One80Center Prescription Drug Abuse Update – Drug Overdoses Increase In The United States For The 11th Consecutive Year
One80Center Prescription Drug Abuse Update
Tired of the plague of prescription drug abuse and prescription painkiller overdoses, the entire staff at One80Centeror is sad to provide this update on our website: For the 11th consecutive year, drug overdose deaths increased in the United States. Although illegal drugs like heroin play a role, the vast majority of overdoses are from prescription painkillers like Oxycontin and Vicodin. In addition, prescription overdoses from Benzodiazepines is on the rise.
Drug Overdoses Increase Again
Drug Overdoses Increase In U.S. Again!
An analysis from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta found 38,329 people died of a drug overdose in the United States in 2010, up from 37,004 deaths in 2009. This continued the steady rise in overdose deaths seen over the past 11 years, starting with 16,849 deaths in 1999. The statistics lag because of the time it takes to compile data from across the country and obtain an accurate record. The researchers analyzed data from CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics 2010 multiple cause-of-death file, based on death certificates.
CDC 2010 Statistics of Drug Overdoses
In 2010, nearly 60 percent, or 22,134 fatal overdoses, involved pharmaceutical drugs. Opioid analgesics, such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, and methadone, were involved in about 3-of-4 pharmaceutical overdose deaths, confirming the predominant role opioid analgesics play in overdose deaths. However, the researchers also found drugs often prescribed for mental health conditions were involved in a significant number of pharmaceutical overdose deaths.
Benzodiazepines – anti-anxiety drugs like Valium and Xanax – were involved in nearly 30 percent of these deaths. In addition, antidepressants played a factor in 18 percent of the cases and anti-psychotic drugs in 6 percent of the cases. Deaths involving more than one drug or drug class are counted multiple times and therefore are not mutually exclusive. In a statement, the lead researcher Dr. Tom Frieden said: “Patients with mental health or substance use disorders are at increased risk for non-medical use and overdose from prescription painkillers as well as being prescribed high doses of these drugs.”
One80Center is tired of watching American be ravaged by prescription drug abuse, prescription drug addiction, and overdoses across the board. Providing both treatment and raising awareness, One80Center is doing its best to stem the tide of the prescription drug abuse plague. A first key step is recognizing that prescription drug abuse is as serious and as dangerous as illegal drug abuse and needs to be highlighted in the national debate.
Will California Restore Funding For The Prescription Drug Monitoring Program CURES?
The Clinical Staff at One80Center fully supports California Attorney General Kamala Harris in her efforts to convince Governor Jerry Brown to restore funding for a prescription drug monitoring program. Known as CURES, it is a program that One80Center believes is a key to combating prescription drug abuse and prescription drug overdose deaths in the state. California should be a trailblazer in funding such a program, setting a standard for the rest of the country that hopefully will lead to a Federal funding to create a national prescription drug monitoring program and database.
Prescription Drug Monitoring Essential
A once effective system, CURES has been severely undermined by budget cuts. Rather than being realized to its full potential, the CURES program is lingering in the financial purgatory of California’s depleted state budget. The CURES database contains detailed information on prescription narcotics, including the names of patients, the doctors prescribing the drugs and the pharmacies that dispense them. Designed to help physicians detect “doctor-shopping” patients who dupe multiple physicians into prescribing drugs such as OxyContin, Vicodin and Xanax, CURES was helping to turn back the tide of the prescription drug epidemic when it was being funded.
After Governor Brown’s unveiled his proposed $97.7-billion budget that actually projects a surplus, Harris immediately recommended that the extra funds should be used to restore funding to the CURES program. The California Attorney General said it was up to the state to make sure the money was “spent wisely… This includes smart investments that benefit Californians, such as restoring funding for the state’s prescription drug-monitoring program.”
CURES Is The Nation’s Oldest State Program
Prescription Drug Monitoring Not An Option
CURES is the nation’s oldest and largest prescription drug-monitoring program and once served as a model for other states. Today, it has fallen on hard times, reflecting the state of such programs across the country during the recent recession. What is such a tragedy is that the recession opened the door for the prescription drug abuse epidemic to spiral out of control. CURES data could have been used to save countless lived by monitoring physicians whose prescribing puts patients at risk. But it hasn’t been used to even a fraction of its full potential and is an effective tool that has been tossed aside. Such a choice is nothing less than criminal considering what is at stake.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control recommends that states use such data to keep tabs on doctors. Today, despite the recession, at least half a dozen states do so. It is time that California joins that list and restores its once trailblazing reputation when it comes to the fight against prescription drug abuse. Shortly after Harris succeeded Brown as attorney general, the governor gutted the Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement and the funding for CURES in 2011; Harris kept the program alive with about $400,000 in revenue from the Medical Board of California and other licensing boards. But it is down to one employee and has no enforcement capacity. It is a guard dog without teeth.
