Dr. Marc Siegel: Treat opioid abusers, don’t jail them

By Dr. Marc Siegel, | Fox News AG Sessions announces new drug crime crackdown Richard Fowler, Charlie Hurt debate new policy Last week, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced his intention to seek harsher penalties for criminal activity involving opioids. On the surface this would seem logical, as a large extent of the opioid epidemic involves criminal activity. But, unfortunately, there is no evidence that stiffer penalties will stem the tide of abuse and overdose. In fact, a National Institutes of Health study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2009 concluded that treating the addiction that led to the criminal behavior not only improved public health, but also reduced criminality. Treatment involves effective medication such as Suboxone (naloxone and buprenorphine) or methadone, but it can help only with the physical addiction. The disease goes much deeper. Lasting cures are tied to 12-step rehabilitation programs, peer-to-peer counseling and having something [...]

August 26th, 2020|

Addiction Angel Organization Empowers Those Struggling With Addiction

The Addiction Angel Organization knows that the heroin epidemic has made its mark all over the country, and one place the mounting rates of death as a result of the heroin epidemic has made plenty of headlines is the state of New York. At one point reports showed that New York experienced more deaths due to heroin overdose than from homicide, while across the country some statics have shown that the overdose death rate has quadrupled in recent years. Staten Island in New York is among one of the hardest hit communities statewide, with record numbers of overdose deaths resulting from the heroin epidemic. State officials and law enforcement agencies everywhere are beginning to revolutionize the methods they use to effectively address the heroin epidemic in their areas, with more compassionate programs being initiated with the intention of supporting those who struggle most. As heroin and opiate addiction has become [...]

October 21st, 2016|

Staten Island Heroin Crisis

Staten Island — The heroin epidemic on Staten Island is rapidly spreading through the entire area. There have been nine deaths in 10 days including three over the weekend. There have been 70 heroin-related deaths in 2016. The Staten Island District Attorney says it's a middle-class problem. "It started with the painkillers and then it moved to heroin in Middle America," Michael McMahon, Staten Island District Attorney told PIX11. "And Staten Island is more like Middle America that the four other boroughs." McMahon showed PIX11 a map of all the suspected heroin overdose deaths so far this year on Staten Island. The neighborhoods they've occurred in from Rose Bank to New Dorp and Tottenville. McMahon says it's not necessarily a bad batch of heroin, just a stronger variety that is causing these deaths. "The heroin we are seeing is coming from Mexico, 60, 70, 80 percent," McMahon said. "And it [...]

October 19th, 2016|Tags: , , , , , , |

Staten Island Addiction Treatment

Staten Island Addiction and addiction all over the country has been increasing steadily from the 1990s. The largest killers were the narcotic drugs, prescription narcotic pain killers, cocaine and heroin. These drugs accounted for nearly half of the deaths in this particular study. Poisoning deaths, of which drug poisoning accounts for about 95%, now run behind only auto accidents as the leading cause of accidental injury death in the US. The demographics are also interesting. Drug overdose deaths are twice as common in men as in women meaning about 2/3 of these deaths. The highest rates are in the age group between 35 and 54 years of age, accounting for about 60% of all the poisoning deaths in the year 2004. The study also found the rates among white people rising much faster than in blacks while rates among Hispanics went up much less than among non-Hispanics. Among American Indian Alaska [...]

October 17th, 2016|

Battling Addiction

We care about people battling addiction because of the feeling of hopelessness, and despair they undergo. All of us have commitments to fulfill in life, and we should all strive in this excellence by helping others, including those battling addictions. I interviewed about 8 people who were on their road to recovery from addiction. I also used discussion forums to get some of these ideas. From my findings, I came to realize that most people in the society partly blame people with addiction problems and others do not think it as a problem that should be shared by all societal members. Individuals in the addition network requires all the help they can get, when it comes from members of the society it carries more weight given that some of our actions contribute to their addiction problems. You must change the way you think to change your life, this paves way [...]

October 11th, 2016|

Addict Misconceptions

  Addicts are Lazy People. Addicts may appear lazy but they aren't always lazy people. They are normally very encouraged to satisfy their cravings. It actually takes  a large quantity of energy to plan and ensure there suffices of the drug through the remainder of the day and for tomorrow and the day after that. Whether it is making certain you have computer system access for pornography or that you have enough alcohol allocated out for the next day. Planning to get and allocate your drug to make sure you have enough of it, while concealing it from those around you, takes a lot of effort. When an addict becomes sober, they are quite surprised to discover a lot of leisure time and do not know ways to utilize it due to the fact that it has actually always been taken in by addicting behaviors. This is why it is very [...]

October 7th, 2016|

Staten Island Substance Abuse

Staten Island substance abuse is a growing menace in the New York area. Anyone can be a victim of it, disregarding age, gender and ethnicity. Substance abuse can be broadly defined as the situation in which the use of a substance causes a detrimental effect on the physical and mental condition of an individual. Further, substance abuse can also have devastating effect on the financial, social and even legal standing in the society of a person. The 'substance' in substance abuse can be almost anything. It can be either legal or illegal. Even the non prescribed use of prescriptive medicines has and can be termed as substance abuse. In cases of substance abuse, injections, inhaling and oral usage of the substance is common. However, sniffing and smoking of the said substance is also seen in some cases.           Drug Addiction in Staten Island Maybe the most [...]

September 30th, 2016|

Staten Island Heroin Abuse

Addiction to pain killers is running rampant in the state of New York and has resulted in the recent explosion of Staten Island heroin abuse. Heroin importation has dramatically increased over the past decade. Heroin is cheaper than prescription opioids and has similar physical effects on the user. Many patients who are no longer able to obtain prescription pain killers from a legitimate medical practitioner will simply turn to heroin to avoid withdrawal symptoms and relieve pain.      Heroin In Staten Island, NY Heroin is a drug that is both extremely illegal and very very addictive. It comes from opium from the poppy plant before it is refined to morphine, then further changed chemically to become heroin. Despite its extremely bad reputation for an easy overdose, heroin continues to be a commonly abused drug in Staten Island, NY. Heroin is sold and used in a number of forms including white or brown powder, a [...]

Family Involvement is Important in Substance Abuse Treatment

For family and friends of drug- or alcohol-addicted individuals, addressing the addiction is one of the most difficult aspects of helping the addicted person seek treatment. Often, over time, daily family involvement has only managed to enable the addict. Family members frequently do not know how to bring up the issue of addiction therapy, and opt to ignore the problem for fear of pushing their loved one away during a confrontation or intervention. These are legitimate concerns, and while families should understand that approaching their loved one should be a gentle and supportive process, they also need to understand that most patients seek substance abuse treatment because of positive family involvement and intervention. Prior to Substance Abuse Treatment and Intervention Each family is different, and the best way to approach family involvement with addiction therapy will differ with every person. There are counselors in your area who are trained to [...]

September 11th, 2016|

7 Tips for Mothers of Adult Addicts

Suzanne Degges-White, Ph.D.   Before a child is born, most parents are already carrying a heavy burden. They recognize that a great deal of responsibility comes with bringing a child into this world and typically believe that every choice they make from the moment of conception onwards is going to play a role in how their child turns out. For the most part, they may be right. Some choices made during pregnancy can definitely influence a child’s physiology and future health. Consuming alcohol, using drugs and some medications, eating nutritiously, among others, can all influence the health of an unborn child. However, as of the moment of conception, some unique personalitycharacteristics and physiological potentials are already pretty much fixed, regardless of pre- and post-birth parenting choices that are made. If you are the mother or father of an adult child who is not making the choices that are necessary for [...]

September 11th, 2016|