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 May 9, 2015 under Addiction Trends |
Oftentimes the media and law enforcement focus on the dangers and threats of drug abuse as it pertains to teens and young adults. This may be because those under 18 are exposed to more drugs than ever before, however there are plenty of other groups of people that are struggling with substance abuse as well. One of the most difficult includes mothers who are addicted to drugs while pregnant.
Many mothers are unable to quit their addictions after finding out they are pregnant, thus jeopardizing their health as well as their unborn baby’s. As more incidents of drug-abuse during pregnancy occur, treatment centers and public outreach programs are focusing on this group and the children born to these mothers. Some mothers find the inspiration of being pregnant enough to quit on their own, while many need help to do so.
“I was waiting for it to take away every craving that I had, every want to go and get high. And it didn’t do that. It’s just so shameful,” explained Linsey Vanover, a recovering addict who abused drugs while pregnant with her son. The assumption and hope that the pregnancy and love for the unborn child will trump the addict’s need to get high is not uncommon. Unfortunately, the addiction is oftentimes so intense that these women continue to abuse the drugs anyway. This leads to babies being born with serious health complications and a physical addiction to drugs and/or alcohol. Babies whose mothers abused heroin during their pregnancy are born addicted to heroin (or dependent on methadone or buprenorphine from treatment) and have to undergo the painful withdrawal symptoms.
As a way to answer the growing need for treatment and education for potential mothers and women who are already addicted to drugs as well as pregnant, some treatment centers are welcoming these women and helping them overcome their addictions so they can be involved in their children’s lives. Some treatment centers are even specifically geared to pregnant and single mothers. Focusing on rehabilitating mothers is necessary in stopping the addiction from continuing on to the children. Studies show that children who grow up in households where family members abuse drugs are more likely to abuse drugs and/or alcohol themselves, and helping mothers to become free of addiction so they have a better ability to raise their children is something that benefits all of society.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on October 8, 2014 under AZ Drug Rehab News |
Two and a half hours after being born, a newborn baby boy passed away in Tucson, AZ. When doctors looked into the reason behind the death they found that the baby had methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana in its system. As the hospital staff looked into the devastating turn of events they found that the baby’s mother had been abusing drugs while she was pregnant.
The medical examiner’s office released a report, stating that the cause of death was, “prematurity with substance abuse by his mother as a contributing factor to his prematurity and subsequent death.” Perhaps even more shocking than the mother’s alleged extreme negligence and reckless endangerment is that seven months later she has still not been charged with any crime.
The Tucson Police Department reported that they are still investigating the case; however some people are skeptical that anything is going to be done to avenge the baby’s death. The police department cites complicated loopholes regarding infant death so soon after birth as the main reason why no charges have been filed yet, they are still investigating to ensure that they have a solid case before committing to charges. It should also be noted that the baby’s mother was arrested on drug charges only one month prior to the child being born.
Drug and alcohol abuse during pregnancy is one of the most dangerous things a mother can do to her child. The baby becomes addicted to the drugs while still in the womb and can develop serious and life-threatening complications. Once born, if the baby survives, the child has to go through painful withdrawal in order to get off the drugs. Withdrawal symptoms are typically something that an adult cannot handle, let alone an infant. The types of withdrawal symptoms a baby may experience depend on what drugs the mother was abusing during the pregnancy.
If a mother was abusing heroin or any kind of opiate the child may experience painful flu-like symptoms, inability to sleep, severe aches and pains, cravings for the drug and vomiting. What is even scarier is that when a baby is going through withdrawals their heart rate increases and they become dehydrated.
