Tag Archives: addiction

General Safety Issues, Health Issues

Drugs and Money: The Costs of Addiction (Guest Post)

Chances are that you know someone who currently struggling, or has struggled, with addiction. http://www.bestmastersincounseling.com/ has created an infographic detailing some of the statistics behind addiction, along with the costs and benefits of treatment.

The impact of addiction is shocking. From lost time at work to crime-related costs, addiction costs $600 billion per year. That number boils down to $1,800 per man, women, and child in the United States. $193 billion going to tobacco, $193 billion to illicit drugs, and $335 billion in alcohol.

And while you may think that addiction doesn’t affect you, 2 out of 3 drug users, are employed, and 1 in 12 full-time workers are using drugs regularly. Only 10 percent of individuals with substance abuse problems will seek treatment.

This infographic also details the cost of drugs like meth, cocaine, and prescription medications, along with the costs of jail time, treatment, and healthcare costs. For every $1 invested in substance abuse treatment, we save $7 in healthcare and criminal justice costs.

Feel free to like, comment, and share this infographic entitled “Drugs and Money: The Costs of Addiction” brought to you by http://www.bestmastersincounseling.com/.

 

General Safety Issues

HOW TO KEEP YOUR CHILD SAFE FROM FRIENDS WHO ARE ADDICTED TO PROHIBITED DRUGS (GUEST POST)

 Written by Kaylee Wilson; Submitted by Joyce DelRosario

There are a lot of things that parents fear, and for a child to become an addict at a young age is one of a parent’s worst nightmares. There are some things that parents can do to help deter their children from this ill fate. These things include keeping children safe from friends who are addicted to prohibited drugs. 

Addiction is something that strikes even people who may seem to have their lives completely together, and friends of children can often be involved in activities that put others at risk. This is just one of millions of reasons to develop a healthy relationship with children that include communication and trust. Yes, it is very important for your child to trust you, as you want to be able to trust them. This can help in developing communication, and knowing when they, or one of their friends may possibly be in trouble. 

Knowing Your Child, and Knowing Their Friends; Recognizing a Problem

It is not always easy to see problems when they are hidden in plain sight. This is why it is important to have communication with children. It is also important to know the type of company that they keep, and the company that the company keeps. There are warning signs for problems, which if caught in time can help your child, and their friend. 

There are many signs of use of prohibited drug use, and noticing them may help you and your child, address the problems before they escalate out of control. It is important that you do not cut the ties of communication between you and your child. This can happen by directly prohibiting contact with their friends. 

There is another approach to severing the ties to illicit drugs. It may serve you better to attempt to help your child get help for their friend/s. You can try to get in touch with the other parents to be able to aid in the intervention of the child that is in trouble. 

Working with Your Child to Understand the Damage Done by Addictions

It cannot be said enough, how important it is to be able to communicate with children. This is even more so when it comes to explaining the danger of addiction in a way that children will listen. Sometimes, it pays to be able to communicate with your child. 

There are many instances, where children became involved with illicit drug activity due to misunderstanding, and not knowing the consequences. Having a way to communicate with your child, and developing trust on both sides of your relationship  may aid in educating your child on the dangers of illicit drugs. 

There are many resources that are available to help you break the barrier of communication with your child. 

Dealing with Friends Who Are Addicted to Illicit Drugs

It may not always be easy for a child to cut ties with friends, and it is for this reason that communication can play an important role. Friends that are addicted may bring your child into a world where they do not belong. It is important that you always know where your child is, and what they are doing. 

You may not be able to completely cut ties and associations, but you can make compromises, as can your child. You can make sure that if they have to be around the friend that is addicted, it is with supervision, and you know what your child is doing. Eventually, the friend will need help, which you can help your child reach out and try to help through places, such as http://thefamilycompass.com, and get the friend the help that they may be looking for. 

About the Author:

Kaylee Wilson is a proud single mom and a professional writer. She currently contributes at http://thefamilycompass.com. The Family Compass brings together a vast collection of resources that will help families find their bearings.

General Safety Issues

ALCOHOL AWARENESS MONTH – 2012

Sponsored by the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Alcohol Awareness Month is observed during the month of April.  There are many sobering facts about the effects that alcohol and drug addiction have on individuals, as well as family, friends, and co-workers.  The cost and consequences of these habits place an enormous burden on American society, as well.  Addiction strains the healthcare system, economy, harms family life, and threatens public safety. 

