As psychiatry, like all science, progresses, attitudes change and theories are reworked as studies and experiments reveal new truths about the world we live in and in the case of psychiatry, the way our minds work.

One of the many changes in this new version of the DSM, is the criteria of eating disorders being reworked to include a recognition of binge eating disorder.  This would move the binge eating disorder into the same category held by Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa.The DSM-5 website lays out the criteria for binge eating disorder to be diagnosed. They are:
The patient has binge eating episodes repeatedly, where binge eating is consists of eating in a short period of time an amount of food that is decidedly more than most people would eat in the same situation, plus they have a sense of lack of control over eating during the episode. They give the example, “a feeling that one cannot stop eating or control what or how much one is eating.”

In addition, the guidelines state that to meet the new criteria, the patient must show a marked distress regarding the binge eating, and the binge eating must occur, on average, at least once a week for three months. Plus the episodes themselves must be associated with 3 (or more) of the following:

    1. eating much more rapidly than normal
    2. eating until feeling uncomfortably full
    3. eating large amounts of food when not feeling physically hungry
    4. eating alone because of being embarrassed by how much one is eating
    5. feeling disgusted with oneself, depressed, or very guilty after overeating

The final criteria to meet this new definition of binge eating disorder, is that the episodes should not be associated with acts like purging, or only occur during the course of anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa.

On first glance, it may not seem like a big change, this reclassification of a disorder that many psychiatrists and eating disorder clinics have already been treating, but it is small steps like this that help raise awareness of these conditions so that further study and correct diagnoses will occur in the future. Relatively, it wasn't long ago that anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa weren't classified, and who knows how many people suffered because they weren't properly diagnosed during that time? Now they are readily recognized and people are able to get the help they need rather than live a life of secrecy.

This secrecy is especially true when it comes to eating disorders, where many people, including family and friends don't realize their loved ones are living a life unnecessarily filled with shame and guilt commonly found in people with these disorders.

If you feel that you may have a problem with binge eating, anorexia or bulimia, please contact Sober Living by the Sea by calling 866-323-5609.

Three Unlikely Partners in Crime: How Afghanistan, Mexico, and Prescription Drugs Manufacturers Unwittingly Combine Forces to Murder Americans

Read Part I: Prescription Drugs Manufacturers

Part II Mexican Farmers and Entrepreneurs:

A lot of the black tar heroin that makes into the United States comes from a short distance away  - in Xalisco Mexico. 

Mexico is also the biggest gateway for heroin from Afghanistan and other parts of Asia and Africa to enter the United States. But recent years has shown the appetite of the youth in the U.S. grow exponentially for heroin.  This growth in demand is from the upper and middle class communities in addition to the more traditional urban areas where heroin has been frequently abused.  This increase in heroin use can also be tied to the prescription drug industry and the prevalence of OxyContin that is obtained and used by people who it was not intended for. Inevitably  farmers from poor areas in Mexico have started production of this lucrative cash crop.

A recent L.A. Times story exposed the trend of young ambitious drug traffickers from Xalisco who are infiltrating the United States with a "heroin delivery" business that sees them fulfilling orders by taking phone orders and arranging dropoffs with customers.

Customer service is a concept that apparently has been adopted by these heroin pushers as they have taken a page out of Domino's playbook and brought the product to the doorstep of their customers.  They also do follow up quality control calls and rewards for referred customers.

Prices Go Down, Overdoses Go Up

 
Along with the clever business model, the profits to be made have created enough competition to drive prices down - a phenomenon that spells death for many young people (and people of all ages) in the U.S.

Black tar heroin from Mexico has proliferated the entire country. This drug delivery enterprise has spread to towns such as Charlotte, Nashville, Phoenix, and Los Angeles.  The influence of these "Xalisco Boys" is felt particularly strongly in certain areas where OxyContin is popular.

The OxyContin Connection

It is logical that wherever OxyContin has a hold on people the heroin trade is sure to follow.   This phenomenon has been well documented in our blog (see the OxyContin Express entry) Ohio has been very hard hit by the popularity and availability of heroin with 15,000 addicts seeking treatment at state funded centers in 2008. The Appalachian Mountains (where OxyContin is known as "hillbilly heroin") and the Rust Belt have been fruitful targets for heroin syndicates.

The LA Times article reports that the Xalisco dealers target white consumers because they are safer and more profitable to deal to.   Xalisco dealers also recruit customers and dealers out of rehabs and addiction recovery clinics.

Cracking Down on the Xalisco Heroin Trade

Federal Narcotics agents have been targeting and cracking down on the Xalisco heroin delivery syndicates but with the many layers of  underlings and the decentralized nature of the business, the system is well protected against law enforcement.

The dealers at the street level carry the drug in balloons in their mouth.  Addicts dial a number and place their order to 3rd party who relays the information to the street level dealer.  This is a very insulated system that makes it difficult to get any real charges or leverage on the multi tiered crime syndicate.

The systematic enterprise spread through cities like Reno, Salt Lake City, Denver, Honolulu and others. 

