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A new, very dangerous method for making the drug methamphetamine, also known as meth, has begun to cost taxpayers millions of dollars. The drug-making method is known as the shake-and-bake method because producers must pour dangerous chemicals together in a plastic soda bottle and shake to mix the concoction. The chemical reaction bakes the drug within the bottle, but it means that a slight mistake can make the mixture blow up in the “chemist’s” face.

Although this method is so dangerous that thousands of meth cooks are harmed by brewing the chemical drug every year, it remains a method of choice for a number of reasons. First, the chemicals used in the concoction are quite common and readily available. Second, the method can be employed anywhere, from a car to a stall in a public restroom. And third, the drug can be made in minutes rather than hours using this new soda-bottle method.

Unfortunately, the dangers of disfiguration, chemical burns and death don’t outweigh the ease of operation for many drug-makers, and hospitals and taxpayers have had to shoulder the financial burden of meth injuries. Many meth cooks are uninsured, so when an accident does occur, the typical $130,000 cost of hospital treatment alone (not counting rehabilitation costs) often either forces hospitals to close burn units or forces the government to cover the cost.

Meth addiction does not appear to be ending soon, though. Many of those injured in meth accidents continue on the meth addiction path, since the drug is so addictive. However, when those suffering from meth addiction seek help at a drug rehabilitation center like Vista Taos in New Mexico, they are more likely to kick their meth addiction and begin life afresh. Contact Vista Taos today to learn about the meth treatment program they offer as well as the complimentary therapies that provide comfort and ease stress affiliated with drug detoxification.

Anxiety and opioid abuse are linked, according to a study conducted by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. It seems the link works two ways: researchers have found that those who suffer from anxiety and mood disorders are more likely to abuse opioids, and those who are given prescriptions for opioids, like Oxycontin, are more likely to become anxious or suffer from mood disorders after taking the prescription medications.

These two links can become a vicious cycle. Patients prescribed opioids for a purely medical reason may continue to take the medicine after the medically induced need disappears, this time to treat anxiety or mood disorders caused by the opioid. Additionally, patients with mental health needs could become hooked on an opioid prescribed to assist with anxiety or other disorders or opioids obtained on the black market.

Prescription drug abuse, particularly opioid use in America is on the rise. Opioids have become the second most-widely used illegal drugs in the United States, after marijuana. This new research could shed some light on why the drug has become so popular, since opioids can both cause and relieve feelings of anxiety, depression, and panic. This is a dangerous recipe for addiction.

While prescription drug abuse is on the rise, drug abuse treatment centers like the Vista Taos Renewal Center in New Mexico have been staying up-to-date on the newest research and treatment options. If you or a loved one suffer from prescription drug abuse, the best way to break the addiction is to attend a treatment center, where you can find the most current treatment options available. Let Vista Taos show you how to comfortably detox from opioids and learn to live your life without a dependency on prescription pain drugs. Vista Taos can also help patients with underlying reasons for addiction, such as mood disorders; the treatment process takes the entire person into consideration.

Hundreds of children and adults in need of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) prescription medication have been unable to fill  them recently. Pharmacies across the nation are in short supply of the generic form of ADHD pills, the name brand of which are called Ritalin and Adderall.

This shortage is due in part to the drugs’ manufacturers trying to limit the supply of generic brands to maximize their profits in sales of the name-brand drugs. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is also to blame; the DEA must set limits on the numbers of drugs that each manufacturer may produce, in an effort to decrease the potential for misuse among adults and particularly among college students.

College students have taken to snorting the ADHD medications because when non-ADHD adults take ADHD medication, the pills often have the completely opposite effect from their intended treatment. Instead of becoming calmer from the drug, non-ADHD adults can become hyperactive, which can result in an almost super-human ability to accomplish tasks. For the college crowd, this hyperactivity can help them study – often late into the night with cram sessions before big tests.  

For the DEA, the increase in the prescription pill misuse is difficult to control. The agency estimates that one in four adults who receive ADHD prescriptions may be faking symptoms. Once the non-ADHD adults have the prescription, they can abuse the pills themselves or sell them on the black market.

