The National Drug Intelligence Center writes, “In other cases, mental disorders are caused by drug abuse. For example, MDMA (ecstasy), produces long-term deficits in serotonin function in the brain, leading to mental disorders such as depression and anxiety. Chronic drug abuse by adolescents during formative years is a particular concern because it can interfere with normal socialization and cognitive development and thus frequently contributes to the development of mental disorders.”

Addicts and alcoholics are depressed and anxious people. They exhibit impulsive behavior and wild mood swings. They cannot focus and they cannot complete the things they start. They have minimal ability to control moods or emotions. These are all symptoms of diagnoses like depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder. What if the symptoms were largely due the misery of an addict’s lifestyle and, moreover, by the damage being done to the brain by the drugs and alcohol?

The University of Utah Genetic Science Learning Center helps explain why drug addicts are unable to feel pleasure or contentment. “Within seconds of entering the body, drugs cause dramatic changes to synapses in the brain. By bypassing the five senses and directly activating the brain’s reward circuitry fast and hard, drugs can cause a jolt of intense pleasure. Drugs of abuse affect the brain in such a dramatic way that the brain must try to adapt. One way the brain compensates is to reduce the number of dopamine receptors at the synapse. As a result, after the user has “come down”, they will need more of the drug next time they want to get high. This response is commonly referred to as “tolerance.”

When an addict gets high, he or she is experiencing a rush of euphoria, confidence, and contentment because the brain releases so much dopamine, a chemical in the pleasure center of the brain. Unfortunately, the brain begins to deplete it’s dopamine and serotonin and cannot keep up with the addict’s drug use. And so he or she is left feeling depressed, anxious, and exhibiting symptoms of many mental disorders.

Can many of these symptoms be resolved with sobriety and a healthy lifestyle?

One recovered addict writes, “Today I am a healthy, happy woman who helps other addicts and alcoholics. I do not have depression or anxiety or OCD or ADD or bipolar disorder. I rarely get sick and I have no need for any prescriptions at all. I don’t even need over the counter medication. I am calm and confident and happy. I am a miracle.”

Where can addicts go to achieve this kind of quality sobriety and overall health?

If you or someone you love has a problem with drug addiction, our drug abuse solutions can help.

Nj.com is reporting today April 19, 2012 that state officials are doubling the number of places in New Jersey to safely dispose of unused prescription drugs.  Covanta Energy Corp, a Morristown-based waste-to-energy and renewable energy company is agreeing to destroy the prescription drugs for free.  Attorney General Jeffery Chiesa said, “This initiative, called Project medicine Drop, will expand to locations at the Cherry Hill Police Department, Somerset County Sheriff’s Office, Lower Township Police Department and the Toms River Police Department.

The state Division of Consumer Affairs installs lockable, metal boxes at select police and sheriff’s offices.  So anyone can dispose of unused prescription drugs at any time and no one will ask questions. Of course there is a goal for this program and it is to get unused prescription drugs out of household medicine cabinets.  Some of these medicines are found by teenagers who then abuse them.

This whole idea started in November of last year with locations in Little Falls, Seaside Heights and Vineland.  Chiesa said, “Residents turned in far more drugs than expected, and the departments were faced with the high cost of having to dispose of them.”  Covanta has agreed to accept the drugs and destroy them.  This company does this in other states as well and their process is approved by the state Department of Environmental Protection.

It seems like the officials in Trenton are doing a good deed to fight the war on drugs.  Many other cities in these United States are doing the same.  Drugs harm our communities in many ways.  If you know someone who wants to get off drugs get them to an inpatient treatment center or one of the prescription drug rehabs where they can detox and withdraw in a safe and natural way.  Something can be done about it.

Uniondemocrat.com reported just recently that a pharmacist plead guilty to felony grand theft and misdemeanor possession of alprazolam (Xanax) for sale.  The case for this incident started back a year ago.  This 61 year old pharmacist was arrested by Angles Camp Police department.  When they did a legal search they found $3,000 worth of prescription medications in his car.  It seems that the security officers for the Rite Aid where he worked were the ones that called the police.  There is not doubt by the police that he was intending on selling these drugs.  For this kind of violation he is facing a maximum of 120 days of jail and three years probation.  He will be sentenced in Department 1 of the Calaveras County Superior court.  His plea was in exchange for dropping some other charges like possession of pain killers and diet pills. 

