WOMEN AND DRUGS: A DIFFERENT SET OF NEEDS

The women we love are at risk. To be specific, several million of them. The very real threat they face is substance abuse and addiction. This demographic has been largely overlooked in the past when it comes to research and education. But as more women fall into the trap of addiction, researchers have had no choice but to sit up and listen.

Most drug abuse research has revolved around men, but in recent years the National Institute on Drug Abuse(NIDA) and other agencies have made women’s research a priority. What they are finding from lab, field and clinical research is that women have a different set of risk factors and often need different services while in drug treatment.

NIDA says women have different biological factors that play into use, abuse and addiction. Their progression toward addiction, and consequences they face are different. This means that prevention education and treatment options need to be more tailored to women.

TROUBLED LIVES AND BIOLOGY PLAY A ROLE

NIDA’s research shows women who use drugs or alcohol often have other serious health problems, such as sexually transmitted diseases. Other problems include depression, making the need for women’s mental health initiatives imperative.

Many women who abuse drugs and/or alcohol have had troubled lives. According to NIDA, studies show that at least 70% of women users have been sexually abused by the age of 16. Most have had at least one parent who abused alcohol or drugs, the agency found. Other common traits in women users include low self-esteem, feelings of powerlessness, social isolation and little self-confidence.

An interesting finding by NIDA shows the biological differences between men and women extend to drug use. Women can develop substance abuse problems quicker than men, according to the report. Also, many treatment programs have been historically aimed at men. Women face a different set of challenges and needs.

NIDA says women’s programs need to offer food, shelter, clothing, childcare, transportation, parenting courses, medical and mental health services, therapy, legal assistance, education and job skills.

PREGNANCY AND HIV COMPOUND THE RISK

NIDA estimates that 4 million U.S. women, from all age groups, races and cultures, currently use drugs. Nine million have used illegal drugs in the past year, the study shows, and 3.7 million have used prescription drugs for non-medical reasons in the past year. Most female drug abusers tend to use more than one drug, it says.

The agency is putting considerable effort behind research devoted to treatment and services for pregnant women and those with children. HIV/AIDS research is also needed for women because of health risks posed to them and their children. Women who share needles to inject drugs intravenously risk their health and can contract HIV or hepatitis.

NIDA said more than 28,000, or 70%, of AIDS cases among women are drug related. Fetuses, newborns and older children can unwittingly suffer the consequences of their mothers’ choices. Pregnant women who use drugs are at risk of having children who suffer from the following health problems:

• HIV
• AIDS
• SIDS
• Prematurity
• Low birth weight
• Stunted growth
• Behavioral problems
• Poor motor skills
• Increased risk of becoming users

ONLINE PRESCRIPTIONS: DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU’RE GETTING?

Cheap generic drugs! Tramadol prescriptions online. No prescription needed.

These are the kind of headlines you’ll find when trolling the Internet for prescription drugs. A few clicks of the mouse and you can get virtually anything you want – powerful narcotic painkillers, sleeping pills, tranquilizers, mood stabilizers, uppers, weight management drugs and more.

While there are some sites that legitimately dispense drugs for patients who need them, the validity of others is questionable. The Internet has become a virtual marketplace for just about everything.

The convenience of buying from home appeals to many. But when it comes to prescription drugs, the government is concerned that many consumers aren’t getting what they’re paying for. And worse, some could be receiving potentially dangerous drugs in their place.

BE WARY: NO PRESCRIPTION NECESSARY

In June 2004, the Government Accountability Office found during an investigation that agents were able to get most of the drugs they tried to get online, without a prescription. Some of these drugs even had special safety restrictions or were addictive, narcotic painkillers.

A report released this year by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University says

"85% of web sites selling prescription drugs like OxyContin, Valium and Ritalin don’t ask for a prescription."

A major problem is that some of these sites dispense drugs to anyone, of any age. Also, addiction to prescription painkillers is on the rise, making it easy for addicts to get powerful controlled substances like oxycodone, hydrocodone, Suboxone and Fentanyl.

