Addiction Weekly News

1.Ontario’s mental health and addiction leaders respond to government’s new investment

Ontario’s leading mental health organizations including Addictions and Mental Health Ontario, Canadian Mental Health Association, Ontario Division, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Children’s Mental Health Ontario (newswire.ca)

2.Province investing additional $176M for mental health, addiction supports during pandemic

COVID-19 doesn’t just affect those who catch the potentially deadly virus. There’s been a disturbing increase of overdose deaths in Ontario recently, and mental health can suffer under the isolation and financial strain of the pandemic.(toronto.citynews.ca)

3.Ontario adds $176 million to new mental health and addiction plan

The Ontario government is providing an additional $176 million this year to help expand access for critical mental health and addictions supports during COVID-19.(canindia.com) 

4.Words matter: How to end mental health & addiction stigma by changing the conversation

Several months ago, as I stood in a checkout line at a local box store, I heard a woman behind me bemoaning how long it was taking to get done..(wnewsj.com)

5.Addiction needs to be addressed as a mental disorder, not a weakness

For decades society has portrayed addiction as a disease defined by weakness. Addicts are defined as amoral individuals who will do anything to get their next fix. (sbstatesman.com)

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What Is Drug Abuse?

Drug Abuse And Addiction, refers to a persistent, relapsing condition in which the drug user instinctively spends time searching for and using a prohibited drug. This type of addiction is typified by neurochemical as well as molecular alterations in the brain. As it is cocaine, heroin, lysergic acid diethylamide, mandrax, barbiturates, and a variety of opiates are some of the most commonly used drugs, which are subject to substance abuse by drug users.

Signs Of Drug Abuse

Addiction happens to be a very complex disorder, which is typified by drug use. In general, those who get addicted to drugs feel an uncontrollable and overwhelming need for drug usage, even if there are threats of adverse outcomes. This type of self-destructive behavior may be quite hard to identify with.

The answer to this lies within the brain. Frequent drug usage modifies the brain, resulting in a long-lasting alteration in behavioral patterns and physiology. Such brain changes interfere with the ability to comprehend, control one’s behavior, apply sound judgment, or feel normal sans drugs. These alterations are also to be blamed for drug cravings and compulsion to drug usage, which make addictions so powerful.

Signs and symptoms of drug abuse include physical warning signs, such as bloodshot eyes, which are smaller or larger than usual, alterations in sleep patterns or appetite, unexplained weight gain or weight loss, deterioration in physical appearance, unusual smells, slurred speech, impaired coordination or tremors, etc. The behavioral symptoms in such a condition include a drop in attendance and performance in school or work, an unexplained requirement for money, which, if unsatisfied, may lead to stealing, getting engaged in secretive behavior, sudden alterations in friends or hobbies, etc. Apart from that, there may be several psychological warning symptoms, such as aggressive behavior leading to fights, irritability, sudden mood swings, giddiness, or lack of motivation.

In case of such warning signs, it is better to take appropriate steps in this regard. If a person is suffering from drug addiction, they should go for a drug rehabilitation program.

Drug Treatment Program

A drug rehabilitation program refers to medical or psychotherapeutic treatment regarding dependence on various psychoactive substances like cocaine, heroin, etc. The primary purpose is to allow the patient to stop substance abuse to avoid psychological, legal, social, financial, and physical consequences, which may be caused, mainly due to excessive abuse.

Several treatment procedures are applied for achieving the desired results, such as Top Treatment Centers, residential treatment, out-patient, extended care centers, local support groups, and recovery houses. Medication includes buprenorphine as well as behavioral therapies in case of stimulant addiction, which are often used. Certain opioid medications like methadone are also widely used for treating addiction as well as dependence on drugs. Buprenorphine and methadone are maintenance therapies used to stabilize abnormal opioid systems and are used for withdrawing the patients from narcotics. Ibogaine is another medication that may be used to interrupt both psychological cravings and physical dependence on a wide range of drugs.

Behavioral therapies include cognitive-behavioral therapy, multidimensional family therapy, motivational interviewing, as well as motivational incentives.

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Addiction Weekly News

1.In 2020, Everyone Is Struggling With Mental Health. Here’s Our Guide to Finding Peace.

