The Ranch is a drug addiction treatment program located on a working ranch just south of Nashville. Their unique treatment program offers equine therapy as part of their treatment, a highly effective treatment tool that is particularly effective for anyone who has struggled with addiction, relapse, and has underlying issues such as depression, anxiety, and trauma.

Equine-assisted psychotherapy, often called simply equine therapy, has turned out to be a highly effective way to help people with drug addiction, particularly if there is any underlying issue that makes talk therapy challenging.

So why exactly are horses such an amazing tool in drug addiction treatment?

Drug addiction presents many challenges to the therapist. Years of hiding the addiction means many with addiction develop ways of manipulating others, often by lying or hiding important facts. Over time, the addicted person becomes so comfortable with half-truths that it can be difficult to tease out the whole story. Sometimes this leads to resistance in therapy. The addicted person can become frustrated, because they themselves honestly cannot access their true feelings. Drugs have undermined their ability to understand what they are feeling and why.

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Enter the horse. These gentle, majestic creatures allow such clients to relax and surrender to a phenomenal process. Their interactions with the horses become metaphors for issues and frustrations in their lives. Deeply buried emotions can come to the surface but in an environment that feels comforting and healing.

The therapist is integral to the process – they observe and note the interactions between the client and the horse. They often discover those unfulfilled needs, hopes, and dreams of the addicted person. Sometimes these needs, hopes, and dreams have been so buried by the addiction that even the person expressing them is surprised to discover them.

The relationship between the addicted person and the horse seems to allow people to be more vulnerable and open. They can work through feelings about past rejection, confusion about who they are and where they are going, and their need for support and nurturing and unconditional love, yet still feel protected and safe.

Equine therapy offers a unique opportunity to test new possibilities in many areas of life by taking initial risks in the context of relationship with another living being, before taking the bigger risks in the context of human interaction.

The Ranch has an equine-assisted psychotherapy team with horsemanship experience and over 20 years of professional counseling experience. They guide clients in learning through the therapy about effective communication, self-worth, integrity, trust and respect in relationships, the difference between assertive and aggressive, and the importance of respect, teamwork and community.

Learn more about drug addiction treatment and the equine therapy program at the Ranch by calling 877-378-6407.

Drug Addiction Treatment at The Ranch is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

Sometimes being the take-charge individual who has to do everything on his or her own is not the way to go. This is particularly true when it comes to trying to overcome addiction on your own. Chances are you’ll face an uphill battle. But it’s actually more than just a tough road to go: it may be impossible. Here are some things to think about, possible consequences of not getting treatment for addiction.

You Aren’t Your Best Counsel

First of all, let’s be upfront about one thing. If you have an addiction – whether your substance is alcohol, illicit drugs, or prescription drugs used nonmedically, or a compulsive behavior such as gambling, shopping, work, sex, or an eating disorder – you aren’t the one that’s best equipped to give yourself advice. You simply don’t have enough information, aren’t trained in how to overcome the challenges and hurdles, aren’t certified and licensed to treat addiction, and so on.

And, even if you are an addiction professional, if the patient is you, all the more reason why you shouldn’t try to take matters into your own hands.

Again, you aren’t your best counsel. It’s too hard to be able to follow the necessary steps, adhere to appropriate schedules, analyze your own thoughts and motivations, or teach yourself how to cope. That’s why people who really want to get clean and sober and change their lives go into treatment. Why put yourself through unnecessary – and pointless – frustration by trying to do it on your own? Go into treatment. It’s the best chance you will ever have to put your life back in order.

Access to the Facts

Let’s say that you are a strong-willed person who is used to doing research, making educated decisions, following things through to a conclusion. These are terrific skills, but it still doesn’t mean that you should avoid going into treatment. You can access a wealth of information through various means, the Internet being the most readily available, and still have nothing but a lot of facts – without context. It takes a licensed and certified professional – actually, a staff of professionals – to do the necessary interviewing and assessment, create a personalized treatment plan, and get you into detoxification, if required, and progress to active treatment. There’s also relapse prevention training and preparation of a recovery plan – none of which you should do on your own.

What you can do, in preparation of getting treatment, is to research addiction treatment facilities in your area. Find out the specifics, including whether they specialize in treating your particular addiction, multiple addictions (such as drug and alcohol abuse), or co-occurring disorder (such as substance abuse and a mental health disorder). Make a list of the treatment facilities (residential and outpatient) within easy access and go to their websites to learn more about their treatment philosophy, staff, licensing and credentials of personnel, go through the Q&A, find out about costs, how much insurance pays for, whether or not the facility offers sliding-scale or ability-to-pay arrangements or other financial assistance, including scholarships or grants.

Where should you start to find an addiction treatment facility? The best place is the Treatment Facility Locator (http://dasis3.samhsa.gov/) maintained through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). You can also call their toll-free treatment facility referral helpline at 1-800-662-HELP. There is no charge for this service, and all calls are confidential. When you are serious about getting treatment for your addiction, streamline the process by doing this important fact-finding step first. That is very much something that you can do on your own. Then, you need to put yourself into the capable hands of the professionals.

Tomorrow Is Not Always Another Day

We are such an incredible species. We are intelligent, resourceful, curious, stubborn, independent – and prone to self-deception, procrastination, denial, finger-pointing and a few other negative traits along the way. While every person is unique in both their addiction, there is one thing each has in common: addiction is something we really don’t want to deal with. We tell ourselves that we’re not addicted, that we have it under control, that it really isn’t that big of a problem, that we’re not hurting anyone, and a dozen other excuses. And that’s really what they all are. There’s no truth to any of it. Telling ourselves these distortions of the truth, half-truths, and outright lies is just another way to put off doing what we need to do – and that is, to get into treatment.

