A small town man and woman overdose on prescription Fentanyl leave the man dead and the woman in the hospital.

By DAILY PRESS STAFF

Published: Monday, November 23, 2009 4:24 PM CST

A 43-year-old man died Friday from an overdose of the prescription drug Fentanyl, and a 20-year-old woman also overdosed but was revived, an official said Monday.

According to Det. Jerry Katchka of the Ashland Police Department, the man and woman cut up a patch of the drug, which is a synthetic opiate much stronger than morphine. While one patch is supposed to last 72 hours for one person, the two people apparently cut the patch in half and chewed it, releasing all of the narcotic at once, Katchka said.

The two were in a house with other friends on the 1000 block of Sixth Street West, Katchka said. When the woman collapsed, friends called her mother, who came to the house and immediately called paramedics at approximately 1:30 p.m. Friday. She was taken to the hospital and revived.

However, the man had ventured into a second room of the home and was not found at the same time as the woman. The second call on the man’s behalf was made approximately a half-hour later at 2 p.m. Friday. Emergency medical staff attempted, but were unable, to revive the man and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Officer Katchka said it was the third Fentanyl-related death in Ashland since 2003.

NEW VERSION, LESS ADDICTIVE A new Fentanyl product has just been approved by the FDA for breakthrough cancer pain called Onsolis. It uses a new drug delivery technology called BEMA (fentanyl buccal soluble film) which is placed in the mouth on a small disc. There appears to be less of a abuse potential because the drug can not be crushed up and snorted like other Fentanyl product. It also has less of a chance of causing mouth ulcers for patients needing to use Fentanyl for breakthrough cancer pain.

Drug Addiction, Drug Rehab

Illicit use of pharmaceutical fentanyls first appeared in the mid-1970s in the medical community and continues in the present. United States authorities classify fentanyl as a narcotic. To date, over 12 different analogues of fentanyl have been produced clandestinely and identified in the U.S. drug traffic. The biological effects of the fentanyls are similar to those of heroin, with the exception that many users report a noticeably less euphoric ‘high’ associated with the drug and stronger sedative and analgesic effects.

Because the effects of fentanyl last for only a very short time, it is even more addictive than heroin, and regular users may become addicted very quickly. Additionally, fentanyl may be hundreds of times more potent than street heroin, and tends to produce significantly worse respiratory depression, making it somewhat more dangerous than heroin to users. Fentanyl is most commonly used orally, but like heroin, can also be smoked, snorted or injected. Fentanyl is sometimes sold as heroin, often leading to overdoses. Many fentanyl overdoses are initially classified as heroin overdoses.

Fentanyl is normally sold on the black market in the form of transdermal fentanyl patches such as Duragesic, diverted from legitimate medical supplies. The patches may be cut up and eaten, or the gel from inside the patch smoked. To prevent the removal of the fentanyl base, Janssen-Cilag, the inventor of the Fentanyl patch, designed the Durogesic patch. The Durogesic patches contain their fentanyl throughout the plastic matrix instead of gel incorporated into a reservoir on the patch. Manufacturers such as Mylan have also produced Durogesic-style fentanyl patches that contain the chemical in a silicone matrix, preventing the removal of the fentanyl-containing gel present in other products.

However, the plastic matrix makes the patches far more suitable to transbuccal use and far easier to use illicitly than its gel filled counterpart. Another dosage form of fentanyl that has appeared on the streets are the Actiq fentanyl lollipops, which are sold under the street name of "percopop". The pharmacy retail price ranges from US$10 to US$30 per unit (based on strength of lozenge), with the black market cost anywhere from US$15 to US$40 per unit, depending on the strength.

Non-medical use of fentanyl by individuals without opiate tolerance can be very dangerous and has resulted in numerous deaths. Even those with opiate tolerances are at high risk for overdoses. Once the fentanyl is in the user’s system it is extremely difficult to stop its course because of the nature of absorption. Illicitly synthesized fentanyl powder has also appeared on the US market. Because of the extremely high strength of pure fentanyl powder, it is very difficult to dilute appropriately, and often the resulting mixture may be far too strong and consequently very dangerous.

Some heroin dealers mix fentanyl powder with heroin in order to increase potency or compensate for low-quality heroin. In 2006, illegally manufactured, non-pharmaceutical fentanyl often mixed with cocaine or heroin caused an outbreak of overdose deaths in the United States, heavily concentrated in the cities of Chicago, Detroit, and Philadelphia. Baltimore, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Milwaukee, Camden, New Jersey,Little Rock, and Dallas were also affected. The mixture of fentanyl and heroin is known as "magic" or "the bomb", among other names, on the street.

Several large quantities of illicitly produced fentanyl have been seized by U.S. law enforcement agencies. In June 2006, 945 grams of 83% pure fentanyl powder was seized by Border Patrol agents in California from a vehicle which had entered from Mexico. Mexico is the source of much of the illicit fentanyl for sale in the U.S. However, there has been one domestic fentanyl lab discovered by law enforcement, in April 2006 in Azusa, California. The lab was a source of counterfeit 80-mg OxyContin tablets containing fentanyl instead of oxycodone, as well as bulk fentanyl and other drugs.

