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Increased dental disease was one of the most common health conditions among methamphetamine abusers, found in 41 percent. Methamphetamine abusers also had more teeth missing than nonusers (average 5 versus 2). People who injected methamphetamine were twice as likely to have missing teeth as smokers of the drug. Their higher rates likely reflect more severe addiction and accompanying neglect of self-care.
Read more on how Methamphetamine Abuse Undermines Dental Health
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A former friend of Lady Gaga has penned a book about the star before fame, making claims about the star’s drug use and suggesting she has had plastic surgery.
The revealing memoir by ex-pal Brendan Jay Sullian, ‘Rivington Was Ours: Lady Gaga, The Lower East Side and the Prime of Our Lives’, will include his claim that the Poker Face musician had a habit of doing ‘bags and bags’ of cocaine whilst doing her make-up in her apartment.
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]]>Substance Use by Adolescents On an Average Day Is Alarming
On an average day, 881,684 U.S. teenagers aged 12 to 17 smoked cigarettes, according to a report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The report also says that on an average day 646,707 adolescents smoked marijuana and 457,672 drank alcohol.
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]]>Preventing, Treating, and Surviving Overdose
OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY
Office of Public Affairs
August 28, 2013
FACT SHEET: Preventing, Treating, and Surviving Overdose
Drug overdoses are a major cause of preventable death in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 100 Americans died from overdose every day in 2010.[1] Prescription drugs were involved in more than half of the 38,300 overdose deaths that year, and opioid pain relievers were involved in over 16,600 of these deaths.[2] Drug overdose deaths even outnumbered deaths from gunshot wounds or motor vehicle crashes.[3]
Overdose and the President’s National Drug Control Strategy
The Obama Administration is implementing a science-based plan that works to reduce drug use and its consequences while pursuing drug policy reform. The 2013 National Drug Control Strategy, released in April, outlines innovative policies and programs and recognizes that drug use is not just a criminal justice issue, but a major public health concern. The Strategy also recognizes the importance of reducing both the prevalence of drug use and its consequences, including overdose.
In response to this public health emergency, the Obama Administration has established a goal to reduce drug-induced deaths by 15 percent by 2015. To meet this goal, the Administration is seeking to address the full range of individuals at risk of overdose and to identify the diverse settings in which education and intervention can occur.
Overdose prevention
Preventing drug use before it begins – particularly among young people – remains the most cost-effective way to reduce drug use and its consequences in America. However, in addition to primary prevention strategies, the Obama Administration is working with medical professionals who prescribe opioid analgesics to manage pain to ensure they are properly trained. In 2012, the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), in partnership with the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), made available free Continuing Medical Education courses for medical professionals on evidence-based practices regarding the proper use of opioid analgesics to manage pain. As of August 2013, almost 60,000 medical professionals had taken these training courses.
Additionally, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) today is releasing an Opioid Overdose Toolkit aimed at reducing the number of deaths resulting from opioid overdose through education for clinicians, patients, communities, first responders, overdose survivors, and family members. The toolkit also includes resources for communities and organizations involved in protecting public health and safety.
Expanding access to treatment
Effective treatment of substance use disorders – including medication-assisted treatment – can reduce drug use and, therefore, the risk of overdose and help overdose survivors attain a healthier life. To expand access to treatment, the President’s National Drug Control Strategy details actions in support of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which will create one of the largest expansions of mental health and substance use disorder coverage in a generation. The ACA helps end discrimination against people with substance use disorders by including a substance abuse treatment benefit alongside treatment benefits for other chronic diseases. In support of this effort, the President has requested an increase of $1.4 billion in treatment funding for FY 2014 from Congress – the largest percentage increase in more than two decades.
Addressing the Prescription Drug Abuse Epidemic
In 2011, the Administration released Epidemic: Responding to America’s Prescription Drug Abuse Crisis, a national framework for reducing prescription drug diversion and abuse. The plan supports the expansion of state-based prescription drug monitoring programs, more convenient and environmentally responsible methods for removing and disposing of expired or unneeded medications, education for patients and healthcare providers, and reducing the prevalence of pill mills and doctor shopping through enforcement efforts.
Expanding Access to Naloxone
Naloxone is an injectable medicine that can rapidly reverse an overdose due to prescription or illicit opioids. Naloxone dislodges opioids from the opioid receptors in the brain to help reverse respiratory depression and restore breathing that may have slowed or briefly stopped during an overdose.[4]
The Obama Administration supports the use of naloxone and is taking steps to educate the public, law enforcement officials, healthcare providers, and others about the role this drug can play in saving lives. As a result, ONDCP, the CDC, and SAMHSA are working to identify and address gaps in training, access, or use of naloxone by first responders. Further, ONDCP and its Federal partners are carefully monitoring the public health and safety impact of relevant policy changes, such as laws granting immunity from prosecution for people assisting during an overdose, either with a reversal or by obtaining aid.
