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Every day, the lives of millions of people depend completely on the operators of trucks, airplanes, ships, trains and cars being substance abuse-free. In dozens of studies done around the world, in the National Transportation and Safety Board investigations of fatal and non-fatal accidents in the U.S., drugs and alcohol have come up thousands of times as factors in accidents.
As in the collision of the Cosco Busan in San Francisco Bay in 2007. The pilot was suffering from sleep apnea and was taking modafinil, a drug that can cause confusion, difficulty seeing, hallucinations or thoughts of suicide. One report stated that he was also taking Valium.
And as in the collision of the Metrolink commuter train in Los Angeles in 2005 in which the train struck a vehicle at a railroad crossing. The driver of the car, Juan Alvarez, admitted that he had been trying to kill himself by placing himself in the path of the train but had changed his mind at the last moment and left the vehicle. Mr. Alvarez suffered from an addiction to methamphetamine.
The Federal Aviation Administration investigates instances of pilot fatalities, and between 1999 and 2003, it made tests of 1629 pilots who were fatally injured in accidents. Drugs or alcohol were found present in 52 percent of those accidents.
A 2005 study by The Walsh Group in Maryland found that of 168 admissions to a trauma center for motor vehicle accidents, more than 65 percent tested positive for either drugs or alcohol.
“These facts all point out the urgent necessity to send anyone suffering from addiction to treatment that will enable them to live a drug-free life,” emphasized Derry Hallmark, the Director of Admissions at Narconon Arrowhead. Narconon is one of the country’s leading drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers in Canadian, Oklahoma. “Our safety and our very lives might depend on that person who is addicted. They might be driving our bus, administering medical treatment, or being an air traffic controller. For our families to grow up in a safe environment, we must enable people to overcome addictions and achieve drug-free lives.”
To read the entire article, please go to: Transportation and Substance Abuse. Or visit the website of Narconon Arrowhead.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Drug Overdoses Are the Second Leading Cause of Unintentional Injury Death in the U.S.
Effective Rehab Becomes an Essential Service as We Lose More Citizens to Unintentional Overdoses than Ever Before
The mortality rates from unintentional drug overdoses have been rising steadily since the early 70s, and in the last ten years, the number of these deaths has reached historic highs. Even the “black tar” heroin epidemic of the mid-70s and the crack cocaine peak in the 90s did not approach today’s numbers.
In 2005, the most recent year for which this data has been studied, 22,400 people died of drug overdoses. As a comparison, 17,000 people died from homicides that year, and only traffic crashes account for more deaths than overdoses.
But it’s not heroin or cocaine that’s leading the list of fatal drugs. The top class of drug is prescription drugs such as opioid painkillers which were listed as the leading cause of death in 38 percent of the cases. Methadone alone contributed 50 percent of the opioid painkiller deaths.
Considered as a group, prescription drugs such as painkillers and sedatives such a benzodiazepine totaled 45 percent of the deaths, whereas cocaine, heroin and amphetamines only amounted to 39 percent of the deaths. Studies have shown that a high percentage of those who die of prescription overdoses have a history of substance abuse, that many have no prescriptions for their drugs, and that some alter the drugs by crushing or dissolving them.
“Prescription drug use is so broadly acceptable in our society that, as a result, many addictive drugs are highly available,” stated Derry Hallmark, Director of Admissions at Narconon Arrowhead in Oklahoma.
To read the rest of this article, please go to:
Drug Overdoses. Or visit the website of Narconon Arrowhead.
The mortality rates from unintentional drug overdoses have been rising steadily since the early 70s, and in the last ten years, the number of these deaths has reached historic highs. Even the “black tar” heroin epidemic of the mid-70s and the crack cocaine peak in the 90s did not approach today’s numbers.
In 2005, the most recent year for which this data has been studied, 22,400 people died of drug overdoses. As a comparison, 17,000 people died from homicides that year, and only traffic crashes account for more deaths than overdoses.
But it’s not heroin or cocaine that’s leading the list of fatal drugs. The top class of drug is prescription drugs such as opioid painkillers which were listed as the leading cause of death in 38 percent of the cases. Methadone alone contributed 50 percent of the opioid painkiller deaths.
