This article is based on research published by SAMHSA this past February in their NSDUH Report. According to the study:
- Combined 2002 to 2010 data show that nearly one in seven youths aged 16 to 18 (13.2 percent), or 12th grade aged youths, had dropped out of school
- Substance use rates among 12th grade aged youths who had dropped out of school were higher than among those who were still in school; for example, 56.8 percent of dropouts were current cigarette users compared with 22.4 percent of those still in school
- The pattern of higher use rates among dropouts than those still in school generally held for both males and females, as well as for whites and blacks; however, Hispanic 12th grade aged dropouts and those still in school had similar past month rates of alcohol and illicit drug use
Below is an exerpt from the study...
In the United States, about 75 percent of youths who enter public high school as freshmen eventually graduate from high school in 4 years (or average freshman graduation rate).1 This is an important public health issue because, in general, adults who do not graduate from high school tend to have lower paying jobs than those who do and thus are at greater risk for living in poverty, lacking health insurance, and suffering from poor health.2,3,4 Moreover, high school dropouts typically have higher rates of substance use than high school graduates.5
The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) asks respondents about their age, current school enrollment status, last grade completed, and age when they last attended school. For this report, these respondent characteristics are used to identify 12th grade aged youths and whether they have dropped out of school. Youths aged 16 to 18 are categorized into three groups:
- 12th grade students—youths aged 16 to 18 who were either in or entering the 12th grade;
- 12th grade aged dropouts—youths aged 16 to 18 who had not completed high school or a Graduate Equivalent Degree (GED), were not currently attending or on vacation from school, and were considered 12th grade aged based on the last grade they had completed and their age when they stopped attending school6;
- Other—youths aged 16 to 18 who completed high school or a GED, youths aged 16 to 18 in grade 11 or lower, and youths aged 16 who were not considered "12th grade aged" (based on criteria discussed in group 2).
This issue of The NSDUH Report focuses on the first two of these groups, which are collectively referred to as "12th grade aged youths"; comparisons of past month (current) substance use between 12th grade students and 12th grade aged dropouts are provided. All findings in this report are annual averages from the 2002 to 2010 NSDUH data.
Dropout Status
Nearly one in seven (13.2 percent) 12th grade aged youths had dropped out of school, with males having been more likely than females to have dropped out (14.7 vs. 11.6 percent).7 About one quarter of Hispanic and American Indian or Alaska Native 12th grade aged youths (23.0 and 25.5 percent, respectively) had dropped out of school compared with 12.6 percent of youths of two or more races, 12.1 percent of black or African American youths, 11.2 percent of white youths, and 1.5 percent of Asian youths.
Substance Use by Dropout Status
Twelfth grade aged youths who had dropped out of school were more likely than similarly aged youths who were still in school to engage in current cigarette use, alcohol use, binge alcohol use, marijuana use, nonmedical use of psychotherapeutic drugs, and use of any illicit drugs (Figure 1).8 For example, 56.8 percent of dropouts were current cigarette users compared with 22.4 percent of those still in school, and 27.3 percent of dropouts were current marijuana users compared with 15.3 percent of those still in school.
Substance Use by Dropout Status and Gender
Current substance use rates among 12th grade aged male dropouts were higher than the rates among similar aged males who were still in school (Figure 2). For example, 60.1 percent of male dropouts were current cigarette users compared with 23.8 percent of males who were still in school, and 32.0 percent of male dropouts were current marijuana users compared with 17.9 percent of males who were still in school.
Current substance use rates among 12th grade aged female dropouts were generally higher than the rates for similar aged females who were still in school (Figure 3). One exception was current alcohol use, for which there was no statistical difference between the rates among female dropouts and females who were still in school (34.2 and 33.4 percent, respectively).
Click here to view full report...
Discussion
Dropping out of high school is related to a number of negative socioeconomic and health outcomes. This report shows that one in seven 12th grade aged youths had dropped out of high school and that 12th grade aged dropouts (with a few exceptions) had higher rates of current substance use (e.g., cigarettes, alcohol, binge alcohol, marijuana, nonmedical use of psychotherapeutic drugs, any illicit drugs) than similar aged peers who were still in school. Substance use is a public health problem that is preventable. Thus, prevention efforts targeted to adolescents generally and to those at risk of dropping out of high school more specifically might improve the educational, employment and financial, and health outcomes of many youths.
