Six Ways Your Family Is At Risk From Addiction

How it affects your loved ones.

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By Pamela Wray

05/22/14

SOURCE THE FIX

ADDICTION IS A PROCESS

Addiction must be viewed as a process that is progressive, and an illness - not a disease - which undergoes continuous development from a starting point to an ending point. According to Craig Nakken in his book, The Addictive Personality: Understanding the Addictive Process and Compulsive Behavior, “we must first understand what all addictions and addictive processes have in common: the out-of-control and aimless searching for wholeness, happiness, and peace through a relationship with an object or event. No matter what the addiction is, every addict engages in a relationship with an object or event in order to produce a desired mood change or state of intoxication. The crucial crux of the situation is that the addict will not recover unless he or she wants to recover regardless of any intervention!"

After spending many years on drugs, even young, otherwise healthy bodies fight back. The vibrations of an addict are of a very specific sort - they ricochet out of control, mostly out of reach. The energy called up by the drug quickly disperses, leaving a void, a nothingness. Nature abhors a vacuum, so negative forces rush in, take up residence. The only immediate relief is more narcotics. This is the vicious cycle of addiction for an addict. 

DIFFERENT EFFECTS FOR DIFFERENT FAMILY STRUCTURES

In days past, when society spoke of “family,” it was typically referring to Mom, Dad and the kids, plus grandparents and an aunt or uncle. Family structures in America have become more complex - growing from the traditional nuclear family to single‐parent families, stepfamilies, foster families, and multigenerational families. Therefore, when a family member abuses substances, the effect on the family may differ according to family structure.

SMALL CHILDREN

A growing body of literature suggests that substance abuse has distinct effects on different family structures. For example, the parent of small children may attempt to compensate for deficiencies that his or her substance‐abusing spouse has developed as a result of drug abuse. Frequently, children act as surrogate spouses for the parent who abuses substances, according to S. Brown and Lewis V. in The Alcoholic Family in Recovery: A Developmental Model. In a single‐parent household, children are likely to behave in a manner that is not age‐appropriate to compensate for the parental deficiency.

Empirical studies have shown that a parent’s alcohol problem can have cognitive, behavioral, psychosocial, and emotional consequences for children. Among the lifelong problems documented are impaired learning capacity; a propensity to develop a substance use disorder; adjustment problems including increased rates of divorce, violence, and the need for control in relationships; andother mental disorders such as depression, anxiety, and low self‐esteem.

PARTNERS

The consequences of an adult who abuses substances and lives alone or with a partner are likely to be economic and psychological. Money may be spent for drug use; the partner who is not using substances often assumes the provider role. Psychological consequences may include denial or protection of the person with the substance abuse problem, chronic anger, stress, anxiety, hopelessness, inappropriate sexual behavior, neglected health, shame, stigma, and isolation.

PARENTS OF GROWN CHILDREN

Alternately, the aging parents of adults with substance use disorders may maintain inappropriately dependent relationships with their grown offspring, missing the necessary “launching phase” in their relationship, so vital to the maturational processes of all family members involved.

When an adult, age 65 or older, abuses a substance, it is most likely to be alcohol and/or prescription medication. The 2012 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse found that 12.5 percent of older adults reported binge drinking and 6.4 percent reported heavy drinking within the past month of the survey. Veteran’s hospital data indicate that, in many cases, older adults may be receiving excessive amounts of one class of addictive tranquilizer (benzodiazepines), even though they should receive lower doses. 

Further, older adults take these drugs longer than other age groups. Older adults consume three times the number of prescription medicine as the general population, and this trend is expected to grow, as children of the Baby Boom (born 1946–1958) become senior citizens, according to “The epidemiology of alcohol use, problems, and dependence in elders: A review” by K.K. Bucholz, Y. Sheline., and J.E. Helzer. 

STEPFAMILIES

Interestingly, many people who abuse substances belong to stepfamilies. Even under ordinary circumstances, stepfamilies present special challenges. Children often live in two households in which different boundaries and ambiguous roles can be confusing. Effective co-parenting requires good communication and careful attention to possible areas of conflict, not only between biological parents, but also with their new partners.

Experts believe that the difficulty of coordinating boundaries, roles, expectations, and the need for cooperation places children raised in blended households at far greater risk of social, emotional, and behavioral problems. Children from stepfamilies may develop substance abuse problems to cope with their confusion about family rules and boundaries.