When it comes to facing reality, most addicts, and those dependent on a particular substance or compulsive behavior, find many other pressing duties or activities that demand their time and attention. Taking care of themselves, getting sufficient momentum going to actually do something positive to overcome addiction, just isn’t in the cards. Maybe tomorrow, we tell ourselves, only half believing the words.

Here’s what happens the longer we avoid facing the reality: We get worse. Statistics show that, without treatment, addiction is a progressive and debilitating disease that may result in death. If you think that’s out of the realm of possibility, think again. Whether the addiction is alcoholism (where you can die from cirrhosis of the liver, heart disease, or other physical complications and conditions), or prescription drugs used nonmedically (where you overdose or suffer drug interactions), or gambling (where you may become so distraught and filled with self-loathing, remorse, and despair that you commit suicide), or any other addiction, death – or serious and debilitating complications – are a very real potential outcome.

Others Will Undoubtedly Suffer

Addiction treatment professionals say that addiction is a family disease. What does this mean? It doesn’t mean that everyone in the family is an addict – although in many instances, there are numerous addictions within the same family. It does mean that when one family member has an addiction, everyone else in the family suffers as well.

Let’s take a look at how this works. Perhaps the wife and mother is an alcoholic, or pops pills to be able to get through the day. Originally, she may have needed prescription medication as the result of an accident or injury, or to combat depression or anxiety. She may have found that a cocktail helps ease the stress and tension of work and taking care of the family. Maybe she combines alcohol and medication without thinking.

Over time, the combination of alcohol and medication, or too much of alcohol or medication, isn’t enough to dull the pain, take away the anxiety, smooth out the stress. She takes it more often, and increases the amount. Pretty soon – sooner than you think – she’s so dependent on the alcohol or pills (or both), she can’t function without them. After more time passes, she’s completely addicted. She may want to, or try to, wean herself off them, but can’t take the withdrawal (nausea, pain, headaches, jitteriness, anxiety, depression – the list goes on). She goes right back to her drug(s) of choice.

What do you think happens in the family when all this is going on? The husband and children gradually notice that something’s not right. Things aren’t being taken care of like they should be: meals aren’t on time, or are haphazard, the house isn’t clean and orderly any longer, the wife/mother’s appearance begins to suffer, and emotional outbursts may become common, and so on. When questioned, the wife may lie to her husband about drinking or taking pills. She probably hides the booze and medicine all over the house and will become hysterical if it is discovered and destroyed.

The children no longer want to have their friends over, fearing their mother will embarrass them or create a spectacle. They may no longer trust their own mother, since she begins to act in more bizarre ways, can’t be relied upon, and shouts and screams at them. The husband probably notices a distancing on the part of his wife. She’s no longer loving and receptive sexually. She may exhibit coldness or an aloofness, or suspicion and jealousy. Money may start disappearing. Bills are no longer paid on time. The family may suffer financial collapse, especially if another addiction that’s been added to the wife/mother’s list is gambling.
It’s easy to see that one person’s addiction, in this example, has an adverse effect on all the members of the family. Again, it doesn’t matter who has the addiction – husband/father, wife/mother, child, sibling, grandparent, aunt or uncle – if the person who’s addicted resides in the household, everyone suffers. It also doesn’t matter what the addition is. Addiction is a family disease: everyone in the family suffers. Without treatment, they will not only continue to suffer, but the suffering will get worse as addition progresses.

Time Is Not On Your Side

Another negative consequence of not getting treatment for addiction is that time is not on your side. Without treatment, you more than likely can’t overcome your addiction on your own. That’s not to say it’s totally impossible – some people can and do overcome addiction without going into formal treatment. They may make do with self-help books, going to 12-step meetings, and sheer strength of will. But it very rarely happens.

Do you want take that chance? After all the heartache and self-doubt and anxious nights and tortuous cravings and urges, do you really want to go through this alone? Worse yet, are you willing to allow your life – and that of your family – do continue to spiral downward as a result of your addiction?

Sure, it takes time to go through treatment. Depending on your type of addiction, how long you’ve been addicted, how frequently and how much you use, your physical and mental health, family history, environmental, genetic, and other factors, it may take 90 days to six months to a year before you are in recovery. Actual treatment times vary greatly. Since a treatment plan is tailored to each patient, there is no one-size-fits-all type of program. This is true whether the treatment takes place at a residential addiction treatment center, an inpatient hospital setting, or an outpatient facility.

Some types of addiction can be effectively treated on an outpatient basis. Those patients who require detoxification should have that done only under close medical supervision at a licensed detoxification facility. Many residential treatment centers have detox facilities on-site. You can’t go into the active treatment phase until you are clean of the addictive substance (alcohol or drugs). In some cases, medication may be prescribed to help ease the withdrawal symptoms you may experience during detoxification. This is another reason why you need close medical supervision and why you should never attempt detox on your own. You can’t prescribe yourself medication and you likely won’t go through detox by yourself if you have to suffer the withdrawal symptoms – which can range from mild to moderate to severe (and life-threatening, in the case of alcoholism).

Can you afford the time away from your job, family, and friends? Naturally, this would be high on your list of reasons why you can’t go into treatment at this time. But it’s not a good enough reason. If not now, when will be the right time? In fact, when you look at it that way, you’ll never find the time is appropriate to go into treatment. Frankly, you need to get over yourself and your own obsession over controlling what happens. You obviously aren’t in control of your addiction right now. It’s controlling you, and it will only get more demanding as time goes on.