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Our mission statement at Fairwinds Treatment Center is "As we strengthen families, we strengthen society." If you have a loved one who is struggling with an addiction, contact Fairwinds Treatment Center, our admissions team can assess your situation and guide you to the best course of action to eliminate this disease from your life.
Here is one man's story of his family's struggle with addiction. We wanted to share his experience to make people aware that an addiction not only hurts the individual, but the entire family.
No one can ever quite remember when the unwanted guest arrived. The unexpected house guest, unannounced, no formal introduction.
After a while this unspoken guest was no longer a guest but a disguised, yet familiar face. They had arrived long before the unexpected announcement that dad had yet again lost his job. There were always a thousand and one excuses, and always someone else to blame but the real source of the problem remained, in the house, unspoken as we scrambled to keep life normal or as normal as we knew it. But normal in our house, was, as I learned years later, far from it. The verbal spars between mom and dad, escalated, the accusations for the reasons of the job loss grew but the trusty pill cabinet with the "off limits" door knob continued to dispense brief moments of relief for dad and mom.
In the 1960s pharmaceutical sales jobs offered enticing salaries to those who could "charm" the doctors and nurses of influence. The job also came with some other perks that were not quite so apparent at the beginning. The availability of the latest medication was yours for the taking, literally or exchanging for other meds with other reps. On the surface it could appear quite legit. As a sales rep you had samples to give to doctors and nurses in hopes that these would lead to their prescribing them in the future. But there was also another audience, the unintended audience: the pharmaceutical reps. By swapping samples amongst different reps experimentation was easy and very accessible. The term "controlled substance" was unheard of at that time. It was a new age of innocence. What better way of knowing how the drugs you're selling works than by trying them. Good salesmen doing their job. Addiction didn't seem to be a consideration, as that was only for the illegal stuff like pot and LSD. This was legal medication prescribed by doctors so it couldn't be harmful.
As more new drugs flooded the market the smorgasbord grew. Dad was an incredible salesman, the doctors and nurses loved him. He knew his products, and his good looks, and gracious personality made him a natural for the industry. He quickly climbed the ranks and became a top salesman for his company. His abilities were recognized and soon utilized for the major medical conventions around the country. Now in front of thousands and access to all the other manufacturers was a simple walk to the next booth. Samples flowed as easy as the cocktails. But the samples were flowing a little too freely and little by little began to consume the man who had the Midas touch for pharmaceuticals.
Getting your territory to number one required work and dad knew how to make it happen. Keeping the territory number one proved more problematic. Auto pilot only works for so long.
Then you either regain control or run out of fuel and eventually crash. What once had been simple samples of meds had now turned into daily needs. With drug enforcement agencies still an unheard of, there were ways of working around one's needs. Trading off samples with other reps still worked to a degree but controls were slowly being put in place to monitor samples. Enter the new approach: get to know pharmacists on a personal level, build up a friendship and a trust, a new means of supply.
The vials in the "off limits" cabinet were a marvel, a prized trophy chest for my dad. My brother and I knew what it was, and we knew, like the knob said it was, "off limits." Dad had a pill for everything and he was very knowledgeable. And he loved sharing his knowledge and friendly dispensing with friends. By the early seventies drug abuse had become a hot topic.
We were educated about it in school, we saw public service announcements about it on TV and it all began to click with me, with dreaded fear. I knew what my dad was doing and I lived in fear his "off limits" cabinet would have the cops knocking at our door one day. That never happened, and looking back it might have been a good thing if it had. Instead, that cabinet became the house guest that swelled with power and eventually brought a family and a house to ruin. And through it all to the very end it was never mentioned, that a problem existed in the house in the form of a cabinet that tore a family apart and would pit father against son over a simple pain pill. The ugly despicable face of addiction laughed, mocked and rejoiced in the complete consumption of what was once a thriving middle class family who on the outside looked like the perfect family. Behind closed doors and drawn shades the screaming, the crying, the longing for change never came it only got worse. The excuses grew but the culprit went unnamed.
Keeping the peace in my family would have proved a test for the United Nations. It was next to impossible. You learn to accept that living on edge is the daily norm. From as young as six there was literally not a week that didn't pass without fighting between my parents. At the time, being a kid, you fortunately or unfortunately can't see the entire picture or understand the chemistry behind the constant volatility. Instead you try to be the peacemaker, how can I keep them from fighting. You rack your brain trying to think of ways to stop the fighting.
