Addiction Research

The final hours, Whitney Houston wandered erratically around the lobby of the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

2012-02-15T14:24:00.003Z

DISCLAIMER:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.In her final hours, Whitney Houston wandered erratically around the lobby of the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Near the end of his life, the onetime matinee idol Elvis Presley was bloated and glassy-eyed. Amy Winehouse became notorious for stuttering and slurring onstage.

And when these bright stars fell to drug and alcohol addictions, the public was devastated, but not completely surprised. With so many entertainers dying too young from substance abuse issues, it raises the question: Is addiction linked to superstardom?

"I don't think stars are more likely to get addicted than other people," said Dr. Jeffrey Berman, a board-certified addiction psychiatrist and medical director for addiction services at Bergen Regional Medical Center. "But I think the people around them tend to tolerate their behavior using drugs and alcohol."

Celebrity drug abuse draws the most public attention, said Ridgewood addiction specialist Dr. Michael Gentile, but addiction is everywhere in society. "Drug and alcohol addiction knows no boundaries – it's prevalent across the board. From my point of view, compare that to an inner city and the general population, and they're pretty much even," he added.

It's just that tales of musicians partying hard and abusing drugs and alcohol have become part of pop culture lore.

"In the arts, there's a lot of downtime," said Tenafly's Gene Bowen, who spent 15 years as a rock-and-roll road manager and addict. After cleaning up, he founded Road Recovery, a non-profit organization that unites musicians and other entertainment professionals who've battled addiction and other adversities to mentor at-risk youth. "One of the things about addiction, we need structure."

It's not just culture and environment that create an addict; there are plenty of musicians who are clean. But is there something inherent in an artist – for example, Houston's charismatic personality – that makes her want to continually get high?

Not really, according to Berman. "I think the only personality you can generalize is they have some feeling of entitlement and that they're special. Sometimes they don't feel the need to suffer feelings and want to instantly change their mood," he said.

The irony is that the rich and famous have access to the best treatment available, yet their entourages can enable their destructive behavior.

"One of the things that seems to happen with very successful people is that they are insulated and have enormous resources and a lot of people around yessing them," Bowen said.

It looks as though Whitney had got to a stage where she was using Xanax like clockwork. “Mixed with alcohol, it is known to be a killer. It’s the same deadly combination that killed Heath Ledger.”

2012-02-14T09:47:00.001Z

DETECTIVES will quiz up tonine doctors they believe could have supplied Whitney Houston with a lethal cocktail of prescription drugs. The superstar singer died in her hotel bath on Saturday after taking a host of powerful sedatives. And last night, sources claimed her drug taking had spiralled out of control in recent months, turning her into a virtual “zombie”. The 48-year-old had become a tortured recluse, regularly spending most of the day in bed before emerging in the evenings to party. Police are now anxious to find out how a recovering crack addict with a long history of drug and alcohol abuse was able to get hold of such a vast quantity of pills. A source said: “The only way Whitney could function was on a cocktail of different drugs – uppers, downers, sleeping pills, painkillers, a whole medicine cabinet. “She was living like a zombie – always on medication. The more she took, the more she needed. “With alcohol in the mix, this was a tragedy waiting to happen. But she needed quite a network to obtain drugs in that kind of number.” Officers will begin their probe at the infamous Mickey Fine pharmacy in Beverly Hills, where Michael Jackson got his prescription drugs. It’s believed at least some of Whitney’s medication was obtained there. Bottles of Lorazepam, Valium and Xanax were found in her suiteat the Beverly Hilton Hotel. All three are used to treat anxiety disorders, while Valium can also ease alcohol withdrawal symptoms and muscle spasms. It’s thought Whitney was also taking painkillers and sleeping pills. Police and the LA county coroner are working on the premise that a combination of drugs and alcohol caused the star to become heavily sedated or overdose – ultimately leading to her death. It’s also possible that she suffered a heart attack caused by an adverse reaction to her medication. An autopsy was performed on Sunday but officials said they wouldn’t have any definitive answers until drug tests are completed in several weeks. Another theory was that the singer took sedatives, fell asleep and drowned in the tub. Police say Whitney was found underwater and unconscious. But the coroner told her family there was not enough water in her lungs to conclude that she had drowned. Detectives are expected to treat the investigation the same way they handled Michael Jackson’s death. They discovered dozens of doctors were supplying the King of Pop with different prescription drugs. Jackson’s personal physician, Conrad Murray – who administered the fatal dose of hospital anaesthetic Propofol – was later found guilty of manslaughter. Yesterday, it emerged that Whitney had visited a doctor at a private clinic in Beverly Hills just two days before she died. US X Factor winner Melanie Amaro revealed that she bumped into Whitney at the surgery on Thursday. Whitney is also known to have visited other private clinics on February 7 and February 2 – and it’s possible that she visited other doctors as well. It’s thought police will also probe whether she used friends, staff or hangers-on to get prescriptions in their own names and then hand over the pills. Detectives are piecing together Whitney’s physical and emotional state before she died. She seemed to have slid back to the days when she and husband Bobby Brown regularly abused drugs and alcohol in week-long party binges. On Thursday night, Whitney looked wild-eyed and dishevelled as she left Hollywood’s Tru nightclub, where she joined revellers at a bash thrown by American singer Kelly Price. She had scratches on her wrist and blood running down a leg and witnesses say she reeked of booze, sweat and cigarettes. Whitney downed tequila at the party and went berserk when she saw her on-off toyboy lover, singer and actor Ray J, 31, talking to another girl. One witness said the former powerhouse vocalist who sold more than 170million albums worldwide seemed “wasted”. A music industry source said: “It looks as though Whitney had got to a stage where she was using Xanax like clockwork. “Mixed with alcohol, it is known to be a killer. It’s the same deadly combination that killed Heath Ledger.”

Pattaya's foreign criminals feel the heat

2012-02-13T13:46:00.001Z

This is why the Provincial Region 2 has established the Transnational Crime Coordination Centre (TNCC) to deal directly with foreigners who come to Thailand to commit crimes. The existence of the centre has shed some light on how diverse the transnational gangs in Pattaya are and how their illegal businesses in this tourist centre have flourished. French nationals Nagim Hassainia, 33, and Samir Raihane, 41, who are suspects in a credit card fraud case, were arrested on Feb 2. The suspects were nabbed at a hotel in Pattaya after police found them withdrawing money from an ATM using forged credit cards containing information stolen from other countries. They sent 70% of the money back to their networks in France and took the rest of the money, the TNCC said. At least 10 members of the French gang are thought to be still on the loose. Some of them are responsible for stealing credit card information and ATM pins using a skimmer. Police seized 31 fake credit cards and 125,000 baht from the suspects. "This case could cause serious damage to Thailand's reputation," said Pol Lt Gen Panya Mamen, chief of the the Provincial Police Region 2. He said there were many foreign criminals on Pattaya's streets _ and one way to better deal with them was to improve the capacity of the TNCC, especially its ability to gather information and put it into the police database. "I have to admit there are a lot of foreign criminals who are tourists in disguise. Some are here to work with their Thai counterparts, while others act on their own," Pol Lt Gen Panya said. "Some are paedophiles. Others are criminals wanted by police in other countries yet come here pretending to be language teachers. All this makes Pattaya sound like a horrible city." Pol Lt Gen Panya hoped the Provincial Police Region 2 would achieve its goal of significantly decreasing the number of "unwanted visitors" in Pattaya within six months. The Provincial Police Region 2 is also stepping up efforts to strictly enforce the Immigration Act in which foreign suspects who are found to have criminal records or believed to be involved in a crime will have their visa nullified immediately and be extradited. These suspects will also be blacklisted by Thai immigration authorities. "They normally move around from Pattaya to Phuket, Koh Samui, Chiang Mai and then return to Pattaya again. If we can pool information, it will become easier to track them," Pol Lt Gen Panya said. Different gangs committed different crimes, ranging from theft to murder, he said. Pol Lt Gen Panya said some French gangs were known to be involved with fake credit cards and ATM cards. He said some Colombian gangs were involved with theft, whereas some Taiwanese gangs were linked to call centre scams. Pol Lt Col Chitdecha Songhong and Pol Capt Prajakpong Suriya of the TNNC, who arrested members of a French gang, agreed that inter-agency cooperation was crucial to uprooting a transnational gang. Pol Capt Prajakpong said it was difficult to locate foreign suspects even if police had pictures of them because they were frequently on the move and it was not easy to find information about them. "Pattaya is a popular criminal base because it's a hub of tourists and expatriates and the city has a lot of diamond and gold shops," he said. "The city also has many unregistered or illegal residential services which allow those criminals to stay here and hide away from immigration authorities." The TNNC is working with embassy officials in Pattaya and local banks to keep an eye on foreigners who come to the city to commit crimes.

The founder and leader of glam rock group, ‘Loco Mia’, 46 year old Xavier Font

2012-02-13T12:40:00.001Z

The founder and leader of glam rock group, ‘Loco Mia’, 46 year old Xavier Font, will sit on the accused bench in the Barcelona courts on Tuesday accused of trafficking in the drugs poppers and ecstasy.
The prosecutors’ office is calling for a seven year prison sentence and a 7,500 € fine for the artists and businessman.

Font remains the group’s representative although it now has other members, and announced the sale of the drugs on a webpage in which two mobile phone numbers were published. Clients who called, if they lived in Barcelona, could collect the drugs in one of Font’s two homes in the city, and if they lived elsewhere the drugs were sent by courier and paid for by bank transfer or on delivery.

The prosecutor says they have evidence he was carrying out this activity at least between January 26 and February 4, when the Guardia Civil carried out a search of Font’s home in Calle Fontanella in Barcelona.

110 bottles of poppers were found, along with 116 pink pills thought to be ecstasy. The sale of both drugs is prohibited in Spain.

Along with Font a 28 year old man, L.O.R.A. from El Salvador was arrested, and he faces the same charges.

Arrest made in death of Dartmouth student in Spain

2012-02-13T09:54:00.001Z

Spanish police have arrested a man in Barcelona in connection to the Jan. 7 death of a Dartmouth College student Crispin Scott. Scott, who was to graduate from Dartmouth in 2013, was found dead in Barcelona, Spain, days after arriving in the city to participate in a study abroad program offered through Portland State University. Early autopsy reports indicated drug overdose was the cause of death, according to the Spanish newspaper El Periodico de Catalunya on Saturday. However, the final autopsy report revealed the amount and type of drugs, a powerful barbiturate, indicated his death was not the result of a night of partying as first suspected of the college student, though friends and family said he was a good student and athlete. The final autopsy results caused police to investigate the background of the landlord of the apartment Scott had been found in. The landlord had acted cold during the investigation, police had noted, according to El Periodico. Police learned the man, whose name has not been released, had been accused by a young man in 2009 of drugging and violating him. Police arrested and charged the landlord with murder on Wednesday, according to El Periodico. He is accused of giving Scott a drink containing a dissolved barbiturate. After police searched the man's home and another Barcelona apartment he frequented they found two dozen photos of young people, unconscious and in different states of dress and undress. Police believe he had photographed them after giving them a mixture of tranquilizers. Police believe these young people had been sexually assaulted by the man and that possibly this landlord is a serial rapist. Scott had just arrived in Barcelona to participate in a two-month Academy of Liberal and Beaux-Arts program sponsored by Portland State University when he was found dead.

Whitney Houston dead: coroner confirms singer was found in hotel bathtub

2012-02-13T09:45:00.001Z

Police requested that no details about the singer's autopsy be publicly released, Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter told reporters on Sunday afternoon. He said toxicology results would take weeks and the results were needed to determine how Houston died. Dr Winter declined to release any details about what investigators found in the room, but said coroner's officials were not ruling out any potential causes of death. He said there were no signs of trauma on Houston's body. Detective investigating the death of Whitney Houston on the eve of the Grammy Awards are pursuing a theory that she accidentally drowned in the bath in her luxury hotel suite after taking prescription drugs and drinking heavily over the previous two evenings.

Demi Moore’s 911 call released: Star ‘smoked something’

2012-01-27T21:42:00.001Z

The call made to emergency services when Demi Moore was taken to hospital on Monday night has just been obtained and it seems to imply actress was convulsing after smoking a mystery substance. Advertisement >> A friend of Demi can be heard at the beginning of the 911 call on US website TMZ.com trying to get an ambulance to the star’s Beverley Hills home. There is confusion as the phone operator tries to determine which emergency service is needed and where it should be dispatched from. Once paramedics are on their way, the operator asks Demi’s friend what has happened. She replies: “She’s smoked something. It’s not marijuana but it’s similar to incense and she’s been having convulsions of some sort.” After informing the operator that Demi is 49 years old, her friend goes to sit with her, whilst remaining on the phone. She reports that Demi is “semi conscious and barely breathing” and also still convulsing. She is asked if the incident was accidental and she replies: “She smoked something but the reaction was accidental.” The phone is then passed to someone else who is asked about her breathing. “No, it’s not normal, more shaking” the second friend tells the operator. “She’s burning up. She smoked something. She’s been having some issues lately with some other stuff. I don’t know what she’s been taking.” The pal also says that Demi is unable to speak but has squeezed her hand and is still convulsing, so they are holding her down. The operator tells them not to do this, but to hold her head and keep her airways open. When the friend is asked if she has done this before, she replies: “I don’t know, there’s been some stuff recently that we’re all just finding out.” At the end of the call, a male friend comes on the line and reports that Demi is “much calmer” and is now “breathing fine” while sitting up and quietly talking.

Free booze for alcoholics makes perfect logic, but no sense

2012-01-13T03:27:00.001Z

As the old adage has it, if you live long enough, you see everything. In the world of substance abuse and addiction, “everything” was in the news today. A group from Vancouver’s notorious hub of drug addiction and policy experimentation, the Downtown East Side, is proposing that a publicly funded, peer-run drinker’s lounge dispensing free legal alcohol to alcoholics be instituted as a means of harm reduction. The Eastside Illicit Drinkers Group for Education, whose spokesman, Rob Morgan, an alcoholic from a First Nations reserve near Terrace, B.C, sees the idea as the natural next step in Vancouver’s famous harm reduction movement. The lounge would be modeled on Insite, the safe injection site whose mandate is not to rehabilitate addicts, but to reduce the rates of disease and death caused by unhygienic consumption and unsupervised overdoes. Mr. Morgan’s logic is impeccable. Desperate alcoholics will drink anything with alcohol in it; they will drink hand sanitizer acquired from “dealers” who steal them from hospitals, as Mr Morgan has; they will share disease-ridden bottles; they sometimes freeze to death in an alcoholic stupor; and for only $3, and some water dilution, will consume 30 standard drinks from a 250 ml bottle of 95% rubbing alcohol. The ravages produced on the body by such a regime certainly rival any depredations short of AIDS suffered by drug addicts.

Internet addiction changes brain similar to cocaine

2012-01-13T03:24:00.001Z

Can a person be truly addicted to the Internet? A new brain scan study shows not only can that be the case, but also that Internet addiction might cause the same brain changes that are seen in alcoholics and drug addicts. For the study, published in the Jan. 11 issue of PLoS One, researchers studied 17 men and women who were diagnosed with Internet addiction disorder (IAD) and compared scans of their brains to scans of 16 healthy people who weren't addicted to the web. Study participants were between the ages of 14 and 21 and lived in China. Video Game-Obsessed Mom Neglects Kids, Starves Dogs Are social networking sites turning teens into substance abusers? The researchers found more patterns of "abnormal white matter" on brain scans of Internet addicts, compared with scans of non-addicts. White matter areas in the brain contain nerve fibers that transmit signals to other parts of the brain. These changes showed evidence of disrupting pathways related to emotions, decision-making, and self control. The researchers said earlier studies have found similar white matter changes in the brain scans of people addicted to alcohol, cocaine, heroin, marijuana, meth, and ketamine (also known as "Special K"). "The results also suggest that IAD may share psychological and neural mechanisms with other types of substance addiction and impulse control disorders," the researchers wrote in the study. Professor Gunter Schumann, chair in biological psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College, London, told BBC News that he's come across similar findings in brain scans of video game addicts. "For the first time two studies show changes in the neuronal connections between brain areas as well as changes in brain function in people who are frequently using the Internet or video games," he said. Dr. Henrietta Bowden Jones, consultant psychiatrist at Imperial College in London, who runs the U.K.'s only clinic for Internet addicts, said hardcore gamers are more likely to be addicted to the Internet. "The majority of people we see with serious Internet addiction are gamers - people who spend long hours in roles in various games that cause them to disregard their obligations," Jones told The Independent. "I have seen people who stopped attending university lectures, failed their degrees or their marriages broke down because they were unable to emotionally connect with anything outside the game." According to the independent, an estimated 5 to 10 percent of Internet users are unable to control their usage and are considered addicts.

Gut hormone may be new weight loss tool, study says

2012-01-11T16:36:00.001Z

An appetite-suppressing hormone produced by the body that is used to treat type 2 diabetes can lead to weight loss in overweight or obese patients, says a new study. The research, published Tuesday at bmj.com, also found that glucagon-like peptide-1, or GLP-1, reduces blood pressure and cholesterol levels. GLP-1 is a hormone secreted by the gut when we eat. A form of GLP-1 that is injected has emerged as a new treatment for type 2 diabetes for its ability to regulate blood-sugar levels. But researchers have now found that the hormone can help with weight loss by curbing the appetite, thereby reducing food intake. The Danish study, which included data from 6,000 patients who took part in 25 randomized controlled trials, found that in addition to lowering blood pressure and cholesterol -- as well as regulating blood sugar -- GSP-1 also helped with weight loss. Study subjects lost up to eight pounds over a four-month period. While both patients with and without type 2 diabetes lost weight, the weight loss was more pronounced in patients without the disease. "We see a sustained effect on body weight throughout the trials, 25 trials," researcher Dr. Tina Vilsboll, head of diabetes research at the University of Copenhagen, told CTV News. "So it is not just a coincidence, it is efficacious on body weight." The findings are especially significant because other diabetes medications often cause patients to gain, rather than lose, weight. The researchers write that further study is needed to determine if GLP-1, which costs about $400 per month, should be prescribed for overweight or obese patients without type 2 diabetes. According to Vilsboll, researchers will know within the next two to three years if GLP-1 can be more widely prescribed solely as weight-loss treatment. The study has led some experts to urge caution, however. In an accompanying editorial, obesity specialist Dr. Raj Padwal of the University of Alberta points out that the weight loss was modest. As well, the hormone can produce side effects, such as nausea and vomiting, and comes with a possible risk of damage to the pancreas and the thyroid. "While these results highlight the weight-reducing benefits, they should not alter current practice," Padwal wrote. According to Padwal, "modification of diet and lifestyle remains the cornerstone of the treatment of type 2 diabetes." Vilsboll said the hormone is not a cure for type 2 diabetes. However, combined with lifestyle changes, it could have a major impact on the health of patients. Dr. Ravi Retnakaran of Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital is also studying the hormone, and says the research "is an encouraging sign because weight control is an important part of the management of diabetes."

Two-thirds of smokers try to quit in new year

2012-01-11T16:27:00.001Z

Two-thirds of smokers in the UK, approximately six million people, will try and quit the habit in January, but half of them will fail within a week, new research suggests. According to the study, commissioned by Pfizer Limited in support of its Don't Go Cold Turkey disease awareness campaign, one in ten of these attempts will not last beyond 24 hours. Typically, smokers admit to having unsuccessfully attempted to quit three times before, with 51 per cent confident they can kick the habit in the next six months. Some 45 per cent say they attempt to quit by 'going cold turkey' or giving up the immediately and relying on willpower, however only three per cent of these people are found to be smoke free after a year. Nearly a quarter of former smokers recommend that people trying to quit consult a healthcare professional. Dr Sarah Jarvis, BBC medical correspondent and practising GP, said: "Even a brief conversation with their healthcare professional or local stop smoking service can increase [a smoker's] chances of success by up to four times, compared to going 'cold turkey'. "People should consider how they can positively influence their chances of quitting." According to Cancer Research UK, 86 per cent of lung cancer deaths are caused by tobacco smoking.

Recovering alcoholic Matt Maden: I began drinking at 10 and now I'm facing death at 26

2012-01-11T07:17:00.001Z

Matt Maden, now 26, has been living on borrowed time since he was diagnosed with liver cirrhosis five years ago. Despite his desperate need he has only a 20 per cent chance of getting an organ because of the growing demand. ‘It’s really scary living with the knowledge that the odds are so heavily against you,’ he said. His condition was detected when he spent two weeks in hospital in an alcohol-induced coma – but even then he refused to believe he had a problem. ‘My immediate thought was, “It’s not the drink”,’ he said. The first time Mr Maden got drunk was at 15. ‘I remember waking up the next morning and my first thought was, “When can I do that again”,’ he said. Within a year he went from drinking eight cans of lager in a session to 16 in order to get a buzz. ‘After a couple of years I’d have to have maybe a bottle of spirits to go along with that,’ he added. ‘For a lot of years alcohol gave me confidence. Little did I know it would actually turn on me and it would start to control me.’ After his health scare Mr Maden left his home in Oxford to check into a rehab clinic in Bournemouth and has not touched a drop since 2007. His physician, Dr Varuna Aluvihare, from King’s College London, believes the binge-drinking culture is behind the increasing number of young people needing liver transplants. ‘Tragically, every year we fail to keep someone like Matt alive,’ he said.

Money spent on nicotine patches 'goes up in smoke', says survey

2012-01-11T07:10:00.001Z

Those who go cold turkey have just as much chance of quitting the habit long-term, the study published on Monday added. A total of 787 adult smokers trying to quit were followed over five years by researchers at Harvard School of Public Health. One in three relapsed with the numbers spread equally between those going ‘cold turkey’, those using nicotine patches, gums or sprays, and those combining nicotine replacement with counselling. Heavy smokers who used nicotine replacement products without any professional therapy were twice as likely to relapse. Lead author Hillel Alpert said: ‘Some heavily-dependent smokers perceive nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) as a sort of “magic” pill. ‘Upon realising it is not, they find themselves without support in their quitting efforts, doomed to failure.’ But the findings sparked a backlash from the NRT industry, which is worth £150million in Britain and £520million in the US. GlaxoSmithKline, which makes Nicorette gum, said studies show NRT products, combined with support, ‘can double’ smokers’ chances of quitting

spokesman of the ROP said that more expatriates than Omani nationals are involved in drug trafficking.

2012-01-11T06:49:00.001Z

An increasing number of drug abuse and drug trafficking cases are being registered in the Sultanate over the past few months. The trend has seen a spiralling increase following the Royal Oman Police (ROP) campaign to arrest the drug traffickers and abusers, say legal experts. A spokesman of the ROP said that more expatriates than Omani nationals are involved in drug trafficking. The police have smashed a number of drug trafficking gangs operating in the Sultanate and last week six persons were hauled up for being involved in dealing with contraband narcotics. According to the courts, most of the drug abusers are also involved in criminal activities and many of them have admitted to having robbed shops and houses in order to buy narcotics. Another growing phenomenon being noticed by the police is that some people who have consumed drugs or steroids refuse to take the medical examinations. They also refuse to give blood or urine sample to escape the charges being framed against them and sometimes indulge in violence with security men. Another unusual development witnessed by the courts is that family ties have come under increasing strain due to drug-related activities of the youths. Some parents have even reported to the police to take action against their children involved in misusing narcotic substances. “These youths have become not only a social menace, but a threat to their own families,” said a senior ROP officer. Meanwhile, the ROP has stepped up its efforts to combat the drug menace in the Sultanate and has set up a specialised team to bust the drug dealing gangs and consumers of narcotics. The punishment for drug trafficker is more than the abuser according to the penal law of the Sultanate. The security forces have been alerted about drug activities and directed to take preventive steps. The Coast Guard has been equipped with new boats to foil any drug smuggling attempts. In addition, the Royal Air Force of Oman has been given advanced helicopters to monitor Oman’s territorial waters and support other security units in the Sultanate. A senior source from the ROP said that the drug traffickers were using illegal immigrants as couriers to smuggle drugs into the country. Recently, the Majlis Al Shura also discussed the menace of drug abuse in the society. The official statistics indicate that the number of drug-related crimes increased to 895 last year compared to 688 in 2009. The number of accused was 1,417 and the amount of drugs seized by the ROP was 314 kg. The government has also taken initiatives to support the drug abusers to give up their habit. The ROP has plans to open the Al Masra Hospital for treating the addicts and officials hope that the hospital would become operational soon.

