There are some myths out there about addictive drugs, claiming that some are safer than others. While some drugs can certainly hit hard more quickly than others, any addictive drug has the potential to seriously hurt someone’s life.  Even medication that is intended to help a person can have some harmful side effects. This goes for things as simple as over-the-counter pain medication all the way up to toxic cancer treatments. You need to know more about the dangers of addictive drugs, regardless of their legality.

Prescription Pain Medication

Many people believe that if a doctor prescribes a drug, it is automatically more safe than any illegal drug they would find on the street.  That is patently false. Prescription pain medications usually have a narcotic drug as the key active ingredient.  Narcotic drugs of any kind have strong addictive potential. That’s just how they are built.

Narcotics are effective because they quickly and significantly manipulate a person’s sense of pain. The drug temporarily puts itself in place of the body’s normal chemical messengers, providing a sense of relaxation rather than pain. However, this is also where the addictive potential lies.

If a person misuses their medication, they can become addicted to the mood altering effects of the drug.  Not only that, they can actually experience more pain when they attempt to wean themselves. So even though pain medications may be prescribed by a physician, they are by no means safer.

Excessive Alcohol Use

Alcohol is used socially in many societies. When someone drinks too much, it is often quite acceptable. This can even elevate a person’s status in a social group.  Since it is legal for adults to drink, many people think that alcohol isn’t nearly as dangerous as street drugs.

Wrong again. Alcohol can be addictive, just like heroin, meth, or prescription pain pills. An alcoholic can suffer many health problems including hepatitis, a higher risk of heart attack and stroke, high blood pressure, worse overall health, diabetes, and even death. There isn’t anything much more dangerous than death, no matter what addictive drug is being misused.

Dangerous Illegal Drugs

Of course, more people are likely to believe it hard street drugs can lead to disaster. Crystal meth, heroin, and cocaine are just a few of the many illegal drugs that can quickly bring a person’s life down. These drugs pack a powerful punch and can lead to addiction in a short time. Their illegal status can also create criminal problems for users.  Few people debate the potential trouble with using these drugs.

Legal Drugs Used Illegally

This is a gray area that can still cause potential problems with addiction.  Alcohol is legal for adults, but illegal for anyone under the age of 21 in the United States.  Kids and teens who get involved with alcohol set themselves up for more difficulties as they get older.  A person’s brain isn’t finished developing until they are in their mid-twenties.  Alcohol and drug use at this early age can permanently affect the way their brain functions.

Also, many prescription pain pills end up on the black market.  Or, people misrepresent themselves and their legitimate prescriptions to get higher amounts of drugs than they should.  While their prescription may be legal, their misuse is not.

Legal Or Illegal, Addictive Drugs Can Hurt Your Life

As you can see, addictive drugs of any kind can hurt you.  Legal or not, the key issue is their addictive nature.  It’s up to everyone to be aware of the risks and benefits of all drugs, especially those with addictive potential.

It’s not often that I turn to the golfing community for strength or wisdom. Sports, in general, do little to pique my interest and golf least of all. But here’s a golf story that inspires:

A Golfing Story That Pertains to Drug and Alcohol Addiction Treatment

It seems Tiger Woods got some bad news about two weeks before he was supposed to swing his clubs in the U.S. Open: he had a double stress fracture of the tibia and a torn ligament besides. Not good news. You have to hoof around and play more than 90 holes just to be a contender. But Tiger, he didn’t give up. He said, “I’m playing in the U.S. Open, and I’m going to win.”

Alrighty then, Tiger. I mean, it’s not like it’s easy to win the U.S. Open, even if you aren’t dealing with a double stress fractured tibia and a torn ligament. But Tiger persevered and-that’s right-he won, despite his bad knee and the fact that it only got worse as the days passed.

The Moral of the Story is not the Winning

That’s right. Yes, Tiger had a bad knee and he won the U.S. Open despite that fact. But the interesting part of the story is that he didn’t whine about it. He didn’t do interview after interview harping on his injuries. Instead, he just set a goal, announced the goal, and made it happen.

