Mental Illness Survey Asks Novel Questions

Even though World Mental Health Day and Mental Illness Awareness Week 2018 is behind us, it doesn’t mean that efforts to encourage more people to seek treatment come to an end. Observances do much good in the way of raising awareness, but the quest for developing more effective evidence-based therapies of addiction and other forms of mental illness is a must.

As we pointed out earlier this month, 1 in 5 Americans lives with mental illness, and at least 20.2 million adults in the U.S. are living with a substance use disorder. The creation of new, more effective therapies rightly hinges on extensive research. Study after study informs the latest advancements in a field that can only be described as complex, dealing with conditions that are both frustrating and deadly.

While scientists are usually responsible for dictating the terms of surveys and peer-reviewed studies, calling for participation from those dealing with mental health conditions, a new project is asking for such people’s advice in guiding future research.

What Should Mental Health Research Focus On?

The Milken Institute and the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance created a new survey that asks an original question to people living with mental illness, STAT News reports. Thus far, more than 5,600 people have submitted answers to the query:

“What questions about your health and experience with depression or bipolar disorder would you most like research to help you answer?” 

One of the project managers, Cara Altimus, an associate director at the Milken Institute Center for Strategic Philanthropy, says that the responses are vital to guiding research and medication development, according to the article. The researchers presented their preliminary findings at the Milken Institute Future of Health Summit in Washington, this week.

“The entire field is moving toward listening to people and finding out what they want,” said Dr. Ken Duckworth, the medical director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. “Designing research studies, we should involve the patients quite directly.”

A final report on the survey could be available sometime early next year.

 

Co-Occurring Disorder Treatment

Celebrate Hope can help any adult that is struggling with addiction or co-occurring mental illness. Please reach out to us to learn more about our programs. Celebrate Hope is a faith-based addiction recovery track at Hope By The Sea.

Saturday, October 27, 2018, 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM, Americans are invited to dispose of their unused and unwanted prescription drugs at any one the DEA collection sites during National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. 

No Safe Amount of Alcohol

There are many myths about alcohol use that people hold on to despite the science. Occasionally, the media covers stories about the potential health benefits of drinking moderate amounts of alcohol; which undoubtedly adds to the confusion of the general public. Headlines reading that wine promotes a healthy heart is just one of many fictions promulgated by news networks.

Researchers across the globe work tirelessly to glean a more concise picture of the effect that alcohol has on the human body. While there is little doubt about prolonged heavy alcohol use leading to myriad health concerns, there is still a small number of scientists who argue that moderate drinking carries few risks in the long run. However, research teams continue to make associations between alcohol use in any amount and potentially life-threatening health conditions.

Any action a person can take – whether it be driving or walking next to a busy road – can lead to injury. There is an element of risk to everything we do in life. Alcohol is terrible for people to be sure, but no amount of scientific evidence is going to result in banning the substance or the majority of people choosing to abstain. The best we can hope for is that science helps Americans and people abroad to make informed decisions about using the substance. It is of the utmost importance that everyone knows that there is no such thing as a safe amount of alcohol.

 

Alcohol Isn’t Good for Overall Health

At Celebrate Hope, we treat clients whose alcohol use is more substantial than average; people whose use negatively impacts their life to a pernicious degree. Beyond meeting the criteria for alcohol use disorder, some of our former clients have severe health conditions stemming from alcohol use like liver diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and even cancer. Merely put, alcohol isn’t just destroying such peoples’ lives, it is severely damaging their body.

Naturally, your average drinker doesn’t meet the criteria for alcoholism, nor do they experience all the pain and suffering that accompanies the condition. Most people have a couple of drinks each night after work or during the weekend; they probably are not thinking about the possible physical problems that can arise from their moderate alcohol use. It is essential that we discuss a new analysis of global alcohol consumption and disease risk.

New research, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, from an analysis of the 2016 Global Burden of Disease report, shows that no amount of alcohol is safe, CNN reports. The findings which appear in the journal The Lancet, indicate that alcohol was the leading risk factor for disease and premature death for people between the ages of 15 and 49 worldwide in 2016, regardless of sex.