Counsellors Forum: DREAMWARRIOR spiritual teacher who is deeply committed to helping others break through to the joyous experience of living in the NOW.

2012-01-08T17:45:00.001Z

DREAMWARRIOR teaches how to become fundamentally present and how to arise in mastery of your mind and ego, so that you are no longer involuntarily pulled out of Presence. teaches that the fully awakened state of consciousness is available now. It is not something that occurs in the future. It is already here, waiting to be revealed. As you awaken into the present moment, your thoughts will stop, your mind will fall silent, and you will awaken to an inner silence and peace that is beyond understanding. You will begin to encounter what the mystics and Masters have been speaking of for centuries.

Are you addicted to your smartphone?

2012-01-08T17:12:00.001Z

When Adrian Weldon has a few minutes to spare, he's probably going to use them to text. "I came here to kill time and text," he said, sitting at Lakebottom Park Thursday afternoon. "At least it's not driving and texting." Weldon said he uses his phone mostly for texting, sending quick messages while he's at work and can't call people on the phone, and when he's bored. If you ask him if he's addicted, he says he's not sure. "My girlfriend says I am," he said. If Weldon is addicted to his phone, he's not alone. While addiction to apps or text-ing is not a recognized medical condition, there have been numerous studies produced on whether the technology causes more harm than good. A study by Case Western Reserve School of Medicine found that teens who spend a lot of time on texting or on social media are also more like to use drugs or alcohol and get into fights. Using a smartphone or computer just before bed can lead to sleep loss, according to a study from the National Sleep Foundation. But ignoring your phone can be difficult. A recent article in the New York Times by author and brand consultant Martin Lindstorm claimed the top three most powerful affecting sounds in the world are baby giggles, the Intel chime and a vibrating phone. Weldon confesses to feeling lost without his phone. He never turns it off. "Even when it's charging, it's on," he said. "I left it once Advertisement and went home on my lunch break just to get it." Smartphones also can be habit-forming, according to a study by Helsinki Institute for Information Technology and Intel Labs. Researchers found that smartphone users in the U.S. and in Finland checked their phone repeatedly throughout the day, usually for less than 30 seconds. They observed that the checks are usually triggered by the same things -- a person may always check email while commuting or always check the news when bored. "It's a boredom buster," said Mary Virginia Wehrenberg. She said she typically uses her smartphone truly as a phone, but the apps and texting also poses a great distraction when you're stuck waiting for something. Sharlene Brown said she tries to ration the time she spends on her smartphone. She's a fan of Words with Friends -- a popular Scrabble-like game -- and frequently plays using a dictionary app so she can check to make sure she's using real words. "I don't win as often but I love it." She said it's easy to waste time on her phone, especially on rainy or lazy days. Her kids -- ages 8 and 4 -- like playing games on her phone, too, but she only lets them use it for 15 to 30 minutes a day. "I do limit the time," she said. "Children shouldn't have it all the time." But there are benefits to the apps and texting a smartphone offers. Brown said there are math and word games available for her kids, like Quizard, an app that lets you create your own educational flashcards. "It's interactive. They get an immediate response." Texting also gives her more time with her kids, because she's not always on the phone. "It's an easier way to communicate. You send them a quick text," she said. "You don't want to take away from time with kids."

Almost all liver disease is preventable yet we are met with a sheer resistance to tackle it.

2011-11-15T06:42:00.001Z

UK has the highest rate of oesophageal cancer in Europe while liver cancer deaths have jumped more than 70%, according to two new sets of figures.

Alcohol and obesity are helping fuel both types of disease, with many of these cancer cases preventable if people were healthier.

A league table of European cancer rates of the oesophagus show about 6.4 out of every 100,000 people develop oesophageal cancer in the UK every year.
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This is almost double the European average of 3.3 and higher than Ireland, which came in second place (5.9), and the Netherlands in third (5.8).

France had a figure of just 3.9 while the rate in Spain was 2.8.

Cyprus's rate of 0.5 is the lowest in Europe while Mongolia has the highest rate in the world (18.7).

The oesophagus is part of the body's digestive system and is the tube which links the back of the mouth to the stomach.

The UK's high rate is partly due to high levels of alcohol consumption and obesity - known risk factors for the disease.

The league table was compiled by the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) using World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates.

Around 8,000 oesophageal cancer cases are diagnosed in the UK each year and the disease kills more than 7,000.

Just 8% of men and women are still alive five years after diagnosis.

Dr Rachel Thompson, deputy head of science for the WCRF, said: "The fact that the UK has the highest rate of oesophageal cancer in Europe is a real concern because it is a type of cancer that has a particularly low survival rate.

"It is also a particularly preventable type of cancer and most oesophageal cases in the UK could be prevented through a healthy diet, limiting alcohol consumption, maintaining a healthy weight and not smoking.

"The problem is that we have the highest obesity rate in Europe and we drink more alcohol than the European average.

"This means that thousands of people every year are being diagnosed with an oesophageal cancer that could have been prevented.

"The good news is that not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, cutting down on alcohol and eating more of a variety of fruits and vegetables will not just reduce your risk of oesophageal cancer.

"It will also reduce your risk of other types of cancer, as well as being good for health generally."

The second set of statistics published today, from the British Liver Trust, shows that since 1997 liver cancer deaths have risen by 74% in England and Wales.

Both Scotland and Northern Ireland are also experiencing increasing numbers of deaths from liver cancer.

Andrew Langford, chief executive of the British Liver Trust, said: "Liver disease seems to be the poor relation to the other big killers yet is the only health problem out of the big five showing an increasing trend.

"The situation is now at breaking point and we need to see direct action to prevent the daily death rate from liver cancer increasing."

Liver disease is influenced by obesity and alcohol but can also result from hepatitis.

"At the moment all we are seeing are weak policies or no action at all, however there are so many solutions to the problem," Mr Langford said.

"Almost all liver disease is preventable yet we are met with a sheer resistance to tackle it.

"We are still awaiting the National Liver Disease Strategy, our Government-led alcohol policies are a joke and despite nearly every other developed nation having universal vaccination for hepatitis B we are still debating whether we should. While this debate continues many are being infected and for some this will lead to them dying of liver cancer. "

The figures show that 1,968 men and 1,371 women died from liver cancer in England and Wales in 2010, as did 230 men and 132 women in Scotland.

In 1997 in England and Wales, the figure was 1,133 men and 848 women.

Across the whole of the UK in 2010, an average of 10 people a day died from the disease

experts agree that a war on drugs is ineffective in reducing drug production and often has extreme negative long-term impacts on development and human rights.

2011-11-15T06:41:00.001Z

In 2003 the illicit drugs market was worth an estimated $320 billion with over 5 per cent of the world's populations aged between 15 and 64 years of age, or nearly 250 million people, consuming illicit drugs.

East and Southeast Asia is home to about a third of the global population and is one of the fastest growing regions in the world. Economic development in the region is leading to new infrastructure and trade initiatives. However, the accelerated movement of people, trade and goods has given rise to many opportunities for drug traffickers to exploit to make their business prosper. As raised in recent United Nations reports, there is a real challenge facing the region from amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) and other synthetic drugs. ATS drugs, particularly methamphetamine, are widely used and it is now estimated that up to 20 million people in the region have used amphetamines in the past year.

Although opium production has plateaued, its production increased by 80 per cent between 1998 and 2009. Afghanistan accounts for almost 90 per cent of the world's opium supply, although recent intelligence suggests that production in Burma is increasing after years of decline. The policy of eradication of poppy crops in many countries has seen an unintended negative and rapid increase in drug injecting as people change from smoking the drug to seek a bigger effect from the drugs they are able to obtain. It has also contributed to a rapid increase in the number of people switching to ATSs which are far cheaper and easier to produce.

In the aid arena, the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) were adopted by world leaders in the year 2000 for realisation in 2015. They provide a benchmark for tackling extreme poverty and provide a framework for the international community to work together. However, reductions in poverty do not necessarily address gender equality and environmental sustainability, and the expansion of health services does not automatically mean improvement in quality.

The MDG is where the worlds of development aid and illicit drugs collide. The negative impact of illicit drugs on achieving the MDG cannot be overstated. Drug users are not necessarily poor but the poor are disproportionately affected by drugs.

Widespread production, trafficking and use of illicit drugs not only affect health, livelihoods and governance but also impinge on national and regional economies, legislation, basic human rights and life itself.

For too long there has been limited recognition of the relationship between illicit drugs and social and economic development. Lack of development and the lack of education and employment opportunities exacerbate drug use and drug trafficking while rapid development and the accompanying social and economic changes creates problems for some groups that can result in greater involvement with drugs. Countries within Asia, and increasingly the Pacific, provide many examples of the relationship between rapid change, displacement, poverty, migration, violence and involvement in illicit drugs. Many of the reasons for increased drug use in countries like Burma, Pakistan and Afghanistan are very much related to economic development - whether it is truck drivers taking drugs to drive all night or those needing drugs to cope with being forced into commercial sex work - the impact of drugs can be seen. The impact on migrant groups is often particularly severe as they rarely have access to a health system or community support.

Aid programs must address the fact that development is about change and that better and more attractive alternatives to drugs need to be a part of that change. In Asia and the Pacific, programs dealing with illicit drugs are often too narrowly focused on law enforcement, with some occasional focus on prevention, harm reduction or treatment. An approach that is integrated with reducing drug supply, providing attractive livelihood alternatives, reducing drug use and demand, reducing the harms caused by drug use and the provision of treatment for existing drug users is needed as part of the development process.

Adding to these problems is conflict and the resultant instability, which not only helps to facilitate illicit drug economies, but can sustain the conflict. We see this in countries such as Afghanistan, Colombia, and Myanmar, where rebel and pro-government forces have used illicit drug economies to finance their activities.

Most experts agree that a war on drugs is ineffective in reducing drug production and often has extreme negative long-term impacts on development and human rights. Unfortunately, while drug users are seen as the problem and not as people that need assistance they will continue to be imprisoned, victimised and disenfranchised. This only exacerbates HIV and other health problems.

As a world leader in drug policy and treatment, and the funding increase for AusAID, Australia has a unique opportunity to assist our region.

Academics found that women who had high IQ scores in childhood were more likely to take illegal drugs when they are in their 30s.

2011-11-15T06:40:00.001Z

INTELLIGENCE early on in life among women may be linked to drug-taking as they get older, Welsh researchers have discovered.

Academics found that women who had high IQ scores in childhood were more likely to take illegal drugs when they are in their 30s. One of the theories they give for being behind this is that those people with a high IQ are more willing to try new experiences.

Dr James White, who led the research, said: “Although most studies suggest that higher child or adolescent IQ prompts the adoption of a healthy lifestyle as an adult, other studies have linked higher childhood IQ scores to excess alcohol intake and alcohol dependency in adulthood.

“Although it is not yet clear exactly why there should be a link between high IQ and illicit drug use, previous research has shown that people with a high IQ are more open to new experiences and keen on novelty and stimulation.

“There is a clear need for future epidemiological and experimental studies to explore these and other pathways.”

The study, by the university’s Centre for the Development and Evaluation of Complex Interventions for Public Health Improvement (DECIPHer), examined data from just under 8,000 people in the 1970 British Cohort Study, which is a large ongoing population-based study, looking at drug use and other factors in society.

The IQ scores of the participants were measured at the ages of five and 10 years, using validated scales, and information was gathered on self reported levels of psychological distress and drug use at the age of 16, and again at the age of 30.

Drugs assessed at 16 included cannabis and cocaine; and at 30 years of age included cannabis; cocaine; amphetamines; and ecstasy.

By the age of 30, 35.4% of men and 15.9% of women had used cannabis, while 8.6% of men and 3.6% of women had used cocaine, in the previous 12 months.

A similar pattern of use was found for the other drugs, with overall drug use twice as common among men as among women.

Men with high IQ scores at the age of five were around 50% more likely to have used amphetamines, ecstasy, and several illicit drugs than those with low scores, 25 years later.

The link was even stronger among women, who were more than twice as likely to have used cannabis and cocaine as those with low IQ scores. The same associations emerged between a high IQ score at the age of 10 and subsequent use of cannabis, ecstasy, amphetamines, and cocaine, although this last was only evident at the age of 30.

Recognised risk factors for drug use, such as, levels of anxiety and depression during adolescence, parental social class, level of education, social class at 30 years and monthly income were all taken into account during analysis of the study’s findings.

rising number of lawyers, doctors, dentists and vets in Britain are turning functioning alcoholics

2011-11-15T06:39:00.001Z

rising number of lawyers, doctors, dentists and vets in Britain are turning “functioning alcoholics”, experts have warned.

Addiction specialists have given them the “functioning alcoholics” label because they do not fit the typical image of down-and-out street drinkers, the Daily Mail reported.

There has been a surge in demand from professionals who are seeking rehab treatment abroad so as to avoid being recognised in nearby hospitals or clinics, it is claimed.

Alistair Mordey, who runs a substance abuse clinic in Chiang Mai, Thailand, said the demand for treatment from doctors was growing at twice the rate of any other occupation.

“We are seeing a lot of professionals coming in, particularly from London,” he said. “They are in workplaces where you really wouldn’t want them to be.”

According to the British Medical Association’s estimate, one in 15 doctors will develop an addiction problem at some point and they are three times more likely to develop cirrhosis of the liver than the general population.

Cirrhosis of the liver is a chronic disease interfering with the normal functioning of the liver; the major cause is chronic alcoholism.

Research has also suggested that up to 24 percent of lawyers will suffer from alcoholism during their careers.

Roxies sell on the street for as much as $30 per pill and offer a high that tops crack, heroin or meth

2011-10-31T06:46:00.001Z

Michael Patrick/news sentinel The two most wanted prescription pills on the streets of East Tennessee. The small pills are Roxie 30 and the large green pill is an Oxycontin 80. The second-generation Oxys, made by Purdue Pharma, are now wrapped in a sticky gelcap coating that will burn nostrils and resists needles.

PHOTO BY SOURCE: U.S. DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION, NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE

Effects of oxycodone: The high caused by oxycodone and other opiates affects nearly every major organ in the human body. So does withdrawal. This chart illustrates some of those effects.

Oxy's out. Roxies rule.A tiny blue pill, no bigger than a baby aspirin, overshadows nearly every other illegal drug on the market in East Tennessee. Men and women beg, haggle, threaten, lie, steal and kill — all for a handful of pills.

"It's the new crack," Knox County Sheriff's Office Lt. John Hopkins said. "Most of the addicts we see don't even shop for Oxys now. They've all switched to Roxies, and it's worse than crack ever was."

Doctors, police and emergency workers see the fallout every day. Sometimes it's a pill-sick addict who steals today to buy tonight's fix. Sometimes it's a baby born shaking with seizures from withdrawal.

Commonly abused prescription drugs

Oxycontin: A time-release form of oxycodone, an opioid painkiller, produced by Purdue Pharma and used to treat chronic pain. Strengths range up to 80 mg per pill. Nicknames include Oxys, O's and hillbilly heroin.

Roxicodone: Instant-release form of oxycodone produced by Xanodyne Pharmaceuticals and used to treat breakthrough pain. Strengths range up to 30 mg per pill. Nicknames include Roxies, blues and stars.

Opana: Time-release form of oxymorphone, a synthetic opioid, produced by Endo Pharmaceuticals. Nicknames include stop signs, biscuits, octagons and Mrs. O.

Methadone: Synthetic opioid, typically prescribed in pill or wafer form, used to treat pain and to ease withdrawal symptoms for opiate addicts.

Percocet, Endocet, Roxicet: Mixtures of oxycodone and acetaminophen.Percodan, Endodan, RoxiprinMixtures of oxycodone and aspirin.

Vicodin, Lortab, Lorcet: Mixtures of hydrocodone and acetaminophen. Nicknames include Vikes and hydros.

Fentanyl: Synthetic opioid, stronger than morphine, typically prescribed in patch or lollipop form. Nicknames include china white and perc-a-pop.

Xanax: Brand name of alprazolam, a benzodiazepine produced by Pfizer and used to treat panic, anxiety and insomnia. Strengths range up to 2 mg. Nicknames include footballs and totem poles.

Valium: Brand name of diazepam, a benzodiazepine produced by Roche and used to treat panic, anxiety and insomnia. Strengths range up to 10 mg.

Klonopin: Brand name of clonazepam, a benzodiazepine produced by Roche and used to treat panic, anxiety and insomnia. Strengths range up to 2 mg.

Ambien: Brand name of zolpidem tartrate, a sedative produced by Sanofi-Aventis. Strengths range up to 10 mg.

Suboxone: Combination of buprenorphine and naloxone, used to treat opiate withdrawal.

Pill Sick: The series

Sunday

Tennessee drug task force waging lonely war on Rx diversion

Law enforcement battling to cut off pain drug pipeline

Drug war's new front makes for unlikely targets

Living for the needle: Addict's life a daily, desperate struggle

Prescription pills are East Tennessee's 'new crack'

A year of pills: Drugs leave trail of damage, crime

Summary findings from the News Sentinel investigation into the pill trade

Sometimes it's a corpse — a dealer killed for pills or an addict who chased the last high off the edge of oblivion.

Oxycodone hydrochloride tablets sell at the pharmacy counter under the brand name Roxicodone and offer quick relief from chronic pain for the old, the aching, the crippled and the dying.

Roxies sell on the street for as much as $30 per pill and offer a high that tops crack, heroin or meth — all without the pesky time-release formula that coats Oxycontin, the drug's sister medication.

"It's the epidemic of the day," Knoxville Police Chief David Rausch said. "Everything is attached to it now. Our investigators will tell you that 90 percent of the folks we see who've committed a crime say it's to get their medicine. That's what they call it — medicine.

"The days of the crack dealer on the corner are slowly waning. It's become the medicine dealer on the street."

Drugs of choice

Three people died last year in South Knox County when two men broke into a former police officer's house to steal legally prescribed painkillers. Police say a North Knoxville man's stepson beat him and his wife to death in August to steal pain pills, then burned down the house to cover up the crime.

A rash of drugstore robberies last fall and winter set a local record. Semiannual drug roundups keep rural jails packed and court dockets clogged.

Officers on the beat report dealing with addicts desperate to avoid jail and the agonies of withdrawal. Sometimes they run. Sometimes they fight.

"We're out here beating the bushes today, and in a few months we'll be out here again doing the same thing," said Capt. David Honeycutt, chief investigator for the Claiborne County Sheriff's Office, as he headed out with a stack of indictments in another drug roundup. "Pills have changed the face of law enforcement. It used to be pot, maybe Valium. Now it's pain pills, and they're crazy as hell on them. You'd be hard-pressed to find a family that's not been hurt by these drugs."

Tennessee topped the nation last year in busts of methamphetamine labs, where addicts churn out toxic waste breaking down cold and sinus pills to produce a homemade stimulant. Meth hasn't gone away, but police say they spend more time and money now fighting to keep the cap on the prescription bottle.

"People are afraid of meth, because everybody doesn't do meth," Newport Police Chief Maurice Shults said. "Everybody doesn't do crack. But everybody's on pills of some kind. Pills come from a doctor. People see that as safe. A doctor gives them out, so they've got to be good."

From Oxy to Roxies

Purdue Pharma's Oxycontin tablets once stood as the gold standard for opiate abusers, with concentrated doses of up to 80 mg of oxycodone locked inside a time-release formula easy to crack. Addicts crushed the pills to powder, then snorted or injected them to turn 12 hours of pain relief into an instant high.

That golden egg gained an extra shell when Purdue introduced a new formula last year meant to cut down on abuse. The second-generation Oxys come wrapped in a sticky gelcap coating that burns nostrils and resists the needle.

Some addicts claim to have found ways to beat the coating. Most don't bother.

Roxicodone and its generic equivalents deliver smaller doses of the same drug to treat the short, sharp bursts of breakthrough pain that plague cancer patients and others between round-the-clock doses of painkillers like Oxy. The pills come in 15 mg and 30 mg strength with no gelcap and no time-release coating, ready to deliver instant relief — or an instant high.

"There's no preparation," said Officer Phil Jinks of the Knoxville Police Department's Repeat Offender Squad. "It's straight out of the bottle."

The easy access and potential for profit have caught on among young and old.

"We're dealing with kids in high school, and we've got people retirement age selling," KCSO Sgt. Chris Bryant said. "Pills are easy to get for kids. We've given several drug education classes to teachers, and the first question is always, 'What are those little blue pills we keep seeing?' Those are Roxies."

Some officials expect the problem will only get worse. Opana, a time-release form of oxymorphone introduced five years ago, and fentanyl, a painkiller 100 times more powerful than morphine, offer a stronger high than the old Oxycontin with an even greater potential for overdosing.

Meanwhile, addicts keep working on ways to crack the new Oxys.

"Any time there's a chemical change, there's somebody out there who can alter the effects of that change," Hamblen County Sheriff Esco Jarnagin said. "I don't think you can stop these people from doing what they're doing. The only thing you can do is try to slow them down."