If I could just find that one key I could turn it all around and we could have a happy family. Years go by and nothing changes, it only gets worse. You know it's not right, but you don't know what to do or who to talk to. It's the 70s who's ever heard of counseling much less intervention? Only crazy people go to treatment centers. You learn to cover up, make up, put up and just live with it. And you live in fear that the house of cards will completely give way and the world will see what a lie your family has been living. You live in fear, you live in shame. And you can't mention it to a soul.
For me, something about age six sticks in my mind as a new sense of awareness came over me. It was at that time that I knew things weren't quite right in my family but I couldn't put my finger on it. Being a pharmaceutical rep, Dad's job had him traveling throughout the Southeast. We often traveled with him during the summer months. What should have been fun family adventures became dreaded road trips. There is nothing quite like being trapped in a moving car while two adults sit in the front seat and wage a constant battle. Sitting in the backseat, I would begin to try and think of ways I could stop this chaos. Every time we'd load up the car we wouldn't be two miles down the road when the fight bell would ring and the next match was under way.
The constant fighting between my mom and dad never stopped, and somehow we grew to accept that that was just how things were going to be. As the fighting continued over the years each family member developed their own coping mechanism and escape plan. Dad's always revolved around the cabinet with the "off limits" nob on the door — the treasure trove of drugs that dad accumulated in his work as a pharmaceutical rep. The great escape was just behind the cabinet door.
As the years passed the cabinet filled with more drugs. The magic door practically fell off its hinges from use. Dad changed, his patience grew non-existent and our family was balancing on a very fragile thread. When dad was doing well, he could sell ice to the Eskimos but when the dark times came, an ever sense of panic fell over the household. And we knew dad's job performance was going to suffer and put everything at stake.
A new twist came into play that strengthened dad's prescription med consumption, an automobile accident. While working in Tampa one Friday, dad was part of a multi-car crash on the downtown interchange. He complained of back pain, found an attorney, won a lawsuit, had back surgery — that proved unsuccessful, and ultimately caused my dad's consumption of pain medicines to increase.
The ups and downs of dad's employment continued and the popping of pain pills seemed unquenchable. Dad's glory days of pharmaceutical sales were starting to fade, he'd leave for work around noon and be home by four. We knew this wasn't right and we knew his job wouldn't last. "How can you work just four hours a day and expect to keep your job," my mother would ask? And with that the screaming matches would ensue. After two years of just barely working, the charade was over and dad was out of work, for good. Dad's once dynamic pharmaceutical career was over, at age 50 he gave up. It all started to crumble and nothing seemed to shake him back to reality. Vehicles were repossessed, jewelry was hocked for quick cash, and then the house was taken away, but he always managed to find the pills. Through all of this — which was years, no one ever uttered a word about dad's problem. It remains undercover.
Now an adult and on my own, I learned of the process known as intervention. I went to counseling to find my own healing as an adult and to see if I could possibly help my family get back to some semblance of normalcy. Though it sounded good in theory it was met with shear fear by my mother and brother, they wouldn't touch it. Afraid of my father's violent response they continued to live with the problem and never said a word. After years of use, my father could tolerate incredible dosages of medication with, what seemed, little effect. Knowing enough to be dangerous not only to himself but to others, the over medicating persisted. And with it the consequences. My dad totaled three vehicles while high on medication and always managed to cover up his impaired state of mind and escape any kind of drug testing. Dad remained the consummate salesman and charmer — even with the police. Every accident was a little worse. The final one, he flipped the car twice and walked away from it. Completely strung out, he claimed the brakes failed and no more was said.
I have always marveled how through it all, the decades of abuse, loss and belittling, my mother stood up for my dad, never once admitting dad had a problem with drugs of any sort. An amazing bond and sense of protection my mother has carried for my dad — that I will never understand. He not only robbed himself of decades but my mother too. In many ways this has been the only normal she has known for 54 years of marriage.
I became the outsider once I left home for college and never returned. I would no longer play the game but challenge it. I was the bad guy. But in the end, I felt I was the only one who had had the strength to save myself from the clutches of a man's addiction that gripped everyone else in its way.
