The Kaiser Family Foundation reports that a million prescriptions a month are filled for controlled substances in Alabama. Alabama has controls in place to try a stem the flow of drugs but many doctors are not using the database that allows them to see the number of prescriptions a specific patient is receiving. Some patients have been able to get thousands of pills that they turn around and resell for a profit. In most cases I would think that the profits from these sales are feeding their own habits. The first step in addressing this problem would obviously be drug rehab for those individuals.

However, the math on these sales doesn’t make sense - how is it possible that a distributor or manufacturer is unable to tell when a disproportionate amount of drugs are being sold to either one location or to a whole state such as Alabama. As in any industry there are many doctors who will do anything for a profit so that aspect of the sales should be looked into. But the sheer volume should have the DEA all over it.

From April, 2006 to December, 2007, 19.7 million prescriptions for medications were written - and that’s for a population of 4.6 million people.

One such patient was receiving prescriptions from 16 different doctors until Dr. Jerry Harrison of Haleyville called her on it – at which point she admitted to him that she was selling them. Basically, she is a drug dealer.

How did Dr. Harrison find out about the patient getting prescriptions from 16 different doctors? By using the database – the same one that’s available to every doctor in the state. Because other doctors are not checking the database, this woman might still have an ample supply of pills. But if more doctors followed Dr. Harrison’s footsteps, she might eventually be forced to get the drug detox and drug rehab she needs. Unless she goes to jail.

Drug Rehab Referral would like to see more controls placed on manufacturers and distributors. In the mean time, you can bet that one or more of your neighbors or family members need a drug detox or Alabama drug rehab program - and that’s where we can help. Give us a call.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Binge drinking and alcohol or drug rehab eventually meet up at some intersection: someone either goes to drug rehab or people and families get hurt. Alcohol addiction can go on for a long time and a big effort is necessary to stop it.
 
Princeton High School in Princeton, Minnesota has a problem with binge drinking and parents may soon be looking for a Minnesota drug rehab program to help them out.

An article in last week’s Minneapolis’ Star Tribune headline said it all: “Alcohol keeps a firm grip on state’s teens”. Lucky for the parents and students, Principal Pete Olsen recognizes the problem. He understands that if 70% of his students say they haven’t had any alcohol for two weeks, that means 30% of them have.

Olsen points to the 9% of senior boys who drank alcohol at least once in the previous two weeks, the 11% who drank three to five times, and the 2% who said drank six times or more. On the girls’ side the numbers are even higher - 15% at least once in the previous two weeks, 9% said twice, 6% said three to five times and 3% said six times or more.

They are “doing a lot of drinking on a regular basis” Olsen said.

To curb this abuse, Olsen is focused on reaching a younger audience regarding the risks of alcohol and drug abuse through more drug education classes. He also has his sites set on classes that teach life skills.

Mr. Rick Lahn, principal at Princeton Middle School is focusing on alcohol and drug abuse with his Life Skills program taught to middle schoolers in grades three through eight. Lahn also notes that parents have the biggest impact by being good role models. I agree - most parents are just too complacent about drug and alcohol abuse.

Drug Rehab Referral can help you, your family or friends if you have a drug or alcohol abuse problem that needs attention. Call us if you need help - we’ll ensure you find an alcohol or drug rehab program with a good success rate.

Popularity: 11% [?]

Will drug rehab be needed by hundreds of thousands of high school athletes in the U.S. because they use both steroids and painkillers to compete? The aches and pains associated with a high school football schedule may surprise you. In fact, every sport from tennis to wrestling has associated injuries. But as more coaches allow student athletes to rely on painkillers to compete, the more drug rehab will be needed going forward.

I don’t know how many coaches follow the example set by Jim Tressel of Ohio State (400% increase in drug tests), but you can come to a conclusion based on the recently published book Steroid Nation, by Shaun Assael of ESPN The Magazine.

The idea that prescription drugs are safe may have coaches looking the other way as their young athletes try to compete for not just wins but also for scholarships and roster spots on top college teams.

Prescription drugs, including painkillers and steroids, are being abused by hundreds of thousands of teenage Americans according Assael. In Steroid Nation he describes this drug abuse and calls it the country’s most insidious drug addiction.

