New Leaf News

The ‘Rat Park’ experiment is well known within the world of researching addiction, and its findings revolutionised the way scientists viewed addiction to substances. Dr Bruce Alexander, the American psychologist behind the study, wanted to examine the relationship between the substance and the person, as well as the reasons behind addiction. The understanding of addiction…

Drama therapy is a creative and expressive form of therapy that utilises dramatic and theatrical techniques to help those on their recovery journey. It is a technique that has been designed to help people understand their own feelings on a deeper level, but to also understand others’ feelings and look at things from another’s perspective.…

Co-codamol, a pain reliever with paracetamol and codeine, is used to treat toothaches, migraines, and headaches. When taken properly, medications with codeine can be quite helpful, but if they are overused, there are hazards involved, and people can become caught in a Co-codamol addiction. One of the components of co-codamol, codeine, can cause physical and…

What Is Relapse? It can sometimes be difficult for someone with an addiction to understand or accept that they might be going through the process of a relapse. Addiction is like a chronic condition. Conditions flare up over time and relapse is exactly like this – the addiction may flare up again. For some people,…

Job hunting can be a daunting task for anyone at any time, but for those in recovery and post-rehab, this can be difficult and incredibly hard. In today’s society, stigmas that are attached to those post rehab can become increasingly influential in the working world, making it harder to find the right opportunity for you.…

Jamie Lee Curtis, the award-winning actress, fought a battle with addiction that was kept hidden. The 63-year-old has now openly spoken out about her addiction to alcohol and Vicodin, a form of paracetamol, which started in 1989 after minor plastic surgery. Her addiction spanned 10 years, but she always maintained that no one knew. After…

Having been in addiction recovery, it is important throughout your recovery journey to celebrate your milestones and achievements. Achieving these milestones is a way of making it clear to yourself and others that you have chosen a better life and that you are working hard to achieve and maintain that. It can be incredibly difficult…

YES! For those who suffer with chronic pain or who are in post-surgery pain, tramadol is a prescription drug given to help with pain relief. Sometimes referred to as the ‘Chill Pill’ or ‘Ultram’, this drug is often mistaken for less addictive forms of opioids such as Fentanyl or Oxycontin. What people often don’t realise…

Detox or the process of detoxification is when you begin to rid the body of substances like drugs or alcohol that the client has become addicted to. It is a key tool in addiction recovery! This is often the first step in the process of addiction recovery and is vital to helping an addict make…

In the UK, Xanax is most frequently referred to as Alprazolam or Benzodiazepines (Benzos). It is a prescription medication frequently given to people with anxiety or panic disorders. However, due to how quickly it provides comfort, it can become very addictive. As Xanax is swiftly absorbed into the bloodstream, it will provide you with fast-acting…