(We recently featured an article entitled "Spice: What Is It, And Can It Be Tested?" on our blog. One of our readers pointed out something we kind of overlooked - what is spice?? So we endeavored to answer that question below by providing what we hope will become the ultimate guide to Spice.) What is Spice? What is spice? Everybody is trying to figure this out as awareness of this new substance spreads into pop culture, high schools, and even gas stations near you. Spice is slang for synthetic...

If you're drinking in moderation, you may think to yourself that you are just having "a drink to relax." Or having a drink with dinner. Either way, it's doubtful you would reach over for any of the alcoholic energy drinks currently on the market, and as of this month banned at Ramapo College in New Jersey. The cause of the ban? 23 alcohol related hospitalizations (as of October 1) since school started. A high number and out of the ordinary for Ramapo, they found that a few of the students were...

The best source for vitamin D is sunshine. The vitamin D you get from sunlight stays in our body longer than vitamin D from food or supplements. Supplements can help you maintain healthy vitamin D levels year round, but getting some sunshine is a key component to obtaining healthy vitamin D levels. Taking a walk or sitting outside for your lunch break will help you raise your vitamin D levels since your body can manufacture the most vitamin D between noon and 2:00pm based on the sun's angle....

This is part of a new drug series, loosely framed around this time of the year (Halloween). In honor of Halloween, we're going to scare you - with some very real facts about drugs. First up - facts about cocaine. 1. Sharing straws used to snort cocaine can spread blood diseases like Hepatitis C. [caption id="attachment_716" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Cocaine - a scary substance all year round."][/caption] 2. Mixture of cocaine with heroin creates one of the deadliest forms of...

Comparing recommended vitamin D levels from several recent books about vitamin D to help determine the optimal vitamin D level.

What is Contingency Management? [caption id="attachment_671" align="alignright" width="200" caption="Official National Institutes of Health Poster"][/caption] Contingency Management (CM) is a program that is used in substance abuse treatment programs. It has its roots in behaviorism. The idea behind contingency management is that behavior is likely to continue if it is reinforced. In the context of substance abuse, contingency management provides either positive reinforcement based on a...