Andre Davis was a professional wrestler who had no problem with the ladies – a proclivity that turned out to be the cause of a few huge changes to his quality of life. His freedom, at least, has certainly be taken away; he was sentenced to 32 years in prison for having sex with a dozen women either without telling them that he was HIV positive or for lying about his status. His reason for making this deadly mistake? Sex addiction.
Sex Addiction and Bad Decisions
At the trial, Davis said: “Sex addiction is probably the worst addiction you could ever have. Drugs and alcohol are terrible, but sex is something everybody wants. I never did a drug in my life, I’m a social drinker, but those things mean nothing to me — sex was it.”
Though neither side was able to talk about whether or not these women were infected with the disease due to medical privacy, it’s clear that Davis took the life of each and every women he slept with into his own hands when he chose not to disclose his status – and the judge took that choice very seriously. HIV, though treatable, is still a deadly disease and sex addiction, though a compulsion disorder, is not reason enough to be able to walk away from endangering others.
Living With Compulsion Disorders
Sex addiction, gambling addiction, and in some ways, drug addiction are all disorders based upon the inability of the patient to stop themselves from following through on an act when triggered, despite the negative consequences. Some who are living with a sex addiction are in denial about it. Others are embarrassed and refuse to admit it. Still others are fully aware that their issues with sex cause problems in their lives – but they can’t stop alone. These two factors – the constant negative consequences caused by the repetitive action and the inability to stop indulging in that behavior despite repeated attempts – are the definition of an addiction.
Sex Addiction Treatment
It is possible to enroll in treatment programs that can help you to address the issues of sex addiction. Talk therapy and, in some cases, medication may be enough to help you stabilize and stop indulging in the behavior. If you are living with sex addiction in addition to another disorder – usually drug or alcohol addiction – then it may be necessary to choose a dual diagnosis rehab that is equipped to treat both issues at the same time.
Do you need more information about sex addiction treatment or treatment for co-occurring addictions? Contact us today to learn how we can help.
If there’s one constant during addiction that remains in recovery, it is the need to continually earn money. Whether it’s for drugs or to pay the bills, the only time when you can – and should – take a break from worrying about money is when you are actively in rehab. Once you leave, however, and begin the aftercare process of reintegrating back into “the world,” you need to start thinking about getting a job – one that is legal and won’t trigger you to relapse.
Money and Addiction
During addiction, your sole financial goal was likely to maintain your addiction. If you had some pocket change after that, great. Enough to pay the bills? Even better. But most likely, when it came to money, you were living from one day to the next. In many cases, patients in recovery report that addiction quickly took from them the ability to work a regular job. Unable to show up on time if at all, perform work duties, or avoid getting high while working, most lose their jobs pretty quickly. But since it’s still necessary to make money to pay for drugs and other living expenses, many turn to less than legitimate sources for their funds. Some sell drugs. Others steal or defraud. Still others become prostitutes.
Whatever the source of making money during addiction, after rehab, it’s time to make a change.
Going Straight After Rehab
In general, most in recovery find that their finances are far easier to manage after they get clean. Money seems to evaporate when there’s an addiction to support, but when that addiction is no longer an issue, paying rent and bills once a month is a small amount to come up with by comparison.
In many cases, a part-time job or a minimum wage position is more than enough to buy groceries and rent a room. Keeping your bills low is always a good idea because it keeps your stress low as well – a key in maintaining sobriety for the long term, since stress if an often cited trigger for relapse. Even if the first job you get out of rehab isn’t your dream job, it’s important to make sure that it’s at least a low-stress position, something you can easily learn by paying attention. It’s also important that it doesn’t have anything to do with drugs or alcohol – or mean working with people who are using or drinking.
What are your tips for people looking for work after rehab? Leave us a comment below and let us know what you think.
Bob Forrest, famous for his work with recovering addicts on Celebrity Rehab and infamous for his life as a heroin addict before that, recently spoke to CNN about the rising tide of prescription drug addiction. In an online interview, Forrest talked about the prevalence of oxycodone on the streets, how it gets there, how it is abused and why people can’t stop on their own.
