STEVENSVILLE, Mont. - Prescription drug abuse in Montana kills more people than car accidents every year. We have talked with several families throughout our special Prescription for Addiction series, who have seen the fatal impact of prescription drug addiction. One person who has seen addiction from start to fatal finish is Heather Montes. On a cool day [...]

Posted: June 18, 2013, 3:29 pm

We’re thrilled to share the following video featuring Dr. John Sharp, a renowned psychiatrist, bestselling author and faculty member at both the Harvard Medical School and the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. In this video, shot by Clio award-winning director Lori Hoeft, Sharp discusses the genetics of addiction, the developing teen brain and [...]

Posted: June 14, 2013, 3:43 pm

Jails and prisons in America are overflowing with people who suffer from substance use disorders. In fact, more than three quarters of inmates have either been arrested for a drug- or alcohol-related crime, have been intoxicated at the time of their arrest, have a history of regular drug or alcohol use, or have previously received [...]

Posted: June 12, 2013, 1:10 pm

STEVENSVILLE – Today is Caitlin Stanich’s 28th birthday. Her sister, Heather Montes, will visit. On arrival, Montes will pause to take in the majesty of the Bitterroot Mountains, the tinkling of windchimes stirred by the soft spring breeze. Those chimes hang over her sister’s grave. Stanich died two months ago to the day, a victim [...]

Posted: June 11, 2013, 2:49 pm

A new survey of teens finds 23 percent admit they have driven under the influence of alcohol, prescription drugs or marijuana. Almost 20 percent of teens who drink and drive say alcohol improves their driving, while 34 percent say the same about marijuana. Teens are more likely to drink when they are less heavily supervised, [...]

Posted: June 10, 2013, 3:42 pm

The other day a friend said to me, “It seems as if all the people I knew in high school who used drugs were the ones who had trouble coping with their feelings.” As a person in recovery from alcohol and drug addiction, I agree with her observation. I had a great amount of anxiety [...]

Posted: June 6, 2013, 1:06 pm

For those who have severe chronic pain, the advantage of OxyContin over other prescription painkillers is that it lasts for 12 hours. For those who like to get high on opioids, the great thing about OxyContin is that if you crush it and snort it, or mix it with water and inject it, you get [...]

Posted: June 5, 2013, 1:02 pm

CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. –  A Long Island woman faked cancer and sought donations from supermarket shoppers and others to support her heroin addiction, an indictment unsealed Wednesday alleged, and a prosecutor called the plot “a despicable scam.” Brittany Ozarowski, 21, formerly of Selden, was charged in Suffolk County with 24 counts including grand larceny in [...]

Posted: May 31, 2013, 1:34 pm

The famous TV commercial that showed an egg frying and warned Americans “this is your brain on drugs” was meant to focus on illicit substances, but its message is equally applicable to many popular prescription medications. That’s because these medications, just like drugs of abuse, hijack the brain circuits designed to make us feel pleasure [...]

Posted: May 30, 2013, 1:21 pm

In a culture that’s still obsessed with dieting, the U.S. weight loss industry is worth around $60 billion and growing. In recent years, there’s been an important addition to that market: alcoholic beverage companies. Marketing increasingly plays to consumers’ insecurities by perpetuating the myth that we can — and should — drink without gaining weight. At the same [...]

Posted: May 29, 2013, 1:23 pm