About Addiction: Marijuana use, cigarette smoking, and crystal meth

December 27th, 2010

Hey ! After a brief period of inactivity we are back and better as always ready to provide you with your 30 minute tidbit of information about addiction. If you want to learn more about marijuana use, (cigarette) smoking, and addiction stigma then read on!

Marijuana use: Harmless?

Fox News- While many think that Marijuana a harmless drug (read our marijuana driving input), a guy high on weed drove his car into a group of cyclists in Italy. Eight cyclists were killed and an additional four people were injured. This accident can serve as a lesson that marijuana is not as “harmless” as a lot of people make it out to be. Educating the public about the dangers of driving under the influence of marijuana may help in preventing future incidents.

The Dome-Nobody is a stranger to the fact that voters in a number of states have been trying to legalize marijuana. But Illinois legislators just went the other way and struck down a bill which would allow medical marijuana to be legal. The legislators stuck this down with the fear that if this practice were legalized then there would be widespread use of marijuana. Right now fifteen states (and Washington DC) allow the use of medical marijuana but apparently Illinois decided they are not going to be the sixteenth.

Psychology Today- Can recreational pot smokers become addicted to marijuana? A large number of individuals only smoke marijuana recreationally and do not ever become addicted (see here), but about 10% to 30% of regular users will develop marijuana dependence (my vote is actually probably more for the 10%-20% range). About 9% will have a serious addition. Marijuana use in the U.S. has gone through quite an evolution from its early introduction in the 1970’s as an anti war statement to today when it is mostly used by teenagers and those who have been smoking for a long time. Most individuals quit when they are parents or homeowners (which is true of most drugs by the way), and this contributes to the thinking by some that marijuana is not very addictive.

Quitting smokingthrough personal stories

Bloomsburg Buisnessweek- Anti-smoking advertisements have been relying on fear appeals to persuade individuals to avoid or quit smoking smoking. But the commercials that show patients with a hole in their throat or the magazine ads showing a black and diseased lung have not really been very effective. However new research shows that advertisements that target emotions more broadly seem to work best when trying to prevent smoking. Personal testimonies seem to be the most effective because  they allow the individuals who are viewing them to emotionally identify with the person in the ad helping them find reasons why they themselves should quit smoking.

Guardian- Passive tobacco smoking kills more than 600,000 people in the world every year including about 165,000 children.  The most problematic regions in terms of these smoking deaths are third world countries due to the combination of the dangerous effects of second hand smoke and infectious diseases. Second hand smoke is most problematic in the home and although women smoke less they are more likely to be exposed to second hand smoke in the house.

Addiction Inbox- The electronic cigarette is finally here although in the past the FDA wanted to prevent these cigarettes from being marketed in the US. The decision to allow the marketing of these cigarettes was established as long as they are not targeted to minors. In addition marketing individuals cannot make any claims that the products are safe alternatives to tobacco. These products are a battery powered device that allow its users to “smoke” and inhale nicotine vapor without any fire, smoke, ash or carbon monoxide.

Alcoholism stigma and seeking treatment for drug addiction

Med- Individuals who are diagnosed with alcoholism are 60% less likely to seek treatment because they fear the stigma that is attached to alcoholism. To be an alcoholic means belonging to a stigmatized group, and no one likes that. The goal then should be to educate individuals in order to try to alleviate the stigma that is associated with alcoholism in order to allow more people to seek treatment from it. Reducing the stigma of addiction is a goal we at A3 take very seriously.

Recovery Now-If there is one thing that teenagers hate it is snooping parents by far. What is the parent is snooping for a good reason however? Is snooping around with concern that your child is using drugs or alcohol okay? Although a controversial topic this article looks at the implication of snooping and when it is okay to snoop in teenagers stuff. It is a great read, enjoy!

Crystal meth and Suicide-Veterans and Substance abuse

Honolulu advertiser- Hawaii has the worst crystal meth problem in the country and a school in Hawaii held a national crystal meth awareness day assembly. Forty percent of people arrested by police in Honolulu test positive for meth, and about 30,000 Honolulu residents are hard-core users of meth (with as many as three times more being recreational users). Government officials in Hawaii want to increase spending to make more drug treatment programs available to prison inmates. In addition the general public needs to be educated about the dangers of crystal meth.

