3 Things to Take Away from the Tragedies of Schuler, Jackson and Mays

There has been a lot of media coverage lately around the tragic deaths of Long Island mom Diane Schuler, pop star Michael Jackson and pitchman Billy Mays. All of the stories include allegations of alcohol and / or drug abuse or misuse. All include real people whose lives were taken too soon. And all of the stories leave mourning families with a whole lot of questions. So, what can we take away from these tragic stories?

1. Addicted women need to be able to come out of hiding to get the treatment they need without the fear that society will reject them. 92% of women do not receive needed treatment for alcohol and drug problems. The intense shame and guilt that women experience, especially mothers, when they are abusing drugs or alcohol keeps women from seeking treatment for their problem. Even in the most modern families, women are most often the caretakers of the family. Who will take over the role when mom has to take a break to seek the help she needs? When faced with the choice of seeking help for their problem or taking care of their kids and family, they’ll almost always choose the kids. Studies have shown that children typically learn of their father’s alcoholism when they are about 12.6 years of age, while they don’t learn of their mother’s alcoholism until 18.3. Schuler was allegedly under the influence of alcohol and marijuana when she drove the wrong way down the Taconic State Parkway in New York when she hit a car head on, killing 8 people, including herself, her 2-year old daughter and 3 young nieces. Her family says they never saw her drunk.

2. We need to pay attention to the rise in prescription drug abuse in America. Prescription drugs, or the mixture of prescription drugs with other drugs or alcohol, may have contributed to both Jackson and Mays’ deaths. Federal data shows nearly 7 million Americans abused prescription drugs in 2007, up 80% since 2000. According to the Partnership Attitude Tracking Study (PATS), nearly one in five (an estimated 4.7 million) teens have ever abused prescription drugs. Prescription drugs were second only to marijuana for those 7th – 12th graders reporting to ever trying drugs in 2008. Most teens get their prescription drugs straight from their family’s medicine cabinet and think it is safe because it comes from a doctor. Doctor shopping, and even dentist shopping, has become popular.

3. We need to talk to each other about our experiences with addiction, whether it is through our own past abuses or through dealing with a friend of family member’s addiction. When someone is diagnosed with asthma or diabetes, they consult doctors and specialists, learn about their disease and treatments, maybe even make some lifestyle changes. Chances are, the person hears other people’s stories about their bouts with the same disease and how they handled it. They talk about it, and they deal with it. Think about it. Most people could probably name a cancer center near them, but how many could name a substance abuse treatment center in the same area? How many Mainers know about Crossroads for Women? While treatment and support options for drug and alcohol are lacking in many communities, they do exist. You don’t read about addiction research as much as you do about asthma or diabetes or cancer. Even those that conquer addiction and find recovery often don’t talk about their past for fear that they will be unfairly judged.

Addiction is a disease that needs to be addressed and treated. It is a disease that can tear apart families and ruin lives, yet it’s still something we are too ashamed to talk about. What would happen if we did?

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technorati tags: Diane Schuler, Michael Jackson, Billy Mays, substance abuse, addiction, treatment

New Studies Show Medication Assisted Treatment Effective for Alcohol, Opiate Addiction

Healthday reported that taking a regimen of prescribed medications is the most effective way to reduce withdrawal symptoms and urges to drink alcohol in those being treated for alcohol dependence. The conclusion came from the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism’s Combine study, a large-scale, multi-site, combined medication and behavioral treatment study.

Data was analyzed from 846 males and 380 females. Each participant was randomly assigned one of eight different treatment combinations involving two medications (naltrexone and acamprosate) used with two behavioral treatments — low-intensity medical management (MM) and moderately intensive combined behavioral intervention (CBI). The patients’ outcomes were compared after 16 weeks of treatment.

Results showed that those who consistently adhered to their medication regimen had better outcomes than those who were not as consistent, no matter what treatment combination they were assigned. The study also showed that the specialty alcohol treatment CBI was especially beneficial to those nonadherents that received a placebo, but CBI did not perform better than the more primary-care MM. Researchers concluded that that combing MM and naltrexone could benefit a large percentage of alcohol-dependent patients.

In other research news, an international study shows that the drug buprenorphine is twice as effective as naltrexone for treatment for heroin dependence. The two medications were tested on 126 Malaysian patients who had recently undergone a detoxification and counseling program. A placebo was also tested. Buprenorphine, also known as suboxone, was shown to be twice as effective than naltrexone and the placebo in terms of days of abstinence from heroin and a complete relapse to the narcotic.

