Addiction is a medical condition. We treat it like one.

Amphetamines

Amphetamine use disorder often begins with a legitimate prescription for conditions like ADHD or narcolepsy. Over time, the brain adapts to the increased dopamine stimulation, and what started as prescribed use can shift into dependence, escalating doses, or misuse. Because amphetamines are pharmaceutical with known dosing, many people don't recognize when use has crossed from therapeutic to harmful.

NorthStar treats amphetamine dependence with the same clinical precision we bring to every condition. Because these are prescription substances with predictable pharmacology, our physicians can design safe, individualized tapering protocols that gradually reduce dependence while managing withdrawal symptoms. Genetic testing guides medication selection, and nutrient repletion supports dopamine system recovery. With behavioral health support and a 9-person care team engaged across a full year, our approach addresses both the neurological impact and the life circumstances that contributed to escalation.

Benzodiazepines

Benzodiazepine dependence is one of the most medically complex substance use conditions, and one of the most dangerous to address without proper clinical support. Benzodiazepines alter how the brain's calming system (GABA) functions, and stopping abruptly can trigger seizures, severe anxiety, and other life-threatening withdrawal symptoms. Many people develop dependence through legitimate prescriptions they took exactly as directed, making the condition uniquely isolating and confusing.

NorthStar specializes in safe, medically supervised tapering. Our physicians design individualized protocols that gradually reduce dependence while protecting brain function and minimizing withdrawal symptoms. Genetic testing guides medication selection and dosing. Nutrient repletion supports the nervous system throughout the process. This is not rushed. It's done carefully, over time, with a 9-person clinical team monitoring every step. Safe tapering is one of the most important things we do.

Cannabis / THC

Cannabis use disorder is often dismissed or minimized, but for many people, chronic use leads to real disruption in motivation, memory, emotional regulation, sleep quality, and daily functioning. The brain adapts to sustained cannabis exposure, and withdrawal symptoms like irritability, insomnia, and anxiety are far more common than most people realize. Today's cannabis products are also dramatically more potent than what existed even a decade ago, making dependence more likely and withdrawal more difficult.

NorthStar approaches cannabis use disorder without judgment. Whether your goal is to stop entirely or reduce use in a way that improves your quality of life, your care team builds a plan grounded in your biology and your goals. Medication support, nutrient therapy, and behavioral strategies are tailored to the impacts of cannabis; with a full year of engagement from a dedicated 9-person clinical team to support lasting change.

Cocaine

Cocaine use disorder is driven by powerful changes in the brain's reward system. With repeated use, the brain becomes less responsive to natural sources of pleasure, things that used to feel good barely register, and increasingly dependent on cocaine just to feel normal. This creates a cycle of compulsive use, crashes, and intense cravings that is biological, not a matter of discipline or character.

NorthStar treats cocaine use disorder as the medical condition it is. Genetic testing helps us understand your individual risk profile and how your brain's dopamine system functions, so we can build a medication and nutrient plan that supports restoration and craving reduction. Your treatment plan is combined with behavioral support, anonymous peer connection, and a 9-person clinical team engaged across a full year of structured care to help stabilize brain chemistry over time; not in a 30-day window, but across the timeline the brain actually needs to heal.

Hallucinogens

Certain hallucinogen use, including LSD, PCP, and others, can lead to a wide range of psychological and neurological effects depending on the substance, how often it's used, and your individual biology. While physical dependence is less common than with other substances, chronic use can disrupt the brain's serotonin system, trigger lasting perceptual disturbances that persist long after the substance is gone, and worsen underlying mental health conditions like anxiety, depersonalization, and psychosis.

NorthStar provides individualized care for people experiencing the effects of hallucinogen use. Our clinical team looks at the full picture, including co-occurring mental health conditions, biological impact, and your personal goals, and builds a treatment plan that includes medication support, nutrient therapy, and behavioral strategies. Whether hallucinogen use is the primary concern or part of a broader pattern of poly-substance use, NorthStar provides a safe, stigma-free environment and a 9-person clinical team engaged for a full year to help you move forward.