Considered as a group, prescription drugs such as painkillers and sedatives such a benzodiazepine totaled 45 percent of the deaths, whereas cocaine, heroin and amphetamines only amounted to 39 percent of the deaths. Studies have shown that a high percentage of those who die of prescription overdoses have a history of substance abuse, that many have no prescriptions for their drugs, and that some alter the drugs by crushing or dissolving them.
“Prescription drug use is so broadly acceptable in our society that, as a result, many addictive drugs are highly available,” stated Derry Hallmark, Director of Admissions at Narconon Arrowhead in Oklahoma.
To read the rest of this article, please go to:
Drug Overdoses. Or visit the website of Narconon Arrowhead.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
A Young Woman's Recovery from Devastating Addiction
This is the story of a young woman I recently met and had a chance to interview on her recovery from addiction: Three short years ago, I was smoking crystal meth and snorting OxyContin every day. I was completely hopeless and out of control. My life was spent dancing on a pole in a nightclub, just to be able to afford the next hit that I was going to take in the club’s bathroom.
Self-respect did not exist. Instead, it was replaced by a false sense of confidence that I exhibited to all those who came in contact with me. I hated my parents, my life, and myself. I thought that drugs helped me feel “normal.” I didn’t realize that the drugs just kept the more basic problems out of sight.
On October 9, 2005, I hit that "bottom" that you hear addicts talk about. That moment is as fresh for me as yesterday.
That moment came when I was all alone, sitting in a hospital emergency room. I was covered in blood and looking through my cell phone for someone to come help me. I saw the other people in the ER all had family or friends with them. None of the “friends” I had been getting high with for years would come help me. My family refused to have anything to do with me.
I’d started bleeding heavily a few hours before. Just before I drove myself to the ER, I shot up crystal meth and OxyContin. In the ER, I found out that I was four months pregnant and miscarrying. I was so out of touch that I didn’t even know I was pregnant.
For hours, the nurses monitored my hormone levels as I waited for my unborn child to die inside me. Finally, the doctor came in and let me know that last hit I had taken had killed my baby. Trembling and hysterical, I called my mother. She didn't believe anything I told her because, like a typical addict, I had been lying to her and manipulating her for years.
That was the moment I hit bottom. Instead of calling anyone else to help, I turned my cell phone around and took a video of myself, makeup smeared down my face from crying. I told myself in that video, “Remember this moment.”
For the rest of this story, please visit: A Young Woman's Recovery. Or visit the website for Narconon Arrowhead.
Self-respect did not exist. Instead, it was replaced by a false sense of confidence that I exhibited to all those who came in contact with me. I hated my parents, my life, and myself. I thought that drugs helped me feel “normal.” I didn’t realize that the drugs just kept the more basic problems out of sight.
On October 9, 2005, I hit that "bottom" that you hear addicts talk about. That moment is as fresh for me as yesterday.
That moment came when I was all alone, sitting in a hospital emergency room. I was covered in blood and looking through my cell phone for someone to come help me. I saw the other people in the ER all had family or friends with them. None of the “friends” I had been getting high with for years would come help me. My family refused to have anything to do with me.
I’d started bleeding heavily a few hours before. Just before I drove myself to the ER, I shot up crystal meth and OxyContin. In the ER, I found out that I was four months pregnant and miscarrying. I was so out of touch that I didn’t even know I was pregnant.
For hours, the nurses monitored my hormone levels as I waited for my unborn child to die inside me. Finally, the doctor came in and let me know that last hit I had taken had killed my baby. Trembling and hysterical, I called my mother. She didn't believe anything I told her because, like a typical addict, I had been lying to her and manipulating her for years.
That was the moment I hit bottom. Instead of calling anyone else to help, I turned my cell phone around and took a video of myself, makeup smeared down my face from crying. I told myself in that video, “Remember this moment.”
For the rest of this story, please visit: A Young Woman's Recovery. Or visit the website for Narconon Arrowhead.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Fight Crime by Eliminating Addiction
In every state in the Union, crime and arrest statistics show the relationship between drug or alcohol abuse and crime. And Texas is no exception. An examination of ADAM (Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring Program) statistics shows that between 50 and 60 percent of adult male arrestees in four Texas cities tested positive for cocaine, marijuana, methamphetamine, opiates or PCP in 2000. The numbers ranged from a high of 59 percent in Laredo to a low of 52.9 percent in San Antonio. Marijuana was the top drug found in Dallas, and 45 percent of all arrestees in Laredo tested positive for cocaine.