Will California Fund The Cures Program?
State officials have estimated it would cost about $2.8 million to make CURES more accessible and easier to use, and $1.6 million more per year to keep it running. However, officials say the program — with little or no additional financial resources — could now be used to identify potentially rogue doctors. Bob Pack, an Internet entrepreneur, has advocated using CURES more vigorously to track reckless physicians and pharmacies as well as doctor-shopping patients. He became active on the issue after a driver high on painkillers and alcohol struck and killed his two young children in the Bay Area suburb of Danville in 2003.
An aide to Harris said restoring the CURES program is a high priority. “She’s committed to fixing the database and making it as strong as possible,” said Travis LeBlanc, special assistant attorney general. The Clinical Staff at One80Center fully supports such efforts in the future. It is time to get CURES back on track and do everything we can to stem the tide of the prescription drug abuse epidemic before more lives are carelessly lost.
A Prescription Drug Not Designed To Treat Insomnia, Klonopin, a brand name of Clonazepam, Leads To Dependence And Serious Side Effects As Shown In Salon Article
In a powerful personal piece about her troubles with Klonopin and zombie-like side effects that drained her creativity, Diana Spechler uncovers how prescription drugs can be misprescribed. The Clinical Staff at ONE80CENTER believes it is important to prescribe prescription drugs with caution and as they are intended in order to avoid such negative outcome. Klonopin, a popular brand name of the benzodiazepine Clonazepam, was not originally designed as a treatment for insomnia. Although benzodiazepines, or benzos as users and abusers know them, does enhance naturally occurring chemicals in the brain that promote sleep, it also has countless side effects and extreme addictive properties.
Often Misprescribed, Klonopin Side Effects
The Happy K Of The Prescription Drug Klonopin
Like Valium and Xanax, Klonopin often is used to treat anti-anxiety disorders, panic attacks and certain forms of epilepsy. Although the FDA has not approved clonazepam for the treatment of insomnia, countless doctors prescribe it off-label to treat clients and patients complaining of an inability to sleep. The side effects of Klonopin include behavioral problems, lack of muscular coordination, and a number of other side effects that manifest in rare cases. There is a strong risk of dependency, abuse and addiction with benzos. In addition, Klonopin reacts poorly with a number of over-the-counter medications and even herbal remedies. The prescription drug has a history of being particularly deadly when combined with alcohol.
Diane Spechler And Klonopin On Salon
To read the entire article by Spechler on the Salon site, please click on this link — http://www.salon.com/2012/07/28/my_klonopin_fog/
Suffering from insomnia for countless years, Spechler was prescribed Klonopin by her therapist. At first, she believed the drug was a miracle answer to her insomnia. Spechler writes:
If the middle of the night had once been a storm cloud, it was now a fluffy cumulus. Daytime, too, felt dreamy and tranquil. “I love Klonopin!” I told everyone I knew. Like a new convert, I tuned out the naysayers, who decried benzos as addictive. “I’m on a minuscule dose,” I assured them. I kept saying, “It’s changed my whole life.”
But Spechler quickly discovered a number of adverse side effects as she began to take the prescription drug on a regular basis. Her emotions narrowed, her personality became muted, and her creativity shriveled. A professional writer, Spechler describes what happened in an evocative voice that is both engaging and descriptive. She experienced the worse writer’s block of her life and became depressed and embarrassed. When she did write, the results were second-rate as though her creativity has been drained away.
Luckily, Spechler was able to break out of the zombie-like side effects and throw away her pills before experiencing extreme dependence. Afterwards, she looked into the causes behind what happened to her and was surprised by what she found. She writes:
In retrospect, I should have done more research. Well-known benzo side effects include “emotional clouding” and “loss of creativity,” which can be distressing whether someone wants to make art or not. “I have not been able to feel anything … in three years. I can’t even cry right,” wrote one member of BenzoBuddies Community Forum, an online group for people withdrawing from benzodiazepines.
