Drug and Alcohol Rehab Blog
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Aerosmith Frontman Steven Tyler Enters Rehab for Painkiller Addiction
The lead singer of famed rock band Aerosmith, Steven Tyler, entered rehab this week to receive treatment for an addiction to painkillers. Reportedly, the singer has been taking painkillers for the past 10 years to cope with "performance injuries."
Tyler also checked into rehab last year to recover from several foot surgeries and receive physical therapy. The surgeries were to correct injuries sustained during years of highly physical performances with Aerosmith. According to the doctor who will be treating Tyler, severe orthopedic injuries have left Tyler with chronic pain that will require several more surgeries on his knees and feet.
Although Tyler was known to be a heavy drug and alcohol user in the 1970s, he first entered rehab in 1986, and achieved several years of sobriety. After this bout in rehab the band enjoyed a resurgence in popularity.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Tyler expressed his commitment to making a full recovery: "I love Aerosmith; I love performing as the lead singer in Aerosmith. I am grateful for all of the support and love I am receiving and am committed to getting things taken care of."
(Source: www.google.com)
Labels: addiction, chronic pain, painkillers
posted by Drug-Rehab.com at 8:40 AM
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Drug and Alcohol Rehab Blog
Monday, December 21, 2009
U.S. Troops Report Abusing Prescription Drugs, Binge Drinking
According to a Pentagon health survey released this week, about one in four U.S. soldiers admit to abusing a prescription drug within the year prior to the survey. The survey, which included more than 28,500 U.S. troops, indicated that about 20 percent of Marines had abused a prescription drug within the last year.
In both cases, pain relievers were the most frequently abused type of prescription drug as well as the most abused drug in the military. Pain relievers are used illicitly about three times more frequently than marijuana or amphetamines, the next most-abused substances. Between 2005 and 2008, painkiller abuse among soldiers soared. Reported use within the 30 days prior to the survey increased from 4 percent in 2005 to 13 percent in 2008. Reported use within the previous year increased from 10 percent in 2005 to 22 percent in 2008.
The survey also indicates an alarming rate of binge drinking, especially among Marines. About 60 percent of Marines reported binge drinking, defined as consuming five or more drinks in a row at least once per week.
Experts believe that the study's findings indicate the immense toll that fighting wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan since 2003 has had on troops. Many troops have been required to serve in multiple combat deployments within the past seven years.
Brigadier General Colleen McGuire, director of the Army Suicide Prevention Task Force, commented: "We are aware that more prescription drugs are being used today for pain management and behavioral health issues. These areas of substance abuse along with increased use of alcohol concern us."
(Source: www.usatoday.com)
In both cases, pain relievers were the most frequently abused type of prescription drug as well as the most abused drug in the military. Pain relievers are used illicitly about three times more frequently than marijuana or amphetamines, the next most-abused substances. Between 2005 and 2008, painkiller abuse among soldiers soared. Reported use within the 30 days prior to the survey increased from 4 percent in 2005 to 13 percent in 2008. Reported use within the previous year increased from 10 percent in 2005 to 22 percent in 2008.
The survey also indicates an alarming rate of binge drinking, especially among Marines. About 60 percent of Marines reported binge drinking, defined as consuming five or more drinks in a row at least once per week.
Experts believe that the study's findings indicate the immense toll that fighting wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan since 2003 has had on troops. Many troops have been required to serve in multiple combat deployments within the past seven years.
Brigadier General Colleen McGuire, director of the Army Suicide Prevention Task Force, commented: "We are aware that more prescription drugs are being used today for pain management and behavioral health issues. These areas of substance abuse along with increased use of alcohol concern us."
(Source: www.usatoday.com)
Labels: binge-drinking, painkillers, prescription-drug-abuse
posted by Drug-Rehab.com at 8:32 AM
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Drug and Alcohol Rehab Blog
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Mothers May Pass Addiction to Children Genetically
According to a biomedical researcher at the Cumming School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, mothers who abuse painkillers during adolescence may predispose their children to becoming addicted to those same substances.
