Overdose Death Impacting Life Expectancy

woman suffered from drug overdose

In the 21st Century those of us living in America expect to live robust lives. Far longer than once thought possible, thanks to advances in medicine and a better understanding of healthy living. Fewer Americans smoke cigarettes across most demographics. And when people are diagnosed with certain forms of cancer the prospects for recovery are at times good. While average life expectancy has been steadily increasing over the decades, one variable has been tipping the scale—overdose death. Specifically, opioid overdose death.

It won’t come as a surprise to learn that American’s relationship with opioids has been approaching critical mass. We have steadily seen the number of premature deaths rise to greater heights with each passing year. There were more deaths in 2016 than in 2015, and overdose deaths are expected to surpass last year, in 2017. Overdose death is now the leading cause of premature death in America. And, believe it or not, these deaths are impacting figures on average life expectancy – for the worse.

A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association shed some light on this subject. The researchers found that our life expectancy increased overall, from nearly 77 years to 79 years, between 2000 and 2015. However, the nearly two-decade spate of overdose deaths trimmed that expectancy by 2.5 months, HeathDay reports. Dr. Deborah Dowell from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention points out drug overdoses have more than doubled. With opioid overdose cases, more than tripled during the same time.

Reducing Overdose Death

“[U.S.] life expectancy is now lower than in most high-income countries,” said lead researcher Dowell, noting this as the is first decrease since 1993 at the height of the AIDS epidemic.

Studies like these don’t do much to save lives, but they do give society some perspective. With over 50,000 Americans dying from overdose every year, action is desperately needed. Failure to address this epidemic with greater urgency will result in greater death tolls with each subsequent year. Perhaps what is most troubling about all of this is the fact that treatment works, and recovery is possible. Yet, the majority of the more than 2 million opioid use disorder cases are never treated in any way.

What’s worse, doctors are often unable to read the writing on the wall when it comes to their patients. It’s no secret that physicians in the U.S. are only required to have minimal education in addiction and treatment. The majority of doctors are not even licensed to prescribed certain drugs that help opioid addicts strive for recovery. It is one thing to increase access to the overdose reversal drug naloxone. But, if overdose victims are not steered towards recovery, history is bound to repeat itself.

“There is an urgency to this problem,” said Dr. Adam Bisaga, a professor of psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City. “The tragedy is, we have medication to treat opioid addiction. But death rates keep going up.”

Opioid Addiction Treatment

It doesn’t matter which form of opioid one uses, prescription painkillers or heroin. The risk of overdose and potential death is clear and present. To make matters worse, these are not easy drugs to abstain from due to the severity of withdrawal. However, as Dr. Bisaga points out, there are a number of meds that can help with withdrawal and treatment process. Dramatically increasing one’s ability to achieve long-term addiction recovery. If you are an adult male who has become dependent on opioids of any kind, please contact 10 Acre Ranch. We can help you find recovery.

Good Days, and OK Days In Recovery

Depressed cheerless boy sitting in the chair with professional psychologist working in the background with people during psychological recovery group therapy session

Sponsee: How’re you today?
Sponsor: Well, thank you. There are only good days, and OK days in recovery.
Sponsee: No bad days?
Sponsor: Only in active addiction.

The above dialogue may seem inane. But, that doesn’t make it any less true. Anyone working a program knows first-hand how bad one’s days can be. Having lived for years, made up of a seemingly endless stream of bad days. You know what it was like forgoing food to pay for drugs and alcohol. You probably remember how hard it was to keep track of the lies you told, or the energy you expelled. It is hard work manipulating others to serve a disease that is trying kill you.

On the other hand, those who work a program live by a code of honesty. No matter what, even when it hurts, we are honest with ourselves and others. To live any other way almost always results in relapse. In active addiction, you were isolated. Cut off from your friends and family, connections that for most people are what’s most important. Today, you find yourself in the company of fellows working towards a common goal. That of living life on life’s terms. You find yourself “a part of” rather than “apart from.” A member of a fellowship who cares about you and your success in the life-saving journey of recovery.

Please do not read the above hypothetical discourse as meaning that there won’t be trials and tribulations in recovery. There will be. Although, as long as your recovery is intact you will be able to overcome such occurrences. And, in traversing hardship without using, your program grows stronger. Aided not by mind-altering substances, but by the spiritual connection you have with others in your support network (sponsor and recovery peers).

