Kentucky, along with the other Appalachian states, was one of the hardest hit when OxyContin came on the market. There was more drug addiction and abuse, more trips to hospital emergency rooms and more deaths than just about anywhere in the country. Unfortunately, things haven’t changed - drug addiction and abuse is as bad as ever in Kentucky, and steps are being taken to make drug rehab and other treatments more successful.

One of the recent additions to the arsenal of tools to fight drug addiction is the new Kentucky Family Drug Courts. They’re in 18 counties now, and more are planned. Family Drug Court is primarily aimed at getting parents the drug rehab program and other addiction help they need. Often these parents have already had their children taken by social services, and Family Drug Court works with them over a period of 12 - 18 months. Parents hope that by completing a drug rehab program and getting back on their feet, they’ll get their kids back.

Many lives and families are ruined because of drug addiction. If you want to avoid that, call Drug Rehab Referral to help you find a drug rehab in Kentucky before you get into the justice system. Family Drug Court may help you get your kids back, but they don’t guarantee it.

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Do you need to go to drug rehab if you got hoodwinked into taking antidepressants because your doctor got fooled by selective publication of research data by the FDA and drug companies? It’s a possibilty - and a drug rehab program is almost inevitable if the antidepressants were a springboard into addiction and drugs you are taking without a prescription.

Millions of people are taking antidepressants and other drugs based on the FDA’s recommendation and approval. It turns out that some of the drug companies may have left out data that in all likelihood would have made it very difficult, if not impossible to get the drugs approved.

The companies have sold billions of dollars of these drugs to unsuspecting citizens and they should be held accountable. And Congress should be spending their time looking into this situation instead of steroids in baseball.

Drug companies such as Purdue Pharmacy should be made to clean up the social environment that they are wrecking by not telling the truth about their drugs and the trials on which FDA approval was based.

What do you do if you want off these drugs? According to medical professionals, the best thing to do is go to a medical drug detox facility and withdraw from these drugs under medical supervision. If you need to withdraw from any prescription drugs call Drug Rehab Referral and we can help you find a comfortable drug detox program.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Doctors in Boston, MA are prescribing methadone as a painkiller rather than giving people OxyContin. The doctors are apparently reluctant to prescribe OxyContin because it’s so addictive. However, the methadone-related death toll in Boston is climbing and people taking methadone would be wise to get into a drug rehab program instead of risking their lives.

Obviously the doctors prescribing methadone are not aware of the facts. Methadone is not only highly addictive and often harder to kick than just about every other drug, it’s also very easy to overdose on it. It stays in the body much longer than other drugs and, not being aware that the drug is still in their system, people tend to take another dose in order to create the desired effect. The drug builds to toxic levels in the body, and can kill you without you ever being aware there is a problem. Many people just go to sleep and never wake up.

It is possible to get off methadone through an effective drug rehab program - it’s usually best to do a medical drug detox program first - and it’s important to get help for it as soon as possible.

If you need drug rehab in Boston, MA for methadone, or any other drug, Drug Rehab Referral can help you find the right facility for your situation, as well as a medical drug detox if needed. 

Popularity: 2% [?]

We hear a lot about relapse - “relapse is part of recovery” - but, in truth, it doesn’t have to be that way: there are a lot of effective models for drug rehab, and thousands of people get off drugs every year. But, for the most part, it takes a long term residential drug rehab program to get those results.

Nevertheless, the vast majority of drug rehab programs available are short term or even outpatient-based. Their success rate is pretty abysmal but, for some reason, they’re still around.

Fortunately, the University of Georgia’s Center for Research on Behavioral Health and Human Services Delivery is now using $9 million in federal and private grant money to really research what drug treatment works and what doesn’t.

Hopefully, this research will result in funding being withdrawn from unsuccessful programs and put into those that really get people off drugs.

If you are looking for a drug rehab program with a good success rate, Drug Rehab Referral can help you find one. Give us a call.

Popularity: 2% [?]

The Fox Valley in Wisconsin is ranked as one of the safest places in the U.S. but now it is beginning to attract powder cocaine and crack dealers. The Fox valley “is very lucrative area for these dealers to peddle their wares,” said Brad Dunlap, Wisconsin Department of Justice agent in charge of the Lake Winnebago Metropolitan Enforcement Group (MEG) drug unit. And it’s likely the Fox Valley will soon need drug rehab.