Recent years has seen the attention of DEA agents move south into Xalisco county to try and address the influx of heroin at the source.  Poor sugar cane workers are willing participants in the opium farming and processing that leads to the creation of black tar heroin.  The Xalisco entrepreneurs were known to cooperate with the Areallano-Felix drug cartel and pay large sums for "permission" to participate in the lucrative trade.

Phone taps provide a starting point for U.S. authorities to move south of the border and target the ringleaders in Xalisco. There are many various "ranchos" that grow the poppies and they operate independently.  Many of the law enforcement efforts to crack down and in Mexico do not lead to successful arrests and those that do face the inevitability of another farmer stepping in to replace the supply of the incarcerated party.

Facing the Heroin Epidemic at Home

It is up to the families and loved ones of at risk individuals in the United States to begin educating themselves on how to confront the heroin epidemic.  There are a myriad of steps that you can take to help stem this tide.  A simple one is to carefully monitor the prescription medication that is kept in the home. Another step is to actually discuss drugs with teens who are entering the prime experimentation phase (during and after high school). Finally, if you think that you know someone who is abusing drugs or alcohol, there are many ways to start the conversation and there are many people who can help (like an interventionist) if you feel like a loved one is out of control.  For more information about drug treatment and prevention call Sober Living by the Sea's team of admissions counselors at 866-323-5609.

Part I: Prescription Drugs Manufacturers

Purdue Pharma LP and Abbott Laboratories Inc. have been facing intense scrutiny in recent years as a result of the havoc wreaked throughout the US as a result of their addictive medication OxyContin.

OxyContin is an extremely addictive narcotic medication that is also known as "legal heroin."  The substance has flooded the United States where it is widely abused and not just by young people who are of high school and college age.

The write-up we did about the OxyContin Express Documentary on Vanguard Television will provide insight to how this substance has proliferated so widely due to irresponsible pharmacies and the individuals who take the drug without suspecting how addictive it can be.

OxyContin Leads Directly to Heroin Overdose

OxyContin might be legal and available via prescription for some legitimate medical patients, but it is expensive and difficult to obtain in large quantities for the illicit user who has become physically and mentally addicted to the "high" of this opiate drug.

Clever drug dealers have moved into areas where OxyContin use is widespread and struck a booming business selling heroin to OxyContin addicted individulas.  The heroin is manufactured in a variety of places like Taliban controlled areas of Afghanistan (and other parts of Asia) and Mexico (and other parts of Latin America).

Unregulated heroin varies in purity and strength and is very addictive.  The prices of heroin have been at an all time low.  The result is a frightening wave of addiction and overdose to men and women of all ages.  Teens and twenty somethings have been the hardest hit by the wave of overdoses in the last 3 years.  Also unique about recent opiate overdose deaths is that due to the fact that OxyContin is an expensive brand name prescription drug, many of the users who become addicted to it and then gravitate to heroin are in middle class and upper class suburbs.  I think this picture is worth a thousand words:

Going after the Prescription Drug Manufacturers

There has predictably been a backlash against the manufacturers of OxyContin.  A plaintiffs group in Washington, D.C., filed a $5.2 billion lawsuit against Purdue Pharma LP and Abbott Laboratories Inc., charging the drug companies with allegedly failing to warn patients about how addictive OxyContin is.

There is also numerous grassroots campaigns that have sprung up to warn potential victims of opiate addiction about

OxyContin specifically.  The website http://www.OxyAbuseKills.com is a site started by and supported by many people who've had a relative overdose either on OxyContin or a related drug.  The website http://www.baonOxyContin.com collects signatures with the goal of getting legislation passed that will ban OxyContin.

There are more players involved in this deadly cycle of OxyContin turned into heroin overdose.  Parts II and III of this series will focus on the manufacturers and dealers of the heroin that replaces OxyContin for so many addicted Americans.

Getting Help

There is no longer time to "wait and see" if you know someone who may be abusing drugs like OxyContin.  OxyContin and all opiates are potentially fatal with every use.  If you are concerned about someone (or are yourself chemically dependent on opiates) please do not wait until tomorrow when it may be too late.  Pick up the phone today and call Sober Living by the Sea at 866-323-5609 for a free and confidential discussion about you or your loved one's drug use.

Drug use has been associated with cultural/artistic movements for decades.  Some examples would be:

•    the "Free Love" counter cultural movement in the 1960s and the widespread use of marijuana and other drugs
•    the "rave" culture that flourished in the 1990's with its acceptance of amphetamines and other narcotics
•    the hip hop lifestyle of the 1980's that glorified drug dealing during the time when urban centers around the world were being decimated by crack cocaine
 
In the last 20 years, Mexican songs about drug dealers (narcocorridos) have become wildly popular both in Latin America and also among Mexican immigrants in the United States.  Narcocorridos are songs about the exploits of men and women who are members of drug cartels.. The songs are typically set to Mexican Norteno Music and if you are not familiar with the genre then you may be surprised at how innocuous they sound (here is a definitive Narcocorrido song by one the genres most famous groups Los Tigres Del Norte):

The Mexican war against drug cartels has become so aggravated and costly that the Mexican government has moved beyond restricting the playing of these songs on the radio and is considering outlawing the performance of these songs in public or using the songs in films.

