A lot of people are battling the problems of addiction. People can get addicted to a lot of different substances and some among them can have huge repercussions. It is always advised that you should get rid of these problems as it can affect your life in a lot of ways. Dealing with troubles of addiction can be a huge task because of the mental and physical complications associated with it. When people make their mind to quit consumption of addicting substances, their body may show extreme withdrawal symptoms and it can affect the health of a person badly. People find it hard to get rid of these habits, the likes of which includes habit forming drugs or alcohol. However, there are a lot of drug rehab centers where people can get the right type of holistic treatment in order to get rid of complications of addiction. When opting for a drug rehab center, analyze the type of work it does and the reputation it has. It must make use of holistic methods as people who are battling addiction woes are in a very critical state and they must be handled with caution and care. Alcohol is one of the most addicting substances and excessive consumption of alcohol can be very damaging for your health. Not only would it affect your liver but it is one of the prime contributing causes of cancer as well. So, if you are suffering from problems of alcohol abuse, you should search for those alcohol rehab centers that make use of methods like therapy, group sessions, holistic methods and a wide range of other methods as well. Sometimes it may so happen that the addicts have lost the belief that their life can come back on the right track and thus they do not have any hope left in the treatment. Such a pessimistic view cannot help their cause and the finest centers are those that seek the help of an interventionist prior to starting the treatment. The interventionist prescribes methods that help in forcing the belief that people can get rid of the problems and they may live a normal life yet again. So, you should always look out for holistic ways of addiction treatment as it is the best way of dealing with such troubles. An addict must first be confident of the treatment methods and then a wide range of theory and classes should be used for helping the addict get out of the rehab phase. ...read more

Sunrise has become the first city in Broward County - and only the second city in Florida - to ban synthetic marijuana. Commissioners in Sunrise gave unanimous approval to the ban. Synthetic marijuana has increased in popularity, but the drug has dangerous side effects for users, including rapid heart rate, anxiety, nausea, hallucinations, kidney failure, and in extreme cases, death. Deerfield Beach is expected to give final approval to a ban of synthetic marijuana on June 19. Officials in Pompano Beach gave initial approval to a ban earlier this week. Officials in Davie and Tamarac plan to vote on a synthetic marijuana ban next month. "We can't do this by municipality alone," said Sunrise Mayor Mike Ryan. "In years past we had children who sniffed glue or sniffed paint. But we've never faced something as dangerous as this, where an entire industry is marketing this as safe and benign. This is called synthetic pot by the people marking it because no one would buy it if it was called synthetic meth or synthetic cocaine or synthetic poison." Sunrise also plans to make it illegal to manufacture synthetic marijuana and to sell bath salts. The Sunrise ban would target the chemical concoction of bath salts designed to give users a high. These bath salts are sold in small packets for up to $35 a packet. "They call them bath salts, but they are not used in baths," said Ryan. "It's another dangerous cocktail of chemicals. They're going to keep changing it and we're going to keep up with them. We're not giving up no matter how often they change the names or the chemicals." ...read more

 In Pinellas County, motorists and pedestrians have been seeing an anti-prescription drug abuse message on billboards, hoping to stem the tide of the prescription drug epidemic in the community. "We're Shutting Down Pill Mills In Pinellas County" is the message on the billboards. Pinellas County had the dubious distinction of leading Florida counties in 2010 with 249 accidental overdose deaths directly related to prescription drugs. Early indications are hopeful, however, pointing to a reduction in the number of deaths from prescription drug overdoses in the county. Many agencies in Pinellas County are working together to get the message out about the dangers of these drugs. "The key to reaching addicted individuals comes long before they get involved in the criminal justice system," said Paul Melton, an investigator with the Pinellas County Department of Justice and Consumer Services. "Organizations like NOPE (Narcotics Overdose Prevention Education) and LiveFree! work tirelessly to educate our young about the dangers of drug addiction and empower them to hold each other accountable and get help if needed." ...read more