Elizabeth Byrnes, a research assistant professor of biomedical sciences at the University commented on the research's implications: "If you took these drugs as an adolescent, and you're thinking, hey, that's no big deal, that's in the past, and now I am happy and healthy and everything's fine ... that probably is not the case.
"You actually may be transmitting sensitivity to opiates to your offspring. And that sensitivity is one thing that will determine how likely [the offspring] are to have a problem with those drugs. We already know that genetic information is passed down from one generation to the next. Is it just a matter of which genes are expressed?"
According to the 2008 Monitoring the Future Report, a national annual survey of the behaviors and attitudes of 8th, 10th, and 12th graders that is funded by the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA), approximately 10 percent of high school seniors reported recreational use of the painkiller Vicodin within the last year, and 4.7 percent reported using OxyContin.
(Source: www.laboratoryequipment.com)
Elizabeth Byrnes, a research assistant professor of biomedical sciences at the University commented on the research's implications: "If you took these drugs as an adolescent, and you're thinking, hey, that's no big deal, that's in the past, and now I am happy and healthy and everything's fine ... that probably is not the case.
"You actually may be transmitting sensitivity to opiates to your offspring. And that sensitivity is one thing that will determine how likely [the offspring] are to have a problem with those drugs. We already know that genetic information is passed down from one generation to the next. Is it just a matter of which genes are expressed?"
According to the 2008 Monitoring the Future Report, a national annual survey of the behaviors and attitudes of 8th, 10th, and 12th graders that is funded by the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA), approximately 10 percent of high school seniors reported recreational use of the painkiller Vicodin within the last year, and 4.7 percent reported using OxyContin.
(Source: www.laboratoryequipment.com)
Labels: addiction, genetics, painkillers
posted by Drug-Rehab.com at 8:58 AM
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Drug and Alcohol Rehab Blog
Monday, November 30, 2009
Drug-Related Deaths Increase in West Virginia
This week, a psychiatrist with the Chestnut Ridge Center at West Virginia University Hospital, spoke to substance abuse prevention advocates about the increasing prescription painkiller problem in the state. The speech was part of the 17th annual West Virginia Statewide Substance Abuse Prevention Conference, held at the Charleston Civic Center.
The psychiatrist, Dr. Jim Berry, sees patients frequently who are struggling with painkiller addiction and who know people who have died from accidental overdoses, and it's becoming a more and more common occurrence.
Berry commented, "We've noticed a big problem with prescription pain pills. A lot of people are dying."
In 2007, West Virginia led the United States in overdose deaths. The state also experienced an increase in "poisonous deaths" from 2001 to 2006. Of these, 78 percent were considered to be accidental overdoses and most involved opioids such as oxycodone or methadone.
Berry relates that painkillers seem to be accessible to more and more people at younger and younger ages: "Nowadays, more and more people I'm seeing for detox (say they) started using opioids before they starting used anything else ... and at a very young age."
(Source: www.herald-dispatch.com)
The psychiatrist, Dr. Jim Berry, sees patients frequently who are struggling with painkiller addiction and who know people who have died from accidental overdoses, and it's becoming a more and more common occurrence.
Berry commented, "We've noticed a big problem with prescription pain pills. A lot of people are dying."
In 2007, West Virginia led the United States in overdose deaths. The state also experienced an increase in "poisonous deaths" from 2001 to 2006. Of these, 78 percent were considered to be accidental overdoses and most involved opioids such as oxycodone or methadone.
Berry relates that painkillers seem to be accessible to more and more people at younger and younger ages: "Nowadays, more and more people I'm seeing for detox (say they) started using opioids before they starting used anything else ... and at a very young age."
(Source: www.herald-dispatch.com)
Labels: overdose, painkillers, substance abuse
posted by Drug-Rehab.com at 9:55 AM
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Drug and Alcohol Rehab Blog
Monday, November 23, 2009
Janet Jackson: Family Knew About Michael's Drug Problems
In an exclusive interview with ABC News this week, Janet Jackson confirmed that the Jackson family knew about Michael's addiction to painkillers and that they even staged several interventions over the years without success.