The "China White" form of fentanyl refers to any of a number of clandestinely produced analogues, especially α-methylfentanyl (AMF), which today are classified as Schedule I drugs in the United States. Part of the motivation for AMF is that despite the extra difficulty from a synthetic standpoint, the resultant drug is relatively more resistant to metabolic degradation. This results in a drug with an increased duration.

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Crystal meth is short for crystal methamphetamine. It is just one form of the drug methamphetamine.

Methamphetamine is a white crystalline drug that people take by snorting it (inhaling through the nose), smoking or injecting with a needle. Some even take it orally, but all develop a strong desire to continue using it because the drug creates a false sense of happiness and well-being – a rush (strong felling) of confidence, hyper-activeness and energy. One also experiences decreased appetite. These drug effects generally last from six to eight hours, but can last up to 24 hours.

The first experience might involve some pleasure, but from the start methamphetamine begins to destroy the user’s life.

What is Methamphetamine?

Methamphetamine is an illegal drug in the same class as cocaine and other powerful street drugs. It has many nicknames – meth, crank, chalk or speed being the most common.

Methamphetamine is inexpensive and relatively easy to produce, making it affordable and readily available.

meth, for example, is used by individuals of all ages, but is most commonly used as a “club drug”, taken while partying in night clubs or at rave parties. Its most common street names are ice, glass, shards, or Tina.

It is a dangerous and potent chemical, and, as with all drugs, a poison that first acts as a stimulant, but then begins to systematically destroy the body. Thus it is associated with serious health conditions, including memory loss, aggression, psychotic behavior and potential heart and brain damage.

Highly addictive, meth burns up the body’s resources, creating a devastating dependence that can only be relieved by taking more of the drug.

Crystal meth’s effect is highly concentrated and many users report getting hooked (addicted) from the first time they use it. “I tried it once and BOOM! I was addicted”, said one meth addict who lost his family, friends, his profession as a musician and ended up homeless.

Consequently, it is one of the hardest drug addictions to treat and many die in its grip.

What Does Methamphetamine Look Like?

Different Colors of Methamphetamine

Methamphetamine usually comes in the form of a crystalline white powder that is odorless, bitter-tasting and it dissolves easily in water or alcohol. Other colors of powder have been observed, including brown, yellow-gray, orange and even pink. It can also be compressed into pill form. As covered earlier it can be snorted, smoked or injected. Crystal meth comes in clear chunky crystals resembling ice and is most commonly smoked.

Crystal Methamphetamine

Street Names for Methamphetamine

Methamphetamine (meth) and crystal methamphetamine are referred to by many names:

Meth

• Fast
• Crink
• Wash
• Chalk
• Crank
• Getgo
• Speed
• Brown
• Tweak
• Crypto
• Tick tick
• Beannies
• Cinnamon
• Chicken feed
• Methlies quik
• Mexican crack
• Yellow powder
• Redneck cocaine
• Yaba (Southeast Asia)
• Pervitin (Czech Republic)

Crystal Meth

• Ice
• Tina
• Batu
• Glass
• Blade 
• Cristy
• Shabu
• Hot ice
• Shards
• Quartz
• Crystal
• Ventana
• Stove top
• Crystal glass

What is Meth Made From?

Methamphetamine is a synthetic, (man-made) chemical, unlike cocaine, for instance, which comes from a plant.

Meth is commonly manufactured in illegal, hidden laboratories using various forms of amphetamine (another stimulant drug) or derivatives, mixed with other chemicals to boost its potency. Common pills such as cold remedies are often used as the basis for the production of the drug. The meth “cook” extracts the active ingredient in those pills, pseudoephedrine (a chemical derived from amphetamine), and combines it with dangerous or even deadly ingredients such as battery acid, drain cleaner, lantern fuel and antifreeze to increase its strength.

Those manufacturing methamphetamine use dangerous chemicals that are potentially explosive. Because of the volatile nature of the materials they employ, and the fact that the meth cooks are drug users themselves and disoriented, they are often severely burned and disfigured or killed when their preparations explode. Such accidents endanger others in nearby homes or buildings.

The illegal laboratories create a lot of toxic waste as well – the production of o

ne pound of methamphetamine produces five pounds of waste. People exposed to this waste material can become poisoned and sick.

Meth being cooked

The Deadly Effects of Meth:

The sort-term and long-term impact on the individual.

When taken, meth and crystal meth create a false sense of well-being and energy, and so a person will tend to push his body faster and further than it is meant to go. Thus, drug users can experience a severe “crash” or physical and mental breakdown after the effects of the drugs wear off.

Since the continued use of the drug decreases natural feelings of hunger, users can experience extreme weight loss. Negative effects can also include disturbed sleep patterns, hyperactivity, nausea, delusions of power, increased aggressiveness and irritability.

Other worrying effects can include: insomnia, confusion, hallucinations, anxiety and paranoia. In some cases, use can cause convulsions that lead to death.

