Abuse Of The Prescription Drug Adderall Spiraling Out Of Control On College Campuses
Adderall Abuse By Students Is All Too Common
Adderall is being so commonly abused on College Campuses as a result of its stimulant qualities that it is affecting the grading curve. Students in law school warn new students that you take the “Smart Drug” to obtain super-human focus needed for marathon study or you fall to the bottom of the success curve because your grades go down. How can you compete against students that never stop because they are so amped up on speed? ONE80CENTER is amazed by the extent of the drug’s popularity at colleges and universities at both the undergraduate and graduate level.
Statistics About Adderall Abuse And Addiction
Between 1992 and 2002, the number of prescriptions for ADHD medications in the United States increased 369 percent to 23.4 million a year, according to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse report. In 2005, there were 31.8 million prescriptions for such medications, according to an IMS Health Report. The most popular was Adderall. A survey of students at 119 colleges nationwide found that, on certain campuses, up to 25 percent of respondents had misused ADHD medication in the past year.
The medication is widely available on college campuses and at high schools because it is used to treat ADHD. As a result, students with prescriptions sell their pills to other students. Since it retails illicitly for only a few dollars a pill, not much more than a cup of coffee, and is so widely used and accepted, students ignore the real dangers. Let’s be perfectly clear: Adderall abuse leads directly to Adderall addiction.
Adderall Tablets In High Demand
The ONE80CENTER staff has treated enough Adderall addicts and abusers to know how horrible that addiction can be in terms of withdrawal and psychological dependence. Once you being using speed as a staple in your working and studying methodologies, it quickly becomes indispensable and takes over your life. Adderall addiction is a growing part of the plague of prescription drug abuse. With recent shortages of the drug and signs of desperation by addicts, it has become clear that Adderall abuse and addiction is a serious crisis with young Americans.
Adderall Abuse Becomes Routine And Accepted On Campus
Adderall abuse is so cunning, baffling and powerful because it is so widely used and accepted and quickly becomes part of a normal routine. But such a routine is anything but normal. It is the pathway to addiction. If you need help because your Adderall usage or a loved one’s has spiraled out of control, we can help you. ONE80CENTER has extensive experience helping such addicts embrace the path of long-term recovery and we can help you today.
An Evening With Marianne Williamson
ON Friday, ONE80CENTER was honored to present An Evening with Marianne Williamson to the ONE80CENTER family. For those who don’t know, Marianne Williamson is is an internationally acclaimed spiritual author and lecturer. Six of her ten published books have been New York Times Best Sellers. Four of these have been #1 New York Times Best Sellers. A Return to Love is considered a must-read of The New Spirituality.
On a personal level, Marianne Williamson is a hero of mine. I love her message. I have read many of her books. I was introduced to A Course in Miracles through her, as her books and her lectures focus on using A Course In Miracles to its fullest extent. That book has had an intense impact on my life- both my life as a person in recovery (by deepening my conscious contact with my Higher Power) and as a person in the world- a mother, an employee, a sponsor, a friend. My exposure to Marianne has had a profound impact on my own spiritual path, as it has on countless others.
Before I continue, I feel like I should talk about A Course in Miracles. There are many who have heard of it but don’t know much else about it. The name makes many think that its a lecture series or a seminar. People think Marianne wrote it. The truth is that its a book- the first part being text, the second part being a workbook. The workbook consists of 365 days of exercises, one for each day. Here is an example-
Lesson 1 – Nothing I see in this room [on this street, from this window, in this place] means anything.
Now look slowly around you, and practice applying this idea very specifically to whatever you see:
This table does not mean anything. This chair does not mean anything. This hand does not mean anything.
Then look farther away from your immediate area, and apply the idea to a wider range:
That door does not mean anything. That body does not mean anything. That lamp does not mean anything.
Notice that these statements are not arranged in any order, and make no allowance for differences in the kinds of things to which they are applied. That is the purpose of the exercise. The statement should merely be applied to anything you see. As you practice the idea for the day, use it totally indiscriminately. Do not attempt to apply it to everything you see, for these exercises should not become ritualistic. Only be sure that nothing you see is specifically excluded. One thing is like another as far as the application of the idea is concerned.
