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What is Krokodil? It’s a new drug and it’s awful.
Posted by: | CommentsA new drug called Krokodil, named after the large, green, toothy reptile, may be the next big killer for American drug users. This controlled substance has particularly heinous ingredients and effects, yet it’s use continues to spread.
Parents or communities that are currently watching a heroin problem in their neighborhoods will want to learn about Krokodil. It can be made in a home lab, using free how-to methods available on popular internet outlets. The typical Krokodil user is one who has been a heroin or opiate-based prescription drug abuser, but can no longer support the habit. Krokodil is a morphine derivative, and offers a similar high at a fraction of the price.
The alluring ingredients of codeine, iodine, lighter fluid, industrial cleaning fluid, paint thinner, gasoline and red phosphorus are combined to produce an addictive concoction called Desomorphine. The toxicity of these substances causes devastating and potentially fatal side-effects.
Beyond the obvious risks of drug use, Krokodil abusers typically experience an acute reaction at the site of injection. The skin and tissue cells die, scale over and fall off the body. Gangrene sets in. In many cases, entire limbs must be amputated due to exposed bone and decomposed blood vessels. The liver and kidneys are also affected and can suffer irreparable damage.
There may be as many as one million Krokodil users in Russia alone. For those reached by drug prevention efforts or addiction rehabilitation treatment, detox can last up to one month -that’s nearly twice the time it takes to detox from heroine.
In 2011, Krokodil emerged in the European drug market. Officials are cautious that it could be on a crash course for the world’s largest consumer of illicit substances….America. Fortunately, there do not appear to be any reported seizures of the drug on U.S. territory as of yet. Regrettably, we already have cheap and widely available substitutes that may serve as illegal drugs of choice in place of this illicit import.
Knowledge is power and prevention is key. For ideas on how you can prevent this and other drug use in your home or community, please visit our Drug Prevention Pages.
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Freshman Drinkers Much More Likely to Experience Sexual Assault
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Freshmen girls who engage in at least one incident of binge drinking have a 1 in 4 chance of being sexually assaulted during their first semester at college. This says a new study released today in the Rutgers University Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.
In yet another example of what many would claim to be science corroborating common sense, the study found that freshmen girls who consume between 4 and 6 drinks in any one sitting have a frightening likelihood of sexual victimization. For heavier drinkers, such as those who reported having consumed 10 or more drinks in any one given night, it actually became probable that they would become the victim of a sexual attack. Nearly 60% of these heavy drinkers reported being victimized by acts that ranged from unwanted sexual contact to rape.
The study further warned about the practices of drinking while in high school, the years that oftentimes foreshadow college drinking behavior. While abstinence in high school continues to remain substantially influential in higher abstinence rates at college, it does not guarantee it. Even occasional drinking in high school may predict heavy drinking during the first semester at college. This study found that nearly half of the girls who reported drinking “lightly” in high school ended up binge drinking at least once during their first college semester – a time when they are still below the legal drinking age.
For parents, it stands as a reminder of the important in keeping kids alcohol free during the formative high school years. Hard fought diligence in the years just prior to college life can reward kids with the practice and perseverance needed to maintain responsible behavior away from home. Kids who learn to socialize and enjoy activities while sober become much better equipped to deal with the dangerous peer influences and social pressures present on their new college campus. As this study again demonstrates. There is a lot to be gained by being sober. Respecting the law, standing your ground and setting the example when it comes to drinking may just stave off a sexual assault.
Click here to read the full text of this study.
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American First: Drug Overdoses Outpace Traffic Deaths
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Do you live in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, or Connecticut? If you do, you no longer have to feel alone with a particularly dubious distinction. For the first time in any of our lifetimes, the average American is now more likely to die from a drug overdose than from a car crash. It’s an unprecedented mortality rate that, until recently, only a handful of states could claim ownership of.
This stomach-turning statistic sheds more light on a trend that prevention officials have been desperately broadcasting for several years now. Strangely, their cries have been falling upon an uncharacteristically disinterested public and inattentive media.
Many adults who lived through the crack cocaine epidemic of the 80′s or heroin plagued 90′s may recall the aggressive outing of America’s then dirty little secret. At the time, the plague of addiction and overdose flooded our media. It was a theme that became conspicuously embedded in many of the day’s pop culture icons, spawning a litany of movies, P.S.A.’s, articles and editorials. The difference between then and now is troubling to say the least, particularly given the ironic fact that prescription drug overdoses now outpace those of cocaine and heroin combined.
