What You Need to Know About Heroin Addiction

By Dr. Barbara Krantz | February 12, 2014 | 16 Comments | Filed in Addiction,Drugs, Prescription Drugs & Treatment

Philip Seymour Hoffman’s tragic death has focused attention on heroin addiction. Unfortunately, heroin addiction is on the rise from teens to older adults.

Heroin addiction doesn’t discriminate. Individuals from every socioeconomic background have access to the drug because it’s cheap and easy to get. According to SAMHSA, in 2011, 4.2 million people age 12 and older used heroin at least once in their lifetime, and 23 percent became dependent.

Although heroin addicts are treated alongside those addicted to alcohol and other drugs, heroin addiction can be especially difficult to treat because of the euphoria it produces in the brain. Heroin can reach the brain more quickly than other drugs – depending on how it’s administered. For example, injecting it intravenously can actually speed up the process of becoming addicted.

For this reason, we do often recommend that heroin addicts stay in treatment for at least 60 days. We find that individuals addicted to heroin need extensive time in treatment because of how much the drug impacts their brain and behavior. Cravings can be intense and they need to relearn how to deal with life stressors and be able to use non-chemical coping skills.

One of the challenges for many recovering addicts – especially those with a preference for opiates – is that painkillers prescribed for a legitimate reason are addictive and lead many people to heroin. If a doctor is unaware of a patient’s history of addiction or the patient is unaware of the addictive nature of prescription painkillers – a dangerous flame is ignited. In some cases, patients don’t have a history of addiction, but their painkiller use eventually becomes abuse and spirals into heroin addiction.

In the case of a relapse, as was the situation with Mr. Hoffman, we believe this process happens even before someone picks up a drink or a drug again. They begin to fall back into unhealthy behavior such as not reaching out for help when dealing with stress, isolating themselves and not being accountable to friends and family. Addiction is a chronic disease and is therefore encoded on their brain. Therefore, once unhealthy behavior starts again there is a tendency to slip right back into old destructive familiar ways.

It’s important to understand that relapse isn’t synonymous with failure. Just like any other chronic illness – people who relapse can recognize that they need help and get the support they need to get back on the path to sobriety. A person has to be actively involved in order to achieve a full recovery.

The pain of addiction doesn’t just impact the individual. Families also suffer extensively. Some family members develop anxiety, depression or hypertension, for example, in response to being with the addict.

Families require treatment separately from their addicted loved one, which is an important part of any treatment center experience. At Caron Renaissance, for example, we have a specialized family restructuring program where families attend their own intensive treatment program.

For those families who are grappling with heroin or other addictions, I offer the following recommendations:

Learn about the disease of addiction. Many family members think, “If only they had loved me more, they wouldn’t have gotten addicted.” That’s not true. You need to understand that addiction is a disease and that it affects you as a family member. Whether or not your loved one is ready to accept help – I want to encourage you to practice a healthy recovery program yourself, whether through Al-Anon or a family support group.

Know what is in your power to control. You can’t control another person; you only have control over yourself. Family members who want to talk to their addicted loved one could use this type of language: “You don’t look well. I’m worried about you. There’s a lot more stress in your life right now because of x, y, and z. Do you have a professional you can talk to or would you be open to attending a 12-step meeting?” You can’t force an adult into treatment but you can stage an intervention in which friends and family express their concerns and feelings to the addict in a loving way.

Learn how to appropriately set boundaries. Families often want to keep a loved one close to them because they feel like they can keep an eye on the individual and help to ensure their safety. However, that behavior frequently enables the addict to continue his or her use. It may seem counterintuitive, but many families have to enforce difficult consequences such as asking the addict to leave the house.

If you suspect a loved one might be abusing heroin, here are some signs to look out for:

• Small, or meiotic, pupils

• Lack of coordination (such as incoherent speech)

• Social withdrawal

• Changes in behavior

• Altered mental state

• New onset seizures

• Burns and bruises

• Social isolation

• Multiple falls

For more information on addiction treatment, you can visit usonline or follow us on twitter @HanleyCenter.

Dr. Barbara Krantz is the Medical Director at the Hanley Center.

Government Officials Urge Increased Use of Naloxone to Reverse Heroin Overdoses

By Join Together Staff | February 12, 2014 | 1 Comment | Filed in Drugs,Government & Treatment

Government officials Tuesday urged first responders to increase their use of the drug naloxone to reverse overdoses of heroin and prescription opioids.

Heroin overdoses kill 100 people every day, Director of National Drug Control Policy R. Gil Kerlikowske said at a White House press conference Tuesday. “Naloxone has very few side effects and can be safely administered in many different settings, so there is some hope for its expanded use,” he said.

“Because police are often the first on the scene of an overdose, the Administration strongly encourages local law enforcement agencies to train and equip their personnel with this lifesaving drug. Seventeen states and the District of Columbia have amended their laws to increase access to naloxone, resulting in over 10,000 overdose reversals since 2001,” the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) noted in a blog post. “Used in concert with ‘Good Samaritan’ laws, which grant immunity from criminal prosecution to those seeking medical help for someone experiencing an overdose, it can and will save lives.”