Precedent says this godforsaken year can definitely get worse. But with the right tools, we can get through it, and whatever comes next.(wweek.com)

2.MHA: More mental health funding needed as suicide hotline makes big change.

WICHITA, Kan. (KAKE) – Suicide is one the leading causes of death in our country, but there’s a big effort to change that. (kake.com)

3.Help for kids’ mental health struggles during COVID-19

SAN ANTONIO – Kids who get coronavirus tend to fare better physically than adults with COVID. (news4sanantonio.com) 

4.Willamette Week: Keeping your mental health in check as seasons change

TPORTLAND, Ore — We’ve been through a lot this year: the pandemic, the unrest on the streets of Portland and what’s so far been a chaotic election cycle.(9news.com)

5.Portland VA: Email that sparked worry about mental health care was inaccurate

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Mental health care for veterans plays an important role in their ability to cope with experiences during their time serving, but an email sent this week (ktvz.com)

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Addiction Weekly News September-2

1.Grocery Store Hires Homeless Woman Who Slept In Their Parking Lot

A grocery store in Tennesee, USA, has hired a homeless woman who used to sleep in their parking lot. According to Fox News, a Kroger supermarket outlet in Nashville took a chance on LaShenda Williams almost a year ago. (ndtv.com)

2.The Editorial Board: Prude’s death underscores need to redefine police responsibilities.

Defund the police” is a terrible and misleading slogan but behind it is a serious problem: For decades, police officers have unhappily become the front line dealing with mental health problems and addiction.(buffalonews.com)

3.Demand for Mental Health and Addiction Services Increasing as COVID-19 Pandemic Continues to Threaten Availability of Treatment Options

New Polling Shows Need for Immediate Congressional Action to Avert Collapse of Behavioral Health Organizations and Resulting Public Health Crisis.(prnewswire.com) 

4.The pandemic is taking a toll on Americans’ mental health. A new CDC study shows who we need to worry about most.?

The COVID-19 pandemic is having a significant impact on Americans’ mental health, according to a new survey out Thursday from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.(usatoday.com)

5.Mental Health Systems Market Statistics and Research Analysis Detailed in Latest Research Report 2020-2026

The Mental Health Systems market report 2020-2026 provides in-depth study of market competitive situation, product scope, market overview, opportunities, driving force and market risks. Profile the Top Key Players of Mental Health Systems, with sales, revenue and global market share of Mental Health Systems are analyzed emphatically by landscape contrast and speak to info. (thedailychronicle.in)

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Stats On Drug Addiction

The statistics of drugs in the United States are staggering. According to a study from the US Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 112,085,000 Americans aged 12 or over report having used an unlawful medication at any rate once in their life.. According to the national institute on statistics on drug use in america, 46.1 % of the US population aged 12 and over. Out of these people, the same study estimates that there are 30 million US citizens addicted to drugs, either prescription or illegal.

The rehab treatments available for addicts vary as much as the addictions themselves. The first step is to ascertain the severity of the person’s addiction and their drug of choice. Other issues, such as age, gender, race, sexual orientation, and environment, are also factored into the mix. Once that information is gathered, the counselor can find the best treatment for that particular person. Most treatments begin with behavior modification to help people cope with their drug cravings while offering them suggestions on ways to avoid drugs. Is sometimes the hardest lesson for people to accept as the first suggestion is usually to prevent known drug users, which often cuts the person off from their friends. Many medications have been used successfully in fighting drug addiction. These include, but are not limited to, methadone, naltrexone, and Levo-Alpha Acetyl Methadol, known as LAAM.

Methadone has been an accepted form of detoxification from narcotics for over thirty years. The patient receives a carefully monitored daily dose of methadone; a synthetic narcotic suppresses the opioid receptor in the brain that is triggered by opiate use and allows addicts to change their addictive behaviors. It reduces the cravings and uncontrolled impulses seen with heroin addiction, but the patient must then gradually weaned from the methadone, which could take years. However, since the harmful side effects of illegal drugs are gone, the patient can be helped to return to a healthy life.

