Dangerous Ecstasy at Music Festivals

Addiction psysiology has analyzed over the past how dangerous Ecstasy really is and this article goes over how popular this drug really is a musical festivals. People need to be very aware of how dangerous this drug is. 

“Molly,” the powder or crystal form of MDMA, the chemical used in Ecstasy, has been a popular drug at music festivals this year, CNNreports.

Molly, short for molecule, is considered to be pure MDMA, unlike Ecstasy, which generally is laced with other ingredients, such as caffeine or methamphetamine. According to Pax Prentiss, co-founder and CEO of Passages rehabilitation centers in Southern California, molly users tend to be ages 16 to 24.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) considers MDMA to be a Schedule I controlled substance, which means it has a high potential for abuse, and no accepted use in medical treatment. The DEA notes that MDMA can cause confusion, anxiety, depression, paranoia, sleep problems, and drug craving. The drug also can cause muscle tension, tremors, involuntary teeth clenching, muscle cramps, nausea, faintness, chills, sweating, and blurred vision. “High doses of MDMA can interfere with the ability to regulate body temperature, resulting in a sharp increase in body temperature (hyperthermia), leading to liver, kidney and cardiovascular failure. Severe dehydration can result from the combination of the drug’s effects and the crowded and hot conditions in which the drug is often taken,” the DEA reports.

While fewer than 4 percent of emergency room visits in 2009 were due to MDMA use, the national Drug Abuse Warning Network found that from 2004 to 2009, there was a 123 percent increase in the number of emergency room visits involving MDMA taken alone or in combination with pharmaceuticals, alcohol or both."

Source: http://www.drugfree.org/join-together/drugs/molly-powder-or-crystal-form-of-m...

Today you can be the seeds of change by taking a look into the chemical dependency counseling field. Centaur University offers one of the fastest certification programs to help you become a chemical dependency counselor and start making a difference!

 

Report on Treatment Admissions

An interesting report for those involved with treatment and chemical dependency counseling. 

"A report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) finds 37.2 percent of treatment admissions for substance abuse involve both drugs and alcohol.

The report shows 730,228 substance abuse treatment admissions in 2009, or 37.2 percent, were for people who reported abuse of alcohol and at least one other drug; 23.1 percent of all people admitted reported abusing alcohol and one other drug, and 14.1 percent said they abused alcohol and two other drugs.

Newswise reports that when people combine alcohol with other drugs, they tend to drink more heavily than if they use alcohol alone. Combining alcohol with other drugs can be dangerous, according to SAMHSA. For instance, taking benzodiazepines with alcohol increased the risk of serious injury or death.

“Even by themselves, alcohol and drug abuse can be devastating to one’s health and well-being, but a combination of drug and alcohol abuse increases one’s risk of serious, life-threatening consequences even more,” SAMHSA Administrator Pamela S. Hyde said in a news release."

Source: http://www.drugfree.org/join-together/addiction/37-percent-of-substance-abuse...

If you want to support recovery and new lives for those who suffer from addiction then think about becoming a chemical dependency counselor from our Costa Mesa Counseling Degree school. 

 

New Law Against Designer Drugs

Another bit of chemical dependency counseling news on a law that will combat more designer drugs. Addiction psysiology has seen many of these "legal-highs" hit the market and the gorvernment is finally doing something about them. 

"The sale of “designer drugs” in Frederick may be illegal in the next few months, thanks to new federal legislation and a possible city ordinance prohibiting the sale of bath salts and synthetic marijuana.
Federal legislation that goes into effect in Oct. 1 is designed to help authorities combat an ever-changing list of chemicals that keeps manufacturers one step ahead of the law, according to Capt.Tom Ledwell of the Frederick Police Department.

The federal law is part of a broader measure targeting many more chemical compounds than a law passed last year. Two bath salt chemicals, mephedrone and MDPV, were banned last October. Health and law-enforcement officials say the drugs lead to bizarre behavior and health problems.

Stemming the tide of such drugs will take a multifaceted effort that may also include a new local law, Ledwell said.

Frederick police have identified six businesses in the city that sell the designer drugs, four of them on Market Street, but suspect there are more. None of the businesses is currently selling anything illegal, according to Ledwell. The drugs are also available on the Internet.

“We are examining some other municipal ordinances already on the books, and whether it would be feasible to put into place in Frederick,” Ledwell said.

He does not know how long it will take the city to enact such a law. He said that the police department has been in discussions with the city attorney and the Frederick County state’s attorney for a few months.

