AUTHOR: Eric DATE: 6/06/2007 07:50:00 AM ----- BODY:

Successful drug rehab saves one lucky guy’s career – do the same for someone you love This morning I read an article about the reinstatement of a pharmacist whose license had previously been revoked because of addiction to Vicodin. Reinstatement took two years, during which time he was subjected to random drug tests. He’s under drug watch for another five years, but, nevertheless, he’s one of the lucky ones. For every life that’s saved, there are millions out there who never get into a successful drug rehab program that can help them end their addiction. What’s his story? A clean guy, no drug problem, he got started on Vicodin when suffering from a painful knee problem. Before you know it, he was hooked. At one point he was taking 45 pills a day. All told, he admitted to stealing thousands of pills from work. Is it really that easy to get dependent on or addicted to a prescription drug? Unfortunately, the answer is a resounding yes. In fact, prescription drug addiction has become so common it’s threatening to overtake heroin and methamphetamine. That’s a big problem. Don’t for a minute think that because a doctor prescribed a pill, you cannot become addicted to it. You can. And those drugs are no less dangerous than street drugs. If someone you know is taking prescription drugs, make sure you do something about it. Unlike this pharmacist, not everyone gets a second chance. The longer you leave it, the harder it will be. Get them into drug rehab.

Labels: drug addiction, drug rehab, heroin, methamphetamine, prescription drug addiction, successful drug rehab, successful drug rehab program

-------- AUTHOR: Eric DATE: 5/19/2007 07:43:00 AM ----- BODY:

I recently worked with a family whose son had been using heroin. He’d tried various detox and in-patient programs with no success. The family and I talked about the possible reasons why his past attempts had failed. They were able to give me a lot of information on the history of his abuse and the treatment programs he’d tried so I could help them find a drug rehab program that would work for him. One of the most important factors when selecting a program is that the environment of the treatment center is conducive to recovery for that individual. Their son’s chief complaint was that each of the drug rehabs he’d attended had a sterile hospital-like environment. Since it’s very important that the person feel comfortable while in treatment, I took this into consideration when looking for a drug rehab program that was right for him. We were able to find him a program that could handle his detox and provide the type of care he needed, and it was a safe and warm environment. He spoke with the center on the phone and was actually eager to get started due to the “care-factor” he felt from the staff and the fact that it was not a hospital setting. He enrolled two days later. His family emailed me recently to thank me for helping them. He’s now been in treatment for two months and described the experience as “the best program he has ever been to.” His parents told me he sounded great and they were getting very positive progress reports from the center. His mother also visited him and said she, too, like the warm environment and kind staff. I was glad to be able to help and will continue to recommend non-hospital based drug rehab programs whenever possible.

Labels: drug rehab, drug rehab program, heroin

-------- AUTHOR: Romie DATE: 4/14/2007 01:18:00 PM ----- BODY:

Currently there is a new drug being abused by many school aged kids called “cheese.” No, this is not the fattening, processed or non-processed, dairy product sold in grocery stores, restaurants etc. As we covered before, “Cheese” is actually a form of black tar heroin that is blended with crushed Tylenol PM or other similar cold medicines. The abuse of this drug is spreading the fastest in the West and Midwest parts of the country. In recent days, Dallas, TX has reported having major problems with the abuse of this drug. Because it is very inexpensive ($2.00 per hit on average) school age children are its most common abusers starting as young as age 9. Once someone uses this drug they become hooked almost immediately because of the addictive qualities of the heroin and will then continue to use this drug as many as 10-12 times per day. Some that first try the drug will experience physical withdrawal symptoms after the first 6 hours of use. Many kids that start using this drug cannot stop once they’ve started using “cheese” because of these heavy physical withdrawal symptoms including nausea, vomiting and headache. Apparently, “cheese” got its name because when the drugs are mixed, it looks like Parmesan cheese. Currently areas that have the most problems with “cheese” abuse addiction are trying to get many people from the community educated on this drug and its signs and symptoms of use and abuse in an effort to stop new users from trying this drug. For the many already hooked on “cheese” a drug rehabilitation program is the only solution. Article by Eric Digg It | Reddit | Newsvine Seed Add to your bookmarks in: del.icio.us | Yahoo! | Google | Furl | ma.gnolia | Spurl

Labels: heroin, rehab

-------- AUTHOR: Romie DATE: 2/26/2007 01:47:00 PM ----- BODY:

The fight to keep people off drugs, especially kids, is a continual one. While there are many critics of the “drug war”, specifically the supply reduction and law enforcement side of things, the most effective way to do so has been through education and prevention programs. This also has to be an evolutionary process, as the kinds of drugs and varieties seem to change. As one of the deadliest drugs known to man, heroin also has many forms. From “black tar” heroin, which is a dark, stickier substance than brown or white powder heroin, to a newer form called “cheese”. The latter has been surfacing in parts of Texas and seems to be aimed directly at young people, both for its name and its reduced potency. Cheese is a mixture of heroin and over-the-counter cold medication like Tylenol PM, and another recent death of a 15 year-old Texas boy has been reported with this type of heroin as the cause. The substance has even been turning up in elementary schools and has been called a “starter heroin”, which is relatively inexpensive for kids to be able to afford it. As many as 75 cases of the drug on school campuses have been reported in the last year. What do you think the biggest drug threat in our kids schools are today? Marijuana and alcohol are still the frontrunners, but new drug mixtures like this continue to pop up and then of course there is the surge in prescription drug abuse. Where should be efforts be focused the most, and does the responsibility lay with the parents or the schools, or both? Article by Eric Mitchell StumbleUpon Toolbar

Labels: children, heroin

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