The Camp Drug Rehab - Bay Area Northern CA

Recent Rise in Club Drugs Like Ketamine

mhurst — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 06:21:45 +0000

Young people flock to clubs every weekend to get their feel of the “Social Scene,” but they are getting a lot more than that.

Club drugs have always been widely used amongst club goers, and the trend is steadily increasing.

Not only is the usage of these drugs increasing but the availability of these drugs is increasing as well – almost to the point that everyone knows someone who is selling drugs – often prescription drugs.

Scientists have researched and found that the use of club drugs can cause serious and sometimes irreversible health issues. The risks increase when drugs are mixed. Drug interactions can occur when mixing two or more drugs of any type. There is a potential for overdose and death.

There are a wide variety of these club drugs, and ketamine popular in the youth drug culture. Ketamine is somewhat more difficult to obtain that prescription drugs or more common drugs like ecstasy. Ketamine is used in veterinary medicine as a tranquilizer for animals. When young adults recreationally take Ketamine (also known as “Special K”) it causes a dream like sensation in and they can feel disassociated from their bodies.

Ketamine was developed in the 1960′s and has a molecular structure like that of PCP. Ketamine is similar to an anesthetic and causes a person to not feel painful sensations, which could cause someone to harm themselves without even realizing. While Special K is the most common nickname that users have given Ketamine, it is also often referred to as just “K”.

Ketamine is manufactured as a liquid that can be injected but is also sometimes evaporated to form a powder to be either snorted, swallowed, or injected. Among many other dangers, Ketamine has been known to affect the liver, possibly leading causing swelling and jaundice. Ketamine has also been linked to urinary incontinence and long term abuse could potentially lead to liver failure.

Marijuana Use Doubles Chances of Car Accidents

mhurst — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 18:55:49 +0000

A new large study has found that people who drive within three hours of using marijuana are almost twice as likely to be responsible for a car crash as someone who is not under the influence. The risk is especially high for accidents that cause fatalities and is only slightly less than the risk involved with drunk driving. This was the first major study that focused on the correlation between smoking or ingesting cannabis and serious vehicular accidents.

The study, which was conducted by experts at Dalhousie University in Canada and published in the British Medical Journal, involved more than 49,000 people who had been involved in accidents and had tested positive for marijuana or admitted to using the drug before driving. The accidents that were part of the study occurred on public roads and involved more than one car, motorcycle, truck or bus. None of the test subjects had used alcohol or other drugs.

According to lead researcher Mark Asbridge, marijuana impacts a driver’s ability to judge distances. Asbridge also stated that drivers who are under the influence of marijuana swerve between lanes and tailgate other drivers. This type of erratic driving along with slowed reaction times contributes to the likelihood of a crash. Some drug experts estimate that 5 percent of the population admits to driving after using marijuana. Among young people under the age of 25, that figure could be as high as 20 percent. Statistics indicate that less-experienced marijuana users and users who combine the drug with alcohol are the most at risk.

Operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of marijuana is currently illegal in all 50 states. Attempt to limit marijuana use among drivers is hampered by the lack of an effective test mechanism, like the breathalyzer for alcohol, that can be administered during a traffic stop. THC, the active ingredient in cannabis, remains in the body for several weeks after marijuana use. This can make it difficult to determine with certainty if a driver was impaired by marijuana at the time of an accident. There are also no standards in place to quantify the level of an individual’s marijuana intoxication.

There is growing concern about the dangers of driving while under the influence of marijuana. Cannabis is currently the most widely used illegal substance in the world. The drug can be habit forming and treatment for marijuana addiction is not uncommon. and should not be taken lightly. In addition, many states have legalized the use of marijuana for medical purposes. Despite the uncertainty associated with tests for marijuana use, more than a dozen states now conduct roadside saliva tests for THC. Many experts hope that use of these tests will discourage people from driving after they use marijuana.

