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This Often-Ignored Disorder Can Lead to Future Drug Abuse

This entry was posted in Drug abuse and tagged alcohol abuse, comorbidity, disorder, drug abuse, IED on March 21, 2017 by admin.

Intermittent explosive disorder (IED) is a condition where a person has frequent outbursts. These outbursts can be verbal and/or violent in nature. While no one understands what causes the disorder, it does seem to effect people under the age of forty and is most likely to surface in childhood. Little is known about the problem, therefore many people witness characteristics of the disorder in children and chalk it up to some sort of social problem, instead of acknowledging it as a disorder. And while there is not a lot of research on this problem, a new study has been released that shows people who suffer from IED are more likely to abuse drugs and/or alcohol than those that do not have IED.

“People don’t see this as a medical problem. They think of it as simply bad behavior they have developed over the course of their lives, but it isn’t. It has significant biology and neuroscience behind it,” explained Emil Coccaro, professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience at University of Chicago and one of the authors of the study. In fact, according to recent data, approximately 16 million people in the United States suffer from this disorder. This is especially important as health officials; law enforcement and government leaders are scrambling to figure out an effective solution to the growing drug problem in this country.

The study was performed by using data from the National Comorbidity Survey, a national survey centered around mental health issues in this country. From the information gathered there, researchers were able to note that as a patient’s behavior worsened the tended to use more and more drugs and alcohol. This is likely because patients are seeking a way to control their behavior and are self-medicating with drugs and alcohol. However, researchers also point out that if they are given treatment for their aggression disorder they are less likely to abuse substances.

And while some patients use drugs despite their treatment for IED, the authors state that effective treatment of their disorder could prolong drug use, and make it easier to spot when drug use is occurring.

Heroin Use Linked to Prescription Painkiller Policies

This entry was posted in Drug abuse, heroin, Opiates and tagged heroin use, opiate addiction, OxyContin, painkillers, prescription drugs, tamper-resistant on January 20, 2017 by admin.

It has long been suspected, but now a new study has confirmed that changes to prescription painkiller prescribing practices inadvertently increased heroin use. In 2010 policy makers began to adjust how much OxyContin could be prescribed to patients and changed the form in which OxyContin was made, making it more difficult to crush or snort. These changes were in response to a 2007 guilty plea made by Purdue Pharma (the maker of OxyContin) that they purposely mislead consumers about how addictive the pills actually were.

And while these changes did help to reduce the amount of OxyContin being abused by patients and addicts, there has been some unintended consequences. Because so many were already addicted to the powerful opiate, they turned to another, similar drug to take the place of the OxyContin they could no longer crush and snort. Heroin became the obvious choice to these people, especially since this drug was cheaper and usually easier to obtain.

Since the policy changes in 2010, the amount of people that are currently abusing heroin has risen dramatically. In fact, according to researchers, the change in OxyContin led to an almost 80% increase in the amount of heroin-related deaths in this country. A closer examination of these statistics shows that states throughout the nation are seeing an almost identical correlation between current heroin use and former OxyContin use.

“States with the highest initial rates of OxyContin misuse experienced the largest increases in heroin deaths. Results show that this differential increase in heroin deaths began precisely in the year following reformulation,” explained the researchers.

So, while changing accessibility to OxyContin was of course necessary, now policy makers have to grapple with the increased heroin epidemic. In the past, the correlation between increased OxyContin laws and increased heroin use was suspected, but not verified. This study has proven that there is a direct correlation between the two issues. Of course, heroin is more difficult to control, lawmakers cannot monitor the manufacturing or dispersal of the drug, two of the most effective solutions in the OxyContin shift.

Study Indicates Racial Disparity in Drug Charges

This entry was posted in Addiction, discrimination, Drug abuse, Intervention and tagged addiction, drug charges, intervention, sentencing, substance abuse, treatment on January 13, 2017 by admin.

As part of a continuous effort to increase drug treatment and education and reduce the amount of people incarcerated due to drug offenses, a study was conducted to examine racial disparity among people with drug charges. Performed by the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission, the results show that African-Americans were twice as likely to be convicted of drug charges than white people.

What makes this information interesting is that research shows that black and white people appear to use drugs equally. So, if the same amount of black people and the same amount of white people are using drugs, why are black people more likely to be jailed because of it?

