Sobriety Blog

Methadone Treatments

noreply@blogger.com (Heritage Home Foundation) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 11:26:00 +0000

We are really proud to announce the launch of our first ever microsite!

Explaining our Methadone Treatments--from Methadone Therapy and Methadone Maintenance, to our Methadone Reduction Program--our new microsite is packed with information.

Are you or your loved one considering methadone as part of their drug addiction treatment? If so, make sure to peruse the site and call us to discuss any of your questions or concers.

Anxiety Drug Addiction Explained by New Research

noreply@blogger.com (Heritage Home Foundation) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 23:46:00 +0000

New research explains how addiction to prescription anxiety medication works, and may lead to development non-addictive versions of the drugs.

Scientists from the US and Switzerland have discovered how anxiety medications, such benzodiazepine drugs as Ativan, Xanax, and Valium, work in the brain. As it turns out, the drugs use the same reward pathways as heroin and cannabis—pathways that may lead to addiction.

The calming effects of benzos are due to an increased activity of the neurotransmitter GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid). This in turn activates dopamine, the ‘gratification hormone’, resulting in a reward pathway in the brain.

Reward pathways are both naturally occurring and already exist in the brain. They are an evolutionary mechanism that was essential to our survival. Their main function is to make us feel pleasure when we engage in behaviours central to survival—such as eating or sex.

Opioids, such as heroin, and cannabis work in the same fashion. And dopamine, as we know from new research earlier this month, is directly linked to a propensity for addiction.

Researchers behind the study, published in the journal Nature, say these findings may lead to non-addictive alternative benzodiazepines. Benzos work by binding to a specific part of the GABA, the alpha 1 sub-unit of GABA type A receptor according to scientists. Developing similar drugs that bind to a different part of the GABA may offer the same benefits and calming-effects without the addictive side effects.

Drug companies for quite some time have been trying to develop a new generation of benzos with very little success. This, however, could be the breakthrough needed.

Source: Reuters

Hormone Dopamine Linked to Addiction and Risk-Taking

noreply@blogger.com (Heritage Home Foundation) — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 05:05:00 +0000

New research on dopamine and dopamine receptor profiles could lead to new drug addiction prevention and treatments.

Japanese and Danish scientists have shown in new research that those with higher dopamine levels in the brain have a greater need for stimulation, due in part to the lowered dopamine-sensitivity.

Dopamine is the “gratification” hormone, widely known to relate to the physiology of addiction. Previous research has discovered that drug addictions such as cocaine addiction work by causing a build-up of dopamine in the brain. This build up, in turn, causes a lower sensitivity to the neurotransmitter.

However, according to the new research, it is the naturally occurring higher levels of dopamine in the brain that can lead to addictive behaviours. Dopamine levels can indicate a natural predisposition to risk-taking, and addiction.

Dopamine has been connected to both behaviours—each involve chasing a high, whether naturally induced or chemically. As well, drug addiction can be classified as a high-risk behaviour. Studies have shown that sensation seeking, the constant need for stimulation, and drug or alcohol abuse involves the same reward system in the brain.

Higher levels of dopamine, and lower sensitivity to the hormone, leads to greater risk-taking—and thus greater chance of addiction to drugs, gambling, and more.

Lead by Albert Gjedde of Copenhagen University, researchers used brain scans of volunteers to measure dopamine and dopamine receptor levels. Those on the higher end of the dopamine scale felt less affects from the same amount of the hormone than those on the lower end of the scale.

They also discovered that those who fell on opposite ends of the scale had significantly different dopamine and dopamine receptor profiles.

Their research suggests that it could be more effective to increase or decrease dopamine levels, rather than try to block dopamine receptors in the brain, to treat drug addiction. These findings could help to develop new ways to prevent and treat addiction.

Source: The National Post

How Cocaine Addiction Works

noreply@blogger.com (Heritage Home Foundation) — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 11:02:00 +0000

What is Cocaine
Cocaine is a stimulant, a psychoactive drug that temporarily increases mental and/or physical functioning. Unlike other stimulants, cocaine is not used as a prescription medicine, but is an illicit drug carefully controlled throughout the world. Cocaine is used primarily recreationally and is a widely abused drug.

Cocaine is highly addictive.

Cocaine was very popular throughout most of the 1980s and 90s, and recent studies suggest that its popularity continues strong. Cocaine, also known as “coke”, “c”, “snow”, “flake” and “blow” among other nicknames, is commonly sold on the streets as a fine white powder.

“Crack”, on the other hand, is freebase cocaine—a water-insoluble cocaine base. Crack is processed to be smokeable. It is the crackling noises of smoking the drug that has given it its name.

In 2007, there were approximately 2.1 million cocaine users in the US alone, 610,000 of who were current crack users. Eighteen to 25 year olds represent the highest number of current users.

Cocaine Addiction & Other Dangers
Repeated cocaine use can result in addiction. New research into cocaine addiction in the brain is uncovering why. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), in 2007 close to 1.6 million Americans could be classified as addicted to or abusing cocaine, according to the general diagnostic guidelines.

Cocaine is a very dangerous drug, especially when over- or misused. A 2005 study reported that almost 450,000 of the 1,450,000 visits to emergency rooms across the US were due to cocaine use/misuse. This boils down to almost 1 in 3 ER visits involving cocaine.

