Heroin Abuse

Heroin Abuse is a growing problem in the United States. With the quick high and rush you receive within the first seconds of injecting the drug it’s not a wonder why it is so addictive.

Heroin cuts off oxygen supply to the brain almost instantly causing a euphoria and a “nodding off” effect.  Depending on how much heroin is injected and how the body reacts to it would be how long this lack of oxygen actually lasts.

As you may imagine lack of oxygen to the brain is not healthy.  Can cause permanent brain damage and even death.  It’s not to late to get help.  It takes one phone call.

Our treatment center has a 76% success rate of it’s graduating students so call and get help today.

Shooting up Heroin

Heroin use is a difficult drug to decide to do according to some recent studies. One of the biggest reasons why heroin is so scary is because of the fact that heroin abuse in most forms is injected. This scares many people off from the needles. Not only do many people hate the thought of needles, addicts then start using “dirty needles” that leads to disease among the users.  Usually by the time they are using the “dirty needles” they have already contracted some disease whether it be syphllis, HIV or AIDS. Once this happens there is no cure. You can still stop the drug addiction

and with medicine can control any disease you may have caught from doing the drug.

When taking the drug you begin to notice that it takes more and more “doses” to get you high. The more you do the greater risk you put your body in.  From “nodding off”, to hallucinations, low pressure and many more.

You don’t have to go through this addiction alone. Narconon is always here to help you with our 76% success rate among our graduating students. Give us a call today.

Drugs in the Workplace

Addicts some feel embarrassed about their drug addiction.  They feel like there is no way out of the addiction.  They continue to do the drug that they are addicted to just because they feel like there is nothing else.

Many times one does these drugs at work thinking they are not effecting anyone around them. When in fact they are. Nodding off during meetings, missed deadlines, missed days at work.  These are just some of the things that happen to the addict.

If you are an employer it effects you financially as well. Whether you fire the person and then have to then fill the position, training and more or just put the employee into treatment, your cost can be significant. Seek drug rehab immediately for your employee today.

Our facility has a 76% success rate among our graduating students. Get help today.

Narcotics: Poppy Field

Many people do not realize that opiates and narcotics come from three sources: natural narcotics, made from the poppy, semi-synthetic narcotics, which are the same substances which are more processed and refined, and completely synthetic opiates which don’t use any of the ingredients found in the poppy plant.

“The narcotic drugs that cause the most addictions are the semi-synthetics: heroin, hydromorphone, oxycodone, and hydrocodone,” states Mary Rieser, Executive Director for The Atlanta Recovery Center Drug Rehab in Georgia.

“The Atlanta Recovery Center Drug Rehab in Georgia is seeing more and more cases of narcotic drug addiction,” Ms. Riser continues. “Many of our clients start with a prescription drug addiction, then move over to a heroin addiction. Unfortunately, prescription drug abuse all too often leads to prescription drug addiction.

“Know the facts. Don’t get addicted to prescription drugs.”

The following narcotics are among the more significant substances that have been derived from morphine, codeine, or thebaine contained in opium.

Heroin

Heroin Addiction

First synthesized from morphine in 1874, heroin was not extensively used in medicine until the early 1900s. Commercial production of the new pain remedy was first started in 1898. It initially received widespread acceptance from the medical profession, and physicians remained unaware of its addiction potential for years. The first comprehensive control of heroin occurred with the Harrison Narcotic Act of 1914. Today, heroin is an illicit substance having no medical utility in the United States. It is in Schedule I of the CSA.

Four foreign source areas produce the heroin available in the United States: South America (Colombia), Mexico, Southeast Asia (principally Burma), and Southwest Asia (principally Afghanistan). However, South America and Mexico supply most of the illicit heroin marketed in the United States. South American heroin is a high-purity powder primarily distributed to metropolitan areas on the East Coast. Heroin powder may vary in color from white to dark brown because of impurities left from the manufacturing process or the presence of additives. Mexican heroin, known as “black tar,” is primarily available in the western United States. The color and consistency of black tar heroin result from the crude processing methods used to illicitly manufacture heroin in Mexico. Black tar heroin may be sticky like roofing tar or hard like coal, and its color may vary from dark brown to black.

After the opium poppy pod has been scored, the liquid opium oozes out and dries on the pod. It is collected and scraped into a ball shape.

Pure heroin is rarely sold on the street. A “bag” (slang for a small unit of heroin sold on the street) currently contains about 30 to 50 milligrams of powder, only a portion of which is heroin. The remainder could be sugar, starch, acetaminophen, procaine, benzocaine, or quinine, or any of numerous cutting agents for heroin. Traditionally, the purity of heroin in a bag ranged from 1 to 10 percent. More recently, heroin purity has ranged from about 10 to 70 percent. Black tar heroin is often sold in chunks weighing about an ounce. Its purity is generally less than South American heroin and it is most frequently smoked, or dissolved, diluted, and injected.

