AHS Views

On February 4th, the news of how Brittany Murphy died was released. It was ruled “accidental”, but drugs were involved and partly to blame. The bright, young Hollywood star was ill with pneumonia and anemia and was self medicating with a combination of prescription and over the counter medications, which caused her death on December 20, 2009. According to the coroner, if she had gone to the doctor rather than trying to treat herself, she most likely would still be alive today.

It seems all too common, not only in Hollywood, but all over the world for people to be taking medications that either aren’t prescribed to them or that are prescribed by multiple doctors who have no idea that the patient is receiving medications elsewhere. This is a practice known as “doctor shopping”.

Although doctor shopping may not be the case in Brittany’s untimely death, there were prescriptions found in her room that weren’t prescribed to her. And, as it turns out, she chose a lethal combination of prescription drugs.

What’s really heartbreaking about this whole story is that Brittany would most likely still be alive today if she had not taken those drugs and gone to the doctor to receive proper treatment for her illnesses.

While pneumonia and anemia are serious issues, they can almost always be treated by a medical professional.

Hopefully this can be a learning experience and a wake up call to those individuals out there who decide to take it upon themselves to diagnose and treat their own illnesses with other people’s prescription drugs. It’s not smart, it’s not safe and you could wind up losing your life or a loved one. If you have a prescription drug problem get addiction help now.

Do you have children? If you don’t, you surely have friends or family members with kids. What do you do if you suspect that they’re using drugs? Do you let it slide and hope it’s nothing, or that it will just go away? Bad idea! There are so many kids, even young children, getting involved in drugs these days, and many families have suffered losses because they ignored warning signals of suspected drug use.
What about drug testing? Is it a bad idea? Is it an invasion of a child’s privacy? Privacy schmivacy is all I have to say! If my kids were displaying signs of drug use or abuse, I would have no problem giving them a drug test.

Out of the kids I’ve met who get tested by their parents, there are some who don’t mind and others who resent it and feel like their parents don’t trust them. In my opinion, the latter seems like they’ve probably got more to hide. And, of course they’re going to resent the fact that their parents are looking out for their best interest.

In the past, the majority of drug tests have only been able to check for illegal drugs like marijuana or cocaine. Now, there are kits available that can test for prescription drugs too, which are, unfortunately, what a lot of kids are more likely to take than street drugs.

Don’t let the warning signs of drug use by your children or those of friends and family go without addressing them. A simple home drug test now could save your child from a lifetime of drug abuse, or even worse, an early death. If you do find that your child has a drug problem, get help. Statistics have proven that the earlier a person who is abusing drugs gets the addiction help services they need, the better their chances are at fully recovering and living a drug free life.

Difficult – is the only word I can think of to describe what it takes to get someone help to overcome a drug and/or alcohol addiction. About 95% of the time, addicts don’t think they even have a problem. However, they most certainly do, and it’s not just the problem of the addiction, but also whatever the problems are that made them get into the addiction mess in the first place. There’s only one way to handle addiction, and that’s by getting the addict through a successful drug or alcohol rehab program.

With that said, the next issue to overcome is convincing an addict, who most likely doesn’t think they have a problem, to go. But how do you do that? There are a number of reasons that could hinder your ability to be able to do the convincing… Perhaps the addict is scared about people finding out about their problem and what they will think of them. Or, it could be that they think that no one could possibly understand what they’re going through. There could also be strains on relationships that can play a factor as well.

So, the question remains – how do you get them to go? The best solution is to get outside help. And, there are people out there who specialize in getting addicts to go to rehab. They are called Interventionists. These are highly trained individuals who most likely have their own first-hand experience with addiction and recovery from their past. They understand what the addict is going through and have the ability to convince them to go to alcohol or drug rehab.

Do you have a loved one or a close friend who needs to get into rehab? Call a drug rehab program counselor. They can help you determine if an interventionist is needed, and will also help you find the right treatment program. It could save their life!

