About Addiction: Bath Salts, DUI’s and Anxiety Addiction

March 10th, 2011

Do you care about addiction? Of course you do, otherwise you probably wouldn’t be reading this right now. Well, you’ve come to the right place A3 will try to address all your questions, but for now, you’ve stumbled onto our weekly links post full of information about addiction from around the world wide web. So enjoy!

Drugs: Bath salts, menthol cigarettes, and Charlie Sheen

PhoenixHouseOC-Geoff Henderson, the senior director for Phoenix House, the country’s largest nonprofit provider of substance use disorder and behavioral health treatment services recently attended the hearing in Los Angeles to ban bath salts. He gave his interpretation on the bath salts issue, emphasizing that in our world today we have an increasing amount of access to a variety of substances and that new things are continuously emerging that individuals might try. For more of Henderson’s thoughts check out his blog.

Star-Telegram- A study has been conducted which found that adding menthol to cigarettes may increase the likelihood of addiction. Menthol cigarettes are considered to be so dangerous because they have a cooling and anesthetic effect which may get more adolescents to smoke. There is a debate to see if menthol cigarettes should be banned. Right now they make up 30 percent of the cigarette market and are favored by 80 percent of African American smokers.

Psychology Today- Charlie Sheen is the latest celebrity that is dealing with drug addiction. He has previously mentioned that he did not want to go to rehab because he thought that he could clean himself up and expressed his disdain for everything 12-steps. A lot of people thought that this was ridiculous but here is an article in which Dr. Stanton Peele agrees with Charlie. Dr. Peele believes that a person can be fixed if they are being forced to do so and that I why he agrees with Charlie Sheen that only he can overcome his addiction on his own. Read this article to get a different opinion on addiction treatment.  You can check out this article for Dr. Jaffe’s take on the same issue.

Alcohol-The youth and DUI’s

Medical News Today- A new study by (SAMHSA) found that 5.9 percent of adolescents aged 12 to 14 drank alcohol and about 317,000 of them received this alcohol from their parents or got it at home. This can dangerous because being exposed to alcohol at an early age can expose at-risk children to an increased risk of alcohol abuse and addiction later on in their lives. Parents should be educated about such risk factors and about limiting access and increasing education for at risk youth.

Contra Coast Times- A man who was arrested for driving under the influence was found guilty of a DUI after showing up to his pretrial hearing drunk. The man ran his vehicle off the road into a barbed wire fence back in 2010. At the time of the arrest his blood alcohol level was more than four times the legal limit.

The Daily Beast- Can there be such a thing as anxiety addiction? Some individuals think so. A study was conducted that found that during demanding and stressful circumstances our bodies cultivate and thrive on anxiety. The study found that during a stressful circumstance is was possible that some individuals use anxiety to boost cognitive performance while others are comforted by anxiety.  Whether this should be called addiction, I’m not sure, but the idea of anxiety as rewarding is interesting.

 

Posted in:  Education Tags: about addiction, addiction, adolescents, Alcohol, anxiety, bath salts, charlie, charlie sheen, cigarettes, Drug addiction, DUI, individuals, menthol cigarettes, peele, Psychology Today, stanton peele, study conducted

About Addiction: Drug Withdrawal in Newborns, Heroin, and Harm Reduction

February 28th, 2011

There’s so much to learn about addiction nowadays – Psychological theories, new stories, neuroscience research, and more. At All About Addiction we try to make the information easy to digest, so when you need to sort of the latest information about addiction, come see us, we’ll help.

Harm reduction – Heroin and Injecting Drugs

Irish Examiner-After four individuals died from heroin overdoses in Ireland drug workers are issuing warnings to heroin users. The heroin that is being used is of better quality so it elevates the risk for overdose. Heroin has been off of the streets of Ireland for the past couple of months due to supplying issues but now heroin is back, and it is so pure that it is killing people. Another issue could be that the short absence of the drug has left people with less tolerance then before.

