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Mar 11 2016

Breaking Point: Heroin In America

On tonight’s ABC news 20/20 episode, David Muir reports on the epidemic sweeping the country by storm: heroin and opiate addiction. Heroin overdoses are happening everyday to people of all ages and race. Drugs discriminate against no one. One man could not even wait to get home before shooting up heroin in his car in New Hampshire.

129 people in America die everyday in the United States from overdoses, most from prescription pain pills and opiates. Families everywhere are struggling with their loved ones getting hooked, usually on prescription medications first, and then graduating onto heroin. Drug overdoses have become more deadly than car accidents and guns in this country.

In this episode, we meet Aaron Smith, a loving father who is heavily addicted to opiates. His addiction snowballed very quickly over the course of a year and just like most, he states that prescription pain pills came first.

I’ve seen opioid painkillers being prescribed for something as minor as stitches. This is where the problem lies.

Getting help with Heroin Addiction in New Hampshire

New Hampshire ranks as the 49th state with wait-lists to access treatment. Most states take weeks and possibly months to access a treatment facility. Being near the bottom of the list that wait time can be extremely long in New Hampshire.

Aaron finally receives a call and has 48 hours before he can go into treatment. He starts going into heroin withdrawal and cannot wait for treatment to get his next fix of heroin. His story is typical of many others who are also stealing from their families for money to support their addiction. Families in New Hampshire and all over the country are being devastated by the rippling effects of opiate addiction such as Aaron’s.

Prescription Pain Killers

How could something from a doctor, a trusted medical professional, turn into something so horrible and deadly? Prescription painkillers are opioids (synthetic painkillers) or opiates (natural painkillers) which is the same class of drug as heroin. Heroin essentially is a pain-killer. Opioid medications seem to be far over-prescribed in America. These are extremely powerful drugs such as Ocycontin, Hydromorphine, Fentanyl etc…

People who are in pain from an injury or medical condition may be prescribed these drugs which are often far too powerful for the reason of the prescription in the first place. These drugs should be used in limited circumstances where only absolutely necessary. Human beings are generally stronger and more resilient than doctors are giving them credit for.

I remember having my appendix removed and being prescribed morphine! I didn’t need that, it hurt, but some tylenol for a week more than did the trick. I remember thinking how easy the morphine could have turned me into an addict as the feeling was quite good. I knew that it was not necessary though. So after using it for the first day I switched over to tylenol and was fine. I’ve seen opiate painkillers being prescribed for something as minor as stitches. This is where the problem lies.

Heroin Withdrawal

Heroin withdrawal is very intense. A person is extremely sick as their body has become physically dependent on the drug. Withdrawal symptoms include severe vomiting, extreme pain especially in the legs and days without sleep. Aaron Smith went to a treatment center in New Hampshire but could not be provided with appropriate medications or holistic methods that counteract withdrawal symptoms. These medications assist someone in coming off opiates but unfortunately many state sponsored treatment programs do not have access to these types of medications. Unfortunately the withdrawal was too much for Aaron and he relapsed and passed away eight days after entering treatment.

It is important that when entering a treatment facility that they know how to deal with detox whether by providing medication or 24 hour supervision and care and holistic methods that ease the pain of withdrawal. Please contact us for more information on Opiate addiction in New Hampshire and across the United States.

Heroin Overdose and Narcan

As stated in this 20/20 episode, a person who overdoses on heroin has mere minutes to be treated or it could turn fatal. Narcan (Naloxone) is a drug that can be administered after an overdose to partially or completely reverse the effects of a heroin overdose. Heroin and Opioid abuse have become so bad in New Hampshire that even children are being taught to use Narcan by injecting it into teddy bears. It is my sincere hope that this is not the reality of the next generation and this problem can start to take an upturn.

Post-Treatment Options

In Breaking Point: Heroin in America, we come across a young couple who are recovered addicts named Savannah and Matt. They are raising their young child and doing everything they can to be sober. Savannah is taking a medication called Subutex and must come up with $17/day to get her medication. Subutex is a medication used to curb withdrawal symptoms. If Savannah stops taking her medication then she will go into withdrawal symptoms. It’s a tough cycle for her because if she does not get her medication there is a high risk of relapse so she will not go into withdrawal symptoms. In a way, she is still hooked.

These post-treatment medications (or sometimes prescribed with no treatment at all) are a daily reminder that a person is an opiate addict. Many do relapse on such medications as Subutex and their life revolves around getting this drug everyday. This is no way to live. Ideally someone addicted to heroin or painkillers should be completely drug-free. Often people are using drugs to cover up pain whether that be emotional or physical in nature. There is something in their life they cannot confront without the use of drugs. This is why more drug rehab centers are needed in New Hampshire and across the United States. A proper drug rehab center will help get to the root core of these issues to help an addict stay clean for life.