Addiction's Brain Abnormalities Can Be Reversed

2011-10-31T06:37:00.001Z

Researchers from the University of Minho in Portugal have discovered that rats exposed before birth to glucocorticoids (GC) not only show several brain abnormalities similar to those found in addicts, but become themselves susceptible to addiction (the glucorticoids, which are stress hormones, were used to mimic pre-natal stress). But even more remarkable, Ana João Rodrigues, Nuno Sousa and colleagues were able to reverse all the abnormalities (including the addictive behavior) by giving the animals dopamine (a neurotransmitter/ brain chemical). The study has several implications – for a start it alerts for the dangers of high levels of stress during pregnancy, but - since GC are often prescribed as an anti-inflammatory or to help organ maturation during pregnancy - it also calls for an urgent investigation on the effects of this drug in pregnant women. But it is what we learn about addiction that is most interesting - the work not only unveils stress as a new susceptibility factor for the disease, but also a very simple treatment that, if translated into humans, could one day mean an effective treatment, and maybe even the prevention of human addiction. Drug addiction was for a long time a character flaw, a moral problem. Now, instead, is accepted as the complex brain disease that is with the addict a patient in need of treatment. After all many people try drugs, but only a few become addicts And it is in these few that lays the key to the disease and its treatment. So what do we know about these patients and the disease? First although the psychological and social contexts in which the drug is taken are important, as much as 50% of the compulsion is in the individual’s genetic makeup. We know that addiction is linked to the mesolimbic system - the brain area that evolved to provide feelings of pleasure to actions that increase our survival chances, such as eat, sex and social stimulation. In fact, drugs activate the mesolimbic circuit too, only far stronger than any physiologic stimulus. This leads to the production of very high quantities of dopamine – the brain chemical linked to pleasure – creating the euphoria that brings users back. After while, though, the brain no longer can cope with the constant ” high” and adapts by becoming desensitised to dopamine (produced by any type of stimulus) what leads users to consume more in order to “feel” again and trapping those more susceptible in addiction. And with the brain changes induced by drugs being apparently long-lasting - since both cravings and relapses don’t disappear with time – it is not easy to escape once trapped. Adding another piece to the puzzle, recently the disease was also linked to stress during crucial developmental periods, such as feotal life. In fact, high levels of prenatal stress increase propensity to mental problems and now have been suggested also to substance abuse, with the effects being mediated by glucocorticoids (GC). Normal 0 false false false EN-GB X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Rodrigues and Sousa’s group have a long history of interest in stress and have seen before that rats from mothers injected with GC while pregnant (mimicking pre-natal stress) show changes in their mesolimbic area and in the dopamine response. So in the study now published, following these results and the addiction-stress link, the researchers investigated the responses to drugs in rats exposed to GC while in the uterus. These rats were found to have a susceptibility to addiction not present in control (non-exposed) rats. When their mesolimbic system was examined they also showed several structural and molecular abnormalities, including less dopamine. The levels of their dopamine receptor Drd2, despite initially being very high, once they experimented drugs, went to abnormally low levels . So why is this important? Because reduced dopamine and Drd2 levels are typical of addicts suggesting that stress and long-term exposure to drugs affect the brain in very similar ways what could explain why the first could lead to the second. Normal 0 false false false EN-GB X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 The good news is that low levels of dopamine can be treated so Rodrigues and colleagues restored the rats’ dopamine levels to normal just to find,much to their surprise, that all the structural and molecular abnormalities induced by prenatal GC were reversed. Even more surprising, the addictive behavior also disappeared. Normal 0 false false false EN-GB X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 As Ana João Rodrigues explains, “This is a remarkable result because it suggests that with a relatively simple pharmacological approach- restoration of dopamine levels- we can eventually treat, and even more importantly, potentially prevent drug abuse in vulnerable individuals. Of course that we still have a long way to go but our results are quite promising. In fact, if we know where susceptibility to substance abuse lies – and low dopamine and altered Drd2 response seems to be it - then maybe we can find better ways to prevent/treat this disorder. “ Restoring dopamine levels has been used to treat cocaine cravings but the few trials looking at its effect on addiction were never very clear. One possible reason might be the length or the dosages used – in Rodrigues’ study, rats treated for 3 days reverted back to an addictive behavior 3 weeks after the end of the treatment, but this no longer occurs if the treatment continues for 3 weeks Now it will be necessary to test this new theory in humans what could be problematic with addicts as they are notoriously not the most cooperative or reliable research subjects. Large human studies on the effect of prenatal stress are also difficult to mount but there are a couple of them being run at the moment that could be tagged into such as “Project Ice Storm” in Canada.This study is following women pregnant n January 98 in southern Québec during an extreme ice storm that led to electrical power failures affecting more than 3 million people for as much as 6 weeks during the coldest month of the year(when temperatures can go to -18 C). It is still early for any studies on addiction(the children are only 13 years old after all) but it will be an interesting place to look, especially since abnormal levels of behavioral and cognitive problems have already been detected by scientists. Drug abuse and addiction carry enormous social and financial costs to society, families and individuals.Only in the US, the National Institute for Drug Abuse calculates that more than600 billion dollars are being spent, annually, to combat the disease. Despite this,a steady increase of drug use among teenagers and in prescription drugs continues with treatments remaining as inefficient as ever. Rodrigues and Sousa’s work might be the first step towards a solution if their remarkable results can be translated into humans.

UC Berkeley researchers pinpoint areas of brain linked with addiction

2011-10-31T06:29:00.001Z

Researchers at UC Berkeley have determined the specific areas of the brain that value and interpret decisions, which they hope may lead to new treatments for individuals who struggle with addiction. By measuring the neural activity of macaque monkeys, researchers were able to pinpoint the two specific ways the brain makes decisions, which they explained in a study published Sunday in the journal Nature Neuroscience. They now understand that neural activity in the brain’s orbitofrontal cortex determines the value of decisions, while neural activity in the anterior cingulate cortex evaluates the difference between expectations and results, which is responsible for future behavior. “The brain is basically a computer, and the neuron is taking information and then giving information that they’ve calculated,” said Jonathan Wallis, associate professor of psychology at UC Berkeley and the principal investigator of the study. “This is the first time we’ve been able to show the specific computation to decision-making in specific areas of the brain. That was really the novelty.” While previous research has determined that these sections of the brain are dysfunctional in addicts, the new research explains how the damage leads to addiction. If these parts of the frontal cortex are impaired, addicts lack the signals that provide them with accurate information about how valuable a choice is, making it less likely that they will learn the consequences of their actions, according to Wallis. “If you’re an addict and this area is impaired, you may not realize your goals, and you potentially are not going to learn from unhealthy decisions,” Wallis said. Wallis and his team conducted the research by testing the neural activity of macaque monkeys as they played games that gauged their ability to make decisions. Researchers could measure the calculations that the monkeys were making in the different areas of the brain, which mimicked the way that humans make decisions. The researchers completed the experiment in 2006 and have spent the last five years analyzing the data. Although still a few steps in the future, the ultimate goal of the study is to use the results to treat for individuals with addictions. “Besides therapy, there is nothing we can do for someone that is severely addicted,” Wallis said. “So far no surgical or pharmaceutical treatments exist. By figuring out what is going on when healthy people are making decisions, we can figure out what is going wrong when addicts make bad decisions and find some ways to target these specific areas of the brain.” While the study has led to a greater understanding of how the brain values decisions, researchers will still need to further investigate how addictive drugs are valued in order to develop more effective treatments, according to Howard Fields, professor of neurology and director of the Wheeler Center for the Neurobiology of Addiction at UC San Francisco. “This is a new and important scientific advance,” Fields said. “It is likely that addiction involves dysfunction of the relation between valuation of outcomes and subsequent decision making. In other words, drugs become overvalued compared to other action outcomes. Only by understanding the relation of valuation to action selection will we fully understand how drugs become addictive. After we do that, we’ll be able to develop more effective treatments.”

Drug That Killed Michael Jackson "Was Self-Injected"

2011-10-30T11:02:00.001Z

The jury hear evidence that MJ had also taken a large number of sleeping pills… 08:42, Sunday, 30 October 2011 The last defence witness in the trial of Dr Conrad Murray, Michael Jackson’s personal physician, has told the courtroom that he believed the star was responsible for his own death. Dr Paul White told jurors that the most likely cause of death was self-injection of a fatal dose of the anesthetic Propofol, after Murray had already administered a small amount. "With the administration of the additional 25 milligrams that we're speculating was self-injected by Mr Jackson, the level increases rapidly and at the time of death would be almost identical to the level found in the urine at autopsy," Dr White said. He revealed that the superstar also appeared to have taken a large dose of sedatives – eight Lorazepam tablets – earlier in the night without Murray’s knowledge. White said that mixing the two drugs would be deadly. "The combination effect is potentially profound." Earlier this week a specialist testified that Michael may have also been addicted to the painkiller Demerol, and was also a regular user of Botox. Murray is charged with involuntary manslaughter into the star’s untimely death in June 2009. The prosecution has already presented four weeks of evidence so it won’t be long before the jurors retire to decide the verdict. Michael’s sister Janet Jackson recently postponed tour dates in Australia in order to be in LA when the verdict is announced. She explained her decision in a statement: "When I planned these shows, the schedule in California was completely different. After talking with my family last night, I decided we must be together right now.”

Enabling drug addicts

2011-10-19T07:37:00.001+01:00

Recently, the Supreme Court ruled in favour of Vancouver’s Insite program, where addicts can “fix” in a “safe” environment. As a result of this ruling, other Canadian cities may follow suit, to the delight of some and the significant uneasiness of others. So as not to be close-minded about the idea, a friend of mine suggested maybe Ottawa should be next in line for an Insite, and proposed an ideal location: an underused spacious building in the Ottawa city core on Wellington Street where Insite could be opened on the same floor as offices that are in temporary use. The building is called the Supreme Court of Canada. This way, our cabal of esteemed justices can experience first-hand the profoundly beneficial societal effects of their latest decision. Wishful thinking, no doubt. Most of us realize the next Insite will be in some neighbourhood far removed from the environs of the Supreme Court offices. The true and practical repercussions on a community will no doubt be some average working stiff’s problem. Like it or not, addicts are responsible for inordinate amounts of crime. Any recovered addict will openly tell you, drug addiction dehumanizes to the point where there is no concern for oneself, and thus no empathy or concern for anyone else. The only purpose and urge is to obtain the next fix, the next high, through any means necessary. It doesn’t matter who gets hurt. This very point is made every day in courtrooms across this country, in support of leniency for those claiming to be under the influence of various chemical intoxicants when committing their crimes. Insite, and programs like it, enables addicts to fix more frequently in an environment that protects from arrest, ensures medical treatment will be on hand to deal with overdose, and provide the necessary mechanics to inject (needles, etc.). The program reduces negative consequence to extremely dangerous behaviour and it becomes much more comfortable to be an addict. Does anyone seriously think this will somehow cause addicts to surrender their addictions? Hardly. We intuitively understand addictions will be attenuated. The only thing accomplished is fostering an environment that implies a societal acceptance of drug addiction. Addicts are now more comfortably able to destroy themselves by degrees. If this is where we are headed, why not just remove the middle man and have taxpayers supply the drugs, too? I seriously wonder if this isn’t the ultimate goal. Most recovering addicts I have spoken to only changed because they had finally realized there was no lower to go: it was rehab or death. Given the limited resources in these challenging economic times, why not use our funds to create greater rehab opportunities? Funding true rehabilitation seems to me to be an altogether better idea, benefitting both society and addict. In the meanwhile, we’re left to wonder where the next Insite will arrive, thanks to the ruling of judges that will never get anywhere near being confronted by the street level consequences of their decision.

Eminem talks addiction, says 'The bigger the crowd, the bigger my habit got'

2011-10-19T07:26:00.001+01:00

Eminem hasn’t exactly avoided the topic of his relationship with a variety of illicit chemicals. After all, his last two albums were calledRelapse and Recovery. But the man born Marshall Mathers has rarely been as candid about his struggles with addiction in the press.

In the pages of GQ, where he was named a “God of Rock” next to the likes of Keith Richards and Robert Plant, Em let the world know exactly why he is so prone to addiction. “I’m very much a creature of habit,” he told GQ. “If I’m used to waking up in the morning and having [a Red Bull], I could do it every morning for the next ten years straight until I find something else to move on to. So if I’m used to taking a Vicodin when I wake up in the morning because I’m hungover from drinking or taking pills … The bigger the crowd, the bigger my habit got.”

Eminem also explained that his drug problems could be traced over the course of his discography, noting that The Slim Shady LP was written almost entirely sober, the dark experiments on The Marshall Mathers LP were the result of more experimentation with substances, and Encore was hampered both artistically and practically thanks to his addiction to prescription medication (including Valium and Ambien).

After a failed stint in rehab (“Every addict in rehab feels like everyone’s staring at them. With me? Everyone was staring at me”), he had a traumatic overdose experience and finally made the decision to get clean when he realized he was killing himself. “I had a feeling in my arm that was weird, man,” he said. “Like, it really freaked me out. So I went to some people I trust and said, ‘Look, I know I need help. I’m ready now.’ I got a room in the same hospital where I overdosed, and I detoxed.”

His revelations fueled Recovery, which returned him to the top of the sales mountain and ranks among his finest work. The most revealing part of the interview involves his moment of clarity. “Sometimes [sobriety] sucks, and I wish I was wired like a regular person and could go have a f—in’ drink,” he told GQ. “But that’s the biggest thing about addiction: When you realize that you cannot f— around with nothing ever again. I never understood when people would say it’s a disease. Like, ‘Stop it, d—head. It’s not a disease!’ But I finally realized it really is.”

It’s refreshing to hear a star as huge as Eminem talking about his drug woes so frankly. And it’s refreshing to know that the reason why Encore is such a mess is because Ambien, as he puts it, was “[eating] a hole through my brain.” That certain explains this.

What do you think of Eminem’s thoughts on addiction? Where do you rank Recovery in his discography? Sound off in the comments!

Frightening 'Drug Threat Assessment' for the USA and Mexico

2011-10-17T09:24:00.001+01:00

The National Drug Intelligence Center, a branch of the U.S. Department of Justice, recently released a document entitled the "National Drug Threat Assessment 2011." You can read the document online here. The document paints a gloomy picture for both the U.S. and Mexico. The Assessment's Executive Summary begins: "The illicit trafficking and abuse of drugs present a challenging, dynamic threat to the United States. Overall demand is rising, largely supplied by illicit drugs smuggled to U.S. markets by major transnational criminal organizations (TCOs). Changing conditions continue to alter patterns in drug production, trafficking, and abuse. Traffickers are responding to government counterdrug efforts by modifying their interrelationships, altering drug production levels, and adjusting their trafficking routes and methods. Major Mexican-based TCOs continue to solidify their dominance over the wholesale illicit drug trade as they control the movement of most of the foreign-produced drug supply across the U.S. Southwest Border. "The estimated economic cost of illicit drug use to society for 2007 was more than $193 billion...." One of the contributing factors is the high demand for drugs in the United States. This high demand finances the drug cartels, allowing them to spend more and expand their operations. According to the 2011 Assessment, that demand is growing. The document reports that "The abuse of several major illicit drugs, including heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamine, appears to be increasing, especially among the young." Elsewhere it says that "Overall drug availability is increasing." One exception to this tendency is cocaine - its availability and use are down. The document states that "The Southwest Border remains the primary gateway for moving illicit drugs into the United States. Most illicit drugs available in the United States are smuggled overland across the Southwest Border...." The Southwest Border is comprised of the southern borders of California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas with Mexico. Then there is the tunneling: "Despite enhanced detection efforts and better countermeasures, Mexican drug traffickers will continue to build tunnels under the Southwest Border." In the U.S., Mexican cartels have cornered the market. The 2011 Assessment states that "Mexican-based TCOs [transnational crime organizations] dominate the supply, trafficking, and wholesale distribution of most illicit drugs in the United States." Elsewhere, it predicts that "Major Mexican-based TCOs and their associates are solidifying their dominance of the U.S. wholesale drug trade and will maintain their reign for the foreseeable future." The Mexican cartels are active in many urban areas. The Assessment calculates that "Mexican-based TCOs were operating in more than a thousand U.S. cities during 2009 and 2010...." And, "Mexican-based trafficking organizations control access to the U.S.-Mexico border, the primary gateway for moving the bulk of illicit drugs into the United States. The organizations control, simultaneously use, or are competing for control of various smuggling corridors that they use to regulate drug flow across the border. The value they attach to controlling border access is demonstrated by the ferocity with which several rival TCOs are fighting over control of key corridors, or ‘plazas.'" The document says that seven major Mexican drug cartels are supplying the United States, but that "... the Sinaloa Cartel is preeminent - its members traffic all major illicit drugs of abuse, and its extensive distribution network supplies drugs to all regions of the United States." U.S.-based gangs are involved in the distribution north of the border: "The threat posed by gang involvement in drug trafficking is increasing, particularly in the Southwest Region. With gangs already the dominant retail drug suppliers in major and midsized cities, some gang members are solidifying their ties to Mexican TCOs to bolster their involvement in wholesale smuggling, internal distribution, and control of the retail trade." The Assessment reports that "Criminal gangs - that is street, prison, and outlaw motorcycle gangs - remain in control of most of the retail distribution of drugs throughout much of the United States, particularly in major and midsize cities." The document predicts that "Collaboration between U.S. gangs and Mexican-based TCOs will continue to increase, facilitating wholesale drug trafficking into and within the United States. Most collaboration occurs in cities along the U.S.-Mexico border, although some occurs in other regions of the country. Some U.S.-based gangs in the Southwest Border region also operate in Mexico, facilitating the smuggling of illicit drugs across the border." The 2011 Assessment paints a gloomy picture of the drug trafficking situation, drug cartels, and the safety and security of both the U.S. and Mexico.

Roman Abramovich is a "gangster", court told

2011-10-12T00:44:00.001+01:00

Boris Berezovsky said Mr Abramovich was part of “black ops” by the Russian security service designed to force him to give up his business interests in the country. Mr Berezovsky, the so-called “godfather” of the Russian oligarchs, says he met Vladimir Putin, the Russian leader, at the Kremlin “eye to eye” and was told to give up his control of a television station that had criticised the president over his handling of the sinking of the nuclear submarine the Kursk. When he refused, he was threatened with arrest and policemen in balaclavas, dubbed “maski” stormed the TV station ORT to remove documents. Mr Berezovsky says he fled the country and Mr Abramovich, his former protegee took advantage of the situation to pressure him into selling both ORT and the oil conglomerate Sibneft they had created together. Mr Abramovich is then said to have sold his minority stake in the aluminium giant Rusal, massively devaluing Mr Berezovsky’s stake.

Michael Jackson's heartbroken daughter lashed out at Dr Conrad Murray for failing to save her father's life, jurors heard today as they again saw a photo of the pop stars dead body.

2011-10-12T00:05:00.001+01:00

The King of Pop's three children 'cried and cried and cried' after being told their father was dead.

His daughter, Paris, now 13, told Murray, her father's personal doctor: 'I will wake up in the morning and I won't be able to see my daddy.'

On Tuesday a court in Los Angeles heard recordings of Conrad Murray saying Michael Jackson's children sobbed when they learned their father died and saw a photo of the singer's dead body

According to the 58-year-old cardiologist, she said: 'Dr Murray, you said you save a lot of patients. You know, you save people with heart attacks, and you couldn't save my dad.'

Paris's anguish was revealed in an interview Murray gave to detectives two days after Jackson's death on June 25, 2009.

The court saw a photograph of the painfully thin star taken before an autopsy was carried out on his body the day after his death. It was the second time the jury has seen a photo of the dead star after a picture was displayed on the opening day of the trial.

Jackson's mother, Katherine, who flew back to Los Angeles from the weekend tribute to her son in Wales, left the courtroom before the disturbing image was shown on a screen.

Dr Christopher Rogers, Los Angeles Deputy Medical Examiner, said the 5 ft 9 ins tall singer was comparatively fit when he died.

Enlarge

A coroner's photo of Jackson's naked body, with his genitals blacked out, was shown to jurors as they heard he was relatively fit for his age, but had many puncture wounds on his arms and legs from injections

'He was healthier than the average person of his age,' said Dr Rogers, who added there was no sign of any fat or cholesterol on the walls of Jackson's heart.

He ruled the cause of death was homicide as a result of acute Propofol intoxication, the court heard.

Dr Rogers dismissed Murray's claims that the singer took a deadly dose of Propofol himself while the doctor left his bedside for two minutes to go to the toilet.

He suggested it was too short a time for Jackson to be able to self-administer the drug and for it take sufficient effect to stop his breathing.

He said Murray had no equipment to help deliver the correct amount of Propofol to help Jackson sleep.

Enlarge

A close up of Jackson's wrist shows his date of death, which was actually June 25, 2009 but mis-labelled as August, and Coroner Case Number 2009-04415

'It would be easy for the doctor to estimate wrongly and give too much Propofol,' he added.

Murray, who has pleaded not guilty to a charge of involuntary manslaughter, is not expected to testify at the trial at Los Angeles Superior Court, but the recording means jurors at least got to hear his side of the story.

Before Rogers the last 45 minutes of the two-hour tape was played in the hushed courtroom on Tuesday.

Murray told police Jackson's children 'really were weeping, really weeping' when they were told that doctors at UCLA Medical Centre in Los Angeles had been unable to revive their 50-year-old father.

'I hugged them all, gave comfort to Paris, comfort to Prince, comfort to Blanket, which is the last little guy, because whenever they were sick, they would always ask for Dr Conrad,' he said.

NJ Town First to Consider Medical Marijuana

2011-10-11T06:59:00.001+01:00

Medical marijuana could get a little closer to sprouting in the Garden State, as one licensed dispensary heads to the zoning board in the town of Maple Shade, NJ. Authorities in March licensed six non-profit alternative treatment centers across the state, but they’ve largely been in a holding pattern ever since. On Wednesday, Compassionate Sciences Inc. will be the first center to seek local approval. The firm wants to convert an old furniture store into a 5,000 square foot center, with consulting rooms for patients to discuss the controlled substance, a lab to conduct research and, as spokesman Andrei Bogolubov describes it, a very secure vault for the marijuana. “There's a lot of controls, a lot of safeguards, and the state's going to do a site visit to make sure those systems are in place before they issue the permit and let us open the doors,” he said. Even if it gets a local go-ahead, Compassionate Sciences and the other approved dispensaries are still waiting for New Jersey to issue final regulations. Each center will grow and harvest its own crop of marijuana and Bogolubov estimates it will take about nine weeks to generate enough to supply customers. About 30,000 of them are expected state-wide. Governor Chris Christie, a former federal prosecutor, has said he would not have signed the bill into law. He wants to make sure the drug only gets to people who need it for pain relief from illnesses such as cancer and multiple-sclerosis. He said he is determined to avoid “abuses” that he said have plagued medical marijuana programs in Colorado and California.

