Many people say that substance abuse doesn’t have any boundaries and it is proving to be true in the little research that we have on seniors and substance abuse.

Seniors take more pills on average than other age groups and because pills that are easily abused are readily available to them they are prone to abusing them. According to a recent report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the number of U.S. adults age 50 or older needing substance abuse treatment is expected to double from 2.8 million to 5.7 million by the year 2020.

Due to the recent rise of senior citizens being admitted into treatment centers, it is estimated that drug abuse among older adults has increased by 106% for men and 119% for women between 1995 and 2002. Seniors with substance abuse problems is increasing at such a rapid rate that drug rehabilitation centers are finding it hard to place people who are trained in helping seniors with their drug problems.

What Is Causing The Increase In Substance Abuse Among Seniors

Many studies have shown that depression and anxiety are the leading factors for increased substance abuse among seniors. Financial problems have also been attributed to the increase in substance abuse among the elderly. They are constantly worrying about whether they will have enough money to live off of for the rest of their lives or that nobody will hire them at this age to do anything. Another important factor was loneliness.

Many seniors start losing some of their friends and can become very lonely. They now have lots of substances that they can turn to, to not feel the pain of loneliness or depression. They just want to numb the pain even if it is only for a brief period of time. They may not even realize that they are abusing the substance.

How To Treat Seniors Through Narconon Drug Rehabilitation

When treating seniors for substance abuse, several steps need to be taken according to Narconon drug rehabilitation. The most important thing we need to do is to address what they are worrying about emotionally by providing long term treatment and support. There are many good treatment facilities across the United States like NA and Narconon that offer what seniors will need and treatment facilities are becoming more equipped for seniors every day.

Facilities must focus on relieving stress and developing a new healthier lifestyle then the way they were living before. Of course we must eliminate the drug that they have been abusing.

There is no option of trying to get them to maintain this substance by keeping them medicated. The problem is however, that in many instances we can’t just remove the drug immediately because of possible withdrawal symptoms among other things. This must be done under the supervision of a medical professional.

Above and beyond treatment attention to senior health also has to be looked at. Often time’s seniors began to neglect their own diets. Guidance towards a healthy diet may be necessary. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables, minus the sugar, processed foods, junk foods, and fast foods, has been proven to relieve depression and anxiety; especially when one is recovering from drug abuse.

For more information on Narconon drug rehabilitation or to get help for a loved one contact us today.

Prescription painkillers, tranquilizers, sleep medications, and anti-anxiety pills are plaguing the older adult population of the United States. Right now nearly 3 million older adults abuse these drugs with the number one drug of abuse being the prescription painkiller, Oxy Contin.

The most surprising thing about the problem is that most of these adults have no prior drug histories and have not even had a history of abusing alcohol. In addition to this many start out by receiving a prescription from a doctor for an injury or illness and then get hooked showing the dangers of these substances.

What Prescriptions Are Being Abused

Prescription painkillers are the number one drugs of abuse among older adults. A report from the National Institute on Drug Abuse indicates that painkillers are abused by 5 million people in the United States. The painkillers that are the most highly abused include not only the drug Oxy Contin mentioned above but others. Primary hydrocodone, oxycodone and Vicoden are the number one drugs of choice among older adults.

Secondarily, prescription stimulants are another drug of choice among older adults. With the diagnosis of Adult Attention Deficit Disorder millions of older adults received their first prescription of drugs like Ritalin and Adderall. The problem has just continued to grow from there with 2 million non-medical users of prescription stimulants.

Tranquilizers, abused by one million people nationwide are also taken by older adults. Drugs like Valium are in this category and many adults take them because they feel that they have a condition that is primarily due to stress.

Anti-anxiety medications are also highly abused by seniors with the drug Xanax being at the top of the list. Sleeping pills like Soma are also a problem with older adults and have been for many years.

Indicators That There May Be A Substance Abuse Problem

There are many indicators that a senior has a substance abuse problem. Some of them include:

1.    Periods of time where the individual is sleeping more than usual and then times when they are not taking the drugs that they cannot fall asleep.
2.    Missed appointments, or meetings.
3.    Visiting many different doctors complaining of problems and requesting prescription medications.
4.    Loss of memory or things they have done.
5.    Losing prescriptions or saying someone took their prescription drugs and they have to get more of the medications.
6.    Inability to get things done and feeling unmotivated. Depression is also another symptom.

