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MAINE
- Drug rehabs
throughout the country are not created equally.
It is important to get all the information
possible when it comes to drug rehabilitation
facilities and their treatment methods.
State to state,
prescription abuse issues vary. However,
prescription drug abuse overall has been
soaring. More readily available, and with the
misconception that if a doctor has prescribed
it, then it must be safe, more and more people
are abusing and becoming addicted to prescribed
medications.
The DEA1 (United
States Drug Enforcement Administration) reports
that the state continues to experience an
increase in the availability of diverted
pharmaceuticals. Oxycodone products such as
Percocet®, Roxicet®, Dilaudid® , and OxyContin®
are readily available. Doctor-shopping schemes,
falsified prescriptions, and illicit sale and
distribution by health-care professionals and
workers are the primary diversion methods.
Canadian pharmaceuticals also continue to be
smuggled into the state. Current investigations
indicate that OxyContin® diversion continues to
be a problem in Maine. Methadone has also been
identified as being among the most commonly
abused and diverted pharmaceuticals in Maine.
The Office of
Substance Abuse2 in the state of
Maine reports that Maine's Prescription
Monitoring Program (PMP) is a tool created to
prevent and detect prescription drug misuse and
diversion. PMP maintains a database of all
transactions for controlled substances dispensed
in the State of Maine. This database is
available online to prescribers and dispensers.
A free service of the Office of Substance Abuse
(OSA) in the Maine Department of Health and
Human Services, the PMP database is quickly
becoming a standard tool for clinicians to
provide better care to their patients throughout
the state. Anyone with a DEA number is
encouraged to register to request patient
reports. These patient reports, and the
automatically sent threshold reports, enhance
the ability of health care providers to
coordinate care.
The Senate
Committee on Homeland Secuity & Governmental
Affairs3 in a Press Release in
August, 2003: BANGOR, ME - Governmental Affairs
Committee Chairman Susan Collins (R-ME) today
held a committee hearing in Bangor, Maine, to
call attention to the growing problem of
prescription drug abuse and how these
medications are diverted from their legitimate
purposes.
“It is tragically clear that prescription drugs,
many as powerful and addictive as illicit drugs,
increasingly are being diverted from legitimate
use to illegal trafficking and abuse,” said
Collins. “The diversion of prescription drugs
must be brought under control, but measures to
accomplish that cannot interfere with access to
pain-relieving drugs by legitimate patients.”
Collins pointed out that while many rural states
are experiencing epidemics of prescription drug
abuse, no state has been hit harder than Maine.
The number of accidental deaths in Maine from
all drugs increased six-fold from 1997 to 2002,
jumping from 19 to 126. Prescription drugs were
present in 60 percent of those deaths last year.
According to the 2002 Maine Youth Drug and
Alcohol Survey, 25 percent of the state’s high
school juniors and seniors abuse prescription
drugs.
 One thing is for certain, for
the drug addict of prescription medications, the
dwindling spiral will continue on its downward
path unless action is taken. NOW is the time to
do something before the addicted person winds up
in jail or dead of an overdose or accident.
Unfortunately past failed attempts to overcome
addiction only further depress the individual so
it comes as no surprise that fear and
hesitation.
In the state of Maine there is an increased
need for effective drug and alcohol rehab and
addiction treatment centers as drug and alcohol
use continues to escalate. Drug use erodes the
quality of life not only for the user, but for
their families and communities. Marriages and
families are torn apart by mistrust, betrayal,
fear and anger. Careers are ruined; companies
lose millions of dollars in lost production
time; cities and suburbs become degraded by the
increased crime and violence that goes with drug
trafficking and drug addiction.
From city to suburb to rural life, drug and
alcohol use and abuse continues to undermine the
quality of life for Maine citizens. To do
nothing for the addict, should not be an option.
Something can be done; help is available.
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Should a chronic drug or alcohol abuser
attend a treat program close to home? |
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 Drug
and alcohol addiction typically involves
habitual routines in the environmental
scope of the individual, i.e. the
locations of their drug or alcohol use,
the people they associated with in the
activities of drug or alcohol use, etc.
Drug or alcohol addiction is not just
drug and alcohol use, it revolves around
people and things in their immediate
environment which help to trigger the
addictive behavior. The abusers location
and routines of drug and alcohol use
further trigger drug and alcohol use. It
is the constant and seemingly
unstoppable drug or alcohol use and the
hopelessness of day to day existence
which perpetuates the problem and
inhibits the native desire to stop
ruining their life through the use of
drugs and alcohol.
The above factor should not be over
looked when considering a treatment
center location. The first two weeks of
treatment are always the most difficult
and there are many factors at work to make
this so. In addition to what has been
covered above, a more basic factor is
this; people are creatures of habit.
Even overwhelmingly positive and
beneficial changes in life, such as the
birth of a child or a new job does not
guarantee the individual will have no
thoughts of missing past negative
activities such as, drug or alcohol use,
drug or drinking acquaintances and other
associated activities. Factually this is
the normal reactive auto response of
most human beings; to do what they are
familiar with; good or bad. It is not
really that they yearn for these things,
it is just all that they have known for
some time. If the abuser is close to
home when overwhelming feelings manifest
themselves, there is a good chance he or
she will leave and get back to what they
know, drug addiction, as it is not very
far away . Due to these factors,
attending a drug rehab close to home is
seldom the correct treatment option for
chronic drug or alcohol abusers. It is
extremely therapeutic to be distanced
from their former association with drug
dealers, bars, the cabinet where the
alcohol was kept, the cigar box where
the cocaine was stored, etc. All these
triggers make the task of sobriety seem
insurmountable to the chronic drug or
alcohol abuser as these triggers
continuously stimulate a reminder of
their past addictive behaviors.
For individuals with a severe drug or
alcohol addiction problem, choosing a
long term inpatient treatment program is
another key to a successful outcome. By
providing a new, safe trigger free
environment, distanced from past
negative associations and surroundings
for an extended period of time, the
chance for success increases
dramatically.
Our program provides people with
positive circumstances to increase their
chances for a successful recovery. The
vast majority of students entering our
program, around (80%), are from out of
state or from other countries. |
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Healing Addicted Lives |
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 Call
now and request a copy of Healing
Addicted Lives written by Gary W. Smith,
Certified Chemical Dependency Counselor
and Director of Narconon Arrowhead Drug
and Alcohol Rehabilitation and Education
Center.
Call anytime to speak with one of our
counselors about our program. We will
take the time to answer your questions
whether it be for yourself or a loved
one. It is possible to replace the loss
and pain of alcohol or drug addiction
with a productive, enjoyable life.
Call now (877) 340-3602.
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