You don’t have time on your side. The sooner you make the decision to go into treatment – and go through with it – the sooner you can resume your life on a clean and sober basis. You need to go through a little pain and discomfort, learn how to cope with cravings and urges, make healthier behavior choices, and plan for and embark upon a new life. You can do all this. But you need to take the all-important first step. You need to admit you have a problem and accept treatment.

You Lose Everything

No one wants to be alone. The thought of losing our family, our friends, and our way of life scares the living daylights out of all of us. When we are the instrument of our own demise, it’s all the worse. The rest of our lives will be spent in self-hatred, self-recrimination, anger, self-destruction, and downward spiral.

Who in their right mind would wish such a future upon themselves? No one would, of course. But it happens all the time when someone pretends their addiction isn’t that bad, that they have it all under control, and that they’ll just gradually cut down or taper off or… fill in the blanks.

The truth is that the longer addiction has a hold on you, the less likely you’re able to think and act clearly. You will find yourself saying and doing things that you’d consider reprehensible if you witnessed it in anyone else. But watching someone else self-destruct and doing it yourself are two different things. When it happens to you, you often never see it coming until it’s too late.

You don’t want to lose everything, do you? Stop what you’re doing and get busy figuring out how to get the help you need.

Next Steps

Once you make the determination that you want to overcome your addiction, you need to take action. Start by doing your research on where to find treatment that may be appropriate for you. Get your finances in order. Talk with your family – your significant other, your parents, siblings – whomever you need to and who will be your immediate support network. Tell them that you have a problem and you want to get help for it. Ask for their encouragement and support as you go through the treatment process and into recovery. The fact is that you can’t make it without support – and a loving family is the best support network you can have.

If there’s a time delay or waiting period before you can get into treatment, don’t let that stop you. Buy books or take them out through the library on overcoming your particular addiction. Learn all you can about the disease. Look up 12-step groups in your area and attend meetings. Start with their websites. Every addiction has a 12-step group, everything from Alcoholics Anonymous to Narcotics Anonymous to Marijuana Anonymous to Gamblers Anonymous, Overeaters Anonymous, Sexaholics Anonymous, and so on. These people are committed to one thing: recovery – yours and theirs. They know what it feels like to be engulfed in compulsive behavior or locked in an endless drug-seeking way of life. They can offer encouragement and support that’s nonjudgmental and asks nothing in return – except for the same type of encouragement, support, and understanding when they may need it. It’s at least a good way to get started on your own personal journey to recovery.

Will you ever be normal again? This is a question many people ask, usually when they’re new to recovery (after they’ve completed treatment to overcome their addiction). It’s perfectly understandable to be anxious and wonder if your life will ever get back to normal. The first few months of recovery can be pretty scary, since this is the time when you’re putting into practice all the things you learned during treatment on how to avoid the people, places, and things that caused you to use, how to cope with cravings and urges, how to establish better communication with family and friends, and how to live a healthier life.

The good news is that you will get better. The longer you are in recovery, the stronger you will get. There will be good days and bad days at first. Over time, you will gain more self-confidence in your abilities, more trust in your decision-making, more pride in your accomplishments. You will look forward to your future, a future that will be of your making according to the plans you’ve put into place.

Will you ever be normal again? For many in recovery, this is the time when they first started to feel normal. For others, it’s the best time in their lives. Why not make this your plan for your future?

Remember the saying from Confucius: “The longest journey begins with the first step.” While it’s appropriate for many things, it’s really apropos with respect to getting treatment for addiction. Begin your recovery journey today by taking that first step. Make the decision to get treatment. Your future awaits you.

Possible Consequences of Not Getting Treatment for Addiction is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

The interesting thing about drug addiction is that it does not play favorites. We may think we can identify the drug user or addict by a specific stereotype, but such an approach will often return erroneous results. Instead, it is better to look for specific signs.

In the case of elderly individuals who are on a number of medications, they could be at a heightened risk for addiction. Let’s examine 20 different signs of addiction that can help loved ones identify a problem that may just be at its start or one dangerously controlling a life.

1. Control in Quantity

A true sign of addiction is when an individual needs more of a substance to achieve a desired effect. The alcoholic will fill a glass more frequently and the drug addicted individual will run through a prescription faster. In the latter example, the increased speed is generally blamed on a physician or pharmacist error or some other excuse rather than an increase in dosage.

2. Hidden Substances

The individual who is using medication prescribed by a physician has nothing to hide. The individual who is drinking when they should not be or consume more of a drug than prescribed will take to hiding medications or bottles of alcohol in odd places. It is important to check in obscure places, but be prepared for tempers if the loved one feels their privacy has been invaded.

3. Things Disappear

It isn’t unusual for things around the house to disappear when there is an addict living within the home. This is especially true for items that hold any type of value and can be sold for cash to acquire more medication. The need for money will appear desperate without obvious cause.

4. Drinking Ahead of Time

It isn’t unusual for the alcohol addicted individual to drink ahead of time before festivities get going. This is often done to make it appear as though they are dinking the same amount as everyone else, when in fact they have consumed far more over the course of the evening.

5. Throwing You Off the Track

Manipulations are not uncommon for those individuals who want to throw people off their scent. Alcoholics will drink alone to show they are not drinking more than others and teen drug users are known to admit to lesser drugs – like marijuana – when bigger drugs are the true issue. What appears to be honesty is really just an attempt to divert attention away from the true problem.

