Posted by azdrugrehabctr on November 19, 2016 under Addiction Trends, Prescription Drugs | 
Some may find it strange that students immersing themselves in the legal and ethical structure of our country have greatly increased their non-medical use of study drugs like Adderall or Ritalin. But, the immense academic and social pressures of being a law student has forced many to rely on the same drugs that are sweeping through college campuses across the country.
Adderall and Ritalin are prescribed to people with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and are designed to help people with this problem to focus better and complete tasks. However, those who do not have the disorder consume the drug in order to study for a test, stay awake in class or complete a project. And, like any other drug, continuous use of Adderall and Ritalin lead to a dependence not unlike cocaine or methamphetamine. The similarities to cocaine and methamphetamine do not end there, the energy and focus achieved while taking ADHD drugs is very similar to the feeling one receives after taking street stimulants.
A new survey entitled “Suffering in Silence: The Survey of Law Student Well-Being” showed that 14% of those that filled out the survey took prescribed ADHD medication in the last 12 months. The researchers are unsure how many students are taking non-prescribed Adderall or Ritalin, but they believe it is much higher than the 14% who are legitimately prescribed the drug. This information has sparked many colleges and universities to rethink their approach when it comes to helping students come forward and address their dependence issues.
This research wasn’t restricted just to prescription stimulants, but also the use and abuse of other substances and mental health problems among law students as well. It showed that many of the students are reluctant to communicate about the difficulties they face and therefore they typically do not receive the help they need.
“We’re trying to communicate that we care about you as a student. If the message comes out we’re headhunting, then we’re definitely driving the students underground. You risk turning students off from getting help,” explained David Jaffe, associate dean for student affairs at American University Washington College of Law.
Perhaps one of the most important takeaways from the study was the level of responsibility colleges and universities have to take for this growing problem. The incredible demands placed on law students may need to be cut back in order to see a decrease in prescription stimulant and other substance abuse. Law students often feel the pressures of keeping up with other students, making the right connections and doing well enough in school to get a well-paying job that will help them pay back the student loans required to pay for law school in the first place.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on November 11, 2016 under Addiction Trends, AZ Drug Rehab News |
The election has come and gone. Some people are overjoyed with the results and some people are devastated. It is safe to say that this has been one of the most divisive elections in history. However, the presidential election is not the only thing that has polarized people. In 2012 citizens in Colorado voted to legalize marijuana for recreational purposes. This was a first for the country, but since then more states have decided to bring the issue of legalized pot to voters. So, while the country was struggling with determining who would be our next commander in chief, marijuana legalization was placed on ballots in California, Massachusetts, Nevada, Maine, Arizona, Florida, North Dakota, Arkansas and Montana. Some of these measures were for medicinal use and some were for recreational use.
And, just like the presidential election, the results of these measures are just as polarized. Not all states gathered the required number of votes to legalize the drug. Residents of Arizona did not approve the ballot measure in the state, but voters in California, Massachusetts, Nevada and Maine all chose to legalize the drug for adults aged 21 and older. This continued shift in the public opinion of marijuana actually highlights the fact that there is still a great divide between those that want marijuana to be legal, and those that do not want to legalize the drug.
For those that have advocated marijuana legalization, the passing of recreational marijuana in some states was a celebrated event. However, many actively fought against the passing of these bills, and were disappointed with the results. “We were outspent greatly in both California and Massachusetts, so this loss is disappointing, but not wholly unexpected. Despite having gained considerable ground in the last few weeks, the out-of-state interests determined to make money off of legalization put in too much money to overcome,” explained Kevin Sabet from Smart Approaches to Marijuana.
Despite the profit-driven push to make weed more legally prevalent, there are millions of Americans who still see past the rhetoric because they know how destructive the drug can be to individuals and communities in multiple ways. For example, researchers have confirmed that marijuana use by teens can damage their developing brains.
We are happy that Arizona citizens stood up to the pressure to legalize pot and hope that more states are able to remain as resilient in the future.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on October 22, 2016 under Addiction Trends, Opiate Abuse, Prescription Drugs |
In one of the first studies of its kind, researchers in the Division of Rheumatic and Autoimmune Diseases at the University of Minnesota have found that patients with lower back pain are more likely to have a prescription for painkillers as well as use drugs like marijuana, cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine. While additional studies have to be conducted to find out more about the connection, this information may be a first step in developing more effective prevention tools for future prescription painkiller abuse.