The Netherlands is embarking on a crusade against its multi-billion-euro marijuana industry

2011-10-11T06:56:00.001+01:00

The Netherlands is embarking on a crusade against its multi-billion-euro marijuana industry, with significant implications both for its economy and its famously liberal approach to life. Along with tighter control of legalized prostitution and a swing to the right in attitudes toward immigration and Islam in recent years, the clampdown is seen as further evidence of an erosion of tolerance in a country known for its liberal social policies. The push to clamp down on soft drugs has come mainly from the Christian Democrats, the junior partner in the minority government and one of the larger parties in a fragmented political landscape. "There's clearly a shift in the moral debate. It's all about the culture of control," said Dirk Korf, professor of criminology at the University of Amsterdam. Instantly recognizable from the sickly sweet, burned-leaf smell that wafts out onto the street, the Netherlands' world-renowned "coffee shops" are almost as common as supermarkets in big cities such as Amsterdam and Rotterdam and in certain border towns. Like trained sommeliers, the staff or "bud tenders" are experts on the flavors and after-effects of whatever is on the menu -- white widow, vanilla kush, or hazers like amnesia "known for its extreme, almost paranoid psychedelic high, with an unforgettable strong fruity taste and smell." Counter staff do a brisk trade in plastic sachets of loose grass, ready-rolled joints and chunks of hashish for those who want take-away. The Netherlands tolerates the sale of up to 5 grams per person per day of marijuana and hashish in the controlled environment of the coffee shops. It also tolerates the home cultivation of marijuana plants, within a limit of five plants per person, but any cultivation larger than that is illegal. Strong demand has spawned secret cannabis plantations that provide a so-called back-door supply to the coffee shops and are a headache for Dutch authorities who have to find and raid them. DRUGS TOURISTS On a typical Saturday evening, the coffee shops in central Amsterdam are packed with smokers. The clientele is middle class, the voices mostly foreign -- Italian, Spanish, French, German, English. Concerned about this influx of soft-drugs tourists, not to mention what it sees as the associated crime, nuisance and health risks, the Christian Democrat Party wants to see the country's 700 or so coffee shops shut down, but for the moment is settling for introducing restrictions on their activities. A measure expected to be passed in parliament by the end of this year will have coffee shops operate as members-only clubs, meaning that only local residents will be eligible to register for "weed passes," effectively barring foreigners from buying soft drugs. Already, some cities have introduced tighter restrictions, limiting the coffee shops' proximity to schools or relocating them to the outskirts. On October 1, coffee shops in the southeastern city of Maastricht banned all foreigners except for neighboring Germans and Belgians, as a first step toward introduction of weed passes. Crime expert Korf says there is little justification for the clampdown, with scant evidence that the Dutch public supports the change. "No serious polls have been conducted, we don't know if opinions about coffee shops have even changed," said Korf. "Before coffee shops we had street dealing, they were selling marijuana in the street and ripping off tourists. The whole drug problem is nothing compared to (what we had in) the 1980s, 1990s -- we don't have a heroin problem." The Trimbos Institute, which studies addiction and mental health, said 5 percent of Netherlands citizens smoked weed or hashish in the past year, against an EU average of 7 percent. GLOBAL CONFUSION Policymakers around the world are seeking fresh ideas on how to combat drug abuse, opening up a debate on policies on soft drugs. In June, a high-profile group of global leaders declared the "war on drugs" a failure and urged governments to consider decriminalizing drugs in order to cut consumption and weaken the power of organized crime. The Global Commission on Drug Policy -- which includes former Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso, former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, former U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker and British billionaire Richard Branson -- said a decades-long strategy of outlawing drugs and jailing users while battling drug cartels had not worked. It recommended that governments experiment with the legal regulation of drugs, especially cannabis, citing the successes in countries such as the Netherlands, Portugal and Switzerland, where drug consumption had been reduced. Portugal, for instance, has gone much further than the Netherlands by decriminalizing all drugs, replacing jail time with counseling and treatment. The Christian Democrats disagree and say the Dutch policy has had a negative effect on public health and crime. "In other countries there is no tolerance. The Dutch coffee shops attract a lot of foreign drug tourists, especially in the border region, causing much nuisance," according to a statement published on the Christian Democrat Party website. The centrist party has cast doubt on the rationale for allowing coffee shops, which was to separate the soft and hard drugs markets, and said that people who smoke cannabis often turned to other drugs. It also argues the active substance in cannabis is much stronger than twenty years ago, putting it on a par with harder drugs -- a reflection of years of cultivation of new varieties by growers. A Dutch commission earlier this year found that hashish and marijuana on sale in the Netherlands contain about 18 percent of THC, the main psychoactive substance, and said a level above 15 percent put the drugs on a par with heroin or cocaine. Maxime Verhagen, a Christian Democrat who is deputy prime minister, said on October 7 the government would ban the sale of cannabis whose concentration of THC exceeds 15 percent. The Christian Democrats also want tougher regulations on the so-called cannabis plantations. In addition to illegally supplying the coffee shops, "much of the illegally cultivated cannabis in the Netherlands is exported abroad. There is an extensive network illegally created in the grip of organized crime," the party said in its statement. Dutch authorities already devote considerable resources to tracking down these large-scale plantations. The police work with the local electricity company to detect unusual consumption patterns, for example round-the-clock usage in sheds and attics, and have used tiny sniffer-helicopters which can detect the smell of pot plants wafting from ventilation shafts and chimneys, according to media reports. Rotterdam city council recently distributed "scratch and sniff cards" to households, hoping that concerned citizens would tip off the police if they recognized the smell of illegal cannabis plantations in the neighborhood. PUSHBACK AT HOME There is plenty of opposition to the crackdown. Dutch smokers do not welcome the idea of having to register for weed passes. "Many of my customers are locals, artists, writers, doctors, lawyers, professionals. They don't want their name on a register -- they don't know who could see it or use it. So they may go to other sources on the street," said Paula Baten, manager of the Siberie coffee shop in central Amsterdam. "This government is more Christian, more right-wing. They don't want drugs but they forget about the effects of alcohol." Already, there's talk of how foreigners can circumvent the new rules, for example by asking Dutch citizens to buy soft drugs on their behalf to take away, and concern that dealing in soft drugs will go onto the street. Some politicians oppose the proposals. Eberhard van der Laan, the mayor of Amsterdam, says restricting the activities of coffee shops would lead to greater health risks, nuisance and drug dealing on the streets. As mayor, he could simply choose not to enforce the weed pass regulations. "At the moment the mayor is in conference with the minister to convince him that the measures regarding coffee shops will be counterproductive for Amsterdam," the mayor's office said in a statement to Reuters. Others cite the likely economic impact. The Netherlands, like other European countries, has had to introduce austerity measures and cut spending in the wake of the credit crisis, when it pumped 40 billion euros into rescuing financial institutions. Tax revenue from the coffee shops is estimated at about 400 million euros a year. Studies by the finance ministry and academics estimated that if the Netherlands legalized the "back-door" supply, bringing it "above board," it could collect as much as an additional 400-850 million euros a year, including savings on the cost of law enforcement. Then there's the tourist revenue. In Maastricht, which gets a lot of day tourists because it is so close to the German and Belgian borders, a study commissioned by an association of coffee shop owners calculated that visitors to the city's coffee shops spent about 119 million euros a year, mostly on shopping and eating out. A study by Professor Korf of the University of Amsterdam found that tourists who visited coffee shops in central Amsterdam had similar spending habits to other tourists, and were just as likely to spend 200 euros or more on a hotel room, or splash out at smart restaurants or nightclubs. The Bulldog and Barney's -- the big names in the industry -- run coffee shop chains, and many coffee shop owners also make money from lodgings and related businesses. Hundreds of tourists attend the annual cannabis cup award for the best new strains, and the local edition of Time Out runs monthly weed reviews. Jackie Woerlee, who runs customized cannabis tours, said that among her recent tour guests were members of one of the Middle East royal families who rented a luxury apartment for several weeks and spent several thousand euros shopping at luxury stores. "Customers might easily spend 100 euros in a coffee shop, but it's not just that, it's the hotels, the eating out, renting apartments," Woerlee said. "These people spend."

Addiction vaccine could be approved in five years

2011-10-11T06:48:00.001+01:00

Some of the best medical minds in the country are working on a vaccine to help people kick a disease that often lasts a lifetime and ends in death. They're working on a cure-all to addiction. A shot that would stop a life of smoking, drinking or drugs before it starts. "I have a husband who is an alcoholic and so if he could get a shot of something that would get him to stop drinking, that would be great (laughs)," Valois Mickens said. Mickens laughs, but knows her husband's 20 year alcohol addiction is not a joke. Her 25-year-old son is also a smoker. "Once you're an addict you're a lifetime addict. If you can take a shot of something to get it to stop, that's great," Mickens said. Mickens is eager to learn more about a simple vaccine that could cure nicotine, alcohol and cocaine addiction. Maybe even obesity. "So what we do is basically make a cocktail such that we can trick the immune system into recognizing something like cocaine or heroin as being foreign and the immune system will attack it as something foreign and basically remove it," Dr. Kim D. Janda from the Scripps Research Institute said. We spoke to Dr. Kim Janda, a professor for the Scripps Institute via Skype in San Diego. He's been working on the addiction vaccine for the last 25 years. "The main problem has been trying to get a vaccine which works in all humans. Though some of these vaccines only work in about 30 percent of the people," Dr. Janda said. Dr. Janda hopes to finally get FDA approval within the next three to five years. Then he plans to make the addiction vaccine affordable and available to everyone. So for those with addictions, like Felix Baez, who has tried everything to quit smoking, "I've tried the patches, I've tried the gum, I've tried cold turkey and nothing," Baez said. To those who treat addictions like Dr. Andrew Kolodny, chair of psychiatry at Maimonides Medical Center in Brookln, it's a great idea. "I think it's a terrific idea and we would probably be further along right now with a vaccine that worked if vaccines were more profitable," Dr. Kolodny said. This vaccine can't come soon enough.

Mum tells of battle to beat a serious addiction to Diet Coke

2011-10-11T06:41:00.001+01:00

Claire Ayton drank seven pints – or four litres – a day for 10 years in the belief it was “normal”. She only realised she was an addict after seeking help to lose weight and has now ditched the fizzy pop after hypnotherapy. The teaching assistant, 36, drank up to 14 two-litre bottles a week – totalling 7,280 over the decade. Kicking the habit will save her almost £1,000 a year. Advertisement >> “I didn’t think of it as an addiction,” said the married mum-of-two, of Pailton, Warwicks. “But I topped 13st after putting on 3st in 12 years. I was always tired and went to see my GP when I found I couldn’t lose any weight, but I didn’t mention how much Diet Coke I was drinking because I didn’t think it was relevant. “I went to see a hypnotherapist in August and told him. He was surprised and said I needed to cut it out of my diet. Since then I’ve not touched a drop. “There were a few side-effects at first but now my head’s clearer and I have more energy. I’ve lost 5lb and am aiming for more.” Claire’s hypnotherapist Russell Hemmings, of Coventry, said: “Hers was the worst case of fizzy drink addiction I’ve ever treated. I’m glad she kicked the habit.” In June a University of Texas study revealed that regularly guzzling diet sodas actually makes people fatter – by boost-ing a craving for sweet foods.

12 steps to destruction

2011-10-10T08:20:00.001+01:00

Some say that A.A.'s Steps are based on the Bible. And they are: www.dickb.com/goodbook.shtml Some say that most came from the teachings of Rev. Sam Shoemaker, Jr., Rector of Calvary Episcopal Church in New York. And they did: www.dickb.com/newlight.shtml. Some say they are "12 steps to destruction," and the contention is about as valueless as the erroneous documention behind the contention. Some say A.A. is not a Christian Fellowship. It isn't - today. Some say A.A. could not have had its origins in Christianity. But those who argue for that just haven't come close to looking at the history of the Christian Recovery Movement, the Christian upbringing of A.A.'s co-founders, the requirement in early A.A. that all profess belief in God and come to Him through Jesus Christ. www.dickb.com/drbobofaa.shtml, www.dickb.com/conversion.shtml, www.dickb.com/conversion.shtml, www.dickb.com/realhistory.com. Are all these "Christian issues?" Only among those who are blinded by their own lack of understanding, their own lack of research, and their own desire to cast down any and all who walk in the doors of Alcoholics Anonymous. There is a strong and growing Christian Recovery Movement moving forward today. Part of it is grounded in International Christian Recovery Coalition www.ChristianRecoveryCoalition.com. Part of it is grounded in the fact that early AAs were, called themslves, and were called a Christian Fellowship. www.dickb.com/IFCR-Class.shtml. Part of it is grounded in the frequent statements that early AAs considered the Book of James, Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, and 1 Corinthians 13 to be "absolutely essential" to their program. www.dickb.com/JamesClub.shtml. Correctly viewed, the only "modern Christian issues" are flawed by not beginning with the facts and then laying out a picture of error that certainly concerns the thousands of Christians who have been and presently are devoted members of Alcoholics Anonymous. We've provided 42 titles and over 675 articles that enable a viewer to see and decide for himself. That's how to deal with the "modern Christian issues," and find they are just drifting puffs of smoke. www.dickb.com. www.dickb.com/titles.shtml. We Christians in the recovery arena are not alone!

The Real "Power" Behind Alcoholics Anonymous

2011-10-10T08:17:00.001+01:00

AA is Faith-Based, Not Evidence-Based Is it? Did someone apply an evidence-based test to Old Testament miracles? Did someone apply an evidence-based test to the countless healings by Jesus? Did someone apply an evidence-based test to the signs, miracles, and wonders of First Century Christians? Did someone look into the evidence-based test when writing about the Evangelists like Dwight Moody, the Rescue Mission leaders like Jerry Mc Auley and S.H. Hadley, the origins of the Salvation Army founded by General Booth, the 4.5 million membership of the Young People's Christian Endeavor Society, in which Dr. Bob was active, the successes of the YMCA brethren during the Great Awakening of 1875 in St. Johnsbury, Vermont? Did someone apply the evidence based test to the complete cure by the power of God of Bill Wilson's grandfather William? Did someone apply the evidenced base test to the miraculous cure of the first three AAs when there were no Steps, no Traditions, no drunkalogs, no textbook, and no meetings like those today? Did someone really look at the documented 75% and 93% success rates in Akron and Cleveland? Let the "evidence-based" writers begin looking at documented history instead of counting the number of alcoholics and addicts wandering the slums without ever turning to God for help? It's time for those who believe in God, rely on Him, and have been healed by Him to just close the book on the "evidence-based" nonsense when it comes to the power of God. And just keep fellowshipping and witnessing with time-honored and century-old victories in the hands of God!

A wealthy homeowner cleared of any wrongdoing after stabbing to death a suspected burglar at his home

2011-10-07T17:09:00.001+01:00

A wealthy homeowner cleared of any wrongdoing after stabbing to death a suspected burglar at his home says he has endured a 'living nightmare' and still suffers flashbacks from the incident.

Raymond Jacob, 37, suffered fatal stab wounds in a struggle at the Stockport house of courier boss Vincent Cooke on September 17.

Mr Cooke was told by the Crown Prosecution Service that he will face no further action after it concluded he was acting in self-defence.

Today, the 39-year-old said he was 'relieved' to hear the news but said the last few weeks had been a 'living nightmare' and that he was still suffering flashbacks.

Released: Vincent Cooke, left, was told by the Crown Prosecution Service that he will face no further action after Raymond Jacob was stabbed to death at his home

Mr Cooke's home. His case is the third in Greater Manchester this year involving suspected raiders being killed and the CPS ruling individuals had acted in self-defence

In a statement issued through his lawyers he also thanked the public and for supporting him during this 'terrible event'.

He said: 'I am most relieved that the CPS have decided not to charge me with any offence.

'It has been a living nightmare for me and I'm still suffering flashbacks of the incident.

Madchild: not so mad after all

2011-10-07T07:17:00.001+01:00

Now sober, the Swollen Member tackles his music with renewed creativity and determination

Madchild's back, but not back just putting out records. He's, like,back. Now sober, he's the creative and disciplined artist he was 10 years ago, before the fame, the gangs and the drugs.

He's making up for the time he lost addicted to painkillers, devoting each day to writing and recording new material. He's released one EP , Banned From America, and a mixtape M.A.D.E, which he is currently supporting on tour, with more new music on the way.

"I feel like I kind of wasted four years of my life - not kind of, I did - and now I'm trying to make every day count for four days," he says.

Madchild, born Shane Bunting, rose to prominence in Swollen Members. They were Canadian mainstays for the first third of the 2000s, perhaps best known for Madchild's nasal delivery.

After a string of successful singles and cross-Canada tours, Madchild's well-documented affiliation with the Hell's Angels (and the inclusion of patched members appearing in Swollen Members music videos) lead to Nettwerk Management dropping the group from their roster.

That incident, paired with the commercial flop of 2006's Black Magic, led Madchild into a depression he masked with painkillers. His creativity floundered. His career stalled. He lost everything - his cars, his 11 properties. All told, he says the addiction cost him $3 million.

He's been sober for just over a year but the first few months were anything but sunshine and rainbows.

"Coming out of your addiction, instead of being like 'Woo-hoo! I'm sober this is great,' you're like, 'Oh, this is the reality that I've created for myself,'" he says. "It took me to a very, very dark place. I was straight up suicidal a year and a half ago."

He threw himself into writing new material. The music became his therapy. Each verse from his recent releases is a heaving of troubling emotions, expelling every awful feeling that he had pent up throughout his drug addiction.

Paired together, Banned From America and M.A.D.E. (an acronym forMisguided Angel Destroys Everything), are like two chapters of a book documenting the life of a battered Shane Bunting, who was once riding the crest of success, and now bleeding before a world that is forcing him to confront the pain he'd been masking with pills and cocaine.

In real life, though, Madchild has found the perspective he's needed to put the past behind him and move on. He's happy to have been given another chance - not just at music, but at life.

"The last eight months have been amazing, dude," he says. "It's so rewarding. It's like I wish I could just grab people and let them see inside my head so they could see that once you get past the hard part (of recovery), how rewarding it is, how good God is, how good life is, how many rewards there are on a daily basis."

He's candid about his former gang affiliations and the hassles it has caused for him. Banned From America was written in the six days after he was barred from entering the U.S. because of his Hell's Angels connections. The event made national headlines.

Last week, Abbotsford RCMP shut down his scheduled gig over fears that the show would be a magnet for criminal activity and, in light of the recent shootings in and around the area, they didn't want to take any chances.

"You make your own bed, you sleep in it, right? Let's be honest, in videos before I have glorified certain lifestyles - and please use my exact words - I have glorified a certain lifestyle," he says.

"It was for entertainment facto," he continues, "but let's be honest. I was still glorifying a certain aspect of life and maybe I overdid it a little bit. Maybe it wasn't appropriate and I let it out, like I say now. I think I can have the same edge and still be the same crazy Madchild."

He's taken on a role-model approach to his younger fan base, working with high school liaison officers to share with students his experiences with gangs as a way to "shed some light on things."

"I know that I can relate to them more than some tactics that are made right now to try to steer kids in the right direction. I just feel like I might be able to have more of a heart to heart with kids or young adults and it might sink in a little deeper because I went in one end of the whole thing and came out the other end," he says.

But first comes his work. He's speaking to Pique from the set of an Edmonton video shoot, one of seven he has yet to release. He has enough songs for another EP and another mixtape. His debut full-length, Dopesick, is also ready for release but he says nobody will hear it until he's built enough hype for himself that people beyond the Swollen Members fan base will want to hear it.

"(Dopesick) is not going to be an explosive impact," he says. "Let's be honest. I'm not at that point in my career. Even though I'm a veteran in the game, I'm a new artist. I'm a brand new artist. I've only been a solo artist for 10 or 11 months as far as the public is concerned."

So he's going to work this second chance the best that he can. He's going to keep writing and play shows until he can't take it anymore, and then write some more. With four years wasted, it seems he'll stop at nothing to get back on top. And he has the confidence that might just take him there.

"I don't think that a lot of people have my work ethic right now," he says. "I don't think a lot of people are messing with me, lyrically, song-wise. This is my whole life. I'm putting everything, my heart and soul, into this so I don't want it to just come out and have nobody know about it."

Global swoop nets huge haul of fake drugs: Interpol

2011-09-29T17:23:00.001+01:00

Police and customs officers from 81 countries have seized 2.4 million doses of counterfeit medicine sold over the Internet during a one-week operation, international police body Interpol said Thursday. Fifty-five people were arrested during the September 20-27 operation, codenamed Pangea 4, and more than 13,000 websites closed down, Interpol said. More than 100,000 illegal doses were seized in France, over half of which were for supposed to be for treating male erection problems, France's medical security agency that took part in the operation, AFSSAPS, said. The operation was carried out for the fourth successive year in an effort to inform the public about the risks of buying medicines online. "Interpol's member countries and partners have shown through the success of Operation Pangea IV the Internet is not an anonymous safe haven for criminals trafficking illicit medicines," said Interpol secretary general Ronald Noble. The agency said it had targeted Internet service providers, online payment companies and delivery companies during the operation, in order that the whole supply chain of fake drugs be broken down. "We cannot halt the illicit online supply of medicines without a consistent, constant and collective international effort involving all sectors," said Aline Plancon, head of Interpol's fake drugs department. "The operation itself was only made possible thanks to a combined effort involving the 165 different participating agencies sharing and exchanging live information via Interpol's headquarters in Lyon," she said. Interpol has also posted messages on Internet video sharing sites warning punters "Don't Be Your Own Killer" by buying unlicensed pharmaceuticals.

Scottish supermarkets face extra tax on selling alcohol

2011-09-22T10:57:00.001+01:00

Plans to hike business rates for major retailers of alcohol and tobacco in Scotland could see supermarkets pay around £110 million in tax over the next three years. Finance Secretary John Swinney announced the new levy yesterday, as part of the Scottish government’s Spending Review. Swinney said the review contained “tough choices, because of the cuts from Westminster that go too far, too fast”. “We have had to restrict pay costs, reluctantly implement pensions increases on public sector staff, and maximise the income gained from asset sales,” he said. He outlined that part of the extra revenue brought in would come from a tax on major retailers who sell alcohol and tobacco. The measure was a surprise announcement, as during the last parliament a proposal to introduce a “Tesco tax” was voted down and it was not included the SNP’s manifesto. Scottish Retail Consortium director Ian Shearer said: “This new tax is a blatant fund-raising exercise which is illogical and discriminatory. It targets a part of the retail sector which funds Drinkaware, rigorously prevents under-age sales with Challenge 25 and has led the way on clear alcohol labelling, giving it an exemplary record on the sale of alcohol and tobacco. “Supermarket margins are already cut to the bone as stores compete to offer the best deals to cash-strapped consumers. The UK already has some of the highest alcohol taxes in Europe. This tax would make it harder for food retailers to keep prices down for customers, and makes Scotland a less attractive place to do business, invest and create jobs.” The WSTA's Jeremy Beadles said he was "disappointed" the meaure had been announced with no consultation. "The tax on large retailers will place an additional burden on Scottish businesses and push the price up for all consumers regardless of whether they consume alcohol at all,” he added. “At a time of financial constraint, when many businesses in Scotland are already feeling the pinch and paying increase rates, we do not believe that punishing responsible consumers in Scotland with another tax is either fair or justified.” Minimum alcohol unit pricing could become as reality north of the border by next summer, although the price has not yet been set. The Scottish government claims it is the “most effective and efficient way” of reducing consumption and alcohol related harm.

if arresting people for drugs was a sign of success in The War on Drugs, then I guess our government has won.

2011-09-22T10:31:00.001+01:00

The United States arrests a lot of people on drug charges. The answer to the failure of The War on Drugs is always spend more money and arrest more people.

In fact, if arresting people for drugs was a sign of success in The War on Drugs, then I guess our government has won. Here is a press release from Law Enforcement Against Prohibition on a new report from the FBI on just how many people are arrested for drugs in this country.

New FBI Numbers Reveal Failure of “War on Drugs”
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A new FBI report released today shows that there is a drug arrest every 19 seconds in the U.S. A group of police and judges who have been campaigning to legalize and regulate drugs pointed to the figures showing more than 1.6 million drug arrests in 2010 as evidence that the “war on drugs” is a failure that can never be won.
“Since the declaration of the ‘war on drugs’ 40 years ago we’ve arrested tens of millions of people in an effort to reduce drug use. The fact that cops had to spend time arresting another 1.6 million of our fellow citizens last year shows that it simply hasn’t worked. In the current economy we simply cannot afford to keep arresting three people every minute in the failed ‘war on drugs,’” said Neill Franklin, a retired Baltimore narcotics cop who now heads the group Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP). “If we legalized and taxed drugs, we could not only create new revenue in addition to the money we’d save from ending the cruel policy of arresting users, but we’d make society safer by bankrupting the cartels and gangs who control the currently illegal marketplace.”
Today’s FBI report, which can be found athttp://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2010/crime-in-the-u.s.-2010, shows that 81.9 percent of all drug arrests in 2010 were for possession only, and 45.8 percent of all drug arrests were for possession of marijuana.
A separate Department of Justice report released last month shows that Mexican drug cartels are currently operating in more than 1,000 U.S. cities, whereas two years ago they were in 230 U.S. cities. Meanwhile, a new U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report released earlier this month shows that nearly one in 10 Americans admit to regularly using illegal drugs.

Sadly, arrests are not a sign of success but a sign of a cycle of waste and idiocy that has our country locked in a downward spiral of drug abuse and violence.

The unmitigated failure of The War on Drugs is on display every day in a multitude of ways. This report is yet another example of the government highlighting their massive failure.

