Drug Rehab a Rare Commodity in Prison. ♠ Daily Beast.
Treatment for drug addiction works better. ♠ Daily Beast.
The American Prison Nightmare. ♠ N.Y. Review of Books
Prison overcrowding. ♠ A Public Defender.com
Reports have shown that drug rehab in jail works but following some hard years, Arizona like many other states have firmed up their abandonment of rehabilitation policy for their inmates. Aside from minor pilot studies, the policy of these states is on punishment. Criminalized drug addicts, and the mentally ill are not treated according to Defense Attorney, Jason Lamm, This practice continues even though a 2009 report released by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation shows a substantial reduction in recidivism for offenders completing in-prison substance abuse programs followed by community-based substance abuse treatment. To be fair some state prison do better but The Federal Bureau of Prisons does look at rehabilitation as a goal. How do we get states to follow the lead.
As Christmas is upon us, dadonfire.net viewership is up. So isn’t the struggle for addicts, alcoholics and their families to get through the holidays. People who have seen the worst and best of themselves and their loved ones, still care to make a difference in the world of addiction and recovery. They share what they see here and elsewhere. There are those who want to see a loved one survive. There are those who want to know their own freedom from addiction. There are those who want the world to be free. That freedom is possible.
Keep sharing and logging on to dadonfire.net. Spread the word. The point is to move consciousness in America from one of prejudice towards addiction and alcoholism to that of understanding. Addiction is a deadly disease that needs a real solution. Some people who log on to this blog have lost a loved one to drugs or alcohol in body or spirit. Somehow, they are able to keep putting out a positive message that may move another person away from what they have witnessed. Recovery is possible. Never give up. Have a merry Christmas and a free and happy new year in 2012!
Alternative to prison for drug offenders. More later on this. Hot topic in Arizona that showing a little hope for the future.
NIDA Drug Facts Week – Shatter the Myth
The first thing I want to say is that when you think about NIDA, think Nora Volkow and click on her name to see who she is. NIDA ( National Institute on drug Abuse ) is best defined by Wikipedia; Ms Volkow is a phenomenal director doing important work on the scourge of drug addiction in America. On this day, October 28th, NIDA, is launching a new public outreach called SHOUT OUT!, to publicize and shatter myths about the world of drug addiction and treatment. particularly related to our young people and their parents. Drug abuse can turn into drug addiction and moms and dads need to know they are often the last ones to know. Yes, I am on fire. I have children and have known many young people who have suffered needlessly. Here are a few myths I would like to shatter during NIDA’s drug fact week:
1. Addiction is an isolated condition, of mostly meth and heroin dependence that preys on a few depraved souls and we should ignore them and hope they go away. North America is now nearing a point where 25 million citizens suffer from some identified condition of addiction to a legal or illegal substance. Addiction to dangerous illegal narcotics, meth-amphetamines and cocaine, according to most sources, affects an average of 7 million Americans on any given day. More than one and a half million addicts are in jail at the time you read this. This is anything but isolated. It impacts us all.
2. An addict can just quit because god gave us the strength and will power to do so. A few hearty souls can do it that easy! I hope your loved one is one of them. AA and NA recognizes that there are those we can not explain. Addiction is brain altering disease, often accompanied by mental illness and depression. AA and NA acknowledges; addiction is for life. Once sober, diligence is key. The doors of 12 step rooms are revolving, because an addict or alcoholic is always welcome back, unconditionally, with just a desire to stay clean for today. The ultimate path of addiction is physiological and cognitive impairment, but with good treatment, addicts can be rehabilitated. The degree of that success relies on ones basic human will to want their life back.
3. Addiction is a behavioral problem. We need to let our jails deal with it and keep it out of the health care system. For some, jail may be an answer. However, more than half of inmates are locked up for drug related crimes or possession. Locking them up doesn’t solve their problem. Many of these people are our kids! Addiction not dealt with by proper treatment, save for sheer will power, will progress to a medical condition. Our emergency rooms attest to the heavy impact from overdoses and other carnage. The cost to society of untreated addiction is astronomical if you include this cost of health care; its incarceration, related mental illness, and the costly drug war. That costs America hundreds of billions. Diverting, criminalized addicts from jail to compulsory treatment would begin to realize a better cost to success ratio and defuse the drug war focus.
4. Addiction can easily be treated by private treatment practitioners and public resources for detox and rehab. Of course, addiction can be effectively treated by a private practitioner at a cost that only very well-funded addicts can afford. Less than 5% of all addicts and alcoholics received inpatient rehabilitation in 2010. OAS.SAMHSA. If addiction were to be recognized as a medical condition, insurance and public health services would treat it. Easy right? Not so! Legislators are still working hard to punish drug use in jail and keep addiction out of the health care system. That still costs the same billions and addicts that go untreated will cause damage to themselves, their families and our communities.