The text of CIM was channeled through Helen Shcucman, who was a professor at Columbia University. When you read it, you just know that no human being, with all their limited faculties and, well, humanness, could have authored it. Reading that text has allowed me a much deeper insight into the nature of things, specific to my experience. For instance, CIM says that only love is real. Anything that is not love is not real. There are lots of things that seem like they are not love happening all the time- but these are only hallucinations, essentially, created by perception that is not in alignment with Holy Spirit. This idea has given me a great deal of relief in my life, and has allowed me to relax into a new perception which is infinitely more graceful than being held hostage by the illusions of an ego driven life.
Marianne graced us all of us in attendance at ONE80CENTER with her presence, and with her extraordinary message. It was an amazing evening, and I watched the spiritual pilot light ignite in everyone who was fortunate enough to be there. Its not every day that one gets to be in such an intimate setting with her- she speaks every Monday in Los Angeles, and there are hundreds of people who attend that lecture every week. She spoke of the way A Course in Miracles and the Principles of the 12 Steps align- they both carry the message of Truth with a capital T, and Truth is Truth. She took questions from the audience and was able to shine a light on the dark spots that plague all alcoholics and addicts. I loved how she didn’t sugar coat anything- the ego doesn’t need any mollycoddling- it needs to know we are on to it, it needs to know that we mean business! She speaks from not just knowledge of the truth- we all have that, we know the difference between so called ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ or the seemingly ‘good’ and ‘bad’. Its having a deep experience with truth that dispels the myth of suffering. Experiencing the truth of choice, for example. One can explain how all life is choice, and that at every moment we can choose between being empowered or disempowered, and this comes from inside and is not dictated by external circumstance. But until one has an actual experience of the power of choice on this most fundamental level of perception, its all academic. However, hearing the truth and being exposed to it can and does light the way to that deeper experience and understanding. Another example of how you can lead a horse to water but you can’t, as they say, make him drink- I can’t tell you how many people I have told about Course in Miracles, or who I know have heard of it, or have it but only made it through the first five pages, etc. Here one is given an opportunity to experience life in a different way, to deepen one’s understanding of oneself and to know a peace and joy that is our birthright. And why do people not grab onto the Course with absolute fervor? Oh, a million reasons. But short of having a near death experience that has rendered one incapable of reading, I can’t think of one good reason for anyone who has been exposed to Course in Miracles not to dive into it whole heartedly, with unbridled and unshakable commitment.
I frequently talk about ‘the next level’ in recovery. In fact, I’d go out on a limb and say that its one of the main driving forces in both my writing and my life. I have come to a place in my own ‘next level’ where I am not so much of a seeker anymore. I have become a finder. I am finding deep spiritual truths that resonate with who I am understanding myself to be, and these truths enhance my ability to be available to others, to love without reservation, to trust and flow in the divine choreography that is constantly unfolding, to respect myself and my boundaries, to know that the only limits in the world are the ones I create. Marianne Williamson epitomizes the message that speaks to those of us in recovery who are ready to deepen, to understand, to experience a real atonement, a paradigm shift, and to see things in a new and sacred way.
If you are interested in A Course in Miracles, click here. (Or, should I say, if you are interested in the next level, are you interested in being liberated from the confines of your conditioning, are you interested in seeing life like a new thing full of wonder and delight, which is the playful nature of God, click here!)
…Oh yeah, did I mention I got to go pick her up and also drive her home after the lecture? That was the icing on the cake!
Despite The Rise In Prescription Painkiller Abuse, Doctors Have No Effective Tools To Measure Pain
In an era when prescription painkiller abuse is on the rise, ONE80CENTER finds it frustrating that doctors still cannot measure pain objectively. An excellent article about this subject was published in the The Wall Street Journal. The most common way to measure pain is to ask patients to rate it themselves on a scale of one to ten. Is a drug addict go to anything less than pick 9 or 10? Doctors also ask patients to match up their pain to a cartoon face that shows an expression similar to what they are feeling. Addicts naturally go for the most dramatic faces.
