MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'heroin'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:03:10 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5182333&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=36896&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSuboxoneTalkZone%2F%7E3%2FTuIBpEDapBQ%2F I would like to add a couple things to my pages about opioid dependence.  For those not familiar with the sites already included, you can find most of them through links at a home page called Addiction Remission.  I have ‘bupe tube’, a collection of educational videos;  bupe news, a site that has news releases related to opioid dependence and buprenorphine, and a page that has items for purchase– including my book, and even underwear with the ‘talk zone’ insignia!  Nobody has purchased a pair yet, for some reason…. Ideally, I would like to drop the ‘subox’ part of the name to the blog and forum, and replace it with ‘bupe’ or with ‘opioid’.  I’m worried about losing readers, of course, and losing the little b... Suboxone Talk Zone blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5182333 Fri, 02 Sep 2011 04:17:50 +0100 5182333 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159844&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35804&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addictionrecoveryblog.com%2Fheroin-treatment%2Fmy-review-for-willpowers-not-enough-recovering-from-addictions-of-every-kind%2F The Lowest Price we could find is $14.99 $3.78 Many people think that what the addict needs is willpower, but nothing could be further from the truth: When a person has already lost control over a drug or activity, attempts to control its use almost never work. Because the source of addiction isn’t the drug or activity itself but a desire for a mood changer, successful recovery means ultimately changing the way we live, giving up the addictive life-style. Willpower’s Not Enough will show you how to change your life-style and to recover from your addiction. Review: This is a straight-forward, no BS, book about addiction and you don’t have to be a doctor to understand it. What it covers includes: addiction & the addictive personality defined, in detail; how fol... Addiction Recovery Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159844 Mon, 22 Aug 2011 10:40:06 +0100 5159844 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5119000&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35804&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addictionrecoveryblog.com%2Fheroin-treatment%2Fa-review-for-in-the-realm-of-hungry-ghosts-close-encounters-with-addiction%2F The Lowest Price we could find is $17.95 $7.99 Based on Gabor Mats two decades of experience as a medical doctor and his groundbreaking work with the severely addicted on Vancouvers skid row, In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts radically reenvisions this much misunderstood field by taking a holistic approach. Dr. Mat presents addiction not as a discrete phenomenon confined to an unfortunate or weak-willed few, but as a continuum that runs throughout (and perhaps underpins) our society; not a medical “condition” distinct from the lives it affects, rather the result of a complex interplay among personal history, emotional, and neurological development, brain chemistry, and the drugs (and behaviors) of addiction. Simplifying a wide array of brain and addiction research findings fro... Addiction Recovery Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5119000 Thu, 11 Aug 2011 11:40:06 +0100 5119000 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5062502&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35804&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addictionrecoveryblog.com%2Fheroin-treatment%2Fa-review-for-the-promise-of-low-dose-naltrexone-therapy-potential-benefits-in-cancer-autoimmune-neurological-and-infectious-disorders%2F The Lowest Price we could find is $35.00 $24.69 Naltrexone is an opiate antagonist drug developed in the 1970s and approved by the FDA in 1984 for opiate and drug abuse treatment. When used at much lower doses in an off-label protocol referred to as low dose naltrexone (LDN), the drug has been shown to halt disease progression in Crohn’s disease and certain cancers, to reduce symptoms in multiple sclerosis and autism, and to improve numerous autoimmune and neurodegenerative conditions, including Parkinson’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Grounded in clinical and scientific research, this book describes the history of naltrexone, its potential therapeutic uses, its effects on the immune system, its pharmacological properties, and how the drug is administer... Addiction Recovery Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5062502 Mon, 25 Jul 2011 12:00:09 +0100 5062502 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5062506&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=36896&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSuboxoneTalkZone%2F%7E3%2FYhgvJGg0qI0%2F By now, everyone who knows of Amy Winehouse is aware of her tragic death. I’ve always liked her music. So much music these days has been digitally processed and reprocessed, and assaults the senses– I’m thinking of Lady Gaga, for example, whose ‘Edge of Glory’ would be pretty boring in concert if you took away the flashing lights. But Amy Winehouse’s music had an earthy, sultry style that communicated her emotions in a way that words can’t… which is why we even listen to music, at least in my case. Every now and then I’ll meet a person coming in for help who has an addiction that seems to be almost part of a death wish, as if the person is taking agent after agent with one goal: to eliminate any sense of consciousness or emotion. It is ... Suboxone Talk Zone blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5062506 Mon, 25 Jul 2011 04:16:44 +0100 5062506 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5029220&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35804&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addictionrecoveryblog.com%2Fheroin-treatment%2Fhonest-review-the-selfish-brain-learning-from-addiction%2F The Lowest Price we could find is $18.95 $3.24 Why is the brain so vulnerable to the effects of alcohol and other drugs? How does addiction echo through families, cultures, and history? What is it that families and communities do to promote or prevent addiction? These are some of the questions that this thorough, thoughtful, and well-reasoned book answers–in clear, comprehensible terms. From the basics of brain chemistry to the workings of particular drugs such as alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, cocaine, and heroin, The Selfish Brain explains how individuals and communities become trapped in destructive habits–and how various treatments and approaches lead to recovery and whole, healthy lives. A practicing psychiatrist, Robert L. Dupont, M.D., is a clinical professor of ps... Addiction Recovery Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5029220 Sat, 09 Jul 2011 12:00:07 +0100 5029220 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008668&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35804&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addictionrecoveryblog.com%2Fheroin-treatment%2Fa-review-for-the-pastoral-clinic-addiction-and-dispossession-along-the-rio-grande%2F Best Price $18.00 The Pastoral Clinic takes us on a penetrating journey into an iconic Western landscapenorthern New Mexicos Espaola Valley, home to the highest rate of heroin addiction and fatal overdoses in the United States. In a luminous narrative, Angela Garcia chronicles the lives of several Hispano addicts, introducing us to the intimate, physical, and institutional dependencies in which they are entangled. We discover how history pervades this region that has endured centuries of material and cultural dispossession, and we come to see its heroin problem as a contemporary expression of these conditions, as well as a manifestation of the human desire to be released from them. Lyrically evoking the Espaola Valley and its residents through conversations, encounters, and recollections, ... Addiction Recovery Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008668 Tue, 05 Jul 2011 12:00:08 +0100 5008668 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4997827&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35804&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addictionrecoveryblog.com%2Fheroin-treatment%2Fmy-review-for-drugs-across-the-spectrum%2F The Lowest Price we could find is $140.95 $76.25 Up-to-date and reader-friendly, Goldberg’s four-color text encourages readers to examine the motivation for drug use, social implications of drug use, legal ramifications, and factors affecting how drugs interact with the human body. It provides a look at the history and culture surrounding drug use and abuse, key information regarding specific types of drugs, and a review of drug treatment, education, and prevention approaches and programs. Including features like “Fact or Fiction,” “Thinking Critically” questions, and “On Campus” boxes, DRUGS ACROSS THE SPECTRUM, SIXTH EDITION is an engaging book that helps readers personally understand the issues of drugs in society. Review: My college age ... Addiction Recovery Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4997827 Sun, 03 Jul 2011 12:00:08 +0100 4997827 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4992998&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35804&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addictionrecoveryblog.com%2Fheroin-treatment%2Ffirst-looks-the-science-of-addiction-from-neurobiology-to-treatment%2F The Lowest Price we could find is $32.00 $18.24 An overview of the neurobiology behind addictions. Neuroscience is clarifying the causes of compulsive alcohol and drug usewhile also shedding light on what addiction is, what it is not, and how it can best be treatedin exciting and innovative ways. Current neurobiological research complements and enhances the approaches to addiction traditionally taken in social work and psychology. However, this important research is generally not presented in a forthright, jargon-free way that clearly illustrates its relevance to addiction professionals. In The Science of Addiction, Carlton K. Erickson presents a comprehensive overview of the roles that brain function and genetics play in addiction. He explains changes in the terminology and characte... Addiction Recovery Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4992998 Sat, 02 Jul 2011 12:00:07 +0100 4992998 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4921759&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35804&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addictionrecoveryblog.com%2Fheroin-treatment%2Fan-honest-review-for-drugs-and-society%2F The Lowest Price we could find is $120.95 $25.00 The Tenth Edition of Drugs and Society clearly illustrates the impact of drug use and abuse on the lives of ordinary people and provides students with a realistic perspective of drug-related problems in our society. Written in an objective and user-friendly manner, this best-selling text continues to captivate students by incorporating personal drug use and abuse experiences and perspectives throughout. Statistics and chapter content have been revised to include the latest information on current topics. Review: This book was purchased for a college course, but the more I learn, the more I think that everyone should take the time to read this book. It is very thorough and full of facts about every kind of drug: prescription drugs, alco... Addiction Recovery Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4921759 Fri, 10 Jun 2011 11:40:06 +0100 4921759 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4883909&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35823&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FAddictionInbox%2F%7E3%2FlqG-w-uDfGA%2Fsteve-earle-and-ghost-of-hank-williams.html Book Review: I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive Musician Steve Earle made a solo name for himself with Guitar Town and Copperhead Road after playing in legendary country and bluegrass bands as a young prodigy. He was nominated for a Grammy, his reputations soared, he added rock and roll to his range—until 1991, when Earle put out the aptly named live album, Shut Up and Die Like An Aviator. Shortly thereafter, he was dropped by his record label for long-standing drug problems, and landed in prison with a heavy sentence for possession of heroin. He completed rehab successfully, earned his parole in 1994, and has gone on since then to make several highly successful albums, guest star in the TV series The Wire, and write music for the New Orleans-based series Treme. And now he has wr... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4883909 Mon, 30 May 2011 23:00:07 +0100 4883909 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4821167&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=36896&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSuboxoneTalkZone%2F%7E3%2FVK6RlKDSs8c%2F I have a few interesting books to recommend– the first mostly just for people interested in history and science, and the second two out of the ‘self help’ section.  I’ve read the latter two books and think they are valuable for people in recovery, to help grow into a new life of sobriety.  I receive a buck if you purchase through the links, and the proceeds help to support the site– so if you check them out, thanks! More and more addicts presenting to my practice are reporting addictions to heroin.  I wrote a post a month or two ago, wondering if the change in the Oxycontin formulation would have the unintended consequence of increased use of heroin– and with it, the increased use of needles.  I’m sorry to say that my concerns were justified. ... Suboxone Talk Zone blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4821167 Sat, 14 May 2011 02:00:05 +0100 4821167 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4789643&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35804&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addictionrecoveryblog.com%2Fheroin-treatment%2Ffirst-looks-the-lost-years-surviving-a-mother-and-daughters-worst-nightmare%2F The Lowest Price we could find is $15.95 $8.50 A child caught in the horror of alcohol and drug addition. A mother helplessly standing by unable to save her. The Lost Years is the real life story of just such a mother and child, each giving their first-hand accounts of the years lost to addiction and despair. Kristina, the second of four children, tells how she turns to alcohol for comfort when she is thirteen. She gives a brutally honest description of her descent into addiction, prostitution, burglary and violent rape until her near death on the floor of a homeless shelter completely alone at the age of twenty-one. Adding a heart-wrenching counterpart to the story, Kristina’s mother, Connie, tells of her powerlessness to help her addicted daughter, the break-up of her unhappy ... Addiction Recovery Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4789643 Wed, 04 May 2011 12:00:13 +0100 4789643 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4742648&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fchemical-dependency-and-the-family%2F Everything You Need to Know about Chemical Dependence – Addiction, Alcoholism AlcoholHeroinAmphetaminesTobaccoInhalantsCocaineMarijuanaMedications By Vernon E. Johnson, D.D., founder of the Johnson Institute. Former faculty member of Rutgers University Summer School for Alcohol StudiesDr. Johnson compiled the most popular Johnson Institute literature on chemical dependence for this complete family guide. It includes answers to these important questions:How can I recognize chemical dependence?How can I avoid it?How can my family solve the problems that come with it?How is chemical dependence different for men, women, teenagers, children, and the elderly?How can I prevent my child from using drugs?Designed for easy access, this practical guide to prevention, intervention, and recovery will... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4742648 Fri, 22 Apr 2011 13:25:00 +0100 4742648 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4684766&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35804&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addictionrecoveryblog.com%2Fheroin-treatment%2Fhow-helpful-the-subuxone-formulation-is-in-heroin-addiction-treatment%2F The treatment given for patients suffering from heroin addiction has to be specific and highly effective. Professionals in the field are always willing to incorporate new plans into their treatment for heroin addiction if found appropriate. ‘Subuxone’ is an example of new additions to the treatment plans. The formulation has been approved all over the world. Before proceeding to the use of this formulation in heroin addiction treatment, let’s have a look at what the Subuxone is. Subuxone contains Naloxone and buprenorphine. This formulation has been compared to another substance used for treating heroin dependence which is methadone. There are several factors which gave Subuxone a place among the highly effective medicines in the treatment process. The first thing to be m... Addiction Recovery Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4684766 Wed, 06 Apr 2011 11:40:09 +0100 4684766 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4677116&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35804&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addictionrecoveryblog.com%2Fheroin-treatment%2Faddiction-treatment-trends-in-the-us%2F To the surprise of many addiction treatment admissions throughout the U.S have maintained a somewhat steady rate, although there have been regional shifts in substance abuse admissions that have created a stir. For every 100,000 people there were 770 treatment admissions over a ten year period (1998-2008). Alcohol is the number one drug of abuse and declined uniformly across the country 15 percent with the North Center states remaining constant. Although alcohol treatment admissions showed improvement, treatment admissions for illicit drug abuse have risen. Admissions treatment for marijuana increased 30 percent across the board in every region which aligns with more and more states legalizing the drug during this time. Addiction treatment admissions for opioid pain killers took to a stagg... Addiction Recovery Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4677116 Mon, 04 Apr 2011 11:40:08 +0100 4677116 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4615431&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35804&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addictionrecoveryblog.com%2Fheroin-treatment%2Fthe-importance-of-heroin-addiction-treatment-centers%2F Addiction to harmful drugs like heroin is not only harmful for your health but can have far-reaching effects on your personal life as well. Heroin intake can hamper you physically as well as mentally, weakening you to an extent that can even lead to severe disabilities and death. This is why it is very important to seek proper heroin addiction treatment at the earliest. The first step of heroin treatment is to undergo a perfect detoxification process. This is generally done towards the beginning of the treatment. The best place to get treated for heroin addiction is a drug rehabilitation center specifically meant for heroin treatment. Please note in this connection that all clinics are not authorized to conduct heroin treatment. Therefore one must choose the treatment center with care. Her... Addiction Recovery Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4615431 Mon, 21 Mar 2011 11:40:06 +0100 4615431 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4581091&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35804&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addictionrecoveryblog.com%2Fheroin-treatment%2Fi-definitely-do-not-qualify-for-a-security-clearance-if-i-joined-the-military-what-cool-stuff-can-i-do%2F