Addiction

If you’re like me, you probably buy stuff you don’t really need. But you might also have that one thing you can seemingly never resist adding to your cart – that designer purse, limited sneaker release, or hard-to-find collectible. For me it’s records. Why do I feel compelled to stack more vinyl? And does everyone else experience this? “You...

LX News Storyteller Eric Rodriguez can’t stop buying vinyl records. But why? To find out what was behind this compulsion, he spoke to Dr. Stephanie Hartselle, a professor of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown University. She explains why someone might feel drawn to purchase something they don’t need, especially in these stressful times. She also provides some tips to...

Many young women drink mainly at social gatherings or with friends, but a significant number drink alone. Some who drink alone turn to alcohol to deal with negative emotions, and that could signal a risk for alcohol problems when they reach their mid-30s, explains Kasey Creswell, a Carnegie Mellon University psychology professor who studied the behavior.

“I was on top of the world and I ruined it,” the 32-year-old star said in a new interview.

State attorneys in Florida say pharmacy chain Walgreens ignored red flags that signaled the pharmacies were contributing to the opioid crisis. Walgreens stores in the Tampa area had abnormally high numbers of opioid prescriptions and pills distributed, prosecutors say. Walgreens attorneys say the company was misled by pharmaceutical companies like Purdue Pharma about the potency of the drugs.

Demi Lovato has decided to stop being California sober, but the confusion over what the term means lives on. On Thursday, the singer announced on their Instagram story, “I no longer support my ‘California sober’ ways. Sober sober is the only way to be,” per People magazine. When Lovato previously revealed in March that they identified as California sober, fans…

Dr. Lynn Fiellin of Yale Medical School and LX News host Tabitha Lipkin talk about reducing the stigma of addiction using a video game. Fiellin helped develop PlaySmart, a point-and-click game catered to older teens that simulates life choices around opioid use.

Many hip hop songs normalize opioids and other drugs, a fact that is left out of public health approaches to the opioid epidemic, says Kaiser Health News reporter Chaseedaw Giles. At the same time, many people are unaware of side effects like withdrawal – which could be solved with public health messaging that looks to the culture and incorporates it.

Wes Hurt was in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction when he came up with his latest business idea — a beverage company that would help people who were also recovering from addiction. Clean Cause, based in Austin, Texas, now donates half its profits to supporting people in recovery. It also employs them.

While the pandemic closed many casinos last year, the rise of legal online betting gave gamblers easy outlets to pursue this addictive activity during lockdowns. And the stress and anxiety of the pandemic drove many problem gamblers even deeper into addiction. NBCLX storyteller Ngozi Ekeledo explores why the “hidden addiction” has become an even bigger problem during the isolation of...

A West Dundee mother who lost her son to overdose is now dedicating her time to helping others struggling with addiction and isolation amid the pandemic. NBC 5’s Regina Waldroup reports

A role that earned Ben Affleck some of the biggest praise of his career turned out to be a “cathartic” experience despite hitting close to home given his own struggles with alcoholism.

Nick McGlashan, who appeared on 78 episodes of Discovery’s “Deadliest Catch,” has died at the age of 33, E! News can confirm.

Scott Strode is the founder and executive director of The Phoenix, which is a recovery organization that uses fitness to help those suffering from drug and alcohol addiction to find strength and community. He joins LX News to explain how the coronavirus pandemic is making his programs more important than ever.

Drug and alcohol-related overdoses have been on the rise since the onset of the pandemic. Addiction specialist Dr. Kevin Gilliland joins LX News to explain why talking about addiction is so important to help understand the root of the problem.

Reports from the CDC showed 13 percent of Americans have started or increased substance use to cope with the stress regarding the COVID-19 crisis. We had the chance to discuss these findings with CEO of Global Recovery Initiatives Jan. M. Brown, who highlights the importance of the path to recovery- more so during a pandemic, and gives tips how to...

The coronavirus pandemic has hit especially hard for those in substance recovery programs across Illinois. The state’s stay-at-home order has limited the amount of available resources and forced rehab facilities to limit who they can accept. Some, like Banyan Treatment Center Chicago Director of Operations Brad Gerke, also fear the risk of overdosing has increased during the pandemic. “Relapse...

Every time she got out of jail, Jamie Cline started hustling again for heroin, driven by an addiction she didn’t understand. “You want to get clean so bad. You know something’s killing you and you can’t stop,” said the 33-year-old who used heroin for 10 years.

Ben Affleck says battling addiction is “a lifelong and difficult struggle.” The actor posted on Instagram Thursday that he has completed a 40-day stay at a treatment center for alcohol addiction and remains in outpatient care.

Nearly two weeks after suffering a drug overdose, Demi Lovato is reaching out with a message to her many supporters.