Cough Syrup Abuse – Is your child robo-tripping?

Cough syrup medications are fast becoming another common drugs of abuse among teens. The active ingredient of many cough syrups is dextromethorphan (DXM), which if taken in large doses can cause visual hallucinations and a heightened sense of awareness - in other words, a cheap high.

DXM is taken orally, usually as a liquid syrup or pill. Some people have begun to use a powder form of the drug. People who abuse it in excessive amounts sometimes refer to DXM as robo-tripping, skittling, dex, or candy.

In very large quantities, DXM can cause effects similar to that of ketamine or PCP, because DXM affects similar sites in the brain. These drugs are called "dissociative," which means they create feelings of not being oneself or of being separate or detached from the environment; they distort perceptions and emotions.

Other effects of DXM abuse can include impaired motor function, numbness, nausea and vomiting, and increased heart rate and blood pressure. On rare occasions, hypoxic brain damage occurs. That means little or no oxygen can get to the brain because of the side effects of the combination of DXM and decongestants also often found in these medications.

If you suspect that your child is abusing cough syrup you should talk to him/her about your suspicions avoiding direct accusations. This talk should take place when he/she is straight, and you’re calm. This will show your child that you still love him/her, but you are most concerned with what he/she is doing to him/herself.

Taking time to discuss the problem without turning away from it is an important first step to take care of the problem. Most important, act fast, seeking counseling from a certified mental health professional with experience in youth and substance abuse is critical. Depending on your teen’s behavior and level of addiction your child will have a greater chance of recovery by attending a residential adolescent addiction treatment. Try to choose a treatment program that also offers an educational program so that your child will not miss out on school credits.

Inspirations for Youth and Families
Addiction Treatment for Teens: 1-888-757-6237
http://www.inspirationsyouth.com/
http://www.inspirationsteenrehab.com/

Cove Center for Recovery
Addiction Treatment for adults and young adults: 1-888-387-6237
http://www.covecenterforrecovery.com/

Teen Drug Abuse on the Rise

New research sheds new light on the increasing rate of teen drug abuse. As our youths and teens increasingly participate in the rise of teen drug abuse, so do the overdoses and the deaths of these teens. The study reported that the rate of overdoses today is ten times higher than the rate in the late 1960s.

This rate increase is not just from the baby boomers and hippies as some would be led to believe, but the rate is higher amongst all age groups, including teens and youths. The rate is especially high for white Americans, with this trend on the rise and no signs of the rate of teen drug abuse leveling off any time soon.

This increase or rise of drug abuse among all age groups including the teens are said to be accredited to the trend of abusing prescription drugs. Before in the 1960s, the rate of deaths due to drug abuse was 1 in every 100,000 people. In 2007, 15 white women out of every 100,000 died from drug abuse. For black women the rate was 17 out of every 100,000. The rates for black and white men were even larger jumps.

The abuse of prescription drugs is evident in playing a major role in the rise of these deaths. Abusing prescription medications include painkillers and Vicodin, which are the most commonly abused prescription drugs. With almost half of Americans taking prescription drugs, the opportunities for these drugs to be abused is increased, which leads to the increase of addiction, all scenarios that come with serious, if not deadly, consequences.

Do not wait! Death from prescription drugs are becoming very common. After the death of a 17 year old teenager who ingested a pain killer pill at a party, many people started to pay attention. Teens are not just abusing prescription pain killers but also, anti-anxiety medication, and over the counter cough medications.

If your teenager or someone you know is abusing prescription drugs or struggling with any other addiction or any other destructive behaviors, please call Inspirations Teen Rehab. The one of a kind program which is very successful and well known; featured on the Dr. Phill Show.

Reach out to us. Recovery from addiction is just a click or a phone call away.

Teen Addiction Help: 1-888-757-6237
http://www.inspirationsyouth.com/Teen-Prescription-Drug-Addiction-Treatment.asp

Addiction Treatment for Young Adults and Adults : 1-888-387-6237 http://www.covecenterforrecovery.com

Teen Cocaine Abuse and Addiction Treatment

Cocaine Street Names:Coca, Coke, Crack, Flake, Snow, Soda Cot, Blow, C, Marching powder, Nose candy

Cocaine is a strong addictive stimulant that produces an intense euphoria. Teens can abuse cocaine by snorting or injecting it into the veins after dissolving the powder in water. They can also abuse cocaine/crack by smoking it alone or mixing it with either marijuana or tobacco. Teens also abuse cocaine in combination with an opiate, like heroin, a practice known as "speedballing." Although injecting into veins or muscles, snorting, and smoking are the common ways of using cocaine, all mucous membranes readily absorb cocaine. Cocaine users typically binge on the drug until they are exhausted or run out of cocaine.

