Here you’ll find a collection of insightful blogs penned by Dr. Masters, reflecting his deep understanding and extensive experience in the field of addiction medicine.
In the 1993 film, "Groundhog Day," Bill Murray plays Phil, a local weatherman who is obnoxious, self-centered, and entitled. It's February 2nd, and he must cover the Groundhog Day celebration in Punxsutawney, PA. "Punxsutawney Phil," the groundhog, will predict how...
Overcoming Fentanyl addiction has become a formidable challenge in recent years. Once, Mexican Black Tar Heroin dominated the streets, making up 95% of heroin sold. The shift to Fentanyl, however, has had dire consequences. Its production cost—a mere $6,000 per kilo...
From 1963 to 1975 we lost 58,000 men in Vietnam. In 2016 alone, we lost 64,070 to drug overdose. The current epidemic of drug overdose is literally “A Vietnam Every Year in the United States.” The most common cause of accidental overdose is a combination of opioids...
The disease of alcoholism and addiction affects the family on several different levels. The addict or alcoholic is affected with a life limiting and potentially life-threatening illness which is guaranteed to rob him of his dignity, material possessions, and personal...
The purpose of this essay is to acquaint the reader with the “elephant in the living room”, i.e., the disease of addiction. Addiction, or its secondary manifestations, represents the most common cause of suffering and death in this country today. This idea, however,...
During the course of my career as a general internist, I have come to believe that 80% of illnesses are lifestyle induced and 20% are the result of bad genes, bad luck, or a bad infection. My job is to ask myself whether or not the patient sitting in front of me is an...
The purpose of this article is to acquaint the reader with some dangerous withdrawal and overdose syndromes that can occur in the setting of alcohol and substance abuse. The drugs that will be discussed in this article are central nervous system depressants, which in...
A recent article in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings highlighted the severity of opiate addiction due to prescription drug abuse. According to the article in the July 2009 edition: “nonmedical use of prescription opioids has increased exponentially since the early 1990s....
During the early part of recovery, from alcoholism or addiction, the patient may experience extreme cravings, which can lead to recurrent drug or alcohol abuse. A variety of medications exist which, when used appropriately in early recovery, can decrease the amount of...
“Any problem which can be solved with money is not really a problem.” – Anonymous No amount of money and no amount of “medicine” will heal an addiction. The fundamental healing that occurs in the setting of addiction comes about as the result of a spiritual awakening....
The four correlates of long term sobriety are: constitutionally capable of being honest with yourself; goes to 12 step meetings; does a thorough 5th step followed by a 9th step; and, if you have a concurrent psychiatric disorder you take non-addictive medication to...
Currently, there is an epidemic of opiate addiction in the USA that is primarily being fueled by the overly liberal use of narcotics in the treatment of non-malignant pain. Deaths due to opiate overdose doubled between 2001 and 2005 (see the accompanying post on this...