Where Drug Abuse Meets Politics

Where drug abuse meets politics has been evident in the news this past month with several headlines catching national attention.

First, Obama’s former right hand man turned Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is advocating that the state of Illinois lay off some of its stringent drug laws. Specifically, he wants to reduce the felony charge for those caught with a gram or less of a controlled substance. Currently, those caught with a  pain pill for which they have no prescription or a small amount of cocaine face a felony charge, which can have lifelong repercussions. According to Emanuel, “A felony conviction can slam the door on someone's future and make it harder to go to school, apply for financial aid and find housing. There are times when a felony conviction is no doubt warranted, but we have to ask ourselves whether it's too high a price for using drugs." What’s left out of this story was whether those charged with non-felony possession would be encouraged to seek drug abuse treatment.

Second, the Federal Government recently posted a job seeking pot farmers for the National Institute on Drug Abuse. They are looking for farmers to "cultivate and harvest, process, analyze, store, and distribute cannabis (marijuana) for research." Specifically, they are looking for marijuana farmers who are able to grow plants with “altered” variations of THC for specific research they are conducting.

Obviously the farmers must be approved by the FDA and DEA and registered to handle Schedule II substances. A spokesperson for NIDA said the organization’s contract for marijuana farms is going to expire next year and that these new contracts will likely be for one year, but may have the option of a four year contract. Obviously a lot of research on marijuana abuse will come out over the next few years but this job post in particular has gotten many interested in what NIDA is researching exactly.

Third, United States Attorney General Eric Holder announced that he will resign last week as soon as his replacement is confirmed. Critics say that Holder is leaving at a time when the DOJ is in over it’s head with the discordance between state and federal marijuana policy. Whoever the new Attorney General will be will have to contend with the fact that two states have legalized marijuana, 23 have sound, clear cut laws around medicinal use of cannibus and a few states have a few limited and blurry laws around medicinal uses. However, the Federal government continues to classify marijuana as a schedule I drug (or a drug defined as being criminal, without medicinal purpose and with high abuse potential). Because the DEA is part of the DOJ, the new Attorney General has the power and authority to reschedule or de-schedule a substance - something Holder failed to do while in office. Time (and nominations for Attorney General) will tell how marijuana will be classified federally.

What Lies Beneath: Depression and Substance Abuse

What Lies Beneath

In the darkest hours of addiction addicts often question what led them to spin out of control - to be completely powerless over drugs or alcohol. Many have felt something deeper attributed to their addictions other than poor choices or bad luck.

In most people’s first 12 step recovery meeting they get a glimpse of who an addict really is; who they really are. They hear their fellows describe their feelings and thought processes around not only drinking or drug abuse but also everyday situations and life in general. Through this process many find they share that others have had some form of depression prior to alcohol or drug abuse.

A recent study by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism found that depression typically precedes alcoholism. The study indicates that people who are depressed as children are more likely to develop addictions when they reach adulthood. It found that those depressed in their teen years are twice as likely to start drinking alcohol than those without depression.

Other studies have shown that alcoholism causes depression - raising the classic “what came first the chicken or the egg?” question. In many cases, the two are present concurrently and when one is worked on, the other improves. Often it is the substance abuse that gets attention first and depressive symptoms improve. That is because most drugs are depressants and it is hard to clinically diagnosis someone with substances present because they skew an accurate portrayal of that person’s well being.

Here are Harmony Foundation’s residential treatment program, our clients find that their depression, anxiety or other co-occurring disorders are more manageable, improve or disappear altogether when they put down substances. By detoxing from substances and allowing the body and mind to heal through long-term recovery, addicts give themselves a fighting chance against what lies beneath their addiction, like depression.

Do you Vive? Responsible College Students Should

Vive - An Alcohol Monitoring Wristband that Connects to Social Networks

Many college students and young adults drink, and binge drinking is most common among this age group. Often, young adults will get accidentally drunk, not being in tune with their own limits or how what they have eaten or what they have done that day (i.e. a rigorous workout) may impact their tolerance.

This is particularly worrisome for college-aged females who are at risk of sexual assault. Recent news stories about sexual assault can attest to the fact that assault on college campuses is not on the decline. These two important topics - knowing one’s alcohol tolerance and sexual assault is why Vive, a wearable wristband that can let you know how drunk you while keeping you connected with the group you went out partying with, was created.

The wristband monitors a person’s biometrics related to alcohol consumption - namely their level of dehydration and overall consumption. The bracelet lets out a vibration after which the person wearing it is supposed to squeeze or “check in” it to let it know they are ok. If the wearer does not squeeze it in a timely manner, it will alert that person's friends that they went out with because it is social media compatible. At the beginning of a night friends link their Vives together so they can alert the group if someone doesn’t check in or their intoxication level gets too high. Another feature - perhaps the most important one  - is the wristband’s ability to sense immobility if the wearer passes out somewhere. The band can harnesses Bluetooth, GPS and Wi-Fi to triangulate the wearer in distress if necessary.

This technology can help mitigate both over-consumption and sexual assault by prompting friends to intervene early if a friend is too drunk - according to the makers of Vive “we’re intervening here earlier in this timeline, crucially, before an individual has been removed from the safety of their social network.” This is especially important since, according to well known data, alcohol is involved in at least half of sexual assaults.

The goal of the company who launched Vive is to have it become the norm accessory for venues that involve alcohol like fraternity and sorority parties, clubs and festivals. If it does become the norm, it may also have the added benefit of helping problem drinkers recognize they have a problem early on (and seek alcohol abuse help) while helping friends drink responsibly and stay safe while mitigating the risk of sexual assault.