The Body- The International Harm Reduction Association (IHRA) and HIV rights groups are urging the UN’s to legalize methadone in order to fight HIV/AIDS and heroin addiction In Russia. Russia is home to 1 million HIV-positive people (for comparison, the U.S> has about 500,000) and has one of the fastest growing HIV/AIDS epidemics in the world. In addition to this Russia has 3 million heroin addicts.  Russia is refusing to employ harm reduction programs such as needle exchanges, or to legalize methadone to treat heroin addicts.  Many Russian officials such as Gennady Onishchenko feel that legalizing methadone will not help as it is “just another narcotic.” We’ve hear the same argument here, but perhaps the IHRA can convince Russia to use harm reduction problems in order to help individuals.

Harm Reduction Coalition- This “webinar” allow its viewers to gain cultural competency when it comes to learning about the injecting drug user. It asks questions like:  ”Why is there a need for IDU cultural competency?” and “What is IDU Cultural Competency?”. Check out the webinar and see what it has to offer!

Mental Health and Prescription Drug Withdrawal in Newborns

Orlando Sentinel- Prescription drug abuse is already a problem in our society; in Florida alone prescription abuse is responsible for at least seven deaths a day. Prescription drug abuse is becoming even more problematic as it is now affecting newborns. In 2009 alone 1,000 babies were born and treated for drug-withdrawal syndrome.  In the past babies that were going through drug-withdrawal symptoms were most likely to suffer from crack cocaine addiction but now the babies are more likely to be addicted to prescription drugs.

Science Daily- A study was conducted and found that children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are two to three times more likely than children without the disorder to develop serious substance abuse problems in adolescence and adulthood. Kate Humphreys, a colleague of Dr. Jaffe’s and a graduate student at UCLA was a coauthor of the research.

Addiction Recovery- Peer support

Stop Medicine Abuse-Often times it is best for teens to get information from their peers in order for something to have an effect in their lives. This website approaches substance abuse prevention with that specific mentality. Check out the testimony on this website as well as other resources that can be used by teens to learn about drug abuse.

Posted in:  Links Tags: about addiction, abuse, addiction, ADHD, cultural competency, drug, drug abuse, drug withdrawal, harm, harm reduction, heroin, prescription drug, prescription drug abuse, UCLA

About Addiction: Prescription Medication, Alcoholic Energy Drinks, and Video Games

February 14th, 2011

If you want to learn about addiction to drugs, alcohol, sex, and more, you’ve come to the right place. Check out some of our discoveries for online content about addiction.

Prescription Medication

Psy Post- Ever encounter prescription labels that warn you to not drive when you are using it ? Well this is good advice because prescribed medications are responsible for over 3 percent of automobile accidents in France.  Driving performance is classified into 4 levels of risk, from level 0 (no or negligible risk) to level 3 (major risk). Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in:  Links Tags: about addiction, addiction, addiction acceptance, Alcohol, alcoholic energy drinks, drinking, drinks, effect, energy drinks, ill effect, prescription medication, texas, video games

About Addiction: Alcohol and the Elderly, Oxycontin, and Drug Stigma

February 7th, 2011

Are you ready for some more exciting information about addiction? Well, it’s here anyway so you might as well look. We try to make A3 the central place where you can find out about addiction matters (saving you the typing work) so if there are any topics we’re not covering, make sure to write us!

Drugs- Reducing Stigma, and Oxycontin

Victoria News- Stigma is often discussed when talking about addiction. The stigma a drug user is stamped with often deters them from seeking treatment. AIDS Vancouver Island is promoting Anti-Stigma Week, which runs until Feb. 14. Hopefully an activity like anti-stigma week will allow individuals to leave behind their fears about being stigmatized and seek treatment for their addictions. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in:  Links Tags: about addiction, abuse, addiction, AIDS, Alcohol, anti stigma, anti stigma week, charlie shee, Dr. Drew, drug, drug dealers, marijuana, oxycontin, rehab finder, seeking treatment, stigma week, treatment

About Addiction: Alcohol, drugs, marriage, taxes, and teens

February 4th, 2011

You’ve come back and we love it! As a reward, we’re going to give you some of the best information about addiction on the web, free of charge. Really! No, seriously, we’re really happy to have you back learning about addiction here on A3. Now go on.