The pharmacist got into a 90 day in-patient drug treatment program in Desert Hot Springs in Southern California.  He did that as part of the California State Board of Pharmacy’s Pharmacists Recovery Program.  He has been a licensed pharmacist for more than 24 years and it had remained clear.

Kim Brown, spokeswoman for the Board of Pharmacy said, “The board cannot confirm or deny whether a pharmacist is being investigated.  I have no information on the details of this case.  A conviction like that would definitely be grounds for opening an investigation if one hadn’t been opened before.  Any action taken against a pharmacist’s license is not recorded publicly until an investigation is completed.”

Drugs are everywhere in this country.  Doing these stories I become very aware that many are involved in taking, selling and distributing drugs.  For some people it is the money it brings to them.  For some like in this example it is the addiction they have to these drugs.  I can imagine it is very easy for a pharmacist to just reach out on the shelf and take some pills.  If you know someone who wants to get off drugs get them to an inpatient treatment center or one of the prescription drug rehabs where they can get safe and natural ways to detox and withdraw.  Something can be done about it.

Late in 2011 wboc.com reported a story about an investigation of officers searching off-campus residences where they seized 703 grams of high-grade marijuana as well as paraphernalia, 26 Oxycodone and 14 ecstasy pills.  The Salisbury police reported that the neighborhoods where this trouble occurred are troubled with a serious prescription drug problem.  They also reported that there is no particular gang that was involved.  All of this led to the Maryland State Police Gang Task Force arresting five Salisbury University students and several other area residents on drug-related charges. They were charged with possession with intent to distribute – marijuana, possession of CDS –marijuana, possession of CDS –not marijuana and possession of CDs paraphernalia.

The university commented on the arrest, saying “Salisbury University takes matters such as these seriously and will cooperate with law enforcement officials in every way possible.  Although, to our knowledge, these alleged crimes occurred off-campus, the university will also conduct its own inquiry through the student judicial process.”

The university’s code of conduct is that students attending the school may not possess, manufacture or distribute drugs.

Drugs everywhere in this community.  These college students were engaged in getting drugs out to others.  This was a very harmful activity.  Drugs are harmful to our families and communities.  In this case it was in our learning institutions.  If you know someone who wants to get off drugs get them to an inpatient treatment center or one of the prescription drug rehabs where they can get safe and natural ways to detox and withdraw.  Something can be done about it.

Wlfx.com ran a story late in 2011 that told about almost two dozen people being accused of running a prescription drug operation out of the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Riviera Beach.  An operation called “Operation Tango Vax” was what they called this seven month undercover investigation.  This investigation included four agencies, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, State Attorney’s Office, Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Office of Inspector General Criminal Investigations Division.  21 people got warrants for arrest and that included hospital patients and employees.  Some of the VA workers included a pharmacy technician, a respiratory therapist and several nursing assistants.  There was a whole morning spent while investigators searched vehicles and interviewed potential witnesses.

VA patient Robert Bates said, “it really hurts my feelings that you know these people are here to take care of us and there’s people here that are selling drugs you know and everybody knew this for a long time and I guess it’s been going on until they could track down the correct people and I’m glad that they did that.”

VA patient David Pond, said, “That’s the good thing.  Finally somebody’s brought it to attention and that’s good, that’s good, yes.”

Agents went undercover several months ago and they posed as hospital workers.  They were able to buy prescription drugs, largely Oxycodone, from hospital staffers and veterans as well who were selling their own medication.  Agents seized about 6,000 Oxycodone pills, 2 vehicles and $200,000 in cash. Hopefully seizures like this can help keep people out of rehabs in Florida and rehabs in Louisiana and other nearby states.

Captain Eric Coleman with the PBSO Narcotics Division said, “The VA Center is almost like a little city.  There are 8 to 10 thousand people a day that come through here, receiving services….it’s a unique facility.  There are a lot of people here.  A lot of the drugs were coming off the street and being brought into here, so uh, there’s a little bit of everything that was happening here.”

Because of this situation there have been others outside of the hospital that have been targeted for investigation.

Riviera Beach, Florida is number 13 on the 100 most dangerous cities to live in; located in these United States.  Drugs are everywhere in this community and they are harming the residents in many ways.  If you know someone who wants to get off drugs get them to an in patent treatment center or one of the prescription drug rehabs where they can get safe and natural ways to detox and withdraw.  Something can be done about it.

