Our population of Baby Boomers over the age of 60 is not just burgeoning—it has burgeoned so that they make up a significant part of the population. Middle-aged and young adults who interact with their parents and grandparents are often surprised to consider the idea of substance abuse in the elderly. But why wouldn’t there be a higher level of addiction among our senior citizens? Weren’t they the ...
Drug Rehab in California: You Own It
If you’re involved in seeking drug rehab in California, it’s your responsibility to choose a place that follows best practices and develop a trusting relationship with the rehab staff. There’s a bizarre story that has just wrapped up in the news about a man who sought treatment and died. Whether you are seeking inpatient or outpatient treatment, his story drives home the point that you own ...
Prescription Opiates: How much is too much?
One of the biggest challenges facing the doctors and other prescribers who order prescription opiates for their patients in pain is choosing the right dose. Despite heightened awareness of the dangers of prescription pain pills, many doctors continue to write for them because they simply don’t want their patients to go about in pain. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration ...
Trauma and Prescription Drug Use
People who fall victim to prescription drug use blame themselves for the struggles that addiction brings to their lives. For many people, their susceptibility to prescription drug use goes back to their growing years. Substance abuse treatment professionals are learning more and more about the effects of adverse childhood experiences on the potential to develop addictive behaviors. Adverse ...
Should You Avoid a Three-Day Suboxone Detox?
What should you do if you are referred to a program that offers a three-day Suboxone detox? Many hospitals and clinics around the country accept patients who are referred to them for detox from certain drugs or alcohol and they provide a limited three-day detox from Suboxone. Some doctors frown on the three-day detox, but the decision whether to go into such a program may not be so cut and ...
Gone Haywire: Prescription Drug Abuse in Georgia
With the New Year upon us we have available to us some new figures on prescription drug abuse and heroin addiction. The Centers for Disease Control reports an all-time new high—no pun intended—of overdoses from prescription drug abuse in the United States in 2014. 47,055 to be exact. In light of these startling statistics, some states like Georgia, are taking a proactive approach at preventing ...