The broad reach of the Internet makes it difficult to police. There are also jurisdictional issues for law enforcement, making it difficult to enforce state and federal laws. In order to be a valid prescription in the U.S., it must address a legitimate medical need, be written by a physician or other health care provider and be based on an actual doctor-patient relationship.

DANGER OF THE UNKNOWN

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns that drugs bought on the Internet can be outdated, contaminated, too potent, not strong enough, counterfeit or the wrong prescription altogether. The agency has dealt with customers who reported paying for drugs online and never receiving them, people who received the wrong prescription and others who took what they received and experienced worsening symptoms.

Some illegal sites dispensing drugs do so after requiring nothing more than for customers to fill out an online questionnaire. Some say they offer online “doctor consultations.” The FDA says drugs imported from outside the U.S. cannot be guaranteed for safety or validity.

In July 2004, the FDA said investigators bought Viagra, Lipitor and Ambien from a site called “Canadian generics,” and that all were fake and potentially dangerous. The FDA recommends buying only from state licensed online pharmacies in the U.S. When shopping for drugs online, the agency says to be wary in the following cases:

• If there is no way to call the website pharmacy by phone
• If prices are drastically lower than what competitors are offering
• If no prescription is required
  

REMEMBERING THE FORGOTTEN VETERANS

November 11, 2008 was Veterans Day in the United States, and as a nation honored the men and women who’ve served, there are countless others often forgotten: the homeless, addicted and mentally scarred veterans who’ve had trouble reintegrating back into society.

Celebrated in other parts of the country as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day, the holiday was established to celebrate the military service of dedicated men and women who put their lives on the line to protect our freedoms. It is both a state and federal holiday in the U.S., and President George W. Bush has declared (Nov. 9-15 2008) as National Veterans Awareness Week.

There are an estimated 24.9 million veterans in the U.S. The National Coalition for the Homeless in Washington, D.C. says there are 200,000 homeless vets on the streets on any given night. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs said in 2006, more than 354,000 vets received care in clinics for substance abuse disorders.

WOUNDS OF BATTLE TAKE THEIR TOLL

Alcohol and drug addiction is a serious problem for veterans and those on active duty. The stress of being away from family, combined with the mental and physical scars of battle, can take a toll on the strongest of soldiers. Many return home so psychologically scarred, they are unable to find employment and wind up homeless. The damage can lead to poverty, social isolation, broken marriages and alcohol and drug dependence.

For others, it’s the physical scars that lead veterans and active duty personnel to pain medication. Managing pain from combat wounds can also lead to addiction to opiate painkillers.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) says studies have shown that people who experience stressful or traumatic events are more likely to abuse drugs or relapse into addiction. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder(PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder that is common among service men and women who see combat. PTSD is said to be a major risk factor for substance abuse and addiction. The high rate of PTSD and substance abuse was first reported in war-related studies where as many as 75% of combat vets with lifetime PTSD also have alcohol or drug addiction.

DRUG ABUSE AMONG SOLDIERS DATES TO CIVIL WAR

Historically, there is some evidence that drug abuse among military men and women dates back to the Civil War. Though it has been controversial and is disputed to some degree, there are stories of “Soldier’s Disease” from the 1800s. Some say the earliest example of opiate addiction as a social problem came during the Civil War. Though documentation is sketchy, some historians believe widespread addiction resulted from widespread use of opiates to treat pain from war injuries. Some say soldiers were injected daily with morphine and by 1865, some 400,000 young war vets were addicted to it.

WHAT BECOMES OF ADDICTED VETS

The government has veteran’s programs in place to help those addicted to alcohol and drugs. But drug treatment for individuals who return home damaged often comes too late – once depression, isolation and addiction have taken their hold. Every Veteran’s Day, make sure to remember not only those who have served, but also those who’ve died on the battlefields and those who’ve returned home but managed to slip through the cracks.