Frederick Mayor Randy McClement (R) said he is supporting the effort to enact a city law to give police tools to address the “growing concern” of designer drugs.

“It amazes me that these drugs are sold with innocent-sounding names like ‘bath salts’ and are used for getting a speed-like rush, not a relaxing soak in the tub,” McClement said.

Joe Cohen, owner of Classic Cigars and British Goodies in Frederick, sells synthetic marijuana, known as “spice” or “potpourri,” but not bath salts. Most of his sales are in small quantities, he said.

Cohen declined comment on pending laws because nothing has changed yet.

“It’s all speculation at this point,” Cohen said. “When something changes, obviously, we will have to adjust. What I sell are legal products.”

Ledwell said that officers have noted “bizarre” behavior in some people suspected of crimes, and have linked some burglaries and thefts to designer drugs.

Officers are seeing behavior-related incidents, but it is a challenge for police to identify what drugs an individual is taking, Police Chief Kim Dine said.

“You would hope they know what they are putting in their bodies,” Dine said.

Synthetic marijuana is similar in construction to tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the active compound found in marijuana, but is much stronger than the real thing.

And although two compounds found in bath salts were banned last year, the newer compounds are even more dangerous, according to Marty Brown, the deputy director of behavioral health services at the Frederick County Health Department.

“There’s a lot of confusion about the bath salts and what they are,” Brown said. “The folks that have manufactured this chemical compound know they couldn’t get it out on the market unless they could label (it) as ‘not for human consumption.’”

The drugs, which are stimulants, are inconsistent in their effects. The most damaging effects are rapid heart rate, increased blood pressure and paranoia that can make the user suicidal, Brown said.

Other symptoms include teeth grinding, increased temperature and pupil dilation, headaches, kidney pain, ringing in the ears, dizziness, breathing problems and delusions. Most who use it like the euphoric effect it gives them, and some use it as an aphrodisiac, he said.

“I asked someone this morning if he had any experience with it, and his immediate response was this stuff was ‘no joke,’ and he’s used most illicit drugs in his lifetime,” Brown said.

The department runs drug-treatment programs, and sends counselors into schools and to community events to educate people about the dangers of the new drugs, he said. Most of those who use the drugs are between 18 and 25.

“One person we have in a program, a month or so after he smoked it, had the urge to bite someone’s face, and he couldn’t get that thought out of his mind,” Brown said.
There are no studies yet on the effects of long-term use, but users need to take more to get the same high the longer they use it, he said.

Bath salts can be ingested by smoking, or melting them on a spoon and injecting by needle, Brown said. About 3 to 5 milligrams will achieve the desired effect, but users will build a rapid tolerance and have to increase dosage to 5 to 20 milligrams.

The key to dealing with the drugs is to work with manufacturers of the basic compounds and keep them from being sold here, Brown said.

“I am hopeful that there will be more legislation around these drugs,” he said. “That would help us in our efforts to keep young people from doing this stuff. They have enough to worry about as it is.”

by Katherine Heerbrandt Staff writer

Source: http://www.gazette.net/article/20120...mplate=gazette "

Today you can be the seeds of change by taking a look into the chemical dependency counseling field. Centaur University offers one of the fastest certification programs to help you become a chemical dependency counselor and start making a difference! 

A Woman's Battle Against Prescription Drugs

 

These stories are not uncommon at all in the chemical dependency counseling community and every day there are new people finding presciption drugs to be a real problem. 

"In June of 2008, at 49-years-old, Jamie Lee Curtis admitted to the world that she had become addicted to pain pills at the age of 35. She states that her addiction led her to steal painkillers from her sister, who had them legitimately.

Curtis successfully hid her dependency from her entire family, including her husband, Christopher Guest. She says that she used the drugs to get high, battle loneliness and admits to binge drinking for years. Curtis believes that her dependency issues stemmed from the pressure she felt to stay young and thin in Hollywood. She says that she was finally able to discontinue her drug use nine years ago, due to her concern for her daughter, Annie.

In July of 2009, the buzz around the death of Michael Jackson and painkillers brought Curtis’ drug addiction back to the forefront. She can relate to Jackson, because she became addicted following her own routine cosmetic procedure.

She believes that he was in pain. Jackson was an addict, he wanted relief and would get it any way that he could. She is sure that attempts to intervene were made, but an addict will get what an addict wants, which is relief from the pain in his life. Curtis states that morphine became her warm bath from which to escape her painful reality. She was able to see that her pain had started a long time ago and that finding the narcotic was only a matter of time.