The intensity of cocaine’s euphoric effects depends on how quickly the drug reaches the brain, which depends on the dose and method of abuse. Following smoking or intravenous injection, cocaine reaches the brain in seconds, with a rapid buildup in levels. This results in a rapid-onset, intense euphoric effect known as a “rush.” By contrast, the euphoria caused by snorting cocaine is less intense and does not happen as quickly due to the slower build-up of the drug in the brain. Other effects include increased alertness and excitation, as well as restlessness, irritability, and anxiety in some users. Physiological effects of cocaine include increased blood pressure and heart rate, dilated pupils, insomnia and loss of appetite. The widespread abuse of highly pure street cocaine has led to many severe adverse health consequences such as cardiac arrhythmias, ischemic heart conditions, sudden cardiac arrest, convulsions, strokes and death. In some users, the long-term use of inhaled cocaine has led to a unique respiratory syndrome, and chronic snorting of cocaine has led to the erosion of the upper nasal cavity.

Tolerance to cocaine’s effects develops rapidly, causing users to take higher and higher doses. Taking high doses of cocaine or prolonged use, such as binging, usually causes paranoia. The crash that follows euphoria is characterized by mental and physical exhaustion, sleep, and depression lasting several days. Following the crash, users experience a craving to use cocaine again.

Overdose effects include agitation, increased body temperature, hallucinations, convulsions and possible death.

In the early stages of drug use/abuse it is difficult to separate typical adolescent behavior from chemically induced behavior. Some teens may not show obvious symptoms even in more advanced stages, and the parent may only sense something is wrong. Most teens, however, will exhibit many of the signs above, which can develop over a period of a few months or years. If you sense something is not right with your teen, we recommend that you take action to prevent a tragic outcome. Teen addiction and behavioral problems can be so severe that they can only be properly addressed with professional help in a controlled environment, such as our Teen Residential Addiction Treatment Center and Specialty School/Academy.

Reach out to us. Recovery from addiction is just a click or a phone call away. If the information you are looking for is not found here and you need immediate attention you may contact us:

Teen Addiction Help: 1-888-757-6237 http://www.inspirationsyouth.com/http://www.inspirationsteenrehab.com/

Addiction Treatment for Young Adults and Adults : 1-888-387-6237 http://www.covecenterforrecovery.com/

Parents Beware as This New Drug “Charge” Does Not Show up on Regular Drug Tests

In Tupelo Mississippi a teen has lost his life due to a new drug addiction. Not a street or club drug we all know about, but a household item, Ivory Wave bath salt. This new addiction has spread fairly fast in the surrounding communities in Mississippi. As local newspapers report: “Misuse of the bath salt has the same effects as meth, and is actually banned in Scotland following related deaths. Now, Lee County authorities have learned of local usage through domestic disturbances.”

They are calling the bath salts synthetic cocaine. The usage of this product is a fast-growing, highly addictive trend. Young people are saying they can’t get enough of the fake coke, and it's doing a lot of damage. Teens are reporting that they were using K-2 but have moved on to the fake coke “Charge” now.

“Bath salts” or “Charge” or “Ivory,” the new “Miaow, Miaow”, they’re different names for different types of cocaine substitutes. People say it looks just like cocaine, but what it does to you is even worse.

A relative of an Ivory Wave bath salt addict who wants to remain anonymous describes watching her loved one going through mayhem. "Within thirty minutes after he got home he was what they call 'geeking out.' He was walking around the yard with a flashlight and looking under bushes. He got all the paperwork out of his truck. You could say something and he thought you were talking about him."

Ivory Wave bath salt is a cheap way to get high. Family members are reporting that their loved ones are staying awake for as long as 72 hours in complete pandemonium. This new addiction is landing teens and adults in the emergency rooms.

Lee County Sheriff, Jim Johnson says: "Hallucinations, seeing things that weren't there. We had one individual in the backseat of our car that was just absolutely paranoid because he felt like cars were trying to run over him while he was in the patrol car."

