I've been thinking today about a phenomena in the addiction field that I can't figure out. How is it that hundreds of on-line pharmacies in the United States ( not offshore) are able to provide the most potent opiate drugs ( Vicadin, Oxycontin, etc.) with virtually no oversight. Prescriptions are either not required, or you simply fill out the prescription yourself putting in any information that moves you. Credit card information is all that's required to get hundreds of addicting pills winging to you overnight. Where is the DEA in all this? With over 2 million Americans addicted to opiate pain medication as well as benzodiazapines ( Valium, Zanax, Atavin) where is the "war on drugs" when you really need it. Ive included a link to a wonderful study put out by the Center for Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University in New York, that outlines the problem in detail. Not that I'm a big fan of the federal government, but this is one area where a crackdown would really do us all a world of good. Check out the study. Jerry
http://www.casacolumbia.org/absolutenm/articlefiles/380-YGD3%20Final%20Report.pdf
Tuesday, December 5, 2006
Monday, December 4, 2006
Big Increase in Addiction among Older Americans
Hey everyone: Sorry for the typos on my first blog. I'll try to be more careful with my proofreading.
Here is an important story I want you to all to look at:
Study Predicts Big Increase in Addiction Among Older Americans May 18, 2006
News Summary
A new survey predicts that the number of Americans age 50 or older who are addicted to alcohol or other drugs will double by 2020, Reuters reported May 17.
Researchers predict that there will be 5 million people age 50 or older with addictions by 2020, up from 2.5 million in 1999. Misuse of alcohol and prescription drugs play a huge role in the trend; so is the willingness of Baby Boomers to take a wide range of drugs to deal with physical and mental health problems.
"There is a huge concern that what we're going to be seeing is a tidal wave of seriously affected substance abusers in later life," said Frederic Blow, of the University of Michigan Medical School.
"Late onset" addiction problems are often related to health problems and emotional trauma associated with aging. Alcohol is the leading drug of abuse among older Americans, followed by prescription drugs. A study of emergency-room admissions for drug-related problems found that a significant percentage involved patients over age 50.
"We are beginning to see an increase in heroin and cocaine addiction at the front-end of the baby boom wave," said Carol Colleran of the Hanley Center, the author of "Aging and Addiction." "The increase is slight yet, but it begs the question as to whether that figure is going to increase dramatically if the baby boomers revert back in retirement to the drugs they tended to use in their college years."
This study begins to point the way to what a lot of us in field are seeing. Older folks are getting into (or back into) drug and alcohol use to treat pain, feel better, or just while away to extra time in their early (and well funded) retirement.
If you know of anyone having trouble with alcohol, pain medication, benzodiazapines, or other drugs of abuse. Let us know. We'd like to help. Jerry
www.recoverywithoutwalls.com
Here is an important story I want you to all to look at:
Study Predicts Big Increase in Addiction Among Older Americans May 18, 2006
News Summary
A new survey predicts that the number of Americans age 50 or older who are addicted to alcohol or other drugs will double by 2020, Reuters reported May 17.
Researchers predict that there will be 5 million people age 50 or older with addictions by 2020, up from 2.5 million in 1999. Misuse of alcohol and prescription drugs play a huge role in the trend; so is the willingness of Baby Boomers to take a wide range of drugs to deal with physical and mental health problems.
"There is a huge concern that what we're going to be seeing is a tidal wave of seriously affected substance abusers in later life," said Frederic Blow, of the University of Michigan Medical School.
"Late onset" addiction problems are often related to health problems and emotional trauma associated with aging. Alcohol is the leading drug of abuse among older Americans, followed by prescription drugs. A study of emergency-room admissions for drug-related problems found that a significant percentage involved patients over age 50.
"We are beginning to see an increase in heroin and cocaine addiction at the front-end of the baby boom wave," said Carol Colleran of the Hanley Center, the author of "Aging and Addiction." "The increase is slight yet, but it begs the question as to whether that figure is going to increase dramatically if the baby boomers revert back in retirement to the drugs they tended to use in their college years."
This study begins to point the way to what a lot of us in field are seeing. Older folks are getting into (or back into) drug and alcohol use to treat pain, feel better, or just while away to extra time in their early (and well funded) retirement.
If you know of anyone having trouble with alcohol, pain medication, benzodiazapines, or other drugs of abuse. Let us know. We'd like to help. Jerry
www.recoverywithoutwalls.com
Just getting started.
Hi everyone; This is going to be a wide ranging blog on current issues in addiction treament, challenges to finding good treatment options, and building strong personal sobriety. My name is Jerry B. and I have worked more than 30 years in the addiction treament field. In addition I have been clean and sober for a 16 and 1/2 years. I see this as a way to get good information to folks who are sober but maybe not having such a good time, folks who have been struggling with getting sober ( been to a couple-or more- residential / out-patient treatment programs but can't seem to get it, or folks who know their lives are a mess as a direct result of their drug or alcohol use and just don't know where to turn. Also, I see this as a way to share my own experience with building sobriety(i.e. what I did, how I did it, how you can do it too.). On each blog I'll give you the web address of a great program I'm involved with in northern California (the San Francisco Bay Area ). I'm the Admissions Directror and I want to encourage you to contact us if you think we can help you. That's what we do, we help people. I think I'll sign off for now. Speak with you all soon.
www.recoverywithoutwalls.com
Jerry
Hi everyone; This is going to be a wide ranging blog on current issues in addiction treament, challenges to finding good treatment options, and building strong personal sobriety. My name is Jerry B. and I have worked more than 30 years in the addiction treament field. In addition I have been clean and sober for a 16 and 1/2 years. I see this as a way to get good information to folks who are sober but maybe not having such a good time, folks who have been struggling with getting sober ( been to a couple-or more- residential / out-patient treatment programs but can't seem to get it, or folks who know their lives are a mess as a direct result of their drug or alcohol use and just don't know where to turn. Also, I see this as a way to share my own experience with building sobriety(i.e. what I did, how I did it, how you can do it too.). On each blog I'll give you the web address of a great program I'm involved with in northern California (the San Francisco Bay Area ). I'm the Admissions Directror and I want to encourage you to contact us if you think we can help you. That's what we do, we help people. I think I'll sign off for now. Speak with you all soon.
www.recoverywithoutwalls.com
Jerry
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