Marijuana, and whether or not to legalize it, has been in the news quite a bit lately. And, even though a lot of its advocates will tell you that it isn’t addictive, smoking marijuana does wind up sending a boat load of people to drug rehab. Statistically speaking, there are roughly 300,000 people that check into drug rehab for marijuana addiction each and every year.

You see, the thing about marijuana that most people don’t know, or take into account, is that it can easily be considered a “gateway drug”. This means that once you open the marijuana door, it’s a lot easier to open the door to harder drugs like ecstasy, cocaine and heroin, to name a few.
If you want the cold hard facts on this, take a look at this:
•    About 62% of adults 26 or older, who use marijuana before they the age of 16, end up hooked on cocaine
•    Over 53% of get hooked on prescription drugs

With that said, it’s pretty difficult to believe that people still think marijuana is just for fun. The ideal solution for anyone you know who uses marijuana is get them into a drug rehab program, before the problem escalates.

Detoxification is defined by most people as simply just withdrawing from drugs. In a lot of cases, a withdrawal that is medically supervised isn’t necessary and can just be done at home. This is especially true with most stimulants, painkillers and even heroin, although it is often preferred with the latter two to do a medically supervised drug detox to ease the pain of the withdrawal symptoms.

When large quantities of alcohol or drugs are consumed, it can be very a difficult process to withdraw. Medical detoxification, with the use of other medicines and reduction of the consumption the drugs or alcohol over a period of time, can help someone to systematically withdraw. This helps to ease the process of detoxing and eliminate the risk of seizure and other acute withdrawal symptoms.

Some of the drugs that people most often want or need a medically-supervised detox for include large amounts of alcohol, barbiturates (Phenobarbital), benzodiazapines (Xanax, Valium) and opiates (prescription painkillers, heroin, methadone).

There’s a common misconception though, which is that many drug and alcohol users will think their problem is solved once they’ve tackled the detoxification step. This step does handle the physical dependence, but in actual fact, they are much better off statistically to go into a longer-term residential drug rehab program after detoxification to handle the mental aspects of their addiction and prevent relapse. Detox is only a part of the big picture.

Fairly recently there have also been other classes of prescribed drugs that require medical detox to step down from. They include antidepressants (Paxil, Prozac, Wellbutrin, Zoloft, etc.), antipsychotics (Zyprexa, Risperdol, Seroquel), as well as other mind-altering prescriptions.

Through education and information discovered each year on the side effects of these drugs, a lot more people are being proactive and making the decision not to take them and are seeking alternative treatments. Withdrawal symptoms from these types of drugs can be very severe and people coming down from them oftentimes experience sudden psychotic episodes, so stepping down little by little in a medically-supervised atmosphere is a recommended approach rather than weaning down at home.

Do you know of anyone, or have you heard stories of someone trying to withdraw from some of these drugs on their own? Did they succeed and beat it?

I know it doesn’t seem like it, but a lot of people who take drugs really do want to stop. Unfortunately, withdrawal is one of the biggest reasons for fear of quitting, as it can be physically and emotionally overwhelming. An addict who has gone too long without using (between hits) has encountered some of those withdrawal sensations.

Dreading withdrawal symptoms is not the only reason people have a difficult time quitting. A person can go through the motions to get detoxed, but until they complete a successful drug rehab program that addresses the reason they started taking drugs or alcohol in the first place, the urge to continue using will remain the same.

Whatever the reasons are that drive a person to take drugs or do alcohol, for the user, the problems are very real and they want to cover them up or drown them away. And, though people make it out to be enjoyable or even glamorous in places like Hollywood, being a drug addict isn’t easy. In fact, it never leads people in a positive direction and can often result in losses of jobs, homes, families and even lives.

A drug user will start out with times when they are very high and nothing much seems to matter – basically in a dream-like state, and their troubles seem further away – but this wears off. The rest of the time, the most important thought in their mind is where to get more. Then, they’re dealing with two problems – the one that made them reach for the drugs in the first place, and the dependency or addiction that they’ve acquired.

