Dark Ages

THE DARK AGES
Intense marketing and a resultant 150% rise in the numbers of prescriptions written has resulted in a growing number of people addicted to prescription drugs.
In a recent press conference Joseph A. Califano Jr., the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University’s director and president said:
"Aggressive marketing of controlled drugs to physicians . . . is designed to increase profits with little regard for abuse potential, Our nation is in the throes of an epidemic of controlled prescription drug abuse and addiction."
The ease by which many Americans can get a prescription for powerful pain medications and psychiatric drugs is alarming.
Drug seekers are people that are trying to get high. They will say or do almost anything to get what they want. Health care professionals who are just trying to help are unfortunately easy prey for these individuals.
Very few physicians receive any training in spotting drug seeking behavior. Pharmacists report more training but it is not they that actually write the prescriptions.
More than 15 million Americans abuse controlled substances—double the amount from a decade ago, according to a report issued by CASA. This represents a clear problem for America because there is virtually no increase in drug treatment available.
Califano said, “I am disturbed that more than 28 percent of pharmacists say they fail to regularly validate the prescribing physician's Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) registration number when dispensing controlled substances.Today more people are abusing controlled-prescription drugs than the combined number who abuse cocaine, hallucinogens, inhalants, and heroin.”
Without educating pharmacists and physicians who prescribe these drugs on the signs for potential abuse, drug companies are guilty of criminal negligence.
Unless there is a dramatic increase in the availability of drug treatment for those already addicted, the epidemic will only increase.
History will view this era as a dark age – if civilization exists long enough to move into a more enlightened age.

Narconon drug treatment 877-413-3073

Prescription Drugs

Michael Jackson’s Death Calling Attention to Prescription Drug Abuse

Close friend to Jackson, Deepak Chopra, reported that Jackson had asked him for prescriptions to pain killers in the past. Chopra said that he then realized that Michael must have been asking many people for prescriptions to the powerful drugs.
In an article in the Huffington Press, Chopra in part blames Jackson’s dependence on these drugs on medical colleagues who failed to realize Jackson’s growing addiction could lead to his death.
Jackson is known to have taken prescriptions ranging from Xanax to Demerol.
Oxycodone and hydrocodone are both synthetic opiate pain relievers similar to Demerol which Jackson is reported to have been injected with shortly before his cardiac arrest.
It is unfortunate that prescription drug abuse becomes alive as a topic for media discussion after a celebrity death. Anna Nicole’s and Heath Ledger’s deaths took center stage earlier, but the problem with prescription medication abuse continued to increase and emergency rooms are still seeing too many accidental overdoses.
In a recent press conference Joseph A. Califano Jr., the National Center on Drug Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University’s director and president said:
"Aggressive marketing of controlled drugs to physicians . . . is designed to increase profits with little regard for abuse potential, Our nation is in the throes of an epidemic of controlled prescription drug abuse and addiction."

The ease by which many Americans can get a prescription for powerful pain medications and psychiatric drugs is alarming.
More than 15 million Americans abuse controlled substances—double the amount from a decade ago, according to a report issued by CASA. This represents a clear problem for America because there is virtually no increase in drug treatment available and no controls on marketing.
Narconon of Georgia provides drug treatment and education for the entire southeast region. Narconon Drug Rehab of Georgia is a non-traditional drug abuse treatment program.
NARCONON 877-413-3073

Reflection

NARCONON REFLECTION


Here is a Narconon reflection – written by someone who was abusing alcohol – but written for anyone who is abusing any drug. Whether it is oycontin, adderal, heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine or any drug of abuse, the Narconon program is here to help you.


“Today in class I learned that pinpointing my problem and releasing my energy on it – I can let the thought pass. I think a problem is a kind of blemish to my well being and healthy life style – a blemish that can vanish with the right medicine. The medicine is how I handle situations – and I can handle them the right way from now on from what I have learned.

The medicine is also in my action and thoughts. I will use my mind and strength to touch and get what I want. It is my choice, now that I know right from wrong.

I am a stronger individual today.

This can also apply to unhealthy relationships, friendships and disagreements.

I believe that sometimes it is just better to let things go and avoid trouble in my life.”

Simple realizations like this can take the course of someone’s life and move it in a different direction.

Narconon is the New Life Drug Treatment Program
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William Benetiz Founder

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Narconon Founder Went Above and Beyond to Help His Fellow Man

It did not take long for the Narconon network to become well established throughout the world.

Trois-Rivieres, Quebec 5/14/2009 03:05 PM GMT (TransWorldNews)

By the year 1981, many Narconon centers were fully operational and fully staffed, and were already saving lives from the chains of addiction. Mr. Benitez had completed a monumental task in establishing such a successful drug and alcohol rehabilitation program. At this point in his life Mr. Benitez made a decision to move back to Arizona.

It was in Arizona that William Benitez took on a job within the same justice system that held him prisoner for so many years. At that time the Department of Corrections Director in Arizona was a gentleman named Ellis McDougall. Mr. McDougal hired Will as a inmate liaison, his formal title was that of a Hearing Officer for the Corrections Director located at the Central Headquarters in Arizona. One of the main duties of this position was to handle all of the inmate complaints, what better job for a person who by this point in his life had accomplished so much in helping others.

