prescription abuse
Should Fentanyl Testing Kits Be Allowed at Music Festivals?
Drug use has long been part of music festival culture. Despite attempts to regulate it, it’s incredibly difficult to stop drugs from…
Drug Take-Back Day Postponed Due to COVID-19
Every six months, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) hosts the National Take-Back Initiative, an event to promote the safe disposal of prescription…
Managing the Outcome of Florida’s Pill Mills
Anyone familiar with the current opioid crisis in the United States has heard of the impact that Florida’s “pill mills” have had…
A May Day Message for Workers Struggling with Alcohol and Drug Abuse
The May Day holiday has taken different forms and has been associated with many different events throughout history, one of the most…
Re-Examining Suboxone: Benefits and Risks of Buprenorphine
Buprenorphine has been in the news more than usual as of late. On one side of the spectrum, we’ve learned that the…
Sackler Family and Purdue Pharma Face Lawsuits Over Role in Opioid Crisis
In 2017, opioids killed over 47,600 Americans, a large portion of whom died from legally regulated prescription painkillers. For a long time,…
FDA Holds Meetings on Prescription Opioids for Chronic Pain
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner Scott Gottlieb issued a statement this morning reaffirming the agency’s endorsement of prescription opioids for chronic…
New Insights Further Illuminate Prince’s Tragic Painkiller Addiction
Friday will mark exactly one year since the supernaturally talented pop icon Prince was found dead in his compound just outside Minneapolis…
Northern Kentucky Officials Taking Addiction Prevention into their Own Hands
Every so often, we’re reminded of the power of communities to mobilize and improve conditions for their citizens and outlying neighborhoods. Whether…
Retired Football Player’s Story Highlights Painkiller Abuse in Sports
The widespread culture of prescription opioid abuse in the NFL has been well documented. In a recent example, more than 1,500 players have joined a lawsuit alleging their lives were irreparably harmed due to their career-related painkiller abuse. In such a competitive environment, many players resort to the most drastic measures to keep themselves playing just a little longer and a little harder while doing everything they can to temporarily alleviate the inevitable pain of competitive play. More and more NFL alumni are coming out from behind the shadows to relay their own personal experiences with opioid abuse during their playing years. The most recent of which is former San Diego Charger and New York Giant, Shane Olivea….
The Narcan Debate
Up until now we have discussed the miracle ingredient in Medically Assisted Treatment (MAT)-Naloxone. One of the more common uses is in the form of Narcan. There has been much debate on the availability and allowance of families and loved one to be able to obtain and have on hand Narcan in a case of suspected overdose of a loved one. Similarly to someone carrying an “Epi” pen for severe allergic reactions.
On the other side of that coin there are many statesman and legislators that do not feel that an addict’s family should be allowed to legally have Narcan (Naloxone) in their possession. This is causing much upset in communities with a high rate of mortalities due to overdoses. Should Narcan only be administered by medical professionals? The argument holds that in the time an ambulance and EMT/EMS workers arrive a parent or loved one can preemptively administer Narcan themselves. Once administered they can potentially not only save a person that has overdosed but every minute that passes without treatment causes further brain and physical damage to a person that could be prevented if Narcan is or was available in the home. Many of us have had to call 911 in an emergency, how long has it taken them to arrive in your personal cases? The argument against Narcan being legally available is in one case that some believe it would give the addict less fear of overdose and allow them to continue to use without fear of death. There was also an argument raised in a meeting with the FDA by a representative from the American Society of Anesthesiologists — that argued a physician’s direction is needed when using the drug. This meeting was called to decide on whether to make Naloxone (Narcan) available without a prescription….
Addiction to Exercise or Body Building
Eating disorders are a form of addiction that cause people to look dangerously thin or overweight. Less known is the addiction to maintaining a toned physique that suggests a career in bodybuilding or fitness modeling, which can sometimes be powered by the use of dangerous steroid drugs or unhealthy frequency of working out. If the idea of an addiction to exercise is foreign to you, I will unpack what this could look like briefly. If you attend a gym regularly, you see the men and women who very obviously spend a lot of time toning their bodies, which could even be you. Fitness is a very healthy habit that many people partake in daily. But, there are times that an unhealthy addiction can form in seek of acceptance, success in competition or feeding of a body image disorder (similar to that of eating disorders). This addiction, although rooted in a healthy habit, can be extremely dangerous to a person’s body. Despite the risk, someone with a body image addiction may look in the mirror and see a scrawny person when you see what looks like an Olympic body builder. Or, maybe, someone looks in the mirror and see an overweight individual, besides the fact that they are dangerously thin. In order to fix the ‘problem’ they will spend hours in the gym breaking down their bodies and pushing themselves past a healthy limit….