Category: Addiction News

#ScrollFreeSeptember – here’s how to join in

#ScrollFreeSeptember – here’s how to join in

This month, the Royal Society for Public Health have launched Scroll Free September, an ambitious UK campaign to get as many people as possible off social media for a month. The initiative is right up our street, and as such we are one of the supporters.

Going ‘scroll free’ for a month will give you a chance to reflect on what makes you feel good and bad, and how to improve your relationship with social media. As we have said before, there are now many studies out there that highlight the issues overuse of social media can cause; not least RSPH’s own report, #StatusofMind. And it’s hardly surprising that social media is having a negative effect when 7 in 10 young people have experienced cyber bullying and 1 in 5 young people wake in the night to check messages on social media. So there are many reasons why you should get involved in the initiative, and it might be less painful than you think.

But if the thought of no social media for a whole months gives you a fright, then don’t panic! Many people might be thinking that is just too much of a challenge, but RSPH have proposed five different ways that you can get involved. So whether you’re a tech detox pro, or just want to moderate your usage pro, you can take part.

Cold Turkey

This is the ultimate of social media detoxing; giving up all personal social media accounts for 30 days. There’s no doubt that this will be a challenge – no more mindless scrolling whilst on the bus or train; no more celebrity stalking and no more Twitter arguments. But there are many famous faces that have gone Scroll Free, and there’s nothing to say you can’t do so too. From Simon Cowell to Jennifer Lawrence, many are embracing the cold turkey approach after realising the positive impact it can have on their well-being. As Cowell has said after going without his phone for ten months; “It has been so good for my mental health and has absolutely made me happier.’”

Social Butterfly

For those that cannot bear the thought of coming off social media completely, the ‘social butterfly’ is a potential option. Rather than having a constant detox, just take a break from social media when at a social event. Whether this is dinner with family, or out with friends – social media should be an afterthought. If you can’t stop picking up your phone when you’re meant to be socialising, then it’s the first sign that you could be one of the many unwittingly addicted to social media, and participating in Scroll Free September through the “social butterfly” could be a great option.

Night Owl

For those who get home from work or school, and spend the majority of the evening on social media, then the ‘night owl’ may be a necessary way to tackle the issue at hand. FOMO has been linked as a driver of social media addiction, and with the evening time the most likely for FOMO to come to the surface, its a great time to just focus on the here and now and break from social media completely. So post 6pm log out of those apps and stay that way!

Busy Bee

There’s no doubting that social media can affect productivity, particularly at school or in the work place. You might call it the perfect weapon of procrastination. So if you find yourself flicking onto Facebook in the workplace, or using Snapchat at school, it could be that the ‘busy bee’ is something to consider.

Sleeping Dog

The importance of sleep for our physical and mental well-being is no secret, and the rise of social media addiction in the last few years has had a massive effect on many people’s sleeping patterns. So if you’re going through this list, thinking each one might be difficult, then you may well be able to get on board with the ‘sleeping dog’. Give up going on social media when you’re in bed and it could have a huge impact on your sleep, and your mental well-being.

For more tips and tricks to keep the whole family happy off screens, our new book Stop Staring at Screens is out in the UK on 6th September and the US on the 6th November. Pick up a copy here.

View the original article at itstimetologoff.com

1 September 2018
Can Ketamine Use Trigger Opioid-Like Dependency?

Researchers investigated whether ketamine works on depression by acting like an opioid in the brain.

Though ketamine has gained the support of some mental health professionals as a possible therapy for depression, a new study suggests that the drug’s anti-depressive qualities may also have a hidden and potentially dangerous side effect: ketamine may offer relief from depressive symptoms by activating the body’s opioid system, which in turn may make some users dependent upon it, like an opioid.

In an editorial that accompanied the study, Dr. Mark George, professor of psychiatry, radiology and neuroscience at the Medical University of South Carolina, wrote, “We would hate to treat the depression and suicide epidemics by overusing ketamine, which might unintentionally grow the third head of opioid dependence.”

