AHS Views

Which is the bigger problem – prescription painkiller addiction or being in pain? This point is being argued in a recent article which reads like a ploy to get more people to take addictive and dangerous prescription drugs. However, the recommendations are coming mainly from doctors, not from those with experience in drug addiction help.

Even so, the author doesn’t even attempt to deny that addiction to prescription painkillers is a growing problem. And according to the most recent studies from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the problem is getting worse.

I’m not saying there aren’t some cases where a person needs prescriptions painkillers; after major injury or surgery, for example. But prescription drug addiction has reached almost epidemic proportions. And those who aren’t lucky enough to get into drug addiction treatment are resorting to doctor shopping, stealing from pharmacies, finding dealers on the street and all kinds of other criminal activities.

If the article had been written by someone who had witnessed hundreds of people trying to get off these drugs, the viewpoint would have been different. Living in severe pain isn’t good for anyone, but make sure you check out all your options with both traditional and alternative medicine before you use addictive drugs as a solution. And if you’re already taking prescription painkillers and would like to get off them and explore other options, contact someone who can get you the drug addiction help you need.

According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, teens who smoke cigarettes are nine times more likely to develop a drug addiction than those who don’t smoke. If you don’t discourage kids from smoking cigarettes now, you may be looking for drug addiction help later.

According to the study, nicotine causes changes in brain development, making teenagers more vulnerable to addiction to alcohol, marijuana, cocaine and other drugs. The study also found that smokers are three times more likely to binge drink, 15 times more likely to smoke marijuana and seven times more likely to use drugs like heroin and cocaine.

I’m a former smoker - started smoking cigarettes at age 13 and less than a year later was smoking marijuana. I can’t say that one had anything to do with the other, but the same thing happened to many of my friends. And most of us moved onto harder drugs later in life.

I don’t know what the relationship is between smoking and drugs – it’s possibly that smoking cigarettes opens a door to addiction. After all, almost any smoker who has tried to quit knows that it certainly acts as an addiction, and can even cause withdrawal symptoms.

One more reason to discourage smoking, and one more hint on how to avoid needing drug addiction treatment down the road.

The state of North Carolina is currently investigating 16 methadone-related deaths that occurred in a handful of clinics across the state. According to the Charlotte Observer, the victims went to the clinics for drug addiction help and, instead, lost their lives.

Unfortunately, the 16 deaths being investigated are just the tip of the iceberg: 245 people in North Carolina died from methadone poisoning last year.

If you or someone you care about is looking for addiction help, treatment that gets you addicted to another drug shouldn’t be an option. Personally, I’ve never met anyone who needs to become addicted to methadone or any other replacement drug to handle their heroin addiction. Don’t fall for it. If someone you know isn’t getting the drug addiction help they need, it’s not because they need another drug to replace it, it’s because they haven’t gotten the drug detox and drug rehab that’s right for their situation.

Why people choose this route despite the fact that it doesn’t get people off drugs is beyond me. I know some have been led to believe that heroin addiction, for example, is difficult to overcome but, in reality, it’s not if you have the help you need. I know, I’ve done it.

There are many different options in drug treatment. Your best bet is to contact an experienced drug rehab counselor who can help you find the right addiction help treatment right for your situation.

When it comes right down to it, you’re the only one who’s going to educate your kids on drugs and alcohol and ensure that your kids, family members and others you care about get the drug addiction help they need. And the first thing you have to do is recognize that there is a problem.

An article today about the Kentucky forum on drug abuse, entitled “Not My Child! (Are You Sure?),” featured Pennyrile Narcotics Task Force Director Cheyenne Albro. Winning the war on drugs requires success in three areas, says Albro, enforcement, education and treatment. Law enforcement, while active, is obviously not solving the problem. So, if your kid is in trouble, it’s up to you. “Drug abuse is a devastating disease. It’s got a death grip on our nation. The cure for that disease is you, the public,” said Albro.

‘Not My Child! (Are You Sure?)’ is probably what almost every parent thinks when they hear their kid is doing drugs. It may be just as shocking to you – but, nevertheless, if that’s what’s going on, you need to know about it. And you need to do something about it fast. Drugs ruin lives, and sometimes they end them. Don’t let it happen to someone you love. Contact a drug rehab counselor and get the addiction help treatment you need.

Getting someone who needs help with alcohol or drug addiction can be difficult. In fact, 95% of alcohol and drug treatment candidates think they don’t have a problem. But, they do. They have a problem with alcohol or drugs, and they have the problems that got them into alcohol or drugs in the first place. And the only way to resolve those problems is through a successful alcohol and drug rehab program.

But how do you convince them of that fact? Sometimes the addict is afraid the person will think less of them if they discuss it, sometimes they think the person couldn’t possibly understand what they’re going through, and sometimes the relationship between the addict and the person trying to convince them to get help is not that great.

That’s when you need outside help – someone who understands what the addict is going through, has worked with hundreds or thousands of alcoholics or drug addicts in the past, and can convince them to get into alcohol or drug rehab.

If you need help getting someone into treatment, call a drug rehab program counselor. They’ll help you determine if an interventionist is needed, and will also help you find the right treatment program.