Study Finds that Some Brains are Wired for Addiction

mhurst — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:26:17 +0000

Scientists have long wondered why some people become addicted to drugs and alcohol while others can resist the pull of addiction. Now a new study of siblings suggests that certain brains are wired for addiction. Researchers at Cambridge University in the U.K. compared brain scans of 50 addicts to those of a non-addicted brother or sister. The results of the study, which are published this month in Science, indicate that the brains of each sibling pair were similar in many areas and that both brains were unlike those of typical people who have no history of substance abuse.

The addicted test subjects in the study had long histories of drug abuse. Most had been using cocaine or methamphetamine for an average of 16 years. More than half were also addicted to prescription painkillers or heroin and about a quarter were alcoholic. In addition to the sibling pairs, the study involved 50 unrelated healthy people with no history of substance abuse who were used as control subjects.

Using a standard test for impulse control, researchers found that both the addicts and their non-addicted siblings tested poorly for impulse control when compared to the unrelated control group. Brain scans that were also conducted as part of the study found similar abnormalities in the area of the brain that’s involved with self-control in the pairs of siblings. These results suggest that poor impulse control is an inborn characteristic of some brains and that it appears to be inherited.
Scientists have previously observed differences in the brain structure of addicts but were unsure if the differences were the cause or result of substance abuse. By adding siblings as test subjects, this new study indicates that differences in brain structure are an apparent cause of drug abuse.

One of the questions that remains unanswered is why one person becomes addicted to drugs when their sibling who has a similar brain structure is able to stay drug-free. According to Karen Ersche, the lead author of the study, the research team plans on doing more tests with sibling pairs in order to answer this question.

Nora Volkow, director of the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse, commented on the result of the study in an interview on NPR. Volkow says the implications about poor impulse control go beyond the problem of drug addiction. Impulse control is one of the central issues in ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). It also is a key element in compulsive disorders like gambling and compulsive eating. If people who are susceptible to these disorders can be identified by their brain structure and family history, there is the possibility for helping them strengthen their self control before they develop serious problems.

Baseball Player Uses Diverse Cocktail of Performance Enhancing Drugs

mhurst — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:53:57 +0000

Sports can be so competitive that drug use becomes part of the landscape, and baseball has especially been in the news for it.

Some of the most famous cases of baseball mixing with drug use include Barry Bonds (when he was with the San Francisco Giants) and Alex Rodriguez (when he was with the Texas Rangers).

When Dustin Richardson, a left-handed pitcher who has played for the Boston Red Sox, tested positive in late January for performance-enhancing drugs, it seemed to be a routine case of drug abuse.

However, the interesting case about Richardson, who was suspended for 50 MLB games, was that his drug report showed traces of not one, not two but five different subclasses of performance enhancing drugs. A Major League Baseball spokesperson said that this quintuplet of drugs was ‘unusual’. Other sources considered this to be an understatement.

Don Catlin, a former director of the U.C.L.A Olymic Analytical Laboratory and preeminent antidoping expert stated in an interview in late January that, “I have never seen a case like this, and we’re talking about 30 years I’ve been doing this kind of work”.

The prescription drug cocktail that Richardson tested positive for included anabolic steroids (Methandienone, Methenelone, Trenbolone), anti-estrogen drugs (Letrozole) and amphetamines (Adderall / Ritalin).

Methandienone, commonly referred to as D-Bol amongst the abuser community, is primarily utilized to promote muscle growth . An undesirable side effect of anabolic steroid usage is that it signals the body to increase production of the hormone estrogen (a hormone found in high concentrations amongst women). Thus, Letrozole or other anti-estrogen drugs are utilized to prevent high-estrogen concentration effects (decreased sperm count and development of gynecomastia). At this time, it is not entirely clear as to why Richardson was utilizing amphetamines because he has never been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD.

In addition, a past chairman of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s prohibited list and methods committee, Dr. Gary Wadler, said that it was striking for such a wide array of prescription pharmaceuticals to be positively identified in the same test.