"The most surprising finding was that even small amounts of alcohol use contribute to health loss globally," said senior study author Emmanuela Gakidou, a professor at the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. "We're used to hearing that a drink or two a day is fine. But the evidence is the evidence." 

Gakidou points out that while moderate amounts of alcohol may be slightly beneficial for some health problems, i.e., Type 2 diabetes and ischemic heart disease, the benefits are outweighed by the overall adverse health impact of any amount of alcohol, according to the article. This state-of-the-art study is likely to fly in the face of many previous studies on moderate drinking.

"This study is a stark reminder of the real, and potentially lethal, dangers that too much alcohol can have on our health and that even the lowest levels of alcohol intake increase our risks," Helen Stokes-Lampard, chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners in the UK.

 

Alcohol Use Disorder Treatment

Please reach out to Celebrate Hope if alcohol is wreaking havoc on your life or that of a loved one. We can help you break the cycle of alcohol addiction and give you the tools and coping mechanisms for leading an alcohol-free life in recovery.

Drinking Too Much Alcohol in America

Addiction is challenging to recover from, particularly when your drug of choice is accessible just about anywhere. Such is the case for a substance that is legal, pervasive, addictive, and harmful to one’s health. Each year, over 88,000 Americans to lose their life to alcohol-related causes; and, more than 15 million adults meet the criteria for an alcohol use disorder.

One of the concerning facets of alcohol use is the fact that many people are not aware that the way they drink is problematic. A lot of people gauge their relationship with alcohol, good or bad, on the way they see their peers drink. People shouldn't form impressions on their use based on what they see with others. What ends up happening, much of the time, is that men and women keep drinking in harmful ways for great lengths of time; dependency, alcohol use disorder, and physical harm is often the result.

Alcohol is ubiquitous and harmful drinking is pervasive in the U.S. It is unlikely that alcohol will ever be replaced as the go to substance for both times of happiness and sadness. With that in mind, we must do everything that we can to educate people about the costs of prolonged, habitual drinking patterns. In every sense, this a matter of life and death.

 

Nearly Half of Imbibing Adults, Drink Too Much

Young adulthood is typically a time of excess; once children leave home to begin writing their story, they find themselves no longer bound by restrictions. Young adults can make decisions for themselves, including how much or how often they consume alcohol. Many such individuals indulge in their newfound freedoms; in some ways, we can expect that those embracing their twenties will consume copious amounts of liquor and beer. For some, for most for that matter, will let up on frivolous drinking as they get older and settle in with the responsibilities of life, i.e., career and family. But, and for a not small number of men and women, alcohol ends up playing a significant role in their life.

New research suggests that nearly half of the adults in America who drink alcohol, consume too much and they do so for many years, Science Daily reports. Researchers from Boston University School of Public Health found that about 40 percent of U.S. adult drinkers drink in potentially dangerous ways. What’s more, the research shows that 73 percent of high-risk drinkers were continuing to imbibe perilously two to four years later; and 15 percent of non-risky drinkers started drinking harmfully by the end of the research period. The findings of the BU study appear in the Journal of Substance Use.

"Some people just stop drinking too much, but most continue for years, and others not drinking too much will begin doing so during adulthood," says lead author Richard Saitz, professor of community health sciences at BUSPH. "Public health and clinical messages need repeating, particularly in young adulthood. Once is not enough."

Without intervention people are likely to keep drinking in harmful ways, Saitz adds; and, he says that more must be done to interrupt at-risk drinking patterns, according to the article. As an aside, it’s worth mentioning that research appearing in the British Medical Journal this week shows that since 1999, deaths from cirrhosis of the liver rose roughly 65 percent in the U.S. Such deaths are increasing 10 percent a year among Americans ages 25 to 34.

 

Alcohol Use Disorder Treatment

Harmful drinking patterns can, and often do, result in the development of alcohol use disorder. Without treatment and a program of recovery, the outcome of excessive alcohol use is never promising. If drinking is severely impacting your life, please contact Celebrate Hope at Hope By The Sea to begin a journey of lasting addiction recovery.

