Drug deaths in England and Wales at highest level since records began, figures show

The most unfortunate thing that could happen as a result of drug addiction would be death- the lost lives. But in spite of so many cases of drug-related deaths, it is a sad reality that still, so many people choose to use drugs and put their lives in danger. In fact, drug deaths in England and Wales are at their highest level since record began.

Drug deaths in England and Wales have hit a record high, with around 56 people now dying every week from illicit substances, new figures show. Ministers have been accused of “clinging to their failing policies on drugs” after data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed there were 4,359 deaths related to drug poisoning last year, the highest number since records began in 1993.

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Campaigners said the rising rates were “avoidable” and accused ministers of taking an approach that was too focused on law enforcement, while also presiding over cuts to local authority budgets which they said undermined the ability to deliver effective drug treatment services.

The Independent revealed last month that the number of live-in drug and alcohol rehabilitation services in England had fallen by a third in six years, prompting concerns that as budgets fall, councils are sending fewer people to lifesaving residential rehabilitation centres.

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Drug crackdown launched in notorious San Francisco district

Rampant drug use is everywhere. In fact, drugs are one of the most pressing problems that the world faces at this present time. With this, it is very important to strengthen efforts to put an end to this problem. In San Francisco, just like in other parts of the world, they too are trying their best to solve their drug problem and to save more lives from ending as victims.

Seventeen federal law enforcement agencies are teaming up for a yearlong crackdown on a notorious area of San Francisco crawling with rampant drug use and “smothered by lawlessness,” a federal prosecutor said Wednesday. The government is arresting drug traffickers in the Tenderloin neighbourhood, near the city’s downtown, as the first step in cleaning up a roughly 50-block area long plagued by poverty and where open drug use has been tolerated for years, U.S. Attorney David Anderson said.

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The crackdown comes as California has become more tolerant of casual drug use after voters reduced penalties for possession of cocaine, heroin and opiates in 2014 and legalized marijuana in 2016. It also comes as San Francisco Mayor London Breed and the elected supervisor for the area have pledged to target flagrant drug dealing.

But San Francisco also strongly opposes federal immigration sweeps, and immigration agents are among those joining the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Marshals Service and others in the effort. And while city officials know the Tenderloin is a problem, they’re torn on how to address drug dealing and drug addiction, with some saying the city shouldn’t waste resources going after low-level offenders and criminalizing homelessness.

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The 25 most dangerous drugs

Opioids are among the most powerful drugs. Powerful in a sense that it has a lot of negative effects to whoever chooses to use it, more so to those who have been addicted to it. The epidemic continues to affect people across the world. In fact, nearly 70,000 Americans died from a drug overdose last year, according to data released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

While prescription painkillers and other street and illicit drugs have certainly fueled the rise in opioid deaths, they are not the only dangerous drugs. Many other drugs, including some seemingly innocuous over-the-counter medications, can be dangerous. The opioid epidemic is on this list of the most serious public health issues facing America today. Drug overdoses are now the leading cause of accidental death in the United States. More Americans die of drug overdoses than in car accidents, which are also frequently the result of substance abuse – nearly half of fatal car accidents involve alcohol or other substances.

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To better understand the likelihood of Americans dying from using a specific substance, it is important to also get a better understanding of the substance itself – its properties, interactions with other drugs and alcohol, and how often it is used.

The vast majority of people who drink alcohol in the United States – more than half of Americans – do so responsibly. Millions of people also use pain medication every day and do not stray from their prescribed dosage. And while overdoses from prescription opioids are a major factor in the opioid epidemic, opioids are essential to many Americans who rely on them to function.

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From addiction to career; one man’s story of his battle with opiods

So many people are struggling with drug addiction. But they are not the only ones suffering. Their loved ones suffer as well. At the same time, the negative effects of drug impact the society as it could lead to different crimes and other negative things. But life does not end here. There is always hope for everyone, even for those who have been dependent on drugs.

Here is a story of a changed man, someone who has been addicted to drugs and is now leading a good life. For many struggling with addiction, it can feel like there’s no way out. But as we continue our series on the opioid crisis, we hear one man’s story on how he beat his dependence. Now he uses his experience to save others. Sean Gorda is a case manager at Lane County’s Methadone Clinic in Eugene, helping people with addictions on the path to sobriety. It’s a struggle he can relate to.

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At 14, he had a major surgery, and when he received morphine to deal with the pain, it changed his life forever.

“It was like a light came on in my brain,” said Gorda. “And it was like this sort of makes me feel okay”

Sean developed an addiction to painkillers, taking everything from hydrocodone to fentanyl, and eventually heroin. He says his life became a struggle against withdrawal.

“It’s kind of like the worst flu you had in your life,” he said. “And knowing that 20, 20 bucks, 50 bucks is going to fix it.”

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Muskegon man using his addiction story to help others

It takes so much to solve the problem with drugs. This is the kind of problem that will be over with just one solution. Also, it is a must to find out the root and put an end to it. Although there are a lot of drug addiction treatment centers available today, this seems to be not enough as the number of people getting addicted to drugs keeps going one. But if there is one thing that can greatly help with the problem and hopefully lessen the number of drug addicts, it would be hearing stories from those who have experienced it.

A Muskegon man who spent years dealing with an addiction to prescription medication is hoping sharing his story will inspire other people who need help. Ken Start got addicted to prescription medications after he broke his back in a bad car crash. He was prescribed opiates, and from there, things got worse — and worse, and worse again. “The day was totally using the whole day. I lived to use,” Start said. He tried rehabs in West Michigan, and none of them had a program that stuck.

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“It got to where I would go to doctors and manipulate doctors to giving me things I didn’t need,” Start said.

In a last attempt to save his life, he drove to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, who he credits with saving his life.

They got him through his pain, and his addiction.

Then he got hurt again. He needed another surgery, and he relapsed. He went back to Mayo, went through rehab again, and has been sober for nearly 12 years.

It’s all chronicled in his book “A Prescription for Addiction.”

Start says sharing his story is important, so he can hopefully help other addicts looking to recover. He is already starting to see results, as one of his readers ended up being someone he sponsored as part of a 12-step program.

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Five babies who died in 2018 born to mothers affected by substance misuse

The cases of mother’s or pregnant women who are using drugs are greatly increasing. What is worse is the fact that many of these cases led to the death of the babies and this is all because of drug abuse. This is why supporting women who are struggling with alcohol and drug addiction is very important. They need to receive all the help that they could get just to save their lives and those of their babies.

All but one of the babies known to child protection services and whose deaths were independently investigated last year had mothers affected by substance misuse, the chair of a review team has said. Chairwoman of the National Review Panel (NRP) Helen Buckley was speaking to The Irish Times on the publication of the 2018 NRP annual report. The NRP is independent of Tusla and consists of professionals from a range of disciplines. It investigates serious incidents including the deaths of children in care and known to the child protection system.

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Ms. Buckley reiterated her call for a national drugs liaison midwife service to support pregnant women and mothers struggling with drug or alcohol addiction.

In all, 13 deaths of children in care or known to Tusla, were referred to the NRP last year – a decrease of nine on 2017. More than half the deaths were of children five years or younger. In all, six were babies under 12 months’ old and one was under five. Ten were girls and three were boys.

Of the six babies, four had been born to mothers who were using drugs during and/or after pregnancy and one mother was affected by alcohol abuse, Ms Buckley said. One baby died as a result of a fatal foetal abnormality. Five of the babies were girls.

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Winnipeg woman wants to raise awareness after finding mother’s grave 55 years after her death

So many lives have been lost because of addiction. This does not only refer to the use and abuse of drugs but even of alcohol and other forms of addiction. It is so sad that those lives could have been saved if their addiction was attended to immediately or if they had asked for help. When it comes to addiction, awareness plays an important role.

Here is a woman from Winnipeg who is raising awareness after finding the grave of her mom. In 2018, Virginia Cook discovered where her mother was buried, 55 years after she passed away. Now, she wants to spread awareness on what she went through to help others going through a similar situation. “When I found my mom’s grave I wanted to do something because there was no grave, nothing. Just a marker to ID her,” says Cook. Cook’s family is originally from Shoal Lake #39.

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She explains both of her parents were residential school survivors, an experience she felt they never fully recovered from.

“They had alcohol addiction. We did have a house in Shoal Lake, Ontario, but we didn’t stay there because they wanted to be close to alcohol, which is in Kenora, Ontario.”

Cook says she was 11 years old when her and her two younger sisters were first taken by children’s aide – which is known today as CFS.

She remembers returning home twice, but ended up in children’s aide for good by age 13, in 1961.

This was the last year she saw or spoke to her mother.

“I was heartbroken and grieving because I’m not with my parents, you know. I want to be with my parents, but I can’t.”

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