6. Spending Patterns

Both drugs and alcohol are expensive substances and most individuals do not have the disposable income to support a full blown habit. It is important to look for unusual money behaviors, especially frequent trips to payday loan establishments and spending sprees.

7. The Vodka Trick

Vodka is a powerful drink and not always pleasant upon first intake. It remains one of choice, however, as it looks like water. It is also easily added to soft drinks and juice without changing the color or smell of the liquid.

8. Irregular Attendance

The maintenance of addiction takes considerable time, which usually leaves little for socializing or a busy lifestyle. A person who misses an important event or is unreliable and secretive about their activities generally has a problem bigger than an inability to keep appointments.

9. A Narrow Focus

Those dealing with an addiction will have a very narrow focus on life and tend to block out other interests and activities that once held significant pleasure and fulfillment. A subtle change may happen at first, which makes it harder to detect over time.

10. The Magic Bottle

It is not uncommon for the individual living with an alcoholic to check the liquor cabinet to monitor bottle levels. If there is a “Magic Bottle” that appears to never be empty or one that has a level that goes both up and down, it is likely the individual is trying to hide his or her liquor intake.

11. The Diet Promise

The body image is one area that can be especially dangerous. Certain “uppers” like crystal meth and cocaine stimulate energy and people find they rarely need to eat. This results in rapid weight loss, which is erroneously viewed as a positive thing.

12. Cleanliness

While the saying makes us believe cleanliness is next to godliness, an overuse of certain hygiene products is a sign that someone is trying to hide something. Is the person constantly spraying a perfume or using gum or breath mints? Eye drops come in handy to hide reddened eyes and going through bottles quickly should be a sign something is wrong.

13. Check the Bathroom

Prescription medications generally belong in the bathroom. If the bathroom cabinets have no supplies, users are generally quick to check other people’s bathrooms. The sound of extended water running is a hint the person is trying to hide their activities.

14. Managing the Mood

The stark contrast between ups and downs should be a sign that something is aloof. Loved ones should also look for moods that go from numb and calm to extremely aggressive in as little as a few minutes.

15. Dead Asleep

The individual that is sleeping so hard they won’t wake up is a sign something is wrong. Alcoholics and addicts consuming “downers” will sleep very heavily and will also fall asleep at inappropriate times; giving a signal something is wrong.

16. Never Ending Pain

Back pain is a common complaint– people use to get prescription painkillers. Back pain is hard to diagnose and even harder to treat, making it easy to pull the wool over the doctor’s eyes in attempting to get a prescription. This pain also never tends to wane and needs more and more medication to treat.

17. Unfounded Sickness

Vague illnesses are common with addicts as they are seeking an excuse to duck out of work or simply to be left alone to abuse their substance of choice. These individuals also tend to appear sick, without any real diagnosis or cause.

18. Panic

Pot, drugs and alcohol can cause attacks of paranoia. At times, the symptoms are temporary, but over time can completely change the personality of the individual. When the substance is cocaine, it alters the brain and can cause psychological symptoms that greatly impair the individual.

19. A Good Story

The user and abuser know they have a problem, but they don’t want anyone else to know it. They will use a variety of stories that seem to be very believable to throw attention away from them. Keeping close track of these stories is likely to reveal a pattern of deception.

20. Laying the Blame

Alcoholics and addicts are known for pointing the finger at someone else, not wanting to take ownership of their problem or its causes. This tendency increases the conflict level and will take a formally peaceful person to a war zone participant.

20 Signs You May Be Living With an Addict is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

How They Work

There are basically two approaches to vaccinating against drug abuse. The first has been tested on cocaine and works in the same way as an ordinary vaccine. Cocaine molecules are combined with an inactive portion of cholera, and when injected into the body, the substance is recognized by the immune system as a potential threat. This prompts it to create antibodies, the effects of which also extend to cocaine. This means that whenever the individual takes cocaine in the future, the body will fight it as if it were an infection, eliminating the substance before it reaches the brain.

The second method also works through antibodies, but stimulates the creation of them more directly through an interaction with the liver. The vaccine involves injecting a gene into the patient’s liver, which basically contains instructions for building an antibody. This approach has been successfully tested in mice and monkeys. The net result is the same as the first method, but it doesn’t involve any illicit substances.

A “Magic Bullet?”

The huge potential benefits of this approach lead many to assume that vaccinations could form some ultimate, infallible treatment for drug abuse. It has also been argued that the development of vaccines could legitimize addiction (particularly to stimulants) in the minds of doctors in the same way that Prozac did for depression. These assumptions are understandable, but unfortunately misguided. The idea that merely subverting the effects could stop addiction has received much criticism, largely because addiction isn’t merely a physical condition. The psychological grasp of addiction is the real issue, and it will not be removed if the body learns to nullify the effect of a substance. People take drugs in the belief that they will help with stress reduction, and it seems plausible that even if they were vaccinated against their previous drug of choice, they’d simply seek an alternative method of fulfilling their craving.

It’s clear that counseling or other psychological treatment would still remain a central part of any treatment program. Several psychological issues, such as problems with anger management, depression, or a poor self-image, usually accompany addiction. Like drug addiction, these issues would never be addressed solely through medication, and counseling would therefore still be required.

