Rehab Articles
Faces of Addiction, substance abuse
Faces of Addiction photos show the toll that substance abuse takes, letting people see physical evidence of what the use of drugs and alcohol will do over time. In the year 2013 alone, the latest statistics available right now, there were more than 24 million people just in the United States who reported abusing illegal street drugs or prescription medications each month. The latest project is an attempt to make people stop and think before engaging in substance abuse. The photos displayed on the Faces of Addiction project involved 13 different individuals who have had arrests for a variety of drug charges that included pain medications, cocaine, and methamphetamine.
The contrast between the before and after photos with the Faces of Addiction project are shocking, and the website does disclaim that the changes are not only a physical result of substance abuse. People who have an addiction typically follow a devastating path that includes self neglect because the drugs take over, and taking care of their appearance and health is a secondary concern. According to the website “The pursuit of a drug habit can cost these people everything – their friends and family, their home and livelihood. And nowhere is that impact more evident than in the faces of addicts themselves.” Some of the after photos show incredible premature aging, missing teeth, open sores and lesions, shrinking and facial wasting, and other changes which are severe. Faces of Addiction shows what happens when substance abuse sets in and continues for a year or more.
Rehab Articles
random drug testing, medical care professionals
Random drug testing is common in many professions and across much of North America, especially in the USA. Many medical care professionals are not forced to undergo random drug testing though, and that has placed a large number of patients at risk. When people think about substance abuse in the medical professional the first though that usually comes to mind is doctors, but a number of high profile cases in the USA show that nurses, radiologists, surgical technicians, and other professionals in the medical field also have a higher than average rate of substance abuse, and sometimes the drugs that are abused are stolen from the very patients who these substances are prescribed for. Many of these professional must pass a pre employment drug screen but once they are hired random drug testing is not performed.
Medical care professionals have very stressful jobs, and this increases the risk of drug abuse. Random drug testing on a regular basis could eliminate much of the patient risk in these situations, and uncover drug abuse before it spirals out of control and affects the patients. In Michigan a doctor and a nurse were found overdosed within days of each other right on the hospital campus, one died and one survived. The drugs that caused the overdose were taken from the supply on hand at the hospital. Many patients have suffered excruciating pain after surgery because the pain medications they were supposed to receive were used by medical professionals, and the syringes were refilled with saline. Some patients have even contracted diseases like Hepatitis because of these actions. Random drug testing could help keep medical professionals clean, and identify problems as soon as they start.
Rehab Articles
Hysingla ER, hydrocodone abuse
Hydrocodone abuse is a big problem, and not just in the USA. This has led to FDA approval for a new form of hydrocodone pill called Hysingla ER which offers extended relief for severe pain while being very difficult to abuse at the same time. Most of the hydrocodone medications o the market can be easily abused, and the rate of illegal hydrocodone abuse in the last few years has skyrocketed because most of these medications do not have any safeguards against abuse. The pills are snorted, crushed, chewed, or injected to amplify the narcotic effects. This is far more difficult with the newest form of the drug approved by the FDA. Hysingla ER is only intended for patients who have extreme pain around the clock, and who do not benefit from other pain management treatments or less powerful painkillers.
Hysingla ER was developed by Purdue Pharma, and it is intended for a once daily dose which has an extended relief feature. This allows the drug to be effective for roughly 24 hours in most patients, and it is very hard to use for hydrocodone abuse because the pills do not crush or dissolve easily. This is not the first abuse resistant form of hydrocodone to hit the market, last year Zohydro was approved by the FDA but the product from Zogenix is designed to be taken twice daily, every 12 hours. Hydrocodone abuse is a big issue, but patients with severe and debilitating pain still have a right to proper pain management. Patients with a legitimate need for pain medications should not be made to suffer because of those who abuse these drugs.
Rehab Articles
substance abuse recovery, relapse triggers
1. Old Friends- One of the biggest obstacles to substance abuse recovery and one of the most common triggers for a relapse is old friends. These are friends that you use to drink or do drugs with, and just seeing these friends and hanging out can weaken your resolve to stay clean.
2. Old Haunts- One of the biggest relapse triggers is visiting places where you use to go and abuse substances. This place may be a neighborhood bar, the house of a friend who used to use with you all the time, or even places that you associate with your substance abuse for some other reason.
3. Old Thoughts-Part of successful substance abuse recovery is changing the way that you think, and if you start finding old thoughts coming back then this can trigger a slide backwards. If you experience moodiness, or you start to feel selfish or find yourself thinking what about me then additional counseling may be needed to avoid a relapse.
4. Missing Meetings and Counseling Sessions- One of the relapse triggers that many people report is missing meetings and counseling sessions. Recovery is a long process, and these sessions and meetings help you stay strong against the alcohol or drug.
5. Remembering Substance Abuse in a Favorable Light- If you are in substance abuse recovery then one warning sign of a possible relapse is viewing your past use in a favorable or positive light. You may start to romanticize your past substance abuse activities or experience a sense of nostalgia for the old days.
Rehab Articles
prescription drug addiction, substance abuse treatment
Prescription drug addiction is a common problem, one that many people have experienced in their lives. Without substance abuse treatment that is effective the problem will just continue to get worse, and eventually the health or even the life of the user may be at risk. There are many types of medications that can cause a prescription drug addiction. Opioid pain medications are commonly abused because of the sense of euphoria that they may offer. Strong opiates like Oxycontin can involve a very high overdose risk yet individuals continue to abuse these drugs. Tranquilizers are also the frequent target of those who need substance abuse treatment, and some entertainers have even created songs and jokes about these medicines. There is nothing funny about a prescription drug addiction though, this is a serious problem that needs to be addressed and resolved.
If you or someone that you know has a prescription drug addiction then it is essential that you receive substance abuse treatment. This type of problem does not have to continue, and it is possible to take your life back and feel good without drugs once more. Look for a substance abuse treatment program which offers individual counseling, anger management, physical fitness, and nutritional counseling. Each of these elements are important for a permanent recovery. It is also best to avoid rehab programs which are very crowded or extremely stressful, because you will probably not get exceptional results from these programs due to the negative environment. Don’t let prescription drug addiction destroy your life!