Narconon Meetings And Older Adults

The Narconon program treats many older adults, not through Narconon meetings or NA but through the standard Narconon drug rehabilitation program. Lasting 4-6 months the treatment has one of the highest success rates for handling prescription addiction in the country at 76%.

With substance abuse in seniors expected to rise there has to be a real solution to the problem and Narconon is it. The program is completely drug free and always has been. It not only handles all aspects of substance abuse amongst seniors but returns them to health through vitamin supplements, exercise, diet and nutrition and the sauna detoxification portion of the program.

For more information on Narconon meetings contact us today.

The effects of alcohol are well documented and dangerous especially with those to drink excessively. Chronic alcohol abuse produces a variety of problems for the user in addition to the addiction potential and inability to quit drinking once someone does consume alcohol in this fashion.

Chronic use of alcohol negatively affects all organs in the body and can do irreversible damage to an unborn child. Diseases like cancer, liver disease, and even strokes are often caused by alcohol.

When someone is dependent on the substance they continue to drink despite these possible or existing medical, emotional or familial problems.

Alcohol Abuse Statistics

When it comes to alcohol abuse, there are many affected by the problem. Some key statistics reported by government agencies show the following:

•    At least 51% of the population has used alcohol over the last month prior to being surveyed.

•    Of those 51% of alcohol users, nearly 25% had engaged in binge drinking or drinking several drinks in a small period of time.

•    Of those between the ages of 12-17, nearly 15% had used alcohol in the 30 days prior to being surveyed.

•    Right now over half of the alcohol used is abused by those under the age of 21.

•    Just over 40% of high school seniors drink alcohol on a regular basis.

In addition to this the Center for Disease Control reports that alcohol abuse is the third leading cause of death in the country that is preventable. Averages of 30 years of life are lost by those who suffer from chronic alcohol abuse.

When Someone Is A Chronic Alcohol User

Often when someone struggles with an alcohol problem it can be let go for years after the problem begins. According to statistics there are nearly 17 million people who abuse alcohol on a regular basis and would qualify for treatment. Because alcohol is legal, it is easy for them to continue to get and use the substance. For this same reason it becomes easy for family members and loved ones to overlook the problem or make excuses for the chronic user.

Often an individual will abuse alcohol their entire lives, dying an early death that is completely preventable.

The solution is to learn the signs and symptoms that indicate when someone has an alcohol problem and get them to agree to get into an alcohol treatment program.

Narconon Addiction Treatment Handles Chronic Abuse

The Narconon alcohol treatment program has been helping those with chronic alcohol abuse problems for decades. The treatment has a 76% success rate for permanent sobriety from alcoholism and does not use the NA approach.

Narconon addiction treatment does handle both the physical and mental aspects of alcohol addiction helping to remove cravings and address underlying mental issues.

Individuals who complete Narconon addiction treatment report feeling completely new and like they do not have to rely on alcohol ever again. Many who have tried several other programs without success are able to free themselves from alcoholism through Narconon.

The program is residential and lasts an average of 4-6 months. Clients stay at the facility full time and complete their treatment. Family support is encouraged through the program and families are worked into the aftercare portion once the person returns home as well as in the main treatment to try to address some of the damage done to them by the addiction.

For more information on Narconon addiction treatment contact us today.

The study was done online and through social media applications like Facebook to help keep the parties anonymous and get the most accurate information possible. The importance of this information can help with not only setting up treatment facilities but ramping up the drug prevention efforts across the nation with young people who are often introduced to illegal substances like marijuana after picking up their first cigarette.

This study was first put out by a publication called Addiction Science and Clinical Practice and the individuals who participated were first asked about tobacco smoking, then marijuana smoking over a 30 day period. Even with national statistics indicating that tobacco use is down amongst teens, 68% of those surveyed reported smoking cigarettes on a daily basis. The marijuana use happened with 53% of those reporting tobacco.

