The Opioid Crisis in Orange County
According to a new report by Orange County, California’s health care agency, the overdose deaths in Orange County have greatly surpassed that of Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Ventura, and Santa Barbara counties and, most shockingly, all of California as a whole. The opioid crisis in Orange County has grown so much that a high concentration of treatment centers has popped up in the area hoping to combat this issue, but it doesn’t seem to be enough. In addition, the report details that the majority of state-licensed treatment centers and unregulated sober living homes are located along the coast and...
Source: Cliffside Malibu - December 18, 2019 Category: Addiction Authors: Jaclyn Uloth Tags: Addiction Detox Resources for Alcohol and Drugs/Opiates opiate abuse opiate addiction opioid opioid crisis opioids orange county Source Type: blogs
Opioid Abuse: How and When to Get Help
Opioids are so highly addictive that they have created a dangerous and deadly epidemic in the United States. In fact, the National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that more than 2 million Americans abuse opioids and that more than 90 Americans die on average by opioid overdose every day. Individuals can become addicted to opioids so quickly that it can be difficult to notice when the line has been crossed over to opioid abuse. If you or your loved one is taking opioids, whether legal or illegal, make note of these signs and symptoms of opioid abuse and how to get help.
How Does Opioid Abuse Begin?
Opioids work by binding ...
Source: Cliffside Malibu - December 17, 2019 Category: Addiction Authors: Jaclyn Uloth Tags: Addiction Recovery Addiction to Pharmaceuticals Detox Resources for Alcohol and Drugs/Opiates abuse heroin heroin addiction heroin users opiate abuse opioid opioid crisis opioids prescription drug abuse prescription drug addiction Source Type: blogs
Overcoming Holiday Barriers to Recovery
The holidays are just around the corner and, with only a few weeks to go until the festivities begin, many individuals dealing with addictions may be thinking that now would be the worst possible time to finally get treatment. This couldn’t be further from the truth. If you or your loved one needs treatment for addiction sooner than later, we’ve put together some of the most common holiday barriers to recovery and how to overcome them.
Holiday Barriers to Recovery: Sacrificing One for Many
The holidays are a wonderful time of year full of love, tradition, the spirit of giving and coming together with family. It could ...
Source: Cliffside Malibu - December 13, 2019 Category: Addiction Authors: Jaclyn Uloth Tags: Addiction Recovery Holidays drug addiction recovery family support family therapy holiday parties Successful Addiction Recovery Source Type: blogs
How to Ask Your Doctor About Addiction Treatment
Learning more information about the addiction treatment process can be difficult if you do not know where to start looking. One of the many places individuals may begin their search is with their primary care provider, which makes it important to know how to ask your doctor about addiction treatment.
There are many reasons an individual may seek addiction treatment advice from their doctor, including:
The doctor is prescribing medications that they believe they have become addicted to
The individual is suffering from a condition that they believe their addiction is worsening or impacting
The individual doesn’t have any...
Source: Cliffside Malibu - December 11, 2019 Category: Addiction Authors: Jaclyn Uloth Tags: Addiction Addiction Recovery Addiction Treatment and Program Resources doctor doctors treatment center treatment facilities treatment facility treatment options treatment programs Source Type: blogs
Signs of Opioid Use
What are the Signs of Opioid Use?
Opioids are a group of drugs derived naturally from the poppy plant, or are man-made in a laboratory, also known as synthetic opioids. Opioids are generally prescribed to individuals suffering from chronic pain, whether from surgery, a major injury or other health issues. Legally prescribed opioids include morphine, codeine, and oxycodone, while illegal opioids include heroin. It is easy to know if an individual is using opioids if they’ve been prescribed, but it is also important to know the signs of opioid use if it has crossed the line into an addiction.
Signs and Symptoms
There are m...
