Posted by azdrugrehabctr on March 22, 2016 under Addiction Trends, Opiate Abuse | 
In order to help reduce the opioid epidemic in the United States and elsewhere, many officials believe that the supply must be addressed. This means that our nation must work with other countries that are the highest producers of heroin. Collaboration between the United States and countries like Colombia are intended to prevent the creation of heroin and simultaneously stifle the demand for the dangerous drug.
Addicts in the United States have increased the overall demand for heroin, and manufacturers in South America have continued to answer with millions of dollars of the drug being smuggled into the country daily. Researchers in the U.S. and Columbia were recently commissioned from the Colombian Ministry of Health and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to analyze information on addicts in both countries. The researchers discovered that an ongoing dangerous trend is the sharing of dirty needles.
Pedro Mateo-Gelabert was the lead researcher on the study that revealed that a high percentage of addicts in both countries were participating in needle-sharing, cross contamination of heroin cookers, sharing filters and water used to mix with the drug. These behaviors likely answer the question that both countries had regarding the increase of patients showing signs of HIV and hepatitis, since both diseases are easily spread through shared needles.
The researchers not only discovered that these types of behaviors were occurring, but they also were able to find out why many users feel that it is ok to share needles. In fact, 43% of those that were polled admitted to sharing needles because they could not obtain enough clean ones and had to resort to using someone else’s. However, a whopping 33% of users believed that it was safe to share needles, as long as they were selective with who they were sharing with.
One reason why needle-sharing may be gaining in popularity is the fact that many heroin users are young, and have not been educated enough on the dangers of sharing needles. “Both countries deal with a new generation of young injectors, in Colombia, driven by heroin production, in the US, driven by the recent epidemic of prescription opioid misuse in you which has evolved into widespread injection drug use,” explained Pedro Mateu-Gelabert.
One of the goals of reducing the harm associated with heroin addiction is to provide clean needles to stop or slow the spread of such diseases while also diverting more people into treatment programs to help them recover from addiction.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on February 29, 2016 under Addiction Trends, Opiate Abuse, Prescription Drugs |
There has been a lot of investigation into the link between prescription drug abuse and heroin abuse. Since prescription painkillers are very similar to heroin as opioids, it is not a stretch to think that an addict who cannot get their hands on pills would turn to heroin eventually. Not only are the drugs similar in the effect that they have on the body, but heroin is generally less expensive and easier to find on the street.
Additionally, some people fear that the efforts being taken to decrease the availability of prescription painkillers among the public have forced addicts to begin using heroin. These factors would seem to come together to prove that heroin abuse is rising because of the prescription painkiller addiction. However, a recent study conducted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), indicates that this belief is not necessarily valid.
“As an alternative explanation, we explore the complexity and reciprocal nature of this relationship and review the pharmacologic basis for heroin us among people who use prescription opioids nonmedically, the patterns of heroin use among people who use prescription opioids nonmedically, the current trends in heroin use and their correlates, and the effects on heroin use of policies aimed at curbing inappropriate prescribing of opioids,” explained the authors of the study.
The study showed that people who abuse prescription painkillers are not as likely to turn to heroin as some might think, though most heroin users did start out with prescription narcotics. Polices that have been enacted to reduce and monitor prescription painkiller abuse should remain in effect, as they don’t cause people to seek out heroin. The less these drugs are available and the more prevention and treatment practices used, the less opiate addicts we will have. The same drive should also be taken when it comes to heroin or any other substance that is abused.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on December 18, 2015 under Addiction Trends, Opiate Abuse, Prescription Drugs |
In order to effectively change the heroin abuse problem in the United States, researchers, health officials and law enforcement need to understand how the problem has changed throughout the years. Several decades ago it was more common to see heroin abuse in the inner city and among young people. Heroin addicts were usually minorities of the lower class. It was rare to see a heroin addict in their forties or fifties. However, this has all changed over time. Now, most heroin addicts are white, from middle to upper class families and more and more of them are in their fifties and sixties. Why such a big difference from the trends of the past? Most people are pointing to prescription painkillers as the catalyst for such a severe change.