Dr. Wadler also added that this type of multiple drug combination therapy is called ‘stacking’ and that it is not out of the ordinary among those abusers who use performance-enhancers illegally. Catlin added to this argument that, “You’re at a greater risk [when you stack] because each steroid has its own side effect, and they become additive on each other… the chance of an adverse reaction increases”.

The current situation with Richardson is still up in the air as he has not current contracts with any MLB clubs. His mother, Debra Richardson said that her son has accepted responsibility for his actions and is trying extra hard to pursue contracts with various clubs.

Doctors Need to be Aware of Illegal Online Pharmacies

mhurst — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 23:42:33 +0000

Not a Responsible Way to Fill Prescriptions

“Controlled prescription drugs like OxyContin, Xanax and Ritalin are easily purchased over the Internet without a prescription,” states Dr. Anupam Jena in the commentary, “yet physician awareness of this problem is low.”

Irresponsible Profiteers

Many rogue Internet pharmacies sell prescription drugs to people without a prescription. They may require a customer to fax a prescription but make no effort to check the prescription’s legitimacy. Others provide an online questionnaire that is used to issue a fake prescription. Studies conducted by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University have found that an estimated 85% of websites that offer prescription drugs for sale do not require a legitimate prescription.

Illegal online pharmacies are difficult to regulate because they can appear and disappear so quickly. It’s also hard to track the customers of these pharmacies because they don’t fit the mold of a typical drug abuser. In addition to people who are addicted to prescription drugs, many people buy drugs online because they don’t have health insurance or because they want to save money. Since the production and distribution of drugs sold online is for the most part unregulated, consumers are putting themselves at risk of overdose and death. Taking drugs without the guidance of a doctor also leaves consumers vulnerable to addiction.

The commentary calls for increased action by physicians to identify patients who are buying controlled prescription drugs over the Internet. They can be the first line of defense against prescription drug abuse, yet one large study of people who were undergoing treatment for prescription drug addiction reported that 45% said their primary physician was unaware of their problem. Doctors need to recognize that all patients are at risk of developing problems with prescription drugs and should take the responsibility for educating their patients about the risks involved in buying prescription drugs online without medical supervision. In addition to asking about the use of over-the-counter drugs and herbal supplements, the commentary calls on physicians to routinely question patients about their use of prescription drugs, either with or without a prescription.

Doctors Need to be Aware of Illegal Online Pharmacies

According to a commentary published this week in the Annals of Internal Medicine, the ready availability of prescription drugs through illegal online pharmacies may be playing a major role in the dramatic increase in U.S. prescription drug abuse since the 1990s. As the abuse of prescription drugs reaches epidemic levels, Internet pharmacies have received the attention of law enforcement, the media and federal regulators. Unfortunately, most doctors are unaware of the role these illegal pharmacies play in prescription drug abuse.”Controlled prescription drugs like OxyContin, Xanax and Ritalin are easily purchased over the Internet without a prescription,” states Dr. Anupam Jena in the commentary, “yet physician awareness of this problem is low.”Many rogue Internet pharmacies sell prescription drugs to people without a prescription. They may require a customer to fax a prescription but make no effort to check the prescription’s legitimacy. Others provide an online questionnaire that is used to issue a fake prescription. Studies conducted by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University have found that an estimated 85% of websites that offer prescription drugs for sale do not require a legitimate prescription.Illegal online pharmacies are difficult to regulate because they can appear and disappear so quickly. It’s also hard to track the customers of these pharmacies because they don’t fit the mold of a typical drug abuser. In addition to people who are addicted to prescription drugs, many people buy drugs online because they don’t have health insurance or because they want to save money. Since the production and distribution of drugs sold online is for the most part unregulated, consumers are putting themselves at risk of overdose and death. Taking drugs without the guidance of a doctor also leaves consumers vulnerable to addiction.