The study, conducted by researchers from Stanford University and published in the August 2018 edition of the American Journal of Psychiatry, was comprised of a double-blind crossover of 30 adults with treatment-resistant depression, which was defined as having tried at least four antidepressants and receiving no benefit from them.

The authors looked at 14 of the patients—of which 12 had received, in randomized order, two doses of 0.5 mg of ketamine—once after receiving 50 mg of naltrexone (or Vivitrol) which blocks the brain’s opiate receptors and diminishes cravings for opioids; and once after receiving a placebo instead of the naltrexone—with the injections occurring about a month apart.

The goal of the study was to determine whether the naltrexone and ketamine combination would reduce the latter drug’s antidepressant qualities, or its dissociative or opioid-like response.

The authors’ analysis found that when patients received the placebo/ketamine combination, they experienced what Live Science called a “dramatic reduction” of their depressive symptoms. But the naltrexone/ketamine combination appeared to have no effect on their symptoms.

Additionally, those participants who received naltrexone experienced the dissociative effects of ketamine, which include hallucinations, which prompted the authors to cut the study short to avoid exposing more participants to a “clearly ineffective and noxious combination treatment,” as the study noted.

The scope of the study was small, and as George (who was not involved in the study) noted, additional research is required in order to determine if the ketamine’s antidepressant qualities are caused by its impact on opioid receptors or another receptor. He ultimately expressed caution in regard to using ketamine for the treatment of depression.

“Ketamine clinics that do not focus on accurate diagnosis, use proper symptom rating instruments and discuss long-term treatment options are likely not in patients’ best interests,” he wrote in the editorial. “We need to better understand ketamine’s mode of action and how it should be used and administered.”

View the original article at thefix.com

1 September 2018
Inside California's Massive Addiction Treatment Overhaul

Medi-Cal recipients will now have expanded access to addiction treatment.

The California Health Care Foundation released a report on August 3 this year outlining the state’s new approach for residents using Medi-Cal and seeking substance abuse treatment options.

California is the first state in the United States to use the new health care system structure, in a five-year pilot program authorized by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Medi-Cal is California’s low-income health insurance, and previously covered very few addiction treatment services. In addition, patients had no database to explore what treatment plan would be best for their needs.

A new system, called Drug Medi-Cal Organized Delivery, ensures that counties who participate can offer many more services to people struggling with addiction, as well as coordinate, manage and evaluate quality of care in those services.

A huge leap forward is the increase in payment to treatment providers, allowing more access to various types of treatment. In California there are over 10 million people using Medi-Cal health insurance.

“It’s been an enormous change,” William Harris, assistant regional manager of Riverside County’s substance abuse treatment program, told California Health Report. “We’re operating under an entirely new paradigm and are able to expand services and be more inclusive and better meet the needs of the population of our county.”

Nineteen California counties have adopted the program with 21 more scheduled to do so in upcoming months. These counties represent 97% of the state’s Medi-Cal population.

The California Health Care Foundation study looked at the four 2017 adopters of the new Medi-Cal system, including Riverside, Los Angeles, Marin and Santa Clara counties. Co-author Molly Brassil told California Health Report that the Medi-Cal program report was a way to access the strengths and weaknesses of the system.

“This report sort of tells the story to other counties that, yes, (the implementation) is not without challenges and it isn’t easy, but it’s doable,” she affirmed. “I was taken aback by how positive all the counties were given the tremendous lift it is for all of them.”

The newly offered services have induced a flood of user demand. In Riverside there was a large volume of calls after launching a hotline to screen members for substance use disorders and refer them for possible treatment. Since the inception of the program in 2017, Riverside has had to triple its staff to meet growing demand.

The new system takes current research and implements it into their model, by treating substance use disorder like any other medical illness.

Brassil noted to California Health Report that the goal is for substance abuse screening and treatment to become a mainstream part of all health care.

The Medi-Cal program is working, and Brassil would like to see it put in place for good. “We’ve heard from folks overall that this is the right thing to do. It’s hard, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth doing.”

View the original article at thefix.com

31 August 2018
Stop Illegally Selling Opioids Online, FDA Warns

Over the summer, the FDA has issued similar warnings to 70 websites.