Long-Range Damage

In the long term, meth use can cause irreversible harm: increased heart rate and blood pressure, damaged blood vessels in the brain that can cause strokes or an irregular heartbeat that can, in turn, cause cardiovascular collapse or death, and liver, kidney and lung damage.

There are strong indications that users suffer brain damage, including memory impairment and an increasing inablility to grasp abstract thoughts. Those who recover are usally subject to some memory gaps and extreme mood swings.

Meth Harm

Short-Term Effects:

• Nausea
• Loss of appetite
• Dilation of pupils
• Panic and psychosis
• Disturbed sleep patterns
• Hallucinations, hyper-excitability, irritability
• Bizarre, erratic, sometimes violent behavior
• Increased heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature
• Excessive doses may lead to convulsions, seizures and death

Long-Term Effects:

• Psychosis
• Depression
• Severe tooth decay
• Malnutrition, weight loss
• Liver, kidney and lung damage
• Respiratory problems if smoked
• Strong psychological dependence
• Destruction of tissues in nose if sniffed
• Disorientation, apathy, confused exhaustion
• Infectious diseases and abscesses if injected
• Damage to the brain similar to Alzheimer’s disease, stroke and epilepsy
• Irreversible damage to blood vessels of heart and brain, high blood pressure leading to heart attacks, stokes and death

How Methamphetamine Affects People’s Lives

When people take methamphetamine, it takes over their live in varying degrees. There are three categories of abuse.

Low-Intensity Meth Abuse:

Low-intensity abusers swallow or snort methamphetamine. They want the extra stimulation methamphetamine provides so that they can stay awake long enough to finish a task or a job, or they want the appetite-suppressant effect to lose weight. They are one step away from becoming “binge” (meaning uncontrolled use of a substance) abusers.

Binge Meth Abuse:

Binge abusers smoke or inject methamphetamine with a needle. This allows them to receive a more intense dose of the drug and experience a stronger “rush” this is psychologically addictive. They are on the verge of moving into high-intensity abuse.

High-Intensity Meth Abuse:

The high-intensity abusers are the addicts, often called “speed freaks”. Their whole existence focuses on preventing the crash, that painful letdown after the drug high. In order to achieve the desired “rush” from the drug, they must take more and more of it. But as with other drugs, each successive meth high is less than the one before, urging the meth addict into a dark and deadly spiral of addiction.

The Stages of the Meth “Experience”

1. The Rush- A rush is the initial response the abuser feels when smoking or injecting methamphetamine. During the rush, the abuser’s heartbeat races and metabolism, blood pressure and pulse soar. Unlike the rush associated with crack cocaine, which lasts for approximately two to five minutes, the methamphetamine rush can continue for 30 minutes or longer.
2. The High- The rush is followed by a high, sometimes called “the shoulder” but more so called “the peak” or “peaking”. During the high, the abuser often feels aggressively smarter and becomes argumentative, often interrupting other people and finishing their sentences. The delusional effects can result in a user becoming intensely focused on a mundane or inconsequential item, such as repeatedly cleaning the same window for several hours. The high can last 4-16 hours or longer depending on how much was taken or how potent the dose was that was taken.
3. The Binge- A binge is uncontrolled use of a drug or alcohol. It refers to the abuser’s urge to maintain the high by smoking or injecting more methamphetamine. The binge can last 3-15 days. During the binge, the abuser becomes hyperactive both mentally and physically. Each time the abuser smokes or injects more of the drug, he experiences another but smaller rush until, finally, there is no rush and no high.
4. Tweaking- A methamphetamine abuser is most dangerous when experiencing a phase of the addiction called “tweaking” – a condition reached at the end of a drug binge when methamphetamine no longer provides a rush or a high. Unable to relieve the dreadful feelings of emptiness and craving, an abuser loses his sense of identity. Intense itching is common and a user can become convinced that bugs are crawling under his skin. Unable to sleep for days at a time, the abuser is often in a completely psychotic state and he exists in his own world, seeing and hearing things that no one else can perceive. His hallucinations are so vivid that they seem real and disconnected from reality, he can become hostile and dangerous to himself and others. The potential for self-mutilation is high.
5. The Crash- To a binge abuser, the crash happens when the body shuts down, unable to cope with the drug effects overwhelming it; this results in a long period of sleep for the person. Even the meanest most violent abuser becomes almost lifeless during the crash and poses a threat to no one. The crash can last one to three days.
6. Meth Hangover- After the crash, the abuser returns in a deteriorated state, starved, dehydrated and utterly exhausted physically, mentally and emotionally. This stage ordinarily lasts between 2 and 14 days. This leads to enforced addiction, as the “solution” to these feelings is to take more meth. 
7. Withdrawal- Often 30 to 90 days can pass after the last drug use before the abuser realizes that he is in withdrawal. First, he becomes depressed, loses his energy and the ability to experience pleasure. Then the craving for more methamphetamine hits, and the abuser often becomes suicidal. Since meth withdrawal is extremely painful and arduous, most abusers often revert; thus, 93% of those in traditional treatment return to abusing methamphetamine.

History of Methamphetamine

Methamphetamine is not a new drug, although it has become more powerful in recent years as techniques for its manufacture have evolved.