Janet said that she reached out to her brother on several occasions: "I did. Of course, that's what you do. Those are the things that you do when you love someone. You can't just let them continue on that way. And we did a few times. We weren't very successful."
Janet also admitted that she believed her brother was in denial about his addiction. Michael's autopsy report found that the singer had lethal amounts of the painkiller propofol -- a powerful sedative used almost exclusively in hospital operating rooms -- along with a number of other drugs in his system at the time of his death. His death has been ruled a homicide.
(Source: www.adbnews.go.com)
Janet said that she reached out to her brother on several occasions: "I did. Of course, that's what you do. Those are the things that you do when you love someone. You can't just let them continue on that way. And we did a few times. We weren't very successful."
Janet also admitted that she believed her brother was in denial about his addiction. Michael's autopsy report found that the singer had lethal amounts of the painkiller propofol -- a powerful sedative used almost exclusively in hospital operating rooms -- along with a number of other drugs in his system at the time of his death. His death has been ruled a homicide.
(Source: www.adbnews.go.com)
Labels: drug-abuse, painkillers, prescription-drug-abuse
posted by Drug-Rehab.com at 8:40 AM
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Drug and Alcohol Rehab Blog
Monday, November 9, 2009
Florida Father Speaks Out Against Pain Clinics
Florida father, Terri Parker, is losing his 21-year-old son, Michael James McGilvary, to a devastating painkiller addiction -- and he is speaking out against the pain clinics that have been supplying his son and other area youth with prescriptions to pain pills.
McGilvary, once a healthy and productive young man, became hooked on the narcotic painkiller OxyContin approximately two years ago. Since then, he has been able to obtain prescriptions for multiple types of pain pills from local clinics.
His father recalls how his son's habit quickly spun out of control, and says that the medications have turned his son into a shell of a person and a small-time criminal: "He got so bad here, he was taking this needle, instead of shooting it in his arm, shooting it under his tongue, under his fingernails, two, three, four, five times a day, because these drugs are so addictive."
McGilvary tried to stop taking the pills, but couldn't, and ended up attempting suicide. Parker says that local pain clinics are partly to blame for his son's downward spiral: "These doctors do not care at all. Yes, they care. They care for that $175 they get to write that prescription so they can [sail] on their boat and play golf Saturday and be with their children. They can take their child to soccer. My child's in jail.
"Somebody has got to alert the people about what these doctors are doing, these pain clinics. It's destroying lives. It's time that we stopped this. I can't save my kid. I might save somebody else's kid."
(Source: www.wpbf.com)
McGilvary, once a healthy and productive young man, became hooked on the narcotic painkiller OxyContin approximately two years ago. Since then, he has been able to obtain prescriptions for multiple types of pain pills from local clinics.
His father recalls how his son's habit quickly spun out of control, and says that the medications have turned his son into a shell of a person and a small-time criminal: "He got so bad here, he was taking this needle, instead of shooting it in his arm, shooting it under his tongue, under his fingernails, two, three, four, five times a day, because these drugs are so addictive."
McGilvary tried to stop taking the pills, but couldn't, and ended up attempting suicide. Parker says that local pain clinics are partly to blame for his son's downward spiral: "These doctors do not care at all. Yes, they care. They care for that $175 they get to write that prescription so they can [sail] on their boat and play golf Saturday and be with their children. They can take their child to soccer. My child's in jail.
"Somebody has got to alert the people about what these doctors are doing, these pain clinics. It's destroying lives. It's time that we stopped this. I can't save my kid. I might save somebody else's kid."
(Source: www.wpbf.com)
Labels: clinics, OxyContin, painkillers
posted by Drug-Rehab.com at 1:50 PM
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Drug and Alcohol Rehab Blog
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Prescription Drugs Now the Biggest Cause of Fatal Drug Overdoses
Prescription drugs are now the leading cause of fatal drug overdoses in the United States. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that prescription drugs cause more than 26,000 fatal overdoses each year.