Overcoming Hardships In Recovery

If you find yourself having a hard day, faced with adversity, turning to your higher power for guidance is advised. If you are new to the program that might be a challenge. Until your connection with the spirit grows stronger, rely heavily on the wisdom and guidance of others in the program. Like the lighthouse on a foggy night, they will guide you back to the harbor.

One of the main reasons people working a program are able to succeed in achieving long term recovery, is fellowship. We are all in this together. Something worth being grateful for, to be sure. When having a tough day, never shy from reminding yourself how far you’ve come and that for which you’re grateful. If you are clean and sober today, you have a lot for which to be thankful. In early recovery, fresh out of treatment, life is not always going to be rainbows and unicorns.

Your recovery tools and skills acquired might only take you so far with a certain situation. The wisdom of others should always be welcomed. But, people can only help if you are open and honest about what you’re dealing with. If they do not know, how can they help. This requires that you to share with another or the group what’s going on. Rest assured, nine times out of 10, someone else has dealt with a similar situation.

The Journey of Recovery Starts With Treatment

Those of you still in active addiction may have found some of this post hard to believe or understand. Your life is likely one bad day after another, and the only relief you can find is drugs and alcohol. If you make the brave choice to seek recovery, you will see early on in treatment the importance of your peers. You will see how your connection with a higher power and others in the program can save you from yourself. Which is nothing short of a miracle given all of our histories.

Your journey begins with detox and/or addiction treatment. If you are a male ready to discover the miracles of addiction recovery, please contact 10 Acre Ranch today.

Join The Voices of Addiction Recovery

Addiction and Recovery Blog

If you are working a program of addiction recovery, you have a lot to be proud about. You have, even those of you new to the program, have come a long way from where you were. In the grips of a progressive illness with generally dismal outcomes. Some of you may have even surpassed most people’s idea of rock bottom. You might even say you were looking up at the bottom. Addiction is a take no prisoners mental illness, people with a disorder, if left untreated, will likely die as a result. It is for that reason that anyone working a program of recovery has so much for which to be grateful.

If you have undergone addiction treatment, then you know that your disease is nobody’s business but your own. You know the program that is saving your life is an anonymous program. You also know that there are many things that prevented you from seeking treatment for as long as you did. Usually, at the top of that list of reasons is the social stigma that has long been a black cloud over addiction. The belief that addiction is not a disease, but rather a moral failing among individuals with weak will. The power of such societal beliefs should not be underestimated.

Due to the prevalence of social stigma, many addicts and alcoholics go without treatment. Even if they can easily access or afford addiction treatment services, many will put it off. It is a decision that is often fatal. Many addicts die of an overdose before they ever have an opportunity to give recovery a chance.

Ending The Stigma of Addiction Requires Everyone

The program you are working is anonymous for good reasons. But, that doesn’t mean you can’t have a role in ending stigma by speaking out. There is no time like the present to let the world know that recovery from this mental illness is possible. September is National Recovery Month, a time to raise awareness and understanding of mental and substance use disorders. And a time to recognize the millions of people actively working programs of recovery.

The theme this year is Join the Voices for Recovery: Strengthen Families and Communities. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA) asks that both individuals in recovery and their family members share their personal stories and successes. By doing so, it could encourage a significant number of people to give recovery a chance. If you are interested in sharing your story, please click here. Below is an example of a courageous individual in recovery:


If you are having trouble watching, please click here.

You may not be at a point in your recovery that you are willing to share your story with society. That is OK. Some people might not ever be comfortable to do so, which is also just fine. You can still have a role in spreading the message that addiction is a mental health disorder. And that recovery is possible by continuing to live by the principles of addiction recovery. Paying forward what was given to you gratis.

Recovery is Possible

If you are a male who is still caught in the vicious cycle of addiction, please contact 10 Acre Ranch. We know it is a hard decision. We know that your disease will always try to convince you that there isn’t a problem. Even when you know there is. Maybe National Recovery Month, and the inspiring stories of brave individuals, can be the catalyst for your own recovery.

MDMA, Trauma and Addiction Recovery

MDMA Ecstasy

There is a common theme among addicts and alcoholics, most of us have experienced some type of trauma in our lives. That is not to say that trauma caused the addiction, but rather that addressing trauma could help treat the disease. However, there is a wide variety of opinions on how to treat such trauma to ensure the best outcomes.

