Will Steven Adler be the next celebrity to succumb to drugs?

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If you have ever watched Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew on television than you are familiar with Steven Adler's ongoing struggle with addiction. Steven Adler's claim to fame began most notably in the 1980's as the drummer of the band Guns and Roses. Adler was fired from the band for his drug abuse and established a few bands of his own that were not successful. Most recently he has been in the band Adler's Appetite.

Steven Adler has been on the show Celebrity Rehab twice to conquer his addictions and has also been on the show Celebrity Rehab Presents:Sober House, a follow up care facility for recovering addicts. Dr. Drew, the physician caring for the addicts on Celebrity Rehab has had his hands full with Adler, publicly referring to the rock star as “the problem child” of the group in rehab. With so many celebrities succumbing to the disease of addiction, will Steven Adler be next? It would certainly be no surprise if Adler were to make headlines similar to others that have passed away before their time. It would however, be a life of value lost forever, and that is something society will grieve.

The power of addiction is so strong that even with suffering serious health issues the drummer still has yet to overcome his addictions. Adler has suffered from a heart attack,been in a coma, and had a stroke in 1996, which rendered his face partially paralyzed. One important message one suffering from addiction can gleam from Adler is the Adler's ongoing effort. Relapse is a part of addiction, and it may take many times to fully gain control and command over the disease. The real message that the rocker is sending is to keep on trying. It is important that the fight continues and in cases of addiction, when you give up you die.

We can only wish Steven Adler the best of luck, and hope that he makes it to the other side of life, sobriety. Rock on.

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Morphine Abuse and Treatment

Morphine is an opiate drug used to treat severe pain. It is generally not prescribed to patients outside of a hospital setting because of the fact that, morphine is highly addictive, even in small doses. Morphine is used for the relief of both short-term and long-term pain, in a medical setting, morphine is used to treat:

• Extreme pain relief
• Pre-surgery anesthesia
• Severe cough relief
• Chronic diarrhea
• Shortness of breath

Morphine exists as white silky crystals, cubical masses of crystals or white crystalline powder. It is soluble in water and slightly soluble in alcohol. As with any addiction, if an addict wants morphine, there are a number of ways to get to it, most of them are illegal. Warning signs of that you or someone you care for may be abusing morphine are:

• Blurred vision
• Double vision
• Involuntary eye movement
• Slurred speech, fainting or uncoordinated muscle movements
• Tremors or seizures
• Memory loss
• Hallucinations, abnormal thinking or exaggerated sense of well being
• Extreme agitation

Although it may be difficult to think about what it would be like to confront a family member about addiction, it is even more difficult to bury that loved one: morphine addiction can kill any addict from the health risks involved. Morphine makes you a different person, and that person is not warm, funny or safe. While morphine can initially make you feel more pleasant, the effects quickly wear off. Besides the dangerous effects morphine has on your body, withdrawals or even high doses can make you anxious, irritable, angry, violent or even psychotic. Identifying morphine abuse is just the first step, the next step is getting treatment and to a safe place.

Questions to Ask a Morphine Rehabilitation Center

Most people who call with questions initially focus the services and therapy strategies offered by the morphine rehab center. The following are some questions on this topic to help get you started:

• Before I come to your center, do you conduct a preliminary assessment or evaluation to get a better understanding of my needs?
• Do you provide detox services, and are they medically supervised?
• Do you offer medication as part of treatment, if appropriate?
• Do you have a primary philosophy that you work with, such as 12-step or faith-based?
• What types of therapies do you offer, such motivational counseling and cognitive or behavioral therapies?
• How is the treatment plan developed?
• What does an average therapy day/week look like?
• Do you allocate time in the treatment plan for group and individual therapy, education sessions, opportunities for reflection and support groups?
• Do you provide services related to addiction, such as treatment for co-occurring mental illness or social, vocational or legal services?
• How often do you assess an individual’s treatment plan to ensure it meets changing needs?
• What are some of the ways that you encourage people to stay in treatment long enough to increase their chance for success?

These questions serve as a good start for your investigation of a morphine rehabilitation center. Learn more about morphine abuse at Morphine Addiction Help.

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SC middle school students selling drugs on school premises

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Reports filed at Rock Hill Police Department indicate that several middle school students were involved in the sale and distribution of known narcotics on school grounds.
A 14 year old student was seen selling the white powdery contents inside the restroom of Rawlinson Road Middle School. The incident was witnessed by another student who in turn reported the act to a teacher at the school. The teacher promptly confronted the student, and it was determined that the student did attempt to sell an illegal substance. The student in question had on his person a bag filled with a white substance that tested positive as Cocaine.

This is one of several recent reports going on at the middle school level for attempts of distributing drugs either illegal, or prescribed. Everything from birth control to alcohol have been distributed and sold in schools throughout the state. Schools are recommending parents regularly inventory their medicine cabinets, and keep all prescription medicines in a locked place within the home. Students caught in the recent drug selling, will be headed to family court.

The dangers of some of these drugs legal and illegal getting into the wrong hands and being taken are tremendous. Prescription drugs in the wrong hands can be just as lethal as street drugs, depending on the amount taken and by who. What many young people need to realize is taking any medicine that isn't prescribed for them can cause anything from a severe and deadly allergic reaction to any number of health issues.
These recent reports further illustrate how important anti-drug education is at the middle schools today. More needs to be done, as these reports show, not enough has been done.
For more information and support see: The Addicted Family.

