Add another loved and respected athlete to the list of those that have admitted to drug abuse. Andre Agassi shocked fans this week when he told The Times that he used crystal methamphetamine.

Agassi was one of the most loved and well known tennis players in the 1990’s. His wild boy look and energetic attitude drew fans in. Tennis became a little more exciting when Agassi began to play, and many people who had never cared about the sport started tuning in.

Testing for Drugs

Agassi actually had a run in with the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), the policing entity of tennis, back in 1997. That year, Agassi failed a drug test, and when confronted by the ATP, he reportedly came up with a lie, saying that he had taken a drink of his assistant’s spiked drink, thus causing him to test positive for crystal methamphetamine. The case was withdrawn, and we all assumed he was telling the truth, but apparently we shouldn’t have believed him so quickly. It makes you wonder how many other tennis players got away with drugs during that time. If a simple letter could counter the results of a drug test, it seems like the ATP might not have been trying too hard to catch players that were using drugs.

In the case of Agassi, it would make sense – the same organization that policed tennis was also the one responsible for promoting it. Losing Agassi to the grip of drugs would have been very detrimental to the sport. Maybe it was just easier for them to believe Agassi’s story and pretend like nothing ever happened.

It will be interesting to see how this revelation by Agassi changes the public’s opinion of him, and of tennis. Being out of the spotlight for some time now, it might not be such a shock as it could have been in 1997. But there are plenty of young people out there that look up to Andre Agassi as a role model, and once again, the pro sports figures are letting us down with their substance abuse.

Dealing with the Pressures of Life

It is a tough job to be in the world of pro sports. Long hours, grueling workouts, and life on the road all lead to these athletes feeling as though they are giving more than they’ve got. Agassi blamed the pressures of the sport and the long tennis season on this own drug abuse. Many of these athletes aren’t even dealing with performance enhancing substances as we might figure, either. It isn’t so much that they are using drugs to do their sport better, but rather to help them through the tough days. Sounds like a lot of the rest of the population. Many people use drugs to escape from the pressures of their life, but we’ve got to start learning that turning to drugs only makes matters worse.

Sources

Andre Agassi confession shows in-house policing is open to abuse

Agassi admits drug use, lying to tennis authorities

What’s next for tennis after Andre Agassi’s revelation

Agassi’s crystal meth admission adds another chapter to drugs in tennis

http://www.nesn.com/2009/10/whats-next-for-tennis-after-andre-agassis-revelation.html

Opportunity is defined as “a favorable or advantageous circumstance or combination of circumstances”. In active addiction, this usually meant some circumstance that I could exploit to continue using. It didn’t matter what consequence, spiritually, emotionally or financially that was caused, so long as I could get what I wanted out of particular situation.

Getting clean provided me with a vast number of new, more positive opportunities in life. On a very basic level, when I stopped chasing the next high and spending all my money on drugs, I had a great deal more time and resources to dedicate towards positive avenues. When I embraced others in recovery, I acquired valuable friendships, new insights and perspectives and solid peer support. Working a program of recovery enables me to do the internal work to become a better version of myself on a daily basis. As a popular recovery saying goes, “lost dreams reawaken and new ones are found”. For the recovering addict, with a little patience, the possibilities are endless.

Working at TSN, I get a chance to encounter and work directly with addicts who often claim to feel “stuck”. It’s true that an addict or alcoholic’s bottom is usually that place in their life when they’ve run out of chances to continue using. I know from firsthand experience that feeling of the walls caving in. The beauty is that this ‘bottom’ is actually an opportunity; a favorable circumstance to affect change in that individual’s life, if they so choose.

At TSN, we pride ourselves on being a part of that process. We feel every addict or alcoholic deserves the opportunity to recover. We are glad to be a piece in the puzzle, along with family members, social workers, EAP’s, and the many other professionals involved in the field of addiction, to help create this ‘favorable circumstance’ for recovery.

Parents need to constantly be on the lookout for their children experimenting with things like drugs and alcohol. It isn’t enough anymore to simply tell your adolescent “don’t do drugs, and don’t drink”. It is the job of the parent to talk with their children about the temptations they will encounter, and help them learn how to avoid sticky situations. The only way to effectively communicate with your children about what you don’t want them doing is to know what risky behaviors are out there and what your children may face.

1. Experimenting with prescription drugs. Many teens think it is ok to take prescription medication since it was given to someone by a doctor. But many teens are rushed to the emergency room or even die because of complications from taking someone else’s prescription pills. Kids will sneak pills from parents’ medicine cabinets or buy them from friends. It is important for parents to lock up their medications.