The commentary calls for increased action by physicians to identify patients who are buying controlled prescription drugs over the Internet. They can be the first line of defense against prescription drug abuse, yet one large study of people who were undergoing treatment for prescription drug addiction reported that 45% said their primary physician was unaware of their problem. Doctors need to recognize that all patients are at risk of developing an addiction to OxyContin or other prescription drugs. Doctors should take the responsibility for educating their patients about the risks involved in buying prescription drugs online without medical supervision. In addition to asking about the use of over-the-counter drugs and herbal supplements, the commentary calls on physicians to routinely question patients about their use of prescription drugs, either with or without a prescription.

Deadly Epidemic of Teenage Binge Drinking

mhurst — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 22:29:53 +0000

Last summer a 14-year-old girl in Santa Rosa, California, died of apparent alcohol poisoning during her own slumber party. Takeimi Rao and three friends had mixed soda with vodka they found in a kitchen cupboard. Her mother woke at 2 a.m. to find the others girls throwing up, but Takeimi appeared to be asleep. Assuming that the girls ate something that disagreed with them, she cleaned them up and helped them back to bed. In the morning, Takeimi’s lifeless body was found on her bedroom floor. Toxicology tests are still pending, but circumstances point to the likelihood that the girl was a victim of the deadly epidemic of teenage binge drinking.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, underage drinking has become a major health problem in the U.S. About 200,000 teenagers are sent to emergency rooms each year due to alcohol consumption and more than 1,700 college students die.

Teens are Binge Drinking

Adolescents drink differently than adults. For most teens, the goal is to get drunk as quickly and as cheaply as possible. About 90 percent of all teen alcohol consumption involves binge drinking. There has been a rise in popularity of potentially lethal drink concoctions, with recipes readily available online. One of these drinks is Jungle Juice, a mixture of syrupy fruit juices and had liquors. Jungle Juice often contains Everclear, a strong grain alcohol with an alcohol concentration as high as 190-proof.

In addition to mixing fruit juices and alcohol, many teens combine alcohol with energy drinks like Red Bull, mistakenly thinking that the energy drink’s caffeine will allow them to drink more alcohol without getting too drunk. The reality is that caffeine stops a person from passing out after consuming too much alcohol and increases the risk of alcohol poisoning and respiratory failure.

The FDA stepped in last year and banned the marketing of beverages like Four Loko (nicknamed “Blackout in a Can”) that contained both alcohol and caffeine. In response, the maker of Four Loko reformulated it as a sweet flavored malt liquor and put it back on the market. Each 23.5-ounce can of Four Loko is equivalent to four to five standard beers and only costs about $3. The sweet flavor is more appealing to underage drinkers than many other forms of alcohol.

The brain of a teenager is especially sensitive to alcohol toxicity and shows more damage than an adult’s after a binge drinking incident. According to Dr. Fulton Crews of the University of North Carolina’s Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, even a single high dose of alcohol during adolescence may cause significant brain cell loss. Early drinking also increases the risk of becoming an adult alcoholic by 40 to 60 percent, regardless of genetic factors. There is also some evidence of permanent memory impairment because of underage drinking.

Parents are advised to take these steps to help protect their children from teenage binge drinking:

• Maintain an open dialogue with your teen about the dangers of binge drinking. Make it clear that you expect your son or daughter to abstain from alcohol until after they turn 21.

• Be aware of warning signs such as changes in behavior, a drop in grades, memory lapses and problems concentrating.

• Instruct teenagers to call 911 if they are in a situation where a friend can’t be roused after passing out from binge drinking.

CAMP Alums Get Busy With Positive Works

mhurst — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 16:37:47 +0000

Hello CAMPers,

Flyer for Many Paths one Destination

InnVision Julian Street Inn

One activity is providing food service and human compassion at the Julian Street Inn (in San Jose). This shelter for mentally-ill adults has been a project of the InnVision team and you can help by volunteering to provide food service and human compassion/fellowship on the 1st Saturday and the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Sundays of each month (from 11 AM to 1 PM).