 Last week a woman from Marion County was charged with DUI after a test revealed her blood alcohol level to be 0.466 - more than five times the legal limit in Florida. An expert said Leianne Francine Lazurus's blood alcohol level "was in the lethal range." Lazurus, 33, was hospitalized until physicians could stabilize her and her blood alcohol level dropped to "just" .279. Lazurus was then put in jail. ...read more

More and more, criminal defense attorneys in Florida are successful in questioning blood alcohol level test results by attacking the collection methods and getting favorable rulings as a result.   "Before everyone rushes to judgment, we want to make sure junk science isn't used," said defense attorney Stuart Hyman. "History is replete with situations where it was found out the results of such tests were unusable."   These defense attorneys have summoned lab quality experts and chemists for the sole purpose of raising distrust in the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's instruments, techniques and rules about blood alcohol testing. This is not a new challenge. In 2000, the Florida Supreme Court ruled in favor of a suspected drunken driver that alleged that Florida Department of Law Enforcement's blood testing rules were inadequate. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement later revised its procedures. ...read more

A U.S. appeals court has agreed to temporarily allow Cardinal Health Inc. to continue distributing prescription drugs. This effectively blocks a Drug Enforcement Administration order to suspend the Florida company's shipments. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued an order lifting a February 3 DEA suspension. The DEA issued the order because of concerns that Cardinal Health Inc. was not adequately watching for prescription drug abuse and irregularities. The DEA said that Cardinal Health Inc. should have known, or in fact, did know, that four of its customers, including two CVS pharmacies in central Florida, were inappropriately filling prescriptions for oxycodone from its distribution center in Lakeland. Cardinal Health Inc. said it had already cut off supplies to two of the pharmacies before the DEA order was issued. Once the order was issued, Cardinal Health Inc. said it stopped supplying the other two pharmacies. ...read more

There is some good news in the fight against prescription drug abuse. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, sales of oxycodone in Florida dropped 20 percent last year. The main reason for the drop is the continued intense assault on pill mills and rogue physicians throughout the state. "These traffickers are not coming down to Florida like they did before. The medical professionals get the message, too. Either straighten out or we're coming after you," said David Melenkevitz, a spokesman at the Drug Enforcement Administration in Weston, home to a regional pill mill task force. According to the Florida Department of Health, last week there were 570 active pain clinics in Florida - down from more than 1,300 in 2010. Broward County had 73 pain clinics, and Palm Beach County had 40 pain clinics, less than half earlier totals. Experts caution, however, that despite the good news, there are still addicts out there who need quality addiction treatment services. "We are still not dealing with the addiction, dealing with drug treatment and trying to save lives," said Jim Hall, director of the Center for the Study&Prevention of Substance Abuse at Nova Southeastern University in Davie. ...read more

The medical director of the Florida Recovery Center understand addiction and recovery better than most people. He has lived it. An addiction to marijuana and cocaine led to Dr. Scott Teitelbaum losing his license to practice as a pediatrician in Connecticut. He also lost his marriage and family, but ultimately felt the need to help others by advancing the science, treatment and recovery of addiction. "I lost a lot - addiction took more from my life than anything else, ever," said Teitelbaum, an associate professor and vice chair for the University of Florida psychiatry department. "My recovery blessed me in ways I never imagined." Teitelbaum is now the president of the Florida Society of Addiction Medicine and is also the chief of the Division of Addiction Medicine. He has also served as a consultant to the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. "Science shows us that addiction is the hijacking of the brain, but recovery is the healing of one's heart." Teitelbaum helped medical students learn about addiction through a rotation at the University of Florida College of Medicine. This program is unusual among most medical schools in this country, where future physicians learn little about addiction and how to treat the disease. ...read more

The Lakeland Police Department has blamed a fatal crash on a mobile meth-making explosion inside a car. The driver died and was later identified as 36-year-old Clifford Ellison.Police soon noted another person inside the car, Jerek L. Evans, and learned the crash did not lead to Ellison's death. Evidence from inside the car and information from Evans revealed the two had been mixing chemicals in a glass liquor bottle - making "shake and bake" methamphetamine. The liquor bottle exploded, firing glass shards into Ellison's neck. Police believe Ellison was killed by the shrapnel, causing Ellison to lose control of the car, resulting in the crash. Evans fled the vehicle on foot after the car overturned. ...read more