Some local stores have pulled the product out of their shelves after finding out about the local disturbances related to the misuse of the salt bath. For now, as it is legal and there is no penalty for selling the product some stores are keeping Ivory Wave bath salts it in stock, sadly cashing in on the addiction of others.

If your teen has gotten involved with this highly addictive substance or any other drug, please seek help before it’s too late. For immediate attention seek your nearest emergency room and when your child is stabilized seek the help of an addiction treatment center specialized in teens. You may contact Inspirations Teen Rehab at anytime at for further assistance. Reach out to us. Recovery from addiction is just a click or a phone call away. If the information you are looking for is not found here and you need immediate attention you may contact us:

Teen Addiction Help: 1-888-757-6237
http://www.inspirationsyouth.com

http://www.inspirationsteenrehab.com

Addiction Treatment for Young Adults and Adults : 1-888-387-6237 http://www.covecenterforrecovery.com/

Binge Drinking is Killing our Youth. Every Two Hours a Teenager Dies from an Alcohol Related Accident

Since 2002 when a study by task force on drinking showed that "abusive drinking by college students is widespread, dangerous and disruptive", binge drinking has been on the rise in the US. By definition binge drinking is described as 5 or more drinks in a row for men and 4 or more drinks in a row for women. Binge drinking is best described as drinking enough to bring the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to .08 or more. This blood alcohol concentration generally occurs in excessive drinking within a two-hour time.

There are over 5000 underage teens who die from excessive drinking each year, and more than 1,700 college students, between the ages of 18 to 24, get injured due to direct result of alcohol abuse every year. Additionally, every two hours a teenager dies from an alcohol related accident.

All these statistics point to one fact. Our kids whether teenagers or young adults are dying from alcohol abuse in an alarming rate, and something needs to be done.

The first recommendation has always been education, and specifically educating our kids at an early age. Parents must talk to their kids about the dangers of alcohol abuse which can cause immediate medical concerns like vomiting, cold and clammy skin or medical emergencies like shallow breathing and unresponsiveness that could result in coma and death.

Our kids should know about the consequential effects of alcohol abuse that centers around sex and violence in colleges, and not mentioning a major cause of poor academic performance by college students.

Teens and young adults should know that alcohol is a legal psychoactive drug that can and will cause overdose and death. MRI studies of kids and young adults between the ages of 14 to 21 has shown permanent changes to both pre-frontal cortex (the decision making part of the brain) and the limbic system of the brain. Now, scientists are trying to find out if the changes are reversible.

At the end, the only hope that we have as a society, is to transfer the knowledge we have gained through the many deaths and injuries of our kids to the next generation of youth and hope they use that knowledge to save their life.

If you or someone you know is struggling with alcohol abuse or alcohol addiction and is in need of help, Inspirations Teen Rehab offers a flexible and affordable teen addiction treatment program. Our aim is to treat the whole person, and not just an isolated symptom. During the addiction treatment process we will work with the teen to identify the factors that may have contributed to the alcohol abuse and addiction – home, friends and medical history. We also believe that families have a vital role to play in the recovery process, and each addiction treatment program has a place for family participation, to educate them in the treatment process and to equip them for their role as supporters.

Reach out to us. Recovery from alcoholism is just a click or a phone call away. If the information you are looking for is not found here and you need immediate attention you may contact us:

Teen Addiction Help: 1-888-757-6237
http://www.inspirationsyouth.com/
http://www.inspirationsteenrehab.com/

Addiction Treatment for Young Adults and Adults : 1-888-387-6237 http://www.covecenterforrecovery.com/

Prescription Drugs Are Stealing Lives

There is a misconception with overdoses; drug users are no longer just minorities, delinquents, or people from low-income neighborhoods, specially, when it comes to the new drug trend of abusing prescription pain killers. This abuse is leading to overdoses and the overdoses are killing teens coming from all levels of income with caring and loving parents. According to a nationwide study in comparing car crash deaths to prescription drug overdoses, 45,000 die due to car fatalities while 39,000 die due to prescription medication overdose.