Breaking the cycles-“Veterans at Higher Risk for Suicide,” is a radio broadcast which talks about the impacts of war on the mental health of all veterans in California. The issues that the radio broadcasts focuses on are anxiety, depression, and PTSD. The radio broadcast reported that veterans are at higher risk of committing suicide than other individuals who are not in the military. This article continues to address the topics of mental illness and how mental illness is a key risk factor to developing a substance abuse problem.

Posted in:  Education, Links Tags: crystal meth, marijuana, marijuana ise, meth, second hand smoke, smoke, smoking

Miley Cyrus and Salvia – Hallucinations in the limelight

December 10th, 2010

Hello there Miley Cyrus, welcome to young adulthood live on TMZ. Our readers probably remember our coverage of Salvia (Salvinorin A) a few months ago but who would have thought that one of the additions to those YouTube videos of kids getting high on this legal hallucinogen would be joined by the American sweetheart Miley Cyrus? I know I wouldn’t have thought it.

Still, let’s all keep in mind that the Salvia Miley was smoking was fully legal (as long as you believe her publicists who would obviously never lie), something a few steps removed from her smoking a cigarette now that she’s 18 (even though Salvia is even less restricted).

I’m wondering what the fallout will be – Lord knows that in the media crazy America it’s hard to predict how fans will react to this kind of stuff. If my Huffington Post article on the topic is any indication, people are still pretty excited/upset about this one.

Posted in:  Links Tags: cyrus, Huffington Post, legal, miley, miley cyrus, salvanorin, salvia, Salvinorin, Salvinorin A, smoking, thought

About Addiction: Alcohol, drugs, and bipolar disorder

November 11th, 2010

Have any questions about different drugs or alcohol? We bet you do and we’re glad to see you back at All About Addiction ! You should browse our content and check out the information on alcohol, heroin, marijuana.  It is a great source for a quick 30 minute information session.

“Traditional” Drugs

BBC- A man in England was killed after consuming heroin that contained anthrax in it. This was the fifth case of a drug user in England who became ill due to anthrax. It appears that drug users are becoming increasingly vulnerable to having their contraband contaminated with anthrax.

Join Together- Do you think Marijuana should be legalized? That was the question on the minds of many individual’s as they went to the polls on Election Day, yet despite the concerted efforts of some people Proposition 19 was defeated. Some of the arguments for supporting the legalization of marijuana was so that it would be treated like alcohol and tobacco and would not be criminalized along with drugs like heroin, meth, and cocaine. Apparently the majority of voters thought those benefits didn’t outweigh the possibility that legalizing marijuana would increase social problems. By the way, this is not the first time Californians have rejected the legalization of marijuana, it also occurred in 1972, which likely means that some of the people who voted against it this time supported it in the past.

Synthetic Drugs and new drug combinations

KTLA-How does a drink of prescription cough syrup, soda and jolly ranchers sound to you?  Although this may be unappealing to some it is actually a drink bar-goers are getting in to. The drink is also known as Sizzurp (I’m pretty sure I’ve heard Snoop Dog say that in song) and can produce quite a high thanks to the codeine that is found in it. Unfortunately, the combination of alcohol and codeine also increases the chance that the drink will be deadly deadly. Apparently this drink is often promoted by individuals in the music industry and the DEA is worried and wants to crack down on it.

Addiction Inbox- If you would like to learn about a new drug called Mephedrone then this article is for you ! Mephedrone is a new synthetic drug found mostly in England. For more on this topic check out Dirk’s article!

Alcohol: Working Mothers and Energy Drinks

Marin Institute- There has been a growing recognition of the risks of alcoholic energy drinks and officials across the country are starting to take action against them (who hasn’t had a RedBull and Vodka?). Often times these energy drinks are marketed to youth but those individuals do not know the stress that high amounts of alcohol and caffeine can have on the body. Since 2008 major companies such as MillerCoors, Anhueser-Busch, and InBev have removed caffeine from their brands, but smaller companies have begun marketing even more dangerous products that come in larger sizes with higher alcohol content. The news media is attempting to educate the public on the dangers of these products and legal action may even be taken. Check out this article for a great read!

