Inpatient drug rehab is often a necessary step to recovery from a drug or alcohol addiction. There are many different types of rehab centers that offer inpatient care. The staff should be professional and caring, but still stern enough to deal with the pleas of the recovering addict, who at times can be very convincing and sly. The drug user has learned the tools needed to keep using and abusing their drug of choice, and in most cases, manipulation is at the top of their list of skills.
Inpatient rehab offers the patient a safe and supportive environment for them to recover from their addiction. There will be counselors on hand for any physiological issues that arise, group meetings to share hope with other users, sometimes it is easier to stick with the program as they see others succeeding.
Getting the addict to agree to the inpatient rehab is the toughest part of the battle, the denial, mood swings, and often heavy manipulation of the loved ones trying to help, can prove to be quite difficult. The strain of dealing with a loved one who is suffering from an addiction is often just as hard on the family as it is on the addict.
The goal of the inpatient rehab treatment centers is to remove the addict from the familiar environment that they have grown accustomed to. The idea is to remove them from the ability to obtain drugs, use drugs, and thus give them a better chance to a full recovery.
Relapse is a huge concern for drug addicts, if the treatment they receive in their inpatient rehab facility is not sufficient, or they were not completely willing to get help while there, relapse is the most likely outcome when they leave the treatment environment.
http://drugrehabreferralservices.org
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Methamphetamine
Methamphetamine is a highly addictive drug. It is a schedule II drug, which means is has a high potential for abuse, it does have an accepted medical use but might have severe restrictions on that.
It has but a few medical uses narcolepsy, attention deficit disorder and short-term use for weight loss.
Meth is also known as speed; in it’s smoked form it is crystal meth, crank, glass and more. Abuse can result in severe psychological and physical dependence.
It is often manufactured by amateur chemists in residential areas with batteries, lye, and stuff from under the kitchen sink.
When the police find and shut one down the neighbors are evacuated and the HAZMAT team arrives due to danger of explosion, fire and environmental poisonings.
How it is Used
Methamphetamine comes in pills to ingest, powder to snort or inject and crystals to smoke.
Smoking and injecting meth results in an intense “flash” that lasts only a few minutes and is described as intensely pleasurable. Snorting and ingesting results in a euphoric high, not an intense rush.
In the 1980’s was when the smokable form of meth came into use. It is smoked in a glass pipe like crack cocaine. The smoke is odorless and leaves a residue that can be resmoked.
Effects of Methamphetamine
Short-term effects of methamphetamine abuse:
Increased attention, decreased fatigue, increased activity, decreased appetite, euphoria and rush, Increased respiration, hyperthermia
Long-term effects of methamphetamine use.
Dependence, addiction psychosis, paranoia, hallucinations, mood disturbances, repetitive motions, stroke, weight loss
Chronic abusers can be violent, have anxiety, confusion and insomnia. They can also be paranoid, have audio hallucinations, mood disturbances and delusions. The paranoia can result in homicidal as well as suicidal thoughts.
In some cases, abusers forego food and sleep while indulging in a form of binging known as a "run," injecting as much as a gram of the drug every 2 to 3 hours over several days until the user runs out of the drug or is too disorganized to continue.
Although there are no physical manifestations of a withdrawal syndrome when methamphetamine use is stopped, there are several symptoms that occur when a chronic user stops taking the drug. These include depression, anxiety, fatigue, paranoia, aggression, and an intense craving for the drug.
Low Intensity Use
Low-intensity abusers swallow or snort methamphetamine, using it the same way many people use caffeine or nicotine. Low-intensity abusers want the extra stimulation the methamphetamine provides so that they can stay awake long enough to finish a task or a job, or they want the appetite suppressant effect to lose weight. These people frequently hold jobs, raise families, and otherwise function normally. They may include people such as truck drivers , workers trying to stay awake until the end of their normal shift or an overtime shift, and women trying to keep a career, home, husband and family.
Binge Methamphetamine Use
Binge abusers smoke or inject methamphetamine it is a drug that can be binged on. They experience euphoric rushes that are psychologically addictive.