(William Benitez with fellow inmates)

Mr. Benitez worked in this position for quite some time, and continued his on going support with the expansion of the Narconon network. The story of him working at the same place where he spent a large portion of his life is a remarkable one. He was so dedicated in helping others, and knew exactly what steps to take to help his fellow man. It is only fitting that Will chose to work with the same people that gave him the opportunity to start a Narconon therapy group.

After William Benitez’s death in 1999, the Narconon network has continued to expand across the globe. Currently there are 150 different centers located in over 40 different countries. Because of Mr. Benitez’s dedication and accomplishments, the Narconon program has been able to save many lives from the chains of addiction. This one man is responsible for creating and starting a drug and alcohol rehabilitation program that has reunited families, healed communities, and educated tens of thousands about the harmful effects of drugs. The Narconon network has a very bright future, and will continue to do its part in making this a drug free planet.

Alcohol Addiction

Narconon Drug Rehab in Georgia released these facts about alcohol abuse:

More money is spent on alcohol advertising than on any other product.  (What most people forget is that alcohol is the most widely abused drug on the planet.) 

Alcohol addiction is one of the toughest to overcome, especially with televisions making alcohol look tasty, sensuous, sexy, or even smart.  (The irony here is that if you have a drunk person, they are none of these things.  How is a stumbling and slurring person who has had too much to drink sexy or smart?)

The statistics of alcohol abuse are that it leads to permanent damage of vital organs, several different types of cancer, gastrointestinal irritations, nausea, diarrhea, ulcers, malnutrition, nutritional deficiencies, sexual dysfunctions, high blood pressure, and lowered resistance to diseases.  (They don’t tell you these things in their commercials.)

It is estimated 6.6 million children live in homes with at least one alcoholic parent. 

Eighty percent of American high school students have tried alcohol and sixty-two percent of these teenagers have been drunk. 

There are approximately 14 million people addicted to alcohol in the United States alone. 

Alcohol kills 65 people per day on our roads; this accounts for 50% of all crashes. 

Almost half of all murders, suicides and accidental deaths involve alcohol. 

Executive Director, Mary Rieser says, “These are the facts.  They are quite different than what is portrayed by the marketing and advertising agencies.  The truth is that 1 of every 13 Americans is addicted to alcohol, and we see more and more people suffering from alcoholism everyday.”

For more information on drug addiction rehabilitation or drug education, call Narconon of Georgia at 1-877-413-3073.
Copyright © 2008. Narconon of Georgia Inc.(www.drugsno.com) Call 1-877-413-3073. All rights reserved. Narconon and the Narconon Logo are trademarks and service marks owned by the Association for Better Living and Education International and are used with its permission.

Remembering Benjamin Franklin

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REMEMBER WHAT BENJAMIN FRANKLIN SAID

This bill is bitter sweet. While we are offering more funding for Substance Abuse services we are cutting our school prevention programs, which have been in place since Nancy Regan told us to “Just Say No.

Without the message to kids to “Just say No” more of them will say “yes”. They are not only saying “yes” to the dealer in the school yard, but they are saying “yes” to the drug Cartels and possibly years of misery before they find their way into one of the new government funded drug treatment programs.

We need to remember what Benjamin Franklin said. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

Abuse of heroin, methamphetamine, pot cocaine and other drugs can be prevented without a doubt and now it is going to be completely up to the families.

Without prevention we can expect the need for many “pounds of cure”.

Narconon

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“The first budget plan submitted to Congress by President Barack Obama includes an overall increase in funding for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) but calls for elimination of the Department of Education's Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities (SDFS) state grants program as part of $17 billion in cuts to programs deemed wasteful or ineffective.

The budget also calls for modest additions to the budgets of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), which would increase $13 million and $5 million respectively.

In justifying the SAMHSA spending plan (PDF) to Congress, the administration said the budget "continues federal support for state and local efforts to increase the availability of quality prevention and treatment services for substance abuse and mental illness ... [and] invests in evidence-based prevention, early intervention, treatment, and recovery services to respond to these preventable and treatable public-health problems."

Addiction-field experts noted that the plan does not include any fundamental reordering of drug-war priorities in favor of treatment and prevention -- action that many expect to see, but perhaps not until the next budget cycle. The administration's budget now goes to Congress, where the House and Senate budget committees will begin drafting their own budget plans and advocates will have a chance to weigh in on the pros and cons of Obama's approach.

"The FY2010 budget shows we continue to have our work cut out for us," said Rob Morrison, interim executive director of the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD). "On the positive side for SAMHSA, at least we are not facing the severe proposed cuts that have been a staple of budgets for the past four or five years. However, the proposed elimination of the SDFSC state grants program would reduce the funding available to states for much-needed prevention services. Reduced funding at the federal level is a difficult prospect given the tough shape state budgets are in."

Most programs within SAMHSA, including the cornerstone, $1.778-billion Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant to states, would be level-funded compared to FY2009 if Obama's budget recommendations are adopted by Congress.

