Marijuana Plea Rejected

We could sit here and list numerous celebrities that have gotten caught with drugs or driving under the influence of alcohol. As a matter of fact, you could probably come up with at least 5 off the top of your head right now. Celebrities that have gotten caught doing something illegal yet faced little to no repercussions; caught for offenses any “average Joe” could and probably would get in big trouble over… but we aren’t going to do that.

One judge from West Texas has decided to do something different— take a stand towards celebrities that feel as though they don’t deserve the same consequences for their reckless acts involving alcohol and drug abuse. Find out what celebrity faced marijuana possession charges the way they should have.
Click here for the full story.


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Josh Hamilton’s Testament to Drug Addiction Recovery

Shocked, saddened, distraught. These are all emotions going through Major League pitcher Josh Hamilton’s mind after a devastating accident took place during a recent game. A fan, Shannon Stone, fell to his death while attempting to catch a baseball tossed towards him by Hamilton. And yet, making sense of this horrible tragedy is not the only demon Hamilton has had to deal with. Earlier in his career, after suffering a car crash which left him on the bench, Hamilton suffered from alcohol and drug addiction. It took hitting rock bottom for Hamilton to work his way towards alcohol and drug addiction recovery and back to the Major League. In an inspirational comeback, Hamilton made it back into the majors and even won the 2010 American League MVP award.

See how he did it here, and Let Josh Hamilton’s courageous story be an testament to falling into alcohol and drug addiction but finding the strength to rise above it and follow your dreams.


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Poppies Are More Than a Pretty Flower

How can something so beautiful be so deadly? While visually beautiful, poppy fields hold a more sinister side as one of the largest factors in producing the lethal drug—Heroin, a growing epidemic amongst today’s youth.

It’s no secret that we are currently in a recession and because of that fewer jobs are available for everyone as well as teenagers. Fewer jobs equal less money which leads today’s younger generation searching for new ways to get a cheap high; and that’s where heroin comes in. Mexican drug traffickers have since expanded their reach throughout the United States, covering the Midwest and Atlantic Seaboard in addition to their already heavy presence in California and Texas making the lethal and addictive drug more accessible.

Heroin’s appeal has also changed. What was once considered an “inner-city” drug is now a drug that can be snorted or smoked, and is appealing to suburban and even rural high school youth. Heroin is the new prescription pain reliever. Those pills often cost upwards of 50 to 80 dollars a tablet, while at around 15 dollars a hit, heroin is considerably cheaper; therefore leading to an upwards rise in heroin usage and addiction among teens.

Find more shocking statistics about the rise in Heroin abuse here


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More than Just a Revamp

A complete renovation and improvement..

Technology is always changing. Alcohol and drug abuse trends are always changing. Alcohol and drug rehab treatment programs need to keep up with those trends, and thus, are always changing...

What must a quality drug rehab and alcohol treatment center do to keep up with the dynamic world we live in, full of billions of people and millions of web surfers?—Answer questions, provide quality and up to date information, constantly update, utilize interactive mediums like social media, photos, videos, chat systems, search engines, etc.

We have done exactly that! Recognized the changes and updated our website to accommodate people of all demographics.

We've implemented a user friendly interface, including a search bar so users can find the exact information they are seeking much faster than before. We have linked our home website to our social world where people have a sense of ownership and connection with each other and with us. We have provided multiple ways to contact us directly in case our website doesn’t answer all the questions you may have, or to give you options in seeking the alcohol and drug addiction treatment you need for yourself or a loved one.

Find out what our past clients are saying about us with dozens of testimonials and Google Places reviews. Keep up with our blogs and subscribe to the RSS feed to get them sent straight to you. Or stop by to find resources like Alcoholics Anonymous and Al-Anon Family Groups in one easy-to-find location.

After weeks of brainstorming, developing, designing, and applying, the new "www.TheRecoveryPlace.net" has arrived and we are excited to share this valuable source with you! Please take a look and tell us what you think—it’s a source for you, so we want your feedback.


