Parents who educate their kids on the dangers of alcohol and drug abuse are 50% less likely to use them.  But finding ways to educate your kids (or yourself) can sometimes be a problem. The Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) has published a booklet that can help. It covers alcohol, street drugs and prescription drug addiction, dependency and abuse. It was recently included in the Washington Times newspaper as a supplement but it’s also available online for anyone to print out. The ‘booklet’ link I just gave you is a direct link to it.

It’s good to finally see something readily available to the general public that covers the problems with prescription drugs – although it could probably devote a little more space to OxyContin, hydrocodone and other prescription painkillers. Especially since they are the most abused prescription drugs and the most likely to cause prescription drug addiction.

It also contains some starting facts: Nearly 50 million people in America over the age of 12 have used prescription drugs for non-medical purposes. That’s one out of every six people. In other words, at least one person who lives only two or three doors from you in any direction has used prescription drugs to get high. That’s alarming.

It also means that about one in every two or three kids over 12 in school – the kids your kid spend most of their day with – have either already taken prescription drugs to get high or live with someone who has.

That really demonstrates how easy it is for your own kid to be introduced to these drugs.

Right now, it’s more likely that your kid will be offered prescription drugs than marijuana. And I doubt there are too many kids over 12 who don’t know at least one person who has smoked marijuana.

Prescription drug addiction and abuse is extremely dangerous for both kids and adults. Prescription drug rehab can help with the problem, and it’s important to do something about it right away if you suspect, or know, that someone is taking prescription drugs without a medical reason. Download the booklet on the dangers of drugs and alcohol, read it carefully and start doing something about it. If you need help, you can contact Drug Rehab Referral.

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In a recent court case, a 21-year-old man was sentenced to 32 to 64 months for his participation in a prescription drug ring. He was busted along with 14 others. His family expected he would get much less since he had a family support group, is a heroin addict, and testified against the ringleaders. Also, others involved in the ring only got probation. The judge said the guy was much more involved in it than the others. He was really dealing drugs, not just getting them fraudulently, and was recruiting others to be part of the ring. No one knows at this point how many people are now coping with prescription drug addiction as a result of these actions.

The thing that mystifies me about this is not the sentence. If the guy was more involved, his sentence should be stiffer. At least the judge ordered that he go to a facility that will give him drug addiction treatment.  The strange thing is that on the same day of the trial, or hearing, whichever it was, the guy also pled guilty to possession of heroin at a traffic stop on September 13, 2007.  I doubt the guy’s been in prison for the last year, so why didn’t his family ensure he’d gone into a drug addiction treatment center in all that time?

I’m sure that if he had, the judge would have been more lenient. His actions with the prescription drug ring were reportedly fuelled by his own heroin addiction. He had gotten into a drug addiction treatment center a year ago and shown that he was serious about changing his life and, in fact, had changed his life, I don’t think there’s any way the judge would have given him the same sentence.

Also, if he’d done some kind of community service since then, shown that he was stable and so on, that would also have added to his credibility.

It’s unfortunate that this kid has to spend time in prison – generally speaking, prison doesn’t make things much, if any, better. But, frankly, if his family had taken responsibility for getting him straightened out long ago, they would not now be in this position.

If someone you care about has a problem with prescription drug addiction or abuse, or heroin addiction, or any other addiction, get the help in a drug addiction treatment center right away. Many people who get involved in dealing drugs do so to finance their own addiction.  If you don’t want something like this to happen in your family, get them the help they need.

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Millions of people are suffering from prescription drug addiction, and millions of dollars are being spent on finding out why. Take this new study, for example. 

The researchers involved in the new study conclude that there’s a possibility, maybe, that that if mice are given OxyContin as adolescents and then take it again as adults, they’re more prone to become addicted, as adults, than if they’d taken the drug for the first time as adults. Of course, the same will happen to people. Everyone knows we’re the same as mice.

Okay. So we already know that the earlier people take drugs, of any kind, including alcohol, the higher the chances of them becoming addicts later in life.

So why the study? I suspect these studies are largely conducted to support the idea that prescription drug addiction, or addiction to any drug, and maybe alcohol, is an incurable brain disease. That opens to the door to an official medical label that, in turn, will enable some drug company to get a drug approved that will be touted as being able to prevent prescription drug addiction. 

