Addiction News

New York Governor David Paterson denies drug and sex rumors
by Alexander on February 9, 2010 @ 10:33 PM
During an interview with the Associated Press, New York Governor David Paterson said the reports about his use of drugs and women were "outrageous". Although he has admitted to extramarital affairs in the past, as his wife has too, he said he hasn't had sex with another woman in over 10 years; and, he hasn't used an illegal substance since his early 20's.

He claims the accusations brought against him by the New York Post are false and so far fetched that they are absurd. Additionally, the areas that he was "caught" in don't even exist!

CNN has the summarized article here while the New York Post has the entire article here.
Need an education? New program offers a degree in growing marijuana
by Alexander on February 5, 2010 @ 1:35 PM
With the recent legalization of marijuana use for medical purposes in Detroit, Michigan, Med Grow Cannibis College is offering an education in growing cannibis over a course of six weeks for about $500. The program is, reportedly, constantly sold out and is being viewed by many as a good alternative for making extra money.

CNN has the video here.
743 pounds of marijuana found in truck
by Alexander on February 5, 2010 @ 1:24 PM
In a seemingly new way to transfer marijuana, a recent drug bust found 743 pounds of marijuana in a septic truck; that stinks, literally. It was estimated to have a street value of $410,000.

A Department of Safety official reported that concealing drugs in items is not an uncommon form of trafficking but continued to say that finding drugs being transported in human waste is a first. The official also said that it goes to show how desperate the drug cartels are by using such methods of concealment.

CNN has the entire article here.
Marijuana store in Oakland California may be state's biggest
by Alexander on February 5, 2010 @ 1:11 PM
A store in Oakland, California, is touting itself as being the state's biggest supplier of medical marijuana. It is a full-stop shop for everything from buying the drug, to education, to having a doctor on staff, and more. With revenues being estimated at about $50,000 every 4 months, it is big business.

CNN has the video here.
Kids perceive regular marijuana use less risky – Some tips
by Adi Jaffe on February 5, 2010 @ 12:56 PM
The pendulum swings again. After years of decreases in use and in perceptions about use, a recent report (PDF) indicates that high-school kids are once again beginning to use, and consider less risky the use of, marijuana.

The movement is no doubt part of a semi-regular cycle. After lack of awareness about prescription drugs and a significant increase in their abuse among children, this most recent trend shouldn't be so surprising as the focus on marijuana has waned.

I think we need quite a bit of research to see if such increases do correlate with significant increases in individuals seeking help for marijuana-use-related problems. Yes marijuana advocates, those people exist whether you like it or not. For some proof, check out this link for a site put together by a recovering marijuana addict.

My quick, short, tips:

1. If you use weed, use a vaporizer to avoid the toxic fumes that can cause cancer in much the same way cigarette smoke does.
2. If your use becomes regular, whether daily or multiple times a week, consider talking to someone to help you figure out if you might be developing a problem use pattern. Those are much easier to stop early in their development.
3. Pay close attention to the interference between your marijuana use and other life-commitments. This is a tale-tale sign of problems.
Am I an addict? A simple new test may help us get the answer!
by Adi Jaffe on February 5, 2010 @ 12:42 PM
One of the biggest problems with addiction is that we never know who is truly an addict. Yes, we have tests and notions, interviews and criteria, but all of those are simply tools we've used to get around the problem of not knowing. Well, a recent study by a couple of researchers at Florida State University may help us get a little closer (before you get too excited, read the limitations at the end). My take-home message from this post is familiar: Addiction is a disease, not a question of morality.

Am I An addict? Testing for addiction

One of the major reasons for the push to find the 'alcoholic gene' was the hope that, once found, it would let us say, with certainty, who is (and who isn't) an addict. All those people who simply use drugs and other addictions as an excuse for their horrible behavior would be revealed and all those who truly need help could be identified. But it didn't quite work out that way.

There is no alcoholic gene. There are a whole bunch of genes that are associated with, and most likely contribute to, the risk of someone becoming an addict. But they vary for different drugs, require some pretty serious testing, and contribute very little (individually) to our ability to categorize people. The same genes that are linked to addiction are also linked to ADHD, anxiety disorders, depression, and on and on…

But wouldn't it be great if we had a conclusive test? Something that worked to really help us tell the difference between addicts and the rest?

Skin response testing

Electrodermal response modulation (ERM; a fancy name for measuring skin conductance) is a measure of how skin conductance changes in response to predictable versus unpredictable stress.

The connection between addiction and skin response might seem a stretch, but hey, dilated pupils are a sign for sexual attraction so… The idea is that the more prepared the overall system is to deal with predictable stress, the better equipped a person is to handle life stressors. Bad responsivity would mean that the person's system is not adjusting well to stressors that are predictable, producing too much arousal and discomfort to events they should be prepared for.

So for this study, high ERM good, low ERM bad, got it?

To make a long story short, this recent research shows that low ERM was more common among individuals with addiction than among controls (people with no major mental health issues) and even among individuals with personality disorders.

The good news is that this finding is promising in terms of possible future identification of people who are likely to develop addiction problems. But of course, there are some issues.

Limitations of the study

Since the study used people who were already addicted, it's impossible for us to know if low ERM exists before addiction develops. If it does, we may be able to identify potential addicts before they become addicted, but if not, it would still be useful to have a test to distinguish current addicts from non-addicts.

Of course, at the moment the test only works by comparing addicted to non-addicted groups - we don't have norms or cutoff points to tell us on an individual basis who is or isn't an addict. A lot more research will be required before that would be possible.