burnside 2020 asks the question: I have way too many disqualifying factors to even get considered for a secret clearance and above: In the last seven years, - I smoked marjuana over 2000 times in my life. - I’ve done ecstacy about 30 times. - I’ve done LSD about 6 times and magic mushrooms about 8 times. - I’ve done cocaine one time and meth about 5 times. - I’ve pretty much abused every single drug (except heroin) but I’ve been clean for over a year now. Also, - I got arrested for minor in possession of alcohol and completed “treatment”, which is what they called it. - I got away with two DUIs (never charged) - All my friends are junkies (except for me) - I have bipolar disorder and/or borderline personality disorder. The good news is: - I have ... Addiction Recovery Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4581091 Sun, 13 Mar 2011 12:40:07 +0100 4581091 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4575248&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35804&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addictionrecoveryblog.com%2Fheroin-treatment%2Fthe-state-of-texas-drug-rehabs%2F There are ever changing treatment admission shifts throughout the country and Texas is no different. One of the major contributors to the Texas drug abuse problem is the importation of drugs across the border and with Mexican drug cartels continually struggling to gain dominance over supplying the US with drugs, a decrease does not look promising. Texas holds a population over 23 million people and has an ever shifting climate when it comes drug abuse and addiction treatment admission. As with other states, the amount of addicts entering Texas drug rehab centers not only shifting from one drug to another, but rising as well. The major problem with Texas is not only the large number of people, but the drugs being brought from out neighbors to the South. Illicit drugs continue to enter from ... Addiction Recovery Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4575248 Fri, 11 Mar 2011 12:40:09 +0100 4575248 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4501812&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35804&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addictionrecoveryblog.com%2Fheroin-treatment%2Fwhat-kind-of-drug-test-shows-a-positive-test-for-heroinmethadone%2F Biking in 209 asks the question: My ex-wife is a heroin addict who is in methadone “treatment”. She is coming after my children that I have had 75% custody of since the seperation. She has told the court that she is in treatment, but family and friends state that she is currenty back on heroin and maybe abusing her methadone. My problem is that the county court’s drug test is a hair test and only shows up “opiates”. My lawyer is convinced that no other test will work. I am desperate to find a test that will either show heroin and methadone seperate, or will show she’s abusing her doses. This woman walked out of her family’s life and five years later has no job, income, and has another child out of wedlock. I have three children that are scared to d... Addiction Recovery Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4501812 Sun, 20 Feb 2011 12:40:06 +0100 4501812 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4498393&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35804&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addictionrecoveryblog.com%2Fheroin-treatment%2Freview-dark-paradise-a-history-of-opiate-addiction-in-america%2F The Lowest Price we could find is $32.00 $10.88 In a newly enlarged edition of this eye-opening book, David T. Courtwright offers an original interpretation of a puzzling chapter in American social and medical history: the dramatic change in the pattern of opiate addiction–from respectable upper-class matrons to lower-class urban males, often with a criminal record. Challenging the prevailing view that the shift resulted from harsh new laws, Courtwright shows that the crucial role was played by the medical rather than the legal profession. Dark Paradise tells the story not only from the standpoint of legal and medical sources, but also from the perspective of addicts themselves. With the addition of a new introduction and two new chapters on heroin addiction and treatment si... Addiction Recovery Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4498393 Sat, 19 Feb 2011 12:40:13 +0100 4498393 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4482974&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35804&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addictionrecoveryblog.com%2Fheroin-treatment%2Fa-history-of-opium-and-heroin-distant-drummer-flowers-of-darkness-1972%2F Tagged with: opium, laws, heroin, treatment, new, york, city, counseling, narration, drug, trade, psa, use, us, congress, fix, customs, inspector, 1960s, controversial, 1950s, junkie, addiction, documentary, footage, enforcement, public, service, announcement, habit, addict, talking, heads, self, help, poppy, punishment, smuggling, user, paul, newman, vernon, hann, jack, hurst, sherman, kieffer, charles, siragusa, russia DVD: www.amazon.com Drug films: thefilmarchived.blogspot.com Opium (poppy tears, lachryma papaveris) is the dried latex obtained from the opium poppy (Papaver somniferum). Opium contains up to 12% morphine, an alkaloid, which is frequently processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade. The latex also includes codeine and non-narcotic alkaloids such as p... Addiction Recovery Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4482974 Wed, 16 Feb 2011 12:40:12 +0100 4482974 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4436945&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35804&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addictionrecoveryblog.com%2Fheroin-treatment%2Freview-drug-addiction-stop-your-dependence%2F Best Price $3.49 Drugs have become the most prominent coping mechanism that people use to deal with life’s problems. There are many reasons why people begin using drugs. They are looking for a way out – an escape – a way to forget life for just a little while. Methamphetamine use has grown to alarming rates in the United States with over 25 percent of the population addicted to this drug. Twenty-three percent of high school seniors use marijuana on a regular basis. Forty-three percent of adults report having a problem with alcohol. The statistics also reveal that drug use, including alcohol and cigarettes, is beginning earlier in life. Children are experimenting with drugs as young as 10 years old, and many middle schoolers have already had their first taste of alcohol ... Addiction Recovery Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4436945 Fri, 04 Feb 2011 16:00:16 +0100 4436945 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4406037&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35804&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addictionrecoveryblog.com%2Fheroin-treatment%2Fheroin-cocaine-crack-meth-addiction-treatment%2F Tagged with: heroin, crack, cocaine, addiction, drug, opium, meth, natural, treatment, detox, rehab, methadone, vitaminwww.encognitive.com Alexander G. Schauss, PhD, FACN, is the Senior Director of Natural and Medicinal Products Research, AIBMR Life Sciences, in Puyallup, Washington. A former Clinical Professor of Natural Products Research and Adjunct Research Professor of Botanical Medicine at the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, Oregon, he has held academic appointments at other institutions, including: Senior Director of the Southwest College Research Institute in Scottsdale, Arizona; Associate Professor of Research at the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine and Health Sciences, in Tempe, Arizona; Director of the Institute for Biosocial Research, City Univer... Addiction Recovery Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4406037 Thu, 27 Jan 2011 16:00:10 +0100 4406037 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4399829&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35804&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addictionrecoveryblog.com%2Fheroin-treatment%2Freview-discovering-the-power-to-crush-your-addictions%2F Best Price $3.88 If you’ve found this book, either you or someone you know has some sort of addiction that needs to be broken. Maybe you’ve tried to stop smoking, stop gambling, stop eating so much. Some people do it so easily – but how? Well, we have the answer for you… We’ve written a simple report called Discover The Power To Crush Any Addiction. There’s not a single ounce of fluff – it’s less than 30 pages long in a large, readable font. It’s packed to the brim with powerful techniques and secret tips that you can use to start becoming a champion at conquering your addictions. Here’s a bite-sized chunk of what you’ll discover… - Exactly what secrets you need to know to break your addictions - Hint: You could have a... Addiction Recovery Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4399829 Tue, 25 Jan 2011 16:00:10 +0100 4399829 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4361309&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35804&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addictionrecoveryblog.com%2Fheroin-treatment%2Freview-addiction-whats-really-going-on-inside-a-heroin-treatment-program%2F Best Price $9.99 Addiction: What’s Really Going On? contains powerful true-life stories woven together to form a tapestry filled with pain, joy, defeat, and success. The entire book is molded around Deborah McCloskey’s heartfelt desire for her clients to be free of drugs. Her counseling methods both endeared her as “the counselor to get” and locked her into a decade of searching for better ways to help those she felt were stuck on the merry-go-round of a methadone system. This book should be read by teachers, hospitals employees, college students, government officials, and our general adult population whether addicted, sober, or straight. Experts Acclaim for Addiction–What’s Really Going On? “Once I started reading Addiction–What’s Real... Addiction Recovery Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4361309 Tue, 18 Jan 2011 16:00:10 +0100 4361309 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4361310&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35804&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addictionrecoveryblog.com%2Fheroin-treatment%2Fheroin-addiction-detox-and-withdrawal%2F Heroin addiction is one of the most complex things to deal with and to overcome. The individual who abuses heroin is prone to have a weakened nervous system that usually is familiar with the exposure to this kind of drugs. During the detoxification process, the symptoms of withdrawal tend to be agonizing and difficult. Within the first twelve hours of being admitted into a rehab center, the drug addict starts to experience withdrawal symptoms that seem to get worse as the hours peak. It can go on for up to four days and these heroin addiction detox symptoms will include extreme nausea, diarrhea, and pain in the abdomen area, irritability, sniffing, itching, sweating, sleeplessness, and chills. Even though, steps have been taken in the medical arena to make the process less painful, heroin ... Addiction Recovery Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4361310 Mon, 17 Jan 2011 16:00:16 +0100 4361310 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4338269&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35804&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addictionrecoveryblog.com%2Fheroin-treatment%2Fsuccessful-rehabs-for-heroin-addiction-treatment%2F Heroin addiction treatment centers design a specific plan for each and every heroin addict based on the initial discussion with the addicts, family members and addiction level of the individual. These centers provide residential and outpatient care to the addicts. These treatment centers provide high level of facilities and medication therapy programs to the addicts. These specialized facilities help heroin addicts to experience with in a relaxed atmosphere and that lends itself to personal reflection and healing for adults and adolescent addicts. Heroin use is directly related to HIV/AIDS and hepatitis, as well as problem to heart and brain. In order to solve these considerable problems, heroin drug rehabs are the best options for complete drug recovery. These heroin rehabs design various... Addiction Recovery Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4338269 Tue, 11 Jan 2011 16:13:46 +0100 4338269 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4331244&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35804&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addictionrecoveryblog.com%2Fheroin-treatment%2Freview-heroin-its-history-pharmacology-and-treatment-library-of-addictive-drugs%2F Best Price $17.95 ‘A fully developed history, psychology, physiology, and pharmacology of heroin addiction.’ David E. Smith, M.D., Founder, President, and Medical Director, Haight Ashbury Free Clinics, Inc., and Richard B. Seymour, M.A., Managing Editor, Journal of Psychoactive Drugs ‘Recommended reading for both the general public and addiction treatment professionals, providing a wealth of valuable information in understanding heroin addiction and treatment.’ Mark Parrino, M.P.A., President, American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence This updated and expanded second edition provides new research into heroin’s effects on the brain, the changing attitudes and policies about methadone and medications, and the different approaches to treating h... Addiction Recovery Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4331244 Mon, 10 Jan 2011 16:00:09 +0100 4331244 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4322696&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35804&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addictionrecoveryblog.com%2Fheroin-treatment%2Fignorance-is-bliss-if-you-avoid-heroin-treatment%2F Many struggling drug addicts do not really know about the path of recovery and thus they do not even realize that they could stop doing drugs and find a new way to live. In particular, anyone who is trapped in a cycle of addiction and is hooked on heroin could benefit greatly from going to drug rehab and getting their life turned around. Unfortunately, many do not even see this as being a possibility because they are caught up in the grip of addiction and believe that they are genuinely unique. They believe that no one has ever felt like they do about getting high and so they believe that no one in their condition has ever been able to recover and stop doing drugs. What they need to realize is that many drug addicts who have been just as addicted as they are have gone before them and manag... Addiction Recovery Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4322696 Fri, 07 Jan 2011 16:00:10 +0100 4322696 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4302283&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35804&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addictionrecoveryblog.com%2Fheroin-treatment%2Fwhat-is-heroin-addiction-treatment-like%2F There are a variety of different methods for treating a person with an addiction to heroin. The treatment for addiction to heroin is most effective if a person admits to the problem early on before serious complications and negative consequences develop. The best type of treatment is the one which will treat the person as well as the addiction simultaneously. The primary goal of a detoxification facility is to alleviate the withdrawal symptoms a person suffers when heroin is discontinued. While detoxification is not a “treatment” so to speak, it is often used in conjunction with other methods to rid the addict of the toxins heroin leaves in the body. Detox is only a step in the treatment process, but necessary for the long-term success of rehabilitation. Other methods used to t... Addiction Recovery Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4302283 Fri, 31 Dec 2010 16:00:11 +0100 4302283 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4300716&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35804&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addictionrecoveryblog.com%2Fheroin-treatment%2Fmedicinal-rehabilitation-for-heroin-abusers-accessible-at-drug-treatment-center%2F Compared to the use of other drugs, the addiction to heroin has comparatively stabilized in the last couple of years. This is according to the records and evidences collected by the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office at Wisconsin-one of the most progressive states of the Union, famed for its dairy industry. In spite of this overall stability there are certain regions which are still largely reported to creating nuisance. These regions include the Racine area and Madison. These particular areas are also reported to have a high amount of trafficking where a high number of youth are also addicted to drugs. The state of Wisconsin, like the other states of Unites States, has established different quality addiction treatment centers. Drug treatment center at Wisconsin uses differen... Addiction Recovery Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4300716 Thu, 30 Dec 2010 16:00:11 +0100 4300716 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4295000&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35804&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addictionrecoveryblog.com%2Fheroin-treatment%2Fmedications-popular-drugs-used-for-heroin-addiction-treatment%2F Heroin addiction treatment is more intricate than any other substance dependence. This is largely because of several long term and short term side effects of drug on the human body. In fact, people report about bouts of depression, clouded thought, slowed functioning of the central nervous system as well as slurred speeches constipation and vomiting. Besides the above short term ill effects, heroin abusers suffer from slow gait, droopy eyelids, constricted pupils, impaired vision, flushing of the skin, a dry mouth, constant drowsiness, etc. Side by side there are other long term effects of heroin addiction. Most chronic abusers of heroin develop infection on the inner lining of the respiratory system and the heart. It also extends further into the heart valves and abscesses. Alongside lung... Addiction Recovery Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4295000 Tue, 28 Dec 2010 22:00:08 +0100 4295000 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4272616&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35804&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addictionrecoveryblog.com%2Fheroin-treatment%2Fgetting-results-out-of-heroin-addiction-treatment%2F Heroin is a highly addictive drug derived from morphine, which is obtained from the opium poppy. Of all the substance abuse problems in the world, heroin addiction remains by far the one with the most serious one. In addition to the health problems caused by the drug itself, there are a number of other risks associated with heroin addiction that are not as much of an issue with other drugs. Heroin can be used in a variety of ways, depending on user preference and the purity of the drug. Heroin can be injected into a vein, injected into a muscle, smoked in a water pipe or standard pipe, mixed in a marijuana joint or regular cigarette, inhaled as smoke through a straw, or snorted as powder via the nose. There are many ways to treat heroin addicts. A long-term user (someone who has used for o... Addiction Recovery Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4272616 Mon, 20 Dec 2010 16:00:11 +0100 4272616 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4272617&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35804&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addictionrecoveryblog.com%2Fheroin-treatment%2Freview-long-past-stopping-a-memoir-2%2F The Lowest Price we could find is $25.99 $6.19 It looked like any other medical chart, with different boxes filled in with my blood pressure and heart rate, but at the bottom, next to Diagnosis, the doctor simply wrote, Terminal Assholism. Juggled between an endless succession of friends, relatives, anarchist boarding schools, libertarian commune dwellers, socialist rebels, and born-again circus clowns, Oran Canfield grew up viewing the inconsistencies of the world with a wary eye. The son of Jack Canfieldthe motivational speaker and creator of Chicken Soup for the SoulOran is intensely self-conscious and reserved, but his life won’t seem to leave him alone. Whether he’s teaching two hundred eager self-help disciples to juggle (among them a woman with stumps for hands... Addiction Recovery Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4272617 Sun, 19 Dec 2010 16:00:08 +0100 4272617 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4249245&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35804&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addictionrecoveryblog.com%2Fheroin-treatment%2Freview-hooked-five-addicts-challenge-our-misguided-drug-rehab-system%2F The Lowest Price we could find is $21.95 $5.50 “Deeply felt, deftly rendered, stunningly informative and often enraging” (Publishers Weekly), Hooked appears as we are finally waking up to the inadequacies of our current drug-rehab policies. With court-mandated rehab being debated across the country, Shavelson’s in-depth look at the struggles of five addicts as they travel through the treatment maze makes a powerful case for reform. Highly readable and shaped by Shavelson’s experience as a journalist and physician, Hooked takes us through the anguishing “intake” and controversial House meetings, inside counselors’ and judges’ offices where many treatment decisions are made, and to prison cells where, under current policies, many addicts ... Addiction Recovery Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4249245 Fri, 10 Dec 2010 16:00:11 +0100 4249245 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4238153&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35797&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnewrecovery.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F12%2Fdrug-mafioso-heads-afghan-anti.html Afghan President Hamid Karzai nominated, and the Afghan Parliament overwhelmingly approved, the appointment of Zarar Ahmad Moqbel as Minister of Counter Narcotics this past January.  Moqbel is "associated with the drug mafia," according to U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry in a secret cable to Washington released Dec. 2 by Wikileaks.org, the whistleblower website.  Eikenberry wrote about Moqbel:He is perhaps the worst of the candidates. Former Deputy Interior Minister and MP Helaludin Helal claimed to us January 11 that Moqbel was supported by the drug mafia, to include Karzai’s younger half-brother Ahmed Wali Karzai and Arif Khan Noorzai.Moqbel received the highest number of votes of any of the cabinet nominees.  The 249 members of the Afghan Parliament, know... New Recovery blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4238153 Tue, 07 Dec 2010 17:43:00 +0100 4238153 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4230161&cid=t_131342_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fthe-street-economics-of-drug-abuse%2F2010.12.04 I’ve discovered over the years that I really like economics. I never took an econ class in my entire life, since I was pretty focused on the life sciences, but I’ve picked up a fair amount informally over the years. Fortunately I have a strong background in statistics and math, and I’ve done a lot of reading on economics. I wouldn’t say that I have any special level of understanding or credibility on the topic. Perhaps it should be noted that my wife took away the checkbook for good reason. But I enjoy it as a topic, as something to read about and a powerful tool for understanding how the world works. One consequence of being an ER doc is that you are pretty close to “the street,” and I don’t mean Wall Street. I mean the folks living and scroungi... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4230161 Sat, 04 Dec 2010 18:00:00 +0100 4230161 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4230318&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35804&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addictionrecoveryblog.com%2Fheroin-treatment%2Freview-the-pastoral-clinic-addiction-and-dispossession-along-the-rio-grande%2F The Lowest Price we could find is $21.95 $15.52 The Pastoral Clinic takes us on a penetrating journey into an iconic Western landscape–northern New Mexico’s Espaola Valley, home to the highest rate of heroin addiction and fatal overdoses in the United States. In a luminous narrative, Angela Garcia chronicles the lives of several Hispano addicts, introducing us to the intimate, physical, and institutional dependencies in which they are entangled. We discover how history pervades this region that has endured centuries of material and cultural dispossession, and we come to see its heroin problem as a contemporary expression of these conditions, as well as a manifestation of the human desire to be released from them. Lyrically evoking the Espaola Valley and its residents throu... Addiction Recovery Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4230318 Sat, 04 Dec 2010 16:00:12 +0100 4230318 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4207508&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35804&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addictionrecoveryblog.com%2Fheroin-treatment%2Freview-how-to-quit-drugs-for-good-a-complete-self-help-guide%2F The Lowest Price we could find is $16.95 $3.55 Free Yourself from AddictionQuitting drugs may be the best thing you can do for yourself and your loved ones. But it can also be the toughest challenge of your life. This book can help. Jerry Dorsman, author of the acclaimed How to Quit Drinking Without AA and a respected therapist who specializes in addiction recovery, has helped thousands of people quit drugs and get on with their lives. In How to Quit Drugs for Good, Dorsman helps you find the best approach to beating any drug habitfrom barbiturates and prescription drugs to marijuana, cocaine, and heroin. Through a series of self-discovery exercises, worksheets, and checklists, you will learn how to:Determine if you have a drug problem Examine your individual reasons for using drugs D... Addiction Recovery Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4207508 Sun, 28 Nov 2010 16:00:07 +0100 4207508 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4206091&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35804&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addictionrecoveryblog.com%2Fheroin-treatment%2Freview-7-tools-to-beat-addiction%2F The Lowest Price we could find is $14.00 $2.99 DO YOU WANT A LIFE WITHOUT ADDICTION? Whether you are battling drugs, nicotine, alcohol, food, shopping, sex, or gambling, 7 Tools to Beat Addiction is a hands-on, practical guide to overcoming addiction of any kind. If you or a loved one are struggling with addiction but do not find that twelve-step or other treatment programs work for you, this book can help. In , internationally recognized expert Dr. Stanton Peele presents a program for addiction recovery based on research and clinical study and grounded in science. His program utilizes proven methods that people actually use to overcome addiction, with or without treatment. 7 Tools to Beat Addiction offers in-depth, interactive exercises that show you how to outgrow destructive habits... Addiction Recovery Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4206091 Sat, 27 Nov 2010 16:00:10 +0100 4206091 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4172333&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=36896&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSuboxoneTalkZone%2F%7E3%2FrjCH57IFD74%2F I saw a patient from up north earlier today, and we tallked about the economy in his part of Wisconsin and in the Michigan Upper Peninsula.  From what he had to say, things are the ‘same old same old;’ i.e. jobs are few and far-between.  Seems as if it has been that way for a long time now.  And it’s hard to imagine any industry doing well enough in the current economy to make a dramatic change up there. One change that HAS become apparent over the past year is the increased availability of heroin, now easily found in small towns throughout the upper Midwest.  I’ve seen the same trend closer to my practice, where heroin use has grown from a Milwaukee phenomenon to just another high school temptation.  And a troubling comment pops up more and more during my... Suboxone Talk Zone blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4172333 Tue, 16 Nov 2010 04:39:42 +0100 4172333 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4152276&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35804&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addictionrecoveryblog.com%2Fheroin-treatment%2Fa-look-into-detox-symptoms%2F Medical technology has provided specific drugs that can help with detoxification symptoms. I know it sounds odd. Take a drug to get off a drug. But because some of the symptoms are so severe, having these drugs available can be very important. Plus, they are not addictive, and when you are under the care of a doctor, they will monitor your usage very carefully until you won’t have to take those drugs anymore. One very effective treatment of opiate withdrawal symptoms is methadone maintenance therapy. It is safe when administered under the care of a doctor. Taken orally once a day, methadone suppresses narcotic withdrawal for between 24 and 36 hours. Because methadone is effective in eliminating withdrawal symptoms, it is used in detoxifying opiate addicts. It is, however, only effect... Addiction Recovery Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4152276 Wed, 10 Nov 2010 16:00:14 +0100 4152276 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4143018&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35797&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnewrecovery.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F11%2Falcohol-most-anti-social-drug.html This week's Lancet, the British medical journal, drives a silver spike into the heart of the undead myth that alcohol is the lubricant of sociability and good fellowship.  A systematic comparative ranking of 20 different addictive drugs found that alcohol is the most harmful drug, more harmful than heroin, crack cocaine, and methamphetamines.The study, by an industry-independent panel of scientific experts, ranked drugs in terms of their harm to the user and their harm to others. Heroin, crack, and methamphetamine scored higher than alcohol in harm to the user.  But alcohol's score on the scale of harm to others was double that of heroin and crack, the next leading chemicals, so that when the scores of harm to others and harm to self were combined, alcohol led the sordid parade o... New Recovery blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4143018 Mon, 08 Nov 2010 03:38:00 +0100 4143018 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4143020&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35804&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addictionrecoveryblog.com%2Fheroin-treatment%2Freview-long-past-stopping-a-memoir%2F The Lowest Price we could find is $25.99 $1.55 It looked like any other medical chart, with different boxes filled in with my blood pressure and heart rate, but at the bottom, next to Diagnosis, the doctor simply wrote, Terminal Assholism. Juggled between an endless succession of friends, relatives, anarchist boarding schools, libertarian commune dwellers, socialist rebels, and born-again circus clowns, Oran Canfield grew up viewing the inconsistencies of the world with a wary eye. The son of Jack Canfieldthe motivational speaker and creator of Chicken Soup for the SoulOran is intensely self-conscious and reserved, but his life won’t seem to leave him alone. Whether he’s teaching two hundred eager self-help disciples to juggle (among them a woman with stumps for hands... Addiction Recovery Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4143020 Sat, 06 Nov 2010 15:00:09 +0100 4143020 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4122077&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35804&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addictionrecoveryblog.com%2Fheroin-treatment%2Fthe-drug-that-kills-heroin%2F 100% Pure Heroin Pure heroin, which is a white powder with a nasty taste, is rarely sold on the streets anywhere. Most illicit heroin is a powder varying in color from white to dark brown. The differences in color are because of different dealers cutting and re cutting the drug down and most if not all the time the Heroin that is sold on the streets – when it reaches the streets is maybe 10-15% heroin. Another form of heroin, “black tar” heroin, is mostly only found in the western and southwestern United States. This heroin, which is produced in Mexico, may be sticky like marijuana or black cement, most user’s prefer to smoke or inject this type of heroin. Try It Once – Try It Always Again! The short-term effects of abuse appear almost immediately after taking... Addiction Recovery Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4122077 Sun, 31 Oct 2010 15:00:11 +0100 4122077 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4119722&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35804&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addictionrecoveryblog.com%2Fheroin-treatment%2Freview-long-past-stopping%2F Best Price $12.99 It looked like any other medical chart, with different boxes filled in with my blood pressure and heart rate, but at the bottom, next to Diagnosis, the doctor simply wrote, Terminal Assholism. Juggled between an endless succession of friends, relatives, anarchist boarding schools, libertarian commune dwellers, socialist rebels, and born-again circus clowns, Oran Canfield grew up viewing the inconsistencies of the world with a wary eye. The son of Jack Canfieldthe motivational speaker and creator of Chicken Soup for the SoulOran is intensely self-conscious and reserved, but his life won’t seem to leave him alone. Whether he’s teaching two hundred eager self-help disciples to juggle (among them a woman with stumps for hands), dodging a series of wacky near-dea... Addiction Recovery Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4119722 Fri, 29 Oct 2010 15:00:12 +0100 4119722 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4098469&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35804&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addictionrecoveryblog.com%2Fheroin-treatment%2Freview-heroin%2F The Lowest Price we could find is $15.95 $3.04 We see it in films like Pulp Fiction and Trainspotting, read about it in the obituaries of stars like Kurt Cobain, hear about its resurgence in the latest news. We know all about heroin-and yet, beyond the myth of its powers and dangers, how much do we really know about this evermore pervasive drug? The definitive reference on the drug’s history, pharmocology, psychology, and sociology, this groundbreaking work also offers a spell-binding account of heroin’s power and persistent allure. Animated with vivid personal stories and vignettes, Heroin puts a human face on the long and complex story behind this notorious drug. (Source: Addiction Recovery Blog) Addiction Recovery Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4098469 Thu, 21 Oct 2010 15:00:07 +0100 4098469 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4074451&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35804&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addictionrecoveryblog.com%2Fheroin-treatment%2Fpoints-to-consider-when-you-are-planning-heroin-addiction-treatment%2F Planning a heroin addiction treatment is not at all easy. This is one of the most serious kinds of addictions known to humankind. Heroin is an opioid. As soon as it is consumed by the person, it attacks specific areas of the central nervous system of the person. This causes the brain to release a hormone known as dopamine. Dopamine is responsible for creating the rush of pleasure in the person. That is the reason the person develops a craving to consume more and more of the substance. The brain keeps asking for more of heroin so that it can feel the rush of pleasure that it creates. However, as time passes and the person uses more and more of heroin, the brain slowly gets used to the feeling of pleasure created by the heroin. This is the time when the person steps up the dosage in order to... Addiction Recovery Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4074451 Fri, 15 Oct 2010 15:00:11 +0100 4074451 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4053486&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35804&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addictionrecoveryblog.com%2Fheroin-treatment%2Freview-the-narcotic-farm-the-rise-and-fall-of-americas-first-prison-for-drug-addicts%2F The Lowest Price we could find is $29.95 $7.92 From 1935 until 1975, just about every junkie busted for dope went to the Narcotic Farm. Equal parts federal prison, treatment center, farm, and research laboratory, the Farm was designed to rehabilitate addicts and help researchers discover a cure for drug addiction. Although it began as a bold and ambitious public works project, and became famous as a rehabilitation center frequented by great jazz musicians among others, the Farm was shut down forty years after it opened amid scandal over its drug-testing program, which involved experiments where inmates were being used as human guinea pigs and rewarded with heroin and cocaine for their efforts.Published to coincide with a documentary to be aired on PBS, The Narcotic Farm includes rare ... Addiction Recovery Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4053486 Sat, 09 Oct 2010 15:00:12 +0100 4053486 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4045396&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35804&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addictionrecoveryblog.com%2Fheroin-treatment%2Fpoints-to-remember-when-you-are-deciding-on-a-heroin-rehab-treatment%2F The following are some important points that you need to keep in mind when you are looking for heroin rehab treatment for someone in your family. 1. Make sure to check the kind of program the treatment center follows thoroughly. This should be one of your first considerations. Remember that “heroin treatment” is an umbrella term. There are several different kinds of treatments involved within this canopy such as the outpatient treatment program, the detox program, the rehab program, the day treatment program, the residential treatment program, etc. You must make sure that the program you are planning is suitable for the needs of the patient in question. 