Resources and help for alcoholism

Treatment for alcohol and drug addiction in South Carolina is changing all the time. As times change, treatment, facilities and needs change that afford a person suffering a better chance at making a full recovery. Treatment centers are now changing the look and feel of the treatment environment and offering a wider range of help, even financing for those who desperately need treatment. If you live in South Carolina and are struggling yourself with addiction or a loved one is an alcoholic, the time is now. See: Narconon Freedom Center of South Carolina. This site sports a wonderful home like facility and also claims to have a 70% success rate. For more articles on alcoholism, news and support, see the links below.

How to Identify The Alcoholic In Your Family

What alcohol can do to the body

What is a functioning alcoholic?

Jani Lane's sister believes alcohol played a part in singers death

Harry Potter star opens up about alcoholism

Detoxing naturally for the recovering alcoholic

Mental illness and alcoholism

How to identify the alcoholic in the family

For family members, it is a hard road to walk when someone you love is in trouble and addicted to alcohol and drugs. If you need additional information on other drugs and help, visit a site just for family members, The Addicted Family. This site provides help, hope and advice on how to cope, and deal with your loved one's addiction.

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Addiction to Ambien

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Ambien, also known generically as zolpidem is a sedative-hypnotic with effects similar to Valium and Xanax. It is most often prescribed to people for short-term treatment of insomnia. Short term insomnia would be for a duration of around 4 weeks. Physicians are always advised to exclude other possible reasons for insomnia that last longer than this time frame. If you live in South Carolina and are experiencing insomnia or sleep deprivation, see: Stress And Insomnia - Restless Legs Syndrome South Carolina for a list of doctors throughout South Carolina that treat Insomnia.

Ambien is a schedule VI drug as defined by the FDA, and is considered to have a somewhat low potential for abuse. That being said, Ambien can be habit forming especially in cases where it is taken for longer that a short term treatment. Those taking the medicine on a regular basis for longer than 4 to 5 weeks should look into other reasons for the insomnia. Addiction to this drug occur when there is a hidden illness either physical or mental that is affecting the patients inability to sleep. If one is addicted to this drug, they should not attempt to stop on their own without proper treatment. Symptoms of Ambien withdrawal include insomnia, fatigue, stomach cramps, and panic attacks.

Here are some disadvantage involved with using Ambien

1. This drug causes retrograde amnesia, meaning the patient may forget what occurs prior to and after taking the drug. Combined with alcohol, this drug has been used as a date rape drug.
2. If one has become addicted to Ambien, suddenly stopping can be extremely dangerous especially if over use of the drug has caused the patient to build up a tolerance. Seizures could be triggered by doing so suddenly.
3. Ambien is a “downer” and for those suffering from depression this drug may cause symptoms of depression to become worse. Taking any form of this drug via the black market means no medical supervision and can result in accidental overdose. Combined with alcohol, this drug has been used by those suffering from depression to commit suicide.

While this drug is considered safe, and a useful treatment for temporary problems with sleeping, this article covers the negatives as they relate strictly to addiction of the drug. For most people, this drug is helpful. However it should never be taken without being under the care of a healthcare provider. For information on other types of addictions, see: The Addicted Family.

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Dysfunctional families and addiction

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It is almost a foregone conclusion, where there is a dysfunctional family, there will more than likely

be addiction. Rest assured there is no family that does not have dysfunction. However, the level and severity of the dysfunction is typically what separates an addicts family from other families. Sadly enough, statistics show that most all forms of dysfunction lead to destructive behavior. The need to numb, self medicate, cope with present life and past life issues all seem to stem from a serious dysfunction in the family dynamic. If you live in South Carolina and have some of these issues, see:

South Carolina family and marriage counselors

South Carolina Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors.

Online Support Groups

Treatment Centers

South Carolina Treatment Centers

Different types of dysfunction within the family often spawn different types of addiction. A vicious cycle that often requires outside help, personal recognition, and enough support sources to stop the endless cycle. Children are always the biggest victims in these families with multiple levels of dysfunction and addiction. What makes it a cycle is the how one dysfunction can cause secondary dysfunctions and leave many suffering its wake.

It is extremely important for families to recognize dysfunction from within. Addiction rarely spawns itself from thin air. In some cases this is where professional help can be a great resource. Depending on the level of dysfunction, sometimes professional help is the only way to help isolate and identify the problems. Some levels of dysfunction that can contribute to addiction, or other self destructive behaviors are the following:

Divorce

Sexual abuse

Authority figures, guardians,parents with personality disorders

Mental illness

Poverty

Neglect

Chronic health issues within the family

Severe levels of these dysfunctional elements is where addiction is often found. The key ways to help offset and combat these severe dysfunctions and to help control the likelihood of addiction is to establish a wide circle of support. Many families often try to cope and support their own problems privately feeling their problems. Embarrassment, shame, personal guilt may all keep families from seeking help and support from outside sources.

Each member of a dysfunctional family is a piece of the dysfunction, a victim of the dysfunction, so turning to each other to cope and overcome the problems is almost always an act in futility. Find outside help from support groups, friends, church and professionals. Breaking the cycle of dysfunction is how to evade the onset of addiction as well as a myriad of other problems. It is a healthy approach and can only improve your situation.

For additional information and support see: The Addicted Family

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