The Food and Drug Administration issued a warning this week to the operators of 21 websites that the administration says sell mislabeled and illegal opioids to Americans.

The websites, which are run by four companies, have been “illegally marketing potentially dangerous, unapproved, and misbranded versions of opioid medications, including tramadol,” according to a press release issued by the FDA on Tuesday (August 28).

“The illegal online sale of opioids represents a serious risk to Americans and is helping to fuel the opioid crisis. Cutting off this flow of illicit internet traffic in opioids is critical, and we’ll continue to pursue all means of enforcement to hinder online drug dealers and curb this dangerous practice,” FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said in the news release.

Over the summer, the FDA has issued similar warnings to 70 websites.

“The FDA remains resolute in our promise to continue cracking down on these networks to protect the public health,” Gottlieb said. “We have more operations underway, and additional actions planned. We are also working closely with legitimate Internet stakeholders, including leading social media sites, in these public health efforts.”

People who buy their opioids online can often wind up with expired, counterfeit or contaminated pills, according to the FDA. Some of the pills are marketed under one name, but are really just pressed fentanyl, a dangerous synthetic opioid. On CNBC’s Squawk Box, Gottlieb said that online sales are making the ongoing opioid crisis worse.

“As we see doctors prescribe fewer opioids, we’re fearful that more and more of the new addiction is going to shift to illicit sources, and a lot of those illicit sales are taking place online,” he said on Tuesday.

The four companies that received warnings on Tuesday were CoinRX, MedInc.biz, PharmacyAffiliates.org and PharmaMedics. They have 10 days to respond to the FDA’s letter, outlining the specific actions that they will take to avoid selling illegal opioids to Americans. If the companies do not respond they may face legal action.

On Wednesday, Gottlieb said that the FDA will continue to aggressively pursue companies and practices that make opioids too easily available.

“The reason that we find ourselves with a crisis of such proportion is that as a medical profession, we’ve been one step behind its sinister advance,” he said in a press release.

“Collectively, we didn’t take all the steps we could, when we could, to stop the advance of this crisis. We shunned hard decisions. As a profession, providers were too liberal in our use of these drugs well past the point where there were signs of trouble, and the beginning of a crisis of addiction. I’m committed to making sure that we don’t perpetuate these mistakes of the past. And so, when we see this crisis taking new twists and turns, we’ve acted swiftly.”

View the original article at thefix.com

31 August 2018
Singer JoJo On Mental Health: I Named My Depression Burlinda

In a recent Instagram post, the pop star described the self-destructive habits that fueled her depression and anxiety.

Depression and anxiety affects millions of Americans—and celebrities are not immune. Recently Noah Cyrus, Demi Lovato, Ariana Grande and Emma Stone were among a slew of young artists who’ve been public about their inner struggles.

Now, singer JoJo (born Joanna Levesque) expanded on her experience with depression—which she nicknamed “Burlinda”—in a recent Instagram post.

In the caption accompanying a candid photo of herself, the “Too Little Too Late” singer announced that she will log off of Instagram “for the week to see how it impacts my mental/emotional state.”

“There’s no peace inside the anxious mind. Sporadically, for years, depression and anxiety have convinced me I’m unworthy of love, patience, (real) self-care, and forgiveness. Made me question if I’m ‘good enough’ to do anything consistently. Made it hard to follow through and to have healthy long-lasting romantic relationships without sabotaging them,” the 27-year-old singer wrote.

Levesque described the self-destructive habits that fueled her depression/void, named Burlinda. “In so many ways I’ve invited [Burlinda] to stick around… feeding her instantly gratifying treats that keep her growing… late night food binges, mind-altering substances, gossip, sex, comparing my life to what I see my peers doing on social media, etc.”

JoJo’s next steps include “changing habits that no longer serve me, reclaiming my time, re-evaluating the relationships in my life.”

“I love to sing and perform more than anything I’ve ever loved and I’ve always wanted to be the soundtrack to your lives,” she wrote. “But sometimes I feel paralyzed. Time for a reset. I deserve me at my best. So do you.”