Alcohol Use Disorder Medications

Alcohol use disorder may not steal as many headlines as opioid use disorder, but the condition is even more deadly. To be clear, any form of addiction requires treatment and a program of recovery; and, in a perfect world, all types of mental illness would receive the attention they deserve. With that in mind, there exists a dire need to develop methods for helping alcoholics abstain from alcohol. While treatment works, and recovery is possible, the risk of relapse is expressly high for multiple reasons; a primary factor being that alcohol is exponentially more pervasive than other addictive substances.

A heroin addict who finds recovery has a pretty good shot at never coming into contact with the substance again provided however that they stay out of environments where the drug is used. Given the legal standing of heroin, it is unlikely in most cases a person will attend a family gathering and see people using the drug; the same cannot be said for alcohol, and whenever a person is close to the substance, cravings are likely to develop. In early recovery, cravings are too much for some people to contend with and a decision might be made to use again.

Beer, wine, and liquor are everywhere! It is challenging to go anywhere, be it a grocery store or a sporting event, and not run into the substance. Unless someone's program is particularly strong, exposure can trigger cravings and cravings can trigger a relapse. While there are a few medications that individuals can turn to, to keep urges at bay or cause sickness if one drinks, none of the available medicines are ideal. Since abstinence is the goal and relapse rates are notably high, researchers are working tirelessly to find a means of keeping cravings for alcohol to a minimum.

Alcohol Use Disorder Medication

Each year, some 88,000 Americans die of alcohol-related causes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); alcohol's death toll significantly surpasses that of opioids. A professor from the University of Rhode Island College of Pharmacy is working to find a medication that can help people recover from alcohol abuse, according to a URI press release. With the help of a $1.65 million federal grant, Professor Fatemeh Akhlaghi, the Ernest Mario Distinguished Chair in Pharmaceutics, is testing a Pfizer drug initially developed to treat obesity and diabetes.

The research centers on a drug that targets ghrelin, a peptide that stimulates appetite and food intake, the article reports. Individuals with higher concentrations of ghrelin are found to have more significant cravings and consume more alcohol. A preliminary study, appearing in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, involving 12 patients using a ghrelin-blocking drug to help curb cravings for alcohol shows excellent promise. A larger placebo-controlled clinical trial is underway to determine the drug's efficacy.

"The drugs that are available to treat alcohol use disorder either came from opioids or other drugs that make you have an aversive effect if you drink, and each of them has only small effects," Akhlaghi said. "The study with the 12 patients shows potential success, although the results are clearly very preliminary and in need for replication. In the new phase, we are looking at the efficacy of the drug. We cannot say this is a cure; we can say it is a promising therapy."

Alcohol Use Disorder Treatment

Please contact Celebrate Drug Rehab if you or a loved one has an alcohol use disorder. Addiction recovery is possible! Help is needed. Support is available. Call Today! (800) 708-3173

Alcohol Industry Funds NIAAA Research

People working in the field of addiction understand that there isn’t any safe amount of alcohol for those in recovery. One beer quickly leads to another, and the cycle of addiction continues. Everyone working a program tries various ways to moderate their drinking before concluding that they need help; there isn’t a cure for mental illness, any attempt to curb use on your own will find you right back where you started.

Alcohol is an exceptionally caustic substance. Even if booze weren't addictive, those who drink too much of it are at significant risk of adverse effects on their health. A large percentage of people who choose treatment have conditions relating to their heart, liver, and pancreas. It can be easy to think that only alcoholics experience health problems relating to alcohol use. The truth is, addiction isn't a prerequisite for experiencing alcohol-related illness. Which, begs the question, is there any amount of alcohol that is safe to imbibe? Of course, in regard to addicts and people with alcohol use disorders, the answer is, no! What about your average adult that doesn’t have a problem with the substance? The latter question is much harder to answer, for several reasons.