According to statistics recently released by the CDC, the number of overdose deaths from opioid painkillers (a group of drugs that includes morphine, codeine and OxyContin) more than tripled between 1999 and 2006 to 13,800. The American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians estimates that, each year, about 120,000 Americans go to the emergency room after overdosing on opioid painkillers.
The trend of prescription drug abuse and overdose has upset the historical pattern of overdose deaths. In the past, most overdose deaths involved illegal street narcotics, such as heroin, and occurred in urban areas. The CDC now reports that prescription painkillers have surpassed heroin and cocaine as the leading cause of overdose deaths and that the rate of fatal overdoses is about the same in rural and urban areas. The CDC estimates an overdose rate of 7.8 deaths per 100,000 people in rural areas, compared to 7.9 deaths per 100,000 people in cities.
"The biggest and fastest-growing part of America's drug problem is prescription drug abuse," said Robert DuPont, a former White House drug czar and a former director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. "The statistics are unmistakable."
(Source: USA Today)
According to statistics recently released by the CDC, the number of overdose deaths from opioid painkillers (a group of drugs that includes morphine, codeine and OxyContin) more than tripled between 1999 and 2006 to 13,800. The American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians estimates that, each year, about 120,000 Americans go to the emergency room after overdosing on opioid painkillers.
The trend of prescription drug abuse and overdose has upset the historical pattern of overdose deaths. In the past, most overdose deaths involved illegal street narcotics, such as heroin, and occurred in urban areas. The CDC now reports that prescription painkillers have surpassed heroin and cocaine as the leading cause of overdose deaths and that the rate of fatal overdoses is about the same in rural and urban areas. The CDC estimates an overdose rate of 7.8 deaths per 100,000 people in rural areas, compared to 7.9 deaths per 100,000 people in cities.
"The biggest and fastest-growing part of America's drug problem is prescription drug abuse," said Robert DuPont, a former White House drug czar and a former director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. "The statistics are unmistakable."
(Source: USA Today)
Labels: opioids, overdose, painkillers, prescription-drug-abuse
posted by Drug-Rehab.com at 4:26 PM
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Drug and Alcohol Rehab Blog
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Painkiller Addicts Turn to Heroin when Prescriptions Run Out
Law enforcement authorities in Bristol, Conn., have seen an increase in local heroin use. They attribute the rise to painkiller addicts who turn to heroin when their prescriptions run out.
Bristol Police Detective Sergeant Chris Lennon of the narcotics division says that heroin is the second most prevalent drug in the area, after marijuana. Lennon believes that heroin use has also seen a resurgence because the drug is highly addictive, and -- in recent months -- has become easily accessible and cheap. Lennon reports that a dose of heroin can cost between $5 and $10, and has begun coming into the area via nearby cities such as Hartford and Waterbury.
In the past, heroin users became addicted through experimenting with heroin. Now, Lennon states, many of the heroin addicts his unit encounters are painkiller addicts who lost access to their drugs of choice. The link between the two is not surprising considering that OxyContin, one of the most potent and popular painkillers used for nonmedical purposes, is a chemical cousin of heroin.
(Source: www.bristolpress.com)
Bristol Police Detective Sergeant Chris Lennon of the narcotics division says that heroin is the second most prevalent drug in the area, after marijuana. Lennon believes that heroin use has also seen a resurgence because the drug is highly addictive, and -- in recent months -- has become easily accessible and cheap. Lennon reports that a dose of heroin can cost between $5 and $10, and has begun coming into the area via nearby cities such as Hartford and Waterbury.
In the past, heroin users became addicted through experimenting with heroin. Now, Lennon states, many of the heroin addicts his unit encounters are painkiller addicts who lost access to their drugs of choice. The link between the two is not surprising considering that OxyContin, one of the most potent and popular painkillers used for nonmedical purposes, is a chemical cousin of heroin.
