“I cherished the program. Cedar House to me is sacred ground because it’s where I first learned the 12 Steps and the Serenity Prayer.” Jerry struggled through years of challenges with addiction, crime, homelessness, relapses and custody battles. Once he came to Cedar House directly from prison for the first time in 2011, the initial foundation was laid for a lifetime in recovery. At the age of 15, Jerry began hanging around of group of guys who used him to buy their beer. He was a quiet kid who happened to look older than he was, so they invited him to party with them. They convinced him to drink beer and try smoking weed. Although it made him sick, he still recalled the “overwhelming feeling” of being high for the first time and starting to get hooked. He said, “It was a classic, textbook case. It had a snowball effect. Marijuana really is a gateway drug. After that, I got into cocaine, which led to the criminal system.” Every time Jerry got into trouble with the law, it was directly related to his drive to pay for more drugs and alcohol. He said, “To sum it up, I was a tore-up drug addict.” By the time he turned 40, he had been in and out of the prison system for most of his life. The court system allowed him to move into a program called His House where he got accustomed to rising at 5:30 a.m. and having his morning coffee over prayers and self-help books with fellow clients. He was technically still in custody but starting to desire a real change in his life. The Department of Corrections moved him to Cedar House for residential treatment. After 25 years, he was finally sober. He and four of his new friends kept up their early morning routine there. They learned more and more about recovery and started to understand how they could change their lives. The more he learned, the more he wanted to know more. He had so many questions! He would catch staff in the hallway and ask for their guidance to deepen his understanding of the recovery process. After five and a half months of sobriety, Jerry relapsed. His mom had a stroke and became hospitalized. His case manager took him to the hospital to see her and reviewed the 12 steps on the way there. A few days later, he went with his cousin and stayed overnight. Since he was still in court custody during that time, he wasn’t allowed to return to Cedar House. He stayed by her side for another week, but the stress led to drinking, and the snowball effect began again. Jerry moved from smoking crack to meth and even both at the same time on occasion, which caused dangerous behaviors and hallucinations. When he was arrested four years later in 2015, he asked to return to Cedar House. He said, “They had really impressed me. They got me sober. I knew the info they gave me was real. It was life changing.” During his experience with mental health court in sober living, he had some time to think. He was 49 years old and knew he would lose everything if he didn’t commit to his recovery. He visited his counselors at court and perked up when they said his first 90 days would be at Cedar House. In the Cedar House lobby as he awaited his turn for intake, Jerry noticed another client looking at him. This man ended up being his roommate. At night, Jerry would try to leave the door ajar to read the Big Book by that sliver of light, but his roommate would yell at him to shut the door so they could all sleep. Jerry said, “The Big Book became my bible. I went to groups, worked out, read the Big Book, and asked questions.” He didn’t want to fight with his roommate, so Jerry would bring his book into the bathroom to read at night. This routine of reading and focusing on the program laid a solid foundation for Jerry. That roommate became his sponsor, and they have stayed close every since. After 90 days, Jerry moved into sober living. He attended Sunday night meetings and panels until 2018. That’s when Jerry’s mother passed away. He had regained custody of his children, but after relapsing, they were taken back into the system. He said, “I was crumbling. By the grace of God, I realized I was going to lose everything. I realized if I keep drinking and using, my kids will stay in the system.” He said, “I had to take a deep breath and deal with the disappointment of relapse.” On Dec. 29, 2019, Jerry committed himself once again to his recovery. He reflected back on the staff at Cedar House and said, “I remember everything they said. I would call and talk to Mike (his case manager). Every time he told me something, it rang true or eventually it would come true.” Jerry is proud of everything he learned at Cedar House and the fact that he’s been able to mend his relationships with his family. With the help up Step Up, Jerry and his son are in stable housing. Now, he has four years of sobriety and earned his certified peer support license to help others on their path to recovery.