Issues With the Treatment

The treatment itself isn’t perfect. The main issue is that each one can only be effective for one chemical class of addictive substances. So, if a cocaine addict were given a vaccination for cocaine abuse, he or she could start abusing heroin and still achieve a high. This wouldn’t necessarily be the case (since users may not want to switch from the energetic and active effects of cocaine to the languid ones of heroin, for example), but it does present a potential issue, since vaccinating users against all drugs would be expensive and time-consuming.

Not all of the participants who were tested under the first method had a strong enough response to the vaccine to stop cocaine from having any effect. It worked for only 38 percent of those studied, and the researchers aren’t able to determine exactly why. Also, the effects of this type of immunization are temporary, which means users would need repeated, consistent dosing for it to be effective in the long term.

Finally, users might not actually want to take the treatment. This is especially problematic with the first approach, since after the effects wear off, they’d be expected to show up for follow-up appointments for subsequent vaccines. If they’re struggling with temptation, (which is particularly likely if they aren’t receiving counseling) they may not want to nullify the effects of their drug of choice.

The Future

The second method of immunization appears to be more promising, but the entire concept has overall issues that will hold it back. The fact that it does nothing to help with the psychological root causes of addiction means that cravings will still be a significant issue. As new “designer” drugs surface, new vaccinations will also need to be developed, which means it will be a constant battle. While immunizations could have a part to play in the future of addiction treatment, they are far from cure-all wonder-drugs. Instead, they’re likely to become another tool in the rehabilitation arsenal, and will probably only be used alongside existing treatment methods.

Other Sources:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12558457
http://technorati.com/lifestyle/article/vaccine-to-curb-cocaine-addiction-is/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/06/meth-vaccine_n_2082978.html

Vaccines Against Drug Abuse: A Viable Treatment Option? is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

Opioid Basics

All natural and synthetic opioid drugs have their origins in the chemical structure of mind-altering substances found in Papaver somniferum, a plant better known as the opium poppy. Three separate opioids—morphine, opium, and codeine—come directly from sap produced by this poppy during a specific stage of its growth cycle. Several other substances—Including heroin, hydrocodone, and oxycodone—come from the chemical manipulation of naturally occurring opioids. In addition, pharmaceutical manufacturers use the chemical blueprint of naturally occurring opioids to make completely synthetic narcotic substances such as meperidine, morphine, fentanyl, and synthetic codeine. While certain opioids are illegal, many others have such value as pain-relievers that doctors prescribe them in a controlled medical setting despite the risks they pose for abuse and addiction.

Inside the brain and spinal cord (also known as the central nervous system), opioids produce their primary euphoric and painkilling effects by accessing sites known as opioid receptors, which provide entry into the interiors of nerve cells called neurons. In the absence of opioids, the body uses these receptors to provide neuron access for a number of substances—including well-known chemicals called endorphins and lesser-known chemicals called dynorphins and enkephalins—that produce natural pain relief and boost mental well-being. In the presence of opioids, the opioid receptors greatly increase the brain’s supplies of a chemical called dopamine, which activates a pleasure/reward pathway inside the brain known as the limbic system. Addiction to opioids typically occurs when users start to rely on and crave the euphoric, rewarding effects associated with high levels of dopamine inside this system.

According to the findings of the researchers from the University of Adelaide, reported in 2012 in the “Journal of Neuroscience,” opioid molecules also attach themselves to specialized receptors in the body called troll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) receptors. Under normal circumstances, these receptors function as part of the immune system by alerting the body to the presence of certain types of invading bacteria. However, when opioids exert their effects, TLR4 receptors essentially function as drug amplifiers that dramatically increase opioids’ power to produce addiction.

Effects of Plus-Naloxone

Plus-naloxone is a non-opioid medication related to naloxone, a drug doctors use in emergency circumstances to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. When introduced into the body, plus-naloxone effectively shuts down activity in the TLR4 receptors, the authors of the study in the Journal of Neuroscience report. As a result, rats given the medication in laboratory testing experience significantly smaller dopamine increases in their brains when later exposed to the opioid morphine. They also exhibit a greatly reduced response to the rewarding effects of morphine; in turn, this reduced response essentially severs the connection between morphine use and addiction. At the same time, rats given plus-naloxone continue to experience the pain-relieving benefits associated with morphine use. These results mark the first time that any researchers have successfully separated the addictive qualities of an opioid drug from its beneficial drug effects.

Considerations

As noted, the University of Adelaide study was performed on rats, not human beings. This type of animal testing is a common practice used in the earlier stages of drug/medication development as a way to make important assessments before human subjects become involved. The authors of the study note that, before they can consider using human test subjects, they must first make more detailed observations regarding the TLR4 receptors’ role in producing opioid addiction. If they are ultimately successful, their findings may prove valid for a range of legal, therapeutically useful opioids other than morphine. In addition, addiction specialists may be able to add plus-naloxone to the arsenal of treatments available to combat the effects of illegal, therapeutically useless opioids such as heroin and opium. At the earliest, human trials for plus-naloxone would probably begin sometime in 2014.

New Treatment Blocks the Addictive Effects of Opioid Drugs is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

Background Information

Blood reaches the brain through two paired sets of arteries, called the right and left vertebral arteries and the right and left internal carotid arteries. Generally speaking, the vertebral arteries supply blood to rear areas of the brain, while the internal carotid arteries supply blood to the front areas of the brain. At the bottom of the brain, the vertebral and carotid arteries also form the basis for an interconnecting ring of arteries commonly known as the Circle of Willis. Arteries stemming from this ring supply blood to various regions of tissue throughout the brain.