And How Does This Apply to Drug and Alcohol Addiction Treatment?

Getting clean is hard but staying clean is even harder. It’s an infinite goal that can become overwhelming. Life, in general, can be overwhelming and when you’re dealing with drug and alcohol cravings, it’s easy to use it as a shield to deflect criticism or as a scapegoat for why things aren’t going better.

I met a girl once who never brought up the fact that she was a recovering addict. She didn’t collect chips at meetings or have ’sober birthdays.’ When it somehow came up in conversation, I was genuinely surprised that she was struggling with the issue of alcohol and drug addiction. And I was impressed that she didn’t feel the need to use it as a crutch, an excuse for bad days or bad moods or a way to get a pat on the back when she needed to hear something good about herself.

Not that it’s a bad thing to celebrate sober birthdays. It’s a huge part of recovery for many people: to get chips and know how many days clean they have. Many need that reminder that things were once much worse and that a great accomplishment has been made for staying clean and sober for X number of days. However, it’s still impressive when someone doesn’t need the validation, to see someone who perseveres despite injury or hardship and doesn’t wave it like a banner.

What do you think?

In August, DJ AM (born Adam Goldstein) was found dead in his apartment at the age of 36. There were rumors there for awhile that DJ AM’s drug overdose last month was not accidental. Unlike the homicidal nature of Michael Jackson’s death, it was conjectured that maybe DJ AM’s drug overdose was suicide. The autopsy done on his body, the results of which were recently released, showed that his death was accidental.

DJ AM: Why Was His Drug Overdose Possibly a Suicide?

Those close to DJ AM (or Adam Goldstein) said that he had been depressed recently. Others noted the number of prescription drugs that were found around the apartment and assumed that if Goldstein was using again-when he had been extremely proud of his long-term sobriety-then he must be depressed.

When Goldstein was discovered dead in his New York City apartment, his body was on top of a crack pipe with an empty bag with crack cocaine residue nearby. Prescription pill bottles were found on the kitchen counter, as well. There were six OcyContin pills in his stomach and one that was undigested in his throat.

The Official Autopsy Report

The New York Medical Examiner performed the autopsy and confirmed that DJ AM’s death has been ruled an accident due to substance abuse. Technically called “acute intoxication,” Goldstein had ingested cocaine, OxyContin (or oxycodone), Vicodin (or hydrocodone), Ativan, Klonipin, Xanax, Benadrl and Levamisole, which is commonly used to cut cocaine.

Ellen Borakove is a spokesperson for the New York Medical Examiner’s office. She says, “Our investigation is completed.”

Drug Overdose: No One is Immune

DJ AM was no stranger to the drugs he was using or to their effects. He had used drugs regularly for years and was scheduled to host a show on interventions for MTV in the fall of this year. The opiate painkillers he was in possession of and using when he died were mostly prescribed to him for anxiety disorder, and he had been taking them for some time. So at what point did his use of prescription pills as medication turn into abuse and then drug addiction? And when did he start supplementing his prescription with illegal drugs like crack? If DJ AM didn’t overdose on purpose and had a long history with these drugs and he still died using them, then no one is immune.

Is Drug Overdose a Risk for You?

If you are abusing prescription opiates, crack, coke, crystal meth, heroin, over the counter drugs, club drugs and/ or alcohol, then you are at risk of overdosing. A drug overdose hits new and experimental users just as easily as long-term veterans of addiction and it can be deadly. Don’t take the risk. If you are addicted to drugs and alcohol, don’t wait to get the help you need. Contact Michael’s House for information about how you can free yourself from the risk of drug overdose.

Remember the ’80s and the “War on Drugs”? The big focus back then was the teenager and the choices that young people were making about getting high. It seemed that if we could save just one young adult, then we were winning the war on drugs.

Unfortunately, there is a large segment of the population well over the age of 18 that is highly prone to alcohol and drug addiction: senior citizens.

