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Craigslist – The Black Market For Prescription Drugs

AdamS — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 15:19:52 +0000

The sometimes controversial website, craigslist has become the center of another scandal. This time the website is coming under fire because a lot of its users have started using the site as a prescription drug black market. Brazen drug dealers post for sale ads offering everything from roxycodone, vicodin, percocet, oxycontin, xanax and many other types of prescription drugs. This past weekend in New York City, police officers decided to respond to many of these ads and ended up arresting over twenty individuals who were trying to sell drugs from their homes. On the ads, many of the potential drug dealers posted ads that mentioned “No LE please” meaning no law enforcement. Not surprisingly, the police didn’t listen to those requests.

Wide Variety of People Dealing Drugs

The interesting thing about the more than twenty people that police arrested over the weekend is that they came from all different walks of life. Some of the dealers were known, small time dealers that had been previously booked for selling cocaine and heroin. However, others were very surprising people, such as a NYU grad student, a financial advisor and a sixty year old woman. It seems like some of these people just had extra prescription pills laying around and knew they could make some quick cash from selling them. Officers responded to these craigslist ads and bought a few hundred dollars worth of pills from these individuals in public places before eventually charging them with dealing drugs.

The Ongoing Battle Against Prescription Drugs

Authorities and legislators have been battling to keep prescription drugs from being trafficked for the last several years, but have had a lot of difficulties policing the drugs. Since these drugs are legally prescribed to some people for legitimate medical reasons it can be extremely difficult to control them. Despite all of the arrests made over the weekend, the ads on craigslist continued to be posted. One on Thursday read: “Hello ladies and gentlemen. If your in pain and need assistance look no further. I’ve got 30 (mg) ways to help!! … Not affiliated with any sort of law enforcement? If ALL of these pertain to you, email me with what your looking for (quantity) and we will work it out.”

As police around the country continue to fight against prescription drug trafficking, they may have to focus on a new black market that has emerged. Craigslist allows people to post brazen ads offering drugs like roxycodone, xanax, percocet, and many other prescription drugs and then meet up and sell them. These pills can be sold by anyone and it seems like more and more people are starting to deal their extra prescriptions that have just been lying around their homes. These pills can sell for well over twenty dollars apiece and many people are happy to make some quick cash by selling the pills they no longer need for their own ailments. Craigslist can be a great tool to help facilitate local buying and selling of goods and services between two parties, but it is often used for illegal activity as well.

Woman Has Stomach Removed After Drinking Liquid Nitrogen At Bar

AdamS — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 20:19:11 +0000

Over the past weekend, an eighteen year old woman from the United Kingdom was rushed to the hospital after becoming violently ill from drinking a cocktail containing liquid nitrogen. The woman was Gabby Scanlan and she initially complained about shortness of breath and severe stomach pain, before eventually collapsing and being rushed to the hospital. She had to have her stomach removed by surgeons who stated that she could have easily died from the incident. She is still in aftercare at the hospital and suffering from the trauma the liquid nitrogen placed on her body. She may need to go to a private alcohol rehab facility after her stint in the hospital to continue to recover.

Liquid Nitrogens Role in The Food Industry

The use of liquid nitrogen in food and beverage preparation is actually a pretty old process. It was first used as a way to present food in 1890 as a way to make elegant ice confections, however it is now becoming more and more popular. Restaurants and bars all over the world are using the chemical in their food and beverage preparation because it not only almost instantly cools whatever it touches, such as glasses or drinks, but also produces a really cool smoky effect that resembles a witch’s cauldron. Liquid nitrogen cocktails are very popular at fancy bars because they are quite entertaining and make the drinks very cold.