This is a question that Governor Kate Brown wants answered. Requesting the study was the first step in determining how to effectively help addicts, while eliminating the one-sided punishment. Brown has offered a proposal in order to close the race gap and help addicts attain long lasting sobriety. The proposal includes dropping some drug possession felonies to misdemeanors and focusing on treatment rather than incarceration. These policies and interventions are newer to the state of Oregon, but there has been a noticeable shift across the country. More and more people are realizing that treatment is much more effective than jail time.

In agreement with Brown, other public officials are speaking out against the racial disparity uncovered by this recent study. “Everyone who uses or possesses (illicit drugs) has committed that crime. Whether or not they are caught is completely different,” explained State Criminal Justice Commission Director Mike Schmidt. Additionally, the Multnomah County District Attorney is also working to reduce the amount of jail time addicts receive and instead replace the sentence with court-mandated, effective treatment.

As a growing number of public officials understand that prisons are not an effective substitute for quality treatment, it is likely that more substance abusers will get a chance to redeem themselves, and return to their families, jobs, friends and lives.

Time to Erase the Racial Lines in Addiction

This entry was posted in Addiction and tagged addition, cocaine, crack, discrimination, heroin, painkillers, treatment on August 21, 2016 by admin.

There are plenty of instances in our country’s history of discrimination. Our approach to handling illicit drug problems is one of these instances. As the country continues its discussion on racial equality, it is important to include an issue that effects everyone – drug use.

A prime example of the different approaches to handling addiction is how the government reacted to the crack cocaine epidemic and how the government is reacting to the heroin epidemic now. Back in the eighties the crack cocaine epidemic took urban areas over. Law enforcement was overwhelmed with the amount of crime and drug trafficking that surrounded crack cocaine. It quickly became clear that crack cocaine was a problem mostly affecting black people. The federal government responded with the War on Drugs.

The War on Drugs was an initiative meant to scare people into abstaining from crack. Users found in possession of crack or in the process of purchasing crack were arrested and jailed. Sellers were also arrested. Thousands of people were deposited into prisons throughout the country because of crack cocaine. Yet, the cocaine problem persisted.

Fast forward to the current heroin and prescription painkiller problem, a seemingly white issue. The federal government just passed a law to increase treatment options for addicts and minimize punishment. A stark difference from the crack cocaine epidemic of the eighties. So stark in fact, that some people have pointed out the racial issues of such different approaches.

“One thing is sure: the responses are different. We need to acknowledge that and also acknowledge the resentment and the damage that still lingers from the crack wars,” commented David Holthaus.

While it is clear that the War on Drugs was a failure and the government certainly needed a different approach to deal with our current problems, a more important point to make is that addiction does not discriminate. People of all racial backgrounds can fall victim to a substance abuse issue. While heroin was once a problem of the inner city, it has migrated to small neighborhoods throughout the country. Crack had the same potential.

Meth Addiction Vaccine May be Possible

This entry was posted in Addiction, Intervention and tagged addiction research, addiction vaccine, drug addiction treatment, methamphetamine on May 20, 2016 by admin.

Despite increased drug education and prevention efforts throughout the country, methamphetamine still remains a real threat. In fact, after use of the drug lessened throughout many parts of the nation, the drug has been making a comeback again.

This powerful, man made drug often gives users an incredible amount of energy along with an intense euphoric feeling. However, those who abuse methamphetamine are oftentimes extremely paranoid, malnourished, sleep deprived and prone to violence – either self-inflicted or towards others. It is very difficult for meth addicts to remain sober because of the strong cravings associated with methamphetamine addiction. However, there is hope for addicts, especially after a recent study revealed that a vaccine may be on the horizon.

The concept of developing vaccines for drugs is not new, but researchers may be closer than ever to finding one for methamphetamine. Recently, researchers led by Kim D. Janda of Scripps Research Institute, created a vaccine that prompts the immune system to fight against methamphetamine once it is ingested into the system. This prevents the person from feeling the euphoric effects of the drug, rendering the drug ineffective.

Getting vaccines to work against drugs like meth has been a difficult task. Methamphetamine is an extremely small molecule, compared with the usual pathogens that the immune system generally attacks. In order for the vaccine to work, scientists had to figure out how to attach the small methamphetamine molecules to larger molecules, like proteins, so that it would get the attention of the immune system. Once the immune system targeted the methamphetamine molecules, the drug was kept away from the brain, preventing the effects from being felt by the addict. This means that if someone has been vaccinated against methamphetamine, even if they ingest the drug, they will not feel the effects.