The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who are broken, but because of we who choose not to get involved. -Author’s Note
These are critically important times, but the average person doesn’t seem to know it. Try telling the average New Jerseyian that they are more apt to be killed by drugs than by one of their fellow Jersey motorists and you’re likely to be met by disbelief. But when you consider that America’s number one prescribed drug is no longer Amoxicillan or Lipotor, but the opiate Vicodin, you’ve got yourself a very blatant -and ominous- sign of the times. Getting that message to the public is mission number one. Prompting action is another thing altogether. For those who’ve cared to read this far, consider the following fact for motivation:
In just 14 minutes from now, another one of our neighbors, mothers, brothers, sisters or sons will be lost to a drug overdose. It’s a cycle that will continue all day long. It will start again tonight at midnight and continue for the rest of the week, month, year and decade. In fact, it will continue indefinitely -until we decide to stop it.
Will you help us stop it? Start by forwarding this message. Do it liberally. Do it before you click away. Do it now. Together we can save a life, save a country, and save a future worth being proud of. Get involved.
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Heroin in a Breath Strip
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A new drug has hit the streets in an alarming new form. It’s an opiate, like heroin or oxycontin, and it comes in the form of sublingual film. Users simply remove the film from the packet and place it under their tongue. It dissolves in 2 to 10 minutes, and takes effect almost immediately.
The drug goes by the trade name Suboxone, and contains buprenorphine and naloxone. It has been sold on the street in its original pharmaceutical wrapper, which resembles that of a wetnap. The drug itself looks like a gelatine breath strip, such as those sold by Listerine and others. It also comes in tablet form. Both the strip and tablet bear the markings “N2″ or “N8″.
Though commonly used to treat opiate addiction, suboxone itself is known to be addictive, and can cause overdoses in uncontrolled amounts. It can also produce fatal results if combined with other common drugs like alcohol, antihistamines, antidepressants or sleep aids.
In clinical settings, Suboxone is a legitimate prescription medicine that has been approved by the F.D.A. to treat opiate addiction for patients who are under the care of a licensed practitioner. A video describing the administration of suboxone can be viewed at this link.
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Does Marijuana Use Lead to ADHD Treatment?
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Substance abuse professionals have been worriedly tracking increasing rates of marijuana use amongst teens and tweens. At the same time, prescription rates for psychological stimulants, such as Ritalin and Adderall have been blowing through all previous barriers. While the early assumptions as to why this is happening are not so surprising, they are certainly alarming.
Many high school and college students find that they cannot maintain an aggressive party schedule alongside a productive academic schedule. Rather than adjust their behavior, this new and naive generation has turned to amphetamine based prescription medicine as a remedy. The stimulants, meant to treat patients with psychologically induced attention deficiencies, increase awareness and mental productivity. Though widely prescribed and perceived by many to be harmless, Adderall and Ritalin are indeed habit forming drugs with potentially fatal side effects. Unfortunately, this does not phase many kids, nor deter some college officials from dolling out the drugs.
It is not yet common for college health clinics or primary care physicians to conduct drug screening on those who seek treatment for ADHD symptoms. Nor is it practice to deny psycho-stimulant prescriptions for those who test positive for marijuana. Yet some of those institutions that do test, are finding positive results upwards of 40%.
It’s a very disturbing trend, and one that cries for more dialog. Many feel that the responsible role of responsible officials is to rule out underlying substance use before prescribing additional drugs to a patient, particularly those at vulnerable ages. Others argue that the clinical denial of ADHD medicines to marijuana users will only push them into the black market. While the community has not yet reached consensus on this hot topic, one conclusion is clear, parents need to take an increasingly active role in shaping their children’s perception of drugs as performance enhancers. Pscycho-stimulants have quickly become the mental steroids of the new millennium.
For more information of marijuana, Adderall or Ritalin, please visit our Drug Fact Sheets.
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Powertalk21: Time to Talk to Our Kids
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Every day, 13 American teenagers die as a result of abusing alcohol. Kids who start drinking in their teens, are several times more likely to develop addiction problems, than are those who wait until it is legal. Teen drinkers are also more likely to allow their own kids to drink underage, when it becomes their time to parent. It’s a debilitating cycle.