ONE80CENTER is happy that Spechler found freedom from Klonopin before her problem spiraled out of control into actual dependence, abuse or addiction. If you or a loved one is having problems with Klonopin, the clinical staff at ONE80CENTER has the experience and the expertise to provide a medically monitored detox and a road to long-term sustainable recovery. To learn more, please call (888) 588-4180 for help and a free consultation.
The insidiousness of pharmaceuticals
Prescription pills. My lord, I loved them. I loved to have a pocket of vicodin on the right, and a pocket of xanax on the left, and somas or narcos in my purse, and I would just juggle them until I got the desired effect. I’d add vodka to this cocktail, and I was good to go. I wanted to be numb. I wanted to feel normal, which for me, at that time, meant feeling nothing, like a sleepwalking zombie. I couldn’t handle feelings, nary a one.
THE INSIDIOUSNESS OF PHARMACEUTICALS
I never stopped to think how dangerous this was. Pills seem so innocuous, just these little tiny things. No smell, no smoke, no paraphernalia. I remember when I was 17, a kid I knew stole my bottle out of my purse- my little pharmacy of valium, fiorinal, elevail, halcion- all that I had discovered in my great aunt’s bathroom drawer. She had been a pharmacist. Very fitting. That kid, who stole my stash, went blind for 8 hours. I was terrified that I would get busted, that my drug use would blind him forever, that a combination of what I took could blind anyone, even me. I remember how it used to freak people out when I would pass out with my eyes open. And I remember waking up in the hospital in 4 point restraints, after having flatlined from an accidental overdose at 18. None of this deterred me in the least. I thought it was epic, in my flaming youth. It was my intention to blaze through life, even if I had to flirt with death to do it.
That was a long, long time ago. I am no spring chicken, so when I speak of my teenage years, that was well over 25 years ago. It wasn’t easy to get those kind of drugs then- or, I should say, it wasn’t that common. Street drugs, at the time, were coke and pot, acid and ecstacy, and, if you were really hardcore, speed and heroin, and qualudes to help you come down. What you did often was dictated by who you hung out with and what kind of music you listened to- it was a socially dictated sort of thing. And then, it wasn’t, as you explored your addiction, your friends would change to suit your drug. I went from punk rock to hippy to beatnik to LA nightlife to a mom with mother’s little helpers, and my drugs of choice changed with each scene. I still am not sure if I chose my friends because of the drugs or chose the drugs because of my friends. I just know it morphed as I went along. But with today’s pill usage, it is no longer dictated by one’s group or peers- its ever present.
I was trying to count how many people I know who have lost their lives to prescription pill abuse. Just in the past five years, its a stunning number, and a sad number. Its too many. I know people who go out and shoot speedballs in their necks, get beat up on skid row and end up in jail and live through it nearly un-phased. And then there are people who take a couple of pharmaceuticals and drink a bottle of wine and die in their sleep. Recently, very publicly,there have been celebrities who died either in their shower, or in their bath, or in their bed. Young people with bright futures, again, very public. And the same is true for scores of people who are not in the public eye. It is a very big problem, and its growing. Its one of the most rapidly escalating causes of death, but the true numbers are hard to track.
Recently, a family member of mine was prescribed clonopin and zoloft for anxiety. He went out drinking and passed out in the bathroom of a club for an hour. If he had been in a bathtub, he would have drowned. It is usually women who will go fill up a tub and get in with a glass of wine once they have a good buzz going, so they are more likely to meet a terrible end that way. But what if my family member had been driving, swimming in a pool or in a hot tub? How often do people die and it isn’t traced back to the culprit of mixing prescription meds and alcohol? We can’t really quantify the real number of deaths due to that deadly combination, but suffice it to say, its staggering.
I have made a point of talking to my kids about this, extensively. I want them to have a fear of this, not a cavalier attitude. Not ‘its no big deal, its just a couple of pills and a few drinks’. or, ‘That won’t happen to me.’ I tell them that everyone thinks that. No one thinks, “Oh, wow, that could be me. I might die if I do that.” I know that teenagers are popping xanax and narco and vicodins and oxycontin left and right. They go out and drink and think nothing of it. I did it. I nearly didn’t survive it. We all think we are untouchable, and no one is as surprised as we are when we realize that we’ve gone too far, and that we may pay with our lives for that arrogance.