Naltrexone isn’t too known as methadone, however it is exceptionally successful in people genuinely roused to defeat their enslavement. Naltrexone, when utilized related to clonidine, can abbreviate the detoxification time to one day instead of the fourteen days important for similar outcomes from methadone. Results in considerable cost savings. However, people using naltrexone have a higher relapse rate than patients using methadone. Doctors theorize that this is because naltrexone does not have side effects, such as the withdrawal symptoms experienced by methadone users, when it discontinued.

LAAM is another alternative to methadone. It needs to administer only three times a week, which, like naltrexone, results in significant cost savings. Studies have shown that patients on LAAM may need more counseling and support when they first begin treatment as their ignorance of the treatment causes more anxiety.

Besides behavior modification and medical intervention, many other rehab forms can be used concurrently with the former two treatments. These include substance use monitoring, support groups, counseling, family services such as childcare, housing and transportation, education, medical care, financial aid, and legal services. These subsidiary services are needed to help the patient return to a productive life since many addicts have concurrent problems such as depression or other psychosis.

Find out the top-rated addiction treatment centers for prescription drugs, cocaine, heroin, marijuana, or any other addiction to substances.

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Addiction Weekly News August-3

1.Opiate-addicted pharmacist sentenced to prison after relatives describe his theft of pain medication from terminally ill cancer patients

Carl Mancini was accused of an elaborate scheme to steal – and conceal the theft of – powerful morphine-derivative narcotics while working in Cromwell for Option Care Health, which prepares intravenous pain management infusions for patients in home or hospice care. (www.courant.com)

2.The latest survey on global mental health software market 2020 report covering various market challenges, opportunities, size, share, growth, trends & forecast

Mental Health Software Market Trends, In-Depth Research on Market Size, Emerging Growth Factors, Global  Trends and Forecasts.Overview on supply analysis covering trends across raw material suppliers, technology providers and distributors.(bulletinline.com)

3.12th annual ERF conference on mental health will offer groundbreaking keynotes

The virtual conference will offer two tracks, Mood & Anxiety and Eating Disorders, with livestream keynote presentations September 10-12 plus all sessions available for viewing through the end of the year; attendees can earn up to 35 CE/CME/CNE hours(www.globenewswire.com) 

4.States Seek $26.4 Billion From Drug Companies in Opioid Litigation

Addiction experts are in wide agreement on the most effective way to help opioid addicts: Medication-assisted treatment. But most inpatient rehab facilities in the U.S. don’t offer this option. WSJ’s Jason Bellini reports on why the medication option is controversial, and in many places, hard to come by. Image: Ryno Eksteen and Thomas Williams(www.wsj.com)

5.Tucson’s rise in drug overdose deaths could be linked to pandemic

One official says the pandemic could be intensifying risk factors associated with increased drug use and overdose, including economic distress, social isolation and anxiety(www.tucson.com)

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Mental Health Weekly Roundup August-2

1.White House Drug Czar visits El Paso

EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — James Carroll, the director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, was on the U.S.-Mexico border on Wednesday where drug seizures are up for the year.(www.everythinglubbock.com)

2.Border district Fatehabad fights the tough fight against drugs amid steady trickle of heroin and tablets

The police have come to know that many consumers of heroin have themselves turned to drug peddling too so they can afford to keep buying more.(indianexpress.com)

3.Health officials report increases in drug overdoses, suicides during COVID-19 pandemic

PHOENIX – As social distancing and isolation continue throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, many states across the country are reporting an increase in reported drug overdoses and suicides, including Arizona.(http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/) 

4.Guns N’ Roses’ Duff McKagan discusses addiction struggles on Lily Cornell’s mental health podcast

Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan has opened up on his struggles with addiction and anxiety in the latest episode of the mental health podcast hosted by the eldest daughter of the late Chris Cornell.(www.nme.com)

5.Associations of internet addiction severity with psychopathology, serious mental illness, and suicidality: Large-sample cross-sectional study

Via a survey among first-year undergraduates enrolled at Sichuan University in September 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018, researchers examined if and how internet addiction severity is associated with adverse mental health outcomes.(www.mdlinx.com)

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Addiction & Mental Health News– August 1 Week

1.Mother, 52, reveals how she overcame a 25 year addiction to prescription painkillers