Why Seniors Turn to Drugs and Alcohol

There are a number of reasons why someone over the age of 65 might begin to use drugs and alcohol on a consistent basis even if they’ve never struggled with addiction in their lives. These may include any combination of the following:

• Loss of a spouse and/ or good friends
• Financial problems
• Access to addictive prescription drugs
• Low self esteem
• Loneliness
• Retirement boredom

All of these issues can affect any of us at any age, but for those who are older and feel that they are suddenly losing control of their lives, these issues can be particularly depressing if not devastating. Age limits options and it’s difficult to start again when a relationship ends, to rebuild finances, to fight off the loneliness and boredom that can come with retirement.

Age also brings health problems and with health problems comes pain and with pain comes… prescription painkillers. Highly addictive and a problem across every age group, prescription painkillers often look like a good way to drown out difficult emotions. Continued access means that prescription painkiller addiction is often the result for seniors.

Seniors and Drug and Alcohol Addiction Treatment

It is rare for seniors to get the medical help they need for drug and alcohol addiction treatment. For many, there simply isn’t anyone paying attention enough to recognize the symptoms and point them out. In general, older people simply don’t talk about the underlying issues that lead them to abuse drugs and alcohol. Certainly if they feel uncomfortable talking about those issues, they are hardly forthcoming when it comes to admitting that they have a problem with drug and alcohol addiction. Just like the problems are difficult to deal with later in life after a lifetime of taking everything in stride, it can be embarrassing to admit that drugs or alcohol have become a problem when they never have been before.

How do you think we can address the issue of senior drug addiction and abuse effectively and make treatment accessible to seniors who need it?

Part of any drug addiction treatment program as well as most people’s lives after they graduate from drug and alcohol rehab are 12-step meetings: Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous and others. These meetings are open to anyone who identifies themselves as an addict (in some cases, they are open to family members and supporters as well) and they help many stay clean and sober both in and out of drug rehab.

Unfortunately, it’s not the most exciting way to spend your time. A friend of mine recently told me, “Look, I hate meetings. I can’t stand the whining, the gossip and the fact that I lose hours of my life with my ass falling asleep in a metal chair. But I go and I’m going to keep going, because it’s keeping me clean.”

It’s true: meetings are not fun. Newcomers and chronic relapsers can get on your nerves as can the superiority of those who have been clean for years. The coffee is bad, and the snacks are cheap. Metal folding chairs will become the bane of your 12-step experience as will the sleazy 13th steppers.

So how do you get what you need from an NA or AA meeting when you really just have to go?

1. Bring your hobby. For many, just spending time in the meeting is the important thing, and you don’t have to have idle hands to listen to the speaker. I’ve seen people in meetings do everything from knit to carve clay figurines. Drawing, hand sewing, artist trading cards…whatever it takes to keep you from clawing your (or someone else’s) eyes out as long as it doesn’t smell, make a mess or take up a ton of space.

2. Get involved. What’s the opposite of dropping out of a 12-step meeting? Getting involved. Speak up in meetings, introduce yourself to newcomers, talk to people after the meeting. Volunteer to clean up after the meeting or get yourself voted into a position of authority. Maybe if you have a larger hand in your regular meetings, you’ll be able to choose topics that interest you.

3. Change meetings. If you live in a city or any metropolitan area, you have a large schedule of meetings to choose from. Though you most likely choose according to the time of the meeting or where it’s located, it could be worth it for you to get up a little bit earlier, stay out later or drive a little bit further in order to explore the different meetings available. If you live in a smaller town and don’t have a ton of meetings to choose from, then start your own. Why not? That’s the beauty of 12-steps. Pick a name for your meeting, find a location, choose the first topic and advertise. Keep showing up and so will more and more people.

Whatever you have to do to make meetings more interesting, do it. It’s worth it to build a strong support system that will long outlast drug and alcohol rehab and carry you through a lifetime of sobriety.

For parents, there are few things worse than discovering that their child is addicted to drugs and alcohol. But there’s one thing that few parents realize: there are few things worse for your child to discover about him or herself as well. As the anti-drug commercials put it, “No one ever said, ‘When I grow up, I want to be a junkie,’” and for your child, finding themselves in the tortuous position of physical addiction can be terrifying. As the parent, you may be the only person who can really help him or her to get through this experience and come out on the other side a happier, more well-adjusted person. Here are some 5 tips to help you along the way.

