February 26th, 2010
DENVER (KDVR) - [Drug users in Colorado may be doing less time in jail and more time in rehab if lawmakers can pass a bill that was introduced at the Capitol Tuesday with widespread support from Democrats, Republicans and district attorneys alike.
"While stiff sentences are appropriate in many circumstances, we realize that's not the only option when it comes to keeping the public safe," said Rep. Mark Waller, R- Colorado Springs, who is the sponsor of House Bill 1352, which would lower the penalties for people found in possession of up to 4 grams of most drugs, shaving years off sentences and saving the state money by vacating prison beds, advocates said.
"The savings need to be directed to treatment," said Pete Hautzinger, the Mesa County District Attorney. "So we're saving money by not locking people up, but we're using that money to help other people turn their lives around."
Supporters of the bill, a group that includes both Attorney General John Suthers and State Public Defender Doug Wilson, two long-time political adversaries, claim that, above all, the plan aims to draw a statutory distinction between drug users and drug dealers.]
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While Colorado lawmakers are still ahead of many states in the country for supporting such a bill, several states have been promoting drug rehab centers instead of jail for many years. For example, California’s Proposition 36 was a groundbreaking state ruling that allowed non-violent drug offenderst to go to California rehab centers instead of being incarcerated.
After all, diverting first-time offenders for charges such as possession or DUI to drug rehabs has been provent to save lives and money over locking them up. The key to real long-term effectiveness though is for the states and the country as a whole to implement routine outcome monitoring for treatment programs to ensure that any public funding for such initiatieves is directed to facilities that can demonstrate success.
Tags: alternative sentencing, drug rehab centers, rehab instead of jail
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January 27th, 2010
In the last ten years psychiatric drugs such as antidepressants, anti-psychotics and anti-anxiety medications have become more of a thorn in the side of results-based treatment programs than a valid therapy. The long list of side effects, in addition to the major outbreak in prescription drug addiction has presented enough evidence that many of these drugs should be banned - and certainly not used in addiction treatment centers.
The high potential for abuse and dependency, in addition to the way these drugs cause a “detachment” from oneself by “re-wiring” the brain takes personal responsibility away from the individual and makes it nearly impossible for them to fully recover from their addictions. Unfortunately, most traditional programs still use these drugs as part of their practice and so finding a facility that is drug-free usually only leaves a faith-based program or some non-12 step drug rehabs.
As more studies are done on the long-term effects of many of these psychiatric drugs, you will find billions of dollars in lawsuits continuing to mount and a list of drugs finally coming off the market. The problem is, until the government and societal think on pharmaceuticals changes, they will have their next “wonder pill” ready to market to the tv watchers of America to go ask their doctor about it and will pay medical consultants to speak on behalf of their new drugs at conferences. Something has to change with the regulatory body as well (the FDA).
Tags: addiction treatment centers, pharmaceuticals, prescription drug addiction, psychiatric drugs
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January 12th, 2010
Wouldn’t it be great to just take a pill or a shot and rid your worst problems, like drug addiction? Our Federal Government seems to think it’s still possible. The ongoing incestual relationship between the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and pharmaceutical companies has turned up yet another failure to produce anything substantial or groundbreaking except more tax dollars wasted. With at least $3 million in grants given by NIDA to study the TA-CD vaccine for cocaine addiction treatment, the best that the researchers were able to come up with was that about a third of the recipients reduced their drug use by about half. In other words, none of them stopped using cocaine, but some of them used it less often.
Wow. That money could have gone to helping get 100 or more people through a successfu long-term drug rehab and had a much more significant outcome, with many of them being off drugs permanently!
Instead we have more wasted tax dollars that are given to, ultimately, private enterprises (pharmaceutically-driven) looking to strike it rich on the next wonder drug or vaccine (of which the vast majority wind up cuasing so much harm in side effects that they face billions of dollars in law suits).
Tags: cocaine addiction treatment, cocaine vaccine, long-term drug rehab
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December 23rd, 2009
Marijuana use among American adolescents has been increasing gradually over
the past two years (three years among 12th graders) following years of declining use, according to the
latest Monitoring the Future study, which has been tracking drug use among U.S. teens since 1975.
The proportion of young people using any illicit drug is also up slightly over the past two years. This
measure is driven largely by marijuana use, because marijuana is the most widely used of all illicit drugs.
In 2009, marijuana use in the prior 12 months (annual prevalence) was reported by about 12 percent of
the nation’s 8th graders, 27 percent of 10th graders, and a third of 12th graders. The proportions saying they
used any illicit drug in the past year were 15 percent, 29 percent, and 37 percent.
It has been a known fact over the last 20 years that the THC content in marijuana has increased, and this combination has lead to more people, young and old alike, seeking a drug rehab center for marijuana addiction.
Tags: drug rehab center, marijuana abuse, marijuana addiction
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December 9th, 2009
A recent article that appeared in the Reuters News Agency regarding a study published in the Journal of American College Health showed a 2.5 times increase in weekly binge drinking at co-ed college dorms (41 percent of the total students surveyed). Given that that binge drinking creates a higher incidence of risky behavior, the report also showed an increase of promiscuity, with twice the amount of students in co-ed dorms claiming to have had 3 or more sexual partners within the last year.
To a student, this may at first appear like a haven, but American universities have consistently proven to be less of acedemic institutions and more of a harborer of substance abuse and other dangerous behavior. Of course it’s not up to colleges to raise our children, but we do pay them to educate them and help them become adults. Instead, many colleges not only ignore underage drinking and other substance abuse but often even promote it.