I would disagree that the use of steroids is this country’s biggest problem. In fact, millions of Americans are already dependent on prescription painkillers such as OxyContin and Vicodin and millions more are taking anti-anxiety drugs (e.g. Valium and Xanax), and prescription stimulants (e.g. Ritalin and Adderall) - along with what ever steroid abuse is occurring.

Eve though steroids are unlikely to be America’s biggest problem, Assael has brought to light the huge problem that exists with prescription drugs. And, for that, I thank him.

Drug Rehab Referral can help you find a successful drug rehab program. We will be happy to help you, a family member or a friend with whatever guidance we can.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Some people with kids or family members who have a problem with drug addiction or dependency may not pay a lot of attention to what’s going on with drug courts. Most parents think it will never get to that for their kids. However, nothing could be further from the truth: The chances of eventually ending up in court, and in jail, are much higher for someone taking drugs than for others. Getting them into drug rehab fast could prevent it.

As far back as 10 years ago, drug users were about 16 times more likely to be arrested for larceny or theft; more than 14 times more likely to be arrested for driving under the influence, drunkenness, or liquor law violations; and more than 9 times more likely to be arrested for assault. And the situation hasn’t gotten any better.

In fact, according to a 2005 report, 59 percent of all inmates in state prisons said they used drugs in the month prior to committing their crime, and 34 percent said they were on drugs at the time of the crime.

Drug courts help get people who have committed drug related crimes through drug rehab so they can live a productive life instead of being a criminal.

Marathon County, Wisconsin is considering establishing a drug court. They’re apparently looking at the drug court in another Wisconsin county, Winnebago County, to determine whether or not it’s a viable alternative to prison.

Unfortunately, Winnebago County is only in its second year and has only had two graduates – so they don’t have much to go. Let’s hope Wisconsin authorities look into the success rate of other drugs courts across the country.

Marathon County officials are worried about the cost – but when you consider how much our prison system is costing us, and how much devastation drug addiction is causing to families and society across the country, there is no question that a drug rehab program is vital to stem the tide of drug addiction and criminality.

If someone you care about has a problem with alcohol or drug addiction or abuse, get them into a drug rehab program fast. Don’t wait for the courts to take it out of your hands.

Popularity: 5% [?]

One of the reasons it’s so expensive to go to a doctor or hospital is apparently related to the high fees they pay for malpractice insurance. We have apparently turned into a suit-happy population, eager to seek compensation through legal means. However, while reading an article today about the number of doctors who have substance abuse problems, I wondered how many of the doctors making those errors are on drugs or alcohol and should be in a drug rehab program.

According to the article, 10 percent of American’s doctors have a substance abuse problem and 1 percent – about 8,000 - is in confidential alcohol or drug rehab programs.

California authorities investigated this confidential approach to determine if it was actually rehabilitating doctors or protecting patients. The investigators found it was not, and the program is therefore being cancelled in June.

Why is the program unsuccessful? First, some of the doctors were found to not actually be following the rules. Although the program requires that someone be assigned to ensure they’re doing so, some of the docs assign their employees as their ‘watchdog’. The employees are then told to lie, and threatened with losing their jobs if they don’t.

The other reason is undoubtedly the lack of success of out-patient programs in general. While some people make it with these programs, longer term residential alcohol and drug rehab is acknowledged as the most successful. However, doctors undergoing treatment usually continue to practice while in treatment and, therefore, do not go into residential alcohol or drug rehab.

I assume doctors choose out-patient alcohol and drug rehab so they can stay in business. Any practice, any business for that matter, suffers when they basically close up shop for a few months. Some patients will come back to the doc afterwards, but some will opt to stay with the doctor they went to in their own doctor’s absence.

However, good doctors are always in demand: While being out of the office for a few months might cause a few blips in the radar, it is unlikely to destroy the practice of a good doctor. After all, the majority of his patients probably wouldn’t even need to see him during that time.

No one has said yet whether or not California will resort to their zero tolerance approach to alcohol and drug abuse – you lose your license immediately once the medical board determines you have a drug problem – but one thing is certain: More doctors are going to be looking for a successful drug rehab in California in the near future.
 

Popularity: 9% [?]

Merry Christmas!! If you’re reading this on Christmas day, I can only assume two things – you’re not Christian and therefore not celebrating Christmas, or you’ve just had a family member with a drug or alcohol problem remind you once again, by their actions, that they need help and you’re online looking for a drug rehab program.

