Kids’ coloring book ‘art’ turns out to be drugs

By David Chang, NBCPhiladelphia.com

By David Chang, NBCPhiladelphia.com

Three inmates, two women charged after suboxone found pasted onto pages 

Its psychedelic artwork that even a hippie would find extreme. Three inmates and two civilians face charges after investigators discovered coloring book pages painted with drugs inside the Cape May County Correctional Center.

Back in February, corrections officers received information that the drug Suboxone (aka Buprenorphine) was being channeled into the Correctional Center through inmate mail.

“Suboxone is a narcotic medication indicated for the treatment of opioid dependence and must be taken under a doctor’s care,” said Sheriff Gary Schaffer. “This medication is available in pill or film form. Treatment is designed to be given under close medical supervision and can cause breathing problems or death if not taken correctly.”

The tip led to a full investigation. During the second week of February, a mail room officer discovered mail containing a coloring book page. The page had an Orange substance blotted on it that looked similar to watercolor paint.

Investigators confiscated the page and sent it to the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office Laboratory for testing. The page tested positive for Suboxone.

Two other coloring book pages received through the mail also tested positive for the substance.

Further investigation led to the arrests of incarcerated inmates Zachary Hirsh, Charles Markman and Paul Scipione.All three men are now charged with conspiracy and attempt to commit a crime.

Hirsh’s bail is set at $50,000. Both Markman and Scipione have bail set at $15,000.

In addition, Debbie Longo of West Wildwood was arrested then released from the Cape May County Correctional Center. She was charged with intent to distribute a controlled dangerous substance as well as intent to distribute a controlled substance in a school zone. Her bail is set at $25,000.

Finally, a warrant was issued for the arrest of Katelyn Mosebach of Trevose, Pa., for intent to distribute a controlled dangerous substance and intent to distribute a controlled substance in a school zone. No bail has been set for her at this time.

If anyone has any information leading to the location of Mosebach, please contact the Correctional Center at 609.465.1029.

Overdoses with Opiods and

  A recent study done in which 551 patients  involved demonstrated that patients in pain seriously over used their pain medications. They did so to the point of overdose and 6 cases were fatal. Those that did overdose were not receiving more than 100 mg of the drug but studies show that those receiving larger doses did in fact overdose at a higher level. The CDC (Center for Disease Control) did agree that fatal overdoses tripled between the years of 1999 – 2004.  This is directly in line with the information provided about the abuse of prescription drugs. This is also important to remember the truth of people in pain take more medication to stop the pain. One thought is, when the pain is under treated they will over medicate so that is important to note.  Now more than ever it is a call to attention for the medical profession and the patients that trust them.

Infidelity and Addiction

In the beginning of a person’s early recovery they are often looking for ways to avoid the feelings. If the person can find a healthy outlet then there is no issue here and everyone is happy. If they reach into the tool box and begin working with those things that have been given to them from either treatment or other support system it can be a positive thing. If however they do not they may be inclined to go backwards. In the case of Infidelity and addiction we have the reality that when a person is using they have lowered inhibitions. In the light of this they may also be separated from their partner because of the drug or alcohol use and will often find another person to spend time with. Sometimes they use this person as a using and drinking buddy and then it may become more. Later you realize that the infidelity is with the drugs and alcohol and that if and when you become ready to quit you are left with a partner you don’t know. Intimacy is one of the most difficult topics to face in a relation ship. It is also one of the most difficult issues to face in recovery. 30-60% of married individuals will participate in some form of infidelity, there are no specific signs of cheating, in the past men were more likely than women to cheat, now as women are entering more of the roles of independence they are leaning toward becoming more like men in this arena, and it is not abnormal to have fantasies involving someone other than your spouse or partner. It was implicated that infidelity and addiction and the addition drugs and alcohol will exacerbate the solid foundation of any relationship. The distortion of the addictive relationship will be addressed later.

Opioid Abuse

Research showed that patients were reported to have been noncompliant with their medication in more that what was expected. Over a half million people on opioid therapy and the results taken were from nearly 1 million urine drug screens of those within the treatment. What was most interesting was those people that did not have detectable levels of the drug in their system. Next their was of course those that had at least 20% more of the drug in their system, then their was the group that had approximately 10% had less than what was prescribed, a little over 10% had street drugs come up in the test as well. Over 25% had drugs that the doctor was unaware.