The Dangers of Liquid Nitrogen

Liquid nitrogen boils at -321 degrees fahrenheit, which means that it can cause instant frostbite when it contacts human tissue. Nitrogen is a harmless gas that makes up almost 80% of the air we breathe, so the only danger comes from how cold the liquid is. When the liquid boils and turns into a gas it expands its volume more than 600 times that of its liquid form, which could cause someones stomach to explode if its ingested. It seems that what happened to Scanlan is that the bartender served her her drink prematurely and she ingested liquid nitrogen causing the chemical to expand immensely in her stomach and forcing her to have to be rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery to remove her stomach. Doctors are now saying that she was very lucky to have survived the event and it’s a good thing she was brought to the hospital when she was.

Today, liquid nitrogen is not regulated in most countries in the world and it can be used in restaurants and bars to create dishes and drinks that are potentially dangerous. Scanlan ingested Jager and liquid nitrogen which triggered her E.R visit and surgery. She remains in aftercare at the moment still suffering from severe pain that occurred from her unfortunate incident. She will likely need to go through private alcohol rehab once she is released from the hospital to continue to recover. This event has raised the question of whether or not liquid nitrogen needs to be regulated more in countries, especially when it is used for serving food and beverages.

Afghan Woman’s Revolutionary Addiction Treatment Idea

AdamS — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 19:56:01 +0000

It can be very difficult to get treatment for drug and alcohol addiction in some places, including Afghanistan. Individuals in Afghanistan who suffer from drug addiction usually caused by opiate abuse, have difficulty finding quality treatment facilities. One woman in Afghanistan has come up with a revolutionary idea to help people in her poverty and war stricken ravished nation to recover from their various addictions. Laila Haidari has come up with the idea of opening a restaurant and employing recovering drug and alcohol addicts as a way to get them off the streets and keep their minds off of using drugs. This type of drug and alcohol rehab is a very interesting take on the traditional recovery path.

Rehabs in Afghanistan

Afghanistan does not have very many shelters and facilities to take care of people recovering from addiction to alcohol and drugs. Most of the citizens suffering from addiction are essentially cast out of society instead of being helped. This sort of treatment leads the addicts to continue to make poor choices with their life, instead of turning over a new leaf and getting their lives back together. Haidari has started a very interesting new project in her hometown that could change all of that for many of the addicts in the area. Her restaurant will not only give these individuals a shelter to stay in while they recover from their addictions, but will also provide them the ability to learn new skills and reshape their lives.

Laila Haidari’s Personal Sacrifice

Radical ideas like the one Haidari has, are rarely given much support in her nation. What’s worse is that as a woman, she is given even less opportunity to chase after her dreams of helping others. Her friends loaned her $26,000 to start this restaurant, however her husband was against the idea from the very beginning. When she opened the restaurant a month ago, her husband filed for divorce. She did not want to lose him but felt that she really needed to continue with this project. Her passion to help drug addicts comes from the time she spent taking care of her brother who was an opium addict and seeing the struggles he went through and how he was never given many opportunities to recover.

Haidaris restaurant currently employs 17 former addicts and houses over forty additional recovering addicts in its shelter. Her goal is to keep these addicts busy and happy and give them the opportunity to enjoy life without drugs. As far as drug and alcohol rehabs go, this idea is very revolutionary in Afghanistan. Haidari’s restaurant is offering people who are suffering from addiction stemming from opiate abuse a chance to make a difference in their lives. Through all her personal sacrifice Haidari is now involved with a project she is truly passionate about and is making a big difference in the lives of several drug addicts and their families in the area. Hopefully her idea will catch on and inspire more restaurants like this.

Teens Getting Wasted Off of Liquid Hand Sanitizer

AdamS — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 19:36:32 +0000

It can be very difficult to keep teenagers from getting their hands on, and abusing alcohol. Some teens will do whatever it takes to get wasted, and that has become very evident recently when more and more cases of teens drinking liquid hand sanitizer have emerged. Liquid hand sanitizer is inexpensive and easy for teens to get their hands on whether they are buying it in the store or simply finding it laying around their parents homes. Drinking hand sanitizer is extremely dangerous and is causing the teens to need to go through alcohol treatment at inpatient rehab facilities.

Where Did This Trend Begin?