The main sources of teen overdoses are opiate prescription pain killers. The major problem is the teenagers’ lack of understanding of the addictive side of prescription drugs as well as its danger. Pain killers are highly addictive and create problems besides overdoses. Attitudes and behavior change, grades start to drop, and worst of all, they lead to other drugs. It is common for prescription medications to be gateway drugs. Often when the price of buying these prescription pills on the street gets too high, people turn to heroine, since pain pills mimic a heroine high.

In fact recently 30 teens in a treatment facility for addiction to opiates have admitted to turning to heroine as a cheaper solution to their addiction. When asking the experts, one Oxycontin pill costs about $80, a gram of cocaine is $50, and heroin is even cheaper at about $10 a bag. Prescription opiates are easily available in medicine cabinets and through friends. The addiction and overdoses are problems in addition to death which can be easily caused by mixing the pain killers with other drugs and or alcohol. The mixing of substances is not uncommon and more than often lead to negative effects.

Do not wait! Death from prescription drugs are becoming very common. After the death of a 17 year old teenager who ingested a pain killer pill at a party, many people started to pay attention. Parents be aware of your teens’ party. The 17 year old teenager who died was attending a high school party when offered the prescription drug. These parties are called “Pharm” Parties which are parties where prescription drugs are offered to guests. Teens are not just abusing prescription pain killers but also, anti-anxiety medication, and over the counter cough medications.

If your teenager or someone you know is abusing prescription drugs or struggling with any other addiction or any other destructive behaviors, please call Inspirations Teen Rehab. The one of a kind program which is very successful and well known; featured on the Dr. Phill Show. The team of professionals at Inspirations Teen Rehab is always available. Call before another teen suffers an overdose or death.

Reach out to us. Recovery from addiction is just a click or a phone call away. If the information you are looking for is not found here and you need immediate attention you may contact us:

Teen Addiction Help: 1-888-757-6237
http://www.inspirationsyouth.com

Addiction Treatment for Young Adults and Adults : 1-888-387-6237
http://www.covecenterforrecovery.com

Pennsylvania Involuntary Teen Drug and or Alcohol Addiction Treatment to Help Parents

Pennsylvania Involuntary Teen Drug and/or Alcohol Addiction Treatment Drug to help parents/guardians - Addiction is becoming an alarming problem amongst our young generation. Parents report that they do not know what to do or that they cannot do anything to control their teen. Now, the parents of addicted teens in Pennsylvania have a choice.

The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania has upheld an act that allows parents and/or guardians to have their minors involuntarily committed for drug and/or alcohol addiction. It is the parents’ right to make the choices in the best interest of the child. The parent of the minor is able to receive treatment as a form of medical treatment in hopes of recovery and a brighter future for the child. The act that allows constitutionally for a parent to commit their minor involuntarily is known as Act 53. Although there are some concerns of how the minor will be assessed for the need of inpatient treatment and for the duration of the addiction treatment, the Supreme Court ruled in majority vote six to one in favor of Act 53. There was a question of violation of due process for the minors, guaranteed by the fourteenth amendment, however, the court felt that there is no violation of the minors’ due process when weighed against the goal of providing them with addiction treatment.

So a parent who suspects their minor of abusing drugs and or alcohol can file a petition under the Act 53. Then a medical professional will conduct an assessment, followed by a formal hearing before the court, with the minor being represented with counsel before the court will involuntarily commit the minor. However the Supreme Court pointed out that there is no constitutional right to a formal hearing for the minor if the parent of the minor believes that the child is in need of medical treatment for their addiction, where in such a case, a minimal informal hearing will suffice.

Drugs in general are highly addictive and addiction is a medical condition. A user is trying to achieve the same high that they felt on their first use, however, a user can never get the same high. It only takes one use of a drug to become addicted. It only takes one use to overdose or die. Like all medical conditions, treatment is necessary.

If you are a teen struggling with drug abuse or addiction or know someone who needs help, call Inspirations Teen Drug Rehab. Inspirations offers a one of a kind program that is flexible to fit the needs of each teen. Inspirations teen addiction treatment program has been featured on the Dr. Phill show, so call today! It is never too late to prevent and/or stop an addiction.

Reach out to us. Recovery from addiction is just a click or a phone call away. If the information you are looking for is not found here and you need immediate attention you may contact us:

Teen Drug Rehab Helpline: 1-888-757-6237
http://www.inspirationsyouth.com

Addiction Treatment for Young Adults and Adults : 1-888-387-6237 http://www.covecenterforrecovery.com