AHS Views

Wow. What happened to Winehouse? After nearly killing herself after a three-day drug and alcohol binge, she now says she won’t check into rehab and she just needs to spend time with her dad. And, believe it or not, her dad agrees. He says she’s going to be fine. Sorry, dad, you’re delusional. Your daughter needs to get checked into a long-term inpatient drug rehab center that will get to the bottom of why she’s doing this and straighten her out.

Her dad’s attitude is pretty unbelievable. Doesn’t he understand that the next time this happens could be her last? And I don’t mean because she’ll stop doing drugs or drinking.

Amy says rehab is a cop-out. Her dad says she’s just been through an ordeal and is on the mend. This is starting to look like a publicity stunt to boost sales for her 2006 tune “Rehab”. Or maybe she’s trying to get some of those headlines recently devoted to Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears, and so on.

She may not be dead, but she’s not fine. Wake up, dad. Get her into a successful drug rehab program before you lose her.

A recent report from the United Nations stated that 200 million people around the world are taking illicit drugs, with cocaine and opium derivates such as heroin being the most popular. Problems with heroin addiction, and addiction to other drugs derived from opium, also represents a high percentage of those seeking drug rehab.

The UN report also states that the global drug problem is being contained, although you’d be hard-pressed to find any truth in that statement as it relates to the U.S., with one exception - the opium poppy, from which heroin and other opiates and opioids are derived. The report states that about 92% of the heroin in the world comes from Afghanistan, that their opium exports increased by 68 percent in 2006, and morphine and heroin exports increased by 32 percent. This increases the risk of exposure to heroin for every drug user, and, in turn, increases the risk of heroin addiction, and death from overdose.

I’ve seen many people start out on marijuana – apparently just having a good time, saying they do it because they like it, not because they have to. Saying it’s not really a ‘drug’. Then they go to hash, then party drugs, then speed, then heroin. It’s not unusual. With heroin production and imports being stepped up, it’s easier to find than ever. Heroin addiction is devastating. The physical degeneration it causes is serious and, sometimes, fatal. Especially when there’s so much of it around from so many sources that you never really know what’s in it or how potent it is.

If someone you know is on drugs, even if they’re just ‘trying them out’, get them into a successful drug rehab program fast. Don’t let the situation deteriorate.

Do you know a dad who needs alcohol or drug rehab? Help him, and help the kids.

I just read a study on the impact of fathers on their children. It’s not about drugs or drug addicts; it’s just about dads and their kids. For years we’ve been hearing that stepfathers aren’t as good as biological fathers, that fathers in the home are better than fathers out of the home, that single parent families can ruin kids, and so on and so on. But the truth of the matter is that none of that really matters: what’s important is the closeness of the relationship. Since I spend a fair amount of my time focused on drug addiction, it’s hard not to think about how many of those fathers are alcohol or drug abusers and what a huge difference it would make in a kid’s life to have his father complete a successful drug rehab program.

How does the relationship with dad affect the child? It affects their school performance and academic achievement, whether or not they become juvenile delinquents, their general behavior, and even their health. Just being there is not enough. A father has to be involved in his children’s lives, and the closer they are, the better the child will do. If a father has all his attention on where the next hit’s coming from, you can be pretty sure he’s not also forming a close relationship with his kids. If you know one of those dads, get them into drug rehab. It will help him, and could be a major factor in the health, happiness, well-being and future of his children.

A recent article in the Novus Medical Detox newsletter addressed the issue of being able to afford the cost of getting yourself or someone you love through drug detox and a successful drug rehab program.

With so many lives in ruin because of alcohol or drug addiction and dependency, the obvious question is ‘can I afford not to?’ Nevertheless, cost is a consideration.

The article specifically addresses prescription drug abuse, which is right on the heels of heroin, methamphetamine and other street drugs and, in some areas, has actually become the bigger problem. As the author points out, when someone starts taking prescription drugs, the cost is often covered by insurance. But dependency and addiction change all that and, when their doctor can no longer justify continuing the prescription for its original purpose, the person starts looking for the drug elsewhere. And that can cost big money.

OxyContin, for example, costs 11 to 16 cents per milligram at the drugstore, but the price goes up to 50 cents or a dollar on the street. With 160 milligrams/day being a low average of daily consumption for an addicted person, what was costing them $18 to $26 dollars a day when obtained legitimately suddenly turns into $80 to $160/day, and it’s no longer covered by insurance. Where does somebody get $160 a day – that’s about $58,000 a year - to spend on drugs? Now you know why drug abuse often leads to a life of crime.