2. Pharm parties. These drug parties carry prescription drug abuse one step farther. Kids will get together, bringing along their family’s prescription pills. They dump all the pills into a bowl and take turns ingesting them. These parties show complete ignorance of the dangers of prescription medications. They are especially dangerous because kids at parties like this face an enormous amount of peer pressure. A group mentality takes over and kids think that if others are doing it and are fine, they can do it too.

3. Cannabis. There is a new iPhone application called Cannabis that will tell your teen the names and locations of doctors and clinics that offer medical marijuana. Marijuana abuse is still out there among teens, and with a general acceptance of pot use in our country, it is still a dangerous gateway drug for many teens.

4. Internet drug information. Teens today have a wealth of knowledge at their fingertips, as they consult the internet for anything. The internet will quickly tell your teen how to make their own drugs, where to find prescription pills, and how to pass a drug test.

5. Drug abuse in the suburbs. Many people still believe that drug abuse is a problem in big cities. While this is true, it can affect anyone, anywhere. A new trend is for kids in the suburbs to get involved with drugs, including prescription pills, heroin, and cocaine. Drug use becomes a way for these teens to deal with the stress of school and sports, as well as a way to rebel against parents and teachers.

Schools are constantly working on improving education for children about the risks of drugs. But prevention should start in the home. Parents should spend the time to educate themselves and their children about drugs.

Sources 

Dangerous Mix: Teens finding new uses for parents’ prescription pills

Westporter Joseph Califano brings home drug abuse message

Area schools rethinking drug use policies

Sometimes we are so set in our ways in the fight against alcoholism that we fail to see the big picture. We sometimes overreact and make a big deal out of little things for no reason.

There is a company based in England that produces “botanically brewed” beverages. One of their sodas, the lemonade, has made its way to the U.S., drawing in fans with its fresh new taste. The only problem is that the drink contains a small amount of alcohol – less than .5% to be more specific. It caused a stir in Maine recently when a student brought the soda to school, saw that the label said it contains some alcohol, and turned it in to teachers. Now, substance abuse prevention groups are all over this, saying the beverage should not be sold to minors.

Regulating Small Amounts of Alcohol

While it is true, there is some alcohol in the drink, it is such a small amount that a person would not physically be able to drink enough soda to have much of an effect on them. The FDA has said this drink is safe for all ages. A spokesperson from the company that makes the drink, Fentimans, says that many of us would be surprised to hear that other drinks, like orange juice, can naturally ferment, causing the same level of alcohol in them.

Marketing to Minors

While it doesn’t seem like the amount of alcohol in the beverage could really cause a problem, it is important to determine whether or not the company is marketing the drink to look like an alcoholic beverage. They call it lemonade or soda, but it comes in a bottle sort of like a beer bottle. However, there are plenty of other companies that sell soda in bottles like this and they aren’t being questioned. As long as they don’t market them as imitation liquor, young people should be able to buy it and enjoy it.

Preventing Alcohol Abuse

Of course, we don’t want our young people to get the impression that drinking alcohol is cool or that it’s ok for them to have alcohol at their age. But where do we draw the line? Are underagers allowed to have desserts that contain a small amount of rum or other alcohol? Should we be testing all our juices to make sure there hasn’t been fermentation resulting in a negligent amount of alcohol? What about using cooking wine to make our dinners? Sometimes it is better to just leave things alone that aren’t actually harmful. By putting unnecessary regulations on things, we are just asking youth to rebel against the rules.

We could pick apart nearly anything to determine whether or not it will turn our children into alcohol abusers. But the thing we need to focus on is education. Young people need to be aware of the downfalls to drinking alcohol and the problem with underage drinking. They need to learn that they can have fun even without risky behavior like abusing alcohol, and that it’s never too early to start being responsible.

Sources

Brewed Lemonade Stirs Up Controversy

Fentimans

Underage Drinking – Why do Adolescents Drink

Drugs could soon be a thing of the past when it comes to the music industry. Record companies are considering adding wording to their musicians’ contracts saying that a drug problem could result in their pay being suspended.

The Guardian

Talks have taken place among a group of music managers and label bosses known as The Guardian about the possibility of adding the extra clause to contracts. Their claim is that the clause would allow them to make a musician get help if they are too stoned to see they need it.

Many people think the idea is crazy and financially motivated. They say musicians should be able to do what they want, because the whole music industry is steeped in drugs anyway.