More Than Half Of All Drug Arrests In U.S. Are For Marijuana

2011-09-22T10:26:00.001+01:00

We all know marijuana is the most used illegal drug in The United States. It stands to reason that marijuana is responsible for the most arrests out of all of the illegal drugs. But according to new statistics from the F.B.I., marijuana arrests account for more than half of all drugs arrested, meaning more people are arrested for marijuana than all other illicit drugs combined. Of the 854,000 arrests for marijuana, 88% were for possession. Opponents of marijuana legalization like to pretend that The War on Drugs is aimed at gang leaders and dealers, but the simple fact is the drug war budgets of law enforcement agencies are built on the backs of people whose only crime was having some weed on their person.

Met chief to 'tag and test' drinkers in crime drive

2011-09-15T13:19:00.001+01:00

Problem drinkers in London could be tagged and given twice-daily tests in a new "total war" on crime. Scotland Yard's new police chief today pledged to take on the capital's binge drinking as he unveiled tough crackdowns on anti-social behaviour, illegal drivers and gangs. Bernard Hogan-Howe, 53, the newly elected Metropolitan Police Commissioner, declared an "uncompromising" war on crime and criminals. His new measures include: Plans to flood the streets with thousands of officers on two days a month in single crime crackdowns. Seizing thousands of uninsured cars from motorists and criminals and putting them on public display. Boosting the Met's fight against gangs with reinforcements for a specialist gang-busting squad. Mr Hogan-Howe also said he backed a US-style crackdown on drink drivers and problem drinkers in which they faced twice-daily sobriety tests and the threat of jail if they continue drinking. Mr Hogan-Howe said the scheme, first introduced in Dakota, could involve people convicted of alcohol-related offences wearing tags or armbands which can detect if they had been drinking. He said : "There are two big aggravating features for any criminal activity, one is alcohol. About 80 per cent of the people in our cells overnight will have a drink issue. The other is drugs." In a frank interview, he also told how he had called in an outside force to carry out an independent review of the Met's investigation into phone-hacking. Mr Hogan-Howe was parachuted into the role of deputy commissioner in July after former chief Sir Paul Stephenson quit in the wake of the scandal. He said : "I have asked another force to have a look at the inquiry to reassure us we are going in the right direction and I think we are." He revealed he had also ordered a full review of the Met's response to the riots and declared he had not ruled out the possibility of using water cannon to "save lives" in possible future unrest. Mr Hogan-Howe won praise for slashing crime as chief constable of Merseyside with a zero tolerance crackdown on criminals dubbed "Total Policing". He said : "It is not just about being gung-ho, it is about helping victims, being professional and using technology." He also pledged to boost the Met's Operation Connect fight against gangs to cover a third of London within the next six months

Winehouse's death points to risk of detoxing alone

2011-09-14T09:25:00.001+01:00

Amy Winehouse’s father says the late singer was off drugs for three years, but she was in a continuous battle with alcohol — and believes that the way she was trying to detox may have killed her, according to an interview with Anderson Cooper that aired Monday. Mitch Winehouse says he suspects his daughter suffered a seizure and “there was nobody there to rescue her.” While no one knows for sure the exact circumstances of Winehouse's death, subtance abuse treatment experts say an alcohol detox can be more deadly than most people imagine. “While you’re withdrawing from other drugs, you may want to die, but alcohol detox is the only actual drug detox you can die from,” says Cyndie Dunkerson, clinical supervisor for Hope By the Sea, an alcohol and drug detox and rehabilitation center in San Juan Capistrano, Calif. Scoop: Winehouse family shares more details about Amy's death An estimated 15.2 million Americans battle alcohol abuse and addiction each year, according to the 2008 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. About 5 percent of untreated patients going through acute alcohol withdrawal have seizures, according to a report published in Alcohol Health & Research World. Between 5 and 25 percent of patients die who are going through the severest stage of alcohol withdrawal, delirium tremens (DT's), the report said. “The body just doesn’t handle getting off of it very well,” says Dunkerson. Of those who don’t survive detox, ”most people, if they are not dying from a gastrointestinal bleed, they die from a really bad grand mal seizure.” Advertise | AdChoices Mitch Winehouse told Cooper the troubled British singing sensation was taking Librium, a drug commonly used to help with an alcohol detox and decrease the chances of seizures and anxiety. Toxicology reports confirmed the presence of Librium in Winehouse's body at the time of her death. It’s not known whether Librium contributed to Winehouse’s death, but Dr. Philip Gilly, medical director of the Maplegrove Center at Henry Ford Health System in West Bloomfield, Mich., says a seizure can be caused after 24 hours of alcohol withdrawal or withdrawal from long-term use of the medication, part of a class of benzodiazepines which includes other prescription drugs such as Ativan, Klonopin, Xanax and Valium. Librium can become addictive and can cause medical issues such as dependence, agitation, disorientation, hypertension, anxiety and anorexia if it’s taken much longer than a week. In severe cases, seizures can occur during sudden Librium withdrawal. “If someone were going to have a benzo withdrawal seizure because of the Librium, it means they were taking it improperly,” Gilly says. “They were taking it longer and more than they would need for alcohol withdrawal. They would have to be taking it every day for more than a month or two.” Dunkerson explains that during alcohol withdrawal, the body goes through a series of physical and neurological changes, and a simple hangover is a mild form of alcohol withdrawal. If drinking alcohol helps people relax and go to sleep, withdrawal causes the opposite of that. “Your blood pressure gets really high. You’ll get agitated, hyperactive, anxiety-filled and you will actually get depressed because of all that’s going on," she said. "You can get jaundice and turn yellow from hepatitis inflammation in your liver, and have hallucinations and seizures.” Drugs and alcohol affect the brain, says Gilly, and seizures are a short circuit in the brain’s electrical circuits. The brain goes through changes when a person starts taking drugs, or comes off them, causing overactive or irritated nerves that can lead to seizures. Mitch Winehouse said doctors warned his daughter to slowly cut down on drinking, but she didn’t. Dunkerson says that’s exactly what she tells incoming patients who call to say they are going to stop drinking before they arrive for detox. Alcohol withdrawal requires careful monitoring and taking a drug such as Librium to help. “You need medication assistance in getting through this. Otherwise, you are putting yourself at grave risk,” she says. “Nobody should ever try to quit drinking alcohol on their own if they have been a daily drinker for an extended period of time. My advice is ‘Don’t stop drinking until you get here.’ Get medical attention immediately because between 48 and 72 hours is when you have seizures from an acute withdrawal.” Alcohol withdrawal, which also can include tremors the first day, seizures and delirium tremens (DTs) within a week, doesn’t have to be deadly, but too often it is, says Dunkerson. “When I heard the news of Amy Winehouse’s death, I cried because she was such a tortured soul,” she says. “This disease doesn’t have to be fatal, but it is very, very fatal. The only thing I love about my job is getting people to walk out from the dead. The thing I hate about my job is I get to bury the people that don’t make it.”

The Amy Winehouse Foundation will be launched on September 14

2011-09-13T17:11:00.001+01:00

The Amy Winehouse Foundation will be launched on September 14, and the late singer’s family are now hoping to channel their grief into... Washington, Sept 7 (ANI): The Amy Winehouse Foundation will be launched on September 14, and the late singer’s family are now hoping to channel their related stories Simon Cowell’s a serial cheater: ex-wife Sinitta Amy Winehouse died during detox? Amy was at her funeral: Winehouse’s dad Now, Will Smith-Marc Anthony on boys' night out! Winehouse foundation launch put on hold grief into “positive action” by providing assistance to young addicts. Amy’s father Mitch Winehouse, who has set up the charity in memory of the late singer, made the announcement on his Twitter page. “The launch of Amy’s foundation 14th September. We will turn our grief into positive action.” Contactmusic quoted Mitch as writing on his twitter page. Amy - who battled drink and drug addictions throughout her career - was found dead at her London home on July 23.

Heroin back with a vengeance

2011-09-13T09:30:00.001+01:00

HEALTH experts are calling for more full-time drug and alcohol support services in the the north-west to reduce alarming rates of heroin overdose. The most-recent Ambulance Victoria statistics show Brimbank had the third-highest rate of heroin overdoses attended by paramedics in Victoria. In 2009-10, there were 111 overdoses during the year, compared to 87 in 2008-09. Heroin overdose attendances by paramedics were also up in Melton Shire, with 23 in 2009-10 compared to 10 in 2008-09. The Stepping Up consortium, which runs the only drug and alcohol support service in Melton, has seen about 200 people from the area since opening in January. General manager Shelley Cross said she was initially worried the four-year pilot project wouldn't reach client targets set by the Department of Health. But the service has already surpassed that target. She said the demand for additional services was strong in high-growth areas like Melton. Team leader Raymond Beacham said there was a need for more full-time services. "We're starting to see more clients come in from Caroline Springs and most of our clients use more than one substance," he said. "Melton never really had full-time drug and alcohol services until we came in and it would make it a lot easier for people to access support if there were more full-time services around." Mr Beacham said services provided education to drug users so they were more aware of what they were injecting. "Most overdoses are accidental and they often occur because drug users don't know the strength of what they are using or they're mixing substances. "People who overdose from drugs are at risk of developing brain damage and can die from it." Family members of overdose victims reflected on their loss on Overdose Awareness Day on August 31. Drug and alcohol support service providers, like Health Works in Footscray, held ceremonies to remember people who died of an overdose, as well as those who live with permanent injuries. Head of clinical services at Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre in Fitzroy, Dr Matthew Frei, said substance addictions could be associated with conditions like depression and required medical treatment. "There is a certain stigma attached to drug users and people who die from overdose, but we need to encourage drug users to seek treatment to reduce harm to the individual and the community," Dr Frei said.

DEA Bans Synthetic Cocaine Masked As Bath Salts

2011-09-13T09:15:00.001+01:00

The U.S Drug Enforcement Agency's war on drugs continues with a nationwide ban of synthetic cocaine. Labeled as bath salts, the hallucinogenic drug has become more available in the Grand Junction area as part of a trend seen across the country. In response to increased emergency room visits, the federal agency has moved to emergency control these synthetic stimulants. This action makes it illegal to possess or sell Mephedrone, Methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV), and Methylone or any products containing them for the next year. These chemicals are most often found in forms of 'legal ecstasy' or 'legal cocaine.' During the temporary ban, the DEA will team up with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to further study whether these chemicals should be permanently banned. In June, we introduced you to these bath salts in this article. Back then, they were an unregulated drug taking the place of recently banned synthetic forms of marijuana. "It is actually like a synthetic cocaine slash methamphetamine," Jim Schrant with the DEA told us at the time. "So, it's really the worst of both." The bath salts sell at a price of $40 per gram. They are mainly sold at smoke shops. But, in June, Schrant told us that his agency could not find any local dealers. Today, there are at least two. "They're putting it into packaging which is pleasing to the eye with market names of "Blue Dreams," things like that," Schrant said. "And, they're intentionally trying to target that young adult crowd." As part of this emergency control, businesses and citizens have 30 days to get rid of the banned products. At that time, the DEA will publish a Final Order in the Federal Register making the drugs Scheduled 1 substances. That category is the harshest and is reserved for unsafe, highly abused chemicals with no known medical use in the U.S. Violating that law is punishable by jail time. Employees at smoke shops in the area tell us that synthetic cocaine isn't that popular. But, local high school students have heard all about it. "I don't think they care if it's legal," Grand Junction High School freshman Hannah Rady said of some of her classmates. "Nobody does." Just like K2 and Spice, bath salts are labeled "not for human consumption." But, these students say that is not stopping anyone and neither is the law. "People just ask me 'Have you done spice before?' I'm just like, 'No,'" GJHS freshman Emilio Lazcano said. He knows Governor John Hickenlooper made those forms of synthetic marijuana illegal starting July 1, but he says fellow classmates continue to tell bother about it. "They're like 'Oh, well you're supposed to smoke it like this and that,' and I'm like 'Oh, well cool. I'm not really into that stuff.'" "They tell us that it doesn't make their eyes red, so it's way easier to bypass by your parents," GJHS junior Joe Gedscad added. The most common symptoms of these synthetic stimulants include impaired perception, reduced motor control, disorientation, extreme paranoia, and violent episodes. The DEA says the long-term physical and psychological effects are not known but potentially severe. Including Colorado, 33 states have already taken action to control or ban other synthetic stimulants. Most states pass these laws after the DEA files an emergency control on certain chemicals.

Drug couriers have started to smuggle hashish into Finland inside their bodies in small swallowable packets.

2011-09-07T07:15:00.001+01:00

According to the Customs, the first attempts to bring internally concealed hashish into the country were observed in 2008. In the past several months, however, the phenomenon has become markedly more common. Customs Inspector Tero Virtanen explains that since last December more than a dozen individuals have been stopped and caught on arrival at Helsinki-Vantaa International Airport for trying to smuggle in hashish inside the body. ”Most of them have been men between the ages of 20 and 35. They are professional couriers, and some of them have told the officials that they have made several successful runs to Finland before getting caught. Some of them have also performed deliveries to other Nordic countries.” According to Virtanen, the Customs have confiscated more than ten kilograms of cannabis from the mules. The street value of the lot would have been in the region of EUR 100,000. In addition to this, the officials have learned in the preliminary investigations about the importation of additional roughly 10 kg of hashish. “Thanks to the couriers, several different criminal organisations have now been tracked down in Finland. At the receiving end of the chain there are around a dozen suspects and the spectrum of their nationalities is broad”, Virtanen notes. The Customs believe that hash has been distributed, or was supposed to be distributed, across Southern Finland. The amounts of cannabis that the couriers have swallowed in small packages have varied from half a kilogramme to a kilo. The smugglers doing the ingesting of the small packages have been natives of Spain, Portugal, Morocco, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. Customs officials suspect that the smuggled substance has generally originated from Morocco and Spain. One of the couriers told the authorities that his fee for the gig was EUR 700. The use of this technique to bring in hashish is a new development: traditionally the internally concealed drugs smuggled into the country have been substances appreciably stronger than hash, such as cocaine and heroin. “Larger hashish consignments are still brought in through other means, but this is a quick way to import narcotics. There will always be a ready market for cannabis”, Virtanen says.

Addict: Virtual World Crowds Out Real Life

2011-09-07T07:11:00.001+01:00

What starts out as a fun activity, can take over some lives. Some psychiatrists say video games are one of the big addictions of the decade and can cause problems for people who play them too much. Others argue it is not a recognized addiction.

Described in the Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book as "cunning, baffling, powerful," addiction often seems as inscrutable as the human mind itself. Its reach is widespread

2011-09-07T07:06:00.001+01:00

Described in the Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book as "cunning, baffling, powerful," addiction often seems as inscrutable as the human mind itself. Its reach is widespread: Else Pedersen, executive director of Bridge House, estimates 10 to 15 percent of the population has an addiction. "We all either have this or have some strong primary connection to it," she says. "This is everywhere, and it needs to be dealt with like the medical issue it is. We need to give it the same attention we give other diseases that are progressive, pervasive and potentially lethal."

Last month, The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) made a big step toward widespread recognition of addiction as a medical issue rather than a behavioral issue or moral failing. It released a new definition which states addiction is a chronic, underlying, largely genetic brain disease.

"The disease is about brains, not drugs," former president of ASAM Dr. Michael Miller stated in a press release. "It's about underlying neurology, not outward actions." Miller oversaw a four-year effort by more than 80 addiction experts and neuroscience researchers which yielded the new definition.

Dr. Ken Roy, medical director of Addiction Recovery Resources Incorporated in Metairie, calls it a game-changer.

"This is a definition based on a consensus of expert opinion and scientific literature that changes the understanding of addiction from a choice or a self-treatment to a condition of brain structures that basically compels behavior outside the ability to choose," he says. "It's also pivotal in the sense that it equates a compulsion to use chemicals with compulsions to have other kinds of behaviors such as food or gambling or sex. (It is) the same disease state. Addiction is not a choice."

The new definition reveals addiction to be a primary disease, much like diabetes or cardiovascular disease. It can be a root cause behind other behavioral, social and psychological problems like depression, cognitive distortions, social isolation and anxiety. According to ASAM's definition, "genetic factors account for about half the likelihood that an individual will develop addiction" — meaning if one of your parents is or was an addict, you are genetically predisposed to developing addiction.

Since addiction has physical, neurobiological causes, one would expect the brains of addicts to function differently than the brains of non-addicts. This is exactly what happens, says Dr. Howard Wetsman, medical director at Townsend, a network of local outpatient addiction treatment centers. Many (not all) addicts have a morphology (or mutation) in the genes associated with the production, release, reuptake and metabolizing of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and reward. Wetsman refers to the intricate factors governing normal dopamine levels as "dopamine tone."

"Generally, people who have a low dopamine tone are not able to make great attachments and feel rewards from normally rewarding activities, and that is when the drug or behavior comes along," he says. " Our society likes to think that drugs cause addiction. It's actually the other way around for most people with addiction. The addiction causes the drug use," he writes in his book, QAA: Questions and Answers on Addiction.

The genetic factor is so pervasive that Wetsman has instituted genetic testing as part of Townsend's intake procedure. "The test identifies two dozen genetic mutations in the brain that relate to symptoms of addiction," says John Antonucci, an intake coordinator at Townsend who also is recovering from addiction. "This information helps fine-tune medical interventions, and it is amazing when you take a patient and their family members, and they realize it really is a biological brain disease. I like to equate it to seeing the X-ray when you have a broken arm. And I have seen family members break down and cry when they realize all this time, their kids weren't doing this to spite them. They were doing it because they were sick."

Though Antonucci says nine out of 10 of Townsend's patients report addiction in their family trees, there are some addicts without a family history or genetic indication of the disease (but because addiction can express itself through many different compulsions, from overeating to compulsive spending, it can sometimes be hard to trace, Wetsman says). New Orleans native, Xavier University alumnus, father of five and recovering addict Darryl Rouson, now a Florida state representative, had no known family history of addiction.

"My mother was known to cut her beer with 7-Up, and my dad drank three or four times a year," says Rouson, who began drinking and using cocaine in the '80s. "I wasn't drinking for the social nature, I wanted the effect, and I wanted it quickly, and for a long time. For me, it started out filling what I thought were voids in my life, low self-esteem: I never thought I was cute enough, strong enough, athletic enough or smart enough, and I was always doing things to compensate for these lacks."

Rouson says he has been through eight treatment programs and is well-versed in the genetic component of addiction, but he has never been tested for the morphologies. Though genetic testing can provide clarity to a diagnosis of addiction, and a basis for what medications will best normalize individuals' brain chemistry, neither testing nor medications are necessary for recovery. "There are millions of people who have gotten sober by going to 12-step meetings (like Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous). For some people, that works," says Jo Cohen, clinical director of New Orleans Bridge House and Grace House. "We support the science, but like everything else in treatment, it's an individualized approach."

Although people do not choose to become addicts, they do have choices over how they manage the disease. Addiction requires ongoing treatment, which varies from person to person — some may benefit from ongoing use of medications like Suboxone, some may require long-term inpatient treatment, others may stay sober simply by attending 12-step meetings. Antonucci stresses that a strong routine of recovery-related activities like meetings or volunteering helps people maintain sobriety, as does access to help from addiction doctors. "This is a chronic disease like diabetes or hypertension," he says. "If you are diabetic, you get exercise and take insulin, but there are times you need to check up with your endocrinologist."

Rouson manages his addiction by attending 12-step meetings, sponsoring other recovering addicts, reading Alcoholics Anonymous literature, and giving back to the community by sharing his story at prisons and recovery centers. He will speak at Xavier Wednesday, Sept. 14, to celebrate National Recovery Month.

"One of the critical reasons why I got clean was I was given a choice," he says. "(My wife) Ruby was dead and I had taken her $80,000 life insurance policy and spent $60,000 on cocaine. I was in a courtroom with my wife's family and they were trying to convince the judge to take my four-year-old son. The judge said I could either choose Daniel or drugs, but after today, I would not have both. I chose my son."

Antonucci and Rouson both say their community outreach work, which is a tenant of Alcoholics Anonymous (the 12th step states, "Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs"), is essential to their ongoing sobriety. And though there may seem to be a disconnect between the scientific, biologically based addiction definition and the spiritually based 12-step programs, ASAM's research scientically supports the activities recovering addicts undertake in 12-step recovery programs as ways to maintain sobriety.

"Our medical approach to addiction dovetails very nicely into 12-step recovery, because there is a scientific basis behind how it works," Antonucci says. "Part of my recovery is, I serve food to homeless people every Saturday night, and afterwards, I feel great. Why do I feel great? My hedonic tone has gone up. Doing something really healthy for the community has changed my brain chemistry."

Wetsman agrees that engaging in charitable activities can normalize dopamine levels. "You get dopamine lowering from being isolated and feeling less-than," he says. "You can't feel isolated and less than when you help somebody else — dopamine receptors actually physically gain in number. The receptors are much more plastic than we think."

Pederson, Antonucci and medical professionals across the board hope the new definition of addiction will serve to remove much of the shame and stigma surrounding the disease, which in turn will facilitate recovery for the millions who suffer from addiction.

"When people have a strong understanding about the disease, that's when the miracles happen, and treatment can be extremely successful," Antonucci says. "Don't be afraid to get better. This can work for you, too. Give yourself a chance."

MORE people are admitted to hospital because of alcohol-related problems in the North East than any other region, new figures have revealed.

2011-08-25T09:37:00.001+01:00

But other figures showed that less crime was linked to alcohol in the region than anywhere else.

Leading alcohol campaigners last night called for action after alcohol- related hospital admission numbers soared in every part of the country.

In the North East, there were 2,406 admissions for alcohol per 100,000 people compared with a national average of 1,743. This was up by almost 900 compared with five years ago.

The director of Balance, the North East Alcohol Office, called for Government action to stop the worrying trend.

Colin Shevills said: “We need the Government to provide the right kind of action to help people reduce their drinking.

“Alcohol needs to be priced more sensibly, promotions need to be restricted, as does advertising. Alcohol is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week which is adding to the problems we are facing.

“The region has had the highest alcohol-related hospital admissions for some time, so these latest figures are no surprise but worrying.

“The fact is that there are too many people drinking too much, too often.”

In our region, the highest rate of hospitalisations was in the local authority area of North Tyneside, with 2,654.

The report, from the North West Public Health Observatory at Liverpool John Moores University, showed there were 1.1 million admissions in England relating to alcohol in 2009/10 – 879 more per day than five years previously.

North Tyneside was also ranked as the area with the most estimated binge drinkers in the country, with research showing 33.2% of people are considered to binge on alcohol.

Other detail, drawn from official crime statistics, shows that nationally there were 7.6 crimes per 1,000 people committed that were linked to alcohol.

The North East had the lowest figures for any region though with an average of 5.7.

A MAN died after suffering brain damage caused by drinking too much water

2011-08-23T08:15:00.001+01:00

A MAN died after suffering brain damage caused by drinking too much water, his family have claimed.

Matthew Ellis, 29, downed at least 20 pints of water after a night out before collapsing at his father’s home.

His heartbroken family believe his drink was spiked with ecstasy, leaving him desperate for “pints and pints” of water the next day.

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They said the liquid he drank caused salt levels in his body to dive, bringing on a rare brain condition called extrapontine myelinolysis.

Matthew, from Gleadless, Sheffield, collapsed the day after a Boxing Day night out last year and spent 32 weeks in hospital before dying of a chest infection on August 4.

An inquest into the heating engineer’s death has been opened and adjourned.

