The current trend toward synthetic drug abuse may be all we need to know to prove that drug manufacturers and dealers are heartless and sadistic. Two new types of synthetic drugs are being manufactured and freely sold to people who may suffer serious damage, even death, after using them.
In one of the most gruesome stories of damage resulting from synthetic drug abuse, a Louisiana woman reported to her local emergency room in January of 2012, complaining that her arm hurt. She was hospitalized but doctors could not determine what the problem was. It was a couple of days before she admitted that she had injected a new drug referred to as bath salts. Because they are labeled bath salts, these drugs can be sold as “not for human consumption” but anyone who buys them has only one intent: getting high.
By the time she made her admission, the tissue in her arm began to die off rapidly. Doctors rushed her into surgery but the tissue continued to die before they could amputate the lower arm that was so badly infected. To save her life, they ended up taking off her entire arm and shoulder.
In another bath salts incident, near Seattle, a man killed his child and his wife and then himself after a high-speed chase by police. He and his wife were found to have snorted bath salts before the incident. Powders sold as bath salts may contain mephedrone or methylenedioxypyrovalerone. In the case of this driver, it was the latter. These substances can cause hallucinations, paranoia and suicidal thoughts.
Synthetics Enable Manufacturers To Circumvent The Law
Many drug laws are written to outlaw a particular substance. When a chemist comes up with a formula that is just a few molecules different, it falls outside the law in many states. Some states are now starting to deal with this by passing “analogue laws.” An analogue law allows drug enforcement to be applied to new drugs that are chemically different from illegal drugs, but functionally the same. This, or emergency, temporary bans on certain substances, are a way to cope with this new trend.
Spice is another drug that falls into this category. It is promoted as a synthetic marijuana, but it can cause rapid heart rate, vomiting, confusion, hallucinations and agitation.
What makes matter worse is that these drugs are addictive, so once a person uses them several times, they may not be able to stop, even if they see the danger.
Drug Rehab Meetings Are The Choice For Some People
When addiction does strike, an individual – or their family, on their behalf – may have to find a drug rehab service to help save that person’s life. Drug rehab meetings may help some people but they are not for everyone. Drug rehab meetings are usually composed of either group counseling where peer pressure is used to try to break down a person’s resistance to admitting their problem, or in the Twelve Step model, to help people keep their resolution to stay sober by sharing their story with a supportive group.
The Narconon Arrowhead drug rehabilitation program offers a completely different type of help. Rather than seeking to support the person in a continual struggle to maintain sobriety, the Narconon program helps the individual address the physical issues and life-factors which underlie the person's addiction. Having handled these fators, Narconon graduate typically go on to embark on new, drug and alcohol free lives.
Narconon Arrowhead is a long-term rehabilitation program set in the beautiful Oklahoma countryside. Amid abundant wildlife and expansive lake views, each person at Narconon Arrowhead is guided through a comprehensive approach to repairing the damage done by drug abuse and rebuilding the life skills that will be needed to stay sober.
At Narconon Arrowhead in Oklahoma and at more than forty other centers around the world, the Narconon program is saving lives. Find out more about the Narconon Program by calling 1-800-468-6933 today.
References:
http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/infofacts/spice
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/01/13/woman-loses-arm-shoulder-after-injecting-bath-salts/