Study Shows Chaotic Home Early Drug Use Key Factors In Youth Violence

Posted on March 19, 2013 by narconon

The University of Colorado’s Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence has recently completed the first year of a 5-year study which is funded by a $6 million grant from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The study has the purpose of identifying key risk factors which promote violence among adolescents, and it is being carried out with the goal of reducing youth violence and related problematic behaviors among children between the ages of 10 and 17 by 2016. It has, evidently, already made great strides towards achieving this goal, despite the fact that the researchers are only 20 percent of the way to the completion of the study.

According to the announcement of their preliminary findings, they have discovered a few of the most prevalent conditions which make it more likely that a child will end up becoming involved in some type of violent behavior later in adolescence. By further examining the study findings in order to better understand their ramifications and developing strategies for their implementation, the researchers hope to make a meaningful difference in the lives of the youth and other members of communities across the country which are plagued by violence.

The study is using as a subject the Montbello neighborhood northeast of Denver. The area is notorious for crime and gang activity, with gang violence and one-on-one fights being so commonplace as to make them a fact of life for a large percentage of people in the community. Montbello has been especially hard-hit by the recent economic depression, to the degree that houses are selling for as little as $75,000 in this area which has assumed the status of “inner-city” for Denver despite the fact that it is on the outskirts of the city. The researchers cast a wide net for collecting information, with 800 door-to-door surveys and interviews with more than 2,000 students in the 4th through the 12 grades. Out of all the youths who were interviewed, nearly a quarter stated that they had been involved in some type of violent behavior at the age of 10 or 11, while 6 percent admitted to having used drugs at the same age. More than a quarter of high school students and nearly one out of five middle school students reported that some of their classmates were involved in a gang. Clearly, Montbello is a community where violence is rampant among the youth and one which is in need of solutions for prevention.

Among the most important results of these surveys, they found that children who are raised in chaotic households and are exposed at an early age to violence and substance abuse are far more likely to become involved in violence when they reach young-adulthood. Other key risk factors which were isolated include:

●    Persistent negative behaviors at early age
●    Poor family management such as having absentee parents or lacking one parent
●    Family conflict including verbal and emotional strife at home and domestic violence
●    Having peers who engage in negative behavior

Solutions For Preventing Violence Among Adolescents

A local Baptist pastor who participated in the first year of the study was interviewed on the topic by The Denver Post, and he stated that the study findings are valuable inasmuch as they confirm the general perception that this is the case. He and others in the community already were of the opinion that substance abuse and exposure to violence at an early age were most likely predisposing factors for later violent behavior, but seeing the correlation in statistical data provides confirmation.

The study data are only as valuable, however, as they prove to be useful in helping to find solutions to prevent future violence. Community leaders in Montbello are already planning to convene to discuss strategies for implementing the findings of the study. A final discovery which they would do well to make great use of is the fact that religiosity was found to be the strongest buffer to prevent adolescents from becoming involved in violence.

For more information on this topic contact Narconon drug rehabilitation or to find a center for yourself or a loved one.

Source:  http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_22675151/study-chaotic-home-early-drug-use-key-factors

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Addiction To Opiates Fuels Flood Of Heroin

Posted on March 15, 2013 by narconon

Prescription Painkillers Now Serving as “Gateway” Drug

An older street drug is making a market resurgence, thanks in large part to the widespread popularity of a newer drug, according to the Journal Gazette out of Fort Wayne, Indiana. The local newspaper in this city of 255,000 recently ran a report which focused on the fact that law enforcement and public health officials in the area are noticing that the rates of heroin trafficking, use and addiction are all on the increase, and they attribute this fact to the explosion in prescription painkiller abuse over the past several years. There have been a number of record-setting drug busts involving heroin in the past few months in Fort Wayne, in addition to many arrests for individual possession or drug dealing. A captain of the local police department is quoted as saying that there has been a steady increase in the rate of heroin seizures, with the total amount of the drug being caught per year reaching 43.2 grams in 2009, 96.4 grams in 2010, 108.1 grams in 2011 and 123.9 grams in 2012.