This dangerous trend can be traced back to New Zealand, where prisoners first started drinking hand sanitizer mixed with fruit drinks to get wasted. The popularity of this practice has spread from New Zealand all the way to America, where it is now common in the states of California, Missouri, and Alaska. Within the last few months, more than half a dozen teens in Los Angeles have been rushed to local emergency rooms, to be treated for alcohol poisoning. Videos can be found on the internet that describe the process of distilling the liquid hand sanitizer to separate the ethanol portion of the product from the other ingredients by using salt. This means that the teens are able to extract pure ethanol from the hand sanitizer and drink that which is a 120 proof alcohol that can cause extreme sickness from being ingested.

Terrible Side Effects From Drinking Hand Sanitizer

Hand Sanitizer has never been intended for human consumption and is supposed to be used only as its directed. Because it is deliberately made to kill bacteria and clean hands, it is extremely dangerous if it is ingested. The side effects of drinking hand sanitizer are diarrhea, stomach irritation, vomiting. It can also cause memory loss and permanent damage to a person’s internal organs. The damage caused by drinking hand sanitizer is sometimes irreversible according to medical professionals who have dealt with cases of alcohol poisoning from the substance. In a few cases hand sanitizer consumption has been linked to death, including one in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where police officers found a dead body next to empty bottles of hand sanitizer and mouthwash.

This is a very dangerous habit that many teens have started turning to in order to get drunk when they are unable to get booze through other means. There are few ways for police and parents to fight this trend, but police have been advising store owners to not sell hand sanitizer to teenagers and warn parents of the dangers of leaving the substance around the house if they suspect their teens may be underage drinking. For now this problem doesn’t appear that it will be going away anytime soon and more teens will likely end up needing alcohol treatment at inpatient rehab centers before some better safeguards are put in place to deter teens from abusing the substance.

The Difference Between Helpful and Hurtful Guilt in Recovery

AdamS — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 15:47:39 +0000

Some addicts have been self medicating their emotions for so long that they forget how to deal with feelings of guilt, let alone how to differentiate when they should or shouldn’t feel guilt. When people are addicted to a substance they often lie, treat their family poorly, get fired from jobs, all the while being able to get rid of their guilt by using their substance of abuse. So when an addict is in medical detox and rehabilitation, the guilt of all they have done while under the influence can flood into their emotions in overwhelming amounts.

Helpful Guilt

First of all, guilt happens when a person does something to breach their conscience in a way that harms them or someone in their lives. Even though guilt can be uncomfortable, having it is actually perfectly healthy and actually a sign of mental health. There is a name for people that commit criminal or immoral acts that have absolutely no remorse about it; we call them psychopaths. Guilt can actually work as a deterrent in the recovering addicts life to keep them from falling into patterns that cause feelings of guilt. It can teach them that having consideration for others is important for managing relationships and can help to hold them accountable for their actions.

Hurtful Guilt

There is also the kind of guilt that can hinder addicts from long-term recovery, because of having a skewed perspective of themselves that can lead to self hatred and depressive disorders. Guilt can make them think that the things that they have done make them unworthy of love or happiness. This kind of thinking can make people completely closed off to others or make them go to extreme lengths to make others happy before taking care of themselves.

Use Guilt Productively

Dwelling on the past is never a good way to make productive steps toward the future. That is what recovery is all about; making amends with the past and taking a step-by-step approach toward the future. 12-Step programs are good to be a part of in order to learn how to start dealing with the past and the future in a healthy way through discovering what is within their control and what isn’t After making amends with loved ones, it’s a good idea to start building relationships with people that encourage your new life-style and will not tempt you to go back down destructive paths that led to sources of guilt in addiction. There are also various volunteer programs that can help individuals build self-esteem by helping others.

