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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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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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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If someone you care about has a drinking problem and isn’t getting the help they need because they’re embarrassed to go to alcohol rehab, you should know that some of the best educated, most respected people in the world are also dealing with alcohol abuse – specifically, we’re talking about surgeons.

According to a recent survey, the problem among surgeons is nearly twice as bad as in the general population.

The guys who did the study sent out questionnaires to 25,000 surgeons. More than 7,000 responded to the survey and, of those, 15 percent said they have an alcohol abuse problem. Some experts think that it’s really way above 15 percent – they think many of the doctors surveyed would be unlikely to answer the question truthfully. They’re embarrassed, too.

Sometimes, knowing that people you respect and admire are having the same problems you are makes it easier to admit you have a problem. And that’s the first step to being willing to do something about it – like get into an alcohol addiction treatment program.

Use this information to help the people you care about.

Also, if that person is a doctor, it’s especially important to do something about it. Other questions on the survey were about medical errors. Of the doctors who said they had an alcohol problem, 77 percent said they also made a major medical error in the last three months.

So, if you get a surgeon into alcohol rehab, you’re not only helping save his life, you could also be helping to save the life of some of his patients.

How would you feel if your surgeon husband or wife, who you know has a drinking problem, made an error in surgeon that cost someone their life? It would feel especially bad if you hadn’t done enough to get them to go to rehab.

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I read an unbelievable news story today about the burn victims of methamphetamine. According to the news story, the associated press conducted a survey of key hospitals in the nation’s most active meth states. The survey showed that up to a third of the patients in some burn units were hurt while making meth. This added up to thousands of people. Thousands of people whose burns – serious enough to send them to hospital burn units – could have been prevented if they’d gone to drug rehab.

The story was actually about the fact that most of these people are insured, which is creating a huge burden on healthcare costs for the rest of us, and is actually causing some burn units to close.

What about people who are burned when being caught in house fires, or even fighting them. Can you imagine living in an area which no longer had a burn unit to help people who were burned while doing something legal?

The burns from methamphetamine are usually caused by explosions while making it. The method is called “shake-and-bake.” The raw ingredients are put into a 2 liter soda bottle and shaken. But the mixture is very unstable and if not done absolutely correctly can explode.

The explosions can cause permanent disfigurement, blindness, and death.

The damage is also reflected in the cost for each burn patient – an average of $130,000 each, 60 percent higher than other burn patients. Burn experts estimate the cost to the taxpayer at 10s to 100s of millions of dollars. They can’t get a closer estimate because someone burned by meth often lies about what happened.

Another problem with this method of making meth is that, unlike big labs, someone making it is hard to find. Big labs required quite a bit of equipment and the chemicals could be smelled all over the neighborhood.

But they are making their presence known in hospitals. From 1999 to 2009, there were 83 meth related injuries in Indiana. Thanks to shake-and-bake ‘labs’, there have been 70 injuries in the last two years. A big change.

One of the doctors in a burn center in Iowa said that many of the meth lab burn patients won’t be able to return to a normal life. They’ll need rehab and occupational therapy to cope with their disfigured body.

There are a lot of people who have a pretty casual attitude towards drugs – especially when it comes to something apparently not too dangerous, like smoking marijuana. But drugs lead to more drugs, and when they lead to something like meth, you’re really taking your life in your hands in a number of ways.

If someone you care about is into drugs of any kind, the only way to really keep them safe is to get them through a good drug rehab program so they will get off drugs, and not want to take them again.

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The holiday season is here again. As much as we try to put the drug problems of our family members aside for the holidays, they always seem to surface at family gatherings. Either the person doesn’t show up, or shows up stoned, or leaves early, or slips outside for some drugs during the get-together – and it’s usually painfully obvious that they have a problem. If you want things to be different next year, you need to get them into a good drug rehab program now.

But how do you know it will work? How do you know which one to choose?

Kentucky recently passed a bill allowing prisoners guilty of non-violent drug offenses to leave prison early and, instead, check into drug rehab. The first 1,000 will arrive in drug rehab facilities early January. One of the people who runs a rehab center spoke to the press and said that, realistically, only one in ten of those people will actually make it through drug rehab and stay off drugs. Is that really true?

Absolutely not – IF you choose the right drug rehab program. Unfortunately, not enough people do. They do not do thorough research.

It’s understandable that in that situation, parents, spouses and other family members are pretty desperate. Sometimes they don’t even ask about success rates when they’re contacting a drug rehab for help. They don’t ask about the specific procedures that are used to rehabilitate the person, they don’t personally evaluate whether or not those procedures could actually work. They just want to get their son, daughter, husband or wife to get help. And they think that, no matter what the program is, if it’s called ‘drug rehab,’ it will be helpful.

But it is essential that parents know the difference between a successful drug rehab and one that has miserable results – like one in ten.

What parents don’t understand is the degree to which a drug addict is messed up. They think that their son or daughter got into trouble because they started hanging out with the wrong people, that those people introduced them to drugs, or alcohol for that matter, and that the drugs actually caused the problem.