There is no safe form of cocaine. Nor is there a safe way to use cocaine. Whether by snorting, injecting or smoking cocaine, you are still at risk of imbibing toxic amounts of the drug. Too much cocaine can result in acute cardiovascular or cerebrovascular emergencies, seizures, and sudden death.

How Cocaine Works in the Brain
Cocaine causes pleasurable effects by stimulating the pleasure and reward centers of the brain. Cocaine stimulates the central nervous system, causing increased levels of dopamine in the reward center. Dopamine is the neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and movement. Normally, certain brain cells, called neurons, use dopamine to communicate amongst each other. In this process, dopamine is released in the brain in response to a pleasure signal. The dopamine-releasing cell recycles the neurotransmitter, shutting off the communication between the neurons.

However, cocaine prevents the dopamine recycling process, resulting in a build up of dopamine in the brain. This causes a never-ending chatter between the neurons—the euphoric high.

Repeated long-term cocaine use causes changes to the brain’s functioning leading to addiction.

How Cocaine Addiction Works
The risks for cocaine addiction are high. New research suggests that prolonged use of cocaine changes a genetic expression, or the behaviour of the gene, in the brain resulting in the prevention of specific enzymes from shutting genes off in the pleasure circuits of the brain. This causes heightened cravings for the drug, and thus drug-seeking behaviours.

As well, with continued use, the brain builds a tolerance for the drug. Continued and prolonged exposure to the drug causes the brain to adapt so that the reward pathways become less sensitive to both natural reinforcements as well as cocaine itself. This decreased sensitivity is a result of decreased amounts of dopamine receptors in the brain, and is also the root of the drug addiction.

Furthermore, the risks of relapse are high with cocaine, as the drug will have a strong hold on the addicted brain even after long periods of sobriety. Research has shown that physical cues, or triggers, cause visceral memories of the using experience that result in intense cravings and even relapse.

Cocaine Addiction Treatment
A Cocaine Addiction Treatment Program is vitally important to a successful recovery from addiction. Rarely does going it alone or going cold turkey work. Addiction is a complicated process with deep roots. Addiction recovery requires support, therapy, and a retraining of the brain.

We believe in an all-encompassing approach to cocaine and all drug addiction treatments. Our Cocaine Addiction Treatment Program treats more than the physical addiction, healing the underlying issues at play. We work together with each of our clients to design an addiction treatment program that works for each individual.

With our different therapies, clients learn to take personal responsibility for their decisions, good and bad, to recognize addiction triggers, and to cope with life’s stresses in a healthy and productive fashion.

Heritage Home also has several non-traditional therapies available, from native healing circles, to laughter therapy, and creative art therapies. Through these classes, clients learn about themselves in new situations, how to interact with others sober, and how to have fun without cocaine.

For more information on cocaine and cocaine addiction:
Heritage Home Drug Rehab Center
Cocaine Addiction Vaccine Research
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Cocaine Research Report
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Cocaine InfoFacts
Centre for Addiction & Mental Health (CAMH) Cocaine Information

Cocaine Addiction: Gene Alterations From Prolonged Cocaine Use

noreply@blogger.com (Heritage Home Foundation) — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 11:40:00 +0000

US Researchers at NIDA report having identified a key brain mechanism, better explaining how and why cocaine addiction occurs.

Announced last week, January 7th 2009, government scientists at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) said that the new discoveries about the root of cocaine addiction could lead to the development of new drug treatments.

In experiments with mice, scientists showed how cocaine affects the epigenetic process histone methylation. Prolonged cocaine use, they found, can cause permanent changes to the way certain genes turn on and off.

Epigenetic is a process that influences a gene’s expression or appearance without changing the underlying DNA sequence, causing the gene to behave, or express, itself differently.

Histone methylation is the modification of certain amino acids in a histone protein, or the protein around which a DNA strand wind, which essentially turns the DNA off.

Cocaine in the brain prevents the enzyme from shutting off genes in the pleasure circuits of the brain, heightening cravings for more cocaine.

Furthermore, scientists were able to reverse the effects by increasing the activity of that particular gene, completely reversing the effects of chronic cocaine use. As well, scientists reported that it is likely that this be the same process for other addictions, including alcohol addiction, thereby potentially leading to new, more effective, addiction treatments.

“This fundamental discovery advances our understanding of how cocaine addiction works," Dr. Nora D. Volkow, director of NIDA, said via press release. "Although more research will be required, these findings have identified a key new player in the molecular cascade triggered by repeated cocaine exposure, and thus a potential novel target for the development of addiction medications."

The findings also help to explain addiction’s long-term cravings and relapse despite periods of total abstinence.

Source: Business Week & Ottawa Citizen

New Cocaine Addiction Treatment on the Horizon: A Bacterial Enzyme

noreply@blogger.com (Heritage Home Foundation) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 11:54:00 +0000

Researchers in the UK have identified a bacterial enzyme that, they say, breaks cocaine down in the body, effectively reducing the drug’s addictiveness and may help fight both cocaine addiction and overdose.

The naturally occurring bacterial enzyme, Cocaine esterase or CocE, essentially breaks cocaine molecules down in the body, reducing its physical addictiveness and eventually lead to a new way to treat cocaine addiction, as well as help reduce cocaine overdose.

