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

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

Alcohol and drug abuse may be genetic risk
The centres provide a stigma free venue to identify young people at risk of mental and substance abuse and can provide support, psychological care and drug and alcohol counselling, he says. "A lot of young people use drug and alcohol as a way of coping …
Read more on NEWS.com.au

High School Dropouts More Likely to Have Drug and Alcohol Abuse Problems
Many times, using and abusing drugs or alcohol is one way they get involved with other activities. Unfortunately, these dropouts suffer serious life ramifications for their choices. According to a report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health …
Read more on PR Web (press release)

Drug abuse rates spike as 9m Pakistanis identified as addicts
GCU Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Khlaeeq-ur-Rahman, Drug Free City Lahore Project Director Altaf Qamar and RFS Advisor Dr Akhyar Farrukh led the walk to the university campus to raise awareness among the youth against drug abuse.
Read more on PakistanToday.com.pk

The Unlikely Force Driving Teen Prescription Drug Addiction: Parents?
Both parents and teens have misconceptions about prescription drug use. More than one-quarter of teens assume prescription drugs are safe because a doctor prescribes them and they're readily available. One-third of teens don't see a problem with using …
Read more on Huffington Post

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!!!

What do you think? Answer below!

Study Indicates Teen Misuse and Abuse of Prescription Drugs Remains Ongoing …
Their unique program offers three different tracks: a Traditional Treatment Track, an Expressive Therapies Track, Teen Rehab Track, and a Christian Rehab Treatment Track. They believe that by utilizing a variety of therapies they can better assist …
Read more on Watch List News (press release)

Recovery Associates Drug Rehab Center Expands Services to Include …
Recovery Associates is a drug and alcohol treatment center that provides a variety of programs and services for men, women and teens struggling with chemical dependency issues. At the core of their philosophy is the belief that addiction is a treatable …
Read more on PR Web (press release)