“Cedar House opened my eyes to see that it’s okay to need help; it’s okay to be bi-polar; and it’s okay to grow through things.” Sheri was brought into the world under the most difficult conditions. She was born in a hotel room to two addict parents. Her mother shot her up with heroin to quiet her as an infant which resulted in a lifetime of physical and mental disorders to overcome. But Sheri was strong. Even as a young child, she overcame the adversity. She was blessed to be adopted by loving parents at the age of five. They were LA County police officers and cared for her deeply the best way they knew how. Sheri always had a strong urge to use drugs and alcohol. She wanted to experiment and explore as a teenager. She said, “I was just wild!” At the age of 16, she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder but didn’t begin treatment until she was 22. She married her first husband when she was 18, and he was 35. During their first few years of marriage, she suffered through four miscarriages and her husband’s abuse. She said, “I just felt so alone. I wanted to try and get sober.” Sheri ended up getting arrested during this wild streak as she battled her addiction, fear, loneliness, and the shame she felt from years of sexual abuse. Fortunately, the STAR program was an ideal fit for Sheri. When she completed her time in jail, she went directly to Cedar House for three months through that program. She said, “The staff at Cedar House opened up my eyes. You guys helped me so much.” She recalled that she related to case manager Salena’s personal story and knew that she would learn from her. She said, “Someone was finally going to help me get my mental health right.” Cedar House opened Sheri’s eyes to the 12-step program, and she began to understand that it’s okay to ask for help. She said, “The atmosphere was warm, comfortable, and it felt safe to open up.” During her time in treatment, the Cedar House staff also counseled Sheri’s parents to understand how to support her through the challenges she was going through. She said, “They were just so angry, but they learned, ‘It’s okay. Let’s pick ourselves up. We can do this together.’” The last time Sheri used was 12/23/12. She worked the program, got a sponsor, got re-married and had a son. To this day, when using comes up, she reminds herself to play the tape all the way through. She said, “I tell myself that I don’t want to go to jail, and I don’t want to be like my birth mother.” Today, she continues to go to therapy once a week; she takes the right medication for her condition; and she thanks God every day for the program at Cedar House. She loves to give back and proudly donates clothes to Cedar House and Maple House on a regular basis. She said, “If I wasn’t sober, I wouldn’t be alive. I’m so grateful for my family, the STAR program, and Cedar House. I just want to give back.” The STAR Program helped Sheri find sober living after treatment. Once she got on her feet, she found employment with Amazon as a packer where she worked her way up to the human resources department. Cedar House laid the foundation for Sheri’s life in recovery. She said, “I don’t feel shameful anymore. I feel safe to open up. I was there to work the program and take care of myself. Now, I just try to stay a good human – to always be as kind as possible to anyone I meet. They might be going through it.”

During the month of May, join Cedar House in participating in Mental Health Awareness Month as we strive to raise awareness about mental health topics to decrease stigma and equip people with helpful, lifesaving information and resources. Here are 5 ways to get involved with Mental Health Awareness Month: 1. Educate Yourself on Mental Health Topics Mental health refers to our emotional, psychological and social well-being. It is the way we think, feel and act. Our mental health also determines how well we are able to handle stress, relate to others, and make decisions. The goal of mental health awareness is to allow the people who are suffering to know that they are not alone and that help is nearby. To start, it can be helpful to take the time to learn about mental health topics including different conditions and their warning signs, ways you can incorporate self-care into your routine, or how to help a loved one who is experiencing a mental illness. The National Institute on Mental Health, The National Alliance on Mental Illness and the American Psychological Association are all reputable sources and great places to start. 2. Take an Online Mental Health Screening The Mental Health America website offers free online screening questionnaires that you can take if you suspect you may be experiencing a mental health condition such as depression, substance use disorder, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), bipolar disorder, ADHD, or an eating disorder. If the results suggest you might be living with one of these conditions, we recommended that you connect with a licensed mental health professional next for evaluation and treatment. Cedar House specializes in recovery from addition and co-occurring disorders, and our admissions specialists are just a phone call away. 3. Create A Self-Care Routine Just as habits like eating well and getting enough sleep can help us preserve our physical health, there are certain habits that can help us preserve our mental health, too. Self-care related to mental health looks different for everyone, so you may need to spend some time figuring out what works for you personally. For instance, you might find that taking regular breaks from social media helps you feel less anxious, that practicing gratitude makes you feel more optimistic, or that regularly journaling about your feelings helps you feel more balanced. Research suggests that maintaining good physical habits, such as exercising regularly, can promote mental health. In addition, meditation can help reduce stress, anxiety, and depression and may also be beneficial for those facing challenges related to addiction. Mental Health Awareness Month could be an opportunity for you to look up free videos or try an app to help you learn how to meditate to see if it offers mental health benefits for you. Once you find the activities that seem to bring you positive benefits, try to incorporate them into your regular routine. 4. Check In On Those Around You One way to raise awareness about mental health illnesses is to talk about them openly. Share your knowledge and information with the people around you in order to keep the conversation going and create a safe space for others to talk about their struggles. People who suffer from mental health issues tend to keep these struggles to themselves. Sending a message to let your loved one know you're ready to listen can go a long way. When someone does consider in you, remember the importance of paying close attention to show respect and concern, since they've shown their trust in you. This May, commit to being more intentional about checking in on your loved ones to see how they’re doing. If they seem to be coping with some mental health challenges, you can offer support by telling your own story, offering resources, or simply providing a listening ear. 5. Support A Mental Health Organization There are countless organizations out there that aim to support the mental health of the public in various ways. This Mental Health Awareness Month, consider getting involved with one of these in some way. Cedar House is always looking for new supporters. You can help us grow and serve more individuals in need by visiting our website to learn more and make a donation, or by simply following us on social media. Leverage your own social media to educate and raise awareness for mental health by sharing some of the information and inspiration you’ll find on our pages. You never know when your message might reach someone in their time of need.