Guilt plays a significant role in recovery, but it shouldn’t completely consume anyone. When an addict isn’t use to dealing with emotions in a sober mindset, they sometimes lack the skills that help them deal with the effects that their alcohol or drug abuse has had on their lives and the lives of their loved ones. Without a healthy perspective of guilt and a healthy way of coping with foreign emotions, recovering addicts are vulnerable to reacting to try to avoid them. This can include relapse, developing depressive or anxiety disorders, and in some cases suicidal behavior.

Kratom Addiction Rising in South Florida

AdamS — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 18:08:47 +0000

A potentially dangerous and addictive substance has gained a lot of popularity in South Florida recently and is causing many people in the area to need help with their addiction. A natural and, at the moment, legal substance called kratom is gaining a lot of attention in the news lately. Many places in South Florida that specialize in exotic teas and holistic beverages have started selling kratom tea to their patrons. These patrons assume that the tea is good for them and not dangerous and they end up abusing the substance. Most will need to get Florida addiction treatment when they start to feel intense withdrawal symptoms after drinking the tea.

What is Kratom?

Kratom is a plant species that is native to Southeast Asia and is typically found in Indochina and Thailand. The plant typically grows up to 30ft tall and 15 ft wide before it is cut down and used for its pharmaceutical properties. Kratom contains many alkaloids, some of which share structural similarities with psychedelic drugs. The plant is often used for its relaxing properties when administered in low doses. However when taken in higher doses, the drug binds to opioid receptors in the brain and causes similar effects to those associated with harder drugs such as heroin. In Thailand the drug has been made illegal after several of the Thai citizens were starting to abuse the drug when heroin became more expensive and harder to find. However, the drug is not illegal in the United States and has found its way into South Florida.

Kratom Abuse in South Florida

Many unsuspecting people living in South Florida have begun developing an addiction to kratom after having been offered the substance at kava tea bars. Most of these people have no idea that the tea they are drinking is potentially dangerous and addictive because they are getting it legally at established bars. For people who have no idea what the effects of the drug are, it seems like just a harmless leaf that is used to make a stimulating tea. Later when they start to experience withdrawals it is already too late. More and more people in South Florida are becoming addicted to this substance and getting sick from withdrawals without even knowing that they are getting involved with a dangerous addictive substance.

Now that the substance has made its way into South Florida, more people need to be educated on the dangers of the drug. Kratom is a legal, natural leaf that has been making a lot of waves in the area from places like kava tea shops that sell kratom tea without warning people of the potentially dangerous side effects of the substance. Some experts believe that kratom can be as physically addictive as heroin if it’s taken in large doses. Many people will need Florida addiction treatment if they abuse kratom. Kratom should simply not be offered at bars without a disclaimer that it is a potentially addictive substance that can cause painful withdrawals.

Codependency: Addicted to People

AdamS — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 15:03:16 +0000

Have you ever met a person that is in a destructive relationship with a drug addict or alcoholic, and all you can do is question how they could possibly endure all the pain that they are being put through? The truth is, in the same way that an individual can be addicted to gambling, binge eating, and sex, people can also be addicted to other people; it is called codependency. Often times, even after a drug addict or alcoholic has gone through treatment, their spouses and loved ones often are encouraged to take part in Family Outreach programs that are designed to teach them about how toxic codependency is on their lives and their relationships. Here are some ways to tell if you are codependent:

#1 Making Excuses For Someone Else’s Behavior

It’s common for people in a codependent relationship to feel like they need to take responsibility for some of the destructive consequences of an addiction. They are compelled to try to satisfy their needs and minimize controversial situations through manipulation or controlling strategies. Often times they think that their efforts to “fix” their significant other is noble and selfless, but they ultimately desire to feel needed and validated within the relationship.

#2 Taking Irrational Measures to Stay in the Relationship

People that are codependent are often motivated by feelings of fear. They are afraid of being rejected or left alone, which causes them to be burdened with the desperate need to gain approval from others. Codependent individuals often are distressed by their partners’ drug addiction or alcoholism, but are fraught with the idea that they should have another caretaker if they went to treatment; their identity and validity in the relationship is threatened. In response to this fear, they are willing to make the necessary changes to make sure that this does not happen. This could be anything from taking misplaced blame, changing their appearance, or making major life changes.