Brain Aneurysm Basics

As a rule, aneurysms develop in arteries, not veins; this is true because arteries bear the brunt of the force required to pump blood from the heart to the rest of the body. Roughly 5 percent of all Americans have an aneurysm in one of the arteries inside their brains, the US National Library of Medicine reports. However, the vast majority of these aneurysms never rupture and cause no symptoms or real-world problems. When a rupture does occur inside the brain (or outside the brain within the skull cavity), it sometimes starts as a slow form of bleeding that grows worse over time. In other cases, a larger rupture occurs and produces immediate, extensive bleeding. Problems can also occur if an intact aneurysm grows large enough to push against nearby brain tissues.

The specific symptoms of a brain aneurysm depend upon a number of factors, including the location of weakened artery, whether the artery ruptures or remains intact, and whether a ruptured artery leaks blood slowly or releases blood rapidly into the surrounding tissues. Generally speaking, common symptoms of a damaging brain aneurysm include a severe headache that appears without warning, pain that appears in the eyes or neck, neck stiffness, the onset of double vision, and partial or total vision loss.

Symptoms specifically associated with a ruptured brain aneurysm include drooping eyelids, headaches, nausea, vomiting, unusual sleepiness or sluggishness, impaired speech, mental confusion, the sorts of vision changes mentioned in the previous paragraph, seizures, unexplained movement problems or muscle weakness, and numbness or other unexplained losses of normal nervous system function. Some people also lose consciousness or enter the nonresponsive state called a coma. People with ruptured brain aneurysms frequently die, even when they receive appropriate emergency medical treatment.

The Effects of Methamphetamine Use

When methamphetamine enters the body, it produces significant increases in the levels of a neurotransmitting chemical in the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) called norepinephrine or noradrenaline. Among its many functions, this chemical helps control normal function in the body’s arteries and veins, and when its levels rise, it produces a narrowing of these blood vessels that doctors commonly refer to as vasoconstriction. In turn, the presence of vasoconstriction increases the amount of pressure exerted on the walls of arteries located throughout the body, including the arteries found in and around the brain. The presence of methamphetamine in the bloodstream can also trigger a condition called vasculitis, which occurs when the immune system produces levels of inflammation that damage the integrity of these vessels. One of the potential consequences of vasculitis is a dangerous weakening of the artery walls.

Methamphetamine’s influence on artery health can lead to the formation of a common type of brain aneurysm called a berry aneurysm, according to a 2008 report by the University of Maryland School of Medicine. In addition, methamphetamine’s influence can cause a berry aneurysm to burst open and produce slow or rapid bleeding inside or outside the brain. Berry aneurysms get their name because they have a berry-like shape. Typically, they range in diameter from several millimeters to a centimeter or more; however, in some cases, unusually large berry aneurysms grow larger than two full centimeters in diameter. Depending on individual circumstances, an aneurysm in a methamphetamine user can burst open without warning, or rupture during the course of a toxic reaction to the drug commonly known as a methamphetamine overdose.

Methamphetamine Use and Brain Aneurysm is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

Publishing their findings in the March 2013 edition of the journal Addiction, the authors of the report revealed that as of 2010, alcohol had become the planet’s third leading cause of disease and injury, trailing only high blood pressure and smoking among a list of 67 different high risk factors. Approximately 5.5 percent of all health problems requiring medical attention, including chronic illnesses and physical injuries incurred in various accidents, can be connected to the use and abuse of alcohol, a percentage that has risen in recent years despite the apparent successes of global campaigns to raise awareness of the dangers of substance abuse.

Alcohol consumption has been linked to more than 300 different types of disease and injury. Its connection to elevated rates of physical injury is especially disturbing because many of the victims of alcohol-related accidents are innocent bystanders who got caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. Addiction is of course one of the most common chronic diseases that afflicts those who drink recklessly or habitually, and besides the massive health care costs associated with treatment for dependency, heavy and regular consumption of alcohol also predisposes an individual to other potentially life-altering or life-threatening health conditions such as stroke, early onset dementia, cirrhosis of the liver, diabetes, and cancers of the stomach, esophagus, breast, liver, and colon.

Charting the Geography of Abuse

To one extent or another, every region of the world is adversely affected by alcohol use and misuse, even the areas that are less sparsely populated. However, the CAMH study did uncover some significant differences in consumption patterns between the various continents and geographical regions.

As revealed in the March edition of Addiction, the authors of the CAMH report discovered that:

• The world’s heaviest consumers of alcohol are found in Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Drinkers in Eastern Europe and Southern Sub-Saharan Africa have the highest rates of problematic consumption (binge drinking or drinking to the point of intoxication).
• The regions with the lowest levels of consumption are North Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia.
• In Canada and the United States, the average alcohol intake among drinkers is 150 percent of the global average.
• Almost 30 percent of all the alcohol consumed around the planet can be categorized as “unrecorded,” meaning that it was brewed at home or manufactured by illegal unlicensed distributers (moonshiners, in the American vernacular).
• Overall, slightly more than 40 percent of the global adult population consumes alcohol.

The high consumption rates in Sub-Saharan Africa and Eastern Europe are quite problematic, because both regions have underdeveloped economies that are really struggling to absorb the health care costs associated with so much alcohol abuse. The surprisingly high rates of unrecorded alcohol being consumed also presents special challenges in societies where this behavior is common, since home brewed liquor tends to contain a much higher percentage of alcohol than commercial brands, making it more addictive and more risky to human health in general, and it can often be contaminated with toxic impurities that can cause sickness and even death. In addition, unrecognized alcohol is largely immune to public policy initiatives designed to reduce and control excessive drinking, such as taxation, legal age limits, and strict licensing requirements for retailers.