Substance abuse is everywhere, regardless of gender, age, ethnic groups, and people in every tax bracket.  Alcohol kills six times more young people than all illicit drugs combined.  It is a leading factor in accidents, homicides, and suicides.  Most high school students say it is fairly easy to get alcohol.  By the time American youngsters reach the age of 18, they have seen at least 100,000 beer commercials on television. 

Here are some eye-opening facts from the NCADD:

  • Almost half of all traffic fatalities are alcohol-related.
  • Between 48% and 64% of people who die in fires have blood alcohol levels indicating intoxication.
  • Alcohol consumption has been linked with greater risk of disturbing trauma, including motor car crashes, bicycling accidents, falls, self-inflicted wounds, injuries during sports activities, injuries in recreational events, and interpersonal violence.
  • Heavy drinking contributes to illness in each of the top three causes of death: heart disease, stroke, and cancer. (And, untreated addiction is more expensive than cancer, heart disease, and diabetes combined.)
  • One-quarter of all emergency room admissions, one-third of all suicides, and more than half of all homicides and incidents of domestic violence are alcohol-related.
  • Every American adult pays nearly $1,000 per year for the damages of addiction.
  • Alcohol and drug abuse costs the American economy an estimated $276 billion per year in lost productivity, health care expenditures, crime, motor vehicle crashes and other conditions. 
  • Young people who tasted alcohol before 15 years old were at 5 times greater risk to have past alcohol dependence or abuse as compared to persons who first used alcohol at age 21 or older.
  • About 20 per cent of 8th grade students, 35 per cent of 10th grade students, and 48 per cent of 12th grade students admitted having tasted alcohol in their lives.  About one-third of these students report binge drinking (five or more drinks on a single go.)
  • About 40 per cent of high school seniors believe there’s no great risk in consuming four to five drinks almost every day.

Diagnosis and treatment of this disease (yes, it is a disease) is of the utmost importance.  Treatment can save lives and also dollars that would otherwise be spent in other areas of social services and medical care.  For every dollar spent on addiction treatment, seven dollars is saved in reduced health care costs.   Many employers offer counseling to their employees who have problems with drug or alcohol dependence.  Studies have shown that when these employees have been helped, work results showed less absenteeism, decreased problems with supervisors, as well as less incomplete work and fewer mistakes in work. 

An individual that is hooked on alcohol or drugs is not only affecting his/her life, but the lives of family, friends, and co-workers.  If family and friends can get the assistance of a trained specialist to conduct an intervention, hopefully, the individual will want to stop.   Alcohol or drugs have the ability to alter ones’ personality to the point that they are completely different than when they are sober.   If they could see how they act when they have had too much, it might help them decide to stop.

Re-read the facts above and know that there is no good reason to become addicted to anything.  Stay in control of your life for yourself and your loved ones.  Most of all, keep our future growing by ending underage drinking.  Please continue to stay tuned.  April 5th is National Alcohol Screening Day, and we have some additional  information concerning screening that describes risks for women, college students, and older drinkers.

Sources: NCADD, US Department of Health and Human Services

General Safety Issues, Health Issues

A MESSAGE ABOUT ALCOHOL AND DRUG ADDICTION RECOVERY

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Each September, National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month is sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT).  The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc., is a Planning Partner and has been a sponsor since it’s inception 22 years ago.  The observance is to educate Americans on the fact that addiction treatment and mental health services can enable those with a substance use or mental disorder to live a healthy and rewarding life.  The message of Recovery Month is that prevention works, treatment is effective, and people can and do recover.  

The vast majority of drug users are employed, and when they arrive for work, they don’t leave their problems at the door.  In 2005, there were 17.2 million illicit drug users aged 18 or older.  Seventy-five per cent of them were employed either full or part time.  Sadly, research has indicated that between 10 and 20 per cent of workers who died on the job tested positive for alcohol or other drugs.  Industries with the highest rates of drug use are the same as those at a high risk for occupational injuries, such as construction, mining, manufacturing and wholesale. 

Drug-free workplaces help improve worker safety and health and add value to American businesses.  Not only are those who abuse drugs and alcohol at risk for injury, either at work, home, or driving down the highway, they are endangering their fellow workers, families, or others on the roads.  A comprehensive drug-free workforce approach includes five components:

  1. An enforced policy.
  2. Supervisor training.
  3. Employee education.
  4. Employee assistance.
  5. Drug testing.  

One of the most significant challenges faced by NCADD and their affiliates is putting the problems of alcohol and drugs into a perspective that the general public can understand.  When alcohol is discussed along with other drugs, the general public, the media and policy makers tend to focus on the more dramatic issues of illegal drugs or just drinking and driving, as if it is the only alcohol-related problem.  