An Industry Filled with Drug Abuse

It doesn’t seem right, however, that musicians be treated any differently than the rest of the world. Why should it be socially acceptable for performers to be addicted to drugs? If someone in any other profession is caught with illegal substances, there are consequences at their place of employment. Athletes have to pay fines or are suspended, politicians are grilled and attacked, and the rest of us might lose jobs or be demoted. Our society has developed a feeling of both pity and animosity toward those that are so drugged up they can’t function. But when musicians get that way, we find it entertaining.

It might be true that people in a drug-altered state of mind become super-creative and good music has been made in drug-filled rooms. But that doesn’t mean it should keep happening. These musicians are role models for many young people in our country, and having them so wasted they can’t even talk straight is not something we should simply overlook or say is ok.

Lives Ruined by Drugs

Our society has glamorized the wasted world of musicians. But these lives are often tortured and unhappy. Many singers have spent years trying to overcome the drugs they have become so addicted to. Many lose family, friends, and the respect of fans, and the toll the drugs take on their bodies is irreversible. When a singer dies because of drugs, they often become a legend and the world reveres their death as a tragedy because they will no longer be around to perform. The real tragedy is that these people were not taken to get help sooner, before it got to the point of death.

Maybe some people would be disappointed to see the age of wasted musicians a thing of the past, but anyone that has been through addiction knows that it is not glamorous. If a musician is unable to perform because the drugs have taken over their life, of course they shouldn’t get paid. They also need someone in their life that can get them the help they need to get sober, and if no one else will step up, maybe that person is their music manager.

Sources

Suspend Drug-Addicted Musicians?  It’ll Never Work

Amy Winehouse Drugs Free

Wolfmother Star Slams Industry Drug Plans

Labels Working on Substance Abuse Suspension Clauses

Many cities have been brought down by crimes associated with drugs and drug dealing. Some communities have given up and law enforcement finds itself fighting a losing battle with the drug market. An unlikely solution is making its way across the country, bringing with it both more peaceful neighborhoods, and an end to the conflict between neighbors and drug dealers.

High Point Intervention

High Point Intervention was first created to address drug-laden areas of High Point, North Carolina. Led by Chief James Fealy in 2003, the new strategy did more than simply arrest drug dealers and put them in prison. While we want to get drug dealers off the street; simply holding them in prison and then releasing them to the public to do the same thing in the same neighborhoods, is not a good solution. But by taking control of the drug market and helping give these criminals the chance for real reform, cities are able to heal and move forward.

High Point Intervention starts with creating a bond between law enforcement and members of the community that are willing to help the neighborhood turn around. Violent drug dealers are identified and arrested, but non-violent drug dealers are given a second chance. Not just let go, but rather, given the support and help needed to start a new life apart from drugs. In order to do this, all resources must be put in place, including all the evidence for a criminal case against the individual, as well as help to get out of the drug scene. The offenders are brought into a room full of law enforcement, individuals from the community, and ex-offenders. The situation is explained to them that there is a case built against them, and they are one step away from being locked up, but that they are being given one final chance. If the person agrees to give up the drug dealing by making use of the support of social services and others in the community, the case against them will be put on hold. But at the first slip up, they will be put in prison.

Helping People Succeed

This method has been effective in High Point, as well as 25 other cities across the country that followed the same approach. The fact that these people are on their way to prison and given a second chance is really a powerful tool in motivating them to clean up their lives. But it is important for services to be coordinated beforehand so that the individuals has a way to earn an income, can get help with their own drug and emotional problems, and feel like they will be able to become a contributing member of society. Without the extra help, support, and follow through, this program would simply trick someone into behaving for a while before going right back to what they were doing.

There are concerns about this program because of the fact that it lets non-violent drug dealers back on the street. But High Point Intervention has had success in each city where it has been used, and these communities now work together to keep these ex-drug dealers on the right track.

Sources

John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Drugs, Race, and Common Ground

Drug Market Initiative

Preventing Prescription Painkiller Abuse
By Bethany Winkel, October 20th 2009 ShareThis

Prescription painkiller abuse is a huge problem in our country. Abusing painkillers has become the drug addiction for those we would least expect, and many people are able to hide the addiction so well that not even family members are aware.