It is no secret that some people living with addiction have a hard time working a program of recovery. There could be a number of reasons for this, but one of the more common factors involves an untreated co-occurring disorder. Conditions which can include: anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Research supports the belief that people attempting to recover from addiction fare best when co-occurring disorders are treated simultaneously. Addiction treatment centers that focus on the whole patient typically have the best track-records. But, there are cases when clients do not respond well to practices that work well for others. In turn, researchers are constantly on the lookout for novel approaches.

Alcohol and MDMA

Around the world, people abuse alcohol more than any other mind-altering substance. It makes sense. Think about it, alcohol is legal for adult consumption in the western world. The substance is pervasive and can be found with little effort and be purchased on the cheap. More people die from alcohol-related illnesses than any other drug. The longer one imbibes in unhealthy ways, the greater the risk of health complications. Increasing the effectiveness of accepted treatment methods can go a long way. And addressing trauma may be the answer.

A new clinical study is about to kick off in the United Kingdom involving heavy alcohol users and 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine, The Guardian reports. The latter of which you may know as MDMA, the main ingredient in the club drug ecstasy. All the study participants have not responded well to the more common form of addiction treatment, being chronic relapsers. The patients will be given nearly pure MDMA in conjunction with psychotherapy.

“We know that MDMA works really well in helping people who have suffered trauma and it helps to build empathy, said Ben Sessa, a clinical psychiatrist on the trial and senior research fellow at Imperial College London. “Many of my patients who are alcoholics have suffered some sort of trauma in their past and this plays a role in their addiction.” Sessa adds: “After 100 years of modern psychiatry our treatments are really poor. The chances of relapse for these patients are really high—90% at three years. No one has ever given MDMA to treat alcoholism before.”

Alcohol Use Disorder Treatment

We will continue to follow this important story and the outcomes of the clinical study. There is much that is not understood about drugs with hallucinogenic properties. It’s possible that this study will shed some light on the subject.

At this juncture, however, the best opportunity of achieving long-term addiction recovery is go to a treatment facility that focuses on dual-diagnosis. Treating co-occurring disorders is possible. At 10 Acre Ranch, we are fully equipped to address your addiction and other mental health disorders. Please contact us today.

Addiction Recovery: A Social Model

photo of a group during therapy session addiction recovery

If you are new to addiction recovery there is a good chance that you have been scratching your head about many things. Which is more than common. You may be trying to understand how the program works. when nothing else that you tried in the past helped. Looking around the rooms you see scores of people, many of whom with smiles on their face—when you can hardly find anything to be happy about. Our hope is that you do not become discouraged, how you are feeling will in time pass and before you know it early recovery will be long behind you.

It is of the utmost importance that you try your hardest to not overthink the program, to not harp on things that seem to make little sense. Or in some cases, illogical. We assure you that everything you see and hear is part of the formula which has been used to save lives for nearly a century. The keystone of the entire program is spirituality, which manifests itself via the group’s connection. You speak and are heard. Others speak and you listen. And together, we work the problem of “self.”

People often say that Albert Einstein would not have been able to recover from addiction by way of programs like Alcoholics Anonymous, et al. They also say that you can’t be too unintelligent to recover, but you can be too smart. Given the fact that most addicts and alcoholics are above average intelligence, the former platitude presents some problems if you let it. The point is; however, that if your best thinking brought you to your knees and in need of the rooms of recovery, then it might be a good time to take suggestions and follow directions.

Hit the Ground of Recovery, Running

On the onset of your introduction to the program it is likely that you will still be a bit foggy. Years of substance use and abuse takes its toll on cognitive function and how you respond to new surroundings. For the first couple weeks, whether in treatment or at a 12-Step meeting, it is vital that one gives their body and mind time to flush the lingering chemicals from their system. After a couple weeks, you may still feel a little down about the loss of your good friend Jim Beam, but you will be in a much better position to be an active participant in the community of recovery.

At such time, you will have probably heard a multitude of people share their story, you may have even shared some of yours. There is a good chance that someone has shared some things about recovery that resonated with you. That may be the first person that you want to approach to discuss sponsorship. Working with another alcoholic or addict is paramount to achieving long-term sobriety. A sponsor is someone who has worked all the steps, and can in turn help you work them. They are essentially, among other things, a guide.