With each year that passes, it seems like researchers discover a new way in which alcohol wreaks havoc on the human body. It’s highly likely that you have read headlines saying that a little wine is good for your heart, and the like. Doctors throughout modern history have gotten behind pseudoscience to support the idea that drinking can be useful for both mind and body. Some physicians and scientists, whatever their reasons, propagate ideas that can harm rather than help uninformed people.

 

Big Alcohol Wants People to Drink More

The global alcohol industry is a multibillion-dollar affair, controlled by just a few mega-conglomerates. The more people drink, the more money companies like Ab InBev rake in annually. Naturally, significant purveyors of alcohol know that they are peddling a substance that can cause severe harm; so, it makes sense that they would love to see scientists publish research that supports the idea that some alcohol is good for the drinker. What better way to go about realizing that goal than funding said research?

You’d probably think that it would be the alcohol industry requesting researchers to focus on proving that some amounts of alcohol are safe; however, a new expose shows the opposite. The New York Times reveals that the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), an agency that has long been at odds with big alcohol, successfully solicited alcohol industry executives to fund their research. With the help of millions of dollars from five alcohol companies, NIAAA researchers are conducting a controlled trial to see if moderate drinking reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease. The agency says the test “represents a unique opportunity to show that moderate alcohol consumption is safe and lowers risk of common diseases.” As you can imagine, medical professionals and scientists are not impressed with the newfound kinship.

The NIAAA study “is not public health research — it’s marketing,” Michael Siegel, a professor of community health sciences at Boston University School of Public Health, told Times reporter Roni Caryn Rabin. An investigation is underway to get to the bottom of what currently appears to be a scandal.

 

Alcohol Use Disorder Recovery

If alcohol has made your life unmanageable, please contact Celebrate Hope at Hope by the Sea. Our experienced staff of addiction professionals can help you begin the life-changing journey of addiction recovery.

Methamphetamine Induced Stroke Among Young People

Verily, there isn’t a narcotic without inherent risks. Each of us knows this to be true. Even if you have never been touched by addiction, you know someone whose life was turned upside down by substance misuse. Untreated substance abuse will ultimately end with institutions and premature death. That does not need to be the case though. There is treatment available to those who would seek it, but most will never get the chance. However, if you are reading this it means that you still can find recovery.

These days we seem to give almost exclusive attention to prescription opioids, heroin and synthetics like fentanyl or carfentanil. And for good reason, the epidemic we have been confronting for nearly two decades is like nothing we have ever faced before. Over a hundred Americans lose their lives every day from overdose. The government has declared a state of emergency, with lawmakers and health experts being confounded over what to do about it. But, the essential solution (which has been under-utilized) is providing greater access to treatment. Better educating doctors and patients about the dangers of opioids to prevent future use disorders and potential overdoses. Because at the end of the day, ours is a problem of addiction. Preventing it, and treating the disease will save lives.

When focusing on the opioid addiction epidemic we must not take our eye off some of the other narcotics both ruining and taking lives. In many ways, like the somnolence typified by opioid use, the epidemic has put us in a state of sleepiness regarding other substances. You know, not too long ago all the talk was about methamphetamine. Once called the most deadly and pernicious substance being abused by Americans. But a combination of numerous factors caused many Americans to think that the tide of the meth epidemic had been stemmed. Which makes sense, after all everyone was talking about meth — then they weren’t. So, meth must not be a problem anymore, right?

 

Meth Hasn’t Gone Anywhere, We Stopped Talking About It

Not for nothing, addiction has been around forever. But when it takes people’s lives in overwhelming numbers at young ages, people seem to give it more credence. Such was the case with opioids. As the death toll continued to mount with each year that passed, we were all forced to confront the opioid epidemic. Especially when people from nearly every demographic are dying every day. Unfortunately, while we were all focusing on opioids, cocaine and methamphetamine use continued and increased with few taking notice. Perhaps some new research will cause people to divert their attention from opioids for a moment.

A review of research, published online in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, indicates a heightened risk of stroke among young people who use meth, BMJ reports. This is concerning considering that methamphetamine use is on the rise, especially in North America. Methamphetamine can be swallowed, inhaled, or injected. Swallowing and injecting meth was associated with Haemorrhagic strokes (bleed into the brain) risks. Whereas, inhalation was linked to ischaemic stroke (caused by a clot).