Substance abuse can intensify problems and become an impediment to a stepfamily’s integration and stability. When substance abuse is part of the family, unique issues can arise. Such issues might include parental authority disputes, sexual or physical abuse, and self‐esteem problems for children.

Substance abuse by stepparents may further undermine their authority, lead to difficulty in forming bonds, and impair a family’s ability to address problems and sensitive issues. Clinicians treating substance abuse should know that the family dynamics of blended families differ somewhat from those of nuclear families and require some additional considerations.

EXTENDED FAMILY AND INTERGENERATIONAL EFFECTS

The effects of substance abuse frequently extend beyond the nuclear family. Extended family members may experience feelings of abandonment, anxiety, fear, anger, concern, embarrassment, or guilt; they may wish to ignore or cut ties with the person abusing substances. Some family members even may feel the need for legal protection from the person abusing substances. 

Moreover, substance abuse can lead to inappropriate family subsystems and role taking and the effects on families may continue for generations. Intergenerational effects of substance abuse can have a negative impact on role modeling, trust, and concepts of normative behavior, which can damage the relationships between generations. For example, a child with a parent who abuses substances may grow up to be an overprotective and controlling parent who does not allow his or her children sufficient autonomy.

FRIENDS AND COMMUNITY

Neighbors, friends, and coworkers also experience the effects of substance abuse because drug abusers are often unreliable. Friends may be asked to help financially or in other ways. Coworkers may be forced to compensate for decreased productivity or carry a disproportionate share of the workload. Consequently, they may resent the person abusing substances, according to H.C. Fishman in Intensive Structural Therapy: Treating Families in Their Social Context.

In cultures with a community approach to family care, neighbors may step in to provide whatever care is needed. Sometimes it is a neighbor who brings a child abuse or neglect situation to the attention of child welfare officials. Most of the time, however, these situations go unreported and neglected.

Substance abusers are likely to find themselves increasingly isolated from their families. Often they prefer associating with others who abuse substances or participate in some other form of antisocial activity. These peers support and reinforce each other’s behavior.

Different treatment issues emerge based on the age and role of the person who uses substances in the family and on whether small children or adolescents are present. In some cases, a family might present a healthy face to the community while substance abuse issues lie just below the surface.

TREATMENT

In any form of family therapy for substance abuse treatment, consideration should be given to the range of social problems connected to substance abuse. Problems such as criminal activity, joblessness, domestic violence, and child abuse or neglect may also be present in families experiencing substance abuse. To address these issues, treatment providers need to collaborate with professionals in other fields. This is known as concurrent treatment.

Whenever family therapy and substance abuse treatment take place concurrently, communication between clinicians is vital. In addition to family therapy and substance abuse treatment, multifamily group therapy, individual therapy, and psychological consultation might be necessary. 

With these different approaches, coordination, communication, collaboration, and exchange of the necessary releases of confidential information are required. With concurrent treatment, it is important that goal diffusion does not occur. Empowering the family is a benefit of family therapy that should not be sacrificed. 

Pamela Wray is a writer and author based in Birmingham, Alabama. She has a blog.

Should Prescribing Doctors Be Held Responsible When Their Patients OD and Die?

Rehab admissions have increased, emergency room visits are up and overdose deaths from prescription medication have multiplied dramatically as a result of unregulated prescribing practices.

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By Remi L. Roy

05/20/14

SOURCE THE FIX

On June 25, 2009, fans around the globe mourned the death of Michael Jackson. Like too many before and since, Jackson, only 50 at the time, met his demise at the hands of a prescription medication addiction that no doubt had ruled his life for the final days, years and maybe even decades before his death. 

The autopsy conducted on Jackson’s body concluded that the cause of the star’s death was a fatal injection of propofol. Sold under the brand name Diprivan, propofol is a powerful sedative that slows heart and nervous system activityand is most often used to relax patients before, or during, general anesthesia for medical procedures and surgery. The post-mortem also included details that he had ingested a number of other pills, including a reported eight lorazepam, on the night he overdosed. 

