by Sher Delva | May 11, 2017 | Addiction, Addiction Medicine, Addiction Stigma, Drug Abuse, Heroin, Mental Health, Stigma, Therapy
Public bathrooms are ground zero in the opioid epidemic, according to a recent report. Addicts like Eddie* know all about this. In an interview with NPR, Eddie declares every single bathroom in Cambridge, Massachusetts that he among many others uses to get high.
“I know all the bathrooms that I can and can’t get high in,” says Eddie, 39, in the interview.
“With these bathrooms here, you don’t need a key. If it’s vacant, you go in. And then the staff just leaves you alone,” Eddie says. “I know so many people who get high here.”
Even at fast food places, Eddie has his technique for gaining access.
“You don’t need a key, but they have a security guard that sits at the little table by the door, directly in front of the bathroom,” Eddie says.
“Some guards require a receipt for admission to the bathroom,” he says, “but you can always grab one from the trash.”
*Name Changed
Managing Public Bathrooms is ‘Tricky.’
Businesses in the area struggle to come up with solutions to the problem. Some have installed low lighting, blue in particular, to make it difficult for users to find a vein.
The city of Cambridge plans to install “Portland Loos” in the heart of Central Square by the end of the summer. The “Portland Loo” public bathrooms originated in the city of Portland, Organ. These toilets reduce privacy and ensure police can see in if they suspect illegal activity.
Furthermore, the Loos have:
- No running water inside: Prevents people from using the water to clean themselves.
- No mirror: People tend to smash mirrors.
- Bars at the top and bottom of the structure: This reduces privacy. Cops can peep in near the ground to make sure there’s no more than one set of feet inside. Furthermore, you hear sounds inside and outside of the bathrooms. Nobody wants to stick around these toilets for long.
- A graffiti-proof coating: No one will be tagging these bathrooms.
- Walls and doors made from heavy-gauge stainless steel
Business owners hope that these bathrooms will relieve pressure on their bathrooms. However, others worry they will become a haven for drug use.
The bathrooms at 1369 Coffee House in Central Square are open for customers who request the code from staff at the counter. Owner Joshua Gerber required this step to make the bathrooms safer. He also installed metal boxes in the mall next to his toilet for needles and other things that clog pipes.
“We’d find needles or people’s drugs,” Gerber says to NPR. “It’s a tricky thing, managing a public restroom in a big, busy square like Central Square where there’s a lot of drug use.”
In recent years, Geber and his staff have found several people lying on the bathroom floor unconscious.
“It’s very scary,” Gerber says. “In an ideal world, users would have safe places to go that it didn’t become the job of a business to manage that and to look after them and make sure that they were OK.”
Safe Needle Exchange Programs?
In the past, we have mentioned areas in Canada and some European Countries that offer safe areas to do drugs. The United States is slowly coming around to providing these facilities as well. Though controversial, these safe needle injection sites offer a place for addicts to use drugs and reduce overdose fatalities. They also reduce crime and will hopefully reduce drugs done in public restrooms.
The city of Las Vegas plans to decrease the risk of sharing contaminated needles by installing vending machines throughout the city. These vending machines would provide clean needles to addicts reducing infectious diseases. They would also offer disposal containers to dispose of needles safely. This would prevent needles from being disposed of improperly.
Officials in several states in America have proposed the implementation of supervised injection facilities, including:
- New York
- California
- Washington D.C.
Supervised injection facilities (SIFs) are legally sanctioned locations where people who use intravenous drugs can inject pre-obtained drugs under medical supervision. There are pros and cons to these facilities, however, they are likely to reduce drug sue on the streets and reduce infections from needle sharing. Furthermore, they reduce overdose fatalities.
Limits on Discussion and Direction
Overall, discussions on safety practices for bathrooms remain sparse. There is a reason why:
“It’s against federal and state law to provide a space where people can use knowingly, so that is a big deterrent from people talking about this problem,” says Dr. Alex Walley, director of the addiction medicine fellowship at Boston Medical Center.
Still, without guidance, many libraries, town halls, and businesses are shutting their bathrooms down to the public. Closing down public restrooms leads to more drug use, injuries and discarded needles on the streets and in parks with children playing.
There are a variety of methods that could make bathrooms safer for the public and drug users.
- A model restroom would be clean and well-lit and have very few cracks and crevices for hiding drug paraphernalia.
- Bathrooms should also contain a biohazard box for needles and bloodied swabs.
- These bathrooms would also need naloxone and perhaps sterile water.
- The door with open out so a collapsed body would not block entry.
- It would need to be easy for EMTS and authorizes to unlock from the outside in the case of an emergency.
Very few bathrooms meet these standards in the United States. Sadly, as the opioid epidemic continues to take lives each and every day, these issues must be addressed. How can cities improve the safety of their public bathrooms?
