News

Is Addiction Inherited?

Posted on by Christy Weeks

Robert Downey Jr. has been in the news recently, not because of Iron Man or his past drug problems, but because of his son – 20-year-old Indigo – who is reportedly in rehab.

Robert Downey Jr. had a very public battle with addiction when he was in and out of jails and institutions while trying to salvage his career. People watched as the extremely talented actor struggled with addiction to heroin, alcohol and cocaine and now praise him as a hero – not only because he is Iron Man, but for having overcome his powerful addiction to drugs and alcohol – he has been sober since 2003.

His son apparently went to treatment for trouble with prescription pills. His mother – Downey’s ex wife Deborah Falconer reportedly said, “He was never addicted. He was taking one pill a day” and now  “He’s doing great. He’ll be back playing music and going better soon.”

Indigo, who plays in a band called The Seems (who just got a record deal with Warner Brothers) seems to have inherited creativity from his father, is it possible he inherited addictive tendencies as well? Robert Downey said that he was influenced by his own father’s drug use and began using marijuana at 6 years old after seeing his dad use it.

In the field of addiction treatment there are arguments for both nature and nurture when determining whether or not addiction can be inherited. To date, there is not one specific “addiction gene” but biological characteristics that make people either more or less vulnerable to addictive substances. For example, genes play a role in people having difficulty quitting once they start or experiencing greater withdrawal symptoms from substances once they stop. But scientists say that someone’s genetic makeup will not inevitably doom them to a life of addiction.

What do you think? Is it nurture or nature that puts one at greater risk for addiction?

Beware: Flesh Rotting Street Drug “Krokodil”

Posted on by Christy Weeks
Krokodil Drug – May Have Come From Russia to the US

Over a year ago the nation was shocked by the synthetic drug known as bath salts that was suspected in a horrific act of violence in Miami, Florida. Since then there have been national crackdowns on head shops and gas stations that sold the synthetic drug and news reports of it have dwindled. Last week a new drug, that proves just as, if not more, horrifying than bath salts may have hit the streets in the US.

The drug is called “krokodil” because it causes users to break out in scaly sores like a crocodile. These sores aren’t a result of picking, as with meth addicts but from contaminants in the drug that cause human flesh to rot, much like gangrene. The drug has been on the streets of Russia and authorities hoped it wouldn’t find its way to the US – but it may have. The Banner Good Samaritan Poison Control Center in Phoenix, Arizona got wind from physicians about symptoms in their emergency rooms that were consistent with the IV use of krokodil – although toxicology reports have yet to confirm this.

These reports were taken seriously on a national level because emerging drugs are often first seen by physicians that treat the symptoms. Reportedly two addicts arrived in a Phoenix area hospital with exposed bone and flesh hanging off their bodies. Accordingly, news reports about krokodil that followed bear a resemblance to those about bath salts a year ago – with headlines like “Zombie Apocalypse Drug Reaches US: This Is Not a Joke” and “The Most Horrifying Drug in the World Comes to the US.”

Given the drug’s horrific effects that often require amputations, people are left wondering what the appeal of it is and why people would even try it in the first place. In Russia alone up to 1 million people are estimated to use it according to New York’s Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services. The appeal in Russia is that the drug mimics the effects of opiates but is 3 times cheaper than heroin and can be made with household products.

The DEA currently believes reports are just anecdotal because other reports of krokodil over the past few years were never confirmed, according to agency spokesman Rusty Payne. We hope they are just anecdotal and the public stays safe and aware – especially educating loved ones about the effects of krokodil and urging them not to experiment with any new drugs. Although impending amputation is enough of a deterrent to dissuade most, some addicts who are heavy in their addictions are most liable to become victims.

 

9 DUI Fatalities over Labor Day in Colorado

Posted on by Christy Weeks
Photo via CDOT

Back in January, Harmony Foundation wrote a blog about the number of impaired driving arrests over the New Year. We hoped that that news of arrests would’ve served as a deterrent throughout the state, but it seems numbers were even higher during the recent Labor Day enforcement period between August 16th and September 3rd.

During this time period, known to be a heavy party time as people say goodbye to summer, there were a total of 1,342 arrests and 9 impaired driving related deaths. This was reported by the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and the Colorado State Police who have joined together to create a campaign called The Heat is On to crackdown on drunk driving.

According to the Director of the Office of Transportation Safety at CDOT, Darrell Lingk, “The Labor Day crackdown is one of the annual enforcement periods where we see significant increases in impaired driving arrests.” The increase in arrests was possible through the collaboration of 100 law enforcement agengies and extra enforcement workers on the beat looking for impaired drivers.