Unfortunately, the abuse of ADHD medication and the subsequent shortage of generic brands could continue for a while until the DEA can better police the misuse. Eventually, the DEA may be able to crack down on black market rings, but until then, users who need prescription pill treatment will have to seek centers like Vista Taos for assistance.

Reports are readily available with statistics to show that students who abuse these drugs in the name of getting better grades are actually doing worse in school before they starting using. There is no positive side to abusing ADHD medication. Don’t start. If you’ve already started, get help.

If you or someone you love is in need of prescription pill treatment, please seek out the assistance of a prescription pill treatment center  like Vista Taos Renewal Center.  Their expert staff can talk to you about their programs for prescription drug addiction; get the help you need before it destroys your life.

Charlie Sheen’s twin boys may have another troubled parent in their lives. The boys’ mother, Brooke Mueller, was arrested on Saturday, December 3, 2011 for assaulting a woman in a popular Aspen bar. Mueller was also in possession of cocaine, which she intended to distribute. Cocaine possession with intent to distribute is a felony.

Mueller is no stranger to drug and alcohol charges. In September 1996, she was arrested for driving under the influence. In March 2001, Mueller faced charges for cocaine possession, but since she had no drugs in her system, the charges were dropped. In May 2011, Mueller entered an outpatient drug and alcohol rehabilitation program, which she completed.

As the primary custodian of her twin boys, Mueller has been the more stable influence in the twins’ lives. Sheen assaulted Mueller on Christmas Day 2009, and his past drug and alcohol abuse has been extensive. Sheen has recently battled and overcome his abuse issues very publicly, and now he appears to be back on track in all aspects of his life. In fact, in August 2011, Sheen and Mueller vacationed together, and they have recently tried to resolve their conflicts.

Unfortunately, despite Sheen’s ability to turn his drug abuse around, his ex-wife appears to be on track to a potential cocaine addiction. At this point, since charges are only pending (until her court appearance on December 19), the twins still remain in her custody.  

It is hopeful that Mueller can get the help she needs for her cocaine addiction through a drug rehabilitation program, like Vista Taos Renewal Center. Getting her life back on track and battling her cocaine addiction could very well be the stability that her twin boys need.

Tragically, a man driving drunk killed his entire family on Wednesday, November 9, in Valencia County, New Mexico. Possibly, and more tragically, the father will not release the remains of the children to their grandmother for burial.

James Woolbert was driving drunk with the mother and the two children as passengers on Wednesday when he crashed the car in Meadowlake. The children were not in the car seats, and they were thrown from the vehicle. They were 2 years old and 4 years old. The mother, Dawn, also suffered fatal injuries.  

The children’s grandmother, Pauline Jaramillo, has requested the remains of the children be released to her for burial, but Woolbert has been uncooperative with her request. Jaramillo, who helped raise the children, is heart stricken and has sought the assistance of a lawyer in the matter.

To complicate matters, Woolbert is currently recovering from his own injuries at the University of New Mexico Hospital. As soon as he has recovered, he will be arrested and await trial. The matter of the releasing the remains may be drawn out even more for these reasons.

Sadly, this tragedy may end in more tragedy, with the burial delayed and the father sentenced to prison. On a positive note, Woolbert may receive the alcohol rehabilitation he needs to prevent future lives from being lost.

While alcohol rehabilitation often takes place in rehabilitation centers like Vista Taos Renewal Center in New Mexico, Woolbert may receive his treatment while in prison. Jail is never the ideal environment for detoxification from drugs or alcohol, as the reoccurrence rate is high. Before you or someone you love is behind bars, get to an alcohol addiction center and seek proper treatment, outside of prison walls.

Not one, but three healthy young adults experienced heart attacks in the Dallas Texas area after smoking the synthetic marijuana: K2/Spice. Doctors are curious if there was something particularly dangerous in that specific batch, though all synthetic drugs are showing a high rate of illnesses associated with using them. These drugs are legal to purchase, but the FDA has been working hard to stop the production of these cannaboids. It seems as soon as one is outlawed, the makers manufacture another one to take its place.

