Heroin vs. Häagen-Dazs: What Food Addiction Looks Like in the Brain
These areas included the amygdala, anterior cingulate cortex and medial orbitofrontal cortex — the same regions that light up in drug addicts who are shown images of drug paraphernalia or drugs. Similar to people suffering from substance abuse, the …
Read more on TIME

Eminem says addiction to painkillers and other prescription drugs nearly …
Eminem says addiction to painkillers and other prescription drugs nearly killed him. eminem.jpg. Eminem performs at … The drug abuse landed Eminem in the hospital, with a recovery that entailed relearning motor and speech skills, according to Rolling …
Read more on Syracuse.com (blog)

GTA 5 Drug Abuse and Addiction
Unless Rockstar Games thinks they have to create artificial controversy in order to sell GTA 5, we think they will keep drugs low-key and not be an obvious part of the protagonist's or Michael's family's lifestyle or game element. Rockstar has subtly …
Read more on Society and Religion

ETSU scholars get .2M for drug abuse prevention
JOHNSON CITY (AP) – East Tennessee State University has received a more-than-$ 2.2 million grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to launch a research program aimed at battling prescription drug abuse. According to the school, a team of …
Read more on WATE-TV

PROSPER prevention programs dramatically cut substance abuse among teens
Prevention is often the best medicine, not only for physical health, but also public health, according to researchers at Penn State and Iowa State University. According to the researchers, young adults reduce their overall prescription drug misuse up …
Read more on EurekAlert (press release)

Comment: Drug abuse prevention saves lives and cuts costs
It is unacceptable for us to think that we can ignore the drug problem and it will just go away. We are a country still living in deep denial about drug use by youth. Journey believes that the three sentences destroying youth – more than any other …
Read more on Minivan News

Question by Danyel: What type of education would I need to become an RN at a substance abuse detox facility?
I am currently going to school for pre-health with a nursing concentration, until I have the requirements to apply for nursing. I would like to be able to work as an RN in a substance abuse facility. I was wondering if anyone could give me any advise as to how to go about doing this? I do not know if I will need to specialize in a certain area in order to do so or not? If anyone could help me out in regards to what to do education wise I would really appreciate it! Thanks!

Best answer:

Answer by MeMeMe
Hi,

First off, good for you for wanting to work in addiction treatment! I’m an addictions counselor and have been working in mental health (mostly suicide prevention) for 7 years and we certainly need more qualified RNs in the field. So I think you will have an easy time finding work once you’re finished with school.

As for your question… To become an RN, you need to go to nursing school. Although I’m sure you already know this. As for specializing in addiction treatment, I don’t believe there are any additional requirements, but it would be good if you have experience working with addicts or at least a greater knowledge of treating clients with addiction. So I would suggest trying to get an internship of some sort with a treatment center in your area. They may not let you do much while you’re in school, but you will be able to put it on your resume. You can learn a lot from observing how things work in treatment. The other suggestion I have would be to take some extra classes that focus on substance abuse. Drug addicts and alcoholics face a variety of special issues separate from the “normal” population you would be working with in a hospital. Most community colleges and some universities now offer programs where you can learn more about these issues. I don’t know where you live, but you may want to start looking for college programs titled “Addictions Counseling” or “Addictions Studies.” Classes you may want to take would be any type of pharmacology, a bloodborne pathogens/infectious disease class, and even alternative treatments to addiction classes. It could also help to take a few classes for addictions counselors like group therapy, individual therapy, or something similar. These will definitely help you in the future in terms of communicating with your clients.

The most important thing I would think an RN working in addiction should have to be educated about is prescription drugs of abuse. Normally when I do an intake on a client coming into treatment, they have been medically prescribed multiple addictive drugs that only contribute to and exacerbate their disease (addiction). Usually these include opiate painkillers, benzodiazepines, and other sedatives and tranquilizers. I had a client once who was on NINE different benzos which she had been on for years, all prescribed by doctors for things like insomnia, anxiety, and even hypothyroidism. This is so egregious and disgusting to me! They were killing her. She obviously had to be medically detoxed for risk of seizures and death from her meds. And needless to say, after being evaluated by our MD, she didn’t NEED any of the pills.

Anyway, I’m rambling. Just excited to see someone wanting to help in the field of addiction treatment. It is rare these days, it seems. But what a satisfying and rewarding job. Good luck to you!!!

Give your answer to this question below!

Novus Comments on Heroin Abuse Surge – Narcotic Replaces Rx Drugs
Novus Medical Detox warns the public of an increasing dilemma–after losing access to prescription drugs, many substance abusers are turning to heroin. Novus Detox says those afflicted with addiction should seek treatment now to avoid falling into …
Read more on Wall Street Journal (press release)

Report: Philip Seymour Hoffman completes detox after heroin relapse
The "Capote" Oscar-winner is said to have stayed at the detox facility for 10 days before checking out last Friday. Hoffman, 45, has struggled with substance abuse in the past but was able to stay clean for 23 years before the latest relapse. The actor …
Read more on Los Angeles Times

Detox center pursued for St. Johns County
It will serve adults and will have 16 beds, 12 of which will be for detoxification and four beds for residential treatment. Detox usually takes five to seven days. Residential treatment would take a minimum of 30 days. Medical personnel and substance …
Read more on St. Augustine Record

Clinic to help drug–addicted babies
Now, they and their families have a place to go for help. The Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome … But as prescription drug addiction took hold among a variety of people in 2008, the numbers of addicted babies, too, began to rise. In the last two to three …
Read more on Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Forum to help addicts' family members
That's why Kress wants to help other families. He will share his story and take his place alongside panelists from The Alcohol and Addiction Program, Community Mental Healthcare and Personal & Family Counseling Services Harbor House to discuss drug …
Read more on New Philadelphia Times Reporter

http://www.treatmentcentersdirectory.com/alcohol-treatment/ Alcohol Addiction (Alcoholism) – Get help for alcohol addiction now and dial our 24 hour substanc…

http://drugrehabcenter.com – Overcoming Prescription Drug Abuse – We can help you discover the best treatment options for you – call our 24-hour Toll-Free Re…
Video Rating: 5 / 5