Before you know it, the drug companies will be lobbying to have all kids taking these drugs, and they’ll even go as far as trying to get it made into a law, so we can prevent prescription drug addiction. Presto! Instant market. Instant sales. Instant millions of dollars.

It’s an amazing phenomena that when a drug is developed to treat an alleged condition there is a huge change in the viewpoint of how many people actually need that drug. I can pretty much guarantee you that if you looked at the statistics from 20 years ago about how many people were officially suffering from so-called depression and compared those stats to how many are allegedly suffering from it now, you’d see a huge difference.

Convincing people that they’re ill is an important part of the marketing strategy for drug companies. And some of them will go to great, and disgustingly unethical, lengths to do so.

If you have any doubt about this as a modus operandi, do a little research.

So, what do you do to prevent prescription drug addiction? In your own home, you start educating your kids early - like about 8 years old – about the dangers of drugs, including prescription drugs. It’s about at that age, a little older, that they’ll start running into other kids who offer them prescription drugs. Those other kids probably got them from their parents’ medicine cabinet. So, that’s the next thing you do. Lock up your drugs. Literally. Better still, try to avoid them yourself.  They’re dangerous.

Next, stay involved in your kid’s life. Have dinner together, get to know their friends, their friends parents and the teachers. Help with homework. Get them involved in achievement of some sort – sports, dancing lessons, music lessons, something other than school that will keep them off the street and give them a sense of accomplishment. But don’t push them so hard that they feel they’ll never make the grade in your eyes.

Maintain a happy home life. If you don’t have one, do something about it. Kids go through enough just figuring out what life is all about as they grow up. They don’t also need to live in an unstable, unhappy, environment where parents are fighting, drinking, and so on.

Is all this a guarantee? No, sorry. But it will increase the chances by at least 50% that when they’re offered a drug, they’ll say no. And if they do say yes, you’re likely to find out about it long before it becomes a problem requiring treatment like prescription drug rehab in a long-term residential drug addiction treatment center.

Education on the subject, a strong and active relationship with your kid and open lines of communication are the best prevention for prescription drug addiction, and a lot of other trouble you’re afraid your kids will get into.

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We know people are in a world of pain, and there’s no doubt we have to worry about people living on long-term prescription painkillers, but prescription drug addiction and abuse is really a problem among those who don’t need the drugs for any medical reason.

Months ago the White House published the big news that fewer people were testing positive for illegal drugs in employee testing. The powers that be took a pat on the back for decreased use of methamphetamine and cocaine but didn’t play up the new problem – there was a 12% rise in the number of 18 to 25 year olds testing positive for prescription painkillers – and they weren’t in pain.

At the time the news hit, the White House said they have to do something about that fast. Now, 7 months later, the Department of Labor is finally drafting a ‘Special Issues’ section for employers about prescription drug addiction and abuse.

Boy, they really jumped on that fast – if a corporation waited seven months to even start doing something about an alarming statistic they’d be in the toilet.

Admittedly, prescription drug addiction and abuse isn’t easy to conquer – there’s a big trade out there. But there’s a lot that could be done. Stop direct to consumer advertising, fine or arrest doctors and pharmacists who fail to check the prescribing history of anyone requesting a new prescription (many states have a database that allows them to do that), insist that law enforcement track down the dealers of anyone who is caught using prescription drugs illegally, take the right to prescribe addictive prescription drugs away from doctors until they do a training program – these would be a good start.

Skyrocketing prescription drug addiction and abuse shouldn’t come as a surprise in a culture that has drugs on a pedestal and uses them as a primary treatment method. We should take a lesson from other countries that focus on prevention and natural therapies. But that would take a lot of money out of the hands of a lot of people – and some of their money is already being used to stop every alternative therapy (even chiropractic is still under seige) and natural remedies.

We live in a capitalistic society, and that’s probably a good thing. But drug companies aren’t just a business opportunity like carpet cleaning, home building or computer software. They hold people’s lives in their hands.

It would be different, too, if the health of Americans was good. But we’re one of the unhealthiest countries in the world. So, what are all these drugs actually doing for us?