Censorship in a Desperate Time

If you look at the examples given at the beginning of the article: 60's Rock and Roll, hip hop, and electronic rave music are associated with drugs but censorship has rarely been considered (save for typical concerns of common decency). 

The narcocorridos would seem to be harmless as well, especially due to the fact that they seem to chronicle somewhat fairly the ups and downs of the drug smugglers and mafia members' lives.  However, if you consider:

•    how costly the war on drugs has been in Mexico
•    the fact that the violence and crime has spread to the U.S. border region
•    how brazenly the drug cartels openly  oppose the government authority

Then the move to censor the music seems more appropriate and, frankly, the action of a country existing in a state of emergency.  The hearts and minds of the Mexican people seem to be at stake and these narcocorridos are a source of comfort for those who have little opportunity in life.  The "glorification" of the drug trafficking industry's participants in these songs would seem to encourage participation in the illicit trade by those who have become desperate in a slumping global economy.

The U.S. Has a Vested Interest in Narcocorridos

Just because you may not listen to narcocorridos, or live in one of the border regions where the drug violence is common, legislation banning their performance may still have an effect on you.  As we've documented repeatedly in our blog, the rising  instance of prescription drug addiction in the United States has caused an unprecedented number of painkiller addicts to gravitate to heroin use when their preferred OxyContin and Vicodin has become too costly or difficult to obtain.  Beyond the tragic epidemic of accidental heroin overdose which has devastated entire communities in the United States, residential areas with higher instances of heroin addiction also report more frequent crimes (including theft and violent crimes).

Much of the heroin (and cocaine and marijuana) that users in the U.S. take comes across the border from Mexico and is trafficked by the very drug cartels that narcocorridos are about.  So Mexico's efforts to curb the music that encourages the drug trade might indirectly have an effect on your quality of life.
 
If you know someone who may be addicted to using a substance be it a prescription drug or an illegal narcotic, call Sober Living by the Sea at 866-323-5609 to get information about how to approach that person and get them the help that can save their life.

Patients that suffer from long-term pain not caused by cancer have been increasingly prescribed opiods, like Oxycontin and Vicodin.  As more have been receiving these medications, as recommended and prescribed by their doctor, the risk of overdose is increasing.  It was widely believed that abuse and overdose of pain medication occurred mostly with non-prescribed or illegal usage, but a recent study that looks at patients who had doctor’s prescriptions found that there is a strong link with fatal and nonfatal overdose and medically approved usage.

Deaths Related to Prescription Opioid Medication on the Rise in the US

The number of adults in the United States prescribed opioids for long-term chronic pain is estimated to be about 8 million (3% of all adults in the US).  In recent years, deaths involving prescription opioids are on the rise.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that about 14,000 deaths in the US involved prescription opioids in 2006.  That amount is triple the number from 1999.  In total, about 65,000 US drug overdose deaths due to opioid usage were reported between 1999 and 2006. 

The Study

Michael Von Korff, ScD, led a team that studied the risk of overdose in patients that were prescribed opioids.  These patients did not have cancer, but suffered from long-term chronic pain, such as that stemming from osteoarthritis and back pain.  This first-ever study of its kind involved about 10,000 patients and was published recently in Annals of Internal Medicine. 

The team found that a correlation exists between the prescribed dose and the risk of overdose.  Patients that were prescribed higher doses of medication were 9 times more likely to overdose compared to those given low doses.  Because most patients received low to medium doses though, most overdoses that were reported occurred at those levels. 

The results of the study are significant because it goes against the belief that fatal overdoses happen mainly to those who abuse prescription pain medication and acquire them fraudulently or illegally, without a prescription.   This study suggests that overdoses do occur in large number to those who are legally prescribed the medication by their doctor.  Dr. Von Korff could not conclude that higher doses are a cause of overdose, using the data in the study, but urge doctors to carefully monitor and evaluate patients whom they prescribe opioids for long-term use.

According to the study, age did not play a factor in overdoses, since they occurred at similar rates throughout all ages.  Potential contributing factors such as suicide attempts or accidental ingestion of doses higher than that prescribed was not controlled for in the study.   They were noted in only a small number of overdoses.  However, opioid overdoses did occur more among patients that suffered from depression or had a history of substance abuse.  Chronic pain patients that use opioid pain medication long-term commonly had depression.

Lessons Learned From This Study

The study shows that there is a lot that can be improved upon when prescribing pain medication to patients long-term.  With so many overdoses reported at an alarmingly increasing rate, there is a considerable opportunity to improve the safety of using the medication and also through looking at the risk-benefit profile of each patient by more attentive and cautious prescribing. 

It also shows that even though you may be prescribed opioid pain medications such as Vicodin or Oxycontin, you are at great risk of overdose and even addiction and dependency, no matter what the dosage prescribed.  Those are things that do not happen only to those who acquire the drugs through non-prescribed means.  If you feel you may be abusing prescription drugs and want to get help before it is too late, give us a call at 866.323.5609 to have all your questions answered and concerns addressed.

