DRUG ADDITCS WAIT FOR ROCK BOTTOM

Many people believe that drug and alcohol addicts must hit “rock bottom” before seeking help to detox. You can’t get any lower than death, so why is it so many family members and friends wait to intervene? The truth is, every person addicted to alcohol, street drugs or prescribed opiates is already a step away from death. The ultimate bottom for addicts is always within reach. Whether it’s intentional overdose, accidental death, an allergic reaction or a result of risky behavior, addictions are by nature destructive and often lead to tragedy. The concept of a “bottom” is subjective at best. To one person, the bottom could be overdose. To another, it could be arrest. No one ever knows what someone else’s bottom is, oftentimes until it is too late. Once a pattern of abuse is established, loved ones should intervene. An addict who is forced to acknowledge the consequences of his or her actions early on may be motivated to seek help. Too often, loved ones step in to save the day but do so in the wrong way.

ADDICTS NEED HELP, NOT ENABLING

Helping addicts cover bills or giving them a place to stay while actively using is enabling them to stay sick. While it is often done out of love, it helps to keep them in denial about their addiction. This can cause them to delay treatment. Drug and alcohol addiction is a progressive disease and can be fatal. Addiction can ruin lives, derail careers and destroy relationships. It can lead to homelessness, arrest, legal trouble, divorce, estrangement among family members, depression, physical problems and death. Abuse and addiction is soaring among prescription drug users. Whether obtained legally or not, many drugs such as opiates are highly addictive and easily lead to tolerance and dependence. An opiate addict can have unpredictable mood swings, neglect responsibilities and relationships, lie and be manipulative and unreliable. Caught in a cycle of highs and lows, opiate addicts often try to recapture the euphoria they experienced when first using. This leads to tolerance, which cause them to take more to feel normal, and for many, ends in addiction.

EARLY INTERVENTION MAY GIVE ADDICTS A BETTER CHANCE

The fear of experiencing withdrawal from opiates may keep some addicts using. Defense mechanisms they employ include denial and rationalization of their use and its resulting behavior. When it comes to going “cold turkey,” for many addicts, the success rates aren’t encouraging. But no one is ever too far gone. Many addiction experts say there is a better chance at long-term recovery if treatment is sought early. It makes for an easier transition into sober living, they say. For those addicted to alcohol, street drugs and opiates like Percocet, OxyContin and Vicodin, medically supervised detox may be necessary.

ABUSE RESISTANT PAINKILLERS ON THE HORIZON

Several pharmaceutical companies are looking to corner the market on pain medication by developing tamper resistant products to treat chronic pain. On Nov. 13, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration panel reviewed the proposed Remoxy, a narcotic pain reliever that contains oxycodone. The Bloomberg news agency reports a majority of the panel of independent advisors to the FDA said Remoxy is less susceptible to abuse than Purdue Pharma LP’s Oxycontin. Remoxy, developed by Pain Therapeutics Inc. and King Pharmaceuticals Inc., is a capsule meant to be taken twice a day. Bloomberg said six companies are moving quickly to develop painkillers that can’t be crushed, snorted or injected by users seeking to get high. The advisory panel didn’t take a formal vote, Bloomberg reports, saying the FDA usually follows the panel’s recommendations but isn’t required to. The FDA is expected to decide if it will approve Remoxy by Dec. 10.

ABUSE OF PRESCRIPTION PAINKILLERS ON THE RISE

The need for tamper resistant painkillers is evidenced by the soaring number of people abusing prescription opioids like Oxycontin, Percocet and Fentanyl. The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that in 2006, 16.2 million Americans 12 years of age and older had taken a prescription painkiller, tranquilizer or sedative for non-medical purposes at least once in the previous year. Many experts say the abuse of prescription drugs is quickly overtaking that of illegal “street” drugs. The black market for diverted prescription drugs is big business. Headlines in newspapers across the country are reflective of that. Young people are getting their hands on adults’ prescriptions and communities are trying to figure out how to curb abuse. The growing problem of prescription drug abuse has kept law enforcement officials busy, as related crimes have soared. In several communities across the country, doctors and nurses have been charged with writing fraudulent prescriptions. Pharmacy diversion is also a problem, as prescriptions for pills – often painkillers – have in some cases been filled fraudulently. Oftentimes, people develop an opiate dependency after taking legitimately prescribed medication for an injury, serious illness or after surgery. In other cases, people begin taking pills that have not been prescribed because of the belief they are safe because they came from a doctor. Those who abuse opiates and other drugs sometimes crush, dissolve or inject it to obtain a quick high. This practice could be fatal, leading to overdose or death.

THE FUTURE OF PRESCRIPTION PAINKILLERS

Opiate abusers are looking for a great high. Some pharmaceutical companies are looking to prevent that. There’s no doubt huge markets exist for both. But the Bloomberg agency said almost half of panelists expressed concerns that evidence fails to show Remoxy will live up to its claims. If one or more painkillers are eventually developed and prove to be truly tamper resistant, it’s fair to say the manufacturers will capture a very large portion of the market.