OxyNEO Drug Abuse
Prescription drug abuse is being seen more and more among all ages and demographics. Painkillers, or Opioids, like Oxycodone and Methadone are some of the most commonly misused prescriptions. These medications can become very addictive if not effectively monitored by both patient and physician. In the last few years, Canada has seen many changes to the popular painkiller, Oxycontin. Manufacturers changed Oxycontin’s formula shortly before their patent on the painkiller expired (which would allow generic copies to be produced). While Oxycontin was originally developed as a slow-release painkiller, it was quickly learned that snorting or injected it allowed users to experience the drug’s entire effect all at once. Oxycontin’s New Identity This change in formula made Oxycontin (renamed OxyNEO) harder to abuse. When a person tries to alter OxyNEO for snorting or injection, it forms into a gel and becomes too gummy for such purposes. This change has garnered both support and criticism. Advocates believe OxyNEO lowers levels of abuse and addiction in addition to reducing the risk of fatal respiratory relapse. Others believed it only translates into different problems elsewhere. Outcomes of OxyNEO One of the problems noticed shortly after OxyNEO’s debut was a spike in heroin use. With the inability to use OxyNEO in the same ways as its predecessor, many people turned to the next closest substance – heroin. Heroin is much cheaper and easier to access than prescription opioids. But because illicit substances like heroin are not regulated, users do not know how much heroin they’re ingested or if there are other substances cut in. The risk of overdose, serious health complications, and death are much higher among heroin users. People have also found ways to abuse OxyNEO. A quick search on google will show you how to remove the plastic coating responsible for creating its gummy consistency. Approaching Substance Use Differently Simply removing or changing a substance does not counteract substance abuse or addiction issues within a community. People struggling with substance dependency will find other ways to stimulate their experiences while using substances. Not only is the adoption of substances like Heroin more dangerous, but heroin’s withdrawal symptoms can also be life-threatening. It’s difficult to know what stance you should take on issues like this, especially when authorities are so divided on solutions for people with mental health and addictions. Who do you believe? How do you know who is right and wrong? The truth is you can’t be black-and-white about it. There were likely some people who went into recovery after Oxycontin was taken off the market, meaning that the change worked for some. Additionally, not everyone prescribed Oxycontin in the past developed a dependency to it or the other painkillers than have been around for years. For this reason, unique, individualized approaches to opioid addictions are more effective than simply wiping something off the shelf (alcohol prohibition in the United States is a good example of this). The post OxyNEO Drug Abuse appeared first on Canada Drug...
Slip Vs Relapse
Families of individuals with addictions are not just an important part of treatment, but an important part of recovery (i.e. life after treatment). Relapse can be one of the biggest worries once loved ones return home from treatment, yet many can’t identify what true relapse looks like. TO complicate matters, there is no universally agreed upon definition for “relapse”. What is Relapse? While there are many definitions available, a relapse can be defined as “a return to previous levels of substance use or behaviour(s) after a period of improvement”. Generally, total relapse reflects a higher severity in the return to addictive behaviours. Many factors can influence relapse. To start, it’s not a sign or lacking willpower and control. Certain characteristics affect treatment outcomes and recovery. One study found those with higher self-efficacy, less avoidant coping styles, and a readiness to change showed better outcomes. In contrast, untreated concurrent mental health problems, multiple substance dependencies, and high impulsivity were linked to increased vulnerability for relapse. According to the same study, people experiencing mental health issues like distress, depression, and anxiety are also at higher risk for relapse. Negative emotions account for 30% of relapses and increase the chances of a ‘slip’ turning into relapse. What is a Slip? A slip is defined as “a break in abstinence” or “the act or instance of back-sliding”. A popular belief is that slips are not as detrimental as relapse. The belief is that it is different from relapse, because a slip is not a complete return to addictive behaviours. However, there