The growing prevalence of heroin in Fort Wayne and many other parts of the country is recognized as being a result of the massive increase in the rates of painkiller medication prescriptions, as well as the subsequent epidemic of painkiller abuse. Whereas opiate painkillers were formerly reserved almost exclusively for severe cases such as cancer patients and the terminally ill — whose brief life expectancy was considered to outweigh the risks of developing an addiction — they are now being given to people with more routine pain such as back pain or headaches. In fact, Vicodin is now the number-one prescription drug of any type in the country. Astonishing numbers of patients become addicted to painkillers, with 12 million engaging in nonmedical use of painkillers in 2010, and approximately 2 million getting started on the nonmedical use of the drug in that year alone. Painkillers including Vicodin, OxyContin and Opana are now second only to marijuana for the prevalence of drug abuse, and as a result more than 15,000 people now die of painkiller overdose on a yearly basis — a figure which is greater than both cocaine and heroin combined.

Opiate Painkillers And Heroin Are Cousins

In response to such alarming trends, law enforcement agencies, public health officials, doctors, pharmacies and the general public are all becoming more aware of the dangers of opiate painkillers, and many are taking action to cut down on the rates of nonmedical use. This has meant that painkillers are becoming more difficult to obtain, with the result that patients and others who have become addicted are desperately looking for alternatives.

Opiate withdrawals are notorious for being among the worst type of drug withdrawal, so it should not be surprising to see the lengths to which the addicts are going to get their next high. A large number of them are stooping to the level of buying street drugs from drug dealers, with heroin being the most suitable replacement for painkillers. The reason that heroin is a highly sought-after substitute has to do with the common origin of morphine — which is used to make heroin — and codeine — the basis for hydrocodone (Vicodin) and oxycodone (Oxycontin). Both are derived from the opium extracted from the poppy flower, and they therefore share many of the same properties.

Narconon says that a painkiller addict often encounters little trouble in finding heroin and will typically discover that it is cheaper. This is a serious problem for the community of Fort Wayne and for towns and cities across the United States, since opiate painkillers are currently being prescribed in massive quantities to people from every strata of society. We have on our hands the potential for an enormous wave of drug addiction, whether the people stay on their painkillers or if — as is increasingly common — they end up turning to heroin.

Source:  http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20130203/LOCAL07/302039915/1002/LOCAL

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Are Alcoholism And Depression Linked

Posted on March 15, 2013 by narconon

Examining the Relationship Between Depression and Drinking

It is a well-known fact that alcoholism can lead to depression, as well as that the reverse is true, with many people who become alcoholics becoming dependent on alcohol as a result of depression-induced periods of heavy drinking. The reasons for this are not at all difficult to understand. For one thing, people who are experiencing a bout of severe depression will commonly reach for the bottle, hoping to numb their emotions and to escape the bleak reality of their present-time environment by getting drunk. Using alcohol as a coping method for stress and depression can easily lead to the development of full-blown alcoholism. Inversely, someone who drinks large amounts of alcohol is setting himself or herself up for depression, in light of the fact that heavy drinking makes one less capable of performing well in life, it often causes disruption to social and professional relationships, and even destroys the body’s stores of B-vitamins, nutrients which are essential for the maintenance of emotional and mental well-being. Compounding the problem is the interplay between alcoholism and depression, where the more depressed one is the more he or she will drink, which causes further depression and on and on down the dwindling spiral.

A closer examination of the above relationships between depression and alcoholism has recently been conducted in a long-term study conducted by a team of researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry. The study, which was funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism along with the National Institutes of Health, involved tracking the progress of 397 men over a period of 30 years, as well as examining some of the men’s children. The men who were selected for the study were all around the age of 20 years at the beginning, and they all had certain traits in common:

●    All were in good physical health
●    None were alcoholics
●    None had a history of substance abuse of any kind
●    None had a history of depression
●    None displayed any signs of mental illness or significant emotional disturbances

Half of the men, however, were chosen for the fact that their fathers were alcoholics, while the other half were selected for the opposite reason. This split was made as part of the larger purpose of tracking the men over the course of three decades to identify the factors which cause or contribute to both alcoholism and depression, as well as the relationship between the two conditions.

