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  • Demi Lovato Reveals She Relapsed In New Song "Sober"

    Demi Lovato Reveals She Relapsed In New Song "Sober"

    “To the ones who never left me we’ve been down this road before, I’m so sorry, I’m not sober anymore,” the pop star sings in her new song.

    Pop star Demi Lovato is forthright about not only about the positive side of her recovery, but also her struggles along the way. The singer-songwriter’s new single “Sober” is a candid confession about a recent relapse after six years of sobriety.

    “I don’t know why I do it every time/ It’s only when I’m lonely/ Sometimes I just wanna cave/ And I don’t wanna fight,” she sings. “Mama I’m so sorry I’m not sober anymore/ And daddy please forgive me for the drinks spilled on the floor/ To the ones who never left me we’ve been down this road before/ I’m so sorry, I’m not sober anymore.”

    Lovato goes on to apologize to fans, as well as herself: “I’m sorry that I’m here again/ I promise I’ll get help/ It wasn’t my intention/ I’m sorry to myself.”

     

    Lovato is a champion of mental health and recovery support. She herself celebrated six years of sobriety back in March, marking the occasion on social media—“Just officially turned 6 years sober. So grateful for another year of joy, health and happiness. It IS possible”—as she does every March.

    She even brings “therapy sessions” to fans before her concerts. “We have speakers from all over and we’re also helping out with different charities from around the country, so it’ll be incredible and a very moving and inspiring experience,” she said.

    The goal of the mobile therapy sessions is to shed the stigma of struggling with mental health or asking for help.

    “Shame’s just such a lousy feeling,” she said. “There’s nothing positive that comes out of shame.”

    Last October, while accepting the Spirit of Sobriety award at a fundraising event hosted by the Brent Shapiro Foundation, the pop star described the consistent work that goes into her recovery.

    “Every day is a battle. You just have to take it one day at a time, some days are easier than others and some days you forget about drinking and using, but for me, I work on my physical health, which is important, but my mental health as well,” she said.

    Her recovery relies on a multi-faceted approach, like anyone else’s. “I see a therapist twice a week. I make sure I stay on my medications. I go to AA meetings. I do what I can physically in the gym. I make it a priority,” she said.

    Rapper Iggy Azalea—who once credited Demi with inspiring her to be more open about receiving therapy at a time when she was “mentally exhausted”—tweeted her support for the “Sorry Not Sorry” singer.

    “All of us who love you only want to see you happy and healthy,” she wrote. “I’m proud of you for having the guts to reveal your truth to the world again… I pray you’ll choose recovery again.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Worried About Your Smartphone Use? These Tips Can Help

    Worried About Your Smartphone Use? These Tips Can Help

    A few health experts offer some useful suggestions for limiting screen time and reconnecting with the world outside of your phone.

    Smartphones undoubtedly make our lives easier. After all, we can now do our banking, grocery shopping and trip planning all from the comfort of our homes with a few taps. 

    However, smartphones are increasingly in the news for their negative side effects, and smartphone addiction is becoming a more common issue. In some cases, smartphone use has been tied to serious health consequences. 

    Last year, researchers found that more teen girls were coming into the emergency room for self-inflicted injuries, and they speculated that smartphones might be to blame. 

    “It is unclear why the rate of self-injury among younger teens has climbed,” the Washington Post reports, “though some experts say it could be because of the girls’ access to smartphones and Internet bullying.”

    Smartphone use has also been linked to changes in teens’ brains and an increased risk in mental health problems and suicidal ideation for those who spend hours each day clicking away. 

    However, there are ways to curtail your smartphone use if you’re becoming concerned about how it’s affecting your health or relationships. 

    One simple step that can be surprisingly hard to initiate is charging your phone in another room, where it’s less convenient to access, said Julie Albright, a psychology lecturer at USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and author of the book Left to Their Own Devices: How Digital Natives are Reshaping the American Dream.

    Taking a break from the screen can allow you to recharge as well, she told Medical Xpress. 

    “This is a way to reconnect with body, mind and self and not be in a constant state of overstimulation of the mind,” Albright said. “We all need that quiet time to be able to think again and refocus.”

    She also suggests putting all phones away during meal times. 

    “Keeping them out of sight during family dinners lets you focus on the people around you and be present,” she said.

