Week after week I see stories about someone dying in Wisconsin in some way that is connected to alcohol abuse. Most of them are young. Wisconsin has done several things to try to reduce the alcohol abuse, but it just doesn’t seem to be working. It seems that the next step might have to be something to enlighten parents so they get into alcohol rehab themselves and stop promoting the alcohol culture.

Just in the last couple of months there have been several disasters. A 58-year-old guy was arrested for the 11^th time for drunk driving! Almost hit a school bus with a bunch of kids in it. Fortunately, he only hit a mailbox. But he still kept driving and was later found unconscious in his car.

Another death, a student celebrating his 21^st birthday, got plastered and drowned in the Wisconsin river.

Then three young men who were driving drunk were killed when their truck crashed and caught fire.

Wisconsin citizens have a reputation of being very tolerant about alcohol – in fact, it is generally approved of. The State is considered to be an alcohol culture.

Laws have been changed: There are now stiffer penalties for repeat drunk drivers, there have been public health campaigns intended to educate people on the dangers of  young people drinking, and just last week a new law was passed in the city of Schofield that if someone hosts a social gathering where there is underage drinking the host can be fined up to $5,000. Schofield is the fifth community to pass a similar law.

It seems the attention is being put on the wrong thing – young people instead of adults. After all, it wasn’t the students who recently died who created the alcohol culture – it was created by his parents. Well, maybe not HIS parents, but parents nevertheless.

You can’t expect that educating a teenager about the dangers of drinking is going to do much when he sees so many of the adults around him drinking on a regular basis and to excess.

Statistics show that if parents educate their kids about alcohol there’s a 50 percent less chance of the kids drinking. But if the parents drink themselves, it’s unlikely that they’re going to tell their kids not to. And if they did educate their kids about how bad drinking can be, but are drinking themselves, the kids aren’t likely to listen.

To change things in Wisconsin, and keep Wisconsin’s young people alive, the adults are going to have to change first. And that might well take a good alcohol rehab program.

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It’s a horrible thought that you might have had something to do with your kid’s drug problems and their need for drug rehab. But, in the case of prescription drug addiction or abuse, there’s a good chance that it’s true.

How could you have been responsible? According to a recent study of over 70,000 people aged 12 and up, more than 70 percent of people who abuse prescription painkillers get the drugs from friends or relatives. They usually have permission to take them and, of course, the drugs are free.

Here are more alarming statistics:

• 7 million Americans abuse pharmaceutical drugs
• The home medicine cabinet is a primary place where people get their drugs
• 55 percent of prescription painkiller abusers get drugs from a family or friends for free
• 11 percent buy them from friends or family
• 5 percent steal them from friends and family

And then there are the prescription drug overdose deaths:

• Prescription drugs cause more overdose deaths than heroin and cocaine combined.
• Prescription drugs are involved in 75 percent of all overdose deaths in the U.S.
• Three out of every four deaths from pills involve opioid painkillers like oxycodone. OxyContin addiction is widespread, but people also die from hydrocodone and methadone.

And other problems brought on by prescription drug abuse:

• Prescription drugs are often the reason for gang violence and for people starting a life of crime
• People who abuse prescription drugs become addicted then turn into drug dealers so they can make money to support their habit
• Doctors and pharmacists are also turning into drug dealers to make more money
• 25 percent of people who abuse painkillers chronically get their drugs from doctors

I think the statistics speak for themselves. Prescription drug abuse is not something to mess around with. They kill people – and that’s not something you want to be responsible for.

If you or someone else in the family is already abusing prescription drugs – or even addicted to them simply by taking them as your doctor prescribed them – it might be time to look for another solution. But, first, find a good drug rehab program that is experienced in helping people get off prescription drugs.

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There was a story about an awesome kid in the news last week. His parents were both drug addicts. He spent his childhood taking care of them and his sister and brother. His parents even wound up in jail. Eventually, they got through drug rehab and sorted out. And, miraculously, their son never even tried drugs.

Unlike a lot of people who didn’t have a good childhood, this boy, whose name is Rodney Long Jr., did not blame his parents and felt no ill will towards them – despite the fact that he became the parent to his brother, 5 years younger than him, and his sister, 9 years his junior.

When he was 13 he was making sure they had something to eat and chasing drug dealers out the house. He still went to school but missed 100 days in grade 8, and 137 the year before. He managed to get a couple of C grades, but mostly got Fs.