Mar 09 2016

Kratom – Drug Addict Help

Kratom, ( Mitragyna speciosa Korth), also known as Kakuam originates from Thailand, where it has been illegal to cultivate the Kratom tree since 1943 due to the leaves having narcotic properties similar to opium.

Being an indigenous plant of Thailand, Kratom leaves continue to be used by locals in cooking, as a medication, and as an opium substitute. Addiction is said to be easy with many people having used the leaf all their lives. It helps people to endure arduous manual work, and studies have shown long term effects to include a preference for solitude, anorexia, pigmentation of the skin, constipation and a depressive mood, with most users being working class males, who nevertheless marry and remain connected with their families.

Symptoms of withdrawal are similar to opiate addiction. Occasionally kratom psychosis is reported in long term users. In Thailand Kratom use was originally culture bound, with male working addicts socially accepted, but women users frowned upon. Kratom was a drug not used by students, the educated or moneyed classes. In recent years Kratom has become popular among young Thai’s as a brew, with Coca Cola.

With the increase in the demand for drugs throughout the Western world, Kratom became marketed as a legal drug elsewhere than Thailand.

In 2002, Japanese researchers were able to discover 7-hydroxymitragynine as the patentable “active” ingredient of Kratom, and may develop Kratom as a pharmaceutical product in the future. 7-hydroxymitragynine has been found to have a more potent analgesic effect than morphine.

Meanwhile, Kratom continues to be legal, available and unregulated in Canada, although not approved for human consumption, is unregulated in the USA and many other countries, and illegal in some countries such as Australia, Malaysia, Finland, Lithuania, Denmark and Poland. Kratom is widely available on internet and used by many North Americans.

Using Kratom can easily become a pathway to the use of opioids such as heroin. It is also seen as having potential as a substitute drug to assist with opioid withdrawal and “maintenance drug” programs for people with opioid addiction.

Kratom might not be illegal, but is as addictive as opioids. Withdrawal symptoms can include feelings of anxiety and pain for several days.

Kratom has been suggested as a drug that can assist with alcohol recovery, by reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression. For many people this is seen as merely replacing one drug of dependence with another, and of no long term benefit, compared with taking steps to discover and resolve the reasons why there is a need to use addictive drugs in the first place.

Concentrated Kratom products can be found under such names as Enhanced Red Vein Thai Kratom, Enhanced Green Vein or Indonesian sunrise / sunset blends. Kratom can appear to be a safer drug than heroin, or prescription narcotics, because not all countries restrict its use, and young people can obtain it by mail order, often from sites that sell synthetic marijuana. In the UK, Kratom is known as “herbal speedball”.

In Malaysia, Kratom use is on the rise. Between 2004 and 2005, seizures relating to Kratom use increased from 2 in the July of 2004, to 45 in January 2005, with police impounding a total of 1,000 kilos of leaves, and 236,000 liters of the drink.

Feb 28 2016

Importing Drugs from Canada

Is importing drugs from Canada legal? There are today many US citizens who obtain drugs by purchasing them from a Canadian source. Although prohibitions apply to people attempting to import and use or deal illicitly with street or prescription drugs, there are circumstances in which it is lawful for US citizens to purchase Canadian drugs.

Americans have for many years purchased medicinal drugs from Canada, either by mail order or by going into Canada and ordering direct. There has always been an unofficial policy of ignoring much of the minor “trafficking” in Canadian drugs, making it a gamble as to whether or not you will fall foul of selective enforcement.

Since 2006, there has been a set of guidelines issued for people genuinely in need of a prescription medication that is unavailable in the US. With changes to the regulations under the Homeland Security Act, Americans with a serious medical condition, who intend the drug to be for personal use, can now import up to 90 days supply, provided that it is not an extremely controversial and risky drug to use, and a US doctor with responsibility is nominated.

The reasons why people might want to import drugs for medicinal use are basically financial, and easy availability.

Prices of prescription medications in America are high. Prescription drugs obtained from Canada are very often cheaper. The US government encourages people to enquire, before seeking internet drugs, to find out whether there is some form of health care scheme that will cover or reduce the cost to them of their medications. In other cases, people become disentitled to further coverage by health care providers and seek to continue with their medication by accessing the cheapest source.

There are many risks involved in purchasing drugs from an unknown supplier. The best basic protection for internet drug purchasers is to use a pharmacy that is fully licensed. This might involve some research as to what is a full accreditation for a pharmacy. In Canada, usually a CIPA membership – the Canadian International Pharmacy Association – will assure you of integrity, and also confidentiality when purchasing your drugs. Internet providers that specialize in products such as Viagra and off-prescription pain killers are considered to be unreliable.