CNN- Working mothers have a lot to balance in their daily lives from running kids to school to doing errands and keeping houses and lives in order – it’s a tough job (just ask my wife). The magazine Working Mother found that 40 percent of working mothers turn to alcohol to try to alleviate stress and 57 percent reported misuse of prescription drugs. Check out this article to find out more and to watch a video which discusses this fuller details and don’t forget to look at some of our content on moderate alcohol intake.

Mental Health and Addiction Treatment

Breaking the cycles- It has often been reported that individuals who have certain mental health problems such as bipolar disorder have a greater chance of developing substance abuse problems (to alcohol or drugs). This article is very helpful in providing the families of individuals with bipolar disorder information to understand the disorder better as well as the alcohol and or drug abuse than may come with. With this understanding the families of these individual can help reduce the stigma of both the bipolar disorder and their addiction.

Addiction Information- Do you remember a couple weeks ago when All About Addiction reported that Michael Lohan wanted to open up his own rehab center? Well the apple does not fall to far from the tree because Lindsay Lohan now wants to open up her own rehab center.  Lindsay has been in and out of rehab five times in the past two years – Is this too early for her to open up a rehab center? I think that’s probably true and that she should focus on getting herself healthy first.

Posted in:  Links Tags: about addiction, addiction, Alcohol, all about addiction, bipolar disorder, drug, Drugs, energy drinks, heroin, legalizing, legalizing marijuana, marijuana, meth, open rehab, open rehab center, proposition 19, rehab center, stigma, working mothers

About Addiction: Sex and Drugs, and Addiction’s impact on children and stress

October 27th, 2010

Have questions about addiction? You should browse our content and check out the links in this article and all the others we’ve written. It’s a great quick stop for 30 minutes of information!

Sex and Drugs

Science Centric- What a great way to help others! A peer based outreach service have been developed to aid sex workers resolve their drug problems. The program is lead by current and former sex workers and is helping to increase entry to detox and residential drug treatment programs among women in sex work.

Take Part- A male porn star has tested positive to having HIV. This positive test has put a halt to production of new sex tapes. This article provides five things that individuals should know about the porn industry. It is a great read!

Addiction inbox- Spice has been marketed as a synthetic cannabis. It can get a person high but at the same time will allow individuals to pass a drug urinalysis. That fact is making spice very common in places like police stations, fire department, and army bases.

Breaking the Cycles- Everyone knows how hard it is to break a habit, it often takes time and it is a struggle to maintain the new behavior. This is the same when an addict or alcoholic successfully makes it through their rehab. The hard part however comes when individuals are trying to prevent relapse.  SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) suggests that to prevent relapse individuals should think about doing something as opposed to not doing something. This allows individuals to create an anti-drug and anti-drink. This article follows the pattern of our earlier writing on relapse prevention by replacement.

Addiction’s impact on children and stress

Sober teens online- This is not a typical article post that we love to provide you, however it is no doubt very moving. This site displays artwork which depicts the emotions of foster children who are victimized by addiction.

Stress and addiction- Does stress cause addiction? Does addiction cause stress? That’s a popular question when people are trying to figure out the causes of addiction. It is no surprise that stress and addiction have a reciprocal relationship with each other. Stress can cause an individual to start drinking or taking drugs, and stress often triggers addict to use drugs or alcohol. Stress such as early childhood trauma may cause an individual to become an addict when they are older. This article examines the interplay of stress and addiction and also offers a great video about stress and addiction.

Posted in:  Links Tags: about addiction, addiction, Addiction Inbox, cannabis, detox, HIV, marijuana, porn, prevent relapse, SAMHSA, Sex, sex workers, Spice, stress, stress addiction, weed

About Addiction: Drug Information, alcohol safety, and Addiction recovery resources

October 20th, 2010

You guessed it, another great piece detailing some interesting information about addiction from the corners of the world (wide web?). Enjoy, and remember to let us know if we’re missing some topics you’d like to see here!

