& Recovery 101. One man's understanding of the opium invasion

Transcription

1 Heroin Addiction & Recovery 101 One man's understanding of the opium invasion by Ron Calhoun Copyright 2016

2 Copyright 2016 by Ron Calhoun All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. Ron Calhoun Heroin Doesn't Care PO Box 675 Independence, KY HeroinDoesntCare.org

3 This ebook is provided at no cost to you. But please, understand, it isn t free. The information in this ebook has been paid for by thousands of broken hearts and millions of fallen tears from countless parents, spouses and loved ones who have loss someone to a opium overdose. While the content is priceless, it came at a tremendous price.

4 From injury to addiction Dave was a firefighter with a major municipality. He had "never ever tried pot. Once in awhile, he would have a beer. He was married, had children, and loved being a professional firefighter. Then he had an accident. At the scene of a fire, he fell two stories. After several months of recuperation, he was ready to return to his job. When Dave had left the hospital he had been given a prescription for an opium based pain reliever. But there was a problem. Dave developed a terrible flu like illness after he stopped taking the pain pills. He returned to his doctor who explained that he must have become addicted to the prescription medication. But that couldn t be possible. Dave had been careful to follow the doctor s orders and take the physician ordered medication exactly as instructed. But now his

5 doctor said there was nothing he could do to help him. In short, Dave has an accident related injury, he took medication according to the doctors instructions, became addicted to the medication, and his doctor addressed Dave s addiction by telling him there was nothing he, the doctor, could do. Some months later Dave was arrested for breaking into a house to get drugs. Understand, Dave never took pills to get high. First, he took them to dull the pain. Next, he took the pills to avoid the pain of withdrawing. Dave had never even tried pot Dave is just one of thousands who have become addicted to an opium based prescription while following doctors orders.

6 Prescriptions pain pills A few years ago there were two types of people who were being prescribed opioid based pain pills. (Opioid based means the basic ingredient is opium, which is what heroin is made from) The first group was people with legitimate illnesses or injuries. The second were people who misused the medications to get high and either got prescriptions at multiple doctors or pill mills. Over time, many of the people with legitimate illnesses accidentally became addicted to the medication. Those accidentally addicted to opioid based pain pills were still getting them from their doctors even tho the pain was gone. But that would change. Realizing there was a problem states enacted laws to monitor doctors who prescribed opioid based medications.

7 Abusers could no longer get prescriptions from multiple doctors and quarterly blood test proved the patients were taking the pills and not selling them. Prescriptions became harder to get. In Kentucky the monitoring program is called KASPER, which stands for Kentucky All Schedule Prescription Electronic Reporting. As control of prescriptions tightened those who had accidentally become addicted along with those who purposely misused the pills now had to find some other way to maintain their addiction. Many were now faced with buying pills on the black market aka the street. Mexican cartels jumped in and used this opportunity to set up more elaborate heroin distribution methods throughout the United States. So we had two problems, first prescriptions drug abuse, which lead to the second problem, heroin abuse.

8 Side note: more people die from prescriptions pain pills than heroin.

9 Addiction Accidental and deliberate users were now purchasing pills and heroin on the street. Opium (heroin) users don t necessarily become addicted from only one use. Before becoming an addict your body builds up a tolerance to the drug. At some point, the user may experience flu like conditions known as dope sick. Even users who use only small amounts and only use occasionally can build up a need for the drug to avoid becoming dope sick. It becomes necessary to use the drug so they can feel normal. At this point, when the drug is needed to feel normal, the user is now an addict. Why do I say that? Because stopping the use of the drug will cause severe withdrawal, flulike, dope sick conditions, therefore, they will continue using the drug in order not to go through withdraw.