This is not the first test that has shown promise in terms of a quick identification test for addiction. There is quite a bit of research showing a relationship between a specific brain wave (called P300) and addiction. the problem is that P300 turned out to be pretty generally associated with what are known as externalizing disorders (like illegal activity, high risk sexual behavior, aggression, etc.). I personally believe that as behavioral addictions (like sex addiction that involves high risk sexual behavior) become more commonly understood, many of those externalizing disorders may be reclassified, making P300 possibly more popular as an addiction measure.

The Bottom Line: So can we tell?

It's too early to know if ERM will turn out to be a really good marker for addiction, but I'm sure people are hard at work trying to figure that out, so let's give them some time. Years ago I heard a presentation about people with low variability in heart rate which seemed to suggest something very similar, so I'm hopeful. But to me, there's a more important take home message:

Once again, this study shows that there are physiological factors to addiction that are far beyond anyone's actual control. I don't personally know anyone who can change their skin conductance, and so I'm pretty comfortable saying that addiction is an actual medical condition in so far as it has physical symptoms and some promising treatments.

But then again, I am a scientist...
Brain tumor found in 13-year-old boy after passing out from a dare to down eight shots of tequila
by Alexander on December 23, 2009 @ 6:43 PM
In may of this year, 13-year-old Evan Hamilton was dared by "friends" to down eight shots of tequila. After his attempt, he passed out due to alcohol poisoning and was subsequently rushed to the ER at the UC Davis Medical Center. After a CT scan, a brain tumor was found. According to his family, "the dangerous lapse in judgment turned out to be a blessing".

Within a week, the doctors removed the tumor and months later he recovered well enough that he was able to return home. Although the tumor is completely gone, a tracheotomy was performed. Currently, a tube still supplies his stomach with food and uses a machine to assist his breathing while sleeping.

CBS13 has the entire story here.
Steven Tyler of Aerosmith enters rehab for addiction to prescription painkillers
by Alexander on December 23, 2009 @ 6:02 PM
Steven Tyler, currently 61 years of age, of Aerosmith is back in rehab -- this time for an addiction to prescription painkillers for "severe chronic pain" stemming from a decade of orthopedic injuries to his knees and feet of which requires more surgeries for recovery. He has, seemingly, acknowledged and taken responsibility for his addiction and with the help of "family and a team of medical professionals" is looking forward to a speedy recovery so he can start performing again. He checked himself in at a rehab facility that deals with pain management.

The team doctor for the Boston Celtics has said:

"Managing and controlling his pain has been challenging, and despite our use of alternative therapies and the creation of custom shoes built by a team of engineers from Timberland, Steven's pain has progressed. The balance between managing his pain and avoiding addiction is tenuous and difficult and his bravery in persevering through rigorous touring is admirable. As with many athletes, Steven put his performance first as he struggled with acute pain for years."

Not only has he been having chronic/severe issues with his knees and feet but he had to recover from breaking his shoulder after falling off stage in August while performing at a concert. Surely, one could suspect, he was dealing with pain issues and medicating them at that time as well.

Kramer, Aerosmith's drummer who also suffered addiction during the 70's and 80's, said "[he thought] that he [Steven Tyler] needs help and that attention needs to be put to his health".

For those that may not know, some of Aerosmith's hit albums include Rocks, Toys in the Attic, and Aerosmith.

CNN on behalf of People has the entire article here.
Dr Anthony Galea, a Canadian doctor, charged with selling, importing, exporting, and smuggling PEDs
by Alexander on December 17, 2009 @ 5:27 PM
A 51-year-old Canadian sports doctor, Dr. Anthony Galea, of Oakville Ontario "was charged with selling an unapproved drug, conspiracy to import the drug; conspiracy to export and smuggling goods into Canada."

The investigation began in September when his assistant was caught departing Canada with Actovegin of which the assistant subsequently reported saying he was going to be administering the drug to some of their patients outside of Canada.

Dr. Anthony Galea was also suspected of administering the drugs to his patients within his own medical facility which prompted Canadian officials search the facility which resulted in the seizure of unapproved drugs; one of which is believed to be Actovegin.

One of his patients was Tiger Woods who he administered treatment to after Tiger's knee surgery last year. Tiger's faster-than-anticipated recovery has been attributed to Dr. Anthony Galea and his use of widely-accepted therapy and possible administration of human growth hormone.

CNN has the entire article here.
Rehab center strips and beats patients to cure withdrawal and addiction
by Alexander on December 16, 2009 @ 3:02 PM
In Chennai, India, after a 26-year-old addict was taken by his brother to a rehab center his brother returned home and received a call from the rehab center saying that his addict brother was being rushed to a government hospital due to being in critical condition. Usually, that's the end of the story because families believe death is due to the drugs but this was an altogether different story.

A friend of the deceased individual's family said he had gone through treatment at the same center and mentioned that "inmates there were stripped naked when they experienced withdrawal symptoms and beaten when they grew violent." This was news to the family of the recently deceased but, for three years, to others it was well known that questionable methods were used to cure patients. "They are stripped naked, beaten if they turn violent due to withdrawal symptoms, and finally administered a paracetamol-caffeine combination regimen before being made to sleep on a bare floor in a 8x8 room with an attached toilet but no doors."

Recently, new centers have been opening up all over town and the rest of India to help cure the increased number of individuals addicted to drugs and alcohol but are allegedly being ran by under-qualified staff or individuals that have recovered but are looking to help others.

"The issue is not as much about intent as the lack of regulation. A drug or alcohol rehab centre needs to have qualified doctors, psychiatrists and psychologists besides other paramedical staff, which these independently-run outfits sorely lack. Most of them, according to Shanti Ranganathan who spearheads one of the state's largest professionally-run de-addiction centres, TT Ranganathan Clinical Research Foundation, are in dire need of oversight. "It's sad but I have heard that some of our patients have also started such clinics. What's even worse is you can't call these centres illegal as there is no mandatory requirement for them to even register," she said."

The Times of India has the entire article here.