In Wisconsin, the DEA has had their attention on cocaine and crack since at least 2006 as the drugs that are the biggest threat. But, until recently, Fox Valley and Lake Winnebago County were largely left untouched.

However, in 2007 all that changed: cocaine is now considered the Fox Valley’s biggest drug threat. According to Agent Dunlap “it’s a much safer place” for drug dealers as there aren’t any turf wars or drive-by shootings.

Crack cocaine sells for about $100 a gram in Fox Valley but can be purchased in much smaller quantities. Crack is, of course, highly addictive and users require drug rehab if they want to quit.

Drug dealers are always looking for new places and new people to market to; in this case it’s the citizens of the Fox Valley, Wisconsin.

In the Midwest, alcohol abuse is much more common than cocaine abuse. But if someone you know needs a drug rehab program in Wisconsin, contact us by email or by phone.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Ten tribes from Montana and Wyoming were awarded a $5.6 million grant to help 11,000 thousand Indians get into a drug rehab program.

Methamphetamine abuse is a big concern among tribes in Montana and Wyoming… Gordon Belcourt, executive director of the Montana-Wyoming Tribal Leaders Council says methamphetamine abuse is “Like a cancerous growth.”

Substance abuse runs higher among Indians than in some other groups: 15 percent – about 11,000 - of the tribes’ population need drug or alcohol rehab, but only 4,000 are getting it.

In addition methamphetamine abuse is costing more as supplies are running thin and the price are going up. Meth is sold in Idaho for $1500 an ounce, more than a 50 percent increase from a year ago. Cocaine is being sold for $800 to $900 an ounce, similar to last year. In Idaho it has been reported that cocaine abuse is replacing methamphetamines because of price. More than likely that trend is also taking place in Wyoming and Montana.

Montana also has high levels of binge drinking and marijuana use, so this grant comes at a very good time. I hope it is enough to help all the Native Americans who need drug rehab in Montana.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Drug rehab and drug abuse are subjects that you can read about every day in newspapers and online. I think the idea of being a drug dealer would disgust most people; it could conjure up all sorts of pictures in your mind of bikers, heroin addicts, gang members and more. At least it does for me. Yet in everyday life, addicts need to figure out how to get drugs, and if you aren’t an addict and just want to have “fun” you may buy a small amount of weed or possibly more dangerous drugs such as LSD or Ecstasy. If you are younger you may be buying prescription drugs like Xanax or OxyContin. And if you’re older you may already have become dependant on or addicted to these drugs - in which case you already need a drug detox or drug rehab program.

Each individual buys drugs buys from some other individual and then you end up with an economic cycle you can read about every day.

During the last few hours here are some headlines from various cities in Ohio.

From the Toledo Blade: “Hundreds gather at a memorial for Lima woman shot by police.” The woman Tarika Wilson was shot during a drug raid while holding her 14-month-old son who was also shot; he required surgery and lost his index finger. Tarika’s boyfriend was arrested and arraigned on drug trafficking charges. Chances are he won’t be able to do drug rehab through the court because he’s a dealer.

In the Vindy News is another headline: “8 arraigned on drug charges”, with a subhead reading “Children were taken from one woman who was arrested on drug charges.” Police had made undercover buys of OxyContin and marijuana – eight people were in business for themselves and not part of a larger ring according to police. Who takes care of the woman’s children while she’s in drug rehab, or prison?

Finally, from the Coshocton Tribune: “Man accused of drug trafficking goes on trial.” Kyle Poole was accused of trafficking in crack cocaine.

The economic impact for the 10 people arrested is obvious - there won’t be any income for awhile. We also have one dead woman, which hurts her children and, of course, her boyfriend won’t be able to support the surviving children. And Kyle won’t be able to work either.

Maybe 50 police were involved (that’s a guess) as well as someone from child services to take care of the woman’s children - and the costs keep rising. There will also be court costs and the expense of keeping these people being in prison and/or drug rehab. Plus, every one of the drug dealers made money to support someone so the chain gets larger and so does the economic impact of drug abuse.