2. See that the program is a qualified program. This is essential because these are the programs that are approved by the stat... Addiction Recovery Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4045396 Fri, 08 Oct 2010 15:30:11 +0100 4045396 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4025779&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35804&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addictionrecoveryblog.com%2Fheroin-treatment%2Fsome-points-to-bear-in-mind-when-looking-for-heroin-addiction-treatment%2F Heroin addiction treatment is decidedly one of the most difficult kinds of addiction treatment known to humankind. Heroin is an opiate and it is quite tough to remove an opiate addiction for the reason that opiates can have pronounced effects on the central nervous system of the person. Once a person consumes an opiate substance, such as heroin is, the substance will immediately trigger the release of the pleasure-producing hormone known as dopamine. That is why the person will feel a surge of pleasure, which is characteristically called as the heroin high. Over time, the person begins equating the substance (heroin) with his or her feelings of pleasure. The dependency becomes so severe that the person is not able to find any other kind of please unless and until heroin enters the body. Ho... Addiction Recovery Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4025779 Sat, 02 Oct 2010 15:00:13 +0100 4025779 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3999299&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35804&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addictionrecoveryblog.com%2Fheroin-treatment%2Fa-brief-guide-on-heroin-addiction-treatment-in-alabama%2F Heroin has always been considered to be one of the strongest forms of drug addiction in Alabama. The very elaborate program on heroin addiction treatment in Alabama is proof enough of that. Heroin is an opioid, a derivative of morphine, and much more addictive than its parent substance. A person who is once hooked to heroin will find it very difficult to come out of that dependency. It will take all the effort the treatment providers can make in order to pull them out of the addiction. Let us answer some questions here on this substance with special regard to heroin addiction treatment in Alabama. Why is heroin such an addictive substance? The addiction treatment program in Alabama has studied in detail how heroin addiction works. When a person takes heroin, it triggers the brain to secret... Addiction Recovery Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3999299 Fri, 24 Sep 2010 15:00:16 +0100 3999299 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3987239&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35804&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addictionrecoveryblog.com%2Fheroin-treatment%2Fwhat-to-look-for-when-you-are-deciding-a-heroin-treatment-option%2F You have to be extra cautious when you are considering heroin treatment for someone in your family because this is definitely one of the more serious kinds of addiction that are prevalent in the world today. Heroin is an opiate, which is quite a difficult substance to come out of. When a person is hooked onto an opiate, recovery becomes difficult because the substance will directly attack the brain of the person and create an immunity for itself. Because of this, the brain will become used to the presence of the substance in the body. It will start asking for more of the substance in a short while. As the person becomes more and more used to the substance, it will begin asking for more and more of it. This is how the amount of heroin usage increases and the person becomes a complete addict... Addiction Recovery Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3987239 Mon, 20 Sep 2010 15:00:15 +0100 3987239 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3976716&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35804&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addictionrecoveryblog.com%2Fheroin-treatment%2Fdiagnosis-and-treatment-program-for-older-adults-by-drug-addiction-treatment-center%2F Different age groups have different issues which stress them out or pose a problem for them when they try to recover from addiction. Recently, researchers are addressing the treatment of addiction with a focus on the individualistic and the personal frame of mind. As such, management, diagnosis and treatment of addiction for older adults at the drug addiction treatment center is developed keeping in mind the requirement of people who fall on senior levels in the age category. There are special demands on their treatment systems. Age-specific diagnostic and treatment criteria need validation. They are tailored keeping in mind the specific emotional, physical and psychological needs. The organization for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) specifically reco... Addiction Recovery Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3976716 Fri, 17 Sep 2010 00:30:10 +0100 3976716 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3954486&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35804&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addictionrecoveryblog.com%2Fheroin-treatment%2Fall-that-you-have-to-know-about-drug-rehab%2F Like many other places in the world, drug addiction is a huge problem in the state of Florida. The rising number of drug addicts in the state has also resulted in an increase in the number of Florida drug rehab centers. The large numbers of centers have made the drug rehab of Florida a big industry along with alcohol rehab. Florida has immense natural beauty and provides a perfect relaxing setting for rehabilitation. All types of Florida drug rehab centers are available for those in need in the state. This would make the task of finding an appropriate rehab a highly difficult task for you. Some of them are luxury rehabilitation centers whereas others are quite affordable and also accept insurance. Some of them are state funded whereas others are private. Treatments for a wide variety of dr... Addiction Recovery Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3954486 Thu, 09 Sep 2010 18:07:06 +0100 3954486 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3934615&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35804&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addictionrecoveryblog.com%2Fheroin-treatment%2Fheroin-detox-can-relieve-the-symptoms-of-withdrawal%2F The amount of determination it takes for a heroin addict to overcome their addiction – or even ask for help – is substantial. A decision to quit made while you’re under the influence is completely unreliable since you really aren’t feeling or thinking much of anything, and when the drug starts wearing off and withdrawal symptoms begin, it’s a very tough choice to make. You know the pain will stop if you have another hit, and the pain is excruciating. That’s where a good heroin detox comes in, and that’s also why you have to get someone into heroin detox immediately if you have the opportunity. Once withdrawal sets in, the person will likely be going through physical and mental anguish. What would your decision be if you were vomiting, shaking, extr... Addiction Recovery Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3934615 Sat, 04 Sep 2010 17:07:07 +0100 3934615 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3920900&cid=t_131342_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F08%2F31%2Fintroducing-an-epidemic-of-addiction%2F I’m pleased today to introduce our newest blog, Epidemic of Addiction, with Dr. Jeffrey Junig. Addictions to substances — like alcohol, cocaine, opioids, prescription drugs and other kinds of drugs — remain a serious problem in modern society. It’s a telling sign that society pays little attention to drug addicts, believing that theirs is a self-made bed in which to lie upon. But like any mental illness, addiction is not something a person ever asks for. Addiction often creeps up on a person as they’re living their everyday lives, starting out not so much as a problem at first. It can quickly snowball, though, and become a problem before a person ever realizes it. As Dr. Junig says in his introduction, “This blog will explore the psychology of addictive... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3920900 Tue, 31 Aug 2010 17:27:03 +0100 3920900 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3915294&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35804&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addictionrecoveryblog.com%2Fheroin-treatment%2Fheroin-withdrawal-new-treatments%2F Heroin use among young folks has been climbing at alarming rates over the past few years. Heroin is not just a drug found on skid row; instead it is right in almost every school system, with more and more young students experiencing heroin withdrawals requiring a need for new treatments. Traditional treatments have not shown much success in getting patients free from the heroin. Mainly Methadone treatment is used to relieve heroin withdrawals but has some pitfalls that some of the newer medications overcome. Methadone is a full opiate and basically just a switch from an illegal drug to one that is legal and actually harder to get off of than heroin itself. Methadone is also very tightly regulated by the government and has a high abuse potential as well as overdose deaths. It can only be di... Addiction Recovery Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3915294 Mon, 30 Aug 2010 12:07:07 +0100 3915294 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3903133&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35804&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addictionrecoveryblog.com%2Fheroin-treatment%2Fheroin-treatment-what-is-needed-to-conquer-this-addiction%2F Heroin is one the most addictive drugs in the world. For this reason, it can be difficult to get lasting recovery. However, recovery is possible. Here, we will take a look at some of the things that need to be done to get a successful heroin treatment. b>1. Enter into a solid detox program. The first step of any treatment program will be to help get the body to adjust without the impact of drugs. This can be a difficult time for addicts who will go through a series of withdrawal symptoms which range from nausea to headaches. However, this process is important because it teaches the person they can live without heroin. 2. Join an on-site drug treatment center. It is very important that the patient enter a on-site facility where they can be monitored by ... Addiction Recovery Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3903133 Wed, 25 Aug 2010 11:07:07 +0100 3903133 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3885542&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35804&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addictionrecoveryblog.com%2Fheroin-treatment%2Fheroin-withdrawals-and-heroin-addiction-treatment-detox-help%2F This article will go in to the “physical” side of heroin addiction and tips and help for treating heroin withdrawal symptoms. It is important to know that even though you may feel like dying when coming off of the drug, people most often come out unscathed and a full recovery is completely possible. Below are some ideas to consider when treating heroin withdrawal symptoms and finding the help you need. 1. Give yourself room. It is important to plan out quitting carefully. If you work, try to take some decent time off. Your employer may provide an employee assistance program or “EAP” which can help you get treatment for little to no cost and without retaliation. EAP services are usually completely confidential and are a great option for finding help. 2. If you plan o... Addiction Recovery Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3885542 Fri, 20 Aug 2010 08:07:06 +0100 3885542 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3876887&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35804&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.addictionrecoveryblog.com%2Fheroin-treatment%2Fheroin-addiction-dubai-rehab-in-uk-available-for-a-change-of-life%2F Rehab for heroin abusers in Dubai do better in the UK, further from the traffic. According to recent news from Interpol, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the heroin industry was valued at US $64.82 billion annually. Interestingly enough, 90% originating from Afghanistan and the overwhelming majority is trafficked through Dubai. Over the last few years the Dubai police have taken initiative and made some efforts to try to counter drug misuse in the area by providing assistance in drug rehab however my research tells me that their success has been limited. Although offering free rehab, many addicts are not taking up the offer and of those that do go to “treatment” in Dubai, most participants have ... Addiction Recovery Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3876887 Tue, 17 Aug 2010 14:57:11 +0100 3876887 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3876901&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fabstinence-from-heroin-works-2%2F This study examined a 33 year pattern of addictive heroin use, other substance use, health, mental health, employment, criminal involvement, and mortality among heroin addicts. The sample was composed of 581 male heroin addicts admitted to the California Civil Addict Program (CAP) during the years 1962 through 1964; CAP was a compulsory drug treatment program for heroin-dependent criminal offenders. This 33-year follow-up study updates information previously obtained from admission records and 2 face-to-face interviews conducted in 1974-1975 and 1985-1986; in 1996-1997, at the latest follow-up, 284 were dead and 242 were interviewed. In 1996-1997, the mean age of the 242 interviewed subjects was 57.4 years. Age, disability, years since first heroin use, and heavy alcohol use were si... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3876901 Sun, 15 Aug 2010 18:07:00 +0100 3876901 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4122084&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=39304&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.recoveryhelpdesk.com%2F2010%2F08%2F09%2Fsatisfied-methadone-patients-are-successful-methadone-patients%2F Methadone Patient Satisfaction is Linked to Treatment Success A recent scientific study of methadone patients confirms what common sense suggests: methadone treatment outcomes are related to patient satisfaction.  Methadone patients who are happy with their treatment have better treatment outcomes.  Satisfied methadone patients stay in treatment longer and are more successful at reducing or eliminating use of heroin or prescription pain killers.  In other words, satisfied methadone patients are successful methadone patients. This link between patient satisfaction and treatment outcomes has policy implications for methadone clinics and recovery implications for methadone patients. What This Means for Methadone Patients Methadone patients should ask themselves, “Am I feeling satis... Recovery Helpdesk blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4122084 Mon, 09 Aug 2010 23:24:28 +0100 4122084 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4122085&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=39304&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.recoveryhelpdesk.com%2F2010%2F07%2F08%2F30-year-research-study-confirms-again-that-methadone-saves-lives%2F Edinburgh University researches followed hundreds of people living with addiction to heroin for nearly 30 years.  What did they learn? Methadone treatment: reduced the frequency of drug use helped people lead more stable lives reduced the risk of death by 13% each year Why am I not surprised?  Because I’ve seen this with my own eyes.  And these results are consistent with previous research. Part of what interests me about this study is that researchers followed participants in the research study for decades.  That is very useful. The study will be published in the British Medical Journal on July 17, 2010.  I will be very interested to read the details of what they found, and will likely comment further in a future post. (Source: Recovery Helpdesk) Recovery Helpdesk blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4122085 Fri, 09 Jul 2010 01:43:07 +0100 4122085 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3733299&cid=t_131342_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FVqaktbBtXWI%2F Last week, the Florida Medical Examiners Commission released its most recent report on the number of drug-related deaths in the state. The sad bottom line is that 8,653 - out of more than 171,300 deaths overall - were attributed to a drug that was listed as a cause of death, according to toxicology reports. Data was collected on various drugs, including benzodiazepines; cannabinoids; cocaine; ethyl alcohol; gamma-hydroxybutyric acid; methylated amphetamines (including Ecstasy); and various opioids, including fentanyl, heroin, methadone, morphine and oxycodone (read the report). However, one class of drugs that has, unfortunately, been associated with deaths, specifically suicide, is not included - antidepressants. Despite curiosity over this omission, Florida officials say there is a reaso... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3733299 Wed, 07 Jul 2010 12:06:11 +0100 3733299 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3729844&cid=t_131342_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Flive%2Ftop-7-smoking-myths-that-stop-you-from-quitting%2F You just smoke when you’re stressed; you think it’s good for your figure; or you think it’s your body, and you’ll do what you want. There are a lot of excuses that keep you puffing away, but deep down you probably know you should quit. AOL Health’s “Myths That Keep You Smoking” may change your mind about your favorite excuse. 1. Quitting will make you fat: Thin models and actresses who smoke, and ads like the one above from Virginia Slims make you think that cigarettes are the key to keeping your figure, but quitting doesn’t have to mean gaining tons of weight. The average quitter gains about 10 pounds at first, but studies have shown that health-minded quitters tend not to gain as much weight: Clearing up your lungs actually makes it easier ... Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3729844 Tue, 06 Jul 2010 18:54:12 +0100 3729844 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4122087&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=39304&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.recoveryhelpdesk.com%2F2010%2F06%2F21%2Fvivotrol-on-fda-fast-track-to-treat-heroin-addiction%2F Vivitrol is on the fast track for approval in the U.S. as a treatment for addiction to heroin, OxyContin and other prescription pain killers.  Here are some facts about Vivitrol: Vivitrol is an extended release formula of the drug naltrexone Vivitrol was approved for treatment of alcohol dependence in 2006 Vivitrol was granted priority review status as a treatment for opiate dependence by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in May, 2010 FDA is expected to make a decision on approval of Vivitrol as a treatment for opiate dependence in October, 2010 Vivitrol is non-narcotic, non-addictive, and a single dose lasts one month Vivitrol is administered by injecting the medication into muscle Unlike methadone or buprenorphine (brand names Suboxone and Subutex), Vivitrol is not an ... Recovery Helpdesk blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4122087 Mon, 21 Jun 2010 22:53:42 +0100 4122087 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3617810&cid=t_131342_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Flive%2Frear-view-mirror-10-things-we-women-stick-up-our-butts%2F In keeping with our recent post Vagina Monologue: 10 Things We Shove All Up In There, and the follow-up Inside Story: 10 More Things We Stick Up Our Vaginas, we now present the final part of the trilogy: 10 Things We Women Stick Up Our Butts. Please enjoy responsibly. 1. Hemorrhoidal Suppositories – Preparation H-ell, yes. 2. Anal Dildos – Her name is Vibrating Mistress and she’s pleased to meet you – at the motel of your choice. ($60 at Babeland) 3. Butt Plugs – Pretty in Pink. Great, now I’m craving a Ring Pop. (from $18 at Babeland) 4. Butt Beads – More bulbous back-door action. ($18 at Babeland) 5. Thermometers – Old-school method of temperature-taking (mercury or digital). Use Vaseline. 6. Fingers – Gyno during rectal exam; partner during sex; insert... Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3617810 Tue, 01 Jun 2010 15:01:07 +0100 3617810 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4122089&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=39304&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.recoveryhelpdesk.com%2F2010%2F05%2F28%2Fprescribed-heroin-used-to-treat-heroin-addiction%2F (I’m dedicating this post to Bill, the Dad at the blog Dad on Fire.  