For more information, visit InnVision’s website.

Many Paths One Destination on September 17th

At the First Congressional Church of San Jose (1980 Hamilton Ave, San Jose, CA), there will be an all day event that celebtrates recovery, spirituality and fellowship. See the attached flyer for details on speakers at this event. The event is free but the spaghetti lunch feast will cost $5.

Click the below link to view the flyer and see more information.

Flyer for Many Paths one Destination

Teenagers Commonly Abuse their Prescriptions

mhurst — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 19:48:45 +0000

Teens Share Prescription Drugs

More than one in five teenagers who has a doctor’s prescription for a painkiller or other controlled drug takes more than the recommended dosage. In many cases, teens deliberately take more of their prescription drugs in order to get high. This information comes from a new Web-based survey conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

The survey found that teens who admitted to ignoring correct prescription dosages are eight times more likely to be diagnosed with a teen drug problem. They are also more likely to binge drink and use illegal drugs and tobacco. They are three times more likely to sell or give away their prescription drugs. According to researcher Sean McGabe, “Kids are most likely to get medications that are not prescribed to them from their peers.”

Children and teenagers in the U.S. are receiving an increasing number of prescriptions for controlled drugs. A consequence of the increase in prescribed drugs is a parallel rise in prescription drug misuse. The survey asked students about four types of prescription drugs:

opioid painkillers like OxyContin
stimulants such as Ritalin (prescribed for ADD and ADHD)
anti-anxiety medication like Xanax
sleeping pills like Ambien

Of the nearly 2,600 middle school and high school students from Michigan who responded to the survey, 18% said they had taken one of these drugs for treatment of a medical problem within the past 12 months. The average age of survey respondents was 15.

Painkillers were most frequently prescribed, followed by sleeping pills and stimulants. The drugs that were most often overused were sleeping pills, with more than 40% of teens taking more than the prescribed dosage and 20% using the pills to get high. Teenagers who had taken controlled prescription drugs on a frequent basis (defined by the survey team as 10 or more times) were found to be more likely to misuse the drugs compared to those who had taken a prescription only a few times.
Misuse of prescription drugs is a growing problem in America. The U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that among the general population, treatment rates for the abuse of OxyContin and other opioids (excluding heroin) rose by almost 350% between 1998 and 2008.
The University of Michigan study shows that parents need to carefully monitor teenagers who are taking prescription drugs. If necessary, parents should keep prescriptions in their possession and only provide the prescribed dosage to their teenage son or daughter. The authors of the survey report concluded that doctors and dentists need to screen teenagers for substance abuse risk factors and should consider prescribing medications that have a lower potential for misuse and abuse.

Recognizing Prescription Drug Abuse

mhurst — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 20:45:34 +0000

Although the majority of people who take prescription drugs do so responsibly, there is a growing U.S. problem of prescription drug abuse. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the prescription drugs that are most commonly abused fall into one of these categories:

• Opioids, which are used to treat pain. Includes oxycodone, morphine and codeine. Common brand names are OxyContin, Percocet and Percodan.

• Sedatives and tranquilizers, which are used to treat anxiety and insomnia. Includes barbiturates and benzodiazepines. Common brand names are Nembutal, Xanax and Valium.

• Stimulants, which are used to treat ADHD (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder). Includes dextroamphetamine. Common brand names are Adderall, Ritalin and Concerta.

The risk of addiction to these drugs increases when the drugs are used for non-medical purposes or when prescription guidelines are not followed. According to NIDA, in 2009 an estimated 7 million Americans reported using prescription drugs for nonmedical use within the previous month. This number surpasses the combined number of users of heroin, cocaine, inhalants and hallucinogens. NIDA also has reported that the fastest growing segments of prescription drug abusers included women, teenagers and older adults.

How can prescription drug abuse be recognized and prevented? Doctors, pharmacists and patients each has a role to play in identifying and responding to the signs of abuse.

