Do you have prescription drugs at home that you don’t know how to dispose of? On April 30, in many communities across the country, you’ll have an opportunity to get rid of them safely, no questions asked.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency is sponsoring a national program called prescription drugs the National Take Back Initiative that allows people all over the country to find a place in their community where unneeded prescription drugs can be dropped off, eliminating the possibility that someone will use them illicitly.

Los Angeles, for example, has more than a dozen drop off locations. There are more than 20 locations within 50 miles of downtown Chicago. A smaller metropolitan area like Tulsa, Oklahoma has three locations. The DEA continues to work with local law enforcement agencies to establish more locations.

Narconon spokesperson Bobby Wiggins encouraged every household to search their medicine chests or drawers for unneeded prescription drugs and take the opportunity to dispose of them. “In this country, more than 2,500 children abuse a prescription drug for the first time each day. Nearly three-quarters of them obtained the drug from friends or family. And many of these kids are taking them from their own home or finding them at a friend’s home. It is far too easy for children to get their hands on unsecured prescriptions. The safest way to handle old prescriptions is to get them safely out of the home.” Narconon is an international non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating substance abuse and addiction through effective drug rehabilitation and drug education.

Prescription drug abuse among the young is so pervasive than one out of five teens has abused Vicodin, an addictive painkiller. One in ten has abused OxyContin, another addictive pain reliever, and one in ten has illicitly tried the stimulants Ritalin or Adderall, prescribed for ADHD, and nearly that many have used cough medicine to get high.

For more information about Narconon and its drug rehabilitation programs, vistit www.narconon-news.org.

References:

• http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback/index.html
• http://www.samhsa.gov/SAMHSA_News/VolumeXVI_1/article10.htm
• www.health.state.ny.us/publications/1021.pdf

In 2009, 6900 metric tons (mt) of opium were produced compared to 2010′s 3600 mt. At the same time, the price per kilogram rose from US$64 to US$169. Therefore, ironically, opium farmers actually made considerably more in 2010 for each hectare used to grow poppies. In 2009: US$3600. In 2010: US$4900.

Incidentally, the income from a hectare of wheat decreased in the same time period, from US$1200 to US$710.

The fact that Afghan farmers can make far more money growing opium than they can growing a legitimate crop like wheat means that many more people will be encouraged to change their crops. Thus basic human needs and financial forces end up contributing to the amount of heroin that circulates around the world.

Afghanistan is the world’s largest producer of heroin. Most of its supply makes its way into Russia and Western Europe with smaller amounts traveling to Australia and Africa. In fact, 90 percent of Russia’s annual consumption of 35 mt of heroin for its 2.5 million addicts travels from Afghanistan through the porous borders of Tajikistan and Kazakhstan on its way to Moscow, St. Petersburg and other points.

When addicts can quit using heroin, the demand will drop and this will drop the price. Simple finances can, ultimately, reduce the amount of drugs being trafficked. But addicts must have hope of a true recovery. That means drug rehabilitation centers that truly reduce cravings and don’t just substitute one drug for another.

This article was brought to you by Narconon International. Narconon is an international organization dedicated to eliminating addiction through drug and alcohol rehabilitation and drug education.

In many drug rehabs, medical staff prescribe methadone or buprenorphine to prevent opiate withdrawal pain and sickness. But the Narconon drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers located around the world provide a healthier, more comfortable method of withdrawal. Using nutritional supplements, physical relaxation processes and one-on-one support, opiate addicts at a Narconon center experience a far more tolerable withdrawal process than they may have gone through previously. This step is followed by a thorough detoxification process employing a dry-heat sauna. For many addicts, these two beginning phases of the Narconon drug recovery program provide real hope of lasting sobriety.

For more information about the Narconon drug rehab program, visit www.narconon-news.org.

In 2004, the Bureau found that more than one in five criminals in jail said they had committed the crime they were convicted of to get money for drugs. Property crimes ran higher, from 25 to 30 percent. Each year, between 4 and 7 percent of homicides, or close to 600, are related to drug use. And in 2007, a survey of victims of violence felt that their attacker had been on drugs or alcohol in about a quarter of the attacks.