“With the use of methamphetamine increasing, particularly more potent forms, there is a growing burden of methamphetamine related disease and harms, particularly among young people, in whom the majority of methamphetamine use occurs,” the researchers wrote. “Indeed, it is likely that methamphetamine abuse is making a disproportionate contribution to the increased incidence of stroke among young people observed over recent years.”

 

Methamphetamine Treatment

Meth addiction, as you can see, can lead to premature death. It may not be as common as opioid overdose, but worth everyone's focus. This is not just a drug that makes people “hyper” and rots out one’s teeth. The caustic effect it has on the human body can be fatal. If you are addicted to methamphetamine, please contact Celebrate Hope at Hope by The Sea to discuss treatment options. Recovery will save your life.

Heroin: Educating Young People

The most recent Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey had promising results regarding young people using drugs and alcohol. When it comes to opioid narcotics, such as prescription painkillers and heroin, teenagers are using them at fairly low rates. In fact, heroin use (intravenous) rates among high school seniors was remarkably low at 0.3 percent in 2016, even though we are in the midst of an epidemic. Teenage use of prescription opioids seemed to be declining as well. All good news!

Considering the MTF findings, it is vital that young people continue to be given the message about the dangers of opioid narcotics; because the trends seen among high school age students are not mirrored in young adults. New research from Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health found that Americans using heroin has jumped by an exponential of five over the last ten years, according to a press release from the university. What’s more, the most drastic increases in heroin use and abuse was among:

• Young Adults
• Males
• Whites

"In 2001 to 2002, whites and non-whites reported similar prevalence of heroin use. However, in 2012-2013, increases in heroin and related disorders were particularly prominent among whites, leading to a significant race gap in lifetime heroin use by 2013," said Silvia Martins, MD, PhD, associate professor of Epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health.

The findings, published in JAMA Psychiatry indicated that people with low incomes and no more than a high school education were at a heightened risk. So, it is vital that young people are educated in high school about the insidious nature of opioid addiction. Across the country, many public high schools have begun to place a greater focus on opioids.

"Our results underscore the need to expand educational programs on the harms related to heroin use and access to treatment in populations at increased risk," said Dr. Martins. "Promising examples of prevention and intervention efforts include expansion of access to medication-assisted treatment -- methadone, buprenorphine or injectable naltrexone -- as well as educational campaigns in schools and community settings, and consistent use of prescription drug monitoring programs." 

In the states hardest hit by the opioid addiction epidemic, lawmakers are thinking about mandatory opioid abuse education in public schools, The Washington Post reports. Michigan, ­Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and South Carolina are all considering legislation that would include some form of opioid education in public schools throughout their states. Such programs could deter use both in high school, and later into young adulthood.

If you are one of the many young adults in this country struggling with opioid use disorder, then you are likely aware of the deadly nature of such drugs. Overdose is rarely a question of “if,” but rather a question of “when.” Please contact Celebrate Hope at Hope by The Sea to begin the lifesaving journey of addiction recovery.

Side Note: Today is World Health Day. We would like to encourage all of our readers to take a part in ending the stigma of mental illness, in order to help people seek help and recover. Stigma hurts us all, putting an end to it could help countless individuals around the world. You can find more information here.

Ocean Holds Opioid Alternatives

In the United States, we are in desperate need of opioid alternatives when it comes to the treatment of pain. It is fair to say that the problems we face with opioid addiction today, would not be so severe if opioid painkillers were not so effective. Calls to look for alternative forms of pain management have been loud in recent years, yet physicians may be scratching their heads about what to prescribe instead. Unfortunately, many pain sufferers do not respond to meditation and acupuncture. And frankly, severe pain can require the use of powerful opioids.

Those tasked with developing opioid alternatives for pain relief are researchers at any one of a number of colleges/universities around the country. But effective research requires large teams working thousands of hours. The point being, finding opioid alternatives could take years to accomplish—when we need solutions now. Nevertheless, researchers trudge sedulously to find such alternatives, sometimes looking for answers in the strangest of places.