CocE, researchers found, is only active in the body for a rather short period of time. However, they have also found a more stable version in a double mutant bacterial version, DM CocE.

In their clinical trial, published in the Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, researchers from The Scripps Research Institute trained rats to self-administer cocaine. By pressing a button, cocaine would be released to the rats, mimicking human drug-seeking behaviour common to all addictions.

Once given the double mutant bacterial enzyme, the rats pressed the cocaine-administering button far less, suggesting that the enzyme successfully broke the cocaine down and rendered it far less physically addictive.

Lead researcher told reporters that although the enzyme is not a fail-safe cure for “determined users”, it could nonetheless prove to be a new effective therapeutic approach.

As with all medical interventions to treat addiction, this new treatment should be used in conjunction with a therapeutic drug addiction treatment program.

However, unlike others, it seems at first to have far less harmful side effects and be less addictive in the long term, and could very well prove to be an exciting development in the treatment of cocaine addiction.

Source: The Telegraph

Alcohol and Marijuana Use Genetically Linked

noreply@blogger.com (Heritage Home Foundation) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 11:41:00 +0000

New twin study out of the US suggests that the same gene that leads to drinking alcohol may also lead to marijuana use.

Twin studies are used to better understand the genetic influence of behaviours. In such studies, scientists compare the results from identical twin sets, who have identical genetics, with the results from fraternal twin sets, who only share some genes.

The new study looked at 2,761 sets of identical and fraternal twins, as well as 736 non-twin individuals, from 24 to 36 years of age. All subjects were interviewed about their alcohol and marijuana use.

Although researchers found little overlap between the environmental factors that influence use, they found significant overlap in the genetic factors that influence.

In previous twin studies, about 50 to 60 percent of the variance in alcohol dependence could be explained by genetic factors. Studies also previously suggested that genetics played a major role in marijuana and other drug addictions.

However, this new study found that over 60 percent of the variance in alcohol and marijuana use, and marijuana dependence, was linked to genetic factors, supporting the theory that common genes play a role in all addiction & substance abuse.

The results are to be published in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research March 2010.

Source: WebMD

Happy New Year

noreply@blogger.com (Heritage Home Foundation) — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 05:01:00 +0000

Marijuana Use by Teens More Detrimental than Previously Thought

noreply@blogger.com (Heritage Home Foundation) — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 11:20:00 +0000

New research from the McGill University Health Centre in Montreal, Qc. suggests that the effect of daily cannabis use on the teenage brain is worse than previously thought. Moreover, the long-term effects appear irreversible.

Marijuana, the most used illicit drug, has long been considered a ‘soft’ drug—minimally damaging in comparison to most other, ‘hard’, drugs such as cocaine or heroin. Marijuana’s addictive properties have also been long argued.

However, according to researchers at the McGill University Health Centre, daily cannabis use leads to depression and anxiety, as it impacts both serotonin and norepinephrine—the chemical compounds that help control mood and anxiety in the brain.

Researchers observed 18 teenage rats as they were exposed to cannabis. The rats showed decreased levels of serotonin, affecting mood, and higher levels of norepinephrine, making them more susceptible to long-term stress (anxiety).

Permanent changes in these parts of the brain, say researchers, are linked to several different mental illnesses.

Even if the cannabis exposure was stopped, the study continues, at the end of the teenage years, the changes were still detectable in the rats in adulthood. T

he study’s lead researcher says that the study shows that the effects of cannabis use in teenagers is far more devastating, than in adults. Cannabis, it seems, interferes with the development of the serotonin and norepinephrine systems.

Next, researchers say they will observe young marijuana smokers.

Findings were published in The Neurobiology of Disease.

Source: Canadian Press

Merry Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Heritage Home Foundation) — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 11:15:00 +0000

Image courtesy of DryIcons

Alcohol Addiction Found in Fruit Flies

noreply@blogger.com (Heritage Home Foundation) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 11:21:00 +0000

According to a new study, fruit flies show both desperation and relapse when exposed to alcohol for a length of time.

Researchers say their study may shed light on the genetic roots of alcohol addiction.

Fruit flies, it may seem strange, are often used for genetic studies due both to their rapid reproductive rate, as well as their chemical pathways similar to humans. Previously, fruit flies were used for intoxication and tolerance studies.

This new study out of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) looked specifically at addiction, with the hope of later working “out the genes underlying addiction-like behaviours,” co-author Anita Devineni told National Geographic News.

For the first experiment, fruit flies were presented with two different liquids—one containing ethanol (a form of alcohol) and the other without. The flies were given unlimited access to the liquids, although feeders were only refilled once a day. The fruit flies showed an overwhelming preference for the alcohol-filled liquid.

Furthermore, the more they drank of it, the more they seemed to crave it—their bouts of drinking became more frequent over time.

In the second experiment, researchers tainted the alcoholic liquid with substances known to normally repulse fruit flies. However, they drank on!

Researchers then forced the flies into a three-day dry spell—quite a bout of time when your lifespan is about 30 days. As soon as the flies were offered the alcoholic liquid again, the flies returned to drinking at the same levels as before the enforced dry spell, very similar to an alcoholic’s relapse.

The next stage of research is in hopes of identifying the genes behind relapse, potentially leading to a lasting and effective addiction treatment for alcoholism.