Recent results of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, more than 92% of adults aged 21 to 64 in the U.S. with alcohol problems – those that meet diagnostic criteria for either alcohol abuse disorder or alcohol dependence – do not see a need for treatment.  Through this survey, the following question was asked of those persons with alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence: “During the past 12 months, did you need treatment or counseling for your use of alcohol?”  Survey results for Alcohol Abuse: NO: 98.8%; YES: 1.2%.  Survey results for Alcohol Dependence:  NO: 92.2%; YES: 7.8%. 

Chances are we all know someone who has had or has a problem with alcohol, and won’t admit or accept that there is a need for help.  You may have heard the following: 

  • “If you had a job like mine, you’d drink, too!”
  • “The cops in this town have always been out to get me.”
  • “I don’t need help.  I can stop anytime I want to.”
  • “My husband will never admit that he has a problem, or seek help.”
  • ”It’s not that bad, I don’t drink every day and I have a job.”
  • “If you’d just get off my back, things wouldn’t be so bad.” 

Alcoholism is a chronic and progressive disease, getting help NOW and not waiting is important.  If you had heart disease, diabetes, or other health problems, you would be looking for medical treatment to help you recover.  The sooner one seeks help, the better chances for recovery.  Many individuals and family members do not seek help for different reasons.  Those who abuse their bodies with drugs and alcohol victimize their families, and if they won’t ask for help or change their ways, there are avenues of support for families or friends. 

The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that addiction is characterized by complex and intense cravings, along with compulsive behavior to satisfy those cravings.  This causes interpersonal distress to the user, family, friends and co-workers.  There are many types of recovery programs.  Certain persons may require several different types of programs, such as inpatient, outpatient counseling and support meetings.  Many times, support can be received through the employer.  With the lack of jobs in this country, those who are fortunate enough to have one should try to remain healthy, and draw on their strengths, rather than dependences. 

Source: OSHA, NIDA, NCAAD

General Safety Issues

AMERICA’S #1 HEALTH PROBLEM – ALCOHOLISM AND DRUG DEPENDENCE

Sponsored by the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Alcohol Awareness Month is observed during the month of April.  There are many sobering facts about the effects that alcohol and drug addiction have on individuals and their families and friends.  The cost and consequences of these habits place an enormous burden on American society, as well.  Addiction strains the healthcare system, economy, harms family life, and threatens public safety. 

Substance abuse is everywhere, regardless of gender, age, ethnic groups, and people in every tax bracket.  Alcohol kills six times more young people than all illicit drugs combined.  It is a leading factor in accidents, homicides, and suicides.  Most high school students say it is fairly easy to get alcohol.  By the time American youngsters reach the age of 18, they have seen at least 100,000 beer commercials on television. 

Here are some eye-opening facts from the NCADD:

  • Almost half of all traffic fatalities are alcohol-related.
  • Between 48% and 64% of people who die in fires have blood alcohol levels indicating intoxication.
  • Heavy drinking contributes to illness in each of the top three causes of death: heart disease, stroke, and cancer. (And, untreated addiction is more expensive than cancer, heart disease, and diabetes combined.)
  • One-quarter of all emergency room admissions, one-third of all suicides, and more than half of all homicides and incidents of domestic violence are alcohol-related.
  • Every American adult pays nearly $1,000 per year for the damages of addiction.
  • Alcohol and drug abuse costs the American economy an estimated $276 billion per year in lost productivity, health care expenditures, crime, motor vehicle crashes and other conditions. 

Diagnosis and treatment of this disease (yes, it is a disease) is of the utmost importance.  Treatment can save lives and also dollars that would otherwise be spent in other areas of social services and medical care.  For every dollar spent on addiction treatment, seven dollars is saved in reduced health care costs.   Many employers offer counseling to their employees who have problems with drug or alcohol dependence.  Studies have shown that when these workers  have been helped, work results showed less tardiness or absenteeism, problems with supervisors decreased, as well as less incomplete work and fewer mistakes in work. 

An individual that is hooked on alcohol or drugs is not only affecting his/her life, but the lives of family, friends, and co-workers.  If family and friends can get the assistance of a trained specialist to conduct an intervention, hopefully, the individual will want to stop.   Alcohol or drugs have the ability to alter ones’ personality to the point that they are completely different than when they are sober.   

Read the facts above  again, and know that there is no good reason to become addicted to anything.  Stay in control of your life for yourself and your loved ones.  Most of all, keep our future growing by ending underage drinking. 

Sources: NCADD, US Department of Health and Human Services