The researchers compared questionnaires filled out by patients with chronic lower back pain and people without back problems. Volunteers were asked to answer questions regarding the frequency in which they used marijuana, heroin, prescription painkillers, cocaine and methamphetamine. It was found that 22.5% of adults with chronic lower back pain used prescription painkiller regularly compared to 15% of adults without the pain. This in itself isn’t that surprising, though there may be other forms of treatment that would be much better suited, depending on the severity of the pain.
“Americans with chronic low back pain are more likely to use illicit drugs than the general population, particularly the ‘hard’ drugs like cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine. There are several ways to interpret this relationship. It is possible that illicit drug use makes chronic pain more likely or leads individuals to seek a chronic pain diagnosis to obtain prescription narcotics,” explained Anna Shmagel, MD, MS, and lead author of the study. Shmagel also cautions that there could be a common underlying reason for prescription painkiller addicts and patients with lower back pain, like depression.
Opening up the research to include a more in depth look at if depression plays a role in prescription painkiller addiction is a relatively new avenue for researchers. In the past, the focus has mainly been on patients who have accidentally become addicted to painkillers. However, chronic pain has been shown to cause depression and illicit drugs have long been sought out by people looking to escape or fix their emotional problems.
As more and more research is conducted regarding prescription painkiller use and misuse it is becoming clear that preventing the reasons for taking the drugs in the first place is vital. This means that the medical profession is likely to come up with ways to improve chronic lower back pain treatment in addition to finding new methods to intervene before the back pain requires narcotic painkillers.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on October 9, 2016 under Addiction Trends |
Going away to college for the first time is an exciting time for most teenagers. For many, this is the first time they are living away from home, without the constant supervision of their parents. This newfound freedom, combined with the stressors of college and the influence of hundreds of new classmates, can join together to become catalysts for drug use and excessive alcohol consumption. However, these are mainly assumptions and observations, until now.
A new study being conducted among first-year college students seeks to track the actual influences regarding alcohol and drug use. The researchers at Brown University are also looking at the effects of media and social media on these behaviors as well.
“We know that (peers) become more important than parents as a source of information and a source for modeling. Peers are the most influential when it comes to health-related topics. Social networks allow us to study those connections,” explained Nancy Barnett, professor of behavior and social sciences at the School of Public Health at Brown University.
The project will be called Squad2020 and is being conducted by Barnett and a group of students, who came up with the name. The group specifically wanted to target freshman students because they are still at an age where they are developing their friendships, meeting new people and all share the common experience of drastically changing their social environment.
The researchers hope to be able to publish the results of the study in the spring of 2018. The hope is that the study will highlight how social media impacts new college students and their inclination to use drugs and drink. If researchers can better understand the pressures presented to students, they will be more able to develop new methods of prevention and help students in need.
Colleges students throughout the country are faced with much of the same temptations and anxieties. These feelings, paired with the immediate flood of pictures and posts of other students drinking and using drugs can only exasperate the issue.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on September 21, 2016 under Addiction Trends, Opiate Abuse |
A picture of a man and a woman passed out from heroin with a 4-year-old boy in the back seat has gone viral. The picture was released after police pulled over a car that was driving erratically. Officers were able to observe that the driver had slurred speech and pin point pupils. They then noticed the child in the back seat, behind the woman who was passed out. One of the officers snapped the picture, and the police chief made the decision to release it on the city’s Facebook page.
“We are well aware that some may be offended by these images and for that we are truly sorry, but it is time that the non drug using public sees what we are now dealing with on a daily basis,” the city said in their Facebook post.
“The poison known as heroin has taken a strong grip on many communities not just ours. The difference is we are willing to fight this problem until it’s gone and if that means we offend a few people along the way we are prepared to deal with that.”
East Liverpool, Ohio is just one town in the state that is struggling with a massive opioid epidemic. Tens of thousands of people have died in the past year from drug overdoses. Had the police and emergency responders not been able to administer naloxone in time, this couple would likely have died as well.
As for the 4 yr-old boy in the back seat, he has been transported safely to another state to be in the care of other family members. And while some critics of the decision to release the picture of the addicts out of their concern, the image of the young child having to witness the whole scene is a stark reminder that addiction affects everyone involved, not just the addicts themselves.
