The latest news from the prescription drug front is that Governor Rick Scott of Florida is looking to kill a planned statewide computer database system designed to track pain clinic abuses and "doctor shopping".
While this is surely an expensive undertaking, the lax attitude the State of Florida has on prescription drug pain clinics and pill mills is abhorrent and detrimental to our society.
Here are some facts:
IN 2007 THERE WERE ONLY FOUR PAIN CLINICS IN BROWARD COUNTY, FL. FROM AUGUST 2008 TO NOV 2009 THE NUMBER SWELLED FROM 47 TO 115, AND TO DATE THERE ARE OVER 150.
THE STATE OF FLORIDA HAS OVER 900 CLINICS STATE WIDE
THERE ARE MORE PAIN CLINICS IN BROWARD COUNTY THAN MCDONALDS.
ACCORDING TO FEDERAL DATA COMPILED BY BROWARD SHERIFFS OFFICE, BROWARD COUNTY, FL HAS BECOME THE PAIN KILLER CAPITAL OF THE UNITED STATES, FEEDING A BRAZEN BLACK MARKET SPRAWLING THROUGH THE SOUTH AND NEW ENGLAND WITH LITTLE OR NO REGULATIONS HOLDING ACCOUNTABLE PAIN MANAGMENT CLINICS IN FLORIDA, DRUG ADDICTS AND DRUG DEALERS CROSS THE STATE LINE WITH IMPUNITY.
There are over 40,000 deaths from drug overdoses in the United States each year, and computer databases like the one proposed can prevent some of these deaths.
It is so easy for someone to go from doctor to doctor, a lot of times with the same prescription, and gain any amount of drugs they please with great ease. People come from other states to Florida just to bring back hefty supplies to sell on the street.
We've seen a shift in the types of drugs people talk about. More and more young people are becoming addicted today to pills like Oxycontin, Xanax and others. One mistake, and it's over.
Thursday, 24 February 2011
Saturday, 5 February 2011
Dating in Early Recovery
"Active alcoholics don't have relationships, they take hostages" - Unknown
If we could go back in history and examine hieroglyphics from an ancient recovery meeting (if there were such a thing,) I suspect there would be some version of “thou shalt wait to date” on at least one of them. This has long been very sound advice for people who are in early sobriety, and for good reason. But telling a person in early recovery to avoid dating for the first year is like telling a person not to date in the workplace – sure, it’s not a good idea, but when people are around each other on a regular basis, there's bound to be some hook-ups.
The problem is that these unions rarely work out and more often than not they leave one injured party. For 'normal' people, this might be something that they can chalk up to experience and move on, but for the alcoholic or addict it can be deadly. You might think these words are a little extreme, but the fact is, we are not wired like normal people and when a broken relationship leaves us hurt and feeling used our tendency is to reach for our drug of choice, and for some of us to use again is to die.
But, a person telling us that it’s a bad idea doesn’t seem to faze us - we think that just because we aren’t using anymore, we’re ready to enter into all kinds of unions, from raunchy rendezvous to domestic bliss. We want to feel loved again, spiritually and physically, to have that wild fling or comforting caress. I know how strong the pull can be, but I also know how badly things can turn out and unfortunately, most of us learn the hard way. After looking and feeling like the walking dead for so long, we tend to jump in with both feet if someone is even remotely attracted to us. And then, suddenly we have a new purpose in life! This works wonders while things are going well with the relationship, but what happens when the new center of our universe does the unthinkable and breaks up with us? The odds are good that we’ll lose our focus, that the bottom will fall out of our perfect new world. Suddenly we’re watching Fatal Attraction and craving rabbit stew. We go back to our old ways, analyzing every conversation we had with our new ex, thinking “If only I’d done this or done that.” Our insecurities come back with a vengeance, and the idea of taking a drink or a drug isn’t usually far behind.
It’s hard to stay out of the dating game, but try to remember that we’re putting ourselves in a dangerous position by getting into a new relationship that can leave us hurt. We don’t know how to handle arguments and break-ups without alcohol or drugs, and we’re going to be tempted to turn to using when things get rough. Against the advice of many, I got into a relationship during early recovery with someone who was also new to sobriety, and when things went south, I went straight to the liquor store. I was one of these people that always drank concerning relationships, whether I broke it off or they did, but this knowledge didn’t stop me from doing it. Mostly, it was because I loved the attention, no matter what the consequences.
Very often, men and women in early recovery don’t just decide to date; they decide to date each other. It's a bad idea to date anyone, but two newcomers dating are like two horny teenagers getting together, and the chances are very good that lust will get confused with love. We seem to be drawn to each other because we ‘get’ what the other is going through, but what we don’t know is that our judgment is clouded - we are not emotionally sober. ‘Emotional Sobriety’ in very basic terms, refers to a person’s ability to recognize if they have an unhealthy dependency on another person or thing and therefore unhealthy expectations. Having an expectation can lead to resentment - which can be deadly for any alcoholic or addict - especially a newcomer.
Unfortunately, two newcomers getting together is only one dating scenario, there’s also the case when a newcomer is attracted to a person who already has some time in recovery. During one of my failed attempts at sobriety, I met someone who had almost three years since his last drink. I only had three months myself, and anyone who could go a few years between cocktails was a winner in my book. It never entered my head that he could have other issues.
We started a relationship, and although I had a weird feeling about him, I pushed it aside because I was getting attention. It felt great just to be wanted. However, his affection quickly turned to an unhealthy need for control, which erupted into heated arguments and subsequently led to both of us drinking. The first time he relapsed, he became violent in a way that I’d never imagined he was capable. I was beaten black and blue, nursing a deep cut in my throat from being held down at knifepoint. It was a few days later, after being beaten unconscious numerous times, that I was finally able to escape to a safe house.
