News Archives

INSIDE ADDICTION NEWS JULY 6, 2009

Young Adults Need Treatment But Don’t Receive It: SAMHSA

A new report shows 93% of young adults age 18-25 who are in need of alcohol and drug tx. did not receive it and 96% of those who are in need do not perceive it necessary. Of the 4% of these young adults who recognize their use and need for treatment just over 32% actually sought help. These results were based on the 2007 National Survey On Drug Use And Health. Our youth are our future, we must take care of them now.

Marijuana Smoke Officially A Carcinogen: San Jose Mercury News

Scientists at California's Office of Environmental Health Hazards Assessment (OEHHA) studied research that linked marijuana smoke to different types of cancer, in particular head and neck cancers, concluding that marijuana smoke contains many of the harmful properties found in tobacco smoke."There's not one single piece of evidence that was a slam dunk," said George Alexeeff, Ph.D., deputy director for scientific affairs for the OEHHA. "But the pieces together form a very compelling argument."California medical-marijuana dispensaries with 10 or more employees will be required to post a warning label in their shop or on the products saying, "Contents may cause cancer when smoked."While marijuana smoke is now on California's Prop. 65 list, the labeling requirements will not go into effect until June 19, 2010. Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, who has sponsored legislation to legalize and tax marijuana in California, called the board's singling out of marijuana "gratuitous," while other marijuana-reform advocates expressed concern that the OEHHA findings would provide ammunition to opponents of legalization and decriminalization.

Smoking Causes Brain Damage:
Fox News

New research shows a direct link between smoking and brain damage..Scientists have found that a compound in tobacco triggers white blood cells in the central nervous system to attack healthy cells, resulting in severe neurological damage.The compound, NNK, is a procarcinogen, which means it becomes cancer-causing when it's altered by the metabolic processes of the body, the researchers wrote. NNK doesn't cause direct harm to brain cells, but appears to cause neuroinflammation that leads to disorders such as multiple sclerosis.Scientists at the National Brain Research Center in India found that NNK increases stress-related proteins such as pro-inflammatory signaling proteins and pro-inflammatory effector proteins, as well as pro-inflammatory cytokines, which act as molecular messengers between cells.This demonstrates that NNK triggers an exaggerated response from the brain's immune cells, called microglia. Normally, microglia cells attack damaged or unhealthy cells, but when provoked by NNK, they attack healthy brain cells, the researchers added."Our findings prove that tobacco compound NNK can activate microglia significantly, which subsequently harms the nerve cells," lead researcher Dr. Anirban Basu said in a news release.The study appears in the July issue of the Journal of Neurochemistry.Since NNK is present in all tobacco products, it can also enter the body by chewing, the researchers noted. Secondhand smoke also contains high levels of NNK and can have a harmful effect on the brain, they said.

Saratoga County, N.Y. District Attorney Addresses Underage Alcohol, Drug Use:
Schenectady Daily Gazette