In the past, heroin in the United States was almost always injected, because this is the most practical and efficient way to administer low-purity heroin. However, the recent availability of higher purity heroin at relatively low cost has meant that a larger percentage of today’s users are either snorting or smoking heroin, instead of injecting it. This trend was first captured in the 1999 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, which revealed that 60 to 70 percent of people who used heroin for the first time from 1996 to 1998 never injected it. This trend has continued. Snorting or smoking heroin is more appealing to new users because it eliminates both the fear of acquiring syringe-borne diseases, such as HIV and hepatitis, as well as eliminating the social stigma attached to intravenous heroin use. Many new users of heroin mistakenly believe that smoking or snorting heroin is a safe technique for avoiding addiction. However, both the smoking and the snorting of heroin are directly linked to high incidences of dependence and addiction.

According to the 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, during the latter half of the 1990s, heroin initiation rates rose to a level not reached since the 1970s. In 1974, there were an estimated 246,000 heroin initiates. Between 1988 and 1994, the annual number of new users ranged from 28,000 to 80,000. Between 1995 and 2001, the number of new heroin users was consistently greater than 100,000. Overall, approximately 3.7 million Americans reported using heroin at least once in their lifetime.

Hydromorphone

Dilaudid Addiction

Hydromorphone (Dilaudid®) is marketed in tablets (2, 4, and 8 mg), suppositories, oral solutions, and injectable formulations. All products are in Schedule II of the CSA. Its analgesic potency is from two to eight times that of morphine, but it is shorter acting and produces more sedation than morphine. Much sought after by narcotic addicts, hydromorphone is usually obtained by the abuser through fraudulent prescriptions or theft. The tablets are often dissolved and injected as a substitute for heroin. In September 2004 the FDA approved the use of Palladone® (hydromorphone hydrochloride) for the management of persistent pain. This extended-release formulation could have the same risk of abuse as OxyContin®.

Oxycodone

Oxycodone is synthesized from thebaine. Like morphine and hydromorphone, oxycodone is used as an analgesic. It is effective orally and is marketed alone in 10, 20, 40, 80, and 160 mg controlled-release tablets (OxyContin®), or 5 mg immediate-release capsules (OxyIR®), or in combination products with aspirin (Percodan®) or acetaminophen (Percocet®) for the relief of pain. All oxycodone products are in Schedule II. Oxycodone is abused orally, or the tablets are crushed and sniffed or dissolved in water and injected. The use of oxycodone has increased significantly. In 1993, about 3.5 tons of oxycodone were manufactured for sale in the United States. In 2003, about 41 tons were manufactured.

Historically, oxycodone products have been popular drugs of abuse among the narcotic abusing population. In recent years, concern has grown among federal, state, and local officials about the dramatic increase in the illicit availability and abuse of OxyContin® products. These products contain large amounts of oxycodone (10 to 160 mg) in a formulation intended for slow release over about a 12-hour period.

Abusers have learned that this slow-release mechanism can be easily circumvented by crushing the tablet and swallowing, snorting, or injecting the drug product for a more rapid and intense high. The criminal activity associated with illicitly obtaining and distributing this drug, as well as serious consequences of illicit use, including addiction and fatal overdose deaths, are of epidemic proportions in some areas of the United States.

Hydrocodone

Hydrocodone Addiction

Hydrocodone is structurally related to codeine but more closely related to morphine in its pharmacological profile. As a drug of abuse, it is equivalent to morphine with respect to subjective effects, opiate signs and symptoms, and “liking” scores. Hydrocodone is an effective cough suppressant and analgesic. It is most frequently prescribed in combination with acetaminophen (i.e., Vicodin®, Lortab®) but is also marketed in products with aspirin (Lortab ASA®), ibuprofen (Vicoprofen®) and antihistamines (Hycomine®). All products currently marketed in the United States are either Schedule III combination products primarily intended for pain management or Schedule V antitussive medications often marketed in liquid formulations. The Schedule III products are currently under review at the Federal level to determine if an increase in regulatory control is warranted.

Hydrocodone products are the most frequently prescribed pharmaceutical opiates in the United States with over 111 million prescriptions dispensed in 2003. Despite their obvious utility in medical practice, hydrocodone products are among the most popular pharmaceutical drugs associated with drug diversion, trafficking, abuse, and addiction. In every geographical area in the country, the DEA has listed this drug as one of the most commonly diverted. Hydrocodone is the most frequently encountered opiate pharmaceutical in submissions of drug evidence to federal, state, and local forensic laboratories.

