| New clinic in Toccoa serves those who abuse drugs
TOCCOA, Ga. To help those who are addicted to drugs, a doctor just has opened the first clinic of this type in Toccoa. Don Pittard said narcotic addiction is a chronic, relapsing, incurable medical disease of the brain. His goal is for the clinic is to help those who are addicted return to a normal lifestyle. "These people can't quit," Dr. Pittard said. If they could, there would not be a need for clinics to treat those addicted to narcotics, he said. History has shown that drug abuse has always been a problem in our country, he said, and it has become more prominent in today's society. "The incidents of drug abuse is progressing, and we have to do something about it," he said. Which is why he opened the Pittard Clinic at 1654 Falls Road. It's the first treatment center of its kind in northeast Georgia.
Genes behind drug addiction tracked
Chinese scientists have found a way to track genes and biological pathways linked to drug addiction, unraveling potential ways to treat drug abuse and disorders.
"We have found 396 addiction-related genes and identified five pathways that are common to addiction to four different substances: cocaine, opium, nicotine and alcohol," the director of the center for bioinformatics of the life science college under Peking University, Wei Liping, told China Daily yesterday.
"The research provides a more complete picture of drug addiction, as genetic factors contribute to about 60 percent of the vulnerability to drug addiction," she said.
Wei said identifying common pathways meant that treatment targeting these pathways may be more effective for a wide range of addictive disorders.
Beating The Addiction
Fewer teenagers are using drugs like marijuana and methanphetamines, but more teens are abusing prescription pain killers. A national teen drug use report released by President Bush found that highly addictive narcotic pain killers are as popular as ever among 50,000 teens surveyed. And that is a trend that is seen in South Dakota as well. They're known for knocking out severe pain and helping patients with chronic illnesses, but pain killers aren't being used by just the sick. "I tried it at a party actually first time, and a lot of people were doing it. I tried it and I fell in love with it first time I did it," a teen patient said. This teen can't be identified because she's going through treatment at Keystone's treatment Center. Her addiction to Oxycontin landed her here. "I didn't like the taste at first but I got used to it and I'd fene for that taste..that drip in the back of your throat," the patient said.
Brit’s an indisputable drug addict
It seems almost everyone has an opinion about Britney Spears' fall from pop grace. “Loveline" host Dr. Drew Pinsky recently joined the chorus in an interview with Us Weekly. The addiction-medicine specialist shared his informed opinion on what's wrong in Brit's life and whether or not there's still hope for the singer. “(Britney) is a drug addict," Dr. Drew insisted. “It is an indisputable point." To back up his claim, he told Us, “We know that she is a drug addict because she's been admitted to a treatment center. You can't be admitted unless you've met criteria for addiction." When asked if Brit's problems could be traced to attaining pop success at such an early age, Dr. Drew wouldn't entertain the blame game. “Her mental health has almost nothing to do with her career." But he does believe her mega-stardom makes it harder to help her.
|