The problem was, I had no idea about emotional sobriety at the time and had already deemed myself ready to date. He could have been an axe murderer for all I knew, and it turned out that he very nearly was. But all I saw was a man with three years in recovery, and that amounted to an FBI background check in my mind. The weird feeling I had about him was an intuitive thought that was screaming “this isn’t right!” But, I chose to ignore it so I could get my needs met.
I did, however, learn valuable lessons from those bad dating choices and one of them was that I should have listened to the suggestions I was given by the people who had been there and done it before. Dating in early recovery is a bad idea, whether it’s another newcomer, another person with time in recovery or a ‘normal’ person. People can give the illusion that they work a perfect program or live the perfect life, but their actions will speak volumes about who they really are.
For example, it’s a huge red flag when someone who has time in recovery (more than a year) is dating newcomers, it's considered 'Thirteenth Stepping'. It's an unwritten rule in the rooms of recovery that we should not date a newcomer. And if someone is doing this, then chances are they aren't working a solid program or they'd be following this rule. It's also not a good sign if the person we are dating is controlling and manipulative - whether they are in recovery or not. The point is, there are people who have moral and behavioral issues that have nothing to do with alcohol or drugs and when we are not yet well ourselves, we’re hardly ready to judge who is safe and healthy from who isn’t.
Obviously, there are exceptions when people do the right thing, and in those cases it can work out. A sponsor told me a story about a man with quite a few years in recovery who was attracted to a female newcomer. After looking around for some advice from people with long-term sobriety, he asked the newcomer if she’d consider dating him when she had gone through the Twelve Steps and reached one year of sobriety. She agreed, and after her one year sobriety birthday, they began a relationship. They celebrated their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary a few years ago.
Try to remember, that in the first year of recovery especially - we are sick people getting well and we need to concerntrate on our recovery - not on another person. I may have kissed my fair share of toads, but I was certainly no princess either and two sick people getting together does not make one healthy relationship. Keep this in mind as you consider dating and ask yourself what is more important – romance or recovery? And don’t worry, there will be plenty of time for another romance down the line, but not all of us have another recovery.
If we could go back in history and examine hieroglyphics from an ancient recovery meeting (if there were such a thing,) I suspect there would be some version of “thou shalt wait to date” on at least one of them. This has long been very sound advice for people who are in early sobriety, and for good reason. But telling a person in early recovery to avoid dating for the first year is like telling a person not to date in the workplace – sure, it’s not a good idea, but when people are around each other on a regular basis, there's bound to be some hook-ups.
The problem is that these unions rarely work out and more often than not they leave one injured party. For 'normal' people, this might be something that they can chalk up to experience and move on, but for the alcoholic or addict it can be deadly. You might think these words are a little extreme, but the fact is, we are not wired like normal people and when a broken relationship leaves us hurt and feeling used our tendency is to reach for our drug of choice, and for some of us to use again is to die.
But, a person telling us that it’s a bad idea doesn’t seem to faze us - we think that just because we aren’t using anymore, we’re ready to enter into all kinds of unions, from raunchy rendezvous to domestic bliss. We want to feel loved again, spiritually and physically, to have that wild fling or comforting caress. I know how strong the pull can be, but I also know how badly things can turn out and unfortunately, most of us learn the hard way. After looking and feeling like the walking dead for so long, we tend to jump in with both feet if someone is even remotely attracted to us. And then, suddenly we have a new purpose in life! This works wonders while things are going well with the relationship, but what happens when the new center of our universe does the unthinkable and breaks up with us? The odds are good that we’ll lose our focus, that the bottom will fall out of our perfect new world. Suddenly we’re watching Fatal Attraction and craving rabbit stew. We go back to our old ways, analyzing every conversation we had with our new ex, thinking “If only I’d done this or done that.” Our insecurities come back with a vengeance, and the idea of taking a drink or a drug isn’t usually far behind.
It’s hard to stay out of the dating game, but try to remember that we’re putting ourselves in a dangerous position by getting into a new relationship that can leave us hurt. We don’t know how to handle arguments and break-ups without alcohol or drugs, and we’re going to be tempted to turn to using when things get rough. Against the advice of many, I got into a relationship during early recovery with someone who was also new to sobriety, and when things went south, I went straight to the liquor store. I was one of these people that always drank concerning relationships, whether I broke it off or they did, but this knowledge didn’t stop me from doing it. Mostly, it was because I loved the attention, no matter what the consequences.
Very often, men and women in early recovery don’t just decide to date; they decide to date each other. It's a bad idea to date anyone, but two newcomers dating are like two horny teenagers getting together, and the chances are very good that lust will get confused with love. We seem to be drawn to each other because we ‘get’ what the other is going through, but what we don’t know is that our judgment is clouded - we are not emotionally sober. ‘Emotional Sobriety’ in very basic terms, refers to a person’s ability to recognize if they have an unhealthy dependency on another person or thing and therefore unhealthy expectations. Having an expectation can lead to resentment - which can be deadly for any alcoholic or addict - especially a newcomer.
Unfortunately, two newcomers getting together is only one dating scenario, there’s also the case when a newcomer is attracted to a person who already has some time in recovery. During one of my failed attempts at sobriety, I met someone who had almost three years since his last drink. I only had three months myself, and anyone who could go a few years between cocktails was a winner in my book. It never entered my head that he could have other issues.
We started a relationship, and although I had a weird feeling about him, I pushed it aside because I was getting attention. It felt great just to be wanted. However, his affection quickly turned to an unhealthy need for control, which erupted into heated arguments and subsequently led to both of us drinking. The first time he relapsed, he became violent in a way that I’d never imagined he was capable. I was beaten black and blue, nursing a deep cut in my throat from being held down at knifepoint. It was a few days later, after being beaten unconscious numerous times, that I was finally able to escape to a safe house.
