Alcohol Abuse

Tragic Loss: Teen Falls to Her Death!

Posted by DrugFreeHomes 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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Lindsay Lohan Misdiagnosed for Bipolar Disorder and Drug Addiction

Posted by DrugFreeHomes in Alcohol Abuse, Drug Addiction, Prescription Drug Abuse on August 21st, 2010

lindsay lohanDoctors who evaluated actress Lindsay Lohan during her stay at the Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital of UCLA at Westwood are in the opinion that the actress was misdiagnosed for bipolar disorder and drug addiction, according to a feature on the New York Daily News.

Ms. Lohan has stopped taking her medications, which included Dilaudid, Ambien, Adderall, Zoloft, Trazodone and Nexium, according to the report. She did not, however, show any unfavorable reactions, despite having to stop taking her medications. She also did not exhibit withdrawal symptoms to the absence of alcohol.

Another misdiagnosis for Ms. Lohan is having Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), which is the reason why she was taking Adderall; the doctors at UCLA say that she is not suffering from the condition. People such as Ms. Lohan, who apparently was taking Adderall unnecessarily, are reportedly susceptible to bizarre symptoms such as: “driving around until all hours of the morning … smoking heavily … tweeting … and texting all night long,” as shared by addiction specialist Dr. Joe Haraszti to gossip site TMZ.com.

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Media in Parent-Child Communication on Substance Abuse

Posted by DrugFreeHomes in Alcohol Abuse, Drug Addiction, Raising Healthy Kids on August 18th, 2010

A press release from the Partnership for a Drug-Free America shares the results of a research, which showed that more than a third of parents are concerned about the exposure of their teens to media. This exposure, according to the study, has become a hindrance to communication between parent and child regarding risky behavior, such as the dangers posed by the use of drugs and alcohol.

teen drug abuseThe results were based from a survey conducted among 1,200 parents. It showed that 38 percent of parents were concerned about TV, 37 percent about computers, and 33 percent about video games. Other areas that parents were concerned about are cell phone texting and social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter.

A study conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation looked into two thousand teens and determined the average amount of time that young people between the ages of 8 and 18 spend using various entertainment media. The results showed that young people spend 53 hours – almost eight hours a day – immersed in some form of media. The same study also found that teens who consume more media tend to be less happy, while those who are attracted to media tend to perform poorly in school.

Partnership President Steve Pasierb said: “These new findings present a unique opportunity for parents to play a more active role in what their kids are watching, monitor how they are spending their time online and remain aware of the impact all of this media consumption is having on their impressionable teens.”

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Scott Disick Talks About Drinking Problem

Posted by DrugFreeHomes in Alcohol Abuse on August 16th, 2010

Early in August, news broke out that reality TV star Kourtney Kardashian’s boyfriend – and father of her son Mason – Scott Disick was seeking help for his drinking problems. A more recent report on Us Magazine shares a video preview of the season finale of Kourtney and Khloe Take Miami, where Kourtney and Scott are shown attending couples therapy. During the session, Scott talked a bit about his drinking problem – and his motivation for trying to make amends.

Kourtney Kardashian and Scott DisickDisick shared: “[Kourtney] doesn’t really always 100% understand that it’s a real disease that I have, and it’s not just something that I can turn off and on. But now that I have a little baby, I don’t really want to play any of these games. I just want to be with her and see my son grow.”

Kourtney, for her part, says that she will support Scott: “”I want to be supportive, but I don’t want to be an enabler either. It is confusing, because I thought I had to let Scott do this on his own, but in order to make this work, he really does need my support.”

A report from early August on the New York Daily Times shared that Scott Disick was receiving outpatient rehab treatment and counseling for alcohol abuse as well as psychological issues. He sought help following a violent outburst that was shown on an episode of Kourtney and Khloe Take Miami.

Kourtney’s mother Kris Jenner was also shown trying to intervene, suggesting to Scott the idea of going to rehab, in an episode of the show.

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Dina Lohan: Lindsay’s Life Was Blown Out of Proportion

Posted by DrugFreeHomes in Alcohol Abuse, Drug Addiction, Drug Rehabilitation on August 15th, 2010

Dina Lohan, mom of troubled young star Lindsay Lohan, made a two-part appearance on the Today show with Matt Lauer, talking mostly about the recent legal troubles that her daughter had to face. A feature on Us Magazine shared details from Dina Lohan’s interviews.

Lindsay LohanDina Lohan talked about how she thought the judge “played hardball” with her daughter, maintaining that Lindsay was not in violation of her probation: “she was in for missing a couple of classes that she made up, and she was working at the time. The judge went overboard and put her in serious lockdown for two weeks.” She then pointed out that the judge – referring to Judge Marsha Revel – has been recused from the case, saying specifically that she was “fired”.

Matt Lauer asked Dina whether leaving rehab early was something that was in Lindsay’s best interest, given the number of times that she has been in rehab unsuccessfully. There was a bit of confusion regarding the number of times that Lindsay has stayed in rehab, with Dina insisting that she has only been to rehab twice, and Matt enumerating the following rehab stays: Wonderland in 2007, Promises in 2007 and Cirque Lodge in 2007, which makes her current stay at the UCLA Medical Center as her fourth stint in rehab.

As to whether getting out of rehab early will be good for Lindsay, Dina gave a roundabout answer that we are personally interpreting as saying that it is ok for her to cut her rehab stay short because she does not have a really serious problem, because, quoting Dina, “her [Lindsay’s] life is very magnified… it’s blown out of proportion.”

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Steven Adler’s My Appetite for Destruction

Posted by DrugFreeHomes in Alcohol Abuse, Drug Addiction on August 8th, 2010

In a previous post, we shared the latest addition to Andrew Morton’s collection of unauthorized biographies – a book on Angelina Jolie. On this post, we share yet another literary project, this time done by the protagonist himself.

My Appetite for DestructionFormer Guns N’ Roses drummer Steven Adler wrote a memoir entitled My Appetite for Destruction, in which he recounts his hard-partying ways, both before and during the height of his stint with one of the most popular heavy metal bands. The book’s title is a spin-off from the band’s debut album, Appetite for Destruction, released in 1987.

A feature on the Calgary Herald includes an interview with Adler, who talked a bit about the experiences documented in his memoir. While drugs and alcohol were stereotypically considered as mainstays in the life of a heavy metal rocker, Adler shared that his drug use predated the rise of the band, having tried drugs as a young preteen.

The success that followed the release of Appetite for Destruction only served to escalate his substance abuse, so much so that he ended up being fired from the group in 1989. What followed was two decades of increased drug abuse; Adler wrote about overdosing 28 times and attempting suicide thrice. He survived jail, a heart attack, and a stroke.

Adler said: “You can’t abuse yourself the way I did without anything bad happening to you. I’m actually lucky it wasn’t worse.”

His road to sobriety included appearances on Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew and Sober House. Adler shared further: “Getting it out of my system helped me move on with my life.”

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