Keep up the good work Bill, and peace and safety to you and your family.) Settlers of the American west learned that their best weapon against fire was fire itself. Today, scientific researchers are studying the effectiveness of fighting heroin addiction by prescribing heroin. What they are finding: If you give medical grade heroin by prescription to people who are addicted to street heroin, they reduce or stop use of street heroin. Um, wouldn’t it be better if they didn’t use heroin at all (you might ask)? Of course.  But the people eligible to participate in the studies are people who have not been able to stop using heroin even with treatment.  All other treatment options have failed them, and they... Recovery Helpdesk blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4122089 Sat, 29 May 2010 02:12:50 +0100 4122089 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3573951&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2Fb3qSB_YXs1E%2F The tools of the addict King Heroin is my shepherd, I shall always want. He maketh me to lie down in the gutters. He leadeth me beside the troubled waters. He destroyeth my soul. He leadeth me in the paths of wickedness for the effort’s sake. Yea, I shall walk through the valley of poverty and will fear all evil for thou, Heroin, art with me. Thy Needle and capsule try to comfort me. Thou strippest the table of groceries in the presence of my family. Thou robbest my head of reason. My cup of sorrow runneth over. Surely heroin addiction shall stalk me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the House of the Damned forever. Alcoholism, Addiction & Codependency Recovery Bookstore Hazelden Books, DVD's & Medalions (Source: Recovery Is Sexy.com) Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3573951 Sun, 16 May 2010 18:33:01 +0100 3573951 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4122091&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=39304&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.recoveryhelpdesk.com%2F2010%2F05%2F14%2Fseries-10-things-you-should-know-about-methadone-number-10%2F Conclusion Much maligned and often misunderstood, methadone remains a wonderful gift.  A gift that has saved thousands of lives, held together families, and brought hope and success to many who felt hopeless and defeated by their addiction. Methadone is not a magic bullet, and it is not an appropriate treatment for everyone.  But if you care about people with opiate dependence, I urge you to speak up and help others understand the value of this important path to recovery. (Source: Recovery Helpdesk) Recovery Helpdesk blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4122091 Fri, 14 May 2010 07:29:36 +0100 4122091 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3522836&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2FGa9WPLHmU6U%2F Everything You Need to Know about Chemical Dependence – Addiction, Alcoholism Alcohol Heroin Amphetamines Tobacco Inhalants Cocaine Marijuana Medications By Vernon E. Johnson, D.D., founder of the Johnson Institute. Former faculty member of Rutgers University Summer School for Alcohol Studies Dr. Johnson compiled the most popular Johnson Institute literature on chemical dependence for this complete family guide. It includes answers to these important questions: How can I recognize chemical dependence? How can I avoid it? How can my family solve the problems that come with it? How is chemical dependence different for men, women, teenagers, children, and the elderly? How can I prevent my child from using drugs? Designed for easy access, this practical guide to prevention, interventi... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3522836 Sat, 01 May 2010 13:25:00 +0100 3522836 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3502994&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=36896&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fv%2FlrqjJGoSQgc%26amp%3Bhl%3Den_US%26amp%3Bfs%3D1%26amp%3B In this video I explain why the ceiling effect is so important to the effects of buprenorphine for treating opiate dependence.      (Source: Suboxone Talk Zone) Suboxone Talk Zone blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3502994 Sat, 24 Apr 2010 23:15:29 +0100 3502994 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3291000&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2FUJl0CaY11HU%2F What is Millati Islami? Millati Islami is a fellowship of men and women, joined together on the “Path of Peace:. We share our experiences, strengths, and hopes while recovering from our active addiction to mind and mood altering substances. We look to Allah (G-D) to guide us on Millati Islami (the Path of Peace). While recovering, we strive to become rightly guided Muslims, submitted our will and services to Allah. Islam tells us clearly that the status of man in this world is that of an “Abd” (servant or ’slave’). We know that we must learn to be slaves and servants only to Allah and not slaves to mind and mood altering chemicals. We must also learn not to be slaves to people, places, things, and emotions. Allah tells us that man is “Khalifa” (age... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3291000 Fri, 19 Feb 2010 03:25:46 +0100 3291000 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3275811&cid=t_131342_93_f&fid=35707&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FHemodynamics%2F%7E3%2F20y7kywO9Jc%2Fblack-tar-heroin-coming-to-white-people.html Graph: Black tar heroin vs powder heroin, and HIV among injection drug users vs HIV among men who have sex with men, in a map of the US and Canada from Ciccarone and Bourgois 2003--click on the graph for a full-size picture.Black tar heroin is moving east, says the LA Times, in this first part of a three part article I'll be reading over the next days, being moved by folks from Xalisco, Mexico. The strategy described in the LA Times article involves low-profile low-weaponry low-volume operations targeting white people who've been using prescription opiates, and moving small cheap quantities of black tar heroin as an alternative to Oxycontin and Percocet. What will this mean for clinicians on the East Coast if the Xalisco teams and their ilk manage to continue moving black tar heroin eastwa... hemodynamics blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3275811 Mon, 15 Feb 2010 16:08:00 +0100 3275811 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3231811&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=36896&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSuboxoneTalkZone%2F%7E3%2FHpCUpOKhqP0%2F I will share some thoughts that I left at a discussion at a ‘linked in’ group about addiction.  I was responding to someone who was equating addiction and physical dependence in a baby born to an opiate-addicted mother.  My feeling is that such women are given way too much of an attitude by the nurses and others who care for them, and that was the motivation behind my response.  Read on: There are many differences between physiological dependence and addiction to substances. For example, people who take effexor are dependent– and will have significant discontinuation-emergent side effects– but they are not ‘addicted’, which consists of a mental obsession for a substance. The same is true of beta-blockes, in that discontinuation results in rebound hypertension... Suboxone Talk Zone blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3231811 Tue, 02 Feb 2010 01:42:36 +0100 3231811 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3201909&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Faa-and-na-works-for-youth-too%2F This study examined how helpful AA and NA may be for adolescents, finding long-term benefits even though many youth discontinue attendance after time. “It is difficult to evaluate the efficacy of mutual-help organizations like AA through randomized controlled experiments because the AA ‘intervention,’ being a community organization based on anonymity, cannot be directly under the control of the researcher in the usual way,” explained John F. Kelly. Yet their popularity and cost-effectiveness cannot be denied, added Kelly. “AA and NA are explicitly focused on abstinence and addiction recovery, they are widely available across most communities, they provide entry to a social network of recovery-specific support and sober events that can be accessed ‘on demand’ – particularly ... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3201909 Sat, 23 Jan 2010 16:05:00 +0100 3201909 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3156671&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fabstinence-from-heroin-works%2F This study examined longitudinal patterns of addictive heroin use, other substance use, health, mental health, employment, criminal involvement, and mortality among heroin addicts. The sample was composed of 581 male heroin addicts admitted to the California Civil Addict Program (CAP) during the years 1962 through 1964; CAP was a compulsory [...] (Source: Recovery Is Sexy.com) Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3156671 Sat, 09 Jan 2010 10:07:00 +0100 3156671 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3142846&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2FVh2sRHxlYmY%2F High effectiveness of self-help programs after drug addiction therapy in Norway BACKGROUND: The self-help groups Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) are very well established. AA and NA use a 12-step program and are found in all communities around the world. Although many have argued that these organizations are valuable, substantial scepticism remains as to [...] (Source: Recovery Is Sexy.com) Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3142846 Tue, 05 Jan 2010 11:00:00 +0100 3142846 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3133809&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fmethadone-characteristics-effects%2F Medicinal Syrup Clinical Use of Methadone German chemists first produced methadone in the early 20th century and it has been used clinically since the end of World War 1. It is a powerful synthetic opiate like heroin and morphine but without the strong sedative effect. It can substitute for heroin and is widely used by doctors in the treatment of heroin addiction. In its basic form it is a white crystalline powder. It is generally administered as a syrup, mixed with cordial or fruit juice and taken orally. Methadone is also available in an injectable form. Users have been known to inject the syrup often resulting in health problems. Effects are felt within 1 hour of a dose, with the peak effect felt at 4 to 8 hours after the dose. The effects of methadone last longer (usually up to 24 hour... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3133809 Thu, 31 Dec 2009 10:56:08 +0100 3133809 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3124701&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fnaranon-family-groups%2F Naranon Reunites Families The NarAnon Family Groups are a worldwide fellowship for those affected by someone else’s addiction. As a Twelve-Step Program, we offer our help by sharing our experience, strength, and hope. NarAnon’s Purpose Nar-Anon is a twelve-step program designed to help relatives and friends of addicts recover from the effects of living with an addicted relative or friend. NarAnon’s program of recovery uses NarAnon’s Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions. The only requirement to be a member and attend Nar-Anon meetings is that there is a problem of drugs or addiction in a relative or friend. NarAnon is not affiliated with any other organization or outside entity. NarAnon’s Twelve Steps We admitted we were powerless over the Addict — that our lives have become... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3124701 Sun, 27 Dec 2009 13:19:44 +0100 3124701 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3084984&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=36896&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSuboxoneTalkZone%2F%7E3%2FgVxWqsjlozo%2F One of the primary insights that I want addicts to gain from reading this blog is the similarity between their own thoughts, feelings, and pattern of use and the thoughts and patterns of use of other opiate addicts.  We are all dealing with the same beast, we have all felt the same desperation, and we have all experienced the same distorted thinking.  I hope that reading the desperate stories of others will help the reader understand that he or she is not alone, and will help readers identify their own distorted thinking.  But tonight I finished the final performance of a Holiday play with Community Theater (I played the psychiatrist who interviews Santa in a take-off on Miracle on 34th Street) and so I want to tell a happy story related to something that I heard from a patient last wee... Suboxone Talk Zone blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3084984 Mon, 14 Dec 2009 05:58:30 +0100 3084984 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3023420&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fdenial-of-alcoholism%2F Denial may lead to rock bottom Breaking through denial is alcoholic’s first step in recovery Looking in the mirror and accepting what we see can be one of the hardest things we ever do. It’s especially hard when the image staring us in the face is painful or doesn’t fit with how we want to see ourselves. Sometimes, the truth is so painful that we avoid it at any cost. Refusing to accept a painful reality that alters the perception of ourselves is a psychological defense called denial. As human beings, we may use denial to protect ourselves from knowledge, insight or awareness that threatens our self-esteem, mental or physical health, or security. The term “denial” is often used in the chemical dependency field to describe people who deny substance abuse proble... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3023420 Mon, 23 Nov 2009 10:53:15 +0100 3023420 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2341901&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=36896&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsuboxonetalkzone.com%2F%3Ffeed%3Drss Here is a ‘what would you do’ question: Today I saw a new patient who came in asking to start Suboxone.  She has a significant addiction to heroin– I don’t know heroin doses very well, but she said she uses ‘four bags per day’.  Incidentally, if anyone knows the conversion of that dose to the daily amount of oxycodone, please post in the comments and let me know.  She was in moderate withdrawal, and had not used for over 24 hours– which usually would suggest appropriateness for induction of Suboxone at least from a ‘precipitated withdrawal’ standpoint.  On the other hand, if four bags of heroin is a ridiculously high dose, her tolerance may have been so high that even after 24 hours, withdrawal would be precipitated. When I have peo... Suboxone Talk Zone blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2341901 Sat, 11 Apr 2009 04:52:24 +0100 2341901 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2302383&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35794&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCliffsideMalibu%2F%7E3%2FFPxnJ5fo47w%2F Heroin detox is never easy. But that doesn’t mean that it has to be a miserable experience. On the contrary, a gentle heroin detox program from a private heroin detox facility can help to ensure that the detoxification is process is characterized by healing instead of pain, and hope instead of anguish. The only catch, of course, is that you have to be willing to take the first step. Heroin detox always begins with a personal decision. After all, the most exclusive heroin drug detox center in Los Angeles can’t help a client who refuses to walk through the front door. If you’re going to get better, it’s going to be because you find the courage to make the right choice. Heroin detox and heroin treatment will quite literally change your life. It would be a shame if you ... Cliffside Malibu blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2302383 Sat, 04 Apr 2009 00:36:50 +0100 2302383 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2249564&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=36896&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSuboxoneTalkZone%2F%7E3%2Fak_vQT8kUiQ%2F I wish I had more time to devote to this topic right now, but I am on my way to a short vacation… so I will not be available by e-mail for at least a few days.  Everyone is pacing around the house right now, waiting for me to finish with ‘that stupid computer’. I had to to write, though, because of a horrible incident in Milwaukee a couple days ago that took the life of a 15-year-old girl named Maddie Kiefer.  According to news stories, she snuck out from her house in Whitefish Bay, one of Milwaukee’s’nicer’ suburbs– by nicer meaning a place where the houses are kept up, many children grow up with two parents, and the public schools send a high proportion of students to colleges.  