The findings appear in Current Biology.

Source: National Geographic News

Dark Chocolate Found to Help Lower Stress

noreply@blogger.com (Heritage Home Foundation) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 12:09:00 +0000

Just in time for the Holidays, yet another reason to eat chocolate!

The “healing” properties of chocolate have long been suspected—the euphoric rush of endorphin triggered love-like feelings, the surge of satisfaction. For some, chocolate is even an aphrodisiac. Dark chocolate, with its high levels of antioxidants, has been purported to have a number of health benefits, from anticancer, to cough preventer and antidiarrhoeal effects.

There are also many connections between the foods we eat and addiction, with a great deal of research on addiction and nutrition. Good nutrition has proven to positively impact symptoms of withdrawal and craving. At Heritage Home, we have seen it for ourselves, taking great care to incorporate a healthy menu into our holistic addiction therapy program.

New research from the Nestle Research Centre in Lausanne, Switzerland now suggests that a daily dose of dark chocolate reduces stress in those experiencing high levels—great news for all of us here as we approach this chocolate-filled time of year. Recovering from alcohol or drug addiction can be a highly stressful experience as you learn to live and experience your life free of drugs and alcohol. And a new stress reliever is always welcomed news.

In their most recent study, Nestle researchers studied 30 healthy adult men and women who consumed two portions of 20 grams of dark chocolate daily for 14 consecutive days. Participants were split into two groups—low stress and moderate stress as measured by a questionnaire.

Individuals reporting higher levels of stress had such anxiety traits as experiencing higher levels of everyday stress, showing distinct differences in energy and hormonal metabolism, and differences in gut microbial activities.

With the daily dose of dark chocolate, these subjects showed reduced levels of stress-associated hormones and the normalization of stress-related metabolic differences, suggesting that a daily dose of dark chocolate positively impacts stress-related metabolic differences in individuals with higher levels of stress.

Source: Behavioral Health Central

Drug Addiction in Vancouver Epidemic

noreply@blogger.com (Heritage Home Foundation) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 12:04:00 +0000

A new report released last month found that the hard drug problem in Vancouver is “epidemic”, according to a new article.

The report from the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS cites a ten-fold increase in the use of crack cocaine and a major increase in the use of crystal meth by Vancouver’s street youth over the last 10 years.

Specifically, researchers found that an approximate 90 percent of adult drug users could score crack or cocaine within 10 minutes, and 60 percent of street youth claimed to be able to score crystal meth in the same time frame. Furthermore, 40 percent of street youth surveyed reported having injected drugs publicly.

The study, the “first comprehensive look at the epidemic of hard drugs in Vancouver”, concludes that the federal government’s drug strategy is “failing”, according to authors Evan Wood and Thomas Kerr.

They argue, instead, for more harm reduction policies, like the controversial supervised injection sites, as the key to reducing the various harms related to drug addiction. Insite, one such injection site, and initiatives are cited as the reason for significant reductions in both HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C cases from the reduction in needle sharing.

Consequently, the Canadian government is in the process of trying to shut down Insite. At the moment, the government is appealing a May decision from the BC Supreme Court that keeps their doors open while their fate is being decided.

Critics, however, argue that Vancouver has the more harm reduction programs in place and yet has the largest drug problem in the country. Although harm reduction policies, they say, successfully reduce harms to addicts, the programs don’t necessarily work to curb or end drug use.

At Heritage Home Drug Rehab Centre, we work closely and intensely with all of our clients to achieve total abstinence through a psychotherapeutic addiction program.

However, we also recognize that this can be unrealistic goal for some and so we also provide services such as Methadone Therapy, also considered a harm reduction program, to support and enhance our holistic addiction treatment program.

Source: Maclean’s

Alcohol Consumption & Alcohol-Related Deaths on the Rise in BC

noreply@blogger.com (Heritage Home Foundation) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 11:01:00 +0000

According to a report released this week, British Columbians are consuming more alcohol, and dying more from alcohol-related health harms, than they were ten years ago.

The report, “Alcohol Pricing, Public Health & the HST: Proposed Incentives for BC Drinkers to Make Healthy Choices” from the University of Victoria’s Centre for Addictions Research (CARBC), found that alcohol consumption in the province rose 16 percent from 1998 to 2008, compared to a 9 percent increase in the rest of Canada.

This translates into an increase from 7.5 litres in 1998 to 8.7 litres of alcohol consumed per capita in 2008. Thus, the average British Columbian aged 15 years or older drank 525 alcoholic drinks in 2008 compared to 475 drinks in 1998.

Furthermore, perhaps even more alarmingly, researchers found an increase in alcohol-related deaths to 1,993 deaths in 2007, a 9.6 percent increase in just five years.

Specifically, deaths due to liver cirrhosis, which researchers consider the most accurate indicator of alcohol-health harms, rose 39 percent in the same time period.

Researchers also discovered an increase in crack cocaine and ecstasy use in the province, but a decrease in marijuana, synonymous with BC, and crystal meth.

The report, part of the BC Alcohol & Other Drug Monitoring Project, attributes the rise in alcohol consumption to the ease of access to alcohol due to recent increases in the number of liquor stores in the province, an increase in disposable income, and the dip in the price of alcohol compared to the overall cost of living.