The same year, the economic impact of drug or alcohol abuse in Texas was an estimated $25.9 billion. This means a cost of more than $1,200 for every man, woman and child in the state.
The Office of National Drug Control Policy states the connection this way: “Most directly, it is a crime to use, possess, manufacture or distribute drugs…drugs are also related to crime through the effects they have on the user’s behavior and by generating violence and other illegal activity in connection with drug trafficking.” Illicit drug users are about 16 times more likely than nonusers to be arrested for theft, 9 times more likely to be arrested for assault.
The loss of life to drugs or alcohol is another cost that it’s hard to put a price tag on. Thousands of Texans lose their lives each year to substance abuse. In 2002, 1,677 people in Harris County and 1,070 people in Dallas County died this way.
“Whether a person starts using drugs first or starts committing crimes first, the result is the same: a dwindling spiral of loss of self-respect and hope that leads to more drug use and more crime,” said Gary W. Smith, Executive Director of Narconon Arrowhead, one of the country’s leading drug and alcohol rehabilitation and education centers, located in Canadian, Oklahoma.
To read the rest of the article, go to: Fight Crime by Eliminating Addiction. Or visit the website for Narconon Arrowhead.
The same year, the economic impact of drug or alcohol abuse in Texas was an estimated $25.9 billion. This means a cost of more than $1,200 for every man, woman and child in the state.
The Office of National Drug Control Policy states the connection this way: “Most directly, it is a crime to use, possess, manufacture or distribute drugs…drugs are also related to crime through the effects they have on the user’s behavior and by generating violence and other illegal activity in connection with drug trafficking.” Illicit drug users are about 16 times more likely than nonusers to be arrested for theft, 9 times more likely to be arrested for assault.
The loss of life to drugs or alcohol is another cost that it’s hard to put a price tag on. Thousands of Texans lose their lives each year to substance abuse. In 2002, 1,677 people in Harris County and 1,070 people in Dallas County died this way.
“Whether a person starts using drugs first or starts committing crimes first, the result is the same: a dwindling spiral of loss of self-respect and hope that leads to more drug use and more crime,” said Gary W. Smith, Executive Director of Narconon Arrowhead, one of the country’s leading drug and alcohol rehabilitation and education centers, located in Canadian, Oklahoma.
To read the rest of the article, go to: Fight Crime by Eliminating Addiction. Or visit the website for Narconon Arrowhead.
Monday, August 25, 2008
National Recovery Month Points Out Necessity of Acting Early to Eliminate Addiction
September is the time to celebrate National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month, sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. That makes September the right time for families to approach family members with an addiction problem to help them find their way onto the path to recovery now.
When families realize that a son, daughter or other member is having a problem with drugs or alcohol, the natural tendency is to try to help them find a new job, a new place to live, or help them out with bills or legal fees. All too often, however, this route leads to tens of thousands of dollars invested without that expense resulting in recovery from addiction. By the time many families start a serious search for rehabilitation, their financial options are severely limited and their emotions have been ravaged. The addicted person may have been through multiple stays in jail, may have lost their children, spouse, health, business and everything they own by this time.
“Many addicts promise to quit but in fact, can’t get clean without help,” stated Derry Hallmark, Director of Admissions at Narconon Arrowhead, one of the nation’s leading drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers, located in Canadian, Oklahoma. “When a person has a pattern of continuing to use drugs or alcohol despite damage to life, family and work, that should tip a family off to the need for rehab. If a family continues to bail out the addict from one problem after another, they are actually helping the addict continue their addiction rather than insisting on recovery. Their insistence may be what that addict needs to face the drug or alcohol problem.”
To read the rest of the article, please click here:
National Recovery Month. Or visit the website for Narconon Arrowhead.
When families realize that a son, daughter or other member is having a problem with drugs or alcohol, the natural tendency is to try to help them find a new job, a new place to live, or help them out with bills or legal fees. All too often, however, this route leads to tens of thousands of dollars invested without that expense resulting in recovery from addiction. By the time many families start a serious search for rehabilitation, their financial options are severely limited and their emotions have been ravaged. The addicted person may have been through multiple stays in jail, may have lost their children, spouse, health, business and everything they own by this time.