Law enforcement has documented the diversion of millions of dosage units of hydrocodone by theft, doctor shopping, fraudulent prescriptions, bogus “call-in” prescriptions, and diversion by registrants and Internet fraud.

Hydrocodone products are associated with significant drug abuse. Hydrocodone was ranked 6th among all controlled substances in the 2002 Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) emergency department (ED) data. Poison control data, DAWN medical examiner (ME) data, and other ME data indicate that hydrocodone deaths are numerous, widespread, and increasing in number. In addition, the hydrocodone acetaminophen combinations (accounting for about 80 % of all hydrocodone prescriptions) carry significant public health risk when taken in excess.

*source: DEA.gov

For more information on drug addiction rehab, over the counter narcotic drug abuse, or drug education, call The Atlanta Recovery Center of Georgia at 1-877-236-3981.

Prescription drug abuse- Oxycontin

Oxycontin is an opioid analgesic, or narcotic. It comes in doses of 10, 20, 40, 60, and 80mg. The manufacturer is no longer shipping the 160mg doses because too many people have overdosed on them and died.

Oxycontin is a 12 hour time release medication. Normally pain medication is taken every three to four hours. Oxycontin abusers dissolve the time release coating. That means when they take it, they get a huge euphoric rush, much like the rush a person would get if they took heroin. Because it basically is synthetic heroin.

The Atlanta Recovery Center Drug Rehab in Georgia, as a public service, is warning parents about the dangers of prescription medications that can be abused by teenagers.

OxyContin Addiction; Many Are Unaware of Addictive Properties

“Many people are not aware of the dangers of prescription drugs,” states Mary Rieser, Executive Director in The Atlanta Recovery Center Drug Rehab in Georgia. “While most medications are prescribed to handle a specific ailment, these same medications can be abused by teens. Oxicontin is a highly addictive pain reliever that is being abused by thousands.

Oxycontin addiction is very expensive.

An average 80mg tablet cost $50. One recovered addict says that you might need 4-6 of those a day. If the dealer knows that the person is dope sick, often they will charge the person more, because when the addict is sick, they will do whatever it takes to get the drug. He also says, ‘When you do it, either sniffing or shooting or just taking the pills, it feels just like heroin, if not even more intense.’

“We have had people come into The Atlanta Recovery Center Drug Rehab with heroin addictions that developed this addiction from an Oxycontin. Heroin is less expensive. However people get hooked on Oxycontin, legally prescribed by a doctor or illegally gotten off the streets, people will often run out of funds to purchase the expensive drug. When this happens, they may turn to heroin, simply because it is less expensive. The addict has a terrible withdraw from the Oxycontin, and most of the time, will do whatever it takes to avoid withdraw symptoms.

“Another way of obtaining illegal prescription drugs is through the internet. Recent investigations show that 85% of online pharmacies don’t require a prescription in order to fill an order.

“The Atlanta Recovery Center Drug Rehab in Georgia is a non-traditional drug rehab facility. Once going through our Sauna Detox program, the cravings for Oxycontin are reduced, if not completely eliminated, according to our students. If you suspect that someone you know is abusing Oxycontin or any other prescription drug, call us. We can help.”

For more information on drug addiction rehabilitation or drug education, call The Atlanta Recovery Center of Georgia at 1-877-236-3981.

Important Links

You know something is not right. Things have changed, attitudes are different, something is different, but you can’t quite put your finger on it.

Could it be drugs?

Percocet Prescription Drug Abuse

The Atlanta Recovery Center warns that unless you are aware of the signs of drug abuse, it may be difficult to solve the situation and get the appropriate help. In continuing with the campaign to “Take Back Our Families and Communities From Drugs”, The Atlanta Recovery Center Drug Rehab in Georgia released more tips today for those who think they have a drug abuser in their midst, but are not sure.

What are some common signs of drug abuse?

Sudden changes in behavior can be a clue that there is drug abuse, especially with adolescents.

• New friends, new flashy clothes
• Keeping late hours can be a  sign
• Other indications include sudden decline in academic performance
• Lack of interest in known hobbies
• Borrowing of money
• Changes of mood, as in moodiness, unexplainable euphoria, sleeping in
• Changes of friends

Mary Rieser, Executive Director of The Atlanta Recovery Center Drug Rehab, stated “Before you approach a family member about possible drug abuse, get the facts – verify that there is drug abuse.  Drug addicts will lie about their drug usage and can be very convincing, leaving friends and family doubting their own certainty.  Home testing kits are very easy to fool, so know the signs of abuse and be certain.”

For questions regarding suspicions on drug abuse, contact The Atlanta Recovery Center Drug Rehab.