Assessing the International Implications

Differences in culture and religion do provide some protection from the ravages of alcohol abuse in certain areas of the world. Nevertheless, the statistics detailed in the new CAMH report make it clear that when viewed from a global perspective alcoholism, binge drinking, and reckless behavior associated with alcohol use are inching up toward epidemic levels. Public policy officials everywhere will face a tall task in the years ahead as they attempt to come to grips with the true consequences of alcohol abuse, which in the aggregate is a much bigger problem than illegal drug use. Because alcohol can be purchased and consumed legally in most locations, more substance abuse education combined with an expanded availability of affordable treatment programs for those who suffer from addiction remain the only realistic policy options for authorities hoping to make a positive impact on a problem that is increasing misery and shortening lives all across the planet.

Unhealthy Drinking Widespread Around the World, CAMH Study Finds is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

Methadone Basics

Methadone is a synthetic opioid drug designed to mimic the basic effects of naturally occurring opioids such as opium and codeine, which come from a plant called the opium poppy (Papaver somniferum). Inside the body, molecules of the drug bind to sites called opioid receptors, which sit on the surface of certain nerve cells located in the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) and digestive tract (stomach and small intestine). Normally, these sites are accessed by natural opioid-like substances, including endorphins and dynorphins that provide the body with a reduced sensitivity to pain and a euphoric feeling of enhanced well-being.

The presence of opioid drugs also activates the opioid receptors, and typically results in euphoric and pain-relieving effects far beyond those produced by endorphins, dynorphins or other similar internal substances. Like other opioids, methadone provides significant amounts of pain relief; however, compared to classic opioid drugs of abuse, it produces a limited amount of euphoria. When given to people addicted to other opioids, it can help prevent withdrawal symptoms by acting as an intermediate step between unchecked addiction and drug abstinence. When given to people with symptoms of moderate to severe pain, it can provide much more relief than the average non-opioid painkiller.

Setting the Stage

Depending on the individual, methadone can provide pain relief for anywhere from roughly four to eight hours. However, after its pain-relieving potential is exhausted, the drug remains in general circulation for as long as another 50 to 55 hours. In practical terms, this means that methadone can easily accumulate in the body over time; if this accumulation rises to toxic levels, it sets the stage for a drug overdose. Doctors typically limit the risks for an overdose by limiting the number of times their patients can take the drug on any given day. However, not all people follow the guidelines set by their doctors, and some individuals who use methadone for pain relief trigger an overdose when they purposefully or mistakenly take more of the drug than their prescriptions permit.

Overdose

Like other opioids, methadone reduces the rate of communication between the nerve cells (neurons) in the central nervous system. Below the threshold for overdose, consequences of this nervous system slowdown include a reduction in the normal breathing rate and subtle alterations in the internal electrical timing used to control coordinated beating of the heart. A methadone overdose occurs when too much of the drug builds up in the body and produces an unsupportable degree of central nervous system suppression.

At its worst, such an overdose can result in severe or fatal consequences such as extremely slowed or absent breathing and heartbeat irregularities that trigger a complete stoppage of the heart known as cardiac arrest. The US National Library of Medicine lists additional potential symptoms of a methadone overdose that include abnormally shallow breathing, dizziness, muscle weakness, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, constipation, pupil constriction (narrowing), a weakened pulse, hypotension (low blood pressure), blue coloration in the lips or fingernails, drowsiness, confusion or mental disorientation, spasming in the digestive tract, abnormally clammy or cold skin, loss of consciousness, and entry into the unresponsive state called coma.

Considerations

In terms of its overdose risks, methadone appears to be roughly twice as dangerous as any other prescription pain-relieving medication, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report. Despite this fact, US doctors prescribe the drug as a pain treatment more than four million times each year. Risks for overdose are especially high in people who combine use of methadone with use of other painkillers, or with use of sedative-hypnotic medications (i.e., tranquilizers). In addition to limiting prescriptions of the drug to a maximum of three doses per day, doctors can lower the risks for a methadone overdose by properly screening their patients for other medication/drug use, regularly reviewing their patients’ adherence to prescription guidelines, and educating their patients about the inherent risks of methadone use and misuse.

Methadone Overdose is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

The Basics

The contents of an expectant mother’s bloodstream, including life-giving oxygen and other required nutrients, don’t pass directly into the bloodstream of a developing fetus. Instead, they pass through a network of fine-gauged blood vessels known as the placental barrier, which sits inside the placenta’s attachment point on the uterine wall. Once materials in the maternal bloodstream pass through this barrier, they enter the fetal bloodstream and travel on to the fetus itself through a pair of arteries situated inside the umbilical cord. A single vein inside the umbilical cord passes oxygen-depleted blood from the fetus to the placental barrier; this blood then takes on new oxygen supplies and transfers waste to the mother’s bloodstream. MDMA reaches the fetus by passing from the mother inside the placental barrier and entering the bloodstream flowing through the umbilical arteries.

Changes in Brain Development

According to a study published in 2003 in the journal Neurotoxicity and Teratology, the use of MDMA in the first trimester of pregnancy produces as much as a 500 percent increase in the number of cells called neurons inside the fetal brain; outside of the womb, these cells carry out the basic tasks required for coordinated brain function and the maintenance of normal consciousness. Although this increase may seem harmless on the surface, it actually interferes with a natural process that gradually reduces the number of neurons in the forming brain of a fetus and prepares the brain for later stages of growth and development.