Alcoholism Causes Some Depression But Not All

Throughout the period of the study, the researchers looked for the development of alcohol use disorders, as well as for bouts of alcohol-induced depression. They also watched for depressive episodes which occurred independently of alcohol use. One of their findings was the fact that 15.4 percent of the men experienced an alcohol-independent episode of severe depression, while close to one third of all depressive episodes were related to alcohol consumption.

Out of the total group, nearly half — 41 percent — became alcoholics at some point or another. Among the children of the study subjects, those whose fathers suffered depression were slightly more likely to share the same experience than those who whose fathers were not depressed. The researchers concluded that there is not necessarily a causal link between severe depression and alcoholism, though they did acknowledge that periods of heavy drinking will often lead to the development of depression. They also allowed for the fact that the study focused exclusively on men, and that the interplay between alcoholism and depression may be different among women.

They study was published in the February 12 issue of Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, in which the lead researcher was quoted as saying “I don’t know that the average person realizes that heavy drinking can induce mood problems. If you’re an alcoholic, you’re going to have a lot of mood problems. You may be tempted to say, ‘Well, I drink a lot because I’m depressed.’ You may be right, but it’s even more likely that you’re depressed because you drink heavily.”

This has been seen for years through Narconon drug rehabilitation and is very common with the link. The best solution is for those who are drinking heavily to get help that is drug free and long term.

Source:  http://www.dailyrx.com/alcoholism-and-depression-link-supported-limited-evidence

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Born Addicted An Increasing Number Of Babies Hooked On Drugs

Posted on March 15, 2013 by narconon

The Nashville newspaper The Tennessean recently ran a report on a disturbing public health trend which is the subject of increasing concern in Tennessee and throughout the country. More and more babies are being born into the hell of neo-natal abstinence syndrome, a condition which occurs when a mother uses prescription painkillers or other powerful drugs during the course of her pregnancy. The baby becomes addicted to the drug, and as soon as he or she enters the world the supply of the drug is suddenly cut off, with the result that within a short period of time the baby begins to suffer the notoriously painful and torturous symptoms of drug withdrawal.

A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan found that the current nationwide rate of neo-natal abstinence syndrome is sitting at approximately one baby being born addicted to opiates every hour. Tennessee has one of the worst rates of NAS, according to the story featured in the Nashville newspaper. The Tennessee Department of Human Services reports that there has been a tenfold increase in the rate of NAS between 2000 and 2010. Whereas the rate was less than 1 out of every 1,000 births in 2001, this number doubled by 2006, and it reached 6.5 per 1,000 births in 2010, while in 2011 it pushed even higher to 7.6 per 1,000 births, a figure which equates to approximately 600 babies.

Despite the fact that most hospital personnel have grown accustomed to seeing patients in severe pain and often with major wounds, the symptoms of neo-natal abstinence syndrome are difficult and upsetting to witness for many doctors and nurses who are called upon to care for these poor children. The newborn baby spends his or her first days of life shaking from pain, sweating, suffering from diarrhea and having such a hard time feeding that an intravenous fluid drip is necessary to maintain adequate hydration. Instead of spending most of his or her time in mother’s arms breastfeeding, sleeping and bonding, the baby is often left in a clear plastic bassinet in a neo-natal intensive care unit, being supervised by the nurses and doctors who are concerned to see to it that the baby survives this ordeal with a minimum of future health complications.

To provide some ease from the suffering of withdrawal, many of the babies are given methadone, itself a powerful painkiller which is a leading cause of overdose deaths. The baby must be slowly and carefully weaned off this drug in order to avoid a recurrence of symptoms. Children who were born with NAS frequently suffer from other problems later in life, such as being diagnosed with autism or ADHD and subsequently being placed on drugs to treat those conditions.

