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Clinically Reviewed by Daniel JimmersonLPCC, CADC. What can you even trust anymore? AI seems to be able to create reality out of nothing. All of our media and social media feel like they are so jaded or one-sided that the truth is missed for more clicks. But when it comes to analog—physical things—we expect more. Especially when it comes to something in the medical field, such as pills. However, pressed pills are putting even medication trustworthiness at risk. So, what are pressed pills? They are imposters—and often, they are dangerous ones, at that.   What are Pressed Pills? Simply put, pressed pills are counterfeit versions of real medications—pretending to be Xanax, Oxycodone, or Adderall. They look just like their pharmaceutical counterparts, down to the embossed numbers and color schemes, but that is where it ends. Pressed pills are often cut with illicit substances: fentanyl, methamphetamine, or a cocktail of whatever was the cheapest option that week. How Are Pressed Pills Made? Most drug dealers don’t have a degree in chemistry, But they do have an Amazon account. Well, maybe not Amazon, but you don’t need any kind of certification to get a pill presser online. The process is pretty simple: crush up whatever is lying around, mix it with fentanyl, press it into pill form, and out comes an imitation medication you might get prescribed by your doctor. No FDA oversight. No quality control. Just a game of Russian roulette as you put a substance in your body that could have a lethal combination of chemicals. Why Do They Make Pressed Pills As you might guess, the reasons are not typically for the good of mankind. But it’s not like it is a practical joke someone wants to play on you. The reason is ultimately going to be financial. 1. Cost Efficiency & Profit Maximization Fentanyl is much cheaper to produce than legitimate opioids like oxycodone or hydrocodone. If you are selling prescription medications on the street, fentanyl will pretty much be your go-to for any desired opioid option. 2. Addiction & Repeat Business Of course, fentanyl is wildly powerful and, as a result, wildly addictive. By lacing pressed pills with it, dealers ensure that users develop a dependency much faster than they would with traditional prescription opioids. A person who thinks they’re taking a regular Xanax or Percocet may unknowingly take fentanyl, experience a much stronger effect, and then want more. Once a person is addicted, the repeat business is booming. 3. Market Deception Because pressed pills look pretty good (with all the details), a lot of users believe they are buying actual prescription drugs. This means top dollar for fake medications. 4. Increasing Potency to Stand Out In competitive black markets, dealers want their products to be “the strongest.” If one batch of fake Percocet is slightly more euphoric than another, word spreads. Some dealers intentionally lace pills with more fentanyl or other high-potency drugs to create a reputation for having the most powerful pills. The problem? The line between “strong” and “deadly” is razor-thin. 5. Cross-Contamination Accidents happen. It’s not like a person using a pill press to make illicit drugs is going to be the most fastidious cleaner. This means cross-contamination is a serious issue. The same pill press might be used for fentanyl-laced pills and non-opioid pills like fake Adderall. Because fentanyl is so potent, even a microscopic amount left behind can cause an overdose of a supposedly “safe” pill. Pressed Pills and the Fentanyl Risk The idea of fentanyl-laced pills is terrifying. Why? Because of the potency and power. It binds to opioid receptors so efficiently that even minuscule amounts can shut down breathing.  And the fact that it is unregulated makes matters that much worse. One pill might contain barely any fentanyl at all, while the next one has enough to kill five people. And it’s not just opioids that are affected. Fake Adderall has been found to contain fentanyl. Fake Xanax. Even things that should, in theory, “be safe.” The only way to truly avoid it is to steer clear of all pressed pills. Fentanyl doesn’t come with big neon signs letting you know it is there. It doesn’t have a smell or a taste. And once it’s in your system, the effects will come quickly. How to Tell If a Pill is Pressed It is true that the details can be pretty impressive when it comes to imposter pills.  But if you know what you’re looking for, the cracks start to show: The Power of Finding Recovery Here’s what’s true: addiction is not a moral failing. It’s a neurological disease of the brain. It is a hijack of the brain’s reward system that makes bad decisions feel like good ones. Even when those decisions are destroying your life and everything you love. Pressed pills exploit that vulnerability and even prey on it. If you become addicted to pressed pills, the person who sold them to you has you right where it makes the most sense to them. If you have already become addicted to pressed pills, you have options. Options that reconnect you with what you’ve lost—not just health, but meaning, connection, and the ability to feel something other than dread. Recovery isn’t easy, but it’s worth it. And it starts with one decision: to stop gambling on survival and start fighting for something better. If You’re Ready, Help Is Here. If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, there’s help. Peninsula Health Center’s outpatient addiction treatment offered in the South Bay area of Southern California is real, evidence-based help. The kind that doesn’t rely on luck or guesswork. The kind that understands why addiction happens and how to treat it. Reach out. Today. Because there’s still time. And you deserve better than a coin flip. For a free consultation with one of our addiction specialists, call today: 866-934-8228. Clinically Reviewed by Daniel JimmersonLPCC, CADC. Daniel is a licensed psychotherapist in Arizona and California, with a graduate degree …