Is oxycodone the new heroin?
Opiate Painkiller Dependence
Oxycodone is one of the most commonly prescribed pain medications to manage moderate to severe pain in those who have chronic pain and those who have acute pain associated with an accident or a surgery. Available in a wide range of doses, patients are often given more than they need to deal with pain in an acute situation or continually refill their prescriptions without any guidance from their doctor when the issue is chronic. A physical dependence is almost unavoidable if the drug is taken in a large enough dose for a long enough period of time. When this happens without medical intervention and a psychological dependence develops soon after, the only way out is enrollment in a drug rehab that includes both detox (for the physical dependence) and psychotherapy (for the psychological dependence).
Oxycodone Can Lead to Heroin Addiction
Oxycodone pills aren’t cheap and a number of people who begin their opiate addiction with oxycodone end it with heroin. Heroin is also an opiate and thus provides the user with many of the same effects as oxycodone and other narcotic painkillers. It’s also a lot cheaper and no doctor’s prescription is required to get it. Those who find their addiction spiraling out of control often turn to the street drug because it is more affordable and easier to come by since it doesn’t require the approval of any regulatory entities (e.g., doctors and pharmacies). There are no statewide databases in place to monitor the use of heroin, as there are for opiate prescriptions.
Finding Help in Rehab
Unfortunately, when it comes to the dangerous effects of opiate addiction, it doesn’t matter whether the drug of choice is oxycodone or heroin – they’re both deadly and they both require extensive treatment. If you are interested in learning more about the detox options that are effective in opiate addiction or if inpatient care is the next step for you, contact us today at the phone number listed above. We can help you leave opiate addiction behind forever.
It’s a well-known fact that people are often the vehicle for transporting drugs of all kinds, especially cocaine and heroin. Called “drug mules,” these people may be paid to do this dangerous job or coerced, threatened with harm to themselves, their family or their homes. Because law enforcement are getting better and better at pinpointing who is carrying drugs across the border by car or by airplane – often hidden in baggage, in the vehicle or in their stomachs (swallowed in balloons) – drug gangs are changing tactics and using people who have no idea that they are transporting drugs across the border from Mexico into the United States, according to CNN.
SENTRI Pass Holders Targeted
SENTRI stands for Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection. Those who often cross the Mexican-United States border for work, school or another purpose can get a pass that allows them to cross the border with minimal hassle and almost no car inspection to speak of. To qualify, they must have their fingerprints taken, undergo an interview, and have no criminal record. Because the Customs and Border Protection Officer working the gate often just looks into their car before waving them through, these drivers are often the target of drug dealers looking to get their wares into the United States. Picking their victims from local restaurants, neighborhoods and shops, few even know that they have been targeted until it’s too late.
Unfortunately, those who are caught with drugs in their cars are often held for months awaiting trial and get years for possession, often with even more years added on for intent to distribute.
Addiction Is Not Harmless
This is yet another reason why addiction is not harmless. Too many who abuse drugs try to say that marijuana use, cocaine abuse and heroin addiction are harmless to the public and a personal choice for the user. Not true. There are too many victims to count long before the drug reaches the end user, innocent people who lose their lives and families that are torn apart. The lives destroyed in prison and in gangs are certainly demonstrations of harm – and that’s before all the issues that plague the user himself, his family and those in his community.
Drug Rehab
You may not be able to stop the violence happening in other parts of the world due to drug trafficking, but you can make sure that there is one less person to keep them in business. Contact us today to find out how we can help you break free from drug and alcohol abuse or dependence and move the world one step farther away from the violence that comes with drug production and distribution. Call now.
Which age group do you think has the highest rate of binge drinking in the United States? Most people would say teenagers or young adults, especially college age kids. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released the results of a study that said that senior adults – or those over the age of 65 – binge drink more often than any other age group.
