AHS Views

I don’t quite understand why more research had to be done on this, but a new study confirms that kids who drink alcohol before the age of 15 are 50% more likely to become dependant on alcohol later in life. The researchers concluded that this adds to the body of research that proves we should focus on preventing kids from drinking if we want to do something to reduce the number of adults and older kids needing alcohol addiction help.

Okay, so let me see … what did we know before this study was done?

1.  Drinking under 21 years of age is illegal. There’s got to be some reason for that. Is it possible that we already knew alcohol and youth don’t mix?

2.  Drinking is an escape. If a kid is already using alcohol to escape and solve life’s problems at age 15, you can pretty much bet he or she is not coping with life very well and it’s logical that they’re like to continue using the same solution as they get older. Especially in light of the fact that alcohol destroys a lot of your brain power - one night of binging (i.e. five drinks at a sitting) impairs abstract thinking for a month. How is someone who’s ability to think and reason has been impaired going to figure out how to solve the problems they’re trying to cope with? If he or she gets addiction help early enough, perhaps their thought process can be improved.

3.  Kids growing up in an environment where alcohol is acceptable and readily available - either in their home or with their friends - are not likely to change environments. In fact, as they get older and go to college they’re going to be right in the thick of it.

Aren’t these factors enough to convince someone that the money being spent on this kind of research would be better spent actually doing something about the problem? You’d think so.

If you’re looking for a way to do something about the problem alcohol is causing in your life, call Addiction Help Services. They’ll help you find more than research. 

Wow. The police were called to a home where a 14-year-old boy had died after having taken prescription drugs that belonged to his mother and another person who lived there. The place was apparently one of the filthiest the police had ever seen (they called Child and Family Services), and there was a long list of prescription drugs, including methadone, Vicodin, alprazolam (an anti-anxiety drug), and several others on the premises.  The kid might be alive today if the others in the household had gotten addiction help earlier.

Amazingly enough, the death was ruled accidental and no charges whatsoever were filed on the mother. Unbelievable. The County Prosecutor said the kid was old enough to know what he was doing and his mother was not responsible for it. Excuse me?!

In this day and age, anyone who doesn’t keep their drugs locked up has to be held at least somewhat responsible for what happens when someone else gets their hands on them.

And where does the prosecutor get the idea that a 14-year-old is mature enough to not be tempted by those drugs? Especially when the kid lives in an environment that’s so filthy the police call Child and Family Services. The kid’s got to be negatively affected by that.

And he’s not alone. There are kids living like that all over the country. And some will meet the same fate. If you know of someone living in similar conditions, take it upon to yourself to get the parents to get addiction help services, no matter what you have to do. You could save the life of a child.

The District Attorney and police are somewhat alarmed by the increased in heroin trafficking in Vermont, but say prescription drug addiction and cocaine are still their biggest problems. What they may not realize is that if they don’t get prescription drug addicts the addiction help they need, their heroin problem is likely to continue.

Why? Because people with a prescription drug addiction problem - specifically addiction to OxyContin and other opiate painkillers - eventually have trouble getting the drugs. They no longer have or can get a prescription without resorting to going from one doctor to another pretending they’re in pain, holding up pharmacy employees or finding drug dealers who sell OxyContin on the street for exhorbitant amounts.

So, they turn to heroin. It’s more readily available and it’s cheaper. And it’s the same drug. OxyContin is legal heroin.

So, while they may not know why, they’re doing the right thing by focusing on prescription drug addiction. Especially if they’re doing something to get prescription drug addicts the addiction help services they need.

If you or someone you care about is having a problem with prescription drug addiction, make sure you take responsibility for getting them those addiction help services. Don’t wait for the law to solve the problem.

According to a new study, people who smoke cigarettes are 16 times more likely to drink alcohol in ways that cause trouble than non-smokers. And they’re five times more likely to need alcohol addiction help.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise - people who are really concerned about their health and, consequently, don’t smoke cigarettes, are also less likely to be willing to put other poisons in their body - like drugs and alcohol.

The drinking statistics in bars have gone down since smoking was banned in some states - especially among heavy drinkers. Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re drinking less, maybe they just left the bar so they could continue drinking elsewhere - somewhere where they can smoke.

In any case, taking up smoking can be a sign that the person who does so is also willing to go a little further. Parents should watch out for this and educate their kids on smoking. But, since smoking and drinking alcohol often go hand in hand, they should also check into the possibility that their kids are drinking or taking drugs of some sort and get them addiction help services right away.

Your unused medication may be causing illness, and worse, for yourself and others. The drugs could be taken by mistake when they’re no longer needed or prescription painkillers, tranquiliers, sedatives and stimulants can be taken from the medicine cabinet by others in the family and could lead to them needing addiction help.

The White House guidelines on prescription drug disposal getting rid of old medications might offer some protection - they recommend the drugs be surrounded with coffee grains or something that will disguise them in the trash, or that they’re just flushed down the toilet.

