Teaching Friends And Family How To Reverse A Drug Overdose

What a scary story--this young worker was able to save the life of a 21 year old stranger who had overdosed. I'm quite sure unless you are a medical professional this would not be legal in most states--BUT in the old days, we used to carry a bottle on 12 step calls to help prevent the ones we were working with going into the DTs. It's brave to learn and take such actions. A good story.

Teaching Friends And Family How To Reverse A Drug Overdose : Shots - Health News : NPR: "Graham-Farmer knew what to do that day because, as of 2012, the whole staff at the residential drug treatment program where she works (Samaritan Village in Richmond Hill, Queens) has been trained to use Narcan, and to keep a rescue kit containing two doses of the drug close at hand. The program's clients — the people who are trying to stay sober — are trained too. So, if they ever find themselves with someone else who has overdosed, they can help."

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Guide to Life: How to keep your kids off drugs HA HA HA

HA HA HA....still using this old meme--Hey, I have news for you people giving advice to parents, Teens do all kinds of "suspicious" behavior. It's the nature of adolescence. I was a screaming alcoholic in high school and made straight As. I was the darling of all the teachers. The only really really useful advice here is that the best indicator of a problem is a "change in friends." and that means friends who use drugs. The article is here:

Parents might see a drop in grades or unexplained absences from school, said Paul Coleman, president of Maryhaven, a treatment facility on the East Side with 52 inpatient beds and 75 outpatient slots for adolescents.

An outgoing teen who is abusing drugs might become withdrawn. A son once passionate about football might quit the team, or a daughter might start showing interest in dark music.

“The best way to test children for drugs is with their own eyes,” Coleman said. “And the major thing parents need to watch — and watch like a hawk — is a change in friends.”

Ibogaine drug treatment of Australian man ends in death on Koh Phangan Island

This is a tragic story of an addict trying desperately to find an eaiser softer way to stay clean and sober--besides actually staying clean and sober. There is not magic. You have to STOP USING in order to stop being addicted. It ended in his death andit is sad. Hopefully whoever you are working with will understand there is not softer way--you have to do what has to be done. There are not magic pills.

Ibogaine drug treatment of Australian man ends in death on Koh Phangan Island - Koh Phangan Island News: "Australian Brodie Smith was convinced a radical treatment using an African shrub would cure his craving for illegal drugs and turn his life around, even though it is banned in some countries."

Thanks to Leonard Buschel from Addiction Recovery eBulletin for sending this info.

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Teen Drug Abuse: Sleep, Anxiety Meds 12 Times More Likely To Be Abused By Those With Prescriptions

Teen Teen Drug Abuse: Sleep, Anxiety Meds 12 Times More Likely To Be Abused By Those With Prescriptions:







"Prescription and over-the-counter medications are a significant problem for teens. Twelve- to 17-year-olds abuse prescription drugs more than ecstasy, heroin, cocaine and methamphetamines combined — they're the most commonly abused drugs after marijuana. "



Times are changing, and so are the ways teens get high.  Prescription pills are being abused at unprecedented rates. Teens that are prescribed drugs by doctors are 12 times more likely to abuse prescription medicines than their prescription-free counterparts.



-Hannah

The BookStand: Walk Softly and Carry a Big Book | In Recovery Magazine

Look at this shout out for "Walk Softly and Carry a Big Book".

The BookStand: Walk Softly and Carry a Big Book | In Recovery Magazine: " the best one-liners from talks, all the classic slogans, prayers used in the fellowships including the history of the Serenity Prayer, acronyms and all the great sayings passed down from the old-timers. WalkSoftlyandCarryaBigBook.com"

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Kids With Family History Of Substance Abuse Have Brains That Must Work Harder To Fight Impulses

I've long known that impulse control figured in heavily for us alcoholics and we know that addiction is hereditary (there are other ways to "get" it too), but never thought that children of alcoholics would have a harder time with impulse control. Makes sense though. REad about it from the Medical Daily.

Kids With Family History Of Substance Abuse Have Brains That Must Work Harder To Fight Impulses: " One in five kids grows up with an alcohol relative, according to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry . These kids are four times more likely to become alcoholics. However, a new study  suggests it’s not entirely because of the environment they’re in, but instead because their brains are predisposed to improper development."

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Holly: One face of the national heroin crisis | News |

Holly: One face of the national heroin crisis | News | witf.org:

"Now she’s serious and listens carefully, and she talks freely about her addiction, as if recounting how much she’s changed helps her get through each day. She’s going to meetings, seeing her son in therapy, playing with her daughter, cooking supper for the family."



Although the details of Holly's plight may be unique, there is a pattern that a great number of addicts can relate to.  As an adolescent, Holly drank alcohol in awkward social situations simply to "loosen up."  In her 20s, she dabbled with cocaine but strictly on the weekends and was still able show up for work on time on Monday morning and still had her rent money ready on the first of every month.  Then Holly began to crush and snort prescription pain pills socially with friends while still believing she was in control.  After finding the pain pills too expensive, she sought out heroin, though initially, only recreationally on payday.  Before she knew it, life was unmanageable.  Bills were no longer being payed as every last dime went towards supporting her addiction and her only concern was where her next fix was going to come from in order to avoid the merciless pains of withdrawal.

If you can identify with this sequence of events, you should know that you are not alone and that refuge is available at your local NA or AA chapter where fellow addicts are eager to lend you their support on your recovery journey.



-Hannah