The Mis-handling Of Stress With Drugs and Alcohol
By Stacy Barnes | June 9, 2011
Stress is a major factor known to increase alcohol and drug relapse risk. While those recovering from an alcohol or drug addiction can often resist most environmental triggers that may remind them of their former addiction, an addict may find that resisting the urge to use is exceptionally difficult when they are faced with an emotionally stressful situation. Job loss, loss of loved one, divorce, custody battles, money issues and even smaller problems such as heavy traffic, while a way of life, all can easily be the cause of a relapse.
It is very common for those who have a hard time coping with these stressful situations to use alcohol and drugs in an effort to relax themselves or self-medicate. Unfortunately the effects of chronic alcohol and drug abuse can take a very dangerous toll on a person’s health and life, and will most likely only worsen or prolong the symptoms of stress and anxiety. By habitually using drugs or alcohol as a means of coping with stress, the substance abuse itself will become the stressor, which could easily trigger a cycle of drug use and ultimately lead to the development of an addiction. Also, in addition to the development of a physical addiction, it is also common that those who use drugs to self medicate will develop substance use disorders and mental health conditions, which will only compound the situation at hand.
No matter who you are in this world, stress is a part of life and it is important that we learn how to confront these stressful situations and frustrations, rather than escaping and ignoring them. While stress cannot be avoided, addiction can, provided stress is managed in a healthy way. If you haven’t already sought out drugs or alcohol to relieve stress, but have often found yourself contemplating doing so, understand that there are many techniques that can be used to cope safely and without the use of harmful substances. Relaxing the mind with Yoga and massages is a common holistic approach used by many alcohol and drug rehab centers to help their patients cope with stress. Exercise is also very effective because doing so leads to a natural release of endorphins, the hormones that produce our “happy” feelings. Even every day “emotional” tasks such as staying positive, embracing change, accepting what you can and cannot in life, and taking one day at a time can have a huge impact on the outlook you may have on your life.
Unfortunately some may already find themselves ensnared in the vicious cycle of using drugs or alcohol to cope with life’s stressors and in these cases, it is important that addiction treatment is sought out, as drug or alcohol addiction is near impossible to overcome our own. While 12-step meetings outside an alcohol or drug rehab facility may be effective for some addictions such as mild alcoholism, it is important to remember that medical detox is sometimes necessary to fully rid the body of addictive toxins that have resulted from drug use and a more structured drug or alcohol treatment is essential for full recovery. If you feel that in order to cope with stress you have no other choice but to turn to harmful and potentially addictive substances, seek treatment in a Florida drug rehab center immediately.
Topics: Addiction, Alcohol Treatment, Detox, Drug Addiction, Drug Rehab | Comments Off
Prescription Drug Addiction, A Nationwide Epidemic
By Stacy Barnes | May 17, 2011
Prescription drug abuse is now our nation’s fasted growing drug problem. In a 10-year period from 2007-2010, the use of prescription opiates (milligram-per-person) rose tremendously from 74 milligrams to 369 milligrams, a staggering 402% increase. In 2000, retail pharmacies dispensed 174 million prescriptions and in 2009 that number increased by 43% with 257 million opiate prescriptions dispensed. One-third of people age 12 and over who used drugs for the first time in 2009 began by using a prescription drug non-medically, prescription drugs are the second most abused drugs in our country and prescription drug overdose has become the leading cause of accidental death in many states. Clearly, opiate drug abuse has become a nationwide epidemic.
Only second to marijuana and alcohol abuse, prescription drugs are at the top of the list for the most abused drugs in the United States. And because prescription medication is one of the most expensive street drugs on the market, it is also causing a rise in heroin abuse, as heroin can provide a similar euphoric fix for significantly less money. Another issue is that these are not illegal drugs, but ones that can be obtained rather easily through prescriptions, depending on what symptoms a patient “tells” his doctor he is experiencing. Since pain is subjective, it is near impossible for a doctor to be able to measure the level of pain a patient feels. Many times they will over-prescribe or prescribe a high dose for a potential amount of discomfort, should the patient “possibly” experience an increase in pain. And many times they will unknowingly administer opiates to patients whose “pain” is no more than an actual full-blown addiction.