And the change is severe. “According to reports in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the new generation of heroin users is older, predominantly white and living outside of inner-city urban neighborhoods. And the average age of first heroin use has increased from age 16 to over 23 and from equal numbers of white and nonwhite users to about 90% white,” explained Jeannie Diclementi, a psychologist who treats heroin abusers.
Older generations have a higher rate of being prescribed painkillers to manage chronic and acute pain. As people’s body’s age they are more likely to experience problems that prescription painkillers like OxyContin and Vicodin are designed to help. Many physicians prescribe these types of medicines because of the lack of understanding on how addictive these pills actually are. In fact, one of the biggest topics when it comes to prescription painkiller reform is educating doctors on addiction and the signs to watch out for. However, many people wonder if it is too late.
By the time a doctor notices that their patients are exhibiting signs of addiction, the problem has already occurred. This means that even when the painkillers are no longer prescribed, patients are seeking the therapeutic and euphoric effects of the drug. It becomes a quest to acquire the same feeling, a feeling that heroin easily supplies.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on November 12, 2015 under Addiction Trends, Opiate Abuse, Prescription Drugs |
One high school is making headlines for its bold move against heroin overdoses. They have stockpiled Evzio, which is the brand name of a naloxone injection device used against heroin overdoses. School administrators will train their nursing staff to administer the medicine in the event that one of the students suffers from an overdose of heroin or other opiates. This precautionary measure was taken after the amount of students who abused heroin and pain pills skyrocketed. School officials determined that in order to provide a safe environment for their students they needed to have access to the life-saving medicine.
Naloxone reverses the effects of an opiate overdose by immediately counteracting it and throwing someone into withdrawal. It has become more widely used in emergency settings lately as the opiate addiction problem continues to get worse.
Instead of punishing addicts, many communities are pushing for treatment and proper medical attention. This change in viewpoint comes after more and more families throughout the country have experienced the devastating effects of opiate addiction and understand that punishment does not help as effectively as treatment.
Some people have denounced the increasing availability of naloxone, as they believe it just encourages addicts to continue using their drugs, but with less risk. However, there has been no evidence to support such a stance, and instead there have been many lives saved as a result of the medication being more widely available and used. The fact that schools are now starting to carry and administer the drug speaks volumes about the scope of the opiate problem and how necessary it is to combat it from all levels.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on July 15, 2015 under Opiate Abuse, Prescription Drugs |
A migraine is an intense headache that is often accompanied by impaired vision and stomach nausea. Many people who get migraines are unable to function and must wait out the severe pain for several hours. Because of the impaired vision, it is common to have to protect one’s eyes in a room that is completely dark. It is estimated that around 18% of women and 6% of men suffer from migraines and there is a big push in the medical community to come up with effective and safe solutions to debilitating condition. While there are several medications on the market that are designed to eliminate the migraine or ease it once it attacks, new research shows that many people are simply prescribed painkillers.
While it may seem obvious to prescribe someone that is in excruciating pain a narcotic painkiller, experts agree that migraine sufferers should not be given a heavy opioid for their discomfort as a first option. In fact, studies show that opioids can actually induce more intense migraines or more frequent migraines over time. So why are so many physicians prescribing something that is addictive and can actually cause the problem the pills are supposed to be fixing?
Researchers believe that it is a lack of education regarding migraines and the effective treatments. When a person is experiencing a migraine they often go to the Emergency Room. Doctors seeing patients in the ER are generally not specialists and respond to extreme pain in the only way they know how, by administering narcotic painkillers. However, doctors that specialize in the treatment of migraines are aware that there are certain medications on the market that are designed to treat the migraine while ensuring that the patient is not introduced to opiate painkillers that have a high potential for addiction.
There has been a push lately to educate the medical community about the dangers of prescription painkillers and the treatment of migraines is one such example. By quickly prescribing a narcotic such as hydrocodone or oxycodone, they may be temporarily relieving the pan but not actually solving the problem. Stories like these that share research into the prescribing patterns and results of those drugs help reduce the overall painkiller problem in America, even if only a little bit at a time.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on June 30, 2015 under Addiction Trends, Opiate Abuse |
The prison system in California is experiencing a massive increase in overdose deaths, specifically from heroin. Inmates incarcerated within California’s prison system are dying from overdoses at three times the national rate. This alarming statistic has prompted officials to institute aggressive screening measures in an attempt to prevent more prisoners from dying after receiving drugs smuggled in from the outside. Unfortunately, the expensive and invasive screening techniques do not seem to be paying off and many people are starting to wonder if they should be eliminated. However, those working within the prisons feel that maintaining the upgraded screening process is necessary in sending a message to anyone who is considering sneaking drugs into the facility.
