Welcome to Drug and Alcohol Treatment
| ||
Alcohol Drug Rehabilitation Centers Article
This is a selection made from among articles on Alcohol Drug Rehabilitation Centers. For a permanent link to this article, or to bookmark it for future reading, click here.
from:
Drug Detox Can Help With Prescription Drug Addiction, But Addiction Is Not Our Biggest Prescription
By Gloria B. MacTaggart
Why are so many people dying or getting ill from prescription drugs? Although some prescription drugs cause addiction and dependency that may require drug detox, and may also lead to using illegal drugs or acquiring prescription drugs illegally, many of the deaths and events are from drugs that shouldn't be killers. So, why are they causing so much trouble? The answer may be surprising.
First, let's have a look at some of the facts surrounding deaths and 'serious events' caused by prescription drugs:
* 106,000 hospital patients die every year from drugs that were properly prescribed and administered, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association. That's 10 times the number of deaths caused by illegal drugs, many of which could have been prevented with medical drug detox and, if needed, drug rehab.
* A report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academies said that medication errors and side effects account for $3.5 billion in hospital costs each year.
* About 1.5 million "adverse drug events" occur in the U.S. every year, and about one third of those are in outpatient settings such as clinics and doctors' offices, also according to the IOM. Again, it's likely that most of these events did not involve prescription drug addiction or dependency that required drug detox.
* The American Medical Association reported that drug-related problems kill as many as 198,815 people every year, put 8.8 million in hospitals, and account for up to 28% of hospital admissions.
Why is this happening? Surprisingly, one of the major problems is that patients frequently don't know what drugs they're taking.
A recent study on blood pressure medication provides a good example: Researchers at Northwestern University's Institute for Healthcare Studies studied 119 patients who were taking blood pressure medication. They were first tested for their medical literacy - simple questions to determine their ability to follow instructions on how to take the drugs and so on - then they were asked to list the drugs they take, then their lists were compared to their medical records.
The results showed that between 40 and 68% of the patients did not know the names of any of the drugs they were taking - the less literate were at 68%, the more literate were at 40%.
Additionally, when the patients were able to list their drugs and their information was compared to their medical records, only about 40% of those with inadequate medical literacy correctly identified any of the drugs in their medical records. The numbers improved for those with adequate medical literacy, but only to about 65%.
What does this all mean? As all medical records are not necessarily correct or complete, doctors often rely on patient information about the drugs they're taking. Given the wrong information, doctors can prescribe other drugs that may be harmful when taken in combination with those the patient is already taking.
If you're taking drugs that cause addiction and dependency, getting off them might be advisable: consult with a medical professional in liaison with a medical drug detox program counselor to find out. However, for other drugs, it's important to get together with your doctor - bring the actual bottles of your drugs with you to the doctor's office - to make sure the drugs you're taking are safe for you by themselves, and in combination.
Gloria is a freelance writer who contributes articles on health
contact: info@novusdetox.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gloria_B._MacTaggart
http://EzineArticles.com/?Drug-Detox-Can-Help-With-Prescription-Drug-Addiction,-But-Addiction-Is-Not-Our-Biggest-Prescription&id=946759
Alcohol Drug Rehabilitation Centers Specific links
Alcohol Drug Rehabilitation Centers News
Tailoring Treatments for Alcoholics
Some addiction experts envision a near future in which patients will be able to choose a drug that best suits them, and couple it with therapy and other tools to achieve long-term recovery.
Read more...Suncoast Rehabilitation Center Takes Narconon Drug Rehab Program To RX Drug Abuse Summit
Suncoast Rehabilitation Center took the Narconon Drug Rehab Program information to the National RX Drug Abuse Summit in Orlando where over 700 participants from around the country meet to address the prescription drug abuse epidemic.Spring Hill, FL (PRWEB) April 26, 2012 Suncoast Rehabilitation Center took their Narconon Alcohol and Drug Rehab Program information to the National RX Drug Abuse ...
Read more...ModeraXL Sets Milestone and Defies Traditional Rehabilitation Success Rates
ModeraXL (http://www.moderaxl.com), a specially formulated powder to treat addiction, succeeds with a 75% success rate.Denver, Colorado (PRWEB) May 21, 2012 ModeraXL is an all-natural powder formulated to replenish nutrients in the brain that are depleted by addiction. Use of this product by individuals addicted to smoking, alcohol or more serious drugs at The Raleigh House of Hope in Colorado ...
Read more...Rehab center security bill passes state Senate
WAWARSING — A bill designed to prevent a repeat of Richard Giga's 2010 rehab center rampage has once again passed the state Senate, but appears doomed in the Assembly.
Read more...The troubled path to painkiller addiction: Prescription drug abuse epidemic taking a toll on Central New York
Many get hooked while using the drugs to treat legitimate pain. Others get addicted after sharing, borrowing or stealing other people's prescription painkillers.
Read more...Narconon International Hosts 2012 Narconon Drug Rehab and Education Conference
Narconon International hosted its 2012 Narconon® Drug Rehab and Drug Education Conference in Tulsa, OK. Executive Directors from Narconon centers around the world gathered to celebrate expansion and coordinate future growth.Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) May 05, 2012 Narconon International hosted its 2012 Narconon Executive Directors Conference held in Tulsa, OK, April 27th - April 29th. Executive ...
Read more...Work begins on $4.5 million Lehigh County detox center
Officials tout importance of $4.5 million Salisbury Township facility that will allow about 700 patients a year to be treated closer to home. Lehigh County officials formally broke ground Monday on a new alcohol and drug detoxification center, a project that will allow about 700 patients per year to receive treatment closer to home.
Read more...Bethlehem council to consider zoning restrictions on rehab centers
Drug rehab centers would have to be at least 1,000 feet from schools, playgrounds, day cares, colleges and universities. After receiving five proposals for residential drug treatment centers in the past year, Bethlehem City Council is now considering an ordinance that would prevent those facilities from opening within 1,000 feet of a school, playground, park, day care, college or university ...
Read more...I-Team: Miracle drug for addicts?
You've probably never heard of Suboxone, but you're paying for it with your tax dollars. The addiction recovery community is split on whether the prescription painkiller is a miracle or a menace.
Read more...I-Team: You're paying to keep addicts medicated
Photographer: Brendan Keefe Copyright 2012 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Read more...