Addiction is a beast, it has no soul, it has no heart and the human destruction it leaves in its aftermath — tattered lives with little left to celebrate. If they only had a pill for that. The healing pill.
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Fairwinds Treatment Center helps individuals and their families get their lives back on track. We specialize in helping people overcome dangerous and deadly disorders such as anorexia, bulimia, alcoholism and drug addiction. Being a dually licensed psychiatric facility, Fairwinds physicians and therapists engage an integrated treatment plan, incorporating several treatment models combined with psychiatric methods to identify the root of the disorder in order for specialized treatment to begin and to ensure a lasting recovery.
If you or a loved one are struggling with an addiction, you can get through it and we are here to help you. Contact Fairwinds Treatment Center today to discuss your situation with one of our admissions counselors. Call 727-449-0300 or via web here.
This article by Jackie Glass of the Chicago Tribune shows the epidemic of prescription drug abuse is in full force.
Prescription drug abuse an American epidemic
Exerpt...
Women, we have a problem. According to a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control, American women are dying from drug overdoses and the misuse of drugs at an alarming rate. As a former judge who presided over a drug court, I have seen firsthand what addiction can do to people, from all of its physical and psychological effects to the collateral damage that it can inflict on someone's life.
Drug abuse often begins with legally prescribed pain medications for legitimate injuries, but so many of these drugs are habit-forming that it doesn't take long for someone to get hooked. Once that happens, it is almost impossible to stop. Although I saw a greater number of men come before my drug court, I saw plenty of women, a significant percentage of whom were hooked on prescription pain relievers. According to that CDC study, from 1999 through 2010, there was a greater percentage increase in drug related deaths among women than men, with the number of women dying because of opioid pain relievers increasing fivefold. And since 2007, more women have died from drug overdoses than from motor vehicle-related incidents.
As a judge, I saw time and time again just how easy it is for people to obtain prescription pain meds, and I was often extremely frustrated with certain members of the medical community. Many of the participants in my drug court sought treatment from the same physicians or clinics, and the lack of attention and responsible care that some doctors exhibited was a significant problem. The CDC reported that women may be more likely than men to engage in "doctor shopping," which involves actively seeking out prescriptions from multiple prescribers to feed an addiction.
Some drug court participants even got their teeth pulled, not because it was necessary but because tooth extractions often come with prescription pain meds. In one particular instance, my court marshall had to confiscate a prescription bottle from a female participant. Her prescription for liquid hydrocodone had been filled the day before, but just one day later, the bottle was already empty. As it turns out, she had gone to the emergency room to complain about vague aches and pains, and her doctor simply sent her home with a prescription. Sometimes, that's all it takes.
Across the country, several states have passed legislation aimed at closing down so-called "pill mills," those doctors offices and clinics that prescribe pain medication indiscriminately. The effects have been mixed. As the Orlando Sentinel reported back in April, Florida's crackdown has succeeded in hampering a significant portion of the pill mills in the state, even decreasing the number of deaths due to prescription drugs. However, many addicts simply turn to neighboring states with laxer pill mill laws, or they just start abusing illegal drugs and the vicious cycle continues.
Read full article...
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If you or a loved one are struggling with an addiction, call Fairwinds Treatment Center at 727-449-0300 to discuss your situation with one of our Admissions Counselors. For 23 years, families have trusted Fairwinds Treatment Center to help their loves ones through our highly effective treatment programs for eating disorders and drug rehab. As one of only a few dually licensed psychiatric and substance abuse centers in the nation to earn accreditation by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), we are here to provide the quality care your family needs to achieve a lasting recovery.
It is well known the holiday season can be a double edged sword or sorts. Times that most consider happy can quickly trigger bouts of depression. This depression can cause an individual battling an eating disorder or drug addiction to turn to their illness as a comfort or escape.
Rather than allowing this to happen and dealig with the repercussions, there are steps one can take to stay positive through the holiday season, avoiding the pitfalls often seen this time of year with those family problems and money troubles.
Health.com interviewed several professionals on the subject of depression during the holidays and cam up with a helpful list of 11 tips for avoiding depression during the holiday season, hence avoiding trouble with an addiction, eating disorder or perhaps a relapse. Below is a list of tips compiled from their discussions.
11 Tips for Avoiding Holiday Depression Triggers
Plan ahead
Spend some time figuring out how to take care of yourself during this time, says John Sharp, MD, a psychiatrist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, in Boston.