    Steven Sussman, professor of preventive medicine, psychology and social work, suggests setting up a schedule for checking your phone. Begin with once every 15 minutes, and gradually increase the waiting periods, resisting the urge to justify an early check-in by claiming you “need” to do something. 

    “Now we can do so much online—a lot of our daily lives are on our phone,” he said. 

    Although we do a lot online, we also waste lots of time mindlessly swiping through our phones, says Allen Weiss, director of the Mindful USC initiative and a professor of marketing at the USC Marshall School of Business. He challenges students to think about why they’re compelled to check their phones: are they bored, feeling needy, etc?

    “Since mindfulness helps people process these emotions, I wanted [my students] to fully experience the sense of these emotions and see how they arise and pass away,” Weiss said.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • 6 Ways To Safely Dispose Of Prescription Medications

    6 Ways To Safely Dispose Of Prescription Medications

    Drop-off boxes and drug disposal bags are among a few of the best methods for properly disposing of expired or unused medication.

    Simply throwing unused medications in the garbage doesn’t cut it. 

    There are better, safer methods when it comes to disposing of prescription medications, according to U.S. News and World Report. 

    Disposing of such items is something nearly everyone will face at some point. There are numerous reasons to safely dispose of medications, including to protect pets, family and even yourself. 

    “Keeping extra medications in your home can put other people or pets at risk,” Lindsay Slowiczek, a pharmacist and drug information research fellow at the Center for Drug Information and Evidence-Based Practice at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, tells U.S. News. “Children, elderly people and pets could accidentally take these medications and experience dangerous side effects or even experience a toxic overdose, due to their smaller size.” 

    Additionally, data implies that many users of heroin began with prescription medications. Eliminating such medications from your home can lessen the risk of someone using them the wrong way. 

    To safely dispose of prescription drugs, U.S. News recommends the following:

    1. Locate a drop-off box. This is perhaps the best option for disposing of unneeded medications, the site states. Such boxes tend to be located at places like law enforcement offices, pharmacies and hospitals. The nearest drop-off box can be found by visiting www.rxdrugdropbox.org or asking local law enforcement or waste management. 

    2. Research options for disposing of the medications yourself. Sometimes packaging on the medication will include directions for disposal, U.S. News states. If unable to locate such directions, try mixing the uncrushed medications into an unappealing substance, like coffee grounds or cat litter. Place this in a sealed bag and into the garbage, being sure to scratch out any information about the type of medication or personal information.

    3. Purchase a drug disposal bag. Such bags include a substance to deactivate medications or include a container in which you combine the medication with a powder or liquid to make it harder to access. These can often be found online. Walmart even gives away such kits. 

    4. Determine if a medication should be flushed. U.S. News states that because some medications—such as painkillers, anxiety medications and stimulants—present an increased risk, they should be flushed down the toilet. Such medications can be fatal to those without a prescription. Check the FDA website for a list of flushable medications.

    5. Take advantage of a Drug Take-Back Day. In April and October, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has temporary locations to collect unwanted medications. At the most recent event on April 28, nearly 1 million pounds of unwanted medications were collected. Locations for Drug Take-Back Days can be found at www.takebackday.dea.gov.

    6. Touch base with hospice providers. Many people who were in hospice care and passed away were likely on prescription medications. It is a good idea to find out about the handling of prescription medication disposal with hospice providers, as some provide the service. 

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Medication-Assisted Treatment Saves Lives But Is Severely Underutilized

    Medication-Assisted Treatment Saves Lives But Is Severely Underutilized

    A new study found that in the year after an overdose less than one-third of patients were prescribed methadone, buprenorphine or naltrexone.

    A new study found that drugs used to reduce opioid use in people with addiction are seriously underutilized.

    The medical journal Annals of Internal Medicine published the study, which followed close to 18,000 adults in Massachusetts. The participants in the study had gone to an emergency room between 2012 and 2014 for a non-fatal drug overdose.

    Although using drug therapy to treat opioid addiction is considered a “gold standard” of treatment, the study found that just 30% received any of the Food and Drug Administration-approved medication-assisted treatments.

    The FDA advises treatment for opioid addiction as a combination of behavioral therapy and the parallel use of one of three drugs. Methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone are all drugs approved for assistance in reducing drug cravings in those addicted to opioids.