Amphetamine was first synthesized in 1887 in Germany and methamphetamine, more potent and easy to make, was developed in Japan in 1919. The crystalline powder was soluble in water, making it a perfect candidate for injection.

Methamphetamine went into wide use during World War II, when both sides used it to keep troops awake. High doses were given to Japanese Kamikaze pilots before their suicide missions. And after the war, intravenous methamphetamine abuse reached epidemic proportions when supplies stored for military use became available to the Japanese public.

In the 1950’s, methamphetamine was prescribed as a diet aid and to fight depression. Easily available, it was used as a non-medical stimulant by college students, truck drivers and athletes and abuse of the drug spread.

This pattern changed dramatically in the 1960’s with the increased availability of inject able methamphetamine, increasing the abuse. Then, in 1970, the U.S. government criminalized it for most uses. After that, American motorcycle gangs controlled most of the production and distribution of the drug. Most users at the time lived in rural communities and could not afford the more expensive cocaine.

In the 1990’s, Mexican drug trafficking organizations set up large laboratories in California. While these massive labs are able to generate 50 pounds of the substance in a single weekend, smaller private labs have sprung up in kitchens and apartments, earning the drug one of its names, “stove top”. From there it spread across the United States and into Europe, through the Czech Republic. Today, most of the drug available in Asia is produced in Thailand, Myanmar and China.

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Crystal users reflect on wrecked lives
Wealthy Successful Executive to Homeless Drug User in 3 years

By JOE CREA

Crystal methamphetamine helped Jack, a 36-year-old D.C. man who asked to remain anonymous, cope with his HIV-positive status. The drug was a pure escape from reality. It increased a level of selfishness that he had never known and left him a man with a “huge ego and no-self confidence.”

His personality, once under control, was no longer, thanks to what he refers to as the “devil’s drug.” On Sept. 11, 2001, he remained holed up in a Boston hotel room with crystal meth, a “club drug” also known by nicknames like Tina, T, crank and speed. He smoked all day, paranoid that the police would soon break down his door.

Jack didn’t stop thinking of himself until he read in the Wall Street Journal a few days later that a Brooks Brothers clothing store near his old office on Wall Street had been turned into a morgue for victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Jack, who describes himself as a “space cadet” who frequently forgets and loses things, patronized the store. The news about the clothing store saddened him, and he vowed to clean up his act.

He tried to sober up after Sept. 11, but soon relapsed. He lost his job, his home and was $50,000 in debt. Destitute, he received some financial help from an acquaintance and checked himself in to Cumberland Heights, an in-patient rehab center in Tennessee. When he first met with one of the counselors at the recovery center, the most difficult question he had to answer was, “What is your address?”

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“I had lost my apartment two weeks ago, and I was homeless without a job,” Jack said. “It was terribly humbling and humiliating.”

Jack had gone from working as a Wall Street executive to pouring coffee at Starbucks in three years — all because of his crystal meth addiction.

“Crystal wants to get us alone where it does the most damage,” Jack said. “It robbed my soul of what I thought was so important. It’s the devil’s drug.”

Alex loses his friends
Alex, a 25 year-old gay man who also asked to remain anonymous, said he views his addiction to crystal as a “choice,” but he began using abusively because “everyone around me was doing it, and I wanted to feel that I belonged.” It was never a physical craving, he said, but more like a social obligation.

“I honestly believe that I did [crystal] because everyone around me was doing it,” Alex said. “If everyone else was doing it, why shouldn’t I? People would look at me differently if I wasn’t going to do crystal.”

Alex said he had never experimented with any drugs other than marijuana and ecstasy before he began using crystal meth two years ago. He said that early on he would use nine dosages, or “blows,” out of a quarter bag in one evening, but that eventually he would take double that, or a half-bag, over one extended period of use.

“I also did it for the fun of it,” Alex said. “The music in clubs became more intense, it made me all horny. It gave me this high that I didn’t have to think about anything else.”

But when he went sober, Alex lost all of his “friends,” because they continued to use crystal. He tried to hang out with his old acquaintances, but said no one wanted to hang out with the “sober kid.”

“There was a core group that I was kind of close to, and they would say, ‘Oh, we are here for you,’ but in reality, they were placating me,” Alex said. “They were happy for me, but they were still getting fucked up. So, with me being sober, and everyone else remaining fucked up around me, I recognized the situation and wanted to get out.”

Descending into paranoia
At the height of his addiction, Clinton, a 31-year-old gay man, was extraordinarily paranoid. He was taking crystal at work to “keep himself going,” thinking that if he could get through the workday, he would be able to get home and sleep for 15 hours.

One evening, after going without sleep for days, his paranoia intensified after he returned home from work. He was convinced for eight straight hours that the police were going to raid his home. He ran around his house and flushed all his drugs down the toilet.

When he realized that that the police weren’t coming, he decided that lesbians in the neighborhood were playing a “huge joke” on him. With his mental capacity severely impaired, he began to pace his house, stare out of his windows and run outside to “try to catch them.”