If you or a loved one is in need of help for a substance abuse problem, contact us today.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on September 16, 2016 under Addiction Trends, AZ Drug Rehab News, Synthetic Drugs |
When methamphetamine use began to take over the country it took a while for government agencies to implement restrictions on the chemicals needed to manufacture the dangerous drug. But, eventually, pharmacies throughout the country began requiring ID to purchase Sudafed, an important ingredient in making meth. Certain cleaning supplies, also part of the recipe, were also placed behind locked cabinets, deterring addicts from purchasing large quantities.
So, methamphetamine stopped being produced in large batches in the United States. But in order to satisfy the demands of the addicts, Mexican drug cartels began funding businesses in Mexico. These businesses started to manufacture and smuggle in all the ingredients needed to make methamphetamine. With cooperation from the Mexican government, officials were able to shut most of these facilities down. The coca plant is another item that requires chemical processing in order to turn it into a drug – cocaine. These restrictions by U.S. and Mexican officials have also impacted cocaine manufacturers.
Now that these restrictions have been in place for some times it can be determined how effective they were at curbing the methamphetamine problem in the United States. According to researchers at the University of Arizona, these restrictions helped lower the number of people addicted to cocaine and methamphetamine. Data shows a 35% decrease in methamphetamine use over the last year. Cocaine abuse has also dropped significantly, by 32%.
“Strategies directed toward individual users – information campaigns and direct medical care, for example – have not yet full addressed the public health problem of cocaine and methamphetamine misuse. Additional approaches are needed. Chemical controls are relatively inexpensive. And there’s room to improve them through better international cooperation,” explained Dr. James Cunninhgam, a social epidemiologist at the University of Arizona’s College of Medicine.
When officials can cut off, or minimize the supply of illicit drugs it allows addicts to get the help they desperately need. When the drugs are harder to obtain it makes it easier for family and loved ones to encourage treatment. Treatment often becomes easier to accept when it is more difficult to obtain the drugs.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on September 13, 2016 under Addiction Trends, AZ Drug Rehab News |
A new study shows that the most common time for cocaine addicts to be discharged from treatment is also the most probable time period for them to relapse. According to researchers, cocaine addicts are most likely to relapse between one and six months after abstinence. This is especially interesting because most treatment programs discharge patients one and three months after admittance.
“Results of this study are alarming in that they suggest that many people struggling with drug addiction are being released from treatment programs at the time they need the most support. Our results could help guide the implementation of alternative, individually tailored and optimally timed intervention, prevention, and treatment strategies,” explained Rita Goldstein, researcher at Icahn School of Medicine in Mt. Sinai in New York.
Researchers investigated 76 adults who were addicted to cocaine. These adults had all been abstinent for varying amounts of time. Some were cocaine-free for only two days. Some participants were sober from cocaine for one week, others one month, or six months and a few were sober for a year. Using EEG images, taken while the subjects were viewing pictures, some of which had to do with cocaine, researchers were able to better understand how the brains were working during these time intervals. Prior to, and after, the EEG, participants were required to fill out questionnaires and complete a monitoring test to determine levels of craving. The results showed that major cocaine cravings started to increase after 2 days to one week of abstinence. The cravings peaked between one to six months of cocaine sobriety.
Researchers are hopeful that this information will be used to educate families and shape treatment program curriculum. One reason for the popularity of a one to three-month program is that this has become the norm in treatment. Addicts are notorious for being difficult to agree to treatment, and it is especially difficult to get them to commit to longer time periods of treatment. Oftentimes families and loved ones make compromises on the length of the program to ensure that their loved one will check in. However, it is likely that most families are unaware that evidence is pointing to longer programs being more effective.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on August 24, 2016 under Addiction Trends, AZ Drug Rehab News, Prescription Drugs |
Amphetamines are not a new drug. In fact, amphetamines were developed in the late 1800’s, but were not used in more pharmaceutical applications until the 1920s. Amphetamines are a stimulant that provide a person with an extreme amount of energy, the ability to focus and complete tasks. And while drug manufacturers did not start mass producing amphetamines until the 1920, there is evidence that people have been relying on the drugs for much longer than that.
In the late 1880’s there are reports of dockworkers in New Orleans who were expected to work over 70 hours a week. In order to sustain the schedule, they were given amphetamines, or more specifically, cocaine. The cocaine was so effective that eventually the drug spread throughout the south, fueling workers on cotton plantations, railroad work camps and construction sites.