If someone you love is addicted to drugs, find a successful drug rehab program fast. No matter what the cost, it’s not going to be $58,000 a year for years and years on end, and it may save their life.

Prescription drug abuse in Tennessee causes more deaths than heroin addiction

A recent article highlighting the prescription drug problem in Tennessee stated that prescription drugs now cause more deaths than heroin addiction, methamphetamine and cocaine. Over 1200 deaths were linked to prescription drugs from 2002 to 2005, according to Medical Examiner (ME) records, and the number increased by 62 percent over that four year period. The deaths of several people are covered in the article, one of them the daughter of a man who, in retrospect, wished he had gotten a court order to force his adult daughter into drug rehab when he saw there was a problem.

That would have been exactly the right thing to do.

The State ME said that this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the overall problem as most people who abuse prescription drugs don’t die, they just live with the consequences. What are the consequences? The daughter who was not forced into drug rehab was a nurse who damaged vertebrae in her neck while on the job. The doctor prescribed mild painkillers, but they didn’t work. More prescriptions followed, as did dependency and addiction. She became completely non-functional, had to quit working, moved back home with her parents and couldn’t even cook a meal. On four prescription drugs simultaneously – methadone (which used to be used to help end heroin addiction but is now prescribed as a painkiller and is highly addictive in itself), an antidepressant, and two other powerful medications – she finally died of an overdose at age 42.

Those are the consequences. Don’t let them happen to someone you love. Get them into a successful drug rehab program.

Abuse of OTC drugs may indicate a deeper problem, and the need for drug rehab

I read an article this morning on cough medicine abuse. Amazing. Nearly 17 visits to the ER, every day, for abuse of cough and cold medicines containing dextromethorphan. That’s ‘abuse’ – i.e. non-medicinal use. Just taking it to get high. One third of the visits from 18 to 20-year-olds also involved alcohol. I’m sure some people assume that this is primarily a problem with young people, but more than half the visits involved adults. Anyone at the point of using cough medicine to get high is a prime candidate for addiction, and there’s a good possibility that they’re already using street drugs and hit the cough medicine because they didn’t have any of the other stuff. Someone who cares about that person should get them into drug rehab.

Over 100 over-the-counter medicines contain dextromethorphan. If you’ve ever watched television, you’ve heard of them. Cute little TV commercials that depict people with a cold or cough going about their usual daily activities all bright and chipper, or sleeping peacefully through the night. Are they bright, chipper and peaceful, or are they high on Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold & Cough Medicine, Coricidin HBP Cough and Cold, Dayquil LiquiCaps, Dimetapp DM, Robitussin, Sudafed, Triaminic, Tylenol Cold products, Vicks 44 Cough Relief, or NyQuil?

Side effects: confusion, dizziness, double or blurred vision, slurred speech, loss of physical coordination, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, rapid heart beat, drowsiness, numbness of fingers and toes, and disorientation. And the ‘high’ end of it - mild distortions of color and sound or visual hallucinations, “out-of-body” dissociative sensations, and loss of motor control.

We live in a medicated society. For the person who is stressed out, looking for an escape from life’s problems and confusions, these over-the-counter drugs can easily lead to addiction. If your cough medicine supply is running low, but no one in the household has a cough, suspect the worst. Find out who’s using it, and you might well find someone with a drug addiction problem who is, or soon could be, taking serious drugs. Get them into a successful drug rehab program before they become one of the ER statistics.

Successful drug rehab saves one lucky guy’s career – do the same for someone you love

This morning I read an article about the reinstatement of a pharmacist whose license had previously been revoked because of addiction to Vicodin. Reinstatement took two years, during which time he was subjected to random drug tests. He’s under drug watch for another five years, but, nevertheless, he’s one of the lucky ones. For every life that’s saved, there are millions out there who never get into a successful drug rehab program that can help them end their addiction.

What’s his story? A clean guy, no drug problem, he got started on Vicodin when suffering from a painful knee problem. Before you know it, he was hooked. At one point he was taking 45 pills a day. All told, he admitted to stealing thousands of pills from work.

Is it really that easy to get dependent on or addicted to a prescription drug? Unfortunately, the answer is a resounding yes. In fact, prescription drug addiction has become so common it’s threatening to overtake heroin and methamphetamine. That’s a big problem.