“What we are trying to do is send a message to people to not try to smuggle drugs in to the institution. If we don’t do this, we’re going to have people keep dying, we’re going to have continued violence in the prisons, ” said Jeffrey Beard, the Corrections Secretary for California state prisons. Visitors are required to pass through specialized machines that are designed to detect drugs. The prisons are also equipped with drug sniffing dogs, and perhaps most controversial, anyone can be subject to a strip search. However, since the new processes have been instituted no drugs have been found on visitors, causing many to wonder if these techniques are even necessary.
Unfortunately, out of the $8 million dollars spent on the upgraded security measures, a large portion went to drug scanners that are continuously giving out false positive alarms. This means that visitors who walk through the scanners are often flagged for having drugs on their person, but upon further investigation they are found to be clean of any drugs. Critics of the new system point out that ‘further investigation’ means a strip search and are questioning the ethical problems that strip searching someone who is not carrying any drugs poses.
Officials agree that something has to be done to curb the amount of inmates that are dying from heroin doses while incarcerated. In California more than 150 prison inmates have died from overdoses since 2006.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on June 9, 2015 under Addiction Trends, Opiate Abuse, Prescription Drugs |
Needle exchanges are the controversial program set up to allow intravenous drug users a safe place to acquire new, clean needles. These facilities are intended to help prevent the spread of diseases that are associated with IV drug use and dirty needles. This type of program is often regarded as one of the more drastic forms of harm reduction.
Many people are cautious of needle exchange facilities for fear that it will normalize drug use and encourage others to experiment with drugs like heroin and prescription painkillers. However, studies show that such programs don’t impact the situation negatively by attracting new users, and some reports show that they help get more people into treatment by having referral centers available for detox and treatment.
The state of Indiana is currently facing an outbreak of HIV infections due to needle-using substance abusers. In the rural section of the state there have been 149 reported cases of HIV. In other parts of the country, residents are facing a Hepatitis C crisis. The amount of people that have contracted the liver disease have more than tripled in some parts of the country. One of the reasons for this incredible spread is that many people who are carrying the Hepatitis C virus are unaware that they are infected. Unfortunately the most common way to contract Hepatitis C is by blood to blood contact, and for drug addicts this comes in the form of a needle.
The Governor of Indiana, Mike Pence, ordered an emergency needle exchange to stop the rapidly spreading HIV virus throughout the population, and other states are wondering if they should follow suite. “It is critically important that needle exchange programs like the temporary one in Indiana be replicated across the country, and be permanent. Studies have repeatedly proven that needle exchange programs reduce HIV, hepatitis and other infections among people who use intravenous drugs without increasing intravenous drug use,” explained Paul Samuels, president of the Legal Action Center.
Whether you are an advocate of harm reduction strategies such as needle exchange programs or not, it is hard to argue with the notion that we should be using every tool available that helps mitigate the damage caused by addiction.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on June 1, 2015 under AZ Drug Rehab News, Opiate Abuse |
It appears that heroin has not only made its way into Native American reservations, but that it is claiming many addicts along the way. While it is not news that heroin is seeping into many neighborhoods throughout the country, some Native Americans were taken off guard by the swiftness the drug began to take over. With a past that has been laden with relocation, segregation, and conflict with others, heroin seems to be preying on the emotions that are deep within many people living on the reservations.
In addition to the emotional pull towards heroin, there are reports that Mexican drug cartels are specifically targeting Native American communities. Because of high unemployment rates and histories of alcohol and meth addiction, the cartels are able to convince some American Indians to sell and transport drugs for them. While local law enforcement and the Drug Enforcement Administration are aware of the heroin trend in many Native American communities, it is proving difficult to police. “And we show up and then there’s nothing. I think they have the knowledge of us not being everywhere or the short manpower that we have. They know it, so they’re getting smart about it,” explained Donald Seimy, a Navajo police officer.