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Rising Drug Epidemic in New Jersey

“To put it bluntly, today’s young Percocet, Vicodin, and OxyContin users are becoming tomorrow’s heroin junkies, and the demand for those drugs has spawned new levels of crime and violence.” These words, uttered by the State Commission of Investigation Chairman Patrick Hobbs, further highlight the deadly drug abuse epidemic currently affecting New Jersey. According to a state investigation released last Wednesday, crooked doctors, rogue internet sites, and deceitful smartphone applications within the state of New Jersey are roadblocks derailing the attempt to fight this epidemic. Just last year, in an investigation by the State Commission of Investigation it was discovered that law enforcement has unfortunately, been outpaced by the alarmingly advanced technology being used by drug dealers. The investigation also found that the surge in teenagers experimenting with prescription pain relievers, most of the time right out of their parent’s medicine cabinet; is in fact leading to an even more alarming and perilous behavior within New Jersey: heroin addiction.

In an effort to examine what drugs were being used, who was using them, where they were being obtained and how dealers were evading detection, a team of investigators used forensic analysis of more than a dozen front businesses, visits to pain treatment centers, and interviews with confidential informants. One such informant, who sold 500 prescription pills per week in his New Jersey high school at the height of his addiction, stated that after starting to abuse prescription pain relievers at age 11 and after abusing them for three years, the prescription pain relievers no longer got him high. So what did he do next? He switched from prescription pain relievers to heroin at the mere age of 14, and many of his customers followed. According to investigative agent Rachel Denno most teenagers consider prescription drugs easier to obtain than street drugs, with 3 in 10 not even aware that they are addictive. On top of that, according to the Centers for Disease Control, there are more overdose deaths nationally from legal drugs than from cocaine and heroin.

Within New Jersey, drug dealers are adopting new and sophisticated technology at such a quick and efficient pace that it is leaving police and law enforcement scrambling. These drug cartels are not just simply only using bogus online pharmacies that peddle narcotic medications to anyone with a computer; they are branching out and using social networking sites and even video games to connect dealer and buyer right under authorities’ noses. They are even utilizing smartphone applications that allow users to mask their real phone number with any number they choose making tracking calls nearly impossible. And that’s not all that law enforcement has to deal with. They also have to contend with legal entities and professions that are co-opted for New Jersey’s drug trade. As Detective James Scoppa Jr. of the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s office puts it when referring to physicians who sell prescription pain relievers to drug-seeking patients, “We have a real problem with dirty doctors.” Forensic analysis of business records show that it is legitimate businesses such as car dealerships, beauty salons, clothing retailers, and liquor stores, which are used to hide the drug money. By splitting up revenues into smaller amounts and then comingling them with the funds of front businesses, dealers seek to evade the Bank Secrecy Act which requires paperwork to be filed for all transactions exceeding $10,000.

Are you struggling with drug addiction from living in the drug heavy state of New Jersey? The best chance for successful recovery is to remove yourself from the environment associated with your drug abuse. Call us today and find out how The Recovery Place in Fort Lauderdale, Florida can help you even if you are from New Jersey—especially if you are from New Jersey stricken with an unfortunate drug epidemic.


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The Lesson Behind Celebrity Relapse

“Amy Winehouse back in Rehab!” One of many headlines taking over the Internet, heard on the radio, talked about around the “water cooler” at work… Yet another celebrity is going back to rehab! How are we supposed to trust that rehab actually works if we are constantly inundated with headline after headline of celebrities that are going back into drug rehab time and time again?

Assuming you’ve been caught a gossip column or two, it seems as though celebrities are using drug rehab like a revolving door. If these celebrities, some of which are role models for today’s youth, and others respected by the masses, aren’t able to overcome their addiction is there any hope for the average person considering celebrity access to drug rehab facilities that are starting to resemble upscale resorts. With so many posh treatment facilities near Hollywood it is easier than ever for stars to check in and out, as if they were on a mini vacation. Yet as luxurious as some may seem, checking into a drug rehab facility often isn’t the first choice for a celebrity who’s in trouble. As Stacy Kaiser, Los Angeles-based psychotherapist and panelist on the reality TV show “Celebrity Fit Club,” says, "You really have to hit your personal bottom in order to get better. Sometimes these celebs are going into rehab simply to avoid going to jail, so they haven't really hit their bottom," Kaiser says. "Or else, they've been dragged in by the law or suggested by their agents or families and don't want to go on their own accord." For instance, in Amy Winehouse’s case, it was her father who pushed her back into rehab again; furthermore, Winehouse is entering drug rehab in order to be ready for performances in Europe this summer, not for her own well-being.