His grieving mum, Maureen Ellis, 62, said: “He never took drugs. We are told drinking lots of water is good for you but what happened should be a warning.”

A sweeping new definition of addiction stakes out controversial positions that many, including the powerful psychiatric lobby are likely to argue with.

2011-08-19T07:08:00.001+01:00

If you think addiction is all about booze, drugs, sex, gambling, food and other irresistible vices, think again. And if you believe that a person has a choice whether or not to indulge in an addictive behavior, get over it. The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) blew the whistle on these deeply held notions with its official release of a new document defining addiction as a chronic neurological disorder involving many brain functions, most notably a devastating imbalance in the so-called reward circuitry. This fundamental impairment in the experience of pleasure literally compels the addict to chase the chemical highs produced by substances like drugs and alcohol and obsessive behaviors like sex, food and gambling.

The definition, a result of a four-year process involving more than 80 leading experts in addiction and neurology, emphasizes that addiction is a primary illness—in other words, it’s not caused by mental health issues such as mood or personality disorders, putting to rest the popular notion that addictive behaviors are a form of "self-medication" to, say, ease the pain of depression or anxiety.

Indeed, the new neurologically focused definition debunks, in whole or in part, a host of common conceptions about addiction. Addiction, the statement declares, is a “bio-psycho-socio-spiritual” illness characterized by (a) damaged decision-making (affecting learning, perception, and judgment) and by (b) persistent risk and/or recurrence of relapse; the unambiguous implications are that (a) addicts have no control over their addictive behaviors and (b) total abstinence is, for some addicts, an unrealistic goal of effective treatment.

The bad behaviors themselves are all symptoms of addiction, not the disease itself. "The state of addiction is not the same as the state of intoxication," the ASAM takes pains to point out. Far from being evidence of a failure of will or morality, the behaviors are the addict's attempt to resolve the general "dysfunctional emotional state" that develops in tandem with the disease. In other words, conscious choice plays little or no role in the actual state of addiction; as a result, a person cannot choose not to be addicted. The most an addict can do is choose not to use the substance or engage in the behavior that reinforces the entire self-destructive reward-circuitry loop.

Yet ASAM pulls no punches when it comes to the negative consequences of addiction, declaring it an illness that “can cause disability or premature death, especially when left untreated or treated inadequately.”

The new definition leaves no doubt that all addictions—whether to alcohol, heroin or sex, say—are fundamentally the same. Dr. Raju Haleja, former president of the Canadian Society for Addiction Medicine and the chair of the ASAM committee that crafted the new definition, told The Fix, “We are looking at addiction as one disease, as opposed to those who see them as separate diseases. Addiction is addiction. It doesn’t matter what cranks your brain in that direction, once it has changed direction, you’re vulnerable to all addiction." That the society has stamped a diagnosis of sex or gambling or food addiction as every bit as medically valid as addiction to alcohol or heroin or crystal meth may spark more controversy than its subtler but equally far-reaching assertions.

The new definition comes as the American Psychiatric Association (APA) is undertaking a highly publicized, decade-in-the-making revision of its own definition of addiction in its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders—the bible of the mental health profession. The APA’s DSM will have a larger effect on public health policies that guide addiction treatment, largely because insurance companies are mandated by law to use the DSM diagnostic categories and criteria to decide which treatments they will pay for.

More than a third of British adults who own a smartphone have admitted they are "highly addicted" to it and cannot bear to put it down, not even in the toilet.

2011-08-04T06:08:00.001+01:00

Research for the broadcasting watchdog Ofcom has found new evidence of how devices such as iPhones, Blackberrys and Androids affect our behaviour.
Smartphone users are more likely to have their phones switched on 24 hours a day and would wake up in the night to answer or use it.
Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter have also lead to owners cutting down on their TV viewing and reading.
Six out of 10 smartphone users aged 12 to 15-years-old, or 60%, said they had a high level of addiction, compared to 33% with a regular mobile phone.
The Ofcom communications market report for 2011 says 18% of users will use their device in a theatre or cinema despite knowing it should be switched off - this compares to 10% of other mobile phone users.

Amy Winehouse's death prompts review of drug rehab waiting times

2011-07-27T21:13:00.001+01:00

The star’s father claimed to mourners at her funeral yesterday that addicts face a two-year wait for rehab on the NHS.
In an emotional eulogy to his 27-year-old daughter, Mitch Winehouse said he hoped her death would prompt greater awareness of addicts’ plight.
Keith Vaz, chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee, today pledged to back Mr Winehouse’s campaign and investigate the speed of access to rehab.
Paying tribute to his daughter yesterday at Edgwarebury Cemetery, north London, Mr Winehouse, 58, said: “Three years ago, Amy conquered her drug dependency, the doctors said it was impossible but she really did it.
"In this country, if you cannot afford a private rehabilitation clinic, there is a two-year waiting list for help. With the help of Keith Vaz MP, we are trying to change that."

Mr Winehouse gave evidence to the Home Affairs committee two years ago on the cocaine trade, claiming that many drug users were so desperate for treatment that they committed crimes so they would be fast-tracked into rehab.
Mr Vaz said today: “Mitch Winehouse gave powerful evidence to the Home Affairs Select Committee during our inquiry into drugs in 2009.
“Drawing on his personal experience he highlighted the long delay in accessing treatment for those with addiction. Two years on we need to revisit this issue to see if anything has improved.
“I am very happy to help Mitch in any way I can with his important campaign to help rehabilitate those most vulnerable in our society."
The claims over waiting times are disputed by the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse (NTA), which is part of the NHS.
It claims that in 2009/10, 94 per cent of patients waited less than three weeks for drug rehabilitation.
During that period, the NTA dealt with nearly 207,000 addicts, official figures show.
Winehouse was admitted to private rehabilitation clinics on a string of occasions during her battle with alcohol and drug addictions. The Grammy-award winning singer was found dead at her home in Camden, north London, on Saturday.
At a private funeral for close friends and family yesterday, Mr Winehouse said the singer was the happiest she had been for many years in the run up to her death and had managed to stop drinking.
"She said, 'Dad I've had enough of drinking, I can't stand the look on your and the family's faces anymore'. She was not depressed,” he said.
Referring to the night she died, he added: “She was in her room, playing drums and singing. As it was late, her security guard said to keep it quiet and she did.
“He heard her walking around for a while and when he went to check on her in the morning he thought she was asleep. He went back a few hours later, that was when he realised she was not breathing and called for help.
"But knowing she wasn't depressed, knowing she passed away, knowing she passed away happy, it makes us all feel better.
"I was in New York with my cousin Michael when I heard and straight away I said I wanted an Amy Winehouse Foundation, something to help the things she loved – children, horses, but also to help those struggling with substance abuse.”
Among the guests at the service were her boyfriend Reg Traviss, stylist Alex Foden, who has been credited with creating Winehouse's trademark beehive hairdo, producer Mark Ronson and singer Kelly Osbourne.
Following the service, Winehouse's body was taken to Golders Green Crematorium, where her grandmother was cremated in 2006.
A spokesman for the family said he understood Winehouse's ashes would be placed next to those of her grandmother. The singer had a close relationship with her grandmother and had a tattoo of her name – Cynthia – on her right arm.
The family began Shiva – a traditional period of mourning in the Jewish faith – after the service.
Relatives and friends congregated at the Southgate Progressive Synagogue in north London last night.
The funeral comes after police revealed they will have to wait up to four weeks for the results of toxicology tests to establish her cause of death.
A post-mortem examination has proved inconclusive and an inquest has been opened and adjourned with no cause of death given.
Mr Winehouse told the Home Affairs committee in 2009 that addicts he had interviewed a television documentary claimed they waited a year on average for rehab.
He said: "People are definitely committing offences so they can have a chance, and it's only a chance, of receiving treatment.
"The biggest impact on families is that there is very little help available to them, especially if their relative is a non-offending addict.
The problem we found in our research in London is that it's a year before any treatment can be given. It's very difficult and the reason for this is the majority of funding is taken up by the criminal justice system."

Successful lab tests on a potential vaccine for heroin addiction

2011-07-20T18:21:00.001+01:00

Scientists are reporting development and successful initial laboratory tests on the key ingredient for a much-needed vaccine to help individuals addicted to heroin abstain from the illicit drug. Their study appears in ACS' Journal of Medicinal Chemistry.

Kim D. Janda and colleagues note that heroin use cost the United States more than $22 billion in 1996 annually due to medical and law enforcement expenses and productivity loss. Although behavioral therapy and certain medicines help heroin-addicted patients, many experience relapse, lack access to treatment, or develop unwanted side effects from the treatments themselves. To overcome these challenges, the researchers made and tested a new vaccine formulation that might serve as an additional tool in helping addicts maintain abstinence. Janda's team previously reported development of vaccines for cocaine, methamphetamine, and nicotine.

Thus with laboratory rats that were given the vaccine they showed less willingness to self-administer heroin and other signs of its effectiveness. The report explains why the potential new vaccine is an improvement over previous experimental vaccines. "In conclusion, a vaccine for heroin addiction could prove to be a useful tool for combating heroin addiction, wherein it exploits a motivated recovering addict's own immune system to blunt heroin's psychoactive effects in the case of relapse," the researchers say.

Rethinking Addiction’s Roots, and Its Treatment

2011-07-14T19:43:00.001+01:00

There is an age-old debate over alcoholism: is the problem in the sufferer’s head — something that can be overcome through willpower, spirituality or talk therapy, perhaps — or is it a physical disease, one that needs continuing medical treatment in much the same way as, say, diabetes or epilepsy?

Dr. Christine Pace helps Derek Anderson manage his heroin addiction at Boston University Medical Center. With the help of medication, Mr. Anderson has been clean for six years.

Increasingly, the medical establishment is putting its weight behind the physical diagnosis. In the latest evidence, 10 medical institutions have just introduced the first accredited residency programs in addiction medicine, where doctors who have completed medical school and a primary residency will be able to spend a year studying the relationship between addiction and brain chemistry.

“This is a first step toward bringing recognition, respectability and rigor to addiction medicine,” said David Withers, who oversees the new residency program at the Marworth Alcohol and Chemical Dependency Treatment Center in Waverly, Pa.

The goal of the residency programs, which started July 1 with 20 students at the various institutions, is to establish addiction medicine as a standard specialty along the lines of pediatrics, oncology or dermatology. The residents will treat patients with a range of addictions — to alcohol, drugs, prescription medicines, nicotine and more — and study the brain chemistry involved, as well as the role of heredity.

“In the past, the specialty was very much targeted toward psychiatrists,” said Nora D. Volkow, the neuroscientist in charge of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. “It’s a gap in our training program.” She called the lack of substance-abuse education among general practitioners “a very serious problem.”

Institutions offering the one-year residency are St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital in New York, the University of Maryland Medical System, the University at Buffalo School of Medicine, the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, the University of Minnesota Medical School, the University of Florida College of Medicine, the John A. Burns School of Medicine at the University of Hawaii, the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Marworth and Boston University Medical Center. Some, like Marworth, have been offering programs in addiction medicine for years, simply without accreditation.

The new accreditation comes courtesy of the American Board of Addiction Medicine, or ABAM, which was founded in 2007 to help promote the medical treatment of addiction.

The board aims to also get the program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, a step that requires, among other things, establishing the program at a minimum of 20 institutions. The recognition would mean that the addictions specialty would qualify as a “primary” residency, one that a newly minted doctor could enter right out of school.

Richard Blondell, the chairman of the training committee at ABAM, said the group expected to accredit an additional 10 to 15 institutions this year.

The rethinking of addiction as a medical disease rather than a strictly psychological one began about 15 years ago, when researchers discovered through high-resonance imaging that drug addiction resulted in actual physical changes to the brain.

Armed with that understanding, “the management of folks with addiction becomes very much like the management of other chronic diseases, such as asthma, hypertension or diabetes,” said Dr. Daniel Alford, who oversees the program at Boston University Medical Center. “It’s hard necessarily to cure people, but you can certainly manage the problem to the point where they are able to function” through a combination of pharmaceuticals and therapy.

Central to the understanding of addiction as a physical ailment is the belief that treatment must be continuing in order to avoid relapse. Just as no one expects a diabetes patient to be cured after six weeks of diet and insulin management, Dr. Alford said, it is unrealistic to expect most drug addicts to be cured after 28 days in a detoxification facility.

“It’s not surprising to us now that when you stop the treatment, people relapse,” Dr. Alford said. “It doesn’t mean that the treatment doesn’t work, it just means that you need to continue treatment.” Those physical changes in the brain could also explain why some smokers will still crave a cigarette 30 years after quitting, Dr. Alford said.

If the idea of addiction as a chronic disease has been slow to take hold in medical circles, it could be because doctors sometime struggle to grasp brain function, Dr. Volkow said. “While it is very simple to understand a disease of the heart — the heart is very simple, it’s just a muscle — it’s much more complex to understand the brain,” she said.

Increasing interest in addiction medicine is a handful of promising new pharmaceuticals, most notably buprenorphine (sold under names like Suboxone), which has proved to ease withdrawal symptoms in heroin addicts and subsequently block cravings, though it causes side effects of its own. Other drugs for treating opioid or alcohol dependence have shown promise as well.

Few addiction medicine specialists advocate a path to recovery that depends solely on pharmacology, however. “The more we learn about the treatment of addiction, the more we realize that one size does not fit all,” said Petros Levounis, who is in charge of the residency at the Addiction Institute of New York at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital.

Equally maligned is the idea that psychiatry or 12-step programs are adequate for curing a disease with physical roots. Many people who abuse substances do not have psychiatric problems, Dr. Alford noted, adding, “I think there’s absolutely a role for addiction psychiatrists.”

While each institution has developed its own curriculum, the basic competencies each seeks to impart are the same. Residents will learn to recognize and diagnose substance abuse, conduct brief interventions that spell out the treatment options and prescribe the proper medications. The doctors will also be expected to understand the legal and practical implications of substance abuse.

Christine Pace, a 31-year-old graduate of Harvard Medical School, is the first addiction resident at Boston University Medical Center. She got interested in the subject as a teenager, when she volunteered at an AIDS organization and overheard heroin addicts complaining about doctors who could not — or would not — help them.

This year, when she became the in-house doctor at a methadone clinic in Boston, she was dismayed to find that the complaints had not changed. “I saw physicians over and over again pushing it aside, just calling a social-work consult to deal with a patient who is struggling with addiction,” Dr. Pace said.

One of her patients is Derek Anderson, 53, who credits Suboxone — as well as a general practitioner who six years ago recognized his signs of addiction — with helping him kick his 35-year heroin habit.

“I used to go to detoxes and go back and forth and back and forth,” he said. But the Suboxone “got me to where I don’t have the dependency every day, consuming you, swallowing you like a fish in water. I’m able to work now, I’m able to take care of my daughter, I’m able to pay rent — all the things I couldn’t do when I was using.”

Illegal drink theory in fatal blast

2011-07-14T11:02:00.001+01:00

Investigators are today trying to find out if an industrial unit where five men were killed in an explosion was being used to brew alcohol illegally.

Firefighters found the men inside the unit after the blast at the Broadfield Lane industrial estate in Boston, Lincolnshire, yesterday evening.

A sixth man was taken to hospital suffering from severe burns.

Teams of emergency workers were scrambled to the 30ft by 15ft unit shortly before 7.30pm after several 999 calls from members of the public.

Firefighters found the casualty outside, but had to cut their way into the unit after intense heat melted its doors.

Police, who last night said five men died in the explosion, would not confirm reports that the explosion occurred because of illegal alcohol brewing, but said investigators were keeping an "open mind and following up all relevant lines of inquiry".

A police spokeswoman said: "There has been all sorts of rumours along those lines. It is far too early for us to speculate."

She said the sixth man was taken to Boston Pilgrim Hospital with serious injuries, before being transferred to the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham.

The spokeswoman said inquiries were ongoing and would involved a "full forensic examination of the unit" and finger-tip searches of the cordoned-off unit to establish what was inside.

Ian Nuttall, 42, who lives 200 yards from the scene, said he noticed a commotion and smoke coming from the "lock-up" at about 7.30pm.

He said he did not know anyone who used it, or the other units, or what they used it for, but said: "There was a rumour going round that it was some Polish nationals who have been brewing their own vodka which is a bit of a problem around here at the moment."

Earlier this year, raids by HM Revenue and Customs, police and Lincolnshire trading standards seized goods including fake vodka from six international stores in the town.

HMRC said forensic testing of the counterfeit alcohol, seized in March, showed it contained chemicals often unsafe for public consumption.

Since then, at least one store has had its alcohol licence revoked by the council, and another has had it suspended.

Police and fire investigators are expected to continue searching the unit today for evidence of the cause of the blaze.

Steve Moore, area manager from Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Service, described the incident as one of the worst he had seen in his 28-year career.

"It was a really hot, intense fire," he said.

The officer said the fierce flames set alight a car outside the unit and also buckled its roller shutters, meaning crews were forced to use hydraulic equipment to cut their way into the block.

Mr Moore said six firefighters wearing breathing apparatus searched the unit and found five more casualties.

"As far as the crews I have spoken to, its the single greatest loss of life in fire in their experience," he said.

Boston Central councillor Peter Bedford said he was shocked by the news.

"I don't know the cause or even which unit it was in but this is a real shock. We don't expect that kind of thing to happen in Boston. It's a small market town, predominantly agricultural.

"There is heavy industry in that industrial estate, there's a scrapyard, there's joinery works, it's a real mix."

Boston East councillor Mike Gilbert added: "I'm very anxious to find out exactly what's happened. It's a lot of people dead and a great tragedy.

cannabis social clubs in Spain

2011-07-04T10:48:00.001+01:00

The room looks like the office of any small membership organisation: old worn furniture, jammed bookshelves, promotional posters, dented filing cabinets, random boxes of materials that have never been filed. What stands out, though, is the cloying smell of marijuana that permeates the room of the Pannagh Association in the city centre of Bilbao in northern Spain. Pannagh’s president, a young, energetic Martín Barriuso Alonso, brings out the source of the odour from the locked filing cabinets. Inside metal boxes are neatly labelled plastic bags: Critical Mass, White Widow, Medicine Man, New York Diesel, Aka 47, all ready for distribution.

It’s six o’clock on a Thursday, and soon Pannagh’s members start arriving to pick up their bags. The first is Miguel Angel, who has HIV and recently underwent a liver transplant. Then Javier, who just consumes because, hey, he enjoys it. Pannagh (which means cannabis in Sanskrit) has 300 members who each pay 40 euros a year membership and then four euros per gram, about half the rate on the black market. Some take a bag of five grams, others 10. The maximum allowed is 60 grams per month.

Legal grey area

The existence of Pannagh and up to 300 similar clubs throughout Spain is down to a quirky grey area in Spanish law. It is also the product of a determined group of activists who have pushed at the openings in the law to try to formalise their existence. In 1974 the Spanish supreme court judged that drug consumption and possession for personal use was not a crime, while still deeming drug trafficking an imprisonable offence. This created a jurisprudence in which providing drugs for compassionate reasons, and joint purchase by a group of addicts – as long as it did not involve profit-seeking – were not crimes either.

It was in 1993, however, that the law was really put to the test, when the Asociación Ramón Santos de Estudios Sobre el Cannabis (Ramon Santos Association for the Study of Cannabis, ARSEC) caught the media spotlight by publicly and openly growing cannabis for 100 of its members. The crop was confiscated, only for the provincial court to acquit those involved before the supreme court eventually ruled that although it was clear that ARSEC did not intend to traffic drugs, the cultivation of cannabis was dangerous per se and therefore should be punished.

This legal cat-and-mouse game continued as other marijuana associations forced a series of contradictory legal decisions, sometimes leading to arrests and at other times prompting no legal intervention. In the case of Pannagh, Martín Barriuso and two other members of the association were detained for three days in 2006 and had their crop confiscated.

A few months later, however, the courts ruled that there had been no crime as ‘it concerned consumption between addicts in which there was no transmission to other parties’ and ordered the police to return the confiscated plants. Seventeen kilograms of marijuana that had been rotting behind bars was returned. Although completely unusable, Barrioso still has it, a decomposing trophy of his minor victory against the system.

The legal uncertainty is far from over, as arrests of members of cannabis clubs continue to occur from time to time. However, decisions by the supreme court in October 2001 and July 2003 contradicted its initial ARSEC judgement and established that possession of cannabis, including large quantities, is not a crime if there is no clear intention of trafficking. This has made possible an explosion of cannabis user associations.

Clubbing together

Due to the lack of clear regulation, associations have had to improvise and invent solutions in order to standardise their activities. The main pioneering groups came together in 2003 as the Federation of Cannabis Clubs (FAC), which initially included 21 clubs. All are non-profit and member-run, and most have similar guidelines, keeping strict and thorough records of cultivation, distribution and costs in case there is any investigation.

As Barriuso recounts, fear of arrest is still there, but most cannabis user associations are now more afraid of thieves stealing their valuable stocks. Some even have their building alarms linked up to the local police station.

There are still many unresolved questions in terms of regulation. Nevertheless the gradual normalisation of these clubs has already marked out Spain as different to that other bastion of European drug liberalism, Holland. As Tom Blickman, a drugs policy researcher for the Transnational Institute explains: ‘The unique nature of cannabis social clubs is that they have legalised both production and consumption of cannabis within a closed club and non-profit system.

Dutch liberal cannabis policy may have minimised criminalisation of users, but it has not resolved the core contradiction known as the back door problem: coffee shops are allowed to sell up to five grams of cannabis to consumers (the front door) but have to buy their stock on the illegal market (the back door). To draw coffee shops out of the criminal sphere entirely, the cultivation of cannabis needs to be regulated.’

The grey area of the law in Spain has led to the development of an economic and social model for drug consumption that might offer a more economically and socially just alternative to market legalisation. ‘I used to think our clubs were just one step towards full legalisation, but now I am not so sure,’ says Martín Barriuso. ‘When the debate is polarised between total prohibition and almost total liberalisation, it seems people have not stopped to think that there are other ways of doing things.’

Legalisation debate

The legalisation of drugs has moved from a fringe demand to an increasingly mainstream concern over the past decade. Advocates of legalisation range from ex-Home Office minister Bob Ainsworth to the former president of Mexico to the Economist. A referendum to legalise cannabis in California in November 2010 was only narrowly defeated.

However the case for legalisation has often been pitched as bringing drugs into the capitalist open market – in the words of some advocates, to start selling heroin as if it was Coca-Cola. Yet that would turn drugs into commodities, subject to the same manipulations and abuses of the international market as other legalised drugs, such as alcohol. A legalised cannabis market, driven by profit, would soon lead to drugs supply controlled by a few, driven by profit, involving unethical promotional practices and with little concern for the health of its users – in many ways a mirror image of the illegal drugs market.

As Martín Barriuso argues, cannabis social clubs provide a viable alternative not just to the illegal but also a legalised ‘free market’ in drugs. ‘What we have found is that the limits imposed by the current legal framework, in particular the obligation to produce and distribute within a closed circle, the control of all production by members, and, above all, the absence of profit, has created a framework of relations that is different and, for us, fairer and more balanced.’

Alternative economy

Barriuso points to the way that direct contact between producers and consumers has made it easier to find a balance between dignified salaries and reasonable prices, replacing competition with a desire for mutual benefit. Direct control of production means that members have full control of the origin, quality and composition of what they are consuming, while generating legal economic activity and tax collection. Accountability within the group means that health concerns (and many of Pannagh’s members consume cannabis for health reasons) are primary.