The Heat is On campaign also turned the classic “don’t drink and drive” slogan on its head and created the tagline “Drink, and don’t drive” to grab the attention of Coloradans in August via mobile billboards that were poised in populated places like Colorado Rockies games and Tour de Fat in Forte Collins. In addition, they implemented the Interactive Urinal Communicator at select bars that encouraged men at the urinal (in a 15 second automated message) to take a taxi over driving impaired.

The campaign is set to continue with the same extra assertion of efforts and enforcement during 12 time periods throughout the year. The next vamp up is scheduled for the Holiday Season. Unfortunately the arrests and the innovative campaign strategies weren’t enough to prevent the tragic 9  DUI related fatalities. Harmony Foundation gives our condolences as our hearts go out to the victims and their friends and families.

As we stated in January, we support all statewide efforts to crackdown on driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs – including marijuana and prescription medications. In our addiction treatment practice we find that a large percentage of those arrested for DUI have underlying alcohol or drug dependency issues that we effectively treat here at Harmony Foundation. We encourage those who have been arrested or those likely to be arrested for DUI to seek treatment to help themselves, and the public writ large, stay safe.

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Opioid Toolkit in time for Overdose Awareness Day

Posted on by Christy Weeks

Saturday was International Overdose Awareness Day, which memorializes those who have died or have sustained a permanent injury resulting from an overdose. In addition, it aims to condole the grief of families and friends of overdose victims while promoting addiction treatment and educating the public that overdoses are preventable. This takes place on August 31st each year and was created by Sally Finn of Melbourne, Australia in 2001. At the time Finn was the manager of a Salvation Army syringe program and saw the need for an outlet for the friends and families of those who had overdosed.

This day came just after the White House hosted a media briefing to look at overdose trends in the US and reveal their new “opioid toolkit” that strives to reduce the volume of opioid overdoses and educate public servants and the public. 


The opioid toolkit is free and equips communities and local governments – such as first responders, treatment providers with resources that help them create policies and practices to prevent opioid overdoses and deaths.

Both International Overdose Awareness Day and the White House briefing are thoughtful responses to a real epidemic. Here are some statistics that paint the picture of overdose in the US by the CDC and the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians respectively:

• Drug overdose was responsible for 38,329 deaths in the US in 2010. US overdose deaths have increased for 11 successive years. In 2010, and for the third year in a row, the number of US citizens whose deaths were drug related exceeded the number of fatalities in road traffic accidents (32,885). Opioid analgesic overdoses have claimed 125,000 US lives in the last decade.

• In 2012 the number-one cause of death in 17 US states was prescription drug abuse, and that figure surpassed the number of fatalities caused by motor vehicle accidents.

Harmony Foundation treats those suffering from addiction to drugs and alcohol. We are located in Estes Park, Colorado and help high risk addicts – such as those addicted to heroin or prescription pills – learn how to live life drug free.

Why Lindsay Lohan is Right

Posted on by Christy Weeks
Why Lindsay Lohan is Right
Lindsay Lohan on Oprah, photo via 

When anything on Lindsay Lohan is written in newspapers or tabloids people’s eyes have grown accustomed to skimming or glossing over – because it is often the same story with slightly varied details about jails, rehabs, arrests, accidents and so forth.

However, in her interview this week on Oprah’s Next Chapter, Lohan sings a different tune, a tune that is actually right on the mark with regard to recovery – that others in early recovery from addiction can  resonate with.

The following excerpts are from Oprah’s 1st of many scheduled interviews with Lohan that aired this week :

Lohan: “I need to shut up and listen”

Why it is right: This self deprecating phrases is often considered essential for newcomers in 12 step meetings. It is not to say that the newcomer doesn’t have a voice, but rather they have a lot to learn. The way they have been living their lives – according to their will and their way, hasn’t worked. With this humble realization comes the greater realization that another way, not theirs, might be better – such as the way of those with more time in recovery, that newcomers can “shut up and listen” to.

Lohan: “I’m willing to do whatever it takes…and [to do] whatever people that have more experience than me in their recovery [have done]…”

Why it is right: Addicts do whatever it takes to get their drugs and alcohol. They go to great lengths to get high. When they become serious about their recovery, they do whatever it takes to stay sober. When an addict in early recovery says this, they are often held accountable by their own words, agreeing to take the suggestions of their sponsor, counselors or others in their recovery circle. This statement is bold and often represents a real surrendering to recovery. The bittersweet reality of this proclamation is that what it takes to stay sober is often enjoyable, such as showing up to meetings, communicating with others and being of service to others – often much more favorable than the conditions it took to score drugs.