Are The Mothers To Blame

Unlike the Crack Baby epidemic of the 1980s, during which astonishing numbers of children were being born to mothers who had been smoking crack cocaine during pregnancy, the current wave of NAS is not the result of street drugs. By far the most common drug found in cases of neo-natal abstinence syndrome is prescription pain medications including Vicodin (hydrocodone), Oxycontin (oxycodone) and other opiates. While it is true that many people who are addicted to painkillers buy them from drug dealers or steal them from patients, 60 percent of the mothers of children born with NAS in Tennessee have been using the drugs with a legal prescription and under a doctor’s prescription.

This serves to underscore just how dangerous these drugs are, as well as the persistent ignorance concerning this danger, says Narconon treatment facilities. Many of these mothers were simply following the doctor’s advice, and as a result she may herself have become addicted, in addition to receiving the absolutely devastating news that she has caused her precious newborn to enter life in the torture of opiate withdrawals. Further, many children born with NAS end up being taken by child protective services. The recent rise in neo-natal abstinence syndrome joins other disturbing statistics such as the 15,000 people who die from painkiller overdose every year and the tens of millions of Americans who abuse these drugs as evidence of the enormous public safety hazard posed by prescription pain medications.

Source:  http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130217/NEWS01/130217010/BORN-ADDICTED-Increasing-number-babies-hooked-drugs

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Vaportini Trend Stirring Up Concerns

Posted on February 25, 2013 by narconon

Television channel News 18 out of Lafayette, Indiana recently carried a story warning local viewers about the potential hazards of a new way to get drunk. It’s not a new type of alcoholic beverage, but instead is a new method of consuming the alcohol. In fact, it does not involve drinking at all. Instead the individual who employs this means of alcohol consumption breathes the alcohol, which makes it possible to get far more intoxicated in a much shorter period of time.

The product is sold under the brand name of Vaportini, and it has made headlines in Indiana and throughout the world as it hit the market in recent months. While some news reports express curiosity about this novel new device, many others including the one out of Lafayette also raise questions over its safety and the possibility that it could have harmful effects both for the individual user and for the general public in terms of alcohol related accidents.

The idea behind the Vaportini is a simple one. Users pour a small amount of alcohol — typically a shot of vodka or other type of hard liquor — into a glass globe about the size of a grapefruit. The globe is then set atop a regular pint glass, at the bottom of which is a votive candle which has been lit. Heat from the flame then causes the alcohol to reach the point of vaporizing — it’s “boiling point” is significantly lower than the 212 degrees for water — with the result that alcohol fumes are released.

The user breathes in the fumes through a straw which is inserted in the Vaportini globe. Because the alcohol does not have to be digested in the stomach in liquid form but instead goes straight to the lungs, it reaches the bloodstream quickly and produces an almost immediate sense of intoxication. People who use the Vaportini are able to get drunk — if the word ‘drunk’ can correctly be used in the context of breathing alcohol — with relatively small amounts of alcohol. As a result, Vaportini users are reported as being able to avoid some of the negative consequences associated with a night of heavy drinking, such as not having to wake up the next morning with a heavy hangover.

Questions About The Safety Of Vaportini

Since the Vaportini is still relatively new, it is too early to say whether these claims are true or to determine whether or not it is actually safe to use. One of the major concerns that can be raised in connection with it is that if people are able to get drunk faster, easier and at less expense than by drinking, there may be higher rates of drinking and driving and the accidents and deaths which this causes. Further, many of the news reports on Vaportini have included quotes from doctors, such as one from a university in Indiana who stated that breathing alcohol vapors may increase the risk of becoming alcohol dependent. Whereas approximately 85 percent of liquid alcohol is absorbed into the liver, nearly 100 percent of vaporized alcohol makes it into the bloodstream, which is capable of producing a far more powerful effect.