This is the importance of continued doctor patient appointments and discussion about pain levels so the patient will not feel that they will be left to suffer. Also it is important to discuss addiction vs dependence. If addiction is an issue then the patient and doctor can then create a contract or treatment plan that will for the good of recovery and rehabilitation

Physical Dependence vs Tolerance

As the body is given continuous doses of a drug it begins to change the brain hence it adjusts to the drug. As this adjustment occurs this then explains the tolerance.

The person taking the drug then needs to take more of the drug and we will then look at how this adjustment response is responsible for withdrawal syndrome. The problem is that often some doctors confuse this withdrawal with addiction. There is psychological dependence which is independent of physical dependence although the first one is related to addictive behavior. It is important to remember that the reward system in the brain can be triggered by natural events; eating for that tastes good and activates your senses, exercise, and sex. It can also be stimulated by drugs that will fool the reward system; i.e. heroin and cocaine and in addiction the reward system becomes dependent on drugs. Physical dependence occurs with the regular use of opioids but the continued education of the difference between dependence vs tolerance can help PCP and pain patients maintain their relationship with integrity.

Ten percent of America was estimated to be taking medication for depression, nearly 27 million people in 2005

Ten percent of America was estimated to be taking medication for depression, nearly 27 million people in 2005. It was also found that

of those people taking medication more than 10 percent were not engaging in therapy. As people are refusing therapies the use of

antipsychotic medication is on the rise. Studies have shown that 164 million prescriptions for antidepressants were written in the U.S. in 2008.

The research is ongoing as to how people are taking medication concurrently from antidepressants to other medications and therapies. Also as

Newer medications are available to treat different mood disorders it will be important to take them as prescribed. Remember, contact a health care

professional for ongoing support. Therapy is one of the parts of the complete picture in the recovery from any mental or physical rehabilitation.

Americans age 50-59 who reported use of illicit drugs within > a year nearly doubled between 2002 and 2007

Forty years after Woodstock, some baby boomers haven’t

let go of one part of the 1960s: getting high on illicit drugs.

The percentage of Americans age 50-59 who reported use of illicit

drugs within a year nearly doubled between 2002 and 2007, from 5.1

percent to 9.4 percent, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services

Administration reported Wednesday.

The agency said that percentage rose because baby boomers – born

between 1946 and 1964 – continued to use drugs as they got older.

SAMHSA Acting Administrator Eric Broderick said the continued drug use

“is likely to put further strains on the nation’s health care system.”

The rates of illicit drug use among all other age groups stayed the

same or decreased over the five-year period, the agency said.

Opiate Abuse and Potential For Hyperalgesia

Although the use of opiates for pain is quite helpful in the beginning it has been widely researched that any prolonged use of them will produce an increased sensitivity to them. This is called hyperalgesia. In keeping with that the over-exposure of opiates influences the neurochemical recptors, and peripheral sensory neurons  in such a manner that it will alter the way a medical doctor can treat the pain. The best way to avoid this is to work with your healthcare provider closely and ask for alternatives. If you think you have been on your opiate for too long you probably have and may need help. If you have a doctor you trust ask for that help. If you have a support tam ask them to get you the help you need. It is not too late to build the pain care system that you need today.

Girl Eats Candy Tainted With Oxycontin

TAMPA, FL — A 4-year-old girl was hospitalized after eating candy that was tainted with oxycontin, law enforcement officials say.

The girl was with her grandparents, driving home from Tampa International Airport, when she became lethargic. They took her straight to the hospital.

Sheriff’s deputies say they found several pills of Oxycontin and Oxycodone mixed in with the Skittles, and confirm the bag had been resealed. TIA police Chief Paul Sireci says officers pulled about 30 bags of Skittles off store shelves as a precaution.

However, it appears the Skittles were not purchased at the airport. The girl’s candy was in a blue bag. Airport concessionaires have not stocked blue bags of skittles since April.

Sireci told ABC Action News.com it’s possible someone gave candy to the girl, or she picked up a bag from a bench.

All the bags taken from airport store shelves were opened and a check of the product revealed that the bags did not contain any foreign substances and there were no obvious signs of product tampering, said TIA spokeswoman Brenda Gohagen in a prepared statement.

Sheriff’s officials say they have sent the pills from the bag off to a lab for testing.

The girl has been released from the hospital and doctors say she will be fine.

