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New Study Claims That 40% Of Baby Boomer With Alcohol and Drug Problems Spiraled Into Alcoholism And Prescription Drug Addiction When They Became Senior Citizens

Posted by on October 7, 2012 · Leave a Comment 

In a startling new study about the abuse of alcohol and prescription drugs in baby boomers, depression and anxiety directly fueled a spiral into prescription drug addiction and/or alcoholism in 40% of senior baby boomers. ONE80CENTER has seen a rise in co-occurring disorders when it comes to the connection between mental health issues and the question of substance abuse. What is so disturbing about the Hanley Center study is that number of people over the age of 50 who are being treated for alcoholism and prescription drug addiction is rising in the 21st century. If the claims are true – ONE80CENTER wants to not that they are not backed by verifiable scientific data – they reveal a dangerous plague of prescription drug addiction and alcoholism in the senior community.

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), older adults who reported using illegal drugs within a year, nearly doubled between 2002 and 2007, while use of nonmedical pharmaceuticals increased from 2.2% in 2002 to 3.9% in 2009. Without raising awareness about the dangers involved and treatment options, these statistics will continue to rise, leading to an epidemic in addiction among older Americans. Although the illegal drugs are a worry, prescription drug addiction is much more prevalent and much more common as a co-occurring disorder.

Baby Boomers alcoholism addiction precsription painkillers

Prescription Drug Addiction Baby Boomer Plague

The number reason behind this sudden plague are co-occurring disorders like depression and anxiety that fuel the descent into alcoholism and addiction. Isolated by retirement and without traditional family resources, many older adults, ranging from the age of 48 to 64 according to the Hanley Center study, choose to abuse drugs or alcohol in order to find relief. Another major problem is financial stress brought on by less money for retirement and the greater financial demands of extended family members. Although children and grandchildren continue to demand support, they do not seem present in the lives of baby boomers as much as in previous generations.

Nearly half of the respondents named prescription drugs and alcohol as their substances of choice. The survey, which was conducted anonymously, showed that: While 79% of adults 48 and older said their first experience with drugs/alcohol occurred before the age of 25, 40% said they saw themselves as real substance abusers after the age of 48. It also revealed that more than 90% of respondents named alcohol as one of the substances they abused.

Although not scientifically valid due to the lack of data and the anonymity of the survey, what the study reveals is not surprising. As more and more baby boomers experience the challenges and difficulties of aging, alcohol and prescription drugs appear to be easy escapes from the stress and the pain. As the ONE80CENTER staff has seen from year of experience, such an escape invariably leads to alcoholism, addiction and a desperate need for recovery and the very best in treatment services.

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Addiction Technology Transfer Centers Funded By SAMHSA and NIDA To Combat Substance Abuse In The United States

Posted by on May 29, 2012 · Leave a Comment 

With the problem of addiction out of control in the United States, fueled by prescription drug abuse, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in partnership with the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) are giving grants for the development of Addiction Technology Transfer Centers. With applications due by June 28, 2012, the purpose of this program is to develop and strengthen the workforce that provides addictions treatment and recovery support services to those in need. ONE80CENTER supports this inter-disciplinary approach in the form of teamwork to address substance abuse problem that is spiraling out of control.

Addiction Technology Transfer Centers

The grants for Addiction Technology Transfer Centers are being offered to foster a unique synergy between the team to address the question of addiction. In partnership with treatment provider associations, addictions counselors, multidisciplinary behavioral health professionals, faith and recovery community leaders, family members of those in recovery, and other stakeholders, the Addiction Technology Centers assess the training and development needs of the substance use disorders workforce. The ultimate goal is to develop and conduct training and technology transfer activities to meet identified needs. The emphasis this year is on increasing knowledge and improving skills to foster promising treatment/recovery practices in recovery-oriented systems of care.

Addiction Technology Transfer Centers

Addiction Technology Transfer Centers

SAMHSA believes that a well-trained recovery-oriented workforce is central to the successful implementation of their first strategic initiatives to address the problem of addiction and substance abuse in the United States. Workforce development is a fundamental component of this first initiative. The Addiction Technology Transfer Centers are expected to directly support and enhance SAMHSA’s new regional presence. Now, more than ever, SAMHSA has expressed that it is critical that the addictions workforce be prepared for the influx of services expected to be needed in the future.