Source: Cliffside Malibu - December 11, 2019 Category: Addiction Authors: Jaclyn Uloth Tags: Addiction Addiction to Pharmaceuticals Painkiller opioid opioids prescription drug abuse prescription drug addiction prescription drug detox prescription drugs prescription medication signs of addiction Source Type: blogs
Opioids and Mental Health
Opioids are a group of very strong pain relievers used to relieve pain after a surgery or traumatic injury. They are much more effective than over-the-counter pain relievers, however, they are also highly addictive. People who suffer from mental health conditions are much more likely to become addicted to opioids, making it important to understand the link between opioids and mental health.
The Connection Between Addiction to Opioids and Mental Health
People with mood and anxiety disorders are twice as likely to use opioids as people without mental health disorders
They are also more than three times as likely to misuse ...
Source: Cliffside Malibu - December 11, 2019 Category: Addiction Authors: Jaclyn Uloth Tags: Addiction Addiction to Pharmaceuticals Mental Health mental health costs mental health coverage mental illness opiate addiction opiates opioid opioid crisis opioids Source Type: blogs
Signs of Opioid Withdrawal
Opioid withdrawal is one of the more uncomfortable parts of treatment, but it is one of the most important. There are many signs of opioid withdrawal, the length and severity of which can vary from person to person. However, each detox experience almost always includes strong cravings. Symptoms can be mild, such as sweating and yawning, while others can become more serious, like severe anxiety and depression.
Opioid withdrawal can look like a scary experience; one that could deter people from getting the help they need. The good news is that it doesn’t need to be fought alone, and there are resources available to make i...
Source: Cliffside Malibu - December 6, 2019 Category: Addiction Authors: Jaclyn Uloth Tags: Addiction Recovery Detox Resources for Alcohol and Drugs/Opiates drug detox medical detox medicated-assisted detox opioid opioids prescription drug detox withdrawal withdrawal symptoms Source Type: blogs
It ’s Easier to Criticize Pain Patients Than to Criticize Drug Prohibition
Jeffrey A. SingerLast week theWashington Post featured an article in the "Outlook" section by Dr. James D. Hudson, a pain management specialist, lamenting Americans ’ “Dangerous Fear of Pain, ” arguing that the efforts by doctors to make their patients “pain free” has largely contributed to the overdose crisis.Public policy towards the overdose crisis is panic-driven., Often lacking a strong basis in evidence and fueled by the media, it marks a return to the opiophobia of the 1950s and 1960s. This has led to comments about people in pain like this one by former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions at a Tampapress ...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - December 4, 2019 Category: American Health Authors: Jeffrey A. Singer Source Type: blogs
Seizing the Opportunity in America ’ s Opioid Crisis
“Perhaps everything that is terrible is, in the deepest sense, something that wants our love.” – Rilke
The overdose epidemic in the U.S. has been called “the greatest public health crisis of our time.” It’s also our greatest opportunity.
The opioid crisis is an identity crisis: it’s a challenge to how we see ourselves. Do we truly believe that we are all in this together? One answer leads us deeper into despair. The other, into a hopeful future.
It’s been said that “doing more things faster is no substitute for doing the right things.” What are the “right things,” the measures that can r...
Source: World of Psychology - November 30, 2019 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Psych Central Guest Author Tags: Addiction Publishers The Fix opioid crisis Source Type: blogs
Severe shock, obtunded, and a diagnostic prehospital ECG. Also: How did this happen?
A middle-aged woman was found down in her apartment unconscious. She was in shock with thready pulses.A prehospital ECG was recorded:Limb leads:Precordial LeadsWhat is the therapy?This is pathognomonic of hyperkalemia (I suppose it could be due to a massive overdose of a sodium channel blocking drug, maybe).Is it ventricular tachycardia (VT) due to hyperK or is it a supraventricular rhythm with hyperK? ---I don ' t think that it is possible to say for certain, and it does not matter. The rate is not fast enough to be causing shock, so if it is VT, the priority is still to treat hyperK and secondarily to cardiove...