Alcohol: Marriage, Sports Games, and Price Planning

Science Daily- We have already talked about what alcoholism can do to you body as well as what it can do to your brain on A3. This article highlights what it could do to your marriage, specifically delaying it and possibly causing early separation. Just one more thing to think about for those thinking of tying the knot any time soon.

BBC News-In an effort to reduce crime in England the government wants to set a minimum price for alcohol so that it could no longer be sold at a price that is untaxable. Home Office projections indicate 7000 crimes could be cut in a year. The increase in cost would also result in a benefit to the nation’s health given projections form Sheffield University, which estimated last year that raising the price of alcohol to a minimum of 50p per unit would mean that after a decade there would be almost 3,000 fewer deaths every year and 41,000 fewer cases of chronic illness. The projection are dependent on the notion that price will affect demand and therefore use, something that has been shown to be less true among dependent individuals.

Med – A new study found that alcohol dependence is a strong predictor of early separation in marriage. In addition to this finding the results showed that if an individuals parents were dependent on alcohol  both men and women were more likely to separate early in marriage. This some very early evidence, but more research is being conducted.

Science Daily- Often times sports games are a great way to have fun. However, about eight percent of fans are legally drunk after leaving sports games according to a recent study published in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research (ACER). Researchers administered a breath test and found that 60% of the fans had zero BAC, 40% had a positive BAC, and nearly 8% were legally drunk. This problem could be resolved through better training of alcohol servers, and setting a limit to how much alcohol an individual can purchase, about 74% of the time an intoxicated individual was still able to buy alcohol. That is assuming these people are getting into cars and driving or starting fights… Otherwise, I say let them drink and walk it off.

Drugs: Texting & Fighting Teen Drug Use

News Feed- Restricting texting for teenagers may be a good idea as a new study shows that teens who “hyper-text” ( text more than 120 times a day) are more likely to be sexually active, drink alcohol and do illegal drugs compared to teens that text less. I wonder if they’re also sexting more… maybe while drunk or high. I guess future research should examine negative outcomes in this group – addiction, pregnancy, arrest and so on.

Time- The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has declared Nov. 8–14 National Drug Facts Week, in order to help prevent teen drug problems. The goal of this drug facts week is to present teens with factual information about drugs and drug abuse. Read this article and take NIDA’s Drug IQ Challenge here (warning: the online quiz begins with the loud sound of shattering glass, which may jolt adult nerves). Effective drug prevention requires open and honest communication information about drugs between parents and children.

Posted in:  Education Tags: A3, about addiction, Alcohol, alcoholism, arrest, drug, drug abuse, drug facts, drug facts week, Drugs, early, early separation, NIDA, pregnancy, price, sports games

Busy, busy, busy – Nothing quiet on the All About Addiction front

January 20th, 2011

Okay, I feel like I’ve been slacking on the writing for A3 recently. After finally finishing my Doctorate at UCLA a little more than a month ago, things have been surprisingly hectic for me. In case you hadn’t read it here or on the Huffington Post, I’ve been getting a little more exposure recently, some of it unwanted, but I’m hoping that in the process we’ll get more attention for our work here on All About Addiction. In the end, it’s all about helping addicts get help.

We’ve also begun featuring articles by Dirk Hanson, the journalist behind Addiction Inbox, one of my favorite sites featuring addiction information. Dirk’s first post had to do with the patterns of addiction treatment entries in the U.S. using the TEDS data from SAMHSA. One of my goals for this next year is to begin featuring more articles from outside writers including international experts on addiction. Hopefully, we’ll be able to include a peer-review process similar to that of academic journal to bring the level of our writing even higher – if that’s possible!!!

Thank you everyone for your continued support – We’re 15,000 visitors strong every month now and from the feedback I’m getting, we’re helping at least some of our readers out there and that’s all I’ve ever wanted.

