Drug Overdose Now a Leading Cause of Death in the U.S

For the first time in U.S history, the number of drug overdose fatalities has surpassed the number of automobile accident deaths.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2009 alone, 37,485 people died from a drug overdose, which exceeds the 36,284 people who lost their lives in car accidents. The majority of drug fatalities were caused by overdosing OxyContin, fentanyl and morphine; all of which classify as legal medication prescribed by physicians.

Furthermore, “The FDA Opioid Stategy” hopes to significantly decrease drug overdoses by requiring better physician education on proper pain management and patient selection, in addition to educating the public on proper drug dosage and appropriate disposal methods of superfluous drugs stored in medicine cabinets.

If you have come across our Addiction Treatment blog, is because you or someone you love is in need of help for prescription drug addiction. Cove Center for Recovery is an Addiction Treatment Center offering a premier drug addiction treatment program that can help you or your loved one. Our aim is to treat the whole person, and not just an isolated symptom. During the addiction treatment process we will work with the client to identify the factors that may have contributed to their addiction– home, work, relationships and medical history. We also believe that families have a vital role to play in the recovery process, and each program has a place for family participation, to educate them in the addiction treatment process and to equip them for their role as supporters.

Reach out to us. Recovery from addiction is just a click or a phone call away. If the information you are looking for is not found here and you need immediate attention you may contact us:

Addiction Treatment for adults and young adults: 1-888-387-6237
http://www.covecenterforrecovery.com


Addiction Treatment for Teens: 1-888-757-6237
http://www.inspirationsyouth.com
http://www.inspirationsteenrehab.com

Is The Use Of Medications Like Methadone Simply Replacing One Drug Addiction With Another?

No. As used in maintenance treatment, methadone and LAAM are not heroin substitutes. They are safe and effective medications for opiate addiction that are administered by mouth in regular, fixed doses. Their pharmacological effects are markedly different from those of heroin.

As used in maintenance treatment, methadone and LAAM are not heroin substitutes.

Injected, snorted, or smoked heroin causes an almost immediate "rush" or brief period of euphoria that wears off very quickly, terminating in a "crash." The individual then experiences an intense craving to use more heroin to stop the crash and reinstate the euphoria. The cycle of euphoria, crash, and craving repeated several times a day leads to a cycle of addiction and behavioral disruption. These characteristics of heroin use result from the drug's rapid onset of action and its short duration of action in the brain. An individual who uses heroin multiple times per day subjects his or her brain and body to marked, rapid fluctuations as the opiate effects come and go. These fluctuations can disrupt a number of important bodily functions. Because heroin is illegal, addicted persons often become part of a volatile drug-using street culture characterized by hustling and crimes for profit.

Methadone and LAAM have far more gradual onsets of action than heroin, and as a result, patients stabilized on these medications do not experience any rush. In addition, both medications wear off much more slowly than heroin, so there is no sudden crash, and the brain and body are not exposed to the marked fluctuations seen with heroin use. Maintenance treatment with methadone or LAAM markedly reduces the desire for heroin. If an individual maintained on adequate, regular doses of methadone (once a day) or LAAM (several times per week) tries to take heroin, the euphoric effects of heroin will be significantly blocked. According to research, patients undergoing maintenance treatment do not suffer the medical abnormalities and behavioral destabilization that rapid fluctuations in drug levels cause in heroin addicts.

Reach out to us. Recovery from addiction is just a click or a phone call away.
Addiction Treatment for adults and young adults: 1-888-387-6237 http://www.covecenterforrecovery.com

Addiction Treatment for Teens: 1-888-757-6237
http://www.inspirationsyouth.com
http://www.inspirationsteenrehab.com

Treatment for Prescription Drug Abuse

Prescription medications such as pain relievers, central nervous system (CNS) depressants (tranquilizers and sedatives), and stimulants are highly beneficial treatments for a variety of health conditions. Pain relievers enable individuals with chronic pain to lead productive lives; tranquilizers can reduce anxiety and help patients with sleep disorders; and stimulants help people with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) focus their attention. Most people who take prescription medications use them responsibly. But when abused—that is, taken by someone other than the patient for whom the medication was prescribed, or taken in a manner or dosage other than what was prescribed—prescription medications can produce serious adverse health effects, including addiction.

