Archive for August, 2010

Drew Barrymore: Little Girl Lost Finds Her Way

Posted by Drug Free in Drug Addiction, Drug Rehabilitation, Raising Healthy Kids on August 31st, 2010

We have read about the issues that a number of celebrities encounter. Some of these issues are major, some minor, while others end in unfortunate tragedy. There are stories, however, of celebrities who may have reached the depths of despair but picked themselves up eventually, emerging as victors in the end. One such person is the lovely Drew Barrymore.

drew barrymoreDrew Barrymore was born on February 22, 1975, to actor John Drew Barrymore and Ildiko Jaid Mako, in Culver City, California. Acting is in her blood; her great-grandparents and grandparents are actors, and she had great-grand- and grand- aunts and uncles who were also into acting or worked in the film industry.

Her pedigree and her talent unsurprisingly shot her to fame, and she is best remembered for her role as Gertie in E.T. the Extra Terrestrial. The success she enjoyed so early in life, however, came at a price; as a little girl, she was already a regular at Studio 54. She was smoking at age 9, started drinking alcohol at age 11, smoked marijuana at 12, and snorted cocaine at 13. She was 13 when she first went into rehab.

She wrote about all those experiences in an autobiography in 1990, entitled Little Girl Lost. A year after the book came out, she was clean, and has been clean ever since.

Her wild past may have spelled a doomed future at that time, but Drew Barrymore has risen beyond that and serves as proof that intervention, when done at the right time and with the right attitude, can turn anyone’s life around.

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Michael Lohan to Open a Rehab Center!

Posted by Drug Free in Drug Rehabilitation on August 30th, 2010

A post on RadarOnline.com Friday revealed news that some people may find startling, even downright ridiculous: Michael Lohan, Lindsay Lohan’s father, announced that he was going to open a drug and alcohol rehab center in California.

Michael Lohan“Yes it’s true, I’ll be running it,” Lohan reportedly revealed to the site via an exclusive interview. He goes on to say: “I think it’s time that Dina and I both step out of the media for a while, and for me that means getting back to what I know best — helping people with addiction.”

From a certain perspective, it would seem that Mr. Lohan may be able to pull off something like that, if he pulls something out of his “treasure box” of personal experience with substance abuse. After all, if his daughter has her run-ins with the law, he was in the same predicament way before she did.

The fact, though, that he was giving an interview 48 hours after Lindsay’s release from a court-mandated stay in rehab has tongues wagging. The comments section of the feature certainly contained a number of negative reactions, to say the least. Reader Ellie, for instance, said: “He’s blowing smoke again. He has no education & no credentials.”

At any rate, Lohan revealed that he was receiving support from a “really well-known person” that he declined to name, and that he already has a circle of therapists. Financing has already been completed, although the location is reportedly still under negotiation. He said that he will be moving to California to run the center.

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Tragic Loss: Teen Falls to Her Death!

Posted by Drug Free in Alcohol Abuse, Drug Addiction on August 28th, 2010

Various news reports – a whole slew of them actually – mention her by name, so we feel like we no longer have to do that as well. Her passing undoubtedly brought unthinkable pain to her parents and those who care for her, and we do realize that the last thing that they need is yet another feature with her name on it.

But then again, the very nature of the things that we share with our readers necessitate the sharing of the alleged reason behind this tragedy – in the hopes that her story will serve as a wake-up call to teenagers who may be leading the same kind of life she led. And maybe her death will not be in vain.

drugs and alcoholShe reportedly kicked off her shoes and climbed onto a window ledge, digital camera in hand; it was perhaps an attempt to capture for posterity the picturesque view that is New York City at night. What teenager will let that photo op pass, with the technology that is available to them? That, however, was something that was dangerous to do – more so if one is intoxicated.

An online journal of sorts shares her “wild side” to the world wide web; a life of parties and fake IDs, of long island iced teas and pills like Xanax and Ambien. It is a reality that is unfortunately not unique to just her; there are undoubtedly others out there who live that way too.

This is yet another proof that there is so much that needs to be done to protect our children and keep them out of harm’s way. May this tragedy deter other children for straying from the straight and narrow – and touch the consciences of those who made it possible.

