Holiday Support Series: How to Cope With Depression and Loneliness

The holiday season is traditionally difficult for many, but with the dramatic increase in COVID-19 cases, financial uncertainty, and fundamental changes to family and social traditions, many feel they are nearing a breaking point. The recovery community, in particular, requires additional support during this time. Recovery Ways is committed to being part of the solution.…

Dangerous Misuse of Anxiety Drug Phenibut on the Rise

A dangerous substance from the 1960s is making a comeback in the United States. Phenibut, a central nervous system depressant with anxiolytic effects, used to treat anxiety, insomnia, and other conditions was developed in the Soviet Union for medical use in the 1960s. It is still used in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and Latvia to treat…

Neuroplasticity and Conditioning in Addiction

“The human brain is the most complex organ in our body and is characterized by a unique ability called neuroplasticity,” writes Maria Mavrikaki, Ph.D., on the Harvard Health Blog. “Neuroplasticity refers to our brain’s ability to change and adapt in its structural and functional levels in response to experience. Neuroplasticity makes it possible for us…

Methamphetamine Addiction Remains Large Problem in Utah

For years, the national focus has been on the opioid epidemic—the escalating addiction and overdose death crisis driven by prescription painkillers, heroin, and illicit fentanyl.  Meanwhile,  methamphetamine  has made a dramatic comeback.   In December, the Salt Lake Tribune reported, “the number of methamphetamine-related fatal overdoses in Utah more than doubled in the past five years…