The study of this vaccine recently appeared in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. While a vaccine for methamphetamine is promising, it is important that the research continues so that the medical community can effectively integrate the medicine into the lives of addicts. It is also helpful that insurance is often more willing to cover a portion of treatments such as prescriptions and vaccines.

Drug Use Increases Chance of Suicide

This entry was posted in Drug abuse, Intervention and tagged alcohol, cocaine, drug abuse, intervention, suicide on May 16, 2016 by admin.

In order to help prevent the sudden loss of life, researchers at Brown University conducted a study to better predict what causes people to attempt or commit suicide. They found that there is a direct correlation between drug use and suicide.

Researchers conducted the study by polling several hospitals between 2010 and 2012. After receiving data from 800 Emergency Room admissions, it was determined that while alcohol use and cocaine use alone did not substantially increase the risk for suicide, the combination of alcohol and cocaine greatly increased the chance of suicide. This important discovery will hopefully lead to more effective interventions to prevent future alcohol and cocaine induced suicide attempts.

So, why does the combination of alcohol and cocaine cause people to feel that suicide is an option? Researchers of the study point out that both drugs are responsible for extreme highs that lower a person’s ability to reason with current stressors, leading some to believe that suicide is the only way out. Additionally, alcohol is a depressant, while cocaine is a stimulant. When a person who has consumed alcohol becomes distraught over situations in their life and then they add cocaine into the mix they may feel more courage to go through with suicide. This risk is yet another reason why friends and family members need to consider moving forward with an intervention.

In addition to figuring out the link between dual use of cocaine and alcohol, researchers were also encouraged to find that screening in hospitals were able to lead to this conclusion. “Before the study, it was unclear if it was even feasible to get staff to complete suicide risk screening on all patients and, if you did, whether it would actually result in identifying people who were at risk,” explained Edwin Boudreaux.

Researchers are hopeful that further screening measures will be implemented in hospitals throughout the country, specifically in the Emergency Room. Oftentimes ER doctors are the first people to witness potential suicide indicators. Spotting a person who regularly abuses cocaine and alcohol may help guide medical professionals into taking action before suicide is attempted. Researchers also caution that other factors need to be considered as well, sex and race are other areas that need to be investigated in order to come up with a comprehensive suicide prevention and intervention plan.

Painkiller Abuse Responsible for Health, Economic Consequences

This entry was posted in Opiates and tagged CDC, consequences, opiates, opioids, overdose deaths, painkillers, prescription drug abuse on May 2, 2016 by admin.

Prescription pain medications are highly effective when used as directed. However, opioid painkiller abuse by patients and people other than those for whom the drugs were prescribed is a growing problem in many parts of the US. It can lead to a number of problems, including addiction, overdose, depression and lost productivity at work.

Opioid painkillers are used to treat moderate to severe pain, such as that experienced by a patient after surgery or for patients living with chronic pain that cannot be relieved sufficiently with other medications. These medications include drugs such as Percocet, Vicodin and Oxycontin.

• Prescription painkiller abuse is an issue because access to the pain medications is relatively easy. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that sales of prescription opioid drugs “nearly quadrupled” in the years 1999-2014; however, there has not been a major change in the amount of pain that patients reported during the same period. Over half of people who used an opioid for a non-medical purpose were given the drug from a friend or a relative for free.

• Drug overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in the United States. In 2014, 47,055 people lost their lives in this manner(CDC). Opioids were responsible for 18,893 of these deaths.

• The results of a study conducted at St. Louis University have found that overusing opioid painkillers for an extended period of time will put users at a risk for depression. Patients who took opioids for 180 days or longer had a 53 percent increased risk of having a new episode of depression, and those who took the medication for 90-180 days were at a 25 percent higher risk compared to patients who took opioids for less than 90 days.

• Most people don’t consider the economic consequences of opioid painkiller abuse on the economy, but it is significant. CNBC reports that as more people become involved in opioid abuse, the annual impact on the US economy is upward of $60 billion, and half of that figure can be attributed to workplace costs like lost productivity. The CDC says that non-medical use of prescription painkillers costs health insurance companies close to $72.5 billion in direct health care costs each year.

If you know someone who is using opioid painkillers for non medical purposes, contact us today to find the right drug treatment center.

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