A spokesman for Wrigley, which makes Skittles, told us the sheriff’s office has contacted them and they are cooperating fully with their ongoing investigation. “Wrigley goes to extraordinary lengths to ensure maximum product safety standards.”

Relapse Prevention

If you don’t want to slip, stay out of slippery places.

This information on relapse prevention & recovery tools is general in nature & is merely suggestive.  It is  based on the combined practical experience of various DRA members & represents some of the tools & techniques they have used as part of their dual recovery.

People in dual recovery learn to identify the warning signs that may lead to a lapse in their abstinence and take positive steps to stay clean and sober. At the same time, they follow a practical plan that addresses their emotional or psychiatric illness in a positive and constructive way. The  quicker they learn to spot these signs and signals the sooner they can take positive action for their own well-being and dual recovery.

Many factors can lead to a relapse or flare-up to one or both of our no-fault illnesses. A flare-up of psychiatric symptoms can leave us more vulnerable to relapsing on drugs or alcohol. Drinking and drugging can lead to a flare-up of our psychiatric illness. Alcohol and drugs can also change the effects of psychiatric medications with unpredictable results. Maintaining abstinence allows us the freedom to grow as individuals and manage our no-fault illnesses in the healthiest possible way.

In chemical dependency, relapse is the act of taking that first drink or drug after being deliberately clean and sober for a time. It helps though to view relapse as a process that begins well in advance of that act. People who have relapsed can usually point back to certain things that they thought and did long before they actually drank or used that eventually caused the relapse. They may have become complacent in their program of recovery in some way or refused to ask for help when they needed it. Each persons relapse factors are unique to them, their diagnosis, and personal plan of recovery.

Relapse is usually caused by a combinations of factors. Some possible factors and warning signs might be:

Stopping medications on one’s own or against the advice of medical professionals

Hanging around old drinking haunts and drug using friends – slippery places

Isolating – not attending meetings – not using the telephone for support

Keeping alcohol, drugs, and paraphernalia around the house for any reason

Obsessive thinking about using drugs or drinking

Failing to follow ones treatment plan – quitting therapy – skipping doctors appointments

Feeling overconfident – that you no longer need support

Relationship difficulties – ongoing serious conflicts – a spouse who still uses

Setting unrealistic goals – perfectionism – being too hard on ourselves

Changes in eating and sleeping patterns, personal hygiene, or energy levels

Feeling overwhelmed – confused – useless – stressed out

Constant boredom – irritability – lack of routine and structure in life

Sudden changes in psychiatric symptoms

Dwelling on resentments and past hurts – anger – unresolved conflicts

Avoidance – refusing to deal with personal issues and other problems of daily living

Engaging in obsessive behaviors – workaholism – gambling – sexual excess and acting out

Major life changes – loss – grief – trauma – painful emotions – winning the lottery

Ignoring relapse warning signs and triggers

Almost everyone in recovery has times when compelling thoughts of drinking or using drugs resurface. In early recovery, drinking or drugging dreams are not uncommon. It helps to remind ourselves that the reality of drinking and using has caused many problems in our lives. That no matter how bad things get, the benefits of staying abstinent will far outweigh any short term relief that might be found in drugs or alcohol. Recovery takes time. Eventually the cravings, relapse dreams, and uncertainties of early recovery fade. When we are committed to dual recovery we slowly but surely develop a new confidence in our new way of life without drugs and alcohol.

Staying clean and sober and managing ones psychiatric symptoms constructively is an ongoing process. Abstinence and dealing positively with a dual disorder go hand in hand. DRA members build a personal inventory of recovery tools that help them meet these goals by staying involved in the process of dual recovery. An individual is in dual recovery when they are actively following a program that focuses on the recovery needs for both their chemical dependency and their psychiatric illness. People in dual recovery make sure to use some of their recovery tools each and every day. Their personal recovery tool kit serves as the best protection against a relapse.

By identifying things that put us at risk for relapse and using the various recovery tools on an ongoing basis, we try to prevent a relapse before it happens. We can periodically review our relapse prevention plans with our doctors, treatment professionals and sponsors and modify them as needed.

By becoming familiar with our triggers and warning signs, utilizing the various recovery tools, and having a practical plan of action, we greatly minimize the tendency to lapse back into our addictions. If and when lapses do happen, we do not judge or blame–we are not bad people. We seek progress not perfection. We simply learn what we can from the situation and move on with our program of dual recovery. Sharing our relapse experience with our sponsor, group, and helping professionals is an important way to figure out what went wrong. Our experience may also help others in recovery.

