Kaye Gibbons, best-selling author, has pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud stemming from her arrest in an incident where she posed as a doctor to receive prescriptions for the painkiller Vicodin.

Gibbons is a well respected American novelist who has seen two of her books, Ellen Foster and A Virtuous Woman become featured selections on Oprah’s Book Club.  She also suffers from bi-polar disorder - a condition that has plagued her for most of her adult life.

The incident with the illicit Vicodin occurred when the 48-year old author submitted prescription online as if she was a physician, then went to her local North Carolina pharmacy to pick them up.

This incident draws attention to lengths addicted individuals will go to in order to obtain more Vicodin.    It is the extreme extension of a number of illegal or unethical practices that include forging prescriptions and “doctor shopping” - wherein the individual will visit a number of different doctors and feign injury in the hope of obtaining more Vicodin under false pretenses.

Make no mistake, Vicodin addiction has the power to destroy lives.   If you or someone you know has become addicted to Vicodin, as is unable to stop, it is important to get them into a qualified drug rehab program as quickly as possible.

Recently, an individual with a Vicodin addiction relayed the following harrowing story about his experience trying to buy Vicodin online via an Internet pharmacy.

Having purchased Vicodin and OxyContin online in the past, this individual (who will be referred to as “Paul”) had his name and phone number on the call lists of several online drug suppliers.

One day, Paul got a call from one of the companies offering him 90 Vicodin ES for $400 shipped via overnight carrier no questions asked.

It was a lot of money, but Paul needed the pills.  His other online vendor had recently closed up shop and hadn’t been heard from in weeks.

Paul was suspicious, as always, of the “hard sell” attitude of this new pharmacy, but his mind was put as ease when they told him that he could simple pay COD when the medication arrived.  If the package didn’t come, or wasn’t what he wanted when it arrived, he could simply send it back and keep his money.

It seemed to be a no-risk situation, so Paul placed his order.  He was told to expect the package in two days, so he went down to the bank and purchased a cashier’s check for $400.

The days passed and Paul’s order didn’t arrive.  He tried to call the company several times, but was unable to make contact.  He was disappointed, and stressed because his supply of Vicodin would soon run out, but at least he didn’t LOSE any money.

Then, a week later, he got a call from the pharmacy.  They told him that there had been some problems with the FDA and that they could no longer process C.O.D. orders.   The representative told Paul however, that if he was willing to send a wire transfer via Western Union that they could arrange for the package to arrive the next evening.

This event gave Paul pause.    He didn’t have a relationship with this company, and for the most part, once money has gone through a Western Union transfer (especially to the Dominican Republic as the company had requested) there is no way to get it back.  But Paul was almost out of Vicodin, dreading the inevitable withdrawal symptoms when he ran out and willing to take the chance.

He sent the money and immediately could not track down the company.  He was in a panic for two days when the representative finally called him.  They explained that the wrong package was sent out and was being held at an undisclosed location.  There were actually over 300 pills in the order instead of the original 90.   As a way to “make good” on the problem, the rep said that if Paul would wire another $300 to the company he could have ALL the pills at a low price.

Now all kinds of warning bells were going off in Paul’s head.  This had to be a scam, right?  But the customer service rep swore up and down that it was legitimate - and that he SO appreciated the faith he had put in them and that he knew full well how important this medication was to him.

Again yes, once again, Paul trusted them and sent the money.  He had now spent $700 plus the Western Union fees.  He waited for his package the next day.

But the next day came and went and no Vicodin arrived.  Paul called and called but could reach nobody at the company.  He left kind messages and rude messages.  He simply BEGGED for someone to contact him!

Then he received a remarkable call.  An “FBI Agent” called Paul and told him that his package had been confiscated and that he was placing charges.  Paul was terrified.  The agent said he was going to jail.  Then, almost by accident, Paul looked at the phone number on the caller ID.  The area code and prefix seemed so familiar….and then it hit him.  This was a representative of the pharmacy!   They never planned to give him his medication - and this was their out.

