Posted by azdrugrehabctr on April 19, 2017 under Addiction Trends, Opiate Abuse, Prescription Drugs | 
As part of the ongoing effort to educate the public on the dangers of heroin and prescription painkiller abuse, many educators, publications and government agencies repeat the numbers. They explain that 63% of all drug overdose deaths in 2015 were due to opioids. They warn that it has become more likely to die from a heroin overdose than a car crash. That opioid-related deaths have quadrupled since 1999. And these numbers do pack a punch, but perhaps even more effective is shining a light on who is most likely to abuse opioids. New research shows that white people are using heroin and prescription painkillers at alarming rates, more so than any other race.
A closer look revealed that white males are at the top of the list. This is especially interesting because in 2001 white people and nonwhite people used heroin and other opioids at approximately the same rates. However, an even closer look shows that those that have not finished high school or who live below the poverty line are also more likely to abuse opioids. This may be because drug prevention efforts are often concentrated in schools.
And while the increasing amount of people who abuse opioids is not alarming to some experts, it is concerning to many. Perhaps because the lethal drug is gaining such popularity, many experts have begun to push for more funding to provide medication to those suffering from opioid addiction.
“The good news is that among all drugs of abuse, heroin and opioids have by far the best treatment medications available. Methadone and buprenorphine have proven effectiveness data, they not only reduce the chances of dying from an opioid overdose by 50%, they support people being in recovery from their addiction and reduce health care costs and improve a wide array of other outcomes,” explained Caleb Banta-Green, associate professor of health services at the University of Washington.
But, despite the effective drugs on the market for opioid abuse, it is still very important to focus on prevention and education. After all, according to the statistics, many people never reap the rewards of the medication.
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.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on July 15, 2016 under Addiction Trends, AZ Drug Rehab News, Opiate Abuse, Prescription Drugs |
The opiate addiction problem is a national crisis that includes rising overdose deaths from heroin and prescription painkillers. As more and more people become addicted to the deadly drug, citizens and public officials are scrambling to find effective solutions for saving more lives. In an effort to combat the growing heroin problem, the President is expected to sign a bill that would allocate more money and services to addicts, their family members and the treatment community.
The bill, which has had a tough road so far, was voted through the Senate on Wednesday. After President Obama makes it official, many people stand to benefit. Lawmakers have included measures to help communities develop treatment and prevention facilities. While the White House has criticized the bill in the past, saying that the funding problems are not solved within the bill, they do agree that it is a good start and doing something is better than making no progress at all.
And the White House is not alone when it comes to the criticisms. “This bill is like a Hollywood movie set – something that appears real on the surface but has no substance and no life behind its façade,” commented Senator Charles Schumer (D) of New York, referring to the lack of substantial financial support.
But, despite some of the negative feelings towards the legislation, the passing of the bill is important because it helps to distinguish addiction as a medical issue. Allocating funds to treatment centers and prevention programs is the first step in treating addiction as a medical problem, rather than a law enforcement issue. In a time of widening gaps between political parties, thankfully this is an issue that legislators can agree needs attention.
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 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 February 17, 2015 under Opiate Abuse, Prescription Drugs |
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released a startling figure – more than 25 percent of all women who could become pregnant in the near future are taking prescription painkillers. This means that potential mothers could already be addicted to pills like OxyContin, Percocet or Vicodin. Since the withdrawal symptoms and cravings are so intense for these medications, mothers are more likely to abuse them while they are pregnant, exposing their unborn children to powerful and dangerous drugs before they ever take a breath of air.
While these drugs are meant for those suffering from chronic or acute pain, and only supposed to be provided for by a physician, the appetite for these pills is so intense that addicts have gotten around current restrictions. Sometimes a person with a valid pain issue and a valid prescription will sell their pills on the black market, prices can be as high as $100 per pill. Other times an addict will fake an injury or get copies of phony X-rays or a fake MRI. Once presented to a physician they can then acquire the pills necessary to fuel their drug habit. Other times doctors begin writing prescriptions to addicts who have no need for the heroin-like painkillers – essentially becoming drug dealers.
However a person gets a hold of these pills, it is clear that future generations are poised to feel the effects of this epidemic. Mothers who are dependent on or abuse narcotics or any other opiate-based painkiller put their unborn children at risk for birth defects and physical withdrawal pains from the drug.
Children who receive drugs prenatally have to go through a period of withdrawal upon being born. This means that they have become physically dependent to the drug and now that they are no longer receiving the drug through their mother they have to overcome severe withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal symptoms from narcotic painkillers include; vomiting, diarrhea, body aches and insomnia. These symptoms are often too much for grown adults to handle, let alone day-old infants.
This study is important because many pregnancies are not planned. Oftentimes when a person is leading a life that involves regular drug use they are unaware of how their actions can affect themselves and others.