The suburb lies just north of Milwaukee, and along with other nor... Suboxone Talk Zone blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2249564 Sat, 07 Mar 2009 22:09:36 +0100 2249564 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2100963&cid=t_131342_87_f&fid=34935&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmedicine.com.my%2Fwp%2F%3Fp%3D5856 Yvonne writes: Hello, I’m a pharmacy student in the UK right now. I was just wondering whether the pharmacies in Malaysia are allowed to dispense methadone now? Is there something like the methadone treatment being prescribed by doctors in Malaysia? Hello Yvonne, if you are referring to private pharmacies, I think the short answer to your question is No. If I am not mistaken, in Malaysia, the National Drug Substitution Therapy programme is strictly monitored and only certain public hospitals, public clinics, NGOs and selected private practitioners can participate. You can read more about news items related to Methadone in Malaysia here More links: You might be interested to take a look at some pictures of the Kota Bahru Methadone Clinic Infosihat on Methadone replacement therapy Met... Malaysian Medical Resources blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2100963 Tue, 13 Jan 2009 05:00:00 +0100 2100963 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1918258&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35793&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thejunkyswife.com%2F2008%2F10%2Fi-want-to-be-ok.html Today, I'm not feeling like I'm going to be ok.The treasure for me in my recovery is that I always feel like I'm going to be ok. That's what I've found in excavating my character defects and getting in touch with my real self and my spirituality...I've found a quiet center where I can always go, turn off the voices in my head, and feel warm, safe, and at peace. I can't get still with myself today. I want desperately to feel that connection with my higher power, and I can't find it right now.My husband called me this morning to apologize for yesterday. I feel somewhat better, I guess, that he's acknowledging that he was really scary and awful. I don't know why it makes me feel better, as it doesn't change anything. The events were what they were, and we are now much more definitively separa... Heroin Addiction Codependence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1918258 Wed, 29 Oct 2008 21:33:00 +0100 1918258 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1811511&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35793&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thejunkyswife.com%2F2008%2F09%2Fdinner-with-junkys-mom.html I had dinner after the meeting tonight with a few friends, one of whom is the mother of a heroin addict. We ended up being the last two left at the table after a few others left, and it was fun swapping our war stories."There was this belt on the floor, and I just knew he'd been using!" she explained. I told her about how I'd developed a similar belief in my own psychic powers when I found a scarf on the floor a while ago.It's funny how many of these weird things become triggers. It's not just belts and scarves. We talked about how spoons always seem evil now, how cigarette lighters are menacing...and (GASP!) syringes are awful, frightening things. Syringes give me a chill up my spine like a spider in the bath tub, or like an eery face in a window...it's primal and traumatic and terrifying... Heroin Addiction Codependence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1811511 Sun, 21 Sep 2008 05:09:00 +0100 1811511 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1739533&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35793&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thejunkyswife.com%2F2008%2F08%2F10-second-saga-of-scarf.html I got home from work today, and there was an odd scarf on the floor. No big deal, right?Wrong!Instantly, without missing a beat, a story unfolded in my mind:He's using again. He pulled out my scarf to tie off his arm. Why does he always have to use my stuff? Are the drugs better when my stuff is involved? He's been spending all that time with his mom. They're using together again. I can't believe it. I need to go through all his pockets. Why isn't he home right now? Where is he? This is just like that time I found a scarf of mine with a pair of scissors and he'd burned the scissors because he thought he wouldn't get caught if he didn't steal the spoons. I can't believe I've been so blind! And then I looked again. It was just a scarf, on the floor. No blood on the ceiling. No burned spoon. ... Heroin Addiction Codependence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1739533 Thu, 28 Aug 2008 03:50:00 +0100 1739533 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1696458&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35793&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thejunkyswife.com%2F2008%2F08%2Fwhy-stop-now.html Someone wrote to me asking me why my husband is detoxing from methadone if the methadone maintenance program had been working for him, and I thought I'd answer here. First of all, I'm not sure what made him decide to detox so suddenly, not being him. I can tell you what he's said, though...He has felt like a slave to the clinic for a while now, and he wants freedom. He can't take care of a lot of problems, such as a legal issue that's lurking out there for him, because being able to get to the methadone clinic has been his first priority for a long time. Every time he's had a little money, he's taken it to the clinic before anything else...before paying his bills, before buying groceries, before buying himself something nice. He says he wants to be able to be financially responsible, and f... Heroin Addiction Codependence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1696458 Sun, 10 Aug 2008 16:57:00 +0100 1696458 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1675187&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35793&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thejunkyswife.com%2F2008%2F08%2Fdetox-bunny.html Methadone detox is really pretty kind, it seems. At least that's the way it looks at my house. There's been no throwing, no yelling, and minimal twitching. My husband is sad and weepy and miserable like he has a really bad flu. I kind of like him this way. Is that wrong?I had a brief freakout yesterday. He'd spent some time with his mother, and I started to think they'd been using together. I had no real reason to think that they'd been using together other than that they sometimes use together, and he's detoxing, and they were hanging out. I did the whole projection thing and called friends to talk me sane and help me figure out what it was I was feeling.Eventually, though, he came home, and he was still sad and sick and miserable. I was so glad to see him sick. Is that wrong?I'm recogniz... Heroin Addiction Codependence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1675187 Fri, 01 Aug 2008 21:39:00 +0100 1675187 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1739527&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fheroin-addicts-reduce-craving-with-naltrexone%2F Heroin addicts reduce craving with Injectable Naltrexone Heroin addicts stayed in treatment longer, used less heroin and were more prone to be heroin free after 2 months. Sixty addicts were trialed on a new long acting form of drug that only needs to be used once a month. The drug, Naltrexone, reduces the pleasurable effects of heroin and lessens craving to manageable levels. Al patients in treatment received twice weekly relapse prevention counseling. Each was tested by urine samples. People on higher doses of Naltrexone had better treatment success. The results after 8 weeks were; Stayed in treatment; 68% on high dose 60% on low dose 39% on placebo Urine free of heroin; 62% on high dose 25% on placebo There were no apparent serious side effects and the usual liver problems associate... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1739527 Tue, 29 Jul 2008 12:16:54 +0100 1739527 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1655734&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35793&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thejunkyswife.com%2F2008%2F07%2Fmethadone.html The methadone crisis continues.My husband has been on his last legs at work for a long time, and it seems like every day is his last day of methadone. He keeps suggesting that it's very dire, that soon he won't have methadone at all. I keep worrying, preemptively setting boundaries, seething, fretting...planning to loan him money, then planning not to. Planning to make him leave if he starts detoxing, then planning to let him stay forever.Today, though, I've decided to stop. I quit. He will have methadone, or he won't. He'll get a job, or he won't. I'll want to be with him, or I won't. Today, I want to be with him more than I want peace. Today, that's my choice. Fretting about it, about whether or not I'm doing it right, is getting me so bogged down in my own head that I can't possibly eve... Heroin Addiction Codependence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1655734 Fri, 25 Jul 2008 16:00:00 +0100 1655734 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1646427&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35793&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thejunkyswife.com%2F2008%2F07%2F2-choices.html I have two choices. Both choices stink.Choice 1: Stay with my husband. Stay with my husband, exactly like he is, today. The man who he is today is unemployed. When he has money that he could contribute to our household, he chooses to spend it on selfish things instead. He thinks that it's my job to take care of him.But in his best moments, he's sorry for this behavior. In his best moments, he's a wonderful man.Choice 2: Leave my husband. I'd leave all the garbage, all the lying, the manipulation, the selfishness...I'd leave my rage and resentment for his expectation that I'm going to take care of him. All my money would be mine. My house would be mine. I'd be able to worry about nothing except for myself, only clean up my own messes, actual and metaphorical.I'd lose the man I love. I'd los... Heroin Addiction Codependence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1646427 Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:21:00 +0100 1646427 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1637987&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35793&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thejunkyswife.com%2F2008%2F07%2Fdream.html Oh, you're dead now. Now you've gone and died and made a mess. How am I going to clean you up? Am I supposed to call the doctor? Do I call the police? Goddamn it.I'd found his body on our couch, stiff and blue. It made me furious. Furious! He was calcified and cracked and it was a great, big mess, and I was going to have to clean the whole thing up by myself like always. I tried to lift him up, and he was too heavy, and his skin kept peeling off and getting all over me. There were stains where he'd leaked on the couch.The couch is going to be no good after this!I finally figure out how to hoist him up, and I kind of fold him over my shoulder, slide him in half, and fit him into a duffel bag. I notice that he's ripped apart at the seams, and he's filled with lasagna.You got sauce on me!I ta... Heroin Addiction Codependence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1637987 Sat, 19 Jul 2008 03:23:00 +0100 1637987 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1635237&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35793&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thejunkyswife.com%2F2008%2F07%2Fwhats-your-specialty.html When people ask you what you do for a living and you respond, "I'm a writer," the question often follows, "What's your specialty?" Nice girls respond with nice words like, "I write copy!" or "I review movies!" or something, anything, other than what I say.Someone asked me recently, and it was all I could do to keep the word "Addiction" from flying out of my mouth. I actually choked on the word, stuffed it back down my throat, and responded with something like, "I write personal essays..."Addiction: it's become my area of expertise. Specifically, I'm quite knowledgeable in writing about heroin addiction, and even more specifically, my husband's addiction to heroin. If there were only a job that would pay me well and give me benefits to write about my husband's addiction to heroin, I'd be a ... Heroin Addiction Codependence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1635237 Thu, 17 Jul 2008 17:32:00 +0100 1635237 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1603440&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35793&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thejunkyswife.com%2F2008%2F07%2Fgod-gave-me-door.html Every farthing of the cost,All the dreaded cards foretell,Shall be paid, but from this nightNot a whisper, not a thought,Not a kiss nor look be lost. -W.H. AudenGod gave me a door. I slammed it closed.I'd prayed and prayed and prayed for knowledge of God's will for me and the power to carry it out. I got knowledge of God's will for me. I didn't have the power to carry it out.I look at the choices that I make, and I scare myself. I seem to have a clear split in my path, and I choose the wrong way. I walked up to that open door, and I saw myself on the other side. I saw serenity, personal growth, spiritual growth, security, peace. I saw a clear mind, a clear space to live in. I saw life without him.I looked back at the life I'm presently living, and I saw a mess. I sa... Heroin Addiction Codependence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1603440 Wed, 09 Jul 2008 15:39:00 +0100 1603440 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1544046&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35793&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thejunkyswife.com%2F2008%2F06%2Fplease-leave-me-alone-im-tired.html "I'm really tired.""But what's wrong?""It's a long day, and I'm tired, and I don't want to talk.""Why?""I worked 3 different places today. I'm tired. Please don't keep pushing me.""I don't understand why you always act like that.""I'm just fucking tired, and I don't want to fucking talk.""See? You act like I'm the one who's crazy, but then when you get to the middle of the week, you get all pissed off that you're working so much, and you take it out on me.""I'm just asking you to let me be. I want to take a bath and go to bed. It's been a long day.""See? You have to blame me for everything! Everything is my fucking fault!"By the time we'd finished with this exchange, I was so overwrought, and he was yelling, and I was yelling. I locked myself in the bathroom to get away from him. I really,... Heroin Addiction Codependence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1544046 Wed, 25 Jun 2008 21:33:00 +0100 1544046 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1500383&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35793&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thejunkyswife.com%2F2008%2F06%2Fanother-competitor-in-worst-mother-ever.html Edith Whoreton once said that it's like my husband's mother must be competing in some kind of worst mother of all time pageant. I thought it was a funny, and sadly apt description, and have since taken to collecting other mother who are competitors in the pageant. Here's a nice one... (Source: Heroin Addiction Codependence) Heroin Addiction Codependence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1500383 Sat, 07 Jun 2008 02:23:00 +0100 1500383 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1485031&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35793&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thejunkyswife.com%2F2008%2F06%2Fmy-life-story.html If anyone should ever write my life storyFor whatever reason there might be,You'd be there, between each line of pain and glory...I met an old man this weekend who has spent more than two decades caring for his wife. She's been sick with Parkinson's since they were in their forties. We had breakfast together a few days in a row, and each day, he talked about caring for his wife. He talked about the surgeries she's had to find some relief for the muscle spasms and pain she experienced. He talked about her daily medication regimen. He talked about taking her to doctors and the ways that the various doctors' weren't caring for her properly. He was a thoroughly pleasant old man, and his love for his wife was apparent even though she hasn't been herself for decades. Her memory was affected by o... Heroin Addiction Codependence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1485031 Mon, 02 Jun 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1485031 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1485032&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35793&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thejunkyswife.com%2F2008%2F06%2Fhome.html I don't want to go home, ever, anymore. I think back to how much I used to love to come home to him, how much I wanted to be with him, in my house, our house...I am not sure what has changed, because I didn't used to feel this way about him even when he was using. I hate it when he's using, but I always love him. And I still love him...I'm just so fucking tired. I'm tired down in my bones of him, of this life, of the same problems, the same attitudes, the same stagnant bullshit again and again and again. I'm tired of how fucking self-absorbed he is. It's like my only function in his life is to be his ATM machine/personal assistant, and I'm just not so interested in being in service to him anymore. I want him to be my partner or go away.We had a long time that things really were much better... Heroin Addiction Codependence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1485032 Sun, 01 Jun 2008 20:39:00 +0100 1485032 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1485033&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35793&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thejunkyswife.com%2F2008%2F06%2Fcsi-celebrity-heroin-news.html (Source: Heroin Addiction Codependence) Heroin Addiction Codependence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1485033 Sun, 01 Jun 2008 20:32:00 +0100 1485033 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1464246&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35793&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thejunkyswife.com%2F2008%2F05%2Fand-more-boundaries.html "I want an MP3 player. I'm going to work really, really hard the next couple of days, and I want to spend some of the money on an MP3 player. I just really want something fun for myself," he has been reiterating for the last several days. I don't know what put a MP3 player bug up his ass, but it's a mighty annoying bug.Our present financial arrangement includes a set amount of money that he needs to give me each week in order to be paying half of our household bills. He has never, not one single time, given me that amount of money. The most he's ever given me has been a little over half. After his last relapse, however, he asked that I handle all of his money from now on. The relative for whom he works transfers his daily money directly into my account. For weeks now, he's been paying off ... Heroin Addiction Codependence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1464246 Thu, 22 May 2008 21:13:00 +0100 1464246 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1454850&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35793&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thejunkyswife.com%2F2008%2F05%2Fcheese-heroin-death.html (Source: Heroin Addiction Codependence) Heroin Addiction Codependence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1454850 Mon, 19 May 2008 23:08:00 +0100 1454850 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1420678&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35793&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thejunkyswife.com%2F2008%2F05%2Fand-so-i-will-distract-myself.html ...with celebrity gossip... (Source: Heroin Addiction Codependence) Heroin Addiction Codependence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1420678 Mon, 05 May 2008 19:26:00 +0100 1420678 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1401403&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35805&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftwelvestepfacilitation.com%2Falcohol-drug-use-in-an-educated-workforce%2F This study examined alcohol and licit and illicit drug use in a highly educated medical related workforce. A comprehensive health survey of a 10% random sample of a workforce (n = 8,567) yielded a 60% response rate (n = 504) after accounting for 15 undeliverable surveys. Many respondents reported past-year use of alcohol (87%). Thirteen percent of respondents consumed three or more drinks daily; 15% were binge drinkers. Twelve percent of the workforce was assessed as having a high likelihood of lifetime alcohol dependence; 5% of respondents met criteria for current problem drinking. Overall, 42% reported using mood-altering prescription drugs (analgesics, antidepressants, sedatives, or tranquilizers). Eleven percent reported using illicit drugs (cocaine, hallucinogens, heroin, or mar... Twelve Step Facilitation.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1401403 Sat, 26 Apr 2008 12:24:58 +0100 1401403 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1393926&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35793&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thejunkyswife.com%2F2008%2F04%2Fpete-doherty-news.html I can't get enough of this guy. My fascination with him is the last vestige of my early fascination with celebrity junkies. I wish he'd get better. It's sad. (Source: Heroin Addiction Codependence) Heroin Addiction Codependence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1393926 Wed, 23 Apr 2008 15:41:00 +0100 1393926 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1382451&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35805&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftwelvestepfacilitation.com%2Falcohol-use-and-unsafe-sex-by-people-with-hiv-2%2F This study demonstrates a clear association between alcohol use and unsafe sex in patients infected with HIV. As the authors note, determining the basis of this association (e.g., risk-taking personality, lowered sexual inhibitions due to alcohol) requires studies that demonstrate the relationship between the two behaviors. Nevertheless, these findings support the case for assessing alcohol use among all patients with HIV. * 5 or more drinks per day for men, 3 or more drinks per day for women ** at least 1 binge episode, or greater than 14 drinks per week for men and greater than 7 drinks per week for women Reference: Stein M, Herman DS, Trisvan E, et al. Alcohol use and sexual risk behavior among human immunodeficiency virus-positive persons. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2005; 29(5): 837-843. ... Twelve Step Facilitation.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1382451 Fri, 18 Apr 2008 13:43:37 +0100 1382451 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1314490&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35793&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thejunkyswife.com%2F2008%2F03%2Fsupport.html "I don't get any support from you. It makes it hard to recover. You won't let me have any victories. You want everything fixed in the next 24 hours."I'd gotten home from a long, long day at work, and he told me he'd gotten another part time job. He also told me he'd not gone to the part-time job he needed to go to in order to be able to buy his methadone the next day. I began detaching, lovingly, from the upcoming day without methadone, and sid, "That's great. This new job could be a good opportunity. I hope it works out for you."Apparently, my response wasn't effusive enough. If I'd been doing it right, I would have told him to wait a minute while I ran into the bedroom to change into my cheerleader uniform, and returned to say, "Oh, baby! That's wonderful! You got a job! Wow! Let me pay ... Heroin Addiction Codependence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1314490 Wed, 19 Mar 2008 17:35:00 +0100 1314490 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1297966&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35793&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thejunkyswife.com%2F2008%2F03%2Ftin-foil-hat.html I wrote a little about the tin foil hat recently, and it made me realize how much I talk about my husband's outward manifestations of his addiction as metaphorical tin foil hats. I find the comparison to be endlessly helpful.One of the things I've struggled hardest against in coming to accept my present situation and my husband's disease is that I always want really, really badly to understand what he is doing and why he is doing it. When he relapses, I go over and over in my head, "What caused it? What happened? Why? Why? Why?" And especially earlier on in this adventure, I'd ask him..."What were you thinking? Why don't you just stop doing that? It doesn't work, so you could just stop acting like that..."And those of you who have been with me from my earliest baby steps in bloggery surely... Heroin Addiction Codependence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1297966 Wed, 12 Mar 2008 19:26:00 +0100 1297966 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1297968&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35793&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thejunkyswife.com%2F2008%2F03%2Fgood-samaritan-pete-doherty.html (Source: Heroin Addiction Codependence) Heroin Addiction Codependence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1297968 Wed, 12 Mar 2008 14:39:00 +0100 1297968 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1268644&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35793&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thejunkyswife.com%2F2008%2F02%2Fheroin-eze.html I can't count the number of times I've found myself in a pharmacy looking for various ointments, pills, juices, vitamins, elixirs and potions to treat my husband when he's detoxing. Ibuprofen and Aspercream for his legs, laxatives and antacids for his stomach, vitamins to try to combat that awful grey-color of his skin, Tucks for his hemorrhoids, oils and Ayurvedic remedies, flush-your-system detox kits, teas and heating pads and ice packs and all kinds of things.I was wandering around in a store again this past weekend, and I wondered if I'm the only one wandering around filling a basket with various remedies, and I realized that I'm probably not. I'm surprised that the pharmaceutical company hasn't recognized the potential market for a single pill to treat all the symptoms of detox with ... Heroin Addiction Codependence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1268644 Fri, 29 Feb 2008 19:42:00 +0100 1268644 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1255210&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35793&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thejunkyswife.com%2F2008%2F02%2Fcalm-after-storm.html You're a part time lover and a full time friend The monkey on you're back is the latest trend I don't see what anyone can see in anyone else But you...-The Moldy PeachesI heard this song in an interview with the girl from Juno this weekend in all the Oscar hoopla, and I fell in love with it. You can watch them singing below. It's a good song.It's peaceful at my house, the way it always is when my husband is picking up the pieces after a big relapse. The latest one was extraordinarily big and destructive. He's been quite sick and quite earnest about wanting to get better, as he always is after a relapse. He seems a little more inclined to do things this time than he has been in the past...but it's really hard to say what's real anymore.I love him, so I want to see the best in him. I want hi... Heroin Addiction Codependence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1255210 Mon, 25 Feb 2008 16:52:00 +0100 1255210 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1246706&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35793&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thejunkyswife.com%2F2008%2F02%2Fyear.html A year ago today, I started this new life.My husband and I had fought, and he'd left to go to his parents' house. I was very upset, very confused about what was wrong. We'd been married less than a year, and we'd recently moved into a new and exciting home. He'd gotten a new job that was going to pay much better, and we had lots of great things on our horizon.But something was wrong. He was temperamental, angry, exhausted, and he had all kinds of health problems all of a sudden...strange things. Skin issues, stomach issues, sleep issues...everything seemed broken and wrong, and I was scared. I was scared that he didn't love me anymore. I was scared that we'd made a horrible mistake by buying a house. I was afraid that he was depressed. I was afraid that I wasn't good enough, that something... Heroin Addiction Codependence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1246706 Wed, 20 Feb 2008 22:11:00 +0100 1246706 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1239378&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35793&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thejunkyswife.com%2F2008%2F02%2Famy-winehouses-husband-is-doing.html (Source: Heroin Addiction Codependence) Heroin Addiction Codependence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1239378 Mon, 18 Feb 2008 21:22:00 +0100 1239378 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1229483&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35793&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thejunkyswife.com%2F2008%2F02%2Fim-not-as-strong-as-i-think-i-am.html We are at home together again. He's making all kinds of promises and screwing them up. I am really, really struggling with myself.I can't continue to live this way, and yet I refuse to believe that it isn't possible that we can be together. I can't stop hearing him when he's saying that he knows he has to change, that he has to get himself better, and knowing that it's true.It IS true. The man who I fell in love with is living in this addict's body. He's buried deep inside his own sickness, but he wants to get better. I can't give up on that man yet.Folks tell me that letting my husband go isn't giving up on him...but I'm just not there. I'm doing the best I can, day by day, and I thought I was ready. I'm not ready. I'm afraid for him, and I'm afraid for myself. I am living with behavior t... Heroin Addiction Codependence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1229483 Wed, 13 Feb 2008 15:33:00 +0100 1229483 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1218315&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35793&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thejunkyswife.com%2F2008%2F02%2Fget-out.html It finally happened. I asked him to leave.More money disappeared. I found more paraphernalia.I'm tired of it all. I hope he gets well. I'm still so in love with him. (Source: Heroin Addiction Codependence) Heroin Addiction Codependence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1218315 Fri, 08 Feb 2008 13:56:00 +0100 1218315 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1215523&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35793&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thejunkyswife.com%2F2008%2F02%2Fmorning.html "I wish I could stay home with you all day and be just like this...""Can you leave me your computer?""No.""I don't know if I'm going to be able to buy my methadone, so I was wondering...""I wish I could stay home with someone who looks like you all day..."I left quickly after this conversation, no longer interested in lingering. I miss those mornings, though, when it felt like I could stay in his arms forever.I am so quick to flee the scene of his neediness, his inability to fulfill his own needs. It's just too sad to watch someone I love struggling so much, and it's too hard to say no. It's better for me to clear the area.I was excited to see him yesterday after I got home from work. I'd had a good, long day full of all kinds of stuff, from a great yoga class to a challenging day at work.... Heroin Addiction Codependence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1215523 Thu, 07 Feb 2008 18:24:00 +0100 1215523 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1200880&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Falcohol-medication-interactions%2F Alcohol Reaction Drug List Check This List Before Taking Any Medication There are very few medications that can be safely taken while drinking alcohol. Many prescription drugs and even most over-the-counter medications carry a warning against using the drug while drinking alcohol. Before you take any medication, if you drink alcohol, check this list of more than 9,000 prescription and over-the-counter medications for possible reactions and side effects, if you drink alcohol. More at; Alcohol Reaction Drug List Subscribe to Recovery Is Sexy by Email (Source: Recovery Is Sexy.com) Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1200880 Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:03:52 +0100 1200880 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1196805&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fsex-and-hep-c%2F Hep C - Does sexual transmission occur? Although there is some uncertainty about hepatitis C (also called hep C) being transmitted sexually, it’s not classified as an STI (sexually transmissible infection). General scientific knowledge supports this position. Some people, unable to identify any other risk factors, believe they may have contracted hep C sexually. Additionally, some research suggests that a small percentage of people do contract hep C through sexual contact. Thus, transmission of hep C during sex is seen as possible but is believed to be rare. General transmission of HCV Hep C is most commonly transmitted through blood-to-blood contact, ie. when the blood of someone with the virus enters the bloodstream of someone else. This can occur through: sharing needles or syring... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1196805 Sat, 02 Feb 2008 12:34:52 +0100 1196805 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1173507&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35793&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thejunkyswife.com%2F2008%2F01%2Fbottomless.html "I got you this," he said, handing me a fruit cup. We stopped at the grocery store on the way to work this morning. He shoplifted a fruit cup for me to have for lunch. I hate it when he steals, but he meant to do something nice for me. It's like so many things between us.We talked at the meeting last night about different people finding their bottoms, finding that place where they knew they had to change. You hear about addicts hitting bottom, but the parents and spouses and other loved ones affected by addiction often have bottoming-out experiences as well. People talked about realizing they needed to get away from the person who was disrupting the serenity in their homes...needing sleep, needing security. For some, it's missing money and the unpredictability of the addict's behavior. Oth... Heroin Addiction Codependence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1173507 Wed, 23 Jan 2008 18:31:00 +0100 1173507 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1170249&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35793&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thejunkyswife.com%2F2008%2F01%2Fsychronicity.html “In wise love each defines the secret self of the other, and refusing to believe in the mere daily self, creates a mirror where the lover or the beloved sees an image to copy in daily life; for love also creates the Mask.”-William Butler YeatsOne of the things I first loved about my husband was how well we complemented one another...how similar and how different we are, and how much sense we made together. We're both creative, but in different ways, both creatively intelligent, exuberant, sometimes dramatic, sometimes odd. I loved the juxtapositions and overlaps in our personalities, and I loved the way I thought of myself with him, the way I thought of him with me.I realized recently that we are once again in a kind of perfect synchronicity. He is not ready to give up his vices, and I... Heroin Addiction Codependence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1170249 Tue, 22 Jan 2008 18:54:00 +0100 1170249 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1159596&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35793&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thejunkyswife.com%2F2008%2F01%2Fwhy-wont-i-stop-caring-about-britney.html When she was sane and a pop star on MTV, I didn't care about her. I shouldn't care about her now that she's out of control. I can't stop staring at her. I actually clicked on the link to see a picture of her period panties. I actually clicked the link. Why? Why would I do such a thing?Her dissent into madness means nothing. Her music never meant anything. Her relationships with her family are not important to me. I can't stop reading about them.My difficulty in stopping watching the Britney dramedy is like my inability to get out of my marriage. I don't like the way it makes me feel. I don't like putting this shit into my head. It's spiritually degrading. It's emotionally exhausting. I don't know how to stop doing it.My husband is downstairs in the first stages of withdrawal. He didn't hav... Heroin Addiction Codependence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1159596 Fri, 18 Jan 2008 03:01:00 +0100 1159596 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1148259&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35793&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thejunkyswife.com%2F2008%2F01%2Fancient-tribal-junkies-of-southeastern.html Several thousand years ago, a syringe-worshiping peoples inhabited this particular region. They had a rather simple civilization...most likely they robbed neighboring tribespeople and traded stolen goods for the small amount of food they desired and other necessities.It just so happens that my husband and I have purchased a piece of real estate located precisely over the sacred syringe burial ground of these people, and our house appears to be infested with these ancient syringe artifacts. In fact, a syringe appeared in our bedroom just this morning. It appeared to have fallen out of a pocket of his pants; however, it seems that the logical explanation for how he syringe got on our floor was that, due to the particular molecular structure of this tribe's sacred syringes, it was absorbed fr... Heroin Addiction Codependence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1148259 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 03:35:00 +0100 1148259 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1146853&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35793&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thejunkyswife.com%2F2008%2F01%2Fi-cant-do-it.html I need a break. I've tried twice to tell him that he's got to leave, and I can't do it. As long as I'm not talking to him, not looking at him, I am ready to tell him to go. As soon as I start telling him that I need him to go, I can't do it.The words get stuck in my throat. He is so very fucked up. It's sad. He's sad. I don't want him to be so sad. I don't want to make him sadder.I don't want to be without him. I don't want to be with him like this. I want to be able to think, to breathe, to take care of myself, and I can't do it with him around. It's hard to breathe when he's in the room."You think I've been using?" he asked."Yes. I think you've been using since right before Christmas.""I haven't been!""What's been going on, then? What's making you act like this?""I did mess up one time, ... Heroin Addiction Codependence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1146853 Fri, 11 Jan 2008 19:34:00 +0100 1146853 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1137251&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35793&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thejunkyswife.com%2F2008%2F01%2Fif-love-is-window-im-falling-out.html Or jumping, maybe. Maybe I have PMS. Maybe I'm strong. Maybe I'm angry. Maybe I've gotten a little too good at detaching.I'm feeling awfully disconnected in a way that might not be bad, at least not bad for me. I don't think it bodes well for my marriage, though.I'm tired of being needed. I'm tired of all the support in our relationship flowing in one direction, tired of being more of a parent than a wife. I'm tired of being responsible. I'm tired of being unhappy.I was petting my dog this morning and realizing that if she were the only thing I had to worry about, I think I'd be pretty content with my life. If all I had going on was some money troubles, but those troubles were mine and mine alone, and all I had to do was take care of my house, my doggy, and myself, I'd be ok. I'd go to wor... Heroin Addiction Codependence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1137251 Tue, 08 Jan 2008 21:10:00 +0100 1137251 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1122203&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35793&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thejunkyswife.com%2F2007%2F12%2Fgut-feeling.html My guts aren't feeling so good today. My husband has been moody, evasive, withdrawn, and spent a long, long time in the bathroom last night.I'm torn. I am not sure about what I want to do. Today, I'm doing nothing. Or I'm doing nothing in the sense that I'm not making decisions. I can't. Not today. It's too cold outside.I also know that I can't live with a man in active addiction. I can't live in denial. I can't think very clearly.What bothers me most, I think, is that I'm not comfortable talking to him about my feelings. I think that's the worst sign that he might be using. If he were recovering, I'd be able to say, "Hey, babe, when you spend 3 hours in the bathroom, it gets me all kinds of worked up," and his response would be something to the effect of, "Oh, I'm sorry you felt upset. It... Heroin Addiction Codependence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1122203 Sun, 30 Dec 2007 18:16:00 +0100 1122203 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1115431&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35793&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thejunkyswife.com%2F2007%2F12%2Fits-wonderful-life.html Help me, Clarence, please! Please! I wanna live again! I wanna live again! Please, God, let me