For more information on Obama Administration efforts to reduce drug use and its consequences while implementing effective drug policy reform, visit www.wh.gov/drugpolicyreform
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References
[1] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. Underlying Cause of Death 2000-2010 on CDC WONDER Online Database. Extracted December 12, 2012.
[2] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. Underlying Cause of Death 2000-2010 on CDC WONDER Online Database. Extracted February 11, 2013.
[3] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. Underlying Cause of Death 2000-2010 on CDC WONDER Online Database. Extracted December 12, 2012.
[4] Boyer, Edward (2012). “Drug Therapy: Management of Opioid Analgesic Overdose.” The New England Journal of Medicine 367:146-55.
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]]>The post Overcoming Memories That Trigger Cocaine Relapse appeared first on Pasadena Recovery Center.
]]>Overcoming Memories That Trigger Cocaine Relapse
The research reveals that stimulation of certain brain receptors promotes inhibition of cocaine-associated memories, helping addicts to stop drug use. This inhibition is achieved through enhancing a process called “extinction learning,” in which cocaine-associated memories are replaced with associations that have no drug “reward.” This reduces drug-seeking behavior in rats.
Check out this helpful website for more on this and many other topics…
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]]>Teen Intervention Help: Do you think — or know — that your child is using drugs or alcohol?
Even if you believe your teen is just “experimenting” it’s important to take action right away.
Casual drug use can quickly turn into drug abuse, dependence or addiction and can lead to accidents, legal trouble and serious health issues.
If you are at all concerned about your child – or even just have a bad feeling – you can and should intervene by:
- Setting tighter limits with clear consequences
- Getting outside help and support if necessary
- Having productive conversations with your child — remain calm, share your concerns and listen.
- Closely monitoring your child’s behavior and activities
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In 2011 there were approximately 1.24 million emergency department visits related to the nonmedical use of pharmaceuticals, which include prescription and over-the-counter medications as well as supplements.
A new report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) shows that some drug-related emergency department visits increased by 300 percent — from 5,605 visits in 2005 to 22,949 visits in 2011. These visits, made by adults aged 18 to 34, were related to the nonmedical use of central nervous system (CNS) stimulants. On average, about 30 percent of these visits also involved alcohol.
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Even though anabolic steroids do not cause the same high as other drugs, steroids are reinforcing and can lead to addiction. Studies have shown that animals will self-administer steroids when given the opportunity, just as they do with other addictive drugs. People may persist in abusing steroids despite physical problems and negative effects on social relationships, reflecting these drugs’ addictive potential. Also, steroid abusers typically spend large amounts of time and money obtaining the drug—another indication of addiction.
Individuals who abuse steroids can experience withdrawal symptoms when they stop taking them—including mood swings, fatigue, restlessness, loss of appetite, insomnia, reduced sex drive, and steroid cravings, all of which may contribute to continued abuse. One of the most dangerous withdrawal symptoms is depression—when persistent, it can sometimes lead to suicide attempts. Research has found that some steroid abusers turn to other drugs such as opioids to counteract the negative effects of steroids.
Performance Enhancing Drug Effects
The use of performance-enhancing drugs has become increasingly popular as athletes compete for scholarships, medals, money and coveted spots on professional teams, report Mayo Clinic doctors. Drugs that are used by both male and female athletes to give them an edge over their competition include anabolic-androgenic steroids, diuretics, stimulants and creatine. Each drug, whether natural or man-made, comes with its own set of side effects. While they do reap some of the desired benefits, most physicians and sports trainers report that the dangerous performance-enhancing drug effects outweigh any short-term benefits.
The bottom line
Do performance-enhancing drugs boost performance? Some athletes may appear to achieve physical gains from such drugs, but at what cost? The long-term effects of performance-enhancing drugs haven’t been rigorously studied. And short-term benefits are tempered by many risks. Not to mention that doping is prohibited by most sports organizations. No matter how you look at it, using performance-enhancing drugs is risky business.
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]]>In 2010, OxyContin introduced a new formula that drug abusers can’t crush to a powder to snort or inject. This is how it works, chemically, and whether it actually deters abuse.
Old vs. New: The pre-2010 OxyContin pill crushes into grains (left) while the newer formula is more difficult to break up (right). Scott Novak
Injection Deterring: Drug abusers sometimes dissolved crushed older OxyContin into an injectable mixture (left), but the newer formula makes a stringy jelly when mixed with liquid (right). Scott Novak
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]]>The post Study Pinpoints Cognitive Deficits Due to Cocaine, Finds Potential for Recovery appeared first on Pasadena Recovery Center.
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A lack of effective medications to treat cocaine addiction means that the current best hope for recovery is behavioral therapy, in which people learn to ignore the cues that trigger their drug craving and to establish new habits that provide healthy rewards. New research by Dr. Michael A. Nader, Dr. Robert W. Gould, and colleagues at Wake Forest School of Medicine, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, suggests that the brain’s capacity for this type of learning is compromised during the initial days and weeks of cocaine abstinence, but may return to normal thereafter.
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