AHS Views

The Governor of Nevada requested a report on what to do about Nevada’s methamphetamine problems. The task force was headed by Nevada’s attorney general Catherine Cortez Masto. The report talks about combating the meth problem on four fronts: law enforcement, legislation, treatment and education/prevention. This four-pronged approach sounds just like the addiction help the state needs.

Nevada leads the nation in meth users, so this report and the execution of its recommendations are vital for the future of the state and the people who live there. How to deal with the problems that meth abuse presents are detailed in the report. Some of the problems mentioned include children of meth abusers and the amount of violent crime result from drug abuse.

It also emphasizes the need for more people to work in the addiction help industry – an industry with very high turnover.

Addiction help counselors currently make around $30,000 a year and the turnover at addiction treatment facilities runs at about 25% per year. Older workers are leaving the industry and, because of low pay and poor working conditions, new people aren’t coming on board to work with addicts.

Education and prevention will play a big role: It will be the most important element.  Teaching children early and often about the dangers of drug abuse should be on every state’s agenda, as will ensuring parents understand the problems drug and alcohol abuse present.

The Governor and the state are trying to tackle this problem head on, and we wish them well. If you, a family member or a friend need any help in Nevada because of drug addiction call us at Addiction Help Services.

Jockey Patrick Valenzuela has had a conditional license for the past several years due to substance abuse problems. On Friday he had his conditional license revoked by the California Horse Racing Board after being stopped and arrested for a DUI in Upland, California. It’s time for him to get the addiction help he needs.

During his stellar career - 3968 wins, including the 1989 Kentucky Derby aboard Sunday Silence - Mr. Valenzuela has had 10 interruptions due to drug or alcohol problems. He’s only 45 years old, and he has not been able to get his drug or alcohol abuse under control. He does need to finally make a change and get himself into a successful drug rehab program.
 
Mr. Valenzuela is not alone when it comes to substance abuse problems - nearly 20% of Americans over the age of 26 binge drink at least monthly, and millions of Americans use prescription drugs for reasons other than a medical condition.

It is also not a surprise that Mr. Valenzuela has not received the addiction help he needs to over come his dependence on drugs or alcohol. The same can be said of the majority of those who need treatment.

Tom Knust, Mr. Valenzuela’s agent said he was shocked by the news. He also said he wouldn’t represent him any longer.

The help Mr. Valenzuela  needs is available to him. I hope he gets it so he can end his drug and alcohol addiction issues.

Addiction Help Services can find you, a family member or a friend the treatment that you need.

Pennsylvania has a small population of drug users that can use addiction help. We are not talking about prescription drugs such as OxyContin, Xanax or Vicodin. We’re not even talking about the common illegal drugs. We’re talking about toad licking. And anyone who would go to those extremes to get high needs addiction help.

That’s right - toad licking. And it’s back in the news. Bill Graff, the Drug Czar of York County, Pennsylvania thought it was a joke. So did Diane Weaver of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Commission’s External Affairs Department and Dan Tredinnick, the press secretary for the Pennsylvania State Fish and Boat Commission.

All three laughed out loud about the prospect of toad licking as a way to get high and knew nothing about the arrest of the 21-year-old Colorado man in November of this year.

Toad licking will probably not make the news that often and certainly there are easier ways to abuse drugs. The venom from the toad could kill a dog, cause paralysis and all the while you can hallucinate. If you have it as a pet I suppose you could keep it out of harm’s way but still it could be dangerous.

Some people might make the case that hallucinogens such as these are more natural and thus they are safe. It would seem that a toad that has a self defense mechanism such as this is not safe as either a pet or a way to get high.

At Addiction Help Services we don’t believe that getting high is safe. And whether a hallucinogenic substance comes from a lab, toads, or is grown in the ground, it should not be used..

If you, a family member or a friend are using drugs, or toads, to get high we would like to get you the help you need at a successful drug treatment center. While the use of toads may seem funny, the abuse of drugs in any form is not. Addiction help services are available and we can help you find them.

Addiction help is needed by tens of thousands of people who are addicted to or dependent on prescription drugs. Those drugs certainly include OxyContin, Vicodin, Percocet and Lortab, to name a few. But as prescriptions run out and Afghanistan produces more heroin, how many people with prescription drug addiction and dependency will turn to heroin instead of getting the addiction help they need.

In a recent article, Mohammad Reza Jahani, the deputy head of Iran’s Drug control Headquarters estimates that Afghanistan’s opium fields will produce 8,200 tons of narcotics in 2007 - up from 6,100 tons during 2006. His worry is that 2,500 hundred tons will end up in Iran. He says that 700 tons will stay in Iran for use by Iranians and that 1300 will be transported elsewhere.

Some 500 tons will be found and confiscated and the drug dealers will probably face some harsh penalties.