There have not yet been any scientific studies conducted on the subject of the effects of breathing alcohol among humans, research has indicated that rats — whose physiology of drug and alcohol addiction is remarkably similar to humans — experience significantly higher rates of alcohol addiction after consuming it in its vaporized form. Until further investigation has been performed on the matter, urge your friends and family members to stay away from the Vaportini as a measure to protect their health and safety.

Contact us today for more information on the Narconon program.

Source:  http://www.wlfi.com/dpp/news/local/vaportini-stirring-up-concerns-for-doctors

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Officials See Heroin Increases Prescription Drug Decreases

Posted on February 25, 2013 by narconon

In the ongoing battle to put an end to drug abuse in our culture, it often appears that as soon as you put out one fire, another one springs up in another place. A recent report in the Petoskey News out of northern Michigan quotes a Detective Lieutenant with the Michigan State Police and director of the local narcotics enforcement unit as saying that the War on Drugs is similar in this respect to the efforts of law enforcement to wipe out drinking and driving. No matter how hard police and sheriff’s departments across the country work, many people continue to break the law by driving under the influence of alcohol.

The fight against DUI and the War on Drugs have in common the fact that they are both waging an uphill battle against the fact that people who drink and drive and who use drugs are commonly addicted, and they are not merely choosing to break the law. Similarly, drug dealers recognize that the widespread prevalence of addiction means that they continue to have a lucrative marketplace where the potential profits outweigh the risk of being arrested and sent to prison. An example of how this issue poses a problem to law enforcement can be seen in how drug abuse trends shift when the police have had success in stamping down on one kind of drug, only to see another become increasingly common in its place.

Michigan and the rest of the United States has seen an enormous explosion over recent years in the rates of prescription drug abuse, a situation which has been described by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as a “deadly epidemic.” More than 12 million people abused prescription painkillers in 2010, a number which includes 2 million who first began to engage in nonmedical of the drugs that year. Painkillers are now the most widely prescribed type of drug, and they are second only to marijuana in terms of illicit use throughout the country.

The spread of painkiller abuse throughout society is taking a heavy toll, with 15,000 people now dying of overdose every year, a figure which is greater than both heroin and cocaine combined, while for every person who dies there are many others who suffer devastating physical consequences of their drug abuse. In response to such alarming trends, law enforcement agencies have greatly stepped up their efforts at prevention and enforcement and the officials in Michigan are reporting that they believe that there has been considerable success in this endeavor. They point to indicators such as fewer arrests and lower street values of confiscated drugs. At the same time that prescription drug abuse rates are falling, however, there has been an increase in the rates of abuse of heroin and methamphetamine.

Relation Between Painkillers And Heroin

The reason for this can be largely ascribed to the fact that painkiller medications such as Vicodin, Oxycontin and Percocet are all opiates, which means that they are synthetically derived from opium. Heroin is itself manufactured from opium, and it has many of the same effects as the popular painkillers. When taken in sufficient quantities or crushed and snorted or injected, opiate painkillers can produce a high with sensations including euphoria. Another thing they have in common is that the symptoms of withdrawal can be absolutely hellish.

Therefore, as the supply of prescription painkillers dries up as a result of tighter regulation of prescribing doctors and pharmacies as well as drug take-back days and drop-off bins provided by local law enforcement, addicts become desperate to get their next fix and to avoid the symptoms of withdrawal. Some seek help through non-drug based treatment and rehab programs, but all too many others take the easy way out by finding a drug dealer who can sell them heroin and they merely shift their addiction to this similar drug. It is clear to see that while it is important for law enforcement agencies to do their part in keeping drugs off the streets; this is not the final answer to the problem: what is needed is effective solutions for treating the causes of addiction.

For more information contact Narconon now.

Source:  http://articles.petoskeynews.com/2013-01-18/prescription-drugs_36421824

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Social Isolation Leads To Substance Addiction

Posted on February 25, 2013 by narconon

People who are socially isolated may be more prone to develop an addiction to drugs or alcohol, according to the results of a study which was recently reported on by The Times of India. Researchers at the College of Natural Sciences in Austin, Texas conducted a behavioral study to examine the differences in how rats who were socially isolated responded as compared to those who were permitted to remain living in a group with their peers.