There are some things you can go without for a bit. Even though you may have said it before, you don’t need your vanilla latte to function in the morning or your ChapStick to get you through the day. You may think those things are necessary, but you will still make it. Of course, there are other elements we do need, things like oxygen, nutrition, and hydration are the obvious ones. But when it comes to vitamin B1, well, this one is actually pretty high on the list of necessary. This is important to understand when asking, “What is wet brain?” because, essentially, it is a lack of thiamine (vitamin B1). But there’s more to it. What Is Wet Brain and the Missing Patterns The brain is a pattern-recognition machine. It learns, adapts, and builds narratives from experience. But what happens when the mechanism that organizes thought and memory begins to erode? A condition commonly known as wet brain happens. Also known as Wernicke’s encephalopathy, wet brain is a neurological disorder that affects the fundamental ability of the brain to process and hold information. Basically, the brain doesn’t have the energy it needs to work right. It goes back to the original issue: lack of B1. But the cause is pretty specific: Chronic alcohol use. And if it is left untreated, wet brain progresses into Korsakoff syndrome. This is a condition in which memory is no longer reliable, and you begin to invent information to fill in the gaps. It is, in many ways, the disintegration of cognition itself. What Causes Wet Brain? Alcohol interferes with the absorption of thiamine in the gut, disrupts its storage in the liver, and increases its demand within the nervous system. Thiamine is essential for the process that fuels neural activity—how your brain gets its energy. No energy for the brain means it will stop functioning. The areas of the brain most affected are deeply involved in memory formation, motor coordination, and emotion regulation. In a sense, wet brain is an infrastructural collapse, the slow breakdown of the cognitive system that holds perception and memory together. There are other ways you can develop this condition, like extreme dieting or malnutrition, but alcohol has the double hit of both depleting B1 while also increasing your brain’s demand for it. How to Know If Someone Has Wet Brain It starts innocently enough. It may seem like forgetfulness or a bit more clumsy than usual. But with time, these symptoms will get worse. Here are a few to look out for: Since we are talking about damage to the brain, the issue is that a person suffering from wet brain will likely not even realize it. They can’t even recognize that anything is wrong. Is Wet Brain Actually Brain Damage? You may have had experiences where your brain feels a little fuzzy or foggy. Maybe a poor night’s sleep or even dehydration. These kinds of brain impairments go away with time or care. But that is not the case with wet brain. It is actual brain damage. If that doesn’t scare you a little, think about this: if it progresses into Korsakoff syndrome, it becomes largely irreversible. Even more, it sometimes gets misdiagnosed as dementia or Alzheimer’s. Basically, heavy drinking can make you lose your mind.  That said, it is largely preventable if caught early. The challenge is recognizing it before permanent damage sets in. How Much Alcohol Causes Wet Brain? Not everyone who drinks heavily will develop wet brain, but chronic alcohol consumption makes it a lot more likely. The key factors include: It’s not really about how many pints of beer or vodka you have. It’s more about how alcohol replaces your nutrition. If you have symptoms, its likely your brain has been dealing with this for years. Can Wet Brain Be Reversed? This is where the science offers a bit of hope. If caught early, wet brain can be treated. High-dose thiamine supplements help, as does improved nutrition. But probably the most important and difficult for some to hear, quitting alcohol is crucial here. If the condition has progressed into Korsakoff syndrome, the damage is often permanent. The neurons responsible for memory and cognition have atrophied beyond repair. Getting Help Is the Best Option This is where addiction treatment plays a critical role. If wet brain is in the picture, it is very likely dependency and alcohol use disorder are at play. This means even if you really want to stop the brain damage, your body is working against you. You may know what to do, and you even know the ways alcohol is stealing your brain and your life, but even that isn’t enough. You have a core disease: alcohol addiction. And you need help with that, first and foremost. Treatment provides structured nutrition plans, psychological support, and medical monitoring to halt the further decline and give the brain its best chance at recovery. Prevent Wet Brain Damage today with Peninsula Health Center The takeaway? Time is the most crucial variable. The brain wants to heal, but only if given the chance. If you or someone you know is showing signs of wet brain, the window for intervention is narrow. Don’t wait. Get evaluated. Start treatment. Because every day counts, and once certain doors close, they rarely reopen. If you want to know more about wet brain or treating alcohol dependence, call our specialists today: 866-934-8228. Clinically Reviewed by Daniel JimmersonLPCC, CADC. Daniel is a licensed psychotherapist in Arizona and California, with a graduate degree in Clinical Mental Health from the University of the Cumberlands. Daniel brings over a decade of first-hand experience in the treatment of mood disorders, substance addictions and trauma therapy, and is a trained and experienced clinician in Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy (IPSRT). While serving as the clinical director for Peninsula Health Group in Los Angeles county, Daniel simultaneously runs a depression and addictions-focused private practice …