It’s time for a change, and MADD thinks that they have a way to do it. MADD selected April 21st to be the subject of a national campaign to improve the communication between parents and their teens. Powertalk 21 is a program designed to make the process easy. They’ve created a booklet, a series of pointers, and even a free parent education program to assist you. You can access all of those great resources, by clicking here.
If you have a teen living in your home, its important that you make every effort to counterbalance the constant barrage of advertising, pressure and temptation facing them. You can find all the details you need, on our Alcohol Tutorial. If you haven’t had a discussion with them recently, April 21st is the time to do it! It’s time to protect these kids.
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Teens Getting High on Bath Salts
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The White House Office of the National Drug Control Policy just released an alarming statement pertaining to the abuse of bath salts as a way to get high. Products such as Ivory Wave, Red Dove, Purple Haze or Vanilla Sky are readily available for purchase by both teens and adults. Sold as bath salts or plant food, the packages warn against inhalation or consumption by humans. As the names would infer, however, the tongue-in-cheek purpose of the contents a little less benign.
The brightly colored packages can be picked up at the local convenience store, or delivered to your door via the internet. The chemical composition of the contents, includes things like MDPV (3, 4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone) or mephedrone, a powerful stimulant similar to methamphetamine. The crystals can be eaten or smoked, and produce a high similar to that of Ecstasy.
Unfortunately, the side effects can be fatal. Already in 2011, there have been over 250 calls to poison control centers regarding these products. That pace drastically exceeds the total of 236 cases received in all of 2010. Chest pains, high blood pressure, hallucinations and paranoia are just a few of the bad sides. In one case, reported on by the Associated Press (click link for story), a man high on “bath salts” used a knife to slash open his own face and stomach. Another slit his own throat, and several others are suspected of committing violent crimes while under the influence of the synthetic stimulants.
While the data is still coming in, it seems that internet marketing and social contagiousness has fueled the fire. The overriding message for parents: Talk to your loved ones. Don’t assume that they know the dangers of abusing these legal products. Be the voice of reason and help guide them through the pressures of commercial marketing, social-media propaganda and misguided peer influences.
The best defense against drug use is not fear or shelter alone. Give them the knowledge, and focus on the development of strong internal assets. Foster trust with your child and help them develop the character traits necessary to lead a healthy, influential life, drug free life!
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Texting Linked to Sex and Drugs
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If you’ve ever thought about your hyper-texting teen and said to yourself,
“Better she spend her time texting than (doing blank)”
it’s probably time to rethink your approach. Research shows that the top teen texters are 200 percent more likely to have tried alcohol, 90 percent more likely to have had four or more sexual partners and 41 percent more likely to have used illegal drugs.
More bad news for those who overuse online social networks. The top ranked teen networkers were found to be 84 percent more likely to have used illicit drugs, 69 percent more likely to have had sex, 60 percent more likely to have four or more sexual partners and 69 percent more likely to be a binge drinker.
So just what level of use constitutes overuse? Previous studies have found that the average teen sends and receives about 50 texts per day. The danger threshold of this study was drawn at more than twice that. So if your teen is exchanging 120 texts per day, you’ve got a hyper-texter on your hands. If they spend more than three hours per day engaging in online social networks, they are also deemed to be in the danger zone. These are great benchmarks for parents, but the implications may not be so simple.
Parents would be very wise to monitor, and limit, their teen’s text count and social network time. If you notice that your teen is an overuser, though, the problem isn’t likely to be solved by limiting the activity. While it’s true that kids who overindulge in this type of behavior are exposed to greater rates of peer pressure and temptation, the real concern lies within the teen themselves.
Dr. Scott Frank, lead researcher from Case Western University Reserve School of Medicine, says that the overuse of these networks by teens is a very similar behavior to that seen with their overindulgence in drug use and premature sex. Those who do so, seem to be particularly vulnerable to social anxiety and peer pressure. The overuse of social networking is more of a symptom, than a causal factor.
Dr. Frank thinks it may say something about the parents too. “If parents are monitoring their kids’ texting and social networking, they’re probably monitoring other activities as well,” said Frank. He warns that those who rack up the higher use rates, may have overly permissive parents; a circumstance which is also likely to breed excessive risk taking amongst teens.