Source: Dr. Smith's ECG Blog - November 29, 2019 Category: Cardiology Authors: Steve Smith Source Type: blogs
Not Stayin' Alive
This is not new news, but it ' s strong confirmation of earlier observations that have been somewhat controversial, and also bad news that the trend is continuing.That trend is declining life expectancy in the U.S. I ' m not linking to the full report in JAMA because it ' s incredibly wonky and behind a paywall anyway, but rather to the associated editorial, which tells you what you need to know.Before we get into the substance of this, let me explain the concept of life expectancy. I ' ll try to put this simply, but some people find it confusing. It ' s really a fictitious, though useful, construct. It isn ' t really a pr...
Source: Stayin' Alive - November 27, 2019 Category: American Health Source Type: blogs
The Human Cost of Overregulating Opioids
Jeffrey Miron andErin PartinMany people blame excessive painkiller prescriptions for the rise in opioid overdose deaths over the past two decades; and the government has responded with strict limits on how physicians prescribe opioids. Many pain patients lost access to medications with little warning and no alternative other than illicit opioids. However, arecent Policy Analysis finds that the opioid epidemic has resulted from too many restrictions on prescribing, not too few.A reader who read the PA reached out to us with his story:Your article is spot on. My adult son was prescribed several opioids at a pain clinic for d...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - November 22, 2019 Category: American Health Authors: Jeffrey Miron, Erin Partin Source Type: blogs
Am I An Opioid Addict?
Cliffside Malibu does not condone the use of the term “addict” when referring to people suffering from the disorder of addiction. However, we do understand that others still may use the term in order to find information. Many people may find themselves asking the question, “am I an opioid addict?” if they feel as if their use has spiraled out of control. There are many ways to find out if you may have become addicted to opioids, as well as ways to get help and find treatment.
How Opioid Addiction Begins
Nearly 80% of heroin users started with prescription opioids, which puts prescription drugs and pharmaceutical c...
Source: Cliffside Malibu - November 21, 2019 Category: Addiction Authors: Jaclyn Uloth Tags: Addiction Addiction to Pharmaceuticals addiction treatment opioid opioid crisis opioids pharmaceutical addiction pharmaceutical drug abuse treatment Source Type: blogs
What Is The Opioid Crisis?
The opioid crisis is known as the health crisis surrounding prescription, and nonprescription, opioid drugs. The overdose and death rates of opioids are climbing exponentially and the use of the drug is more rampant now than ever.
How Did the Opioid Crisis Begin?
In the late 1990s, pharmaceutical companies reassured the medical community that patients would not become addicted to prescription opioid pain relievers, and healthcare providers began to prescribe them at greater rates. Before long, this lead to the medications becoming misused and it became apparent that these medications were indeed highly addictive. However,...
Source: Cliffside Malibu - November 21, 2019 Category: Addiction Authors: Jaclyn Uloth Tags: Addiction Addiction to Pharmaceuticals Heroin Addiction Recovery opioid opioid crisis opioids pharmaceutical addiction pharmaceutical drug abuse treatment pharmacists Source Type: blogs
Opioid Overdose: What Happens and What to Do
The largest risks that come with using opioids are addiction and overdose. An overdose occurs when the body has received too much of a substance or a combination of substances. An opioid overdose can be fatal, which makes it important for all individuals to know the signs of one and what to do if it happens.
What Happens During an Opioid Overdose?
Opioid overdose can occur at any time, even if the opioids are being used as directed and as prescribed. Doctors can accidentally over-prescribe medications or the body can have a reaction that wasn’t expected.
Opioids are a depressant, meaning they slow down the central nervo...
Source: Cliffside Malibu - November 21, 2019 Category: Addiction Authors: Jaclyn Uloth Tags: Addiction Addiction to Pharmaceuticals Heroin Painkiller Substance Abuse drug overdose heroin addiction heroin users opiates opioid opioids prescription drug abuse prescription drug addiction prescription medication Source Type: blogs