Additionally, some drug cartel members, or drug dealers within the reservation are intentionally sabotaging police efforts to curb the heroin abuse problem. Because of the lack of officers throughout the reservation if one issue comes up it generally pulls many of the on-duty officers off their patrol. There have been instances of false accident reports being called in, likely to clear the roads for drug trafficking in other parts of the reservation.
Because law enforcement within the tribes is minimal, it appears that heroin is no match for the small police forces on the reservations. The problem with lack of monitoring and policing only leads to more addictions. Past studies have shown that a child who grows up in households where one family member is abusing drugs makes it more likely that the child will follow down the same path. Because of this, the close-knit community on the reservation gets overrun with heroin addicts.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on April 23, 2015 under Addiction Trends, Opiate Abuse, Prescription Drugs |
The 2016 race to become the next President of the United States has officially begun with multiple hopefuls announcing their candidacy recently. Hillary Clinton is one of those seeking the office of Commander in Chief. As she began a tour throughout the U.S., she admitted that she was unaware that substance abuse issues were so extreme in the country. She explained that she understood that drug use was a continuing problem throughout the nation, but up until she began meeting with constituents, had no idea that people felt so strongly and that so many people were affected by the drug epidemic in the United States.
“I want to hear from people of New Hampshire what’s on their minds. I have to tell you, before I went to Iowa last week I wasn’t aware of the depth of feeling people had about substance abuse issues, so here again, I heard it in New Hampshire, so I want people to know that I’m listening,” explained Clinton during her stop to New Hampshire. Like other candidates, she will be covering areas that are considered key for primary elections.
Clinton discussed that she wants to see more resources allocated for people to be able to get the treatment they need. There may be more things that can be done to stop the drug problem in our country from escalating to epidemic proportions though. Educating doctors and healthcare providers that prescription narcotics are not the only solution to pain management and helping them understand the signs of drug abuse and drug seeking behavior are all important topics to tackle.
Hillary Clinton went on to say that she wants to make drug abuse and mental health problems a serious focus of her campaign. Will other candidates step up to speak in favor of substance abuse treatment and prevention? They should take some cues from the fact that there are record numbers of overdose-related deaths in our country. Saving lives is way more important than foreign trade or economic issues.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on March 6, 2015 under Opiate Abuse |
The addiction treatment community has been at odds about drug replacement therapy for years. Many are wary to recommend long-term drug replacement therapy, especially given the storied history of methadone. However, Suboxone varies significantly from methadone in that users are less able to abuse the drug and there is less risk of impairment as well. Many treatment centers have begun to administer their programs after a short taper of Suboxone is given to clients.
For several decades the traditional way to approach treatment was the 12-step method. This method subscribed to the idea that in order to overcome an addiction one was to remain completely abstinent and attend 12-step meetings designed to repair the damage caused by addiction both on the individual and on the other components of their lives like; family, work and religion. While this is still a viable option for treatment, many treatment centers have integrated other aspects to treatment that make attaining sobriety much swifter and long lasting. In addition to 12-step meetings, some treatment centers are incorporating trauma resolution – working with the client to get to the bottom of traumatic incidents in their life that may have caused the addiction. Working with trained therapists, an addict is able to confront their past and learn how to deal with problems in the future. This is different from traditional rehabilitation programs in that it provides another layer of treatment in addition to meetings.
Still, other treatment centers have moved away from 12-step altogether and focused instead to the physical and mental aspects of addictions using other forms of therapy. Either way, before a person can successfully focus on their treatment, they have to get over the painful withdrawal symptoms. Instead of quitting cold turkey, which often times is the quickest way to get back on heroin; treatment centers are beginning to introduce a Suboxone taper in their detox programs on a more regular basis. This allows the addict to safely and gradually wean off from heroin and get to a point where they are able to focus their energy into their recovery.
Suboxone and drug replacement therapy can vary in terms of length of time, and it may not be fore everyone, but there is a market out there for a safe way to come off a drug that is killing people otherwise.