The states that have approved medical marijuana had similar numbers compared to other states in the country. Caucasian teens from the Northeast part of the United States that lived in rural areas had the highest numbers concerning the use of tobacco and marijuana.

Despite Dangers Why The Cigarette And Marijuana Trend

National statistics indicate that the primary reason why teens start smoking cigarette or marijuana is because they believe that these substances are not harmful to them. The availability and promotion of them is so prevalent that many teens think that it is normal to use tobacco and smoke marijuana and that the consequences are not severe.
What is not looked at is the fact that marijuana still remains the number one most abused drug in the country and is the drug sending the highest numbers of teens into rehab programs.  Some of the most common dangers associated with smoking marijuana include depression, lung problems, chronic cough, certain cancers, lowered immune system resulting in more frequent illnesses.

The dangers of tobacco use have been well-known and publicized for years and include many health related risks and death from cancers caused from the use of the substance. Smoking accounts for 1 in every 5 deaths in the United States or averages of nearly 450,000 deaths per year. The most common health related dangers of cigarette smoking include coronary heart disease, narrowing of the blood vessels, vascular disease, lung cancer, bladder, cervix, kidney or oral cancers and lung disease.

The Solution According To Narconon Drug Rehabilitation

Narconon drug rehabilitation has seen a number of clients who started their drug addiction with cigarette smoking and then pot use. The facility sees many of them years later when they have developed many more severe problems like prescription, heroin, cocaine or methamphetamine addictions. Many of them have admitted to making bad choices which contributed to their drug addictions; however the fact that they said “yes” to drugs like tobacco and marijuana made it easier for them to start using harder drugs. Programs like NA have likely seen similar trends once the individual makes it into treatment.

The half of young cigarette smokers also use pot survey is an indicator of drug prevention that is needed across the country and more education geared toward the dangers of these substances.

For more information on Narconon drug rehabilitation call today.

The rates for drug overdose in the country have tripled in the last 20 years being the highest they have ever been in the history of the United States. In 2008 alone over 36,000 lost their lives from drug overdoses. Prescription drugs accounted for the highest numbers of drug deaths.

Why Are People Abusing Prescriptions

Loved ones of prescription addicts wonder why the person they used to know is abusing prescriptions and how they can get that person back. Prescription abuse seems complicated but is relatively simple if you know why someone would abuse these drugs and the steps you should take to handle the problem.

The following are the primary reasons why someone would abuse prescription drugs:

•    After being legitimately prescribed the drugs the person gets physically addicted to them and cannot stop.
•    The prescription drug handles some underlying problem for the person. Some examples of this would be a prescription stimulant that helped one lose weight.
•    The drug fills some void or pain for the person like a loss or fear.
•    The person feels that the drug helps them get something done or do something better.

An example of this would be taking an anti-anxiety drug like Xanax thinking that it will help someone mentally deal with a draining situation.

•    The prescription handles a physical pain that the person is having.

No matter the specific reason above the drug seems like a solution to the person and so he or she continues to use it. The more one uses the more they become addicted. Eventually they develop a prescription drug tolerance where they have to take more and more of the drugs for the same effect.

This is also the point where the physical withdrawal sets in when they try to quit using. Now the person has a real problem.

What To Do

Now that the problem exists someone can do one of two things:

1.    Continue to use and face the consequences of this including financial, legal and health problems and even death.

2.    Get help through a prescription drug treatment facility.

Anything other than that will not handle the condition of prescription abuse.

Treatment programs like Narconon use the Narconon sauna treatment program to handle prescription addiction issues. It allows clients to spend intermittent periods in a dry-heat sauna where they can sweat out drug toxins and drastically reduce cravings for prescriptions.

More than 7 out of 10 graduates of the Narconon program including the Narconon sauna program stay off drugs and alcohol permanently. In addition to the sauna the rest of the Narconon program handles the mental aspects of addiction and underlying issues of why someone would use drugs in the first place. Unlike NA or other types of treatment Narconon uses Life Skills Therapy to do this where addicts are able to handle individual issues which lead to their substance abuse issues.

The fact that prescription pill abuse more deadly than car accidents indicates what a major problem exists. For more information on Narconon sauna or to get someone help with a prescription problem call today.