In order to maintain consistency and maximize impact, it is critical that the ATTCs (Addiction Technology Transfer Centers) remain aligned with SAMHSA’s direction and leadership on key priority areas. SAMHSA is in the process of developing a consensus definition of trauma and trauma informed care. Such guidelines for the implementation of trauma-informed systems will have applicability across different service sectors. With our cutting edge work in trauma treatment like EMDR and Equine Therapy, ONE80CENTER supports the Addiction Technology Transfer Centers initiative. At this point in time, a national initiative and focus is needed to address the explosion of substance disorders and addiction problems that have been fueled by prescription drug abuse.

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SAMHSA Report Shows Huge Surge In Number of Americans Treated for Addiction to Prescription Painkillers From 1999 to 2009

Posted by on November 15, 2011 · Leave a Comment 

According to a SAMHSA report (the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration), rehab and treatment center admissions related to prescription painkillers, mostly due to use of prescription opioids, which include painkillers such as oxycodone (Oxycontin) and Percocet have increased dramatically in the United States between 1999 and 2009, according to a new national report by SAMHSA. The staggering increases for prescription drugs over the 10-year study period shocked the researchers. When the clinical experts at ONE80CENTER learned of the study results, they were not surprised in the least. Admissions at ONE80CENTER for prescription painkillers have been consistent and increasing every quarter. The prescription drug problem is simply out of control.

Rising Abuse of Prescription Painkillers

Prescription Painkiller Abuse

Prescription Painkiller Abuse: Oxycodone and Oxycontin

The findings of the study showed that 96 percent of the nearly 2 million admissions to treatment facilities that occurred in 2009 were related to alcohol (42 percent), opiates (21 percent), marijuana (18 percent), cocaine (9 percent) and methamphetamine/amphetamines (6 percent). The report from the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) identified trends in the reasons why people are admitted to substance abuse treatment facilities. The SAMHSA report revealed that prescription drugs were to blame for 33 percent of opiate rehab admissions in 2009 — up from just 8 percent a decade earlier. And the key prescription painkiller and opiate narcotic that led to this increase is Oxycontin and its rising abuse among teenagers and young people. Oxycontin abuse and addiction is at the heart of the abuse of prescription painkillers.

Does that statistic take your breath away as you come to realize how serious prescription painkiller abuse and addiction have become in our society? A four-fold increase in ten years is staggering, but it very could be a drop in the hat compared to the next ten years. In the past couple of years, Oxycontin abuse and addiction has been increasing both in the so-called legal pill mills, doctors abusing their prescription pads, and street dealers making prescription painkillers the main money staple of their illegal drug inventories.

SAMHSA Report Shows Huge Increase In Opiate Addiction

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

Compounding the problem, 44 percent of those who abused alcohol admitted to using other drugs as well. Co-dependency and co-addiction is becoming more and more common. “This new report shows the challenge our nation’s health system must address as the treatment needs of people with drug and alcohol problems continue to evolve,” SAMHSA administrator, Pamela S. Hyde, said in an agency news release. “People often arrive in treatment programs with multiple problems — including dependency or addiction to multiple substances of abuse.” Since prescription painkillers like Oxycontin and Percocet are legal and prescribed, people seem to be more casual in their abuse and less likely to realize the dangers of addiction and overdose. SAMHSA is focusing on a strategy of education, awareness and prevention.

In the report, however, Hyde made it clear that the rise in patients and addicts seeking treatment for prescription painkiller abuse was the most surprising statistic. The rise in Oxycontin addicts and prescription opiate abusers across the board is a plague that must be addressed today. The clinical team at ONE80CENTER is continuing to do provide not only the best in alcoholism and addiction treatment services, but also raise awareness and foster prevention of the prescription painkiller problem at hand. If you or a loved one is abusing prescription painkillers like Oxycontin or any prescription drug, contact ONE80CENTER today by calling toll free 888.588.4180.

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