During this time, sex for Clinton, in all its raw, uninhibited glory, became routine and comfortable. Clinton would meet men online, at clubs and at a local sex club. He describes the sex as “never safe” but “by the grace of God,” he remained HIV-negative.

“I should be positive,” Clinton said. “As far as I’m concerned, I won the lottery. I’d say that roughly 60 percent of the individuals who I know [from crystal meth anonymous meetings] are positive.”

Slim data on gay use
There is very little statistical data to show that crystal affects gays disproportionately. But many treatment specialists and former users have their own theories about why so many gay men fall victim to Tina’s addiction.

Marc Cohen, president of the United Foundation for AIDS and head of the Crystal Meth Community Educational Forum in South Florida, said he believes that gays are disproportionately affected by crystal because it reduces inhibitions, provides the “biggest bang for the buck,” heightens levels of arousal and provides a sense of connection.

“It’s the stigma amongst gay men themselves that drives people to the drug,” Cohen said. “The positives discriminate against those who are negative. If someone is HIV negative, they aren’t invited to the barebacking party. A positive person might not feel comfortable having bareback sex with a negative guy. But when meth becomes a part of the equation, it breaks down discrimination and, as a result, with meth around, discrimination doesn’t exist.”

Some activists have argued that gays are drawn to crystal because of an intolerant society. Clinton scoffed at that notion and said the “worst enemies of gay men are gay men.”

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“It’s not the religious right or Republicans pushing us away, we have more or less assumed a place in society,” Clinton said. “We’ve passed the tipping point, in the sense that people have accepted that we are now a part of society. Even the most conservative of people aren’t talking about running us out of the country or firing us all from our jobs.”

Cohen and Clinton agreed that crystal meth provides the user with the raw, “natural” sexual feelings of the type common in a 17-year-old male just beginning to sexually mature, which can be attractive lure for someone seeking to jump-start his sex life.

“When you are young and having sex, you are like a kid in a candy store,” Clinton said. “But as time goes by, you really start, through your body’s own natural process, to come to the realization that with sex, things aren’t new anymore. Sex starts to lose its edge. It becomes less fun. Crystal can give that edge back to you. That unadulterated, unbridled sexual charge that you had when you were younger.”

But it is this desire to return to a sexual innocence, a clean slate, that motivates the average crystal user. Cohen said that this craving is often so strong that many don’t even consider the many negative side effects of the drug until they notice the aesthetic impact of crystal.

“Many are in a strong state of denial about the side effects and manifestations of usage,” Cohen said. “Only until their health diminishes, jobs are lost, teeth rotting and sores appear, will they do something about it.”

Rotten teeth, sores, stroke
Cohen described in graphic detail the physical side effects of the drug. For the user who smokes crystal — considered by users to provide a more mellow high but cited by treatment workers as one of the worst ways to take the drug — the smoke promotes gum decay and rots the teeth.

Sores and ulcerations appear inside the mouth, making the crystal user vulnerable to STD and HIV transmission.

The drug crystallizes in the lungs. Cohen also said that many habitual users will likely develop “skin eruptions” due to the amount of toxins in their body.

Cohen said these eruptions begin to break through the skin and the user, believing that he feels bugs crawling in his skin, will scratch furiously, thus breaking open the sores and allowing bacteria and infection to enter the body.

Cohen said that smoking is often the next option of usage for the crystal user since most of the delicate cells in the nasal cavity are destroyed after the drug is repeatedly snorted. When the user’s mouth is destroyed, they will often choose to inject or take the drug through the rectum.

Through any mode of ingestion, the drug creates a frenzied state of paranoia, causes intense respiratory distress and the user risks a cardiovascular stroke, Cohen said.

“Taking crystal is like taking your foot and stepping on the gas pedal on a cold winter morning,” Cohen said. “This is especially the case if you are using needles. The impact is so strong you can have a heart attack at any moment.”

Life of the party
Randy Pumphrey, the program director for the Lambda Center, which provides treatment for methamphetamine users in Washington, D.C., said that gay male culture is often youth-obsessed and crystal falsely allows them to recapture a bit of their youth. Pumphrey said that it is a very common drug for the 35- to 40-year-old gay man who doesn’t want to deal with the aging process.

The Lambda Center partners with the Psychiatric Institute of Washington and the Whitman-Walker Clinic.

“These are guys who can’t stay out long enough, feel that they are no longer the life of the party,” Pumphrey said. “Crystal provides the venues for people to be the life of the party and amps up the experience of life. They feel virile again.”

Pumphrey added that the drug is also a favorite for the gay man just coming out of the closet because it allows them to feel “comfortable and intimate.”

Dangerous sexual experiments
Pumphrey said that a huge danger of crystal meth is that it often leads users to experiment sexually in dangerous ways.

“Yes, it can be romanticized and an individual can return to a teenage innocence, but I’ve had clients who pushed themselves into places where they wanted to act out fantasies like being gang raped, and more often than not they were not ready to deal with the implications of that kind of sex,” Pumphrey said. “The drug has a cruel edge. It takes folks down a path that if they weren’t high, they wouldn’t go. Or if they went down that road sober, they would have better prepared themselves for it.

