Prescription Drugs

As reflected in the following reports in a community there us an increase in prescription drug abuse among young individuals at an alarming rate.  Another point is the way they are getting this medication that they are taking and sending them straight for dependence and drug addiction; they are getting it right from their own family.

Studies of individuals older than 12 years of age living in the community reveal that in any one month some 8 percent have used illicit drugs; 6 percent have used marijuana, 2.5 percent prescribed medication, 0.7 percent cocaine and 0.2 percent heroin. However, among young adults ages 18 to 25, approximately 20 percent are using illicit drugs and 6 percent prescribed medications. This is reflected in hospital emergency room visits where in 2007 visits for abuse of pain medication were 25 percent more frequent than visits for abuse of heroin.

Where do people obtain these drugs? The majority report that they were initially given them by family or friends often in a well-intentioned attempt to relieve pain. Pain medications are very available in Pitt County with approximately 15,000 prescriptions for opioids written and a million pills dispensed every month.

Drug Addiction Treatment Centers has been advocating locking up your medication, counting your medication and throwing away medication that is no longer needed.  This has to happen in order to combat this rapidly growing problem of teenage prescription drug addiction.

source

Massachusetts

Good for Massachusetts – they are tracking prescription drug purchases online, which will reduce doctor shopping and save lives.  Other countries have tracked prescription drug purchases for a while, but it seems that profits for big pharma have been of major concern for legislatures here.  They have had the power and ability to legislate the tracking of prescription drug purchases for quite a while but didn’t care to.

Oxycontin, Hydrocodone, Percocet, Adderall and other drugs are just too powerfully addictive and lead the user right into a life of drug addiction.  Any one of them, abused enough, leads to drug treatment and unfortunately for some, death.  There would be absolutely no good reason not to track them except money.

Looks like some lobbyists were asleep in Massachusetts long enough for something sensible to be done.  Snooze on………

“Massachusetts health officials approved a plan on Aug. 11 that will allow doctors and pharmacists to track narcotics prescriptions online — a major step toward reducing “doctor shopping” in patients addicted to prescription drugs, officials said.

The Boston Globe reported Aug. 12 that the plan will give doctors and pharmacists access to an online database detailing patients’ previous prescriptions for steroids and potent painkillers, such as OxyContin. “

source

Prescription Drugs

Ontario, Canada has started a database that will target Dr’s, pharmacies and people who fill prescriptions.  The new database is getting Ontario one step closer to stopping many prescription drug addiction problems in the area.

Health Minister Deb Matthews said the database, which will be enacted in legislation this fall, will flag unusual patterns of prescribing and dispensing. Authorities would then pass along that information to the appropriate regulatory colleges (such as the College of Physicians and Surgeons) or the police.

“People who are addicted to narcotics will be able to tell you what doctors don’t ask questions, where you can go to get a prescription filled with very few questions asked, pharmacies that will turn a bit of a blind eye to suspected forgeries,” she said. “And it will catch individuals who are double doctoring and [accessing multiple pharmacies].”

Drug Addiction Treatment is in favor of these types of databases because they can save lives.  Once we educate our children, educate our Dr’s and regulate the dispensing of these prescription medications then we might be able to handle the problem.

source

California

California has enacted a new law in efforts to stop underage drinking in California.  Now adults will be held liable if there is a death or injury due to them allowing the underage party to drink.  It was already against the law but now families can sue in civil court.

Drug Addiction Treatment Centers are supportive of these types of laws because it is a direct relation to what will happen in the youngsters future.  If we hold adult accountable for their own behavior when it comes to minors we may see less drug abuse as a result.

Under the new law, adults will be subject to civil lawsuits in the event of an injury or death resulting from underage drinking if they allowed the drinking to occur. Providing alcohol to minors was already illegal in California, but civil action was prohibited.

source

Parents

According to this survey, when a parent packs their kid up for school, there is a 50% chance that the school will have drugs in it.  Lessons about Oxycontin, methamphetamine, Adderall, pot and other drugs will be learned by kids and the parents won’t find evidence of these lessons in homework papers.

Parents need to be as informed on the signs of drug abuse as they do about the subjects that their kids are studying.

If these lessons are learned now, hopefully an education on drug treatment will be unnecessary.

“American students are essentially split over the question of whether their school is “drug free,” but students still cite drugs as a major problem facing people their age, according to a new survey of 12- to 17-year-olds from the Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University.