Despite these troubles, he eventually graduated and got into university. He recently graduated university and is planning on becoming a drug and alcohol addiction counselor. He has already done some interning in the field and is showing exceptional ability.

He thinks that alcohol and drug rehab have to be tailored more for the individual. He said he doesn’t think he can revolutionize treatment, but he does plan on making some changes. And, really, he sounds like the right guy to do it.

His parents realize they took his childhood away. But they’ve been straight now for seven years. Rodney doesn’t feel he had a bad childhood.

Really, he’s an exceptional human being.

Unfortunately, this is not a common story for the children of drug addicts. Many end up on drugs themselves, and their lives aren’t any better than that of their parents.

If you are a parent and do drugs, take a look at the effect you’re creating on your kids.  If Rodney’s parents got clean after so many horrible years, you can too. But get into a drug rehab program now – chances of your kids turning out like Rodney are pretty slim and the longer you wait, the more damage you create.

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A recent story said that the number of teens dying from poisoning increased by 90 percent over a period of nine years. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the huge jump in these deaths is because of an increasing number of teens taking more and more prescription drugs. In fact, every day another 2,500 teens try prescription drugs. Why is this happening? How can you prevent it? And do they need prescription drug rehab?

A lot of kids experiment with prescription drugs – even those who wouldn’t think of trying the drugs on the street. Why?

• doctors prescribe them, so they must be safe, and it’s not actually like taking drugs
• their parents take the same drugs for their various conditions: including just wanting to feel better, less upset, more relaxed, and so on – things that kids feel a need for, too
• the drugs are readily available – right in the medicine cabinet in their own house or a family member or friend’s house
• they’re being offered these drugs at parties/raves and just for everyday use by other kids
• other kids are taking them and fitting in or being cool is desirable at that age

Okay – so, as parents, which of the above can you eliminate?

The most obvious are taking the drugs yourself, and having them available in the house. True, you’re not going to quit taking drugs that control your outrageously high blood pressure or do something else that may be potentially life-saving.

However, if you’re suffering from back pain, perhaps you could go to a chiropractor instead of popping pain pills. There are also natural remedies for other types of pain –arthritis, for example, has been practically cured with certain nutrients.

And if you’re having trouble sleeping, maybe you could go to a naturopathic doctor who will give you a remedy other than drugs, or maybe even find out what’s causing the problem and cure it.

If you’re upset in life in general, maybe you could look over your life and see what’s upsetting you – then, do something to change that part of your life rather than taking pills that make you less aware of the problem.

By finding non-drug remedies for life’s problems, you are not only getting the drugs out of your medicine cabinet, you’re also doing something even more valuable – you’re teaching your kids that drugs are not a solution to life’s problems and that if you want to feel better about life, you should do something to change your life, not take drugs to make your life look better.

As for whether or not they need prescription drug rehab, that depends on how many of those drugs they’ve done and how often, whether they do other drugs as well, which ones and how often – there are a lot of questions.

Your best bet is to speak with an experienced drug rehab counselor to get all your questions answered.

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Kentucky’s doing a lot to try to handle their prescription drug addiction problem. Not only is a bill nearly passed that will enable another 5,000 people a year to get a drug rehab program paid for by Medicaid, they’re also trying to get a bill through that monitors the number of painkiller prescriptions written by doctors so they can get the docs who are, basically, pushing drugs.

Unfortunately, the bill didn’t go through. The main objections were patient privacy and the possibility of prosecuting doctors who aren’t doing anything wrong.

They’re after the doctors, not the patients, and for good reason: these guys are among the worst criminals in the U.S. More people are dying from prescription drugs than from heroin and cocaine combined. And one of the biggest problems we have to handle in order to prevent those deaths is get the doctors who are over-prescribing under control.

It’s safe to say that these doctors are killing people. And we can’t even investigate them properly? Tell that to the parents, spouses, children and friends of those who are dying.

As for prosecuting innocent doctors, I don’t think that’s likely to happen. They’re not looking for docs who hand out what seems like one or two more prescriptions more than usual – they’re looking at docs who prescribe thousands of pills every day. And often they prescribe them for the same people over and over. And, if they see the patient at all, it could only be for a minute or two.

If someone you care about is using prescription painkillers and you think the situation is out of hand, do two things: One, visit their doctor with them and find out how many pills the person is actually getting. Second, whatever they’re suffering from – other than prescription drug addiction – try to find other solutions to the problem. Third, get them into prescription drug rehab now.