A number of medications currently used today have their origins in the tropical rain forests of the world. But when it comes to pain management, new options may be residing in the deep blue sea. Meet Conus regius, a species of sea snail that is both predatory and venomous.

Conus regius (Credit: Zsnapper)

Researchers at the University of Utah have isolated a compound from the snail's venom that acts on a pain pathway different from the pathway targeted by opioid painkillers, GEN reports. The compound, RgIA4, was successful at blocking alpha9alpha10 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR) pain pathway receptors in rodent models. The research was published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.

"RgIA4 works by an entirely new pathway, which opens the door for new opportunities to treat pain," said J. Michael McIntosh, M.D., professor of psychiatry at the University of Utah Health Sciences. "We feel that drugs that work by this pathway may reduce the burden of opioid use." 

The Conus regius sea snail could be vital for the development of new painkillers that do not carry the same risks as opioids. What’s more, while RgIA4 works its way through the body in only 4 hours, the pain-relieving effects of the compound were still working 72 hours after the injection, according to the article. Dr. McIntosh points out that the majority of painkillers used today are not sufficient in addressing chronic pain. Better alternatives may be found in the ocean. Really exciting stuff.

“Nature has evolved molecules that are extremely sophisticated and can have unexpected applications," says Baldomera Olivera, Ph.D., professor in biology at the University of Utah. "We were interested in using venoms to understand different pathways in the nervous system."

Treating Cocaine Addiction

Despite the fact that the main focus regarding addiction these days is centered upon opioid use disorder, a form of addiction involving prescription painkillers and heroin, many Americans continue to regularly abuse cocaine. It is often the case that both opioids and cocaine are used in conjunction, as addicts attempt to maintain a delicate balance between the downing effects of opioids and the upper effects of cocaine. A practice commonly referred to as “speedballing.” You may be aware of the fact that a number of notable celebrities have lost their lives due to speedballs, such as John Belushi.

When cocaine is used on its own, the chances of an overdose are significantly less than that of opioids. Drugs in the opioid family cause severe respiratory depression which can easily lead to death. Part the reason that opioid addiction has garnered the attention of mainstream media to the degree that it has is the result of how deadly that form of drug can be. But rest assured, cocaine addiction can severely impact the course of one’s life, and without treatment it can be extremely difficult to find recovery.

Unlike opioid addiction, there are currently no accepted drugs to help people get off, and stay off, of cocaine. There isn’t a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) drug to treat cocaine addiction. However, new research suggests that blocking certain brain-cell receptors, specifically a receptor referred to as the TrkB, could reverse signs of cocaine dependency, ScienceDaily reports. The findings were published in the Journal of Neuroscience.

"I think this study could help revive the idea of targeting TrkB signaling to treat addiction," said The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) biologist Candice Contet, senior author of the study. 

While blocking the TrkB has not been tested on humans, the technique showed great promise in rat models, according to the article. The researchers found that rats that learned to self-administer cocaine infusions, reduced their use of cocaine markedly when the TrkB blocker was given to them—exhibiting decreased signs of dependence. The findings are extremely important, especially when you consider that over 2 million Americans abuse cocaine.

People struggling with addiction may not be able to admit their need for help. If your cocaine problem is affecting your marriage, parenting, employment, friendships, finances, and spirituality, it’s time to call Celebrate Hope’s Christian addiction treatment center.

Genetic Underpinnings of Alcoholism

Addiction is a complex disease that few understand, and one that no one may ever understand completely. What is well understood is what can happen if the disease of addiction is left untreated—jails, institutions and death. Alcohol continues to be the most commonly abused mind altering substance, and is the fourth leading preventable cause of death in the United States, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).

People often muse over why do some people become addicted to alcohol, while others do not? Naturally, the answer to that question involves a number of different factors, from genetics, brain chemistry and environment.