Prescription Painkiller Abuse and Drug Seeking
Drug Seeking Is All Too Common
Joel Saper, Director of the Michigan Head Pain and Neurological Institute in Ann Arbor, told the newspaper, “We don’t have a pain-o-meter.” Dr. Saper estimates that between 15 to 20 percent of patients seeking relief from pain either don’t have pain or have less pain than they say they do. Drug seeking is becoming more and more common, particularly when it comes to prescription painkiller abuse. Even among patients with real pain, level of tolerance for pain varies widely. Doctors must balance the abuse of prescription painkillers with the real need of patients in pain, the article notes.
An estimated 116 million Americans suffer from chronic pain. Low back pain is the most common type of pain, affecting 28 percent of the population. Knee pain is second; affecting 20 percent, according to a new report by the Institute of Medicine called Relieving Pain in America. The problem is both back pain and knee pain are easy to fake. Just go to any emergency room in any major hospital and ask the attending doctors whether this is a problem. The response will be nothing less than laughter.
Opioid Contract Is A Start
Some doctors ask patients who they feel are at risk of prescription drug abuse to sign an opioid contract. This agreement establishes an understanding that the patient will only receive opioids from that doctor and only one pharmacy. The patient may be asked to submit to urine drug screening, and is told that if their medication is lost, it will not be replaced. Stolen medication will only be replaced if the person brings a police report. Many states also have prescription drug databases that doctors can check to find out whether patients are receiving similar drugs from other doctors in the state.
Doctors Need A National Prescription Painkiller Database
ONE80CENTER likes the idea of the opioid contract, but doubts that it will lessen prescription painkiller abuse. Instead, what truly makes sense is giving doctors access to a national prescription painkiller database that must be entered every time a person is prescribed a prescription painkiller with their name and social security number. Beyond education, the number one tool to provide to doctors and even pharmacists access to information. Such access is not that difficult in terms of the scope of modern technology, and it could make a significant impact on prescription painkiller abuse in America.
Prescription Benzodiazepine Sedative Phenazepam Found As An Illegal Ingredient In The Synthetic Cannabis, Kronic’s Pineapple Express
Pineapple Express Illegally Contains Prescription Drugs
Kronic’s Pineapple Express, Synthetic Cannabis that can be bought on websites, actually contains the prescription-only benzodiazepine sedative called Phenazepam. Although it has been “recalled” by the Australian company that sells the marijuana mimic and pulled off the shelves, it still is being sold in its original form all over the web. The supposedly harmless drug can lead to severe drowsiness and even coma when mixed with alcohol. The clinical staff at ONE80CENTER condemns the distribution of marijuana mimics and synthetic cannabis as supposedly legal and harmless drug alternatives. In truth, they are dangerous and addictive.
Dr. Leo Schep of the Australian National Poisons Centre said smoking three or more joints of Pineapple Express would give a large enough dosage of Phenazepam to cause serious problems if combined with alcohol. Dr. Schep said: “I’m not sure if it would get to the stage of respiratory repression. But it would definitely knock you out. We know what happens with a Benzo and alcohol … but we have no idea predicting what will happen with the added ingredient of these synthetic cannabinoids. I am exasperated … shocked, that they willy nilly put in other chemicals to increase psychotropic effects on the user … and they have no idea of the dose.”
NOT FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION!
Contributors to drug forums on the Internet warn others not to smoke Phenazepam, with even 1mg causing problems among users. Lightyears Ahead, the company behind the synthetic marijuana mimic, said it was not meant to contain Phenazepam, and it was unaware the blend did. The company has previously referred to the blend as “our greatest creation” which is “fast-acting and strong-hitting”. It claimed the presence of the prescription medicine was a “contamination”, and at 300 parts per million it was a “small amount”. In truth, it is well more than a small amount when combined with alcohol and the idea of such accidental contamination in such a large production run is absurd.
The Marijuana Mimic Kronic's Pineapple Express
Environmental Science and Research (ESR) in Australia has identified over 43 synthetic cannabis products and screened about half of them so far. Other over-the-counter products are being investigated for the presence of prescription medications. Phenazepam is a strong prescription benzodiazepine, or sedative, produced in Russia and some other former USSR countries. Very potent and long acting, it is a drug of abuse that ONE80CENTER has seen as part of the party regimen of many drug addicts. Although you are not supposed to be able to synthetic cannabis products to minors under the age of 18, it is widely and easily available on the Internet.