Curtis says that her recovery from drug addiction is the single greatest achievement in her life. She feels that without recovery, her life would have just fallen apart. She continued with, “Recovery and motherhood are the two single greatest things in my life.”

Jamie Lee Curtis Calls For Addiction To Be Considered A Disease

In February of 2012, Curtis refers to Whitney Houston’s death and requests a call to action against drug addiction in society, as well as the Obama administration.

Addiction has become an epidemic. Curtis requests that the Obama administration consider addiction a disease, just like cancer. She feels that the media spotlight on Houston’s death should be utilized to create change.

Gil Kerlikowske, the Drug Czar for President Obama, calls Houston’s death a teachable moment. He also believes that the administration needs to treat addiction as a disease.

Curtis feels lucky that she did not have to lose anything, as some stars have. She says that recovery is accepting that your life is a mess and it has to be changed. Curtis has let her hair turn grey and quit wearing high heels as part of her recovery process. She also works as a volunteer for anti-drug campaigns. If you or a loved one is dealing with addiction, contact us at the Delray Recovery Center today."

Source: http://www.freedomdrugrehab.com/jamie-lee-curtis-battle-with-addiction-to-pai...

You can make a difference in the world today by supporting or becoming a chemical dependency counselor. 

 

Dealer Arrested From Online Boasting

It's good news for the chemical dependency counseling community and those involved with addiction psysiology to see these sorts of busts happening. Not only is it ridiculous anyone would boast online about drug possession, but it's nice to see authorities taking action because of it. 

"A YORKSHIRE drug dealer who posted a number of amateur rap videos on the internet boasting of his criminal prowess has been jailed for seven years.
Steven Campbell, 38, of Lowerhouses, Huddersfield, who filmed numerous videos of himself posing in a white mask with bundles of cash and bragging about his gang connections and violence, was found to have stashed nearly £100,000 of drugs at the home of a single mother in nearby Dalton when it was raided by police.
He was arrested beside seven others for a range of offences including conspiracy to supply or possess class A, B and C drugs, money laundering and theft, as part of a long-running West Yorkshire Police investigation into drug trafficking and firearm supply which led to 27 search warrants being executed across Kirklees and Calderdale.
Sentencing at Bradford Crown Court yesterday, Judge John Potter said Campbell, a former car dealer who had served prison terms for wounding and robbery in the 1990s, had exploited others including 24-year-old mother Stephanie Harmon who had been unaware of the type and quantity of drugs being left at her home.
“Your activity can properly be described as professional drug dealing leaving a trail of misery and harm in your wake,” he said. “You Steven Campbell, in my judgement, deliberately exploited others and involved them in your activity.”
Prosecutor Richard Walters said the £94,000 drug stash included around £17,000 of cocaine including some packages in a locked strong box which were found to be 77 per cent pure.
Officers also recovered £11,500 of controversial former legal high mephedrone, a bag containing more than 15,000 so-called ‘pink cherub’ tablets, a further 1.75 kilogrammes of the “pink cherub” drug worth more than £26,000 and around 700 grammes of a bulking agent.
Campbell pleaded guilty to conspiring to supply Class A, B and C drugs alongside Stephanie Harmon, of Harp Inge, Dalton, his former partner Harriet Sunderland, 26, of Tillotson Avenue, Sowerby Bridge, and her brother Scott Sunderland 28, of Calder grove, Mytholmroyd.
His three accomplices were sentenced to 51 weeks in prison suspended for 2 years each, with Harmon and Scott Sunderland ordered to complete 450 hours of community service between them.
Christopher Tehrani, for Campbell, said his mother was a social worker and had done her best with her children, but after he left home at the age of 20 he went off the rails.
He said Campbell now had a number of children himself, and wanted to be back with them after his release to make sure they did not make the same mistakes he had.
Speaking outside court, Detective Inspector Neil Hollis of West Yorkshire Police’s crime division, said: “It’s clear from the evidence that Campbell was the leader of this criminal enterprise despite presenting himself as a car dealer. 
“He did buy and sell the odd car, however this was merely a front to legitimise his drug dealing activities. 
“He used his then girlfriend Harriet Sunderland and also Harmon to store the drugs and broker deals for him in order to appear as a legitimate business man.
“Campbell is a negative role model and his prison sentence reflects the severity of his crimes and I hope will be some comfort to those people who have suffered at his hands.”

Yorkshire Post

Published on Friday 3 August 2012
News article can be found here "

Support treatment and recovery by visiting our chemical dependency counseling website or chemical dependency counselor page!