In past interviews, JoJo addressed her parents’ history of alcoholism and addiction, as well as her own struggles with drinking.

“(My 2015 single) ‘Save My Soul’ is a song about addiction, and I grew up seeing addiction very close to me: Both my parents have struggled with it. So as a kid, you don’t kinda know when the bottom is going to fall through or what’s gonna happen next,” she said.

The song is “about feeling powerless, and I’ve struggled with addiction in different forms, whether it’s addiction to love, to a person who’s not good for you, to food, to negative feelings,” she said.

She, too, has been down dark paths. “I’ve definitely abused alcohol; I’ve been depressed. You can just kind of go down a black hole and find yourself addicted to almost anything,” she said.

“For a while, I coped by drinking too much. I wanted to get out of my mind. I wanted to stop picking myself apart. I just wanted to feel good, to chase that high. I wanted to stop worrying about my career.”

View the original article at thefix.com

31 August 2018
Moby, Steel Panther To Appear At Rock To Recovery Concert In September

Funds from the September 15th event will go to Rock to Recovery’s nonprofit branch, which provides treatment to people in need.

The third-annual Rock to Recovery benefit concert will take place on Saturday, September 15, at the Fonda Theatre in Hollywood, raising money for treatment and celebrating sober living.

“By having an event where we can all share not only our darkness, but our strength and solution, and celebrate through live music and dancing and even mosh pits, is quite a healing form of expression,” said former Korn guitarist Wes Geer, who founded Rock to Recovery, which aims to harness the healing power of music.

Photo courtesy of Rock to Recovery

The concert brings together people who are newly in recovery and rock stars who have been open about their sobriety journey. Funds from the event go to Rock to Recovery’s nonprofit branch, which provides treatment to people in need.

“I heard recently that the opposite of addiction is connection,” Geer said. “For all the people this event supports: wounded warriors, mental health, addiction, to at-risk youth—these are all issues of feeling lost and disconnected and not having a place in the world.”

Corey Taylor from Stone Sour receiving the Rock to Recovery award in 2017.

At the concert, people who have felt disconnected can come together and celebrate their new lives. This is particularly important for people in early recovery, Geer said. About half of the people attending the concert will still be in treatment, he noted.

“Imagine being in treatment and getting to experience a sober concert with known musicians, many of whom are also in recovery,” he said. “I go back to what my mindset was when I was newly in recovery, which is once you get sober life is over and boring. These concerts prove that mindset wrong. When you come see such an elaborate event supported by so many amazing humans, that is 100% sober and 100% rad, it is absolutely magical.”

Photo courtesy of Rock in Recovery

The concert will be hosted by Bryan Fogel and Steel Panther will headline the event. This year Moby will receive the Rock to Recovery award.

“Moby is an iconic megastar, who has been open about the struggles he’s faced in his own addiction and how dark and humiliating they can be,” Geer said. “When we can honor somebody like him we let people in attendance redefine what their belief of a rock star is. It can be a sober person who’s iconic, an incredible artist in an industry rife with challenges. This helps others have hope not only for a muted version of recovery life, but an absolutely stellar one!”

Tickets for the concert on sale now.

View the original article at thefix.com

31 August 2018
International Overdose Awareness Day Is August 31st

The global event helps erase stigma about drug-related deaths while spreading the word about overdose prevention.

This year’s International Overdose Awareness Day is Friday, August 31. It’s not only a day to remember the lives lost, but to remind each other that overdose deaths are preventable.

Since 2001, people around the world have recognized Overdose Awareness Day by holding candlelight vigils, free naloxone trainings, and more. These are opportunities for people who have been affected by a drug overdose to come together, remember their loved ones, and empower each other to prevent more deaths.

Fatal drug overdoses are most prevalent in North America, but it’s a global phenomenon. According to 2017 figures from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), there were an estimated 190,000 premature deaths caused by drugs.

Opioids accounted for the majority of these drug-related deaths, and were preventable “in most cases,” according to the report.

North America has the highest drug-related mortality in the world, accounting for 1-in-4 drug-related deaths globally.

