Is Addiction Really a Disease? Dr. Kevin McCauley, founder of the Institute for Addiction Study, offers 7 short videos beginning with the one below. You can also download a PDF version of Dr. McCauley’s viewpoints
The popula
r online encyclopedia, Wikipedia puts US drug policy in a nutshell. Changing it might best be explained in CBS’s, A New Era For US Drug Policy. Here are two big efforts to watch in 2010 that will impact this. First off, S714, The Criminal Justice Commission Act of 2009 will impact addiction treatment in Jail and effect de-criminalization of use. Secondly, Obama’s 2010 policy strategy for 2010 , handled by the ONDCP will impact recovery efforts. You direct input can be facilitated by the DPA’s legislative toolkit. Check out a blog called TRANSFORM for further insights and a website called OVERCRIMINALIZED.COM which tracks S714.
Judge Gray is a maverick in the world of drug policy and prohibition reform. Is this what America needs? Is the cost to fight the flow of drugs into America and eradicate all drug use just too much? What do you think? Judge Jim Gray is a man on a mission. Here are just a few quotes off his website; JUDGE JIM GRAY: “…At one point, I held the record for the largest drug prosecution in the Los Angeles area: 75 kilos of heroin, which was and is a lot of narcotics…” “…if we really want to deal a major blow to bin Laden and other terrorists around the world, we should repeal drug prohibition..” “…Without making allowances for any of these distinctions, we have attempted to incarcerate our way out of our drug-use problems…” “…That reminds me of the old saying, “If all you have is a hammer, everything you see looks like a nail….” “…Forget “zero tolerance” and recognize that for a tiny percentage of the population, drug use will persist…” “…The United States is now building a new prison every week to cope with the people serving mandatory minimum sentences for drug possession…” “…Today there are literally thousands of people in our state prisons because they did nothing but smoke marijuana…” You can also see hear some of his latest thoughts on the May 16th show archive from Coast to Coast. Always interested in all of your opinions. Fire up the debate! Lets get some work done!
The brain chemistry of addiction has puzzled doctors and psychiatrists for years fueling a debate on whether or not addiction is a medical condition. For that reason, in 2007 Senator Joe Biden wanted to change the name of the National Institute on Drug Abuse to the National Institute on Diseases, and change the name of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism to the National Institute on Alcohol Disorders and Health. The bill didn’t become law, but kept the debate going. Opposing views are chronicled in: Medical Misnomer… followed by convincing counter response written by the Institute for Addiction Study NIDA, The National Institute on Drug Abuse, claims that addiction is a chronic disease.
How do you find a treatment center for your child and will insurance cover it? These are two questions that always come up when you are dealing with a child with drug addiction. When one searches on-line, you find many private facilities and non-profits which do not accept most insurance. Drug addiction is tough enough for parents and adding more stress while trying to find the appropriate care is almost an impossibility. Brief Metro is a snapshot of substance abuse treatment in various metropolitan areas nationwide with focus and examples in Los Angeles. Therapy Unlimited provides general information on insurance coverage and is geared to getting one to treatment and therapy. It’s the kind of information that often comes up in online searches which is somewhat useful. The recent parity act is explained in the CMS website, however, it illustrate just how many insured people still will not get treatment covered. Still, yet, Hub Pages attempts to offer answers to people wanting to know how to pay for treatment. It remains very confusing when you realize that there isn’t a shortage of treatment centers but a shortage of dollars to provide for the care. This is the issue that needs to be addressed. What can a parent really do? Online searches help, but often do not lead to clear answers and people who need treatment mostly don’t get it. That’s a problem. Links and text by Mary and Bill
What does it take to cope with the ravages of a family drug addiction. Read Courage, Change and Acceptance in the blog Intervene that is run by the Partnership for A Drug Free America. So, how does America become drug free? Right now the demand for addictive drugs is going in the wrong direction. Education is key until the work of many catch on enough to impact legislation. In this great country, a fractured legal and health care system still does little to reduce the disease of addiction. Meanwhile families take the brunt of the drug war and do what they can to survive.
