AHS Views

An investigation in New Jersey is evaluating what causes young people to move from one drug to another – specifically, the relationship between prescription drugs and heroin. The investigation was motivated in part by a rise in both heroin and prescription drug deaths in the area. They’re hoping their findings will prevent these deaths and also help motivate people to get addiction help before they really get into trouble.

What they found is that young people often get their start getting drugs from their parents – OxyContin, Percoset and Xanax are among the major problems. Parents have them in their medicine cabinets. One in five young people experiment with those drugs, and then they want more.

Most young people are not going to have easy access to those pills in the medicine cabinet forever. Their parents sometimes find out they’re using them, or they’ve been taking so many they’re afraid their parents will find out, or their parents may have been taking OxyContin or Percoset for an injury or after surgery, and don’t need them anymore so they’re no longer filling prescriptions.

For the kid, the source dries up. But he or she still wants them, or, by this time, may even be at the point of needing some form of addiction help services. In either case, they go looking elsewhere for the same effect they got from the drugs in the medicine cabinet.

They may go to a doctor themselves and fake symptoms to get their own prescription. They could go to one of the many so-called ‘pain management clinics’ that are basically unethical pill mills just out to make money Or they may turn to drug dealers on the street. Prescription painkillers like OxyContin are readily available – their abuse is now epidemic and the street pushers are really taking advantage of it.

But those prescription pills, when bought on the street rather than being covered by some medical plan, can also cost as much as $80 each – not particularly affordable for a young person. At this point, they often turn to heroin.

Heroin used to be expensive. It’s not anymore. You can get a hit for $5. They might start off using one hit every few days, then go to one a day, then to two or three a day. The more they take, the more they need to get the same effect as the first time they took it. But, even when things have escalated to two or three hits a day, they’re still only spending about as much in a week for heroin as it would have cost them for one pill if they’d stuck with OxyContin. It’s not a small amount of money, but it’s definitely more attainable than $80 per pill.

Some kids will also turn to drug dealing or other crimes to make the money they need for the drugs. Now they’re not just an addict, they’re also a criminal.

Almost always, they have little education on OxyContin or other prescription drugs, or heroin. They often think OxyContin is safe because doctors prescribe it – if only they knew how many people are suffering from OxyContin addiction, even those who have had it prescribed by their doctor – and chances are they’re not educated on heroin at all.

Even those who are knowledgeable about these drugs get addicted, and some overdose and die.

Obviously, one of the major actions that should be taken by parents to avoid this situation is to either not have any prescription medications in their home or to have them hidden and under lock and key so their kids won’t be tempted to take them.

After all – the pills are making you feel better. Kids want to feel better, too. Young people are not as problem-free as you might think or hope. Their problems are different than ours, but they are real nevertheless.

Remember – the above investigation was motivated by deaths, for both prescription drugs and heroin. If that’s not a chance you want to take, get your pills locked up. And if you think your kids are taking prescription drugs, it’s important to get them into drug rehab fast – before it becomes a disaster. They might not die, but they could definitely ruin their lives, and yours.

It’s hard for someone who doesn’t have an alcohol problem to figure out why some who obviously does have a problem won’t even admit they need addiction help – let alone actually get it.

But surprisingly enough, that is very, very common. In fact, statistics show that less that 8% of alcoholics actually believe they need help. And even fewer – 1.2% – believe they would get anything out of it.

What I have observed with alcoholics is a sense of hopelessness. And I think that sense of hopelessness carries through to their viewpoint about treatment.

Those same statistics, by the way, say there are nearly 7.4 million people in America who are abusing alcohol and need help.

The director of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, (SAMHSA), which put together these statistics, “Individuals, friends, and family members clearly need help and support in confronting and doing something about the problem. Without help, alcoholism can be fatal.”

Well, I’d say that’s definitely the case. Often it takes an intervention to get someone who’s taking drugs or alcohol to admit they need help and agree to get it. And you often need to tell the person that if they don’t get help, you will leave them or stop supporting them in some way. They have to have something to lose.

And, yes, that can be very difficult to say to your husband or wife, or child. And even harder to actually do.

She also said the nation needs to ask “why we stand by and allow so many people to self-destruct before intervening.

