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 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.
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 December 14, 2015 under Addiction Trends, AZ Drug Rehab News |
When it was announced recently that Scott Weiland had passed away from a heart attack, the world began to mourn a lost artist. People flocked to social media to sing their praises for the man who had been an integral founding member and lead singer of Stone Temple Pilots. While his wife reassured the public that Weiland’s death was not caused by drugs, his ex-wife poignantly explains that drugs had everything to do with the star’s early passing. Mary Forsberg Weiland and the two children that she shared with Scott sat down to write an open letter about the dangers of addiction and how it very much destroyed their family.
The letter begins by explaining that Weiland’s struggles with addiction had changed him to the point where he was no longer a father, friend or even a star. Mary describes Scott’s life as an addict as only someone who was intimately involved can do. She points out that while the public has just learned about the death, she and her children basically had to say goodbye to Scott a long time ago. The picture of a rock star is quickly erased and replaced by a person who let paranoia, drugs and bad decisions take over his life. It is not the singer that the reader feels for, but instead his children. This is one of the many heart wrenching effects of addiction – the toll it takes on the family – one that echoes throughout the country.
Noah and Lucy are Scott and Mary’s two teenage children. They watched as their father faded out of their lives and chose drugs and people who negatively influenced him over them. While they did not expect their father to ever completely change, they always hoped that he would try a bit harder to be a part of their lives. Now that he has passed, so too has their hope for a father who is present.
Children of addicts are often the ones who suffer the most when a parent struggles with such a disorder. They are made watch over and over again how drugs can ruin lives. Mary explains that she wrote the letter to hopefully illustrate how focusing on the children and the countless times they are overlooked is much more important than mourning a lost star.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on November 15, 2015 under AZ Drug Rehab News |
One of the main functions of border patrol is to prevent the entry of illegal drugs into Arizona and other border states. This has never been as important as it is now that it has become exceedingly difficult to manufacture drugs like methamphetamine in the United States. Due to changes in laws around the sale of methamphetamine precursors, drug cartels in Mexico have stepped up their production to supply American addicts with the drugs they demand. An illustration of this is the amount of drugs that have been seized at the border. Officials report that heroin and methamphetamine seizures in Arizona have increased by 300%.
In order to come up with this statistic, the Drug Enforcement Administration tabulated information from reported seizures, arrests, investigations and drug enforcement surveys. This is an important number for two reasons. The first reason is that it shows how sophisticated border patrol has become over the years. In order to thwart the drug cartels from getting drugs into the United States, border patrol has to be ready for anything. By implementing drug dogs, technology and intense education, border control has been able to penetrate the drug cartel’s relentless invasion of illegal drugs across the border.
Another reason why this release of information from the DEA is important is because it shows just how many substances are coming into the country. An increase of 300% in seized drugs highlights the demand that United States citizens place on drug dealers and drug providers. While many people are becoming better informed about the dangers and risks associated with various drugs that are commonly abused, there still appears to be a growing demand. To underscore this point, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reports that in 2013 there were 2.8 million Americans who tried drugs for the first time. Most of these Americans were teenagers.
As long as border control continues to seize drugs out of the cartel’s hands they can help keep some drugs out of the hands of waiting Americans. However, this is certainly not the answer to the overall problem. While it can play a part as a form of intervention on our nation’s drug problem, the most effective ways to address the issue is with successful treatment and prevention.
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 September 1, 2015 under AZ Drug Rehab News, Prescription Drugs |
There are many different definitions for addiction, and whether you want to call it a disease or something else, there are more aspects that can be agreed on regarding the behaviors surrounding it. One philosophy is that there is a genetic predisposition, while another says that the individual has a hole that he or she is trying to fill with alcohol or drugs.
This concept of having a hole, or that there is something missing in life, has been described by many people who have later gone on to fully recover. Some wind up finding a way to fill that void themselves, while others look for other, more positive, activities. In the case of one Arizona man, working out replaced his prescription drug addiction.
John Williams was addicted to pills for 11 years, and then one day his 16 year old son confronted him about the problem, and he knew it was time for a change. Williams said that at the height of his addiction he was taking 20 pills a day or more. In addition to the prescription drug problem, he was very overweight, topping out at about 400 pounds. He decided to change is focus to working out and fixing his health.
Now, 4 years later, Williams is still sober and is still working out. He is able to be there and enjoy his family, and he is on a mission to help spread the word about ending addiction. John plans on traveling and sharing his story in hopes that it will inspire others to do the same and give up drugs for a healthier lifestyle.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on July 22, 2015 under Addiction Trends, AZ Drug Rehab News |
Despite the fact that a handful of states have approved marijuana for recreational use, youth perception of the drug has decreased overall. A recent study was published in the The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse looked at marijuana use statistics and youth attitudes about the drug.
According to the report, about 75% of adolescents aged 12-14 reported strong disapproval of the drug. There was also a 6 percent drop in usage for that age range. Meanwhile, teenagers aged 15-17 showed a decline in usage from 26% to 22%.
Our nation currently faces some interesting developments in the realm of substance abuse and treatment. On one hand there are more states voting to legalize the recreational use of marijuana for adults and regulate its sale. On the other, there are more people gaining access to treatment and drug courts and other treatment-oriented diversion programs are being used.
While some people get caught up in the debate over which drugs are worse, we choose to instead discourage people from seeking an escape through addiction and are advocates of treatment, intervention and prevention programs that work.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on July 6, 2015 under Addiction Trends, AZ Drug Rehab News, Prescription Drugs |
In the past, one tactic used in order to keep teenagers from experimenting with drugs was to pretend that the problem did not exist. This means that many parents and schools, in their fear about drug use, never discussed the inevitable curiosity that teenagers would experience and the definite dangers of substances like heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine and prescription painkillers.
It soon became clear that this approach to drug education was not a good one. More and more teenagers find themselves in situations where they are presented with an opportunity to experiment with drugs or alcohol. Instead of hoping that one’s child will not succumb to peer pressure or curiosity, experts agree that it is best to arm children with facts about drugs and alcohol and help guide them into making the right decision. Children presented with facts have a better chance of not being tempted into drug use, and oftentimes those facts can counter the things their friends or other drug users may be saying to them.
Some helpful facts to discuss with children can include things like when an addiction is likely to start, what drugs do to the body and developing brain, how drug and alcohol abuse can affect one’s long term plans and what sort of danger the drugs pose.
According to a recent study, 90% of adults that are addicted to illegal drugs started using substances before they were 18. So, while not all teenagers who experiment with drugs are doomed to a life of addiction, the vast majority of addicts began their journey to drug addiction as a child experimenting with drugs. There is still debate surrounding marijuana if it should be considered a gateway drug (a gateway drug is a substance that opens the door to other substances can ultimately lead to an addiction). Some experts are saying that prescription painkillers are the new gateway drugs.
The popularity of pills like Roxycet, Percocet and Vicodin has led many people to dependency, and then on to a heroin addiction. Since heroin is cheaper and easier to obtain, prescription painkiller addicts often resort to this drug to keep their habit satisfied.
Teenagers are surrounded by pressures almost as soon as they get into high school. Drugs and alcohol may be one of the most common problems they have to deal with. In order to equip children with the best tools to stay away from drugs, parents and educators need to arm them with the facts. Overall, the more information that is shared about the devastation caused by substance abuse, the better the chances are that people of all ages will make healthier decisions regarding drugs and alcohol.