Doctors or “doctor shopping” is not the only pressing issue at hand when it comes to our countries prescription pain medication epidemic. Another large contributor to prescription drug addiction are those who still hoard their unused prescription medicine for future use and leave such in medicine cabinets, readily accessible to anyone who enters or resides in the home. Because of this type of drug hoarding, there has been a tremendous rise in the amount of teenage prescription drug abuse, as well as criminal acts such as break-ins and home burglaries, as prescription opiates become more expensive and less available on the streets, and more available in the bathrooms of our neighbors.
Unfortunately, with all of the above stated, it is not enough to monitor overzealous opiate prescribing doctors, pill-hoarding families, and tackle the criminal sales of opiates on the street. There is an issue at hand, and that issue is how we are dealing with pain in the first place. We have now adopted the “quick-fix” method and think pills are the answer to everything when there are non-medical ways to cope with chronic discomfort. Holistic drug-free treatments, which can include acupuncture, meditation, yoga, chiropractic care, aqua therapy, and the teachings of proper nutrition, have all been proven greatly effective in contributing to the relief of chronic pain. With these holistic methods being implemented by some of the most successful drug rehabilitation and treatment programs in our country and the growing number of opiate addictions today, doctors should without a doubt be required to explore these alternatives with their patients well before haphazardly writing another prescription for Oxycontin.
Topics: Addiction, Alcohol Abuse, Drug Abuse, Drug Addiction, Drug Rehab, prescription drugs | Comments Off
NJ Law Officials Drug Use Spurs Drug-Monitoring Program
By Stacy Barnes | May 10, 2011
In late 2010, a report done by the Star Ledger revealed that at least 248 police officers and firefighters from 53 agencies were involved in anabolic steroid use, all of them receiving the illegally prescribed drugs from the same New Jersey doctor. Even when the doctor passed away, the officers continued to get their drugs from other area clinics. The Jersey City Police Department was found to have the highest amount of steroid drug abuse, filling prescriptions for drugs such as testosterone and Stanozolol and even using taxpayer dollars to do so.
While New Jersey had already received the appropriate funding for a drug-monitoring program 6 years ago, a program that would have regulated the doctors and prevented them from issuing fake diagnoses and illegal prescriptions to the officers, it had unfortunately been placed on the backburner. It was this instance and the alarming amount of officers involved that finally created the awareness necessary for the New Jersey government to move forward and implement their statewide drug-monitoring program.
The drug-monitoring program in NJ, which is already running in 34 other states, is intended to prevent the abuse of prescription painkillers and anabolic steroids. Prescription drugs are currently at the top of the list for the highest abused drugs in New Jersey, with Ritalin, Oxycontin and Adderall being the biggest threats to patients who enter drug rehab for prescription drug addiction. The operational monitoring program will use a statewide database to monitor all pharmacies and prescriptions issued. The goal is to track use as well as abuse trends and easily identify individuals who may be using forged prescriptions or obtaining excessive amounts of their prescription pain medication from one or more doctors.
Though New Jersey government officials are primarily focused on monitoring law officials, the program will also be greatly effective when trying to prevent the use of anabolic steroids, painkillers, and prescription drug amongst the general public and the climbing prescription drug abuse amongst teens.
Topics: Drug Abuse, Drug Addiction, Drug Rehab | Comments Off
Pill Popping Soccer Moms
By Stacy Barnes | May 6, 2011
The role of a stay at home mom usually adheres to a standard motherhood checklist and one that she gladly takes on. Keep the house neat, cook healthy meals for her family, and devote herself lovingly to her husband and children. Drug use and addiction is never something that a mother would ever willingly choose to add to this list. Unfortunately, with pain killer drug abuse growing more than 300 percent in the last decade, drug addiction is no longer an issue that just affects “the streets”. It is an issue that our elderly, teenagers with access to a parent’s medicine cabinet, and even our beloved stay at home moms are now struggling with.
