You really have to watch out for your kids around people doing drugs. Here’s a story about a woman who passed out in a car with a four year old in the back seat. Cocaine was found on the dash. Obviously, the woman needs drug rehab. Florida, where this incident happened - in Pinellas County, right next to Tampa, a major drug center in Florida -has several good facilities she could go to.

The news story doesn’t say if the child is hers or not.

I’m sure there are grandparents all over the U.S. who worry about their grandchildren because they know the mom or dad is on drugs. Although you hate to do it, it is possible to get custody of the kids. A better solution would be a drug addiction treatment center for the parent(s). Then you won’t have to worry about the grandchildren, or your own.

I remember being in the drug world years ago. One family had a child not more than a year or so old. Both parents were on heroin, although the mother didn’t seem to be doing too much anymore. The dad, however, was not only on heroin himself, he constantly had people over to the house who were also shooting up. Unbelieveable environment in which to raise a child. But, honestly, I barely noticed there was a child there. When you’re on heroin, you’re just too out of it and too disassociated from the real world for that sort of thing to effect you. I don’t know whatever happened to those people - I left town shortly thereafter. But you can be sure they’re no longer together as a family, unless the dad did get into a drug addiction treatment center.

If you know anyone using drugs who’s around children, help them get the drug addiction treatment they need now.

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Parents of kids going to the University of Florida - now the number one party school in the U.S. - may breathe a little easier knowing that the rules drinking rules on the UF campus are being changed. No more kegs, drinking games and other behavior that leads to alcohol poisoning, injuries, accidents, rapes, and so on will be allowed. Punishment includes everything from wrist slapping to expulsion but, unfortunately, alcohol rehab is not included.

While it’s not a school’s responsibility to get kids into alcohol rehab, it would be an interesting turn of events. If kids were told they have to go to alcohol rehab to continue in school, it would open the door for them to stay and get their education - and would also drastically change their life. They’d no longer be alcoholics, and they’d still have a chance to accomplish their education and career goals.

Do you think college students should be ordered to alcohol or drug rehab? Florida has plenty to choose from. At the very least, parents should ensure it happens.

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After a death related to prescription drug addiction and abuse - a 24-year-old man had obtained prescription drugs from 17 different online pharmacies - Minneapolis authorities cracked down on drugs available on the Internet. One of the pharmacies is under investigation and two pharmacists have been disciplined and fined, thanks to new state laws. Florida could really use something like that. Prescription drug addiction is rampant in Florida, it’s nicknamed ‘the pill state’, and Tampa is considered ground zero for Internet pharmacies.

In another Minnesota case a pharmacy was fined $25,000 for filling 4,500 Internet prescriptions over a period of less than three months. Give me a break!!! How many people went to the ER, got sick, died, or developed a prescription drug addiction because of his prescriptions? $25,000 is peanuts compared to the harm that pharmacist did. Shouldn’t he be in jail?

What is the deal with fining people like that. If they were drug dealers on the street and had sold 4,500 people drugs, they’d be in jail. No question about it. But the same does not apply with prescription drugs.

But, at least it’s something. I think things will get tougher on these guys in the near future. Not even the judge in the Purdue case was happy about the guys not going to jail.

Each of the recipients of those 4,500 prescriptions could be contacted. Find out what condition they’re in and, if they have developed a prescription drug addiction, the pharmacist could pay for drug rehab. Florida could certainly make some headway if there was a law like that! 

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Okay. We’ve finally got some numbers here. Over 7 million people in the U.S. abused prescription drugs in 2007. More than cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens, Ecstasy, and inhalants (which includes, for some reason, marijuana) combined. That figure was less than 4 million in the year 2000. That’s prescription drug addiction on the ‘illegal’ end of things. But those numbers don’t even come close to the ‘legal’ numbers.

From 1995 to 2005, the number of people treated for abuse of prescription painkillers increased by 321 percent. And every year 180 million legal prescriptions are written for painkillers every year. That’s amazing. If only one prescription went to each person, about 1/2 the population of the U.S. would be taking what is basically heroin.

Let me see. A 40 mg OxyContin pill costs just under $6 for a legitimate prescription. If each of the prescriptions written was a two week’s supply - let’s say 42 pills - the drug manufacturer would make about $45 billion. 

If that’s not a vested interest in prescription drug addiction, I don’t know what is. With that kind of incentive, you can be sure the drugs are designed to make you want to keep taking them.

How does it happen. Read U.S. grapples with rising prescription drug addiction. Then refuse to take the drugs or give them to your kids unless it’s a life-threatening situation. And if it’s already too late for that, get anyone you know who’s taking them into a drug addiction treatment center.

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A methadone clinic opened up about two years ago in Indiana. The goal was to provide a closer location for those on methadone treatment - which is supposed to help heroin addicts through withdrawal so they can then get through drug rehab at a drug addiction treatment center so they’ll be drug free. 

I get tons of responses from readers of this blog whenever I write about methadone treatment. They tell me how it’s saved their lives and that it was a last resort.

According to a recent news article, the clinic in Indiana is using it as anything but a last resort. The requirements for getting methadone from this clinic are that the person has been addicted to an opiate for at least one year.  And many of the people they’re servicing are addicted to prescription drugs - it’s opiates, so it would be OxyContin or a similar painkiller - that they were given by their doctor and then couldn’t quit.

Wow. So much for methadone treatment being used as a last resort.

“They don’t want to lose their job or lose their kids,” said the program director. “They come to us because they want to be safe, and they want to be legal.”

So, now, instead of long-time heroin addicts being addicted to methadone, we have people addicted to methadone because they couldn’t quit taking OxyContin or some similar drug because of surgery or an illness.

