Posted by azdrugrehabctr on January 30, 2016 under Addiction Trends, AZ Drug Rehab News | 
Mothers who abuse methamphetamine while pregnant often give birth to babies who experience behavioral and emotional problems throughout life. Methamphetamine is a manmade drug that is often primarily comprised of chemicals found around the house. Methamphetamine provides a high that is more intense and longer lasting than cocaine, which could explain why addicts who become pregnant have a difficult time abstaining.
According to researchers, almost 25% of pregnant women who seek treatment at state-run drug programs are abusing methamphetamine. While it has been made clear to the public that abusing drugs while pregnant is dangerous to the baby and oftentimes harms the child for the rest of their life, addicts are still putting their unborn child at risk by the continued exposure to drugs such as this. In order to help children who were born with methamphetamine already in their system, researchers have sought out more effective treatments to behavioral and emotional problems that are common among them.
“In the first study of its kind, we followed children, who experienced prenatal methamphetamine exposure, up to the age of 7.5 years and found that adversities, such as poverty and continued drug abuse by a parent, contributed to behavioral and emotional control issues. While additional study is needed, these findings indicate that providing a supportive home life for children with prenatal methamphetamine exposure would reduce their behavioral and emotional control issues,” explained Lynne M. Smith, one of the authors of the study.
While it may not come as a surprise to many that children benefit from stable home environments, it does underscore the importance of educating mothers when it comes to providing the best life for their children. Mothers who have abused methamphetamine while pregnant may feel hopeless when it comes to making it up to the child. However, focusing on providing a stable, secure environment for these children will greatly reduce the behavioral and emotional problems caused by early exposure to the drug.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on January 27, 2016 under AZ Drug Rehab News |
One of the difficult things to overcome for addiction treatment providers is the NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) syndrome, where residents of a particular area become opposed to having rehab centers or recovery homes in their neighborhoods. In most cases, this is discriminatory behavior and the facilities usually get protection from local, state or federal zoning laws.
However, in rare occasions there are housing companies that have group homes for people in recovery and pack them in with little to no supervision. Also called halfway houses or sober living homes, these residences are usually monitored with strict rules in place and are generally very safe and effective at helping people reintegrate back into society.
Given the climate and favorable laws, Arizona has become one area that has had many sober living homes spring up. Arizona state Representative Noel Campbell (R – Prescott) introduced legislation in an attempt to give more jurisdiction to municipalities so they can have better regulation of these residences. It also recommends having registration requirements, minimum square footage per person, fire safety standards and better on-site supervision.
The goal should be to aid the recovery process, not try to prohibit such needed homes from existing.
Any reputable treatment center gladly welcomes these proposed guidelines, as there should be standards put in place for this part of the continuum of care. If passed, this law could help ease concerns of citizens, force compliance of all housing operators and ensure better conditions for people in the recovery community.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on January 8, 2016 under Addiction Trends, AZ Drug Rehab News |
For several decades public officials have been waging a war against drugs, drug users and drug dealers. When the war on drugs was proposed by Richard Nixon it was heralded as the ultimate solution to the problem that was wreaking havoc on the country. Anyone caught using drugs, selling drugs or possessing drug paraphernalia would be subjected to legal action. This hard line approach was thought to be the best way to deter people from getting started on drugs at that time. Punishing those who were already using drugs was also thought to be the most beneficial. However, as time has passed, it has become very evident that punishment and scare tactics are not as effective as once was thought.
In fact, countries all over the world have begun to take a different approach to the drug abuse problem, and even the United States has come around to see that help is better than punishment. The United States, Canada and several European countries have legalized marijuana for medicinal purposes, and sometimes even recreational purposes. Some people hope that by decriminalizing marijuana, the focus can be shifted to helping those who have serious drug problems, whether they are addicted to marijuana, heroin, alcohol cocaine, methamphetamine or other substances. Funneling resources that were once reserved to catching and prosecuting marijuana offenders into programs that are designed to help addicts get treatment may be more successful than prosecuting individuals.
Another significant change that is occurring throughout the world regarding the drug problem is that the United Nations is getting more involved. The UN General Assembly Special Session on Drugs is expected to convene in the Spring. In 1998 the world political agency met and decided on universal policy that mirrored the United State’s War on Drugs. Now, in 2016, it is believed that much of the talks will be geared towards helping individuals and shaping policy that is designed to assist in treatment and recovery, rather than punishment.
Public understanding has also changed throughout the years. As more and more people become affected by drug use, either personally or through a loved one, it is becoming clear that more help is needed. When the War on Drugs began, many of its supporters were not dealing directly with drug use. Addiction appeared to be more of an inner city problem. Now that drug use has pervaded much of the country, more people are beginning to speak out against ineffective policies.