Given those results, it is not surprising that Barriuso concludes, ‘Now that we have succeeded in obtaining our supply directly and under better conditions, why would we fight for a capitalist market for cannabis, where the power of decision is once again in the hands of a few people and where we no longer control how substances we consume are produced?’

While the future of the Spanish model of cannabis social clubs is by no means guaranteed, it is an idea that is spreading. The Dutch city of Utrecht announced in early 2011 that it plans to experiment with a closed club model for adult recreational cannabis users and other Dutch municipalities have expressed interest in doing the same.

The European Parliament recently heard proposals for an extension of cannabis social clubs across Europe. Pannagh presented evidence, based on its own financial records, that this could create 7,500 direct jobs and around 30,000 indirect jobs in Spain alone. At a European level, it could create 8.4 billion euros additional income for member governments, an attractive proposition at a time of austerity budgets.

‘It could hardly have been expected,’ says Martín Barriuso smiling, ‘but by some strange legal fate, the global prohibition of drugs applied by the Spanish courts has given place to a strange protectionist market for cannabis, where there is economic activity but no profit, entrepreneurs but no businessmen, consumers but no exploitation of producers, and the existence of a legal economy entirely separate from the major distribution outlets and the mainstream economy. In a society such as Spain, facing a deep economic and social crisis after years of speculation, extreme consumerism and easy money, this parallel economy seems now more of an advantage than a disadvantage.’

Martín Barriuso Alonso’s briefing, Cannabis Social Clubs in Spain: a normalising alternative under way, is available at www.tni.org

Fifty years of the ‘war on drugs’

2011 marks the 50th anniversary of the 1961 UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, the agreement that cemented global drug control into an international legal framework that has remained largely unchanged to this day. The subsequent ‘war on drugs’ has led to most countries worldwide using largely military and criminal-justice means in a completely unrealistic attempt to eradicate drugs use.

A coalition of international organisations, including Transform UK, the International Drug Policy Consortium and the Transnational Institute, have joined forces to launch a ‘Count the Costs’ campaign. They argue that while it was no doubt implemented with good intentions, it is now possible, reflecting on the experiences of the past half-century, to conclude that the policy has failed to achieve its goal of reducing or eliminating drug production, supply and use. In fact, drug supply and use has risen dramatically. It has also come at great social costs, fuelling conflict and insecurity in many countries, criminalising vulnerable groups of users and growers, diverting massive resources away from proven public health interventions, and rewarding violent criminal groups.

They campaign is calling on all UN member governments to make a proper assessment of the costs of the ‘war on drugs’ and to use the 50th anniversary to radically reform UN drugs conventions to focus on evidence-based drugs policies that minimise harm for drug users and do not infringe human rights.

The number of drug deaths in Britain is among the highest in the world, new figures show.

2011-07-04T10:46:00.001+01:00

llegal substances killed 2,278 people in a year, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
It ranks Britain sixth in the world, with only the US, Ukraine, the Russian Federation, Iran and Mexico having more.
Most of these deaths were caused by opioids, such as heroin, followed by sedatives, cocaine, amphetamine-type stimulants and ecstasy.
The report also warned that, while drug use across the world remained stable, ‘demand soared for substances not under international control’ – so-called legal highs.
It added: ‘These markets continue to evolve and every year new products are manufactured to supply an increasingly diversified demand for psychoactive substances.’
The figures are from the year 2008 and the UN says drug deaths are recorded differently in different countries.
The British deaths are among a population of 61million and compare to 1,638 deaths in Spain, which has a population of 46million, 1,449 in Germany (population 81million) and 484 in Italy (population 60million).
The US, home to 308million people, had 38,396 drug-related deaths.
Britain, the Russian Federation, Ukraine, Spain and Germany account for 80 per cent of all drug-related deaths in Europe, the report shows.
Crime prevention minister Baroness Angela Browning said in the year to March officials seized 1,951kg of cocaine or crack, 473kg of heroin, and 1,012kg of other class A drugs.
‘This report demonstrates the need for a renewed focus in dealing with the global drugs market to properly protect our communities,’ she added.
Michael Linnell, from the drug and alcohol charity Lifeline, said he had seen a ‘dramatic’ fall in the number of young people taking heroin.
He added: ‘Most of the people who are heroin addicts are in middle age and have been taking the drug for many years which takes its toll on their health and kills them.
‘But by far the biggest problem we face is from alcohol, both from the number of deaths and the impact it has on society.’

Hundreds of clandestine drug labs uncovered in Western Australia have all been "addiction-based", not organised crime operations, Police Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan says.

2011-06-28T09:13:00.001+01:00

The commissioner told a parliamentary estimates hearing on Monday there hadn't been "one single clan lab detection which can be classed at an organised level for the widespread distribution of drugs".

"Every clan lab found in WA has been an addiction-based clan lab, in other words it's not an organised crime lab," he said.

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"It's a lab that can generate very small amounts of meth for a user or a couple of users."

Mr O'Callaghan said organised crime operations were not easily detected and were much more sophisticated than what was being found currently.

"One of the things contributing to the increase in clan labs is that many people are now finding our how it's done and they find out what pre-cursor chemicals that are required to create meth.

"They are generally available easily over the counter at a hardware store and the pre-cursor chemicals that are required, the actual extraction chemicals that are required, they can be bought at a chemist."

Mr O'Callaghan said people were beginning to realise they could make the substances quite simply with not much equipment.

"We're seeing an upward trend but at the same time the community are also becoming more aware of it.

"I do point out not all clan labs are set-ups that are found in houses.

"Some are just cobbled together in the back of cars or in the bush, we're just finding more and more of these."

Meanwhile, the WA Police Union conference on Monday heard that 696 clandestine drug laboratories had been uncovered in WA since 1998, out of around 4000 found nationally.

Chemist Paul Newell, from the contaminated sites branch of the WA Department of Environment, told the conference that those were only the labs detected by police.

"We might be generous in saying we are catching something like five to 10 per cent," he said.

WA was on track to break last year's record number of lab busts, Mr Newell said.

Drug labs ranged from very simple "box labs" that could be taken by motorcycle into remote bush areas to large, sophisticated operations that had been found in the eastern states run by trained chemists, he said.

The hazards involved in clandestine labs included the risks of explosion, toxic fumes, poisoning and chemical burns, and things could go wrong very quickly, Mr Newell said.

Houses used as drug labs could remain contaminated for many years, posing very real health risks to occupiers, he said.

Police lobbying since 2005 had resulted in national guidelines being released in April this year to promote safe dismantling of labs and the decontamination of premises used as labs, Mr Newell said.

oldies are drinking secretly at home, cunningly hiding our addiction from the world, and quietly going gaga as a result.

2011-06-23T08:20:00.001+01:00

Were you Russian, you might not have to worry about the problem of alcohol misuse in your retirement because you would probably already be dead. The average man born in Russia today cannot expect to live beyond 63, so much vodka is he likely to have consumed by then.

Surprisingly, we are not an especially boozy people and so live much longer than many others. The life expectancy at birth of a British man is now 78, and of a woman 82. So most of us will still have several years of retirement ahead in which to try to amuse ourselves.

And the evidence shows that we do this rather well. Experts on ageing have concluded that older people are generally happier than the young, in better mental health, and suffer fewer negative emotions.

To stop us falling over and other such things that happen as a result of alcohol, we must prepare ourselves for a bleak and puritanical old age

This, you would have thought, would be cause for great satisfaction. But, of course, the authorities never like to look on the bright side of life: they're forever seeking out flaws in our lifestyle and urging us to eliminate them.

And so the Royal College of Psychiatrists has come up with a new health scare — that of 'hidden' alcohol addiction among the over-65s.

The fact that not even doctors have noticed this problem does not mean it doesn't exist, says the College. We oldies are drinking secretly at home, cunningly hiding our addiction from the world, and quietly going gaga as a result.

We may not drink very much, it says, but we hold our liquor worse as we get older, and so should drink even less than what is considered safe for everyone else.

Whereas current official advice is that no man of any age should drink more than 21 units of alcohol a week, and no woman more than 14, the Royal College of Psychiatrists would like the Government to issue separate guidelines for the over-65s, demanding that they drink a great deal less even than that.

It wants us to have no more than 1.5 units of alcohol a day — the equivalent of about half a pint of beer or a small glass of wine.

Why? Because the elderly, it says, find it harder than the young to get rid of alcohol from the bloodstream. We are therefore more likely to fall over, lose our memories and generally make fools of ourselves.

So to stop such things happening — which amount, in the College's view, to 'a burgeoning public health problem' — we must prepare ourselves for a bleak and puritanical old age.

Now, no one needs being reminded that too much heavy drinking is bad for you. It is linked to some cancers and it doubles the risk of death by stroke. Plus, it makes you feel rotten.

But we are talking about heavy drinking — not, say, two glasses of wine or a pint of beer a day.

Mr Cameron must remember his promise to lead our lives, and accept that whatever we do, provided it is legal, is nobody's business but our own

Age UK defines 'heavy drinking' as five or more units a day (two or more decent glasses of wine) and says — encouragingly — that anything less than this 'can have health benefits, especially for the heart'.

Yet the College says drinking even a third of what Age UK still considers beneficial will do old people serious harm. I don't believe it for a moment, but just imagine that the College is right and Age UK wrong.

It would still be intolerable for the Government to boss us around in this way. If you can't drink what you want at the age of 65, what's the point in staying alive? You have worked hard all your life — and now you are free to relax and have fun.

One way to do this is to meet friends for a drink in the pub. You might want to stay there for an hour or two. Is it proposed that you spend that time nursing one little glass of wine or a half-pint of beer? It's hardly a festive scenario.

When Treasure Island author Robert Louis Stevenson wrote 'Wine is bottled poetry', or the 17th-century monk and champagne pioneer Dom Pérignon announced over a glass of vintage bubbly 'Come quickly, I am tasting the stars', do you think either of them was counting their units?

And what if you do find yourself getting a little tipsy? Why would that matter? One thing to be said for the old is that they don't go around pulling knives on people or beating them up. The worst that could happen is that you might stumble a little on the way home — which is hardly a 'burgeoning public health problem'.

When the 17th-century monk and champagne pioneer Dom Pérignon announced over a glass of vintage bubbly 'Come quickly, I am tasting the stars', do you think either of them was counting their units?

Since Mr Cameron came to power promising to do away with the culture of the nanny state, you might expect the Coalition to treat the College's advice with indifference. But no. A Department of Health spokeswoman said 'alcohol misuse is a major public health issue — no matter what age you are.

'Everyone should drink responsibly, within the recommended alcohol limits,' she went on. 'We welcome any addition to the evidence base in this area, and will consider this report carefully.'

Well, let's hope not too carefully. Old age brings trials enough without the added humiliation of being told by the Government to drink much less than what is considered perfectly all right for a teenager.

The Department for Work and Pensions, too, is concerned that 'alcohol misuse' may be increasing among the over-65s, blaming it for every kind of ailment from blood clots in the brain to dementia and depression. But, surely, one would have to consume a great deal more than one glass of wine a day for it to have any such consequences.

The phrase 'alcohol misuse' is itself seriously misused if it is applied to virtual teetotallers. And while there are many people whose lives have been ruined by heavy drinking, there are others for whom, one suspects, it has been essential to their success.

Old age brings trials enough without the added humiliation of being told by the Government to drink much less than what is considered perfectly all right for a teenager

Queen Victoria famously enjoyed a lethal mix of claret and malt whisky in the same glass — and in some quantity. Below stairs, her servants averaged eight pints of beer every day. Yet Victoria lived until she was 81 and her household was the cornerstone of the world's greatest empire.

Those nannying government departments must have reached for the smelling salts after the beans were spilled this month on the Queen Mother's daily consumption even as a centenarian: a gin and Dubonnet before lunch, wine during lunch and, in the evening, a dry Martini followed by champagne.

Mr Cameron should not forget his promise. He must resist every attempt by his ministers and civil servants to tell us how to lead our lives, and accept that whatever we do, provided it is legal, is nobody's business but our own.

And while this freedom is everybody's right, it is especially important to the old. For they have not much time left in which to enjoy it.

Plan B’s heroin hell

2011-06-21T14:51:00.001+01:00

PLAN B is a bloke who doesn't mince his words.
He has admitted smoking heroin when he was a teenager during a weekend at the Glastonbury Festival.

The rapper, now 27, revealed: "I was 16 and didn't have any money.

"The first night we were there me and my mate popped a couple of pills.

"The next night this northerner asked us if he could use our fire and we were too young and too scared to say no.

"He got this foil out and started smoking heroin. We started asking him about it and then he told us that he did heroin because he was abused as a child.

"Then he asked if we wanted some. So, like idiots we took some of his heroin and on the last night we smoked it.

"It was the first and last time I ever did it. I'm never going near it again.

"My head was spinning like I was drunk.

"I was hot then I was cold, I was itching all over - it was horrible."

You've got to admire his honesty...

Taxpayers foot £3.6billion bill for drug addicts

2011-06-19T01:39:00.001+01:00

Doctors and health workers should be paid by results in helping drug users beat their addiction, according to a shock report out today.

The Centre for Policy Studies claims the present approach has proved to be nothing but a costly failure.

In its report called Breaking The Habit, the right-wing think-tank points out there are as many addicts today as there were six years ago.

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And author Kathy Gyngell says the Government should urge medics to move away from simply prescribing methadone to addicts and instead refer them to rehab units.

She says the policy of prescribing methadone – a heroin substitute used to treat addicts – has been extremely expensive and has failed to cut the rising number of drug-related deaths.

Her report recommends a system of paying organisations, doctors, pharmacists and drug workers for their success rate in getting addicts off drugs.

She adds: “This approach would also be consistent with the Prime Minister’s vision for a Big Society.

“It would involve a real transfer of power from large distant organisations to small innovative providers.”

The report says looking after the country’s drug addicts costs taxpayers £3.6billion every year. Almost half of that is made up of state benefits paid to drug users.

It costs £730million to prescribe methadone to recovering addicts and a further £1.2billion is spent looking after their children.

Yet less than four per cent of England’s estimated 320,000 drug addicts manage to stay clean after treatment, says the CPS.

Government sources said ministers would be studying the report.

But a source close to Health Secretary Andrew Lansley warned that providing a host of new drug treatment centres would be “extremely costly” at a time when Whitehall departments were making cuts.

Cardiff scheme to cut alcohol-related violence injuries has provided such dramatic results that cities around the world are being encouraged to adopt a similar mode

2011-06-17T07:58:00.001+01:00

l.

Research suggests the Welsh capital has seen a 42% drop in hospital admissions from violent incidents.
The project involves information sharing between the police and casualty departments and uses details given anonymously by injured patients on where, when and how violence occurs.
This allows police and other agencies to predict the nature and time of potential violence and then target resources at 'hotspots' highlighted by the data.
Cardiff University's Professor Jonathan Shepherd, who led the research, said he wanted to do something about the endless stream of facial injury victims who end up on NHS operating tables after a night's drinking.
If subsequent studies also find the significant reductions found in Cardiff, it would increase confidence in the value of this new tool to prevent violence.
Alexander Butchart, WHO prevention of violence co-ordinator
He found that only 23% of accident and emergency cases where people were treated after attacks in Cardiff, Swansea and Bristol were recorded by the police.
Hospital data going back a number of years also suggested that seven out of eight incidents on licensed premises did not appear on police records.
"It came as a real surprise to me to find that I was treating cases week in, week out, where the cause of the injury was simply not being investigated, let alone brought to book," Prof Shepherd said.
"These attacks were just not being reported. My reaction was one of shock. It seemed like such an injustice.
"I felt there was scope here for prevention by working in an integrated way with the police, the hospitals and the local authorities to identify and target the violence hotspots.
"I felt it was essential to integrate the police and A and E data, particularly on locations and weapons."
In Kent, the data collected has helped identify high levels of domestic violence, leading to a new advisory service on the issue.
In Portsmouth, details fed into the Licensed Premises Management system have enabled police and the local authority to restrict the opening times of certain clubs and bars.
The data-sharing model is being implemented across the UK because of its success, a report in the British Medical Journal said.
And the World Health Organisation has suggested the Cardiff model should be emulated across the world.
Alexander Butchart, the WHO's prevention of violence co-ordinator, said: "If subsequent studies also find the significant reductions found in Cardiff, it would increase confidence in the value of this new tool to prevent violence."

Children who see their parents drunk are twice as likely to regularly get drunk themselves, a survey of young teenagers has suggested.

2011-06-17T07:56:00.001+01:00

Poor parental supervision also raises the likelihood of teenage drinking, said the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

The Ipsos MORI survey found the behaviour of friends is also a powerful factor in predicting drinking habits.

The more time teenagers spend with friends, the more likely they are to drink alcohol, it suggested.

In a survey of 5,700 children aged 13 to 16, carried out for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, researchers found one in five claimed to have been drunk by the time they were 14.

By the age of 16, half of those questioned said they had been drunk.

Influences
But the study also looked at what influences excessive teen drinking - and the habits of parents seem to be particularly powerful.

The odds of a teenager getting drunk repeatedly is twice as great if they have seen their parents under the influence, even if only a few times.

And the authors say that parental supervision is also important - if parents don't know where their children are on a Saturday night, or let them watch 18 certificate films unsupervised, they are more likely to have had an alcoholic drink.

Continue reading the main story
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Both what parents say, and how they behave, have a strong impact on their teenagers' drinking, drinking regularly, and drinking to excess”

Claire Turner
Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Teenagers' friends also have a significant impact on drinking behaviour.

The odds of a teenager drinking to excess more than double if they spend more than two evenings a week with friends.

Spending every evening with friends multiplies the odds of excessive drinking more than four times.

Pamela Bremner from Ipsos MORI, the lead author of the report, said: "For the first time in the UK, this study ranks what most influences young people's drinking behaviour.

"It found that the behaviour of friends and family is the most common influential factor in determining how likely and how often a young person will drink alcohol."

Conflicting evidence

Click to play

A mother and daughter from Bury on the impact alcohol has had on their family
But there is conflicting evidence on how to introduce young people to alcohol - leaving parents with some difficult questions unanswered.

Researchers found mixed messages about the ideal age and ways of introducing teenagers to alcohol.

Generally, those introduced to alcohol at a very young age had greater odds of being a regular drinker and of having been drunk multiple times.

But there were differences in the pattern for young people of different ages.

"This research shows that parents can have more influence on their teenagers' behaviour than perhaps many assumed," said Claire Turner, Programme Manager for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

"Both what parents say, and how they behave, have a strong impact on their teenagers' drinking, drinking regularly, and drinking to excess.

"Being introduced to alcohol at a very young age - for example, under 10 years old - makes it more likely that they will drink and drink to excess as teenagers.

"But there are differences in patterns across the group. So for the older teenagers, if they are introduced to alcohol later in life via friends, away from adult supervision, they are also more likely to drink to excess."

Don Shenker, Chief Executive of Alcohol Concern, said the report confirms that from the beginning of a child's life parents have a strong influence on their children's future drinking patterns.

"Parents have to realise and accept that whether intended or not, their own attitudes towards drinking, their own rate of drinking and any drunkenness are clear signals to children that this is acceptable and standard behaviour.

"In addition parents must accept that allowing children to drink unsupervised can increase the risk of their children being drunk and this can have harmful consequences.

"Government ministers must also look at some of the causes of why it is so easy for children to obtain alcohol, usually from the home.

"Government should look to see if they've done everything they can to stop the large supermarkets from continuing to heavily promote cheap alcohol which incentivises more alcohol purchases and therefore results in more alcohol being stored in the home."

The Royal College of Physicians also said it was not surprised that being able to access alcohol easily was an important influencing factor on current drinking patterns and drunken-ness of teenagers.

A statement said: "This shows that the government needs to concentrate on increasing the price per unit of alcohol and reducing its availability as their main priorities, and in addition to increase education and national campaigns for both young people and their families on the dangers of alcohol."

A HOST of celebrities and three ex-chief constables have signed an open letter urging the PM to decriminalise drug possession.

2011-06-04T12:17:00.001+01:00

Dame Judi Dench, Julie Christie, Kathy Burke, Sting and Sir Richard Branson are joined by ex-drugs minister Bob Ainsworth in asking David Cameron to look again at the current legislation to mark this week’s 40th anniversary of the 1971 Misuse of Drugs Act.

With the three former chief constables Paul Whitehouse, Francis Wilkinson and Tom Lloyd, they claim all the legislation has done is lead to a growth in the illegal drug trade. “This policy is costly for taxpayers and damaging for communities,” they said.

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“Criminalising people who use drugs leads to greater social exclusion and stigmatisation making it much more difficult for them to gain employment and to play a productive role in society.

But the Home Office insists it has “no intention” of liberalising drug laws. A spokesman said: “Drugs are illegal because they are harmful – they destroy lives and cause untold misery.”

Today we look at both sides of the drugs debate..

Ann Widdecombe is against decriminalisation

There are two ways of decriminalising drugs. One is to decriminalise just soft drugs, the other is all drugs.

If you decriminalise soft drugs but not hard drugs, all the profits for the drug barons will be in the hard drugs and those drugs will therefore be pushed to an even greater extent.

Secondly, for a percentage of people who start off on soft drugs, it is a gateway into hard drugs.

If you decriminalised cannabis, more people would try it because it would be lawful and there would be no reason why they would not.

Therefore, on the basis of the same percentage, far more people would then go on to hard drugs.

In other words, 10% of 1,000 is greater than 10% of 100, so more people would go through the gateway on to hard drugs.

If these drugs were lawful, it would be very difficult for teachers and parents to say: “This is a bad idea, don’t start it, don’t try it,” because the retort would be: “Well, it wouldn’t be legal if it was that harmful.”

So you would get far greater usage. Indeed, there was a study by the University of Amsterdam following the relaxing of the drug laws there, which actually showed that as soft drug use went up so did hard drug use.

Then, of course, there is the effect of cannabis use on mental health and there is now a great deal of evidence of cannabis psychosis.

Cannabis can actually adversely affect mental health, it can cause psychosis, and it can accentuate conditions that already exist. That is now pretty well documented, so there would be that impact as well.

All that is if you decriminalise just the soft drugs. If the state should make legal the use of heroin, people would be able to have their first experience of what is a killer drug simply by walking into a shop and buying it off the shelf.

Is that really what you want? I don’t think it is. So no, don’t do it.

Look at the problems we have with the legal drugs, with alcohol and cigarettes, for example. I think there’s no doubt at all that if we knew at the time what we know now, there would have been a lot more argument against making either of those legal. Now, the fact that they are legal doesn’t mean that they haven’t caused a huge amount of suffering.

Alcohol causes crime, it causes mental illness, and it causes family break-ups if abused. Yes, I (like many others) drink, but nevertheless alcohol is now a huge social evil and we know it.

Cigarettes are not a social evil but they are an enormous medical evil and we know it.

Why introduce a third?

You have no criminals in alcohol and you’ve got a little bit of bootlegging with cigarettes, but it’s not the biggest problem on earth.

The problem is in the actual substances themselves.

If you make drugs legal, you may not have the criminals but you have still got the big social and health problems.

And the criminals will find some other shocking substance to sell.Former chief constable Tom Lloyd says drugs should be decriminalised

I JOINED the police to help people and catch criminals.

Yet I found myself dealing with people for drug possession who needed help, not locking up.

So many of those caught up in drugs have been physically, mentally or sexually abused as children.

Prosecuting them does more harm than good.

The Misuse of Drugs Act was a well-intentioned but flawed attempt to control drug use.

