ADS Contributes to Local Spectrum News Coverage on Treating Opioid Addiction

Spectrum News published a segment the week of 1/14/2019 on the recent reduction in Guilford County deaths by opioid overdose. In the piece, Spectrum interviewed Clinical Supervisor Les Quagliano of Alcohol and Drug Services to gain more information on the role that medication plays in the treatment process. Narcan and buprenorphine were highlighted. While deaths
Read more
No Comments

Music Legend Tom Petty Dies of Overdose

It has been confirmed that music icon, Tom Petty, died of an accidental drug overdose. Toxicology reports indicate that Petty had a mixture of several medications including the potentially lethal fentanyl as well as oxycodone and several benzodiazepines. Benzodiazepines and opioids are a high risk medication combination, and have been tied to numerous other overdose
Read more
No Comments

How Addiction in America Exploded

The New Yorker has published a fascinating, in-depth article on how the Sackler family (owners of Perdue Pharmaceutical) made billions of dollars selling Oxycontin throughout America. While effective pain management was, and is, a very important medical consideration, scores of people were introduced to a drug that was heralded as relatively “safe”, but which opened
Read more
No Comments

The Case for Medication Assisted Recovery

Historically, abstinence-based recovery has sought to establish that recovering addicts abstain from all use of illicit substances including alcohol. This model of treatment was originally rooted in the Alcoholics Anonymous 12 Step Program which by design was intended to address alcohol addiction specifically. That program has been extremely popular and effective in helping alcohol dependent
Read more
No Comments

International Overdose Awareness Day

Celebrate Life By Coming Together is a free family event open to the public. This event will remember, celebrate, empower, and encourage the loved ones of those impacted by overdose; support those who are in recovery from substance use; and give hope to the community. This event will have food, bounce houses, games, resource tables,
Read more
No Comments

FDA To Lower Nicotine Levels in Cigarettes

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced that it intends to lower the allowable level of nicotine contained in cigarettes. The linked article states that approximately 35 million people still smoke in America (a new historical low) although hundreds of thousands die each year in the U.S. from tobacco-related illnesses. The American Heart Association
Read more
No Comments

Pot Use Among College Students

A University of Michigan study funded by the National Institute On Drug Abuse (NIDA) found that college students are presently 51% more likely to use marijuana than same age peers who are not enrolled in college. This trend has been increasing at about 10% per year for several years underscoring the need for increased prevention
Read more
No Comments

Governors Institute on Opioid Addiction

North Carolina has an informative website which addresses the rising opioid problem. The address is GovernorsInstitute.org and this site highlights the issue of opioid use and misuse in the United States. Mentioned there is that 998 North Carolinians died of opioid overdose in 2015. The Governors Institute offers guidelines on opioid prescribing and also focuses
Read more
No Comments

Catawba County Opium Poppy Plant Bust

A local Fox 8 news article just revealed that Catawba County law enforcement authorities have uncovered a large poppy plant operation. Poppy plants are used to create opium which in turn is used to make heroin. The poppy plants had an estimated value of $500 million. State Bureau of Investigation authorities and local deputies wore
Read more
No Comments

Street Drug Referred To As Gray Death

Authorities have identified a new drug hitting the streets that is a combination of heroin, fentanyl, another synthetic opioid called U-47700, and an elephant tranquilizer. Investigators are calling it a high-potency cocktail, and they are concerned about its potential to cause overdose death on first use. “Gray Death” is described as having the appearance and
Read more
No Comments