Pumphrey said that some of his clients have acted out abuse from their childhood while on crystal. The trauma that they’ve experienced as a child and the new trauma they experience with a partner goes beyond normal sexual boundaries.

“When they come down from being high, they are stuck with the real memory of what they did,” Pumphrey said. They might not be prepared to handle what that means. There is a lot of guilt and shame then attached to that experience.”

Returning to sex
Many crystal meth abusers say they have a difficult time understanding how to have sober sex. Clinton, who has had sex a few times since he went sober in January, said that now the former user must bring “more to the table rather than a cute face and nice body.”

“You actually have to like their personality,” Clinton said. “If that’s missing, I can’t have sex with them.”

Jack said that meth changed him from being prudish on matters of sex to taking a promiscuous attitude, and he added that having sex sober again is something he has to work hard at doing.

“The first time was awkward,” Jack said. “It’s more about intimacy. Making out and watching a bad movie on Lifetime. Not about having sex and going [clubbing].”

Pumphrey said that rehabilitating this mindset is very difficult.

“It’s something they have to learn, and it is difficult,” Pumphrey said. “It’s hard to come back to your partner and having sex for 25-30 minutes when you are used to having sex all weekend long. Suddenly, all of these other relationship issues start surfacing.”

Cohen added that many individuals who go into recovery don’t want to commit to having protected sex.

“They want to continue having unprotected sex, … bareback sex,” Cohen said. “They will often give up crystal, but in its place they will still have bareback sex. We see a lot of that.”

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Obama Blows His Presidency — Top Ten Health Care Reforms He Won’t Do

For the first time in memory, Bill O’Reilly, arch Fox conservative, and Chris Matthews, arch MSNBC liberal, reacted the same to an event — both found that Barack Obama failed entirely to explain his plans for health care reform in his televised press conference.

And virtually all commentators noted the same flaw in the Obama presentation and explanation — he’s afraid to tell Americans that — well, remember that old sign: "You can have it cheaper, better, and more of it — but not all at the same time"?

I watched the sacrificial Democrat (you know, the one labeled "Democratic strategist" sandwiched between two nuts like the host himself on one of those Hannity panels) who intoned: "Health care reform will maintain current coverages, give access to everyone, and save money." You can see why Hannity selected her — to make the nuts look reasonable!

But Obama, David Axelrod, Rahm Emanuel — and the entire Republican leadership — are just as bad. Ask them what will have to be sacrificed, and they (the Dems) indicate "Nothing — just a few millionaires will pay more taxes." And, oh, there is one health care player Obama is willing to punish — insurers (even pharmaceutical manufacturers escape his opprobrium).

Republicans, as usual, are living in some other time and place. Their claim? "American health care is the best in the world. We’ll reduce the costs with tort reform, and give everyone greater access by incentivizing (a popular Obama term) private coverage."

Oh, and both sides will eliminate waste, duplication, and fraud. That should save a trillion or two right there!

Here are the top ten health care reforms neither side will propose:

1. Means test Social Security and Medicare
2. Pay only for effective treatments
3. Channel patients to providers who accept a prix-fixe pay schedule
4. "Incentivize" individual care choices (i.e., make people pay for more of what they use)
5. Tax employer health care benefits as income
6. Make managed care de rigeur
7. Mandate that every American must have health care coverage
8. Favor treatment for the young and fixable over the old and incurable
9. Eliminate private insurance
10. Put Obama’s birth certificate on the back of the one dollar bill (oops, wrong post!)

Failing to do these things will not produce better care for more people at lower prices. Rather, it will mean a diminishing group will receive unlimited (but but not necessarily effective) treatment costing everyone more.

And Barack Obama is just too nice a guy, too good a politician, and too reluctant to give people bad news to blow the whistle on this three-card monte — or, better, Ponzi — scheme. You know, the kind of deal where you collect more and more money for an unsustainable and unproductive enterprise until the entire house of cards collapses?

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The Cycle of Addiction

No one intends to become a drug addict or alcoholic. Our experiences show that the drug addict or alcoholic was usually an intelligent and often creative person with much hope for the future.

However, they were unable to deal effectively with life’s problems and turned to drugs or alcohol as a means of dealing with unwanted situations.

The person usually takes drugs because they attempt to compensate for some personal deficiency or life situation. They may be depressed, in pain or incapable of dealing with a loss of a loved one or extreme circumstance. It could also be as simple as a need to fit in and make friends, or a way to lose weight. Regardless of the reason, the person begins to seek "help" in the form of drugs or alcohol.

Drugs are essentially a pain-killer. They lessen emotional and physical pain and provide the user with a temporary escape from problems. When a person is unable to cope with something in life and take drugs as a result, they feel they have found a way to deal with the problem.

The more a person uses drugs or excessive alcohol, the worse the problem becomes. So they continue the “solution” for their problems, more drugs. Soon new problems are created by drug use. The person feels the need to use consistently, and will do anything to get high.

They are now addicted. They become difficult to communicate with, withdrawn and begin to exhibit the strange behavior associated with being on drugs. The more the person uses to try to counter this effect, the more desperate he becomes.