live again!What a great movie. I watched it again like most everyone else in the world, and it seems this year to have special, secret messages for me about recovery, love, living in the moment, gratitude, and embracing the friends and family who love you. It's always good to remember, but it's extra good to remember right now.I've spent my day reading, eating, and playing with a kitten. Those are good things. I'm surrounded by people who love me. Real life, with all its seeming endless struggles, is at least 24 hours away, and I'm grateful for a small break. I'm glad to have a husband who loves me, who is doing the best he can, and who I love with my whole heart. This moment is one of those rare... Heroin Addiction Codependence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1115431 Tue, 25 Dec 2007 04:27:00 +0100 1115431 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1113499&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35793&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thejunkyswife.com%2F2007%2F12%2Fcold.html When my last relationship ended, I had this feeling, this cold, cold feeling. I wasn't mad anymore, and I wasn't sad. I was just done. It was as if a switch inside of me had been flipped, and I couldn't find a way to turn it back on.I remember the moment it happened. He was drunk, again. I was looking at him, and I expected to feel angry. I didn't. I didn't feel hurt, either. It was just nothing, just cold, empty nothing. It scared the hell out of me. I tried describing the feeling to a family member on the phone the next day, and she suggested that maybe I was really done. It wasn't long before I asked him to move out, and I was moving on.Reaching that point took a long time, and as I've been going through the addiction mess with my husband over the last year, I've gone back again and aga... Heroin Addiction Codependence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1113499 Sat, 22 Dec 2007 21:10:00 +0100 1113499 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1108808&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35793&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thejunkyswife.com%2F2007%2F12%2Fpowerlessness-is-scary.html It's a dream:We're in the car together, and he's driving. We're heading to one of the studios where he used to work, the first one. We've not been there in a long time, and we're both excited. He's going to finish a piece he started, and it's going to be really beautiful.He's driving. I don't like it, but I'm trying to ignore that I don't like it because things are so pleasant. I think that I should just let him drive. The sun is setting. I look out the window and try to enjoy it.The studio is over a hill. I notice some traffic cones and flashing lights. " I think we're not supposed to go this way," I tell him. I'm trying to relax. He keeps going. There are workers waving their flags at us. People are shouting, "Don't go that way!" I am getting more and more upset, but I'm also trying to w... Heroin Addiction Codependence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1108808 Thu, 20 Dec 2007 18:16:00 +0100 1108808 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1103656&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35793&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thejunkyswife.com%2F2007%2F12%2Fdont-use-words-when-youre-talking-to-me.html We had another visit from Mr. Hyde this morning in the car on the way to work:"I don't think I'm going to go to meetings anymore. I'm going to go to church instead. I think it's a better way to spend my time. Maybe I can find a sponsor who will work the steps with me, but who will understand that I'm not going to go to meetings.""That scares me.""Why?""It scares me when you talk like that. When you say things that make it seem like you think you're unique.""You know, if you want to talk about this, we can talk about it. But if you're going to use mental warfare and use words and shit like that, I don't want to hear what you have to say."(I'm thinking, should I use grunts? Telepathy? Cooing sounds? Sign language?)"OK, we won't talk about it then. I don't feel well and I didn't sleep last ni... Heroin Addiction Codependence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1103656 Tue, 18 Dec 2007 20:57:00 +0100 1103656 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1098853&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35797&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnewrecovery.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F12%2Fafghan-farmers-see-through-drug-war.html Recent U.S. initiatives to eradicate poppy fields in selected areas of Afghanistan, on the Colombian model, have met with growing resistance by Afghan farmers, according to a briefing paper by the Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (link):"The view that the government is willing to deepen the poverty of some of its rural population for the sake of a ban on opium poppy cultivation further alienates the rural population. The belief of many farmers that those enforcing the ban and eradicating their crop are themselves actively involved in the opium trade makes matters worse; so does the perception of widespread bribery and the sense that eradication targets the vulnerable and ignores the crops of those in positions of power and influence."Afghan farmers are seeing that the eradication e... New Recovery blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1098853 Mon, 17 Dec 2007 07:04:00 +0100 1098853 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1097739&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35797&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnewrecovery.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F12%2Fcia-up-to-its-old-tricks.html A tantalizing hint that the CIA is up to its old tricks (flying drugs from conflict zones) surfaced in the crash landing of a Gulfstream II business jet in Mexico Sept. 24.The Florida-based craft carried somewhere between three and six tons of powder cocaine, and either no heroin or up to one ton of heroin, depending on which estimates one believes.The flight originated in Colombia and was destined for Florida with a stopover in Cancun.Blogger FrostFireZoo.com matched the serial number of the craft to a plane used by the CIA on at least three occasions in the rendition of terrorism suspects from the U.S. to other countries to be tortured.A Mexican journal accused Mexican and U.S. political authorities of hypocrisy for waging a so-called "war on drugs" on the one hand, and being heavily inv... New Recovery blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1097739 Sun, 16 Dec 2007 23:58:00 +0100 1097739 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1093254&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35793&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thejunkyswife.com%2F2007%2F12%2Falways-crossroads.html So many things are changing in our lives right now, and I'm finding myself, at least today, feeling very anxious about being at another crossroads. Things are, again, on the verge of being much better, possibly. Again, I am powerless over the changes that must occur. My husband the handsome madman is the one who will make our break our lives.He asked someone to be his sponsor after his Tuesday meeting. I was really proud of him. It was his move, his business, and he hadn't talked about it with me at all. He had decided that he wanted to get a sponsor before the holidays and to begin working the steps because he says he is ready to make real changes in his life, to find solutions to problems that he has realized he can fix on his own. That's a huge step, and it took a lot of courage.He has ... Heroin Addiction Codependence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1093254 Thu, 13 Dec 2007 22:20:00 +0100 1093254 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1093158&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35823&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FAddictionInbox%2F%7E3%2F199811082%2Fheroin-overdose-kits-debate-goes-on.html More states back naloxone programs, but Feds aren’t convincedSince the first trial run in Chicago several years ago, efforts to provide heroin addicts with naloxone overdose kits has gained ground in Baltimore, New York, Boston, and several other cities and states. As reported here at Addiction Inbox last month, Dr. Peter Moyer, medical director of Boston’s fire, police and emergency services, applauded the recent Massachusetts decision to expand the Boston program to the entire state and offer Massachusetts heroin addicts the overdose reversal kit. Approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 35 years ago, Naloxone, or Narcan, is the standard emergency room treatment for heroin overdose. Naloxone instantly reverses life-threatening overdoses by crowding out heroin molecules at t... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1093158 Thu, 13 Dec 2007 16:22:00 +0100 1093158 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1091331&cid=t_131342_109_f&fid=34794&url=http%3A%2F%2Fadseg-shu.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F12%2Fthere-were-signs-that-day-would-be.html There were signs that the day would be "eventful": 44 degrees at 6:30 am in San Diego! The hawk, as we said in NY, was out. Sure, you've got it worse wherever... But this is San Diego. See, Thinker! Then, in my inattention, I forgot to get gas. As I'm listening to a recording of King Lear, my eye is suddenly drawn to the "you need gas, partner" light on the dash at some crazy spot in Riverside County. I stop for gas and the pump won't accept me CA state fleet credit card. Quick summation: a phone call informs me I can't buy from this particular "brand" because they charge $.45 to use a card. WTF.After a number of patients, I open the door and immediately a man is there, physically large & pumped (muscular & manic), angry tattoos all over him, and seemingly angry as hell. "I'm next.... Turn Your Head and Scoff blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1091331 Thu, 13 Dec 2007 05:39:00 +0100 1091331 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1082998&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35793&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thejunkyswife.com%2F2007%2F12%2Fspiraling-argument.html "Love really is all it's cracked up to be. It really is worth fighting for, worth being brave for, risking everything for. And the trouble is, if you don't risk everything, you risk even more."-Erica JongOne thing I've always loved about my husband is the way he fights. In past relationships, I'd always feel like the relationship was on the verge of shattering every time we'd fight (I'm not codependent, shut up). Whenever we fight, even when it's nasty and he's being his petulant, whiny, addicty worst, I never doubt that he loves me or that we're not going to get through it. Our arguments can get really bad, but they always end well, and we always end up working through something important.Our fights function in something like a spiral...we start out very far apart, and we circle and circl... Heroin Addiction Codependence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1082998 Mon, 10 Dec 2007 02:32:00 +0100 1082998 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1080518&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fabstinence-from-heroin-works%2F This study examined longitudinal patterns of heroin use, other substance use, health, mental health, employment, criminal involvement, and mortality among heroin addicts. The sample was composed of 581 male heroin addicts admitted to the California Civil Addict Program (CAP) during the years 1962 through 1964; CAP was a compulsory drug treatment program for heroin-dependent criminal offenders. This 33-year follow-up study updates information previously obtained from admission records and 2 face-to-face interviews conducted in 1974-1975 and 1985-1986; in 1996-1997, at the latest follow-up, 284 were dead and 242 were interviewed. In 1996-1997, the mean age of the 242 interviewed subjects was 57.4 years. Age, disability, years since first heroin use, and heavy alcohol use were significa... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1080518 Sat, 08 Dec 2007 10:38:54 +0100 1080518 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1072503&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35793&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thejunkyswife.com%2F2007%2F12%2Fconfessing.html The theme for this week is confession and its purgative qualities.This past weekend, my step group finally finished our fifth step together. It was one of the most powerful experiences I've had with this whole adventure in recovery. Hearing everyone's stories, seeing how much everyone has grown, and coming to know this wonderful group of women more fully was as much a fulfilling part of the experience as spilling my own guts.The process really is magic. Figuring out what my issues are and how they've affected my life and kept me from growing in the ways I want to grow...kept me from finding real fulfillment...that's something I've sought my whole life, and working the steps is bringing me closer. Finding the stumbling blocks is the first part of getting them out of my way.I know the way we... Heroin Addiction Codependence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1072503 Wed, 05 Dec 2007 15:56:00 +0100 1072503 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1065952&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35793&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thejunkyswife.com%2F2007%2F12%2Fpete-doherty.html (Source: Heroin Addiction Codependence) Heroin Addiction Codependence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1065952 Mon, 03 Dec 2007 04:38:00 +0100 1065952 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1065953&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35793&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thejunkyswife.com%2F2007%2F12%2Fbalance.html I want things to be fair. I am beginning to doubt that we will ever achieve anything like "fair."Before heroin got my husband all unhinged, we had at least an outward appearance of balance in our household. While I always ended up being more responsible for taking care of all the decisions, signing all the papers, and generally being the adult, he at least managed to muster up enough money to pay half of all the bills. If rent was $500, he gave me $250. If the gas bill was $40, he gave me $20, and etc. I generally ended up paying more often for groceries and other household incidentals, but he would usually pay for movies and dinners out and other luxuries. I always handled more of the housekeeping, but it was ok with me. He wouldn't do it right, anyway, and if he lived alone, he wouldn't ... Heroin Addiction Codependence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1065953 Mon, 03 Dec 2007 03:09:00 +0100 1065953 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1063038&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35793&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thejunkyswife.com%2F2007%2F11%2Fwatching.html I don't like watching him hurt. I want to fix it. Imagine that.He's all over the place, mostly doing well, but occasionally being really consumed with guilt and shame and pain. It seems almost as if the bad moments are worse for him than they have been before. He's finally feeling like a person again, contributing to our livelihood, participating in the world...and it's hard to realize that he's missed a year of his life and hurt everyone he loves, everyone who loves him.Last night was meeting night, and he fled the meeting in a hurry. I found him sitting on a bench by himself, looking upset. He used to like this meeting, but a few weeks ago, someone mentioned methadone, and the group largely trashed MMT as a valid tool for sobriety. He's afraid that folks know that he's on methadone maint... Heroin Addiction Codependence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1063038 Fri, 30 Nov 2007 18:41:00 +0100 1063038 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1060161&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35793&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thejunkyswife.com%2F2007%2F11%2Fletting-go.html I'm interested in weighing things lately, or maybe not weighing things. Not actual things...more like ideas and situations...kind of keeping a running risk-benefit analysis going at all times. I'm not sure if it's healthy. I'm not sure if it's better to keep tabs on what's going on than to risk sliding into complacency, or worse, denial.Most basically, I ask myself, "Does it hurt more to stay or to leave?" I ask myself constantly. And for a while, this constant, vigilant examination of my position made sense. For a while, it was touchy over whether or not I was hurting more in the relationship or out of it.It's clearer now. Every night, he builds a fire. He's working, our home is warm and safe. He feels better and looks better. I feel better and look better. Things are better...but I still... Heroin Addiction Codependence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1060161 Thu, 29 Nov 2007 17:17:00 +0100 1060161 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1058401&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35823&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FAddictionInbox%2F%7E3%2F192399522%2Fnaloxone-and-receptorology.html The power of the opiates revealedThe breakthrough that laid the groundwork for the first truly scientific understanding of addictive drugs took place in 1972, when researchers discovered the existence of specific receptor sites in the brain for the opium molecule.At roughly the same time, emergency room doctors were baffled to discover that timely injections of a drug called naloxone completely reversed the effects of heroin intoxication. Minutes after an injection of naloxone, heroin addicts were awake, fully recovered, and instantly into the rigors of heroin withdrawal. Naloxone, and a similar drug called naltrexone, rescued O.D. victims from respiratory failure. Like a magic bullet, naloxone--trade name Narcan-- blocked the effects of heroin.At Johns Hopkins University School of Medicin... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1058401 Thu, 29 Nov 2007 14:21:00 +0100 1058401 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1044205&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35793&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thejunkyswife.com%2F2007%2F11%2Fwerewolf.html Here's an article from the Onion that reminded me of all the "Why would anyone stay with an addict?" debate from a few weeks ago. (Source: Heroin Addiction Codependence) Heroin Addiction Codependence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1044205 Wed, 21 Nov 2007 17:16:00 +0100 1044205 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1040269&cid=t_131342_151_f&fid=35793&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thejunkyswife.com%2F2007%2F11%2Fmy-heart-might-explode.html It feels like hot lava, sometimes, all the out-of-control thinking and feeling. The constant questioning of myself, of him, of what's real and what's not and what matters and what doesn't. The ups and the downs.We had a few good days together, sweet days. They were precious. I want to learn to enjoy them for what they are...beautiful moments with the man I love. Reprieves.It's just that I do, so very, very much, want to believe that it's going to be better...that those sweet moments are going to come more and more often, last for longer. I want to believe that what's coming is better than what came before. I want hope that lasts, goodness that lasts, security and assurance. I want more than a few days with the fire pit in my stomach, the lava bubbling in and around my heart, to be in check... Heroin Addiction Codependence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1040269 Tue, 20 Nov 2007 21:37:00 +0100 1040269