Category Archives: Drug Dependency

Researchers Say It's a Growing Maternal and Child Health Problem in the U.S. By Rita Rubin WebMD Health News Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD April 30, 2012 -- The number of U.S. babies born dependent on drugs nearly tripled between 2000 and 2009, researchers reported today. Drug dependence occurs when a person develops a physical dependence on a drug, leading to withdrawal symptoms if the drug is abruptly stopped. Newborns can be drug dependent, but do not have the harmful behavior typically seen with addiction. By 2009, an estimated 13,539 babies -- an average of one an hour -- were diagnosed with a drug withdrawal syndrome, which most commonly occurs because their mothers were taking opiate drugs, or narcotics, while pregnant, according to the new study. "We were surprised by the magnitude of the increase," says researcher Stephen Patrick, MD, MPH, a Robert Wood Johnson clinical scholar at the University of Michigan. Patrick and his collaborators used national inpatient databases to find the number of women who were taking opiates when they gave birth and the number of babies born with drug dependency. "These babies, compared to other babies, are more likely to be irritable and inconsolable," says Patrick, … Continue reading →

If anyone thinks drug abuse is a victimless crime theyre kidding themselves. House and vehicle break-ins, home invasions, shoplifting and violent rip-offs are all collateral damage, so to speak, of todays drug trade, according to Taunton Police Chief Edward Walsh. Its by now an age-old problem, he said, that addiction compels some people to resort to victimizing innocent people in order to satisfy their craving. Despite tips from the public and the occasional cooperation of informants, statistics indicate that illicit drug activity in Taunton this year has been keeping pace with 2011. Last year, police responded to 111 drug-related incidents in the Silver City, according to TPD data. Each of those incidents led to at least one arrest. As of this past Thursday there were 24 recorded incidents in 2012, compared to 26 at the same juncture in 2011. Walsh, a 24-year TPD veteran who became chief in 2010, said dealing pot has become more dangerous. Theres more violence, especially, he said, when it comes to the marijuana trade. Walsh says its not uncommon nowadays for pot dealers and their potential customers to violently rob each other of either cannabis or cash. Part of the reason, he explained, is a … Continue reading →

Russell Brand is to address MPs over his drug addiction Comedian Russell Brand is expected to tell MPs on Tuesday that drug addiction should not be seen as a crime or a romantic affectation, but as a disease that will kill. The flamboyant film star has been asked to give evidence about his own battle with addiction to MPs reviewing the Government's drugs policy. Brand has given frank accounts of his battle to overcome drug addiction and has said society needs to change the way it views addicts. Writing on his website last July after the death of singer Amy Winehouse, Brand, 36, said addiction should be treated like a potentially fatal illness. "Addiction is a serious disease; it will end with jail, mental institutions or death," he wrote. "Now Amy Winehouse is dead, like many others whose unnecessary deaths have been retrospectively romanticised, at 27 years old. Whether this tragedy was preventable or not is now irrelevant. It is not preventable today. "We have lost a beautiful and talented woman to this disease. Not all addicts have Amy's incredible talent. Or Kurt's (Cobain) or Jimi's (Hendrix) or Janis's (Joplin), some people just get the affliction. "All we can do … Continue reading →

Posted on Monday, April 23, 2012 Those trying to extricate themselves from the destructive cycle of drug and alcohol abuse do not have to do so alone. Drug Rehab Florida can help. If you are trying to find your way to soberness, going into drug rehabilitation Florida may just be the thing you need to speed you on your way. At Florida House Experience we offer a range of options for drug treatment Florida that will help you transform your life. Drug treatment Florida is a way for persons to get through the difficult task of freeing themselves from drugs and alcohol dependency. At Florida House Experience, we understand the courage it takes to step forward, admit there is a problem, and act decisively to address it. We encourage persons to see drug rehabilitation Florida not as a sign of weakness but as a sign of strength, as a sign that the possibility of living a better life is real and one can attain it. The Florida House Experience offers a unique program of drug rehabilitation Florida. We recognize that drug addiction is a disease, and that persons need stable, long-term care in order to deal it. Our drug treatment … Continue reading →

British comedian and former heroin addict Russell Brand told lawmakers on Tuesday that addicts should be treated "with love and compassion" and not as criminals. The Forgetting Sarah Marshall star said drug dependency should be treated as an illness and called for more "abstinence-based recovery" as he gave evidence to a parliamentary committee reviewing government drug policy. The former husband of US singer Katy Perry, warned that society should not "discard people, write them off on methadone and leave them on the sidelines". The 36-year-old, who has been clean for nine years, described how he became addicted to drugs in his youth because of emotional and psychological difficulties. "It was rough," he said. Wearing a black hat, gold chains and a torn black vest top, he spoke rapidly and addressed members of the committee by their first names in typically disarming style. Asked if he favoured decriminalising drugs, Brand stressed that he was not advocating "a free-for-all where everyone goes around taking drugs" but said existing British laws were "irrelevant" to addicts. "If you need to get drugs, you will," he added."The criminal and legal status, I think, sends the wrong message." Asked if there should be a carrot and … Continue reading →