It did not take long for cocaine’s popularity to spread throughout the country until it was made illegal in 1914. However, in 1929 a new type of upper came on the market, Benzedrine. This drug rapidly became a staple among Americans, with 8 to 10 billion tablets produced a year. Once Benzedrine dropped out of production, Adderall and Ritalin where there as replacements.
Originally manufactured for ADHD among children, Adderall and Ritalin are fast becoming popular among adults and college students. The drugs went from solutions for childhood ADHD, to cramming and finishing projects for college students and now business executives are abusing the drugs to increase their workload abilities. All the while cocaine is still a major problem in this country.
Because of the heroin and prescription painkiller problem in the United States, cocaine abuse and ADHD medication abuse may not get the attention they need. However, the drugs are being abused and schools, colleges and the workplace may be fostering environments where the use of these drugs are increasingly more acceptable, and the ramifications of such a pervasiveness are detrimental to society.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on August 18, 2016 under Addiction Trends, AZ Drug Rehab News, Opiate Abuse, Prescription Drugs |
A recent Gallup Poll shows that more Americans are concerned with prescription painkiller abuse than heroin abuse. However, heroin abuse is still also a major concern. In fact, prescription drug abuse only narrowly beat out heroin abuse, in the eyes of most Americans. These types of polls are important for law makers because it shows that American residents are feeling the effects of prescription painkiller and heroin abuse at home and want something to be done about it.
The survey also showed that more women than men thought the prescription drug abuse was a problem. It also seems that people who make more money are more likely to view prescription drug abuse as a problem. 30% of those making $36,00 or less agreed that prescription drug abuse was a problem, compared to 47% of people who make between $36,000 and $90,000.
The information gathered from the Gallup poll can be used in a variety of ways. Lawmakers who are advocating for more federal funding that can be used for treatment centers or prevention programs can focus their efforts toward those that agree that prescription drug use is a real issue. As more and more people are affected by the opioid drug problem in the United States, it has become increasingly imperative to create more treatment programs with more beds available to those in need. Often times policy makers and treatment providers have a difficult time obtaining funding for these treatment centers without the help from the Federal government.
Because America is in the middle of a presidential election, some wonder if the information from this Gallup Poll will be used to help shape the platforms of the presidential nominees. While there are many issues to discuss, the opioid epidemic is certainly one of them.
Now that American citizens seem to understand the seriousness of the prescription painkiller and heroin problem in this country, there is a better chance that more effective change is near. And the opioid problem is not the only issue that Americans worry about. The poll also showed that 44% of Americans consider drugs in general as a major problem facing the country, this is up from 2014 when 34% of Americans felt this was an issue.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on July 30, 2016 under Addiction Trends, AZ Drug Rehab News, Opiate Abuse, Prescription Drugs |
Drug or alcohol addiction does not discriminate. White, Black, Muslim, Christian, Asian or any other race or religion can fall victim to substance abuse. Immigrants can be particularly susceptible to opiate abuse because of the culture shock and overwhelming feelings of living in a new country. Heroin and painkillers can be a way to escape these overwhelming feelings. While there are apparently no current studies that effectively break down drug use by ethnicity, there is evidence that minority groups all over the country are suffering from increased use of heroin and prescription drug use.
In order to include immigrants and minorities in substance abuse prevention and education, it is important for the public to understand why these groups can turn to drugs in the first place. Unlike white suburban teenagers, immigrant teenagers are likely to turn to heroin or other illicit drugs because their new lives in America can be very overwhelming. Many other countries do not create public service announcements or programs to educate children on the dangers of certain drugs, so when people immigrate to the United States they are often unprepared to deal with the temptations of drugs.
One woman explained just how different it is to raise children in America. “It’s the transformation of how you raise your kids back home and the whole village is taking care of your kids to here. You’re in America; the only village taking care of your kids is the street,” explained Kathy Khatari, a Muslim immigrant.
Some experts have also pointed out that families of immigrant drug users are also not likely to come forward and discuss a drug addiction. The threat of shame and embarrassment that falls onto the family is often too much to allow parents and family members to speak out and educate other immigrants. Treatment and prevention efforts should be much more all-inclusive to be able to catch all of the people that are affected by addiction.