At the news briefing, federal officials pointed to a pilot program of naloxone in Staten Island, New York, where an officer used the drug to reverse an overdose in January, CNN reports.

The increase in heroin abuse is linked to the risk of prescription drug abuse, according to Dr. Wilson Compton of ONDCP. There has been a 20 percent increase in overdose deaths involving prescription painkillers since 2006. “Heroin is cheaper than prescription drugs and they make the switch for economic reasons,” he said. Heroin and prescription drug abuse are not limited to any certain demographic or geographic area. Officials noted that heroin use is increasing among young adults.

Drug Companies Share Information with Anti-Doping Officials at Olympics

By Join Together Staff | February 12, 2014 | Leave a comment | Filed in Drugs

Large drug companies are helping officials at the Winter Olympics with anti-doping efforts, the Associated Press reports.

A growing number of athletes are trying to boost their performance by using experimental drugs, many of which were developed in pharmaceutical research labs. Amgen, GlaxoSmithKline and Roche are among the companies that are sharing confidential information with anti-doping officials about those drugs, according to the AP.

“If you want to predict the future of doping it’s essential that you have collaborations with the pharmas,” said Olivier Rabin, Science Director of the World Anti-Doping Authority (WADA), which oversees the testing standards for the Olympics.

In 2011, WADA signed an agreement with the Biotech Industry Organization, which represents most biotech drugmakers. The industry agreed to voluntarily share early information about drugs they are developing that could be used to increase endurance, build muscle or assist in recovery.

One experimental drug developed by GlaxoSmithKline never made it out of the lab. But last year, five professional cyclists were caught using the substance, despite warnings from WADA about its toxic side effects. Many doping products used by athletes are mixed in overseas labs, the article notes.

”A lot of what dopers are looking for is under the radar. They’re looking for drugs that were terminated and that enforcement agencies don’t know about yet,” Mark Luttman, who coordinates Glaxo’s anti-doping program with WADA, told the AP. In 2012, the company provided a $30 million lab for testing officials at the London Summer Olympics, the first time a private sponsor funded such a project at the Olympics.

Americans Are Buying More Alcohol, Research Firm Finds

By Join Together Staff | February 12, 2014 | Leave a comment | Filed inAlcohol

People are buying more alcohol for use at home, according to new figures from a market research firm. Spending on alcohol grew during every quarter over the last four years, indicating increased alcohol sales are not a weather-related trend.

The firm, IRI, found in the four-week period ending January 26, unit sales of beer from retailers—not restaurants and bars—rose 6.75 percent from a year earlier. Popular products included Bud Light Lime-A-Rita and Straw-Ber-Rita. Craft beer also increased market share.

Whiskies, particularly bourbon, were also popular. Other spirits that saw increased growth included Diageo’s Cîroc Amaretto, Johnnie Walker Platinum and Gold Bullion Reserve and Captain Morgan White,BloombergBusinessweek reports.

Wine sales rose 3.3 last month, and at-home wine consumption rose by about 5 percent last year.

Internet Drinking Game Called “Neknomination” Proves Deadly in Britain

By Join Together Staff | February 13, 2014 | Leave a comment | Filed inAlcohol, Marketing And Media, Young Adults & Youth

An Internet drinking game called “Neknomination” reportedly led to the death of two young men in Britain this week, according to ABC News. In the game, a person quickly drinks a concoction of alcohol, sometimes mixed with other ingredients, then nominates two other people to do something even more outrageous. The results are posted online.

The drinks can include ingredients such as protein powder or even engine oil. Some participants have performed back flips and other athletic feats while drunk, or have been drinking while driving. The game started in Australia, and has become popular in Britain. This week, Canadian newspapers have begun to report the game is catching on there.

Rosanna O’Connor, Director of Alcohol and Drugs at Public Health England, said, “The game’s encouragement of participants to outdo each other with ever more reckless stunts brings with it significant risks of alcohol-related harm including acute intoxication, accidents and injury. There is also the potential for cyber bullying of those who are seen to ‘chicken out.’ It has already cost lives and we would advise anyone against taking part in the game to avoid putting themselves in a potentially dangerous situation.”

Study: People Whose Religious Beliefs Change at Greater Risk of Substance Use

By Join Together Staff | February 13, 2014 | Leave a comment | Filed inAlcohol, Drugs & Research

People whose view of religion changes over time are at increased risk of using drugs, alcohol or tobacco, a new study suggests. In contrast, people who are religious throughout their lives have a lower risk of substance misuse, the researchers said.

People whose religious beliefs play a central role in their upbringing, and then lose their ties to religion as they grow older, are at increased risk of substance use, the study found. People who do not grow up with strong ties to religion, but who become devout in adulthood, are also more likely to be at risk for substance use,HealthCanal reports.

The researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University report inDrug and Alcohol Dependence studied more than 6,000 people.
“Consistently high levels of religiosity protects against substance misuse, but substantial changes, whether losses or gains, in religiosity over the life course are associated with increased odds of substance use problems,” lead researcher Arden Moscati said in anews release.