Rush - The rush is the initial response the abuser feels when smoking or injecting methamphetamine. During the rush, the heartbeat races and metabolism, blood pressure, and pulse soar. Unlike the rush associated with crack cocaine, which lasts for approximately 2 - 5 minutes, the methamphetamine rush can continue for 5-30 minutes.
High - The rush is followed by the high, sometimes called the shoulder. During the high, the abuser often feels aggressively smarter and becomes argumentative. The high can last 4 to 6 hours.
Binge - The binge is the continuation of the high. The abuser maintains the high by smoking or injecting more methamphetamine. Each time the abuser smokes or injects more of the drug, a smaller euphoric rush than the initial rush is experienced until, finally, there is no rush and no high. During the binge, the abuser becomes hyperactive both mentally and physically. The binge can last 3-15 days.
Tweaking - Tweaking occurs at the end of the binge when nothing the abuser does will take away the feeling of emptiness and depression, including taking more methamphetamine. Tweaking is very uncomfortable, and the abuser often takes a depressant to ease the bad feelings. The most popular depressant is alcohol, with heroin a close second.
It has but a few medical uses narcolepsy, attention deficit disorder and short-term use for weight loss.
Meth is also known as speed; in it’s smoked form it is crystal meth, crank, glass and more. Abuse can result in severe psychological and physical dependence.
It is often manufactured by amateur chemists in residential areas with batteries, lye, and stuff from under the kitchen sink.
When the police find and shut one down the neighbors are evacuated and the HAZMAT team arrives due to danger of explosion, fire and environmental poisonings.
How it is Used
Methamphetamine comes in pills to ingest, powder to snort or inject and crystals to smoke.
Smoking and injecting meth results in an intense “flash” that lasts only a few minutes and is described as intensely pleasurable. Snorting and ingesting results in a euphoric high, not an intense rush.
In the 1980’s was when the smokable form of meth came into use. It is smoked in a glass pipe like crack cocaine. The smoke is odorless and leaves a residue that can be resmoked.
Effects of Methamphetamine
Short-term effects of methamphetamine abuse:
Increased attention, decreased fatigue, increased activity, decreased appetite, euphoria and rush, Increased respiration, hyperthermia
Long-term effects of methamphetamine use.
Dependence, addiction psychosis, paranoia, hallucinations, mood disturbances, repetitive motions, stroke, weight loss
Chronic abusers can be violent, have anxiety, confusion and insomnia. They can also be paranoid, have audio hallucinations, mood disturbances and delusions. The paranoia can result in homicidal as well as suicidal thoughts.
In some cases, abusers forego food and sleep while indulging in a form of binging known as a "run," injecting as much as a gram of the drug every 2 to 3 hours over several days until the user runs out of the drug or is too disorganized to continue.
Although there are no physical manifestations of a withdrawal syndrome when methamphetamine use is stopped, there are several symptoms that occur when a chronic user stops taking the drug. These include depression, anxiety, fatigue, paranoia, aggression, and an intense craving for the drug.
Low Intensity Use
Low-intensity abusers swallow or snort methamphetamine, using it the same way many people use caffeine or nicotine. Low-intensity abusers want the extra stimulation the methamphetamine provides so that they can stay awake long enough to finish a task or a job, or they want the appetite suppressant effect to lose weight. These people frequently hold jobs, raise families, and otherwise function normally. They may include people such as truck drivers , workers trying to stay awake until the end of their normal shift or an overtime shift, and women trying to keep a career, home, husband and family.
Binge Methamphetamine Use
Binge abusers smoke or inject methamphetamine it is a drug that can be binged on. They experience euphoric rushes that are psychologically addictive.
Rush - The rush is the initial response the abuser feels when smoking or injecting methamphetamine. During the rush, the heartbeat races and metabolism, blood pressure, and pulse soar. Unlike the rush associated with crack cocaine, which lasts for approximately 2 - 5 minutes, the methamphetamine rush can continue for 5-30 minutes.
High - The rush is followed by the high, sometimes called the shoulder. During the high, the abuser often feels aggressively smarter and becomes argumentative. The high can last 4 to 6 hours.
