“If only I had known then what I know now, I would never have taken that first hit!” This is the common cry of Drug addicted people all over the world. It matters little if the drug is Heroin, crystal Methamphetamine, Hashish or Crack Cocaine. The whole process that eventually led to this person’s ruined life, their diminished potential, ravaged body and blunted mental capacity could have been avoided if the original act had never occurred.

It seems obvious that no one would begin an activity that stands a good chance of ruining their life unless they did not know or did not believe that it could actually happen to them. But most schools in the United States have some form of drug education. So why is it that in the U.S. there are still roughly seven thousand young people trying illegal drugs for the first time each day?

We have been hearing for years that most kids will try drugs no matter what the adults say. This is from a group that forwards a theory called Harm Reduction. They hold that the best we can do is teach young people to use drugs safely or responsibly. But how do you take crack Cocaine safely? What is the responsible way to use heroin or crystal methamphetamine? (more…)

By Rev. Ned Wicker,

Drug-Addiction-Support.org

Admitting that drug addiction is a disease seems trite on the surface, but people look at drug addiction differently than they view heart disease, or cancer, or the common cold. There is always blame attached to drug addiction. There is always an accusatory finger to be pointed at the one who suffers from drug addiction disease.

Many in society assert that the addict is entirely to blame. There is not the same kind of sympathy for drug addicts that there is for smokers with cancer, or people with diabetes and heart disease. They are not viewed as people suffering from a disease.

The reasoning for society not being sympathetic to the addict is simple. People get hooked because they chose to take the drug in the first place. John Q. Public sees it that way and he can take the moral high ground because he didn’t take drugs and somebody else did. Maybe John Q. took the drugs but didn’t get hooked. People seeking a thrill might try a street drug like crack cocaine, methamphetamine, or heroin because of the “rush,” the “high” they produce and chronic users are those who have developed a need far beyond merely wanting a thrill. (more…)

What is Pain Medicine?

Pain medicine, in addition to called managing pain/pain management, is a branch of medication with the purpose of pain reduction. This type of medication covers a large range of circumstances including neuropathic pain, pain caused by certain types of cancer, postoperative pain and more.

Who can become addicted to Pain Medication?

Men and Women of all ages, particularly adolescents and more with the elderly subsequently are becoming addicted. Not only the elderly are turning to pain medication to battle the aches and pains of aging, our adolescent are experimenting through opiate-based drugs, causing the number of children and seniors in quest of treatment for addiction are on a major rise. (more…)

None by itself provides complete understanding of the world of drug use and abuse. It is useful to understand the following models.

1) The moral – legal model
2) The disease or public model
3) The psychosocial model
4) The socio – cultural model

The first two models of drug use operate on the premise that the answer to drug abuse problems is to keep drugs away from man. In these two models drugs are classified as either safe or dangerous. ‘Dangerous’ includes not only drugs that are physically dangerous but also those that are not socially or legally sanctioned. Drugs are the active ingredient; people are the deviant victims who must be protected. Protection comes in the form of legal controls on cultivation, manufacture, distribution, or possession. The deterrents are punishment or fear of harm. The major difference between the legal – moral and the disease or public health model is that the latter dwells less on legality of the substance and more on its potential harm. (more…)

In most cases, situations of teenage drug abuse become more complicated because their families were not able to take stock of the situation earlier. Parents of a teenager are not professionals in the subject of drug abuse and hence it is quite normal that they do not read the signs or mistake them for some other condition. This kind of ignorance however can take an immense toll on the entire treatment process later on. It can actually impede treatment because the person’s abuse will keep on growing to higher levels. That is the reason the families must read about the way a drug abuse works as much as possible.

Drug abuse signs can be found out in the behavior as well as the physical characteristics of the teenager. Here is what you should be looking out for.

Behavioral Signs of Teenage Drug Abuse

1. The teenager will not find restful sleep at night. Insomnia will be quite common. Youngsters who are consuming drugs may stay awake for long hours at night and then feel quite sluggish and lethargic on the next day.