However, SAMHSA -- which received $3.5 billion under Obama's plan, up $59 million from the FY2009 appropriation -- was one of the few federal agencies to receive an overall funding increase. This was largely due to a $35-million boost for drug treatment courts (including $5 million earmarked for families of methamphetamine users) and an additional $15 million for offender-reentry programs managed by the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT). Residential treatment programs for pregnant and postpartum women also received a small increase.

On the other hand, as a budget analysis from NASADAD noted, SAMHSA was also one of the few federal agencies that did not get a share of the federal stimulus package passed by Congress earlier this year.

"We're encouraged by the proposed increase for CSAT and that people in the criminal-justice system are getting the help they need," said Gabrielle de la Gueronniere, deputy director of public policy for the Legal Action Center, who pointed out that Obama's Justice Department budget plan also calls for a $75-million increase in funding for the Second Chance Act and an additional $10 million for the Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) program, both of which benefit addicted offenders in prison and post-release.

Obama and former President George W. Bush may not have much in common, but one goal they share is finally killing off the $295-million SDFS program, tagged for years as too diluted to make a real impact on youth.

"While reducing violence and drug use in and around schools is a compelling goal, reviews by an independent evaluator and by a statutory advisory committee have demonstrated that this program is poorly matched to achieving that goal," according to the Obama budget document. "A 2001 study from the RAND Drug Policy Research Center concluded that the structure of the program is 'profoundly flawed.' The program does not focus on the schools most in need and the thin distribution of funding prevents many local administrators from designing and implementing meaningful interventions."

The Obama administration did propose an increase of more than $110 million in funding for the SDFS national grant program, which it said is "better structured to support targeted, high-quality interventions" than the formula-based state grants program. The budget request includes $100 million for a "major new initiative of grant assistance to support new approaches designed to change school culture and climate and thereby improve character and discipline and reduce drug use, crime, and violence," according to the Education Department budget summary.

De la Gueronniere said that while the treatment and prevention community recognizes the need to evaluate programs, "in a lot of communities SDFS is the only source of school-based funding" for youth drug prevention.

"We know this is a tough funding environment, but we also know that our people need care, and that cuts in state funding are continuing and devastating," she said.”

http://www.jointogether.org/news/features/2009/obamas-first-budget-supports.html

Predictable Outcome

 

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PREDICTABLE OUTCOME

Giving morphine to heroin addicts to study withdrawal symptoms is a little like giving sugar to a diabetic.  Why did we need a study? Wouldn’t we already know the outcome?  Morphine has been around for ages – for example, wealthy women with little to do in the 1800s became addicted to morphine and a study of those reports would have revealed the same withdrawal symptoms.

However, if one were to review the studies done before giving methadone to heroin addicts, they were not much more scientific.

If any of these heroin addicts are still alive, the humane thing to do would be to look them up and offer them effective drug treatment.

Narconon 877-413-3073

“Researchers at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs gave doses of morphine to a study group of 69 heroin addicts, then cut them off to measure the impact of withdrawal on hyperactivity, the Washington Examiner reported April 30.

The VA spent more than $7.8 million in 1994-95 on the study, details of which were recently revealed thanks to a Freedom of Information Act request.

Researchers found that the opiate-addicted test subjects suffered 787 "adverse events" as a result of the morphine being withdrawn, such as constipation and heart problems. Researchers considered 38 of the reactions to be severe.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) approved the study, but some view giving illicit drugs to addicts as ethically suspect, even for research purposes. "It's very, very good for us to think about these matters," said Petros Levounis, director of the Addiction Institute of New York. "But really, the truth of the matter is that these patients, in general, would continue to use these drugs. By bringing them into a hospital, we're increasing the odds that they will engage in treatment."

http://www.jointogether.org/news/headlines/inthenews/2009/va-researchers-gave-morphine.html

Consider the Drug Treatment

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CONSIDER THE DRUG TREATMENT CENTERS ALSO

Recognizing that society and individuals are not served well by locking up most drug addicts is a major shift in public philosophy that has been a long coming.

While the focus is going from prison to drug court, we need to include drug treatment centers in our view. For years, many drug treatment centers have been successful at returning individuals to society as drug free and productive. They and their dedicated staff need to be recognized and supported. As the shift away from prisons is occurring, we need to make sure that the drug treatment centers stay around.

We are going to need them.

“Many crimes are rooted in alcohol and drug addictions. Yet, too often, nonviolent offenders are simply sent to jail and not treated for the addiction problems that led them there.

When we release individuals with untreated addictions back into communities, they usually return to their friends, their habits, and their crimes.

More than half of those in the criminal justice system who complete treatment programs and participate in aftercare do not commit new crimes. Most prisoners who serve mandatory sentences, but get no treatment, commit new crimes and start using drugs or alcohol soon after release.

Drug courts are designed to help people with addictions who are facing criminal charges get through treatment and recover from their addiction. Their basic premise is to leverage the authority of the criminal-justice system to keep defendants in treatment, recognizing that the recovery process may well include lapses and relapses, but the longer a person stays in treatment, the greater chance he/she has for sustained recovery.

While the participant is enrolled in the drug court, final disposition of the criminal charges is suspended and -- depending upon the participant's ultimate success or failure -- may be dismissed or otherwise changed.

