). Smokers die 10 years earlier than non smokers. Currently, more than 16 million Americans are living with a disease caused by smoking. Yet to better their health, more than 2/3rds of adult smokers want to quit smoking, and more than 1/2 have attempted to quit in the past year. Tobacco addiction is amenable to medical treatment. Quit rates which improve with self help, have been shown to double with medication, and almost triple with medication combinations, as well as with medication combinations and counseling. Abstinent rates for alcohol use can be improved with medication. Counseling is also a key factor in sobriety maintenance.