Though it is true that more young adults between the ages of 18 and 34 binge drink, seniors drink five drinks or more (four for women) in a sitting more often. The estimation is that more than 38 million Americans binge drink an average of four times each month – but seniors indulge in as many as eight drinks at a sitting five or six times every month.
The Long-Term Effects of Binge Drinking
Pamela S. Hyde is the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administrator. She said in a statement: “Binge drinking by adults has a huge public health impact, and influences the drinking behavior of underage youth by the example it sets. We need to reduce binge drinking by adults to prevent the immediate and long-term effects it has on the health of adults and youth.”
The National Institute on Aging says that seniors may be at even higher risk for health problems due to binge drinking, especially if they have other health problems or are taking prescription medications that could increase the effect of alcohol. In some cases, seniors just metabolize alcohol differently and feel the effects more strongly as a result. Those who have only one or two drinks may be too impaired to drive – even if they don’t take medication – and may end up getting into an accident. Additionally, a senior’s chance of developing high blood pressure, osteoporosis, experiencing significant memory loss, or having a stroke is higher when binge drinking.
Slipping Through the Cracks
Unfortunately, seniors are the group least likely to get the help they need for alcohol abuse and other addiction issues for a number of reasons. In some cases, it may not be apparent whether odd or erratic behavior is due to substance abuse, regular medications or just getting older. In other cases, addiction may be missed because there is no one there to recognize it.
If you or someone you care about is struggling with binge drinking at any age, don’t let the health effects continue to stack up. Contact us today to find out more about our alcohol treatment programs and learn how you can make positive changes in your life.
Security cameras, panic buttons, concealed weapons, specialized police training, cash rewards – these all sound like tactics to prevent, investigate and solve bank robberies, not the precautions needed to run a local pharmacy. However, with the growing prescription drug epidemic, pharmacists behind the counter around the country are fearing for their safety and that of their employees every time they arrive at work. This is not paranoia from a hypersensitive media; on Long Island alone, a recent string of hold-ups at area pharmacies have left five people dead, including an off-duty police agent.
Police Officials Recognize the Danger to Pharmacy Employees
The Suffolk County Police Commissioner, Edward Webber, is leading the charge to shore up safety concerns at pharmacies on Long Island. He believes efforts to stop prescription drug abuse should be the number one goal. Then measures should be taken to prevent robberies and to minimize risk to pharmacy employees and patrons in the event a robbery occurs. Police are trained in preventing crime surrounding drugs such as cocaine, heroin and meth, but they are new at understanding the ins and outs of prescription medication crimes, as the problem is relatively new in most areas compared to other drug issues. So for many areas of the country, police knowledge is running to catch up to a drug problem that has gotten out of control.
Purdue Pharma Training Pharmacy Personnel In Safety Measures
In response to concerns, one pharmaceutical company is standing up to protect the people who are risking their lives to sell their product. Purdue Pharma is teaming up with Suffolk County police officers to help pharmacies increase store security. They are also providing pharmacists with additional instruction on how to recognize fake or forged prescriptions and encourage an immediate call to a patient’s doctors if they have any reason to question the legitimacy of a prescription.
Although pharmacists and their employees are grateful for the feedback and guidance from police and pharmaceutical reps, Joanne Hoffman Beechko, head of the Long Island Pharmacists Society, says, “To be armed guards, that’s not what I went to school for.” Fear of the whims of prescription drug addicts has changed the lives of pharmacists in ways they never could have imagined when they chose their careers.
Do you think that the dangers now posed to pharmacists on the job may inhibit individuals from pursuing this career? Do you think we may be facing a shortage of pharmacists in the future as a result? All your thoughts and ideas are welcome below.
The residents of Canada’s Kingfisher Lake, a First Nation community, were beset by a prescription drug epidemic long before the forest fires overcame their community. When the fires started, many evacuees from the small town trekked down to Ottawa to escape the flames; however, escaping their dependence upon prescription drugs was not so easy.