They used rats because these animals have been demonstrated to have similar mechanisms of addiction to those in humans, and because the animals have far shorter life cycles than humans do, which makes it unnecessary to wait several years to observe similar behavior and physiological changes among humans. The rats were subjected to social isolation for a period of about a month beginning when they reached the age of 21 days, an age which is approximate to the period of early and middle adolescence among humans. The study concluded that rats who experienced social isolation were significantly more at risk of developing an addiction to drugs or alcohol when exposed to the substances than those who were permitted to remain in their social groups during this key period of development. This suggests that the same may be true in human adolescents who have few friends and are generally isolated during their teenage years.

Both groups of rats, those that were isolated and those who were socialized, were given the opportunity to obtain alcohol and amphetamines from a small box which was installed in the cage. While it was possible to cause addiction in the rats who lived in a group setting, it was found that this required far more extensive and repeated exposures than was found to be the case among the isolated rats. In contrast, nearly all of the rats who were living alone became addicted after a single exposure to alcohol or drugs. Further, the rats who were isolated took far more time to recover from their addictions than did the ones living in groups. In fact, the rats who were isolated during adolescence continued to display addictive behaviors which persisted long after they were finally reintroduced to their community. This was observed not only through the rats’ behavior, but also through testing of their neurons to determine how their brain activity was responding to the changes.

Effects Of Socialization On Addiction

Consuming drugs or alcohol generally triggers the release of dopamine, a chemical in the brain which is associated with feelings of well-being, pleasure or even euphoria. It is widely understood that this is a key factor in the development of addiction: As the brain becomes accustomed to experiencing a flood of dopamine when the individual takes drugs, it gradually adapts to the extremes and eventually becomes dependent on the presence of the drug in order to function normally, let alone to get high. What was observed in the study was that the rats who were cut off from their community became more sensitive to the rewards of taking drugs or alcohol, as their brains were more susceptible to experiencing sudden spikes of dopamine.

It can be hypothesized that the rats who were living in a group setting were less sensitive to the drugs as a result of the stimulation and pleasure derived from social interaction. The researchers proposed that similar mechanisms may be at work in other addictions, such as in cases of adolescents becoming addicted to eating as a result of social isolation.

If the study results do apply to human addiction, it becomes clear that teenagers and young adults can benefit greatly from having supportive and interested parents at home as well as a healthy and thriving social life to make their lives richer and to help them resist the temptation to start using drugs or alcohol.

To get more information or read more articles like this one contact Narconon today.

Source:  http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/health/Social-isolation-leads-to-substance-addiction/articleshow/18165651.cms

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The More You Drink The Higher The Risk For Alcohol Abuse

Posted on February 25, 2013 by narconon

People who drink alcohol on a regular basis — at parties, at the bar or at home — often boast of their ability to hold their liquor. Whether they think of it as a sign of toughness or if they are proud of being able to outdo their friends, such people will often gladly show off the fact that it takes more drinks for them to get drunk, or that they are able to consume copious amounts of alcohol without suffering a hangover the next day. While this may have some advantages in the short term, it may not actually be such a great thing in the long run, according to a recent study published in the March issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.

The study, which was conducted as a collaboration between researchers at Arizona State University and Yale University, involved an analysis of the drinking patterns of 113 young adults, 75 men and 38 women. All of the study participants were heavy drinkers, consuming an average of 24 drinks per week. To meet the standard definition of “heavy drinking,” a man would have to consume five drinks on a single occasion while a woman would have to consume four. The goal of the study was to investigate for associations between early subjective response to alcohol — which is essentially being able to drink without feeling the effects of alcohol as greatly as others do — and acquired tolerance to alcohol, as well as to drinking behavior and the development of alcohol-related problems. Studies performed in the past have demonstrated that people with a low subjective response are at greater risk for developing problems of alcohol abuse or dependence and the new research supports this conclusion. The people whose subjective response to alcohol was lower experienced fewer problems associated with drinking, such as:

●    Encountering drinking-related problems at work
●    Experiencing hangovers
●    Becoming involved in physical fights
●    Attending work or school high or drunk
●    Neglecting responsibilities
●    Passing out, fainting, or blacking out

As a result of the fact that these people don’t have to deal with short-term consequences such as these, they can get away with drinking far more alcohol, but this also leads to greater risks of developing a drinking problem or even of becoming an alcoholic. Along with alcohol dependency, they are also more prone to developing other alcohol-related health issues such as liver cirrhosis (scarring of the liver) or alcohol poisoning. Further, they are more likely to drink and drive, since they may think they are sober enough to get behind the wheel despite having a blood alcohol concentration far in excess of the legal limit. Having a low subjective response to alcohol means that it takes far more drinks to get drunk, and such a person will often consume enormous quantities of alcohol which would put anyone else under the table. This condition of becoming increasingly resistant to alcohol is known as an acquired tolerance.

Resistance To Alcohol As Risk Factor For Alcoholism

It is a common misconception that “being able to hold your liquor” means that a person is less liable to becoming an alcoholic. In light of the results of the ASU/Yale study, it is clear that this simply is not the case. On the contrary, a high tolerance for alcohol is actually used as one of the diagnostic criteria for alcohol dependence. The new study concluded that there is a relationship between initial subjective response and drinking behavior — that is, people with a lower response to alcohol will tend to drink more — and that lower response is associated with increased levels of acquired tolerance.

The researchers noted, however, that the accuracy of such a study is limited by the fact that participants must be at least 21 years of age. As a result, some of those with a low subjective response may have already developed an acquired tolerance as a result of heavy drinking which was begun during teenage years. Therefore, it is difficult to say whether the lower response is a result of genetics or behavioral history.

For more information on this topic contact Narconon today.

Source:  http://www.everydayhealth.com/addiction/ability-to-hold-your-liquor-may-raise-your-alcohol-abuse-risk.aspx

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Recreational Prescription Drug Use Continues To Plague College Campuses

Posted on February 18, 2013 by narconon

Need to stay up all night and study; take a pill. Have a headache, injury, illness or other problem; take more. That is the solution that some college kids have taken with regard to drug use, and especially prescription use, on campuses.

The cycle starts innocently enough. You have a final or a paper due and have waiting until the last minute. Or you are so overwhelmed about your class schedule and work that you can’t focus. A friend offers you a “solution” in the form of a pill of Adderall. You are told it will help you stay up, increase your concentration and aid in your studying. So, you take it.

Or you have a headache and have to study for a final. A friend recently had a prescription for Vicoden and offers you a few. You take the pills for the headache and find yourself craving them and end up taking more. Maybe you even get your own prescription.

In both instances addiction is something that can happen very easily, quickly and unsuspecting. Drugs, used to solve a problem end up becoming the problem. And that is just two easy examples of why recreational prescription drug use continues to plague college campuses.

The Problem Of Prescriptions

But just how much of a problem is prescription use in colleges?

The last known statistics have reported that more than 15 Americans abuse prescription drugs on a regular basis in the United States alone and this number continues to climb. In fact, this is more than the combined number of people who take heroin, cocaine, hallucinogenic drugs like LSD and inhalants.

Of those that abuse prescription, college kids are some of the most at risk groups out there. Current information states that 6% of students who attend college either full or part time take prescriptions non-medically. In addition to this 22% of college students abuse drugs which include illicit substances like marijuana, methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin.

According to surveys done on this age group, there are a number of reasons why so many college kids decide to use drugs. They include:

•    Thinking that drugs are safe and non-addictive because of how they are promoted on social media, in movies and with some friends.
•    The idea that they personally will not become addicted or suffer the negative consequences of drug use.
•    Lack of education on drugs and addiction during earlier years from either parents, in school or both.
•    The thought that a prescription could not harm them because so many people take these drugs legally.
•    Feelings of depression, overwhelm or sadness accompanied with the change of life when attending college and the idea that drugs can alleviate this.