Aaron Alvin Sr. has overcome many obstacles in life and has now graduated from Florida International University in Miami with a master's degree in social work."I wanted to make sure I was in a position to help people, and so I went ahead and got my master's. I just continued to pursue something that was bigger and better, and ended up here," Alvin said.Alvin was arrested for drugs, domestic violence and grand theft auto. He was homeless for a period of time. He is thankful that a judge helped him turn his life around by placing him into a drug treatment program."I know that today, without drugs and alcohol, I can have fun, I can laugh, I can play, and I can succeed."Alvin does not take his recovery for granted and hopes to one day have his own clinic helping other drug addicts find hope.     ...read more

Students at universities across Florida are finding it tougher to get Ritalin and Adderall to help them study for their exams. The two popular drugs are often abused, but are usually prescribed for the treatment of attention deficit disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children and adults, but have recently been in short supply in its generic form."This is not unusual," said Pam Hammar, owner of Bittings Pharmacy&Medical Supply in Ocala. "But this one is a little more difficult to deal with."A 2009 study found that misuse and diversion of these prescriptions was "not uncommon.""Enhancing the ability to study outside of class was student's primary motive for misuse," the study said.The drugs are popular with college students because it increases energy and concentration. Thankfully, the abuse of these drugs is not as worrisome as alcohol or prescription drug abuse. ...read more

Florida has paid a great deal of attention to fighting the prescription drug epidemic in the state. A new prescription drug database began a few months ago and it is helping to stop doctor shopping in the state. Now, synthetic drugs are proving to be a challenge for law enforcement and legislators. Synthetic marijuana is sold as herbal incense, and synthetic stimulants are sold as bath salts. In the first ten months of this year, synthetic drugs contributed to 523 overdoses and five deaths. In January, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi classified substances with MDPV - the chemical found in bath salts - as controlled substances. Selling anything with MDPV became a third-degree felony. Teenagers are especially vulnerable to synthetic drug abuse, because of the false perception that the drugs are safer. ...read more

Researchers at the University of Florida have received a $2.7 million dollar grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism to study whether a common drug can help women infected with HIV reduce their alcohol consumption and improve their overall health."Alcohol consumption can be harmful in persons with HIV infection if it affects the ability to take medications on schedule, causes people to make poor decisions, or has direct harmful effects on the immune system or other parts of the body," said Robert Cook, M.D., MPH, an associate professor of epidemiology and medicine at the University of Florida College of Public Health and Health Professions and the College of Medicine. "It is the same with any chronic disease, such as diabetes. Our goals are to identify simple and acceptable treatment options that can help reduce these harmful effects."Florida ranks second in the United States for the number of women living with HIV. More than 290,000 women in the United States have HIV/AIDS. Miami and Jacksonville are among the country's urban areas most affected by HIV and AIDS. ...read more

State officials reported that only 3,700 physicians and pharmacists in Florida - less than ten percent - have registered to use the new prescription pill database in its first week of operation.These physicians and pharmacists used the computer system to check 10,850 patients before approving their pain drugs. Pharmacies have logged 16.8 million prescriptions for pain pills from 2011, so physicians and pharmacists could begin checking whether or not patients received too many pain pills.The prescription drug database was designed to help stem the tide of prescription drug addiction throughout the state. ...read more

Twenty two people were arrested in Florida last Friday in a crackdown against prescription drug abuse. Among the 22 arrested were physicians and pharmacists. The arrests in Orlando and Tampa were just the latest in the fight against pill mills, prescription forgery rings and illegal online pharmacies.  "Our targeted, aggressive enforcement actions are sending a clear message that - here in Florida, which has long been the nation's epicenter for the illegal distribution of prescription drugs - the days of easily acquiring these drugs from corrupt doctors and pharmacists are coming to an end," said U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. The fight against prescription drug abuse escalated in Florida between 2005 and 2010, with the number of deaths connected to oxycodone increasing by 345 percent. It is estimated that 7 million Americans abuse prescription drugs and caused approximately 40,000 deaths every year. ...read more