 - article by Khoi Nguyen

While still in their teens and early twenties, young adults have a thirst and curiosity for all the world has to offer.  With so much they have not yet experienced, they may try new things for the sake of the experience, having fun, and  experimenting.  Some may give in to the peer pressure or temptation and turn to recreational drugs, such as marijuana, magic mushrooms, or ecstasy (or MDMA).  It has always been feared that ecstasy is a dangerous and potentially deadly drug.  A recent study though, shows just how lethal ecstasy can be and the results are surprising.  Young and healthy people, who normally do not do drugs, are dying from ecstasy.  

Stimulant Deaths Study

Fabrizio Schifano of the University of Hertfordshire recently led a study that analyzed stimulant deaths in Britain between the years 1997 and 2007.  The study appears in the Neuropsychobiology journal.  Schifano and his team used data from the National Programme on Substance Abuse Deaths database and the British Crime Survey. 

According to their findings:

• 832 people died in Britain during the 11 year study period due to amphetamines and methylamphetamines, such as crystal meth and speed
• 605 people died in Britain during the 11 year study period due to ecstasy

Study Findings are Worrying

The most surprising and unexpected finding of the study was that those most likely to die from ecstasy overdose use were young, healthy people who otherwise normally do not use drugs.  Ecstasy killed users in that group more than other stimulants such as speed or crystal meth.

This finding is especially worrying due to the fact that those most vulnerable to being killed by ecstasy are the same age as those that most likely would use the drug.  Schifano feels that this is obviously a big public health concern.  The results of the study show that those between the ages of 16 and 24 were most likely to die from excessive use of the drug, but it is not yet known exactly why.

Ecstasy and amphetamines are both part of the same pharmacological group and are very similar.  However, as opposed to amphetamines, ecstasy contains intrinsic toxicity higher than that of amphetamines.  Because the brains of teens are still developing, they have a much higher vulnerability to the toxic affects of ecstasy.

Other Known Health Risks Associated with Ecstasy

For those who do not die from using ecstasy, there are health risks stemming from usage of the drug.  It has been known to be linked to some neurological problems, including subtle cognitive deficits, impulsive behavior, and sleep apnea.  The cause of these is due to ecstasy’s toxic effects on neurons that produce serotonin. 

In the short-term, dangers of ecstasy usage include dehydration and risk of heatstroke, especially while dancing all night while high on the drug and not drinking enough fluids.  Some users report depression while “coming down” from the drug.  Mislabeling of the drug is also a major concern, with some drugs being sold as ecstasy actually being PCP or PMA.

Ecstasy use at any age is extremely dangerous.   Sober Living by the Sea helps people recover from the damage that drugs like ecstasy have wrought and helped them get them off the drug before it could become deadly.  Please contact us at 866-323-5609 to have all of your questions answered and start on your path to treatment.

 - article by Khoi Nguyen

It is a constant battle trying to keep a addicted mind at bay. Thank heavens we have a program that ask that we remind ourselves that we need help in different areas of our daily lives.  We have a daily reprieve contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition.

If you are someone (like many of us are) who is suffering from a hundred forms of

• fear 
  
• self-delusion
• self seeking 
  
• self pity
  

It might be a disappointing surprise that these symptoms don't "just go away"  when a person gets clean and sober. How do we deal with this and really learn to practice these principles in all our affairs?

The Two Kinds of Recovering People

A friend of my mind often says to me there are 2 kinds of recovering people that you will meet:

One that is "pretty messed up in the head" and knows it. This person treats their addiction daily and understands and realizes that unless he/she does some things daily, it will be only a matter of time before they start producing confusion rather then harmony.  This person will be fighting with everything and everyone and spreading their "DIS-ease." 

The other type of recovering person is also really sick but creates the maximum amount of confusion and mayhem in their lives because they suffer from UNTREATED alcoholism and drug addiction. This person may not even have a clue that there is even anything wrong. 

This is a formula for unhealthy relationships.  Living like this (and dealing with someone like this) can be exhausting and confusing a lot of the time.

I really need to be reminded on a daily basis that I am not only fighting
alcoholism and drug addiction, I am also fighting a "DIS – ease" that centers in my mind.  My "DIS-ease" often tells me that I do not even have a disease.

In my daily morning meditation I need to be reminded of "who I am" and also "who I am not."  I need to remember that just because I got clean and sober it does not mean that my character defects went away. I must stay "right sized" daily to truly stop fighting everything and everyone. This way, I can produce harmony in my life and in others' lives.

I am trying to practice these principles in all my affairs 

If anyone out there wants to talk about recovery please email me at kkettle-at-crchealth.com

-Kelly K

Two years ago, during Super Bowl XLII, a major ad campaign kicked off to stem the growing trend of teenage prescription drug abuse.

This clever spot made people think and no doubt raised awareness about the ever present danger of having pain medications where teenagers could access them.