#3 Having a Hard Time Making Personal Decisions

The codependent partners’ whole life revolves around the life of the addict. It gets so influenced, that the codependent will have a difficult time differentiating their true emotions from those that are being manipulated by the addict. For example if the addict is distressed, then they become consumed with the idea of consoling them. This causes them to develop a difficulty in making decision that protect themselves, or to articulate what they really need in order to be truly happy.

The danger of being involved in this kind of relationships is that what started out as means to continue to feel loved is ultimately unsatisfied. This can lead to resentment and anger that makes manifest of mental disorders like anxiety, depression, substance abuse, eating disorders, as well as other serious physical health issues. Just like addicts to various drug types need rehabilitation to quit depending on them for happiness, codependent individuals need to find treatment through therapy or Family Outreach in order to stop being dependent on people.

Frat Bro Denies Butt Chugging Wine

AdamS — Sun, 07 Oct 2012 15:52:55 +0000

In late September, an unusual story came out of the University of Tennessee involving an incident that took place at one of their fraternity houses. In the early morning hours of September 22, a University of Tennessee student named Alexander Broughton was dropped off at the campus medical center with a blood alcohol level well over .40, which is a potentially deadly level of alcohol poisoning, as well as an injury to his rectum. Police went out to investigate what exactly happened to this student that caused him to need medical care and alcohol detox. During the investigation the police reported that some of the other frat brothers admitted that the student in the hospital had been “butt chugging” wine and that’s what caused his intoxication and rectal injury.

National Attention

Due to the unusual information in the police report, this story generated a lot of media attention and has now been covered by news outlets all over the nation. Most of the attention centered around the notion that Broughton had been “butt chugging”. Butt chugging apparently is the act of placing a rubber hose inside of a person’s rectum and then pouring alcohol into their anus. This practice is extremely dangerous because the alcohol goes directly into the blood without being filtered by the liver first. Broughton had a blood alcohol level of .45 and was listed in critical condition by the medical center treating him for alcohol poisoning. The nurses at the medical center had never encountered a situation where a person had imbibed alcohol through their rectum before.

Broughton Says Police Were Lying

A couple of weeks after the report surfaced about this incident and the story gained national media attention, Broughton held a press conference. The very embarrassed student claimed that the police had fabricated the idea that he was butt chugging. He claims that he had been drinking excessively by participating in a “Tour de Franzia” which is another dangerous drinking game involving wine. Broughton is now seeking to sue the UT Police Department for the deformation of his character. It’s pretty hard to believe that a police officer would have made up such an outrageous story about a student he had never met. Broughton is a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity and his actions, along with those of his frat brothers have caused the school to suspend the fraternity indefinitely, pending investigation.

What actually happened that night that caused Broughton to be taken to the hospital for medical care with a blood alcohol level of .45 remains to be determined, but it looks like there might be a civil case to determine the details. Broughton admitted that what happened that night was extremely stupid and dangerous and was glad that he got the alcohol detox treatment he needed before he died. Hopefully, butt-chugging will not start to catch on at other campuses around the country following this incident, because it is an extremely stupid and dangerous practice.

The Dangers of Ageism in Treatment

AdamS — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 14:38:26 +0000

Often times when we hear about ageist behavior, it falls in the direction from the younger to the older. We think of condescending remarks and patronizing notions that make the elderly feel like they have become lower class citizens and should be monitored like children. However, when it comes to teen drug treatment, the ageist tables are turned. Mindfulness of this dilemma is crucial in keeping teens confident in their pursuit of sobriety instead of feeling like they don’t belong there because of their age.

Singled Out

An example of this kind of remark is, “you are so fortunate to have found recovery at your age.” Now, the person who might have said it may have meant well, but that immediately reinforces the feeling of being outside the norm. They are immediately made to feel like they are fundamentally different, and will alienate them from the rest of the participants. This can be very dangerous as they move through crucial aspects of the program where they need to be transparent and honest about their struggle with addiction.