The science behind addiction is complicated, but research teams around the globe continue to shed light on the disease—a disorder which affects tens of millions of people. In fact, researchers at Purdue and Indiana University have identified 930 genes associated with alcoholism, as well as neurological pathways which could potentially serve as targets for treating the disorder, according to a Purdue University press release. The findings of the study were published in PLOS: Genetics.

The research teams compared the genomes of rats, that exhibited compulsive drinking behavior, to rats that abstained from alcohol use, according to the report. The researchers point out that it took decades to breed rats to consume alcohol. Scientifically, it was important to do so when you consider that rats are mammals that humans share a majority of genes. While the research is promising, the scope of factors at play may make it hard for pharmaceutical treatments to be created.

"It's not one gene, one problem," said William Muir, a professor of genetics. "This trait is controlled by vast numbers of genes and networks. This probably dashes water on the idea of treating alcoholism with a single pill."

Research will continue and at Celebrate Hope our Christian alcohol rehab program continues to be  offered in conjunction with advanced medical treatments from Hope by the Sea. This allows clients to have access to fellowship, physical fitness, and faith-building activities. Each program empowers addicts to reconcile with God and loved ones. In treating alcohol abuse, our counselors recognize that every addict’s struggle is unique.

Prescription Opioid Diversion

When most people are given a prescription for an opioid painkiller, they take the medication until the pain dissipates. It is quite common for there to be leftover tablets sitting in the medicine cabinet. Patients usually forget the pills are even there and continue living their life.

The prescription opioid epidemic that has been raging since 1999 has prompted a number of actions that were previously deemed unnecessary. Leftover opioid painkillers pose a serious threat, and often end up in the wrong hands. That is why prescription drug take-back programs have become more and more common in recent years. Opioid addicts will scavenge other people's medicine cabinets for drugs like oxycodone and Percocet. More importantly, teens will also raid their parents' medication bottles as well.

Such drugs are highly addictive and carry a large risk of overdose. It is vital that those with leftover medication dispose of them properly. Many pharmacies will actually take back unused medications. Another common trend of concern is medication diversion. People with a prescription for opioids giving the drugs away to friends, family or peers. A new study sought to find out how often painkiller sharing occurs.

A team of researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, MD, found that 50 percent of patients with prescribed opioids have leftover tablets and 20 percent share the drugs, MNT reports. The findings were published in JAMA Internal Medicine.


"The fact that people are sharing their leftover prescription painkillers at such high rates is a big concern,” said Prof. Colleen L. Barry, Ph.D., senior study author. “It's fine to give a friend a Tylenol if they're having pain, but it's not fine to give your OxyContin to someone without a prescription." 

There were some other findings of note, including:

• 14 percent of respondents said they would share with family.
• 8 percent said they would share the pills with a friend.
• Less than 50 percent were not given safe storage or proper disposal information.

Two Types of Alcoholics

Drugs and alcohol take their toll on the human brain, which can be measured through a number of scanning techniques. When compared to the brains of people who have not had a substance use disorder, clear differences can be seen. That being said, the brain of one alcohol user may look different than another, and new research may have found that there are two types of alcoholics. Researchers from the University of Eastern Finland found that while all alcoholics share similar brain changes, some alterations are exclusive to one type of alcoholic but not another, PsychCentral reports. The findings are published in the journal Alcohol and Alcoholism.

There are two types of alcoholics, anxiety-prone (Type I) and impulsive (Type II) based on Cloninger’s typology, according to the article. The researchers looked at post-mortem brains from both types of alcoholics and a control group.

“From the viewpoint of the study setting, this division was made in order to highlight the wide spectrum of people suffering from alcohol dependence. The reality, of course, is far more diverse, and not every alcoholic fits into one of these categories,” said Olli Kärkkäinen, M.Sc. (Pharm).

Typically, Type I alcoholics are more prone to anxiety and are more likely to become dependent on alcohol later in life, the article reports. On the other hand, Type II alcoholics usually become dependent on alcohol when they are younger and show greater impulsivity and antisocial behavior. In Type I alcoholic brains, the researchers found:

• Changes in the endocannabinoid system, which modulates stress responses.
• Increased Docosahexaenoylethanolamide levels in the amygdala, possibly linked to their anxiety prone nature.