The concern that I have is that as heroin production increases, it has to be sold somewhere. And, more than likely, that is going to be in the U.S.

As the DEA becomes more aggressive in dealing with doctors and distributors of prescription drugs, addicts will be left out in the cold trying to support their addiction with expensive prescription drugs. They will either get the addiction help they need, or they will find alternatives. And some prescription drug addicts have already discovered that heroin is far less expensive and easier to get.

In other reports some experts have estimated Afghanistan’s heroin production at twice the amount necessary to supply the world’s heroin use. My question would be what do the opium farmers and producers see that would cause them to lower the price and produce twice as much?

It could be the weather, better farming or higher yield from their crops, or it could be that someone sees that more people are addicted to opiates then ever before and there’s no one else to supply this growing market.

As we move forward into 2008 and beyond, my hope is that people are addicted to prescription painkillers and anti-anxiety drugs get the addiction help they need.
Addiction Help Services can put you, your family or friends in touch with a successful drug rehab program.

Here’s a one-question quiz about a college football coach who isn’t afraid of drug testing and dealing with addiction: Which football coach in America embraced the university’s concern about their image and allowed drug testing to be quadrupled? The answer is Jim Tressel - the head football coach at Ohio State. Not only has Tressel put the Buckeyes on the map, the team will probably have less trouble with drugs and less need for addiction help than many others.

E. Gordon Gee is the President of Ohio State, Gene Smith is the athletic director and  Jim Tressel is the head football coach and his team is about to play in their second National Championship game in two years.

Mr. Gee thinks Jim Tressel is a good influence on his players, and I would agree. Mr. Smith was concerned about Ohio State’s image when he arrived at the school and wanted to introduce more drug testing for the football team. Instead of fighting it, Coach Tressel embraced it and the testing was increased by four times. The grade point average for the team is 3.0 and they have had very few off the field problems with their players. Coach Tressel has the respect of the community and his players, and he deserves it.

Far too often you see people fighting drug testing, most notably Don Fehr, head of the players union for baseball.

But it sounds like Coach Tressel is interested in his team doing well, and he wants them drug and alcohol free.

Coach Tressel seems to understand the devastation that can be caused by alcohol and drug addiction. So instead of fighting increased drug testing, he got right behind it. Since then grades have also improved, and you rarely see Ohio State football players involved in a scandal.

If you or a family member needs addiction help you can call Addiction Help Services 24 hours a day and we will point you to a successful drug rehab program.

“We know alcohol and drug abuse is high nationwide, Utah’s numbers are high and Granite District matches both of those numbers” says Martin Bates, interim assistant superintendent of Granite School District’s program services. Granite just received a $1.2 million grant to educate athletes about drug abuse, and to test them. Those who test positive for drugs will be disciplined, but those who are open about their problem will get the addiction help services they need.

The need to succeed in sports is driven by a variety of factors; one of the roads to apparent success is the use of prescription drugs. The prescription drugs used to enhance performance may include painkillers, stimulants and, of course, steroids.

Prescription painkillers and stimulants are used recreationally by students and athletes as well. These same people may be binge drinking for fun or using a variety of other drugs such as meth or MDMA.

No matter what drug is being used, including alcohol, it’s about time for parents to demand drug free sports so their children aren’t faced with addiction treatment issues as they grow older.

Coaches and athletic directors should be responsible for their programs and if the programs aren’t drug and alcohol free, perhaps they should get fired for not adhering to strict drug free disciplines.

The noise from the major league baseball investigation should be a wake up call to the high school coaches in Utah and the rest of America; Winning at any cost is not acceptable.

Drug free programs should be demanded by parents or more addiction help will be needed.

If student athletes are playing through pain with the use of painkillers or gaining any advantage with the use of prescription stimulants, with or without a prescription, aren’t you really putting their lives at risk? Shouldn’t team members be taught that winning under these conditions is unacceptable?

Addiction Help Services can help you with any dependency problems that you or a family member may have. Demand drug free sports in America, and take away the trophies of those who try to gain an edge or turn a blind eye to alcohol or drug abuse.

The addiction help needed by methadone users is coming too late. According to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4,000 people died from methadone overdoses during 2004. And that’s just methadone, how many more deaths are caused by prescription painkillers such as Oxycontin, Vicodin or Lortab? Whatever the number, for every person who dies, there are 10s of thousands who need addiction help.

The number of people addicted to prescription painkillers has risen in the past years at an alarming rate, and the number of new users is also going up rapidly.

The methadone deaths in 2004 rose by over 400 percent from previous years. With the growing trend towards prescription painkiller addiction and abuse, you can bet the death-toll for 2007 will be astounding.

