Addiction Blog

It’s been estimated that addiction costs London $243 million per year and some of this cost is due to the 1,500 homeless people, of which 40-percent are struggling with drug and alcohol addiction and mental illness. For this population only 360 shelter beds are available on any given night.

But, addiction isn’t confined to the homeless population as it cuts across all ethnic and socio-economic barriers from poor to middle class to upper class. Even legendary Londoner and rock superstar Eric Clapton has written his autobiography outlining his own addictions to heroin and alcohol. The book tells about how his addiction led him to a brush with suicide to escape his own personal pain.

An anticonvulsant drug used routinely for migraines and seizures may help alcoholics taper off their alcohol addictions without having to go through detoxification. A recent study published in Wednesday’s journal of the American Medical Association, has shown that the drug Topamax helped 15 percent of alcoholics at the height of their drinking binges stop drinking altogether for 7 weeks.

The rest of the group, given the anticonvulsant drug cut their drinking in roughly half of what it had been prior to the study. All participants were encouraged to stop drinking altogether. The 14-week trial is good news for some candidates with alcohol addictions as they may opt to be treated by their family doctor, while in their own community rather than leaving jobs and family for a trip to a rehab facility.

In a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, Tatum O’Neal gave advice that she hopes Britney Spears will hear coming from one famous mother who lost her kids due to addiction to another. The 43-year-old Tatum O’Neal outlined her struggles with heroin addiction and the loss of custody of her three children to ex-husband John McEnroe in her book “Paper Life”. O’Neal has also been on the Oprah Winfrey Show talking about similar issues and her openly hostile relationship with McEnroe.

Tatum O’Neal, an Oscar-winning actress for Paper Moon, has stated that Britney Spears needs to get into drug and alcohol addiction rehab and shield her kids from the media attention. Earlier this week, Los Angeles Superior Court judge, Scott Gordon, ordered Britney Spears to turn over custody of her two children, Sean Preston and Jayden James to former husband Kevin Federline until further notice.

Results of a study published in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research have concluded that a specific gene, previously unidentified may also be responsible for alcohol addiction and other addictive behavior. Author of the study, Danielle Dick, has stated that the gene named ankyrin repeat and kinase domain containing 1 (ANKK1) is one of the genes responsible for making people vulnerable to addiction.

Previous research has centered around the neighboring gene, DRD2. The research on the DRD2 gene has had serious limitations, however, and the new research on the ANKK1 gene sheds light on these limitations. By implicating another gene is the same region, researchers now believe that several genes in the same phenotype are involved.

There is an article in the Calcutta, India Telegraph that talks about how orphaned Indian youngsters are getting high on inhaling adhesives at the local railway station. The inhaling of adhesives is used to curb hunger pains and the injuries from fighting other kids for survival.

Rescue efforts for some of these youth are taking place, however. The Hope Foundation and Cini Asha are taking steps to befriend some of these youngsters then bring them back to their facilities to treat their addictions and relieve them from the railway lifestyle.

One of the long-standing myths about recovering from drug and alcohol addiction is that one has to hit rock bottom first. According to Medical University of South Carolina psychiatry professor, Dr. Kathleen Brady, “Addicts and alcoholics are more likely to recover if they still have a job, if they still have a spouse, if their family still lets them in the door.”

Brady says that willpower and morality has nothing to do with the recovery process. She also states that this country tends to criminalize addiction by sending people to prison for taking illicit substances rather than putting them in rehab.

Some of this has changed in the last couple of years, thanks to new technology. Because of the advent of ankle bracelets that monitor drug and alcohol use, this has kept many people in their homes and jobs rather than in prison. More states and counties, however, need to avail themselves of this new technology in order to give addicts the best chances of recovery.

September has now been designated National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month. It has been estimated that alcohol abuse and drug addiction cost U. S. taxpayers $294 billion every year.

During his National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month proclamation, President George W. Bush said, “Alcohol and drug addiction can ruin lives and devastate families. We must continue working toward a society in which our citizens can lead lives free from the influence of alcohol and drugs.”

The purpose of the proclamation of September as a month of substance abuse recovery is to raise awareness for the seriousness of the disease and the impact that it not only has on the individuals, but their families, friends, coworkers and society at large, as well.

How to make meth is one of the more popular searches on the Internet concerning illicit drugs. Two keyword research tools say that between 207 and 268 people a day are searching for information on how to make meth.

This is no surprise given the power of the World Wide Web. What is surprising, however is that someone would want to start a drug addiction outside of a social situation and peer pressure.

When one searches how to make meth online the presumption is that they have either lost their supply line and want to do it on their own or are curious and want to experiment by starting a habit from scratch.

If you have come to this page looking for information on how to make meth, then its time to seek out a drug treatment program to get your life in order. How to make meth is not as important as “how to get my life back under control.”

According to a new study by Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Canada, large cities such as Montreal and Toronto have a smaller rate of drug and alcohol abuse than mid-size cities. In addition, cities on the Eastern and Western regions of Canada have a higher rate of drug and alcohol addiction than the central and rural areas.

The CAMH researchers list some of the possible explanations for this disparity as being the positive influence of immigrants, migration patterns within the state, availability of drugs and alcohol throughout the regions, the accessibility of treatment and local policies and culture.

Last week we talked about what the CASA (or National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University) would report and now this week the detailed report has actually come out concerning drugs and alcohol in high schools. Parents, students, teachers and policy-makers all need to be on alert because of the latest findings.

Some of the key findings include:

1) a 63-percent jump in observed drug use in middle schools by other students

2) of the students coming in for drug and alcohol treatment, 10.5-percent started using before 11-years-old

3) among parents, 11-percent said drug use in high school was the most important problem their children faced while 24-percent of their kids said drug use was the most important issue