are a number of people who don’t believe in slips; abstinence is “all or nothing” to them. Any consumption of substances is considered relapse. This belief doesn’t work for everyone. Behaviour & Process Addictions Adding to the confusion surrounding slips and relapse, are those with process addictions such as food, sex, video games, and internet use. For this group, it is not necessarily realistic to abstain permanently. For example, people with food or sex addiction need to develop moderate, healthy sexual or eating behaviours. Harm Reduction Definitions of relapse and slips also become confusing when the definition of recovery shifts from the traditional view of abstinence to moderate removal. For example, individuals with opioid addiction may need to taper in order to achieve long-term recovery. They may even need to use other painkillers to ease an injury or recover from surgery in the future. Recovery is not a State, it’s a Process Recovery is a learning process and a slip or relapse may be a necessary part of that individual’s learning. Individuals who slip or relapse learn more about themselves and better ways to prevent slips in the future. Relapse can also be a sign of boredom and a lack of meaning and purpose. Individuals who slip or relapse have an opportunity to look at their life and find ways to make it more meaningful. This insight can greatly improve their recovery and prevent relapse in the future. Your Role As friends and families, it’s important not to react drastically to a loved one’s slip or relapse. Our negative reactions can translate into failure in their eyes. This sense of failure can cause your loved one to believe they’re hopeless and return to old patterns. Individuals with more supportive relationships with families and friends show better treatment and recovery outcomes. The post Slip Vs Relapse appeared first on Canada Drug...
Vancouver Island Detox Services
A woman in the Comox Valley contacted us looking for alcohol withdrawal services. Did you know? There are more detox options on Vancouver Island than treatment options. There are three major locations in Courtenay, Nanaimo, and Victoria all capable of doing medical withdrawal. There are also several social detoxes Along the island as well. This is because residential treatment seems to crash and burn on Vancouver Island. To our knowledge, there are no government-funded primary treatment programs. There’s a very short-term facility in Victoria for 10 days post-withdrawal, but it’s most suitable as a temporary situation. Nanaimo and Campbell River have programs for men at the John Howard society. A men-only program also exists at the Comox Valley Recovery Centre. There are no public treatment programs providing treatment for 21 days or more accessible to women. There is sober living/support, just no primary treatment unless you can pay to attend private treatment such as Cedars or Edgewood. VANCOUVER ISLAND DETOX SERVICES Comox Addiction Services 941C England Avenue, Courtenay BC V9N 2N7 Phone: (250) 331-8524 Note: provides day detox withdrawal management services Substance Intervention Program St. Joseph’s General Hospital 2137 Comox Avenue Comox, BC V9M 1P2 Phone: (250) 339-1573 Pager: (250) 703-9102 Note: provides social detoxification, screening, psychiatric assessment, and brief intervention. Nanaimo Clearview Centre 967 Haliburton Street Nanaimo, BC V9R 6N5 Phone: (250) 739-5891 Fax: (250) 739-5892 Note: A 12 bed non-smoking medical detox operated by VIHA that provides medical- supervised withdrawal support and referrals to other support services. Clients looking for referrals need to call message line at 250-739-5859 (Messages are checked Monday to Friday 8:30 – 4:30). Victoria Victoria Medical Society Eric Martin Pavillion 5A-2334 Trent Street, Victoria, BC V8R 4Z3 Phone: (250) 519-7708 (Main) Phone: (250) 213-4441 (Intake) Note: Has 21 co-ed medical detox beds. Clients need to go to 1125 Pembroke St (VWMS) for an assessment where they can be referred into this program or at that Pembroke location (see below). Victoria Withdrawal Management Services (VWMS) The Sobering and Assessment Centre 1125 Pembroke Street Victoria, BC V8T 1J3 Phone: (250) 213-4441 Fax: (250) 213-4445 Website: Victoria Withdrawal Management Services Note: For adults who require detox. Provides 20 co-ed beds for shelter and assessment for inebriated clients for less than 24 hours. Clients can walk in for service if appearing at this address. Otherwise, individuals will require a police or hospital referral. Also provides short-term detoxification for acute medical withdrawal (this service requires a physician referral faxed to (250) 213-4445). Finally, it also has a 17-bed medical detox service. If you need more detox options, this webpage lists other detox programs in BC:...
