AHS Views

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.

I don’t know of many drug addicts who want to get arrested, but I came across a story about NASCAR driver Aaron Fike who reportedly told a judge that he was thankful for an arrest that got him the addiction help he needed to handle his problem with heroin.
 
According to the article, Fike was arrested while shooting up in an amusement park parking lot and was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of heroin. After four days in jail, Fike was admitted into a drug addiction treatment program where he spent four months.

Fike had struggled with addiction for many years. It started with him taking prescription painkillers to handle a physical injury. He got hooked on them very quickly, then graduated to OxyContin, and then started shooting heroin.

After his arrest he was thankful for the opportunity to get addiction treatment help to handle his substance abuse issues. Today, although he still may face some sentencing for his arrest, Fike is trying to deliver drug education to schools, racetracks and other community venues in order to reduce his charges.

His personal story shows what can happen when a person gets the addiction help services they need.

The story of the Reid sons has been in the news a lot recently. I thought the saga would end with their sentencing. I thought that both sons would serve some time in prison, get addiction help through drug treatment, and disappear from the public eye.

Now today there is another article in the news about Garret Reid, who was caught smuggling drugs into the prison where he is serving time.

This is a crime that could carry the penalty of two additional years in jail and will take away the chance that Reid was given for addiction help through a drug court treatment program.

 Getting someone the addiction help can reverse the cycle of drug addiction and criminal activity much more effectively than a jail sentence. If you know someone who need addiction help services, get them into a drug rehab center now. Don’t wait until they go to jail.

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.

The most difficult news articles to read are the ones about addicts losing their lives because of drug addiction. When you have seen that drug rehab can be successful, someone dying from a addiction-related circumstance is unreal – it is so preventable.

I came across an article about this today - a man who had been addicted to cocaine for 10 years died when he made an aggressive move towards police and was shot.

According to the article the man was not violent but had a criminal record; mostly crimes that were drug related. At one time he was successful in life - a good job, a family and a nice home. But his addiction to crack cocaine destroyed all of it, and now it’s destroyed him.

Anyone that has worked in or gone through a successful drug treatment program could tell you that a successful drug rehab program would have helped.

Completing a drug treatment program is a milestone for a former addict. But how do you know when the person is really complete with drug rehab and can stay off drugs?

A recent article reports that Lindsay Lohan, having completed her third rehab program this year, is ready to leave. The article says she’s a totally changed person.

That may be. But having worked in the drug treatment field for many years I’ve seen many clients with that kind of positive change – they leave rehab “totally changed” and drug-free - all the indicators of success are there. But I’ve been fooled by some: despite the fact that it all looks good, they relapse.

A successful drug rehab program doesn’t just get people off drugs – of course they’re going to feel better, look better and have a better attitude about life. What’s important is the lessons they learn about life while they’re there, and whether or not they put those to work for them when they leave.

Whose responsibility is it to make sure that there are enough drug treatment centers available to help addicts? Should setting up successful drug treatment programs fall on the shoulders of governments, church groups or religious leaders? Or even private citizens? How about the communities in which drug rehab is needed most?

A recent article reports that one community in southern Tennessee is setting up drug treatment facilities by forming their own association. The group, which consists of several business owners, has seen what drug addiction is doing to their area and they want to do something about it.

The community group currently has 15 members – all from an area responsible for nearly half the city’s drug complaints.  The group hopes to raise enough money and get some government help to get a successful drug rehab program up and running. Unfortunately, the local government is currently not offering much support.

I read an article today about the residents of Washington Heights, an area in upper Manhattan, protesting a drug rehab opening right behind a school. “Why would you put a drug facility right on a street where there are drugs, constantly drugs?” comments one of the residents. That’s like asking why would you want to bring a policeman into an area where there’s crime. Washington Heights is notorious for its drug abuse problems, and has been for nearly 30 years. The place would probably do better if there was a drug rehab behind every school, not just one.

Residents are afraid that the facility will expose more kids to drugs – no, it will expose more kids to people who want to get off drugs. That’s a different story. It might even inspire some of the local addicts to get help, and it might run off some of the dealers.

There are different types of drug rehabs: there’s the kind that just pay lip service to rehabilitiation – methadone clinics are a good example – and there are those that help people get down to the bottom of why someone is taking drugs and actually enables them to begin a new life. The latter is a successful drug rehab program. If the new facility in Washington Heights follows that model, residents should count their blessings.

A recent government survey was done on over 67,000 people, which indicated that prescription drug abuse in the country is continuing to grow. An article in Reuters reports that that non-medical use of prescription drugs, especially prescription pain pills, among young adults increased a full percentage in 2006. What many may not have considered is the relationship between the legal use of these drugs either by doctors or through drug rehab and the amount of people getting hooked on prescriptions drugs.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) indicates that the most commonly abused prescriptions include Oxy Contin, Vicodin, Valium, and Xanax  to name a few. Benzos like Valium and Xanax have been prescribed more and more in the drug treatment field as a treatment method to handle those withdrawing from hard drugs like heroin, cocaine and even methamphetamine. After leaving treatment, many addicts continue to take these prescriptions often times becoming addicted to them.

OxyContin, which is one of the most abused prescription pain medication, is prescribed most often to those with physical injuries. Unfortunately the most significant increase in non-medical use is with those in the 12th grade as reported by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

The more prescriptions for these types of drugs that get written in and out of treatment programs the higher the chances that young adults will abuse them. We need more successful drug rehab programs that don’t use drugs to get people off drugs.

A recent LA Times Editorial criticized Governor Schwarzenegger for reducing and diverting drug rehab treatment funds from California’s Proposition 36 into a different fund that would provide the money to the counties who use it the most, but with restrictions.

Proposition 36 was overwhelmingly passed in a statewide vote in 2000 to approve funding for nonviolent drug offenders to be given drug rehab and addiction treatment instead of jail. Under the measure, offenders were given up to 3 chances to successfully complete a treatment program.

The Governor’s desire for change was sparked by the release of study information from UCLA saying that approximately half of the people sentenced to drug treatment programs from Prop 36 never completed and about one quarter never even showed up.

On the upside, the study showed that the initiative still saved the state $2.50 for every $1 spent diverting non-violent drug offenders into treatment instead of jail or prison.

The Governor wants there to be some additional ramifications for those who fail to comply with their sentence, including some jail time, and possibly look at individual cases instead of a blanket sentencing agreement and financial obligation.

Perhaps one major flaw in the system is being overlooked. Failure isn’t in the intent of the law or even necessarily in the way it has been carried out over the last six years, but rather in the drug rehab treatment practices themselves. Programs that produce successful results should be funded, rather than those that are just part of the traditional system or are state-money savvy. Programs must also be held accountable along with the individuals attending them, and follow-up monitoring is essential.

What are your views on other states adopting similar drug rehab programs to California’s Proposition 36? And what do you think would make it more successful? Despite the less than rave reviews, should more nonviolent drug offenders be given the chance to complete a successful drug treatment program before being sentenced to jail or prison?