That tells me she’s not really in touch with what’s going on out in the world beyond her statistics – you could probably count on one hand the number of people who DON’T try to get their loved ones to get help. Or to help themselves. It isn’t that people allow others to self-destruct – they often try over and over again. They just don’t really know what else to do.

One possibility is to contact a good drug and alcohol rehab facility. They can generally help you organize an intervention or step in and personally convince the alcoholic to get help. Alcohol and drug rehab counselors have dealt with the situation over and over again. And they don’t have the problem of the other baggage of a personal relationship. Call Addiction Help Services, 877-554-7308, if you need to find out what to do.

There was a local news item last week about a woman who was using meth while breast-feeding her baby. The baby died due to methamphetamine toxicity. She had another child as well – a 19-month old baby. After authorities tested the baby for meth and found the baby tested positive, the child was taken from the mother. This is a classic example of why someone who is pregnant, or even could become pregnant, should get addiction help asap.

Methamphetamine isn’t the only thing that is passed onto a baby from mom’s body. In fact, studies have been done on umbilical cord blood – these were newborns, the baby hasn’t even had a chance to get any mother’s milk – and found nearly 300 chemicals in the cord blood.

All of those chemicals were absorbed from mom’s body. And some of them are very dangerous. They can cause all kinds of problems – everything from neurological disorders to early puberty (some girls are growing breasts and pubic hair by the time they’re 9 years old), boys growing smaller sexual organs, and so on.

Some chemicals can also cause autism and so-called learning disorders.

Of course, when it comes to drugs you are also risking having an infant with full-blown drug addiction. Getting off drugs is hard for anyone: imagine what it’s like for a baby who has no understanding of what’s going on. Horrible.

A mother’s body is a baby’s first home. If you want a healthy baby, and a healthy child as they grow up, mom’s body has to be as clean as possible. Free of chemicals and free of drugs.

If this mother is convicted, she will spend nine years in prison. I would think that knowing you killed your baby, and poisoned your other child and had that child also taken from you, would be very hard to live with. Especially when she finally gets off drugs and is in a position where she can see what she’s done with a clear head.

You may have seen the tourist advertisements for Wisconsin. “It’s the cheese,” they say. Well, cheese isn’t the only thing Wisconsin is known for. In fact, alcohol abuse may be higher on the list of attractions for the locals.

From the University of Wisconsin Madison’s high rankings on the various party school lists to the 1,081 people in Green Bay arrested for drunk driving and the 182 who died in alcohol-related crashes across the state in 2010, alcohol abuse is a worrisome Wisconsin past time. Authorities are so concerned; they are soon to launch a coordinated effort between the police and various agencies in Brown County to crack down on drunk drivers.

Not only is the drunk driving statistic very high, roughly half of those arrested had been arrested for drunk driving in the past. Drinking is part of the culture.

Now is the time to get your friends and relatives addiction help for alcohol abuse if they have a problem. Not only will you help them stop drinking and possibly avoid jail time, you may also save some lives (maybe theirs) in the process.

We’d like to hear from some of the parents whose kids have been involved in drunk driving or other alcohol abuse incidents. We’ll post your stories on this blog – perhaps you can help other parents and kids avoid the same problems. And if the drinking problem is current, give us a call. We can help you get them addiction help services that will straighten them out.

Club drugs. Young people take them at clubs, parties, concerts, bars – anywhere groups of kids get together to have some fun. Sometimes they know they’re taking the drugs, and sometimes the drug was slipped into their drink without their knowledge or consent.

Whether taken knowingly or not, club drugs can have disastrous consequences:

Amnesia – especially during the time they were high on the drug
Seizures
Coma
Delerium
Dangerously high body temperature
Liver failure
Kidney failure
Heart failure
High blood pressure
Respiratory problems
Loss of coordination
Depression

In combination with alcohol or other drugs, the effects can be even worse.

What are these drugs?

MDMA – also known as “Ecstasy”
GHB – “Liquid ecstasy,” “soap,” “easy lay,” or “vita-G”
Ketamine – “special k” and “vitamin k
Rohypnol – the ‘date rape’ drug, also known as “roofies,” “roach,” and “rope”

Kids like these drugs because they also usually give them a sense of euphoria or a dream-like state. Although some, like Rohypnol, can put you right out, leaving you with no memory of what happened while the drug was in your system.