(Source: www.bristolpress.com)
Labels: heroin, painkillers, prescription-drug-abuse
posted by Drug-Rehab.com at 3:15 PM
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Drug and Alcohol Rehab Blog
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Celebrity Overdoses Highlight Disturbing Trend
Celebrity deaths attributed to overdoses of prescription drugs have been piling up over the last couple of years. Anna Nicole Smith, Heath Ledger and Michael Jackson are just a few of the famous people to die in connection with the misuse of prescription medications.
These highly publicized deaths point to a disturbing trend among average Americans. According to government data, fatal overdoses from prescription pain killers more than doubled between 2000 and 2005. In 2000, approximately 3,994 people died from prescription pain killer-related overdoses, compared to 8,541 in 2005.
According to available data, the prescription drug abuse epidemic is eclipsing similar epidemics from the recent past. At the height of the crack cocaine crisis in the 1980s, there were approximately 500,000 crack users. In 2004, amidst the meth epidemic, experts estimated that there were approximately 600,000 meth users. By comparison, experts estimate that 3.8 million Americans were abusing prescription drugs in 2000, and that number grew to 7 million by 2007.
(Source: www.chron.com)
These highly publicized deaths point to a disturbing trend among average Americans. According to government data, fatal overdoses from prescription pain killers more than doubled between 2000 and 2005. In 2000, approximately 3,994 people died from prescription pain killer-related overdoses, compared to 8,541 in 2005.
According to available data, the prescription drug abuse epidemic is eclipsing similar epidemics from the recent past. At the height of the crack cocaine crisis in the 1980s, there were approximately 500,000 crack users. In 2004, amidst the meth epidemic, experts estimated that there were approximately 600,000 meth users. By comparison, experts estimate that 3.8 million Americans were abusing prescription drugs in 2000, and that number grew to 7 million by 2007.
(Source: www.chron.com)
Labels: drug-abuse, painkillers, prescription-drug-abuse
posted by Drug-Rehab.com at 2:16 PM
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Drug and Alcohol Rehab Blog
Monday, September 7, 2009
Dr. Drew Blames Pain Medication for Death of Famous DJ
Dr. Drew Pinsky, addiction specialist and television star, commented this week that pain medication likely led to the recent death of Adam Goldstein (known as DJ AM).
Goldstein, a former drug addict who promoted sober living, was found dead in his apartment at the end of August. A crack pipe and prescription pills were found in his Manhattan residence. Goldstein was 36 years old.
Although Goldstein was prescribed the medication for legitimate reasons -- he sustained serious injuries in a plane crash two years earlier that required two skin graft surgeries -- the drugs probably triggered the addictive behaviors that he previously conquered.
Pinsky commented on the effects of pain medication on a former addict: "It very slowly and subtly reawakens addiction. I'm not saying it was inappropriately prescribed, I'm saying he didn't know the risks."
(Source: Associated Press)
Goldstein, a former drug addict who promoted sober living, was found dead in his apartment at the end of August. A crack pipe and prescription pills were found in his Manhattan residence. Goldstein was 36 years old.
Although Goldstein was prescribed the medication for legitimate reasons -- he sustained serious injuries in a plane crash two years earlier that required two skin graft surgeries -- the drugs probably triggered the addictive behaviors that he previously conquered.
Pinsky commented on the effects of pain medication on a former addict: "It very slowly and subtly reawakens addiction. I'm not saying it was inappropriately prescribed, I'm saying he didn't know the risks."
(Source: Associated Press)
Labels: addiction, drug-abuse, painkillers
posted by Drug-Rehab.com at 11:25 AM
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Drug and Alcohol Rehab Blog
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Louisiana Mother Prosecuted for Passing Painkiller Addiction to Unborn Infant
A 30-year-old woman who abused painkillers while pregnant and passed her addiction to her unborn daughter pleaded guilty to a charge of cruelty this week.
Anahit Dufrene of Houma, La., was arrested after doctors at Leonard J. Chabert Medical Center reported to law enforcement officers that her newborn girl was suffering from withdrawal symptoms.