The problem was, I had no idea about emotional sobriety at the time and had already deemed myself ready to date. He could have been an axe murderer for all I knew, and it turned out that he very nearly was. But all I saw was a man with three years in recovery, and that amounted to an FBI background check in my mind. The weird feeling I had about him was an intuitive thought that was screaming “this isn’t right!” But, I chose to ignore it so I could get my needs met.
I did, however, learn valuable lessons from those bad dating choices and one of them was that I should have listened to the suggestions I was given by the people who had been there and done it before. Dating in early recovery is a bad idea, whether it’s another newcomer, another person with time in recovery or a ‘normal’ person. People can give the illusion that they work a perfect program or live the perfect life, but their actions will speak volumes about who they really are.
For example, it’s a huge red flag when someone who has time in recovery (more than a year) is dating newcomers, it's considered 'Thirteenth Stepping'. It's an unwritten rule in the rooms of recovery that we should not date a newcomer. And if someone is doing this, then chances are they aren't working a solid program or they'd be following this rule. It's also not a good sign if the person we are dating is controlling and manipulative - whether they are in recovery or not. The point is, there are people who have moral and behavioral issues that have nothing to do with alcohol or drugs and when we are not yet well ourselves, we’re hardly ready to judge who is safe and healthy from who isn’t.
Obviously, there are exceptions when people do the right thing, and in those cases it can work out. A sponsor told me a story about a man with quite a few years in recovery who was attracted to a female newcomer. After looking around for some advice from people with long-term sobriety, he asked the newcomer if she’d consider dating him when she had gone through the Twelve Steps and reached one year of sobriety. She agreed, and after her one year sobriety birthday, they began a relationship. They celebrated their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary a few years ago.
Try to remember, that in the first year of recovery especially - we are sick people getting well and we need to concerntrate on our recovery - not on another person. I may have kissed my fair share of toads, but I was certainly no princess either and two sick people getting together does not make one healthy relationship. Keep this in mind as you consider dating and ask yourself what is more important – romance or recovery? And don’t worry, there will be plenty of time for another romance down the line, but not all of us have another recovery.
Friday, 4 February 2011
Addiction relapse: Part of chronic illness
By Elizabeth Landau, CNN
February 3, 2011 12:43 p.m. EST
Actor Charlie Sheen must realize that his problem is of the mind, body and spirit, experts say.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
The brain needs at least a year to recover from heavy alcohol or cocaine use
Relapsed addicts need to first realize that what they were doing before isn't working
Group environment for rehab has been shown to be effective
(CNN) -- Actor Charlie Sheen has begun at least his fourth stint in rehab after he was taken from his home to a hospital by ambulance last week.
He was "very, very intoxicated, also apparently in a lot of pain" on Thursday, according to a 911 call from a doctor who had just talked to the actor.
Given that addiction is a chronic disorder, it's not unexpected that someone like Sheen would relapse multiple times, said Kathryn Cunningham, director of Center for Addiction Research at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas.
And while rehab programs might last a few months, brain imaging studies have shown that among cocaine and alcohol addicts, the function of neurons in the brain doesn't return to normal for a year or even longer, Cunningham said.
"It's really difficult to be a family member or a loved one and have to deal with someone who seems like they're never going to get better," Cunningham said. "But they can, and it does."
It takes a number of strategies to get a person to stay clean for a long period of time, she said.
Experts say relapsed addicts need to first realize that what they were doing before isn't working.
It's really difficult to be a family member or a loved one and have to deal with someone who seems like they're never going to get better. But they can, and it does.
--Kathryn Cunningham, addiction expert
"What he should be doing is taking very seriously his problem, not trying to compartmentalize it or minimize it or trivialize it, but really to recognize that his is probably a problem of the mind, the body and the spirit," said William Moyers, vice president of foundation relations at the Hazelden Foundation, who worked for CNN as a journalist in the early 1990s.
At Hazelden, the primary treatment program for an alcoholic or drug addict lasts about 30 days. But if this is the second time or more, a longer treatment program of about two to five months is recommended, including intensive after-care treatment.
That longer regimen includes a lot of one-on-one counseling, group therapy and perhaps psychiatric and psychological options if there is a co-occurring mental disorder, Moyers said. Medication is used in some cases.
Group therapy is crucial to put a patient in an environment of people who are both empathetic and examples of recovery, Moyers said. Hearing the experiences of other people often gives hope and helps the healing process.
"At the end of the day, (Sheen's) ability to recover depends on his willingness to be part of a larger experience, and that larger experience will include group therapy and recovery meetings," Moyers said.
The group environment "provides an opportunity for caring confrontation from peers and the knowledge that others can understand what they are going through rather than experiencing the shame of isolation," said Lynn McKnight, manager of clinical services at Crossroads Centre, a rehab facility in Antigua started by musician Eric Clapton, who himself struggled with drugs.
"Research shows that ongoing recovery is most successful with long-term connections to community, self-help groups and appropriate medical management," she said.
She has seen people who've repeatedly gone through the revolving door of detox and rehab, with seemingly no hope. But some turn over a new leaf after multiple tries.
Charlie Sheen in private rehab
Behind the scenes of Sheen 911 call
RELATED TOPICS
Drug Addiction
Charlie Sheen
Celebrity News
Addiction and Recovery
"What makes the difference?" McKnight asked. "I think it is about surrender and release. Surrendering to the concept of powerlessness over their chronic disease and realizing that they cannot do it alone."
Some patients realize that they've been living in denial or minimizing their problems.
"Whether that means relying on a higher power, 12-step program or the group process, or help from a professional -- not trying to do it by will power alone is key," she said. "This is actually empowering in a paradoxical sort of way."
She said people who get to "the point of being willing to do whatever it takes to get and stay clean" usually get involved in self-help meetings.
Recovery is a lifelong experience and must be done in conjunction with others, Moyers said.