Come up with restorative routines, such as reading a book or napping, and write them on a calendar. In between shopping and baking, make sure these routines don't fall by the wayside.
"Figure out what basics are going to help you get through the holidays and make them a priority," Dr. Sharp says.
Avoid family conflict
There are a couple ways to save your sanity at family gatherings, says Jeffrey Greeson, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke University School of Medicine, in Durham, N.C.
If you know there are going to be conflicts, prepare a neutral response, such as, "Let's talk about that another time," or, "I can see how you would feel that way."
Then escape to the restroom, offer to help in the kitchen, or go hang out with the kids. And it always helps to call a good friend if you need a sympathetic ear.
Forget perfection
Debbie Thurman, a 57-year-old from Monroe, Va., suffered from depression for years, and the holidays made it worse. From decorating to finding the perfect gifts, she felt overwhelmed.
At a support group's suggestion, she listed the simple things that really made her family happy, and she began traditions that helped the less fortunate.
"When you take your eyes off of yourself and focus on those who have far less than you do, you can't be depressed," she says. "I learned to be grateful for the blessings I had, and I had a lot."
Learn to grieve
If you are mourning a loved one, it's a good time to talk about your feelings or reach out to support groups.
"There's no one right way to feel," says Deborah Jonsson, public relations manager at Avow Hospice, in Collier County, Fla. It's not uncommon to feel angry at the person for leaving you alone or feeling guilty if you do enjoy yourself during the holidays.
"All feelings are a sign that you're human and reflect where you are in your healing process," Jonsson says.
Schedule some sleep
Holiday activities easily can interfere with your sleep schedule. But studies have shown there is a link between sleep loss and depression, so you need to be extra careful about cutting back on sleep to get everything done.
Try to get to bed and wake up at approximately the same time every day; avoid large meals and physical activity such as dancing within a few hours of bedtime; and make your bedroom a sleep sanctuary, free from TV or other distractions, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Get help
When Thurman's children were young, she and her husband lived far away from their extended family. When she needed support during "black bouts of depression," she leaned on close friends.
She and her husband had two couples in particular that helped them through difficult times. "These friends were godsends," she says.
"I credit them with quite possibly helping to save my life," she says. "I also drew encouragement from a small support group of women who were dealing with depression."
Prioritize workouts
Exercise—one of the first activities to get lost in the holiday shuffle—should be placed high on your to-do list.
"The more stress we are under, the less time we feel like we have, and the more irritated our mood, the more we need to continue exercising," Greeson says. "Get out and do something; it helps use those calories from rich, fatty, sugary holiday foods."
Exercise has been shown to improve mood. Taking a brisk walk for 35 minutes five days a week (or 60 minutes three times a week) can do the trick.
Consider your light exposure
If you are consistently tired, irritable, and down at this time of year, it may not be due to the holidays as much as to the lack of exposure to the sun, Dr. Sharp says.
Seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, can be treated by long walks during daylight hours or exposure to a light box for about 30 minutes a day.
If you think you may be suffering from SAD, talk to your doctor about treatment options.
Focus on what matters
The holidays shouldn't be all about the presents, but financial woes can make it easy to lose sight of that.
Rein in the stress (and cost) by organizing a gift exchange with friends or family. You can also bake your gifts, or create traditions such as having a large potluck meal followed by a walk outside or board games by the fire.
"I think saying no is more of a relief instead of stretching and spending more than you have and still not doing enough," Dr. Sharp says.
Don't binge on food or alcohol
For some, overindulgence is as much of a holiday tradition as opening gifts. Carmen Harra, PhD, an author and psychologist in Hollywood, Fla., recommends more restraint.
"Have one piece of pie, not three," she says. "Apart from being unhealthy for your body, you will feel guilty afterward."
Harra recommends preparing for holiday dinners by eating healthy meals the week prior. And don't use alcohol to deal with holiday depression. Alcohol can intensify your emotions and leave you feeling worse when it wears off.
Cut back on commitments
If you feel like you just can't get through one more holiday gathering, it's OK to sit them out.
"One of the things about holiday stress we forget is that Thanksgiving and Christmas are both 24 hours and that's it," says Pauline Wallin, PhD, an author and clinical psychologist in Camp Hill, Penn.
