Millions of substance abusers never seek help. Then again, millions of abusers seek help each week. One of the places that provides in-patient treatment for substance abuse has seen an incredible surge in the number of patients addicted to prescription drugs. Often, these patients are entering for other drugs, and officials are finding that prescription medication is also a problem.
On the heels of a guilty verdict for Conrad Murray this week, the addiction experts at Journey Healing Centers (private drug and alcohol treatment centers) report that 90% of their clients enter treatment after abusing prescription drugs prescribed by a trusted doctor. While many people believe that heroin and cocaine are more dangerous, the facts are that 40 people die every day from overdoses involving narcotic pain killers such as Vicodin, Methadone, OxyContin and Opana (CDC, Centers for Disease Control.)
Journey Healing Centers reveals that 90% of their clients are dependent on one or more prescription drugs when they enter addiction treatment. The holistic healing program offered at JHC has a 95% treatment completion, which is a high success rate according to industry standards.
As unfortunate as the untimely passing of Michael Jackson was, pharma cocktails like the one implicated in the recent trial (Valium, Ativan, Versed and Propofol) are more common than might be expected. Many of the clients admitted to Journey Healing Centers are addicted to even more prescription drugs, and some even walk in with bags full of pills.
According to a National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH 2010), prescription drug abuse is the fastest growing health problem in the US with about 7 million people regularly using prescription drugs for non-medical purposes (2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.) In addressing this disturbing trend, Michael Desjardins MSN, APRN PMHNP-BC, Journey Healing Centers, explains, “People are not taking care of the underlying problem. If they have an ache or a pain, they want a pill to take care of it. And there are too many providers out there ready to write a prescription thinking they’re helping and they’re not, and it’s dangerous.”
Pill sharing, doctor shopping and Pill Mills are all contributing to this prescription drug abuse epidemic. It is way too easy to get prescription drugs from a friend or family member’s medicine cabinet or shop doctors to get a fix and feed an addiction. And because these drugs are prescribed by a doctor, many get the false impression that prescriptions are safe. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health reported 1 in 20 people in the US ages 12 and older reported using prescription painkillers non-medically in 2010.
On top of this prescription drug epidemic, many young adults are using designer drugs such as Bath Salts, Dragonfly and Spice that are legal, and can be deadly. Dr. Oz did a show this week about Dragonfly, and Dr. Ravi Chandiramani, Journey Healing Centers Medical Director, was just interviewed by AZ Family Channel 3 in Phoenix about the dangers of Dragonfly and Spice: Dragonfly New Deadly Designer Drug:
Holistic Remedy With Drug Awareness Class
Journey Healing Centers’ 95% treatment completion success rate is a result of providing clients with a holistic healing program targeting the mind, body and spirit versus throwing more medication at a problem. While withdrawal from medications can be painful, the licensed doctors and therapists provide treatment to reduce the intensity of the symptoms.
The customized holistic healing program expertly blends medical oversight to taper addictive medications to the bare minimum possible while incorporating laboratory testing, nutritional assessment, dietary modification, hormone rebalancing, and condition specific therapies and replacing bad habits with new hobbies such as yoga therapy, art therapy, and equine therapy.
While I am totally for holistic remedies, I am also in favor of more education. People are rational beings. Once they are clean and sober, more education, like an online drug alcohol class, help nurture their new sobriety.