Drug Information and alcohol safety

Drug.ie- Educating teens about drugs during the time of adolescence may be too late according to this piece. which claims that parents are very ignorant about the whole drug culture (many do not even know that their teens are using drugs or alcohol). In order to try to combat the drug problem parents should be educated and the whole community should work together to help alleviate the drug problem.   

Irish medical news- A new street drug has emerged in Ireland and is selling for €2 (something like $3). The drug has said to be as dangerous as methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV). The drug is currently being analyzed for its properties but is thought to be as potent as mephedrone, BZP and MDPV.

Examiner- This article examines the history of Amy Winehouse and how she used to be deeply involved in the world of drugs.  The good thing that emerges from this article is the fact that Amy Winehouse has been sober for over 3 years – If Amy can do it, I’m sure many other addicts can!

Breaking the cycles- This article examines the proper ways to deal with individuals when they are drunk.  Alcohol works by depressing the central nervous system by slowing down the heart rate, lowering blood pressure and slowing a person’s breathing rate. If a friend passes out and they have consumed a lot of alcohol you should turn them on their side in order to prevent them from choking on their vomit. This is important, however it cannot stop the depressant action of alcohol as it keeps working on the central nervous system.

Addiction recovery resources

Bloomsburg Buisnessweek- Mental illness stigma is very difficult to shake when it comes to addiction recovery. In order to compact this issue individuals need to be educated about mental illness. In order to reduce stigma people should be urged to focus on the person rather than the disease.

5min Life Videopedia- This video gives a great perspective on how to help individuals who are recovering from drug addiction and alcohol abuse. It is worth watching, Enjoy!

Posted in:  Links Tags: about addiction, addiction, addiction recovery, adolescence, Alcohol, alkohol, amy winehouse, central nervous system, drug, drug problem, drunk, mental health, mental illness, parents, recovery, safety, sober, teens

About Addiction: Drug use, Addiction Recovery, and smoking

October 11th, 2010

We’re back with our weekly post about addiction news and research. We’ve got harm reduction in Australia, heroin ads that don’t work, the impact of drug abuse on children, and more. Get your 30 seconds of education for the day.

Using Drugs – Heroin, HIV, the law, and recovery

The Australian- There is a state approved heroin injecting room in Australia. The center opened to create a safer place for drug users to shoot heroin. 3500 individuals have overdosed on the premises without a single fatality, making for a very interesting way of combating drug addiction that would definitely fall under that harm-reduction model American hate so much!

Star Advertiser- When it comes to scaring individuals into not using drugs, specifically heroin, fear appeals do not seem to work in preventing future drug users. Fear appeals ads show drug users as violent, and often have missing teeth or skin problems. Apparently, audiences are smart enough to see these as not really representative of heroin users in general and they’re not buying it, making the ads useless in combating drug addiction.

Global Development- Eastern Europe and Central Asia have the fastest growth rate of HIV infection in the world (Russia accounts for between 60% and 70% of the epidemic). This may be due to sharing dirty needles when using drugs and the biggest problem is likely lack of prevention efforts for high risk groups.

Guardian- A senior police officer from Britain thinks that individuals should not be criminally prosecuted for possessing marijuana. By focusing less on drugs found among youth the police can focus on things they see as more important like hard core criminals. I’m sure our legalization friends will love this, although again, this isn’t legalization but decriminalization and parents will hate it.

Addiction Inbox- Meditation and exercise play a role in drug addiction recovery. Both methods apparently help to eliminate the panic and anxiety that plays a role in detoxification. Although it may not be the most popular method of recovery, we at A3 have already written about this and think you should give it a try!

Breaking the cycles-  A program called Partnership for a Drug Free America has five new drug programs in order to eliminate drug use among teens. These programs educate teens as well as their parents with a variety to drug information.