Sheen was court-ordered to enter rehab in 1998 and again in 2010. He also voluntarily checked into a rehab facility in February 2010"as a preventive measure," his publicist said at that time.
For Sheen's treatment, he is reportedly doing his rehab privately, according to People magazine. His publicist Stan Rosenfield did not confirm or deny this in a statement:
"In compliance with the national health privacy laws (HIPAA), no further information relating to Charlie Sheen's health or his rehab experience will be released without his written permission. I can say that all of us who know Charlie care about him very much. We will support him in any we can in this journey, beginning by respecting his privacy."
It's sad that when someone relapses, "they're automatically considered damned and failed," but when someone who is obese and diabetic eats a gallon of ice cream, the expectation is that he or she can try again, Cunningham said. The addict and the chronic overeater should be viewed the same, and they both have potential to change their harmful habits, she said.
Having supportive people around you is essential to recovery, Cunningham said.
"The bottom line is that Charlie Sheen can recover, whether he gets help at home or in a hospital, but he'll only recover if he realizes that he doesn't have to do it by himself," Moyers said
Wednesday, 26 January 2011
Why should I do all the recovery demands?
What’s my motivation? The answer is this: Remember how much your addiction hurt. If you don’t do the work, your addiction will bleed through a thousand wounds all over again. What we know is that active addiction hurts every time. The consequences get worse and our lives fall apart. We make excuses but that is our old enemy denial just getting in the way one more time. Your addiction is out in the parking lot doing push ups. It is cunning, baffling, powerful and very patient. I relapse because I fail to remember the pain that addiction costs me. The cost goes up each time I relapse. What happens is that I forget. I forget the price I would have to pay.
Think of your last relapse:
What happened?
What is the lesson?
Forgetting about the cost of relapse is not like forgetting a phone number. It is like playing Russian roulette. We got complacent and careless. We began to listen to our addiction talking to us. We forget what addiction costs us when we allow the addcition to take over one more time. The nature of addiction is suffering, pain, loss, waste and tragedy.
No one relapses without first forgetting the cost!
Take the sick and tired moment as being the moment of change and learn to never forget.
Think of your last relapse:
What happened?
What is the lesson?
Forgetting about the cost of relapse is not like forgetting a phone number. It is like playing Russian roulette. We got complacent and careless. We began to listen to our addiction talking to us. We forget what addiction costs us when we allow the addcition to take over one more time. The nature of addiction is suffering, pain, loss, waste and tragedy.
No one relapses without first forgetting the cost!
Take the sick and tired moment as being the moment of change and learn to never forget.
Friday, 12 November 2010
Heroin snaring more of suburbia’s youth - Kansas City Star
By MARÁ ROSE WILLIAMS
The Kansas City Star
More News
Heroin snaring more of suburbia’s youth
The smell of smoke at 4 a.m. abruptly woke Kristin and sent her rushing down to the kitchen.
She found mini tacos burning to a crisp in the oven — and her 20-year-old daughter sitting on the floor, head hung forward, arms limp.
“The first thing out of my mouth was, ‘What is wrong with you, is your blood sugar low?’” Kristin recalled frantically asking the former Olathe high school cheerleader and gymnast.
It wasn’t the sugar in her blood that was wrong. It was the heroin. The girl was nodding in its warm embrace.
The story is one of several catching the attention of authorities and area drug abuse counselors this year.
The problem has shown up in New York, Illinois, Alabama, New Mexico, Wisconsin, Utah and Washington state. Heroin use is on the rise among suburban youth, experts say, and although the numbers are still small, spikes in overdoses and even deaths show an alarming trend.
In Blue Springs, police dealt with five cases of heroin and youth in October after half a decade of seeing none.
In many cases, the way was paved by other opiates, the Oxycontin or Vicodin painkillers, often swiped from a medicine cabinet. But parents have become more alert to possible misuse.
While painkillers can run to $40 to $60 a pill, a bag of heroin, which produces a more intense high, is $5 to $10.
No trips on Interstate 35 to either Kansas City were necessary. The daughter said her dealer lived two blocks from Kristin’s upper-middle-class home in the 66062 zip code.
When told the truth, it was Kristin’s turn on the floor.
“I shrank on to the kitchen floor in to the fetal position,” Kristin said. “I had no strings. I lost it. I was afraid my daughter was going to die.
“I couldn’t believe it. If you could see my daughter you would never believe it, either. A blond-haired, blue-eyed California girl. Shooting up every other day? Not my girl.”
•••
The street heroin of the 1960s and ’70s was about 30 percent pure. Today, it’s often 60 percent, making it possible to smoke or snort.
Two years ago, the parents of Blue Valley Northwest High School graduate Brett Hayes found their 20-year-old son against the sink in his bathroom, the needle still in his arm, dead of an overdose.
Johnson County sheriff’s deputies listed him as one of 24 heroin overdoses and one of five deaths that year. The first five months of 2009 is the latest data they have compiled. In those months, 22 overdoses and six deaths were recorded.
The problem is steadily growing, said David Brown, a drug and alcohol abuse counselor in Olathe. “This year alone we did intervention on three young heroin addicts.”
His wife, Lucy Brown, also a drug-abuse counselor at Avenues to Recovery, added that the addicts were “children from intact homes where the parents make a comfortable living. These kids drive nice cars and have access to cash.”
Police indicated the problem had not surfaced in every suburb yet. Many said they were mostly battling other drugs, and saw keggers replaced by “pharm parties,” where teenagers pour a bottle of pilfered pills into a bowl.
•••
Maureen’s left arm is riddled with three years of scar tracks, “a daily reminder” of the injections, eventually 20 times a day.
As an Olathe high-schooler, she bought meds, such as Oxycontin, from classmates. Thus introduced to the feel of opiates, teens feel more comfortable with the idea of heroin.