So who is to blame and is this a medical problem or is the medical field the reason why we have the problem in the first place?

Web MD reports that over 4 billion prescriptions are written every year across the United States. The most commonly abused drugs being prescribed are:

1.    Hydrocodone which is an opioid and painkiller and accounts for nearly 132 million prescriptions written every year.

2.    Xanax, an anti-anxiety drug often used as a sleep medication.

3.    Anti-depressant and anti-psychotic drugs.

4.    Sleeping pills.

5.    Vicoden which is another prescription painkiller.

According to the WEB MD article 63% of prescriptions are paid for my insurance. There were 22% of prescriptions paid for by Medicaid.

Who Is Abusing Prescription Drugs

From adolescents to teens to older adults, people of all ages are abusing prescription drugs. Many adolescents and teens feel that these drugs are not dangerous because they are legally prescribed. They also feel that prescription are not necessary addictive.

Many older adults will end up falling into a prescription drug abuse problem after getting injured or becoming ill and getting a valid prescription. The individual continues taking the drug and ends up even making up later problems to be able to get their hands on more prescriptions.

In most age groups in the United States, prescriptions are becoming the number one drugs of abuse and are only used less than marijuana and alcohol.

Medical Problem Or Other

Because of the severity of prescription drug addiction some are classifying this as a medical problem. However, this often means that the problem is then treated with more medications or drugs. Prescription addiction is a societal problem that can only be handled in the following ways:

1.    Getting long term, residential treatment for those already addicted.
2.    Educating those who get valid prescriptions on how to properly take and dispose of the drugs.
3.    Doctors not prescribing the drugs more than needed and watching for and reporting abuse indicators.
4.    Drug prevention to teens and adolescents on the dangers of prescriptions.
5.    Continued efforts by law enforcement to handle those dealing prescriptions and to provide safe disposal methods for communities.

Narconon Locations Deal With Prescription Problems

At Narconon locations across the country prescription addiction has become a major concern with the number of clients enrolling into treatment for the problem. Narconon Arrowhead as well as the other Narconon locations have seen an ever-present increase in this problem with those of all age groups.

Unlike most illicit drugs most prescription users do not have long histories of substance abuse or feel that they were ever at risk for addiction. There are even some who get addicted to prescriptions that have never even used alcohol.

There are also those who have had many years of drug use and turn to prescription drugs at some point or those who start on prescription end up abusing a severe illicit drug like heroin.

The Narconon facility provides long term treatment with a 76% success rate for permanent recovery from prescription drug abuse. For more information on prescription drug help or Narconon locations call today.

Because this was not long enough she went back to using heroin. Several months later she passed away from a drug overdose. She was 27 and one of thousands dying every year because of a teenage drug abuse problem that was never addressed and let go.

The Statistics

According to national statistics the average time a person waits to get into treatment after they start using drugs is 15 years. Many of them start in their teen and adolescent years with simple experimentation that is often passed off as normal or acceptable. The primary drugs of abuse by teens include:

1.    Alcohol
2.    Marijuana
3.    Prescription Medications

The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that more than 6% of teenager user marijuana on a daily basis. In addition to this 35% of teens have abused marijuana at one point in their lives.

Teen alcohol use is also continuing to climb, and according to the Center for Disease control is a major problem across the country. Those under the age of 21 consume 11% of the total alcohol used in the country and 90% of this is used through binge drinking or drinking a large amount of alcohol in a small amount of time.

But the biggest problem right now is the abuse prescription medications. Teens are using both prescription painkillers as well as prescription stimulant non-medically on a usual basis. The most commonly abused prescription stimulants are Adderall and Ritalin. The most abused prescription painkillers are Oxy Contin, Vicoden, hydrocodone and oxycodone.

Many teens feel that these drugs are safe because they are prescribed legally to those with illnesses or injuries and have no idea the consequences that the abuse of them can cause.

What Should Parents Do

Narconon reviews of teens and adolescents who started using drugs early and ended up on in treatment in their mid-20’s or later indicate that they wished they would have gotten help sooner. Many who ended up with severe addictions tried 30 day programs and NA and ended up in longer-term treatment.