• Doctors, especially primary care physicians, are the first line of defense against prescription drug abuse. About 70 percent of Americans visit their primary care physician at least once every 2 years. Doctors should exercise caution when prescribing addictive drugs and should recognize the signs of prescription drug abuse. They should pay attention to the frequency of refill requests and should be on the lookout for patients who “doctor shop” in order to obtain multiple prescriptions. When doctors detect signs of drug abuse and addiction in a patient, they should encourage the patient to recognize the problem and seek treatment.

• Pharmacists play a key role in educating patients about how to take a medication and about expected side effects and the potential for abuse. They also need to be on alert for forged or altered prescriptions and for signs that a patient has doctor shopped.

• Patients should take responsibility for their own well-being by always following prescription dosage directions and by asking about possible interactions when more than one drug is being taken. They should read about the side effects of the drug and monitor their condition while they are taking it. Patients should keep their doctor informed about any other drugs they are taking. Most importantly, they should avoid taking another person’s prescription. All prescription medicine should be stored in a secure location where it can’t be accessed by other family members or visitors to the home.

All of the prescription drugs described in this article have a potential for physical dependence, abuse and addiction when used on a long-term basis. When these drugs are abused, life-threatening conditions can occur, including respiratory depression and death in the case of opioids, seizures in the case of tranquilizers and heart failure in the case of stimulants. Substance dependency happens quickly on these medications and treatment for prescription drug addiction is available and works.These prescription drugs can improve the quality of life for patients, but everyone involved with these drugs needs to be aware of their potential for serious abuse.

Teen Addiction is Number One U.S. Health Problem

mhurst — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 21:39:24 +0000

Teen Addiction is Number One U.S. Health Problem

An alarming new report from Columbia University’s National Center for Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) has revealed that 75% of American high school students have used alcohol, drugs or tobacco and that 20% meet the medical criteria for addiction. Susan Foster, CASA’s lead researcher, calls the epidemic of teen addiction “the number one public health problem any way you look at it.”

The study also reports that 90% of U.S. adults who are addicted to alcohol or drugs began their habit in high school, and that 25% of adults who try an addictive substance before age 18 develop an addiction.

The 400-page CASA report is based on online surveys of 1,000 high school students, 1,000 parents and 500 high school staff members. It also includes these findings:

Alcohol is the most abused substance among high school students, followed by tobacco, marijuana and prescription drugs (most notably narcotic painkillers and attention deficit disorder medication).
Alcohol use among teens dropped slightly between 2009 and 2010, but the abuse of controlled prescription drugs like OxyContin and Ritalin is continuing to grow.
Two thirds of teens admit to using more than one addictive substance.
One in four high school students responded that they think marijuana is harmless and one in six think it’s medicine.

The CASA report confirmed earlier research that shows that the younger a person is when they start abusing addictive substances, the greater the chances of becoming addicted. Critical brain development that takes place in adolescence enhances the sensitivity of teenagers on addictive substances. Because the area of the brain that controls judgment and impulse control isn’t entirely developed, teenagers are more likely to be risk takers and to experiment with dangerous substances despite the danger of addiction.

Dr. Leslie Walker, chief of adolescent medicine at the University of Washington and president of the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine, cites the mixed messages sent to teens about substance abuse as a big part of the problem. Popular culture and many parents treat substance abuse as a right of teen passage. Additionally, parents who themselves are substance abusers or addicts are poor role models for their children.

Addiction is the costliest health problem facing the nation. According to researcher Susan Foster, it drives a host of other diseases that require hospitalization and creates largely preventable social problems. Beside healthcare costs, underage drinking and drug use cost the criminal justice system an estimated $82 billion annually.

Foster would like to see more screening and support for teens who have a family history of addiction, pre-existing mental health conditions and have suffered childhood traumag. “By recognizing this as a health problem and responding to it, we can actually make a difference by improving the life prospects of teens abusing drugs and saving costs to society.”