Your Child and Drug Addiction Tip 1: Stay Calm

Fear often manifests in the form of anger, but this is a case when screaming and yelling will only serve to worsen the situation and make your child feel even worse. If you suspect that your child is using, be prepared for a volatile reaction when he or she is confronted. Their fear of getting caught and concern for their own physical safety will likely turn emotional. It is your job to take a breath, pursue the conversation and help them defuse so that you two can have a conversation that is productive and goal (not blame) oriented.

Your Child and Drug Addiction Tip 2: Ask Questions

Are you using every day? How much are you using? How do you feel when you don’t use? If you find pills, ask how they are taking them (no need to offer multiple choice answers, but crushing and shooting the drug is significantly more dangerous than swallowing the pill whole and knowing the answer to this question will help you find the right drug rehab facility for them, even if they give you a sarcastic answer).

It’s not immediately important who they are using with, where they are getting the drugs or if they were high at such-and-such event. Pointing out addictive behavior like lying and stealing won’t serve your first purpose: helping your child accept the fact that he or she is addicted to drugs and needs drug rehab.

Your Child and Drug Addiction Tip 3: Listen

It may seem intuitive, but after you ask your questions, wait and listen to the answers. Bombarding your child with questions won’t yield anything but frustration. If you don’t understand the answer or feel like he or she is being indirect, you can always ask more questions later, but give your child a chance to speak his or her mind.

Your Child and Drug Addiction Tip 4: Offer Solution Options

Berating your child or handing down punishments isn’t appropriate at this time. Certainly, you want the addictive behavior and using to stop, but the best way for this to happen is to give them solutions: consulting with a doctor and heading to drug rehab immediately. Talk to them about what is available, and let them know that you will stand by them through it all.

Your Child and Drug Addiction Tip 5: Let Them Know That You Love Them No Matter What

This is crucial. Even though you may be scared to death, angry and overwhelmingly disappointed and sad, you must communicate to your child that you will be right there as the two of you work through this together. Let your child know that you love him or her and that you will make sure to provide the necessary help to get them back on their feet so that both of you can move forward.

Unless you’ve been living at the bottom of the pool for the past several weeks, you’ve probably heard that all-time Olympic record holder Michael Phelps was caught (via photo) smoking pot at a party.

The picture circulated around the web and was quickly picked up by a mainstream media that quickly vilified Phelps who, up to this point, was considered a squeaky-clean pitchman on Madison Avenue.

So where does this leave the swimmer?  How harshly should he be punished by society, and perhaps, the law?

Let’s take a look at the two sides to this story.

“Throw the book at him”

There are plenty of good reasons to act swiftly and severely against Phelps.  He is a hero and a role model to millions of young people.  If his pot smoking goes unpunished, the kids will begin to believe that smoking pot has no impact on one’s performance.  After all, if Phelps could be a pot head and win all those gold medals, then what’s the harm?

By bringing charges against Phelps it would provide a strong cautionary tale - and likely require Phelps to perform a great deal of community service.  This would include PSAs and public appearance where he could spread the word that marijuana is a harmful drug and can lead to much worse, including drug addiction.

“Give him a break”

There’s also a great deal of support for the contrary position.  We have reached a point in this country where marijuana abuse is seen as a fairly harmless activity.  Many advocates of legalizing the drug are calling upon the government to leave Phelps alone, saying that if he wants to engage in social pot smoking he should well be entitiled to do so.  Even members of law enforcement are saying that arresting Phelps for the photo is not the right call.

No matter which side of the argument you’re on, the fact remains that Phelps’ legacy is damaged forever.  This will never undermine his athletic achievements, of course, but as a public figure, that single grainy image of Phelps with mouth-to-bong has changed how we will view him for many years.

Whatever happens in the coming weeks and months, we must take this opportunity to talk to our children about drug use.  Marijuana is a gateway drug that can lead to heroin addiction, alcohol abuse or a number of other more serious issues that may require addiction treatment.