    Science Daily reported that the study showed a 59% reduction in fatal opioid overdose for those receiving methadone, and a 38% reduction for those receiving buprenorphine over a 12-month period. The drug naltrexone was unable to be evaluated due to a small sample size.

    In the past, naltrexone has been shown to be as effective as methadone and buprenorphine, but there are high dropout rates and a refusal to try the drug in the first place.

    Science Daily reports this could be due to the fact that patients utilizing naltrexone cannot use any opioids for seven to 10 days. Methadone and buprenorphine can be started much sooner.

    As the opioid addiction crisis worsens, health officials are eager to find ways to assist people with addiction in withdrawal and abstinence from the drug. The Fix reported on an FDA-approved device that helps reduce opioid cravings, called “Drug Relief.”

    The study also found that in the year after an overdose, not quite one-third of patients were prescribed one of the three FDA approved drugs—with methadone at 11%, buprenorphine at 17%, and naltrexone at 6%. Five percent received more than one medication.

    According to Science Daily, Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), said, “A great part of the tragedy of this opioid crisis is that, unlike in previous such crises America has seen, we now possess effective treatment strategies that could address it and save many lives, yet tens of thousands of people die each year because they have not received these treatments. Ending the crisis will require changing policies to make these medications more accessible and educating primary care and emergency providers, among others, that opioid addiction is a medical illness that must be treated aggressively with the effective tools that are available.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Brandon Lee Exchanges Barbs With Dad Tommy About Rehab, Sobriety

    Brandon Lee Exchanges Barbs With Dad Tommy About Rehab, Sobriety

    “I thank my dad for paying for my treatment… My clear mind has allowed me to do a lot with this time. So much so that I would like to offer to pay for his treatment.”

    Former Mötley Crüe rocker Tommy Lee and his son Brandon continue to wage a very public and very ugly social media feud with each another, according to Entertainment Tonight.

    But their contentious Instagram exchanges may be over with. On Tuesday, Brandon, 22, revealed that he is celebrating nearly two years of sobriety and said that he is grateful to his father.

    “I thank my Dad for paying for my treatment,” Brandon wrote in an Instagram post. “It’s the best thing he has ever done for me. Today I am almost two years sober. Every day that goes by I feel ever more grateful. My clear mind has allowed me to do a lot with this time. So much so that I would like to offer to pay for his treatment.”

    Brandon’s words come on the heels of the 55-year-old’s lengthy Instagram post on Father’s Day, in which he claimed his kids didn’t appreciate anything.

    “Sometimes I feel like I failed as a father, because my kids don’t know the value of things,” Tommy wrote. “Sometimes it’s really tough to watch your kids grow up without these morals.”

    Brandon shot back with claims that Tommy was an absent father, uploading a since-deleted video of an unconscious Tommy Lee lying on the floor in a t-shirt and underwear.

    It’s not the first time Brandon has aired out his father’s alleged alcoholism, either. Back in March, following an altercation between the two, Brandon wrote on Twitter that he was “devastated” by the effects of his father’s alcoholism.

    “I’ve worked tirelessly organizing an intervention and it’s incredibly upsetting that it never came to fruition. I wanted my dad’s hopeful sobriety and recovery to be a private family matter but, as a result of his accusations on social media, I feel forced to speak out,” he said at the time. “I love my father and just want to see him sober, happy and healthy.”

    Tommy dismissed the claims, saying he was happy and enjoying retirement.

    The Mötley Crüe drummer denied having alcoholism, listing on Instagram everything that he felt his son had taken for granted, ranging from rehab to a costly birthday party: “Rehab for son: $130,000, Party for son’s 21st birthday last year: $40,000,” he wrote. “Medical Bills after son knocks his father unconscious and uses ‘alcoholism’ as scapegoat: $10,000, Son acting like a victim on social media on father’s day: Priceless.”

    According to ET, however, Brandon has grown weary of the public fighting. In fact, on Monday, he posted an extended Instagram post urging his father to “move on” and to keep their matters private.

    “It’s so sad that Tommy feels the need to keep attacking his son despite Brandon’s pleas to quit their very public feud,” a source told ET. “Brandon wants to rise above all of this but keeps getting pulled into it and defending himself. Brandon realizes enough is enough and that’s exactly why he removed the video of his father, but Tommy doesn’t seem to want it to end. He seems to want to keep fighting.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Canada Legalizes Marijuana In Historic Vote

    Canada Legalizes Marijuana In Historic Vote

    Residents are expected to be able to purchase marijuana from licensed producers as early as mid-September 2018.