Their use begins to affect their personal relationships, their job, their bank account, and anything of previous value to the addict. Now the person’s entire focus becomes centered on using drugs and getting more drugs, regardless of the cost. They sacrifice everything to avoid the pain of withdrawal, the guilt of what they have done and the problems they have been running from.

At this point, the average drug user does one of three things:

1. Continues using drugs and becomes more and more lost, unhealthy and degraded until he eventually becomes homeless or dead.

 

2. Gets arrested for some drug-related activity and goes to jail or prison.

 

3. Attempt to quit drugs in any one of a variety of ways. He may try to stop on his own, or go to a drug addiction treatment center or program. Sadly, the success rate of traditional treatment is not high and most addicts continue to relapse. This destroys the addict’s confidence and leads him to feel he will remain a slave to drugs forever.

HOWEVER, there is a way out…..

Once you have made the decision to get help for you or a loved ones addiction, please contact us at http://www.stgregoryctr.com/help.php for FAST, Confidential drug rehabilitation.

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In medical terminology, an addiction is a chronic neurobiologic disorder that has genetic, psychosocial, and environmental dimensions and is characterized by one of the following: the continued use of a substance despite its detrimental effects, impaired control over the use of a drug (compulsive behavior), and preocupation with a drug’s use for non-therapeutic purposes (i.e. craving the drug). Addiction is often accompanied the presence of deviant behaviors (for instance stealing money and forging prescriptions) that are used to obtain a drug.

Tolerance to a drug and physical dependence are not defining characteristics of addiction, although they typically accompany addiction to certain drugs. Tolerance is a pharmacologic phenomenon where the dose of a medication needs to be continually increase in order to maintain its desired effects. For instance, individuals with severe chronic pain taking opiate medications (like morphine) will need to continually increase the dose in order to maintain the drug’s analgesic (pain-relieving) effects. Physical dependence is also a pharmacologic property and means that if a certain drug is abruptly discontinued, an individual will experience certain characteristic withdrawal signs and symptoms. Many drugs used for therapeutic purposes produce withdrawal symptoms when abruptly stopped, for instance oral steroids, certain antidepressants, benzodiazepines, and opiates.

However, common usage of the term addiction has spread to include psychological dependence. In this context, the term is used in drug addiction and substance abuse problems, but also refers to behaviors that are not generally recognized by the medical community as problems of addiction, such as compulsive overeating.

The term addiction is also sometimes applied to compulsions that are not substance-related, such as problem gambling and computer addiction. In these kinds of common usages, the term addiction is used to describe a recurring compulsion by an individual to engage in some specific activity, despite harmful consequences, as deemed by the user himself to his or her

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by Mathea Falco, J.D.

Drug Treatment for Adolescents

Most American youth try drugs and alcohol when they are teenagers; some will develop serious substance use problems.

But treatment for teens is scarce and often hard to find: although more than one million teens need drug treatment, only one in ten actually receive help. Why is adolescent treatment so scarce? Lack of state and federal funding for treatment programs as well as shrinking insurance benefits for drug treatment are two major reasons. Without adequate insurance, many parents simply cannot afford to get the kind of help their children need.

When parents realize their children have drug problems and must find treatment, they frequently do not know where to turn. The family is often in a crisis situation, when decisions must be made quickly. Yet very little information is available about what parents should look for in choosing a program. Most parents are concerned about cost: do their employee benefits cover drug treatment? If so, for how long? If their coverage is limited, will they be able to pay to get the best possible treatment for their teenager? What kind of treatment will work? Should their teen be sent away to a residential program or can he or she be treated in his or her own community while still living at home? How long will treatment take – a few weeks, months or even years? Parents face bewildering questions they don’t know how to answer, or even how to find answers. They may also feel frightened or ashamed that their teen has substance use problems. And they may also recognize that their own alcohol and drug use problems have contributed to the problems their child is experiencing.

In order to help parents and other concerned adults find help for their teens, Drug Strategies, a nonprofit research institute, developed Treating Teens: A Guide to Adolescent Drug Programs. This guide describes nine key elements that are important in successful teen drug treatment and provides reliable information on 144 adolescent drug programs. Treating Teens gives hotline telephone numbers to find treatment in each state; definitions of frequently used treatment terms, and 10 important questions parents should ask when selecting a program for their teen.

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FIVE QUESTIONS PARENTS SHOULD ASK A TREATMENT PROGRAM

1. Is your program specifically designed for teens? If so, how?

Most treatment programs are designed for adults, not teens. Even if programs say they treat teens, they may in fact just be including them in adult programs that have a few activities for younger people. Adolescents have unique challenges, such as relating to their families, dealing with peer groups, getting an education, finding a job. They also are different developmentally than adults. Effective adolescent programs should address not only drug use problems but also the many aspects of a teen’s life.

2. What questions do your staff members ask to determine the seriousness of the teen’s substance use problem and whether the teen will benefit from this particular program?

