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Avoiding Opiate Detox Relapse Triggers
2008-05-05 21:02:00
There are as many triggers to relapse during opiate detox as there are people undergoing opiate withdrawal treatment. It can be as simple as the mention of a certain drug or the description of using it or what it?s like under the influence. For others visual triggers like seeing someone use in a movie is enough where others only find themselves fade under pressure when someone is using in front of them. Being offered something to drink can trigger the desire to use, even if alcoholism isn?t a problem. That?s why so many find that abstinence from all mind altering substances is the best way to stay off their addictive drug of choice. So how do you avoid relapse when you?re faced with a trigger?

Friendships That Fail During Opiate Detox
2008-05-03 16:48:00
Because opiate addiction is so all-encompassing, the relationships that stick through the ordeal tend to be enabling relationships, that is, friends and family members who either help us to continue addictive behavior or those people who we use with. This can be a problem when we try to quit using essentially on our own.

Happy Half-Birthday to Me!
2008-05-02 20:38:00
Well! It’s been a while since I’ve made a post here, and I have missed y’all something terrible, but I can’t think of a better reason to break my writer’s block than this: This week marks the six-month anniversaryof me beginning Suboxone treatment! Woot! I can hardly believe that a half of a year has already passed, ...
More About: Addiction , Happy , Detox , Half

Interview With a Methadone Addict Part II
2008-05-01 19:42:00
A few weeks ago, I posted an interview here with a man who was on methadone maintenance. It garnered quite a few responses, and so he asked me to follow up and let you know what?s happening with him. To preserve his anonymity, I?ll call him Smith.
More About: Interview , Part , Methadone , Addict

How to Know When You?re Ready for Opiate Withdrawal
2008-04-29 21:24:00
Some people say that you can?t be successful in recovery if you?re not ready. Others say it goes deeper than that, that you have to lose everything before you can fully understand how vital it is to get clean. Personally, I don?t agree.
More About: Ready , Suboxone , Withdrawal

5 Ways to Spot an Addict
2008-04-23 14:14:00
If you suspect a friend, colleague or loved-one is addicted, you might be afraid of approaching the person, how can you tell if someone might be addicted? Confronting someone based purely on a gut instinct could lead to a big mistake and a real mess if you are wrong, but if you care about this person ...
More About: Spot , Addict

Rap Music Glorifies Drug Use and Abuse
2008-04-04 15:47:00
Big freakin? surprise, right? Science Daily reported recently that there?s a new study out that the ?glamorization of drugs in rap music jumped dramatically over 2 decades.?
More About: Music , Abuse , Drug , Rap Music , Drug Use

Interview with a Buprenorphine Study Participant
2008-04-03 05:09:00
So the Interview with a Methadone Addict garnered such a huge response that I felt that a sequel was in order. Today, we speak with a 30-year-old guy who stumbled into a really incredible opportunity, a buprenorphine study. Here?s what he had to say:
More About: Study , Subutex , Suboxone

Blog ? Get The Most Current Pharmacology Information Here
2008-03-19 13:57:00
Now, I have a Master?s degree and a graduate certification in the physiology of addiction, but I?m no pharmacology expert. To answer your questions or inform my writing, I do my research like anybody else, by reading textbooks, medical journals and bookmarking educational sites online. However, the world of pharma is one that is constantly evolving?new research, new theories, new theorists, new uses for old drugs?and it?s difficult to keep up with everything. One way to do it is to subscribe to news feeds, of course, but there?s nothing like a college student, medical student or grad student to bring a certain sarcasm and skepticism to the business of drug-making, buying and prescribing.
More About: Information , Current , Blog , Pharmacology

Taking the Plunge
2008-03-11 02:53:00
When the folks here at Suboxone Blog asked me to write a few guest posts, I was flattered and really excited. I also thought the writing would be easy. It's easy enough for me to bang out posts over at Diary of a Quitter, after all.
More About: Addiction , Taking , Opiates , Painkillers

Australian Scientists Work to Treat And Prevent Hepatitis C
2008-02-10 18:59:00
Hepatitis C is truly a global issue and a group of scientists in Adelaide, Australia, have started a five-year project to find better treatment options and to create vaccines to fight the disease. More than 170 million around the world are infected with hepatitis C, and University of Adelaide virologists Dr. Michael Beard and Dr. Karla Helbig are putting themselves on the battlefield?s front lines and trying to identify antiviral proteins that will stifle the disease.
More About: Work , Australian , Scientists , Treat