It is widely recognized that drug courts result in varying degrees of reduced recidivism and cost savings for the criminal-justice system, and are most effective with high-risk, defendants with a long history of addictions.

In addition, drug courts produce many other societal benefits, including increased coordination and delivery of public health and mental health services, vocational training and job placement which increase the likelihood of sustained recovery.  “

http://www.jointogether.org/keyissues/incarceration/treatment-vs-incarceration-readmore.html

Narconon Drug Treatment 877-413-3073

Like Father Like Son

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LIKE FATHER LIKE SON

Working in the field of drug treatment I have found that often the children of drug addicts become drug abusers themselves. Unless there is a strong outside influence such as a grandmother, the family of a peer or a teacher the path to addiction has no barriers for the children of addicts.

The kindest thing we can do for these children is to ensure that every school in the nation is providing effective drug education and that we somehow make addicted parents eligible for effective drug treatment.

7.3 children is a lot of children who live under stress and their influence can spread to others, especially as they reach adulthood.

A report like this can look like just another white paper with statistics on it. However, it is one of the more serious situations and portends for trouble for the next generation if we don’t do something about this now.

Narconon 877-413-3073

“About 12 percent of children in the U.S. lived with at least one parent who was dependent on or abused alcohol or an illicit drug last year, according to a new report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
Researchers found that approximately 7.3 million children lived with a parent who was dependent on or abused alcohol, and 2.1 million children lived with a parent who was dependent on or abused illicit drugs.
The report, Findings for Children Living with Substance-Dependent or Substance-Abusing Parents: 2002-2007, looked at children between the ages of 12 and 18 and covered the period 2002 to 2007.
"The research increasingly shows that children growing up in homes with alcohol- and drug-abusing parents suffer -- often greatly," said SAMHSA acting administrator Eric Broderick. "The chronic emotional stress in such an environment can damage their social and emotional development and permanently impede healthy brain development, often resulting in mental and physical health problems across the lifespan. This underlines the importance of preventive interventions at the earliest possible age."

http://www.jointogether.org/news/research/summaries/2009/many-us-kids-have-addicted.html

Narconon of Georgia treats those addicted to heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine, pot, xanax or any other drug of abuse. Drugsno.com

Man’s Oldest Drug

MAN’S OLDEST DRUG

Through the ages, alcohol has been one of the pleasures of life. Since the Stone Ages, alcohol has played a role in human culture and has been used for medicinal, religious and social purposes.

The Greeks promoted moderation in drinking and temperance was praised by Plato. As the Roman Empire started to decay the abuse of alcohol became more rampant. Throughout much of history the use or misuse of alcohol is a reflection of the society.

And so it goes – Social pressures and society disorder find us in a world that promotes drinking. The number of alcohol abusers of all ages is increasing.

Young people raid their parents liquor cabinets, Workers meet at the bar after high pressure jobs and older people seek alcohol as a relief for loneliness.

No matter the age or social condition overdrinking contributes to cirrhosis, pancreatitis, brain damage and destruction of the nervous system. In the present time, the majority of traffic deaths are caused by driving under the influence.

__________________________

Alcohol is the most commonly used and widely abused psychoactive drug in the country. Its abuse contributes to thousands of deaths and ruined lives.

CONSEQUENCES OF ALCOHOL ABUSE

Ø Loss of self control

Ø Depression of the central nervous system and lowers your inhibitions.

Ø Loss of coordination

Ø Poor judgment

Ø Slowed reflexes

Ø Double vision

Ø Loss of memory

Ø Possible blackouts.

SHORT TERM EFFECTS

Ø Hangover and vomiting.

Ø Alcohol poisoning, which can lead to coma or even death.

LONG TERM EFFECTS

Ø Tolerance to alcohol

Ø Cancer

Ø Gastrointestinal problems

Ø Diarrhea and ulcers

Ø High blood pressure

Ø Malnutrition

Ø Sexual dysfunctions

Ø Lowered resistance to disease.

WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS

Withdrawal symptoms can be severe require hospitalization. Many symptoms also describe DTs (delirium tremens) which are caused by the abrupt cessation of alcohol.

Ø Hallucinations

Ø Seizures

Ø Rapid pulse rate

Ø Elevated blood pressure

Ø Nausea

Ø Sweating

Ø Shakiness

Ø Temperature elevation.

Other Alcohol Facts

Alcohol is the most commonly abused substance in the U.S. According to the 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health 119 million Americans (20.1% of the population) use alcohol.

Every 30 minutes someone is killed in an alcohol related traffic accident in the U.S.

Drunk driving is proving to be even deadlier than what we previously knew. The latest death statistics released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), using a new method of calculation show that 17,488 people were killed in alcohol related traffic accidents last year. This means that nearly 800 more people were killed by alcohol abuse than the previous year.

Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is the result of chronic alcohol use during pregnancy. It is a serious health problem that tragically affects its victims and their families. Babies born with FAS weigh less and are shorter than normal. They tend to have smaller heads, deformed facial features, abnormal joints and limbs, poor coordination, learning problems, and short memories.

