blognonymous!

If you’ve ever wondered why Addiction Treatment Centers typically offer 28 or 30 day programs, then I might have the answer for you. Here’s what an article on addiction treatment in the Connecticut Post had to say:

Treatment programs of 28 or 30 days are still common. But this template was never based on medical evidence, says Dr. David Lewis, Vision’s medical director. Lewis, who in the 1970s helped establish the first addiction treatment program in the U.S. Air Force, says 30-day stays were scheduled for bureaucratic reasons — men and women didn’t need to be reassigned if they were away from duty for no more than 30 days. Other treatment centers followed suit, and insurers adopted the standard of 28 or 30 days of inpatient care.

This is a great article discussing the effectiveness of long term treatment for addiction. As much as I’d like to talk about everything the struck me as interesting in the article, it would require a very long post. So, I’ll break it up in to pieces.

An article on heroin addiction from GlobeandMail.com states that giving drug addicts, specifically heroin addicts, daily doses of drugs is helping them.

Most of the hardened heroin addicts who were given free, daily doses of the illegal drug over a 12-month period underwent a positive transformation, committing far fewer crimes while their physical and mental health steadily improved, according to researchers.

Addicts also cut their illegal heroin use by 70 per cent, on average, according to researchers from the North American Opiate Medication Initiative.

The results of the trial, said Martin Schechter, the project’s main investigator, show that hard-core addicts - those with the dimmest chances of recovery - can stabilize their lives when heroin is made free and administered by teams of health-care professionals.

I’m not so sure I buy this.

Personally, two things come to mind.

1. That you perpetuate the addict’s delusion that they can use drugs successfully creating a validated wall of denial.
2. This seems a bit inhumane. The fact that these medical professionals have essentially written these addicts off as “those with the dimmest chances of recovery.” is disturbing to me. Why? Because they failed the first couple of times? I’ve tried to quit smoking a dozen times - at least - and have not been successful. But, that’s not to say that I haven’t learned anything or that the next time won’t be successful.

I really just don’t get this hospice mentality of trying to help addicts “get by” with their drug use. I understand that perhaps some help is better than no help, but again is there more harm being done than good? The article talks about “improvement in health among participants.” But, it doesn’t say what type of improvements. And, toward the end of the article, Dr. Schechter states that “This is a group that society has written off as beyond hope,” which also seems like a blanket statement that’s not necessarily true. I’ve met scores of people that have not written these addicts off as  beyond hope, myself included.

I would love to hear what you (escpecially Treatment Professionals) think about this.

Reading an article this morning, by Maggie Mahar, about societal views on drug addiction, I was encouraged when the author mentioned a bill called the Recognizing Addiction as a Disease Act. This act is sponsored by Senator Joseph Biden of Delaware.

The Recognizing Addiction as a Disease Act would:

Amend the Public Health Service Act and related enactments to redesignate: (1) the National Institute on Drug Abuse as the National Institute on Diseases of Addiction; and (2) the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism as the National Institute on Alcohol Disorders and Health.

I, for one, am encouraged. While it’s a small change on the surface, it could have a huge change in the minds of popular culture and, hopefully, lawmakers, law enforcement, and the court systems.

New studies are making huge strides in demonstrating that addiction is, in fact, a disease. Mahar cites a series of essays -  Addiction Treatment: Science and Policy for the Twenty-First Century - that champion public education and a scientific approach to drug addiction. She also states:

As a result of this new information, experts are increasingly incorporating the recognition that addiction is, in part, a “brain disease” into their treatment recommendations.

It seems that the disease of addiction may finally getting its day in court. It’s about time.

Yesterday, I posted information on how NOT to react to a child using drugs according to a source called “The Educator’s guide to substance abuse.” As promised, here are some good tips on things you can do.

• Create a tough love environment
  It is vital to stop making excuses for the child. Do not lie to protect the child. Do not allow yourself to be held emotionally hostage by the child. If you do not take a firm stand, you may actually be helping the addict to stay ill.
• Stop putting up with unacceptable behavior
  Remember that accepting negative behaviour from the child will only prolong the illness. As a parent, you must take a stand. Parents are adults who - in most cases - are responsible and mature. Their children are not. Parents have, in most cases, the experience to be able to decide what is good for their children; they should also have the authority to be able to implement these decisions.
• Draw up a contract
  This is what a typical contract might look like . . . [more]
• Find support
  Parents and educators need an enormous amount of support and strength to cope with the problem of an uncooperative drug_abusing child. Do not be afraid to reach out for help, such as by joining a parent support group, and if there isn’t one in your area, form one.