Celebrity Drug Rehab Profile: Jaimee Foxworth
2008-02-08 23:10:00
One of the youngest on VH1?s Celebrity Rehab is Jaimee Foxworth. She was a star at the age of 5 and soon became a singer before landing a role on the series 'Family Matters' as Judy Winslow. Now, at the age of 28, she?s one of the quietest characters on the show. No drama, straight shooting. In my opinion, she may be more likely to succeed than some of the others. By not getting involved in the dramatic happenings around the house but still making friends and building a community of support, hopefully her focus is on her recovery, which is where it should be.
More About: Drug Rehab , Addiction , Profile

Heath Ledger Dies of Accidental Overdose
2008-02-07 21:39:00
So it turns out that the initial speculation was correct: Heath Ledger did accidentally overdose on a variety of prescription drugs including oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam and doxylamine. This information was released by the New York medical examiner?s office, so it?s pretty much an accepted fact. I apologize to those who don?t want to believe that it?s true, but like I?ve said before, Heath?s death only proves that even with a ton of money, even when everything is legally prescribed and you have all the medical attention and treatment you could possibly want, overdose is still a real possibility.
More About: Addiction , Detox , Suboxone , Opiates

Drug Addiction and Organ Transplantation
2008-02-06 19:52:00
It?s common knowledge that addiction can tear up your body, especially your kidneys and liver for prescription painkillers and alcohol and your lungs, gums and mouth if you smoke, not to mention the not so healthy decisions you make while under the influence that put the rest of your body in harm?s way. So it should make sense that a number of drug addicts and alcoholics end up needing an organ transplant of some kind. A big area of concern is that transplant patients with a history of addiction will relapse after the surgery and in effect, ?waste? the organ by destroying it with drugs and alcohol. But according to a study published in the Liver Transplantation journal and online, only about 6 percent of former alcoholics and 4 percent of drug addicts relapse in a given year after their transplant.
More About: Addiction , Drug , Suboxone , Opiates , Painkillers

Celebrity Drug Rehab Profile: Brigitte Nielson
2008-01-26 08:03:00
Brigitte Nielson hit her peak in the 1980s as an international supermodel and actress, famously marrying Sylvester Stallone and infamously recording a pop album or two. In this century, she has found something of a comeback on reality TV shows that highlighted her drunken antics and now it?s those same drunken antics that have her ...
More About: Celebrity , Rehab , Drug Rehab , Addiction , Profile

Needle Exchange Pilot Programs Launch In New Jersey
2008-01-17 09:45:00
Since the end of November, injection drug users in New Jersey have been the subject of much speculation and controversy. In Atlantic City, a needle exchange pilot program was launched a few days after Thanksgiving with the intention of quelling the spread of HIV among IDUs. A similar harm reduction effort is expected to open in Camden soon, with more needle exchanges scheduled for Newark and Paterson by the end of the year.
More About: Programs , Addiction , Exchange , Launch

Celebrity Rehab Drug Profile: Ozzy Osbourne
2008-01-16 06:26:00
Ozzy Osbourne isn?t known as ?The Prince of Darkness? for no reason. His antics on stage and rock and roll behavior are legendary. From inadvertently biting the head off a live bat to running around on fire while under the influence, the stories he?ll one day tell his grandchildren are innumerable.
More About: Celebrity , Rehab , Drug Rehab , Addiction , Profile

Addictionologist Agresti Comments On VH1?s Celebrity Rehab
2008-01-15 10:50:00
Dr. Mark Agresti is a leading addictionologist and the operator of Meditox, one of the fastest growing, outpatient opiate detox programs in the United States. He?s seen VH1?s latest reality TV show hit, Celebrity Rehab and, to be blunt, he?s not impressed.
More About: Drug Rehab , Addiction , Comments

George W. Lifts Ban On Funding For Needle Exchange Programs In Washington D
2008-01-14 08:43:00
There?s a new spending bill that affects those of us interested in substance abuse treatment and it actually has Georgie W. on the positive side of things: The bill is HR 2764 and its signing means that there is no more ban on city funding for needle exchange programs in the district of Washington DC. For the past eight years, the nation?s capitol has been the only place in the country where local funds were not allowed to be spent upon harm reduction measures in the form of needle exchange, a strange irony.
More About: Programs , George W , Addiction , Funding

The Big Picture of Genetic Influence in Drug Addiction
2008-01-13 21:13:00
A new genetic drug addiction study was published last week in PLoS Computational Biology. According to the report, researchers from the Center for Bioinformatics at Peking University in Beijing have put together the gene atlas that underlies drug addiction and identified five molecular pathways that are commonly found in people who are addicted to four different drugs.
More About: Picture , Addiction , Detox , Drug , Influence