Another clever spot was the one about the "Out of Work Drug Dealer:"

In these thirty-second, multi-million dollar spots, the Partnership for a Drug Free America decided to change tactics and instead of focusing on the dangers of drug dealers and their illicit drugs, turned its attention to parents. 

Millions of people saw the commercial, and as all Super Bowl commercials do, it received a lot of attention. In it, a sleazy drug dealer loiters alone on a corner. He talks directly to the camera, directly to the millions of parents, explaining that he didn’t get your kids hooked on drugs, you did. His drug dealing business is down, because you give the drugs away for free by allowing your kids free access to your prescription medications. It was a powerful, accusing message, forcing parents to examine something they may never have even thought of as a potential problem. 

As previously mentioned in the blog entry, New Campaign Designed to Prevent Teenage Prescription Drug Abuse, the rise in prescription drug abuse has hit staggering numbers. 

While many parents visualize a drug dealer like the one portrayed in the commercial as the one to start their kids on the painful road toward addiction, in reality the temptation of an easy drug high may rest in their own medicine cabinets. 

Educating Parents on the Dangers in their Own Home

Before this campaign, and others like it, it often didn’t dawn on the parents, to even think of the hidden dangers of leaving highly addictive and easily abused drugs like Vicodin and OxyContin,Valium, Xanax, sleeping medications, Ritalin and Concerta within arms reach.

Since this time, awareness has begun to spread. Many parents are now starting to realize the risk; and with this awareness, the focus has changed to educating parents on how to protect their medications properly. This can be seen in the newest commercial in the campaign showing two parents going through their medicine cabinet, removing all the labels from the prescription medicine bottles in an attempt to keep them “safe” from their kids. It’s done in a humorous fashion, with the parents soon realizing they can’t tell one pill bottle from another as the father wonders which pill he’s supposed to take. The end of the commercial tells parents there’s a better way, and directs parents to the Parents: The Anti-Drug website for more information. 

The Rx Locker

At the website they give advice on how to protect your medications, including how to store them and dispose of them. One of the solutions they offer is a link to a new product endorsed on several television and radio spots by Celebrity Drug Rehab host Dr. Drew Pinsky called the RX Locker. This is basically a small plastic safe that fits into your medicine cabinet and holds parents most easily abused medications. He stresses that it’s not fool-proof, but it at least lets your kids know that you are serious about your medications.

Other important information being communicated to parents is how to spot the signs of prescription drug abuse including a change in behavior, drastic mood swings, a sudden drop in grades, plus physical signs of withdrawal or intoxication, in addition to finding empty prescription bottles or over the counter medications.

No matter what, the most important thing a parent should know is that if they suspect their child is abusing drugs, whether illicit or prescription, help is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Call 866-323-5609 for more information.  Sober Living by the Sea has a team of intake counselors which are trained in educating parents how to start a dialog with their loved ones. Sober Living by the Sea also has a nationwide network of interventionists who can help confront someone in need of help.

As we have often written in our blog, we think that alcoholism is a disease that warrants humane treatment.  Life in general is not kind to those of us who become addicted to alcohol or any substance.  Men and women who struggle with addiction often struggle through bouts of unemployment, depression, prison terms, and institutionalization.

Another Obstacle for Alcoholic Drinkers

The latest news we're learning about is the restriction of Fertility Treatment for women who abuse alcohol.

A recent statement released by the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHE) recommends enforcing "lifestyle changes" for certain women who drink more than a moderate amount in order to justify enhancing their likelihood to bear children.

The logic behind the recommendation is based on years of data that shows unequivocally that
•    mothers who drink during pregnancy risk a slew of negative effects on their unborn child (including fetal alcohol syndrome, retardation, and deformity)

and

•    children who grow up in alcoholic homes suffer a higher likelihood of depression, criminal behavior and many other negative effects

Not to mention that children of abusive drinkers are three times as likely to become alcoholics themselves (especially in the case of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome).

The Ethics of Restricting Treatment

The ESHE study also includes recommendations to bar fertility enhancements for women who smoke and/or are obese.  We cannot argue against these types of recommendations because they have been made to protect infants and babies in the womb who are defenseless.

Addiction professionals like those at our treatment center can only hope that when doctors or health care providers are making decisions about denying women the right to increase their chances of becoming a mother, they do so with the right knowledge and tools at their disposal.

Women for whom drinking, drug use, smoking, and even compulsive overeating have become addictive behaviors are no longer merely "making bad choices" but are caught in the grasp of a biological, psychological, and social disease that requires supportive and intensive therapeutic treatment before the women can begin to live their lives in recovery.

Getting Treatment - Asking for Help is the First Step

Whether or not it is you or someone you care about who needs to address their addictive substance abuse or eating disorder, the prospect of confronting addiction can be overwhelming.  Picking up the phone and asking the help of a professional is the first step and everything is spelled out and becomes easier from that point.  We urge you to place an anonymous and confidential call to our team of intake counselors in order to start the healing and receive guidance on how to end the destruction and begin healing. 
We are available 24 hours a day, toll-free at 866-323-5609.