Available options for effectively treating addiction to prescription drugs depend on the medication being abused.

Approaches to treating teen pain reliever addiction are drawn from research on treating heroin addiction, and include medications combined with behavioral counseling. Promising new approaches include depot or long-acting formulations of medications with effects that last for weeks instead of hours or days. This approach with the opioid blocker naltrexone is showing remarkable promise in clinical trials for heroin addiction-increasing abstinence, treatment retention, and decreasing craving.

Although no medications yet exist to treat addiction to CNS depressants or to prescription stimulants, behavioral therapies proven effective in treating prescription drug addiction.

If you have come across this article is because you or someone you love is in need of help for an prescription drug abuse. Cove Center for Recovery is an Addiction Treatment Center offering a premier prescription drug abuse treatment program that can help you or your loved one. Our aim is to treat the whole person, and not just an isolated symptom. During the treatment process we will work with the client to identify the factors that may have contributed to their prescription drug abuse – home, work, relationships and medical history. We also believe that families have a vital role to play in the recovery process, and each program has a place for family participation, to educate them in the treatment process and to equip them for their role as supporters.

Reach out to us. Recovery from addiction is just a click or a phone call away. If the information you are looking for is not found here and you need immediate attention you may contact us:

Addiction Treatment for adults and young adults: 1-888-387-6237
http://www.covecenterforrecovery.com/

Addiction Treatment for Teens: 1-888-757-6237
http://www.inspirationsyouth.com/
http://www.inspirationsteenrehab.com/

Risks of Commonly Abused Prescription Drugs

Opioids (used to treat pain):• Addiction. Prescription opioids act on the same receptors as heroin and therefore can be highly addictive. People who abuse them sometimes alter the route of administration (e.g., snorting or injecting vs. taking orally) to intensify the effect; some even report moving from prescription opioids to heroin.

• Overdose. Abuse of opioids, alone or in combination with alcohol or other drugs, can depress respiration and lead to death. Overdose is a major concern: the number of fatal poisonings involving prescription pain relievers has more than tripled since 1999.

• Heightened HIV risk. Injecting opioids increases the risk of HIV and other infectious diseases through use of unsterile or shared equipment.

CNS Depressants (used to treat anxiety and sleep problems): • Addiction and dangerous withdrawal symptoms. These drugs are addictive and, in chronic users or abusers, discontinuing them absent a physician's guidance can bring about severe withdrawal symptoms, including seizures that can be life-threatening.

• Overdose. High doses can cause severe respiratory depression. This risk increases when CNS depressants are combined with other medications or alcohol.

Stimulants (used to treat ADHD and narcolepsy): • Addiction and other health consequences. These include psychosis, seizures, and cardiovascular complications.

If you have come across this article is because you or someone you love is in need of help for an prescription drug abuse. Cove Center for Recovery is an Addiction Treatment Center offering a premier prescription drug abuse treatment program that can help you or your loved one. Our aim is to treat the whole person, and not just an isolated symptom. During the treatment process we will work with the client to identify the factors that may have contributed to their prescription drug abuse – home, work, relationships and medical history. We also believe that families have a vital role to play in the recovery process, and each program has a place for family participation, to educate them in the treatment process and to equip them for their role as supporters.

Reach out to us. Recovery from addiction is just a click or a phone call away. If the information you are looking for is not found here and you need immediate attention you may contact us:

Addiction Treatment for adults and young adults: 1-888-387-6237
http://www.covecenterforrecovery.com/

Addiction Treatment for Teens: 1-888-757-6237
http://www.inspirationsyouth.com/
http://www.inspirationsteenrehab.com/

Drug Use is Spreading Out of Control

The popular trend of recreational drug use has been on the rise for years now. Drug addiction has naturally risen in conjunction with the rising trend. Some people believe that substance abuse is such a problem, that now addicts will stop at nothing to get their fix. Analysts report that when something or someone tries to intervene with a person who’s addicted to a substance from obtaining that substance; the users are likely to lash out, becoming enraged with anger and aggression.  This leads to prohibitionists fighting for the ban on drugs.
Prohibitionist report that they want sobriety. That they stand for the ban against drug and substance abuse in order to reduce danger with in their communities. The support that by banning illegal drugs will reduce this danger and save lives. However opponents to the prohibitionists argue that if the true goal of these prohibitionists were to reduce this danger they speak of and save lives, why not focus on the two deadliest substances in the world; alcohol and tobacco. Instead the prohibitionists focus their efforts on trying to ban mepehedrone, and prescription drugs.  Alcohol is responsible for 40,000 deaths a year and tobacco is responsible for which kills 80,000 people a year.  There are even more deaths from people consuming peanuts than dying from mepehedrone. The cause of the prohibitionist would be more credible if their efforts were redirected. However, the two opponents disagree, they do agree that drug addiction and substance abuse is becoming out of control. Just criminalizing the drugs are not enough.