Opioids (which include prescription painkillers and heroin) may be the most prominent cause of a drug overdose currently—but alcohol, stimulants, and other prescription medication can also cause a person to overdose.

When taking prescription medication, it is important to know the correct dose and time to take the medication. Certain drugs do not react well with each other—it’s important to know this when taking prescription medication as well.

With regular drug use, one will develop a tolerance to the drug. Thus, the body may be more vulnerable to an overdose after a period of abstinence, when one’s tolerance has had a chance to go down. This is why, for example, one is at a higher risk of overdose after a period of detox or prison.

The official website of International Overdose Awareness Day advises one to “always” call for emergency help if they believe a person is overdosing. Symptoms that indicate that a person is in need of emergency help are not limited to being unconscious.

A person may also be in trouble and need emergency care if they are having a seizure; are extremely paranoid, agitated and/or confused; or experiencing severe headache, chest pain, or breathing difficulties. Showing one or two of these symptoms is a cause for concern.

Snoring or gurgling are also potentially dangerous symptoms, as they could be a sign that a person is having trouble breathing. Bystanders are advised to try and wake up the individual immediately. And if they do not wake up, paramedics should be called.

Naloxone is a common tool for reversing opioid overdose. Events all across the US for this year’s Overdose Awareness Day include free naloxone trainings, to equip people with the skills to save a life.

Harm reduction organizations across the country have worked to equip as many people with naloxone and the training to go with it.

In San Francisco, the DOPE Project (which is affiliated with the Harm Reduction Coalition) and its partners have trained 11,667 people to administer naloxone.

The organization reported that between the fall of 2003 and June 2018, 5,149 overdoses were reversed.

View the original article at thefix.com

31 August 2018
Let’s Get Real: How To Handle the Tough Stuff in Recovery Without Using

Of course, people had good reason to think that I couldn’t handle upsetting news. Every time a hardship, breakup, or something unsettling happened, I wound up in the psych ward, detox, ER, or a bloody, tear-filled mess.

When I was drinking, I was the girl who took pulls of rail vodka right from the bottle. I took it straight, no chaser. Others looked at me with a mixture of surprise and disgust. Girls were supposed to mix their vodka with fruit juice or soda. Girls weren’t supposed to out-drink the men or keep straight razors in their wallet for chopping up fat lines. Fellow drunks patted me on the back. I was one of them. I embraced my heavy drinking as a point of pride, wore it like a badge of honor.

But the point of this isn’t to share my war stories or act like I was the most bad ass alcoholic or junkie to ever haunt the planet. Rather, I want to share how I still prefer to apply the “straight, no chaser” motto to other areas of my life. I prefer when loved ones are straightforward, blunt, and honest with me about tough stuff and hardship rather than trying to gloss over the truth or protect me from pain. Even though I have been in recovery for years, some of my loved ones have continued to worry that I will relapse upon hearing bad or heartbreaking news, as though I was some sort of wounded dove with the word “fragile” stamped on my forehead.

Of course, they had good reason to think that I couldn’t handle upsetting news. Every time a hardship, breakup, or something unsettling in my life happened, I wound up in the psych ward, detox, ER, or a bloody, tear-filled mess. I categorized people as either “normies” or “addicts and crazies” because it was easier than embracing the messy complexity of human beings. In my mind I was broken. Normal people went to the gym, spa, or the mall when they were troubled. But those options didn’t work quickly enough to soothe my mercurial temperament and smooth my edges. I labeled myself as a crazy addict, so I went straight to the liquor store or to the organic grocery store (ironically this was where my dealers were, standing outside with signs reading: “needs money, anything helps”).

If you’re someone who struggles with addiction, you understand this self-destructive pattern. It’s hard to deal with “life on life’s terms,” as they say in the program. When stressful life events happen, we often turn to our familiar coping mechanisms. In fact, the National Institute of Drug Abuse found that up to 60 percent of people relapse within their first year of recovery.