5. Addiction is morally bad. Judging an addict morally is unproductive and a diversion from positive solutions. Many moms and dads have a young addict in the family and would give anything for the elusive cure. Addiction, is an ugly health care problem and society perpetuates it by hating it. Morality, as a positive human attribute, can be just as easily defined by treating addiction, much as we would treat cancer. Addiction, like a cancer has destructive symptoms. For an addict, that is cognitive impairment, deterioration, social criminality and death.
6. Addiction will not be an issue when America finally wins the Drug War and drugs are no longer available. As long the demand is there, drugs will be there. Society will demand eradication, that fills our jails with drug users and the mentally ill. Changing that is like turning around a ship in a narrow canal. A system grounded in conquering evil by destroying it, is infinitely expensive. You don’t change that; you end it. A “drug war” can’t be won when we are source of demand. Once we acknowledge that, we can begin to reduce demand by dealing with the human beings that are defined by a bondage to drug use. If America, shifts its focus to a “war on addiction”, funding will come from a transformation of purpose, and new job definitions will emerge that focus on the preservation of human lives freeing addicts from bondage to drugs.
NIDA, SAMSA, ONDCP and other public agencies who fight to show people how to stop using drugs can step to the plate to be advocates for a sober nation. Our trusted public organizations have the resources and influence to do so and it will start with legislating to address the issue. Our young disillusioned teams, will see for themselves, we have a nation that cares and if not from their own sheer will power will to enjoy the clarity of mind only sobriety can provide.
Since late 2009 and early 2010, Walgreens, and many other private pharmacies have been providing generic “Suboxone”. Addicts prescribed the opiate replacement drug, Buprenorphine should ask about the availability of generic “buprenorphine” rather relying on expensive proprietary suboxone. Generics are selling for about half the cost since Reckitt Benckiser’s patent expired in October 2009. BupPractice.com is website that focuses on proper use and protocol of using buphrenorphine. Generic buprenorphine averages about $2.50 to $3.00 per 8mg pill in generic form. Patients average doses range from 8 to 16mg; lower doses when weaning and higher doses, relative to heavier opiate use when starting a program.
Were talking about the therapeutic drug replacement for heroin addiction. Make no mistake, the buprenorphine/naloxone generic substitute is about as addictive as heroin, (like “Suboxone”), but harder to abuse than the original therapeutic replacement drug, methadone which is still widely used in many clinics. Nonetheless, the benefits of this kind of harm reduction is obvious. Therapeutic drug replacement is safe for those who can manage it and take direction, but any such program can and will be abused by some. Weaning off the drug, is the next tough hurdle for addicts. The blog: suboxone talk zone is one of the best “in the trenches” sources of information. It is an active blog thread on this drug and the way it is used, and ultimately, not used as an addict succeeds at achieving full abstinence from all drugs.
Former Mexican president: ‘US must legalise drugs to stop violence’.
As insane as it sounds, there is no other promising solution to the damage that America’s drug demand is inflicting on ourselves or Mexico. Can anyone blame Vincente Fox for his campaign against the drug war’s damage to Mexico? By January 13, 2011, 34,612 people were reported murdered in Mexico in the past four years. Look for a minute at America’s demand for the drugs that fuels this carnage. For every drug related incarceration, there are 20 substance abusers waiting for their turn in jails and hospitals. It never seems to end. More than half of our 2.4 million inmates are locked up for drug related charges. Consider that even half of them need drug rehabilitation and we are talking about 25 billion dollars that could be spent reducing deman
d by treating drug addiction in stead of punishing it. Add in the cost of emergency rooms, lost workplace productivity, related homelessness and mental illness, judicial costs, and the cost of fighting demand on the streets, we are into numbers that approach a major federal government program in the hundreds of billions of dollars. Ending this carnage is not a pipe dream.
The International Drug Policy Reform Conference The International Drug Policy Reform Conference is a biennial event that brings together people from around the world who believe that the war on drugs is doing more harm than good. It brings together over 1,000 attendees representing 30 different countries. Mark your calendar and be there on November 2-5, 2011 at the Westin Bonaventure, Los Angeles, CA. REGISTER HERE.
Teenage Addiction Epi
demic Documentary to air October 12, 2011 on PBS-KVIE
The primary mission of Pathway to Prevention is the prevention and early intervention of teenage drug and alcohol addiction. A secondary goal of Pathway to Prevention is to help fund rehabilitation. View the trailer
Life-Saving Drug Out of Reach – NYTimes.com. “Overdose now kills more people in the United States than car accidents, making it the leading cause of injury-related mortality according to the latest statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The number of deaths — 37,485 in 2009 — could be cut dramatically if Naloxone were available over-the-counter and placed in every first aid kit.” View the rest of Maia Szalavitz’s story on the use of Naloxone, by click on the image or title of this article.