Sincerely,

Dr. Jaffe

Posted in:  Opinions Tags: about addiction, addiction, articles, Dr. Jaffe, Huffington Post

Alcoholism , Sniffing Bath Salts, and Prescription Medication Abuse

January 17th, 2011

If you care about addiction you’re going to want to read our weekly update from across the globe. It’ll make you smarter – promise (at least when it comes to alcohol and drug abuse issues)!

Drug Abuse – Vaccines to treat addictions, and Sniffing Bath Salts

Medical News Today-A biochemical breakthrough by researchers at Cornell  produces a unique vaccine that combines bits of the common cold virus with a particle that mimics cocaine. Researchers believe the vaccine could be tailored to treat other addictions, such as to nicotine, heroin, and methamphetamine. While similar to other vaccine discussions we’ve had here, the method and generalizability here are of specific interest.

BBC News-Publicity of scholastic journals back fired on Dr. David E. Nichols as drug makers profit off his research findings. Dr. Nichols says while some drugs can be manufactured in the kitchen the scale to which these “legal high” drugs are produced indicates some small companies are involved.

Fox News.com- A new “drug abuse” trend of sniffing bath salts to try to get high is emerging in Louisiana and is creating a issue for the Louisiana Poison Center. It appears that more kids are attempting this “trend” resulting in of paranoia, hallucinations, delusions, as well as hypertension and chest pain. The problem’s gotten so bad in the state that the Governor had to make the active ingredient in the bath salts illegal. The bath salts contain a chemical called “Mephadrone and Methylenedioxypyrovalerone or MDPV, which is known to be a stimulant that may also cause paranoia and hostility.

Alcoholism – Studies and Personal Stories about alcohol

Science Daily- A new study has been conducted which shows that midlife alcohol consumption may be related to dementia which is often assessed about 20 years later. The study found that both abstainers and heavy drinkers had a greater risk for dementia and cognitive impairment than light drinkers. Again, it seems that drinking no-alcohol is associated with risk factors and outcomes that are not as ideal as moderate consumption and somewhat similar to heavy drinking.

Counselor Magazine Blog- Everyone loves watching a good and inspirational movie from time to time. The new movie “Country Strong” deals with many issues that everyday individuals face such as alcoholism, mental illness, co-dependency, ageism, and grief. These are elements that a person goes through when they are dealing with alcoholism. The movie depicts that alcoholism is a family disease and does not affect just the alcoholic. Another great point that the movie shows is that if there are underlying issues that are often not resolved that relapse is very common.

Prescription Drug abuse and death

Reuters- A new study has found that an increasing amount of individuals are dying from abusing and misusing prescription drugs as well as illegal drugs. In recent times deaths from “accidental poisonings” or overdose are more than ten times higher than they were in the late 1960s. This increase in drug deaths is higher across almost all age groups than it was in previous decades, especially amongst white Americans.

Chicago Sun Times- Prescription drug abuse is a growing problem in our country, and deaths from unintentional drug overdoses in the US have increased five-fold over the last two decades. The drugs that are commonly causing these deaths are particularly painkillers such as OxyContin (oxycodone), Vicodin (hydrocodone) and fentanyl. What many individuals do not realize is prescription drugs can be much more deadly than illegal drugs. In 2007 alone, abuse of prescription painkillers was responsible for more overdose deaths than heroin and cocaine combined. Prescription painkillers, most of which are opioids, are synthetic versions of opium used to relieve moderate to severe chronic pain, however in large and excessive quantities, they can suppress a person’s ability to breathe and are very dangerous when they are mixed with alcohol or other drugs.

Posted in:  Education Tags: about addiction, addiction, Alcohol, alcoholism, bath salts, BBC, cocaine, Country Strong, crystal meth, death, drug, drug abuse, Drugs, heroin, illegal drugs, methamphetamine, new study, nicotine, opiates, overdose, prescription, prescription drug, prescription drug abuse, prescription drugs, sniffing bath salts, stories, vaccine