If you know someone with a prescription drug addiction or abuse problem, get them into an addiction treatment center that offers prescription drug rehab, and then start looking for natural medicine. Drug Rehab Referral can help you find one.

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Duragesic, a painkiller patch containing Fentanyl, an addictive opioid painkiller similar to heroin, has been recalled again last month - for the fourth time this year. And there were several before that. The 2005 recall of Duragesic followed the death of 120 people. You’d think that with the deaths and the potential for prescription drug addiction, the product would be taken off the market.

Instead, the manufacturer is going through one lawsuit after another. Recent news articles say there are hundreds of lawsuits pending. It was the same story a few years ago – hundreds of lawsuits pending. All told, with at least five recalls over the years, I’m sure the lawsuits number in the thousands.

When you realize how many millions are paid out in lawsuits you get an idea of just how profitable these types of drugs really are.

Overdose, death and prescription drug addiction are not the only side effects of Duragesic. It can also cause damage to the cardiovascular and nervous systems.

Duragesic is also often prescribed off-label. It’s approved for very severe pain, like that of cancer, that is not relieved by any other painkiller. Instead, it’s given to people with  moderate pain – which may well have been alleviated by other  means. Instead, both the doctors and the patients are risking damage, prescription drug addiction and death. A high price to pay for a little relief from moderate pain.

Duragesic is not the only painkiller causing these problems. Prescription drug addiction is rampant, and painkillers are often the cause. If you would like to get off your painkillers and are having trouble doing it, Drug Rehab Referral can help you find a prescription drug rehab that will help you get off these drugs safely.

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The prescription drug addiction problem in West Virginia is as bad as in any state and the people who live there are finally going to see more help - a 24/7 prescription drug addiction hotline. The hotline is meant to help addicts, partially by directing them to facilities where they can receive prescription drug rehab. Although the doctor in charge of the hotline says treatment centers are scarce.

An estimated 40,000 people in West Virginia are struggling with prescription painkillers, although the chairman of the state Health and Human Services Committee, Don Perdue, also a pharmacist, thinks that estimate is low.

Coincidentally, the hotline got its initial $1 million in funding from Purdue, but notice the difference in the spelling of the name – the funding came from the Purdue Pharma settlement given to West Virginia. It’s good to know that at least $1 million  of Purdue’s $634 million fine is being used specifically to help repair some of the damage the company created.

Drug Rehab Referral is another place you can get help with prescription drug addiction – no matter what state you live in, we’ll help you find a facility that’s right for  you. Give us a call.

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Have you heard of the prescription drug addiction radio show? It’s based in Florida, on WGUL 860 AM. This week’s show – airing on Sunday, September 21st at 9:05 p.m. – is about House of Representatives Bill 6353 which will change the laws on Internet availability of drugs that may cause prescription drug addiction.

The Bill has already been passed by the Senate, but Congress is dragging it’s feet.

OxyContin, Vicodin, Lortab, Duragesic, Methadone, Valium, Xanax, Ativan, Klonopin, Ambien, and Lunesta are on the list, but there are more.

Although the prescription drug addiction epidemic is in no way confined to Florida, rehab centers in that State are inundated with people who have a prescription drug addiction or abuse problem. And nearly 70% of the drug-related deaths in Florida involve a controlled prescription drug like those that are included in the Bill.

On the Internet, these drugs are anything but controlled. It’s easy enough to get the drugs without ever seeing a doctor, no matter how old you are or what symptoms you have. In other words, the Internet has become a haven for drug dealers.

The Bill that would restrict prescription drug trade on the Internet is currently with the House of Representatives but has not yet been put forward for a vote. Make sure you contact your congressperson to make  your voice heard. And if you need help with prescription drug addiction for yourself or a family member, contact a drug addiction treatment center.

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Poplar Bluffs, Missouri, a town of  about 16,000 people, is undertaking a major crackdown on prescription drug addiction and abuse which , says police chief Danny Whitely, has reached the epidemic proportions they saw with meth a few years ago.

This year alone they’ve had 75 reports of lost or stolen prescription drugs, 90% of which were false – which means the person who falsely reported the theft gets arrested for trying to get the prescription filled again fraudulently. They’ve also had 64 deaths from drug combinations this year, and the drugs are even being used as currency - for example, as cab fare.