Drug Abuse Signs

Here is a quick but accurate rundown of signs and symptoms of major drugs of abuse:

Sign of opiate abuse (includes heroin and oxycotin) can be:

• constricted pupils
• scratching
• needle marks
• lethargy.
• It might also include someone acting hyper, as some people are affected this way by opiates.

Signs of cocaine or speed abuse usually include:

• glassy eyes
• very large pupils, which the person may try to hide behind sunglasses.
• erratic behavior
• irritability
• nervousness
• aggression
• lack of sleep
• thirst.

Benzodiazepine abuse is characterized b:y

• sedation
• drowsiness/depression
• unusual excitement
• fever
• irritability
• poor judgment
• slurred speech
• dizziness.

Xanax abuse amongst high school kids is at an all time high, so this is an important one to be alert to. Withdrawal from the drug can be life threatening and requires medical attention.

A person on marijuana will usually have:

• red eyes
• can appear to be in a daze
• may go into fits of laughter for no reason
• marijuana has a strong pungent odor which is difficult to mask
• rolling papers or blunts around the house are tell tale signs of marijuana abuse

If someone you love has signs of drug abuse, then get some help.  Call an interventionist if needed, but don’t wait.  Overdose is a real threat to any drug abuser.  Get them the help they need.

For information on drug addiction signs, call The Atlanta Recovery Center Drug Rehab in Georgia at 1-877-413-3073

It remains the gateway drug to cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and other drugs and there really is no confusion about that.

It is also the gateway to drug rehab.

“A decade after voters in Washington state passed a medical-marijuana law, there is still confusion over how much marijuana patients can possess and how strictly to enforce the law, the Associated Press reported Sept. 20.

In Washington, the law requires that patients grow their own marijuana or find a caregiver who will grow it for them. The caregiver can only supply one patient with marijuana at a time. “

http://www.jointogether.org/news/headlines/inthenews/2009/washington-medical-marijuana.html

Reducing the stigma of Oxycontin abuse, a bit by his otherwise conservative life and views he has opened the door for other drug abusers to approach drug treatment as a matter of fact learning experience.

No matter the drug – heroin, methamphetamine, Xanax or proponol the world is learning that it is not just the abusers that have a lot to learn.

“Limbaugh also said grateful for the prescription drug addiction that forced him into treatment six years ago.

“I actually thank God for my addiction,” he said. “I learned more about myself in rehab than I would have ever learned otherwise.”‘

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/10/12/limbaugh-the-media-didnt-make-me-and-they-cant-break-me/

Bringing ex-drug dealers into the world of medical enterprise does not seem like a wise idea.  These are the guys who have been expanding illegally for decades.   Their sense of ethics might be a bit different – even though it might be looked at as a “profession” of sorts.

Additionally, regardless of any hype, they have been selling the gateway drug – the gateway to heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine and prescription medication.

“So many smalltime marijuana operations have sprung up in the U.S. that they are starting to make a serious dent in the profits of Mexico’s violent drug cartels, the Washington Post reported Oct. 7.

Experts say that the modest growers have accomplished what decades of arrests and drug seizures have tried and failed to do, hitting international cartels in the wallet. The trend toward small, local marijuana cultivation has been fueled by the crackdown on the U.S.-Mexico border as well as state medical-marijuana laws.

Up to half of the marijuana consumed in the U.S. is now produced domestically, with boutique growers using hydroponics to produce high-quality, potent marijuana that is craved by consumers. “What’s happened in the last five years, it’s just gotten totally, totally out of hand, as far as a green rush of people coming from all kinds of different states and realizing the kind of money you can make,” said Jack Nelsen, commander of the Humboldt County Drug Task Force in Northern California, which has become a major marijuana-growing region.”

http://www.jointogether.org/news/headlines/inthenews/2009/small-marijuana-producers.html

While watching the heroin and cocaine addicts might be interesting or have some perverse entertainment value, perhaps the best education comes from those who made it through drug rehab and are alive to tell the story.

“The show that many people believe will be DJ Am’s lasting legacy premieres tonight on MTV. ‘Gone Too Far’ is a special series that features the late DJ AM (also known as David Goldstein) helping eight drug addicts across the country get their lives back.

DJ AM tragically died of an accidental drug overdose on August 25. During his adult life, he had battled drug addiction. He survived a plane crash in September of 2008 that took the lives of four of his friends, which led to DJ AM experiencing Survivor’s Guilt as well as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. He began using drugs again after the plane crash, starting with painkillers and then moving on to stronger drugs until it ultimately killed him.”

http://www.examiner.com/x-24113-Seattle-TV-Examiner~y2009m10d12-DJ-Ams-Gone-Too-Far-premieres-tonight-on-MTV