mental health

Shades of Sobriety: Life Shows That Recovery Needn’t Mean Abstinence

If your goal is sobriety defined as abstaining from everything psychoactive, good luck! Virtually everyone, like it or not, undergoes…

April 22, 2019

To Address Addiction, Confront Racism in Our Health and Justice Systems

It’s widely documented that decades of punitive criminal justice and drug policies have led to the US becoming the world’s…

April 8, 2019

Yes, You Can Be Addicted to Cannabis—But There Are Sensible Ways to Avoid This

The seemingly inexorable nationwide movement to legalize marijuana has recently stalled in New Jersey and New York, at least partly…

April 3, 2019

Drug Laws Undermine Ethics for Social Workers in Child Welfare

As a 20-year-old undergraduate student who had limited familiarity with substance use beyond alcohol, the most formative aspect of my…

March 21, 2019

Dietary Supplement? Or Drug? The Kratom Regulation Debate

Is kratom a plant (Mitragyna speciosa)—originating in Southeast Asia and long used in traditional medicines for the mild opioid-like and…

March 12, 2019

Johann Hari’s Journey of Discovery About Depression

Material living conditions are overall better in today’s world than during any time in history. Worldwide life expectancies are higher…

March 1, 2019

How My First LSD Trip Led Me to Accept My Sexuality

Someone had to tell me what to do with it: under your tongue, leave it there for a while, don’t…

February 19, 2019

“Russian Doll” Is a Case Study of Existential Recovery

Russian Doll, the acclaimed Netflix comedy-drama built around Natasha Lyonne, tackles loss, trauma, self-destruction and addiction. But most importantly, it…

February 13, 2019

Should I Drug Test My Kids? Why the Experts Say No

Does anyone still want to do drug tests on their children? Apparently so, because there are plenty of kits for…

February 5, 2019

Sex, Heroin and Survivor’s Trauma Are Interlinked for Many Women

The first time I had sex after ending my abusive relationship in 2008, I loved it because it felt like…

January 29, 2019