Pressofatlanticcity.com reported in March of 2012 that Atlantic County’s schools know that marijuana, prescription pills and alcohol is still the main concerns for all of the officials but they are also worried about newer more dangerous drugs like bath salts and synthetic marijuana.  These have absolutely been the target of a recent statewide ban.  It has been observed in many local schools and the law enforcement agencies have heard about the problems with these so-called designer drugs elsewhere, but it is noticed that they don’t seem to be the choice here.  Atlantic City Police Officer Robert Berg, a Drug Abuse Resistance Education Officer for 13 years said, “I didn’t hear much about that until a couple of weeks ago, when they were making it against the law.  There is not real study or data on it, so it’s difficult to say.”

Glenn Hausmann, a Hamilton Township schools resource officer, said, “But Atlantic County’s schools aren’t seeing it.  Some things just don’t catch on.  I don’t know what it is about South Jersey.  Weed is always here.  It’s here to stay.”

The Commissioner of Education’s Report on Violence, Vandalism and Substance Abuse in New Jersey schools shows that marijuana use increased nearly 29 percent from 2008 to 2011.

Jo-Ann Goldberg, director of Mainland Regional High Schools’ Child Study Team, said, “Basically, what I see is that students are using marijuana to self-medicate.  What the student and /or parents do not realize is that there is a strong relationship between marijuana use and mental health problems.”

At this time Hausmann commented with, “Prescription pills are also a big problem because of the easy access, who deals mainly with middle school students.  Students will often wind up sick in the nurse’s office from prescription drug abuse.  I have a pretty good rapport with the students despite being a lot older and ‘not hip’.  I think they just trust me.  They have not mentioned the synthetic marijuana or bath salts.  The ban is a good thing.  I think New Jersey stayed in front of it.”

These are the things going on in Atlantic City, New Jersey.  Drugs are in all parts of the city.  Atlantic City is one of the top 100 cities in the US that is considered the most dangerous to live in.  If you know someone who wants to get off drugs get them to an inpatient treatment center or one of the prescription drug rehabs where they can get safe and natural ways to detox and withdraw.  Something can be done about it.

Fox news reported this”  “A city in crisis is turning to drastic measures.  Chester is now declaring a state of emergency.  The Mayor of Chester has been prompted to take drastic action.  There was a murder of a two year old is an example of the violence going on in the city of Chester. It is only one of the four homicides in the last week and a half.  The police state has been declared across five of the most crime ridden sections of this city.  The state police and federal officers will be brought in to help police the streets.  No one can be on them without a legitimate reason.  The police will stop and question anyone violating that curfew.”

The incident that spurred all this is when shots were fired into a playground with about 75 to 100 people in it.  There were four people found that had been hit by bullets and one of the victims died from his injuries and the other injuries are not life threaten.  Witnesses say they saw the shots fired from a car heading northbound which was possibly a white crown Victoria.

“It is getting out of hand.  There is senseless violence in the streets of Chester.  That is why there are more police out there including State troopers.  That is why no one is allowed on the streets.”  Another
television station reported. The drug problem is a large part of this violence, and nearby Philadelphia drug rehabs are kept very busy.

All of this violence makes it hard to live in the city of Chester.  Drugs go hand in hand with unrest in any city. When the television stations are making their reports it is easy to see the frustration from the city officials.  There is no mention of drugs being at the root of all this violence.  Investigations be done they will find that street drugs, prescription drugs all have something to do with this situation. If you know someone with a problem, get him or her to one of the prescription drug rehabs today.

Pain relievers caused 14,800 overdose deaths in 2008 alone and the death toll is rising this reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Let’s look at some figures.  In this nation in the yeas of 2010 pharmacies dispensed the equivalent of 69 tons of pure Oxycodone and 42 tons of pure hydrocodone.  What does that translate to in everyday life?  Well that means there is enough drugs there to give 40 5 mg Percocets and 24 5 mg Vicodins to every person in the US.  It seems the DEA records shipments from distributors to pharmacies, hospital, practitioners and teaching institutions.  That is where these figures come from.

Gregory Bunt, medical director at New York’s Day top Village chair of drug treatment clinics believes that the increase is partly due to the aging US population with pain issues and there is a greater willingness by doctors to treat pain.  “Sales are being driven by addiction, as users become physically dependent on painkillers and begin “doctor shopping” to keep the prescriptions coming.”

Gil Kerlikowske, the US Drug czar stated to Congress in March:  “Prescription medications can provide enormous health and quality-of-life benefits to patients.  However, we all now recognize that these drugs can be just as dangerous and deadly as illicit substances when misused or abused.”