I am writing this because I know that someone who is now reading this won’t survive. I know that it might be you, reading it right now. I also know that it might not be you, if you heed this warning. In recovery, of course we want everyone to stay sober. We want everyone to stay alive. We want everyone to be happy and healthy and loving life. But that isn’t always the case. People die, and they die a lot, and they die young, and they leave a lot of very devastated people behind. They die when they least expect it. They don’t think they will, and then they do. If you are in recovery, just stay. Just do it. Stay sober and stay alive. If you are struggling, join us. Stay for today, and do the same thing tomorrow. We want to live, and we want you with us. If you are taking pharmaceuticals that are prescribed by a Dr., take them as prescribed, and talk to your Dr about the dangers of drinking with what you are taking. And do as he says. Your life depends on it.
ONE80CENTER Alert: Prescription Drug Abuse Is The Fastest Growing Addiction In The United States And Getting Worse
Prescription drug abuse is spiraling out of control in the United States. As the fastest growing addiction in the United States, the prescription drug problem is so frustrating to doctors and the clinical team at ONE80CENTER because these drugs are meant to help. Unfortunately, in the wrong hands, prescription drugs, particularly painkillers like OxyContin and Percodan, are doing more harm than good, and the cost is growing day by day.
Prescription Drug Abuse Spiraling
Help Stop Prescription Drug Abuse
“Thousands of people are dying. In 16 states, prescription drug overdoses has overtaken motor vehicle accidents as the leading cause of accidental death,” says Dr. John Dreyzehner, the director of the Virginia Department of Health. As a member of One Care of Southwest Virginia, Dr. Dreyzehener has joined a group of doctors, social workers and other recovery personnel trying to address the growing prescription drug abuse explosion. As Dr. Dreyzehner explains, “This is a national problem.”
ONE80CENTER supports both treatment and prevention solutions, such as prescription drug monitoring programs that include pill counts and drug screens to detect co-occurring disorders and prescription drug abuse. “This is complicated. there is no one easy magic bullet solution to the drug abuse misuse problem,” says Dr. Dreyzehner. The Virginia group believes there are four-lines of defense: proper disposal areas, education, enforcement and monitoring.
A recent survey paints a troubling picture for hospital patients in need of medication because of the abuse that is spiraling out of control. According to the American Hospital Association, the drugs that legitimate patients need might not be there when a doctor prescribes it. More than 99% of hospitals have experienced one or more drug shortages in the past six months, and nearly half have reported 21 or more shortages in that time. In fact, experts are calling it one of the worst drug shortages in history.
Prescription Drug Abuse Leads To Drug Shortages
The reason for these drug shortages, ranging from Adderall and Xanax to OxyContin and Percodan, is the rising levels of prescription drug abuse. Everyday people in your life, people you would not suspect, are becoming prescription drug addicted and drug-dependent. Such people are not buying on the street, but they are doctor shopping and hospital shopping. As a result, the shortages are caused by unexpected surges in demand. ONE80CENTER believes a line has to be drawn in the sand before there are no places left to draw lines and the problem becomes practically unstoppable.
New Research Study Reveals 60% of Adult Americans Misuse Prescription Medications And Possibly Suffer From Prescription Drug Abuse
ONE80CENTER was not surprised by the results of a new Quest Diagnostics study that revealed that 60% of Americans misuse prescription medications, leading to prescription drug abuse. Examining men and women of all ages, income levels and health plans, the study conclusively showed that the subjects used pain medication and other prescription drugs contrary to clinician orders. Prescription drug abuse leads directly to alarming health risks and the rise of addiction.
Prescription Drug Abuse Study
Medication Misuse + Prescription Drug Abuse
Comprised of nearly 76,000 laboratory tests for monitoring prescription drug use and the possible abuse of prescription drugs, the extensive study indicate that the majority of Americans tested misused medications, including potentially addictive pain killers. From missing doses to combining medications with other drugs, the forms of medication misuse and prescription drug abuse were recorded in a wide range. Prescription pain medication abuse, however, was the worst.
The study found high rates of inconsistency with clinical orders and pharmaceutical instructions particularly when it came to opioid pain medications, such as oxycodone in the form of OxyContin (44%). In addition, misuse and abuse of central nervous system depressants like Xanax (50%), and stimulant amphetamines like Adderall (48%) were extremely high as well.
The study’s insights into the Prescription drug epidemic was based on an analysis of 75,997 de-identified urine lab test results of patients of both genders in 45 states and the District of Columbia performed by the company’s clinical laboratories in 2011. Patients were tested for the presence of up to 26 commonly abused prescription medications and illicit drugs, such as cocaine and marijuana.