What followed in the wake of Jackson’s untimely passing was a peculiar series of events that saw his personal physician Conrad Murray charged with, tried for, and convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the singer’s death. The bizarre trial revealed that Murray stayed with Jackson six nights a week, and that he was at times begged to administer drugs to help his insomniac patient sleep. While the doctor's defense team argued that Jackson had injected himself with the lethal shot of propofol, the jury found Murray guilty and he served two years in prison before being released in late 2013. 

Once a renowned physician with a promising career, Murray had his medical license revoked in Texas and suspended in California and Nevada. Though he is now practicing medicine again, the incident irreparably tarnished his reputation in the U.S. He is currently working with local heart surgeons in his new role at the Trinidad Ministry of Health. 

Murray’s anti-climactic exodus marked an end to the bizarre story of the murder of pop music’s prodigal son. Still, regardless of the here and now, the strange case of Dr. Murray had the effect of setting a precedent for criminally trying physicians in cases where their patients die of drug overdoses from prescribed medications.

More recently, the fallout from another celebrity death caused a stir when former Slipknot bassist Paul Gray was lost to a vile combination of morphine and fentanyl. The notorious rocker’s doctor, Daniel Baldi, was subsequently charged with seven counts of involuntary manslaughter, one count that stemmed from Gray’s 2010 overdose. 

Baldi had already faced four medical malpractice claims and three suits for wrongful death prior to being tried for involuntarily killing seven other patients. The doctor, who ran a pain clinic in Des Moines, Iowa, was accused of audaciously writing scripts for Gray and others, and faced up to 16 years in prison if convicted of the crimes. 

According to court documents, Baldi "did unintentionally cause the death of Paul Gray by the commission of an act likely to cause death or serious injury, to-wit, continually wrote high-dose prescription narcotics to a known drug addict.” Gray’s wife Brenna agreed with those findings. She testified that Baldi prescribed Xanax to Gray, knowing that her husband was gripped by an addiction to the anti-anxiety medication.

Despite calls for justice by Gray’s widow and the friends and family members of other departed patients, Baldi was cleared of all charges. On May 1, jurors determined the doctor was not guilty of any of the seven counts of involuntary manslaughter leveled at him. Unlike Murray, Baldi would not be held responsible and jailed for the overdose of the people he had prescribed drugs to.

Of course, celebrity overdoses and the trials of their doctors are but a drop in the bucket of the issue at large. A Google search with the keywords “doctor overdose deaths” turns up nearly 34 million hits. The headlines are as varied - “Tulsa physician has most patient overdose deaths,” “NYC doctor on trial in patients’ overdose deaths,” “Long Island Dr. Feel-Good charged in Oxycodone overdose deaths...” - as the stories are tragic. 

Prescription drugs contribute to over 22,000 fatalities a year in the US alone. The number is indicative of an epidemic that, unlike heroin in the 1970s or crack in the 1980s, is being perpetuated by educated white coats, not by drug pushers and street chemists. That revelation, it seems, is puzzling the judicial system, lawyers on both sides of the bench, police officers, researchers and doctors who, increasingly, find themselves at the center of lawsuits and criminal court cases.

MAY 23 v 29 v 30 TWELVE STEPPING WITH POWER IN THE PROVERB

Who has anguish? Who has sorrow?

Who is always fighting? Who is always complaining?

Who has unnecessary bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes?

It is the one who spends long hours in the taverns,

trying out new drinks.

STEP 1 - We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.

Do I need to add to the Proverb certainly not .The Bible clearly tells us that alcohol does wreck lives . Alcohol does not control you and yes you can stop drinking but it will be the toughest fight of your life and Detoxification from Alcohol will require medical assistance . There are millions who have overcome Alcohol and so will you . Never quit trying to quit !

Matthew 16 : 24 : 27 - Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

By Joseph Dickerson

Cassy Pink ‘s Creation
“I’m gonna die if I don’t start to live again.” Once rang like lightning through my heart. I came to recognize, the life I was living, was not the one I would have chosen for myself. Bon Jovi Lyrics tapped on my senses a second time with, “It’s my life, it’s now or never.”