The best advice that can be given to parents in regards to teenage drug abuse is not to wait to get the teen help. Many parents will think that the drinking and even drug use is just a phase or that it is a normal thing that every teen does but it is damaging and can lead to fatal and irreversible consequences.

The reality is that if a teen goes without help he or she will cost families financially, legally and emotionally. Many teen drug users end up getting into major problems which include losing or being unable to hold a job, suffering with health problems, getting arrested or even losing their lives over addiction.

Once someone has lost their life there is no turning back. That’s why a parent never waits to get help.

Narconon reviews show that teens that get long term treatment early have the best chances at sobriety. Teenage drug abuse is not something that should be let go under any circumstances. For more on how to get teenage drug abuse help call today.

Celebrity

You may ask how it is so easy for celebrities to obtain drugs or why they would want to ruin their lives when they have everything you could possibly ever want. The answer isn’t a simply one at all.

Celebrities are constantly surrounded by people who want to please them and make them happy. These people and fans bring drugs into their lives and will always supply the drugs for a price. No matter where a celebrity turns there are drugs if they want them. They can have as much as they want and whatever they want whenever they want it. This is where it becomes difficult for a celebrity.

If a celebrity is being surrounded by drugs and has a moment of weakness they can become addicted to the drugs because it gives them the euphoric feeling they feel when on stage. Now they are addicted to drugs and are surrounded by them constantly; is it even possible for them to truly escape the world of drugs.

Of course celebrities deal with problems all of the time and may get stressed out more than the usual person. And with the age of prescription pills booming across the nation, doctors and others are prescribing antidepressants, narcotics and anti-anxiety drugs to solve celebrity’s problems.

This causes more problems for celebrities due to the fact they are surrounded by alcohol and illicit drugs. Anyone who is mixing prescription drugs with either alcohol or other drugs is more susceptible to drug overdose or even death. While doctors do warn everyone of side effects and what to avoid when on the medication, many people do not take the doctor’s recommendations seriously and have a couple drinks anyways.

Tragedies Of Celebrity Abuse

We have seen the tragedy of mixing drugs, prescriptions and alcohol in many celebrity deaths. These celebrities were prescribed a pill for something and then self-medicating themselves with something else completely.

Of course others around them know they probably should not be doing other drugs or drinking, but who is really going to tell a celebrity not to do something?

This is where the downfall of being a celebrity abusing drugs comes into play. There are always people surrounding the celebrity and watching them, but none of them seem to have the courage to speak up about their drug abuse or even recommend getting help.

When the problem is just overlooked or avoided at any cost is when you find celebrities dead in their hotel rooms or in the hospital having their stomach pumped.

The ones that are close to celebrities need to be able to tell them just as if it was a parent and child in the suburbs. Parents will tell their children to stop, but for some reason the people surrounding celebrities just can’t seem to speak up about the issue and just let it continue on until there is nowhere else to go.

Narconon Drug Addiction Solutions

Narconon Vista Bay

The Narconon drug addiction solutions not only work on celebrities but anyone struggling with an addiction. Narconon has a residential treatment program that is one of the most successful in the world and uses an alternative, non NA approach for handling substance abuse.

The result is that Narconon drug addiction solutions achieves a 76% success rate for permanent sobriety from drugs. Call today for more information or to get help for yourself or a loved one.

Heroin addiction

Do you suspect your loved one of abusing heroin? If you have suspicions of drug abuse in your loved one, there are specific signs you can look for before you confront them on the issue. While signs generally do not show up until the issue has already taken over their lives, it’s better for you to realize there is a problem than to leave drug abuse unnoticed.

One of the first telltale signs of heroin abuse is their performance will begin to slip. If they are enrolled at school then their grades will begin to drop. Your loved one may even be out of school more than they are in school, which can lead to dropouts or not moving to the next grade level.

In addition to this, if they are holding a job at the moment they may not be holding that job for much longer. Your loved one will not care if they lose their job or not and will perform much worse at their job because they are typically high at work. The only reason for them even to keep the job is so they have some sort of money income to support their drug addiction.