Do you want to know where some of the drugs are coming from in the recent explosion of prescription pain pill addiction. Check out this August 20th piece: Feds Begin Crackdown on Online Pharmacies. Pharmacies in Utah and Illinois are at the heart of an illicit nationwide network providing prescription drugs over the internet, federal agents state in court papers filed in two cities. Link by JJ
http://www.pathwaytoprevention.org/ Teen drug addiction has a devastating effect on youth, families and communities. Teens drop out of school, the workforce or life itself. Change the course of teen drug addiction.
When a teen becomes an addict, that person you once knew and planned a future for has effectively checked out. What you experience is an addict who will play you better than you can play them. After a period of time, your teen’s brain becomes progressively “hard-wired” to his or her drug of choice, to use a colloquial term. Re-setting and adjusting their brains requires a period of abstinence, which is near impossible for young restless addicts without early intervention. Achieving that abstinence can’t be done with out rock hard will power. Most of the time it is a very rough task for a young drug addict and as budgets continue to be slashed, we can’t expect too much intervention from local mental health authorities. Jails are a different story. See the rest of this article by clicking here.
The frustration of a parent dealing with a teen and drugs is well known. Here is a PDF report that might help : Adolescent Brain Development and Drug Abuse. To make matters worse, 5 million adolescents suffer from clinical depression and 70% are undiagnosed. The numbers for drug & alcohol abuse are worse.; 10% of the 1.4 million American teens with SUD get treatment…” read the article here. Courtesy of “The Drug and Alcohol Scene”
Actor Christopher Lawford and musician Nikki Sixx are two ex-addicts that live a sober life, share their stories and actively spread the word that recovery is possible. Sixx has had the courage to leave his drug life behind him and take a stand against drug abuse. Lawford has went on to become a leading speaker on the topic of substance abuse. They are have both been interviewed about rehab basics in a piece called Experts cite must-haves for effective rehab. The article cites a consensus of what constitutes sound rehab. Everyone who has been down that road from addicts to their broken families know that good rehab is not a guarantee just because its expensive. Basics count.
South Florida pill mills have been partly responsible in recent years for an explosion in addiction to pharmaceutical drugs like Oxycontin which we now know leads to the much cheaper heroin. As a result, new laws and regulation are going into effect limiting pharmacy abuse and the saturation of addictive drugs into South Florida communities. Back in March we were talking about cracking down on pill mills in Cracking Down on South Florida Pill Mills Following the work of activists quite a few new regulations have already begun to take hold. Where the display of pill mill advertising seemed every where, even in high schools, people are waking up. Parents are refusing to allow their schools from placing ads from pain centers, causing pain clinic ads to be pulled from Boca Raton Schools. Who would of thought. Keep the pressure on. Links from Keith and JJ.
Forwarded, courtesy of Chaplain Joe Herzanek, Changing Lives Foundation
Depending on who you talk to, the percentage of drug addicts with serious mental illness is as much as 53%. That figure is from the National Alliance on Mental Illness It is a subject that flies in the face of state policies that define where publicly funded psychiatric intervention can apply, which is often reserved for those who are a threat to themselves or others. According to Dr. Glen Hanson, drug addicts can initially mask mental health issues and later make them a lot worse. What makes this so hard for families, is that state policies that mandate psychiatric evaluation are set up to define mental illness in a vacuum. Drug addiction is a whole other issue. It is defined as a self-inflicted condition based on an individuals choice. Treatment for addiction is illusive at best. But really came first the chicken or the egg; the addiction or the mental illness? In the U.S., there is an estimated 5 million adolescents that suffer from clinical depression. Does this mean that these adolescents will soon make up 2.65 million more drug addicts? Scary thought! Mental illness is basically under diagnosed, while drug addiction stymies the efforts of parents wanting to save their kids and can’t afford specialized care; care that insurance companies have so craftily excluded from most policies.