VH1?s New Celebrity Reality Show, Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew Tonight
2008-01-12 21:06:00
VH1 has a new celeb reality show that premieres tonight: Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew. If you?re a fan of VH1 or reality TV, you may already be familiar with Dr. Drew Pinsky. He?s been on the radio, MTV?s Loveline and CNN?s Strictly Sex With Dr. Drew. He?s also a writer/researcher/addictionologist and he?s bringing all that expertise to the world of B- and C-list celebrities with a problem with substance abuse and a penchant for the camera.
More About: Reality , Drug Rehab , Show

Washington DC Will Invest $650,000 In Needle-Exchange Programs
2008-01-08 20:13:00
Much-needed needle-exchange programs are finally making their way into our nation?s capitol?legally, that is, and fully sanctioned and funded by the city. According to the Washington Post, Washington DC plans to invest about $650,000 in needle exchange programs.
More About: Programs , Addiction , Exchange , Detox

Celebrity Drug Rehab Profile: Michael Jackson
2008-01-08 00:49:00
If ever there was a fable about why drugs are bad for you then the story of Michael Jackson ?s sad life would be it. His legal problems and eccentric lifestyle choices have most often been in the news and so sensational were they that his addiction to prescription painkillers is hardly ever the focus of tabloid stories. Yes, opiate drug addiction is mundane when compared to living in a real live petting zoo and the possible molestation of small children.
More About: Celebrity , Rehab , Drug Rehab , Addiction

Celebrity Drug Rehab Profile: Drew Barrymore
2008-01-06 21:17:00
Despite the highly successful Hollywood family from which Drew Barrymore hails, her life has been far from a fairy tale. She landed her first acting role at the age of 11 months and made a few more TV and film appearances before playing Gertie in the cult classic E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. She was 8 years old at the time and it was soon after that things started going downhill.
More About: Celebrity , Rehab , Drug Rehab , Addiction

Celebrity Rehab Profile: Robin Williams
2008-01-01 21:19:00
It?s a brand new year and with the change of date often comes a change of heart. Resolutions are fun to make and can be as exciting as the fireworks at midnight. The idea of a new you is often enough to propel you through the first few weeks of the new year but your good intentions fizzle under the weight of the same old responsibilities at work and at home. Resolving to get clean and kick your prescription painkiller habit is an excellent new year?s resolution, and in an effort to help you on your way, I?m going to profile a few celebs who have made the same resolution.
More About: Celebrity , Rehab , Robin Williams , Drug Rehab , Addiction

Pros and Cons of Medical Detoxification
2007-12-30 18:36:00
Medical detoxification is a way of breaking an addiction to drugs with the help of a prescription designed to ease the symptoms of withdrawal. The alternative?quitting ?cold turkey??can be painful and even deadly depending on the dosage. A medical detox gives you the benefit of a drug-free life without the nasty physical withdrawal symptoms that would otherwise be a part of the experience.
More About: Medical , Drug Rehab , Addiction , Detox , Cons

Deadly Mechanism of Methadone
2007-12-29 19:36:00
In 2004, more than 3800 people died from methadone overdose in the United States, according to the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). Every year since, overdoses due to methadone have continued to increase by about 20 percent. Once the gold standard in drug addiction treatment, methadone has quickly become one of the most commonly abused prescription opiates on the black market and by legal prescription for chronic pain.
More About: Drug Rehab , Addiction , Mechanism , Deadly , Suboxone

The Mechanism of Naloxone in Narcotic Addiction Treatment
2007-12-29 03:54:00
The term ?narcotic addiction treatment? refers to any treatment with the goal of breaking addiction to opioid-based drugs like heroin, morphine, OxyContin, Vicodin and other prescription painkillers. An opiate addiction treatment that makes use of naloxone is especially effective. It can be used alone like when paramedics use it to treat overdose victims or in combination with other drugs like in Suboxone where it is combined with buprenorphine.
More About: Addiction , Treatment , Detox , Heroin , Morphine

OxyContin-Making Execs Heavily Fined For Misleading the Public About Addict
2007-12-28 01:54:00
It?s not just the doctors, dealers and users who are getting trouble in the courts these days for excessive use of prescription opiate painkillers. Now Purdue Pharma, the makers of OxyContin, a common opioid-based prescription medication, are under the gun. Specifically, three present and former executives at the company were ordered to pay a fine ...
More About: Public , Addiction , Heroin , Suboxone , Opiates

Painkiller Abuse
2007-12-26 20:29:00
We?ve been talking a lot this week about the rising rates of painkiller abuse and overdose in the United States. Buying drugs on the street or taking them from ailing family members who are legally prescribed the drugs are common but it seems that news of fraudulent doctors prescribing illegal amounts of opiate painkillers pops up every other day. How extensive is the problem of prescription drug trafficking exactly?
More About: Abuse , Addiction , Suboxone , Opiates , Painkillers