My life, what did I want it to be? I looked to people who seem to be living the life I desired. What did I desire? I didn’t know but I did know the basics and that was a life where I was free to be myself and one where I could stand tall with how I lived and the decisions I made. I later realized the rest would unfold as I found strength and friendship in myself. Friendship may sound like a funny term to use when referring to oneself. Grace me, with a moment to clarify. When you have a true friendship/love for someone, you show them understanding and embrace all of what makes them who they are. How often do we grant ourselves this kindness and consideration? Truly no one is harder on us, than ourselves. Learning to accept ourselves as we actually are and not as we would like to believe we are is rough on the ego.
The more I pondered the more I realized the profoundness of recognizing the break between, who I would like to believe I am and the actions I actually take. I believe I am a person with a high moral code, but my actions have not always support my beliefs. It is most difficult to recover from letting yourself down let alone others. I actualized that there would continuously be a difference between who I would like to be and who I will be. My goal became to narrow the variation.
All emotions exist because we experience them. Think about that for a moment. It is because we are built to experience all ranges of emotion that we are incapable of pure innate altruism. Motive and experience will always play a role in our actions, conscience or not. For me out of this acknowledgement I began writing under Cassy Pink. I myself am faulted because I am human. Cassy Pink is the ultimate person I strive to become.
The concept of Cassy Pink is not simply about nobility but all of whom I desire to be the dancer, the artist as well as the fisher the philosopher, the nurturer and so on. Above all I seek peace in my heart, my mind and the actions I will take tomorrow. Cassy Pink is my Idyllic self. Who is yours?
Hearts, minds and muscles will forever take their share of bangs and bruises that is inevitable. The question is what will you take from your pushes and trips? Will you learn that they are needed steps on a ladder and grow from them or will you continue to keep restarting at the bottom of the ladder? It’s easier to keep our chins up and keep climbing the ladder when there is an abundance of support and positive guidance both when we struggle and when we are doing just fine. Religions and support groups have impact on the souls that seek them out because of their regular influence and consistency in what, as well as, the positivity they have to offer.
I believe that through simply making the choice to make noble choices; we can learn how to walk with our heads held high. Life is a wheel of fortune and circumstances always play their role and there are always unknown factors. The key is to make choices that you know you can live with. When circumstances fade your clarity, ask yourself, what is best choice for the greater good? It is easy to hold your head high when your conscience is free.
Walk Tall my friends! Cheryl

MAY 23 v 29 v 30 TWELVE STEPPING WITH POWER IN THE PROVERB

Who has anguish? Who has sorrow?

Who is always fighting? Who is always complaining?

Who has unnecessary bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes?

 It is the one who spends long hours in the taverns,

trying out new drinks.

STEP 1 - We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.

Do I need to add to the Proverb certainly not .The Bible clearly tells us that alcohol does wreck lives . Alcohol does not control you and yes you can stop drinking but it will be the toughest fight of your life and Detoxification from Alcohol will require medical assistance . There are millions who have overcome Alcohol and so will you . Never quit trying to quit !

Matthew 16 : 24 : 27 - Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

BY : Joseph Dickerson

Xanax Misuse Sent 123,000 People to Emergency Room in 2011: Report

/BY JOIN TOGETHER STAFF

May 22nd, 2014/

More than 123,000 people ended up in hospital emergency rooms in 2011 after misusing the sedative alprazolam, sold under brand names including Xanax. The findings come from a new government report.

The number of ER visits associated with Xanax in 2011 was slightly less than the previous year, but more than double the number in 2005, USA Today reports. The drug is also sold as Xanax XR and Niravam. Alprazolam was the most commonly prescribed psychiatric drug in 2011, the article notes. It is prescribed to treat anxiety, insomnia and depression.

In total, more than 1.2 million people went to the emergency room for prescription drug abuse in 2011, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

Misuse of alprazolam can lead to physical dependence, causing withdrawal symptoms such as tremors and seizures, according to a SAMHSA news release. The effects of alprazolam can be dangerously enhanced if it is combined with alcohol or other drugs that depress the central nervous system, such as narcotic pain relievers.

The report found in 81 percent of cases, patients used alprazolam together with other prescription drugs or alcohol. Almost two-thirds used the drug with another prescription drug. More than one-third used the drug with a prescription painkiller such as oxycodone.

“When used as directed, alprazolam is safe and effective, but misuse can result in serious health consequences,” said SAMHSA Administrator Pamela S. Hyde. “This report highlights the need to educate people about the dangers of misusing or sharing prescription medications and the importance of properly disposing of unused medication.”