Russian Made Ultra-Strong Barbituate Phenazepam Is Very Dangerous
Etta James, who battled drug addiction, passes away
The “Matriarch of the Blues” has died. Music legend Etta James died Friday morning at Riverside Community Hospital in California of complications from leukemia. She was 73. She was born Jamesetta Hawkins in Los Angeles in 1938. Her first manager and promoter cut up Jamesetta’s name and reversed it: Etta James.
Last night when I heard she passed, I was reminded of one night in the 90s when I went to the House of Blues with my then husband. We went up to the Foundation Room, which at the time was rather exclusive, without knowing who was playing on the stage below. As we stood around drinking and talking to people (I have no recollection of who or why we were there) I heard the song “At Last,” coming from the television monitors placed around the exclusive club, showing the performers on the stage below. Everyone knows that song; and I think for most people it has some significance, even if you can’t even say what it is. I remember my knees buckling a bit, and I wanted to get down to the concert area, but I also didn’t want to leave the monitor, hearing that song, and that voice, at that moment. I heard something in that voice calling me out. It would have been the same if she had been singing my very name. She had my undivided attention.
What I didn’t know at the time was that in her voice was the struggle that I would soon face myself- the struggle for independence from the slave master of addiction and alcoholism. For many years, she battled the disease. At the time, I was still in the grip of it.
She is quoted as once saying, about her youth-’I wanted to be rare, I wanted to be noticed, I wanted to be exotic as a Cotton Club chorus girl, and I wanted to be obvious as the most flamboyant hooker on the street. I just wanted to be.’ This sounds like the battle cry of most female addicts and alcoholics. We want the glamour, we want what it promises, without realizing that the promise is empty and that glamour is a big lie. I hadn’t realized it yet at the time. I didn’t know I had a problem and I didn’t know I was invested in a lie. Standing there, in that club, in a clingy designer dress and stealing away to the bathroom to do cocaine, with a tumbler full of straight chilled vodka, I thought I was living the life. But there was a nagging sense that it wasn’t real, and I sought to shut that up with every drink, every line, every pill. Etta James and I had a lot in common, and I think I heard that in her voice that night. It gave me chills.
In 1960, James was introduced to heroin. This is not unusual for many of the great singers of her time, it seems. And the story isn’t that unique, either. Johnny Cash, Ray Charles- many succumbed to this substance, and lived to tell the tale. In her time, it was unique in that she was a woman, and was established as a force to be reckoned with in a mostly male dominated culture and industry. She alternately made some of her best recordings during this time, while trying to maintain her drug lifestyle, which resulted in time behind bars. She spent all her money on drugs, almost sacrificed her career, bounced checks, forged prescriptions and stole from her friends. A judge finally gave her a choice: prison or rehabilitation. In 1974, she spent months in recovery at a psychiatric hospital.
At that time, Keith Richards from the Rolling Stones, a long time fan of Etta, wrote her a letter, telling her that if she stayed clean, she could open for the Rolling Stones on tour. In 1978, she did just that. It took over 2 decades for James to finally overcome her addictions, during which she spent much time in and out of Tarzana Psychiatric Hospital and The Betty Ford Clinic. By the ’90s, she’d reached a new generation of fans and won a Grammy. And I was one of that new generation. It was in the 90s that I had that moment at the House of Blues. I felt like someone had pointed a finger at me and said, “You, yeah, you. She’s got your number. Listen up.”
She did. We both found our way into recovery, finally into a life of peace where our skin fits. We finally got to recognize the lie we so desperately wanted to be true. In her voice one hears the past heartbreaks, the grit of living hard, the soft and sugar-y tone like angels melting that comes from the deep and weaponless soul of a woman. You can hear recovery in her voice, the struggle to own oneself and the emancipation, when one is finally free. That strikes a chord for anyone who has been there, or is there now. Like the sounds that only dogs can hear, it might be true that only we addicts and alcoholics can even hear it in her voice, it might be true that it might not strike the same chord in others as it does with us.
Regardless, she definitely struck many chords with many people. ‘Etta James was a pioneer. Her ever-changing sound has influenced rock n’ roll, rhythm and blues, pop, soul and jazz artists, marking her place as one of the most important female artists of our time,’ said Rock and Roll Hall of Fame president and CEO Terry Stewart. ‘From Janis Joplin to Joss Stone, an incredible number of performers owe their debts to her. There is no mistaking the voice of Etta James, and it will live forever.’