“Cedar House has a special place in my heart,” Mike fondly recalled his experience in the Cedar House residential program more than ten years ago when he learned to be reliable in recovery. He said, “They gave me the ability to show up, be responsible and be consistent.” Although he had a stable upbringing, Mike remembered summers spent at his uncle’s house witnessing the drinking, smoking and gambling lifestyle that seemed so appealing to him at the time. When his dad decided to quit drinking, Mike took up the habit around the age of twelve. Gift baskets with alcohol that his father had received over time had collected in the cabinet, and Mike took the opportunity to start bringing the bottles with him when he left for school in the morning. He would buy a coke to mix with whiskey or sprite to mix with vodka, and managed to get away with this behavior for some time. Next, he began smoking weed with friends. He said, “If you had it and you were offering it, I was trying it. I started buying more often and in greater quantities.” When he tried crack cocaine, he was hooked. He said, “Once that got thrown into the mix, that’s when the story really shifted.” He was able to keep a job for a few years despite his addiction. He became a father and decided that he needed to “tone it down, taper it down, get it under control and be a father.” But it wasn’t that simple. He said, “I just didn’t know what I was up against.” Finally, he got to a point that he stopped showing up for work and lost his job. Thankfully, Mike had started looking for a solution. He went to a few meetings and even tried entering a treatment center for thirty days. But once he completed treatment, he didn’t make much of an effort to maintain his recovery. Instead, he ended up “back at the dope house five months later.” In May 2013, he entered treatment at Cedar House. He said, “My life was at zero. I was broken, lost, confused.” During his ninety days at Cedar House, Mike was re-introduced to the 12 Steps and met a group of people that became lifelong friends. They attended church together and found a solid connection during their treatment process that propelled them to change their lives. He attended panels and listened to speakers who stressed the importance of building a support network. The people he met kept him accountable to attend meetings and work on his personal recovery. He said, “I was able to see the results of people not taking it seriously and how they would fade off. I know a couple of people who are no longer with us because of addiction.” One experience that truly resonated with Mike was when he snuck a phone into the facility, knowing that this was against Cedar House rules. He let his roommate use the phone one night and immediately regretted it when the roommate began packing his bags as he hung up the phone. The family member he called had convinced him to leave on that phone call, which meant Mike’s rule breaking contributed to his roommate walking away from the treatment he needed. He said, “I understood clearly then that my problem wasn’t only drinking and drugs. My problem was behavior and not accepting simple directions.” His case manager had him write an essay about the experience, and Mike began to learn a crucial life lesson in following directions. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas that year, Mike relapsed on meth, which had never before been his drug of choice. He realized that while he had been blaming cocaine, the city, and everything else in his life, the reality was that he needed to change himself. A friend from Cedar House told him that they couldn’t hang out anymore if he didn’t sober up. He said, “My whole circle of friends from Cedar House was sober, and they were being productive.” At Christmas, when he visited his children with no gifts to offer them, he made a decision to commit to his recovery. On New Years Day, he went to a meeting at noon and hasn’t stopped going to meetings since then. “At Cedar House, a lot of seeds were planted for me,” Mike said. Participating in groups and the experiences he had during treatment all contributed to his ten years of recovery, but he attributes his success to the group of people he met there. Now, Mike is a supervisor for a distribution company in the City of Industry. In a recent review, his boss told him that he’s “the most reliable person” he knew. Mike said, “That’s because of the principles Cedar House introduced me to.” Mike also shows up reliably for the people who count on him. He reunited with his sons and built a solid relationship with them and their mother. He also has a good relationship with his parents and sisters. He said, “They were skeptical at first because they didn’t know the extent of what was going on with me. But now we’ve found peace.” Through his involvement with Cocaine Anonymous, Mike has been part of convention committees, served as a sponsor, participated in groups, and even ran a regular panel at Cedar House on Friday nights. Reflecting on his experience in treatment, he said, “The panels that came in and shared their experience, strength and hope gave me glimpses of hope and something to strive for. Then I build networks off of that. To be on the opposite end of that panel – that’s a privilege.”