Binge - The binge is the continuation of the high. The abuser maintains the high by smoking or injecting more methamphetamine. Each time the abuser smokes or injects more of the drug, a smaller euphoric rush than the initial rush is experienced until, finally, there is no rush and no high. During the binge, the abuser becomes hyperactive both mentally and physically. The binge can last 3-15 days.
Tweaking - Tweaking occurs at the end of the binge when nothing the abuser does will take away the feeling of emptiness and depression, including taking more methamphetamine. Tweaking is very uncomfortable, and the abuser often takes a depressant to ease the bad feelings. The most popular depressant is alcohol, with heroin a close second.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Oxycontin Tale
I thought I should share this with you.
A young member of my family was out with friends on a Saturday night. A young fellow she had gone to school since play school to high school graduation showed up and was very drunk. His friends offered to drive him home as he was not in shape to drive. He told them he had done a bunch of oxycontin as well.
They wanted to take him to the hospital but he insisted on going home. They took him home and told his parents that he had taken the pills as well as drank excessively. He insisted he just needed to go to bed so that is what his parents allowed him to do. The rest of his friends left and felt they had done the right thing driving him home and letting his parents know.
Well the next day they found out the boy never woke up, he died during the night.
About a week later I had a call on my hot line from a 15 year old boy. There was a girl at school he thought was really cool and he and she were becoming friends. She told him she did oxy's and liked them. He didn't think this was good and wanted to advise
on how to help her.
Well I told him look, you are 15 and so is she. She thought the pills were great and didn't want to stop taking them. He didn't want to loose her friendship so he didn't feel like he wanted to get her parents involved, he just wanted to help her.
I let him know his heart is in the right place and it is great he wants to help her but he was playing with fire. She could OD any time, it is not a drug to play around with. He is just too young to deal with it. She is in serious need of the help of her parents.
We talked for a while, he had gone over the situation with his parents and they weren't sure what he should do.
I got his agreement that he would talk to his parents and ask them to help him by informing her parents and by doing so giving them the opportunity to get help for her.
His mom had walked into the room while we were talking and overheard the conversation. She spoke to me and thanked me for helping her son.
Then she and I talked over how she and her husband should approach the matter.
We worked out something she felt they could do.
I never heard from them again.
So I hope they did, I hope the girl's parents get her help, I hope no one is stupid about this and waits around. I hope it works out better than it did for my young family member's friend and his family.
A young member of my family was out with friends on a Saturday night. A young fellow she had gone to school since play school to high school graduation showed up and was very drunk. His friends offered to drive him home as he was not in shape to drive. He told them he had done a bunch of oxycontin as well.
They wanted to take him to the hospital but he insisted on going home. They took him home and told his parents that he had taken the pills as well as drank excessively. He insisted he just needed to go to bed so that is what his parents allowed him to do. The rest of his friends left and felt they had done the right thing driving him home and letting his parents know.
Well the next day they found out the boy never woke up, he died during the night.
About a week later I had a call on my hot line from a 15 year old boy. There was a girl at school he thought was really cool and he and she were becoming friends. She told him she did oxy's and liked them. He didn't think this was good and wanted to advise
on how to help her.
Well I told him look, you are 15 and so is she. She thought the pills were great and didn't want to stop taking them. He didn't want to loose her friendship so he didn't feel like he wanted to get her parents involved, he just wanted to help her.
I let him know his heart is in the right place and it is great he wants to help her but he was playing with fire. She could OD any time, it is not a drug to play around with. He is just too young to deal with it. She is in serious need of the help of her parents.
We talked for a while, he had gone over the situation with his parents and they weren't sure what he should do.
I got his agreement that he would talk to his parents and ask them to help him by informing her parents and by doing so giving them the opportunity to get help for her.
His mom had walked into the room while we were talking and overheard the conversation. She spoke to me and thanked me for helping her son.
Then she and I talked over how she and her husband should approach the matter.
We worked out something she felt they could do.
I never heard from them again.
So I hope they did, I hope the girl's parents get her help, I hope no one is stupid about this and waits around. I hope it works out better than it did for my young family member's friend and his family.