Russell Brand By Mariam Ghaemi Wednesday, April 25, 2012 6:00 AM THE BOSS of a Suffolk drug and alcohol rehabilitation charity has told MPs the number of people criminalised for possession should be reduced. To send a link to this page to a friend, simply enter their email address below. The message will include the name and email address you gave us when you signed up. Send link To send a link to this page to a friend, you must be logged in. Chip Somers, chief executive of Focus 12 in Bury St Edmunds, gave evidence before the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee as part of a drugs policy inquiry. But a Suffolk MP last night said he believed the current laws were proportionate and adequate. Bury St Edmunds MP David Ruffley said he disagreed with Mr Somers stance over reducing the number of people arrested for carrying drugs - but backed his comments on how people with dependency problems should be treated. View post: Poll: Chip Somers gives evidence to MPs on drug addiction … Continue reading →

Russell Brand By Mariam Ghaemi Wednesday, April 25, 2012 6:00 AM THE BOSS of a Suffolk drug and alcohol rehabilitation charity has told MPs the number of people criminalised for possession should be reduced. To send a link to this page to a friend, simply enter their email address below. The message will include the name and email address you gave us when you signed up. Send link To send a link to this page to a friend, you must be logged in. Chip Somers, chief executive of Focus 12 in Bury St Edmunds, gave evidence before the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee as part of a drugs policy inquiry. But a Suffolk MP last night said he believed the current laws were proportionate and adequate. Bury St Edmunds MP David Ruffley said he disagreed with Mr Somers stance over reducing the number of people arrested for carrying drugs - but backed his comments on how people with dependency problems should be treated. Go here to see the original: Poll: Suffolk charity calls for fewer prosecutions for low-quantity drug possession - do you agree? … Continue reading →

Comedian and actor Russell Brand is seen addressing the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee. Photo: REUTERS/Parbul TV via Reuters TV British comedian and former heroin addict Russell Brand has told lawmakers that addicts should be treated with love and compassion and not as criminals. Brand said drug dependency should be treated as an illness and called for more "abstinence-based recovery" as he gave evidence to a parliamentary committee reviewing government drug policy on Tuesday. The former husband of US singer Katy Perry, warned that society should not "discard people, write them off on methadone and leave them on the sidelines". The 36-year-old, who has been clean for nine years, described how he became addicted to drugs in his youth because of emotional and psychological difficulties. "It was rough," he said. Wearing a black hat, gold chains and a torn black vest top, he spoke rapidly and addressed members of the committee by their first names in typically disarming style. Asked if he favoured decriminalising drugs, Brand stressed that he was not advocating "a free-for-all where everyone goes around taking drugs" but said existing British laws were "irrelevant" to addicts. "If you need to get drugs, you will," he added. … Continue reading →

A new drug approved by the French health administration says it can cure alcohol dependency. But is using drugs to cure another drug addiction really the best way to go about recovery? Its not hard to admit our culture is rather drug-dependent. Almost every sickness, from seasonal allergies to depression, wants to be treated with prescribed pills, making the medical industry boom with a vast range of drugs. But this new anti-alcoholism drug seems the most counter-intuitive of all. With alcohol considered a drug in itself, treating drugs with drugs sounds like a lot of medicine overload. French health authorities approved the drug Baclofen today which has shown to provideclinical benefits in some patients on a case-by-case basis. The results came from a testing trial for Baclofen which included 132 heavy drinkers who were given high doses of the drug over a span of one year. By the end of the trial period, 80 percent of the test subjects reportedly became abstinent or moderate drinkers. Comparatively, previous drugs that have been produced to fight alcoholism yielded results ranging in the 20 to 25 percent spectrum, reports Medical Xpress. The trial has been approved to continue in a second testing with … Continue reading →

Don McHenry remembers the time, back in the 1980s, when he walked through a West Seneca field that later would become the Renaissance Campus. He walked the grounds with Richard J. Gallagher, the man who has helped many local teens tackle their drug and alcohol problems, as Gallagher explained the need for a residential treatment for these teens. McHenry, as president of the Alcohol and Drug Dependency Services board, later met with contractors and architects, and signed some of the loans for Western New Yorks crown jewel in residential treatment for young alcohol and drug addicts. Little did McHenry know that years later, the campus he helped create would help save his own flesh and bloods life. His grandson, Deric McHenry, now 27, is one of the graduates of the Renaissance Campus. Both McHenrys, born 48 years apart, are recovering alcoholics who remain thankful that someone was there to help them become sober. That grandfather-grandson connection is one of the many stories associated with this years 25th annual Kids Escaping Drugs telethon, which airs from 6 to 11:30 p.m. Saturday on WGRZ-TV. Don McHenry, now 75, has had three separate careers, and he still works as a drug and alcohol … Continue reading →