Fact: 750 infants are born with a severe pattern of physical, developmental and functional problems due to FAS each year in the U.S. Another 40,000 children are born with fetal alcohol effects (FAE) in the U.S

_________________________________

Every year it seems that there are more and more studies or articles on the hazards of alcohol abuse. The point has been made, with the real question remaining, “What can we do about the situation?”

For the society, the answer lies in drug and alcohol education at school and more controls over alcohol advertising at sports events.

For the individuals who have a loved one addicted to alcohol, the answer is Narconon New Life Program. There is no better answer.

877-413-3073

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Drugs Exposed to Teenagers

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When people wonder which illegal drug their teen may be exposed to the most, many think of cocaine or hallucinogens.

However, a study shows that 56% of youths who first started using drugs in the past year began with marijuana.

"Marijuana has the reputation of being non-toxic and 'safe' to use," comments Mary Rieser, Executive Director of Narconon Drug Rehab Georgia. "Despite the facts that students are given education on the dangers of tobacco smoking, marijuana apparently doesn't come under the same scrutiny, and when teens use an illegal drug for the first time, it will start with marijuana. This often leads to ther drugs; those who start using marijuana are 9 times more likely to use cocaine than those who don't. Marijuana often leads to drug addiction."

An estimated 1.5 million youths ages 12 to 17—an average of more than 4,000 per day—used a drug other than alcohol for the first time in the past year, according to data from the 2007 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

The majority of youths reported that marijuana was the first drug they tried (56%), followed by prescription-type drugs used nonmedically (24%), and inhalants (17%).

Very few youths reported that their first use of drugs involved hallucinogens or cocaine (see figure below). The relative distribution of first-drug used has remained consistent over the past five years.

"Prescription-type drugs includes stimulants, sedatives, tranquilizers, and pain relievers," comments Ms. Rieser. "Non-medical use is defined as use without a prescription belonging to the respondent or use that occurred simply for the experience or feeling the drug caused."

Source: CESARFAX, University of Maryland, CollegePark

Narconon Drug Rehab of Georgia is a non-traditional drug abuse treatment program. Narconon was founded in 1967, and boasts a 76% success rate (based on a two year follow-up) through a non-12 step drug treatment program.  The Narconon program provides body detoxification through a sauna and exercise program that helps eliminate or reduce cravings. After the sauna program, the client learns those life skills essential to success in life and the ability to stay clean.  They graduate from Narconon with a life plan and continued support to make sure they make it in life.

Copyright © 2009. Narconon of Georgia Inc.(www.drugsno.com) Call 1-877-413-3073. All rights reserved. Narconon and the Narconon Logo are trademarks and service marks owned by the Association for Better Living and Education International and are used with its permission.

Magic Pills

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MAGIC PILLS

Mary Rieser CCDC

How are you feeling today? Not so well? Just plop down in front of the television tonight and you’ll soon be given the opportunity to diagnose yourself. Double check with your doctor if you want to make sure you’re right. Chances are your doctor is also familiar with the pharmaceutical commercials.

Do restless legs keep you awake? This can be fixed with a pill. If the side effects of the pill cause you to gamble away all your money, you don’t need to feel depressed for long. There are pills to fix this too, and a big bus will deliver them for next to nothing.

Before you go to bed decide if you want to sleep or have sex. There is a different pill for each. (The commercials don’t tell us what happens if you take both at once.) If you opt for the sex pill and notice at 2 am difficulty with your anatomy (if it lasts for more than four hours) the ad says to call your doctor. You might have to wait for a more convenient time for him to meet you at the office to fix the problem.

Too fat? Eyes watering or are they too dry? Are you afraid you might wet your pants or worse, do you have to wear long sleeves in summer? Don’t fret. It can all be fixed. Take a pill and enjoy life in living color.

As our population is lulled into the safety and normalcy of fixing everything with medication is it any wonder that prescription drug abuse and subsequent addiction are on the rise at an alarming rate?

Young people are more addicted now to what they find in the medicine cabinet, than what they find on the street, and for the first time, in some parts of the country, more people are dying from overdoses of pharmaceuticals than street drugs. Prescription drug abuse is the second most commonly abused substance now (excepting alcohol). This didn’t use to be the case.

People are getting addicted and we are told that some brains are more apt to have a drug problem than others. These brains apparently short wire and make the person crave drugs. How did these “brains” even learn about drugs- whether it be street or pharmaceutical? Should we be educating our kids about drugs on TV?

When I was a child, all my friends had Barbie dolls. We saw her on TV and had to have one – some girls had a dozen. We were obsessed. Fortunately, most of us outgrew our “Barbie brain” and didn’t need rehab. No one had to come up with a vaccine to make us not want Barbie. Barbie apparently is non-addictive long term. But today, in contrast, television ads are leading children to major drug addiction, not Barbie dolls.

Most people understand that there are times when the proper medication is life saving and necessary. Some ailments such as diabetes require long-term maintenance, but not everything can be treated with a pill.

Let’s get wise. There is no pill to bring the dead back to life or to cure young people who have become addicted.

Mary Rieser CCDC

Executive Director Narconon

www.drugsno.com

Drug Seekers

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WARNING

BEWARE OF DRUG SEEKERS

From the Executive Director of Narconon of Georgia

You may know a prescription “seeker”. These are individuals who try to get prescription medication that is either not medically indicated or prescribed for them. In other words, they want to abuse it.