Doctors, nurses and public health workers who help addiction patients every day argue the solution will have to include safe injection sites.
If communities like Boston start to reach a breaking point with bathrooms, “having dedicated facilities like safer drug consumption spaces is the best bet for a long-term structural solution that I think a lot of business owners could buy into, “ says Daniel Raymond. Raymond is deputy director of policy and planning at the New York-based Harm Reduction Coalition.
No business groups in Massachusetts have come out for such spaces yet. Time will tell what changes occur. Getting the right kind of treatment for drug addiction is paramount to progress. If you or someone you love is struggling, don’t wait. Please call toll-free now.
CALL NOW 1-888-922-5398
by Justin Mckibben | May 5, 2017 | Addiction, Detox, Drug Abuse, Heroin, Opioids, Withdrawal
Heroin (diacetylmorphine) is a Schedule I controlled-substance in the United States and is considered by many to be the most addictive drug in the world when compared to other more popular illicit drugs. Heroin is typically associated with the highest likelihood of developing an addiction both psychologically and physically.
Given the fact that the country is facing the most deadly drug epidemic in American history thanks to the opioid overdose outbreak, heroin abuse is now a primary concern facing most of the nation. Other opioids, like prescription painkillers, have contributed to the rising rates of heroin use, and the addition of other potent drugs like fentanyl, heroin is more dangerous than ever.
Heroin overdose is currently one of the top causes of accidental death. People use more than the body can handle and it shuts down. Also, the withdrawals of heroin can be particularly difficult. So how long does heroin stay in your system?
How Long Does Heroin Stay in Your System: Important Elements
When asking how long does heroin stay in your system we have to examine some of the important elements that impact the effects of heroin on the body. Heroin is typically injected intravenously to make a faster impact, but it is also smoked or snorted. Heroin has longer lasting effects compared to drugs like cocaine and meth, but it also has a shorter half-life of only approximately 30 minutes.
What does half-life of heroin mean? Essentially, when an individual uses a single dose of heroin, it will take about 30 minutes for half of the drug in the person’s system to be flushed out. However, some studies actually suggest that this half-life is as short as 3-8 minutes, not 30.
The accurate amount of time it would take is not cut and dry. The half-life of heroin depends on a number of factors for each individual, including:
- Height
- Weight
- Age
- Genetics
- Body fat
- The amount taken
- Purity of the drug
- Method of use
- Metabolism
- Health of the liver
- Kidney health
- Hydration
Not all bodies are the same, so of course not all bodies will be able to get rid of heroin at the same exact rate. A body with more fatty tissue and less hydration will probably retain the chemicals longer than someone well-hydrated with a lean build.
How Long Does Heroin Stay in Your System: Drug Testing for Heroin
Some might hope they can measure the presence of heroin in the system based on drug tests. Of course the length of time a drug is detectable with a drug test depends directly on the rate at which heroin leaves the body. Different drug tests often have different lengths of time they measure, so one might be able to tell you someone used heroin, but it may not be particularly active in the body.
Approved drug tests through the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for heroin use:
- Blood
- Saliva
- Urine
- Hair follicle
Heroin is typically no longer detectable in a person’s urine after just 2 days, but some tests have detected positive results in up to 7 days.
Blood and saliva tests aren’t often used for most opioids because they have such a short half-life. It can only take about 5-6 hours for heroin to be undetectable for these tests, but in some cases it may actually last up to 2 days.
The only effective long-term test for traces of heroin is the hair follicle test, which can detect heroin for up to 3 months or more. However, if you are trying to find out if heroin is still active in the body, the long-term doesn’t really help.
Many tests now look for heroin metabolites, which are what is created when the liver metabolizes the drug. These stay in the system much longer than the actual intoxicant, so while you can detect the presence of the metabolites, the drug itself isn’t necessarily active. However, many believe that among long-term and/or frequent heroin users, the drug may actually remain in a person’s system for much longer than detectable on a drug test.
How Long Does Heroin Stay in Your System: Withdrawal
One reason many people will want to know how long heroin stays in the system is for the sake of overcoming their withdrawal symptoms. Especially for those who are familiar with suffering through these painful periods of abstinence, the question of how long does heroin stay in your system is about avoiding extended discomfort.
Withdrawal symptoms of heroin include:
- Sweating
- Insomnia
- Malaise
- Extreme anxiety
- Depression
- Itchiness
- Excessive yawning and sneezing
- Runny nose
- Cold sweats
- Chills
- Severe muscle and bone aches
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Fever
- Cramp-like pains
- Involuntary spasms in the legs, arms, and neck
Heroin withdrawals will not be the same for everyone. The same things that impact how long it stays in the system will also impact how severe the withdrawals are. Other substances that are used along with heroin will also have an impact on how serious the withdrawals can be and how long they may persist.