If  you don’t want to slip, stay out of slippery places.

This information on relapse prevention & recovery tools is general in nature & is merely suggestive.  It is  based on the combined practical experience of various DRA members & represents some of the tools & techniques they have used as part of their dual recovery.

People in dual recovery learn to identify the warning signs that may lead to a lapse in their abstinence and take positive steps to stay clean and sober. At the same time, they follow a practical plan that addresses their emotional or psychiatric illness in a positive and constructive way. The  quicker they learn to spot these signs and signals the sooner they can take positive action for their own well-being and dual recovery.

Many factors can lead to a relapse or flare-up to one or both of our no-fault illnesses. A flare-up of psychiatric symptoms can leave us more vulnerable to relapsing on drugs or alcohol. Drinking and drugging can lead to a flare-up of our psychiatric illness. Alcohol and drugs can also change the effects of psychiatric medications with unpredictable results. Maintaining abstinence allows us the freedom to grow as individuals and manage our no-fault illnesses in the healthiest possible way.

In chemical dependency, relapse is the act of taking that first drink or drug after being deliberately clean and sober for a time. It helps though to view relapse as a process that begins well in advance of that act. People who have relapsed can usually point back to certain things that they thought and did long before they actually drank or used that eventually caused the relapse. They may have become complacent in their program of recovery in some way or refused to ask for help when they needed it. Each persons relapse factors are unique to them, their diagnosis, and personal plan of recovery.

Relapse is usually caused by a combinations of factors. Some possible factors and warning signs might be:

Stopping medications on one’s own or against the advice of medical professionals

Hanging around old drinking haunts and drug using friends – slippery places

Isolating – not attending meetings – not using the telephone for support

Keeping alcohol, drugs, and paraphernalia around the house for any reason

Obsessive thinking about using drugs or drinking

Failing to follow ones treatment plan – quitting therapy – skipping doctors appointments

Feeling overconfident – that you no longer need support

Relationship difficulties – ongoing serious conflicts – a spouse who still uses

Setting unrealistic goals – perfectionism – being too hard on ourselves

Changes in eating and sleeping patterns, personal hygiene, or energy levels

Feeling overwhelmed – confused – useless – stressed out

Constant boredom – irritability – lack of routine and structure in life

Sudden changes in psychiatric symptoms

Dwelling on resentments and past hurts – anger – unresolved conflicts

Avoidance – refusing to deal with personal issues and other problems of daily living

Engaging in obsessive behaviors – workaholism – gambling – sexual excess and acting out

Major life changes – loss – grief – trauma – painful emotions – winning the lottery

Ignoring relapse warning signs and triggers

Almost everyone in recovery has times when compelling thoughts of drinking or using drugs resurface. In early recovery, drinking or drugging dreams are not uncommon. It helps to remind ourselves that the reality of drinking and using has caused many problems in our lives. That no matter how bad things get, the benefits of staying abstinent will far outweigh any short term relief that might be found in drugs or alcohol. Recovery takes time. Eventually the cravings, relapse dreams, and uncertainties of early recovery fade. When we are committed to dual recovery we slowly but surely develop a new confidence in our new way of life without drugs and alcohol.

Staying clean and sober and managing ones psychiatric symptoms constructively is an ongoing process. Abstinence and dealing positively with a dual disorder go hand in hand. DRA members build a personal inventory of recovery tools that help them meet these goals by staying involved in the process of dual recovery. An individual is in dual recovery when they are actively following a program that focuses on the recovery needs for both their chemical dependency and their psychiatric illness. People in dual recovery make sure to use some of their recovery tools each and every day. Their personal recovery tool kit serves as the best protection against a relapse.

By identifying things that put us at risk for relapse and using the various recovery tools on an ongoing basis, we try to prevent a relapse before it happens. We can periodically review our relapse prevention plans with our doctors, treatment professionals and sponsors and modify them as needed.

By becoming familiar with our triggers and warning signs, utilizing the various recovery tools, and having a practical plan of action, we greatly minimize the tendency to lapse back into our addictions. If and when lapses do happen, we do not judge or blame–we are not bad people. We seek progress not perfection. We simply learn what we can from the situation and move on with our program of dual recovery. Sharing our relapse experience with our sponsor, group, and helping professionals is an important way to figure out what went wrong. Our experience may also help others in recovery.