Yes, you’ve got it, it’s your 30 seconds of news about addiction from around the world (wide web). Enjoy the reading – you can claim you learned your “new thing of the day.”
Addiction recovery- Inpatient and Outpatient treatment plans
Addiction Recovery-Recovering from addiction is hard, no matter what type of addiction it is. In order to complete a successful recovery from addiction, a positive attitude helps. Holding a positive attitude increases the chances that the recovery attempt will be a successful one. We’ve written often about addiction treatment and tips to increase sucess.
Recovery Now– What are the stages to inpatient addiction treatment? According to Recovery Now, the stages of inpatient treatment include: intake, detox, stabilization, and long term recovery. Though I don’t necessarily agree with every aspect of this article, it contains some good information about addiction treatment that every reader should know. This additional piece from Recovery Now discusses the appropriateness of inpatient versus outpatient addiction treatment for specific patients.
Alcohol use
Science Daily– We’ve talked about the link that has been found between family history of alcoholism and an individual’s obesity risk. In this study a family history of alcoholism produced an increased risk for obesity, though the environment also played a large role in this link. Environmental factors include the types of foods that are eaten- foods that are typically high in calories from sugars, salt and fat.
Desert News– Everyone knows at least one person whose life has been affected by alcohol abuse in some form or another. Here is a story of how alcohol negatively affected a woman’s life and how it overtook her life ultimately leading to her death.
The Sydney Morning Herald– Drunk Driving is not just a problem in the United States, driving under the influence of alcohol appears to be a problem in other countries as well. In Australia almost 1,400 people were arrested for alcohol-related offenses.
AOL Health-There is a multitude of information found on billboards and in TV commercials which explains the risks of drunk and drugged driving. Despite this information 30 million Americans are driving drunk each year and 10 million are driving while they are under the influence of drugs. This problem is very serious and is most problematic among drivers who are aged 16-25. Although there has been a drop in the overall number of individuals who are driving while they are under the influence, one in three car accidents still occur from drunk driving.
Drugs- The dangers of legal drugs, Marijuana, Adderall, and Methadone
Belfast Telegraph–Alcohol and legal drugs are okay in small doses and can even be helpful in medical settings and for overall health. However it is important to note that there have been many more alcohol related deaths than deaths from illegal substances such as heroin and crystal meth. By far alcohol is the greatest perpetrator followed by prescription drugs including amphetamines, benzodiazepines and antidepressants. In Ireland in 2009 alone there were 283 alcohol-related deaths were registered in the north and 276 the previous year.
NIH News- There has been a recent increase in marijuana use among 8th graders according to NIDA’s monitoring the future survey. It was reported that the rate of eighth-graders who are using illicit drugs is 16 percent, a 2.5 increase from the previous year’s use of 14.5 percent. Among high school seniors cigarette use has declined but marijuana, ecstasy and prescription drug use has increased. Marijuana use among adolescents is so problematic because it affects the brains development as well as a person’s learning, judgment, and motor skills. Additionally 1 in 6 people who start using it as adolescents become addicted. The spike in the drug use may be attributed to the debate on legalization which may give a false impression that the drug has no negative effects or consequences.
‘WisconsinWatch.org– Use of Adderall, a medication for ADHD, is on the rise and in demand on many college campuses. Adderall is increasing in popularity and is easily accessible on college campuses because it helps individuals study. The drug is particularly popular in the University of Wisconsin and many students are taking it despite the negative side effects it may bring. School officials are not educating the university population of the ill effects of Adderall so it continues to be used as a study aid. At least part of the worry has to do with the potential for such students to move on to even stronger versions of amphetamines such as crystal meth, so maybe the efforts should focus on teaching students about addiction to amphetamines and the associated risks.
Scotsman News–Methadone a drug which is used to prevent withdrawal symptoms in individuals who were addicted to opiate drugs (and as a replacement medication in heroin addiction treatment) is going to be in high demand after nearly £2 million worth of the heroin was discovered on a raid in Scotland. Police hope that by working with healthcare professionals they can help these drug users seek addiction treatment. Anyone who was effected by the drug raid are offered the support and care they need
Victimization and Drug Legalization
Physorg.com– A potential link has been found between victimization (and hence trauma) and the prevalence of substance use disorders. This was most evident for homosexual and bisexual men and women than it was for heterosexual men and women. Both gay men and women reported high prevalence rates of victimization some point in their lifetime with lesbian women twice as likely to report victimization experiences. Men and women who reported two or more victimization experiences were found to have higher odds of alcohol and other drug dependence.
London Evening Standard– Should drugs be legalized? That is the question that is popping up in many states across the United States. Is marijuana safer if it is regulated by the state? The argument for legalizing drugs goes a little something like this: Despite drugs being illegal there will always be a demand for them so if drugs are legalized then governments will be able to control drug quality before they are sold on the streets. Tax income from drug sales can then to educate individuals about drugs and to aid individuals who need addiction treatment
North West Evening Mail– Paul Brown, the director of Cumbria Alcohol and Drug Advisory Service spoke out after former drugs policy minister Bob Ainsworth and he called for the decriminalization of all banned substances. Brown informed attendees that only Portugal has decriminalized drugs and since that occurred crime rates have fallen and more individuals are willing to seek treatment for drug problems. Many substances that are legal such as alcohol and tobacco are bigger killers than drugs that are criminalized. Alcohol and tobacco kill an average 40,000 people a year this is 10 times more than any illegal drug.