I can’t help but think back to when I was on drugs years ago and what my mother must have gone through when I didn’t show up for Christmas. I wasn’t generally in touch very much in those days but, honestly, I don’t even remember if I called on Christmas during those many years of drug addiction.

My mother, unlike most parents these days, did not have access to the amount of information now available about alcohol and drug abuse – nor were there very many drug rehab facilities available. Having no other option, my mother sent me to a psychiatrist – thinking this must be some kind of mental problem. The psych promptly started me on methadone, an addictive drug that was a relatively new treatment for heroin addiction at that time. Fortunately, the dangers of methadone are now finally coming to light and I’m hoping it won’t be around much longer.

For me, as it is for most people, methadone was an outright failure – not to mention that it was extremely painful - and I was back on illegal drugs within three weeks.

However, things have changed: Parents now have access to literally thousands of alcohol and drug rehab programs that can help their kids, or other members of their family.

To all the moms and dads out there who are frustrated, angry and scared about their kid’s alcohol or drug abuse problem, let me say one thing: There is help available. You don’t have to go through this, and neither do your kids. Contact a drug rehab program counselor today to find out what you can do.

Popularity: 11% [?]

The drug OxyContin and the need for Purdue Pharmacy to step forward and do more than they have has made the news again – this time in Ravenna County, Ohio. Carlos Brown and his wife, Brenda, have just been sentenced to five years in prison for drug dealing. Mr. Brown apparently became addicted to OxyContin when he was prescribed the painkiller following a car accident. The saddest part of this is that it all could have been avoided had Mr. Brown used drug detox and drug rehab to get off the drug instead of becoming a drug dealer to support his habit.

Carlos Brown, is 77 years old. His wife is 54. Mr. Brown said that once he became addicted to OxyContin, he found out how to buy the drug wholesale. He then started selling it to pay for his $3600 a month habit.

Obviously drug dealing under any circumstances deserves jail time, but the addictive nature of OxyContin does lead to bad decisions. Without knowing if Mr. Brown has had earlier run-ins with the law, I do wonder if this sentence is a bit harsh for a 77-year-old man – and it doesn’t even look like he’s going to get a chance to do a drug rehab program.

Mr. Brown told the judge, “Brenda and me are not bad people. We just made bad choices.” OxyContin addiction will certainly put you in that position. Mr. Brown stated the drugs were controlling his life, not an uncommon description of being addicted to OxyContin.

The Portage County Drug Task Force had a chance to take out the wholesaler who was supplying drugs to the Browns, but it’s unclear from the article what they did about it.

Also, could they look any deeper to see if Cardinal Health was the distributor? Or if Purdue Pharma, the manufacturer, could have done anything to stop this drug dealing?

Did any salesperson from the distributor or the manufacturer receive any bonuses for sales quotas reached in the territory covered by Mr. Brown’s wholesaler? How was it even possible for Mr. Brown to purchase prescription drugs wholesale?

Prescription drug addiction and dependency is a growing problem with more and more lives being affected.

Drug Rehab Referral can help you find a drug rehab program for yourself, a family member or even a friend if you are seeing any signs of Oxycontin addiction - or addiction to any other prescription drugs.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Another Doctor Caught Making Money on Addiction 

As long as doctors like Dr. Stephen Schneider are churning out prescriptions for painkillers like OxyContin and Lortab, drug rehab will become more and more common.

“I totally trusted him” said Schneider’s former patient, Justin Brawner. “You know a doctor is a doctor. You know he tells me something and that is all I have to go on. All I have to believe”.

Sadly for the medical profession, this story is being played out all over America as more and more doctors forget the Hippocratic Oath. The percentage of doctors prescribing painkillers for money is probably small, but the damage they are doing to the environment is great. More people will need to go through a medically supervised drug detox and then through drug rehab as the years go on.

Mr. Brawner sounds smarter and luckier then most: He was able to beat his dependency and addiction to these dangerous addictive drugs. The FDA, DEA, and local authorities should put not only the doctors on notice, but also the distributors and drug companies who are making big profits from these shady sales.

Last month Cardinal Health was put on notice by having their license suspended - let’s hope there is more of this to come so we can end the prescription drug addiction and dependency issues in this country.

Larry Wall, a Wichita attorney, is representing 12 families who claim their relatives died after Dr. Schneider prescribed frequent high doses of painkillers, ultimately resulting in overdose. Mr. Wall commented ““This is an appalling statement about the medical practice.”

