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Substance Abuse | Addiction Treatment Strategies

Emerging Drug of Abuse: OXI

It’s cheaper, perhaps more powerful and definitely more dangerous than even crack cocaine. The new illicit drug is “oxi,” known, The Rio Times of Brazil notes, “as the drug of death” because those hooked on it often die within a year. But what it amounts to before death is an attempt by users to turn themselves into insensible zombies.
One Brazilian user of the drug described the experience to Al Jazeera reporter Gabriel Elizondo. Oxi, the user said, “is to make my mind go to sleep.”
Derived from cocaine, oxi (short for oxidado or “rust”) may also contain kerosene or gasoline as well as acetone, battery acid or…

Parent Helpline Provides Support, Resources For Te…

When parents find out their teen is abusing drugs or alcohol, the family’s immediate focus is generally on getting help for the teen. But parents are often in great need of help themselves. They may need advice on what to say to their teen, how to evaluate whether he or she needs professional treatment and where to find the appropriate substance abuse treatment program if one is needed. A new toll-free telephone helpline is providing that assistance.
The Parents Toll-Free Helpline, 1-855-DRUGFREE (1-855-378-4373), is staffed by clinical social workers with practical experience in substance abuse prevention and treatment. The helpline,…

New products in work…

When horror stories about bath salts and synthetic marijuana began circulating, lawmakers in Pennsylvania acted swiftly to ban the so-called fake drugs.
But manufacturers are even quicker.
Today is the first day that brands of bath salts, synthetic pot and salvia are illegal in this…

“Bath Salts” Now Ill…

Illinois has become the latest state to ban “bath salts,” according to the Los Angeles Times. Until now, bath salts have been sold legally at convenience stores and tobacco shops in the state. The drug provides a hallucinogenic high that is similar to Ecstasy. The new law adds chemical…

Substance Abuse and Anxiety

Moderate alcohol consumption—a glass of wine with dinner or a few drinks at a party—is no cause for concern for many people.
 
However those with anxiety disorders may find that alcohol or other substances can make their anxiety symptoms worse. And they are two to three times more likely to have an alcohol or other substance abuse disorder at some point in their lives than the general population.
 
About 20 percent of Americans with an anxiety or mood disorder such as depression have an alcohol or other substance abuse disorder, and about 20 percent of those with an alcohol or substance abuse disorder also have an anxiety or…

Young adults appear to be the group showing the gr…

[Medical News Today] Young adults appear to be the group showing the greatest increase in drug use according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). In addition, according to the new study, the increase has largely been driven by more marijuana use and there are the numbers to prove it. In fact, in 2010 some 17.4 million Americans were using marijuana, compared with 14.4 million in 2007, the researchers found. This is an increase in the rate of marijuana use from 5.8% in 2007 to 6.9% in 2010. Peter J…
Original Article: Young Adults See Biggest Rise In Drug Use; Marijuana Still Gateway
Related…

Drug Abuse and Addiction At A Glance

Drug abuse is a disorder that is characterized by a destructive pattern of using a substance that leads to significant problems or distress.
Drug addiction is a disease that is characterized by a destructive pattern of drug abuse that leads to significant problems involving tolerance to or withdrawal from the substance, as well as other problems use of the substance can cause for the sufferer.
Drug abuse and addiction are unfortunately quite common, affecting 7% and more than 2% of people at some point in their lives, respectively.
Dual diagnosis refers to the presence of both a drug-abuse or dependence issue in addition to a serious…

Alcohol Abuse Makes Prescription Drug Abuse More L…

Those under age 25 are particularly vulnerable to dual abuse.
 
Men and women with alcohol use disorders (AUDs) are 18 times more likely to report nonmedical use of prescription drugs than people who don’t drink at all, according to researchers at the University of Michigan. Dr. Sean Esteban McCabe and colleagues documented this link in two NIDA-funded studies; they also discovered that young adults were most at risk for concurrent or simultaneous abuse of both alcohol and prescription drugs.
“The message of these studies is that clinicians should conduct thorough drug use histories, particularly when working with young…

Estimated Number of U.S. Residents Using Marijuana…

Marijuana and hallucinogens are the only illicit drugs that have shown recent increases in the number of past year users, according to data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). An estimated 29.2 million U.S. residents ages 12 and older reported using marijuana in the past year in 2010, compared to 25.8 million in 2008. The number of past year hallucinogen users also increased (from 3.7 million in 2008 to 4.5 million in 2010), primarily due to an increase in the number of ecstasy users. In contrast, the number of nonmedical users of prescription drugs has not increased significantly from year to year since 2006, and the…

Stimulant Abuse On Our Campuses

Universities and colleges need to do more to protect young adults from the dangers of illicit stimulant use and to educate them about harms, argue the authors of an editorial in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).
 Students use stimulants to keep them alert to enhance their academic performance, although the perceived benefits are questionable.
“The vast majority of the evidence shows no cognitive improvements with the use of stimulants when compared with placebo in healthy individuals. In short, students who think simply popping a pill will improve their grades or give them new-found academic abilities are sorely…