Category Archives: Drug Dependency

Russian experts say the downturn is a result of Putin's determination to do away with international pacts that he sees as demeaning or forcing Russia into a 'junior partner' role. Russia officially pulled out of a decade-old law enforcement and narcotics agreement with the US on Wednesday, just the latest casualty in an escalating tit-for-tat chain reaction of diplomatic blows that seems well on its way to demolishing the entire infrastructure of US-Russia relations constructed since the demise of the USSR. Subscribe Today to the Monitor Click Here for your FREE 30 DAYS of The Christian Science Monitor Weekly Digital Edition Stopping this runaway train, which has already seen the rupture of several bilateral deals and the expulsion of key US agencies from Russia, will be one major challenge facing incoming US Secretary of State John Kerry, who told a Senate panel prior to his confirmation Tuesday that "the United States must find a way to work with Russia." To whatever extent personalities may make a difference, there may be no one better place than Mr. Kerry who is almost universally well-regarded in Moscow, and who had a quiet hand in the early Obama administration "reset" with Russia to arrest … Continue reading →

Q371DVD Drug Addiction For more information about this video visit tmwmedia.com In this program we see and hear from teens and adults who describe how their lives were ruined because of drug dependency. Dreams can be shattered, lives can be ruined and overcoming addiction can be a life-time process. Teens and young adults describe the downward spirals their lives took after continued use of illegal substances, the effect it took on their families, how it fast tracked their lives into lives of crime and how in some cases it left many living on the streets. Teens learn that there is no discrimination when it comes to drug dependence. Hard-hitting testimonials from teens and young adults illustrate the potential life-altering damage done by substance abuse use, the struggle to get and stay clean, what it means to live a life free of drugs and the reality that it can happen to anyone who chooses to experiment with drugs. Subjects covered include: Drug addiction and dependence, The effects of drug use, The consequences of living a life of drug dependence, How drugs can take a toll on a teens life, Overcoming temptation and desire, Drug treatment and rehab programs By: TMWMedia … Continue reading →

Increased Admissions Points to Rising Trend In Seeking Substance Abuse Treatment for The New Year Fort Lauderdale, Florida (PRWEB) January 29, 2013 The New Year is traditionally a time for people to seek renewal and make a commitment to improving their health and wellness, said Ben Brafman, chief executive officer and founder of Destination Hope. Many people realize over the holidays that they dont want to live another year under the thumb of addiction and substance abuse. Destination Hope has seen an increase not only in calls to its professionally staffed 24/7 substance abuse treatment information line, but also in individuals and families seeking admissions to the Florida drug rehab center. Typically a small percentage of Americans succeed in maintaining their New Years resolutions, even through February. Those that do succeed, often do so with professional assistance from a health club, doctor or in the case of substance abusers, substance abuse treatment and rehab counselors. Destination Hope has a highly effective drug and alcohol rehab and dual diagnosis treatment program designed around long-term recovery and intimate case management. We believe that people seek out our Florida drug rehab program because they want the best chance to succeed in their recovery … Continue reading →

by Conrad Wilson, Minnesota Public Radio January 28, 2013 Audio player code: COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. A new report on drug trends in the Twin Cities shows heroin use remains a growing problem, while the abuse of opiate-based pain killers, like methadone and OxyContin, may be slowing. During the first half of 2012, treatment centers saw a slight drop in the number of people admitted for opiate abuse. Doctors and drug abuse experts say that's an encouraging sign, but they say it's too early to know if it a trend that will continue. More than 21 percent of people in Hennepin, Ramsey, Anoka, Dakota, Washington counties entering treatment programs early last year were battling an addiction with either heroin or opiate-based prescription pain killers. Graph: Drug trends in Minnesota "Heroin and other opiates are second only to the number of people coming into treatment for alcohol," said Carol Falkowski, the principal at Drug Abuse Dialogue, a drug abuse education company. "That is a relatively new phenomena in the Twin Cities and something that we should all be concerned about." Falkowski authored the twice annual-report for the National Institute on Drug Abuse. "While heroin continues to increase, perhaps prescription opiates are slowing down … Continue reading →

When Dennis Cadigan returned from Vietnam, a Marine machine gunner blinded by an enemy booby trap and addicted to his pain medication, he almost became just another veteran statistic. His dependency on pain medication quickly led to a full blown heroin addiction and Cadigan was on a dark path. It isn't hard to imagine him becoming one of the 300,000 veterans who live on the streets or in a shelter on any given night in the U.S. Or one of the thousands of veterans who continue to suffer from drug addiction and substance abuse. But Cadigan was lucky and determined. He had friends and family who helped him clean up, and a drive that enabled him to succeed. He eventually createdPhoenix Woodworks, a company he hopes to build and share ownership in with other disabled veterans. For many veterans, however, increasingly those returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, the story can end very differently. From 2002 to 2005 prescription drug abuse doubled among U.S. military personnel and then tripled between 2005 and 2008. And the rates of abuse are higher among military than civilian populations, 11% and 5% respectively. Drug addiction is only one challenge veterans face. One in seven homeless … Continue reading →