The study suggested that buprenorphine should be placed alongside methadone as pharmacological treatments for helping addicts stay off heroin, but it did not favor naltrexone usage in treatment. Results of the study were published in The Lancet.

Read More
From HealthDay: Prescribed Meds Still Best Treatment for Alcoholism
From All Health News: Study Shows Buprenorphine Works More Effectively In Heroin De-Addiction

technorati tags: medication assisted treatment, opiate, heroin, addiction, alcoholism, buprehorphine, naltrexone

Study Shows Women’s Rate of Alcohol Dependence Climbing

A new study found an increase in alcohol dependence possibly due to American teenagers drinking at earlier ages. In particular, this increase in alcohol dependence seemed to be explained by women drinking at increasingly younger ages throughout time. While researchers saw an increase in earlier drinking and alcohol dependence in men, the changes were much more dramatic among women.

The study took a look at drinking habits among Americans born between 1934 and 1983, based on data from nearly 40,000 men and women who responded to 2 large national surveys — one conducted between 1991 and 1992, the other between 2001 and 2002. It’s findings were published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.

The study showed women born between 1934 and 1943 began drinking at the average age of 22, while those born after 1963 typically started drinking when they were 17. While only 9% of women born between 1934 and 1943 had been alcohol dependent at some point in their lives, the percentage jumps to roughly 22% of women born after 1963. The increase in early drinking seemed to explain the higher incidence of alcohol dependence.

While the findings don’t necessarily prove that early drinking causes alcohol dependence, it does suggest that social factors may be contributing rather than just a genetic vulnerability. Women’s average age at first alcohol use and their rate of alcohol dependence both shifted significantly in a matter of decades. “Genes don’t change in that amount of time,” explained lead researcher Dr. Richard A. Grucza, of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Certainly, women gaining more independence, working outside the home and furthering their educations throughout time have helped.

Read about the study in this Reuters Health article, Early drinking may raise risk of alcoholism

Technorati Tags: women, drinking, alcoholism, alcohol dependence, research

Alcohol Awareness Month + Women

April is Alcohol Awareness Month. While media tend to focus on teenagers who drink during this month, the truth is that alcohol and alcoholism affects every demographic. Here are some facts about women and girls and alcohol that you might not know:

• Chronic heavy drinking can precipitate menstrual disorders such as heavy flow, painful periods and irregular cycles. Even moderate drinking can contribute to infertility in women, and the more alcohol a woman consumes, the greater her risk of infertility and miscarriages. Also, heavy drinking can increase the risk of premature menopause.
• Up to 50% of people with eating disorders abuse alcohol (and illicit drugs), compared with 9% of the general population, and up to 35% of people who abuse alcohol (and illicit drugs) have eating disorders, compared with 3% of the population.
• Women with a history of childhood conduct disorder are nearly 5 times likelier than those without such a history to develop alcohol dependence, whereas men with a history of conduct disorder are only twice as likely to develop alcohol dependence
• Teenage girls who drink frequently are almost 6 times more likely to attempt suicide than girls who never drink.
• Alcohol is associated more closely with crimes of sexual violence than any other drug; it is implicated in as many as 73% of all rapes and 70% of all incidents of domestic violence. It is linked to more incidences of violence than illicit drugs, including cocaine, heroin, and PCP.
• As many as 60% of pregnant women who drink do not discover their condition until after the first trimester. During that time, a woman may unwittingly expose the fetus to dangerous substances.
• Seventy-two percent of women who abuse alcohol have had at least 1 episode of mental illness, compared to 57% of men. The rates of mental illness are even higher for women diagnosed as alcohol dependent.
• The most commonly diagnosed mental health problems among girls and women with alcohol problems are depression, anxiety disorders, borderline personality disorder and eating disorders.
• The fetus’s brain is at greatest risk of being damaged from alcohol during the last trimester of pregnancy. Just one episode of excessive drinking during the final trimester could be enough to damage the brain of a fetus.
• Drinking before the age of 15 quadruples the likelihood of becoming alcohol dependent.
• Drinking before the age of 21 more than doubles the likelihood of developing alcohol-related problems.

These stats were taken from Women Under the Influence by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University.

Technorati Tags: women, alcohol, alcoholism, awareness