In many cases, most in fact, college students started out abusing alcohol or mis-using a prescription. Many also got involved with marijuana. From there, the addiction intensified with addiction following and/or the use of stronger drugs.

What Should Parents Do

Because many kids leave the home to attend college, parents often feel helpless as of what to do if an addiction problem comes up. The first solution is to talk to your kids before they are college aged about the dangers of drugs.

If they do become addicted get them to seek immediate help. For more information contact www.able.org/programs/narconon/.

Source:  http://highbrowmagazine.com/1949-recreational-prescription-drug-use-continues-plague-college-campuses   

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Prescription Drug Overdoses Result In More Emergency Room Visits In LA County

Posted on February 18, 2013 by narconon

The Los Angeles metropolitan area has seen a steady increase in the number of emergency room visits related to the abuse of prescription and over-the-counter drugs from 2005 to 2009, according to a recent report issued by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Prescription drug abuse has been exploding in Los Angeles and nationwide, to the point where opioid painkillers such as Vicodin, codeine and Oxycontin now trail only marijuana in the prevalence of abuse throughout the country. Drug overdose is the third most common cause of injury death and premature death in LA County, a statistic which is closely linked with the fact that there have been more than 14 million painkiller prescriptions issued in the area over the past five years. The 2011 Los Angeles County Health Survey found that 5.2 percent of LA County adults admit to abusing prescription drugs, which amounts to more than 350,000 people. The year 2009 alone saw more than 650 deaths related to overdose of prescription and over-the-counter drugs, along with 3,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 emergency room visits.

Of the 8,265 drug related deaths reported by the Los Angeles County coroner between 2000 and 2009, 61 percent involved prescription or over-the-counter drugs. Nearly all of these people — 96 percent — tested positive for more than one drug, combining prescription drugs either with other medications or with street drugs.

Out of all of the overdose deaths due to prescription drug abuse, 64 percent were unintentional. The recent trends in LA County reflect a pattern which is playing out nationwide. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 12 million Americans engaged in prescription drug abuse in 2010 alone, with 2.4 million adults beginning their abuse in that year. An average of 15,000 people now die on an annual basis as a result of prescription painkiller overdose, while for every person who dies there are 32 taken to the emergency room. Prescription painkillers are now a more common cause of overdose death than heroin and cocaine combined. Perhaps the worst casualties of the current epidemic of painkiller abuse are addicts who are not taken to the ER for overdose, but rather they are born addicted: one baby is now born every minute suffering from neonatal abstinence syndrome, a term which describes the tortuous symptoms of opiate withdrawals after the mother abused painkillers during pregnancy.

Solutions to the Prescription Drug Abuse Epidemic

The most common prescription painkiller in LA County is hydrocodone (Vicodin), followed by codeine and oxycodone (Oxycontin). This category of drug was the most common in cases of overdose, followed closely by sedatives and then stimulants. All of these drugs are widely prescribed to patients throughout the area, and a large percentage of addicts are either patients of family of patients who quickly became hooked to these powerfully addictive drugs. The LA County Department of Public Health recommends three primary targets for prevention of further emergency room visits and overdose deaths. First, better education and training are necessary, both for doctors and the general public.

The prescription drug abuse epidemic has been fueled in large part by ignorance of the full danger of these drugs, and many people begin using them because they think that they are safer than street drugs. Second, the implementation of prescription drug monitoring programs which track the doctors who write prescriptions and the patients who receive them. This makes it possible to identify doctors who are writing abnormally large numbers of prescriptions, as well as patients who are using “doctor shopping” to get extra prescriptions by visiting multiple doctors. Finally, local law enforcement can assist by administering prescription drug take-back programs with drop-off bins where patients can take unused and expired medication to a secure location and proper disposal.

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Source:  http://hometestingblog.testcountry.com/?p=23443

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