Dufrene's now 7-month-old daughter has been undergoing addiction treatment since birth. Dufrene's other two children have been placed in the custody of her husband's parents.
"A mother needs to be punished rather severely for making this choice for the child, who couldn't make the choice on its own," said Jason Lyons, a Terrebonne Parish assistant district attorney. "There is no crime that specifically mentions a mother who gives birth to a child who is addicted. It fits under the cruelty statute."
Dufrene may be sentenced to spend up to 10 years in jail.
(Source: www.wwltv.com)
Anahit Dufrene of Houma, La., was arrested after doctors at Leonard J. Chabert Medical Center reported to law enforcement officers that her newborn girl was suffering from withdrawal symptoms.
Dufrene's now 7-month-old daughter has been undergoing addiction treatment since birth. Dufrene's other two children have been placed in the custody of her husband's parents.
"A mother needs to be punished rather severely for making this choice for the child, who couldn't make the choice on its own," said Jason Lyons, a Terrebonne Parish assistant district attorney. "There is no crime that specifically mentions a mother who gives birth to a child who is addicted. It fits under the cruelty statute."
Dufrene may be sentenced to spend up to 10 years in jail.
(Source: www.wwltv.com)
Labels: addiction, painkillers, substance abuse
posted by Drug-Rehab.com at 11:09 AM
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Drug and Alcohol Rehab Blog
Friday, July 31, 2009
Florida Battles Reputation as "Pill Mill" Capital
Authorities and legislators in Florida are grappling with the state's snowballing problem with illicit pain pill trafficking and abuse. Some experts posit that south Florida's high concentration of pain clinics and doctors may be the foundation of the problem. Other experts point to Florida's lag in developing sufficient prescription monitoring procedures in comparison to other states in the region.
With the introduction of OxyContin to Appalachia in the 1990s, several states reacted quickly, developing procedures for tracking the writing and filling of OxyContin and other similar medications. However, Florida, with an entrenched focus on battling cocaine use, failed to keep pace.
The growth of the problem is clear: Fatal overdoses involving oxycodone, the main component in brand-name pain killers OxyContin, Roxicet and Percocet, increased 20 percent from 2007 to 2008 in Broward and Palm Beach counties, according to state authorities. Last year, the two counties had 221 oxycodone-related overdose deaths. Last month, Governor Charlie Crist signed legislation aimed at regulating pain clinics more effectively.
(Source: www.sun-sentinel.com)
With the introduction of OxyContin to Appalachia in the 1990s, several states reacted quickly, developing procedures for tracking the writing and filling of OxyContin and other similar medications. However, Florida, with an entrenched focus on battling cocaine use, failed to keep pace.
The growth of the problem is clear: Fatal overdoses involving oxycodone, the main component in brand-name pain killers OxyContin, Roxicet and Percocet, increased 20 percent from 2007 to 2008 in Broward and Palm Beach counties, according to state authorities. Last year, the two counties had 221 oxycodone-related overdose deaths. Last month, Governor Charlie Crist signed legislation aimed at regulating pain clinics more effectively.
(Source: www.sun-sentinel.com)
Labels: drug-abuse, OxyContin, painkillers, prescription-drug-abuse
posted by Drug-Rehab.com at 8:06 AM
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Drug and Alcohol Rehab Blog
Monday, July 20, 2009
Pain Relief Can Lead to Addiction
According to addiction experts, many people overuse or abuse prescription pain relievers because they mistakenly believe that prescription drugs are safer than street drugs like heroin, crack, or methamphetamines.
According to data from the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), non-medical use of painkillers resulted in approximately 8,500 deaths in 2005, and overdose deaths involving prescription pain medications jumped by about 114 percent between 2001 and 2005.
According to the ONDCP, prescription drug abuse is most common among young adults between the ages of 18 and 25. However, experts warn, people of all ages have the misconception that prescription drugs are not that dangerous.
Dr. Marvin Seppala, the chief medical officer at Hazelden, a drug and alcohol treatment center, comments: "I think people of all ages don't take medication as seriously as street drugs. There's sort of a naive belief they're safer. The truth is pain medications are in the same exact class as heroin, morphine -- they're very addictive."