Lohan: “I’ve been lucky and blessed enough to have been given a gift to share with other people…”

Why it is right: Those who live through their addiction and are able to make it to recovery, be it treatment or 12 step rooms, are blessed to be there. It is a gift, as there were so many circumstances and situations that could’ve taken their lives – from driving under the influence to the over consumption of substances. Those that have made it through and grasped recovery, realize it is a gift because many, many try to get sober and fail – and this motivates those that have the gift to share it with others.

We give Kudos to Lohan to have grasped these concepts and to be doing whatever it takes, including listening and being of service to others, to stay sober.

But there is something all-powerful that rules over the verbiage and vernacular of recovery or 12 step-meeting rooms – and that is action. After all is said and done, recovery is a program of action.

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Prescription Stimulants Taking a Toll on Young Adults

Posted on by Christy Weeks

Young adults are increasingly at risk of prescription drug abuse. This has been proven especially true for prescription stimulant drugs like Adderall and Ritalin.

Young adults use these drugs as a study aid or “party aid” because they allow them to stay awake longer. Normally indicated for Attention Deficit Disorder (A.D.D.), Adderall and Ritalin contain amphetamine salts and similar chemical compounds which increase the amount of dopamine circulating in the brain. They help those with A.D.D focus, but give the feeling of hyper-alertness for those without A.D.D.

The number of young adults visiting the emergency room after abusing stimulants has quadrupled over the past 6 years – from 5,600 visits in 2005 to 23,000 in 2011. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) attributes this rise to young adults having greater access to stimulants. According to their data, in 2011 the majority of young adults had access to stimulants by getting them from friends and relatives.

Peter J. Delany of SAMHSA says the rise is pronounced among those 18-25 years old. Unfortunately, many young adults aren’t aware of the health and legal consequences of abusing stimulants. In many states, possessing just one pill without a prescription is a felony charge and having as few as 5 pills can be considered trafficking.

The health consequences can also be severe – especially when combined with alcohol. Many young adults end up visiting the emergency room with palpitations, severe anxiety, paranoia and heart and blood vessel problems. Some even end up with psychosis after taking too much over an extended period of time and some get alcohol poisoning because stimulants mask the effects of being drunk.

For a young adult, the legal and health consequences can be lifelong. What often starts out as innocent use of stimulants – such as using them during finals at college – can quickly turn into not-so-innocent consequences because of the addictive nature of stimulants.

At Harmony Foundation we understand the consequences of addiction among young adults, which is why we have created special Young Adult Recovery Track. We help bring young adults back from the often-quick downward spiral of prescription drug abuse.

Men and Women Have Different Triggers

Posted on by Christy Weeks
What Triggers You? Photo Via

A recent study published in the Scientific American showed that alcoholic men and women relapse for different reasons.

It is common knowledge that relapse rates are high for those in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. That is why addiction treatment programs work with clients on relapse prevention before they leave treatment.

John Kelly and Bettina Hoeppner with Massachusetts General Hospital collected and assessed data that revealed new insights for relapse prevention. For 15 months they looked at the social networks and drinking habits of 1,726 members of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). They presented them with hypotheticals and asked them how confident they were in their ability to stay sober if those situations happened.

They found that male alcoholics are at greatest risk of relapse when they are in social situations where others are drinking. AA helps them stay sober by being around non-drinking friends. After some time in recovery with fellow members of AA, they learn coping skills to handle situations where friends or colleagues are drinking around them socially. The classic depiction of men bonding in business or personal life over a glass of whiskey seems to be all too triggering for men.

Kelly and Hoeppner found that women alcoholics are at greatest risk for relapse when they feel strong emotions. When they are feeling depressed or anxious, fellow female AA members can help them recognize that they can have emotions, but they don’t have to react to them by picking up a drink.

While in alcoholism treatment, clients often identify their own relapse triggers – be it business dinners, breakups or celebrations. Those in early recovery are cautioned to avoid those situations because the integrity of their recovery should come first. Clients also have opportunities to play out the triggering situations in an individual or group therapeutic setting while in treatment. They can role-play how they would react to identified triggers by utilizing the new tools they learned in recovery. Over time when they are strong in their recovery they can handle triggering situations with grace.

What are your triggers? How do you handle them?

 

Cory Monteith’s Death Sheds Light on Relapse

Posted on by Christy Weeks
“I may have a relapse but may not have another recovery”
 The Importance of Relapse Prevention

It has been a week since it was announced that Cory Monteith passed away from a fatal combination of alcohol and heroin. The devastating news has made us reflect on the importance of addiction treatment for younger adults and relapse prevention.

Monteith was best known for his role in Glee, portraying Finn Hudson, a young football star turned singer for the high school’s singing squad. He was found dead in a hotel in Vancouver last Saturday and reports indicated that alcohol and other substances were found in his hotel room.