The program director says they’re supposed to get daily methadone for a while but are supposed to start weaning off it within three to six months. He said it works for some, and not for others. Of course. That’s because they’re getting methadone instead of going to a drug addiction treatment center that can help them with their addiction.

Prescription drug addiction - especially OxyContin addiction or addiction to another painkiller - is like heroin addiction. Just like we’ve been saying. And, like heroin addiction, the solution is drug rehab. Not methadone.
 

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Students starting and the University of Virginia this semester will have the opportunity to do a special orientation on alcohol abuse. The program actually starts in August online and continues once school starts. This is sure to prevent a lot of college kids from needing an alcohol rehab center but what I can’t figure out is why this program is optional.

Shouldn’t it be for every student?  ”Every year we hear about students across the country dying from alcohol poisoning,” said Susan Bruce, director of the university’s Center for Alcohol and Substance Education. “We don’t want that to happen here.” So, if the school is so concerned, what is the deal with making it optional?

Another kind of strange thing about the program is the focus on ensuring kids don’t think the alcohol problem is that bad at UV. While UV is not even in the top 20 party schools, to UV’s credit, I hope this doesn’t have the effect of minimizing the situation or the dangers.

According to statistics, it’s likely that about one in five college students could use some time in a drug or alcohol rehab center. It really is time colleges  and universities cracked down. So, even if this program is not the ideal, it’s a big effort. And if it’s done right, it should keep a lot of kids safer and ensure an alcohol rehab center isn’t the next step in their education. Want more info. Check out these articles on alcohol and drug addiction treatment?

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Want to get rid of drugs in your community? Check out what happened in Tallahassee, Florida. Several members of the community told the police that people were growing marijuana - in about 1/2 dozen different locations - and now the offenders are busted. The result could be a lot of kids who aren’t looking for a drug rehab in Florida.

The program that furnished the police with the information for the bust is called Crime Stoppers - it has, among other things, an anonymous tip line for members of the community who want to report criminal activity. The organization is funded by the State.

Great idea. In many communities it’s hard to remain anonymous when reporting something to the police. People think it’s dangerous to ‘get involved.’ And, in truth, it can be. Especially when you’re talking about drug addiction - drug addicts, and dealers, can get pretty nasty when someone comes between them and their drugs, or their money.

Check in with the police in your area to see if a similar program is available. There are literally thousands of drug addiction treatment centers in Florida and many are supported by taxpayers. Programs like Crime Stoppers could reduce the drug addiction problem, and enable communities to put their money into education and other beneficial programs.

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I was recently reading information about drug rehab in Florida and the substance abuse problems in various Florida counties. I came across an alcohol and drug abuse survey from Hernando County that had a section on protecting your kids from drug use. In 2000 the drug problem was much different than it is today - prescription drug addiction and abuse is as big a problem as illegal drugs.

According to the Hernando County document, you are more likely to prevent drug use if your kids have healthy beliefs and clear standards, if you have bonded with your kids and are involved in their lives, if they have opportunities for development, if their efforts are recognized, if they have the skills necessary to be successful, and if they have a sense of hope.

Have you checked the above list as it applies to your kids lately? If these things are in place, and if you talk with your kids and let them know about the dangers of drugs, there’s a much better chance of them saying no when they’re offered drugs - which you can bet they will be. Prescription drug addiction is growing at epidemic proportions and often requires drug detox and drug rehab. In Florida there are several facilities to get help, but the only real way to be safe is prevention.

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I’ve just run across some amazing statistics about drug abuse in Sarasota, Florida. Alcohol consumption is the highest rate in the state - as it is in any area - but centers offering drug rehab in Florida are being inundated with people taking prescription drugs. In fact, the number one cause of accidental death in Sarasota County is now poisoning, and 96% of those are from drug overdoses. And I can guarantee the majority of that involves prescription drug addiction or abuse.It’s worse than Tampa, worse than Miami - and those places are pretty bad.With so many drugs around, and with so much drinking going on, the chances of someone you know – even your kids or your spouse – not taking drugs or drinking to excess are slim to none.  One out of every ten high school kids have used prescription drugs illegally, and one in five young adults in college or work got high on some drug or other in the last month - those are Florida-wide statistics, but Sarasota is at the top of the list.Families should be aware of this problem and ensure that their kids, their husbands and wives and so on are aware of the dangers. And if there’s any kind of problem – with alcohol, illegal drugs, or which prescription drug addiction or abuse, get help immediately. Finding a drug rehab in Florida is easy, but finding one with a high success rate isn’t. Contact Drug Rehab Referral to get the help you need.

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I read a blog today which referred to an article about drug testing in schools. The author was against the testing because, he said, the only drug that stays in the system long enough to be detected is marijuana.  This is apparently driving school kids to other drugs. This may also be one of the reasons for the increase in prescription drug addiction and the number of people on prescription drugs going into drug rehab. Florida is nicknamed the ‘pill state.’ That gives you an idea of how serious the situation is.

Personally, I don’t think drug testing is the source of the problem. I believe the majority of schools don’t do drug testing at all - and they have the same problems.

Prescription drug addiction is largely due to the accessability, acceptability, and convenience of prescription drugs. They’re in practically every household medicine cabinet, they come from a doctor so are considered safe, and you don’t have to find a drug dealer to buy marijuana or find a place to smoke it where the smell is not going to be noticed. You just pop a pill.

If your kids are already taking drugs of one form or other - and if you don’t know, you’d better find out - there’s a good chance they’ll also get into prescription drugs. And, believe it or not, they’re more dangerous than many of the illegal drugs around. Your best bet is to get help. Drug rehab in Florida is plentiful.  In the meantime, what about drug testing? Should it be stopped? 

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