In a 2007 study conducted by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, 15.5 percent of teenagers reported abusing prescription drugs and a significant number reported obtaining prescription drugs from a friend or family member, from a household medicine cabinet, or at a party.
Experts also warn that older adults are vulnerable to prescription drug addiction. Dr. Steven Juergens, an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Washington and a private addiction specialist in Bellevue, Wash., comments, "Often what happens is someone experiences discomfort, anxiety, or pain. They start being treated with medicine, and need more. They're caught in this hell of using the drugs illicitly, not seeing it as a problem. It takes a while to unravel that."
(Source: cnn.com)
According to data from the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), non-medical use of painkillers resulted in approximately 8,500 deaths in 2005, and overdose deaths involving prescription pain medications jumped by about 114 percent between 2001 and 2005.
According to the ONDCP, prescription drug abuse is most common among young adults between the ages of 18 and 25. However, experts warn, people of all ages have the misconception that prescription drugs are not that dangerous.
Dr. Marvin Seppala, the chief medical officer at Hazelden, a drug and alcohol treatment center, comments: "I think people of all ages don't take medication as seriously as street drugs. There's sort of a naive belief they're safer. The truth is pain medications are in the same exact class as heroin, morphine -- they're very addictive."
In a 2007 study conducted by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, 15.5 percent of teenagers reported abusing prescription drugs and a significant number reported obtaining prescription drugs from a friend or family member, from a household medicine cabinet, or at a party.
Experts also warn that older adults are vulnerable to prescription drug addiction. Dr. Steven Juergens, an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Washington and a private addiction specialist in Bellevue, Wash., comments, "Often what happens is someone experiences discomfort, anxiety, or pain. They start being treated with medicine, and need more. They're caught in this hell of using the drugs illicitly, not seeing it as a problem. It takes a while to unravel that."
(Source: cnn.com)
Labels: heroin, methamphetamines, painkillers, prescription-drug-abuse
posted by Drug-Rehab.com at 12:58 PM
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Drug and Alcohol Rehab Blog
Friday, June 19, 2009
Ex-Football Player Struggles with Painkiller Addiction
A former professional football player, Philadelphia Eagles defensive lineman Sam Rayburn, may be nearing the end of a long struggle with painkiller addiction, according to an article appearing in the Philadelphia Inquirer this week.
Rayburn first began using painkillers from 2003 to 2006 while he was still playing football professionally, to help with his recovery from playing injuries. Rayburn often sought out painkillers on his own to deal with injuries he didn't want his coach or trainers to worry or know about. However, his use of prescription substances quickly grew into an addiction.
As his habit got out of control, he started taking more drastic measures. He admits stealing a doctor's prescription pad to forge prescriptions for Percocet and Lortab. He began taking medications in excessive amounts. Rayburn recalls, "Especially toward the end, when I was taking obscene amounts, I was hiding it from everybody -- I was even hiding it from myself."
On March 19, 2009, two local associates of Rayburn's tried to fill prescriptions that Rayburn had forged. The men were both arrested and charged with felony counts of attempting to obtain a controlled substance by forgery. Rayburn admitted responsibility for the incident, and said he requested the prescriptions. Rayburn was also arrested and spent 45 days in a drug rehabilitation facility.
After reaching a high of 100 pills per day earlier this year, he has been clean for 80 days.
Rayburn first began using painkillers from 2003 to 2006 while he was still playing football professionally, to help with his recovery from playing injuries. Rayburn often sought out painkillers on his own to deal with injuries he didn't want his coach or trainers to worry or know about. However, his use of prescription substances quickly grew into an addiction.
As his habit got out of control, he started taking more drastic measures. He admits stealing a doctor's prescription pad to forge prescriptions for Percocet and Lortab. He began taking medications in excessive amounts. Rayburn recalls, "Especially toward the end, when I was taking obscene amounts, I was hiding it from everybody -- I was even hiding it from myself."
