Happy Independence Day! The 4th of July is normally a day for friends and family, barbecues and fireworks. But we should also think of our military personnel serving around the world and at home. Many soldiers returning from deployment suffer from pain, insomnia, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) which often leads to drug abuse.
This NY Times article discusses the increased use of prescription drugs and drug dependency, among other issues, for soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Some highlights from the article include:
“Prescription drug use is on the rise,” the report said, noting that medications were involved in one-third of the record 162 suicides by active-duty soldiers in 2009.
The widespread availability of prescription medications is increasingly being linked by military officials to growing substance abuse, particularly with opiates. A Defense Department survey last year found that the illegal use of prescription drugs in the military had tripled from 2005 to 2008, with five times as many troops claiming to abuse prescription drugs than illegal ones like cocaine or marijuana.
If you are former military and suffer from addiction please give the Pasadena Recovery Center a call at (866) 663-3030.
The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (NCASA) at Columbia University has just released an important must-read five year national study – Addiction Medicine: Closing the Gap between Science and Practice – that finds that only one in 10 people with addiction to drug and/or alcohol reports receiving any treatment at all. That is a travesty.
Other highlights from the report:
Forty million Americans ages 12 and older (16 percent) have the disease of addiction involving nicotine, alcohol or other drugs, a disease affecting more Americans than heart conditions, diabetes or cancer; another 80 million people are risky substance users – using tobacco, alcohol and other drugs in ways that threaten health and safety.
About 7 in 10 people with diseases like hypertension, major depression and diabetes receive treatment; only about 1 in 10 people who need treatment for addiction involving alcohol or other drugs receive it while the number receiving treatment for nicotine is not even known.
Addiction treatment facilities and programs are not adequately regulated or held accountable for providing treatment consistent with medical standards and proven treatment practices.
In 2010 only $28 billion was spent to treat the 40 million people with addiction. In comparison, the United States spent:
$44 billion to treat diabetes which affects 26 million people;
$87 billion to treat cancer which affects 19 million people;
$107 billion to treat heart conditions which affect 27 million people.
The disease of addiction does not discriminate against economic class, age, sex or nationality. Addiction is a progressive disease meaning that the longer that it goes on for the worse it is going to get. Drug and alcohol addiction will lead to a number of different health issues, broken families and unemployment. For someone who suffers from drug and alcohol addiction a quality drug rehab can be their saving grace. Drug rehab is going to be necessary for the majority of people who suffer from addiction. A drug rehab program is vital if a person is going to have a chance to recover from drug and alcohol addiction. Drug rehab will build the foundation needed to achieve long lasting sobriety. Without drug rehab it may be possible to stop addiction temporarily but relapse is more than likely.
A suffering addict is addicted to drugs on both a physical and psychological level. Once addicted to drugs physical withdrawal symptoms will be experienced if the drug is not in their system. If drugs are not in an individual’s body it will be very difficult for them to function. Psychologically an addict will crave and obsess over finding more drugs. They will go to any lengths to get more drugs and put everything else aside including the needs of children, family, work and healthy recreation.
An addiction is not going to miraculously disappear. Drug rehab is going to be needed in order to stop the downward cycle that drug abuse causes. Left untreated drug addiction can easily lead to jail and other types of institutions. Drug addiction has brought many people to their knees leaving them homeless and suffering from various mental and physical illnesses.
A client at drug rehab will first be relieved of their physical addiction by going through a medically supervised detoxification process. Medical professionals will monitor the progress of their clients and make sure that they are comfortable and experiencing a minimum amount of withdrawal symptoms. Many are hesitant to detox because they fear that it is going to be an extremely uncomfortable process. A detox that is overlooked by physicians will be very manageable. Once detoxification is completed a drug rehab will address the psychological aspect of addiction. This is done in various types of therapy facilitated by therapist and certified addiction professionals.
Drug addiction treatment is the most efficient and effective way to treat the disease of drug and alcohol abuse. The sooner that one admits that they need help to overcome their addiction the better off they will be. Addiction is a deadly disease that should be taken very seriously. Like Cancer and Diabetes it needs the treatment of professionals. Drug rehab has helped millions of people recover from addiction.
I’ve been meaning to share this article by Michael D. Lemonick, that I saved in 2007.
There are many interesting points mentioned. Note, for example, what Dr. Nora Volkow, from the National Institute of Drug Abuse explains:
“Studies have shown, for instance, that women may be more vulnerable to cravings for nicotine during the latter part of the menstrual cycle, when the egg emerges from the follicle and the hormones progesterone and estrogen are released. The reward systems of the brain have different sensitivities at different points in the cycle…There is way greater craving during the later phase.”
Tiger Woods gave his first interview today, since his sex affairs scandal broke out.
When asked how he felt about becoming, from one of the greatest golfers in the world, to “a punchline,” he answered:
“It was hurtful, but then again, I did it. I’m the one who did those things…looking back on it now, with a clear head -I get it. I can understand when people say those things…it was disgusting behavior. ”
In the article, “Is Sex Addiction an Excuse?” from the New York Times, Dr. Joe Kort, certified sexual addiction therapist and doctor, answers to this common misconception:
“Calling sex addiction an excuse is a common reaction. My response to that is that it isn’t an excuse if it helps someone get help. These men deserve proper help, and to say they are using it as an excuse just further shames them from getting treatment. Yes, there are some men and women who will use sex addiction as an excuse. However, those same individuals will not get help, nor will they stay in treatment or recovery very long. Spouses and families deserve appropriate therapy for someone, like Tiger, who jeopardizes their integrity with their sexual behavior…” (continue to article)