Safe Space Destroyed

Alcoholics Anonymous is a place that is built for anyone that has a desire to stop drinking and to come alongside others from all walks of life for support and encouragement. It an opportunity for people from all races, religions, genders, social standings and everything in between to have a space where they are free to be themselves devoid of judgment and scrutiny. When individuals are made to feel like the odd-man-out, then the program is no longer the inclusive safe haven that it was made to be.

Reinforced Insecurities

If younger individuals in Alcoholics Anonymous are constantly reminded of the difference of their lives compared to others that are pursuing sobriety, then it says to them that their struggle with alcoholism isn’t legitimate. It is true that young people may not have been with their addiction long enough to experience the horrors that alcoholism can bring with age, but that also means that they probably already battle with whether or not they actually need to be there. Many alcoholics under the age of 25 partied alongside friends that have moved on to schools, jobs, families and other credible life changes. For those people, drugs and alcohol were just a phase, but for those that became bound to addiction constantly ask themselves whether or not they could live the rest of their lives as a functioning addicts while pursuing similar things to make them seem more normal.

Regardless of how harmless that a person aims to be when they comment on the age of a young alcoholic, it reduces the legitimacy of their problem. While it is much less visible to direct ageist comments at a younger individual than an elderly individual, it can be received as an undermining comment that makes them feel as if they don’t belong there because of lack of life experience or evidence of a real struggle with alcohol. Teen addiction is a very serious issue that should be treated as a valid problem rather that minimizing it to a foolish delusion.

Virtual Rehab Not For Everyone

AdamS — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 15:35:39 +0000

Over the last few years, more and more services have become available online. It has become much more common for people to seek education online where they can do the coursework from their own home. A new company called Lionrock Recovery has a similar idea to help individuals with alcohol and drug addiction who do not want to travel to rehabs in Florida for treatment. The company offers addicts a chance to go through a “shame free” treatment program right from the comfort of their own homes. The idea has sparked a lot of debate in the recovery community over whether its a good idea or a scam that will allow people to stay in denial about their addictions.

Benefits of Virtual Rehab

There are several perceived benefits of undergoing drug or alcohol addiction treatment by way of at home video sessions. Traditional drug rehab programs usually require the patients to check into a facility for several weeks and live there while they undergo treatment and therapy. Virtual rehab is a much more convenient option for people with very hectic schedules who have lots of work and family commitments that they can’t leave for several weeks at a time. The virtual program also gives the patients an environment to recover in where they do not feel as uncomfortable and judged by others. Another huge advantage to this type of treatment is the cost. Traveling to a rehab facility and living there while receiving treatment can cost over a thousand dollars a day. The virtual rehab program is likely much more cost efficient.

Where Virtual Rehab Falls Short

All of the perceived benefits of a virtual rehab program don’t come without a number of potential drawbacks and criticisms of the idea. Critics argue that by staying at home and going through rehab is ineffective because it allows the addict to continue to stay in the environment they are accustomed to abusing drugs and alcohol in. When trying to recover from the comfort of their own home, it is much easier to not take the therapy seriously and follow the steps necessary to overcome an addiction. Many recovery professionals are skeptical of the system because they know how difficult it can be to recover from addiction and it really should not be an easy, comfortable process. It takes a complete change in behavior to break most addictions, and virtual rehab has no way to ensure that behavioral change.

Just like virtual schools, virtual rehab is certainly not for everyone but its good to see that people are coming up with innovative ideas for the recovery community. Certainly people who have a serious alcohol or drug addiction will most likely need help from traditional live-in facility, such as those that can be found at rehabs in Florida. One of the services offered by Lionrock is treatment referral for individuals who need inpatient care. However, for people who have really busy lives and can’t afford to take time away from their work and family commitments, perhaps virtual recovery is the answer.