SARATOGA COUNTY — A rape was among crimes reported at SPAC during a Dave Matthews Band concert two weekends ago, but the district attorney said the victim was reluctant to pursue the case because she feared revelation of her own alcohol and drug use.Saratoga County District Attorney James A. Murphy III called the case a prime example of rampant underage alcohol and drug abuse at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center.He said the 19-year-old college student who reported she was raped in the woods near the parking lot at SPAC withdrew her complaint when police requested a blood sample.“A rape investigation was stopped because she was afraid of what the alcohol and drug content of her blood would be,” he said. “She said she goes to college on a scholarship, and she could lose the money if the school found out what she had taken. We wouldn’t have reported anything to the school. I don’t know what she was thinking.”A meeting this week between the state Liquor Authority and Live Nation’s beverage vendor to discuss an application for on-premises liquor sales at SPAC annoyed Murphy.“We don’t need any more alcohol at events at SPAC,” he said on Friday. “During the Dave Matthews Band concerts we had four ambulances continually making runs with people who had alcohol poisoning or otherwise overindulged.”Live Nation general manager for SPAC events John Huff said his company is looking to have some control over the consumption of alcoholic beverages at concerts.“We are proponents of a safe and controlled environment for our guests. We want people to come, be responsible and enjoy themselves and then get safely home,” he said. “We certainly are in step with Jim Murphy and other agencies in wanting to prevent underage or uncontrolled drinking.”He said concession employees check for wrist bands that identify legal-age drinkers and anyone caught giving alcohol to an underaged drinker is banned from buying alcoholic beverages for the rest of the event.“We’re willing to sit down and talk with the district attorney or police or any other stakeholder about this issue,” he said.Murphy said the number of cases his office is seeing shows the abuse of alcohol by underage drinkers is on the rise in the county.He said parties for teens in homes or rented venues are being discovered by police often, in spite of anti-drinking campaigns in schools and in the media.Murphy made his annual plea this week to hotel, motel and campground owners to be cautious against renting to potential hosts of underage drinking parties.He said he has sent letters to nearly 60 accommodations in Saratoga County following several investigations and arrests.“Investigation of these complaints reveals that youth are renting rooms and drinking alcohol with the assistance of young adults in their 20s who obtain alcohol legally, but then provide alcohol to the underage kids, illegally,” Murphy said. There have also been incidents of fake identifications being used to obtain alcohol, he said.The Saratoga Partnership for Prevention and the Saratoga Springs School District conducted a survey on drinking in late October and early November and found that 54 percent of the 11th- and 12th-graders reported they had consumed alcohol within the past 30 days.Prevention Council Executive Director Judy Ekman said more than 80 percent of those who drank reported they had consumed five or more alcoholic beverages while they were drinking.“We’re seeing a downward trend in the overall number of 12th-graders who drink, but binge drinking is up and that concerns us very much,” she said. “The more they drink, the more likely they are to become addicted or to be involved in sexual assaults, other violence, DWI and all of the destructive behaviors that threaten lives and their futures.” New York State police have set up a hot line to report underage parties. That number is 1-866-UNDER21. Call it people, before they call you, or come to your house at 3AM to identify a body!

NYPD Say Day Care was Drug Haven:
CNN

NEW YORK — Police say a Brooklyn day care center where police officers shot an armed man during a robbery attempt was being used as a drug haven.Police said Saturday they found 10 pounds of marijuana and $100,000 in cash in the basement of the Special Moments Daycare.New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly says the day care center's owner has been arrested, and her husband is negotiating to surrender. The center's telephone rang unanswered Saturday, and police didn't know whether the two had lawyers.Police say children were lying down for naps when two men burst in around noon Friday, while a third man stayed outside as a lookout.Police shot one of the men in the center; he's hospitalized in stable condition. No children were hurt.The three suspects have been arrested.

Michael Jackson, The Addict?

In respect to the dead, all we have to say is, if it is true like all other addicts who sucome to their addiction without cont. seeking help it is unfortunate. Good can come out of all circumstances, in this case it has drawn immense attention to an epidemic that we know effects all regardless of fame and fortune or the lack of. Addicts die everyday, you just have'nt heard of their name, but check the obituary, a clue is "died suddenly or unexpectedly" you've read them, well now you know. This isn't anything new, but what we do about it is. The most dangerous thing you can do if you know someone suffering from an addiction is ignore it. They WILL die. There is help. Elements Of Recovery offers Substance Abuse Intervention Services, Sober Escorts To Treatment, and Consultation Services. Get the answers to the questions you have by calling (518) 355-4594.