It has been estimated that heroin withdrawal symptom can start within 6-12 hours from the last dose and may be present up to 5-10 days.
How Long Does Heroin Stay in Your System: Overdose Danger
One big reason things like the half-life matter is because of how it increases the risks of overdose.
If we say that after ingesting heroin approximately 50% of the drug has been cleared from the body in somewhere between 8-30 minutes, what tends to happen during this time is that many people assume by time their “high” ends, most of the heroin is already fully cleared from their system. However, when the “high” ends, up to 50% of the heroin will still be in your system, and so will its metabolites! So while some people think the high wears off that quick so they may think it’s safe to do more, there is still a fair amount of that drug present in the body.
Although heroin is quickly metabolized and eliminated from the body, its metabolites remain present for a longer duration. When heroin is used it is de-acetylated into 6-monoacetylmorphine (6-MAM). This chemical then metabolizes into morphine. Morphine’s half-life is estimated to be between 1.5 and 7 hours. As a result, the morphine in the body created by using heroin could stay in your system for 1.60 days before it is entirely eliminated.
So when we ask how long does heroin stay in your system, it isn’t a one-size-fits-all thing. What we can say is that one thing the probably contributes a lot to the skyrocketing rates of overdoses and deaths is that people don’t understand the heroin half-life or how long it stays in the system.
The longer the drug is in the system, the harder it will be to detox from it. That is why medical detox is so crucial to effectively and safely getting off of heroin. It also shows why treatment can be critical to lasting recovery. If you or someone you love is struggling, please call toll-free now.
CALL NOW 1-888-922-5398
by Sher Delva | May 4, 2017 | Addiction, Addiction Medicine, Addiction Stigma, Addiction Treatment, Stigma
These days, it is harder to name celebrities who aren’t sober than those who are. After all, we hear reports daily on newly sober celebs. Whether it’s Daniel Radcliffe or Bam Margera, the list of celebrities who are sober continues to expand.
Now, leading man Brad Pitt revealed in an interview with GQ magazine that he has quit drinking and is living sober. Brad Pitt says he is six months sober and is looking forward to continuing his sobriety for the long-haul.
According to Pitt, his divorce from actress and producer Angelina Jolie was due partly to his out-of-control drinking behavior. Pitt admits that the past six months of his life has been a “weird” time, according to the interview, and he looks forward to regaining his life back.
“Personally, I can’t remember a day since I got out of college when I wasn’t boozing or had a spliff, or something. Something. And you realize that a lot of it is, um—cigarettes, you know, pacifiers. And I’m running from feelings. I’m really, really happy to be done with all of that,” he says.
During Pitt’s divorce from Angelina Jolie, his drinking and drug use got the full media scrutiny. Jolie said her reason for the divorce was “for the health of the family” which may have alluded to Pitt’s struggles with substance use. Now, with this recent interview, it is apparent substance use played a major role.
“I was boozing too much. It’s just become a problem,” he admits. “And I’m really happy it’s been half a year now, which is bittersweet, but I’ve got my feelings in my fingertips again. I think that’s part of the human challenge: You either deny them all of your life or you answer them and evolve.”
From the interview, Brad Pitt confirms a commonality about addiction: it doesn’t happen overnight. In most cases, people drink and use for years, and the destruction continues to build months, years and decades down the road. Substance use creates problems for more than just the addict. It can destroy families, friendships, and careers too.
Celebrities like Brad Pitt, Ben Affleck, Bam Margera, Stephen Moyer and Alex Baldwin have all gone public with their recovery. With each admission, the stigma of addiction decreases. Many have a perception of what it looks like to be an addict. However, addiction does not discriminate. It can affect anyone.
When it comes to celebrities, often having too much power and success can lead to their downfall.
Pitt himself has said, “Success is a beast. And it actually puts the emphasis on the wrong thing. You get away with more instead of looking within.”
Furthermore, Brad Pitt says he is now looking within and learning more about himself. He sees a therapist regularly and is refocusing his family.
“For me this period has really been about looking at my weaknesses and failures and owning my side of the street,” Pitt said. “For me every misstep has been a step toward epiphany, understanding, some kind of joy. Yeah, the avoidance of pain is a real mistake. It’s the real missing out on life. It’s those very things that shape us, those very things that offer growth, that make the world a better place, oddly enough, ironically. That make us better.”
These days, Pitt says he enjoys his cranberry and fizzy water drinks. He admits that it is challenging to give up wine completely, but he “does not want to live that way anymore.”
“I mean, we have a winery. I enjoy wine very, very much, but I just ran it to the ground. I had to step away for a minute,” He says.
More and more celebrities are choosing sobriety. If they can do it so can you. Do not feel ashamed of where your addiction has led you. Instead, choose to live a life of sobriety. We can help you get back on track. Call now.