However, many of the celebrities that end up checking back into rehab time and time again, highlights the fact that in order to be successful one must fully commit to the drug rehab program that they are in for it to be effective treatment. According to research statistics from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, patients in a drug rehab program will reach a milestone in their recovery after 3 months, however, that doesn’t mean that everyone’s recovery is done after only three months or that additional treatment will not be helpful. When people leave treatment early their chances for a full recovery drop significantly. Addiction is a chronic disease, something that since there is no cure for, needs to be constantly managed. While there are plenty of celebrities relapsing and reentering drug rehab programs, there are some that set a good example by fully acknowledging that you need to take control of your addiction in order to manage it. Take Mathew Perry for example, who pressured by a manager or parent, wasn’t forced to do so by the law, isn’t only trying to get ready for some new project, and didn’t even relapse; yet he has reentered a drug rehab facility to work on his ongoing recovery.

Lesson to be learned—Effectively treating alcohol and drug addiction requires hard work and dedication; one cannot simply go through the motions to recovery expecting a miraculous “cure.” Celebrity or not, addiction is a disease which requires constant monitoring, and through a combination of individualized treatment and a dedicated work ethic, long lasting recovery is definitely possible…don’t let the headlines scare you from making the choice to live a healthier life!


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Inhalant Abusers Are Older Than You Think

My mom is doing what??

While traditional thinking has led us to believe that adolescents are the ones most likely to try inhalants, a new report has shown that a significant number of inhalant abusers are actually adults. The term inhalants, refers to the vapors from toxic substances which are inhaled in order to reach a quick high. People who abuse inhalants inhale the chemical vapors directly from open containers, also called “sniffing,” or breathe the fumes from rags soaked in chemicals, also called “huffing,” and “bagging,” where the user may inhale fumes from substances inside a paper or plastic bag. Some even go so far as to spray the substance directly into the nose or mouth, or pour it onto their collar, sleeves or cuffs and sniff them periodically. Inhalants can produce mind-altering effects; while chronic use can also cause irreversible damage to the brain, kidneys and lungs as well as death.

There are more than 1,000 products that can be abused by inhalants and can be found simply laying around the house. You know that glue you bought to help your daughter with her arts and crafts? It is one of the products most often abused as an inhalant. These are products that are easily purchased at drugstores and other stores alike throughout your neighborhood. As we have been under the belief that adolescents were the ones most likely to abuse inhalants, it has become commonplace for store employees to refuse to sell certain items that can be used as inhalants to those under 18. However, most don’t think twice when selling the same product to an adult, under the impression that they are all responsible enough not to abuse it.

Yet, as stated above, a new study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, SAMHSA, has shown that 54 percent of treatment admissions related to inhalants abuse in 2008 involved adults ages 18 or older. For example, Erin Davis, a 42-year-old mother of a 16-year old daughter explained, “I am an adult, not a teenager, and know firsthand how these inhalants can destroy your life.” She explained that she inhaled computer duster for two years, starting when she was 38 years old and went on to say that, “the people that I used with were all over the age of 34.”

The findings from SAMHSA’s study highlight the magnitude of the inhalant problem among adults, finding that an estimated 1.1 million adults over the age of 18 have used inhalants in the past year. Now that’s a pretty big number. As H. Westley Clark, M.D., J.D., M.P.H., director of SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Treatment said, “Inhalant abuse is an equal opportunity killer that does not discriminate on the basis of age, background, or gender. Although we have been understandably focused for many years on the danger huffing poses to our kids, these new data highlight the need for everyone to be aware of and effectively address the serious risks it poses to adults and all segments of our society.”


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Drug Rehab and Alcohol Treatment Center Smoking Bans

Can smoking cigarettes during your drug rehab and alcohol treatment determine whether you have recovery success or not? Rehab centers are beginning to think so.