For any one of us to be able to pass out of this world into whatever awaits as a sober person is a great victory of the spirit. Our addictions are our prisons, and we are the key master of our own cage. To be liberated, to own oneself, to know oneself, and to die in this exalted state is the best way to exit this mortal coil. I am inspired that she fought to give this to herself in life, and in her passing moments, and I am grateful for the legacy she leaves behind.
Rest in peace, Etta James
Not Your Average Rehab: Community As An Ongoing And Vibrant Part Of Recovery At ONE80CENTER
The focus on community at ONE80CENTER differentiates our program and services from your average rehab. Yes, it is certainly true that ONE80CENTER is a company designed to be profitable and effective. But it is so much more than just a business. The positive philosophy and compassionate mission of the founders of ONE80CENTER remain alive and evolving at our very core. What pumps at the heart of both this philosophy and our mission is the intrinsic belief in the principles of fellowship and support.
A Safe Community With Metropolitan Accessibility
The fellowship at ONE80CENTER cannot be reduced to just the clients and the staff. Our community actively extends outwards to include the friends and families of our clients, alumni, therapists, chefs, spiritual advisors, doctors, fitness experts and Wellness specialists. A major reason for our choice of location at the heart of Los Angeles was to ensure that ONE80CENTER could be easily accessed before, during, and after treatment. What helps to foster our mission is that our gated property offers comfort and privacy in a major metropolitan city while still being accessible.
Fellowship And Community Are The Cornerstones Of Long-Term Recovery
Community is the cornerstone of recovery. We encourage our clients to continue to remain an integral part of ONE80CENTER after they leave treatment. Our alumni are living examples of the transformation possible in long-term recovery and they help to continually inspire both our staff and our clients. By replacing isolation with integration, ONE80CENTER has created a vibrant village that remains a key ongoing resource for both past and present clients. Our focus on these values separates the program at ONE80CENTER from the vast majority of other treatment centers and rehabs. By being available to our clients beyond their initial stay, by providing them with a dynamic fellowship that values their input and presence, we have made a passionate commitment to the principles of long-term recovery.
A Vibrant Village: The Principles Of Community And Fellowship
Yes, ONE80CENTER is a diverse and therapeutic environment, but it is so much more than a treatment institution in practice. It becomes a home for our clients and alumni where they know they can be safe and secure as they face the difficult challenges of early sobriety. ONE80CENTER’s residential treatment program is only the beginning of the recovery process. Reflecting the 12 Step principles of fellowship and service, once you become part of ONE80CENTER, you always have a viable resource to aid and support you. By giving back across the board, the idea of community at ONE80CENTER is transformed into a living reality.
The Key To The Ongoing Success Of A Vibrant Village Is Support And Service
Co-Occurring Substance Abuse: Alcohol Mixed With Prescription Tranquilizers
There is a plague of co-occurring substance abuse disorders in America where people are mixing alcohol with prescription tranquilizers, particularly Benzodiazepines. Although there are hundreds of Benzo brand names, the most common forms that ONE80CENTER has encountered are Xanax, Valium, Klonopin and Ativan. The Center for Substance Abuse Research at the University of Maryland describes Benzodiazepines as a commonly prescribed depressant that reduces the overall functioning of the central nervous system. The result of these prescsription tranquilizers is a powerful relaxing sensation that can quickly lead to abuse and addiction.
Connection Between Prescription Tranquilizers and Alcohol
Prescription Tranquilizer Abuse
Prescribed for anxiety treatment, Benzos are often abused. With the storm of the abuse of prescription tranquilizers in America, the problem has only gotten worse. What is truly frightening is how often Benzodiazepines like Xanax, Valium, Klonopin and Ativan are being mixed with alcohol. Benzodiazepines act on the GABA (gamma aminobutyric acid) receptor in the brain. GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter that when released by the drug causes either a sedative effect or an anti-anxiety effect. The GABA receptor is the same receptor that alcohol acts upon, thus resulting in intensified effects when combined with Benzodiazepines. Because both alcohol and prescription tranquilizers act on the same receptor in the brain, consistently mixing the two substances can lead to addiction and severe withdrawal symptoms.