Unfortunately once your loved one has been abusing heroin for some time you will begin to realize they don’t want to really be around you. They begin to withdraw themselves from family functions, old friends and activities they used to love. The main reason for this is because they would rather be getting high than hanging out with their friends or family.

They lose interest in their favorite activities because their favorite activity has changed to abusing heroin and not what they once used to love. It is devastating to realize that your loved one has chosen heroin over anything else, but it is the sad truth.

Addicted to heroin

If they have begun to withdrawal from you and others, you may want to watch out for your personal belongings as well. When abusing heroin their behavior will begin to become reckless. Heroin has taken over their life at this point and is the only item on their mind all of the time. Your loved one will do whatever it takes to get more heroin.

The consequences of their actions will not matter to them anymore; they just do what is needed to get high again. This can mean stealing from you, stores or complete strangers.

Sub sequentially they will not care about the law either. They will back talk authorities and have no respect for the authority or themselves. Being addicted to heroin leaves you in a care free state, as if you do not care if you die or keep living at all. It is a wretched addiction to get wrapped up in.

What To Do As A Family Member

As a loved one, who truly cares about the well-being of your heroin addicted family member or friend you will have to take action for them to realize what they are truly doing to themselves and the people around them.  If your loved one exhibits any of these signs and just seems to have changed in a completely negative light, you should seek a professional to help you find a way to confront them effectively.

Professional help is the best way to fully overcome a heroin addiction.

Drug-free life

Drug Narconon Program

The drug Narconon program which is unlike NA is one of the best and most successful treatment programs in the world. With a 76% success rate the facility gets some of the best results in the world with treating heroin addiction problems using a completely drug-free method.

For more information on the drug Narconon program call us today.

Heroin addiction

There are many different types of drugs all throughout the world, but heroin remains the drug that has the most serious consequences. This drug affects you negatively in a physical and mental way if you become addicted to the drug.

Anyone can become addicted to heroin. If you are offered the drug and try it you are susceptible to become addicted to it. There are teenagers all the way up to senior citizens that depend on their daily fix of heroin in order to get through the day. Once you have begun developing a want to use the drug more, it is very difficult to get rid of that want.

Heroin acts on the brain as an opiate and stimulates your opioid receptors that you have. While these receptors are meant for natural hormones your body produces, you may find filling these receptors with heroin is more enjoyable. The catch is when you want to stop using it is not as easy as it was to start using heroin.

When you begin using heroin, you may look at it as recreational and only using it sometimes. If you continue to use it just once in a while eventually your brain will be clouded with heroin and want more. You may not experience the physical withdrawals immediately or even after a couple of uses, but your brain will be telling you to use more heroin.

This becomes a problem for the fact that now you have one part of your body telling you to use more heroin and eventually your body will follow in your minds footsteps. Once you are physically dependent on the drug it becomes a vicious cycle of either get high or be sick and feel like you have just risen from the dead.

The Cycle Of Heroin Addiction

Once you become stuck in this cycle of continually getting high to feel good, your body builds a tolerance to heroin you will need more and more to feel good. This is dangerous because you never know how much is too much, which could lead to an overdose or hospitalization.

There are many other habits you pick up while addicted to heroin as well. You will begin only wanting to get high and not do any of the activities you used to do. You will also stop hanging out with your friends that do not use heroin because “they just don’t understand.”

In reality you are the one that doesn’t realize your life is spiraling out of control from your heroin addiction. In addition to this, you will care less and less about your hygiene and not really see it as a big deal if you share needles with someone else. This leads to the spreading of disease.

All in all becoming addicted to heroin is not an enjoyable task to accomplish, but if you find yourself addicted to heroin seek the help you need. Addiction is not irreversible; it is just a road block that you need to hurdle over. Recovery can take time, but it is well worth it if you can realize you have an addiction to drugs or can listen to your loved ones who have seen a change in you through the course of your addiction.

Do Drug Rehab Meetings Handle Heroin Addiction

Drug rehab

Drug rehab meetings have been used for many years as a component to handling addiction. Unfortunately, though some do have success with them many need long term treatment like that offered through the Narconon California drug rehabilitation program.

The treatment center does not use drug rehab meetings and has a 76% success rate for permanent recovery from heroin addiction. For more information call us today.