On March 19, 2009, two local associates of Rayburn's tried to fill prescriptions that Rayburn had forged. The men were both arrested and charged with felony counts of attempting to obtain a controlled substance by forgery. Rayburn admitted responsibility for the incident, and said he requested the prescriptions. Rayburn was also arrested and spent 45 days in a drug rehabilitation facility.
After reaching a high of 100 pills per day earlier this year, he has been clean for 80 days.
Labels: addiction, painkillers, prescription-drug-abuse
posted by Drug-Rehab.com at 8:56 AM
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Drug and Alcohol Rehab Blog
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Paula Abdul Admits 12-Year Painkiller Addiction
In this month's Ladies Home Journal, singer, dancer and "American Idol" judge Paula Abdul talks about her 12-year addiction to painkillers and how she recently kicked the habit.
Abdul admitted being suicidal and said that withdrawal from the painkillers was "the worst thing. I was freezing cold, then sweating hot, then chattering and in so much pain. It was excruciating. But at my very core, I did not like existing the way I had been."
Abdul first started using painkillers to manage chronic severe pain -- the result of years of cheerleading and dancing as well as a 1992 auto crash and a 1993 plane crash. Paula's recovery from the plane crash involved 15 spinal surgeries and a diagnosis of sympathetic dystrophy syndrome. The illness gave her disabling pain, chattering teach and skin lesions.
(Source: www.foxnews.com)
Abdul admitted being suicidal and said that withdrawal from the painkillers was "the worst thing. I was freezing cold, then sweating hot, then chattering and in so much pain. It was excruciating. But at my very core, I did not like existing the way I had been."
Abdul first started using painkillers to manage chronic severe pain -- the result of years of cheerleading and dancing as well as a 1992 auto crash and a 1993 plane crash. Paula's recovery from the plane crash involved 15 spinal surgeries and a diagnosis of sympathetic dystrophy syndrome. The illness gave her disabling pain, chattering teach and skin lesions.
(Source: www.foxnews.com)
Labels: addiction, painkillers
posted by Drug-Rehab.com at 4:22 PM
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Drug and Alcohol Rehab Blog
Friday, March 6, 2009
Deaths in Rural Areas Linked to Painkillers
Tuesday, U.S. government researchers said prescription painkillers account for the majority of lethal overdoses from legal drugs in West Virginia. Officials also said that prescription painkillers are contributing to an exploding problem of overdoses that is most evident in rural areas.
Aron Hall and Leonard Paulozzi, from the federal Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), studied abuse patterns in West Virginia, where overdose rates had risen 550 percent between 1999 and 2004. Hall and Paulozzi were interested in the means by which the overdose victims obtained the prescription drugs.
According to their findings, more than two-thirds of West Virginians who died from overdoses of legal pills had no prescription for the drugs that killed them. This finding suggests that many legal drugs are being diverted for non-medical uses. In addition, 21 percent of people who died had prescriptions from five doctors or more. The report suggests doctors play a crucial role in controlling the use of these drugs.
Aron Hall stated, "Now in the United States, drug overdoses are the second-leading cause of unintended deaths behind motor vehicle deaths." (Source: www.msnbc.msn.com)
Aron Hall and Leonard Paulozzi, from the federal Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), studied abuse patterns in West Virginia, where overdose rates had risen 550 percent between 1999 and 2004. Hall and Paulozzi were interested in the means by which the overdose victims obtained the prescription drugs.
According to their findings, more than two-thirds of West Virginians who died from overdoses of legal pills had no prescription for the drugs that killed them. This finding suggests that many legal drugs are being diverted for non-medical uses. In addition, 21 percent of people who died had prescriptions from five doctors or more. The report suggests doctors play a crucial role in controlling the use of these drugs.
Aron Hall stated, "Now in the United States, drug overdoses are the second-leading cause of unintended deaths behind motor vehicle deaths." (Source: www.msnbc.msn.com)
Labels: death, painkillers
posted by Drug-Rehab.com at 10:48 PM
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