Demerol. What is it?
CNN

The painkiller Demerol can be summed up in just a few words: Highly addictive with a slew of side effects.It’s also the same drug that is rumored to have been given to Michael Jackson in the moments before he “collapsed and stopped breathing,” according to a report in the British newspaper The Sun.“Demerol has a tremendous amount of side effects,” Dr. Patrick Annello, an anesthesiologist and pain management specialist at St. Francis Hospital on Long Island told FOXNews.com. “It can cause rapid heart rate, arrhythmias — and given in high enough doses — it can cause respiratory depression or shallow breathing.”That is exactly what a source told The Sun happened shortly after Jackson was administered an injection of the drug.“After taking the Demerol, he started to experience slow, shallow breathing,” the source told the newspaper. “His breathing gradually got slower and slower until it stopped.”There are also reports the icon was taking a cocktail of prescription drugs including antidepressants.If antidepressants are accidentally given in conjunction with Demerol, it can cause a very bad hypertensive reaction, and the patient can have a heart attack and stroke as a result, Anello said.Dangerous reactions can occur if Demerol is administered while a patient is taking other narcotic pain medications, sedatives, tranquilizers, muscle relaxers, or other medications that can make them sleepy or slow respiratory function.Brian Oxman, Jackson family attorney, confirmed Jackson's use of other medications when he told CNN Thursday that they had gotten in the way of doing rehearsals."His injuries, which he had sustained performing, where he had broken a vertebra and he had broken his leg from a fall on the stage, were getting in the way,” Oxman said. “I do not know the extent of the medications that he was taking.”If he took other medications that are sedating – which pain medications usually are – in conjunction with Demerol, it can definitely cause shallow breathing and decreased oxygen levels, ultimately leading to respiratory arrest or heart attack, Anello said.

Other Celebs. Who Have Succumbed To Addiction:

In the wake of recent events I thought I would remind you of just how common addiction deaths are in Hollywood. Why? Because these are faces we know and have seen, but maybe didn’t realize why we haven’t seen them lately. You wonder what ever happened to? Well here’s your answer to some…Dana Plato (the sister to Arnold and Willis in the 70’s show Different Strokes died in 1999 from an overdose) so did the guitarist Steve Clark from Def Leppard, Rob, ½ of Milli Vanilli died from an overdose in 1998, it’s been 2 years since beauty Anna Nichole Smith died in 2007, martial artist Bruce Lee in 1973, of course Marilyn Monroe, Elvis, and Heath Ledger just to name a few. Celebs. who have been in rehab and battle their addiction just like everyone else one day at a time…boxer Mike Tyson, actress Demi Moore, rapper Eminem, Ozzy Osbourne, Alice Cooper, horse jockey Pat Day, Nikki Six from Motley Crue, Slash from Guns n Roses, singer/songwriter Elton John the list goes on and on. People die everyday famous and not so famous. Look in your local obituary, a clue is when they read “died suddenly or unexpectedly” addicts don’t normally overdose after their first experience with drugs, there are signs! Stop ignoring them, start addressing them or don’t be surprised, some day suddenly, you find yourself unexpectedly in a funeral home making arrangements, and saying I could’ve, I should’ve, I would’ve! Do something now, as long as they are breathing, there is help, there remains hope.

It Starts Young:
Fox News

A 2-year-old boy from the city of Tianjin in China is the world's youngest smoker, or at least the youngest to admit it. Except the toddler didn't admit it — his dad did, after teaching Tong Liangliang how to light up.Liangliang's dad said his son was born with a hernia, and being too young for an operation, has taken up smoking to help him deal with the pain.Now the toddler smokes a pack-a-day, and won’t quit. He screams and throws himself on the floor if he is refused a cigarette.The Guinness Book of World Records is unlikely to accept the feat, as it has refused such requests before on the grounds that it "promoted a harmful habit.”

$1 million lottery winners short bail on drug charges
Schenectady Daily Gazette

SCHENECTADY, NY — William Rivenburgh sat in his car at the Stewart’s on Brandywine Avenue in October 2006, attempting to comprehend the $5 lottery ticket he’d just scratched off was a $1 million winner.Now, not even three years later, Rivenburgh is sitting in the Schenectady County Jail on drug charges, apparently wondering how he can post a bail of only $5,000.Rivenburgh, 40, and wife Alissia, 33, were each charged last week with felony drug counts, accused of making a crack cocaine sale May 25 at their second-floor apartment at 99 O’Dell St.They allegedly made $50 on the deal.Both were in court Monday, appearing before City Court Judge Guido Loyola. The judge informed them they had both been indicted and that further proceedings would be held in County Court.William Rivenburgh, a veteran of the Iraq war, often purchased lottery tickets.The winnings were to come in yearly installments of $50,000 before taxes over 20 years, with half assigned to William and half to his wife.What has become of the money was unclear.County records show the two sold 10 years of payments to a structured settlement firm in January 2007, receiving about $320,000 before taxes for the $500,000 in payments.The Rivenburgh’s house is now in foreclosure, with Rivenburgh owing $57,000 on the loan.The Rivenburghs remain in the Schenectady County Jail, William Rivenburgh held on $5,000 bail; his wife on $10,000 bail. Yet more proof one is too many and a thousand is never enough or in this case a million isn’t even enough! There’s not enough money in the world for an active addict. Treatment and recovery…PRICELESS!