At first, it was an issue of withdrawal symptoms. Most of the evacuees were set up in an encampment at Algonquin College and, about 10 days after their arrival, they began to experience withdrawal symptoms, according to the Vancouver Sun. Though doctors wanted to put some of the patients on methadone, a drug commonly used in the treatment of opiate addiction, other medical professionals and First Nations officials from Kingfisher Lake said that anyone who was given the medication would be unable to return home with everyone else. As a fly-in community, no methadone treatment is currently available in Kingfisher Lake – a problem that has made the issue of prescription drug addiction very hard to control.
The fly-in nature of Kingfisher Lake has meant that drugs to feed the addictions are just as difficult to come by as other commodities. In fact, groceries remain stocked on the shelves despite the need for them because so many addicts are spending their money on pills rather than food. And those pills cost far more than they do in other areas – as much as $600 a pill in some cases.
The situation is serious and it’s one that is replicated throughout the fly-in communities of northwest Ontario. One Sioux Lookout Zone study said: “[It is] impossible to determine the extent of prescription drug abuse, anecdotally as many as 80 percent of the adult population uses prescription drugs illicitly in some communities.”
A state of emergency was declared in 2009. The effects of prescription drug addiction – increased crime, drug-related health problems and social issues – have taken over many of these small communities.
Getting help to these areas is not easy. It makes it almost impossible for these patients to stop abusing prescription painkillers safely and effectively.
In some ways, this makes the evacuees of Kingfisher Lake lucky. Getting out of their small community and into a larger area means that they have access to health care and rehabilitation. Traveling to get drug treatment is the only way that many will heal and move forward with their lives. For this reason, the wild fires that drove them to evacuate in the first place could be considered a blessing.
Are you ready to get the help you need to stop abusing your drug of choice? Contact us today at Axis and find out about our elite programs in rehabilitation and addiction treatment.
Contrary to popular belief, many who abuse drugs and alcohol are gainfully employed. Only a small percentage of drug addicts are at the extreme, unable to hold down a job or handle responsibilities. Putting themselves at risk and endangering the health and safety of coworkers as well as the profitability of the company, addicted employees are a hazard that cannot be ignored. Employers must take the initiative to address the problem early, preempting it when possible and handling it efficiently when it arises in the workplace.
Higher Rate of Addiction Among Employees of Small Businesses
Small businesses have a much more difficult task in addressing drug addiction in the workplace than do larger corporations. With fewer resources to fight the problem, many small business owners find themselves the short on time to investigate the issue and short on resources to invest in helping addicted employees. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), small businesses are often the “employer of choice” for those who are addicted to drugs and alcohol because there are fewer programs in place to identify addicts and push them to make changes or get help.
Dangers of Addiction in the Workplace
The problem is that addicts who are under the influence or impaired in their thinking and reactions are the cause of many accidents in the workplace. As many as 20 percent of employees who cause accidents at work test positive for drugs or alcohol, according to OSHA. A single accident of this nature can shut down a small business permanently because most small businesses work on a thin profit margin and simply don’t have the financial resources to fix the damage.
Addressing Addiction in the Small Business
Small business owners can address the issue of addiction and limit the chances that they will be wiped out by an employee’s issues with drugs and alcohol. They can:
- Provide anti-drug education workshops
- Offer safety training regularly
- Insure all employees
- Make it clear from hiring that random drug testing will be implemented
Should an employee develop an obvious issue with drug and alcohol addiction, small business owners can stage an intervention and ask them to get the help that they need, offering to give them their job back after they get treatment.
Would you like help getting your employee into drug rehab? Contact us at Axis today and learn more about the rehabilitation programs we offer that can help your employee heal. Call now.
The court case surrounding Dewey C. MacKay and the results of his actions as a physician prescribing prescription painkillers garnered a great deal of media attention. The older physician adamantly believes that he was perfectly in the right to prescribe painkillers as he did in his practice; the family members of patients of his who died as a result of overdose on the prescriptions feel strongly opposed. As is usually the case with physicians brought up on charges for prescribing narcotics, the question at the heart of the matter is this: Is it the responsibility of the physician to correctly identify addiction in patients and stop the flow of pills, or should the patients be responsible for the actions and all the consequences that go along with those actions?