Wallin recommends figuring out what you need to get through those 24 hours, such as volunteering, going on vacation, or visiting a shelter or someone who is alone. Focusing on others can help alleviate depression.
If someone you know is fighting a tough battle this year with a drug or alcohol addiction, or perhaps they are battling a severe eating disorder. Call Fairwinds at 727-449-0300 to speak wirh one of our admissions counselors to see if Fairwinds Treatment Center is a good fit.
The Holiday's are upon us. This can be a very stressful time of year for those struggling with an eating disorder and/or a substance abuse illness. People tend to start to put things off until after the Holidays, but treatment to eliminate an eating disorder, addiction or both should not be one of them.
In some cases it may be beneficial to be in a treatment facility during this time of year in order to bypass the family and social events that tend to produce damaging results for those with an ED or CD, while instead using this time to work towards recovery.
Fairwinds Treatment Center treats our patients like family. We are fully aware they have made an important decision to save their own life, and we take that very seriously and make sure our patientsare as comfortable as possible
Should you or a loved one be struggling with an eating disorder such as anorexia or blulimia, or perhaps drugs and alcohol are involved as well, please consider Fairwinds Treatment Center.
Patients at Fairwinds Treatment Center will:
- Meet with a psychiatrist EVERYDAY to help them address and overcome the issues at the source of their illness.
- Receive top level care from our full-time medical staff which includes highly trained nurses and seven specialized therapists.
- Attend and participate in a wide variety of therapeutic activities including, art therapy, family therapy, group therapy and fitness/wellness groups.
- Complete treatment with a fresh outlook on life, ready for a lasting recovery.
Fairwinds Treatment Center was founded in 1989 and is one of only a few dually licensed eating disorder and substance abuse treatment facility in the United States. We specialize in the treatment and recovery of both adolescent and adult eating disorders, male and female.
If you would like to discuss our treatment plan and how it works, please contact our admissions department at 727-449-0030 or email fairwinds@fairwindstreatment.com.
Happy Holidays,
The following article was posted on the Huffington Post this morning Craig and Marc Kielburger, co-founders of Free the Children. This article outlines the struggles of a young girl who lost her battle with bulimia and drug addiction and how her family noy honors her life by helping others who struggle with the similar illnesses.
Imagine watching a loved one slowly wither and having no idea what's wrong, or how to save them. Michale Cerswell was a beautiful teenager with a wicked sense of humour. Along with her sisters Leysa, Naomi, and Andrea, she grew up on her father Jim's dairy farm located in Simcoe County, north of Toronto, Ontario. Their mother, Kelly Hall-Holland, was a chartered accountant.
At 14, in 1996, the family began to notice that after meals Michale would frequently slip away to the bathroom. They could hear her throwing up.
Michale had fallen victim to one of Canada's most common mental illnesses -- an eating disorder. One in five Canadian high school girls and one boy for every 10 girls will develop an eating disorder. One in 10 of those who develop anorexia die. Yet without a source of information or support for eating disorders in Simcoe County, the Cerswell family was lost.
"It seemed so foreign, it was so easy to be in denial," Leysa recalls.
Because Michale was able to hide many of the symptoms of her eating disorder, the family accepted Michale's reassurances. And for almost nine years, she struggled in near silence with her body issues, never seeking treatment.
Years of near-starvation exacted a toll on Michale's body. In 2005, she developed chronic pancreatitis -- one of many complications that can arise from eating disorders, along with kidney damage and heart problems. For the Cerswells, practically every moment of their lives from then on would revolve around supporting Michale in her fight to heal.
Jim put his career on hold to become his daughter's full-time caregiver. When she wasn't in the hospital, Michale lived with him on the family farm.
The greatest challenge was finding treatment.
"I can count the number of available child psychiatrists who are trained to treat eating disorders on two hands," laments Dr. Leora Pinhas, a past President of the Eating Disorders Association of Canada and a Senior Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto.
Pinhas says there are only about 20 hospital treatment programs across Canada -- none in Saskatchewan, New Brunswick and P.E.I. There are approximately 20 hospital beds in all of Ontario.
As a further complication, Michale had become addicted to oxycontin, a powerful painkiller she was prescribed to manage the agony of the pancreatitis. Pinhas notes it's not uncommon for problems like drug addiction to walk arm-in-arm with eating disorders. Michale faced a catch-22 -- eating disorder programs wouldn't take patients with an addiction and addiction treatment programs were unequipped to handle eating disorders.
