MESSING WITH MOTHER NATURE

Drugs change, correct, add to, or take away from what Mother Nature already has set into place.  Stimulant drugs are a good example of a type of drug that can be helpful or harmful.

Stimulants such as Ritalin, Adderall and methamphetamine all affect how much of a substance called dopamine is saturating the cells of the brain.

Surprised to hear two drugs used in the drug treatment of attention deficit disorders coupled with a drug that is pretty much confined to the arena of drug abuse? Let’s explore why.

Ritalin is a stimulant drug that increases the ability to focus on tasks and sharpens attentiveness and alertness. It is prescribed to children and adults to help them control impulsive behavior and increase attention in school or work, when they have been diagnosed with ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) or ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder).   Other uses are for narcolepsy, a medical condition where someone falls asleep suddenly and uncontrollably, even when driving or walking the dog. 

Ritalin is ordered by a physician at lower doses, and is slowly and carefully increased over time until just the right effect is achieved for the patient.  This is where the difference between “use” and “misuse” begins.

Stimulants are misused by taking frequent and higher doses so that the brain is flooded with dopamine.  This creates a “high”, a pleasurable sense of well-being. 

Adderall is a combination drug made up of dextroamphetamine and amphetamine.  It, too, is a stimulant drug used to treat ADHD in adults and children.

Both Ritalin and Adderall can be misused and abused, and have become an increasing problem as more and more prescriptions have been written for legit uses and then turned into illegal ones. 

Methamphetamine is a bad guy in the stimulant bunch. Although it has some medicinal use, it is more widely abused in order to obtain the high that is achieved by the rush of dopamine to the receptors in the brain.

While cocaine, another stimulant, is removed from the body rather quickly, methamphetamine stays in the body much longer. From the addict’s perspective this is a positive, but there are severe consequences.

Recent studies on methamphetamine drug abuse shows that long-term users have actual permanent changes in the brain, none of which are good. These changes affect memory and emotion. 

Stimulants have a high potential for dependency and drug addiction.

They should only been taken under close and ongoing medical supervision.


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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. 

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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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ALCOHOL CAUSES 4 PERCENT OF ANNUAL DEATHS

Startled by that headline?  It’s a fact.  

Early this month the World Health Organization (WHO) announced statistics on the primary causes of death in the world.  Alcohol-related deaths account for 2.5 million deaths a year.  The same WHO report shows that 15.3 million people of the world’s population have drug-addiction problems. 

In the United States 52% of adults state that they drink on a regular basis, and 14,406 people die from alcoholic liver disease—this isn’t even adding in the deaths caused in some way by injuries and accidents relating to alcohol.

“But I just drink beer.”

It isn’t the kind of alcoholic beverage, but many other factors that account for the effects of alcohol. Here are a few: 

• One 12-ounce beer has the same amount of alcohol as a 5-ounce glass of wine or a 1.5 ounce of hard liquor 
• Alcohol of any kind is rapidly absorbed through the lining of the stomach and goes to every tissue of the body.  Drinking on an empty stomach makes this absorption of alcohol even faster.
• The liver can only metabolize a half an ounce of alcohol per hour, so the faster someone drinks the more quickly, and longer, they experience the effects 

Short term or long term effects of alcohol—both can be deadly 

In this week’s blog well take a look at the short term effects of drinking alcohol.  Next time we’ll focus on the long term effects.

ETOH is the chemical compound for ethanol, which is the alcohol found in varying amounts in beer, wine or hard liquor.   ETOH abuse is the common medical term for alcohol abuse or addiction.

Ethanol has a direct effect on the central nervous system of the body.  It causes euphoria (another word for “high”) initially, but as the level increases in the body it tends to have a depressant effect.  Even when the blood alcohol level is low in the body, impaired judgment, poor physical coordination and a shortened attention span begin to occur. 

Judgment. Coordination. Attention span. Obviously these three things are crucial when driving, so it is easy to see the connection between alcohol and driving accidents.

Loss of inhibitions are also a short term side effect of ETOH, and this loss of inhibition and judgment can lead to behaviors (whether aggressive, promiscuous or risk-taking) that someone normally wouldn’t show when they aren’t drinking alcohol.

Beer and wine have been around for over a thousand years.  There are cheap to make, readily available, and have a long history of causing misuse and addiction.

Consumer watch groups have noted that children and teenagers are exposed to over 1000 beer or wine related commercials a year.  Although television commercials advertising hard liquor haven’t been around for years, there is no actual legal ban, like there is with cigarettes.  Many companies that make and sell liquor are pressing to advertise their products on television again. 

Do you think it is harmful to more freely advertise hard liquor on radio and television? 

Share your views with The Recovery Place blog!

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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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PAINKILLERS THAT HURT

Opiates are the continuing focus of this week’s Recovery Place blog series on addiction education.

"They said prescription painkillers were totally safe...
They Lied!"

With roots in medicine, opiates were created to help people suffering from pain and other physical conditions.  Unfortunately, the potential for physical and psychological dependence and addiction were unexpected. 


All opiates are derived either directly or indirectly from the opium poppy and its various parts.   

Over 1.7 million people were
addicted to painkillers in 2007

Opiates affect the central nervous system of the body.  In addition to relieving pain and reducing severe coughs, they cause the user to feel a sense of euphoria (a high or rush) and reduce alertness.  These side-effects of euphoria and the dulling of sensations are why some people begin misusing drugs such as codeine, morphine, Percocet, hydromorphone (Dilaudid) and other opiate drugs. 

Codeine, morphine, Percocet and Dilaudid are common opiate medications that all have a high potential for dependence and addiction.  

This potential for addiction also means that the body and brain become used to having the drug, regardless of whether a person is using the opiate to achieve the euphoric effects or for legitimate pain control.  And this means the body will experience withdrawal symptoms when the drug is abruptly stopped after an extended period of legitimate use or misuse. 

Many people who are addicted to opiates crush the tablets and smoke, snort or inject them, in order to hasten or intensify the effects of the drug.  They may need more of the opiate to get the same effect.

Morphine is one of many kinds of drugs (including medications for not only pain, but also high blood pressure, chronic heartburn, seasonal allergies and many other medical conditions) that are now available in a timed-release form.

This was great news in the pharmaceutical world, because it meant that the drug could be effectively released over time, and keeps the level of the drug in the blood consistent.  Timed-release versions of painkillers meant that cancer patients, and other patients with chronic pain, no longer had peaks and valleys in their pain control.

Oxycontin is a time release version of oxycodone, and MSContin is a time release version of morphine.  Both have huge value as a street drug and are highly addictive.  A time release version of codeine is available in Canada, and it, too, has moved from being a medical wonder to a street drug.

Why are time released drugs so valued by addicts?

By crushing an MSContin or Oxycontin tablet an addict can obtain a higher amount of drug than can be found in a single non-time release pill.  This crushed time release tablet can be taken by mouth, snorted, or injected into a vein when mixed with a solution. Using time released drugs in this way also means that a person can overdose and die.

Many opiates are combined with acetaminophen (Tylenol) in order to potentiate their effects.  This means make them work better for pain control.  Percocet, Tylenol #3 (codeine plus Tylenol), and Vicodin are examples of this acetaminophen/opiate combination drugs.  Taking large amounts of acetaminophen, whether alone or in combination with another drug, can actually damage or destroy a liver.

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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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