Maureen said she kept a 3.7 grade-point average and was into photography.
It was as a freshman at the University of Kansas that she graduated to heroin, dropping out before her sophomore year.
“I started out snorting it and then injected it. It turned into a daily necessity,” she said. “I needed to use every day or I couldn’t get out of bed. It was a big obsession in my life.”
By 20, she was living out of her car and trying to satisfy a $200-a-day habit.
“There were a lot of us on the street,” she said of her fellow users. “We’d park our cars in Wal-Mart lots to sleep.”
Once hooked on black tar heroin, said Lucy Brown, “they are no longer involved with their school environment anymore. When they start using heroin they are exposed to a different population, and they want to be close to their source.”
Black tar heroin, predominantly from Mexico, is crudely made, with color that varies from dark brown to black.
Maureen: “I knew what I was doing was not healthy but all the people I was socializing with were using it.”
She worked periodically but could not hold a job.
“I either didn’t show up or I stole from them,” she said.
At first she was able to keep the secret from her “normal loving family” who lived in an upper-middle-class Olathe neighborhood.
When she told them about her heroin use, she got clean through rehabilitation and a prescribed substitute. But she fell back into her habit and her family had enough.
“I was using in their house. They asked me to get help or get out. All I wanted to do was get high so I left,” she said.
By the time she decided again that she had to get help, “I had stopped eating or sleeping. I ended up in the hospital and I was really sick,” Maureen said. “I was 100 pounds and my liver and my kidneys were damaged. I was either going to get better or I was going to die, and I didn’t want to die.”
Today Maureen is eight months clean and living amid recovery counselors and supporters in California. She will return to Johnson County, but “not until I get a better foundation for myself.”
She said she has heard that friends have younger brothers and sisters addicted to heroin.
“They tell me it is really bad.” said Maureen. “Sad.”
•••
The rise of heroin among suburban youth is more disturbing considering its decline among adults. Because fewer adults are involved now, the dealers tend to be other teens. Teens also are more likely to overdose, experts said.
Area high school officials said they had caught students smoking marijuana and possessing prescription drugs, but not with heroin yet.
“We have not seen a big outbreak of heroin use among students,” said Sgt. Brian Wessling, supervisor of Olathe school resource officers. Still, he said, officers “are looking for it,” and last year underwent training to spot signs of use. The canine unit that roams Olathe high school parking lots on drug searches is a big deterrent, he said.
“It’s only a matter of time before national trends hit the Midwest,” Wessling said. “We want to stay in front of that.”
Johnson County leaders launched a school initiative to alert children and parents to the danger.
•••
Kristin, who works in the medical field, was in denial even as she helped her 90-pound daughter up from the floor on taco night.
“Kids are master liars,” she said.
Yes, the kid, at 16, had been caught by police for marijuana possession. A phase, she and her husband told themselves. Later they would learn she had lifted painkillers prescribed to Kristin’s husband.
But she never fathomed her child’s slow, “air-head-like” speech was caused by heroin.
“Heroin, that’s a junkie drug,” Kristin thought. It’s an opiate that most associate with shabby apartments and dark alleys in the city core.
When Kristin mustered the courage to ask her daughter whether she was using heroin, “She told me she couldn’t go two days without it.”
The daughter has been more than half a year at a rehab center in California. Kristin said she wanted her to stay until she was clean at least a year.
“It is very devastating to the family,” she said. “I was afraid my daughter was going to die.”
It took all the strength Kristin could muster to give her daughter the ultimatum to get out of the house or let her parents help. She said she was glad she did not wait for her daughter to reach some “unidentifiable rock bottom.”
She and her husband blamed one another for not seeing the signs. Now they regularly attend group meetings for families of addicts.
“I’m in my own recovery,” Kristin said. “We had a false sense of security, thinking that just because you live in the suburbs and you send your kids to good schools. … Who would ever dream that their kid would start snorting heroin, much less, shoot up?”
Signs that a child might have a drug problem
•Drug paraphernalia — dirty spoons, syringes, pieces of burned foil, straws.
•Droopy appearance, as if extremities are heavy.
•Disorientation, poor mental functioning.
•Constricted pupils/pale, pasty skin.
• Apathy and/or lethargy. Nodding off.
•Eyes appear “lost” or have faraway look.
•Slurred speech.
•Nausea.
•Runny nose.
•Unkempt appearance/hygiene issues.
•Wearing long sleeves in warm weather.
•Missing cash or valuables, borrowing money.
•Change in performance — academic or otherwise.
•Unexplained absences at work, school or family events.
•Lying/deception
•Change in friends
•Withdrawal from usual activities or interests.
•Broken commitments
•Hostility
To contact Mará Rose Williams, call 816-234-4419 or send e-mail to mdwilliams@kcstar.com.
Posted on Fri, Nov. 12, 2010 12:06 AM
The Kansas City Star
More News
Heroin snaring more of suburbia’s youth
The smell of smoke at 4 a.m. abruptly woke Kristin and sent her rushing down to the kitchen.
She found mini tacos burning to a crisp in the oven — and her 20-year-old daughter sitting on the floor, head hung forward, arms limp.
“The first thing out of my mouth was, ‘What is wrong with you, is your blood sugar low?’” Kristin recalled frantically asking the former Olathe high school cheerleader and gymnast.
It wasn’t the sugar in her blood that was wrong. It was the heroin. The girl was nodding in its warm embrace.
The story is one of several catching the attention of authorities and area drug abuse counselors this year.
The problem has shown up in New York, Illinois, Alabama, New Mexico, Wisconsin, Utah and Washington state. Heroin use is on the rise among suburban youth, experts say, and although the numbers are still small, spikes in overdoses and even deaths show an alarming trend.
In Blue Springs, police dealt with five cases of heroin and youth in October after half a decade of seeing none.