The most recent busts include a 59-year-old mother, her 30-something son and her 64-year-old boyfriend, all being supported by the government, and selling their prescriptions for nearly $300 more than they paid for them. They were arrested for distribution of a controlled substance. Others were arrested for buying them.

This town is playing it smart. Police recognize the severity of the prescription drug addiction and abuse problem and are liaising with several government agencies to get rid of it.

I don’t know what kind of drug addiction treatment center facilities they have available but, obviously, they’re going to need plenty. What they may not realize is that the law alone will not be enough to stop the trend. Prescription drug addiction is just as hard to stop as illegal drugs – especially when you’re talking about prescription painkillers which, judging by the recent arrests, is their major problem.

Hopefully, anyone who isn’t caught will be motivated by this crackdown to do something about their own, or a loved one’s, prescription drug addiction or abuse problem and get into a drug addiction treatment center before they end up in prison – a far worse fate.

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There’s been so much news out there lately about the prescription drug addiction and abuse epidemic that it’s overshadowed the usual illegal drugs – the focus of the U.S. ‘war on drugs.’ But the DEA hasn’t forgotten about them. In fact, the agency has launched a travelling exhibit about the dangers of drugs that anyone concerned - parents, teachers, high school and college administrators, and the general public – should attend. Prevention is the most effective way to ensure someone you care about stays out of a drug addiction treatment center.

According to Michele M. Leonhart, DEA Acting Administrator, the exhibit ”will open eyes to the vast and tragic consequences of illegal drugs — from their damaging health effects, to lost lives, to taxing our healthcare and social welfare systems, to billions in economic losses, to family despair, environmental harm, impaired worker performance, to funding terrorism.”

It opens at the California Science Center in Los Angeles on October 2, 2008 and will be there for six months. While it’s good to have it in LA long enough so a lot of people can see it, it’s unfortunate that it will be a long time before it travels to other cities.

If I were a parent in the LA area, I’d be planning on taking my kids – even if they’re only six years old. The earlier kids are educated about drugs, the lower the chances of them getting involved in them. And the lower the chances that parents will be finding a drug addiction treatment center for their kids in the future.

If I were a teacher, I’d be organizing outings for my classes. And probably taking the students there at least three times so they ‘get it’. It will be a lot of information. And I’d also get their parents to take them. Kids whose parents educate them on drugs are 50% less likely to get involved.  But it’s important it comes from the parents. And it’s important the parents are also educated.  I’d start with kids in grade five. And I would also make attending the exhibit mandatory for college students.

Of course, that’s not going to handle the prescription drug addiction and abuse problem. Unfortunately, most kids think those drugs are okay because doctors prescribe them. Nothing could be further from the truth. There are just as many people going into a drug addiction treatment center for prescription drug addiction or abuse as for the illegal drugs that I assume will be the focus of the DEA exhibit.

You have to hit drug education scene from all angles. And when you have a resource like the DEA exhibit to bring it home, you shouldn’t waste it. If you already have a kid or someone else in your life who’s on drugs you should also take them there. It might be just what they need to realize they have a problem and decide to get into a drug addiction treatment center.

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The FDA has launched a new website designed to help the general public understand the ads you see on TV about prescription drugs. The FDA is taking a lot of heat lately – actually, it has been for years – about the drugs getting on the market and causing prescription drug addiction, illness, and death. But is the real solution to educate us on direct to consumer advertising? I think a more logical option would be to stop direct to consumer advertising altogether.

Advertising alcohol is illegal in some states, and alcohol abuse is lower in those states. Signficantly.  Would the same not occur if big pharma was not allowed to advertise their drugs directly to the public?

The U.S. is one of only two developed countries that allow DTC drug advertising – the other is New Zealand – and there’s good reason for that. It isn’t that other countries have never considered doing it. They have. And they were wise enough to just say no.

What’s up with the U.S.? Why isn’t the U.S. just saying no to DTC drug advertising? Doesn’t the government see that prescription drug addiction isn’t going to slow down as long as we allow drug companies to convince people to take drugs?

I’d like to know your opinion.

And, by the way, if you’d like to help someone with a prescription drug addiction problem, contact Drug Rehab Referral. The drug rehab specialists there can help you find a good drug addiction treatment center and give you any other help you need.

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