Sunday, June 27, 2010

Hate to keep saying

Hate to keep saying this but I have no more room on friend page. I have no more room for friends on FB, sorry. I am going to start doing all my posting on this fan page. http://htxt.it/cMux Can you please hit “LIKE” on it and I would love to hear from you on how we can fight this real war on addictions. Please Please Please chime in when you hear something close to your heart.. Or just to chime in… Look forward to this wall making a difference in helping families come closer and addictions moving away from the people we love.. Thank YOU for your help. If you ever have a question that is private I answer questions on my email Ken@intervention911.com or send me a private message here on FB. Sincerely, Ken Seeley

Friday, June 18, 2010

Older Americans Stru

Older Americans Struggling with Drug Addiction Wall Street Journal, 6/17/10 WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--A government report released Wednesday shows a rise in the proportion of older Americans who are struggling with cocaine, heroin and marijuana. In the period between 1992 and 2008, the proportion of substance abuse treatment admissions involving people who were at least 50 years old nearly doubled. It jumped from 6.6% of all admissions in 1992 to 12.2% in 2008, the most recent year for which data is available. The data was gathered from treatment centers across the country. While alcohol abuse is still the leading cause for admissions, the study--sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or SAMHSA--also shows a sharp rise in the proportion of older Americans who were admitted to treatment centers because they were struggling with illegal drugs. Jennifer Cofield, a 55-year-old mother and wife who lives in upstate New York near Lake Delta, struggled with substance abuse when she was in her late forties and early fifties. At the age of 52, she checked in to Seabrook House, an inpatient treatment center on a 40-acre estate in New Jersey. She has since kicked her habit. "I was a heroin snorter," she said. "If you had asked me 10 years ago if I would have ever tried heroin, my answer would have been, 'Are you out of your mind?'" But Cofield said she decided to try heroin after her 29-year-old daughter died of breast cancer. "That was the catalyst for me to find something to numb myself," she said. At that time she was in her late forties. "I just thought it was very unusual to be 48 and a heroin addict right out of the blue," she said. "When I went to rehab I was the oldest woman there until a woman came in who was in her sixties." Still, the SAMHSA study shows that older adults are making up more of the population at the nation's drug treatment centers. Between 1992 and 2008, the proportion of older Americans involved in heroin abuse more than doubled, going from 7.2% to 16%. Cocaine abuse almost quadrupled, going from 2.9% to 11.4% and prescription drug abuse rose from 0.7% to 3.5%. Additionally, marijuana abuse increased from 0.6% to 2.9%. Alcohol abuse-related admissions actually fell, going from 84.6% in 1992 to 59.9% in 2008. Peter Delaney, director of SAMHSA's office of applied studies said part of the reason older adults are making up more of the population at the nation's treatment centers is because the U.S. population--particularly the baby boom generation--is aging. Also, the study shows that about 75% of the older adults being treated at rehabilitation centers started using drugs when they were 25 or younger, so "there is a solid group of adults now who have been using for quite a long time," Delaney said. However, there isn't a lot of data about how different types of illegal drugs affect older adults, who are more likely to have slower metabolisms and to suffer from dehydration. "What that points to is our need to be pretty proactive in reaching out to older adults before it becomes a problem," Delaney said. "I think we think about prevention only for young kids. We also need to begin to think about prevention options for older adults." The study also suggests that an increasing number of older Americans are starting to experiment with drugs later in life. Delaney, a social worker by training, said there are usually two reasons people turn to drugs: "to feel better or to feel good." But it's important to find out why more older adults are starting up drug habits. "That's something we're going to be looking at a little more closely. We don't know what that's about," said Delaney. The report also found that substance abuse in older adults can be hard to diagnose because symptoms are often the same as other medical problems common among this population, such as diabetes. "These findings show the changing scope of substance abuse problems in America," said SAMHSA Administrator Pamela Hyde in a statement. "The graying of drug users in America is an issue for any programs and communities providing health or social services for seniors." -By Maya Jackson Randall, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-257-6313, maya.jackson-randall@dowjones.com

Prescription Pill Abuse Soaring....

This article reinforces what we have been seeing at Intervention 911. Prescription pill abuse is a serious problem with no end in sight. Just because something is prescribed, does not mean it is ok to use. With the proliferation of doctor shopping and online pharmacies, access for people prone to addiction is easier than ever. If you have even the slightest concern about someone's prescription pill use, call Intervention911 at 866-888-4911 to speak confidentially with someone who can help identify if your loved one is abusing pills.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/abuseofprescriptionpainkillerssoars

Abuse of prescription pain relievers is soaring in the United States, according to what health officials call "alarming findings" in a new report.


Visits to hospital emergency departments involving nonmedical use of prescription narcotic pain relievers more than doubled between 2004 and 2008, according to a study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.


"The abuse of prescription drugs is our nation's fastest-growing drug problem. And this new study shows it is a problem that affects men and women, people under 21, and those over 21," said Office of National Drug Control Policy Director Gil Kerlikowske.


Three prescription opioid pain relievers were most frequently involved in hospital emergency department visits related to nonmedical use from 2004 to 2008:


Oxycodone products: Up 152 percent (well more than doubling), to 105,214.


Hydrocodone products: Up 123 percent, to 89,051.


Methadone products: Up 73 percent, to 63,629.


"These alarming findings provide one more example of how the misuse of prescription pain relievers is impacting lives and our health care system," said SAMHSA Administrator Pamela S. Hyde. "This public health threat requires an all-out effort to raise awareness of the public about proper use, storage, and disposal of these powerful drugs."


The trends reflect in part dramatic increases in the rate at which these drugs are prescribed in the United States, according to a CDC statement. And this is not the first study to reveal the trend.


A separate study found abuse of certain prescription drugs nearly doubled from 2000 to 2007, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Some health officials are calling the rise in the misuse of prescription drugs an epidemic.


"We urgently need to take action," CDC director Dr. Thomas Frieden said this week. "Emergency department visits involving nonmedical use of these prescription drugs are now as common as emergency department visits for use of illicit drugs. These prescription medicines help many people, but we need to be sure they are used properly and safely."

Thursday, June 17, 2010

I have no more room

I have no more room for friends on FB, sorry. I am going to start doing all my posting on this fan page. http://htxt.it/FlHH Can you please hit “LIKE” on it and I would love to hear from you on how we can fight this real war on addictions. Please Please Please chime in when you hear something close to your heart.. Or just to chime in… Look forward to this wall making a difference in helping families come closer and addictions moving away from the people we love.. Thank YOU for your help. If you ever have a question that is private I answer questions on my email Ken@intervention911.com or send me a private message here on FB. Sincerely, Ken Seeley

Monday, June 7, 2010

What is up with Delt

What is up with Delta??? No TV and no video???? What do you do for 4 hours... I tried to get on Nefix but that doesn't work on GOGO.. At least I can complain about it from up here..