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by staff | May 3, 2017 | Addiction, Addiction Medicine, Addiction Stigma, Addiction Treatment, Detox, Maintenance Drugs, Methadone, Suboxone, Therapy, Vivitrol, Withdrawal
(This content is being used for illustrative purposes only; any person depicted in the content is a model)
When it comes to overcoming a serious drug addiction it is essential to start strong on the road to recovery with a healthy and stable foundation. With most substances detoxing is not particularly fatal, but there are some drugs that can cause life-threaten detox symptoms without consistent medical care. So when people ask- can I detox from drugs at home- it is technically possible to go “cold turkey”, but chances are it’s going to be extremely painful and in some cases is far too dangerous to risk.
Detoxing from drugs in a safe medical environment is worth the effort for multiple reasons, regardless if you could technically survive the detox on your own, and especially when withdrawals could become lethal.
Sustainable and fulfilling sobriety means consistent work on both the physical and the mental and emotion aspects of addiction. Drugs and alcohol are not the only symptom to addiction; and overcoming withdrawal is not the only benefit of safe medical detox.
You may still be struggling to accept that it isn’t a matter of pure willpower. Maybe you are a parent or family member who just wants to help your loved one. Either way some people resist reaching out for help. Still, the truth is that trying to detox at home isn’t just an unnecessary risk, it can also be incredibly dangerous or even fatal.
Can I Detox From Drugs at Home: Withdrawals
The fear of the pain and discomfort of withdrawal symptoms is often the primary reason why most people never get a fair shot at getting off of drugs. A lot of people end up trying to figure out how to detox from drugs at home, but many find themselves being unsuccessful because of the difficulties they face and the lack of support. Some of the more general withdrawal symptoms people experience when coming off of drugs includes:
- Anxiety
- Irritability
- Panic attacks
- Difficulty concentrating
- Short-term memory loss
- Disturbed sleep
- Headache
- Heart palpitations
- Tremors
- Sweating
- Nausea
- Muscle pain
- Hypertension
- Irregular heart rate
Of course, some drugs are more powerful and thus more damaging. If someone tries to detox at home “cold turkey” from certain substances they may accidentally cause serious damage to their body and/or vital organs.
When asking- can I detox from drugs at home- we also have to consider any pre-existing conditions, or conditions that may have been created through long-term drug use. There are also medical complications during the detox process that most cannot diagnose or treat at home.
Some drug withdrawals can actually kill. Alcohol withdrawals are extremely dangerous, and abruptly stopping some drugs without medical monitoring and assistance is especially hazardous. Ultimately, the specific substance, the length of use and the severity/frequency of use will determine how difficult the detox process will be.
Can I Detox From Drugs at Home: Maintenance Drugs
Again, the difficulty of the detox process can be physically overwhelming. One way people try to fight the withdrawal symptoms from home is by using maintenance drugs, such as:
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While these can be useful elements of treatment, often times these methods are unsustainable in the long-term. Some maintenance drugs like Suboxone have side-effects and withdrawal symptoms of their own, which pretty much defeats the purpose.
With methadone people visit clinics to receive doses of a maintenance drug that also is well known for its own horrible withdrawal symptoms.
In the end, those who practice in the field of addiction treatment the medical community agree that these drugs are only ever useful when accompanied by cognitive behavioral therapy or comprehensive addiction treatment. They should not be used as an extended solution to a more complex issue.
Can I Detox From Drugs at Home: Behavioral Therapy
If you’re asking, “can I detox from drugs at home?” then you are probably forgetting one of the most important parts of addiction treatment. Beyond getting through the physical side of detox, there is so much more to recovering from drugs.
While most people think of detox as just the first stages of trying to get clean, there are still opportunities to lay the ground work for continued growth and personal development. Having the time away from the influences of the outside world, you can focus on beginning to change addictive behaviors in a secure facility.
Behavioral therapy and other holistic treatment methods are crucial ways of starting off on a path to recovery from drugs and alcohol. Creating new coping skills and confronting underlying issues can be the key to moving forward progressively while also preventing relapse.
Can I Detox From Drugs at Home: Safe Medical Detox
Addiction treatment professionals agree that detoxing from drugs should always be done with the supervision and support of a trained and experienced medical staff.
People do attempt detoxing from home, but it is still an unnecessary level of discomfort and risk. People do also die from trying to detox from dangerous drugs at home without the proper support. It is important to stress why even though it may be ‘possible’ to try detoxing from drugs at home, it can also be deadly. There are more than enough resources out there, and people willing to help.
At Palm Healthcare we believe in providing drug and alcohol detox with 24-hour assistance from an experienced medical staff to continuously evaluate individual progress, administer the appropriate levels of medications and provide unlimited support during this process. Our highly qualified specialists genuinely strive to make recovery possible for everyone who needs help. If your or someone you love is struggling with substance abuse or addiction, please call toll-free.
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