MOUNT VERNON, Ind. MOUNT VERNON If you need emergency money in Black Township, you must be drug free. In a bold move this month, Black Township in Posey County became the first Indiana Township to drug test all applicants for emergency township assistance. The immediate goal is to keep taxpayers from funding drug use, said Black Township Trustee Lindsay Suits. "Our long term goal is to break the cycle of dependency," Suits said. "It is time for us to stop having great ideas and stopping there." Indiana Townships assistance programs provide residents with the basic essentials for life when all else fails food, clothing, housing, water, electricity. Usually this means paying past-due Vectren or water bills, Suits said. The purpose for township assistance is to help people through emergencies so they can become self sufficient, Suits said. People using drugs won't find work and most employers drug test all potential hires, she said. The push to begin drug testing came first from Black Township's three-person elected board. Suits held off for the first two years in office, then took the plung this year. In the three weeks since Suits began drug testing, the Township has run more than 35 tests. … Continue reading →

When Dennis Cadigan returned from Vietnam, a Marine machine gunner blinded by an enemy booby trap and addicted to his pain medication, he almost became just another veteran statistic. His dependency on pain medication quickly led to a full blown heroin addiction and Cadigan was on a dark path. It isn't hard to imagine him becoming one of the 300,000 veterans who live on the streets or in a shelter on any given night in the U.S. Or one of the thousands of veterans who continue to suffer from drug addiction and substance abuse. But Cadigan was lucky and determined. He had friends and family who helped him clean up, and a drive that enabled him to succeed. He eventually createdPhoenix Woodworks, a company he hopes to build and share ownership in with other disabled veterans. For many veterans, however, increasingly those returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, the story can end very differently. From 2002 to 2005 prescription drug abuse doubled among U.S. military personnel and then tripled between 2005 and 2008. And the rates of abuse are higher among military than civilian populations, 11% and 5% respectively. Drug addiction is only one challenge veterans face. One in seven homeless … Continue reading →

Two individuals suspected of selling drugs to an undercover Southeast Area Drug Enforcement investigator were bound to Gage County District Court Friday. Joshua L. May, 23, and Glen Walk, 20, waived their rights to a preliminary hearing in Gage County Court Friday afternoon. They will go before the district court on March 6 at 10 a.m. May faces one count of aiding and abetting the distribution of methamphetamine. He is currently in custody on a $15,000 bond. His attorney is Charles Bentjen. Walk was charged with distribution of methamphetamine and distribution of marijuana. He posted ten percent of a $25,000 bond. His attorney is Darin Knepper. A preliminary hearing in Gage County Court was set for six other defendants on Feb. 11. Trevor P. Garton, 18, faces three counts of distribution of a controlled substance near a school as well as intent to deliver near a school, a class II felony. Judge Steven Timm lowered Gartons bond from $50,000 to $25,000 Friday on the condition he enter a chemical dependency treatment facility. Gage County Deputy Attorney Amanda Spracklen-Hogan said Garton could face additional charges stemming from drugs and drug paraphernalia found in his residence when he was arrested on Jan. … Continue reading →

Published: 1/24/2013 8:37 PM | Last update: 1/24/2013 11:36 PM By Ken Stephens - The Hutchinson News - kstephens@hutchnews.com One element of the cost of drug crime that cannot be qualified is its rippling effect on the families of drug users. When fathers go to prison for drug-related crimes, families often end up on public assistance, and when mothers go to prison for drug crimes, their children often end up in foster care, said Shirley Faulkner, director of substance abuse services at Prairie View Inc., a private drug and alcohol treatment organization. In school, the children raised in chaos have a harder time concentrating, Faulkner said, and they don't connect well with others because they have been taught to keep secret what they see at home. "One of the rules of addicts' families is 'Don't talk, don't trust, don't feel,' " Faulkner said. "And so these children learn that 'What happens in our home stays in our home.' You don't go to school and talk to anyone about it. You don't talk to teachers about it. If anyone asks anything about it, it's none of their business. So children have to repress many of these experiences that they endure and … Continue reading →

23 January 2013 Last updated at 13:32 ET The UK government's official drugs advisory body has rejected calls to ban the herbal stimulant, khat. The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) said there was "insufficient evidence" that khat caused health problems. The stimulant is traditionally used by members of the Somali, Yemeni and Ethiopian communities. It has been outlawed by the US and Canada and in most European countries, most recently by the Netherlands. The review was commissioned by the Home Office. The ACMD said there was "no evidence" khat, which contain the stimulant cathinone, was directly linked with serious or organised crime. It said khat, which consists of the leaves and shoots of a shrub cultivated in the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, was chewed to obtain a "mild stimulant effect much less potent than stimulant drugs, such as amphetamine". Khat is sold in bundles for about 3 to 6 each. Users often chew one or two bundles for up to six hours at a time. Somali groups in the UK had told the council that use of khat, which acts as a stimulant when chewed, was a "significant social problem". View original post here: … Continue reading →