If you are a dentist, you probably get calls from time to time from the seekers. These are the individuals who are not your patients, but hope that you don’t realize it. They are likely to call on holiday weekends because they know that during the holidays, dentists, like everyone else, are preoccupied and might be covering for someone else. The holiday weekends are longer, requiring a larger prescription.

A typical conversation from a prescription seeker might go like this: “I was in your office a couple of weeks ago and I was supposed to have that tooth taken out.” Acting as though you are sure to remember who they are, the seeker will try to steer you towards writing the pain prescription.

If you have not recognized them as a seeker by this time, other indicators in the conversation might be statements to the effect that they have tried Motrin in the past and it didn’t work or that they are allergic to pain medication of lower potency. The prescription seeker only wants “enough to get through the weekend” promising that they will make an appointment with you the following week to get the dental problem addressed.

Chances are that if you have a big practice, you won’t remember the names of all your patients. Here are some tips to avoid inadvertently writing pain prescriptions to persons seeking to get high:

• If you can’t remember having ever seen the patient, then ask them what you look like, or what the office looks like if they say they have seen your associate. Wrong answers to these simple questions are sure tips that something is amiss.

• Arrange to have access to your office computer from wherever you are so you can log in to your patient database to see if a caller really is a patient.

• If someone comes to your office that you think might be abusing pain medications, learn the signs as listed below.

A seeker may also be someone living in your household. You can recognize them as the family member who needs to take some of your prescription medication because they are in pain. They may go to the doctor frequently, or from emergency room to emergency room describing fabricated up symptoms that require medication. You might recognize a seeker in your household by the fact that some of your prescription medication has come up missing.

Be compassionate. If you see someone trying to get pain medication inappropriately, chances are they are addicted. Recommend rehab to them and give them our phone number: 1-877-413-3073. WE ARE THE NEW LIFE PROGRAM!

Signs of Opiate Abuse

A person on an opiate such as heroin, morphine and prescription drugs will have constricted pupils that will look like pinpoints or small dots.

Someone on opiates usually itches and you can see the person lightly and frequently scratching himself.

If the method of ingestion is sniffing, his nostrils may appear raw and red.

If the method of ingestion is by injection there will be needle marks in arms, behind the knees or ankles.

Heroin users have been known to inject themselves under the tongue, or directly into open sores. These locations are not as easy to detect.

They may get very pale and sweaty or extremely thirsty.

Opiates affect people in different ways: some may get very "hyper" (active or frantic) and run around working or looking busy while others get very lethargic (nodding or doping off). The person may go around asking others for money. This will not be small change for cigarettes, but more like $20 or $40 here or there.

For more information on Percoset, Dalaudid, Lortab or other drugs of abuse please visit drugsno.com.

Don't take any chances. Narconon of Georgia staff members are here to help.
Call our 24 hour hotline 877-413-3073.

We are the NEW LIFE PROGRAM

Debt

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TRILLIONS IN DEBT AND NO ONE SOBER ENOUGH TO PAY IT BACK

Obama and company can find a way to pour trillions into the economy and nobody can help watch after the kids? Certainly, an advocacy group that is trying to protect our kids from alcohol abuse is a group worth supporting. At the very least it should mean less expenditure of public funds on health issues due to alcohol abuse in the future.

Chances are that not only will the future generation be burdened with the huge debt we are creating for them now, many of them will be burdened with the alcohol addiction that started from watching commercials at an early age.

Narconon Drug treatment 877-413-3073

“In a move that has stunned members of the addiction community, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) announced earlier this month that it has cut all of its Alcohol Policies Project staff except longtime director George Hacker, effectively ending the only full-time advocacy effort on alcohol policy issues on Capitol Hill.

Citing "extreme budget constraints," Hacker said in a letter to field colleagues that staffers Kim Crump, Christina Mott, and Aggie Fortune were laid off in mid-April. "Each of them has made long-standing substantial contributions to our advocacy work and I know they have been extremely valuable assets for the entire alcohol-prevention field," wrote Hacker on April 2. "No one will miss them more than I."

Hacker, who will continue to run the scaled-down Alcohol Policies Project, but also spend time working on unrelated CSPI programs, said that the group's advocacy on alcohol-tax issues and the Campaign for Alcohol-Free Sports TV would continue "at least for the present."

However, CSPI's advocacy work on issues like underage drinking will be severely curtailed. "The breadth of the project will be severely limited," said Hacker.

Judy Cushing, president and CEO of the Oregon Partnership -- a statewide community coalition that also has taken a leading role on national alcohol-advertising issues -- said she was "devastated" by the news of CSPI's downsizing. "Their policy work is critical in our efforts to continue to reduce underage drinking," she said.

David Jernigan, former head of the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth (CAMY), called CSPI's contributions "incalculable" and described the cutbacks as "a significant setback to the field."

CSPI founded the Alcohol Policies Project in 1982, and Hacker and his staff -- which has at times numbered as high as eight people -- have played a huge role as both industry gadfly and critic and advocates for higher alcohol taxes and greater controls on alcohol advertising to youth.