It is incredible how many clients who enter ONE80CENTER for the abuse of prescription tranquilizers turn out to have an alcohol problem as well. Since the long-term effects of Benzos resemble the effects of alcohol, such as slurred speech, impaired thinking, lack of coordination, confusion and disorientation, the client often does not realize that both substances are being abused. In other words, the abuse of the alcohol actually is intensified when it is co-occurring with prescription tranquilizer abuse.
It is important to realize that the withdrawal symptoms from alcohol and benzodiazepines can be severe, especially if the user is ingesting large quantities of either drug. In most cases, prescription tranquilizers are not given to a person with a history of substance abuse. Dr. Hugh Myrick and Dr. Raymond F. Anton, authors of the 1998 National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism article “Treatment of Alcohol Withdrawal,” state that benzodiazepines can be given to a patient with severe alcohol withdrawal. In monitored doses, benzodiazepines can reduce the severity of the alcohol withdrawal symptoms. The University of Maryland Medical Center notes that while benzodiazepines are the treatment of choice for alcohol withdrawal, eventual addiction and abuse is possible.
The Center for Substance Abuse Research at the University of Maryland describes Benzodiazepines as a commonly prescribed depressant that reduces the overall functioning of the central nervous system. The result is a powerful relaxing sensation that can quickly lead to abuse and addiction. Prescribed for anxiety treatment, Benzos are often abused. With the storm of prescription drug abuse in America, the problem has only gotten worse. What is truly frightening is how often Benzodiazepines like Xanax, Valium, Klonopin and Ativan are being mixed with alcohol.
Alcohol Abuse Combined With Prescription Drugs
Benzodiazepines act on the GABA (gamma aminobutyric acid) receptor in the brain. GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter that when released by the drug causes either a sedative effect or an anti-anxiety effect. The GABA receptor is the same receptor that alcohol acts upon, thus resulting in intensified effects when combined with Benzodiazepines. Because both alcohol and Benzodiazepines act on the same receptor in the brain, consistently mixing the two substances can lead to addiction and severe withdrawal symptoms.
ONE80CENTER Treats Co-Occurring Substance Abuse Disorders
It is incredible how many clients who enter ONE80CENTER for prescription drug abuse turn out to have an alcohol problem as well. Since the long-term effects of Benzos resemble the effects of alcohol, such as slurred speech, impaired thinking, lack of coordination, confusion and disorientation, the client often does not realize that both substances are being abused. In other words, the abuse of the alcohol actually is intensified when it is co-occurring with prescription tranquilizer abuse.
It is important to realize that the withdrawal symptoms from alcohol and benzodiazepines can be severe, especially if the user is ingesting large quantities of either drug. In most cases, prescription tranquilizers are not given to a person with a history of substance abuse. Dr. Hugh Myrick and Dr. Raymond F. Anton, authors of the 1998 National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism article “Treatment of Alcohol Withdrawal,” state that benzodiazepines can be given to a patient with severe alcohol withdrawal. In monitored doses, benzodiazepines can reduce the severity of the alcohol withdrawal symptoms. The University of Maryland Medical Center notes that while benzodiazepines are the treatment of choice for alcohol withdrawal, eventual addiction and abuse is possible.
What is essential from the perspective of ONE80CENTER’s clinical staff is to recognize how often Benzodiazepine abuse and alcoholism go hand-in-hand. If you or a loved has a problem with prescription medication like Xanax, Valium, Ativan, Klonopin or the many other varieties, contact the addiction experts at ONE80CENTER today. We can help you find the path of long-term recovery from the co-occurring substance abuse disorder of prescription drugs and alcohol.
No Prescriptions Needed: How The Internet Has Changed The Landscape Of Buying Dangerous Prescription Drugs
The Internet has made it ridiculously easy for anyone with a credit card, including young kids, to buy prescription medications from pharmacies overseas without a prescription. A recent survey found that 15% of adults questioned had bought prescription drugs online without a prescription. ONE80CENTER has seen the revolution in the drug market in the last 20 years on account of the web. It has transformed the way many of us operate almost beyond recognition. We must realize that our families are at greater risk than ever. With serious prescription drugs like Valium and Ritalin available without a prescription, the risk of the abuse of prescription drugs and addiction to prescription drugs is skyrocketing.