In many cases, the way was paved by other opiates, the Oxycontin or Vicodin painkillers, often swiped from a medicine cabinet. But parents have become more alert to possible misuse.
While painkillers can run to $40 to $60 a pill, a bag of heroin, which produces a more intense high, is $5 to $10.
No trips on Interstate 35 to either Kansas City were necessary. The daughter said her dealer lived two blocks from Kristin’s upper-middle-class home in the 66062 zip code.
When told the truth, it was Kristin’s turn on the floor.
“I shrank on to the kitchen floor in to the fetal position,” Kristin said. “I had no strings. I lost it. I was afraid my daughter was going to die.
“I couldn’t believe it. If you could see my daughter you would never believe it, either. A blond-haired, blue-eyed California girl. Shooting up every other day? Not my girl.”
•••
The street heroin of the 1960s and ’70s was about 30 percent pure. Today, it’s often 60 percent, making it possible to smoke or snort.
Two years ago, the parents of Blue Valley Northwest High School graduate Brett Hayes found their 20-year-old son against the sink in his bathroom, the needle still in his arm, dead of an overdose.
Johnson County sheriff’s deputies listed him as one of 24 heroin overdoses and one of five deaths that year. The first five months of 2009 is the latest data they have compiled. In those months, 22 overdoses and six deaths were recorded.
The problem is steadily growing, said David Brown, a drug and alcohol abuse counselor in Olathe. “This year alone we did intervention on three young heroin addicts.”
His wife, Lucy Brown, also a drug-abuse counselor at Avenues to Recovery, added that the addicts were “children from intact homes where the parents make a comfortable living. These kids drive nice cars and have access to cash.”
Police indicated the problem had not surfaced in every suburb yet. Many said they were mostly battling other drugs, and saw keggers replaced by “pharm parties,” where teenagers pour a bottle of pilfered pills into a bowl.
•••
Maureen’s left arm is riddled with three years of scar tracks, “a daily reminder” of the injections, eventually 20 times a day.
As an Olathe high-schooler, she bought meds, such as Oxycontin, from classmates. Thus introduced to the feel of opiates, teens feel more comfortable with the idea of heroin.
Maureen said she kept a 3.7 grade-point average and was into photography.
It was as a freshman at the University of Kansas that she graduated to heroin, dropping out before her sophomore year.
“I started out snorting it and then injected it. It turned into a daily necessity,” she said. “I needed to use every day or I couldn’t get out of bed. It was a big obsession in my life.”
By 20, she was living out of her car and trying to satisfy a $200-a-day habit.
“There were a lot of us on the street,” she said of her fellow users. “We’d park our cars in Wal-Mart lots to sleep.”
Once hooked on black tar heroin, said Lucy Brown, “they are no longer involved with their school environment anymore. When they start using heroin they are exposed to a different population, and they want to be close to their source.”
Black tar heroin, predominantly from Mexico, is crudely made, with color that varies from dark brown to black.
Maureen: “I knew what I was doing was not healthy but all the people I was socializing with were using it.”
She worked periodically but could not hold a job.
“I either didn’t show up or I stole from them,” she said.
At first she was able to keep the secret from her “normal loving family” who lived in an upper-middle-class Olathe neighborhood.
When she told them about her heroin use, she got clean through rehabilitation and a prescribed substitute. But she fell back into her habit and her family had enough.
“I was using in their house. They asked me to get help or get out. All I wanted to do was get high so I left,” she said.
By the time she decided again that she had to get help, “I had stopped eating or sleeping. I ended up in the hospital and I was really sick,” Maureen said. “I was 100 pounds and my liver and my kidneys were damaged. I was either going to get better or I was going to die, and I didn’t want to die.”
Today Maureen is eight months clean and living amid recovery counselors and supporters in California. She will return to Johnson County, but “not until I get a better foundation for myself.”
She said she has heard that friends have younger brothers and sisters addicted to heroin.
“They tell me it is really bad.” said Maureen. “Sad.”
•••
The rise of heroin among suburban youth is more disturbing considering its decline among adults. Because fewer adults are involved now, the dealers tend to be other teens. Teens also are more likely to overdose, experts said.
Area high school officials said they had caught students smoking marijuana and possessing prescription drugs, but not with heroin yet.
“We have not seen a big outbreak of heroin use among students,” said Sgt. Brian Wessling, supervisor of Olathe school resource officers. Still, he said, officers “are looking for it,” and last year underwent training to spot signs of use. The canine unit that roams Olathe high school parking lots on drug searches is a big deterrent, he said.
“It’s only a matter of time before national trends hit the Midwest,” Wessling said. “We want to stay in front of that.”
Johnson County leaders launched a school initiative to alert children and parents to the danger.
•••
Kristin, who works in the medical field, was in denial even as she helped her 90-pound daughter up from the floor on taco night.
“Kids are master liars,” she said.
Yes, the kid, at 16, had been caught by police for marijuana possession. A phase, she and her husband told themselves. Later they would learn she had lifted painkillers prescribed to Kristin’s husband.
But she never fathomed her child’s slow, “air-head-like” speech was caused by heroin.
“Heroin, that’s a junkie drug,” Kristin thought. It’s an opiate that most associate with shabby apartments and dark alleys in the city core.
When Kristin mustered the courage to ask her daughter whether she was using heroin, “She told me she couldn’t go two days without it.”
The daughter has been more than half a year at a rehab center in California. Kristin said she wanted her to stay until she was clean at least a year.
“It is very devastating to the family,” she said. “I was afraid my daughter was going to die.”
It took all the strength Kristin could muster to give her daughter the ultimatum to get out of the house or let her parents help. She said she was glad she did not wait for her daughter to reach some “unidentifiable rock bottom.”
She and her husband blamed one another for not seeing the signs. Now they regularly attend group meetings for families of addicts.