“Most of the drug deaths that we have had lately are methadone related,” said Dennis Kwiatkowski, coroner for Cambria County in Pennsylvania. “For most of them …it’s coming from a prescription.”

Kwiatkowski also said methadone has become the illegal drug of choice on the street – I would tend to disagree with that as there are hundreds of news reports from across the country about Vicodin being used non-medically by more than one in 10 ten high school seniors. It’s hard to believe the methadone statistics are even higher.

Prescription drugs of all kinds will continue to cause deaths as long as there are criminal doctors prescribing them for large amounts of money, and distributors and manufacturers are given an open field for sales.

Addiction help is available for methadone users who would like to end their drug addiction. Call Addiction Help Services for yourself, a family member or friend to find out how you can get help.

Andy Reid and his wife have granted an interview to Philadelphia Magazine regarding their sons’ drug problems. Reid says the situation with his sons is not uncommon, and he wants to ensure other parents realize this could happen to anyone. He wants to see others get the addiction help they need and he’s hoping telling their story will do that.

According to a recent article Reid spent 6 weeks in counseling with his eldest son but, obviously, it didn’t work. Why?

One of the basic mistakes made by those looking for addiction help for themselves or family members is choosing a relatively short-term treatment program. With some, they work; with others, they don’t. Statistics show that the longer the treatment program, the more chance there is of it being successful.

Why should the program be long-term? Well, let’s have a look at it. Although a whopping 22 million people in America apparently need alcohol or drug addiction help, that’s still less than 10 percent of the population. Do you think the other 90% have never been exposed to alcohol or to addictive drugs?

So, why does one person get addicted when another, who may have had the same experiences, does not?

That’s the question that has to be answered for each individual who goes into a drug rehab program to get addiction help. And once it’s answered, you have to ensure that those issues are either not going to rear their ugly heads when the person leaves rehab or that the person is fully capable of dealing with those issues with turning to drugs.

If you’re looking for addiction help services, make sure you choose a program that will fully address the issues for that particular individual.

Getting the addiction help you need is still necessary – even though you’re on prescription drugs now, not cocaine or heroin 

Your broker or money manger may be addicted to drugs, or at least crazy enough to use them. Addiction help is going to be needed by a few rich and successful wall streeters -  if you don’t believe it, read on.

On Wall Street, if you want to control your emotions you can use OxyContin or Vicodin - which people believe will numb their emotions. I would guess wall streeters would need that so the pressure of their investments doesn’t make them throw up.

If you want to concentrate better and get an edge, you can use Ritalin or Adderall.

More than likely, OxyContin, Vicodin, Ritalin and Adderal have replaced cocaine and heroin as drugs of abuse, although they are basically the same thing.

And let’s not leave out Xanax or Valium - which may make it unnecessary to worry about anything at all.

The great thing about all of these drug is they are legal – all you need is a prescription.

Statistics about drug addiction or abuse are not available for the investment community but, having been involved in that community myself, I suspect it would be worse on Wall Street than in the general population. Is certainly wouldn’t be any better.

Years ago, cocaine and heroin abuse was widespread on Wall Street. And drugs are much easier to get now because they’re legal.

Most of the population believes these drugs to be safe because of the campaigns run by drug companies. And doctors are willing to just dole out prescriptions for any minor pain or emotional upset.

On Wall Street an emotional upset could include any financial loss for the day or any deal gone bad that you no longer have control over. The stress of making money and doing large deals can lead you straight to alcohol or prescription drug addiction.
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The investment banks and mutual fund companies will all find their problems are no different than with doctors, lawyers and other professions. Addiction help is available and should be used.

The idea of performance enhancing drugs on Wall Street is certainly different than sports but, nevertheless, that is what people probably believe - they perform better while numb and on speed.

Addiction Help Services has the resources to help you find the most successful drug rehab program for your situation, and a drug detox if necessary.

Here’s the latest stats from Florida – in the first six months of the year 470 people were killed by cocaine, heroin and methamphetamines, and 1,324 were killed by prescriptions painkillers and tranquilizers. This is one state that is in serious need of addiction help services.

Which prescription drugs are killing all these people? Methadone, 392; benzodiazepines, e.g. Valium and Xanax, 353; oxycodone, i.e. OxyContin, 323; hydrocodone, e.g. Vicodin and Lortab, 134; morphine, 122.

I would bet that every single person in Florida who reads these statistics knows at least one person who is on one of these prescription drugs.

The article in which this info was published quoted the clinical director of a Miami Hospital’s substance abuse program as attributing the rise in prescription drug addiction and abuse to advertising. He compared them to McDonald’s hamburgers.

I can see the marqui now - OVER TEN BILLION SOLD!!! – not funny, I know.  But, believe me, Big Pharma is laughing all the way to the bank.

Take a stand. Get some addiction help.