AHS Views

A recent report from the United Nations stated that 200 million people around the world are taking illicit drugs, with cocaine and opium derivates such as heroin being the most popular. Problems with heroin addiction, and addiction to other drugs derived from opium, also represents a high percentage of those seeking drug rehab.

The UN report also states that the global drug problem is being contained, although you’d be hard-pressed to find any truth in that statement as it relates to the U.S., with one exception - the opium poppy, from which heroin and other opiates and opioids are derived. The report states that about 92% of the heroin in the world comes from Afghanistan, that their opium exports increased by 68 percent in 2006, and morphine and heroin exports increased by 32 percent. This increases the risk of exposure to heroin for every drug user, and, in turn, increases the risk of heroin addiction, and death from overdose.

I’ve seen many people start out on marijuana – apparently just having a good time, saying they do it because they like it, not because they have to. Saying it’s not really a ‘drug’. Then they go to hash, then party drugs, then speed, then heroin. It’s not unusual. With heroin production and imports being stepped up, it’s easier to find than ever. Heroin addiction is devastating. The physical degeneration it causes is serious and, sometimes, fatal. Especially when there’s so much of it around from so many sources that you never really know what’s in it or how potent it is.

If someone you know is on drugs, even if they’re just ‘trying them out’, get them into a successful drug rehab program fast. Don’t let the situation deteriorate.

I read with some horror a story on CNN about a new street drug called “cheese” heroin that has already killed more than 20 young people in Dallas, TX. “Cheese” is Mexican heroin blended with crushed over-the-counter medications that contain the antihistamine diphenhydramine, found in products such as Tylenol PM. The problem for users is that even before you get addicted you might get killed. Percentage-wise, far fewer traditional heroin addicts die, and they have a chance to live long enough to get into a drug rehab program and reclaim their lives.

“Cheese” is not only deadly, it’s very cheap – about $2 for a single hit. It is snorted through a straw or a ballpoint pen, and causes drowsiness, lethargy, euphoria, excessive thirst and disorientation. “That is, if the user survives,” the article says. The sedative effects of the heroin and the nighttime sleep aids “make for a deadly brew.” And a Dallas policeman said it’s “a double whammy – you’re getting two downers at once.”Police and school officials have called public meetings to get the word out about the dangers of the new drug. Some Dallas students made a public service announcement for local TV, and there’s a hotline number for people needing help. Drug treatment centers in Dallas say “cheese” addicts are now as common as those seeking help for marijuana addiction. One treatment center has received nearly 140 calls from people worried about family members, and has provided drug rehab treatment for more than 60 users after initial drug detox programs.The drug probably got the name “cheese” because it looks like grated Parmesan cheese. Another theory is that it sounds like the Spanish word “chiva,” street slang for heroin.

Whatever it’s called, authorities are worried that it will spread across the country. A DEA agent said that all parents should be concerned about drug trends anywhere in the country because kids use the Internet and cell phones to chat about their experiences, whether they are safe and legal or otherwise.If you are the parent of a high school or college age student, please be warned to watch closely for unusual behavior or other symptoms of drug abuse. It’s never too soon to have a heart-to-heart talk about the dangers of drug abuse and to get someone into a successful drug rehab program that could save their life.

Although you may see plenty of evidence to the contrary, many people taking drugs actually want to get off them. One of the biggest deterrents is the idea of withdrawal. It can be so physically and emotionally painful that it’s just overwhelming. And every addict who’s gone a little too long between hits has experienced a little bit of that. But fear of withdrawal symptoms is not the only factor - until they do a successful drug rehab program that addresses the reason they started with drugs or alcohol in the first place, the urge is still there.  Obviously that reason is pretty deeply ingrained and, however insignificant it may seem to you, for them it’s a real problem. It was enough to drive that person to drugs or alcohol.  Being a drug addict isn’t an easy life. There are the times when you’re very high and nothing much seems to matter – you’re basically in a stupor of one type or another, and your troubles seem far away – but that doesn’t last long. The rest of the time, the thought first and foremost in your mind is where you’re going to get more. Of course, by that time you’re dealing with two problems – the one that started you on the drugs, and the dependency or addiction itself. So, don’t think that the person really likes that life. They want to get off the drug. Rehab is the way to do it. If you can’t convince them to get into drug addiction rehab, contact an interventionist – they’ve had plenty of experience, and have often come through the same problem themselves.

Do you know a dad who needs alcohol or drug rehab? Help him, and help the kids.

