Heroin Trade on the Rise in New York, Alarming Law Enforcement Officials
/By Celia Vimont
May 20th, 2014/

Law enforcement officials in New York City say the heroin trade there is surging to the highest level seen in more than 20 years. The city has become a hub for the heroin market along the East Coast, The New York Times reports.

The city’s special narcotics prosecutor says the amount of heroin seized in investigations so far this year has already surpassed the total amount seized in 2013. Officials have not confiscated so much heroin since 1991, the article notes.

The heroin originates in Mexico. It is sold in New York to users all along the East Coast, in glassine envelopes costing between $6 and $10. Law enforcement officials say drug organizations are meeting the growing demand for heroin by setting up increasingly large and sophisticated operations in New York.

About one-third of heroin seized by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) nationwide since October was found in New York State. In previous years, New York heroin seizures have accounted for about one-fifth of the total.

“We’re kind of the head of the Hydra,” said Bridget G. Brennan, a special narcotics prosecutor. “This is highly organized, high volume, and it’s being moved much more efficiently and effectively to reach out to a broader user base.” She is scheduled to testify about heroin trends during a City Council budget hearing today.

“It’s cheap, it’s potent and there’s a user demand here right now and they’re flooding the market,” said James J. Hunt, head of the DEA’s New York office. “In my time, we’ve never seen the amount of large heroin seizures like this.”

Many “Super-Frequent” ER Users Have Substance Use Disorder: Study
/By Celia Vimont
May 20th, 2014/

Three-quarters of patients who visit a Detroit emergency room at least 10 times a year—known as “super-frequent” users—have a substance use disorder, a new study finds.

Doctors at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit also found 47 percent of these patients were addicted to painkillers such as Vicodin and Dilaudid, according to Newswise. Researchers found 44 percent were addicted to other illicit drugs such as cocaine or marijuana, and 35 percent were addicted to alcohol.

The findings were presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.

“Emergency departments cannot address the super-frequent users problem without addressing the underlying reason they’re here – their substance abuse problem,” study lead author Jennifer Peltzer-Jones, RN, PsyD, said in a news release. “Boosting federal and state funding for substance abuse programs could help alleviate some of the frequent use of emergency departments as sources of addiction care.”

The federal Drug Abuse Warning Network found an estimated 2.5 million emergency department visits involved drug misuse or abuse in 2011. Between 2009 and 2011, emergency department visits involving overall misuse or abuse increased by 19 percent, or by about 400,000 visits over the two years.

The study included 255 super-frequent users who were cared for at the hospital from 2004 to 2013. In 2004, the hospital created the Community Resources for Emergency Department Overuse (CREDO) to more effectively manage the increased frequent users in the emergency department with individual care plans. The researchers found before CREDO was created, the super-frequent users sought care in the emergency department an average of 32.4 times a year. Since 2004, the rate of super-frequent users who asked for narcotic painkillers in the emergency department decreased to 13.8 times annually.

More Than 10,000 Toddlers Get ADHD Medication Outside Guidelines
/By Celia Vimont
May 20th, 2014/

A new government study finds more than 10,000 toddlers in the United States are receiving medication for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) outside established guidelines. The report found children covered by Medicaid are most likely to receive drugs such as Ritalin or Adderall.

The American Academy of Pediatrics does not have guidelines for use of ADHD medications in children ages 3 and younger, because their safety and effectiveness in that age group has not been established, The New York Times reports.

“It’s absolutely shocking, and it shouldn’t be happening,” said Anita Zervigon-Hakes, a children’s mental health consultant to the Carter Center in Atlanta, where the data was presented last week by researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “People are just feeling around in the dark. We obviously don’t have our act together for little children.”

A California behavioral pediatrician, Dr. Lawrence H. Diller, told the newspaper, “People prescribing to 2-year-olds are just winging it. It is outside the standard of care, and they should be subject to malpractice if something goes wrong with a kid.”

Adderall is the only drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration for treating children below age 6 for ADHD. After some studies suggested use of Ritalin in preschool children with ADHD may be helpful, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued guidelines that authorize use of the drug in 4- and 5-year-olds, but only if formal training for parents and teachers to improve the child’s environment were not successful.