Also, if you suspect that the doctor is up to something, go ahead and report him. You’ll be protecting the people you love, and probably hundreds of others.

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In the news this week I saw the perfect example of how easy it is to overdose on a drug – this time it’s heroin. And it’s all the most reason why people who use drugs should be gotten into drug rehab as soon as possible.

This specific problem is with the purity of the drug. When someone buys heroin, they don’t really know what they’re getting. The mixture they inject into their veins could be 10% heroin, or it could be 90%. One of the dangers of heroin addiction is the substance the heroin is mixed with, and the other is the strength of the heroin itself.

If someone is used to using a mix that is 10% heroin, then they know how much to use for one particular inject. If they’re used to a strong mix – i.e. more heroin – then they need a different amount.

But if someone who is used to getting 10% heroin suddenly gets a batch that’s 90% heroin – they’re in big trouble. They don’t know that the heroin they’re going to take is a lot stronger than what they’re used to, so they take the same amount. And they overdose, and die.

That’s what’s been happening lately in the U.S. Northwest states lately. Stronger heroin cause seven deaths in five days in Seattle, then another seven died near Portland, Oregon.

According to the Portland police, there were also several people who died and were brought back.

There’s a drug called Narcan that reverses the overdose  (if you’re lucky, and the drug is available), but when they took this pure heroin they needed far more of the drug than usual. Consequently, the police, fire department and other emergency responders had to bring in drugs from other ambulances and other sources because they were running out when they were on the scene with the people who overdosed.

Obviously, none of the people who died – whether they were brought back or not – knew what they were getting into.

If you know someone who used heroin, or is likely to use it, it’s very important that you let them know about this. It might even be enough to get them to agree to do a drug rehab program so they are no longer using drugs, and no longer risking their lives every time they do.

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One of the biggest problems we have in the U.S. with alcohol abuse is the fact that parents supply their kids, and their kids’ friends, with booze. They justify it by saying that their kids are going to drink anyway, so they might as well drink at home where they are safer. Next thing you know, they need alcohol rehab. The parents are saying ‘where did we go wrong?”

Well, you gave them the booze. It’s that simple. All that really does is send the message that drinking is okay.

We think we’re protecting them when, in fact, we’re enabling them. We think we’re helping them have a good time when, in fact, we’re letting them poison themselves, making them sick physically and mentally and actually shortening their life.

We think we’re being good parents because we give our kids that ‘freedom.’ But if you were looking at the situation objectively, would you call a parent who gives their kids drugs, with all the dangers and side effects, a ‘good parent’? Not likely. Most parents would never consider giving their kids drugs.

But they don’t think twice when it comes to alcohol. That’s how ingrained it is into our culture. Alcohol is a drug, it’s one of the worst. And it’s legal.

Do parents have the idea that if the kids drink at home they will somehow learn how to ‘drink responsibly’?

Statistics have proven that kids who drink when they’re young are many times more likely to become alcoholics as adults. Does that sound like they learned to drink responsibly by being able to drink at home?

One of the major reasons why parents think it’s okay to do this is because they drink themselves. They can’t really tell their kids they shouldn’t drink, that it will poison them, that it’s bad for them, that it will shorten their lives, impair their judgment and their thinking, when they’re doing it themselves.

Parents need it to be okay to drink. If they admit it’s not okay, they’re going to have to stop. Instead, they let their kids drink too.

Other statistics show that kids whose parents don’t drink and teach their kids about the dangers of alcohol are far less likely to drink themselves. Which means you’re looking at the potential for a bright future for the kid – not one of broken relationships, job problems, health problems, money problems, and problems with their own kids as they grow older.

Really, just look at what alcohol can really do and take the step to get into an alcohol rehab program yourself if needed, and help your kids do the same.

It makes for a better future for all.

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I recently read a news article about celebrities on drugs – why some of them die, and why some of them don’t. The article quoted Duff McKagan, the original bass player for the rock band Guns N’ Roses. He was a longtime drug and alcohol addict who nearly died from an exploding pancreas when he was 30. He has now gone through drug rehab, is no longer addicted to either drugs or alcohol and has written a memoir entitled: It’s So Easy (And Other Lies).

McKagan says he had to be scared to death to finally get help. He also had some very interesting things to say about why celebrities seem to have more of an alcohol or drug problem than others.

He said: “What actors, singers, athletes, even CEOs have that regular people might not have is more access to drugs, more time to indulge, more money to pay for it, and often a horde of enabling hangers-on who are financially dependent on them and thus more motivated to supply substances for them. It adds up to a situation hard to walk away from.”