There are risks with internet buying, of buying counterfeit products that might be contaminated or ineffective. Some advertised uses for drugs are “off label” and not officially sanctioned. Other drugs are toxic or addictive, with a risk of liver damage or an accidental overdose.

Americans are not allowed to re-import drugs that are made by American companies that have been exported to Canada.

US citizens can buy prescription drugs from countries other than Canada, but choosing Canadian products will generally be safer than using products sourced from third world countries, or places such as Mexico where illegal drug use and manufacture is rife. If an error is made with the prescription imports, it is very difficult to obtain redress, and your life could be at risk.

There are problems enough when using prescription drugs accessed from normal sources, the risks increase considerably when making an online purchase. Children’s medications should never be purchased online.

Current developments in the pain killer field indicate a serious risk of addiction, with many problems associated with buying medications online. People in search of new medications and treatments for disease and illness might be better advised to research natural and alternative remedies. Using proven natural remedies can be a more healthy option, and achieve a better result than drug use.

Feb 03 2016

Addiction to Paracetamol – Drug Addict Help

Controversy continues as to whether or not it is possible to have an addiction to paracetamol, a non-narcotic pain relief drug, also known as acetaminophen. Whilst a commonly used and effective pain reliever for everyday aches and pains, paracetamol is known to cause liver toxicity in high or prolonged doses. However, doubt still remains as to whether or not paracetamol is addictive.

Paracetamol (an aniline analgesic) and NSAID’s (non steroid anti inflammatory drugs) are considered to be safer than opioids, “bearing a low risk of addiction, tolerance, dependency and withdrawal”. However, when paracetamol is used in combination with weak opioids, there is said to be an increased frequency of “rebound headaches”, that are also known as medication overuse headaches.

The occurrence of side effects with paracetamol use is high because paracetamol has a narrow therapeutic index – which means the therapeutic dose is close to a toxic dose. People using prescription medications and or over the counter pain killers need to be aware of the total paracetamol content of the drugs they are taking to avoid accidental overdose. Paracetamol may have an antidepressant effect, as a study has shown paracetamol to increase availability of the antidepressant serotonin in rats, but this is not tested in humans

There are many people who consider that they are or have been addicted to taking paracetamol. Paracetamol withdrawal effects include irritability, anxiety and painful symptoms that mimic the original condition that the medication was taken to relieve. Any drug that has both toxicity and a “reward” effect, such as providing pain relief, has a capacity to become addictive.

The recommended treatment for withdrawal effects such as rebound headaches is to simply cease taking the medication, and put up with the discomfort, until symptoms of pain naturally subside. This recovery treatment is no different in principle to detoxing from any drug that has become tolerated and produces painful withdrawal symptoms. Serotonin depletion and resulting feelings of depression could be a further side effect of paracetamol withdrawal.

Given that intense withdrawal symptoms are commonly reported, it would seem that paracetamol can be addictive. If as manufacturers claim, physical addiction risks are minimal, then it is possible that a psychological component accounts for people feeling upset and in need of more medication with paracetamol withdrawal.

People can become psychologically addicted to any activity that produces relief from emotional stress and tension, including prescription drugs. Often the idea of “taking something” is part of what gives relief to people when they are suffering pain of any kind. Paracetamol will automatically provide relief from symptoms of emotional pain at the same time as it reduces symptoms of physical pain.

Hard drugs and narcotics get people’s attention but addiction to non narcotic pain killers is just as much a problem. The risk of fatal liver damage is an issue when abusing paracetamol. People addicted to paracetamol are in need of urgent drug addict help.

Withdrawal from any addiction is something best not done on your own. Drug addict help from comprehensive therapeutic programs can get you clean of the drug, and provide support and help to really improve your life. Part of the risk if you continue to abuse drugs such as paracetamol is that one day you might be tempted to seek out something stronger.

Jan 25 2016

Ohio Fights Prescription Drug Abuse

Prescription drug abuse in Ohio causes more deaths than suicide or driving accidents. For an outlay of $8.9m the State will qualify for a Federal grant to total $36m to be used to help treat people suffering from mental illness and drug addiction, and hopefully get them into employment.

The funding has been applied for against a rise in deaths from drug overdose during recent years, deaths ascribed to an increased availability and use of prescription drugs.

Ohio’s current prescription drug problem results in four accidental drug overdose deaths per day.

For Ohio the statistics for prescription drug abuse are alarming:

40% of the State’s 1,373 overdose deaths in 2009 were from prescription medications, specifically pain relievers.

In 2009 one in four high school students had used or was using prescription drugs illicitly.

The painkillers prescribed in Ohio, in 2008 were 4.8 million prescriptions for hydrocodone, and 2.7 million prescriptions for oxycodone – the active ingredient in Percocet and OxyContin.