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David Lewis story was so important to the treatment and recovery of bay area addicts, inmates and struggling ex-cons, after his death the California Governor offered a $50,000.00 reward in July to find his killer. Many mourned his murder. David Lewis not only showed that prison rehab can work after 20 years of his own incarceration; the center he started helps 4600 bay area addicts each year. He started the ground breaking drug treatment program, Free At Last in East Palo Alto. David Lewis was a Hero. He showed the world the courage needed to take on addiction in and out of prison. One single person with a brutal past can make an amazing difference. Imagine what we can all do together. Links by Marcia.
Inspired by the death of Heath Ledger, OxyContin Blues is a raw unflinching drama about prescription pill addiction in Hollywood.
NEW! Stoking the flames under the Criminal Justice Commission’s push for reform. The legislation, introduced by Senator Jim Webb on March 26, 2009, was voted out of the Judiciary Committee Jan. 19, 2010 and awaits a final vote on the Senate floor. The Goal is comprehensive review of our criminal justice system with an establishment of a national commission with a 18 month time line. Here are the latest press releases on this bill from Mar. 9, 2010. That same day a photo shoot took place following Webb’s address to the international association of the Chief of Police. Finally for those who missed the bill’s introduction; here’s Webb’s 2009 address on the senate floor outlining his justification, where he talks about drugs, addiction, mental illness and incarceration. He points out that starting in 1980 we had 41,000 people in prison for drug offenses and now we have over 500,000 people in prison for drug offenses. He says we have 4 times as many mentally ill patients in prison than we do in mental institutions. We have gangs in 230 cities; not just on our borders! He talks about finding ways to reduce the population in prison and at the same time protecting our communities. We all need to stoke the fire under Senator Webb. Update by Mary S.
ICSDP is a primary source for rigorous scientific evidence on illicit drug policy in order to benefit policymakers, law enforcement, and affected communities.
For millions of Americans, substance use progresses to a point where brief interventions are not sufficient to promote recovery Addiction treatment can be a critical—even lifesaving—resource in such situations, but only if it is readily available and of high quality. Making recovery possible is, therefore, key to effective drug control, and the Obama Administration’s Strategy focuses on: 1) Expanding addiction treatment in community health centers and within the Indian Health Service, 2) Supporting the development of new medications to treat addiction and implementation of medication-assisted treatment protocols and 3) The importance of domestic law enforcement, border control, and international cooperation. DOWNLOAD THE STRATEGY STATEMENT IN PDF
Lets hope it does all of that. The Obama administration has been talking about addiction in the context of being a medical problem which is a key definition. Once that understanding makes it mainstream, we can expect to end some of the incredible gut wrenching madness that families endure simply to save their loved ones from a fate worse that most can imagine. Check out Julia Negron’s poignant comment on the subject in Mom’s United…
Regarding the demoralizing “drug war”, leaders from Mexico, Brazil and Columbia have endorsed the Vienna Declaration which lists a range of harms stemming from the war on drugs, and notes that the criminalization of people who use drugs has resulted in record high incarceration rates, thereby placing a massive burden on taxpayers. The Vienna Declaration calls on governments and international organizations, including the United Nations, to take a number of steps, 2 of which are: 1) Endorsing and scaling up funding for the drug treatment and harm reduction measures endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations and 2) scaling up evidence-based drug dependence treatment options. Links by Mary S.
On July 13th 2009, www.dadonfire.net was born. We are quickly moving towards 15,000 views in just over one year. Not bad for a busy dad fed up with the whole reality of drug addiction and the impact it has had on my family and friends. I think one reason so many Americans are blind to the horrendous impact of addiction is partly the same reason folks are blind to many other big problems. Americans are just burnt out with the magnitude of it all. I will never say we don’t care. Like any burning issue, it is the flame of caring and wanting to make a difference that keeps people listening and transforming indifference into compassion. One day the disease of addiction will be rightly recognized as a legitimate medical condition along with all of its parallel indications of mental anguish. Many addicts are afflicted with bi-polar, depression, anxiety dis-order and other conditions that are very under diagnosed. The tools and minds are there. Once the American body follows, we will have it licked. Keep listening. Keep talking. Stay on fire. www.dadonfire.net.
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