A staggering 1 in 10 Americans struggle with addiction of some kind, a heartbreaking statistic that I pray will decrease with time. It is heartbreaking to me to hear all of the stories of people who struggle with addiction. Addiction has touched my life just as it has many people. I have had many family members struggle with many different types of drugs. Opiates, alcohol, even food and gambling. I myself am a recovering alcoholic.... We all have one thing in common. The addiction takes over the addicts life completely.
The addiction is in control.... No matter how much they & their families are hurt by it, the addiction doesn't care... No matter how hard they fight, the addiction always wins.
Recovery is a lifestyle for us. Many things need to change. Sometimes we have to cut people that we love from our lives... Some of us have to move geographical locations in order to manage our triggers.
Addicts that I have been around and spoken to really struggle with 2 very key things. The fear of withdrawal, and despising the side effects of the traditional medications used to treat addiction. The fear of the symptoms of withdrawal is many times enough to keep an addict in the midst of their addiction. Quitting the medications that are used to treat addiction can come with it's own set of withdrawal symptoms. And the merry go round just keeps on going round.

Many people think "addict" and think of the homeless junkie who lives under a bridge, but I submit to you that addiction does not care who you are. I have counseled so many people who fell into trouble when the doctor wrote the prescription to them in the first place has to cut back on his prescribing and pulls them off of their medication completely. The biggest problem we are facing today is that our medical system has created a huge part of this problem. Today the crackdown on opiate addiction leaves pain patients in the weeds and some turn to the black market. It's an ugly and slippery slope that can ruin lives. Addiction doesn't care if you are young, old, rich, or poor. Addiction. Does. Not. Care. 

I had my own run in with the effects of withdrawal in April 2018. I quit taking prescription narcotics for back pain (you can read my story here ) & I braced myself for the symptoms of withdrawal that even accompany quitting even responsible use of any kind of narcotic. I was amazed that the symptoms were no where near what they should have been. I should have experienced at least some of the physical symptoms of withdrawal such as vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, etc. and I did not experience these at all. Don't get me wrong, I felt horrible thru it but it was absolutely not as bad as it should have been. I had been taking some combination of 4 narcotics for over 15 years, I should have absolutely suffered more than I did during the detox phase.  I'm completely convinced that it is because I began taking CBD the day after I quit the meds. I say all that to let those of you who are terrified of the withdrawal that there is absolutely hope. It's not easy and you are gonna have to put in the work, but it is absolutely possible to live a healthier more productive life free from the restraints of any addictive substance.
I recently read a study published in 2018 of the treatment potential of CBD for the prevention of relapse. Project CBD is a great resource for many studies and articles regarding the therapeutic uses of CBD. They have compiled a list of various studies regarding CBD for treating addiction. Those links can be found here.
For too many years there has been so much propaganda labeling cannabis as a "gateway drug", and people I'm here to submit to you that it is quite the opposite.... It is very much an exit to gain freedom from that which haunts you.

If you are struggling with addiction and need someone to talk to, please do not hesitate to reach out to me and I will be happy to listen.

Click here for a testimonial on patients using CBD to help wean off of opiates and reduce withdrawal symptoms.