We couldn’t be more out of control now – drugs are probably available in every secondary school.

The disaster predicted by those so resistant to change is already with us and the current system has to take a lot of the responsibility.

Drug abuse is a health not criminal justice issue.

And police need to focus on criminals, the people who do real damage to society.

As Tim Hollis, from the Association of Chief Police Officers, said this week, police resources are not best focused on drug possession.

With police budgets being heavily cut, the money we waste arresting users could be much better used.

It is not fair that so many of those caught up in the criminal justice system for drug possession are young, black or poor.

This unfairness gets in the way of policing in some of our most troubled communities.

It makes the police’s job harder, wasting even more resources. The step of decriminalising drug use would undo so much of this harm.

It would allow the police to focus on serious criminals who we really need them to catch. It is not true that drug use will necessarily go up at all. When cannabis was downgraded to class C, its use continued to fall.

In Portugal, where they decriminalised drug possession 10 years ago, fewer young people take drugs and more people are seeking treatment.

Drug deaths and HIV transmission have fallen.

This is what really matters – reducing harm.

Remember that decriminalising possession isn’t legalising drug dealing.

This change would give the police a much better chance of pursuing those who prey on others.

Drug use is so much better tackled by education and access to treatment and support.

When I was chief constable, we tried to tackle prolific offending by heroin users with health and social services using treatment and support.

Crime dropped. It was tough love that convinced an initially sceptical, seasoned older detective that it was “the best way to prevent crime he had ever come across”.

Ultimately this is what matters. Improving the quality of life by cutting crime and the harm associated with drugs.

We can only do this through practical, pragmatic, evidence-based steps like the decriminalisation of drug possession.

We all want to reduce addiction, death, disease and crime.

The clear lesson from 40 years of failure is that we must change and change now.

An autopsy has determined that a Florida man died after ingesting "bath salts,"

2011-06-04T12:13:00.001+01:00

An autopsy has determined that a Florida man died after ingesting "bath salts," just two days after Gov. Rick Scott signed a state law banning the synthetic drugs, which had been sold legally in stores and on the internet.

A toxicologist with the medical examiner's office of Hillsborough County, Florida said that Jairious McGhee, 23, died from an overdose of methylone, one of the chemicals sold as bath salts and used as a form of imitation cocaine. Julia Pearson said methylone was found in McGhee's blood after tests for other better known drugs were negative.

An ABC News investigation to air on "20/20" Friday found that "legal drugs" like bath salts, "K2" and "spice" that mimic the effects of cocaine and marijuana were widely available on the internet and in suburban malls and convenience stores. Bath salts. which have nothing in common with the products long used in bathing, are legally sold in more than 30 states, and there is no federal ban on them. The Florida law banning six different chemicals sold as bath salts was signed Tuesday, but an emergency rule issued in January by the state's attorney general had already made it a felony to possess or distribute them.

McGhee died in Tampa on April 3 after an April 2 altercation with police. Officers described him as behaving erratically, walking in traffic, and beating on cars. He was initially diagnosed with viral meningitis, and when he died his body temperature had risen to more than 105 degrees. Though McGhee, who had been fighting with officers, had been tased, the medical examiner's office said the prongs never touched his skin and the tasing did not contribute to his death.

Bath salts have been linked to 2,500 calls to poison control centers nationwide, and can produce paranoia, hallucinations and rapid increase in heart rate and body. Washington state authorities are investigating whether a soldier who shot and killed his wife and then himself during a high-speed car chase in April was using bath salts. In May, when 19-year-old Mark Thompson of West Virginia was found wearing women's underwear and standing over a goat's dead body, he told police he had been using bath salts.

"I hesitate to even hold some of this stuff in my hands for fear that it could cause a problem," said Dr. Mark Ryan, director of the Louisiana Poison Control Center. Louisiana has been an epicenter of bath salt abuse, with 221 calls to the state's Poison Control Center since Dr. Ryan saw his first case last September. "We've had some people show up who are complaining of chest pains so severe that they think they're having a heart attack. They think they're dying."

Congress is currently weighing a federal ban on bath salts, which are still sold legally in most states and via the web. "Our teens and young adults need to understand that just because something's legal doesn't mean it's safe," said Drug Enforcement Administration special agent Gary Boggs. "Our parents need to -- to pay attention to what our kids are -- are ordering over the internet."

Is Claiming You’re a Sex Addict Just an Excuse for Bad Behavior

2011-05-25T07:26:00.001+01:00

As powerful, international figures Dominique Strauss-Kahn and Arnold Schwarzenegger deal with the fallout of their various sexual exploits - ranging from sexual assault to chronic infidelity – the question “is it just bad behavior or a real disorder” often comes barreling to the forefront.

Another common thought is: sex addiction sounds like the kind of problem most guys would love to have.

Well, here is the truth about living with shame, secrecy, narcissism, and other words that accompany the behavior of someone with sexual addiction and intimacy disorders: for the sex addict is about as much fun as alcoholism is for the alcoholic. Many adults enjoy drinking now and then; and while some people drink socially, others drink a bit at the end of the day to relax and some even get drunk once in a while (New Years, etc). For these people, which means most drinkers, drinking alcohol is both fun and optional.

But there are others for whom drinking is neither fun nor optional: people who have no control over where their first drink will lead them AND who have a history of negative consequences related to past alcohol abuse. We call those people alcoholics, and for them (estimated at 6-8% of the population) alcohol is not a good thing. These individuals have to be very careful and persistent about not drinking because, if they start, alcohol will eventually destroy their lives.

Similarly, most healthy adults enjoy sex – many as a form of recreation or distraction. Both single and married adults may occasionally or frequently view porn, have sexual dalliances, affairs or even see prostitutes without it being a problem for them. Right or wrong it’s not anyone’s job to call these people ‘sex addicts’ or to judge their sexuality or relationships. However, for approximately 3-8% of the adult population, having recreational sex is not a good thing. Single, dating or married, when these people begin having disconnected intense sexual experiences, particularly sex that involves secrecy or shame, they also begin to experience negative consequences.

Once these particular individuals start using sex as a means of emotional distraction they have trouble putting the breaks on their behavior. In the behavioral health and addiction treatment industry, we call these people sex addicts; unlike the rest of us, when sex addicts have sex primarily for recreation and emotional distraction their sexual choices can end up destroying their families, careers, reputations and relationships. These particular individuals have to be very aware of how they live their lives around sex, romance and intimacy so they don’t return to the kinds of sexual situations and patterns that can very quickly ruin the good things we all work so hard to create and maintain.

So, all of that being said – it is my belief, as well as all sex addiction treatment professionals and those that accept sexual addiction as a valid diagnosis – living a life of secrecy (a “double life”) is not fun, NOR is claiming to be a sex addict an excuse for bad behavior; rather it is the acknowledgment that there is an aspect of one’s life they cannot control and they need treatment in order to regain what has been lost or displaced because of their addiction.

Robert Weiss is Founding Director of The Sexual Recovery Institute and Director of Sexual Disorders Services at The Ranch Treatment Center and Promises Treatment Centers. These centers serve individuals seeking sexual addiction treatment and porn addiction help.

new face of drug addiction

2011-05-25T07:24:00.001+01:00

The face of drug addiction has changed, and the government is working to adapt.
The 21st-century drug addict is more likely to get a fix from a medicine cabinet than from a needle. More than 5 million Americans misused prescription painkillers in a one-month period in 2009, according to a National Survey on Drug Use and Health from that year.

And a huge majority - more than 70% - of those prescription-drug abusers said they got the drugs from friends and relatives.
"We believe there are two unique reasons for the growth in prescription drug abuse - easy accessibility to the drugs and the diminished perception of risk," Gil Kerlikowske, the director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, told a Senate Judiciary subcommittee Tuesday.
Kerlikowske joined a slate of witnesses to describe the skyrocketing addiction statistics and a host of federal and state initiatives designed to stem the tide – several of which are still in the planning stages.
A White House plan released last month to confront prescription drug abuse emphasizes spreading public awareness of the problem by mandatory education of physicians who prescribe painkillers and also for people who receive the prescriptions.
"In many cases, prescription drugs remain in household medicine cabinets well after medication therapy has been completed, thus providing easy access to non-medical users for abuse, accidental ingestion or illegal distribution for profit," said Michele Leonhart, head of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Officials are crafting regulations to carry out a law Congress passed last year that will allow states to enable pharmacies to accept people's unused prescription drugs for disposal. In the meantime the DEA has organized two national prescription drug take-back days to collect unused or expired medications. On the most recent take-back day, Americans turned in 188 tons of unused or expired drugs at sites across the country for disposal.
Another measure awaiting a DEA final rule would allow electronic tracking of prescriptions, partly in the hopes of preventing forgeries and "doctor shopping," when an addict receives multiple prescriptions from different physicians.
Leonhart said she hoped both measures would be operational by the end of this year.
But Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-Rhode Island, complained at the slow pace of reforms and asked panel members to pull any strings they could.
"It has been astounding to me as a newly-elected senator to see the pace at which federal rulemaking slogs forward," he said. "I've become - I don't know what you call it but - impatient, I guess, with the pace of federal rulemaking, and you may be in the position to expedite it a bit."
Another witness underlined the urgency.
"Daily, 50 people in our nation die from unintentional prescription opioid overdoses and, daily, 20 times that number are admitted to hospital emergency departments for opioid overdoses," said John Eadie, director of the Prescription Monitoring Program Center of Excellence at Brandeis University.

Heroin Trapping New Generation Of Users

2011-05-20T09:08:00.001+01:00

It’s not the reputation that Portland wants, but heroin users say the Rose City is known for easy access and plentiful supplies of the deadly drug, which is now trapping a whole new generation of user.
“I never planned on being a heroin addict,” said Collin Wright, who’s now recovering and sober. He says his addiction started with prescription pills, after he was given Vicodin for a back injury when he was 18 years old.
As the amount of prescription opiates needed for his addiction became too expensive and difficult to find, he tried heroin at age 27.
“The friends who had it did not want to let me use it,” said Wright. “They knew what it did. I was sick enough at the time, in withdrawals from the pills, I was pretty forceful in getting it from them.”
Wright says once you try heroin, you can’t go back, and the high quickly turns to sickness.
“It gets painful enough,” said Wright. "If you’re not being medically taken care of and treated for withdrawals, you’ll get so desperate, you’ll do just about anything to get more, to get money, to get more.”
A recent survey of drug users by the Multnomah County Health Department has shown evidence of increased demand, as well as newer, younger users. The Department reports the number of syringes given out to prevent the spread of disease in Multnomah County increased by 42 percent.

Chinese man died this week after spending months living in an internet cafe and playing an online game around the clock.

2011-05-20T09:06:00.001+01:00

Wang Gang, 31, collapsed in a gaming parlour in the city of Wuhan in Hubei province on May 6 and died on Monday from cardiac failure caused by tuberculosis, according to local news reports.

Wang, who had dropped out of college and cut himself off from his family, had been addicted to Dungeon Fighter, a South Korean multiplayer game which is hugely popular among China's burgeoning online community.

At the time of his collapse, Mr Wang was running 20 high-scoring Dungeon Fighter accounts and had been playing almost solidly for seven months, only breaking for a few hours a day to nap on the cafe's sofa.

Images of Wang in the hospital before he died show a pallid, emaciated figure.

"He looked deformed. He was very thin and had long hair. He was also very dirty," a local newspaper quoted one person as saying after he saw Wang being taken out of the cafe.

"He was the kind of white you get from not having been in the sun for a very long time," another witness was quoted as saying.

Wang's collapse is the latest in a series of deaths linked to internet addiction in China.

Some 477 million Chinese now use the internet, the largest online community in the world, and about 33 million of them are thought to be addicted, according to experts.

In February, a man died after a three-day online games binge in Beijing and last year another man from Hebei province attacked a woman after spending two months in an internet cafe, where he played games for 22 hours a day.

Even though the Chinese government blocks huge parts of the internet through a system known as the Great Fire Wall, the average user here spends more hours online than his or her counterpart in America, or even in super-connected South Korea.

A recent report by McKinsey & Company, the consultancy, said urban Chinese spent as much as 70 per cent of their leisure time online, socialising, shopping, gambling or playing games.

China is the world's largest online gaming market, with more than 100 million players by some counts, and that figure is predicted to rise to about 200 million by next year.

But many worry that rapid growth will lead to more cases such as Wang's and they are urging the government to introduce tighter controls on internet cafes and games manufacturers.

Last year the government introduced a system whereby gamers could play only if they logged on using an official ID and cafes are supposed to evict players after five hours. In reality, however, players simply go to another cafe or log on using a borrowed ID card.

A few years ago, concern over internet addiction led to a proliferation of military-style boot camps for children whose parents feared had developed internet addictions.

But in 2009 the camps hit the headlines when a 15-year-old boy died while attending one. State media reported that his body was covered in bruises. Since then some Chinese schools and hospitals have begun less aggressive, family-oriented intervention programmes aimed at teaching teenagers to deal with social and academic pressures inside the family rather than retreating into a virtual world.

Before Wang collapsed, he had not seen his family for more than a decade.

Wang flunked college because he was spending so much time playing games. He tried but failed to get a job and then retreated more and more into the gaming world.

Friends and fellow gamers described how he would get immersed in games for months at a time, moving into the internet cafe to play them.

He would pay for his internet addition buy selling virtual gold and weapons, items that allow players to progress, to other Dungeon Fighter gamers.

Eventually he even lost the friendship of fellow players, who found his habits too extreme.

"He was reluctant to talk about topics other than games," a fellow gamer who goes by the name of Linjianxiaodao. "After Wang Gang got attached to Dungeon Fighter, it seems he disappeared from this world and we didn't see each other that much.

THE idea of vaccinating drug addicts against their affliction is an intriguing one. In principle, it should not be too hard.

2011-05-20T09:04:00.001+01:00

THE idea of vaccinating drug addicts against their affliction is an intriguing one. In principle, it should not be too hard. The immune system works, in part, by making antibodies that are specific to particular sorts of hostile molecule. Such antibodies recognise and attach themselves to these molecules, rendering them harmless. Vaccines work by presenting the immune system with novel targets, so that it can learn to react to them if it comes across them again.

The problem is that the molecules antibodies recognise and react to are the big ones, such as proteins, that are characteristic of bacteria, viruses and other infectious agents. Small molecules, such as drugs, go unnoticed. But not for much longer, if Kim Janda of the Scripps Research Institute in San Diego has his way. In a paper just published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, Dr Janda and his colleagues suggest how a vaccine against methamphetamine, a popular street drug, might be made. If their method works, it would open the possibility of vaccinating people against other drugs, too.

The idea of a methamphetamine vaccine is not new. The problem is getting the immune system to pay attention to a molecule that is such a small target. The way that has been tried in the past is to build the vaccine from several components.

First, there is a large carrier protein that forms a platform for the target. Then there is the target itself, a set of smaller molecules called haptens that are attached to the carrier. These may either be the drug in question or some analogue of it that, for one reason or another, is reckoned to have a better chance of training the immune system. Finally, there is a chemical cocktail called an adjuvant that helps get the immune system to pay attention to the carrier protein and the haptens.

Dr Janda noticed that past experiments on methamphetamine vaccines had all revolved around tweaking either the carrier protein or the adjuvant, rather than tinkering with the haptens. He thought he might be able to change that, on the basis of work he had carried out previously, trying to design a vaccine against nicotine. In particular, nicotine is a highly flexible molecule. That makes it hard for the immune system to recognise. To overcome this, his team on the nicotine project had to work out how to fix their haptens to the carrier protein in a way that rendered them less capable of twisting and turning, and thus made them easier for the immune system to identify.

In the new study, Dr Janda and his colleagues report that they have performed a similar trick with methamphetamine haptens. They used computer models to visualise the haptens in three dimensions and thus work out how the molecules could be rearranged such that they could not spring, twist or turn when being examined by the immune system. In light of this information they designed six new methamphetamine-like haptens. Once built, they attached the new hapten molecules to carrier proteins, mixed them with adjuvant, injected the results into mice and waited. After several weeks they tested the mice to see if the animals’ blood contained antibodies to methamphetamine.

Of the six new haptens, three successfully provoked the mice to make such antibodies. As a bonus, one of those three also stimulated the production of antibodies against another widely used drug, amphetamine. That is still a long way from providing a working vaccine, but it is an important step forward. And if human immune systems react in the same way to the new vaccines as murine ones do, the day when a drug addict might be offered vaccination rather than opprobrium will have come a little closer.

I only wish she could have found Phoenix House first

2011-05-20T09:03:00.001+01:00

As all administrators, board members and advocates of state-funded social service agencies are doing these days, Phil Francoeur is spending every spare minute working on ways to convince state legislators how disastrous proposed state budget cuts would be to vital substance abuse prevention and treatment programs.
From his seat on the advisory board of Phoenix House, the Dublin-based residential substance-abuse treatment and recovery program, Francoeur said he has watched success story after success story emerge from the program’s three campuses over the years and cringes at the thought of seeing many of the programs lost to funding cuts.
But much of the passion the 55-year-old Nashua native has for state-funded programs like the Phoenix House comes not from his role as an adviser. A one-time drug addict and trafficker who served several years in State Prison, Francoeur largely credits the Phoenix House’s comprehensive, soup-to-nuts treatment approach for what he is today: Alive, clean, sober, employed, productive and happy.
“I’ve been clean and sober many times,” Francoeur said recently in his small, cozy apartment in Milford, where he now lives with wife Doris. “Addicts do that a lot. But it never lasts.”
Achieving lifetime sobriety is a far different animal, Francoeur said.
“You need to get to the root of the problem, to find out what causes us (addicts) to keep putting poison into our bodies,” he said. “That’s why we need these long-term programs, these residential programs like Phoenix House.
“They work.” Francoeur added. “I know they work.”
It’s that kind of personal experience, coupled with a lot of determination, that inspired Francoeur and several other Phoenix House graduates to record “real-life impact” videos as part of a “YouTube Channel” initiative by the Concord-based prevention and advocacy group New Futures.
Each recounts in the videos his or her personal stories, which include “crashing and burning with heroin at 23, 24 years old,” said contributor Rob Winslow, and “realizing when I was 15 that I had alcohol and drug addiction,” said Jenny Vanderbilt, who is now a counselor at Phoenix House.
Asked his date of birth, Francoeur, a member of the well-known Francoeur Baking Co. family whose parents, Reginald and Muriel Francoeur, still live in the family home on Wood Street, unhesitatingly answers “Jan. 20, 2001. I’ve been clean and sober since that day,” he says. “I remember the date like it’s my birthday, because it is.”
On the video, Francoeur calls it the day “I finally got help.” It’s sort of an infamous birthday, really, because it also marked the beginning of a string of court appearances and incarcerations resulting from his arrest for dealing cocaine to undercover police officers, who had him under surveillance for six months.
When he was sentenced later that year to six to 12 years in State Prison, Francoeur told Judge Bernard Hampsey he wanted to go straight. “I said I realize I owe the state time because of what I’ve done,” he said. “I told the judge I want to pay back the community by doing drug education programs and help people, help kids.”
Francoeur kept his promise, first earning his GED – he’d dropped out of Nashua High at age 16, in his junior year – then moving on to college-level courses, some of which were taught by local college professors and others, by fellow inmates whom the professors trained, he said.
Ordered by terms of his sentence to undergo drug rehabilitation treatment in prison, Francoeur said he wanted to go one step better and receive treatment through an “outside” program like Phoenix House, rather than in the state-run program.
“I filed a request. It was denied right away,” Francoeur said matter-of-factly. Undeterred, he called Nashua lawyer Steve Maynard. “He looked it over, said it was really well done, made a few tweaks to it … and guess what, it was accepted,” he said.
Calling his bid to enter Phoenix House “the best thing I ever did,” Francoeur enrolled in May 2005. “Everyone comes in with little or no self-esteem, no sense of worth at all,” he said. “That’s where I was. They (the counselors) start peeling off layers, like an onion, to get down to what’s causing all the negative behavior” of each resident, Francoeur said.
Phoenix House’s inclusive, peer-centered philosophy is a major reason the program works, Francoeur said. “Residents actually run the house,” he said. “The staff is there to guide you, but you learn how to do things for yourself. It really builds self-esteem, a sense of accomplishment,” he said.
“Seriously, I don’t know where I’d be today if it weren’t for Phoenix House.”
Francoeur emphasizes that in his segment of the YouTube video.
“I’m clean and sober almost 11 years now, thanks to funding the state has provided to Phoenix House and other drug rehab programs throughout the state,” he says.
Following through with proposed funding cuts would be “devastating” to prevention and treatment programs and those who need them, according to New Futures executive director Linda Saunders Paquette.
“These cuts will eliminate all state support for community prevention programs and cut 33 percent of funding for treatment programs,” she said in a statement. “The impact will harm more than 30,000 children and adults in New Hampshire who will not receive critical services to prevent and treat addiction.”
Francoeur said he has also received treatment through the former Keystone Hall, now the Greater Nashua Council on Alcoholism, one of several programs of the Nashua-based Partnership for Successful Living.
He grows animated as he cites some relevant figures. “The state is projecting $1.18 billion in alcohol sales for the next two years,” he said. “Something like $376 million of that is profit. We (Phoenix House and similar programs) get about $3.6 million a year in funding (roughly $7.3 million for the two-year period).
“And now they want to cut these wonderful programs like Keystone and Phoenix House by 55 percent?”
Adding to Francoeur’s determination to keep such programs intact is the memory of a devastating personal loss, one he believed may have been prevented with timely drug-treatment intervention.
In summer 2001, as Francoeur sat in jail awaiting prison sentencing, his girlfriend of several years took her own life. “We’d been using…she had problems with depression too,” he said, shaking his head. “She just lost hope.
“I only wish she could have found Phoenix House first.”

NEW surgical procedure in the brain could be a cure for drug addicts without injuring the vital organ

2011-05-20T09:01:00.001+01:00

NEW surgical procedure in the brain could be a cure for drug addicts without injuring the vital organ, local medical authorities said yesterday.

With the new method, doctors from Renji Hospital managed to help a 24-year-old patient with a five-year history of drug abuse to remain clean for more than six years without a relapse. Usually, over 95 percent of addicts relapse within six months after quitting, due to the strong psychological dependency.

It is said to be the world's first reported successful case of treating drug addiction with a form of acupuncture through electrical stimulation in the brain, according to the latest edition of Biological Psychiatry, an international academic journal.

Doctors said the article is a good reference for health authorities to regulate and restart surgical treatment for drug addiction in China after the Ministry of Health banned a controversial surgical procedure that involved removing a small portion of the patient's brain, in November 2004.

"Unlike the surgery where a part of the brain is removed, our treatment is minimally invasive and just stimulates a part of the brain to block the addict's drug-induced psychological dependency," said Dr Zhou Hongyu of Renji Hospital's neurosurgery department. "Similar therapy has been used for many diseases, like Parkinson's, around the world and in China."

During the surgery, doctors input two needles as electrodes into the brain, at a certain position, to stimulate relative tissues to stop people's desire to use drugs.

The two needles are connected by wires to a remote control placed in the patient's chest and takes effect after the strength and frequency of the stimulation are set.

"Compared with the previous banned surgery, this treatment doesn't remove any brain tissues," Zhou said. "The process is even safer than the one used to treat Parkinson's disease, as the position where we place the needles is not close to any major functional tissues in the brain while the position of the needles for treating Parkinson's is close to the part which controls mobility."

But the new therapy is still in an experimental stage; wide adoption will need the health ministry's approval.