Don’t be fooled into thinking that drug addicts and alcoholics enjoy that life. They do want to get off drugs or stop drinking alcohol. The way to successfully do this is Rehab. And, if you aren’t able to talk your friend or loved one into going to rehab, make sure to get in contact with an interventionist. This is their specialty and they’re experience lends to getting even the toughest addicts to go and get the addiction help they need.

Without going into a lot of details, the short answer is probably no, and unfortunately the line between the two is pretty grey, but there is a definitely more to it…

A drug “addiction” is generally defined as compulsive, drug-seeking behavior which is due to physical and/or mental dependency on a drug, despite knowingly causing damage to oneself and others regardless of consequence. Most people associate drug addiction with illegal drugs like cocaine, meth or heroin, but the truth is that people can easily become addicted to prescription drugs that were originally prescribed by their doctor.

An individual with a drug “dependence” may not exhibit the compulsive drug-seeking behavior and may have a more normal and collected appearance in life. This doesn’t only include drugs, but can also include the moderate-to-heavy social drinker who has three alcoholic drinks several nights per week or more. You may as well additionally include the millions of people who take prescribed drugs on a daily basis.

As I mentioned before, there is a fine line between dependency and addiction, and a person who is dependent can very easily become addicted. What happens if a drinker gets cut off at the bar? A lot of times, they become belligerent and will go to another bar or store to buy more alcohol, which would be an all too common example of compulsive drug (or alcohol) seeking. They may not even know they are an alcoholic yet but these are the first signs not to ignore.

Another factor, which most people are unaware of, is tolerance. This can absolutely play a role in dependence turning into addiction. An example of this might be someone being prescribed a narcotic painkiller after an injury or surgery. They takes it as prescribed for the recommended time period, but when the medication use stops, the user goes into withdrawals because their body became dependent on it. The next reaction, in a lot of scenarios, would be that they have to get more of the drug to not feel those withdrawal symptoms anymore. They’re basically trapped into use - which leads to addiction.

Learning disability labeled teenagers being put on amphetamines (stimulants) is another common example. These are legally prescribed drugs, by doctors and/or psychiatrists. The children can naturally develop a tolerance to these drugs and then need more, something stronger. In many cases of illegal drug use by teens, it comes on the heels of a long history of Ritalin, Prozac, etc.

So, the one thing we do know is, despite different characteristics and definitions, one does have to be drug dependent to be an addict, but the line  certainly isn’t definite when it is crossed. And, knowing how easily this can happen, it’s extremely important to pay attention. Pay attention to yourself, if you find that you need to take a prescription painkiller. Pay attention to your kids. And, if you find yourself knowing of or learning about someone with a dependence, help them get into a good detox program before it leads to addiction.

Just a few days ago, we learned that we’ve lost another star who suddenly died at way too young of an age. Brittany Murphy collapsed in her home over the weekend from what the Coroner has ruled to be “natural causes”, but there were many, many prescriptions found near her bed, in her name and those of close family members. This definitely raises some questions because it’s not often that you hear about a 32 year old dying all of a sudden, out of the blue, of a heart attack!

Recently, Michael Jackson fell prey to an accidental overdose of drugs, and not too long before him, so did Anna Nicole Smith. How are these stars getting their hands on so many prescription drugs?

More and more, people in the United are seeking out prescription medications from multiple doctors without letting one know about the other, called “doctor shopping” which is a practice many prescription drug abusers are all too familiar with. It has been proven that the results of the interactions of these drugs, when taken together – even at therapeutic levels, can be deadly.

Did these stars intend to commit suicide or were they simply taking medications as directed? I have a strong feeling that the latter is the answer.

Knowing what we have learned from the losses of these great talents, please consider this to be a warning to those who use any combination of prescription drugs without the physicians who prescribe them being aware of what combinations the patient is taking. If you have fallen prey to prescription drug abuse please get addiction help now.

Have you ever heard of “non-addictive” drugs? Sounds a bit like an oxymoron to me, but there are many drugs in existence today, both legal and illegal, which claim to be just that – non-habit forming.
Pharmaceutical companies have come out with “non-narcotic” forms of pain and insomnia relief like Ambien and Ultram that are “safe when used as directed and non-addictive” yet the amount of people getting hooked on these prescription drugs continues to rise. Even though they say “non-narcotic”, if you read the fine print, it actually says there is “some” risk for dependency. And, even worse, allergic reactions, in rare instances, can be fatal!