It is alleged that Dr. Schneider may be responsible for the deaths of 56 people. Perhaps Mr. Wall should also look into suing the distributors and manufacturers of these drugs. If a sales person’s bonus or any increase in pay is at all connected to the number of drugs sold or given out, it might explain the never ending supply to doctors like Mr. Schneider.

Prescription drugs are worse than many illegal drugs: They are highly addictive, and  only a few lucky people like Justin Brawner beat their addiction or dependency on their own.

Drug Rehab Referral can help you find a successful drug rehab program if you or a family member aren’t so lucky.

Popularity: 7% [?]

As prescription drug addiction, abuse and dependency rampages through Florida you have to wonder when the other shoe will drop. More and more people will need a prescription drug detox, followed by a successful drug rehab.

These statistics come from the Florida medical examiners office and, really, when companies like Cardinal Health are busted for drug dealing and doctors will sell prescriptions for thousands of dollars, you just can’t expect anything else.

Medical examiners detected drugs in 3980 corpses during the first 6 months of 2007 –what’s not so surprising is that 69% of the people who died had prescription drugs in their system. And that’s only in the first six months. We still don’t have the stats from the rest of the year, and God knows what will happen next year.

More people died with prescription drugs in their systems than cocaine, methamphetamines and heroin combined. That is really frightening, especially when you consider that over 50% of the population think they are safe with prescription drugs because they came from the doctor. It never occurs to them they’re going to get addicted or dependent, or need drug detox and drug rehab to get off them.

Florida has been hard hit by prescription drug addiction and abuse from Broward county right over to Sarasota. There are articles not just every day, but all day long from all parts of Florida.

Prescription drugs are so embedded into society that people think nothing of taking Oxycontin, Vicodin and Xanax or sharing them with their friends. Students take them from their parent’s medicine cabinets and buy them from their friends.

The sad part about the prescription drug problem is that so many more addicted people will eventually turn to heroin or other replacement drugs if they don’t get into a successful drug rehab. The supply of heroin is rising and prescription drugs will eventually be hard to come by as the DEA puts in more stringent rules and the supply dries up. Those addicts will turn to heroin: it’s cheaper and there is ample supply.

We will see higher numbers from every age group as people step forward to say they have a prescription drug addiction problem

Drug Rehab Referral is here to help your family find a successful drug rehab program when you need it.

Popularity: 10% [?]

While death from drug abuse is certainly an issue that needs to be addressed, is providing a safe location where you can do drugs the ultimate answer? Officials in San Francisco are considering that maybe it is. The subject of providing a “safe injection room” was the topic at a recent symposium held by the city’s health officials. The hope is to somehow reduce San Francisco’s high rate of fatal drug overdoses. I think a symposium on how they’re going to get addicts off drugs through effective drug rehab would be more appropriate.

The only similar facility in North America is in Vancouver. It is 4 years old and an estimated 700 users per day self administer narcotics under the supervision of medical staff. Sixty-five similar facilities exist in 27 cities in 8 countries. None exist in the United States. They obviously consider the goal of getting people off of drugs through effective drug rehab unattainable. So, the lesser goal becomes to keep them alive during their drug use. The question becomes, if using drugs and being an addict becomes so safe, why should they stop? Why go to drug rehab when you can keep taking drugs in relative safety, and legally? And with no one really encouraging you to do otherwise.

San Francisco definitely has a problem. The Director of HIV Prevention for the San Francisco Department of Public Health, Grant Colfax, estimates 11 – 15 thousand intravenous drug users in the city. City paramedics reported that from July 2006 to July 2007, drug overdoses accounted for one in seven emergency calls.

At the safe injection room in Vancouver, 800 overdoses were reported, none of which resulted in death because the facility has medical supervision. San Francisco hopes to decrease its number of deaths from overdose and thinks this may be the answer.

The only truly effective way to permanently reduce the number of overdoses from drug abuse is to do everything possible to prevent drug use before it begins. And, once it has begun, to get the drug user into drug rehab as soon as possible. The only truly safe lifestyle is one without the use of drugs. No safe injection room is going to offer that; rather, it nearly condones the use of drugs with acceptance of the problem. For more information about handling the real problem of drug abuse,contact Drug Rehab Referral to find a California drug rehab program that works for you.

Popularity: 7% [?]