With Type II alcoholic brains, the researchers found elevated levels of AMPA receptors in the anterior cingulate cortex, according to the article. That part of the brain has a hand in learning and the regulation of behavior, which could explain the impulsive nature of Type II alcoholics.

“These findings enhance our understanding of changes in the brain that make people prone to alcoholism and that are caused by long-term use. Such information is useful for developing new drug therapies for alcoholism, and for targeting existing treatments at patients who will benefit the most,” said Kärkkäinen, the study findings were part of his doctoral thesis.

Exercise Creates New Dopamine Receptors

Addiction recovery requires a lot of hard work; years of living in the grips of the disease can be a hard break. It is often said that the easiest part of recovery is putting down the drink or drug, the hard part is not picking them back up. Eternal vigilance is needed if long term recovery is to be achieved. Drugs and alcohol take a heavy toll on the brain; in a sense they change the wiring - one’s neurochemical receptors can diminish over time. The effect that drugs have on the brain from greater and prolonged use can affect one’s ability to abstain from use in recovery.

Fortunately, the human brain has an extraordinary ability to repair the damage done by substance use, and there are things that can be done to speed up the process. Researchers at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) found that exercise can help those in recovery from methamphetamine addiction, UPI reports. The UCLA team’s research indicates that exercise aids the brain in adding new dopamine receptors, diminishing one’s cravings for meth. The findings were published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology.

"We know that deficits in the striatal dopamine system are hallmark features of substance-use disorders and are caused by molecular adaptations to repeated drug exposure and, likely, also reflect a genetic predisposition," said Dr. Edythe London, professor of psychiatry and molecular and medical pharmacology at UCLA, in a press release. 

The study involved 19 people; the researchers asked 10 of the participants to exercise three times a week for an hour and to do resistance training for eight weeks, according to the article. The other nine members of the study were asked to not exercise, but were given health education training. PET scans were performed to find how many dopamine receptors were present in the reward system part of the brain - known as the striatum. After eight weeks, the exercising group had a 15 percent increase in dopamine receptors, compared to just 4 percent in the non-exercising group.

"Although this is a small study, it's a very encouraging finding," said London. "The results demonstrate that methamphetamine-associated damages to the dopamine system of the brain are reversible in human subjects, and that recovery of the dopamine system after chronic drug use can be facilitated with exercise training." 

At Celebrate Hope clients are encouraged to exercise and/or do yoga, as we believe that recovery requires healing both mind and body. Please contact us to begin the journey of recovery.

Social Media and Depression

Addiction to technology is a real disorder, one that can be especially difficult to treat because technology is an aspect pervasive of everyday life. Practically everyone has a computer with access to the internet, and it is probably fair to say that even more people have a smartphone of some kind. Having a device in your pocket that can be reached for at anytime can be a slippery slope, especially for people who actively use social media platforms, such as Facebook or Twitter.

Past research has shown that people who use social media may be at risk of depression, but a new study has found the link may be rooted in addiction, Reuters reports. The findings were published in the journal Depression and Anxiety, and come from 1,763 people ages 19-32, who were asked questions about their:

• Symptoms of Depression
• Social Media Use
• Addictive Behaviors

“We believe that at least having clinicians be aware of these associations may be valuable to them as they treat patients with depressive disorders. For example, they may wish to inquire about social media use patterns and determine if those patterns are maladaptive,” said study coauthor Ariel Shensa of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

The researchers looked at how often the participants used 11 of the most commonly accessed social media platforms, according to the article. The sites included:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Google+
• YouTube
• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• Pinterest
• Tumblr
• Vine
• Snapchat
• Reddit

Addiction to social media explained for most of the cases where social media use was linked to depression, the article reports. However, how social media is used and depression was noticeably linked together.

“Ultimately, it appears that the way social media is used, rather than the amount social media is used, leads to maladaptive outcomes,” said Lindsay Howard of the Virginia Consortium Program in Clinical Psychology.