I just read a study on the impact of fathers on their children. It’s not about drugs or drug addicts; it’s just about dads and their kids. For years we’ve been hearing that stepfathers aren’t as good as biological fathers, that fathers in the home are better than fathers out of the home, that single parent families can ruin kids, and so on and so on. But the truth of the matter is that none of that really matters: what’s important is the closeness of the relationship. Since I spend a fair amount of my time focused on drug addiction, it’s hard not to think about how many of those fathers are alcohol or drug abusers and what a huge difference it would make in a kid’s life to have his father complete a successful drug rehab program.

How does the relationship with dad affect the child? It affects their school performance and academic achievement, whether or not they become juvenile delinquents, their general behavior, and even their health. Just being there is not enough. A father has to be involved in his children’s lives, and the closer they are, the better the child will do. If a father has all his attention on where the next hit’s coming from, you can be pretty sure he’s not also forming a close relationship with his kids. If you know one of those dads, get them into drug rehab. It will help him, and could be a major factor in the health, happiness, well-being and future of his children.

A recent article in the Novus Medical Detox newsletter addressed the issue of being able to afford the cost of getting yourself or someone you love through drug detox and a successful drug rehab program.

With so many lives in ruin because of alcohol or drug addiction and dependency, the obvious question is ‘can I afford not to?’ Nevertheless, cost is a consideration.

The article specifically addresses prescription drug abuse, which is right on the heels of heroin, methamphetamine and other street drugs and, in some areas, has actually become the bigger problem. As the author points out, when someone starts taking prescription drugs, the cost is often covered by insurance. But dependency and addiction change all that and, when their doctor can no longer justify continuing the prescription for its original purpose, the person starts looking for the drug elsewhere. And that can cost big money.

OxyContin, for example, costs 11 to 16 cents per milligram at the drugstore, but the price goes up to 50 cents or a dollar on the street. With 160 milligrams/day being a low average of daily consumption for an addicted person, what was costing them $18 to $26 dollars a day when obtained legitimately suddenly turns into $80 to $160/day, and it’s no longer covered by insurance. Where does somebody get $160 a day – that’s about $58,000 a year - to spend on drugs? Now you know why drug abuse often leads to a life of crime.

If someone you love is addicted to drugs, find a successful drug rehab program fast. No matter what the cost, it’s not going to be $58,000 a year for years and years on end, and it may save their life.

Prescription drug abuse in Tennessee causes more deaths than heroin addiction

A recent article highlighting the prescription drug problem in Tennessee stated that prescription drugs now cause more deaths than heroin addiction, methamphetamine and cocaine. Over 1200 deaths were linked to prescription drugs from 2002 to 2005, according to Medical Examiner (ME) records, and the number increased by 62 percent over that four year period. The deaths of several people are covered in the article, one of them the daughter of a man who, in retrospect, wished he had gotten a court order to force his adult daughter into drug rehab when he saw there was a problem.

That would have been exactly the right thing to do.

The State ME said that this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the overall problem as most people who abuse prescription drugs don’t die, they just live with the consequences. What are the consequences? The daughter who was not forced into drug rehab was a nurse who damaged vertebrae in her neck while on the job. The doctor prescribed mild painkillers, but they didn’t work. More prescriptions followed, as did dependency and addiction. She became completely non-functional, had to quit working, moved back home with her parents and couldn’t even cook a meal. On four prescription drugs simultaneously – methadone (which used to be used to help end heroin addiction but is now prescribed as a painkiller and is highly addictive in itself), an antidepressant, and two other powerful medications – she finally died of an overdose at age 42.

Those are the consequences. Don’t let them happen to someone you love. Get them into a successful drug rehab program.

Abuse of OTC drugs may indicate a deeper problem, and the need for drug rehab

I read an article this morning on cough medicine abuse. Amazing. Nearly 17 visits to the ER, every day, for abuse of cough and cold medicines containing dextromethorphan. That’s ‘abuse’ – i.e. non-medicinal use. Just taking it to get high. One third of the visits from 18 to 20-year-olds also involved alcohol. I’m sure some people assume that this is primarily a problem with young people, but more than half the visits involved adults. Anyone at the point of using cough medicine to get high is a prime candidate for addiction, and there’s a good possibility that they’re already using street drugs and hit the cough medicine because they didn’t have any of the other stuff. Someone who cares about that person should get them into drug rehab.