Unfortunately, when you follow those guidelines, the drugs end up in our water supply. In fact, medications have been found in the water supplies of 41 million Americans. True, the amounts are small but, it’s still a major concern. How much harm can be caused by the accumulation of these drugs in our system. And can this get someone started on their way to addiction?

If you’d like to get rid of your medication safely, check with your local pharmacist to find out if there are drug disposal facilities available. And if you suspect that someone in your family may have gotten into your stash and might now be dealing with prescription drug addiction or abuse, contact Addiction Help Services to find out what steps you should take next.

A new group is forming to help Utah residents with prescription drug problems. The group is headed up by Kye Nordfelt, of Utah’s Division of Substance Abuse and, so far, includes about 25 people - everyone from PTA members to health care workers and police. They all want to provide addiction help.  

One of the biggest problems in Utah’s battle with prescription drug addiction, according to local experts, is the reluctance of people who live there to admit they have a problem. This may have something to do with the tenets of the Mormon religion, dominant in Utah, which are very strictly against drug addiction or abuse of any kind. It’s possible that people who do have a problem would try to hide it, even from themselves, rather than face the truth so they can get the addiction help they need.

It’s going to take at least 25 people to really make a dent in the problem. 

You can also contact Addiction Help Services. We will help anyone figure out whether or not they have a problem and what to do about it. We will also help you find treatment centers or any other addiction help services you need.

When there’s a problem with a drug, it’s up to the public and doctors to report it so they FDA can pull the drug off the market or issue warnings to the public about it. However, even though one in six Americans experienced a drug side effect serious enough to send them to their doctor or a hospital, only about one in three even knew they could report these effects to the FDA. How is the FDA to know there’s a problem with a drug if they’re not told? And how many people will wind up needing addiction help simply because others who became addicted did not report it?

The same research found that only 7% of those who had an adverse effect would report it to the FDA, and 79% said they would tell their doctor. But their doctor won’t necessarily report it to the FDA either. In fact, of the nearly half million adverse events reported in 2004, only a little over 20,000 were reported by doctors or patients.

Prescription drug addiction is just one of the many adverse effects one can experience from a drug, and addiction help services can get people off the drugs, but if more people were to report things directly to the FDA, it’s possible something would be done about these drugs before they affect so many people.

If you’re having a problem with prescription drugs, report it to the FDA directly. If the problem is prescription drug addiction, get in touch with someone who can refer you to the right addiction help services for your situation. 

While it’s unlikely that many drug addicts will show up, the fourth annual Art of Recovery Expo in Phoenix, Arizona, will, I hope, attract the loved ones of people who need addiction help.

The expo includes information on several different drugs and how to get off them. Drug intervention will also be a focus, which may be needed by anyone who’s been trying without success to get their son, daughter, wife, husband or other family member or friend to stop taking drugs, or drinking.

The expo will not focus on any specific alcohol or drug addiction treatment method, but if someone needs help, there are plenty of addiction help services available, including intervention. Whether you make it to the expo or not, you should check out these services so you can rid yourself of the problem right now. And perhaps save the life of someone you care about.

Williams Lake, a city in British Columbia, Canada, is taking some unusual steps to help handle alcohol addiction and abuse problems. The city council has been asking Interior Health, the government department responsible for the health of the entire province, for addiction help and not getting it. Last year there were over 1200 reported cases of public intoxication and 800 arrests. The population is only 12,000 - so that’s  a lot of arrests.

The police, specifically the RCMP, have decided to bill Interior Health for every related expense until Interior Health coughs up some help in one form or another. Williams Lake would like a detox center but, since they’ve made it clear they want effective addiction help, they should really get a full blown drug rehab center, not just drug detox.

The local mayor says these incidents of alcohol addiction and abuse are costing the city $150,000/year. I think he may have left a few expenses out. That’s only $125 per person found intoxicated. And with 800 arrests, you can be sure it’s costing more than $125. 

In any case, Williams Lake is a small (but extremely beautiful) town and $150,000 could be put to better use.

I don’t know if Interior Health will pay those bills, but this should certainly call attention to the fact that the city needs help and put a little pressure on the powers that be. In the meantime, someone needing addiction help should contact Addiction Help Services to help them find a facility that’s right for their situation.

It looks like the University of Maryland is jumping on the bandwagon of colleges taking a proactive approach at getting rid of prescription drug abuse among college students. We need way more of this - or we’re going to need way more addiction help on the campus. Or kids kids kicked out of school.

University of Maryland conducted a study recently of 1,200 freshman about prescription drugs. There seems to be two camps - those who think prescription drugs are like taking illegal drugs, everything from marijuana to cocaine. The other camp is those who think they’re safe because they come from a doctor.

The study also found the highest prescription drug abuse was among those who belong to fraternities and those not doing well in their studies.

Fraternities used to pride themselves on their members being high achievers. I’m sure they wouldn’t be too pleased to find their drug taking has reduced their status.

The university of Maryland is planning to do more to prevent prescription drug abuse. But parents should also find out more about addiction help services. Otherwise, the years in school could be a complete waste, or worse.