“The likelihood for addicts to get effective treatment improved greatly last month, when the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) released it’s public policy statement on the definition of addiction. Boldly stating that addiction is a “primary, chronic disease”, ASAM has established the role of neurobiology in the development and maintenance of all addictive behaviors” Barry Lessin. Read the rest of Barry’s article by click on title: Addiction Really is a Disease
Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation : Drug Rehabs for Addiction Help. Rehab Programs Inc. is a community service provider with an objective of finding the right rehab program for those suffering from drug and alcohol addictions. With over 20 years in the substance abuse field, we understand the needs of people and their families.
Recovery Month 2011 – Get Involved. SAMHSA has been sponsoring National Recovery Month, every September. The intention is to promote the societal benefits of treatment for substance use and mental disorders, celebrates people in recovery, lauds the contributions of treatment providers, and promotes the message that recovery in all its forms is possible. It is a worthwhile investment, since addictions is such an intertwined affliction to the American People. An practicing addict will drag down many others. Alcohol, methamphetamine, and many pill addictions that lead to heroin, etc.. are all drugs that suck in so much of Americas resources. Link by Mary S.
MOTIVATIONAL INTERVIEWING (MI) Preparing People to Change:
MI theory and skill building for treatment professionals. MI seminar information link Email: Kathleen Sciacca @ ksciacca@pobox.com tel. 212-866-5935/ fax. 212-666-1942. This FYI announcement applies to treatment professional and relates to addiction and dual diagnosis intervention and treatment. This is a (3) Three day seminar that takes place October 17, 18. &19, 2011 @ the Hotel Beacon, 2130 Broadway at W.75th St, New York City. Fee is $575.00 ($675 after September 2nd)
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.
Meth Inc.: Industrial-scale Mexican labs now pushing top-grade poison our way is a piece published a few weeks ago by the Arizona Daily Star, that talks about corporate meth; The new meth source. Yes, Americas drug war managed to push local meth production into Mexico. The demand never went away. This is the legacy of our war on drugs; pouring gasoline on a fire. The more you try and kill it, the bigger it gets. Just north of the U.S.-MEXICO border, Arizona is No. 1 in the nation for high school methamphetamine use, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Rural areas in Arizona and other states tend to be hit even harder and the drug is easy to get from Mexico. One meth hot spot, Central Valley, California, is home to some of the most impoverished rural towns in America, where crystal meth addiction is prolific. In Fresno, Louis Theroux finds a community ravaged by this cheap and highly addictive drug in his documentary, The City addicted to Crystal Meth Meth is just one drug that is tearing apart our country.
Fighting America’s craving for drugs is not easy. Crystal Darkness is one small campaign to end the madness. You can view their website: CRYSTAL DARKNESS. Their mission, however, clear is dwarfed by the immensity of the problem in America. Now with the economy in shambles, where will young addicts turn?…State funded rehab? It’s clear that an entire reversal of what we have been doing for the last 40 years has to take place. Emphasis has to be on recovery and saving our youth. Drug addiction has to be given legitimacy as a disease that devours our young like a rouge cancer. Killing it is not working. It needs to enter the realm of medical science. We are better than this.
Some mental health professionals are realizing that profound changes have to occur health care before we can effectively deal with the mushrooming problem of drug addiction in America. Barry Lessin is one therapist, stepping out on this issue. He makes a point in his recent article that America spends fifty billion dollars per year to wage a war on drugs that has done nothing to slow the problem. He goes on to say that failed policies focus primarily on the reduction of the supply of drugs by carrying out paramilitary operations in other countries as well as on drug users here in the United States, combined with amplified law enforcement approaches involving tens of millions arrested, and many millions incarcerated for nonviolent acts since the drug war began in the 70′s. Barry Lessin brings up a few key points that legislators need to acknowledge if Americans want their tax dollars to count for something positive, that can deal with drug addiction and lessen demand without killing or ruining lives. Please view his article by clicking on this link: An Addiction Counselor’s War on Drugs | Barry Lessin.
Nixon’s ‘War on Drugs’ began 40 years ago,and the battle is still raging
Four decades ago, on 17 July 1971, President Richard Nixon declared what has come to be called the “war on drugs“. Nixon told Congress that drug addiction had “assumed the dimensions of a national emergency”, and asked Capitol Hill for an initial $84m (£52m) for “emergency measures”. “Our president has said very clearly that this is the time for a deep analysis of what has happened over the past 40 years, and to learn the lessons of the mistakes that have been made,” Rodríguez said in an interview with the Observer last week. “And we have to evaluate every alternative, without excluding any possibility – from complete legalisation to a second, different, war on drugs.”
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