Don’t for a minute think that because a doctor prescribed a pill, you cannot become addicted to it. You can. And those drugs are no less dangerous than street drugs. If someone you know is taking prescription drugs, make sure you do something about it. Unlike this pharmacist, not everyone gets a second chance. The longer you leave it, the harder it will be. Get them into drug rehab.

Unfortunately, some people believe drug addicts and alcoholics when they say they’re going to quit. I’ve seen this go on for years. One broken promise after another. But the truth is, it’s very, very hard to quit drinking, and very hard to stop taking drugs. Don’t count on someone getting themselves into an alcohol or drug rehab on their own steam.

There are two factors at play. The first is withdrawal. For many drugs, and for alcohol, withdrawal can be excruciatingly painful. And anyone who’s been drinking or taking drugs heavily for a while has probably already gotten a taste of that when they’ve gone too long between doses or drinks. If they haven’t had it happen to them, they’ve heard about it. Someone on alcohol, for example, can start shaking and vomiting, get severe headaches and sweat profusely. That can move onto the DTs, panic attacks and seizures. Opiates have similar withdrawal symptoms, as well extreme muscle and bone pain. No one wants to go through that.

The second factor is addiction. Withdrawal symptoms are a result of physical dependency, but what about the rest of it? That person is using drugs or alcohol to cope with something – they need to find out what it is and address it before you can depend on them staying clean.

If you’re counting on someone you love quitting on their own, and they refuse drug rehab, get an interventionist to help. And get someone who really understands drugs and addiction and knows what your loved one is going through.

It’s no secret that drugs and alcohol ruin lives – for both the addicts and the people who love them. It’s not going to get better unless you do something about it. So, take matters into your own hands and get some help. Getting addicts and alcoholics into a successful drug rehab program is the best thing you can do for them.

Have you ever been concerned that someone you love might be taking drugs but have no way to verify it? Many of the effects of drugs are felt only to the user, but there are signs and symptoms noticeable to an outsider and they may be an indication that your loved one is using drugs and might need drug rehab. Here’s a list of what to look for, and what drug to suspect.

Poor memory: Although all drugs can impair memory, it is most common with marijuana, tranquilizers, designer drugs and ketamine – one of the ‘club drugs’.

Coordination problems: Also common with marijuana, tranquilizers and ketamine.

Changes in appetite: Stimulants and PCP tend to depress the appetite, while marijuana does the opposite.

Difficulty concentrating or confusion: These are also common with marijuana and tranquilizers, but opioids should also be suspected, especially if the person seems sedated and is having digestive troubles. Opioids are among the most addictive and dangerous of drugs. If you suspect opioid use, get the person into drug rehab fast.

Certain drugs manifest in ways that are somewhat unique to that drug: marijuana produces red eyes, for example, and someone using tranquilizers often seems drowsy and has slurred speech. LSD can cause tremors, someone on stimulants tends to speak much faster than normal, and stimulants also cause insomnia and weight loss. PCP can create a noticeable sense of panic, which sometimes turns to aggressive or violent behavior. Ketamine causes stomach problems such as nausea and vomiting.

If you notice any of the above symptoms in someone you care about, don’t ignore them – even if you only notice them occasionally. Occasional use can easily turn into a serious drug abuse problem, dependency, and addiction. The fact is this – if a person is taking drugs, there’s a reason for it. Unless that reason is found and addressed, there’s a good chance that the situation will get worse. Get them into a successful drug rehab program fast and you could avert disaster.

Exercise and good nutrition are vital to an addict’s recovery. All drug users damage their bodies. In fact, one of the first signs of a drug problem is the person’s appearance. How bad the damage will be depends on what drugs they’re using and for how long, but drug users tend to age rapidly, and get that haggard, worn-out look often associated with drug abuse. Successful drug rehab should include a healthy diet and exercise as part of the treatment.

One of the most common reasons addicts start using drugs is low self esteem. The change in their appearance while using drugs doesn’t help a bit, and sometimes those changes can be drastic – extreme weight loss, old beyond their years, mottled or sallow, yellowed skin, muscles wasted. A good drug rehab program that incorporates a nutritious diet and an exercise plan will help the addict in more ways than one - eating well and exercising improves their overall health and stamina, makes them feel good physically, and helps restore their self-esteem by improving their appearance.

Many drug rehabs offer a small exercise room, but if exercise is not actually incorporated into the treatment plan, many addicts won’t bother with it. I always suggest to my clients that ensuring the treatment plan includes exercise and a balanced diet is the best way to go when looking for a successful drug rehab program.