But many kids do not know about the serious side effects listed above. As a parent or friend, it’s your job to tell them. The other kids who give them the drugs are only going to tell them the good stuff.

Club drugs aren’t generally physically addictive, but psychological addiction is another story. If your son or daughter is using club drugs, consider contacting Addiction Help Services to help find a way to get them sorted out.

Crack-cocaine headlines aren’t as prevalent as they used to be, or as other drug headlines (like meth and marijuana), but nevertheless, they do appear from time to time. I came across one this week, that caught my eye, about a couple of crack-cocaine addicts who made a very bad move. In fact, it was deadly.

A 33 year old crack-cocaine addict and a 25 year old buddy of his found themselves wanting more of the drug, but had no money. They hatched a plan. They decided to set up a drug deal with a crack-cocaine dealer, but instead of paying the dealer, they would just steal the drugs. Easy enough, right?
They had a gun and set up the meeting. One way or another, the plan must have failed, because the drug dealer wound up dead. He was shot and killed.

The two men went on trial this week and the outcome was grim. The 33 year old trigger man will spend the next 40 years in prison for second degree murder. The younger man will also get prison time, 15 years for being an accessory after the fact.

These are young men! My first thought is, would any of this have happened if it weren’t for their addiction to crack-cocaine? This life of crime, eventually spiraling to murder… We won’t ever know, but I’d venture to guess that their lives would be much better if it weren’t for the drugs. And, to top it off, they’re going to spend their young adult lives in prison.

Drugs don’t have to be smoked, snorted or injected to cause tragedy and death. The violence that people cause because of them, can accomplish that. And, unfortunately these two young men will probably never know a normal life because of them.

If you know someone who has a drug problem, get them addiction help! Call today and we will help them find a a drug rehab as soon as possible. It could not only save their life, but the lives of anyone who crosses their path as well.

Lady Gaga, an American pop-star, has topped music charts and created controversy over some of her fairly risqué song topics and videos. She’s definitely got quite a following of fans, some of whom are younger girls who hear her music on radio stations around the US or buy her cds.
She recently did a photo shoot and feature article for Vanity Fair Magazine, which she’ll grace the cover of, for the September issue. In the article, she talked about her life and the drug abuse that went on, before becoming a household name. She also mentioned that she’s an “occasional” cocaine user.

She stressed the word occasional and clarified by saying it was only “a couple of times a year”.  She’s terrified of heroin, but occasionally using cocaine as if it’s no big deal.

In the article, after mentioning the cocaine, she went on to say that she didn’t condone drug abuse and would want her fans not to follow a path to disaster (drug addiction). Ok, what planet is this girl from? She knows she’s got a huge following of young, impressionable girls who tend to mimic super-star behavior. Stating that you do a little cocaine here and there is not anywhere close to being role model material. And perhaps she’s not trying to be a role model, but still, she must know that this isn’t good.

There are so many stars out there who think they’re above the law. Who think that they can do anything they want and there won’t be any major consequences because of wealth and fame. Look at Lindsay Lohan for goodness sake!

These celebrities are real people like you and me. Some of them have drug issues like any regular person can have. It appears that Lady Gaga could use some addiction help services. How often can someone “occasionally” use cocaine and not ever have any negative consequences? It could wind up being tragic!

In the UK, there have been several ‘legal high’ types of drugs on the market recently. Kids and young adults have access to them either online or in head shops where drug paraphernalia is sold. Most of the drugs come in powder form which is snorted by the user to get high. Unfortunately for some unlucky snorters, the outcome has been deadly.

Ok, so what’s wrong with this picture? Kids are buying powder online and snorting it up their noses to get high, and… this is legal? There was one drug that hit the party scene over a year ago, called Mephedrone (sold as “plant food”), which did get banned because of deaths related to using it. The problem is though, that drug makers and sellers just package the drugs in different forms, like bath salts for instance, and begin selling them.