Because trained doctors handle the prescription of opiates, mothers tend to see this form of self-medication as an acceptable way to deal with everyday stress, not realizing that taking such medication can easily lead to misuse and addiction. In addition to dealing with stress, mothers who turn to prescription drugs may also do so to numb any mental disorders they are dealing with such as anxiety or depression. Because a mother may feel like she has to be a strong and positive influence on her child’s life, she may try to cover up any negative issues and emotions she is struggling with by using prescription drugs. But anytime prescription drugs are used to handle an emotional disorder, the emotional disorder is only being masked, not properly treated. Tending to these emotions with medication is a quick and dangerous attempt at healing and one that will only lead to future problems for a mother and her family.
Getting help for a possible prescription drug addiction is also an issue for many stay at home moms. Though prescription drug use and abuse amongst women is on the rise, women are still less likely than men to seek treatment, especially women whose primarily role in the family is a stay at home mother. A woman whose every day life is dedicated to taking care of her loved ones may feel like the whole family is dependent on her and that she needs to be available around the clock for them. She may even go as far as to worry that a stay in rehab or admittance to drug addiction could cause her to lose her husband or even her children. This is a dangerous way of thinking as there can be no positive outcome for a drug addiction that goes untreated.
Overdose due to prescription pain medication is now one of the most common causes of death in America and the devastation caused by the loss of a mother due to overdose would be life changing for her family. It is in the best interest of a mother to seek treatment in drug rehab immediately so that she can be returned healthy to her family, ready and able to resume her role as a loving partner and well providing mother.
Topics: Addiction, Drug Abuse, Drug Rehab, depression, prescription drugs | Comments Off
OxyContin Addiction Can Lead to Heroin Addiction
By Stacy Barnes | April 22, 2011
OxyContin can do many things. It can help relieve pain, decrease anxiety…and cause euphoria, respiratory depression, constipation, and meiosis (papillary constriction). It can also cause difficulty urinating, fast or slow heartbeat, seizures, severe dizziness, unusual bleeding and bruising, lightheadedness, or fainting; slowed or difficult breathing, tremors and vision changes. So yes, while OxyContin can relieve pain, it also comes with a shopping list of dangerous side effects and is amongst one of the most addictive drugs in our country. And in addition to the plethora of side effects mentioned, the recent release of a new formula of OxyContin has now been linked to heroin addiction.
A new tablet of OxyContin, recently approved by the FDA, which contains a time-controlled release of opioids into its patients, was designed to combat the misuse and abuse of the drug. With the old formula of OxyContin, abusers could release high levels of OxyContin all at once, or break the pill into smaller pieces to share with others or split throughout the day for recreational use. To avoid drug abuse, the new formulation of the drug can not be crushed, broken, cut, or dissolved by users looking for nothing more than an immediate high. The tablets will break into chunks making them difficult to snort, when melted become gummy and are impossible to be injected.
Hearing that the drug can’t be taken incorrectly should sound like good news, but unfortunately it’s come with a major downside. Because the new form of OxyContin is harder to tamper with, those who have already become addicted to the euphoric effects of the pill are looking for easier ways to achieve a similar high. Sadly, they are turning to heroin, now widely known on the streets as OxyContin’s “cousin” drug. Former abusers of OxyContin have switched to heroin, as it is just as accessible, produces an instant high, and is significantly cheaper. Where a gram of heroin may sell for $25-$30 dollars, OxyContin goes for $60-$80 a tablet.
Now boasting the nicknames, “legal-heroin” and “hillbilly heroin”, OxyContin clearly does more damage than good. There are many less addictive pain relief medications that can be properly prescribed and monitored as well as alternative pain management techniques and options that can be taught and handled by drug rehab centers. Options not responsible for the deaths of thousands due to overdose and the destruction of life for tens of thousands due to addiction.
Topics: Drug Rehab Center, News, Oxycodone Addiction, opiates, oxycontin, painkillers, prescription drugs | Comments Off