Several experts said hyperactivity and impulsivity are developmentally appropriate for toddlers, and more time is needed to see if they truly have ADHD.

A study published in 2012 found use of drugs for ADHD in children jumped 46 percent from 2002 to 2010. Ritalin was the top drug prescribed for teenagers, with more than four million prescriptions filled in 2010.

MAY 20 v 24 TWELVE STEPPING WITH POWER IN THE PROVERB

The Lord directs our steps,

so why try to understand everything along the way?

STEP 2 - Came to believe that GOD could restore us to sanity. 

Two of my favorite sayings are , Keep it simple and , one day at a time . God created you and this world and there is a purpose too everything and you could be the smartest person in the world and still not know everything . Why do we spend so much time trying to figure everything out. We are left with more questions than answers and I think that's the way God wants it . We are His kids and what do kids do when they are trying to figure something out . That 's right they seek out a parent .That's who God is , A Dad and our creator and He wants too help you along in life . All of your days are numbered and one day you will return home too Him . Someone mentioned too me , that we are spiritual beings having a human experience .So why not try and enjoy it . Instead we spend all our time trying to make life happen causing all types of stress and sickness . Then we self medicate to cope with the stress and rejection and depression . God has a plan start with the twelve steps and read the Proverbs. You just got to make up your mind to take it easy and enjoy life .

Provervb 3 v 5 v 6 -Trust in the lord with all your heart;

do not depend on your own understanding.

Seek his will in all you do,

and he will show you which path to take.

By Joseph Dickerson

A Drug Treatment Center Unlike Any Other

Sober College is a drug treatment center that specializes in helping young adult men & women ages 17 to 26.

Call us to learn about our innovative and effective approach to drug treatment: 877.628.6224.

HERE IS WHAT SETS OUR DRUG TREATMENT CENTER APART:

Tailored treatment for young adults: To be in treatment with people your own age, is much more appealing. Willingness in our drug treatment center is increased because our staffing and programming is specifically designed to capture the attention of young men and women aged 17 to 26.

Clinical care that treats the addicted brain: Since 2006, Sober College’s entire focus, curriculum and treatment methodology target healing the addicted brain. This was five years before the definition of addiction was re-defined by the American Society of Addiction Medicine as a disease of the brain.

Long-term rehab for life-long sobriety: For someone to maintain successful long-term recovery from drug and alcohol addiction, 30 to 60 days of treatment is not enough. We create life-long success through our innovative, long-term approach.

Don’t put your life on hold for rehab: Let’s face it. No one wants to be in treatment. At Sober College we understand this and have created a unique delivery that says, “If you have to be in treatment, then let’s make it as appealing as possible.”

High school or college, we’ve got you covered: Our groundbreaking “College and Rehab Under One Roof” is available to students in high school AND college. Call us today to find out more!

An Educated Addict’s Mom is an Empowered Addict’s Mom.

Are you an addict’s mom who needs help with codependency?

Debbie Sherrick, a codependency coach who is offering a free class to our TAM members.

About Debbie Sherrick:

Debbie Sherrick is a Holistic Codependency Coach. Motivated by my own personal journey to healing myself from the Inside Out, I love sharing my story of coming out of the shame, low self-esteem and the pain of codependency. I am a certified Holistic Health Counselor and Codependency Life Coach teaching people how to unite mind, body and spirit for a successful healthy life style to achieve more self-love and empowerment in their relationships and personal life. My passion is to educate and encourage others to become healthy emotionally, physically and to develop a deep spiritual connection in taking control of their own lives in these areas.

Information on Empower Hour Codependency Class:

On Tuesday, May 20th, 8pm EST Debbie Sherrick will be offering a free class “Why Detaching Never Fails” on the Empower Hour Show on Google+.

Debbie say’s “When it comes to codependency, some people are confused. We will be discussing some of the behavioral signs of codependency and the myths and confusion of what it "is not". We will see that it’s not so much what we do as WHY we’re doing it and why we struggle with our relationship with self and others.”

"The event is FREE but you must register to attend at www.empowerhourshow.com/live

Much love to all addict’s moms and their families....Barbara Theodosiou founder of The Addict’s Mom.

Visit The Addict's Mom at: http://addictsmom.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network