Recently, a new tobacco-free policy was instituted at an Ohio women’s drug abuse treatment center. While tobacco-free treatment facilities began in New Jersey during the 1990’s, this treatment center was the first in Ohio to go tobacco free. Tobacco-free facilities have begun to make their way to other parts of the country as well.

Now did banning smoking really make a difference at the treatment center in Ohio? Yes…just not in the way they were expecting.

In a study done during the first few months after the tobacco-free policy was instituted, it was found that both smokers and non-smokers alike were more likely to leave treatment early. The researchers also found that the percentage of patients who completed their program at the women’s center decreased from 70 to 42 percent. The success rate wasn’t the only thing that dropped, the average number of days that patients remained in the program dropped from 61 to 48 days. Those are both pretty substantial decreases in just a few months.

Drug rehab and alcohol treatment facilities have generally tended to allow patients to smoke because many believe that treating someone for smoking in addition to other substance abuse is just too difficult and will likely end in failure. In addition many facilities fear that simply, banning smoking will cause them to lose business. The other train of thought is that since many patients use cigarettes as a crutch to help them cope while trying to defeat other addictions, their smoking could pose to be just as much of a problem.

Gretchen Hammond, who works for Amethyst Inc. in Ohio stated, “You behave very similarly with a cigarette as you would with any drug. For example, if I’m having a bad day I’ll try to smoke it away verses talking to someone or going to therapy and working on the problem.”

Now which train of thought is better? There is no definite answer yet. The results from the previously mentioned study in Ohio, don’t necessarily mean that treatment centers shouldn’t try and implement smoking bans, but rather shine a light on the challenges that are associated with implementing a new policy which goes against years and years of conventional thinking.

Have you ever tried to change an extremely stubborn friend’s mind? It’s hard isn’t it? With no definite answer, the question remains, to ban smoking in treatment centers or to not ban smoking?


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AVOIDING ROCK BOTTOM WHEN HIT WITH THE UNEXPECTED

Mother Nature is a mystery that keeps us on our toes. It is impossible to prepare for some of the curve-balls weather throws at us and even harder to cope through the damage it can cause. It is crucial when the unpredictable hits us that we find healthy ways to survive the ruin rather than falling into drugs and alcohol as a crutch. 

The past couple years seemed to hit us hard when it comes to natural disasters and weather at an extreme. Louisiana was hit with one of the most catastrophic hurricanes of our time. Earthquake’s rattled buildings to the ground in Haiti, Costa Rica and Cuba with unthinkable death tolls and 49 of the 50 US States saw snow this winter. California, a state known for earthquakes has been on tornado watch on many occasions as of late. The recent 8.9 magnitude earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan caused countless dollars in damage and over 3,000 deaths, as a human race we are stricken with unmanageable feelings and compassion for those directly affected in the damage. 

All of these are unpredictable and bear a heavier emotional weight than the news broadcasts. Depression is one of the leading causes of alcohol and drug addiction and many people may slip into the trap when catastrophe strikes. 

The United States has shown great efforts in stepping up to help our Japanese allies in their greatest time of need. We have sent troops, public officials, law enforcement and firefighters to aid in search and rescue, debris cleanup and healthcare. Charities have sprung up across the world to send funds their way in hopes to rebuild a more beautiful and stronger country that once was. 

These are the ‘crutches’ we should lean on in unpredictable tragedy. Come together to help those in need—give hope back to the lost and feel good about yourself in the process.
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POWERLESS TO POWERFUL THROUGH CHRISTIAN ADDICTION REHAB

The Recovery Place March blog series takes a look at the specialized treatment tracks that help addicts, alcoholics and their families find the program that best meets their unique needs

“Powerlessness is the first step to finding any type of spiritual growth,” explains Charlotte Day, Lead Clinician for the Christian Program at TRP.  “A critical step for addicts is realizing that they are powerless to choose to stop using.”   This is where recovery begins. 

Through a dynamic new video series, Charlotte explains the Christian 12-step approach to addiction recovery, and how it supports rehab and recovery from drug and alcohol abuse. 

