Addiction

There are approximately 2000 drug rehab programs in CA. That may sound like a lot but it's really not compared to the population over the 58 counties in California. Drug rehab programs are needed more and more each day in the state for drug abuse, especially methamphetamine addiction. Methamphetamine is the number one drug abused in the state of California and the numbers are on the rise daily. Californians make up 40% of all treatment admissions for methamphetamine nationwide. Needless to say that is almost half of the addicted population of methamphetamine addicts in the entire US. Methamphetamine is one of the most dangerous drugs on the street today. Millions of addicts are faced with addiction and finding help can seem like an never ending struggle if you don't know where to look. Luckily, residents in California have several programs to choose from but, the question still remains: how many of these 2000 programs are equiped to handle methamphetamine addiction? 

If you find yourself continually worried about a friend or loved one and you think they may be addicted to drugs or alcohol, it is important to do what ever it takes to find them a drug addiction treatment program as soon as possible. There are parents who spend endless nights worrying and wondering if their child will make it home that night. There are children who suffer because their parents are addicted to drugs and alcohol and therefore are neglected. Children who suffer from drug abusing parents often achieve less in school and have more behavioral problems because they are trying to find ways to get help but reach out in the wrong way. Their social skills are usually not up to normal standards because these children are kept from participating in a lot of activities. Partially because their parents spend all their money on drugs or alcohol or the parents are too consumed by their addiction to take the time to be interested in their children. When a child grows up in an environment where drugs and alcohol are a daily routine, it's more than likely that they will fall into the same horrible cycle of addiction.

Methamphetamine, commonly referred to as meth is a derivative of amphetamine, a powerful stimulant that affects the central nervous system. It is a Schedule II stimulant, which means it has a high potential for abuse and available only through a prescription that cannot be refilled. Meth can be smoked, snorted, taken by mouth and injected. It is accessible in many different forms and may be identified by color, which ranges from white to yellow to darker colors such as red and brown. Meth comes in a powder form that resembles granulated crystals and in a rock form known as "ice" which
is the smokeable version of meth that came into use during the 1980's.

According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, in 2006 there were an estimated 731,000 current users of meth aged 12 or older. Of the 259,000 people who used meth for the first time in 2006 , the mean age at first use was 22.2 years, which is up considerably from the mean age of 18.6 in 2005. From 2005 to 2006, lifetime meth abuse increased among those 26 and older, particularly those 26-34 years of age.

The new national figures have just been released for drug use and addiction for 2007 and the news is not good. Nationally, nearly 20 million people (aged 12 and older) used an illicit drug each month, and more than 23 million were classifiable as needing treatment for alcohol or drug abuse. Only 2.4 million people actually got treatment leaving many millions in danger of losing their homes, their families, their health, their very lives.

addiction medicine is the newest method said to treat addicts through the use of replacement drugs used to curb cravings caused from all drugs. Studies show that the use of medicine and replacement drugs not only doesn’t cure addiction, but causes many to relapse or become addicted to replacement drugs, in addition those drugs that they were formerly addicted to.

Since the field of addiction medicine often crosses over into other areas such a psychiatry and internal medicine, the disease theory of addiction is most commonly used and the solution, for some medical practitioners is to treat addiction with medication, more specifically replacement drug methods.

Substance abuse statistics from around the world are staggering. 

Drug use is the underlying factor in many of today's societal problems including, crime, child abuse, spread of HIV and other diseases, auto accidents and much more. Entire nations are driven to apathy concerning the subject of drug addiction due to a lack of workable solutions or, in some cases, very few rehabilitation centers at all to even begin to address the issue.

The very first step to drug rehabilitation is to get the addict off the drugs and through the withdrawal stage. One method that is receiving a lot of attention is used by the Narconon® Drug Rehabilitation and Education Program. 

Stopping alcohol and drug abuse:  An American Resolution

Every New Year's Day, Americans face one of the deadliest days on the road. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) data has shown that alcohol-related traffic fatalities increase on New Year's Day and an estimated 185 people will be killed as a result.

The NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) reports that 45 percent of all fatalities during the Christmas and New Year holiday periods, on an average, have occurred in crashes where at least one of the involved drivers was impaired as compared to about 30 percent of all fatalities during the rest of the year.

The answer to whether or not we are winning the "war" on drugs depends upon whom it is you ask.

8,000 Americans, mostly young people, start using drugs every day and our jails and prisons are full of people incarcerated for crimes that most of them committed while on drugs or while trying to get drugs.  

Clearly more than just effective rehabilitation needs to occur, and one former local is on the spearhead of the fight. As you may recall, we printed a story this past spring about Bobby Newman, a former meth addict from Elmore City that is involved in drug prevention. 

Effective Drug Detoxification - A Missing Ingredient in Most Drug Rehabs

Cravings, guilt and depression make up the harness that keeps an addict in the downward spiral of drug addiction and effective drug detoxification will help. In almost all cases these symptoms are generated after a long term of substance abuse. In the history of drug and alcohol rehabilitation it has always been known that the addict must first undergo a drug detoxification procedure, as the drug cravings are the first barrier to a successful recovery.

During last week's State of the Union Address, President George W. Bush announced his drug treatment initiative to the nation, clearly stating that recovery is possible.

According to John P. Walters, Director of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), "This initiative offers a new and effective way for the federal government to help people get into drug treatment programs and recovery." The President's plan includes $600 million over a three-year period targeted at increasing capacity and access to effective rehabilitation programs. The initiative also allows for individuals in need to receive vouchers so that they can seek the program of their choice. This in itself is largely important because often times programs with excellent track records don't always receive government funding due to "non-traditional" modalities and that state-run programs often have an extensive waiting list to receive drug treatment. The vouchers allow addicts seeking effective drug treatment to enroll in private programs if they choose to do so, and states would monitor the outcomes of the voucher program to track clients' success.