    Canada became the second country in the world to legalize marijuana after the passage of its Cannabis Act in a 52-59 vote on Tuesday, June 19.

    Canadian adults will be allowed to carry and share up to 30 grams of legal marijuana in public and cultivate up to four plants in their homes. The country’s provinces and territories will be allowed to draft their own rules for sales, which have been projected to echo the billion-dollar windfall enjoyed by the marijuana industry in the United States.

    The government is giving its provinces 8 to 12 weeks to set up their own regulations on sales and more, and residents are expected to be able to purchase marijuana from licensed producers as early as mid-September 2018.

    Prior to the passage of Bill C-45, Uruguay was the only country on the planet to legalize marijuana for sale and use. In the U.S., 29 states and Washington, D.C. allow the medical use of marijuana, while nine and D.C. also allow recreational use. Canada introduced the Cannabis Act in 2017, which passed the House of Commons in November of that year before reaching the Senate for final approval.

    Prime Minister Justin Trudeau echoed the intention of C-45 in a June 19 Twitter post which read, “It’s been too easy for our kids to get marijuana – and for criminals to reap the profits,” he wrote. “Today, we change that.”

    Once the bill receives Royal Assent—a ceremony in which Canada’s governor general, Julie Payette, will officially approve the measure—only adults ages 18 or 19 years or older (depending on the province or territory) will be allowed to legally purchase “cannabis, dried cannabis, cannabis oil, cannabis seeds or cannabis plants” from licensed retailers, both at brick-and-mortar locations and online.

    According to the BBC, edibles will not be available for purchase by the proposed September launch date, but are expected to reach markets within a year’s time to allow the government to establish regulations for such projects.

    They can also grow up to four plants per household—not per person—for personal use as long as the seeds are bought from a licensed supplier, and make cannabis-related products in their home as long as the plants do not use dangerous organic solvents.

    C-45 will also establish a new offense of up to 14 years in prison for selling cannabis to minors, as well as “significant” penalties for individuals who involve minors in cannabis-related offenses or drive under the influence of cannabis, and will impose restrictions on how marijuana is promoted to young people, such as through the use of celebrity or animal/cartoon character images. 

    Provinces will also decide where cannabis will be sold to the public. As CNN noted, Alberta will make it available at more than 200 private retailers, while buyers in Ontario will only find it in state-run stores, and Newfoundland/Labrador residents will be able to purchase cannabis along with their groceries at the Loblaw supermarket chain.

    With Canadian sales of marijuana in 2015 estimated at about $4.5 billion—nearly the same amount spent on wine—cannabis industry observers have suggested that the country may see annual revenue as high as $5 billion.

    Canadian finance minister Bill Morneau said that the excise tax revenue will be split 75/25 between provincial government and the federal government for the first two years after legalization.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Mental Health A Bigger Issue For Teens Than Drug Use, Survey Says

    Mental Health A Bigger Issue For Teens Than Drug Use, Survey Says

    According to a new survey, the number of teens experiencing more hopelessness, sadness and suicidal ideation is on the rise.

    This week the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released the 2017 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey.

    The self-reported data of 4 million teens showed that the demographic is engaging in less sex and less drug use than in the decade preceding.

    Data collected yearly over the last decade showed a significant drop in the number of teens using illicit drugs (specifically: cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, inhalants, hallucinogens, or ecstasy). The numbers fell from 22.6% of students reporting having used one or more illicit drug in 2007, to 14% in 2017.

    Injectable drugs, the most dangerous, were reported as experienced by 1.5% of high school students in 2017. However, the survey found that a troubling 14% reported misusing prescription opioids. As 2017 was the first year for recording data on opioid use in teens, there are no comparison numbers.

    The numbers for sexual activity dropped as well: 39.5% of the teenagers in 2017 reported they had ever had sex. This is down from 47.8% in 2007, another significant drop. Those who were engaging in sexual activity were less likely to have multiple partners, according to the survey.

    Kathleen Ethier, director of CDC’s Division of Adolescent and School Health department, says, “Overall, I think youth are making better decisions, particularly about their sexual behavior and their drug use.”