Many people go in and out of drug rehab over and over again. They go through rehab, relapse, rehab, relapse, and on and on. Why? There are thousands of rehab centers available, they have different philosophies and treatment methods and the results, obviously, can vary. How are you supposed to know beforehand whether a drug rehab program will suit your situation and actually work?

For the layman, it’s hard to know. But a drug rehab specialist who has helped thousands of addicts and is familiar with the various types of rehab can assess the situation and determine which type of program would be best.

No matter which program is used, success is determined by the rehab program’s ability to get down to the bottom of the problem that caused the person to become addicted in the first place. It also has to give the person the tools they need to stay drug free once they leave.

Each person’s needs are different. If you want to stop the revolving door of rehab, get a drug rehab counselor to help you find the program that’s right for you.

One of the problems with drug addiction and abuse is that the person often has to resort to criminal activity to support the habit. This can be a disaster for addicts as it’s almost as easy to get drugs in jail as it is in the streets – yet another reason to get addicts into drug rehab fast.

I read an article today about a teen who’d become addicted to prescription painkillers after being prescribed them by his doctor. He’d been on them quite a while – he’d had three surgeries – but, unfortunately, it doesn’t have to take long to get addicted to things like OxyContin. Some people get addicted in a week or two.

He got involved in dealing the drugs – working under bigger dealers – just to support his own habit, not to make money, and then couldn’t quit. The dealers told him that if he quit dealing, they’d hurt his mother.

That’s the kind of thing you’re up against if you let someone who’s addicted to drugs stay that way. If someone you care about is addicted to drugs, get in touch with a drug rehab program counselor who can help you find treatment.

Drinking alcohol early in life can lead a lot of alcohol-related problems, and set your kids up for future alcohol abuse and need for alcohol rehab.

It’s not unusual for the kids of parents who drink to ask for a sip, and giving it to them may seem harmless. But researchers from the University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health studied about 4,000 sixth to eight graders in the Chicago area and found that among the 12-year-olds who had tried alcohol, a few said they stole it from the family liquor cabinet, 2.4 percent said they got it in a store, and one third said their parents had given them their first drink. Those parents are setting their kids up for alcohol abuse or addiction and the need for alcohol rehab.

As children get older, their alcohol intake increases: 17 percent of sixth graders have tried it, but by eighth grade the percentage nearly triples. This is exactly what most parents hope to prevent – when their kids are offered alcohol, parents hope they’ll just say no.

If your children want to try alcohol at an early age, it’s time to start educating them on the dangers of alcohol. Parents who are drinkers themselves may have a little trouble with this – kids are notorious for doing as you do, not as you say. Educate them early, and you could prevent the need for an alcohol rehab program in the future.

I saw an article today entitled Rehab Centers Take Issue with Media’s Portrayal of Revolving Door Celebrities. While it’s true that relapse gets more attention that success, the fact is that many rehab facilities are a revolving door – which is why “relapse is part of recovery” is believed by so many. But, it doesn’t have to be like that. There is such a thing as a successful drug rehab program and, if you’re looking for a rehab that works, a drug rehab program counselor can help you find one.

Why do people relapse? Because all of the components needed to make rehab successful are not part of every drug rehab program. For example, many rehab programs last 30 days or less. Drug addicts have often been using drugs for years and, chances are, the reasons they began using drugs probably started years before that. How can you sort all that out in 28 days? It’s just not enough – especially when they first have to go through withdrawal.

If you’re looking for a good drug rehab program, choose one that will keep the person until they are really rehabilitated. They have to have a real desire to be off drugs. In fact, the desire to not take drugs has to be stronger than the desire that drove their addiction. When you consider that addicts will do just about anything to get their next hit, that’s saying a lot.

Nevertheless, once the person is back out in the world, that’s exactly what it will take to prevent relapse. And the chances of a person getting to that point in 21 days are pretty slim.

If you’re looking for a rehab program that really works, don’t settle for something second best. It may seem easier, faster or even less costly, but none of that will do you any good if there’s a relapse. Not only does the risk continue, you’ll have to pay for rehab over and over again. Contact a drug rehab program counselor who can help you find something that really works.

Although it’s usually parents who are looking for alcohol or drug rehab for their kids, sometimes the tables are turned – singer and actor Mario’s mother had a heroin addiction most of Mario’s life. He’s now produced a documentary about it called I Won’t Love You to Death: The Story of Mario and His Mom. She has been clean now for 3 ½ months - Mario says they’ve been the best in his life - thanks to Mario, family friends, an interventionist and drug rehab.

I’ve known a lot of people who’ve grown up with parents who are addicted to drugs or alcohol. It’s a very hard life for both the parents and the kids.

I Won’t Love You to Death is a very appropriate title. Parents who are tolerant about their kids taking drugs or drinking, and kids who tolerate the same thing in their parents, really are in a life and death situation. Sometimes we think that being loving and tolerant will make the problem go away. But, it won’t. The number of alcoholics or drug addicts who recover on their own can be counted on one hand. Drug rehab is what they need.

A good drug rehab program counselor can help you with intervention, and make sure the person you care about gets into a drug rehab program that’s right for them. Don’t wait. Don’t love them to death.