Paul began to notice all kinds of holes in the agent’s story.  He couldn’t mention what department he worked for or provide a badge number.  Paul decided to play along for a bit.   Then the “agent” delivered the final insult:  he told Paul that all charges would be dropped if he could send a Western Union of $3,800 to settle his case out of court.  The only other choice was jail.

So not only had these people stolen $700 from him, they had the gaul to run another flimsy scam hoping to prey upon his fear of going to jail and never seeing his family again.

Once Paul had heard enough he hung up. He had lost his money and his dignity and that was enough for one day.

Have you had a similar experience?  Let us know.  And if you’re struggling with Vicodin addiction, contact a drug rehab program in your area and get the help you need today.

Former Jackass star and resident daredevil Steve-O has not had the best couple of years.    A high profile arrest and a stint in drug rehab left the personable pseudo-athlete wondering where his career would take him next.

Now, Steve-O appears to have a second chance in one of the most unlikely places - TV’s megahit, Dancing with the Stars.

Steve-O joins an ecletic cast of A-list, B-list and C-list stars on this year’s show which features other celebs in need of a career turnaround.  Rapper Lil’ Kim is a contestant fresh off her jail sentence for lying to a grand jury.

When Steve-O is perfoming with his jackass pals he is putting his body in harms way every episode.  This kind of behavior has led other stars who enjoyed prat falls into drug or alcohol rehab - including Chevy Chase during the late 1970’s and early 1980’s.

Steve-O has already spoken publicly that he hopes his presence on the show lets his fans know that he has overcome his issues with the help of a qualified drug rehab program and that his best years are still ahead of him.

When a parent develops an alcohol or drug addiction, kids often bear much of the fallout.  They feel the stress of the situation much more deeply than anyone can imagine, and as such, individuals in addiction recovery need to talk openly and honestly with the children in order to help them heal as well.

The following represent a series of tips for talking to your kids about your addiction and your recovery.

• Make sure they know that it wasn’t their fault.  Children tend to blame themselves for parental crises, so it is important to make it very clear to them that they had nothing to do with your drug addiction or alcoholism.

• Tell them not to feel ashamed. Your kids may feel embarrassed or ashamed because of your addiction.  Help them see that addiction is an illness and not a personal choice that someone makes.

• Tell them it is OK to feel angry. Your children may feel a profound sense of disappointment in you because of your addiction.  This can quickly lead to feelings of anger and frustration over the matter.  Take the time to explain to them that the anger they are feeling is completely natural and that they should feel free to talk openly about it.   Suggest a counseling program for the children of addicts such as Alateen.

• Ask them to help out. Addiction recovery is going to take a great deal of your time and energy.  That can put a tremendous amount of pressure on your spouse or significant other.  Ask your children to help pitch in around the house while you are in detox or attending counseling.   This will help keep your family healthy AND make the kids a more active part of your recovery process.

• Talk to your kids about drugs and alcohol. Finally, take as much time as you can to discuss the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse to your children.   Although you may not have set the best example for them in the past - you still have the opportunity to improve their lives as they get older.

If you have a family member who is fighting an addiction, contact a drug rehab program in your area and learn how they can help restore their health and rebuild the bonds between children, parents and siblings.

It’s a sign of the times:  kids now spend more time online than they do watching TV, going to the movies or playing video games.  Parents may occasionally check in to see what they’re children are doing while surfing the web - and most probably believe that the humorous videos which have become such a dominant online force are little more than a harmless chuckle of potty humor or at worst inappropriate language.

A recent study might change that perception drastically.

According to research at the Center for Substance Abuse Research at the University of Maryland, a large percentage of the most popular viral videos have content relating to drug or alcohol use.  Consider the following statistics gleaned from the studyL

• In 2008, almost one million teens (aged 12-18) watched an Internet video pertaining to drug or alcohol use
• 39% of those videos portrayed explicit drug or alcohol abuse
• 85% of those videos featured at least one comment posting that mentioned alcohol or drug use

Mary Reiser, Executive Director of Narconon Drug Rehab GA believes that parents may have more to worry about the Internet than online sexual predators or cyberbullying, “Parents often think their teens engage in harmless chatting and posting on the web.  While this may be the case, an online survey showed it may not… They are tought to avoid predators, but what else should they avoid?”