Emergency rooms all over the United States have been reporting side-effects from these products, including nausea, convulsions, elevated blood pressure and many more. Now they can add heart attacks to the already long list of health issues associated with synthetic marijuana. Thankfully, the three young men who suffered the heart attacks in the Dallas area are healthy, and are lucky the heart attack didn’t bring about any other problems; they’ve all made a full recovery.

Doctors are warning people to stay away from these drugs and if needed, seek help for addiction at a drug treatment center. Spice and K2 may seem appealing because they are able to be obtained easily, cheaply and won’t show up on common drug screening tests, but the side-effects are not worth the risk. Though no reports link K2 to deaths in Texas, there have been reports in other parts of the country, such as Iowa.

Vista Taos Treatment Center is located in New Mexico, and able to assist those in the Dallas Texas community who need help with substance abuse. Let these stories be a warning to you; addiction does not end well for those who do not hurry and get on the right path to wellness. Please let Vista Taos show you the path to sobriety.

It seems that children have now joined the drug smuggling game, acting as deflectors for their drug dealing parents. In the last few weeks, agents at checkpoints have found around six children were used as decoys in their parents’ drug smuggling. And many of these parents were mothers.

As most people know, drug smugglers try to blend in with traffic so that they are not stopped at checkpoints for a search. Children help them blend in more, in hopes that checkpoint agents, who only have seconds to ascertain whether or not a traveler is worthy of a vehicle search, will let them pass.

In fact, a Tombstone, Arizona, checkpoint was one of the most recent drug seizures that involved a child. The eight year old child was used as a decoy, but when agents stopped the mother to search the car, they found 104 pounds of marijuana in the trunk.

In another case, a different eight year old was used by her mother as a decoy, and agents found 50 pounds of marijuana in the spare tire.

Child decoys are not only used in drug trafficking but in smuggling illegal aliens as well. Recently, a mother was stopped for search, and the officers found several illegal aliens in the vehicle. The mother’s children were also with her.

Drug abuse is on the rise in the United States, and unfortunately, mother smugglers see no reason to leave their children out of the smuggling operation. As drug abuse and demand continue to rise, these smugglers may have to take even more extreme measures to fit in with the crowd.

Fortunately, if we stop the chain of drug abuse and dependence, we can stop this form of child abuse. Drug rehabilitation centers like Vista Taos can help those dependent on drugs break the cycle. Vista Taos Drug Abuse Center is in Taos, New Mexico and can cater to many people living in the southern United States dealing with substance abuse.

Popping pills may not be the recreational past time people once thought it to be. Prescription drug death rates are rising across the United States, topping the death rates for cocaine and heroin use combined. Particularly, the death rate for narcotic pain pills has increased to four times the narcotic pill death rate in the previous decade.

Of course, pain pill use of this magnitude must be prescribed, and there has also been in increase in the numbers of prescriptions written that corresponds with the death rate. Sometimes narcotic drugs are prescribed for legitimate pain, but other times the narcotics are prescribed by “pill mill” doctors, who hand out prescriptions to addicts for cash. These doctors only have interest in money, not treating people for the betterment of their lives. If reviewed further, many of these doctors have faced legal issues surrounding malpractice laws and find that pill mills are the best way to make money and not be held accountable for their diagnosis.

Often, the start of addiction begins because of legitimate pain. When the patient is prescribed heavy-duty narcotic pain meds, they could become addicted quite quickly. Therefore, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have issued a caution to doctors, requesting that they carefully screen their patients before prescribing narcotic pain pills.

 The death rate for narcotic pain medications is highest in New Mexico, and the highest abuse rate is in Oklahoma. Overall, the death rates are the highest in poor or rural counties, and the death toll is higher among whites and Native Americans, including Alaskan Natives than other races.