The study sampled over 4,000 teens in the Midwestern United States. It’s just one in a series of research findings that have highlighted the negative side of texting and social networking. While no one should paint these activities with a broad brush, the fact is that no previous generation of parents or kids have ever dealt with these issues before. What we’re learning now, will be common knowledge in the future. The best advice for parents is to set clear guidelines for their children. Stay involved and help them navigate the new environments. If overuse becomes an issue, it may be time to look at other areas of the child’s life too. An ounce of prevention is worth a kilo of cure.
For more tips on detecting and preventing drug use amongst teens, please the MpoweredParent Teen Drug Use page.
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New Drink Dubbed “Blackout in a Can”
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You’ll find it on the shelf labeled as Four Loko, but college drinkers refer to it as “Blackout in a Can“. Just months after the major alcohol companies were pressured into pulling their dangerous alcohol-pop drinks from the market, a smaller company called Phusion Projects rushed in to fill the void.
As soon as Four Loko began flying off of the shelves, young drinkers began flying into hospitals. The drink gained national attention earlier this month, when emergency workers confronted a college party gone bad. Over a dozen young female students were found incapacitated; some in cars, and some in bed with male partygoers, at an off campus party in Washington State. Nine of them were hospitalized with potentially life threatening levels of alcohol in their blood. Many jumped to the conclusion that a date rape drug had been used on the girls, but in fact, they had been consuming this new “alcohol energy drink“.
Unfortunately, this incident was just one of what is no doubt a much bigger pattern. At Ramapo College in Mahwah New Jersey, for example, there were 21 acute alcohol overdoses attributed to Four Loko in just the first six weeks of this school year. This prompted school officials to ban the drink from campus. Ironically, the hard hitting reputation of Four Loko has only made it more popular amongst those who drink for the purpose of getting drunk. Several Facebook pages have sprung to life in effort to preserve the drink’s open access.
It comes in a 23 ounce can that contains enough liquor to match four cans of beer. It also packs enough caffeine to rival a really good espresso. As the drinker’s intoxication increases, they are numbed to the rapidity and intensity of their actual drunkenness. Judgement and coordination are loopy, but the caffeine makes them feel wired. The dangerous combo is just too much for the drinker that likes to drink…too much.
In the end, it’s the reckless abandon of the “Loko’s” who drink this stuff that’s the problem. While the drink will undoubtedly continue to wreak havoc, drawing praise from some and criticism from others, the most appropriate response lies in an evaluation of our own drinking practices. For far too many, the “Drink to get Drunk” years impose a life-long toll. For far too many others, the toll includes death. It’s never too early to embrace responsible drinking practices.
For more information on alcohol and underage drinking, visit our Alcohol Tutorial.
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Alcohol In Whipped Cream?!
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Don’t be surprised to find whipped cream being sold off of the shelf at your local liquor store. A new product is being marketed as alcohol-infused whipped cream. The can, and the cream, look much like dairy product that you lathered over your last banana split; only this cream’s got punch.
One maker of this deceptively intoxicating product now markets five different flavors. Touted as a great topping for ice cream, jello, warm beverages and mixed drinks, the creamy white foam hits with the power of 30 proof liquor. That’s about four times the content of your average beer.
It’s called “Cream” and produced by Kingfish Spirits. The company’s website can be found at www.givemecream.com. You can buy it at your local liquor store, or order it online. Unlike normal whipped cream, the alcohol-infused version does not have to be refrigerated.
As you would imagine, not everyone is excited about the novel new approach to alcohol marketing. It’s already been banned in Michigan. A few other states are eyeing Cream pretty closely, but most continue to allow off the shelf sales.
Unfortunately, Cream sounds just as cool to kids, as it does to many adults. Past MpoweredParent Alerts have warned about vodka-infused jello being smuggled into teen parties. This product adds to that concern, and provides another novel way for alcohol use to be concealed. It could also be a worry for those who unwittingly consume the Cream, without knowing that it contains 15% liquor. Users report its taste as being sweet and confectionery, with a ting of alcohol. Inexperienced drinkers may not identify the intoxicating content. And yes, it is entirely possible to get totally whipped off of this cream!
Let us know how you feel about it…
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