Today marks 8 years and five months I have had the same job (working for Sober Living by the Sea). This has never happened to me before. I believe the longest was about three years and I quit (knowing that sooner or later they were going to fire me).
     I used to live from paycheck to paycheck. I'd get paid on Friday and then go and payoff the connection. Of course, the liquor store which gave me credit would get paid. Have you ever gone to a bar and the next morning wonder what happened to the money in your wallet? By Monday morning I was wondering what happened to the pay and how was I going to survive for the week. I could get a draw at work. I would get credit at the liquor store and get fronted my drugs. On Friday it would start all over again.

Realistic Expectations About Change

     Life is suppose to be full of changes, but not for me. Maybe change jobs. Find a new place to stay. Notice how I said "stay," not "live." I wasn’t living life. I was surviving from day to day. Now I would be lying if I said I never had any fun. I did. I was around people just like me. Trying to manage another day of getting buzzed. You have to have a sense of humor in that life of hell. Poke fun at someone who is having the same experience. Never doing anything except wishing there was money to get more drugs or alcohol.
     Changes happen all the time. "Sometimes quickly sometimes slowly..." they don't necessarily happen for us overnight. It is a slow process. We and others seem to want it now, but it doesn’t happen that way. There are character defects that we have to identify with before we can change them. Some people are quick to point them out to us. They must have patience just as much as we need to have. 

Changes in Recovery

     I was able to change my punctuality pretty fast. Attitude was a slower process. Especially with my anger. I took up baking every time I got angry. This took my mind off the problem. Then I would give the baked goods away to friends. This helped me feel better about myself (friends wonder now if something is wrong when I bake).
     Slowly I started to change my entire outlook. Friends saw it first. I realized it later in my actions. There is still a long way to go, but I have the rest of my life to work on it. And it is work learning patience, compassion and tolerance. I’m not a natural and there’s no halo in my closet. I just try to the best of my ability each day. I am only human.                                

The Journey Never Ends     

     I’m not the man I should to be. I’m not the man I could be. At least I’m not the man I used to be. I have lost the fear of change. I just don’t know when change happens, it just happens. The program of recovery works wonders as long as I work the program. I’m not sure where I’m going in this life of change, but I do know I am heading in the right direction.
     What is cool is that I have enough sobriety time under my belt to where I get the privilege to see the change in others. Seeing this is a beautiful thing. I hope other people stay around long enough to understand what I’m talking about.

- Chris Swanberg

There is a returning worry on America’s streets and it has to do with a familiar, highly addictive illicit drug.  Heroin is getting cheaper, purer, and the supply is rising.  This has police concerned, as it could mean more new users, higher incidences of overdose, and more crime.  It could also mean a spread of the drug to high schools, attracting younger users.

Emergence of Purer, Cheaper Heroin

Four people died and even more became ill in Connecticut around decade ago after a strong, potent, and powerful grade of heroin blanketed the streets.  This heroin was purer than the kind that came before it.  Police in the area are now worried that a repeat is emerging.  They are seeing and seizing more and more of the drug.  What they are discovering is that heroin is now twice as pure as before and prices are lower.  

It is not just happening in Connecticut.  It is quickly spreading throughout the country.  Reports out of Minnesota show that police warned citizens in Minneaplois-St.Paul of increased heroin purity.  They are seeing an increasing number of heroin related deaths, with younger users starting to abuse the drug.  This could hint at a new, nationwide heroin problem.

The Emerging Danger

Traditionally in Connecticut, the price of heroin has been between $20 and $25 per bag.  Today, the cost for each bag is about $8 and can be had in some areas for as low as $2 to $3 each.  Average addicts consume five to ten bags a day while heavy addicts require as many as 15 bags.

More important than the fall in price is the increase in purity.  Heroin purity typically ranges in the 17-20% range.  The heroin that police are now seeing in the streets has about a 40% purity rate.  This is significant because those who use heroin are used to consuming a certain amount of it.  Now, less is needed for the same effect due to higher purity, but that is unbeknownst to them.  This may easily lead to overdose.  Those new to heroin or are experimenting for the first time will also encounter overdose more easily due to the increased purity.

For a while, prescription drug pain killers like Vicodin and OxyContin posed an imminent danger.  However, as doctors and authorities cracked down on prescription drug abuse, they became harder to get.  Since users were unable to acquire those drugs, some addicts turned to heroin, a drug that is virtually identical, as a substitute.

Worry of Spread to Teens

What has police concerned the most is the fear of heroin spreading to high schools.  Why do they believe this is a troublesome issue?  The cheap cost makes the drug more appealing to kids.  The higher supply makes it more easily available.  These facts coupled with the stronger, higher potency of the drug makes it especially dangerous.

Younger users may be more willing to use the drug because it can be snorted.  Snorting eliminates the stigma associated with having to inject using syringes and searching for veins.  Needle marks would not be found, removing superficial identification of heroin usage.  They have less of a feeling that what they are doing is that bad for them.