The study Ms. Reiser is referring to should serve as yet another alarm for those parents who are not doing a good enough job of monitoring what their children are doing online.  In many ways, the Internet has replaced the “street corner” or the school yard of years gone by.   This is where kids are learning about drugs and alcohol and very well be falling into a trap that could lead to drug addiction or alcohol addiction in the later teen years.

Parents of teenagers struggling with addiction should contact a drug rehab program that speaks to the specific needs of teenagers and their families.  These life-saving facilities provide a second chance for those who have fallen into the cycle of drug or alcohol dependence.

Parents are urged to supervise as much as of their children’s Internet time as possible, and educate them about the dangers that lurk online, and of course, the potential damage they could do to their health, well-being and future by engaging in drug or alcohol-related behavior.

Certainly if there was anyone in Los Angles who had a right to be an angry individual it would be Rodney King.  The man suffered unmercifully at the hands of the LAPD in an event that touched off the 1992 riots which set the city ablaze.

But King has forgiven those who beat him - making peace with his oppressors and finding peace in the process.  One wonders if such an admission would be possible were it not for the journey to and from drug addiction that Mr. King has endured over the course of the past decade.

His full statement of forgiveness came before a worldwide television audience on the VH1 Celeb-reality show Sober Living.  (Click here to see the video.)  In a genre filled with little substance - and even less sincerity - this moment may indeed be one of the most heartfelt in reality TV history.

Rodney King has spent the past 15 years in and out of both jail and drug rehab.  He has experienced success in addiction treatment on various occasions, but relapsed several times as well.  His appearance on Sober House provides some hope that he has finally turned a corner in terms of his recovery.

For anyone suffering with an alcohol addiction or drug addiction - reach out to an addiction treatment facility in your area.  Even if all hope seems lost, the caring individuals at these rehab centers can find a way to insert hope back into your life.

OxyContin was introduced to the market several years ago with initially positive results.  But soon, emergency rooms began filling up with OxyContin overdose cases involving those who were overwhelmed by the power of this prescription painkiller.

For parents, addicts or those suffering from chronic pain - consider the following important facts about OxyContin and OxyContin addiction:

6 Things to Know about OxyContin Addiction

1. OxyContin was created to help those in pain.  The idea behind OxyContin was a noble one, provide a time-release medication so that individuals suffering from high pain levels did not have to take repeated doses of their drugs.

2. OxyContin can be very dangerous.  When OxyContin is crushed or snorted, the individual receives ALL of the active ingredient at once - making them highly susceptible to overdose.

3. The Internet is fueling the OxyContin addiction epidemic.  Right now, there are thousands of illicit pharmacies operating on the web that offer OxyContin without a valid doctor’s prescription.  Internet savvy kids are, in particular, finding their drugs in this manner.

4. Kids are the fastest growing demographic in terms of OxyContin Addiction.  The highest growth rate in terms of teen drug addiction in United States are for prescription drugs such as OxyContin and Vicodin.

5. OxyContin is nicknamed the “hillbilly heroin”.  As offensive as the first part of this moniker is to some, the second word holds more than it’s fair share of truth.  Many of those suffering from a heroin addiction turn to OxyContin because of the powerful euphoric effect it provides.

6. Individuals with an OxyContin addiction experience strong withdrawal symptoms.   Among all opiate drugs, OxyContin withdrawal ranks with Heroin in terms of drug cravings, depression and anxiety that occurs when the individual is not using.

If you know someone who has become addicted to OxyContin, or developed a similar prescription painkiller addiction, it is important to help them find a quality drug rehab program.    Drug rehab offers individuals a chance to break free from the bonds of addiction - and steer their lives down a more positive path.