Prescription drug abuse can be treated, so if you know anyone suffering from prescription drug abuse, getting them to treatment centers like the Vista Taos Renewal Center, located in the number one state for pill deaths: New Mexico, could save their lives and improve their level of life enjoyment. Prescription drug abuse is not automatically a death sentence; help is waiting. Don’t become another statistic.    

On 7 September 2011 the DEA banned mephedrone, MDPV, and methylone, also known and sold as Bath Salts and plant food. It’s chemical name methylenedioxypyrovalerone, and newer pyrovalerone derivatives, is essentially speed.  Speed, meth, amphetamines, Ecstasy are highly addictive and quite simply very bad for human and animal consumption.  They have no medicinal value.

Methyl derivatives come from theme and variation of the molecular compound of amphetamine, adding hydrogen and carbon molecules on a skeletal structure to create slightly different forms of speed.  The compounds are extremely dangerous to the human brain and the human body.  Unfortunately, the effect on the human brain and body initially inspires euphoria with increased energy and stamina not obtainable by any natural way.  The effect is alluring and embracing, the side effects are profoundly dangerous and permanently damaging.

The variation of methyl compounds exceeds the rate of state or federal regulations to ban or prohibit these different variations until now that the DEA imposed the Schedule 1 prohibition.  The boom of Bath Salts came legally selling a highly toxic mood altering substance – marketing their product as plant food and of course bath salts. 

Effects of these methylamphetamines appear as agitation, psychosis, attempts at suicide, hallucinations, chest pains, bizarre behavior, compulsive behavior, irrational thinking and death.  How much a person consumes, the purity of the methyl structure and the individual’s response is so wildly unpredictable it took but a month before the negative effects of these Bath Salts were flooding emergency departments across the country.  The brain damage – especially cognitive thinking- remains profound for long periods of time after one stops ingesting the substance.

There are always two larger questions:  What drives humans to consistently pursue getting high to the point that they become suicidal?  What does treatment do to help people recover from the devastating effects of designer drugs? 

The first question has no simple or brief response; humans are designed to enjoy feeling good and for 10%  to 25% of the population people are prone to feeling good ALL of the time no matter what.  Treatment helps stabilize people – bringing them back to reality and giving them ways to cope with the normal, and not so normal, ups and downs that life gives us.  Treatment gives people 12 step recovery, guides to trusting a recovery and healing process that no drug or chemical can offer.  Treatment offers people the chance to sincerely bond with others to find a depth of happiness and closeness not otherwise obtainable.

Sam Darcy
Executive Director
Vista Taos Renewal Center

References:
Laural J Martin, MD (Editor webMD.com)
Petros Levounis, MD (Addiction Inst of N.Y.)
Zane Horowitz, MD (Oregon Poison Control)

A new bilingual helpline was recently created by drugfree.org to aid parents and families who may not have access to other resources in dealing with family members who might be struggling with a drug or alcohol addiction. Many parents struggle with how to educate their children on the dangers of substance abuse. It is never an easy process and parents need as many resources as they can get in order to know what their kids might be involved in and how they can help them stay drug-free. Remember: start talking about the dangers of drugs and alcohol now. The sooner the better, but it’s never too late!

This new toll-free hotline for parents, 1-855-DRUGFREE – (1-855-378-4373), is staffed by social workers with sensible experience in substance abuse intervention and drug treatment. The social workers will offer advice on how to help parents plan a course of action when dealing with a child who is struggling from an addiction as well as supply them with resources and treatment facilities that are local to where the family is living.

It must be noted that this hotline is not a 24-hour crisis line, but it will be staffed and open Monday through Friday from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm EST. Through this, the staff is able to work with parents to understand the unique needs of their children so that they can then help them find drug treatment options while promoting support and family involvement through their recovery process. Helping a child dealing with substance abuse is never an easy process and takes a lot of support for the parents and the child. At Vista Taos, the upmost drug treatment care is provided to those struggling with the disease of addiction. Now is the time to seek help in healing our youth and educating them on the positives of leading a drug-free life.  If you are 18 years of age or older and need help with addiction, Vista Taos can help you.