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Oregon Parents Concerned About K2

Posted by Drug Free in Drug Addiction on August 27th, 2010

A feature on StatesmanJournal.com shares concerns from parents in the Mid-Willamette Valley area regarding what is officially termed as ‘herbal incense’ that contains, as an active ingredient, a synthetic cannabinoid. Brand names of this herbal incense include K2, Spice and Buzz.

K2What parents are concerned about is the fact that Mid-Valley teens seem to have taken to using herbal incense to get high. Since, technically, the incense is not marijuana, it is legal and is being sold at smoke shops. The fact that it is legal also means that police cannot do anything if they see someone using it. Salem Police Sgt. Dennis Engel shared: “There’s absolutely nothing that we can do about it… That’s the hard part.”

Sgt. Engel has been doing research about herbal incense after hearing about it recently. Engel is the head of the street crimes drug investigation unit of the Salem police.

Some teenagers who have used herbal incense have reportedly suffered from harmful side effects due to the substance, so much so that the parents of these teens are now calling for the banning of K2. Some states have already banned the substance, including Missouri, Arkansas, Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan, New Jersey, New York and Ohio.

The Oregon Partnership shared that the compound JWH-018, which is the one found in herbal incense, is said to be almost four times as potent as the THC in marijuana. The Oregon Partnership is a non-profit organization that strives to put an end to substance abuse and suicide. The organization has also called for the banning of K2 in the state.

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Lindsay Lohan Leaves Rehab!

Posted by Drug Free in Drug Addiction, Drug Rehabilitation, Drug Testing on August 26th, 2010

Lindsay Lohan has been released from rehab, according to a post on the Los Angeles Times. The actress was originally ordered to spend ninety days in rehab, but has been released from the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center after staying for only 22 days. Prior to her stay in rehab, Lohan served 13 days out of a ninety-day jail sentence.

Lindsay LohanMs. Lohan’s release from rehab, however, is accompanied by conditions released by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Elden S. Fox. Fox ordered that Lindsay undergo intensive outpatient therapy for the next three months, which will include regular counseling and the need to stay in Los Angeles County. She will also be under supervised probation during this time.

The actress will have to comply with the following conditions: that she remain in Los Angeles Country for the duration of the supervised probation, that she undergo random drug testing twice a week, that she undergo psychotherapy four times a week and meet with counselors five times a week. Should Lindsay fail or miss a drug test, it will mean jail time for 30 days.

Lindsay’s lawyer Shawn Chapman Holley shared the following update with reporters after the hearing on Wednesday, where Judge Fox clarified the terms of the actress’ probation: “She has changed… She’s healthy, she’s clear-headed, she’s positive.”

Holley said further that her client’s early release was based on the fact that doctors concluded that there was no further need for Lindsay to stay in the facility: “They started their own fresh evaluation, put her through their own testing and recognized that there was no need for her to be there any longer.”

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Montana Makes Effort to Prevent Prescription Drug Abuse

Posted by Drug Free in Drug Abuse Prevention, Prescription Drug Abuse on August 25th, 2010

In a previous post, we talked about the efforts to prevent prescription drug abuse, being done by Suffolk County in New York. In this post, we share the efforts of the state of Montana, currently ranked as third highest in the country in terms of teen abuse of prescription pain relievers, according to a feature on KRTV.com.

prescription drug abuseThe feature also shared that a new report indicated that 10 percent of the state’s teenagers have abused prescription medication in the past month, and mentioned that Montana is among the remaining seven states that still does not have a prescription drug registry or monitoring program.

Now, the state Attorney General’s office is sharing its efforts towards managing the state’s teen prescription drug abuse problem. After failing to secure the approval of the Montana Legislature for a prescription drug monitoring program twice, the feature said that the bill has been revamped and will be brought forward in the Legislature’s next session.

Siri Similie of the Attorney General’s office shared: “What they see on the street and what they are able to buy from drug dealers are pills. That is the most common drug they see and we also know that we are losing hundreds of Montanans every year to prescription drug overdose, mixed toxicity, and other complications that are side effects of misuse and abuse.”

Montana has also begun to organize prescription drug collection days, where residents are given the opportunity to dispose of prescription drugs in their homes properly. This is yet another way to prevent teenagers from gaining easy access to prescription drugs that may be abused. The next prescription drug collection day is scheduled for September 25.

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