Odds Of Relapse Decrease After A Year Of Meth. Abstinence:
Journal Of Substance Abuse Treatment

A report released from UC Davis sheds new light on recovery from meth. and the odds of decreasing relapse. "Recovery from meth abuse does not happen overnight," said Ruth Salo, lead author of the study and a UC Davis assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences. "It may take a year — or even longer — for cognitive processes such as impulse control and attentional focus to improve. Treatment programs need to consider this when monitoring recovering addicts' progress during their early periods of abstinence."Salo specializes in the behavioral, neuropsychiatric and cognitive outcomes of methamphetamine addiction — a particularly difficult condition to treat, primarily due to prolonged, intense cravings for the drug. During her career, she has worked with hundreds of methamphetamine addicts."All of them want to know if there is hope," Salo said. "We used to think most, if not all, effects of meth addiction were permanent. This study adds to the growing evidence that this assumption is not true. I can confidently tell patients that the longer they stay in a structured rehabilitation program and remain drug free, the more likely it is that they will recover some important brain functions."For the current study, Salo used the widely-validated, computer-based Stroop attention test to measure the abilities of 65 recovering methamphetamine abusers to use cognitive control — or direct their attention to specific tasks while ignoring distractors. Study participants had been abstinent for a minimum of three weeks and a maximum of 10 years, and they had previously used the drug for periods ranging from 24 months to 28 years. The data for the 65 individuals were compared to Stroop attention test data from 33 participants who had never used methamphetamine."The test taps into something people do in everyday life: make choices in the face of conflicting impulses that can promote a strong but detrimental tendency," Salo explained. "For meth users, impairments in this decision-making ability might make them more likely to spend a paycheck on the immediate satisfaction of getting high rather than on the longer-term satisfaction gained by paying rent or buying groceries.The study analyzed cognitive control in terms of the amount of time since methamphetamine was last used as well as total time spent using the drug. The researchers found that those who were recently abstinent (three weeks to six months) performed significantly worse on the Stroop test than those who had been abstinent one year or longer. In addition, there was no statistical difference between test results for those abstinent at least one year and non-drug using controls. Longer-term methamphetamine use was associated with worse test scores. Similarly, longer-term abstinence was connected to improved test performance.According to Salo, the new study mirrors previous magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies she and her colleagues published in 2005 showing a partial normalization of chemicals in selected brain regions after one year of methamphetamine abstinence."Together, the studies provide strong evidence that, eventually, meth abusers in recovery may be able to make better decisions and regain the impulse control that was lost during their drug use period," she said.Salo said that more research is needed to determine just how the brain recovers from methamphetamine addiction and if behavioral treatments can hasten that recovery. She plans to continue neuroimaging studies to further define the brain functions affected by the drug. Her ultimate goal is to provide information essential to refining treatment programs for this population of drug users."Meth use worldwide is pandemic," she said, referring to the estimated 35 million people who have used the neurotoxic stimulant or similar drugs. "Recovery is difficult, but possible. The point of my research is to better understand the neural and behavioral consequences of this toxic drug along with the brain and behavior changes that are possible with long-term abstinence."Other authors of "Drug Abstinence and Cognitive Control in Methamphetamine-dependent Individuals" include Thomas Nordahl, Martin Leamon and Charles Moore of UC Davis; and Gantt Galloway and Christy Waters of St. Luke's Hospital in San Francisco. Moore is also affiliated with the Kaiser Chemical Dependence Recovery Program in Sacramento.