Damage to the Public and to You

As a society, increased heroin use goes directly hand in hand with an increase in the crime level, specifically burglaries, robberies, and violent assault.  Police report that most of the burglaries they encounter are drug related.  Heroin use also affects the user’s family, friends, and loved ones.  They suffer from worry, fractured relationships, and self-blame.

Accidental overdose is a growing concern with the reports of increased purity.  Since there is no way to know the purity level of the heroin you are purchasing, the risk is great and unknown.  The drug you are consuming may be twice as powerful as the one you took before.  If you are concerned that your heroin usage and would like to clean up and get help, call us today at 866-323-5609.  Have all your questions answered and start on the road to a life free of heroin addiction.

     Find your niche in AA. That is what I was told.  Something that will keep you coming back.  Something that will keep you going.  Something that will light that fire. And once that fire is lit - keep the flame burning. 

     There is something for everyone in AA. There are dances with all kinds of music to boogie too. There are dinners with great food to feed you. There's also sober themed retreats, conventions, hiking, camping, and meetings after the meetings. There are young people’s meetings, newcomer’s meetings, stag meetings. There are women only meetings, speaker meetings and more. There are meetings in the morning, meetings in the afternoon, meetings in the evening. There are even round the clock meetings during certain holidays.

     There are book studies, discussions, topics and more. There is something for everyone. But, don’t take my word for it. Find out for yourself. If you don’t find something you like, you can start one up that fits you. You will find people just like you. People that want what you want and like what you like. We are like cockroaches. We are everywhere.

     We all share one thing in common. A common solution to stay clean and sober. We are all here to help each other. No matter what you might be in the life out there in the real world, we are all the same in these rooms.

     To keep it you need to give it away. There’s sponsorship, GSR’s, secretaries of meetings. There are service commitments galore. Coffee makers, set-ups, take-downs, chipmunks and chip chicks, greeters and my favorite H&I. Hospitals and Institutions. Find your high in H&I*.

     I hope this is an attraction rather than a promotion. AA didn’t save my life. It kept me from being miserable.

- Chris Swanberg

*Hospitals and Institutions Panels

Clubbing and partying has always been about the “next” hot thing, whether it be venues or DJs or musical genres.  There is also a drug subculture within the night club landscape.  Drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy, and LSD, (not to mention the ever-present alcohol) have dominated the “club drug” category, but every now and then a newcomer bursts upon the scene.  Today, that drug is Mephedrone and it can be obtained legally.

Mephedrone’s Soaring Popularity

Mephedrone is a stimulant that can be purchased legally in the United States as well as the UK.  According to Britain’s National Addiction Center, it is a drug that has recently gained popularity among clubbers and party-goers in the UK.  The drug is also known on the streets by the following names:
•    Meph
•    4-MMC
•    MCAT
•    Drone
•    Meow
•    Bubbles

In a poll conducted by British dance music magazine Mixmag, it is now the fourth-most popular drug among its readers.  The drug literally came out of nowhere, but it has had a massive impact in the club drug scene.

Mephedrone – The Drug

According to users, the high provided by the drug produces a feeling of euphoria and feels like something between cocaine and ecstasy.  It is available in powder form.  Users snort the drug, or put the powder into a capsule, inject it, or mix it with liquid.  Some mix the drug with ketamine as a means to relax while high.  

Undesirable side effects of using the drug include the following:
•    Headaches
•    Convulsions
•    Breathing Problems
•    Heart Palpitations
•    Nausea
•    Depression
•    Psychosis

Mephedrone use may even cause death.  A 14-year old girl in Britain died after friends say she, as well as others as young as 11, used the drug at a party.  They assumed that because the drug was legal, that using it was safe.  Many other children in the country have been experimenting with the drug and have ended up in hospitals, some with self-inflicted injuries while high on the drug. 

Health centers have also been seeing more patients who have suffered psychosis from use of the drug.  The Royal College of Psychiatrists has reported seeing more patients who come in suffering from symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions after taking Mephedrone.

Mephedrone – Buying it Legally

Mephedrone was imported to the UK from laboratories in China.  It is legal and can easily be purchased by anyone at any age.  Some order it online and get it hand-delivered to their homes, like you would receive a pizza or milk.  A gram of the drug costs around  $13 and equals about five doses.  Dealers skirt the law by marketing the drug as plant fertilizer and not as a product for human consumption.

Some European countries, such as Norway and Finland, have already banned the drug.  They have reportedly had a string of deaths related to Mephedrone use.  It may soon be illegal in the UK as well.   

Mephedrone Treatment

Mephedrone is popular at the moment and is used by many people.  It is also legal.  These facts do not disguise the fact that the drug is not safe and is in fact very dangerous.  If you or anyone you know is abusing Mephedrone and want to stop, give Sober Living by the Sea a call at 866-323-5609.