Click here to read the full article
Side note: Fairwinds Treatment Center is one of only a few treatment facilities in the United State fully equipped to treat patients with both eating disorders and additions.
If you or someone you know are struggling with an eating disorder it is crucial to get them into an appropriate care facility as soon as possible. The admissions team at Fairwinds can be reached at 727-449-0300 or admissions@fairwindstreatment.com
Craig and Marc Kielburger are founders of international charity and educational partner, Free The Children. Its youth empowerment event, We Day, is in eight cities across Canada this year, inspiring more than 100,000 attendees. For more information, visit www.weday.com
Follow Craig and Marc Kielburger on Twitter: www.twitter.com/craigkielburger
Why Your Teen Could be Abusing Alcohol/Drugs
This is an interesting article on teen drug abuse and some possible links to why some teens use illegal substances. A recent study suggests that as many as 78% of teens have abuse alcohol and over 40% have used drugs. The article lists the top ten indicators and possible reasons why your teen could be choosing to use drugs and/or alcohol. The research suggests that having an impulsive personality or a mental health condition could be why some individuals struggling with substance abuse addiction. These issues are not the individual’s fault and instead of being properly prescribed medication, many teens are trying to self-medicate and abusing both alcohol and drugs to heal the pain.
Full Article
Pehaps you or an individual in your family started using drugs and alcohol during your teanage years and continue to suffer from the addiction. If so, please call us for a free and confidential assessment at 727-449-0300 or just contact Fairwinds Treatment Center here. An underlying mental health condition can be part of the reason why and individual is using.
Fairwinds Treatment Center recently released two new public service announcements to be aired on select channels. The following is the substance abuse message aimed at creating awareness of how an addiction can affect the most innocent members of a family.
For over 20 years, families have trusted Fairwinds Treatment Center to help their loves ones through our highly effective treatment programs for eating disorders and drug/alcohol rehab. As one of only a few dually licensed psychiatric and substance abuse centers in the nation to earn accreditation by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), we are here to provide the quality care your family needs to achieve a lasting recovery.
If you have a family member or close friend who is battling an addiction, now is the time to help them take the first step towards recovery. Contact Fairwinds Treatment Center here, or call 727-449-0300.
May is recognized as “National Mental Health Month” to help recognize mental health conditions and mental wellness for all. This is a very important awareness factor because people do not chose to have a mental health disorder and seeking treatment is crucial.
It is a national statistic that 1 in every 4 adults in the U.S. live with a mental health condition. It is important to bring awareness that when treated properly, who live with a diagnosable, treatable mental health condition and the fact that they can go on to live full and productive lives. Mental health disorders include depression, bi-polar, trauma, obsessive-compulsive disorder, schizoaffective disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, body dysmorphic disorder, adjustment disorder, gender identity disorder, dissociative identity disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), antisocial personality disorder, self-defeating personality disorder, passive-aggressive personality disorder.
Fairwinds Treatment Center has been treating mental health disorders since the doors opened in 1989. Fairwinds is a dually licensed psychiatric and substance abuse rehabilitation center that has earned accreditation by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO). We have a unique appreciation for the complex and often heartbreaking issues surrounding our clients and their families.
Contact Fairwinds Treatment Center here or simply call 1-800-226-0301
A recent SAMHSA survey found a higher rate of substance use disorders among those who reported a mental illness in 2010. The study found that among all adults, 20 percent experienced mental illness last year.
As many as 1 in 5 adults experienced a mental illness last year, reports the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in its National Survey on Drug Use and Health released in January. This group, according to the survey, was three times more likely to meet the criteria for substance abuse or dependence than were adults 18 years or older who reported no mental health symptoms in 2010. About 20 percent of adults with mental health disorders had co-occurring substance use disorders, whereas only 6 percent of adults without mental illness met the criteria for substance abuse or dependence.
Only 39 percent of those reporting symptoms received mental health services, the survey indicated. "The data underscores the importance of substance abuse treatment as well," said SAMHSA administrator Pamela S. Hyde.
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A dually licensed treatment facility, Fairwinds Treatment Center helps those with co-occuring disorders involving substance abuse and mental illness. To find out more, contact Fairwinds Treatment Center here or call 800.226.0301.