While it’s true that those things did have an influence, the real question is why was that person drawn to hang out with those people in the first place. And why they were willing to experiment with drugs.

Some stories are about kids who were high producers – they were stars on the football team, or they got straight As, and so on. Then things ‘changed.’ The parents may or may not have noticed the changed, but they usually have no idea that their kid is on drugs until the trouble starts.

But when things start to change, there’s a reason. And it’s usually pretty deep-seated. They already had the problems, however hidden they were from loved ones, and it’s those problems that led them to start with drugs, the ‘wrong people’, and so on.

The reason why many drug rehab programs don’t have high success rates is that they don’t actually find out what those problems were, get down to the bottom of them, and help the individual solve the problems so they no longer need or want the drugs.

That’s what successful drug rehab is all about. After the addict has gone through withdrawal, after they’ve started restoring their physical health, they need to work with someone who can help them figure out what led them to drugs and help them resolve those issues.

Every time someone fails at drug rehab and gets back on drugs, their confidence in being able to stay off drugs is shattered. They think THEY are the problem. And with every failure, they’re closer to really giving up.

Would you go to a doctor for surgery when only one in ten of his patients survived? No, you would choose a doctor with better success. The same goes for drug rehab.

Drug Rehab Referral had helped thousands of people find the best drug rehab program for their situation. Rather than trying to figure it out yourself, seek help from experts. People who are familiar with every type of program going, which methods work, and which don’t. For the best chance possible, contact Drug Rehab Referral. Do you want next year to be different? Call now.

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Are your college kids taking ‘study’ drugs? Have they told you that everyone in school is taking them and that it doesn’t get them high, it just helps them focus so they can get better grades? Have they told you that they don’t take them all year, just at exam time? Have you been worried about it and wondering if they need drug rehab?

Whatever your kids have told you about these drugs – which are primarily Adderall and Ritalin – here is what you as parents should know, and should look into further.

Here are the side effects for each drug – taken from drugs.com. The lists are long, and there may be things on them you don’t understand. You can look them up online. But, even if you didn’t look up anything, there’s enough there that you will understand to make you realize that these drugs are nothing to fool around with. And if your kids are taking them, it might be time to contact a drug rehab program and speak with a professional to see if there’s a problem.

Adderall

Cardiovascular: Palpitations, tachycardia, elevation of blood pressure, sudden death, myocardial infarction. There have been isolated reports of cardiomyopathy associated with chronic amphetamine use.

Central Nervous System: Psychotic episodes at recommended doses, overstimulation, restlessness, dizziness, insomnia, euphoria, dyskinesia, dysphoria, depression, tremor, headache, exacerbation of motor and phonic tics and Tourette’s syndrome, seizures, stroke.

Gastrointestinal: Dryness of the mouth, unpleasant taste, diarrhea, constipation, other gastrointestinal disturbances. Anorexia and weight loss may occur as undesirable effects.

Allergic: Urticaria, rash, hypersensitivity reactions including angioedema and anaphylaxis. Serious skin rashes, including Stevens Johnson Syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis have been reported.

Endocrine: Impotence, changes in libido.

Ritalin

Nervousness, insomnia, hypersensitivity (including skin rash, urticaria, fever, arthralgia, exfoliative dermatitis, erythema multiforme with histopathological findings of necrotizing vasculitis, and thrombocytopenic purpura); anorexia; nausea; dizziness; palpitations; headache; dyskinesia; drowsiness; blood pressure and pulse changes, both up and down; tachycardia; angina; cardiac arrhythmia; abdominal pain; weight loss during prolonged therapy, Tourette’s syndrome, toxic psychosis has been reported, abnormal liver function, cerebral arteritis and/or occlusion; leukopenia and/or anemia; transient depressed mood; aggressive behavior; scalp hair loss, neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS).

So, now your kids are going to say they’ve already taken it and nothing like that has happened to them. But, that doesn’t mean it won’t. It’s probable that they won’t have some kind of severe physical allergic reaction to it if they’ve already taken it and nothing has happened – but it’s not true that none of the other things will happen. They could happen at any time.

Another really worrying thing is that kids often get their drugs from other kids – not from doctors. Their friends either sell them to them or give them to them free of charge. And your kid might do the same – give someone a few of their pills to ‘help them out’ during exams time.

But they never know how that person is going to reaction. What if they did have a severe reaction? What if they wound up in hospital or, heaven forbid, dead. Your child would feel horrible about that for the rest of their lives. It might even ruin their life.

Also, if your son or daughter knew about the possible effects of these drugs, continues to take them and also doesn’t tell others about how dangerous the drugs can be, and then someone they know is injured while taking these drugs – that’s another guilt trip.

Don’t take your son or daughter’s word for what is safe and what is not – no matter what their friends have told them and how many of them are doing it. Learn the information you as parents need to have to make certain that something is safe for yourself.

And don’t get fooled into thinking “Oh, that could never happen to my son!” I’m sure you could guess that that’s what most parents of kids who’ve gotten into trouble with drugs or alcohol told themselves.

If you’re not successful at getting your kids to stop taking drugs by reasoning with them and giving them the full and correct information – they need drug rehab.

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