The people who bought drugs from these people will need - and find - new suppliers, so the same amount of drugs will be sold. And the headlines, similar in every state in the U.S each and every day, will continue.

If you know someone in Ohio with a drug problem, help them stay out of the news by helping them get into drug rehab.

Popularity: 3% [?]

The abuse of cold medicines by teenagers is setting a new trend and will create more need for drug rehab.

According to a survey done by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (SMASHA) in 2005 it was estimated that 2.1 million teenagers were abusing over the counter cold medicines. In a more recently published survey, the number was up 50% to 3.1 million.

These numbers rival the abuse of methamphetamines, LSD and Ecstasy. It’s obvious parents should keep prescription drugs and cough syrup locked up. Over the counter drugs and prescription drugs are overwhelming street drugs as the way to get high. A 50% increase in the abuse of cough syrup should be setting off alarms. More than one in five teens have abused prescription painkillers like Vicodin and now more the one in ten are abusing cough syrup.
 
Cough medicines have an ingredient called dextromethorphan or DMX - a synthetic derivative of morphine. Because these are legal drugs most kids don’t see anything wrong with using them. Cough medicines can cause muscle spasms, an irregular heartbeat and vomiting, as well as hallucinations. Young teenage girls are abusing these drugs most frequently, and 30% of the time their medicine of choice is NyQuil.

Abusing drugs at an early age can lead to more drug abuse at a later age. If you don’t want your teenage girl to end up in a drug rehab program, do something about things like cough syrup now.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Jeff Horn, principal of Green Valley High School in Las Vegas, confronted a male student athlete who was caught with black tar heroin and helped him get back on the right track. The young man thanked him, saying he may not have been able to turn away from the drug on his own. That’s when Principal Horn realized he had to do more to help his students get off drugs and stay out of a drug rehab program.

“I believe that many of us have been touched in some form or fashion with the destruction and degradation that is caused by abuse and addiction,” he said in a letter to parents inviting them to discuss a new drug testing strategy.

January 28th will be the first day of testing – and it starts with athletes. One student complained that athletes shouldn’t be ‘singled out’ but At Green Valley High, 30% of all reported drug related offenses involved athletes and, in most schools, athletes are looked up to - they should be leaders in the efforts to keep out of drug rehab.
 
At Drug Rehab Referral we see this everyday and couldn’t agree more with Principal Horn’s actions. Some parents will complain, but this is a great step forward. The parents of the students at Green Valley should be thrilled that their Principal is willing to take a decisive step before more kids need drug rehab.

The program will be testing for alcohol, barbiturates, LSD, Ecstasy, amphetamines, marijuana, nicotine, cocaine, methadone, and opiates. This should deter student athletes from being part of a drug and alcohol lifestyle. People who won’t take the tests will not be allowed to participate in the sports programs.

Parents should have a strict attitude about drug and alcohol abuse and they should be happy with program. More education will eventually mean fewer students will be looking for drug rehab in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Idaho has launched an anti-methamphetamine project that will reach 70% to 90% of Idaho teens three to five times a week. Following in the foot steps of Montana, Nevada, Arizona and Illinois, Idaho is taking more steps to reduce the devastating effects that methamphetamines have on individuals and the community. With extensive drug education and drug prevention reducing the number of methamphetamine users, fewer drug rehab program facilities will be needed in the future.

“The Idaho Meth Project was brought to our state by Idahoans who saw the tremendous burden meth use has put on our social service, law enforcement, and prison systems,” said Governor Otter.

The education and other actions being taken Montana has reduced first time methamphetamine users to 4.6% of students – it was 13.5% in 1999 - and we applaud Idaho and other states that are taking an aggressive approach to this highly addictive drug.

These efforts are especially important when you understand how teens view methamphetamines - one in three don’t see much risk in trying meth once or twice, but 23% don’t see great risk in taking meth regularly. Only 3% of teens say they have tried meth, but 9% say they know someone who uses it.

From a social or popularity standpoint, 40% don’t think their friends would give them a hard time for using meth.

What this tells you is that the education and prevention programs are necessary to end meth abuse and slow down the need for drug rehab in Idaho, and in other states. I will only add that, in time, the methamphetamine problem will be overwhelmed by the prescription drug abuse and that will be the focus of drug rehab in the future.

Popularity: 2% [?]