One of the most serious issues pertaining to medical treatment in the United States concerns doctors who have developed a drug addiction, yet continue to provide care to their patients without receiving proper treatment themselves.  For years, this problem went unchecked in the medical community, as doctors were allowed to the patients’ lives at risk - while falling deeper and deeper into the cycle of addiction.

Hope came in the form of a new treatment approach to drug addicted doctors - one that focused on long-term care and high levels of accountability should the problem persist.

As a result of this unique approach (not quite punishment, not quite drug rehab), the percentage of doctors who are addicted to drugs has begun to decrease for the first time in many years.

According to a recent survey published in the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, over three-quarters of all doctors who entered this long-term treatment program have remained drug-free for over five years.   That speaks volumes for a non-traditional treatment style that combines counseling with a zero-tolerance approach to drug use on the job (physicians can lose their licesnse if testing positive during the program).

One of the more positive aspects of the survey was that the numbers held true across a wide variety of addictions - including crystal meth, cocaine, prescription painkillers and alcohol.

If you, or someone you know has developed a drug addiction, it is important to contact a drug rehab program immediately.  Through detox and counseling, drug rehab helps treat drug addiction at the core - and helps individuals discover the strategies needed to live a sober life.

Parents who are seeking help determining whether or not their kids are using drugs, have a helpful but little known weapon to use in their quest for information - home drug tests.  Despite parent-child trust issues that may arise as a result of the testing, they provide a window into the habits of young people that may parents desperately need to help stem drug addiction before it destroys the lives of their loved ones.

The tests are inexpensive (most run around $5) and are easy-to-administer.  The individual simply places the test strip in the urine of the individual, and in five minutes, a positive or negative result is provided for a number of substances, including:

• Marijuana
• Heroin or other opiates
• Methamphetamines
• Ecstasy

Each test provides a result for a different drug and are all sold separately.

Currently, the home drug tests can be purchased at major drug store chains.  Individuals who are confused about which tests to buy, or need help administering the tests are urged to contact a medical professional.

But it is important to note that testing alone will not solve the entire problem.   Parents must still be well-educated in terms of how to best speak with their kids about the dangers of substance abuse.  And in cases where it is merited, they must also be prepared to contact professional help for their drug-addicted child.  Teen drug rehab programs help young people overcome their addiction to drugs, and turn their lives around before their best years are lost.

Commonly, individuals with a drug addiction see their problem get worse because they live with it in isolation.  They are too ashamed or unwilling to reach out for help from the very people who can help them get things turned out.  The following represent the important people who can help provide support and information at a time when drug addiction has left you at your lowest point.

#1.  A member of the clergy.  People of faith often turn to their local clergyman for support and guidance when suffering with a drug addiction.  Most priests, rabbis, pastors or other religious leaders are well-versed drug addiction recovery and can not only help the individual find strength during this difficult time- but also advise them on a number of faith-based initiatives that help recovering addicts.

#2.  A member of the family. While many individuals turn to drugs as a means of coping with family problems, parents and siblings are still the best support structure an individual can have.  Family offers unconditional love and support - and can be the missing link between the individual and the addiction treatment program they so desperately need.

#3. A doctor.   If there’s one person from whom you cannot hide the symptoms of a drug addiction it is your personal physician.  Even if your doctor does not specialize in detox or other forms of drug-related care, they are still an invaluable resource in terms of how to improve your physical health during recovery and addiction treatment programs that may be appropriate.

#4. A psychiatric professional.  Certainly the most logical choice in terms of speaking with someone about an addiction.  Psychiatrists and therapists not only maintain a strict confidentiality with their patients, but they are also most likely to be “in the know” about the latest treatment modalities and the best programs in the area.

#5. Yourself. Individuals with a drug addiction are often unwilling to admit that they have a problem.  This deep state of denial keeps them from reaching out and seeking help.  It keeps them from finding the perfect drug rehab problem.  And most importantly, it keeps them slipping further and further down into the addiction cycle.

The bottom line:  as isolating an experience as drug addiction is, you are not alone!  There are a number of people ready and willing to listen and help steer you towards a life-saving drug rehab program.