There’s actually nothing new about pharmaceutical companies coming out with new non-addictive drugs. In the 1850’s, when opium addiction first reared its ugly head in the United States, morphine was used as a non-addictive alternative until it was banned in the 1920’s because of its addictive properties.

Then, there’s marijuana. There have been statements that this illegal drug is a “non-addictive” and “non-harmful” one, yet it’s one of the most abused drugs in the country.

How about LSD? Another drug said to be “non-addictive”, which is in fact one of the most harmful drugs out there. It can cause long-term damage to users as well as flashbacks (where a portion of their LSD experience reoccurs). People who abuse frequently can build a tolerance and require more and more of the drug to achieve the desired effect. It can also cause long-lasting psychoses. After using LSD and experiencing their first high, many people take it over and over again, in spite of the negative effects that are associated with the drug.

My point is that drugs alter the senses and perceptions. They create a high in the user and continue the cycle of the user wanting to take the drugs to achieve the desired effect. In many cases, it takes more and more of the drug to reach that high so the tolerance level also rises. This is true of all drugs – from LSD to marijuana to legal prescription drugs and replacement drug therapies that are so heavily promoted routinely.

Calling these drugs “non-addictive” is not only downright false, but is easily proven untrue. Not only with illegal drugs like marijuana and LSD but also with legally approved drugs like anti-depressants, prescription pain killers and replacement drug therapies.

If these drugs were non-addictive, as claimed, why does the number of people becoming addicted to them continue to increase? And why are alternative drugs being produced to “help” ease addiction symptoms? Take a hard look at the facts; you’ll realize that “non-addictive” drugs simply do not exist.

Wouldn’t it be great if there were a simple answer to that question? With so many illegal drugs on the scene, the answer to that question becomes relative to viewpoint and what kind of damage is caused, whether it is physical damage, emotional pain and suffering, damage to the family, cost involved, or a combination of any of these.

There is no question about how deadly crack cocain, heroin and meth are, but it has been suggested that hallucinogens like LSD (acid) are the ones with the worst lingering effects. This is because they alter the mind and its perceptions, and people can have “acid flashbacks” for many years after they stopped taking the drug.

In the hallucinogen class of drugs, LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) is one of the major players. Like the name of this drug class suggests, hallucinogens cause hallucinations, which are greatly alters a person’s perception of reality. Under the influence of hallucinogens, people can see images, hear sounds, and feel sensations that seem very real but do not exist. Some hallucinogens also produce rapid, intense emotional swings.

LSD’s effects are unpredictable and can be different each time the drug is consumed. They depend on how much is taken, the user’s personality, mood, expectations and their surroundings where the drug is used. Generally, the user will feel the first effects of the drug about 30 minutes after taking it. The physical effects include dilated pupils, higher body temperature, increased heart rate and blood pressure, sweating, loss of appetite, sleeplessness, dry mouth, and tremors.

Most of the time, a user will refer to their LSD experience as a “trip” and when it is a frightening experience it’s called a “bad trip”. The effects of this drug take quite awhile to wear off after taking it. A trip can last around 12 hours. Users on a bad trip can experience severe and terrifying thoughts and feelings, fear of losing control, even fear of insanity, death and despair. Some fatal accidents have taken place during states of LSD intoxication and people have been known to get stuck in a bad trip and display extreme psychosis or paranoia.

Most LSD users willingly decrease or stop its use over time. Since LSD doesn’t produce intense physical cravings like other drugs, it’s not considered to be a drug that people have to get addiction help for. However, a user can still build a tolerance to the drug, requiring larger amounts of the toxin to be consumed to experience another trip.

In more recent years, use of hallucinogens, especially LSD, has decreased. It seems to be catching on that it is one of the worst drugs, as evidenced by the drop in usage. Why risk becoming a vegetable? It doesn’t seem worth it!