Ironically, the Alcohol Policies Project has been put on life-support at a moment when states and the federal government have started seriously considering increases in alcohol taxes (to close budget deficits and pay for national healthcare reform, respectively), and advocates are talking to a new administration in Washington that seems more receptive to calls for increased regulation than its recent predecessors.

"We've all depended on CSPI for a long time," said Michael Scippa, advocacy director of the Marin Institute. "This is kind of a wakeup call to advocates of all kinds that we may need to include more trips to Washington, D.C., in our travel plans."

Scippa said that CSPI's cutbacks created a "vacuum" in Washington. "The industry loves it," he lamented. That vacuum has been growing in the past year with the June 2008 shutdown of the Georgetown University-based CAMY and the elimination of more than half of the staff at Ensuring Solutions to Alcohol Problems, the George Washington University Medical Center program that focuses on screening and treatment availability for alcohol problems.

Eric Goplerud, Ph.D., director of Ensuring Solutions, called the news about CSPI "grim."

"After the great achievements to secure parity, screening and brief intervention (SBI), and overturning UPPL [laws] in many states, the field will need new policy leadership," said Goplerud. "Hazelden's new Policy Center and the Johnson Institute merger with them, Tom McLellan's nomination to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the coalitions of the Whole Health Campaign and [Legal Action Center head] Paul Samuels' health reform work group will be the sources ... I am optimistic the leadership is arising."

In addition, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion recently solicited applications for a program that would fund monitoring of youth exposure to alcohol ads, similar to the work previously done by CAMY. And Scippa -- who said that Marin's funding base remains "very healthy" -- said that his group is currently looking for ways to increase its advocacy presence in the nation's capital.

"It's actually an interesting opportunity to organize when something like this happens," he said. "Groups need to pay more attention to the national level rather than just the local."

"Hopefully, the field will continue to be able to focus on these issues," said CSPI's Hacker, who noted that action on state alcohol taxes, for example, "has been happening on the local level and to a large degree without [CSPI]."

"With so many states in deficit and the federal government looking for hundreds of billions of dollars for healthcare reform, there is some hope for increases in taxes on alcoholic beverages

http://www.jointogether.org/news/features/2009/cspi-layoffs-latest-setback.html”

Making A Difference

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SOMEONE MAKING A DIFFERENCE

It is great to know that in the midst of the pharm party pandemonium in this country that there are drug counselors who get it and are doing something about it. One person like Mr. Guest can make a big difference in many lives.

We really can do something about the drug situation and a little caring goes a long ways.

Narconon drug treatment 877-413-3073

GREENSBORO — Will Guest has heard it all.

He’s 28, an amiable Midwesterner with gel-spiked hair and a small gold loop through his left ear. He runs The Insight Program, which helps local teenagers and young adults overcome drug and alcohol addiction.

So, he knows about Pharm Parties. It’s when teenagers get together, dump someone’s prescription meds into a bowl and start popping them into their mouths like candy corn to get that rush.

He also knows his own dance with addiction.

He was a good student, a star on the football team who dated the homecoming queen. He had planned to play football at the University of Kansas. But his addictions got him arrested and kicked out of his house and his high school.

He first smoked marijuana, then drank alcohol, downed pills and snorted cocaine. It started when he was 13.

Today, he’s trained and 10 years sober. He works with clients from 13 to 23, and he often shares his story when someone starts making some sort of concession like, “I’ve stopped getting high, but I smoke weed now and again.”

These days, Guest hears a lot about abusing pills. It’s the nation’s new epidemic.

According to folks who know, nearly one in five teens has tried prescription medication to get high. That’s 19 percent — or 4.5 million teens — who’ve downed Ritalin or Adderall, Vicodin or OxyContin.

That information, plucked from a 2006 survey, comes from the Partnership for a Drug Free America.

Listen to Guest and you realize the new pusher in town could be your very own medicine cabinet. The drugs are easy to get and even easier to conceal. Guest’s young clients tell him they take pills for all kinds of reasons: to deal with school or a breakup, the need to communicate or fit in.

But mostly, they just want to see what happens when they dabble with pills named R-Ball, Skippy and Hillbilly Heroin.

Some kick their habit. Some don’t. Guest knows them all.

Here’s one. Let’s call him Alex.

Alex was 18, a Guilford County high school student addicted to the painkiller OxyContin. He was doing well, talking frankly in Guest’s support group or in Guest’s office, sitting across from him in a cushy chair.

But when Alex got out of Insight’s treatment program, he relapsed and started using again. Alex later died. He had taken too much OxyContin.

“It sucked,’’ says Guest, his voice rising. “But it could have been any one of them. There are 60 kids in the support group, and it could have been any one of them.’’

On Thursday night, Guest will join a school resource officer, a pharmacist and an emergency room doctor at a forum put together by two groups on the front lines: Alcohol and Drug Services and the Guilford County Substance Abuse Coalition.

They’ll talk about the need for education to unravel the denial they see most everywhere. They’ll also share their own personal stories.

Like the one about Alex.