A mother has revealed how she overcame an addiction to painkillers that spanned a quarter of a century.(sports.yahoo.com)

2.New West group launches online addiction recovery program for seniors

A New Westminster-based addiction recovery group is finding new ways to support seniors in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.(princegeorgecitizen.com)

3.Mindleap Health™ Expands its Digital Mental Health Programs for Addiction, Psychedelic Integration and Holistic Wellness

Mydecine Innovations Group™ (CSE: MYCO) (OTC: NLBIF) (FSE:0NF) (“Mydecine”), is pleased to announce that its subsidiary, Mindleap Health™ (“Mindleap” or the “Company”) based in Vancouver, British Columbia, is expanding it’s digital therapeutic offerings by adding three additional programs to its platform.(globenewswire.com)

4.Commodore Builders, Herren Project launch first-of-its-kind addiction recovery program

One of Boston’s largest construction companies is expanding its partnership with a substance abuse program — the only one of its kind in the industry — to make counseling and support services available for free to employees, subcontractors and trades people at all of its job sites.(bostonherald.com)

5.Using telemedicine to treat opioid addiction

Getting medication long meant seeing a licensed provider. Now a strategy for evading Covid-19 makes treatment available via the web.(wausaupilotandreview.com)

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Addiction Recovery Weekly Roundup – July 5 Week

1.The New Fight to Hold Purdue Pharma and the Sacklers Accountable for the Opioid Crisis

Victim advocates fear that bankruptcy will shield the drug maker from justice, but they’re not giving up.(theintercept.com)

2.Long Island Officials Lobby Congress For Funding To Help Recovering Addicts

Long Island elected officials were in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday to advocate for federal help in the opioid and alcohol addiction crisis.(wcbs880.radio.com)

3.What the heroin industry can teach us about solar power

If you have ever doubted whether solar power can be a transformative technology, read on.According to the UN body responsible for tracking and tackling illegal drug production, the UNODC, almost 80% of all Afghan opium now comes from the south-west of the country, including Helmand.(bbc.com)

4.Bucks expands program training police to connect people to drug treatment

Bucks County is expanding a program designed to quickly get people suffering from addiction connected with treatment by enlisting police departments.(whyy.org)

5.Michael Phelps: ‘I Can’t See Any More Suicides’

In the documentary “The Weight of Gold,” Phelps presents a stark picture of the mental wear and tear Olympians endure.(nytimes.com)

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Addiction Recovery Weekly Roundup – July 4 Week

1.Traditional PTSD therapy doesn’t trigger drug relapse        People with addiction aren’t getting effective treatment for   PTSD due to incorrect presumptions

Researchers have now demonstrated that behavior therapy that exposes people to memories of their trauma doesn’t cause relapses of opioid or other drug use, and that PTSD severity and emotional problems have decreased after the first therapy session.(https://www.sciencedaily.com)

2.Social and behavioral factors most closely associated with dying

Smoking, divorce and alcohol abuse have the closest connection to death out of 57 social and behavioural factors analyzed in this study. The researchers analyzed data collected from 13,611 adults in the U.S. between 1992 and 2008, and identified which factors applied to those who died between 2008 and 2014. They intentionally excluded biological and medical factors.(https://www.sciencedaily.com)

3.Legal marijuana may be slowing reductions in teen marijuana use

A longitudinal study of more than 230 teens and young adults in Washington state finds that teens may be more likely to use marijuana following legalization – with the proliferation of stores and increasing adult use of the drug — than they otherwise would have been.(https://www.sciencedaily.com/)

4.In Faridabad, Teen Age Police unit to protect youngsters against bullying, trafficking

According to police officials, the TAP unit, which will cater to boys and girls between the ages of 13 and 19, will be led by an ACP-ranking officer who will closely coordinate with school authorities, parents’ associations, and non-governmental organisations working in areas of teenage problems.(https://indianexpress.com/)

5.Inside Kanye West’s bipolar disorder and Twitter rants

Kanye West’s troubled mental state has been on full view over the last few days.A series of concerning tweets and public appearances have likely been the result of the 43-year-old rapper’s bipolarism, his wife Kim Kardashian said.(https://nypost.com/)

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