Vicodin, OxyContin®, codeine and other prescription opioids are highly addictive and may lead to opiate abuse. When you have surgery, or need the help of a painkiller, opiate abuse may be the last thing on your mind. Once you realize that your body needs the opioid to function normally, you may feel embarrassed to admit the dependency to anyone, even your family. Whether you live in San Antonio, ...
Substance Abuse in the Elderly: Golly, That’s the Dickens!
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 ...
Buprenorphine Treatment: Stories of Success
More and more people have come to know that buprenorphine treatment means getting help using Suboxone for opioid dependence. Initially, only the brand-name of the drug was common knowledge—Suboxone—but people increasingly recognize buprenorphine as the generic medication in Suboxone. Opting for buprenorphine rather than methadone means your visits to a treatment program can move from daily to ...
Heroin Statistics in 2015: An Update
Where do we stand in the war against opiate drug addiction? People are getting tired of burying their loved ones who have died from opiate prescription or heroin overdoses. They are speaking out about the cause of death, listing heroin overdose in the obituaries. It offers no consolation that the person who meant so much to them became just one among the many heroin statistics. They want people ...
Beating Opium and Heroin Addiction in Fresno
Opium keeps cropping up in arrest reports in Fresno and throughout the Fresno County area. For many people living in this part of California, it’s their substance of choice. It’s strange how different drugs are used in different areas. In towns near the Mexican border, black tar heroin is more common. In places throughout Georgia, there is more use of the fine white powdered type of heroin. Maybe ...
Physicians Join to Fight Prescription Drug Abuse
President Obama’s promise to dedicate $100 million to fight opiate addiction is welcome news in a country where addiction has become epidemic. One of his focal points will address the physicians and other prescribers who write orders for pain pills. People who play around with prescription drug abuse are 40 times more likely to become dependent on heroin, so it’s important to put a stop to ...