The harsh reality of Zehara’s upbringing came to light when she came to Maple House. She said that her “inner child was crying out for help.” She recalled that, at the age of 11, a classmate noticed bruises from the abuse she was receiving at home. A teacher got involved, and, before she knew it, Zehara and her siblings were taken away from their home. Throughout middle school and high school, she fought with other students and got into trouble frequently. By the age of sixteen, she was pregnant with her first child. She had another child when she turned 21 and moved into a home for single mothers. The second baby’s father asked her to move in with him in Barstow, and so she did. His mother, a drug addict, also lived with them. Even when Zehara and her boyfriend broke up, she still spent time with his mother. One day, Zehara said she was “bored and curious,” and this woman introduced her to meth. " She handed me my first pipe. From that moment, I was hooked." She started smoking meth every day. Soon after, she got involved with a man who was nearly 50 years old. He was an addict and a dealer. Her addiction escalated, and she went from smoking to needles. She would leave her kids with his mom and spend all her time on the streets with him selling and using drugs. After she gave birth to her third child, she was able to stay clean for a couple of months. One day, the newborn had a seizure, and they rushed him to the hospital. The doctors found meth in the child’s system, and he was taken into CPS custody. Zehara suspects that his grandmother must have smoked near the baby because she was staying sober at the time. Next, CPS took her other two children, and Zehara started using again. When they took my kids, I went downhill. She confessed that she used drugs continuously during this time. Even when she had to pass a drug test to continue visitation with her children, she used someone else’s urine to get by. Eventually, she stopped going to get tested altogether. She said, “That’s when the once-a-week visitation turned into once-a-month because I kept messing up.” When she got pregnant again, she said, “Time was ticking. They were going to adopt my kids out. I was still using drugs, but I’ll be damned if they’ll take my baby.” With that newfound determination, Zehara came to Maple House, but she feared that she had waited too long to get her kids back. "I had it in my head that they were going to take my baby. So what’s the point of getting help. What am I doing this for?" The more discouraged she got, the more her case managers would push her to stay focused on her goals. They reminded her that she needed to get sober for herself. She said, “I lost hope, but Maple House kept encouraging me. I learned so much about myself. My inner child was crying out for help, and my inner self got help. I got a lot of things answered about myself. Maple House really pushed me. I didn’t give up.” After completing 118 days of treatment, Zehara moved into a transitional home for six months. Now, Zehara lives with two of her children in her own apartment in Redlands, and she has reconnected with her family who have been a strong support system for her in recovery. She will receive her high school diploma in two weeks from Redlands Adult School and hopes to one day work at Cedar House. Zehara reflected on her experience: “I was young, dumb, naïve. I dated a drug dealer for 6 years. I didn’t pay attention to my kids. Maple House gave me a whole different view of life and taught me to keep moving forward.” "If it wasn’t for Maple House, I wouldn’t be here. I wouldn’t think I was worthy. Maple House changed my life."

Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) is the use of medications, in combination with counseling and behavioral therapies, to provide treatment for substance use disorders (SUD). First and foremost, it’s important to note that Cedar House treats each client as an individual. At the start of treatment, clients sit down with their case managers and determine a treatment plan that works best for them. In some cases, MAT is used to prevent or reduce overdose. In others, a combination of medication and therapy can successfully treat the SUD. In most cases, MAT works to help sustain recovery. How does it work? MAT is primarily used for the treatment of addiction to opioids such as heroin and prescription pain relievers that contain opiates. The prescribed medication: - normalizes brain chemistry - relieves physiological cravings - blocks the euphoric effects of alcohol and opioids - normalizes body functions without the negative and euphoric effects of the substance used. MAT is clinically effective because it provides a comprehensive, individualized combination of medication and behavioral therapy that addresses clients’ needs. Ultimately, the goal of MAT is full recovery with the ability to live a meaningful life free from addiction. Research shows that this approach: - reduces overdoses - increases retention in treatment - decreases illicit opiate use and other criminal activity among people with substance use disorders - improves birth outcomes among women who have substance use disorders while pregnant - increases a client’s ability to maintain employment after treatment What medications are used? The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved several different medications to treat alcohol and opioid use disorders. These medications do not just substitute one drug for another. Rather, they relieve withdrawal symptoms and psychological cravings that cause chemical imbalances in the body. Cedar House’s MAT program offers evidence-based treatment options that are clinically driven and tailored to meet each client’s needs. We also provide assistance in connecting clients with Narcotic Treatment Programs (NTP’s) or Opioid Treatment Programs (OTP’s) in the area they will be transitioning to in order to ensure a smooth transition and prevent any lapses in care. For Alcohol Use Disorder, acamprosate, disulfiram, and naltrexone are the most common medications used. While these do not provide a cure for the disorder when used alone, they can be effective when used with behavioral therapies. Buprenorphine, methadone and naltrexone are used to treat addiction to short-acting opioids such as heroin, morphine, and codeine, as well as semi-synthetic opioids like oxycodone and hydrocodone. These MAT medications can be safe for clients to use for months, years, or even a lifetime if necessary. In addition, naloxone is used to prevent opioid overdose by reversing the toxic effects of the overdose. Interested in learning more about MAT at Cedar House? Give us a call at 909-421-7120. A reminder about child safety It’s important to remember that if medications are allowed to be kept at home, they must be locked in a safe place away from children.

“It’s a lot of work and a lot of stress to get things back that we lost, but these are quality problems to have.” Nowadays that is the message Jim shares with clients at the recovery center where he works. He enjoys interacting with the clients and sharing his experience because of his great appreciation for how far he has come in his own recovery journey. Jim’s struggles with addiction started about ten years ago. After long days at a stressful job in the medical field doing lab work frequently from a coroner’s office, he would drink to unwind and erase the disturbing images he had seen throughout the day. “It progressed to a more constant thing. It really took hold after a while. I needed it every day.” As his alcoholism worsened, his relationships became strained. He attempted treatment for the first time in 2011 but only maintained his sobriety for about nine months. The next year, his wife left him. After that, Jim managed to “keep it together for the most part” as a single dad, but drinking continued to be a part of his life. Another pinnacle came in 2017 when Jim got a DUI. He went back to treatment for thirty days but immediately returned to his old habits. His wife came back and took their kids with her. This sent Jim back into treatment hopeful that a different facility would make a difference for him. It did not. After 90 days of treatment, he got out in September and started drinking again a month later. The following year when his kids came for a visit, he drank the whole time. He had gotten to the point of drinking a gallon of whiskey a day. When he showed up in his parents’ driveway one afternoon, he was inebriated and said things that led them to call the sheriff’s office and have him admitted in Arrowhead Regional Psychiatric Ward. After eight days there, his social worker through the Department of Behavioral Health had him admitted in the Men’s Residential Program at Cedar House. November 2, 2018, was Jim’s first day at Cedar House. He stayed for 111 days and has maintained sobriety ever since. After his other failed attempts at treatment, why was Cedar House different? He says it was the caring staff and family atmosphere he found there. His case manager Michael connected with him and even nominated him to be “Res. Pres.” “I’ve always been a people person but was never really given the opportunity. I started to really care about the other guys.” He followed his case manager’s example. He respected his approach to treatment and could see that being of service in recovery was a key to sustaining it. “I really took to heart all the tools I was learning.” He sought out a sober living facility after graduating from Cedar House on February 2, 2019. He became House Manager a few months later then began working as a landscaper for a children’s foundation. When he got a phone call from a childhood friend offering him a job at a treatment center in Corona, he knew it was the right move. Now, Jim is happily employed as an Admissions Coordinator where he can give back to the recovery community. He has been reunited with his daughter after several years apart. With 22 months clean, Jim still has daily stress and struggles, but now he perceives these challenges that life hands him as “quality problems” to have as he holds tight to his loved ones with gratitude and dedication to recovery.