“I’m in my own recovery,” Kristin said. “We had a false sense of security, thinking that just because you live in the suburbs and you send your kids to good schools. … Who would ever dream that their kid would start snorting heroin, much less, shoot up?”
Signs that a child might have a drug problem
•Drug paraphernalia — dirty spoons, syringes, pieces of burned foil, straws.
•Droopy appearance, as if extremities are heavy.
•Disorientation, poor mental functioning.
•Constricted pupils/pale, pasty skin.
• Apathy and/or lethargy. Nodding off.
•Eyes appear “lost” or have faraway look.
•Slurred speech.
•Nausea.
•Runny nose.
•Unkempt appearance/hygiene issues.
•Wearing long sleeves in warm weather.
•Missing cash or valuables, borrowing money.
•Change in performance — academic or otherwise.
•Unexplained absences at work, school or family events.
•Lying/deception
•Change in friends
•Withdrawal from usual activities or interests.
•Broken commitments
•Hostility
To contact Mará Rose Williams, call 816-234-4419 or send e-mail to mdwilliams@kcstar.com.
Posted on Fri, Nov. 12, 2010 12:06 AM
Wednesday, 13 October 2010
Why engage an Interventionist?
A professional alcohol interventionist is a skilled and trained professional, acting as an arbitrator between an alcoholic and their family. Prior to staging an intervention, a group of people will be chosen to confront the alcoholic and this can consist of a person’s spouse, grown children, parents, sisters and brothers. Everyone that has loved someone with an alcohol problem will have a place in the group and the interventionist will provide advice, wisdom, support and guidance throughout the process.
Before going through an intervention the group will meet and possibly hold a “mock” intervention (pre intervention), which is done to prepare before the real one takes place. During the initial mock intervention, the group will be advised on what to say and what to do, and an interventionist may have the people each write a letter to the alcoholic. The letters are written to drive home the pain the alcoholism has caused to them individually and to stress how important it is for the person to get treatment. Once the interventionist feels comfortable and prepared, a date will be selected for the actual intervention to take place.
Once a date has been selected, an alcoholic is either told beforehand or in some cases, the person is just brought to a certain predetermined location and confronted. It is never the goal of an intervention to make a person feel self-conscious or trapped, instead the process is facilitated in a loving, but controlled environment and the situation is guided by the interventionist. After each person has taken a turn and told the alcoholic how they feel, the interventionist will speak with the individual and reinforce the goal of seeking treatment. If the person refuses to enter into treatment, he or she will be made aware of the consequences of their actions and it may even involve loved ones turning their back on the individual until they get help. The letters that are written will not only include the offer of the gift of treatment but will also include the individuals bottom line for the cade that the loved one refuses to accept the gift.
The ultimate goal of an intervention is to plan out the situation from start to finish and to make sure the focus of the group remains on getting the person into treatment. An intervention is done in a constructive, caring, calm, neutral environment in which the alcoholic is shown love, support and understanding. Instead of being confronted in the same ways as before, an intervention is done with love, care and compassion. Everybody stumbles in life and everyone has problems, but when dealing with alcoholism, until treatment is received, nothing will ever change.
An alcohol interventionist is available to help a person that is ready to break away from alcoholism and make changes in life. After researching a person’s addiction history and consulting with medical professionals and rehab specialists, an interventionist will assist an alcoholic in finding type of rehabilitation programs. For some alcoholics, the first step after an intervention is going through a detoxification program in order to get the toxins of alcohol removed from the body. Once detox has been successfully completed, a person is then ready to go on to the rehabilitation program for further completion of the treatment and healing process.
Alcoholism is a destructive and dehumanizing disease which takes no prisoners and destroys everything in its path. When alcoholism has completely taken over the life of someone you love and all past efforts to help the person get into treatment have failed, it is time to consider other alternatives and options. Contacting a professional alcohol interventionist is the best way to help a person realize the misery of alcoholism and is the wakeup call many alcoholics need to finally spur them into getting treatment. When you wish to help your loved one conquer alcoholism, receiving the assistance of an interventionist can be the catalyst needed to help open their eyes to all the joy and happiness that comes from living a clean and sober life.
Before going through an intervention the group will meet and possibly hold a “mock” intervention (pre intervention), which is done to prepare before the real one takes place. During the initial mock intervention, the group will be advised on what to say and what to do, and an interventionist may have the people each write a letter to the alcoholic. The letters are written to drive home the pain the alcoholism has caused to them individually and to stress how important it is for the person to get treatment. Once the interventionist feels comfortable and prepared, a date will be selected for the actual intervention to take place.
Once a date has been selected, an alcoholic is either told beforehand or in some cases, the person is just brought to a certain predetermined location and confronted. It is never the goal of an intervention to make a person feel self-conscious or trapped, instead the process is facilitated in a loving, but controlled environment and the situation is guided by the interventionist. After each person has taken a turn and told the alcoholic how they feel, the interventionist will speak with the individual and reinforce the goal of seeking treatment. If the person refuses to enter into treatment, he or she will be made aware of the consequences of their actions and it may even involve loved ones turning their back on the individual until they get help. The letters that are written will not only include the offer of the gift of treatment but will also include the individuals bottom line for the cade that the loved one refuses to accept the gift.
The ultimate goal of an intervention is to plan out the situation from start to finish and to make sure the focus of the group remains on getting the person into treatment. An intervention is done in a constructive, caring, calm, neutral environment in which the alcoholic is shown love, support and understanding. Instead of being confronted in the same ways as before, an intervention is done with love, care and compassion. Everybody stumbles in life and everyone has problems, but when dealing with alcoholism, until treatment is received, nothing will ever change.