Acute and Chronic Pain
It often starts with an injury or illness that leaves a person in a lot of pain. This acute pain that sets in quickly can sometimes be treated easily with painkillers, and if done properly the person can be weaned off the drugs with no problems. Oftentimes, however, people don’t seek treatment for acute pain, or the pain doesn’t resolve like it should, and the person is left with chronic pain. Chronic pain is persistent, and it begins to break a person’s spirit down. These people never feel good, they miss out on enjoyable things, and they can’t see an end to the pain. This can easily lead to sadness, mood swings, and depression.

Prescription Painkillers
Managing chronic pain is a difficult thing. There are so many effective medications out there, but the problem is that many of these drugs have side effects and are very addictive. Then when we add in the mental instability of some patients who are in chronic pain, you might expect there are risks to prescribing prescription painkillers.

Some doctors haven’t been trained in the use of prescription painkillers, and some are not familiar with spotting abuse or dependence. These doctors may give dosages that are too high, or for too long of a time, leading patients to become dependent on them. Other doctors prescribe too little for too short of a time, causing the patient to feel helpless and seeking some other sort of relief.

Some patients are so desperate for relief that they themselves overmedicate and then end up using the prescription as a crutch. They go through pills quickly and begin to make up excuses to get more medications, or they “doctor shop” or use aliases to get more prescriptions. These patients can quickly become addicted and will do anything necessary to get more pills. These people will steal the pills, order them illegally online, or buy them off the street, just so they can get their high.

Prevention
There are ways to curb the abuse and addiction of prescription painkillers. It is a felony to doctor shop in order to get more drugs, and enforcing these laws and getting help for those that break them will help. There is a database of pharmacies that has been established to monitor the medications patients are getting, so they can’t shop around for more medications. Some pain clinics require patients to sign a contract saying that they will not go anywhere else to get additional painkillers. But maybe the best way to ensure patients don’t abuse prescriptions is to screen them for risks beforehand, focusing on past drugs abuse and history of psychological problems. Doctors that do prescribe them should be well-trained to spot those at risk and to prescribe medications for every patient in a way that reduces the risk of abuse.

Prescription painkiller abuse is a huge problem in our country. Abusing painkillers has become the drug addiction for those we would least expect, and many people are able to hide the addiction so well that not even family members are aware.

Acute and Chronic Pain

It often starts with an injury or illness that leaves a person in a lot of pain. This acute pain that sets in quickly can sometimes be treated easily with painkillers, and if done properly the person can be weaned off the drugs with no problems. Oftentimes, however, people don’t seek treatment for acute pain, or the pain doesn’t resolve like it should, and the person is left with chronic pain. Chronic pain is persistent, and it begins to break a person’s spirit down. These people never feel good, they miss out on enjoyable things, and they can’t see an end to the pain. This can easily lead to sadness, mood swings, and depression.

Prescription Painkillers

Managing chronic pain is a difficult thing. There are so many effective medications out there, but the problem is that many of these drugs have side effects and are very addictive. Then when we add in the mental instability of some patients who are in chronic pain, you might expect there are risks to prescribing prescription painkillers.

Some doctors haven’t been trained in the use of prescription painkillers, and some are not familiar with spotting abuse or dependence. These doctors may give dosages that are too high, or for too long of a time, leading patients to become dependent on them. Other doctors prescribe too little for too short of a time, causing the patient to feel helpless and seeking some other sort of relief.

Some patients are so desperate for relief that they themselves overmedicate and then end up using the prescription as a crutch. They go through pills quickly and begin to make up excuses to get more medications, or they “doctor shop” or use aliases to get more prescriptions. These patients can quickly become addicted and will do anything necessary to get more pills. These people will steal the pills, order them illegally online, or buy them off the street, just so they can get their high.

Prevention

There are ways to curb the abuse and addiction of prescription painkillers. It is a felony to doctor shop in order to get more drugs, and enforcing these laws and getting help for those that break them will help. There is a database of pharmacies that has been established to monitor the medications patients are getting, so they can’t shop around for more medications. Some pain clinics require patients to sign a contract saying that they will not go anywhere else to get additional painkillers. But maybe the best way to ensure patients don’t abuse prescriptions is to screen them for risks beforehand, focusing on past drugs abuse and history of psychological problems. Doctors that do prescribe them should be well-trained to spot those at risk and to prescribe medications for every patient in a way that reduces the risk of abuse.

Sources

Real Healthcare Reform Starts with Prescription Drug Reform

Health Officials Raise Awareness of Prescription Drug Abuse

Chronic Pain in Primary Care

If we can’t get the message across that binge drinking is bad any other way, perhaps using swine flu as an excuse will work. Authorities at an upstate New York college have advised their students to refrain from playing drinking games because of the risk of swine flu.