“Kids are so much in denial,’’ Guest says. “But instead of waiting until they’re 30 and hitting the bottom, parents can be the loving, logical force in their lives. Everything comes down to the love of the parents. That’s huge.’’

That happened to Guest. After eight weeks in a treatment program in Arizona, after seven months of getting his head straight, Guest came home to make amends with his parents. It happened over dinner. It’s a conversation Guest will always remember.

“That was the hardest thing we ever did,’’ Guest’s mom, an emergency room nurse, told her son about kicking him out of the house. “But I’m glad we did it.’’

“You saved my life,’’ Guest responded.

http://www.news-record.com/content/2009/04/27/article/family_medicine_cabinet_is_the_new_drug_dealer

Demand Reduction

DEMAND REDUCTION

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The only solution long term for the drug abuse situation in this country is going to be by demand reduction. Obama is correct in recognizing that effective treatment will help cut the demand for drugs. It has become obvious that jail or prison time does not cut down the demand. More and more prisons have been built over the last decade and they seem to keep filling up with drug addicts. No – the thought of jail is not stronger than addiction.

If we are going to promote drug treatment instead of incarceration, it is obvious that we must push EFFECTIVE TREATMENT. With many programs having low stats in terms of long term recovery, it is imperative that we do all we can to ensure that offenders are sent to good programs. Otherwise, the attempt at treatment rather than incarceration will appear to not be the answer and we will go back to building prisons.

Here is a recent article in join together.:

http://www.jointogether.org/news/headlines/inthenews/2009/obama-puts-drug-war-focus-on.html

“Recent comments by President Barack Obama and drug-czar nominee Gil Kerlikowske indicate that the War on Drugs could see a significant shift in focus from supply reduction to reducing demand by investing in more prevention and treatment, CNN reported April 18.

Obama and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano have both indicated that the administration won't consider legalizing drugs, but Obama pledged in meetings with Mexican President Felipe Calderon to do more to cut U.S. demand for drugs being smuggled across the border with Mexico.

"Demand for these drugs in the United States is what is helping to keep these cartels in business," said Obama. "Now, are we going to eliminate all drug flows? Are we going to eliminate all guns coming over the border? That's not a realistic objective," he said. "What is a realistic objective is to reduce it so significantly, so drastically that it becomes once again a localized criminal problem, as opposed to a major structural problem that threatens stability in communities along those borders."

Both the White House and Congress want to invest more money in drug courts that divert offenders into treatment rather than prison. "The success of our efforts to reduce the flow of drugs is largely dependent on our ability to reduce demand for them," Kerlikowske said during his recent confirmation hearing in the Senate. "It requires prosecutors and law enforcement, courts, treatment providers and prevention programs to exchange information and to work together. And our priority should be a seamless, comprehensive approach."

But advocates want to see more investment in treatment for those outside the criminal-justice system, too. "For individuals who don't have the resources, don't have public health insurance, can't afford it themselves, the single best way that they can access treatment is to get arrested," said Ryan King of the Sentencing Project. "And that's wrong. What we need to do is make sure for every American that is abusing drugs and wants to stop, that they have the resources made available to them, regardless of whether they can afford them."

Narconon 877-413-3073 Treatment for those abusing heroin, alcohol, methamphetamine, cocaine, xanax and other addictive substances.

Bars Removed

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Bars Removed With Opportunity Waiting Outside

Finally, the draconian laws regarding the arrests and incarceration of drug addicts have been removed and replaced with something more humane – a chance a drug treatment.  It is also a more economically sound solution since a productive citizen costs the tax payers nothing and incarceration of one person can cost up to 40,000 dollars a year.

We need to ensure that the drug treatment centers and methods made available to these arrestees have a proven track record- i.e. they get results.  The worst thing that could happen would be failure at this new solution.  As incarceration and treatment are the only solutions, there would be nowhere to go with the problem.  It is already known and evident that incarceration simply does not work.  NARCONON 877-413-3073

“A bill that would send more non-violent drug offenders to probation and addiction treatment centers instead of prison will become law in New York Friday. Governor David Paterson will sign the Rockefeller Drug Law reform bill Friday morning. Since the early 1970's, courts have had to hand down minimum prison sentences for certain drug offenses. But the Governor and lawmakers say that put too many people behind bars. Its hoped that the move will allow police to go after big time drug pushers, instead of dealing with smaller ones.”
http://www.newschannel34.com/news/local/story/Rockefeller-Drug-Law/iJKrtZvL3kKFKIZqkm7rFQ.cspx

Realization

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NARCONON REALIZATION

Here is another Narconon realization, written in the hopes that it will touch someone who has given up hope that drug treatment works. It can work.

“While I was working with my buddy I found an ease to perform and work with him. There is no confusion with my environment and my connection with it. Everything is actually wonderful.

I am aware that no matter where I go I must be cognizant of me and that where I go effects me. At times, the locations I go to might not be of my choice. I need to make sure that they are suitable to me once I get there. Also I need to accept every part of me as I am.

Have a great day. I’m extremely happy and aware.”

Whether a person has been abusing crack cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, pot, or any drug of abuse, Narconon drug treatment walks them down the same road – the one that leads out of addiction. Narconon is the new life program 877-413-3073