Friday, March 20, 2009
How to Kill Someone Using Prescription Drugs
I have posted more than once about the abuse of various prescription drugs. So many of the calls I receive are from people in trouble with them.
Some are prescribed; some were originally prescribed and when they ran out and it couldn't be renewed they turned to the street and a lot have never been prescribed.
This article was sent to me by a friend.
Unfortunately Ms Smith is just one more tragedy but being a celebrity at least her death can be of use in educating others.
"Most people know that it is as possible to die from an overdose of prescription drugs as it is to die from an overdose of heroin or other illicit drug. What some people may not realize it that in some cases, it might not even be the fault of the person who died from the drugs. Some people might die from the actions of those who are supposed to be taking care of them.
As an example, let us look at the death of Anna Nicole Smith. Anna Nicole's death was ruled an accidental drug intoxication death contributed to by a viral infection and the presence of abscesses on both buttocks and the back of one thigh. There is no evidence of intent to cause Ms. Smith's death, however, it may be that without the help of those around her, she could not possibly have died.
Her psychiatrist and her companion Howard K. Stern obtained prescriptions under an alias or in Stern's name as a way of "protecting (Anna Nicole's) privacy." Khristine Eroshevich, Smith's psychiatrist, reported that she began to treat Ms. Smith for depression and chronic pain after the birth of her child and the death of her son Daniel in September 2006.
The autopsy reports on several abscesses on both buttocks resulting from repeated injections of various medications in the buttocks and the back of the right thigh. Ms. Smith's liver was also congested and enlarged and her kidneys were congested, very possibly as a result of chronic administration of prescription medications. The drug that may have tipped the scales toward her death was chloral hydrate, a strong sleeping drug usually administered in a liquid.
Did Ms. Smith repeatedly inject herself in the buttock and the back of her right thigh or was she assisted by her companion Stern or her psychiatrist, who visited her several times in the Bahamas where Ms. Smith died in February 2007?
In September 2006, Dr. Eroshevich attempted to obtain a list of six prescription medications, all of which had the potential to be addictive. One of them, Prexige, was never approved for use in the United States as it was shown to cause an unacceptable level of liver damage (remember Anna Nicole's enlarged and congested liver?). The doctor she asked to obtain the drugs for her, Dr. Sandeep Kapoor, also charged with felonies, refused to fill those prescriptions.
The California Attorney General Jerry Brown has stated that "these individuals repeatedly and excessively furnished thousands of prescription pills to Anna Nicole Smith, often for no legitimate medical purpose." He also stated, "(Smith) took the drugs almost to the point of stupefication."
Could a "stupefied" person obtain and administer enough drugs to finally accidentally kill herself? Would it not be the responsibility of the medical staff around her and her constant companion to get her treatment for chronic drug use and addiction?
"Anna Nicole's situation is one of the tragic extremes of prescription drug abuse," stated Derry Hallmark, Director of Admissions and Certified Chemical Dependency Counselor at Narconon Arrowhead. Narconon Arrowhead is one of the country's leading drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers, located in Canadian, Oklahoma.
"Sometimes families don't know the best way to help someone who insists on abusing prescription drugs," Mr. Hallmark added. "I assure you that the best way to help someone who is addicted to these drugs is to get them into an effective rehabilitation service like the one we have at Narconon Arrowhead. With a program like ours that helps them recover from the constant cravings and that rehabilitates their ability to make drug-free decisions, most people can recover from their addiction. At Narconon, seven out of ten of our graduates go on to live drug-free lives. This could be the difference between living and dying for some people."
To find immediate help for someone who is having a problem with any kind of drug or alcohol, contact Narconon's free addiction consultation and referral helpline at 1-800-468-6933 or visit their website at www.stopaddiction.com. The Narconon program was founded in 1966 by William Benitez in Arizona State prison, and is based on the humanitarian works of L. Ron Hubbard. In more than 120 centers around the world, Narconon programs restore drug and alcohol abusers and addicts to a clean and sober lifestyle.
©2009 Narconon of Oklahoma, Inc. All rights reserved. NARCONON and the Narconon logo are registered trademarks and service marks owned by Association for Better Living and Education International and are used with its permission.