“Many addicts promise to quit but in fact, can’t get clean without help,” stated Derry Hallmark, Director of Admissions at Narconon Arrowhead, one of the nation’s leading drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers, located in Canadian, Oklahoma. “When a person has a pattern of continuing to use drugs or alcohol despite damage to life, family and work, that should tip a family off to the need for rehab. If a family continues to bail out the addict from one problem after another, they are actually helping the addict continue their addiction rather than insisting on recovery. Their insistence may be what that addict needs to face the drug or alcohol problem.”
To read the rest of the article, please click here:
National Recovery Month. Or visit the website for Narconon Arrowhead.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Parents Need to Know How to Protect Kids from Drugs in Schools
According to a study by the Columbia University National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, eighty percent of high school students in American have personally witnessed drug use or possession or drunk or high students at their schools. Forty-four percent of middle school children have had the same experience. The study also showed that students in drug-infested schools are much more likely to use drugs or alcohol themselves.
Until school systems learn how to turn this situation around, a student’s primary line of defense is his or her parents. To protect their children, parents must learn what changes may indicate that the student has started abusing drugs or alcohol. Symptoms include:
Missed classes, lateness, incomplete or missing assignments, falling grades
Accidents, mistakes
Sudden, unexplained weight loss or gain
Neglect of school, work or family affairs
Discontinuation of hobbies, sports or group activities
Deterioration in appearance or hygiene
Change in communication with family or good friends
Secretive behavior
Missing money or unexplained money or new and expensive items, missing items of value
Health problems, change in sleep patterns, runny nose, cough, irritated skin, hangovers
Explosive arguments, often over small matters
To read the remainder of this article, please go to:
Parents Need to Know How to Protect Kids from Drugs in Schools. Or visit the website for Narconon Arrowhead.
Until school systems learn how to turn this situation around, a student’s primary line of defense is his or her parents. To protect their children, parents must learn what changes may indicate that the student has started abusing drugs or alcohol. Symptoms include:
Missed classes, lateness, incomplete or missing assignments, falling grades
Accidents, mistakes
Sudden, unexplained weight loss or gain
Neglect of school, work or family affairs
Discontinuation of hobbies, sports or group activities
Deterioration in appearance or hygiene
Change in communication with family or good friends
Secretive behavior
Missing money or unexplained money or new and expensive items, missing items of value
Health problems, change in sleep patterns, runny nose, cough, irritated skin, hangovers
Explosive arguments, often over small matters
To read the remainder of this article, please go to:
Parents Need to Know How to Protect Kids from Drugs in Schools. Or visit the website for Narconon Arrowhead.
Monday, August 11, 2008
The Road to a Miracle: From Hell’s Angel to Helping Addicts Achieve Drug-Free Lives
It was a long road from being a Hell’s Angel addicted to amphetamines to finally becoming a productive drug-free individual spending his life helping others get off drugs.
The road started in New Jersey where George Veliskakis grew up. It then led through the Hell’s Angels and amphetamines and then through a heroin addiction George battled while running a boxing gym. Fortunately, the road finally arrived at a drug-free life in which he could help others overcome the addiction problems he had suffered from.
George’s first encounter with drugs came after he lost an eye while being abused by other kids. “They were teasing me about being Greek and one of them accidentally stabbed me in the eye with a knife,” George explained. While in the hospital, one of the nurses convinced George that he needed a painkiller for the eye injury. “I only realized years later what happened,” he went on. “The nurses wanted to get some morphine for their own use so they got me to ask for a painkiller when I wasn’t even in pain. They gave me a little, laughed when I got high then they got high themselves. Many years later when I got injured and actually needed painkillers, these memories came back to me and I figured out what had been going on.”
In his 20s, George joined the Hell’s Angels motorcycle club. He began to use and sell amphetamines and other drugs and spent two terms in jail. After the second jail term, he decided to get clean and return to the athletic world that had helped him succeed when he was a young man.
To read the rest of this article, please go to: From Hells Angel to Helping Addicts Achieve Drug-Free Lives. Or visit the website for Narconon Arrowhead.
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