Danger Of Buying Prescription Drugs Online
The Real Dangers of Online Pharmacies: Quality Control And Lack Of Regulations
It is now possible to purchase pretty much any psychiatric medication online without a prescription. Beyond the drug abuse effects, it is so dangerous because patients are buying nobody-knows-quite-what medication from nobody-knows-quite-where. Such health risks are neither advisable nor is it legal. There is nothing to guarantee that the generic meds you buy online from getanythingyouwant.com contain the correct ingredients. Even if they do, the lack of medical monitoring, the potential for adverse interactions with other medications, can lead to serious and even fatal consequences.
A study published by the Nuffield Council on Bioethics in 2010 makes for thought-provoking reading. It says that while there are plenty of reputable online pharmacies that require a prescription to dispense prescription-only medication, the reality is that it has become extremely easy for anyone with a credit card to buy generic or regular meds from pharmacies overseas. The extent of the practice is difficult to ascertain precisely because, together with cost and convenience, the privacy of it is what attracts so many people.
15% of Adults Have Bought Prescription Drugs Without A Prescription
A recent survey by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and others, found that 15% of adults questioned had bought prescription-only medicine online without a prescription. Two of the top four medications available were sold Valium and Ritalin. Although it harder to find prescription painkillers online, both Benzodiazepines like Valium and Speed Accelerants like Ritalin are extremely addictive and dangerous
ONE80CENTER believes that regulation is important, but not easy and quite a long ways away from being effective. In practice, what is essential is education and prevention by letting young people and our families understand fully the consequences involved. Regulation can be very hard to enforce when websites and suppliers are located overseas, can appear or disappear in an instant and can move jurisdiction at will. It is the reluctance of health professionals and doctors to prescribe certain medications that is the most common reason for people to buy online. Such reluctance may be perfectly valid on account of addictive qualities and abusive tendencies, but we cannot ignore the fact that the world has changed. The new reality is that we need to acknowledge and work with within the current environment that the Internet has created.
Quitting Drinking On Your Own Is Dangerous, Leading To Intensified Anxiety And Increased Self-Medication
Alcohol is a coping agent, and it is often connected to the anxiety experienced by an individual. Anxiety is an everyday companion for tons of people in our fast-paced, information-driven world of technology, static and noise. Women in particular exhibit higher rates of anxiety according to hospital admissions for panic attack. More than twice as many women are admitted to hospitals for anxiety disorders when compared to the admission rates of men. What is incredible is how many of these patients turn out to be cross-addicted, abusing both alcohol and anxiety drugs in the form of benzodiazepines like Valium and Xanax. At ONE80CENTER, our clinical staff’s goal is to address the underlying co-occurring anxiety disorder of the client while giving them freedom from self-medication and the abuse of alcohol.
Quitting Drinking On Your Own Can Increase Anxiety
Increased Anxiety When Quitting Alcohol Is Expected
If you live in a constant state of anxiety, ONE80CENTER understands how difficult your daily life can be when the panic hits. Did you know that alcohol withdrawal could turn an everyday experience of anxiety into a full-blown panic attack? If you have problem with alcohol and you are worried about your drinking, you should definitely do everything you can to stop. We want you to discover the freedom of recovery, but we want to ensure your health as well. We don’t want an attempt to give up alcohol to lead to greater self-medication, addiction, and even possible overdose. We want you to be safe and your health to be protected.
Being caught between dual problems of alcohol abuse and prescription pill self-medication to deal with an underlying anxiety condition is like being caught in a vise. The more you try to deal with one problem, the worse the other problem gets. It seems like there is no way to find the comfort and piece you experienced in the good old days. Luckily, this dark feeling is not correct, and it is a result of your disease of perception. With help, you can find the peace you desire.
Self-Medication Is Not The Answer To Increased Anxiety Problems
Self-Medication Is Never The Right Answer
Yes, it is true that giving up alcohol and prescription medications after you have become dependent on them, both physically and psychologically, can be extremely difficult. But it can be done, and the clinical team at ONE80CENTER are experts at helping our clients comfortably manage the process of detox in a safe and supportive environment. Not only do we want you to get back on your feet, feeling rested and secure. Through our supportive community and positive groups and therapeutic tools, we will help build the inner strength to avoid going back into the shivering darkness when you leave our treatment center. In addition, once you become part of our community, you know that the talented staff at and alumni of ONE80CENTER will always be available to help you handle any speed bumps on the road of recovery.