Cocaine has long been glamorized as a recreational drug from the halcyon days of disco and Studio 54, all the way to today’s Hollywood stars and celebrities.  Those who use it seem to be in a state of euphoria and the ones who are having the best time at the party.  The reality is that it is a very addictive and deadly drug and many who use it develop a dependency over time.  Some feel they are able to use it “safely” or only in social situations.  However, a new study has reaffirmed the belief that there is no safe way to use cocaine and that any amount could turn out to be a quick and sudden killer.

Sudden Death from Cocaine - The Study

A recent study conducted by doctors at the Forensic Pathology Service at the Institute of Legal Medicine (Seville, Spain) and published in the European Heart Journal shows that more than 3% of all sudden deaths that occurred in south-west Spain were attributed to cocaine usage.  The forensic pathologists who conducted the study believe that this finding can be applied to all of Europe as well (and probably the rest of the world), pointing to a rampant cocaine abuse problem in the continent.  Even in small amounts, cocaine can kill at any time.

The researchers looked at sudden deaths between the years 2003 and 2006 and analyzed entire circumstances surrounding those deaths, including (for each person):
•    Testing of urine and blood for traces of toxic substances
•    Studying of organs, with a focus on the cardiovascular system and toxicology
•    Gathering of substance abuse history
•    Looking at the circumstances of the death and investigating the death scene

What the researchers discovered was:
•    Of the 668 sudden deaths in those years, 21 of them (3.1%) were traced to the use of cocaine
•    They all occurred to males between the ages of 21 and 45
•    Most of the deaths related to cocaine use were due to issues stemming from the heart and its related systems

Conclusions from the Study

Dr Joaquín Lucena, who led the study, believes the findings show that “cocaine use causes adverse changes to the heart and arteries that then lead to sudden death."  The team feels that any amount of cocaine has the potential for toxicity.  The lethal amount depends on the person and is unknown until it is too late. 

The team discovered that:
•    81% of those that died from cocaine usage also smoked
•    76% of those that died from cocaine usage also drank

Smoking and drinking both are associated with heart disease.  Mixing either or both with cocaine is considered a “lethal cocktail” that leads to the development of premature heart disease.  Because those who use cocaine probably also use other drugs, illicit or legal, the risk of sudden death is exacerbated.
 
Do Not Take the Risk - Get Help Today

The study confirms that even recreational use of cocaine is not safe.  The smallest amount could cause tragic outcomes, especially if you are using it in combination with drinking and smoking.  If you have a long cocaine habit, death can occur at any time, due to the dangerous effects the drug has on your heart.  No matter how much cocaine you feel you can handle each time, the next time could be different.  Get help for your cocaine problem today.  Call us our treatment center at (866)323-5609 to get the process started and have your questions answered.

- article by Khoi Nguyen

If there ever was a classic case of opposites attracting, it has to be that of me and my spouse:

• I’m a health nut while he’s a couch potato
  
• I hate visiting the doctor (unless it’s really serious) while he’s a compulsive pill popper
  
• I dread illness while he’s a regular hypochondriac
  

He needs to take a tablet for any ache or pain that he has, real or imaginary.   Very often, he uses OTC drugs to treat himself, refusing to go to a doctor because it is a “waste of time and money."

There eventually came a time when he reacted adversely to the cocktail of drugs he regularly treated himself with, and that was the end of his self-medication days. Today, he realizes that medicines must be used responsibly and judiciously if they are to benefit us. 

Thankfully, he was not hooked on painkillers in an extreme way, because an addiction to painkillers is much worse than pill popping for imaginary ailments. If you’re looking for help in addressing the painkiller addiction of a loved one, here’s are some suggestions:

1. Get them into a rehab program:

The sooner you do this, the better. There’s no way to do this without professional help because there is a detoxification process that is used to help the dependent person cope with the pain that they crave the painkiller for. A few weeks or even months in rehab are needed before they can start to function normally again. They need to be under constant medical supervision during the detoxification stage because the chemical changes taking place in their body will affect them adversely and make them react unpredictably. With trained professionals caring for them in rehab facilities, they will have the best chance to make a full recovery -  slowly but steadily.

2. Stop them from drinking:

Drugs and alcohol form a very potent cocktail, one that seemingly gives you an unprecedented high, but one that can actually kill you in one stroke. So until you’re able to get your loved one into a rehab facility, stop them from imbibing alcohol as it makes their situation worse. 

3.  Monitor them upon their release:

It’s very easy to fall back into old habits, especially if you’re not dedicated or determined enough to kick them. So even though your loved one has completed their rehabilitation program, you must monitor them to make sure they don’t slip back into their old ways.

It’s harder to kick the habit the second time, so ensure that they stick to the right path. 

When you’re addicted to painkillers and pop them without a second thought to your health, you risk side effects like nausea, headaches, drowsiness, low blood pressure, urinary retention, constipation and a host of other side effects that are not very pleasant. And if you’re not careful about the drugs you take simultaneously, you could be ingesting a potentially deadly cocktail, one that literally sucks the life out of you. So use painkillers judiciously, only when and for as long as prescribed by your doctor.

 - Susan White
This post is written by Susan White, who writes on the topic of Becoming a Radiologist Technician . She welcomes your comments at her email id: susan.white33@gmail.com .