There is a constellation of reasons that people relapse. Studies have found that being exposed to stresses that originally caused someone to excessively drink or use drugs is a major trigger for relapse. Another study found that patients with alcohol and opioid dependence were most likely to relapse when they had a family history of substance use and high number of relapses, used maladaptive coping strategies, and also had “undesirable life events.”

I can relate as I had my share of undesirable life events this past year. Even though I’ve been clean for a few years, I still felt a massive urge to use after hearing about the death of my god-daughter and, on a less serious note, a heartbreaking romantic let-down.

These events were handled very differently. The morning after my god-daughter died, my mom called and told me the tragic news. She wanted to make sure I heard it from her directly rather than passively finding out about the death on social media. Although this was devastating news, I appreciated that she was direct and real with me.

What really triggered my cravings was ambiguity and a romantic disappointment. Although we broke up a few years ago after I relapsed, I still consider my ex one of my best friends. We text every single day and I even stayed with him for five days when I was visiting Portland in December. He let me sleep in his bed while he slept on the couch. Wrapping myself in his blankets, I was comforted by his familiar smell of Camel cigarettes and Old Spice. Although the visit was platonic, there were moments when I felt a possible rekindling of our romantic relationship.

He paid for all my meals, opened doors to restaurants, and even took me to the Oregon Museum of Mental Health in Salem where I researched an essay. Okay, maybe going to a museum of mental health isn’t exactly a hot date, but the fact that he was willing to take me felt positive. He also talked about taking a road trip together in his new BMW coupe, laughing at how when we had been together he drove a Buick and we barely made ends meet. I reminded myself that my intention for this visit was to make amends in person for spinning him in my addictive chaotic orbit and leaving him in the wreckage of our relationship. Yet I still got my hopes up that we would get back together and I wrote him a long letter proclaiming my feelings for him.

He never responded. He faded away from me, and his texts became infrequent and vague. He said that he was busy and stressed with work. Finally, he admitted to our mutual friend that he had a girlfriend but was afraid to tell me because I was “constantly on the verge of suicide” and he was worried about relapse.

I was crushed, but at the same time I sort of understood his perspective. He knew the story of my old self. I had shown him in the past that I couldn’t handle such rejection or disappointment.

So how do we deal with the tough stuff in recovery? Amanda Decker, a Licensed Addiction Counselor (LAC) and Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Fargo, North Dakota, explained: “There will be growing pains throughout the ebb and flow of recovery. It’s hard knowing how to deal with life without drugs or alcohol but it’s helpful to remember that perspective shifts over time. It also helps to develop hobbies and interests. When people in recovery can embrace these things, drugs and alcohol become white noise in the background.”

Decker suggested developing a “pre-emptive” relapse prevention plan by thinking about how to handle life stressors without alcohol or drugs. If we are in the position of telling difficult or uncomfortable news to a family member or friend who is in recovery, Decker advises: “As an addiction counselor, I’ve had to tell my group about a fellow group member who has overdosed. The first thing I did was to be direct and be present with my group members who were struggling in that moment. There will be a lot of grief and sadness that we have to learn to cope with.”

The truth is that hardship, tragedy, and disappointment are parts of life that we have to learn how to come to terms with in recovery. We have to start embracing and seeing the shades of wellness and addiction rather than labeling things “normal” or “crazy.” It’s hard to tell a different story about ourselves, it’s even harder to break the story that others have about us. But I have faith in myself and I have faith in you, my fellow humans in recovery. For we are resilient, brave survivors, not fragile wounded doves.

View the original article at thefix.com

31 August 2018
Mom Starts Addiction Recovery Photo Project After Son’s Overdose Death

The photo documentary project aims to promote recovery and reduce the stigma surrounding addiction.

Simone Ochrym lost her 26-year-old son the same day that she had begged for him to return to treatment for his opioid addiction.

After a decade of drug abuse, recovery “was not in the cards” for Ochrym’s child. The Democrat and Chronicle interviewed Ochrym about her new photo project that includes 15 portraits and narratives of people in recovery from addiction.

The project, entitled “ChasingNirvanaClean: The Addiction Recovery Project,” was birthed from a question: “I wanted to know, ‘How and why did you go from being an active user to wanting to go into recovery?’” Ochrym said.