Good programs usually ask a brief set of initial questions to explore the severity of the youth’s drug use. How long has the teen been using? Is he or she addicted? What other kinds of problems does the teen have? Is he or she involved in delinquent behavior? Answers to these questions will help a program decide if they can provide the kind of help needed. Once the teen is admitted to the program, the teen’s problems will be examined in much greater depth. This kind of assessment should include a physical exam to determine if there are any medical conditions related to the substance use problem; a psychiatric exam to determine if there are mental health problems, such as depression, that must also be treated; a review of the teen’s educational progress, and a review of the teen’s relationships with his peers. Does he have friends? Are they involved in drugs? The program may also ask in-depth questions of the family about how well family members communicate, whether there are discipline problems, whether there is a history of substance use within the family. The program will develop as complete as possible a picture of the adolescent’s problems so that the counselors can design a treatment plan to address them successfully.

3. How does the program involve the family in the teen’s treatment?

Family involvement in the teen’s treatment is critically important. Regardless of how well or badly the teen and the family relate to each other, parents are the dominant reality in the lives of most teens. Parents are also the major source of financial support, including medical insurance, if any. Most teens live at home, and their recovery will depend on how supportive the home environment will be in helping them build new lives free of alcohol and drug use.
Recent studies of adolescents who stop using drugs report that parental involvement, new friends and motivation are keys to success. Programs should encourage parents (or other caregivers) to participate in counseling, group meetings, drug education and other activities offered by the program. Occasional telephone calls between the parents and the program counselors are not enough. Families should also be asked to examine their own alcohol and drug use and to get treatment themselves when necessary. Programs should teach the family how to be more effective parents, including how to discipline children reasonably. The more the family is involved in the treatment process, the more likely the teen will succeed in treatment.

4. How does the program provide continuing care after treatment is completed?

The period after treatment is vitally important: most adolescents relapse in the first three months after treatment. However, continuing care services can greatly increase the likelihood of sustained recovery. Developing follow-up plans while the teen is still in treatment is important in providing a structure for the teen and his family, so that treatment gains continue. These plans may include relapse prevention training, referrals to community resources and periodic check-ups by the program with the adolescent and his family. Twelve-step meetings can also be helpful for some teens in recovery, although finding 12-step meetings specifically for teens can be difficult in some communities. Unfortunately, many programs do not provide continuing care, and parents must try to support the teen’s recovery as fully as possible. Parents can identify services within their community that will help the teen live without drugs, including well supervised recreational programs, counseling, and community service. Parents should stay in close touch with their children every step of the way. Parents who believe that their children can overcome their problems and be successful in school make a powerful difference even when faced with difficult circumstances. (In Treating Teens: A Guide to Adolescent Drug Treatment the help hotline numbers can provide referrals to resources in each state.)

5. What evidence do you have that your program is effective?

Very few programs have formal, scientific evaluations that m

easure their treatment success. However, even without such evaluations, other information can be helpful. For example, completing the entire course of treatment is closely related to success. Retention rate is an important indicator of whether a program is effective. How many teens drop out? How long do they stay in treatment? How many actually complete treatment? Other useful things to ask about are whether teens in the program show improvements in school performance (better attendance and grades) and family relationships (better communications, less aggressive behavior). How does the program monitor drug use among teens in treatment? Do they conduct drug tests? If so, how often do they test? What are the results? Good programs should have test results that show that teens in treatment are staying clean.

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1. Odor of substance in breath and clothes – persons who uses illegal drugs tends to smell bad or unusual if he or she is smoking marijuana, cocaine, or other illegal drugs.
2. Poor physical appearance – major changes in physical appearance if suddenly you find your son or daughter change in his physical appearance, forget to comb his hair, forgets to bathe and takes the fashion sense of other drug abusers.
3. Suddenly covering of his arms and legs – drug users who uses needles always wear clothes that can cover there body wear the needles are been use. they wear clothes like this even if its inappropriate.
4. Sunglasses is his/her best friend – Bloodshot eyes can be seen in drug abusers because of methamphetamine found in drugs.
5. Mood swings – Something might be wrong if a bubbly personality starts to become withdrawn and humorless or a normally reserved person becomes loud and boisterous. Watch out for self-destructive tendencies.
6. Unexplained loss of valuables at home – A dug abuser needs money to support his habit. His school allowance will not be enough.
7. Recent adverse life event – He is going through problems he cant handle like parents separating, losing a girlfriend, or sexual physical abuse.
8. School performance is getting worst – He is good student now getting failing marks. Discipline problems cause school authorities to call him in.
9. Out in school – He is always absent from class and gives false excuses.
10. Drug using group of friends – If his friends have a history of drugs or still using drugs then you should be very concerned. Look into the kinds of social gatherings he attends.
11. Decrease communication with other family members – He stops communicating with a favorite sibling, and he doesn’t consult parents when making important decision.
12. Repeated overt intoxication – Family members and friends actually witness him in high or exhibiting unusual behavior.

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If you think your kid is doing drugs, don’t panic, talk to him. Be gentle and non-violent or confrontational. Discuss the problem and how you can help. Make it clear that you are there to support and not to condemn.

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Calif. Rep. Mary Bono Mack talks to Maggie Rodriguez about her son’s plea for help with prescription drug addiction.