Researchers recommend the price of alcoholic beverages be increased in order to stem abundant consumption. Furthermore, they would like to see pricing be in relation to alcoholic content, thereby making drinks with high alcohol content have a high price tag.

Will a bump in the price of alcohol really deter people from drinking or drinking more?

Do you think we would see British Columbians drinking less or, taking a lesson from prohibition, marijuana and other illegal drugs, would we see a rise in a black market?

Source: Canada.com

Prescription Drug Abuse Among US Teens Alarmingly High : NIDA

noreply@blogger.com (Heritage Home Foundation) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 20:08:00 +0000

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse’s (NIDA) annual survey, Monitoring the Future Survey (MTF) of 2009, the number of high school students reporting prescription drug abuse in the US continues to be high, while the use of other illicit drugs decreases.

Major usage trends among US teens include a significant decrease in methamphetamine use, stalled declines of marijuana use, and consistently high abuse of prescription drugs.

Findings, released yesterday December 14th 2009 at a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington D.C., were announced by President Obama’s so-named drug czar Gil Kerlikowske (http://www.sobriety.ca/blog/2009/07/shifting-rhetoric-from-war-to-treatment.html).

The Monitoring the Future Survey (MTF) is a series of classroom surveys of 8th, 10th and 12th grade students across the US. In all, researchers from the University of Michigan, under a grant from NIDA, surveyed 46,097 students from 389 public and private schools.

The number of high school students reporting past year use of methamphetamine in 2009 was at its lowest since 1999, when questions regarding the drug were first added to the survey. In 1999, 4.7 percent of students reported having used methamphetamine in the 12 preceding months. In 2009, this number is now at 1.2 percent of students.

Smoking tobacco was also at its lowest rate in the MTF’s history across all grades.

The past year use of cocaine also decreased, to 3.4 percent of 12th grade students—down an entire percentage point from the 2008 survey. Hallucinogen use also decreased in the last year, down over a percentage point to 4.7 percent of 12th graders.

The perceived harmfulness, a factor in determining future drug addiction and abuse, of LSD, amphetamines, sedatives/barbiturates, heroin, and cocaine all increased, while the perceived availability of many of these illicit drugs decreased significantly—both good signs.

However, marijuana use across all three grades, having showed a consistent downward trend since the mid-1990s, seems to have stalled in 2009. Rates of marijuana use among the high school students were the same as five years ago, with about 32.8 percent of 12th graders, 26.7 percent of 10th graders, and 11.8 percent of 8th graders all reporting past year use of the drug.

Nevertheless, this is still significantly lower than in the mid-1990s.

Furthermore, slightly more than half the students, about 55.2 percent, did not perceive the occasional use of marijuana as potentially harmful.

There is also a continued high rate of the non-medical use of prescription drugs and cough syrup among US teens. Seven of the top 10 drugs abused by 12th grade students, for example, in the past year were either prescribed or bought over the counter. Furthermore, about 10 percent of students reported non-medical use of Vicodin, and five percent non-medical Oxycontin use. Finally, more than five percent of 10th and 12th grade students also reported non-medical use of Adderall.

Non-medical use of these painkillers has increased among 10th graders in the past five years.

The 2009 MTF also measured how students obtained their prescription drugs, a recent addition to the survey. Researchers found that 19 percent of 12th grade students reported to have obtained their prescription drugs with a doctor’s prescription, eight percent from a dealer, and 66 percent reported having obtained the drugs from a friend or relative. Of this last group, 12 percent reported that they “took them, 21 percent that they “bought them”, and 33 percent that they were “given them”. The Internet does not appear to be a major source for these drugs.

Teen prescription drug abuse has been a very hot topic as of late, attracting much media attention. NIDA’s survey points to this generation’s apparent preference for prescription medication for those in search of a high, serving to highlight where policymakers, educators, counsellors, and parents need to focus their attention and preventative measures—before it’s too late.

Results can be viewed at the Monitoring the Future website: http://www.monitoringthefuture.org/

Source: NIDA

Alcohol and Your Brain

noreply@blogger.com (Heritage Home Foundation) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 12:27:00 +0000

Have you ever wondered what Alcohol does to your brain?

A recent blog entry at Psychology Today helps explain the known effects of alcohol on the brain, beyond intoxication.

If you ever thought that drinking more than moderately wasn’t detrimental to your mind long-term, think again.

According to research gathered by blog author Susan Tapert, about 50 percent of those who meet the diagnostic criteria for alcohol addiction show some signs of thinking and memory problems. Abilities to plan ahead, withhold responses, learn and hold new information, and work with spatial information were all particularly affected.

Furthermore, alcohol appears to negatively impact the organ itself. The size and shape of brain structures were found to be abnormal in heavy drinkers. Overall, the amount of grey matter, or your brain cells, and white matter, the cabling between your brain cells, were significantly reduced.

This was particularly true within the frontal lobes, where planning, withholding responses, decision-making, and emotional regulation all occur. The quality of white matter was also found to be poorer in chronic heavy drinkers, effecting how information is relayed within your brain.

What does this mean?
Chronic heavy drinkers, or those with an alcohol addiction, must work harder to think and retain information.