An alcohol interventionist is available to help a person that is ready to break away from alcoholism and make changes in life. After researching a person’s addiction history and consulting with medical professionals and rehab specialists, an interventionist will assist an alcoholic in finding type of rehabilitation programs. For some alcoholics, the first step after an intervention is going through a detoxification program in order to get the toxins of alcohol removed from the body. Once detox has been successfully completed, a person is then ready to go on to the rehabilitation program for further completion of the treatment and healing process.
Alcoholism is a destructive and dehumanizing disease which takes no prisoners and destroys everything in its path. When alcoholism has completely taken over the life of someone you love and all past efforts to help the person get into treatment have failed, it is time to consider other alternatives and options. Contacting a professional alcohol interventionist is the best way to help a person realize the misery of alcoholism and is the wakeup call many alcoholics need to finally spur them into getting treatment. When you wish to help your loved one conquer alcoholism, receiving the assistance of an interventionist can be the catalyst needed to help open their eyes to all the joy and happiness that comes from living a clean and sober life.
Monday, 5 July 2010
'Mum sat on park bench drinking'
Page last updated at 12:01 GMT, Monday, 5 July 2010 13:01 UK
E-mail this to a friend Printable version Ben kept his mother's drinking a secret from his friends It is the stuff of Victorian melodrama - children terrified of their drunken parents, their lives destroyed.
And according to a survey for the BBC's Newsround programme it is still happening.
The study of more than 1,200 children aged 10 to 14 found that many of them are seriously worried about their parents' drinking.
One 10-year-old, Ben, and his mother told the BBC how her alcohol abuse had a dramatic impact on their lives.
Ben said: "When my mum first started drinking she wasn't that bad because she drank a couple on a night. But when she started getting worse it used to be during the day."
Taxi journeys
His mother explained that she was drinking up to four bottles of whisky a day following the death of her father.
"I was doing it because I thought it was helping me cope, but obviously it was making everything worse," she said.
"I was under the influence that bad that I never realised how much drink I'd got. My every thought was taxi cabs to fetch more."
Continue reading the main story I'd look at her and I'd look away like I don't know her because it used to embarrass me
Ben
Her son added: "We did a lot of taxi journeys to go to the newsagents, drink shops basically. It would be every day. I would just stand outside waiting."
The mother was aware of the damaging effect such behaviour was having on her son - but could not stop because of the drink.
She said: "I could see that it was hurting him that I was fetching alcohol. But because of being under the influence of alcohol I didn't really care, unfortunately. You don't care. You don't care about anything at all as long as you've got that drink."
And that made life a nightmare for Ben.
"Sometimes when I used to walk to school my mum would be sitting on the park bench drinking. I'd look at her and I'd look away like I don't know her because it used to embarrass me," he said.
"The house was all fell apart, really. It was dirty, messy. My mum was on the sofa and there'd be cans all over the place. That's basically all you'd see - cans, clothes, bottles. That's it. All over the place."
'Angry and upset'
He added: "I kept it a big secret. I didn't tell my friends about my mum's drinking because I felt that they might take the mick out of me and call me names.
"I love my mum and I wanted her to get back the way she was before. It was really making me angry and upset."
Nearly half of the children surveyed said they were not bothered by adults drinking - but 30% said it made them feel scared.
The survey was carried out for Newsround by Childwise, a charity that provides support for the children of problem drinkers.
The charity's founder, Emma Spiegler, said: "I would say that in moderation and drinking responsibly, adults can drink and have a good time and for kids to see that there's no problem.
"But when kids are feeling frightened and scared and it becomes a problem for the adult then it is a concern."
Bookmark with
E-mail this to a friend Printable version Ben kept his mother's drinking a secret from his friends It is the stuff of Victorian melodrama - children terrified of their drunken parents, their lives destroyed.
And according to a survey for the BBC's Newsround programme it is still happening.
The study of more than 1,200 children aged 10 to 14 found that many of them are seriously worried about their parents' drinking.
One 10-year-old, Ben, and his mother told the BBC how her alcohol abuse had a dramatic impact on their lives.
Ben said: "When my mum first started drinking she wasn't that bad because she drank a couple on a night. But when she started getting worse it used to be during the day."
Taxi journeys
His mother explained that she was drinking up to four bottles of whisky a day following the death of her father.
"I was doing it because I thought it was helping me cope, but obviously it was making everything worse," she said.
"I was under the influence that bad that I never realised how much drink I'd got. My every thought was taxi cabs to fetch more."
Continue reading the main story I'd look at her and I'd look away like I don't know her because it used to embarrass me
Ben
Her son added: "We did a lot of taxi journeys to go to the newsagents, drink shops basically. It would be every day. I would just stand outside waiting."
The mother was aware of the damaging effect such behaviour was having on her son - but could not stop because of the drink.
She said: "I could see that it was hurting him that I was fetching alcohol. But because of being under the influence of alcohol I didn't really care, unfortunately. You don't care. You don't care about anything at all as long as you've got that drink."
And that made life a nightmare for Ben.
"Sometimes when I used to walk to school my mum would be sitting on the park bench drinking. I'd look at her and I'd look away like I don't know her because it used to embarrass me," he said.
"The house was all fell apart, really. It was dirty, messy. My mum was on the sofa and there'd be cans all over the place. That's basically all you'd see - cans, clothes, bottles. That's it. All over the place."
'Angry and upset'
He added: "I kept it a big secret. I didn't tell my friends about my mum's drinking because I felt that they might take the mick out of me and call me names.
"I love my mum and I wanted her to get back the way she was before. It was really making me angry and upset."
Nearly half of the children surveyed said they were not bothered by adults drinking - but 30% said it made them feel scared.
The survey was carried out for Newsround by Childwise, a charity that provides support for the children of problem drinkers.
The charity's founder, Emma Spiegler, said: "I would say that in moderation and drinking responsibly, adults can drink and have a good time and for kids to see that there's no problem.
"But when kids are feeling frightened and scared and it becomes a problem for the adult then it is a concern."
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