In states where methaphetamine use is rampant, child abuse and domestic violence also tends to be high. Montana authorities reported that drug use was a factor in 66 percent of all foster care placements, and in the vast majority of cases, the drug involved was methamphetamine. In Pinellas County, Florida, a sheriff’s deputy estimated that his workload would drop 60 percent if there were no drugs or alcohol being abused.

We don’t have to get into an argument about whether or not drugs or alcohol abuse cause crime. Narconon is an international organization that is dedicated to preventing drugs abuse and addiction and rehabilitation those who have become addicted. The truth is that if drug addiction and alcohol abuse were eliminated from the scene, crime figures would drop.

Drug-related crimes are classified in three categories:
Use-related crimes that result from drug-impaired individuals committing crimes because of the effects that the drugs (or alcohol) have on their behavior and judgment. For example, the hit and run driver or the hopped-up person who attacks another with a knife because he imagines some danger.
Economic-related crimes or crimes to get the money for a drug habit, including theft and prostitution.
System-related crime which are crimes resulting from the manufacture, distribution and sales of drugs and the violence associated with these acts.

Drug abuse and long-term or heavy alcohol use have such a damaging effect on a person’s personality and judgment. Many people find themselves committing crimes or immoral actions in the course of their addiction that they never would have committed before. That’s why the Narconon program includes a number of actions that help a recovering addict recover his or her self-esteem and senses of morals, personal values and integrity.

On the Narconon drug and alcohol rehabilitation program, each recovering addict learns to face the damage he or she has done to their relationships, careers and communities. As the addiction is replaced by a productive life, many of those who have recovered look for and find ways to give back to those who were damaged by the years of addiction.

Narconon centers around the world also offer drug education classes to students and young adults to help keep them from needing drug recovery programs in the future.

The prevention and treatment of addiction are an essential part of lowering crime and creating a world that is safer for all of us.

For more information on the Narconon drug and alcohol rehabilitation program or their drug education curriculum, visit www.narconon.org

They probably don’t know about the numbers.

In 2002, there were nearly 4.4 million people abusing prescription pain relievers, the number one class of prescription drug abused. By 2009, nearly a million people had been added to this list. In that same time span, the number of people being treated for pain reliever addiction more than doubled, climbing nearly to three-quarters of a million. Nearly twice that needed treatment for their addictions to oxycodone, hydrocodone, fentanyl, codeine, Ritalin, benzodiazapines, Soma or a long list of other prescription drugs.

“Plenty of kids hear about the dangers of smoking marijuana or using cocaine, but parents may think that prescription drugs are safely locked up,” explained Bobby Wiggins, Narconon® Drug Prevention Specialist. Narconon is an international organization dedicated to helping overcome addiction and to educating young people on the dangers of drugs and addiction.

“Many young people start abusing drugs by getting them from someone they know,” said Wiggins. “Maybe it starts with a friend, a relative who gives them some or sells them, or the young person may just steal a few if they think they can get away with it. In short, it’s not that hard if a person really wants it. But it can be plenty hard to quit if the person decides they’ve had enough.”

Parents may overlook explaining to their children that a drug like OxyContin can be very quickly addictive and for some, can be harder to withdraw from than heroin. And because children probably know adults who take prescription drugs such as Xanax and Prozac, it may not seem dangerous for them to take these drugs out for a test drive.

By 2010, prescription drug abuse had pervaded America. The University of Michigan reported that 10 percent of high school seniors were abusing painkillers. In New Hampshire, deaths from overdoses quadrupled between 1999 and 2007. In a small county in Central Florida, accidental overdoses of prescription drugs doubled in one year, going from 21 to 42.

“Parents should make time to explain that prescription drug use is only safe when it’s done under the supervision of a doctor and then only as prescribed,” added Wiggins. “A parent could research the effects of these drugs with their children. When a child learns that OxyContin withdrawals are described as ‘the worst flu you ever had with vomiting and diarrhea that goes on for 10 to 14 days,’ they might think twice about using the drug recreationally. A little communication can go a long way with a child who would otherwise only hear that someone they knew was having fun using these drugs.”

At Narconon centers in forty countries around the world, people are learning to leave addiction behind as they build a new productive life to replace the one that was destroyed by addiction. Every year, Narconon volunteers educate tens of thousands of children why they should choose a drug-free life for themselves. For more information, visit www.narconon-news.org.