These Opioids like hydrocodone and Oxycodone can release intense feelings of well-being.  That is one of the reasons why many people are turning to this drug.  In the elderly this also helps with their depression, so it is said.  In the addict it keeps them feeling good and after all it is legal, more than the corner fix.

Some of us are knowing that this increase could be the result of pharmaceuticals marketing on the TV and other media that these drugs can be helpful.  Also doctors are absolutely giving out more of these prescriptions for pain in their patients.

These drugs are harmful to you and your body.  Taking them can lead to adverse effects in your life.  If you know someone who wants to get off these drugs; get them to an Inpatient treatment center or one of the prescription drug rehabs.  There they can get safe and natural ways to detox and withdraw.  Something can be done about it.

The study also showed that the vets who developed PTSD;  already had pre-existing substance abuse issues and were four times more likely to be prescribed addictive painkillers than those without mental health problems.  So what do you think the result of all this is?  Suicides and other self-inflicted injuries and drug and alcohol overdoses were more prevalent in vets with PTSD who received painkilling drugs. And of course many will eventually require help from prescription drug rehabs.

They were prescribed these drugs with the hope that the emotional distress that accompanies chronic pain will also be reduced but this hope is not fulfilled and these drugs can sometimes make emotional problems worse.

The study looked at 141,029 men and women who came from Iraq and Afghanistan.  These vets had been diagnosed with non-cancerous physical pain and half of them were diagnosed with mental health problems like PTSD.  The Department of Veterans Affairs paid for the study.

Dr. Karen Seal is the lead author of the study.  She is treating patients at the San Francisco VA Medical Center and she stated:  “I have sometimes prescribed opiates to war veterans, but only if other painkillers have not been effective.” This sounds like a rational policy, but not all doctors are as cautious, and many of these patients can end up in Sacramento drug rehabs.

The Veterans Administration said while their pain management program has been called a model of care, “we recognize that more work needs to be done.”  Another study done by the RAND Corporation from Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America states, “Among Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, rates of psychological and neurological injuries are high and rising.  Nearly 20 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans screen positive for PTSD or depression.  Although these statistics are troubling, we have yet to see the full extent of troops’psychological and neurological injuries.  Service members are still deploying on long and repeated combat tours, which increase the risk of blast injuries and combat stress.  Rates of marital stress, substance abuse, and suicide are all increasing.  Divorce rates among female Marines were nearly three times the national average, and the Army suicide rate hit a 27 year high in 2008.”

In the VA sponsored study, it was found that more than three-quarters of the opiate prescriptions given to vets – 77 percent came from primary care physicians.  That tells me that when these vets got home they went to see their doctor for help with their problems and they gave them opiates to help; but little did they know that these drugs will only make things worse.  Yes, we need to more to help these vets.  They went to fight for our country.  While that is an ideal purpose it is noted here that there should be a balance of taking care of themselves as well as our country.

Suehs stated:  “Some of the providers in question have been forbidden to participate in the Texas Medicaid program, including one convicted in a criminal case and another accused of inappropriate billing and coding of hours related to patient services.  The presence of this high rate may not necessarily be indicative of fraud or abuse on its own, though high prescription rates could indicate a problem.” It could also indicate that if you have a problem with prescription drug abuse, you may need to consider getting yourself help at one of the Texas drug rehabs.

Star-Telegram did an investigation of their own and used prescription numbers to identify the physicians who were involved and count their prescriptions total by drug type.  The report stated: We also looked at other mental-health drugs that have cost taxpayers about $1.3 billion over five years.  The analysis found that in two years, the 72 Medicaid providers identified by the state for writing the most prescriptions handed out 186,992 and that averaged out to 2,597 each.”

One physician in Houston wrote out 27,000 prescriptions for Xanax.

Antidepressants were prescribed on a large amount also.  These drugs are dangerous even when they are not being over prescribed.  They can lead to irritable, restless agitated and aggressive behavior and cause a person to do things that don’t make sense and are downright criminal.

The overprescribing of drugs is going on all over this country.  In Texas they are doing something about it.  It looks as though that would be an easy way to defraud the system.  If you have elderly parents and their doctor is putting them on antidepressants and anti anxiety medications monitor the situation with your parents.  You don’t want to see them end up in one of the prescription rehabs. It seems as though the elderly may be a target for those who want to make money.