Prescription Drug Abuse Gender Equality
What is fascinating in the findings were that men and women were equally likely to suffer prescription drug abuse. In contrast, the illegal drug abuse of men was higher with two in ten (21%) testing positive for cocaine, marijuana or PCP compared to 15% of women. All positive drug screens in the study were confirmed by mass spectrometry, the most advanced drug testing method. The analysis did not include results of drug rehabilitation clinics, which may be more likely to exhibit unusually high rates of drug inconsistency.
Why is the clinical team at ONE80CENTER not surprised by the findings of this study of prescription drug abuse? The answer is simple: We have seen the exact same trends in our own work and with our clients, both in and out of our facilities. These findings are not isolated events or a mass exception to the rule. Prescription drug abuse is the new American plague. If you or a loved one or a co-worker is suffering from the disease of prescription drug abuse or addiction, please contact ONE80CENTER today by calling 888.593.2301. The right time to take action is today.
From New York To California, the National Epidemic Of Prescription Drug Dependence, Prescription Drug Abuse And Prescription Drug Addiction
Prescription drug dependence, prescription drug abuse, prescription drug addiction are all different sides of a new American plague. Since I have Google Alerts for all of these terms and many more, every day I see articles pouring forth from all over the country, from New to California and everywhere in between, reporting on the damage done and the toll taken by the abuse of prescription drugs. It does matter whether it is college students buying Adderall in the library to study all night long or high school students stealing Vicodin and Xanax from their parent’s medicine cabinets, or drug addicts scoring Oxycontin tablets on the street to crush and snort or shoot, the problem is out of control and just getting worse. ONE80CENTER is on the front lines of the battle, and we are doing best to stem the tide of destruction and devastation. But nothing seems to work.
The Plague Begins With Prescription Drug Dependence
For every person we help to detox and eventually discover the path of long-term recovery, five more are experimenting on the weekend, dancing with prescription drug dependence. Five more are using every week as their prescription drug dependence becomes prescription drug abuse. And even five more are finding their prescription drug abuse spiraling into the slavery of prescription drug addiction as they break the law and do bad things they never would have imagined possible before to get their scripts filled.
The clinical staff at ONE80CENTER are experienced professionals, respected in their fields, and they want you to know that this problem that begins with prescription drug dependence is not being overly exaggerated or blown out of proportion. It is literally a plague that is hitting all level of American society, regardless of race, class, sexual orientation, gender, age and on and on. Choose any group, do the research on Google, and you will see how endemic and terrifying the prescription drug abuse problem has become. The prescription medication plague is being reported in papers all over the country
The National Plague of Prescription Drug Abuse
It is easy to ignore the first touches of prescription drug dependence. You can shake your head and shrug your shoulders in the face of prescription drug abuse. But there is no turning away from the horrors that follow in the devastating path of prescription drug addiction. Do any of you actually not know a friend or acquaintance who is experiencing or has experienced problems with prescription drugs? Whether it is a college student who thinks she has to take Adderall to keep up with the curve or a stay-at-home mom popping Xanax to deal with the kids or a Wall Street banker snorting Oxycontin to take the edge off after another stressful day, problems with prescription drugs have almost become the norm as opposed to the exception.
In fact, these prescription drug problems are so much more common now than illegal drug problems because the fact that they are theoretically legal creates a false sense of acceptance. After all, even if the circumstances become more and more shady, they were prescribed by a doctor and dispensed by a pharmacy. How dangerous could they really be? If you have a loved one or a friend, a family member or a co-worker with a prescription drug problem, take action before the prescription drug dependence becomes abuse and then addiction. The later you take action, the harder the problem becomes to overcome.
Mind you, at ONE80CENTER, we have seen the most extreme addicts find their authentic path of recovery through our individualized program. If you need help or someone you know needs help, do not stick your head in the sand and act like an ostrich, hoping it will all just go away. From personal experience and professional expertise, we know this is one of the most dangerous fallacies in the world. It literally will lead to jails, institutions and death. Before such disaster strikes, please take the time to contact the Clinical Experts at ONE80CENTER and reach out for help.
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.
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.
Enough Is Enough: Prescription Drug Substance Abuse Disorders Co-Occurring With Alcoholism Doing Too Much Damage Today
At ONECENTER, the dedicated staff and clinical team are tired of seeing so many good people destroy their lives and die tragic deaths on account of co-occurring disorders like mixing alcoholism with prescription drugs, particularly benzodiazepines like Valium, Xanax, and Ativan and painkillers like OxyContin and Oxycodone. When will we finally learn from experience that mixing prescription drugs and alcohol is a fatal combination? How many people do we have to lose to this deadly cocktail before we realize that enough is enough?