Heroin

Heroin use disorder is a severe, life-threatening condition that rewires the brain's opioid and reward systems. Tolerance builds rapidly. Withdrawal is intensely painful. The risk of overdose is constant, and has grown dramatically as fentanyl has contaminated the illicit supply. However, heroin use disorder is also one of the most treatable substance use conditions in medicine, when the right care is applied.

NorthStar provides medication treatment using evidence-based protocols that stabilize opioid receptors, reduce cravings, and break the dangerous cycle of withdrawal and return to use. Combined with targeted nutrient repletion, mental health support, and a 9-person clinical team engaged across a full year of care, our model replaces crisis-driven treatment with structured, sustained healing.

Inhalants

Inhalant use disorder is one of the most physically dangerous, and least understood, substance use conditions. Common household products like aerosol sprays, cleaning solvents, and keyboard dusters contain chemicals that, when inhaled, can cause immediate harm to the brain, heart, liver, and nervous system. Unlike most other substances, inhalants can cause sudden death from the very first use. Chronic use destroys the myelin that insulates nerve pathways in the brain, leading to cognitive decline, memory loss, coordination problems, and personality changes.

NorthStar provides comprehensive care for people affected by inhalant use, including the neurological recovery support that most programs aren't equipped to offer. Genetic testing guides medication selection and nutrient protocols, with aggressive repletion of B vitamins, magnesium, and other nutrients critical to nervous system repair. Behavioral health support, anonymous VR peer groups, and a 9-person clinical team engaged across a full year of care ensure that the brain has the time and the tools it needs to heal. Inhalant-related recovery is one of the longest timelines in all of substance use treatment.

Kratom / 7-OH

Kratom and its concentrated derivative 7-OH are sold as unregulated supplements in gas stations and smoke shops across the country; often marketed as natural alternatives for pain, energy, or mood. What most people don't realize is that kratom acts directly on opioid receptors in the brain. With daily use, it produces dependence, tolerance, and withdrawal symptoms that closely mirror opioid use disorder. Because these products aren't regulated, potency varies wildly between brands and even between batches, making dosing unpredictable and the risk of escalation significant.

NorthStar recognizes kratom and 7-OH dependence as a legitimate medical condition requiring the same clinical precision we bring to any opioid-receptor-driven substance use disorder. Our physicians assess the severity of dependence, design safe tapering protocols, and use genetic testing to guide medication and nutrient selection. Many people turn to kratom to self-manage pain, anxiety, or a prior substance use condition. Our 9-person care team addresses those root causes, building a year-long plan that treats the whole person, not just the substance.

Methamphetamines

Methamphetamine use disorder is among the most physically damaging substance use conditions, with serious effects on the heart, brain, and central nervous system. Methamphetamine floods the brain with dopamine at levels far beyond what any natural experience can produce, and over time, the brain's ability to make and regulate dopamine on its own becomes severely impaired. Individuals living with long-term methamphetamine use disorder may lose up to 39 years of life without treatment.

Because methamphetamine is illicitly manufactured with no standardized dosing or purity, tapering is not clinically possible the way it is with prescription substances. Instead, NorthStar focuses on immediate medical support, symptom management, and aggressive restoration of the dopamine system through medication and targeted nutrient repletion. Genetic testing helps our clinical team identify the right interventions for your specific biology. Combined with behavioral health support, anonymous peer connection, and a 9-person care team engaged across a full year, our approach addresses both the biological damage and the underlying conditions that often drive use.

Opioids

Opioid Use Disorder, whether it started with a prescription after surgery, a chronic pain condition, or something else entirely, is a medical condition rooted in how the brain adapts to sustained opioid exposure. Over time, the brain's natural pain and reward systems become dependent on external opioids just to function normally, making it both painful and dangerous to stop without medical support. On average, individuals living with untreated OUD lose an estimated 28 years of life.

NorthStar treats OUD with the same precision and compassion we bring to every condition. Nutrient therapy restores what chronic opioid use has depleted. A dedicated 9-person care team provides medical, behavioral, and peer support across a full year as opioid use disorder is a chronic condition, and care that ends after 30 days was never designed to produce lasting change.