Asked, “Is your school a drug-free school or is it not drug free, meaning some students keep drugs, use drugs or sell drugs on school grounds?,” 48 percent of students described their schools as “drug free” while 49 percent said their schools were “not drug free.”

Drugs were cited as a major problem by 21 percent of survey respondents, far more than the other popular responses (13 percent for social pressure or fitting in) and doing well in school (10 percent). An accompanying survey of parents, however, ranked social pressure as the biggest problem facing teens (32 percent), while just 12 percent cited drugs and 9 percent named doing well in school.”

source

Tom Sizemore

Tom Sizemore speaks openly and candidly about his drug addiction through out his life that landed him in jail multiple times.  While he continued to struggle with drug abuse he entered a drug treatment facility with his ex-girlfriend Heidi Fleiss.

Sizemore certainly had his share of problems in his personal life. He was convicted in 2003 of assault against his, then girlfriend, Heidi Fleiss. Two years later he was arrested again, serving 17 months in jail for a drug related probation violation. Once more he was arrested in May of 2009 on another drug charge. Earlier this year, as his life was on the mend, he decided to appeared on VH1′s Celebrity Rehab with his ex-girlfriend Heidi Fleiss.

source

Methamphetamine

Many studies have shown that the rate of meth use among gay men is huge.  Once someone has tried methamphetamine for the first time they are normally addicted and cannot stop on their own.  Drug Abuse is killing many of our family members and it doesn’t matter what race, ethnicity or sexual preference they are.

“While meth affects everyone because its so highly addictive, it’s a particular problem for those in the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning) community,” said Arnold Martin, who works for project NEON, a program for gay and bisexual men struggling with meth use.

“The shame of being gay and an outcast, the low self-esteem … the drug allows you to not feel, to not care; it knocks down the barrier around self-esteem.”

Drug Addiction Treatment Centers offer drug treatment to anyone that is addicted to drugs or alcohol.  If you or someone you know needs help please call today.  Don’t wait until it’s too late.

source

Alcohol abuse in Pregnancy

Whatever policy is created for these individuals who are the victims of irresponsible mothers who abused alcohol when they were in utero, should include a clause that protects babies from this in the future.

Alcohol abusers who are also pregnant should receive alcohol treatment during the entire length of their pregnancy.  Society needs to ensure that there is no choice. Alcohol abuse in pregnancy can be fatal to the child in utero.

“Canadian policymakers are debating whether to divert offenders with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) to specialized treatment programs or even to exempt them from incarceration altogether, the Montreal Gazette reported Aug. 16.

The Canadian Bar Association (CBA) recently passed a resolution calling for crimes committed by people with FAS to effectively be decriminalized, saying such offenders need treatment and that incarceration is ineffective. “Judges see people before them repeatedly who are probably there in large measure because of a permanent organic brain injury,” said Rob Snow, the incoming president of the CBA.”

source

Opiates

This success story is written by a Narconon student who came to drug treatment as an opiate abuser. Drug Addiction took over his life.  Heroin and Oxycontin had him introverted and out of touch with the world.

Now through objectives he is in communication with himself and the world.

“Today on this exercise I feel I have gained more control over my body and my brain-body coordination is better.  Using drugs had dulled my senses and often time I would feel out of touch and out of control.  I have already noticed better reflexes and better control over my movement.

When throwing a football, for example I have noticed certain points in my motion that I had forgotten about that I am able to critique.  After high school when I started using drugs, I would throw and I was convinced I had lost my abilities.  But now I am remembering things from former coaches as early as freshman year.

I am also noticing the feel of things I touch more – like the surfaces and softness or hardness of objects.  I am excited to see all the other way in which my brain and body communication will improve the quality of my life.  This has been awesome. “

Reflection

Here is a success story from a Narconon drug treatment student on the Objectives portion of the program.  Drugs like opiates and methamphetamines tend to introvert a person to the point where they are out of communication with the environment and eventually themselves.  Objectives get a person back in touch with the world and life in general.  Drug Addiction can be combated and this success story is proof.

“Today’s exercise gave new meaning as to why I here at Narconon.  It really showed me what I have been lacking the last eight years.  In the beginning I started to have feeling of improved hand-eye coordination.  As we continued, I could tell my coordination and stability along with my focus was being refreshed.

We continued and my memory started to return!  I have started to remember things from 5, 6 and 7 years ago and also positive things from my childhood.  It feels good to know that these memories haven’t been lost!  These exercises are having a major effect on my life.

It really makes me happy.  I feel healthy and refreshed.”