The other thing celebrities and other high-powered people experience is people wanting to make less of them.

The old expression ‘Those who can – do. Those who can’t – criticize’, takes many forms.

Those who can’t may become professional critics, they may criticize privately but openly, or they make less of the person in a way that seems like they’re actually helping – like they have the person’s best interests at heart.

That certainly applies to the ‘hangers-on’ McKagan talks about, who obviously have only their own interests at heart, but it can also apply to parents, friends, teachers, coaches and mentors.

So, celebrities get criticism coming at them from every angle. Their work is criticized by critics, their personal lives are criticized and can be all over the news, every error they make becomes a public event celebrated by gossip columnists. Their clothes, hair, make-up, weight gain or loss, their nose, their lips, their choice of people they have relationships with – everything about them seems to become public domain.

To prevent a life of stress and the possibility of drug abuse and alcoholism, anyone who is in the spotlight should first and foremost recognize those people for what they are and get them out of their lives. And anyone who’s giving them advice that doesn’t further their career in a positive way shouldn’t be anywhere near them.

The question of which celebrities die from drugs and which don’t isn’t really the most important question. Anyone can die from drugs. The real question is which celebrities are able to resist the temptations of drugs and alcohol, and which are not.

The people around them are the most important element. If they are surrounded by people who really do have their best interests at heart – and if they get rid of the others – there’s a good chance that drugs and alcohol will never be a problem, and they’ll never need a drug or alcohol rehab program.

In fact, this doesn’t just apply to celebrities – it applies to everyone.

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This is about something that most people think has nothing to do with them. But if you or someone you care about is involved in drug abuse at all, it definitely does have something to do with you – It’s about going to prison, which is very likely when it comes to drugs. In fact, the majority of people in U.S. prisons are there because of drugs, one way or another. If they had gone to drug rehab instead, they actually have a chance at overcoming their addiction.

Some people believe in tough love. It might be the right thing to do, but there are many ways to go about it. One of the unsuccessful methods of tough love is allowing that person to go to prison. I’ve heard of many parents, for example, who think that if their kid goes to prison it’s no big deal – that they’ll learn their lesson there, and will no longer be involved in drugs when they leave.

You know what, it’s just not true. For several reasons:

• There are often as many drugs available in prison as there are outside.
• Even if no drugs are available and the person has to stop taking them, that doesn’t mean he is no longer addicted – it just means he’s temporarily dried out.
• Prison culture is harsh, punitive, dehumanizing and destroys one’s sense of self-worth. Those conditions do not lead to a person getting better. Getting better in life starts with feeling better about yourself.
• The vast majority of people who go to prison go there more than once. That in itself tells you that being in prison didn’t do them any good.
• Prison does nothing to help the person deal with the problems they’re having in life for which drugs are a solution.
• When you get out of prison, you have nothing. It’s very hard to get a job, hard to even find a place to live, and the pressure to take drugs is increased.

If your version of tough love includes letting someone you care about go to prison rather than sending them to a drug rehab program, you might want to rethink it.

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I recently read about a woman whose drugs of choice were herbal incense and bath salts. She was using these synthetic drugs regularly, getting high from them, and it was ruining her life. But she kept telling herself she was not an addict because she wasn’t using heroin, cocaine, meth, or any other ‘drug’ you would expect people to take. When she finally admitted her addiction, she got help in drug rehab and it changed her life.

What’s wrong with herbal incense and bath salts? They are both synthetic drugs that give a similar high to marijuana, cocaine, meth, and so on. But they aren’t illegal yet – except in a few places that have seen enough damage done by these substances to outlaw them. So, people justify taking them – telling themselves that if they’re not illegal then they must be safe.

They are anything but safe – it’s just that the law hasn’t caught up to them yet.

In fact, they’re often even worse than the drugs that are illegal because they are made with very dangerous chemicals toxic chemicals that no one has even fully tested – so, unlike the real ‘drugs’, you never know what’s going to happen.

There have been some real disasters with these types of drugs and people who formulate them and introduce people to them are just as bad as any cartel drug kingpin – maybe even worse.

If you here of any friends or family members using incense or bath salts, be aware that they don’t necessarily mean some innocent thing that will scent their home or their bath – they could be talking about something really dangerous! So, investigate a little further and, if it looks suspicious, get them into a drug rehab program.

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