    Still, the National Youth Risk Behavior Survey also revealed some troubling facts. While the rate of bullying and sexual assaults has barely reduced, the amount of teens reporting that they felt sad or hopeless has increased from 28.5% in 2007 to 31.5% in 2017.

    In addition, the rate of teenagers contemplating suicide rose from 14.5% to 17% in the same time period.

    Jonathan Mermin, MD, director of CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, felt the survey results were profoundly mixed. 

    Mermin noted, “Today’s youth are making better decisions about their health than just a decade ago,” and then went on to say, “But, some experiences, such as physical and sexual violence, are outside their control and continue at painfully high levels. Their experiences today have powerful implications for their lives tomorrow.”

    The CDC concluded its summary of the survey with a quote from Kathleen Ethier, PhD, director of CDC’s Division of Adolescent and School Health.

    “We know that being connected to schools and safe adults is key to protecting the health of adolescents,” she said. “Students are more likely to thrive if they feel safe and have a sense of belonging—and if they have parents, adults, teachers, and friends who they know care about their success.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • McDonald’s Receipt Foils Detective's Drug Money Scheme

    McDonald’s Receipt Foils Detective's Drug Money Scheme

    The disgraced detective stole $40,000 in drug money that was waiting to be intercepted by a drug task force.

    A Louisville detective outed himself as a crooked cop with one critical error—paying for a $5 McDonald’s meal by credit card around the same time he lifted $40,000 of drug evidence.

    Detective Kyle Willett—a veteran of Louisville Metro Police who at the time was working at a UPS shipping hub as part of a task force to intercept drug activity in Louisville, Kentucky—stopped for a sweet tea and cheeseburger at McDonald’s and paid for the $4.76 meal with his credit card.

    Then, he went to work, illegally searched a package, and stole its contents—$40,000 in cash. Little did he know, a West Coast drug task force was waiting in Oakland, California for the same package to arrive, hoping to intercept the $40,000 of evidence that would help nab a drug trafficker.

    But the package wasn’t entirely empty. It didn’t contain the money, but it did contain some damning evidence that would lead authorities to Willett—the discarded bag that his McDonald’s meal came in, which he had for some reason stuffed inside the emptied package, receipt and all.

    Authorities were able to identify Willett via the last four digits of his credit card number from the receipt, and his white Tahoe was identified via surveillance footage in the McDonald’s parking lot at the time printed on the receipt.

    Authorities began investigating Willett and caught him the next time he stole cash from a package.

    The investigation affected not only Willett, but his entire task force. Upon scrutinizing the task force’s activity during the Willett investigation, authorities noticed that task force members were illegally searching packages without warrants, in their vehicles, or alone. And if they did found evidence, they would re-seal the package and request a search warrant, according to the Courier–Journal.

    Though it is a clear constitutional violation, according to legal experts, then-U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky John Kuhn decided to prosecute only Willett and not the other members of the task force.

    However, the decision was made to “clean house completely” within the task force to flush out any “systemic issues,” and every member has since been replaced.

    Willett resigned in October 2016 and pleaded guilty in federal court to theft from interstate shipment (a felony) for stealing more than $74,000 between January and August 2016.

    According to the Courier-Journal, most of the stolen cash was found in his home and car.

    Willett has already served five months in federal prison and five months of home detention. He remains on supervised probation for two years and is barred from owning a firearm.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Can IV Tylenol Help Curb The Opioid Crisis?

    Can IV Tylenol Help Curb The Opioid Crisis?

    Health experts are debating the efficacy of IV acetaminophen as a non-opioid pain management tool.

    An approach to cutting back on opioid use isn’t proving as affordable or as helpful as thought, according to the Washington Post.  

    In an effort to cut down on opioid use, some hospitals are turning to intravenous forms of medications like Tylenol. Boston Medical Center was one such entity, adding IV Tylenol as a method of pain management.

    However, David Twitchell, Boston Medical Center’s chief pharmacy officer, says the price quickly became concerning. 

    According to the Post, Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals increased the price of IV Tylenol and the medical center was projected to spend $750,000 on acetaminophen, which is the active ingredient in Tylenol, in 2015.

    The Post notes that a normal tablet dose of acetaminophen costs only cents, but Ofirmev, the IV version, is $40 per 1,000 milligrams.