Clinically Reviewed by Daniel Jimmerson LPCC, CADC. Strange Science and K18 K18. Sounds a little like the rating scale for a precious metal or gem. However, suppose you hear it in conversation or with someone you care about, and they have a history of testing out substances. In that case, K18 probably refers to a synthetic substance that is supposed to mimic the “high” of marijuana. K18 is a human-made cannabinoid cooked up in labs to mimic the effects of THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. The goal of the pseudoscientists that create K18, however, is not to make a perfect replica. They want it to last longer and give a harder hit. In the process, K18 is an even more risky option than its organic counterpart. What Is K18: Side Effects There is a bit of a bait-and-switch happening with K18. Some users experience the “euphoria” that is associated with marijuana. But what follows can be a mixed bag of side effects—from mild to absolutely terrifying. The negative side effects of K18 come in a range—things like severe anxiety, paranoia, rapid heart rate, vomiting, and, in extreme cases, seizures. And because synthetic cannabinoids aren’t standardized, each batch of K18 can have wildly different potencies. What is k18? It’s like opening a surprise bag that could have a wide range of effects, and there is no way to tell just by looking at it. One of the reasons is that K18 is not natural. It has been manipulated so that it binds more tightly to cannabinoid receptors in the brain than natural THC. This means the effects can be frightening as often as they are mild. What Is K18 and Its Risks K18 isn’t just dangerous because of its unpredictable side effects. It’s dangerous because it masquerades as something familiar—a cannabis substitute—while behaving like something much riskier. The issue comes in the synthetic nature. Your brain has a system that helps regulate your mood, appetite, pain, and other aspects. It’s what marijuana affects when taken for medical reasons or for recreation. It’s called the endocannabinoid system. However, the brain has a tough time knowing what to do with the synthetic aspect of K18. This can lead to serious health risks: These dangerous side effects of K18 can escalate quickly, and as you might guess, they are pretty frightening. People who believe K18 is just like smoking marijuana often get a rude awakening.    K18 Overdose and Hallucinations The substance itself is created to mimic marijuana. To that effect, its makers even spray it on plant substances so people can smoke it. But imagine going through the motions, and suddenly you are in a terrifying, reality-warping experience that can lead to panic, aggression, and self-harm. K18 causes scary hallucinations that lead one to places that are not very fun. Also, because of the unknown nature of the synthetic creation, overdose might not simply come from taking a lot of K18. Because of the variation of potency, a single dose might cause an overdose. That could look like chest pain, seizures, extreme agitation, and loss of consciousness. Unlike with natural cannabis, there is no “safe” threshold, and a trip to the ER is often necessary. How to Help Someone Hooked on K18 K18 isn’t just dangerous in the short term—it’s addictive. The intense highs and subsequent crashes can create a cycle of dependency, where the brain starts to rely on the synthetic cannabinoid to feel “normal.” Withdrawal symptoms include irritability, insomnia, depression, and intense cravings. Helping someone addicted to K18 isn’t about lecturing them on the dangers—they likely already know. It’s about offering compassionate, science-backed support. Professional treatment centers can provide: Getting Help with K18 Addiction Outpatient treatment offers a real option for those tangled up with K18 without uprooting their entire lives. It’s like having a safety net while still walking the tightrope of daily responsibilities. Outpatient programs provide structured support, including therapy sessions, medication management, and peer groups, all while allowing individuals to maintain their work, school, or family commitments. This kind of treatment helps by: Trusted Palos Verdes Drug Rehab If you or someone you love is struggling with K18 or any addictive substance, our trusted outpatient addiction treatment center in the South Bay area, California, is here to help. Our addiction specialist at Peninsula Health Center can help you understand the severity of the substance use disorder, as well as offer a unique path to recovery based on your individual needs. Are you ready to take the step that will make all the difference? Call today: 866-934-8228. Clinically Reviewed by Daniel JimmersonLPCC, CADC. Daniel is a licensed psychotherapist in Arizona and California, with a graduate degree in Clinical Mental Health from the University of the Cumberlands. Daniel brings over a decade of first-hand experience in the treatment of mood disorders, substance addictions and trauma therapy, and is a trained and experienced clinician in Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy (IPSRT). While serving as the clinical director for Peninsula Health Group in Los Angeles county, Daniel simultaneously runs a depression and addictions-focused private practice in Arizona and California. Linkedin