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Drug abuse is a major issue as many people irrespective of age and gender are getting addicted to illicit drugs. According to NSDUH 2007, 114 million Americans of 12 years and above, accounting 46% of the population reported drug abuse at least once in their entire life time. This fact alone states the severity of drug abuse in the United States. To check the drug abuse, instant drug testing kits are playing an important role. Of them, one step multi-drug screen test is unique, as it screens 12 most commonly abused drugs at a time with single device and a single sample.

The twelve drugs:
The one step multi-drug screen test provides quick and quality results of multiple drugs and drug metabolites in urine specimen. This test card tests for combination of Cocaine, Amphetamine, Methamphemine, Marijuana(THC), Methadone, Opiates, Phencyclidine, Barbiturate, Benzodiazepine, Propoxyphene, Tricyclics, and Oxycodone. This drug test is FDA approved.

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Monitoring the drug abuse statistics in our youth is a great indicator of the future of the next generations. Organizations such as Monitoring The Future (MTF) have been conducting research since the mid 1970s on the use of drugs amongst 12th grade students and their perception of drugs and its use. The University of Michigan’s Institute of Social Research conducts the studies.

The study is longitudinal and follows the patterns and changes in attitudes of the students over time. In 1991, the studies included 8th and 10th graders too.

The latest drug abuse statistics conducted by MTF were taken in 2008. The key findings showed a decrease in the abuse pattern for a majority of the drugs compared to the previous year.

There were a few positive results that were highlighted. In 2008, the number of 10th graders that have used any illicit drugs in their lifetime had significantly declined in comparison to 2007.

The percentage of youngsters in this age group that smoke cigarettes have continued to decline over the years, and has fallen to the lowest rate in the history of the survey. This is a promising finding, as the use of tobacco is one of the major concerns in health problems.

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There are so many negative results of drug abuse that it is a wonder that the problem persists in society. Drug abuse can refer to any type of substance abuse. Some substances are legally obtainable, others are available only on prescription and many are completely illegal.

You may be worried that a friend or family member may be abusing drugs but you are not sure what to look for. Do not ignore your hunch. If you perceive changes in the person’s health or behavior that the person themselves is reluctant to explain then you have good enough reason to suspect drug abuse.

One of the first results of drug abuse is the appearance of drug paraphernalia in or around the person’s possession. Look out for needles, glasses and mirrors used for snorting, cigarette papers, blackened spoons used for heating substances, empty solvent canisters etc. These items can often be found in the trash.

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Drug addiction is crippling the society these days. The worst thing about drug abuse is teenage involvement. Nowadays, a number of children are engaged to be addicted to dangerous drugs at tender ages. In addition, family members are unaware of the habits of their kids. With the easy availability of drugs, it becomes difficult to prevent young minds to prevent teenage addiction.

Among the most popular drugs are marijuana and alcohol that can actually ruin the future of any teenager. Many children get addicted to drugs and alcohol as they see someone in the family having these drugs. Many children try drugs due to heavy pressure from their peer groups. It is commonly seen that due to domestic violence or any other abuse, children try their hands in drugs as it gives instant relief. Some try as a result of curiosity and later on becomes addicted by taking frequent doses. Taking heavy doses at a regular interval can create a lot of trouble and thus, spoil the future life of a child. Thus, the need is to strictly follow measures that restrict the free sale of dangerous drugs and alcohol for children. Putting a ban on the easy access of alcohol and other harmful drugs can somewhat help in spreading of dangerous drugs in the market.

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It is a known fact that sometimes, families can even sort of encourage the individual to continue on with his substance abuse addiction. How so? What are they doing that actually acts to the detriment of the individual. Sometimes this happens by the parents using drugs. It also happens by parents who are too busy with their careers to spend any quality time with their children, or parents that are divorced and just don’t care. The kids in most cases turn to the streets to raise them, and depend on their friends for all their needs.

What makes it even harder for someone with a drug dependent family is that some families who have a history of Long Term Drug Abuse wouldn’t feel comfortable with someone in their family that is straight. And I’d even go as far as to say that the family wouldn’t know how to deal with it. They might for example say something like, “It’s cool, one hit won’t kill you”. But it will distract them and no one can do one hit and not want to keep going and get high.

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