Ohio Governor John Kasich has come out strongly, reiterating the untold damage and harmful effects of these prescription narcotics. Families are torn apart, young lives destroyed by a combination of indiscriminate, reckless prescription and illicit diversion.

The Ohio Governor speaks for us all in his harsh criticism of a State Medical Board that apparently is moving very slowly in response to allegations by former Ohio Attorney General, now appointed as an advisor on prescription drugs abuse, that there are dozens of doctors in Ohio running prescription drugs from “pill mills”. The State Medical Board says that it is committed to combating the problem and actively working on solutions.

While the State Medical Board continues to work on its strategy, legislation is soon to be introduced that will put an end to pill mills with license suspensions and fines by way of enforcement measures.

OxyContin is very similar to heroin in its effects and once addicted, both heroin and OxyContin are extremely difficult to withdraw from. Unless people receive drug addict help that includes a full detox from the drug and the many harmful residues that remain in the system, addicts face the real possibility of relapse caused by cravings over which they have no control. Also the pathway to full recovery from drug addiction is more than just getting back to work.

Full recovery from drug addiction requires many emotional adjustments and the learning of new ways of thinking. People do best for long term recovery when nothing is left to chance and a fully comprehensive addiction recovery program is used.

While it is easy to understand the stance that Ohio now takes against prescription drug abuse, it will be money wasted, people given false promise and hope of recovery, if all that eventuates from this initiative is a new regime of drug abuse in the form of substitute prescription drugs, such as methadone.

Drug free is the way of the future, and should form the basis for all current initiatives to overcome prescription drug abuse. In the context of a comprehensive drug free rehabilitation program, people learn to restructure their ways of thinking and become emotionally secure. Addicts will improve their capacity for empathy and improve their ability for good decision making.

People entrusted with the responsibility to turn the tide of prescription drug addiction will need to ensure that drug addict help is of the best and highest caliber. Drug free comprehensive addiction recovery programs are safe and effective – setting the standard and leading the way to complete drug addiction recovery.

Jan 08 2016

Helping Children to Understand Addiction & Withdrawal

Helping children to understand addiction and withdrawal will enable them to see that addiction and withdrawal are essentially two sides of the same coin, and help them say no to drugs.

People addicted to drugs will tend to use more, and suffer withdrawal symptoms when the dose of the drug is reduced. If you are suffering from withdrawal, then it means that you are addicted.

People talk about physical and psychological addiction to drugs as if they were different things. If we have a psychological addiction to drugs, then it will cause us emotional pain to withdraw. If we have a physical addiction to drugs, then pain will be felt in various parts of the body when we try to stop using. We experience emotional pain through painful feelings in the body.

When the body is in pain from drug withdrawal, it will be a combination of physical and emotional pain that we feel, not always easy to separate the two. Drug use and withdrawal affect all the systems of the body and mind. People who are addicted might begin to hate using the drug, but at the same time they fear and can’t bear the pain of withdrawal – so they make a choice to use more of the drug, even though they no longer get enjoyment or pleasure from it. True addiction recovery is a healthy balance between body and mind.

To get freedom from drug use, the only option is to stop. People cannot get healthy again until all drugs are out of their body. Substitute drugs might ease your pain if you seek that kind of drug addict help, but similar addiction and withdrawal problems will occur with any substitute drug. Drugs are toxic to the body. The only way back to health is to remove all drugs from your body, and allow it to fully recover.

People become addicted if they keep using toxic drugs because it gives them pleasure. There are always better and healthier alternatives to drug use – but drug use is tempting and easy if you have pain or emotional problems. Drug use is like putting a bandage on a wound – it offers some protection but doesn’t bring about healing.

If you have physical or emotional pain, there is always a reason for it, and that is what needs to be healed. Using more drugs only leads to addiction, and more painful withdrawal, the more you choose to use drugs.

Some people think that you have no choice about getting addicted to drugs. Everyone has the choice at first to simply say no to drugs. If you start on the slippery slope towards drug addiction, one day you will have to face withdrawal – or use drugs for the rest of your life.

Withdrawal symptoms can be agony, but are very rarely fatal. Avoidance of pain by using other drugs is really no help at all. With natural methods to help you through, the experience of withdrawal will be beneficial. Withdrawal symptoms only mean that the body is trying to heal from toxic drug effects. With the right kind of natural, drug free detox you will come out of treatment feeling better than ever before.

When you combine your drug detox with a life enhancement program you will be well on the way to a happier life – with the cycle of addiction and withdrawal completely a thing of the past.

Getting help with Heroin Addiction in New Hampshire

Prescription Pain Killers

Heroin Withdrawal

Heroin Overdose and Narcan

Post-Treatment Options

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