Smoking, pregnancy, and attitude

Science Daily- Women who smoke during pregnancy can hinder their children’s coordination and physical control (likely affecting boys more). Smoking during pregnancy can damage development in the fetal stage, so if you are expecting try not to light up (as our other post on pregnancy and smoking recommends).

Decoder- You are in for a good read on the changing attitudes of smoking. This blog gives an inside perspective on smoking and how it has evolved from the time it was considered “cool”.

Addiction’s impact on others

Philly Daily News- Addiction impacts not only the drug addict but their children as well. 15% of all children live in a household with an alcoholic and one in four children is exposed to a family member’s alcohol abuse or dependence. These children are often neglected when their parents are under the influence and that neglect can lead to some pretty terrible outcomes for the children themselves down the line.

Addiction Recovery- This is an excellent read on the importance of patience when it comes to addiction recovery. Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither will a drug addict’s wonderful new life. Recovery takes time so take a deep  breath and enjoy!

Posted in:  Education, Links Tags: about addiction, addiction, addiction recovery, alcoholism, children, combating drug addiction, drug, Drug addiction, drug users, Drugs, exercise, heroin, HIV, individuals using drugs, marijuana, medtation, neglect, overdose, pregnancy, smoking, using drugs

About Addiction: Drinking age, Drugs and violence and Addiction Treatment

September 20th, 2010

What did you already learn about addiction today? I bet we can double, no wait, triple that in this post alone!!! Check out this week’s coverage of the most interesting, and informative online content about addiction.

Drinking Limits and the (really) young

Telegraph- Sir Terry Leahy, an owner of Britain’s largest super market chain, wants to change the drinking laws in order to prevent teens from becoming binge drinkers. Leahy points out that a lot of alcohol is consumed in homes, so he wants to create a law which will raise the age in which children can drink in the home. Currently, children can legally drink at home as early as 5 years of age. I hope they’re not throwing keg-parties that early!

Drugs, sex, violence, and more young

USA Today- Researchers in Scotland found that when an anti-smoking bans was in place the number of children hospitalized for asthma dropped 18% in the first year and they saw a decline in heart attacks. I guess their anti-smoking campaigns work better than U.S. ones.

Addiction Inbox-Check out this article on the effects of different drugs on sexual performance.

Decoder- This site give tips and tricks for raising drug free teens, it is a good read that includes tips on teachable moments, showing how you care, tips for talking about potential alcohol and drug use, and knowing what kids are facing today. Do keep in mind that about 80% of children engage in some kind of deviant behavior during their teens.

Fox News- Two of Mexico’s rival drug gang leaders have been captured, possibly marking the beginning of a new era in the country’s drug war. Many drug lords  have started surrendering, and “the criminals are no longer putting up resistance” when surrounded, according to a leader of Mexico’s anti-drug-cartel campaign. As we’ve written on A3, more than 28,000 people have died in drug-related violence since President Felipe Calderon launched the offensive against drug cartels soon after taking office in 2006, it would be nice if the drug war is soon over.

Addiction Treatment

Join together- Is it fair that older adults have to pay more for treatment? Substance-abuse treatment admissions for individuals who are  50 and older  has more than doubled between 1992 and 2008.  This can be attributed to unemployment,   homelessness, and the aging baby-boomer population. Maybe it’s the 60′s catching up with everyone.

Breaking the cycles- When individuals are several months into recovery from addiction there are often feelings of  anxiety, of being unsettled or worried, and all these emotions can affect  a person’s long-term recovery. One of the major reasons for this is worrying about financial matters. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission tries to help Americans in debt through its helpful website, Knee Deep In Debt.

News stories about addiction

The Hollywood reporter- Pat O’ Brien writes a letter to Lindsay Lohan asking her to look at her life and try to live in a way that will benefit her.

Justice Policy Institute- It has been reported that crime is down in all regions of the country. This is being attributed to reductions in incarceration times brought about by the tough economic reality. Policy makers apparently realized that locking people up for long periods of time is not smart economically and apparently this decrease in incarceration has brought with it a reduction in crime.

Posted in:  Links Tags: about addiction, addiction, anti-smoking, drug, Drug addiction, drug war