Drug and Alcohol Rehab Blog

Ledger’s Tragedy from Prescriptions

The tragic news of Heath Ledger’s death has really grabbed a lot of attention, but the focus and blame hasn’t been correctly pointed yet.  It appears that Ledger is the latest sorrowed tale in prescription drug overdose deaths, celebrity or otherwise.  The antidepressants and sleeping pills seem to be the culprit, in which case the responsibility lies in the hands of the doctor who prescribed both of these toxic substances as well as the drug companies who promote the drugs as being safe and effective.

When celebrity drug rehab tabloid gossip mainstays such as Lohan, Spears and Winehouse begins to rule airwaves, its easy to assume that a drug-related death is due to illegal substances, but that doesn’t seem to be the case with Ledger.  Police reports show no foul play, evidence of suicide attempt, or other substances from the toxicology report.

Mike Adams from NewsTarget.com shows that “FDA-approved pharmaceuticals kill twice as many Americans each year as the entire Vietnam War”.

This disturbing fact that’s routinely swept under the carpet by mainstream media and government officials is echoed by the number of calls we get on a weekly basis of otherwise well-meaning people who are now full-blown addicts because of prescription drugs that were recommended to them by their doctors and the ensuing havoc created by them.

Remember, the drugs ruining our society aren’t just the ones on the street.  Just turn on the television to see pharmaceutical ads or drive down the road where you see brand new pharmacies popping up in every suburban development.  When damaging antidepressants are just as common in homes as Flinstones vitamins, there is a major problem that isn’t being looked at enough.

If you or someone you know has a drug or alcohol problem, or would like to know about resources to help them get off prescription drugs, call us today at 1-877-421-9659 or visit www.drug-alcohol-rehabs.org.

Speculating on Spears’ Drug Problem

Throughout this past year there have been many speculations as to what has really been wrong with Britney Spears, including what drugs she may have been taking.  However, delving deeper into a couple of the latest troubles (including a ‘not there’ performance on the VMA’s and then the late-night custody issue where she wound up on the hospital)reveals more about her condition and I have an explanation to her erratic behavior recently.

This is actually a pretty common scenario that I’ve seen throughout the years of dealing with thousands of people with some kind of drug problem.  Somebody decides to take drugs and/or drink alcohol excessively.  The result is that they feel bad when coming down from the high or waking up with a hangover.  They’re supposed to be low and depressed at that time.  To remedy this they often take more drugs or drink more alcohol in an attempt to feel better, which temporarily seems to work, but is actually making things worse.  They cycle continues to the point where they have to be drunk or high just to “function” in their daily lives.

Then somewhere along the way, either through treatment or seeking some type of professional counseling, some misinformed person tells them they should be taking a medication to alleviate the ups and downs, mood swings, depression, etc.  This has also happened to Britney.  The problem is that these drugs never solve the problem permanently and often have very severe side effects.  On top of that, if someone has been taking medication for depression or “bipolar disorder” then they develop a dependency on those as well and when suddenly stopped there are very dangerous withdrawal symptoms, including heavy manic behavior, hallucinations and psychotic breaks.

This would explain why Britney acted the way she did the other night when she was taken to the hospital, yet a drug screen turned out to be negative.  The Dr. Phil explanation of her now having a bipolar diagnosis is ludicrous.  Look back just a few short years ago and obviously that would not be the case.  These symptoms and behaviors are chemically created, first by whatever illicit drug use and alcohol consumption, and then made worse by the prescription drugs she has been given.

The best way to actually help her would be to do a complete body detoxification and cleansing program to get all of the chemicals out of her and then start to address the problems in her life with a clear head.