The photo documentary debuts September 7th, nearly two years after her son’s death. The photos are displayed at Flower City Arts Center in Rochester, New York.

The project’s website states: “The purpose is to explore the how and the why people enter and stay in addiction recovery. It is by exploration of those in addiction recovery that we will find the answers to fight emerging and chronic addiction in our communities.

The goals of the ‘ChasingNirvanaClean’ project are promoting that recovery is possible for all types of addiction, reducing the social stigma of addiction, and promoting peer-mentoring models of addiction treatment, 12-step programs, and old and new diverse methods of addiction recovery.”

One documentary subject is Jeff Williams, who lost both his older brother and an uncle to opioid overdose. Jeff began using at age 12 or 13, and his addiction progressed rapidly. After gaining sobriety through a rehabilitation outpatient program, Jeff began drinking again in his early 20s. It was when he lost his best drinking buddy that he realized how isolated and self-destructive he felt.

On “ChasingNirvanaClean,” Jeff says, “I had one last drink the night before I got sober. I went to a psychiatrist and told him I needed help. He gave me some medications for depression and generalized anxiety. That was when I got sober.”

Jeff continued to struggle with mental health issues and it was not until he fully embraced therapy and medication that he was able to achieve sobriety and stability.

Jeff’s imparted advice to the loved ones of someone with active addiction, “The best thing you can do is show your love, your compassion, and if they made that decision to become sober, they can come to you for that help. Showing that you will accept all of them, even the bad parts, makes it less scary for them to ask for help and can encourage them to get the help they need.”

“I always see people either working in prevention or working in crisis, but I think the only way to figure out prevention is to hear the stories of people who have achieved long-term recovery,” Ochrym told the Democrat and Chronicle.

View the original article at thefix.com

31 August 2018
Children's Advil Recalled Due To Potential Overdose Risk

The company was alerted to a labeling mishap through customer complaints.

Pfizer is recalling a batch of children’s Advil, due to a labeling mishap that may increase the risk of accidental overdose of ibuprofen.

Pfizer Consumer Healthcare is recalling one lot of Children’s Advil Suspension, which was distributed in May and June. The bubble gum-flavored, four fluid-ounce bottles have a November 2020 expiration date and are marked R51129. The UPC number is 3-0573-0207-30-0.

According to CBS News, the company was alerted to a labeling mishap through customer complaints. While the label’s instructions measure doses in milliliters, the plastic cup that comes with the packaging is measured in teaspoons.

One teaspoon is the equivalent of approximately five milliliters. According to Pfizer, of the 28,000 bottles targeted in the recall, one-third of the lot never made it to retail stores. The company has alerted wholesalers, distributors and retailers about the recall, according to the Madison Patch.

Children’s Advil is commonly used to treat fevers and for minor pain relief from colds, flu, sore throat, headaches, and toothaches.

It is possible to overdose on ibuprofen in both children and adults. In rare cases, an ibuprofen overdose can be fatal.

The recommended dosage of ibuprofen for children depends on the child’s weight and the formulation of the medication, which comes in chewable tablets, drops and liquids, according to Healthline.

Common symptoms of an ibuprofen overdose include nausea, vomiting, headache, drowsiness, blurred vision and dizziness.

In case of an ibuprofen overdose, contact your local poison center at 1-800-222-1222.

For information on how to return an affected product, call Stericycle at 1-800-805-3093. And for information about the recall, call Pfizer Consumer Healthcare at 1-800-882-3845.

A similar medication that is used to relieve fever and pain in children is acetaminophen (most commonly known by the brand Tylenol). Like ibuprofen, it is possible for children and adults to overdose on acetaminophen. Too much acetaminophen can lead to life-threatening liver problems, according to the Mayo Clinic.

To avoid acetaminophen overdose in children, giving a child acetaminophen while they are taking other medications containing acetaminophen is not recommended. Children should only take children’s formulations of acetaminophen.

Child-resistant caps can also help prevent overdoses of these medicines.

View the original article at thefix.com

30 August 2018