Monteith was open about his substance abuse – saying in interviews that he first got sober when he was 19 and remained clean for almost 10 years. In one interview he told Parade Magazine that was “lucky to be alive” because he was “doing anything and everything, as much as possible” by the age of 16. Then last April his publicist announced that he entered rehab for substance abuse.

His relapse is a reminder that sobriety is something those in recovery have to consistently work at, through various means of support – and that a relapse can happen no matter how many years of sobriety someone has under their belt. There is no one size fits all approach to maintain sobriety, but many find that going to 12 step meetings, having a sponsor, incorporating spiritual principals such as honesty and discipline in their lives, maintaining connection with others in recovery and aftercare services or staying connected to their former treatment centers can help.

That is why Harmony’s addiction rehab in Colorado has a unique alumni support system whereby former clients connect with Alumni Services through events and even an iPhone and Android app that allows them to track their recovery progress. We also have a relapse program for those that need to recommit to their recovery. We have created these safety nets because we believe the saying that “I may have a relapse but may not have another recovery” unfortunately rings true. You never know when a relapse or what combination of substances can take a life. Our hearts and prayers go out to Monteith and his friends and family.

Was She Drunk? Czech Woman Hit by Train

Posted on by Christy Weeks

It is estimated that 40,933 people in the US die each year from alcohol related accidents. Not all accidents are car crashes, in fact many are other accidents such as falls, cuts or being hit by other vehicles.

This includes the devastating story of Devon Arnold who was mysteriously found dead in 2010 on railroad tracks after he had been drinking at a Denver Nuggets game. A train had apparently hit him more than 2 miles from where he was last seen and no one knew how he had gotten onto the tracks.

These stories happen everywhere, not limited to the US – and just last week a young Czech woman believed to be drunk almost lost her life after she was run over by a subway train. A video captured her staggering around the edge of the train tracks until she fell in. Seconds later a train came and ran her over.

In the video below you see the aftermath of the accident, whereby she is shockingly pulled out from under the train unscathed and simply dusts herself off and walks away after refusing a breathalyzer and medical treatment.

Unfortunately many aren’t so lucky to be able to walk away from alcohol related accidents. Those who are often use the experience as a wake up call to limit their consumption of alcohol. Those who don’t take incidents seriously, and continue to drink heavily despite past falls or other accidents, may have a problem with alcohol.

After getting sober many look back on their past recklessness and praise the fact that they are still alive and healthy. Some even use the fact that they never experienced physical harm as spiritual fuel to support their sobriety. Many seek out addiction treatment after negative experiences while drinking that put them in harm’s way. If you are concerned about your own safety while drinking or that of another, Harmony Foundation has alcohol treatment for adults and young adults.

The jury is still out on whether the Czech woman was drunk or just sleepy, you can form your own opinion after watching this video:

“Drug Dreams” in Early Recovery

Posted on by Christy Weeks

Have you ever had a terrible dream of loss or grief only to awake and feel immensely grateful that it was not true? Well this occurs quite frequently with addicts and alcoholics in early recovery such as those in addiction treatment centers. They experience “using dreams” or “drug dreams” that gallingly pop up at crucial moments of recovery.

Many of those who awake from a drug dream report being filled with gratitude that they have not picked up. They value the days, weeks and months that make up their sobriety and they wear their time sober as a badge of honor resembling hard work. Many dream that they have used, lost their sober time, let others around them down, and they experience feelings of guilt mixed with a murky darkness or impending doom. Just like anyone who has experienced a bad dream, they wake up thankful that it was only a dream.

Others report awaking with a feeling of relief but also find the dreams triggering. This is because they actually experience being “high” in their dreams, which may spark cravings the next day or a few days following the dream. The thought of being high in their dream permeates their waking hours and they find themselves suddenly preoccupied with using despite being strong in their resolve not to pick up just the day before. The dream then just seems downright unfair. For an addict’s hard work to be temporarily undermined by a using dream feels like putting salt on a wound.

There is limited research on why drug dreams occur or if certain groups experience them more often than others. However, some addiction treatment professionals say that drug dreams can indicate something positive – that they are the brain’s way of healing – of closing the gap between a painful and dramatic past with a serene future. With each dream the brain is healing – by reconciling the addict’s new way of living by playing out the past in a dream rather than in real life. Many believe the dreams occur more frequently in early sobriety because the brain is healing the most then. Using dreams may reappear at stressful times in life – sometimes even years after being sober – because the life situation may resemble something the sober brain has not conquered yet. However cumbersome and annoying using dreams might be, the bottom line is that they are just a dream and we can choose how we react to them. We can play into the disease of addiction by letting them be triggering, or we can let them fill us with gratitude that the brain is healing and we are sober in real life.