Some good news
The adverse effects of misusing or abusing alcohol won’t last forever—if you stop abusing alcohol. Difficulties with concentration and memory tend to greatly improve once alcohol is no longer introduced into your system. Even in just the first month of sobriety, you’ll find that suddenly you have a “clear mind”, helping you find a new appreciation for your life and sobriety.

Cocaine Growing in Popularity in the UK

noreply@blogger.com (Heritage Home Foundation) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 12:04:00 +0000

New statistics, released by the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse (NTA) in the UK show more young people are seeking treatment for cocaine addiction in the last four years.

According to the National Health Service (NHS), Britain’s government health department, the number of 18 to 24 year olds who sought cocaine addiction treatment at NHS funded treatment centres has increased by 88 percent in the last four years.

The total number of 18 to 24 year olds who sought treatment with the NTA rose from 1,591 in 2005-06 to 2,998 in 2008-09. From this group, the number of women seeking drug addiction treatment rose 80 percent to 592, while the number of men rose 91 percent to 2,406.

Among those under 35 years, the number of women seeking cocaine addiction treatment rose 60 percent, and the number of men 75%, during the same time period. The average age of first cocaine use, according to data gathered by the NTA, was 21 years.

Conversely, the number of women in the UK seeking treatment for heroin and crack cocaine dropped ever so slightly, by eight percent. Experts say it is encouraging to see women drug users start to turn away from heroin and crack cocaine, which involve the most crime, physical harm, and family problems.

However, experts in the UK say that it is still very concerning to see such great increases in the number of cocaine users. There seems to be mounting evidence of a generational shift in hard drug users, and a growing preference for cocaine.

Experts say that these new findings not only demonstrate cocaine’s growing popularity in the UK, but of its capacity to damage users.

The NTA’s findings can be viewed on BBC News’ website.

Source: BBC News

Painkillers Linked to More Deaths in Canada

noreply@blogger.com (Heritage Home Foundation) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 20:53:00 +0000

New study concludes that narcotic prescription medicines are fatal when mixed with alcohol or sedatives, according to the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ).

Moreover, prescription painkillers, opioids, have been linked with more deaths due to misuse or abuse. The number of deaths associated with opioids in Canada has nearly doubled in the last 13 years, according to the study released Monday December 7, 2009.

Researchers called opioids “Canada’s hidden drug problem”, killing more that heroin overdoses. In Ontario alone, opioid-related deaths nearly doubled from 1991 to 2004, due largely to the increasing popularity of these prescription drugs.

Prescriptions in Ontario increased by a shockingly 850% between 1991 and 2007, directly correlated, researchers say, to the introduction of oxycodone to the Canadian market.

Increases in prescription drug abuse and addiction in Canada has been a hot topic for a number of months, including its rise in popularity among teens. Currently, Canada ranks among the world’s heaviest consumers of prescription drugs—the fourth highest per capita use according to a 2002 Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse (CCSA) report.

What is new, and alarming, is the sharp rise in opiod-related deaths over the last 15 years.

When the drug was released in Canada in the late 1990s, opioid-related deaths shot up by 40 percent. Oxycodone-related deaths have, over the years, increased fivefold to 103 people in 2003 in Ontario, compared to 16 in 1999. In the last year of the study, opioids were responsible for 300 deaths in Ontario.

There seems to be a common misconception of the drug’s safety since a licensed, trusted physician has prescribed them.

Researchers are alarmed, calling opioid-related deaths a “major public health issue”. They point to the growing trend among physicians to prescribe narcotic painkillers, over other effective pain-relievers on the market.

Oxycodone, for example, was originally prescribed for pain management among terminal cancer patients and other severe cases of chronic pain. Today, doctors write prescriptions for the narcotic for anything from back pain to Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

The medical community is seemingly unaware of the health risks, and researchers aren’t entirely clear whether both doctors and patients fully understand or are fully aware of the serious side effects—including the high risk of death.

There appears to be a wide public misconception that street or illicit drug abuse is a more prevalent problem. However, in reality, prescription drug addiction is a much bigger problem, and can often be left untreated.

Opioid addiction is a serious grave problem. Not only can their misuse or abuse lead to death, but they are also highly addictive. Treatment for an opioid addiction often requires methadone therapy along side a drug addiction treatment program that focuses on psychotherapy.

View video here.

Source: The Montreal Gazette

Alcohol Tracker App In Time for The Holidays

noreply@blogger.com (Heritage Home Foundation) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0000

The Health Department in the UK has released an alcohol tracker smart phone app, ‘Drinks Tracker’, to help you keep track of your alcohol consumption, reports the BBC.

We all know how difficult the holiday season can be. It is an especially difficult and dangerous time of the year for those struggling with substance abuse, particularly with alcohol. With the holidays comes party after party, situations ripe for social drinking. It can be all too inviting to go overboard, especially when you can’t seem to know when to stop.

With Britain’s Department of Health’s drinks tracker, you receive a personalised chart of your alcohol consumption. A ‘drinks diary’, you can monitor and very literally see that you’re drinking too much.

The app is offered free across the UK, downloaded straight to your smart phone (internet access on your phone required) from the NHS Choices website or iTunes.

For those without a smart phone, or not in the UK, a downloadable drinks tracker for your desktop is available at the NHS Choices site.

The tracker requires that you enter the number of alcoholic drinks consumed each day, and providing you with a personal graph that tracks your alcohol drinking habits, making it very clear whether you are drinking too much.

The tracker helps you become aware of your excessive alcohol consumption, can help you avoid alcohol by holding you accountable, or signal that you may need professional help including residential alcohol addiction treatment.

The tracker is part of the British government’s £9 million “Know Your Limits” marketing campaign, aimed at encouraging safe drinking habits in relation to the healthy drinking guidelines set forth by the Department of Health.

Source: BBC News

Prescription Drug Abuse Among Teens ‘Growing’ in the US

noreply@blogger.com (Heritage Home Foundation) — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:17:00 +0000

According to The Partnership for a Drug Free America prescription drug abuse among American teens is reaching troubling levels, reports the BBC News.

A recent survey by The Partnership revealed that one in five US teens admit to experimenting with legal medication, including prescription drugs and over the counter medications, at least once in their lifetime—a very “troubling trend”.

Experts in the States are also witnessing an increase in the number of young persons admitted to the hospital for drug overdose.

All this prescription drug abuse and its associated behaviours indicate that these teens are self-medicating, as well as looking for a high. Teens illegally obtaining prescription medications tend to be very tactical, according to experts, strategic even.

Furthermore, teens are experimenting with a wide variety of drugs, not simply painkillers, as most would believe. Sedatives, stimulants, psychoactives, and anti-depressants are all among abused drugs.

As such, “pharm parties” have emerged as a new trend, where the price of admission to the evening is a handful of pills. Once the party has begun, all pills are combined in a large bowl and passed around. Pills are popped at random and partygoers sit back and wait for the effects, whatever they may be.

The BBC interviewed a teen from New York about his experiences with prescription drug abuse. Henry Walkdale, 16, is currently enrolled in an addiction treatment program at a drug rehab centre.

He recounts how it was easier to find prescription drugs than other illegal drugs, as fake prescriptions are easy to come by and by “people that literally sell them out of the back of hospitals if you know the right neighbourhoods to go to,” he says.

Later, his addiction worsened when he was hospitalized for a leg injury. While there he was given painkillers, and later discharged with a prescription. From that point on he “started eating them like candy.”

Listen to Henry’s story in his own words.

Henry was lucky. He was able to get help, admitted to a drug addiction treatment program before he died. Others, unfortunately, are not as lucky as he.

The US’ Drug Enforcement Agency is now trying to engage parents in the matter. "We've asked people to talk to their kids,” the DEA’s Gerard McAleer told the BBC, “look in the medicine cabinet, take an inventory, secure the medicines you need to keep and dispose of those that have just been sitting there."

Source: BBC News

Older Americans with Alcohol Addiction Problems Tend to Drink More

noreply@blogger.com (Heritage Home Foundation) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000

New research suggests that older problem drinkers’ habits differ from their younger counterparts, as well as from older non-problem drinkers.

New research from Ohio State University suggests that older problem drinkers, whose drinking is classified as either alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence, drink significantly more and more often than their younger counterparts.

Researchers say that the findings suggest that these older problem drinkers may have developed a tolerance to alcohol requiring them to drink more to achieve the desired effects.

Using data collected in the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, a national survey of more than 43,000 Americans in 2000-01 under the direction of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), researchers suggest that certain groups of older Americans, those who fall in so-called problem drinking categories, increase their alcohol intake as they age. This counters previous research that showed that as Americans age, their intake of alcohol tends to decrease.

Problematic drinking was defined as falling into one of two categories: alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence.

Alcohol Abuse was defined as presenting mostly social-related problems related to alcohol use, including legal issues and engaging in physically hazardous activities like impaired driving.

Alcohol Dependence was defined as presenting physiological problems related to alcohol use, including increased drinking and continued use even after physical or psychological problems become apparent.

Overall, adults over the age of 60 years are less likely to fall in the alcohol abuse or dependence categories. However, those who did tended to have higher drinking levels than younger problem drinkers.

The new research found that adults over the age of 60 years with alcohol dependence problems drink an average of more than 40 alcoholic beverages per week. Young counterparts, on the other hand, average 25 to 35 alcoholic drinks a week.

These older adults also show an increase in the number of monthly binge drinking episodes compared to their younger counterparts. Those over 60 years of age with alcohol dependence averaged 19 binge episodes a month, versus an average of 13 to 15 episodes a month by younger alcohol dependence groups.

Overall, binge drinking was greater among all adults in the alcohol problem categories. Researchers suggest that binge drinking may in fact be a better indicator of alcohol addiction that simply the total amount of weekly alcoholic drinks.

Source: ScienceDaily

Study in UK Reveals Dangers of Ketamine

noreply@blogger.com (Heritage Home Foundation) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:56:00 +0000

New research from the UK links Ketamine with memory loss and other adverse psychological effects, as well as reveals the drug might be more addictive than previously thought.

Ketamine, also known as Speical K, has become an increasingly popular party drug, especially among young clubbers, due largely to its drop in price in recent years. Now about half the price of cocaine, Ketamine is a popular alternative to ecstasy and cocaine.

Ketamine is a stimulant that is also known to induce hallucinations. In previous studies, it was found to cause kidney and bladder damage.