The Recovery Place helps those who believe a high power and Christian approach is the best way for them to obtain, and sustain, long-term abstinence from drug and alcohol abuse.  It is also available to those who seek a first-time or renewed relationship with God. 

By combining Bible-based therapies with traditional ones, an even more powerful treatment plan is available to those attending TRPs Christian alcohol and drug rehab program. Bible study and church services are frequent and important parts of this track. 

Admitting that you are powerless isn't an admission of defeat, except in the sense that you, or a loved one, are being defeated by the drugs or alcohol. Admitting that you are powerless means that you are ready for God’s help and that of the treatment team in the Christian addiction rehab program here at The Recovery Place

View Original Post, Powerless to Powerful Through Christian Addiction Rehab 


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SONG LYRICS AND STIMULANTS

Stimulants are a class of drugs that work on the brain to temporarily increase physical or psychological abilities and functions.

Stimulants make the user more alert and aware, talkative and energetic. There are many drug stimulants, including caffeine and nicotine, but let’s take a closer look at crack and crack cocaine.

Crack and crack cocaine are illegal and highly addictive stimulants, and quite often addictive from the first dose.  The original level and duration of pleasurable sensations are almost never achieved, no matter how much cocaine is used in the future.

During laboratory studies, all tested animals became addicted to cocaine.  In one study a monkey had to press a bar to receive a dose of cocaine.  After a dose was given by pressing the bar, no more cocaine was available by repeating the same action, but the monkey pressed the bar 12,800 more times until another dose was given.  12, 800!  Addiction. Sadly, humans become their own personal lab experiments when they become addicted to drugs or alcohol.

There are so many street names for cocaine that it would take paragraphs to list them all.  This alone indicates the widespread use and effects of cocaine. 

Cocaine can be sniffed or injected, smoked, or ever rubbed into the skin. Crack cocaine is the crystallized form of cocaine. 

Internationally know guitarist and balladeer Eric Clapton is a recovering addict and alcoholic.  He made famous the JJ Cale song “Cocaine”, but in his concerts makes clear that it was written as—and still is— an anti-drug song that emphasizes the physical, social and emotional destruction of cocaine, and that cocaine use will keep you from getting back everything that you’ve managed to lose in your life because of it:  family, job, security, friends, health or a future. 

Cocaine effects on the body over time

• Increases the heart rate, blood pressure and temperature, all of which cause heart and tissue damage
• Nose bleeds or holes in the partition that separates the nostrils:  sniffing cocaine causes scarring and damage to the nose tissues 
• Breathing problems—wheezing and even bleeding of the lungs (“crack lung”)
• Neurological damage that can cause body jerking, eye blinking and other symptoms (often called “crack dance”)
• Seizures and strokes 

Cocaine and crack cocaine addiction require professional detox and rehabilitation if a user hopes to regain physical and emotional health. Recovery is possible, but it can't be reached without specialized help. 

View Original Post, Song Lyrics and Stimulants


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NAME YOUR POISON

Body cells are very quick to snap up alcohol when someone takes a drink, particularly on an empty stomach.  This ability (disability!) of the cells to do this is what causes the deadly condition of alcohol poisoning. 

Alcohol poisoning occurs when multiple drinks are taken over a short period of time.  The level of alcohol in the blood (BAC) shoots up rapidly, as high as 0.40% or more.  Alcohol intoxication, or being legally drunk, is a BAC above 0.08%, so it is no surprise that 12 times this level can be deadly. 

Since hard liquor has a higher amount of alcohol per drink than beer or wine, someone who is rapidly drinking straight whiskey, vodka or other spirits can reach a dangerous BAC much more rapidly. 

Alcohol poisoning can occur in binge drinkers or long-term alcoholics.  

Symptoms of alcohol poisoning: 

• Confusion
• Vomiting (a person can die if they inhale vomit)
• Breathing less than 8 times a minute 
• Pale, bluish skin (caused by too little oxygen in the body)
• Cold and clammy skin
• Seizures
• Anger that is so uncontrolled it can cause harm 

Alcohol poisoning is a medical emergency. If you think your loved one has these symptoms during a bout of drinking, call 9-1-1! 

Maybe you haven’t seen this extreme drinking in your friend or family member, but something is telling you that there is a problem. How do you tell the difference between social drinking and alcoholism? 