The Families Speak Up
Overdose victims can’t speak for themselves and bereaved family members are often forced to be their voice. They believe that the doctor breached the trust placed in him as a medical professional and that the patients who lost their lives paid the ultimate price for his mistakes – the least he could do is stop practicing and eliminate the possibility of bringing harm to anyone else.
The Doctor’s Response
There were 244 letters sent to the court in support of MacKay, most of which highlighted his long civic record and all the good he’s done in the community as a reason to forgive any mistakes he made in his practice. MacKay, too, fought for himself, pointing out that he treated more than 4,000 patients but that the federal investigation focused on 12 patients, many of whom were former felons who purposefully deceived him in order to get more painkillers to maintenance their addiction. He also said that, while he sympathized with the plight of the families, he did not believe that he should be responsible for the choices made by patients.
Said MacKay about the jury’s final decision: “I know with all my heart they are mistaken in their verdict. I believe the jury chose not to like me.”
Prescription Drug Addiction Help at Axis
MacKay was sentenced to 20 years in prison, the minimum sentence as required by law for his charges. The 64-year-old physician may live out the rest of his life behind bars. The patients who succumbed to prescription drug addiction and overdose, their sentence is bleaker.
Prescription painkiller addiction doesn’t have to be a death sentence. If you or someone you care about is dependent upon narcotic drugs, don’t wait to get help. Contact us at Axis today and find out how we can help you travel swiftly down the road to recovery.
Animal studies have demonstrated for many years that alcohol is related to the release of endorphins. Although animal physiology is similar to humans, it is never certain that the results of animal studies can be directly applied to a human model. However, scientists at UC Berkeley and UCSF, in a study published in Science Translational Medicine, have determined through human brain-imaging research that alcohol directly impacts the release of endorphins. This is particularly true in individuals who drink to excess.
Participants in the University of California study were given radioactive-tagged drugs that proved upon brain imaging that two key areas of the brain were flooded with endorphins after the consumption of alcohol. Endorphins affect the brain in the same way as opiates, and they are the body’s way of creating a natural high. This release of endorphins may very likely be the reason heavy drinkers describe a feeling of pleasure that coincides with the onset of alcohol consumption
UC Research May Help to Improve Drug Therapy Used During Alcohol Treatment
Naltrexone is the chief drug used to assist recovering alcoholics to resist drinking yet those in rehab rarely employ it. This may be because it works by inhibiting receptors that affect the release of endorphins. Scientists hypothesize this most likely reduces the ability for patients to feel pleasure globally, not just in relation to alcohol, so patients rarely want to take it.
With the University of California research, scientists are hoping to design a newer generation of naltrexone that can specifically target only the receptors related to alcohol consumption. In this way, patients would generally be able to experience pleasure in their daily lives, just not in response to drinking alcohol. This could be a revolutionary development in the treatment of alcoholism.
Endorphin Release From Alcohol Intake Is Just the Tip of the Iceberg of Addiction
This particular study focused on one aspect of what is an extremely complex biochemical process. It will take further research, but it can only be assumed that alcohol affects far more than just these receptors. There are a variety of possible mechanisms by which heavy drinkers experience greater amounts of pleasure from alcohol than everyone else. Perhaps some individuals are more sensitive to fluctuating endorphin levels. Or it may be that some people have difficulties getting an endorphin release but because alcohol promotes this process, they may become dependent upon it to feel good, thus leading to addiction.
If you know someone who struggles with dependence on alcohol, we can help. Contact us and we can answer any questions you may have on the treatment process for someone recovering from alcoholism. Our evidence-based rehab programs can provide the help someone with an addiction to alcohol needs to reach a permanent sobriety. Call today.