The greatest impact of this excessive neuron growth occurs in the frontal cortex, a portion of the brain with responsibilities during childhood and adulthood that include helping control impulsive behavior, helping maintain focus and attention, and participating in higher-level planning. Excessive neuron growth also occurs in a portion of the brain called the striatum, which has responsibilities during childhood and adulthood that include controlling normal movement and regulating the links between pleasurable sensations and behaviors that support health and well-being.

After birth, newborns exposed to MDMA during the first third of pregnancy show a marked tendency toward unease and discomfort in new surroundings, the authors of the study in Neurotoxicity and Teratology report. Although other factors may play a role in any given case, this behavioral change may indicate the presence of learning deficits, a decrease in normal attention span relative to newborns not exposed to MDMA, hyperactivity, or unusually high levels of anxiety.

Changes in Motor Function

In 2012, researchers from Case Western Reserve University released the findings of a study that examined the effects of MDMA on the motor skills of a developing fetus. They concluded that, after roughly four months of pregnancy, fetuses exposed to the drug move more slowly inside the womb than fetuses not exposed to the drug. In addition, fetuses exposed to MDMA showed clear signs of a delay in overall motor function development when compared to fetuses not exposed to MDMA. The authors of the study also concluded that the negative effects of Ecstasy remain clear even when other sources of fetal harm—such as smoking and the use of other drugs or alcohol—are accounted for and filtered out. Women who take Ecstasy frequently and in relatively high doses have higher risks for triggering motor function-related problems in their developing babies than women who take the drug infrequently and in relatively low doses.

Considerations

The study published in 2003 in Neurotoxicity and Teratology was conducted on rats in a controlled laboratory setting. The findings of this study likely apply to human beings, but there may be unknown differences in the brain-related effects of MDMA in rat fetuses and human fetuses. The 2012 study from Case Western Reserve University was conducted on humans, and represents the first such study to directly measure the harmful effects of MDMA in a human population. According to the authors of this study, use of MDMA during the early stages of pregnancy also increases the chances that any given mother will give birth to a boy. No one knows why this gender discrepancy occurs.

Effects of MDMA (Ecstasy) Use During Pregnancy is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

The Basics

An expectant mother’s bloodstream does not connect directly to the bloodstream of her developing fetus. Instead, both of these bloodstreams flow through opposite sides of the placental barrier, a grouping of tiny blood vessels inside the placenta. Oxygen, nutrients, and a variety of other substances pass from the mother’s blood through the placental barrier, and then into the fetal bloodstream. At the same time, carbon dioxide and other waste products pass from the fetus’s blood through the placental barrier, and then into the maternal bloodstream. When an expectant mother uses marijuana, the drug’s active ingredient (called tetrahydrocannabinol or THC) passes through the placental barrier along with various other materials, and thereby enters the fetal circulation.

Potential for Pregnancy Complications and Premature Birth

Just like cigarette smoking, marijuana smoking elevates the amount of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide circulating in a pregnant woman’s bloodstream. Elevations in these substances lead to a reduction in the blood’s oxygen content; in practical terms, this means that there will be less oxygen available to pass through the placental barrier and enter the system of a developing fetus. One potential consequence of this oxygen depletion is an increased risk for a miscarriage in the first 20 weeks of pregnancy. According to a study published in 2012 in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, marijuana use can also potentially trigger changes inside the placenta that contribute to the onset of preeclampsia, a dangerous pregnancy complication involving high blood pressure (hypertension) and the abnormal presence of protein in an expectant mother’s urine.

Marijuana use may also increase a woman’s risks for premature labor and birth of a child before a pregnancy reaches its 37^th week. Children born prematurely have heightened risks for a variety of serious problems, including vision difficulties, hearing difficulties, jaundice, bleeding in the brain, unusual susceptibility to infection, cerebral palsy, decreased or delayed development of mental function, and a form of interrupted breathing called apnea.

Potential for Low Birth Weight

Along with the potential for premature birth, children born to marijuana-smoking mothers may have increased risks for being born at a weight of less than five pounds, eight ounces. By standard medical definition, doctors consider children born below this limit to have an unusually low birth weight, whether or not they are born prematurely. When viewed from a long-term perspective, children born below the low birth weight threshold have increased risks of developing heart disease, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes, a condition characterized by the onset of blood glucose control problems in later life.

Potential for Learning Impairment

Children born to marijuana-smoking mothers apparently have increased risks for developing learning problems, the American Pregnancy Association reports. Specific problems that may occur include delayed development of age-appropriate skills and a disruption of executive function, a term doctors use to describe the exercise of diverse mental abilities such as problem solving, planning, maintaining concentration, effectively using memory, switching between tasks, controlling impulsive behavior, engaging in verbal reasoning, and monitoring one’s actions over time. Impairments in executive function may manifest in ways that are relatively subtle.

Considerations

As indicated previously, pregnant women who use marijuana also frequently use other substances—such as tobacco and alcohol—that are capable of producing damaging changes in fetal development or the overall course of a pregnancy. For this reason, doctors and researchers have considerable difficulty isolating the pregnancy-related effects of marijuana from the effects of other harmful influences. In addition, even when it does cause problems, marijuana use apparently does not cause them as consistently as, for example, heavy alcohol consumption would. Because of these considerations, pregnant women may sometimes view marijuana use as a relatively “harmless” endeavor. However, from a medical standpoint, it’s unwise to dismiss the potential impact of the drug, especially when it’s used in combination with other harmful substances.

Effects of Marijuana Use During Pregnancy is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment