I was so saddened to read about another life lost to the deadly disease of addiction.  I understand the details are still emerging, but once again, all signs are pointing to an overdose.   Although I am not very familiar with DJ AM, I read that he’s been battling this disease for years and was sober for 9 years before he relapsed.  He was in a tragic plane crash last year and along with the emotional pain of losing dear friends in the crash, he also had physical pain to contend with.  Unfortunately, some are saying his need for the pain medication, although legitimate,  may have triggered his addiction. 

I read that his sponsor had just met with him and they were discussing him visiting rehab after a show he had in Vegas.  If this is the case, it is so representative of the many dangers of addiction.  When dealing with drugs, you never know if your next fix could result in death.  It’s often called Russian roulette and obviously the results of spinning the barrel and hoping that when you pull the trigger the bullet won’t be in the chamber is the same as taking your drug of choice and hoping this use won’t kill you.  We never think it will happen to us because we know how much we can use and we know how much is too much and we would never….and yet the news stories keep coming.   With Heath Ledger, Michael  Jackson and weeks later, DJ AM.  Obviously overdose was not their plan and they were simply in the treacherous  grip of a deadly disease. 

The NCADD says that there are more deaths and disabilities each year in the US from substance abuse than from any other cause.  So there are bound to be celebrities affected as well.  Maybe there can be a tinge of hope in the sadness, as people become more aware of the power and danger of this disease.  My thoughts and prayers go out to his loved ones.    Blessings, Ginger

Just think, how many people were at your local high school graduation?  I went to my niece’s graduation in a small town recently and there seemed to be about 150 students there.  That would make 30 of her classmates in need of treatment and only 3 of them receiving the treatment they need.  The acting administrator for SAMHSA, Eric Broderick, had a great quote saying, “Substance use disorders are preventable and treatable yet we continue as a Nation to allow the lives of 1 in 5 young people and their families be torn apart by substance abuse.  As a nation we must redouble our efforts to prevent substance abuse in the first place and ensure treatment is available to those in need.”   I hope we can turn the tide.

Blessings,   Ginger

 Young Adult’s Need for and Receipt of Alcohol and Illicit Drug Use Treatment: 2007 is based on 2007 data drawn from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, involving responses from 22,187 persons aged 18 to 25.

The full report is available online at http://oas.samhsa.gov/2k9/157/YoungAdultsDrugTxt.cfm.  Copies may also be obtained free of charge by calling SAMHSA’s Health Information Network at 1-877-SAMHSA-7 (1-877-726-4727) or at   http://ncadistore.samhsa.gov/catalog/productDetails.aspx?ProductID=18140.  For related publications and information, visit http://www.samhsa.gov/.

I received a comment from a blog reader, Michael, asking if I was going to blog about Michael Jackson.  I must say he has come up in so many conversations lately and especially within the treatment community.  I won’t comment on any specifics because I’m not sure what really happen, nor am I sure any of us ever will.  But all the reports I’m seeing now point to dependence on prescription drugs.  I know he suffered injuries in his work and had a doctor with him almost constantly.  So often, people in legitimate medical need of prescription pain pills find themselves on a very slippery slope that leads to substance abuse and dependence.  The fact that these pills are legal when prescribed gives a false sense of safety. to many.  We think these pills are “safe” or “safer than street drugs” simply because they have brand name and prescription bottle.  Even before I worked in the treatment community I saw so many friends and friends of friends who simply got injured, were prescribed pain pills and then they found themselves out of control.  They are good people, not seeking a “high” but seeking to feel a sense of normalcy they can no longer feel.  Again, as I’ve said in other posts, I am not a therapist or counselor; I am speaking from my own life experience when I share here.  However, I am an equine specialist here at Spirit Lake and I often have the opportunity to work with clients and our horses here.  Often an activity as simple as walking a horse through an obstacle course can trigger a client to share an experience from their own life.  Obstacles may represent friends, feed buckets represent the temptation of alcohol/drugs, a spooked horse now represents their own fear of relapse.  It is so moving to be a part of it and see the clients apply the lessons they learned through their own experience.  So when I see someone in my life or even on TV struggling or sadly, losing the battle with addiction, I think of how lessons can be learned and lives recovered.  I’ve been blessed enough to see it happen.  To bring it back to Michael Jackson, I pray for peace for him and his loved ones and I wish he could have gotten the treatment he needed.  But I do hope, as I always do when I see famous people splashed in the headlines dealing with addiction and its dire consequences, that it will move others to seek help.  Maybe the veil of shame associated with this disease will be lifted even more and those struggling will realize, like in Michael’s song,  “you are not  alone” and go to a meeting, start or restart treatment, and never, ever give up.    Blessings, Ginger

I just read this article about the increase in alcohol abuse by U.S. Army soldiers.  These men and women make the ultimate sacrifice and I can’t imagine a more stressful environment than the combat they experience.  It’s no wonder that the stress often leads to substance abuse.  Even more worrisome is the talk of the increase in suicide rates.  I have learned how substance abuse and suicide are so often connected and pray that those who feel that sense of hopelessness can get the support they need.   While the increase in numbers of those in treatment is an indicator of a growing concern, I hope that it also means that the government recognizes the benefit that treatment provides.  I hope they continue to invest more in caring for the well being of those who fight for our continued safety and freedom every day.  God bless all the men and women in the armed forces and their families.  I am just one of the many indebted to you and I thank you for what you do for all of us.      Blessings, Ginger

Click here to read the entire article:

http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1708762/us_army_engages_in_combat_against_alcohol_abuse/

A news release from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) indicates some disturbing numbers.   http://www.niaaa.nih.gov 
 

Alcohol-related deaths among U.S. college students rose from 1,440 deaths in 1998 to 1,825 in 2005, along with increases in heavy drinking and drunk driving, according to an article in the July supplement of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.
 
The special issue describes the results of a broad array of research-based programs to reduce and prevent alcohol-related problems at campuses across the country.  These studies resulted from the Rapid Response to College Drinking Problems Initiative, a grant program supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health.
 
“This supplement is a valuable resource that underscores the growing number of research-driven strategies that college administrators and health officials can put in place to address serious student drinking problems,” says Acting NIAAA Director Kenneth Warren, Ph.D.
 
Reviewing the magnitude of the college alcohol problem, Ralph W. Hingson, Sc.D, M.P.H., director of NIAAA’s Division of Epidemiology and Prevention Research, and colleagues analyzed data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other government sources. They found that serious problems persist, as indicated by the increase in drinking-related accidental deaths among 18- to 24-year-old students, which resulted mainly from traffic-related incidents. In addition, the researchers found the proportion of students who reported recent heavy episodic drinking — sometimes called binge drinking, defined as five or more alcoholic drinks on any occasion in the past 30 days — rose from roughly 42 percent to 45 percent, and the proportion who admitted to drinking and driving in the past year increased from 26.5 percent to 29 percent.

On Monday morning I heard a great report on NPR’s Morning Edition about the new U.S. drug Czar, Gil Kerlikowske.  Apparently the Obama administration is placing new emphasis on treatment in their approach to drug policy.  Part of that will include hopes to double drug court funding.  I was so encouraged to hear about this positive shift.  When you consider those dealing with the disease of addiction and if they step outside the law, why would the only option be a prison system where they get no treatment for their disease and often maintain as much if not more access to drugs while incarcerated?  So when they are released, they are back in society, often in worse shape, to continue down the road of destruction to themselves, their loved ones, and the community.  If the courts emphasize treatment, and I do mean intensive multi-modality treatment that challenges and promotes growth and change, as an option then I believe we would see positive change.  And apparently, that’s what many are thinking now too. 

Plus, statistics are showing that communities save over 4 dollars for every dollar spent on treatment.  That savings is in crime reduction and medical care.  This comes from a University of KY study which also showed that participants in treatment programs one year after discharge committed fewer crimes and earned more money. The study’s author Robert Walker said “It suggests that treatment services not only benefit the individual but serve society at large.”  As a side note, my opinion that treatment should be considered in drug court is not to suggest that incarceration is not the appropriate judgement in some cases. 

Source: The Lexington Herald-Leader  http://www.jointogether.org/news/research/summaries/2008/addiction-treatment-cuts.html

If you’d like to hear the NPR news story in its entirety: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=105393165&ft=1&f=1014

Treatment works.  I know it can be frustrating when you see people who have to go to treatment more than once.  But addiction is not an acute disease, it is recurrent.  That means it doesn’t go away just because symptoms and behavior go away, it requires continuous care.  Don’t give up on your loves ones or yourself.  I’ve heard it compared to giving up on insulin as a diabetic just because you had to take insulin again.  I understand flaws in that comparison, but I feel it is appropriate to put addiction clearly in the context of a disease.  I say all of this not as a treatment professional, but as someone who has searched for understanding myself.  One of my favorite scriptures says, “get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.”  Proverbs 4:7

Blessings- Ginger