Here are some solid indicators that drinking has become a problem: 

• Responsibilities at work, home and school are no longer fulfilled
• Alcohol is drunk in risky situations, such as when driving or using machinery
• Legal problems come up, such as DUIs, fights or not paying bills
• Letting go of relationships with family and friends 

Here are some symptoms of alcohol addiction: 

• A strong and persistent craving for alcohol 
• Being unable to stop drinking,  even if it means losing a job or family member
• Not being able to limit the number of drinks one has
• Symptoms of withdrawal when unable to find a drink (in as little as 3-8 hours!)

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ANOTHER KIND OF DRUG VICTIM

In The Recovery Place blog addiction education series this week, we are taking a further look at the benzodiazepine class of drugs, or benzos.

If you or a loved one is fighting addiction, then you understand that drugs and alcohol have a wide and destructive reach.  Benzos claim another kind of victim that you may not have thought much about.

Rohypnol is a benzo that isn’t prescribed or even manufactured in the United States.  In the 1990s it began to be smuggled in by drug traffickers, and a new kind of victim was created by this “date rape” drug.

Roofies (a common slang term for Rohypnol) began to be slipped into the drink (often in an alcoholic drink in a bar or party setting) of the victim in order to make them unaware of what is happening or unable to resist a sexual assault.

Rohypnol, like many benzos, is a powerful hypnotic drug, meaning it causes sleep or sedation.

Roofies are also used as a “party drug” to enhance the effects of alcohol, or to counteract the side-effects of stimulant drugs.  Many cocaine or methamphetamine addicts use Rohypnol to soften the rebound “crash” of these drugs as they begin to wear off.

Recreational drug users use benzos for the side-effects that they have:  sedation, drowsiness, dizziness and a relaxed feeling.

Ativan (lorazepam is the generic name) is another benzodiazepine important to the treatment of a variety of medical disorders, but also very high up on the list of benzos that are misused and abused. 

Ativan is frequently used for anxiety disorders and specific kinds of seizures.  Physical and psychological dependency to Ativan can occur after only a few weeks of use.

Addiction to prescription drugs is on the rise in the United States, Canada and many other countries.  These addictions may come about from the legitimate treatment of a medical condition, or from the recreational use of a teenager who finds some leftover Ativan or Codeine in a parent’s medicine cabinet.

Benzos like Ativan are among the most highly misused and abused prescription drugs.  And withdrawal from these drugs can be tough, as tough as withdrawing from heroin, and should be done under a physician’s guidance.

Klonopin (clonazepam) is another frequently prescribed benzodiazepine that is very effective in treating anxiety, panic disorders and some types of seizures.  It has legitimate uses that have to be very carefully weighed against the hard fact that prolonged use can cause a physical or psychological dependency.

Known as “K-pin” in street drug terms, Klonopin abuse is on the rise among high school students in the United States.  It is cheap to buy on the street, and sometimes too readily available when friends or siblings have been prescribed Klonopin for anxiety or other problems.  It is often combined with Vicodin or other narcotic medications by teens

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DEPENDENCY AND ADDICTION ON DOWNERS

“Benzos” is an abbreviated name for the benzodiazepine class of drugs.  These are also called tranquilizers, sedatives or depressants.  In street drug terms you may also hear them referred to as “downers”. 

Benzodiazepine drugs have been openly of concern as drugs of misuse and addiction since the 1980s, when they were the most commonly prescribed drug class in America.  Even before the public became aware of the problems, the medical community began to weigh the benefits of the use of benzos against the potential for dependence to these drugs. 

There are more than 15 commonly prescribed benzodiazepine drugs in the United States (and even more internationally!). In this Recovery Place blog we’ll take a closer look at benzos in general, and the commonly misused Valium and Xanax. 

The same theme keeps cropping up in The Recovery Place’s alcohol and drug rehab blog series on addiction education:  good medical ideas gone bad.  Benzos also fall into this category.

First discovered in the 1930s, benzodiazepines weren’t prescribed medically until 1957 when Librium began to be prescribed for anxiety and tension. Initially it was considered somewhat of a wonder drug. 