Researchers from The Universtiy College London performed a range of memory and psychological tests on 120 people. Participants were split into five groups:

Frequent users, using ketamine each day
Recreational users, using ketamine one to two times a month
Former users
Users of other drugs
Abstainers

All participants took part in a series of tests, and then were followed up with a year later. Researchers found that the frequent user group performed significantly worse on the memory tests, at times having twice as many errors.

There were no significant differences between the other groups in the study.

Furthermore, performance on the tests weakened over the year. All ketamine user groups showed evidence of unusual beliefs and mild delusions, such as conspiracy theories, in the psychological questionnaires.

Alarmingly, the research also revealed evidence pointing to a high rate of addiction in ketamine. Hair samples from the recreational user group showed that their ketamine use doubled over the study year.

Source: BBC News

National Substance Abuse Conference Discusses The Role of Addiction Treatment Systems in Canada

noreply@blogger.com (Heritage Home Foundation) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:08:00 +0000

At Issues of Substance 2009, over 13 sessions, The CCSA will also examine the role of treatment systems from a variety of perspectives, including Canada’s National Treatment Strategy (NTS) program.

It is estimated, according to the CCSA, that only one in 10 persons requiring addiction treatment services actually receives it through the current health care system.

The NTS provides a framework for a national program of treatment and care throughout the country. It is the first multi-jurisdictional strategy that aims to identify the steps required to create an integrated addiction treatment system for the country.

The NTS has imagined a five-tier model wherein a continuum of services is integrated from the community level through to specialized services for severe and complex cases.

It is a system where “every door is the right door”, thus no matter how or where the individual enters the system, all paths lead to the level of care required by that individual.

“Our focus has been to find the most efficient and effective ways to enable multi-agency, culturally appropriate service delivery that responds to the unique needs of each individual, “ said Jim Cincotta, Co- Chair of the National Treatment Strategy Working Group in a statement. "The NTS has provided a blueprint to develop system-level strategies with various jurisdictions across Canada.”

The CCSA with the National Treatment System has effectively created a framework for a national addiction treatment system. This framework is person-centric, incorporating the continuum-of-care treatment model, and focuses on integrating treatment, social services, housing, and educational systems.

Source: The CCSA

National Conference on Substance Abuse Examines Addiction and Mental Health

noreply@blogger.com (Heritage Home Foundation) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:01:00 +0000

The Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse (CCSA) announced its biennial national conference on substance abuse, Issues of Substance 2009.

There will be a number of discussions and sessions surrounding several major topics concerning the substance abuse community. A primary focus of the conference is co-occurring disorders—namely the role of neuroscience, mental health and addictions, and how research, treatment, and educational systems must evolve to effectively recognize and treat co-occurring disorders.

Co-occurring disorders, or concurrent disorders, are two disorders or illnesses occurring in the same person. Substance abuse or addiction with any number of mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, or depression, is rather common and becoming of more and more interest within the field.

It is estimated, according to the CCSA, that more than 50 percent of those with alcohol or drug addiction also have a mental illness. Addiction and mental illnesses often have common biological, psychological, and social precursors.

However, they are not very often treated concurrently. In fact, there are few unified and integrated approaches, especially in the public addictions treatment system.

At The Heritage Home Drug Rehab and Alcohol Addiction Treatment Centre, on the other hand, our addiction treatment programs incorporate individual treatments and therapies. We believe that success does not come from a fit-all program, but is born out of addressing your underlying issues and emotional difficulties.

As part of our holistic approach to addiction treatment, we offer a number of different therapeutic approaches from both the traditional and non-traditional schools of thought, as well as different options within each school, to address any mental health issues.

Mental health and alcohol and drug addictions are very closely related. Research has shown that impulse-control problems are the single strongest predictor of future substance abuse.

Individuals suffering from anxiety disorders are at two-and-a-half times greater risk of developing an alcohol or drug addiction.

The risk of addiction is at least double for those with Major Depressive Disorder.

And the statistics go on.

Source: The CCSA

Substance Abuse Becomes A Part of Med School Curriculumn

noreply@blogger.com (Heritage Home Foundation) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:55:00 +0000

Drug addiction is often not sufficiently, if at all, covered in medical schools’ curriculum, despite being a national major public health issue. Addiction severely affects overall health, puts lives at risk, and results in a wide range of health conditions.

In response to the education gap, the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) is launching a new program in the US to encourage medical schools to incorporate substance use and abuse into their curricula.

NIDA's series of teaching tools, disseminated through its Centers of Excellence for Physician Information Program (NIDA CoE), provides accurate scientific information on substance abuse, addiction, and their consequences. Tools include lectures, case studies, faculty workshops, and a web module. It is designed to fit into any existing curriculum, to ease adoption.

"Our long term goal is for doctors to incorporate screening for drug use into routine practice like they currently screen for other diseases,” said NIDA Director Dr. Nora D. Volkow in a statement, “to help patients that are abusing to stop, and to refer more serious cases to specialized treatment.”

Three themes have emerged from the materials: the importance of communication in the doctor-patient relationship, especially with sensitive topics; the recognition that substance abuse may play an integral role in many disorders; and the crucial role physicians play in both identifying substance abuse in patients and reducing the risk of developing an addiction.

More information on the NIDA CoE resources can be found at:
www.drugabuse.gov/coe.

Information on the NIDAMED program can be found at:
www.nida.nih.gov/nidamed.

Source: NIDA