The Los Angeles Times Reports On The Arrest Of A Doctor Accused Of Dealing Prescription Painkillers, Resulting In Multiple Deaths
In the Los Angeles Times today (1-5-2012), there is an important investigative piece about the arrest of Dr. Julio Diaz for allegedly prescribing addictive prescription painkillers to patients who had no legitimate need for the medications. In the article by Hailey Branson-Potts, Lisa Girion and Scott Glover, they report the story of the Santa Barbara doctor who has been linked by authorities to a dozen drug-related deaths in recent years.
After doing so much extreme damage to his community, Dr Diaz finally finally was arrested by DEA agents on federal drug trafficking charges. ONE80CENTER fully supports the regulative monitoring of the medical industry to make sure that the public is protected from such pill mill-like doctors. Yes, we know that most of the people getting the prescriptions have substance abuse disorders, but it does not help their disease to have easy access to prescription painkillers. It is a recipe for disaster.
Doctor Arrested For Dealing Prescription Painkillers
Here is an excerpt from the Los Angeles Times article that has been edited and shortened:
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Responsible For Multiple Overdoses, Pill Mill Doctor Is Led Away In Handcuffs
The arrest of Dr. Julio Diaz, 63, is a step in the right direction given the multitude of overdose deaths of his patients. Diaz has been under investigation for years for allegedly prescribing addictive painkillers to patients who had no legitimate need for the medications. The deaths are detailed in a 75-page arrest affidavit unsealed Wednesday afternoon after he was taken into custody. The deceased patients ranged in age from 26 to 58.
Among those who died: A 49-year-old father who overdosed on painkillers after recently completing a 60-day drug rehab and a 35-year-old mother found dead in her bedroom by her young daughter. In addition, the affidavit described a father distraught in the emergency room where his 20-year-old son had been brought for a drug overdose. He later learned that Diaz had been prescribing “huge quantities” of drugs to his son, who told investigators that he learned of Diaz from a fellow inmate in county jail. Three other parents made complaints to the Medical Board of California regarding Diaz’s treatment of their children, the affidavit states.
The affidavit depicts Diaz as a drug-dealing doctor known to some patients as “the candy man … because they knew he was the man to go to for drugs.” Two female patients treated at a local emergency room told hospital staff that they and their friends got drugs from Diaz in exchange for sexual favors. Doctors at a local hospital considered Diaz such a menace that they kept a spreadsheet documenting his patients’ emergency room visits. Dr. Chris Lambert said he and colleagues watched in frustration for years as one Diaz patient after another turned up in his emergency room. ”How many deceased patients and bereaved relatives will it take before somebody says no more?”
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Abuse Of Prescription Painkillers Is A Plague In America Today
ONE80CENTER utterly agrees with what was expressed by Dr. Lambert because we experience the same horror with so many of our clients and potential clients on a regular basis. It is hard to even estimate how many client we have seen enter treatment for addiction to prescription painkillers. The vast majority of those patients were first prescribed those prescription painkillers like OxyContin and Percocet by their own doctors. The Clinical Team and Expert Staff of ONE80CENTER wholeheartedly echo Dr. Lambert’s tragic sentiment: “How many deceased patients and bereaved relatives will it take before somebody says no more?” It is time to put an end to the pill mills!
Oxycontin Is The Number One Abused Prescription Painkiller
Mind you, such a sentiment is not only in connection with the criminal abuses of Dr. Diaz, but with the problem of prescription painkillers and substance abuse across the board. Let’s be perfectly clear – the abuse of prescription drugs is a plague that has been ravaging our country for many years, and it is only getting worse. Are you tired of watching friends and family suffer such devastating consequences?
ONE80CENTER commends the Southern California families who made reports to the Medical Board of California about the criminal behavior of Dr. Julio Diaz. It took real courage to take this step and take significant action. After all, if we are not at the forefront of this battle, then we will continue to see the bodies piling up and the overdoses becoming an almost daily occurrence. Enough is enough!
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