“When I look back at 2020, it wasn’t a bad year. It was life changing for me.” With no real support structure or authority figure in her life, Erica dropped out of school in 8th grade. A few years later, when her mother was $49 short on rent, they were evicted from their apartment and became homeless. At the age of 18, Erica moved from place to place with her mother seeking shelter anywhere they could find it. “The environment was bad. I tried to adapt to it, trying to fit in.” That’s when her addiction to meth began. She said, “That drug destroyed my life.” Erica tried numerous times to get clean. She entered different rehab programs but always returned to the same people and the same bad habits. When she gave birth to her first baby, and the baby tested positive for meth, she managed to stay clean for a few weeks. But it didn’t last. After having another baby born positive for meth, she knew she had to make a change. She knew that one more dirty drug test would mean she would lose her girls permanently. After 25 days of staying clean in outpatient, she was able to enter the Cedar House residential program on February 28. “I went in knowing I had to survive 90 days. I did it with my head held high.” Erica maintained a positive attitude during treatment. She knew this time needed to be different. She learned that “30 days can change a habit, but 90 days can change your life.” Six months later, Erica was reunited with her baby girls. Now, she lives in transitional housing and owns her own car. “I’m a whole person now. Cedar House taught me to move forward and accept the consequences.” Erica has been clean for a year now. Yes, that means she got clean during the pandemic. What a remarkable challenge! It’s one that Cedar House has helped hundreds of people take on and conquer over the past 12 months. “I think it’s a blessing that Cedar House never closed because there are a million people out there in need.”

Everyone is aware of how prolific dangerous drugs are on the streets of California. But do you really know what’s out there and what makes them so dangerous? Understanding addictive drugs that are being distributed in our community is essential. The more we know about these drugs, the more we can work to prevent addiction and overdoses among our friends and family. Methamphetamine is an illegal and highly addictive stimulant. The short-term effects of Meth include alertness and euphoria which can cause users to become immediately addicted. Long-term use of Meth can lead to problems such as violent behavior, psychosis, severe dental problems, and paranoia. In 2020, 2.5 million Americans aged 12 or older reported having used methamphetamine in the past year, according to the CDC. Cocaine is an illegal and highly addictive stimulant made from the leaves of the South American coca plant. It commonly comes in a powder form that is snorted or injected. It can also be smoked or administered to the skin. Street names for Cocaine include blow, bump, coke, and snow. Crack is the more pure and potent form of Cocaine, which typically comes in solid blocks or crystals. It is typically smoked or injected, allowing it to reach the brain more quickly and result in an intense high. In 2020, more than 19,000 people in the United States died from an overdose involving cocaine. Heroin is an illegal, highly addictive substance that is synthetically derived from the Opium poppy plant. It comes in the form of white or brownish powder, or as a black and sticky substance known as “black tar.” Heroin is most commonly injected though it can also be snorted, smoked, or consumed orally. In 2020, more than 13,000 people died in the United States from an overdose involving heroin. Prescription opioids, which are sometimes prescribed to treat moderate-to-severe pain following surgery or injury, are also highly addictive and often lead to Heroin use. From 1999 to 2020, more than 263,000 people died in the United States from overdoses involving prescription opioids. Fentanyl is a highly potent synthetic man-made opioid. Illicitly manufactured fentanyl (IMF) is non-pharmaceutical fentanyl made illegally and sometimes mixed into other drugs like cocaine, methamphetamine or heroin. In 2020, more than 56,000 people died from overdoses involving synthetic opioids, including IMF. Ecstasy is an illicit drug often used by high-schoolers and young adults. It is considered a party or rave drug and is dangerous because it can lower inhibitions. Its psychoactive effects include enhanced sensory perception. Ecstasy is most commonly taken orally in pill form or dissolved in water but can also be snorted or injected. Hallucinogens, like LSD, PCP, Mushrooms, and Salvia, are all examples of psychoactive or mind-altering drugs. While an addiction to this type of drug is less common than other drugs, use and abuse of these substances can cause dangerous consequences and severe negative side effects. Inhalants include household items such as spray paints, markers and cleaning supplies which are inhaled through the mouth or nose in order to achieve a high. Inhaling certain types of these substances can lead to heart failure, resulting in death. Marijuana is one of the most commonly abused addictive substances. The main psychoactive ingredient, THC, causes temporary euphoria followed by drowsiness, slowed reaction time, and increased appetite. Synthetic Marijuana refers to the growing number of manufactured substances that contain a chemical similar to THC. Its effects can be unpredictable and intense. While the decision to use one of these drugs for the first time is usually voluntary, an unexpected addiction can make the decision to quit much harder. Addiction changes the way a person’s brain operates and, consequently, the way that person behaves. The good news is that Cedar House is here to help. As long as these deadly drugs are on the streets, people in our community will be susceptible to them. The dedicated staff at Cedar House is committed to empowering those who are suffering with substance use and co-occurring disorders through the challenges of addiction. Support our mission today. Together, we can make a change. We can combat the drug culture and bring about a safer, healthier community.