Thanks to Servamus for the great information.

I came across a great article today that comes from a source called “The Educator’s Guide to Substance Abuse.” There is a ton of good information. But, one thing that stood out more than others was the comprehensive list of how NOT to react to your child if you find out they have been using drugs.

Here’s what they had to say:

How not to react to the child

As has been stated in the previous month’s article, the attitude with which the adult confronts the child, plays a vital role in the type of reaction that one can expect from the child. In the same way, there are a number of ways in which the adult must not react when confronting the issue and the child:

• Do not panic;
• do not make threats if you have no intention of carrying them out;
• do not nag or offer bribes;
• do not make accusations without justification;
• do not become hysterical or antagonistic. It is not easy to remain calm under such circumstances, but becoming neurotic may result in a further loss of control and deterioration in the situation;
• do not discuss the issue with the child while you are very angry and in danger of losing your temper. Wait until you have calmed down and can discuss it rationally;
• do not ignore the child’s negative behaviour;
• do not humiliate the child by calling him/her names;
• do not be afraid of the child;
• do not ask the youngster to promise not to take drugs;
• do not be overprotective - children must be allowed to experience the consequences of their actions;
• do not automatically cover up for the child - be firm in your decisions and beliefs; and
• do not back down or give in under pressure. Have the courage of your convictions.

So, what should you do? Come back tomorrow to find out or just follow the link above.

The latest trend of teens, and even pre-teens, abusing prescription drugs surprised me a little at first until I started thinking about it. When I was young, prescription drugs were in our home. However, it was primarily antibiotics and Tagamet. Over the counter amphetamines were in abundance at that time, and I knew many that abused them. But, narcotic prescriptions were very hard to come across.

Today, it’s different. Prescriptions have become a common part of every day life. Not to say this is always a bad thing. We now have life-saving medicine that was not available 20 years ago. But, it only stands to reason that with more drug prescriptions comes more prescription abusers. And for children, what easier way to get high than from Mom or GrandDad’s medicine cabinet. Plus, with prescription drug commercials airing seemingly every 5 minutes, our perception of prescribed drugs has grown much more mainstream. I’d be hard-pressed to find someone I know that is not on some type of medication for a physical ailment, depression, or anxiety.

What really concerns me is an article I read this morning from The Daily 49er discussing Pharm parties. That’s right parties revolving around prescription drugs. This is what really got my attention:

According to the 2008 National Drug Control Strategies Report, 71 percent of prescription pain medication abusers obtained the drugs from family and friends. Among 12- to 13-year-olds, prescription drug abuse actually exceeds marijuana use.

But, again it makes sense. Easy access, free, no worries of being arrested, and the drugs are pharmaceutical grade.

If you’re a parent, like me, here’s some things to look for:

Prescription drug abuse among teens is up 300 percent, and that means we all need to be aware of unusual behavior among our friends, family and peers. Watch out for intense mood swings, anxiety and depression, according to a recent Los Angeles Times article.

In summary, lock your medicine cabinet and count your pills.

With ill-tempered, addict-hating rhetoric like the following from Antonio Maria Costa - the executive director of the UN’s Office on Drugs and Crime - it’s no wonder this world has difficulty making any headway in the treatment of addicts and alcoholics.

This is exactly what the world needs - a bureaucrat in office who, not only lacks compassion, but also has no understanding of the disease of addiction.

The United Nations’ anti-drugs chief has denounced celebrities such as pop star Amy Winehouse and supermodel Kate Moss, saying that their alleged drug use was helping devastate West Africa.

“Coke-snorting fashionistas are not only damaging their noses and brains — they are contributing to state failure on the other side of the world,” wrote Antonio Maria Costa, the executive director of the UN’s Office on Drugs and Crime.

Statements like this perpetuate the belief that an addict uses drugs because of a moral deficiency. Plus, it alienates addicts who want help but are afraid to come forward and incur the ridicule and character demolition of idiots like this.