10 The difference in the level of usage to feel normal, or get high increases over time with use. The user s body builds up a tolerance and will need more of the drug to maintain the desired effect. A problem arises because the level needed to die from an overdose, is not much higher than the amount needed for the desired result (feeling normal or getting high). We will call the amount needed for an overdose the ceiling. The difference from desired results to the ceiling decreases over time so that user is getting increasingly close to the overdose ceiling. People overdose from one of two ways. For example, the victim passes out, lies on their back, exasperates and chokes. But the most common way is the victim has hit the ceiling and the body becomes so relaxed that the brain forgets to tell

11 the body to take a breath. An overdose may last a number of hours because the victim may still breath occasionally. Given enough time, however, the body will die....the most common way (to overdose) is the victim has hit the ceiling and the body becomes so relaxed that the brain forgets to tell the body to take a breath

12 Treatment and Recovery Addicts need this narcotic to feel normal. Not having the drug in their system causes withdraw. The first step in recovery is to cleanse the drug from the user's body by a process known as detox. Recovery starts with detox. But how hard is it to get into a detox? According to a University of Kentucky study: For every 100 people who want to quit and call for help, we only have help of any kind for 24. Most are put on a waiting, but 76% will never get help. We can only help 24 of every 100 who beg for help In Greater Cincinnati, it is estimated we can only help 1 person out of 9 or 11%. 89% never make it off the waiting list.

13 A personal story In 2014 I attended an awareness event at a park in Kenton County, Kentucky. A young woman, mother of a two year old daughter, came to the event and asks for help. She explained that she had been using pills and started using heroin. She explained that she was not using a needle, yet. She had gone to the local emergency room (ER) and asks for addiction treatment fearing, without treatment, she would soon start injecting. The ER told her, You re not bad enough. The ER told her, You re not bad enough. Where she ask what bad enough meant they explained she wasn t experiencing an overdose at the time. She ask if they would help her if she was overdosing and they explaining they could keep her for three hours and then she would have to leave.

14 So now she has come to this addiction awareness event to ask for help. Six different awareness groups sprung into action. People pulled out cell phones, started calling detox centers. In the three counties that make up Northern Kentucky there is only one detox center, Droege House. Droege House has a total of eleven detox beds. Eight for men, three for women, they had no openings. The advocates kept calling. Fifteen minutes later and still no detox bed. But the young mother was assured an opening would be found. Thirty minutes, calls were now being made to other parts of the state. Forty five minutes, they were now calling Tennessee and still no room....they were now calling Tennessee and still no room.

15 One of the advocates started to tell the young lady that they were still trying. And then it happened. The young lady who had arrived at the event with a hopeless heart with tears in her eyes was gone. She had come to the event, begged for help, had six groups trying to find her help, and she had simply lost hope and walked away. She had been told over, and over there was no help to be found. She gave up. Everything starts with detox.

16 But what happens if you're one of the lucky one who gets into a detox center? Even if the user can get into detox they are still in danger. It is important to understand after a successful detox the users body has lowered its tolerance to heroin. The overdose ceiling has also been lowered now to an unknown level. Therefore, if the person reuses any amount they can die from an overdose. After a user detoxes and the body has reset it s tolerance level (ceiling) the desire to use the drug is still present. Just like cigarette smokers who have daily activities, which causes triggers to smoke. Opium users also have daily triggers and a psychological desire to continue using the drug. After detox the overdose ceiling is lower, but the desire to use is still present

17 Time is needed to recovery The users body and brain must be given enough time to recovery. The users mind must be given enough time to heal and learn how to respond to these triggers. NOTE: A couple of days of detox and 30 days of treatment is not enough time for someone to learn how to respond to triggers. A recommended pathway to recovery is to start with detox (7 to 10 days), after which the client should be directed to a program that teaches life skills perhaps a residential program and/or the working of a 12 step program. Detoxed clients should be allowed to use Suboxone or Vivitrol for long term care. Suboxone and Vivitrol both suppress the desires and cravings of addiction, however Vivitrol blocks opioid receptors in the brain so that users cannot get high for approximately a 28 to 30 day period. Either medication should only be used under the direction of a doctor.