When I was in college and when I visited friends at their schools, the buzz on campus was always about the parties, the alcohol and the drugs - it was not about grades and careers. There have been other studies that show that binge drinking and other substance abuse is higher among college students (and subsequently needing to go to a drug rehab or addiction treatment center) than other young adults not attending college. Perhaps this is one reason why trade schools that teach real-world skills and immediate job training are becoming more popular among employers. Who cares if your parents paid 100K for you to get drunk for four years? Can you do the job or not? Are you a responsible adult or not?
Tags: addiction treatment, binge drinking, college dorms, drug rehab, substance abuse
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November 4th, 2009
The Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) released information regarding its latest national survey, citing that prescription drug abuse had moved into the top four substances abuse problems in the country. Sharing the top spots are also alcohol, tobacco and marijuana.
Information from drug rehab centers around the nation also conclude the prescription drug addiction continues to be a growing problem. Whether people start taking the drugs through legitimate prescriptions or not, the abuse potential of many of the se drugs make them extremely dangeroud. It’s not uncommon for people addicted to prescriptions to also start using street drug variations, such as people addicted to Adderall moving on to cocaine or meth, and others addicted to painkillers winding up on heroin.
The most important factor to remember is that all drugs are basically toxic to a person’s body, and they all have side effects of some sort. We encourage people to seek drug-free alternatives to dealing with life’s problems whenever possible, as there are many treatments available. However, if you or someone you love needs drug rehab help, you may call us today at 1-877-372-5719.
Tags: Adderall addiction, drug rehab centers, drug rehab help, prescription drug addiction
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October 21st, 2009
A new article posted in the UK included a statement from Amy Winehouse’s dad that she has been drug-free for a year now. If that is the truth, then that is wonderful. In her father’s statement to a parliamentary committee he said he was making a film about under-served populations that need addiction treatment help but because of their socialized healthcare in the UK they often have to commit some type of offense to get inpatient help. Due to Amy’s success she was able to go to a private drug rehab, but there are varying levels of inpatient drug rehabs that even the most amount of money won’t guarantee success. For example, if a drug rehab program uses drug replacement therapy, then the addict is almost assured of having a relapse.
Contact us today if you’re interested in finding a successful drug rehab center. Call 1-877-372-5719.
Tags: drug rehab program, inpatient drug rehab, private drug rehab
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September 3rd, 2009
Depending on who you ask, you can get completely different answers from treatment centers on whethor or not it’s good to stay close to home or far away for rehab. The reason for this is because usually each facility is trying to sell you their service - so if you’re close by they’ll tell you it’s convenient, and if it’s far away they’ll tell you that it is better to leave the state, etc.
So who can you believe when it comes to finding the right drug rehab program?
Truthfully, our experience is that both answers are correct for certain situations. The emphasis shouldn’t be placed on location - but instead the type of addiction treatment provided and the facility. If there happens to be one fairly close by, then great. However, is it true that being right down the road makes it easier for someone to leave?
In some cases it IS important to be far away or in a secluded location, but the ideal scenario is just to have a long-term, distraction-free environment for rehabilitation so the individual can focus on putting their substance abuse in the past for good.
If you have questions or if you’re looking for a successful long term drug rehab program, call us today at 1-877-372-5719.
Tags: drug rehab program, long-term rehab, rehab location
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August 16th, 2009
One of the most upsetting situations for counselors at drug rehab centers is when expecting mothers are addicted to drugs. For pregnant women addicted to opiates, the typical course of action for most doctors is to put them on methadone. However, there are forums of nurses who say that infants born to mothers on methadone have much more severe withdrawal symptoms than other opiates, which also is the same for adults that have a methadone addiction.
We have had mothers of newborns who had to go through methadone withdrawal as well as family members contact us and describe the sheer agony that these young lives go through, and as many of us are parents, it is pure hell to imagine inflicting that sort of pain on a baby that has only been alive for a few hours or days.
The problem is that most detox centers will not accept pregnant women for fear of the liability of withdrawing them and possibly causing more damage to the unborn child, yet the drug that doctors recommend is more damaging physically than most prescription painkillers. Sure there has to be some other solution that can be developed to get both the mother and the unborn infant safely and effectively off of all opiates prior to birth.
Tags: methadone addiction, methadone and pregnancy, methadone newborns
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August 3rd, 2009
Join Together Online recently reported on an article about lifting the ban on federally-funded needle exchanges. It reads:
“Federal money could be used to pay for needle-exchange programs under budget legislation approved this week by the U.S. House of Representatives, the Associated Press reported July 25.
The measure would lift a 21-year-old ban on funding needle exchanges, which research has shown to reduce the rate of HIV/AIDS and other diseases among injection-drug users. During the debate on the measure, the House voted 218-211 against an amendment by Rep. Mark Souder (R-Ind.) that would have kept the prohibition intact.
Souder claimed that needle exchanges do not have a proven track record and that “providing needles acts as a way for drug users to sustain and support their intravenous drug use and does not address the primary illness of the drug addiction.’”
Yes, there is evidence to support that providing clean needles to IV drug users reduces the spread of HIV and other diseases, however, it’s kind of like putting extra padding around the cars of drunk drivers - they’re still going to crash sooner or later. We could even have “drunk driving lanes”, just like “safe injection houses” where we help them slowly kill themselves instead of rapidly doing it. Doesn’t that sound insane!?
Much of the harm reduction plan is centered around a defeatist approach, claiming addiction is a disease that can’t be stopped or prevented so we must try to limit the harm caused to society. While there may be a time and a place for some harm reduction tactics, taking a number of bullets out of the gun will only delay the inevitable if you keep pulling the trigger. The way to prevent the death and destruction is to rehabilitate the individual and empower former addicts to make the decision not to put the bullets in the gun in the first place. Addiction recovery programs need to adopt higher standards and drug rehab centers must be held more accountable for producing results before ever receiving government funding.
Tags: addiction recovery, drug rehab centers, harm reduction, needle exchange
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