Banning Drinking Games

It seems that rumors have spread among college age students that alcohol kills the swine flu virus, or prevents it from being spread from person to person. This rumor came just before a number of students came down with the flu after a weekend of drinking and playing beer pong. Now the school has banned the beer games, not because underage drinking is wrong and binge drinking is dangerous, but because of the risk of swine flu.

The question is how (if at all) the officials are planning on enforcing this ban, and why does it seem alright that students play beer games if there isn’t a risk of swine flu? Shouldn’t colleges like this one work to enforce the law anyway, not just because the swine flu is out there?

A Society of Drinking

This just reiterates the attitude on college campuses in our country. We all know college students drink and party, and often we see the devastating results when students get hurt or die because of alcohol consumption, yet we haven’t been able to come up with a solution to the problem yet. Students pledging into fraternities or sororities can almost certainly expect to be forced to drink large amounts of alcohol, something that has proven deadly for too many students. It’s almost as if we’ve given up on this fight and we think college students will do what they want regardless of our efforts. Banning beer games because of the risk of swine flu only highlights the fact that anti-alcohol regulations and the drinking age mean nothing to many.

Solutions

Over the years, the number of students drinking underage or binge drinking at colleges has remained the same, or even increased. There are differing views about how to deal with this problem. Lowering the drinking age might take the thrill out of underage drinking and allow officials to deal openly with the binge drinking problem, but it probably won’t solve the problem. Cracking down with the law on students might work, but then again it might result in a lot of students paying fines, spending the night in jail, and then working harder to drink in secret, driving college drinking further underground. Maybe education will work, as we launch campaigns to teach students about the risks of binge drinking, but it seems that most students feel they know the risks already and drink anyway.

No one likes to be the one to tell people to stop doing what they’re doing to have fun, but somehow we need to develop a culture on college campuses that it is not necessary to drink to be a part of the college experience. Students that are willing to take a stand and find other, more constructive ways to have fun can be a huge resource in the battle against college drinking.

Sources

College Drinking Games are Latest Swine Flu Victim

Dead Student’s Family Files Lawsuit

College Bans Drinking Games in Light of Swine Flu Virus

Underage Drinking Contiues to Plague Colleges

The social psychologist Timothy Wilson wrote that: “The conflict between the need to be accurate and the desire to feel good about ourselves is one of the major battlegrounds of the self, and how this battle is fought and how it is won are central determinants of who we are and how we feel about ourselves.” (2002) Furthermore, he adds that: “An important question becomes how the accuracy, and feel good criteria (two identified operations of our unconscious minds) operate together, since they are often incompatible.” In other words it is very difficult to be truly humble, and feel good at the same time.

Here is more proof. In a study conducted by Armor and Taylor in 1988, they discovered that “People who have positive illusions are less likely to be depressed than those who do not.” So, if humility entails the ability to see yourself clearly, to be realistic, and be truly in touch with your limitations, this will not lead to “feeling good.” Actually, there is a long historical trail that supports this research.

Two-thousand and five hundred years ago the Buddha declared that “life is suffering” as the first noble truth of Buddhism.  This revelation came after years of practices designed to be able to apprehend reality clearly, and getting rid of the “self” or “ego.” In other words, he got through the part of the mind that is responsible for distorting reality so we can make ourselves feel good. In this clarity he saw the same reality that is revealed by these modern researchers. Again, here is Wilson: “People’s judgments and interpretations are often guided by… the desire to view the world in the way that gives them the most pleasure” (2002.) This would include the pleasure, and pride that my ego provides me when I see myself, and are seen by others, as a “humble” person. So, if the person getting an ego boost out of their “humility” is not truly humble, who is?

The most truly humble people that I have met have been suffering addicts coming into treatment. They come openly displaying every inadequacy known to man on their sleeves. They are too tired and beat up to care how they look, or what you think about them. They are too tired to be “humble,” or “kind,” or “nice,” or anything else. In clinical language, they have no ego-strength left.

In this state of ego exhaustion, there arises a quality that I find hard to describe in words; a quality that I can only attempt to describe in the language of feelings. This quality feels powerful, raw, open, and, true. The person exhibiting it is Fully present. There is the feeling of a Divine presence in the exchange with them. It feels Spiritual. It feels Holy, in the truest meaning of the word. This is the quality of true humility; the absence of ego. It doesn’t feel good because its catalyst is not pride; its catalyst is pain.  It doesn’t feel; it feels right.