18 Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) and Behavioral Therapy Suboxone and Vivitrol are two forms of medication assisted treatment. Doctor supervised medication assisted treatment (MAT) gives the client s brain time to heal and time to unlearn triggers. The importance of time cannot be overstated. How long should a person be on MAT? The answer is, as long as their doctor believes it is needed. For some it may be two weeks, others two years, and still a few may have to take medication for the rest of their life. The goal is, under the supervision of a doctor, when the doctor and client believe they are ready, they should be able to gradually wing the client off of the medication. One challenge facing clients during this period is living in the same conditions they

19 lived in before recovery. Daily triggers for example, if clients have to go back to the same neighborhood, in the same family, or the same drug filled surroundings as before, recovery is jeopardized. Therefore, sober living facilities, for example, Oxford House, allow clients to fully rehab and reintegrate back into a successful recovery. When helping someone recovering from an opium addiction, think long term. Next, how sober living facilities allow clients to have needed time

20 Sober living facilities allow clients to live in a house, have jobs and take responsibility for their lives. Clients are expected to pay rent, contribute to the purchase of food and maintenance of the house. The house is expected to be self sustaining. It has been learned that one of the triggers of relapse is a client trying to deal with the normal stresses of life. Paying bills, raising kids, dealing with the death of a loved one are enough to send many people into experiences of depression or anxiety. Recovering addicts are people too. They have normal everyday problems, for which they use to self medicate. Sober living facilities allow clients to gradually take on those responsibilities and those anxieties and learn how to cope with them without self medication. How long should you work a program? The answer, as long as you plan on being alive. Recovery is a lifelong process.

21 The Transtheoretical Model Stages of Recovery Two well known alcoholism researchers, reverse engineered the stages of changing behavior. The researchers, Drs. Prochaska and Diclemente started with people who had successfully recovered from addiction and had been in recovery for ten to twenty years. They started with people who had succeeded and looked at what had worked. Drs. Prochaska and Diclemente started with people who had successfully recovered from addiction and had been in recovery for ten to twenty years.

22 The Transtheoretical Model Stages of Recovery They published the findings in The model is called The Transtheoretical Model (TTM). The model has been updated over the years. On the following page is a breakdown of how I understand the model and what it means in easy to understand English. Is this the ONLY model of recovery. No, but it's a great place to start. Stages 1: Denial Stages 2: Interruption Stages 3: Acceptance Stages 4: Determination Stages 5: Action Stages 6: Maintenance

23 Stages of Recovery Stages 1: Precontemplation (Not Ready, Denial) No intention to take action. Stages 2: Interruption (Distraction, Wake up call) lost a job, lost family, overdose, arrested or others problem Dr. Jeremy Engel calls this, the Distraction stage. Stages 3: Contemplation/Acceptance (Getting Ready) They are starting to understand they have a problem. They are on the fence. Stages 4: Preparation/Determination (Ready, decision time) This stage is still not recovery. It s thinking about and planning for recovery. They are determined to commit to a plan of action. Stages 5: Action/Implementing the plan They have a plan and more importantly they are modifying behavior. Finding a Detox is generally part of your preparation while starting detox is part of Action. They have started on the road to recovery. They are working a plan and changing behaviors. They may make a public commitment. They are building a new pattern of behavior, which will take time. Stages 6: Maintenance Person has been able to sustain new actions for at least six months. They have a support system that helps them prevent relapse. New, better behaviors are a part of their life.

24 Relapse is not a stage of recovery in TTM but is seen as a return to an old behavior. You don t need to go back to the first stage because of a relapse you can start at the action stage. Also, going back to the action stage is a good way to strengthen maintenance. Understanding Heroin Addiction & Recovery 101 by Ron Calhoun, Founder Heroin Doesn't Care RonCalhoun54@Gmail.com

25 Resources and Websites HeroinDoesntCare.org Opioid Treatment Program Directory Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) assisted treatment SAMHSA.gov is the single most important website and resource you and I have. Go to the SAMHSA.gov website & bookmark the page Recommended reading Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic Book by Sam Quinones Google Search: "purdue pharma doj settlement"

26 About the author Ron Calhoun Ron Calhoun is a videographer from Independence, Ky where he lives with his wife Donna. He was a professional entertainer most of his adult life but came off the road and started college at the age of 52. "They told me I was a non-traditional student, which for the first three months I thought meant I showed up and paid attention." He double majored in public relations and electronic media with minors in journalism and sports marketing. He is currently in production of a documentary web seriers covering opium addiction and recovery. He is the founder of Heroin Doesn't Care, a nonprofit electronic media creator. He has twice been presented the Chair's Award from Northern Kentucky University Department of Communication, College of Infomatics, received a Blue Chip Media Award for Professional Documentary, and commissioned a Kentucky Colonel by the governor of Kentucky.

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