Co-Occurring Disorders And Combined Drug Intoxication (CDI)
Prescription Drugs And Alcohol Go Hand-In-Hand
Officially it is called Combined drug intoxication (CDI), also known as multiple drug intake (MDI) or lethal polydrug/polypharmacy intoxication. Traditionally, co-occurring disorders refer to a mental disorder side-by-side with prescription drug addiction and/or alcoholism. Since both alcoholism and drug addiction have been classified as diseases, co-addiction is now a co-occurring disorder as well. Whatever you want to designate the problem, ONE80CENTER are experts at providing the best in treatment services and effective care.
To this combination of alcoholism and drug addiction that is seen every day in rehabs and treatment centers, the world has lost so many celebrities and cultural giants. Such a deadly mixture killed rock icons like Jimi Hendrix (alcohol and barbiturates) and Elvis Presley (ten prescription drugs and alcohol) as well as contemporary legends like Anna Nicole Smith (vodka and four benzodiazepines: Klonopin, Ativan, Sera, and Valium), and Heath Ledger (oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, alprazolam, doxylamine and mixed drinks).
None of the above information is some great mystery or revelation. ONE80CENTER always protects the privacy and anonymity of our clients and community. All of these statistics can be found in Wikipedia. The relevant point is the list literally could go on and on. Since the human body so quickly processes alcohol, it rarely turns up in the toxicology reports of autopsies. But drinking is almost always a factor. In addition, both the drug addiction and the drinking tend to be used as a form of self-medication to address underlying co-occurring mental problems and psychological disorders
The Deadly Cocktail And Disease of Perception
Co-occurring as disorders, often used as a form of alternative medication for a mental problem or emotional issue like anxiety, depression and borderline tendencies, alcoholism and substance abuse tend to go hand-in-hand. In the past, the substance abuse disorders tended to deal primarily with illegal drugs like heroin and cocaine. Although ONE80CENTER still treats its fare share of patients with illegal drug addictions, it is no longer the dominant archetype. Since so many of the substance abuse disorders now involve prescription medication, it all seems terribly legal. This is what we are most likely to hear in the process of an addict’s rationalization.
The Warped Perception Of Prescription Drug Addicted Alcoholics
“Yeah, I’m taking a bunch of pills but I have prescriptions for them. What’s the big deal if I am having a drink here and there as well? I think everyone should just get off my back. It’s not like I’m doing anything wrong or breaking the law. I know my limits, I just screwed-up a couple of times. Of course, I like to drink to take the edge off. Who doesn’t need a little help to deal with all the financial stress these days? With all the tabloid crap and bullshit out there, who wouldn’t want to have a few drinks with the boys before going home or maybe a bottle of wine at dinner? And, okay, sure I use something in the morning to get the day off with a pop, and maybe I take a pill or two at the office to keep things cool and collected, and a few at night to help me get to sleep. But, come on now, I’m not an addict or an alcoholic. I don’t have a serious problem. Isn’t that the way things are? Isn’t that what everyone does to get by?”
Too Many Dying From Mixing Alcohol And Prescription Drugs
Okay, the little speech above is filled with a thousand and one clichés, but we literally experience them all the time. And we really want to get our point across and help you realize what is going on out there. We will deliver you in the coming months a series of articles and blogs that show the medical establishment’s perspective on this problem and how close it is to all the cutting edge addiction research of the day. To begin with, we took the gloves off and got down to the proverbial brass tacks. Alcoholism and addiction are cunning, baffling and powerful diseases. We are tired of going to funerals and watching parents bury their children and beautiful lives being wasted.
The Plague Of Co-Occurring Substance Abuse Disorders Worsening
Today we make the choice to put our foot down and say enough is enough. This is no longer a minor problem to push into the back of the newspapers or to be discussed only in obscure online forums, which, of course, we naturally do support and value. However, it should not take the death of a celebrity from co-occurring prescription drug and alcohol abuse to place this problem on the front page of our lives. Our country literally is experiencing a modern plague of co-occurring addictive disorders, and it is going to get worse before it gets better. That’s why it must be dealt with now. At ONE80CENTER, our clinical team and staff are experts when it comes to treating co-occurring alcohol and substance abuse disorders while making sure that any underlying mental problems and psychological issues are fully addressed.
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