Speaking of bath salts, the newest drug to hit the party circuit is Ivory Wave, sold as bath salts, but says right on the package “single dose pack”. There’s even a pretty picture of two feet and some flowers on the label, like it really is a soothing addition to bath time. But, don’t let it fool you, it’s going right up the noses of young kids in the UK.

Apparently 20 kids went to the hospital in the past week alone from Ivory Wave in Scotland. It’s being marketed as “the strongest party powder there is” online, and seems like it’s living up to its word. Kids went to the hospital with symptoms including hallucinations, anxiety, severe sickness, heart palpitations and even for turning blue. Hello? This is serious stuff!

Kids are often looking for thrills, which can include wanting to experiment with drugs and/or alcohol. They must know the dangers involved so that they can make the right decision to thrill seek elsewhere. And, the UK had better get busy banning more of those party powders, before tragedy strikes and more lives are lost. Sounds like they are already in need of some real addiction help.

We hear about issues stemming from substance abuse frequently in the US. From drunk driving and drug-related traffic stops to prescription and illegal drug abuse. These problems affect every state in this country and all walks of life.

I came across an interesting read recently, which was about a study done by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services on how substance abuse is affecting the workplace. A lot of people equate substance abuse with lower economic areas, homelessness, you name it. But, that’s actually not the majority. Did you know that 77% of illegal drug users are employed full or part-time here in the US?

That means that more than three quarters of the illegal drug using population are mixed in with the working population. What’s more is that substance abuse costs American businesses upwards of 81 billion dollars a year in lost production, work absences as well as accidents. Speaking of absences, about 500 million workdays per year are lost due to substance abuse by employees.

This is a no win situation for either side of the coin. Both the employee and the employer suffer as a result of substance abuse. Employers experience productivity downtrends, suffer because of absenteeism, accident claims and quite possibly the difficulties of dealing with employees who are under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Then there are the issues that come into play for an addict, i.e. their health, relationships with family and friends, job loss and income reduction and possibly overdose and/or death.

Have you ever known of or worked with someone who was under the influence of an illegal drug or alcohol on while on the job? Apparently, according to the study, more than 60% of adults do currently or have in the past. Why is the statistic for substance abuse in the workplace so high then? Are the abusers not being reported? Probably not. The reasons for this could be fear of retribution by the addict, not wanting to get their co-worker in trouble or that they don’t want to get involved.

Substance abuse is an epidemic in our country. Not just by the homeless man on the corner asking for money to buy who-knows-what, but possibly by your coworker. If we are ever going to get a handle on this debilitating, expensive, pervasive crisis, we’re going to have to actually speak up and do something about it. Get those people into drug rehab or alcohol treatment. Each one of us can do our part to get them addiction help!

I came across a headline today that I thought must have been a joke. When I read further into the article, I realized that it’s not, and am absolutely shocked! Russia is experiencing a heatwave and vodka-swigging, drunken people are trying to swim to cool off, and drowning.

I actually was in such disbelief that I Googled the story to find out if anyone else had written about the terrible events that have taken place. Sure enough, there were several other articles written, that I was able to easily find online. The death toll so far has surpassed 1200 people since June. And, in one day, there were 49 drowning deaths in Russia from drunken swimming.

The most heartbreaking part of this news story was to find out that children are also drowning because their parents are too drunk to notice them. If you can believe this, last week there were five children who drowned at camp because their counselors were too drunk to pay attention!

A lot of people like to take some drinks with them to the beach. It’s certainly quite common in many parts of the world. But this has proven that it can be quite dangerous, if people are being reckless and irresponsible with the amounts that they’re consuming. This would fall into the category of binge drinking, basically drinking large amounts of alcohol quickly to get drunk. Swigging massive quantities of vodka before taking a swim is not the best idea and you’d think that people would have caught onto this by now!

A state of emergency has been declared in Russia because of the death toll. Unfortunately, this is a long standing issue there, alcohol abuse needs addiction treatment. It’s time to really take a look at this crisis and help Russians with their blatantly obvious problems with alcohol addiction. Alcohol rehab programs are desperately needed and fast! It may be a good idea to restrict alcohol from the public beaches too. I’m sure it would help save many lives.