Detox and Treatment in Victoria, BC
Sam lives in Sidney, BC and is looking for immediate treatment and detox for alcohol dependence. Sam, like many people, was shocked when she realized the potential wait times for entering public treatment. It’s an all-too-common story that someone is ready to change and we rain on their provide by informing them that our healthcare systems are overloaded and do have immediate openings in treatment beds. Our first question was whether Sam had any income she could put towards treatment. Like many, Sam did not have any funds to pay for treatment, which extremely limits her available options to immediate treatment. Even though Sam was discouraged and tried to end the call, we were able to get her to hang on and tell her about alternative recovery resources. Sam has been consuming a significant amount of alcohol and said that she had stopped drinking and was now experiencing withdrawals. She explained her “shakes” were starting to get bad. We explained how the detox units in Victoria operate. If Sam wants to get referred into the medical withdrawal unit at the Eric Martin Pavilion, she need to go through the Victoria Withdrawal Management Unit on Quadra Street. We suggested she ask these questions and gave her the assessment and referral offices that could provide outpatient treatment and meetings for her so she had other resources to rely on while she waited for treatment. Judging by the tone of the call, we suspect this information may have been too much for Sam to handle during our call. She seemed very angry and distraught. We know accessing public treatment can be a frustrating, hopeless experience, especially when we know other people with the necessary funds can enter alcohol treatment or drug rehab straight away. Unfortunately, we have no say over how government-funded treatment is operated. The best we can do is try and offer you the best-suited options for your or your loved one’s needs and the fastest way to access such options. If you have any questions or are looking for support or direction, don’t hesitate to contact us by e-mail or...
Substance-Affected Family Resources for Victoria, BC
Jared* was looking for assistance with 27-year-old brother in Victoria, BC. Jared was told by other agencies to kick his brother out of the house and wait until he was ready to change. All these agencies failed to provide any support resources for the substance-affected family members, so we offered some resources that Jared and his family could access in order to learn how to establish boundaries needed for positive, supportive relationships during addiction, treatment, and recovery. If Jared chooses to help his brother seek addiction resources, this link will take you to a list of resources for the Victoria area: http://www.sunshinecoasthealthcentre.ca/victoria-rehab.html#govt The following listings are resources to help substance-affected family members during the addiction treatment process of a loved one: RESOURCES FOR AFFECTED FAMILY MEMBERS Adult Addiction Community Treatment Services The Victoria Clinic, 2nd floor – 1250 Quadra Street Phone (250)519-3544 Services available to substance-affected adult family members. By appointment only, so please call ahead. Regardless of whether your brother abuses alcohol or drugs Al-Anon is long-established support group for those impacted by addictions: http://www.bcyukon-al-anon.org/ This link will take you to helpful information about family/friends and treatment and recovery for addicted loved ones: http://www.sunshinecoasthealthcentre.ca/family-addiction-help.html Intervention: http://www.sunshinecoasthealthcentre.ca/family-intervention.html http://www.canadadrugrehab.ca/Alcohol-Drug-Intervention.html LEARN HOW TO ESTABLISH BOUNDARIES Printed Resources Addictive Relationships: Reclaiming Your Boundaries (1989) Joy Miller Better Boundaries: Owning and Treasuring Your Life (1997) Jan Black, Greg Enns Boundaries – Where You End And I Begin: How To Recognize And Set Healthy Boundaries (1994) Anne Katherine Boundaries and Relationships: Knowing, Protecting and Enjoying the Self (1993) Charles Whitfield Boundaries in Marriage (1999) Henry Cloud and John Townsend Boundaries in Marriage – Participant’s Guide (2002) Henry Cloud and John Townsend Boundaries: When to say Yes, When to Say No, To Take Control of Your Life (1992) Henry Cloud and John Townsend Where to Draw the Line: How to Set Healthy Boundaries Every Day (2000) Anne Katherine Online Videos...