Sponsors also have a role in calling you on you. They will see when you may be slipping or are in a place that seems unhealthy. Giving you a chance to correct course before something bad happens, specifically relapse. Just as someone else calls them out when they appear to be risking their recovery. Together, we provide support for others, just as they provide it to you. When times are hard, and they will be, you always have someone to talk to about your feelings. Without fear of judgment. We implore you to not put off finding a sponsor. We know that you can find a million reasons to not ask someone to sponsor you, and that’s OK. But all you need to do is find one good reason, and the journey of working the steps begins and the gifts that come along with it will surely follow.

The Social Model of Addiction Recovery

Just as 12-Step programs rely heavily on community, so too does effective addiction treatment. At 10 Acre Ranch, our male clients not only go to groups and meetings together, they share a living space. As a result, our clients always have someone they can turn to for a hand, if they are feeling anxious or depressed about their life. Just like what members of AA or NA do for each other in their day to day lives.

The social model of recovery puts people in the ideal position to never leave anything in their program to chance. There is always the fail safe known as the fellowship. Whenever you find yourself in doubt about something, or going to make a life-changing decision, the hand of recovery will always be there.

If you are still out there in active addiction, please contact us today. The longer you put recovery off—the worse it gets.

Binge Drinking Among Young Adults Increases

Binge Drinking Among Young Adults

It is probably fair to say that drinking alcohol socially is an American pastime. Or, at the very least, involved in many activities that Americans take part in. Teenagers and young adults across America congregate every weekend to imbibe at parties and sporting events. For a lot of people, a ball game would not be a the same without a cold beer. While in many cases, drinking alcohol can be a benign, or relatively harmless, experience there is a significant number of young adults who consume alcohol in far from healthy ways.

Alcohol and the use of the substance is pervasive in the United States. It can be purchased at grocery stores, restaurants, sporting events and concerts. Just to name a few vendors. It can become easy to forget that liquor can severely disrupt the course of one’s life, wreaking havoc on people’s health. For a substance that is so addictive, with an impact on the body which kills far more people every year than any other substance, (including the deadly opioid narcotics which have been in the spotlight for nearly two decades)—it is hard to understand why prevention and treatment efforts are not emphasized more.

Sadly, and because young people are not generally given all the facts about the dangers of alcohol consumption, unhealthy relationships with liquor often develop. It is quite common for young men and women to “binge drink” alcohol on regular basis. That is, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), when men consume 5 or more drinks, and when women consume 4 or more drinks—over a 2-hour period.

Binge Drinking Among Young Adults

The National Institute for Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) funded a study that looked at binge drinking and high-intensity (10+, 15+ drinks per occasion) drinking among U.S.12th graders and young adults from 2005 to 2015, Newswise reports. The findings indicated that binge and high-intensity drinking was highest for young adults aged 21/22 to 25/26, increasing the highest among people in their late twenties. The research was published in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.

Both binge drinking and high-intensity alcohol consumption can cause serious harm to one’s health, and is a sure path to dependence and/or addiction. It is absolutely vital that these trends are acknowledged and that prevention experts and addiction treatment professionals respond accordingly with efforts to educate young people about the inherent risks of these methods of consumption. Setting the long-term health effects aside for the moment, people who engage in binge drinking are at greater risk of traumatic accidents and alcohol poisoning—which are often deadly.

Alcohol Use Disorder Treatment

Young adults are often unaware of the potential harm of the aforementioned manners of drinking alcohol. They are usually drinking that way among their peers, and justify the behavior as something that everyone is doing. Sure, some people binge drink socially in the early twenties and don’t progress to alcoholism, but that is not the case for others.

When such people seek help by way of addiction treatment, one that utilizes the social model, much emphasis is placed on adopting healthy ways of living surrounded by peers working towards the same goal. Recovery is a process, but over time one learns how to have fun with others without the social lubricant that is alcohol.

If you are young adult male, or have a loved one who is, and has formed an unhealthy relationship with alcohol, please contact 10 Acre Ranch today. We connect young men together in a safe environment and teach them how to live a life in recovery, and form healthy relationships with their peers, without alcohol or any other mind-altering substances.