If you or someone you know is struggling with drug abuse, prescription drug abuse or addiction and is in need of help, Cove Center for Recovery - Addiction Treatment Center offers a flexible and affordable addiction treatment program. Our aim is to treat the whole person, and not just an isolated symptom. During the treatment process we will work with the client to identify the factors that may have contributed to you drug abuse – home, work, relationships and medical history. We also believe that families have a vital role to play in the recovery process, and each addiction treatment program has a place for family participation, to educate them in the treatment process and to equip them for their role as supporters.

Reach out to us. Recovery from addiction is just a click or a phone call away. If the information you are looking for is not found here and you need immediate attention you may contact us:

Addiction Treatment for adults and young adults: 1-888-387-6237 http://www.covecenterforrecovery.com/

Addiction Treatment for Teens: 1-888-757-6237
http://www.inspirationsyouth.com/
http://www.inspirationsteenrehab.com/

Drug Addiction is a Disease

We have heard it, read it, and may even told others this fact. But do the majority of people really believe this? I am not talking about those who are addicted to drugs or alcohol, but the general public with no addiction problem.

It seems that more people are grasping the idea that drug addiction is a disease as there has been an increase in getting people involved and educating them by presenting studies done throughout the years supporting this fact.

Recently there was a conference in Pikeville College in Pikeville, Kentucky on drug addiction and the way it should be treated. More than one hundred people, including teachers, students and the general public, attended this event to learn about drug addiction as a disease. The presentation was put on by UNITE Pike, the Substance Abuse Task Force and Pikeville Medical Center. The focus was on drug addiction as a disease.

Samantha Saracino, a reporter writing for Wymtnews.com, wrote “it is no secret that drug addiction is a problem in this area, but after listening to the presentation, people learned that it is a problem everywhere and it is something that needs to be treated in a specific way.”

It was obvious based on her report that the consensus among all who attended was that the education was necessary and useful in giving them direction on how to fight drug addiction problem in the community.

Barry Chaney, UNITE Pike Chairperson was concerned about the fact that there are still many who are struggling with drug and alcohol addiction and hide their addiction thinking it is a moral deficiency as opposed to a disease which it truly is.

A teacher attending the conference emphasized the importance of events like that one for those interacting with children. Mich Justice who teaches at Belfry High School was satisfied that these educational events prepares teachers to recognize teens involved with drug abuse, how to deal with it and how to do their part to prevent it.

But one important comment came from one of the speakers at the event, Dr. Burns M. Brady, who said: "Wrong explanations, so many wrong treatments, so many things that don't work. It's an extremely prevalent problem and we've really garbled some of the best treatment and explanation for the problem."

There is merit in what Dr. Brady said. There are many drug rehabilitation facilities in America. Drug rehab facilities do not provide the same treatment program for addicts.

As far as finding a treatment facility is concerned, it is important for anyone looking for drug rehabilitation facilities to do his or her homework and find the facility based on research.

Cove Center for Recovery - Addiction Treatment Center Centers offer a flexible and affordable addiction treatment program. Their addiction treatment program focus on treating the whole person and not just an isolated symptom. Their counselors and therapist work one on one with each patient to identify the factors that may have contributed to the drug abuse – home, work, relationships and medical history. They also believe that families have a vital role to play in the recovery process, and each addiction treatment program has a place for family participation, to educate them in the treatment process and to equip them for their role as supporters.

Recovery from addiction is just a click or a phone call away. If the information you are looking for is not found here and you need immediate attention you may contact us:

Addiction Treatment for adults and young adults: 1-888-387-6237http://www.covecenterforrecovery.com

Addiction Treatment for Teens: 1-888-757-6237http://www.inspirationsyouth.com
http://www.inspirationsteenrehab.com