Over 100 over-the-counter medicines contain dextromethorphan. If you’ve ever watched television, you’ve heard of them. Cute little TV commercials that depict people with a cold or cough going about their usual daily activities all bright and chipper, or sleeping peacefully through the night. Are they bright, chipper and peaceful, or are they high on Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold & Cough Medicine, Coricidin HBP Cough and Cold, Dayquil LiquiCaps, Dimetapp DM, Robitussin, Sudafed, Triaminic, Tylenol Cold products, Vicks 44 Cough Relief, or NyQuil?

Side effects: confusion, dizziness, double or blurred vision, slurred speech, loss of physical coordination, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, rapid heart beat, drowsiness, numbness of fingers and toes, and disorientation. And the ‘high’ end of it - mild distortions of color and sound or visual hallucinations, “out-of-body” dissociative sensations, and loss of motor control.

We live in a medicated society. For the person who is stressed out, looking for an escape from life’s problems and confusions, these over-the-counter drugs can easily lead to addiction. If your cough medicine supply is running low, but no one in the household has a cough, suspect the worst. Find out who’s using it, and you might well find someone with a drug addiction problem who is, or soon could be, taking serious drugs. Get them into a successful drug rehab program before they become one of the ER statistics.

Successful drug rehab saves one lucky guy’s career – do the same for someone you love

This morning I read an article about the reinstatement of a pharmacist whose license had previously been revoked because of addiction to Vicodin. Reinstatement took two years, during which time he was subjected to random drug tests. He’s under drug watch for another five years, but, nevertheless, he’s one of the lucky ones. For every life that’s saved, there are millions out there who never get into a successful drug rehab program that can help them end their addiction.

What’s his story? A clean guy, no drug problem, he got started on Vicodin when suffering from a painful knee problem. Before you know it, he was hooked. At one point he was taking 45 pills a day. All told, he admitted to stealing thousands of pills from work.

Is it really that easy to get dependent on or addicted to a prescription drug? Unfortunately, the answer is a resounding yes. In fact, prescription drug addiction has become so common it’s threatening to overtake heroin and methamphetamine. That’s a big problem.

Don’t for a minute think that because a doctor prescribed a pill, you cannot become addicted to it. You can. And those drugs are no less dangerous than street drugs. If someone you know is taking prescription drugs, make sure you do something about it. Unlike this pharmacist, not everyone gets a second chance. The longer you leave it, the harder it will be. Get them into drug rehab.

I recently heard about a fellow who has been in and out of drug detox, jail and halfway houses for 10 years. He started drinking and smoking pot at age 11, doing cocaine at 17, heroin at 18. During all those years, the longest detox program he did lasted about a week. What’s behind his story? Truthfully, until he gets into a drug rehab program, he’ll probably never know.

Going through detox after detox is not uncommon. Some people think that if they can just make it through withdrawal, they’ll have it beat. But that’s not all it takes. You need full drug rehab to get down to the bottom of things and get healthy.

The fellow above is now an older guy, still in a halfway house, and attending meetings three times a day to try to stay straight. That may be better than the life he had before, but it’s not a life. You can’t work, can’t have a career, can’t take care of a family. His whole life revolves around those meetings.

Don’t let this happen to someone you care about. If you know someone who has a
drug or alcohol problem, get them into drug rehab now.

Unfortunately, some people believe drug addicts and alcoholics when they say they’re going to quit. I’ve seen this go on for years. One broken promise after another. But the truth is, it’s very, very hard to quit drinking, and very hard to stop taking drugs. Don’t count on someone getting themselves into an alcohol or drug rehab on their own steam.

There are two factors at play. The first is withdrawal. For many drugs, and for alcohol, withdrawal can be excruciatingly painful. And anyone who’s been drinking or taking drugs heavily for a while has probably already gotten a taste of that when they’ve gone too long between doses or drinks. If they haven’t had it happen to them, they’ve heard about it. Someone on alcohol, for example, can start shaking and vomiting, get severe headaches and sweat profusely. That can move onto the DTs, panic attacks and seizures. Opiates have similar withdrawal symptoms, as well extreme muscle and bone pain. No one wants to go through that.

The second factor is addiction. Withdrawal symptoms are a result of physical dependency, but what about the rest of it? That person is using drugs or alcohol to cope with something – they need to find out what it is and address it before you can depend on them staying clean.

If you’re counting on someone you love quitting on their own, and they refuse drug rehab, get an interventionist to help. And get someone who really understands drugs and addiction and knows what your loved one is going through.

It’s no secret that drugs and alcohol ruin lives – for both the addicts and the people who love them. It’s not going to get better unless you do something about it. So, take matters into your own hands and get some help. Getting addicts and alcoholics into a successful drug rehab program is the best thing you can do for them.