You can also visit one of our Narconon drug rehab center’s website.

Ex-Meth Addict’s Life Saved by Narconon Drug Rehab in Georgia: Today Jason is very much alive and celebrates his fourth anniversary clean on May 28th, thanks, his mother says, to the Narconon facility in Georgia.

Four years ago Jason was facing possible prison time for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and obtaining property by false pretense – crimes which were addiction driven. Jason’s fourteen year drug abuse started with pot and pills and had escalated to cocaine and methamphetamine. It had gotten to the point where Jason was making and selling 1-2 kilos of methamphetamine a week before he found his way to treatment.

Susan started drinking at thirteen. She and her friends would steal beer from her parents and sneak into hiding places to drink it. They thought then they were having fun but as they grew older they out grew this prankish behavior. Susan didn’t. In high school she started stealing the stronger stuff – vodka and whiskey. Soon there wasn’t enough liquor at her parents’ house to satisfy Susan’s appetite, so she learned how to talk strangers into buying her liquor. Susan remembers once paying a trucker twenty dollars to buy her vodka.

According to a recent study published by the UK Drug Policy Commission, at least 1.5 million UK adults caring for relatives with drug problems, bear a huge hidden burden estimated at a cost of at least £1.8 Billion.

Drug rehab treatment news | Narconon-News.org | Narconon reports on the drug addiction scene around the world

Rehabilitation for Opiate Addiction Without Maintenance Drugs: The Narconon program provides successful drug-free rehabilitation for people addicted to heroin, oxycodone and other opiates without putting them on methadone or buprenorphine. Narconon has over 140 groups and centers in dozens of countries throughout the world, with many facilities from coast to coast in the United States. The overall success of the program in returning people to becoming responsible, ethical and productive citizens has led to continued growth, which is spearheaded by the Narconon International office in Los Angeles.

Narconon Arrowhead Presents McAlester Walmart with Corporate Sponsorship Award: Narconon Arrowhead’s Director of Drug Prevention, John Bitinas, and Drug Prevention Specialist, Lancer Benson, presented the Corporate Sponsorship Award to McAlester Oklahoma’s Walmart store #151. The award for supporting drug education and prevention was received by Bob Morris, the store manager and the Walmart Management Team, during their morning meeting on February 1, 2010.

Narconon Offers Drug Education Lectures to Schools: Narconon is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to provide successful drug rehabilitation as well as education and prevention information. One of the services offered by Narconon East US is drug prevention and education lectures to schools, businesses and community groups.

Narconon Drug Rehab Addresses Addicts Responsibility: The Narconon program turns out graduates who are far more moral and as a result more successful in life. Parents and parenting are needed now more than ever in today’s society. But where there has been trouble on this line between parent and child, The Way to Happiness as taught to Narconon students can go far to improving the relationship.

Cocaine Abuse On The Rise: Mary Rieser of Narconon of Georgia has declared, “With such an alarming trend, I am asking all people with family and friends who are known cocaine users to seek drug rehab and find help for their loved ones. Our youth is our future, and we won’t have one if we don’t educate our young people on the dangers of even using a small amount of the drug.”

Heroin Abuse Troubling Consequence of Economic Hardship: Narconon of Georgia provides effect treatment for Heroin Addiction. Narconon is a non-profit network of addiction treatment centers which provide holistic approach to drug rehabilitation.

War on Drugs Will be Handled with Rehabilitation: The demand for drugs is growing and the U.S. is first in line. Until people enroll in an effective drug rehab, like Narconon Louisiana the war on drugs is a battle we will all lose. Drugs like cocaine, marijuana and heroin are the main imports from Mexico. In the U.S. alone, 22 million people have reported to using cocaine at least once in their lives. These staggering numbers only prove how vital rehab is. Narconon Louisiana is a long-term inpatient facility that allows people to permanently get off drugs and/or alcohol…

Narconon Florida Successfully Handling Drug Addiction for 10 Years: Narconon Florida is a outpatient treatment center that uses the Narconon drug rehabilitation technology to solve addiction. The staff at Narconon Florida have 10 years of experience in handling and salvaging addicts from drug addiction.

Drug treatment info and news | Narconon-News.org | Narconon Report on substance abuse