Librium began to be over-prescribed as a “nerve pill” for many conditions, real and imagined.   Those using these “nerve pills” developed physical and psychological dependence of the drug.  

While benzodiazepines have important medical benefits in treating anxiety, insomnia, seizures and muscle spasms, the problems with tolerance and physical dependence to the drug is an issue even when used for legitimate medical problems.  

Tolerance means that increasing dosages of a drug are needed to get the same effect.  Dependence means that the body demands a certain level of the drug in the body, or withdrawal symptoms may occur.  Emotional dependence may also occur, with a person thinking they can’t relax or can’t sleep, unless they take a benzo such as Valium or Xanax. 

Valium (the generic name is diazepam) is often prescribed for anxiety disorders and short-term episodes of anxiety.  Valiumcame on the market in the 1960s and was originally thought not to be addictive, and therefore a better alternative to Librium. 

Street names for Valium include candy, downers, sleeping pills or tranks. 

Valium, ironically, has great value in treating alcohol and drug withdrawal symptoms, including medical detox of people who are addicted to other kinds of benzos.  This is related to how slowly Valium is metabolized by the body. 

Xanax (the generic name is alprazolam) is another common benzodiazepine.  It is most often used to treat anxiety and panic disorders but working in a particular way on the brain.  

Dependence and tolerance to Xanax is also problematic, and when used medically must be done under close supervision by a physician.  

Street names for Xanax include Z-bars, bars or sticks.

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KNOWING YOUR ENEMY

Regional drug and alcohol addiction issues were the focus of The Recovery Place blog in January.  This month we want to take an look at some specific drugs and substances that are abused and can lead to addiction.

Humans are sadly creative in their ability to find substances to misuse and abuse.  Often these substances were originally created with a “do no harm” philosophy, but to some addicts and their families “do harm” is more the catch-phrase. 

In our February blog series we’ll take a closer look at various classes of drugs that have addictive qualities, such as opiates (painkillers), benzodiazepines (sedatives or tranquilizers), alcohol and stimulants.  

Understanding what is out there can help us educate ourselves and others about the potential dangers in commonly prescribed medications, as well as the absolute danger of street-based drugs.  Education is an important way that we can battle the enemy of addiction in this generation and the next.  This knowledge is important for all of us. 

Opiate Addiction Rehab Admissions on the Rise 

Opiates are drugs that are made directly or indirectly from parts of the opium poppy.  

Opiates were originally used (and still are) to treat pain and suppress some kinds of coughs.  Along with these medicinal properties, a feeling of euphoria (or “high”) and sedation is also experienced.  

People began to misuse opiates for the euphoric physical effects that they experienced, and it was soon apparent that opiates were also physically addictive. 

Addiction to prescription painkillers is on the rise in the United States. 

Oxycodone (the generic name for Oxycontin and Roxycodone) and hydrocodone (trade names include Vicodin and Lortab) are commonly prescribed opiate painkillers that are now in great demand as street drugs.  

Even patients using oxycodone or hydrocodone for legitimate medical conditions may become physically dependent on these drugs, and it is important that their prescribing physicians monitor them closely. 

Oxycodone, an opiate painkiller that is available in a timed-release form, was introduced in the United States in 1996.  It made a huge difference in the lives of cancer patients dealing with extreme pain, by keeping a steady level of pain medicine in the blood. 

Unfortunately, addicts soon found that by crushing timed-release painkillers they could get a higher immediate dose of the drug, sometimes a fatal dose. 

Heroin, also an opiate, is one of the most addictive of all recreational drugs.  Although originally created as a non-addictive alternative to codeine for the control of coughs (this is a bit hard to imagine with all that we know about heroin now!), it was banned in the United States in the 1920s because of its extremely addictive nature. 

Another side effect of opiates is their effect on the respiratory system of the body.  The body does not perceive the need to take breaths as readily, and fatal overdoses from not getting enough oxygen are one of the most common causes of death among heroin addicts. 

Heroin withdrawal is difficult and can be extremely uncomfortable.  Medical detox is an addict’s best chance of withdrawing from heroin (and other opiates) in a more controlled way and supportive way.

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