***Permission granted to worthy news organizations to reprint in part or in full***
Some are prescribed; some were originally prescribed and when they ran out and it couldn't be renewed they turned to the street and a lot have never been prescribed.
This article was sent to me by a friend.
Unfortunately Ms Smith is just one more tragedy but being a celebrity at least her death can be of use in educating others.
"Most people know that it is as possible to die from an overdose of prescription drugs as it is to die from an overdose of heroin or other illicit drug. What some people may not realize it that in some cases, it might not even be the fault of the person who died from the drugs. Some people might die from the actions of those who are supposed to be taking care of them.
As an example, let us look at the death of Anna Nicole Smith. Anna Nicole's death was ruled an accidental drug intoxication death contributed to by a viral infection and the presence of abscesses on both buttocks and the back of one thigh. There is no evidence of intent to cause Ms. Smith's death, however, it may be that without the help of those around her, she could not possibly have died.
Her psychiatrist and her companion Howard K. Stern obtained prescriptions under an alias or in Stern's name as a way of "protecting (Anna Nicole's) privacy." Khristine Eroshevich, Smith's psychiatrist, reported that she began to treat Ms. Smith for depression and chronic pain after the birth of her child and the death of her son Daniel in September 2006.
The autopsy reports on several abscesses on both buttocks resulting from repeated injections of various medications in the buttocks and the back of the right thigh. Ms. Smith's liver was also congested and enlarged and her kidneys were congested, very possibly as a result of chronic administration of prescription medications. The drug that may have tipped the scales toward her death was chloral hydrate, a strong sleeping drug usually administered in a liquid.
Did Ms. Smith repeatedly inject herself in the buttock and the back of her right thigh or was she assisted by her companion Stern or her psychiatrist, who visited her several times in the Bahamas where Ms. Smith died in February 2007?
In September 2006, Dr. Eroshevich attempted to obtain a list of six prescription medications, all of which had the potential to be addictive. One of them, Prexige, was never approved for use in the United States as it was shown to cause an unacceptable level of liver damage (remember Anna Nicole's enlarged and congested liver?). The doctor she asked to obtain the drugs for her, Dr. Sandeep Kapoor, also charged with felonies, refused to fill those prescriptions.
The California Attorney General Jerry Brown has stated that "these individuals repeatedly and excessively furnished thousands of prescription pills to Anna Nicole Smith, often for no legitimate medical purpose." He also stated, "(Smith) took the drugs almost to the point of stupefication."
Could a "stupefied" person obtain and administer enough drugs to finally accidentally kill herself? Would it not be the responsibility of the medical staff around her and her constant companion to get her treatment for chronic drug use and addiction?
"Anna Nicole's situation is one of the tragic extremes of prescription drug abuse," stated Derry Hallmark, Director of Admissions and Certified Chemical Dependency Counselor at Narconon Arrowhead. Narconon Arrowhead is one of the country's leading drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers, located in Canadian, Oklahoma.
"Sometimes families don't know the best way to help someone who insists on abusing prescription drugs," Mr. Hallmark added. "I assure you that the best way to help someone who is addicted to these drugs is to get them into an effective rehabilitation service like the one we have at Narconon Arrowhead. With a program like ours that helps them recover from the constant cravings and that rehabilitates their ability to make drug-free decisions, most people can recover from their addiction. At Narconon, seven out of ten of our graduates go on to live drug-free lives. This could be the difference between living and dying for some people."
To find immediate help for someone who is having a problem with any kind of drug or alcohol, contact Narconon's free addiction consultation and referral helpline at 1-800-468-6933 or visit their website at www.stopaddiction.com. The Narconon program was founded in 1966 by William Benitez in Arizona State prison, and is based on the humanitarian works of L. Ron Hubbard. In more than 120 centers around the world, Narconon programs restore drug and alcohol abusers and addicts to a clean and sober lifestyle.
©2009 Narconon of Oklahoma, Inc. All rights reserved. NARCONON and the Narconon logo are registered trademarks and service marks owned by Association for Better Living and Education International and are used with its permission.
***Permission granted to worthy news organizations to reprint in part or in full***
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