    “It was going to cost us, without the intervention that happened, more than any other drug on our formulary. Think of the most expensive cancer drug,” Twitchell told the Post. “To me, that didn’t seem justified.”

    Though some medical centers are attempting to turn away from opioids and instead utilizing options such as IV Tylenol, a recent study found that this approach may not be any more effective than taking the medication in tablet form. Some studies, on the other hand, claim there is a benefit to the IV medication. 

    Another study published in the July issue of Anesthesiology examined seven years of data for bowel surgeries across 602 hospitals and determined that when it came to decreasing opioid use, IV acetaminophen seemed no more effective than taking a tablet form of the same medication. 

    “It just seems very often, physicians have magical thinking about a new preparation of an old drug,” Andrew Leibowitz, system chair of the department of anesthesiology, perioperative and pain medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and co-author of the study, told the Post. “Doctors do seem, in general when a patient is in the hospital, to favor IV medications as a knee-jerk reflex, even when equally effective oral medications are available.”

    According to Mallinckrodt, the study was “significantly flawed” and argued that half the patients in the study had not even received a full dose of the medication.

    IV Tylenol isn’t the only generic painkiller to be offered in IV form, the Post states. The Post also says that more types of IV painkillers are expected in the future. 

    Erin Krebs, a staff physician at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System, led a study published in JAMA that determined that opioids were no more effective than non-opioids when it came to managing chronic back pain or hip and knee pain.

    She tells the Post that while it’s good that physicians are reexamining prescribing opioids, they should be careful not to buy into other new medications too early.

    “I think part of the reason we got into such a mess with opioids was really a lack of training and understanding of pain management,” Krebs told the Post. “It’s a symptom of how little research we’ve done on the appropriate management of these really common conditions. These are some of the most common human ailments, and they have not received enough research attention, research funding or education.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Surgeon General Wary Of Marijuana As An Opioid Alternative

    Surgeon General Wary Of Marijuana As An Opioid Alternative

    Adams said that marijuana’s “potential negative consequences, including promoting cancer,” played a factor in his stance

    Jerome Adams, MD, the 20th Surgeon General of the United States, recently gave a far-ranging interview on opioids and his stance on marijuana as an alternative to their use.

    Adams, speaking at a forum on opioids hosted by the Washington Examiner, stated that concerns over the impact of marijuana on the developing brains of young people and its possible cancer-causing properties, were the impetus for him to reserve a recommendation for its use in pain management. “We know that exposing the developing brain to marijuana can prime the brain to addiction and have potential negative consequences including promoting cancer,” he said.

    But Adams added that he considered additional studies on the subject “important,” and voiced support for the use of the opioid reversal drug naloxone.

    Adams, an anesthesiologist and vice admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, said that his opposition to marijuana for medical purposes was hinged largely on studies that suggested use among young people “can prime the brain for addiction.”

    Adams did not cite specific studies that asserted this notion, but added that marijuana’s “potential negative consequences, including promoting cancer,” was also a factor in his stance. 

    “It would be incredibly disingenuous of me to say that you shouldn’t smoke a cigarette, but it is fine to go out and smoke a joint,” said Adams, who also noted that as Surgeon General, his name is featured in the boxed warning about the health hazards of smoking featured on all cigarette packaging.

    However, Adams did state that he considered it important to examine studies pertaining to marijuana as an alternative to opioids for pain treatment, but again, added, “it is important that we not jump on something that may have more potential consequences down the road.”

    When the interview touched on the subject of opioid abuse and dependency, Adams expressed opinions on a wide array of issues regarding treatment and intervention. He voiced solid support for naloxone, dismissing opponents of the drug as “folks out there who will suggest that naloxone and these interventions are enabling drug use. I say they are enabling recovery,” he stated.

    But he was steadfast in his opposition to legalize safe injection facilities (SIFs), which have gained traction with some city and state governments as a harm reduction-based attempt to reduce chances of overdose among drug users.

    “I think it’s important for everyone to know that I took an oath to uphold the law,” said Adams. “And currently, injection facilities are illegal across the U.S. So, I can not and do not endorse safe facilities.”

    Adams also suggested that a primary line of defense against the opioid crisis could be found in most Americans’ homes.

    “I want everyone to know there’s a killer in our medicine cabinets,” he said. “Leaving pills around or unattended is the same thing as leaving a loaded gun.”

    View the original article at thefix.com