Laura Close headshot | American Addiction Centers

Depression & Substance Abuse

The Forgotten Ones: A Military Veteran’s Report on Stress’s Effects

Judging, shaming, and stigmatizing individuals are proven to be ineffective approaches for healthy, productive, and lasting change. Instead, they serve as proverbial weapons that tear at the core of an already-fragile human condition—a condition that strives to be valued, to matter, and to be loved. Pregnant women are no exception.

A woman battling substance misuse needs help. A woman struggling with substance misuse who happens to be pregnant, also needs help, and requires a specific type of care.

An SUD is defined as a <a href="https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/disorders#:~:text=Substance%20use%20disorders%20occur%20when,work%2C%20school%2C%20or%20home.">reoccurring use</a> of drugs and/or alcohol that leads to clinically serious impairment, which may be inclusive of disability, health problems, and failure to meet one’s responsibilities at home, work, or school, according to Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

If you find yourself struggling with substance misuse and are pregnant, you’re not alone. American Addiction Centers (AAC) is the nationwide leader in addiction treatment, and we provide treatment with a compassionate medical staff to help both women and men to get on the road to recovery. If you’re currently struggling, please reach out to get the <a href="https://americanaddictioncenters.org/">help</a> you need today.

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<h2><strong>Pregnancy, Women, &amp; Substance Misuse</strong></h2>
Substance misuse, whether it’s alcohol, illicit drugs, or misusing prescriptions such as opioids, impacts many Americans.

In 2020 alone, <a href="https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/atod">50% of individuals</a> aged 12 years or older used alcohol within the past month. Just the year before, in 2019, 1.2 million adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 binge drank within the past month. Roughly, <a href="https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/atod">2 million people used methamphetamine</a> in 2019, and it’s estimated that about 1 million people experienced a methamphetamine use disorder.

There are young girls and women reflected in this data. What happens if they become pregnant?

There are polarizing views that won’t be altered through an argument across the dinner table. Everyone who has uncompromising opinions believes that they are right and will stand by that conviction as if it were fact, because for them, it <em>is</em> fact.

<img class="size-medium wp-image-72980 alignleft" src="https://admin.americanaddictioncenters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/camylla-battani-son4VHt4Ld0-unsplash-1-300x200.jpg" alt="Pregnant woman stands holding her stomach in green dress." width="300" height="200" />Somewhere in the middle is the reality that all of us must live—a place where, ideally, a person can be safe from judgement, shame, and stigma. Perhaps, a location where concessions are made and people work together to address the reality that faces us all.

There is already stigma surrounding alcohol and substance misuse as it is. But when you add the additional stigma of being a pregnant woman, and perhaps a woman battling substance misuse who desires to terminate her pregnancy, the emotional weight can be too heavy of a burden to carry.

Statistics on <a href="https://nida.nih.gov/publications/research-reports/substance-use-in-women/substance-use-while-pregnant-breastfeeding#:~:text=Estimates%20suggest%20that%20about%205,one%20or%20more%20addictive%20substances.&amp;text=Regular%20use%20of%20some%20drugs,goes%20through%20withdrawal%20upon%20birth.">pregnant women with a substance use disorder (SUD)</a>:
<ul>
 	<li>It’s estimated that 5% of pregnant women use one or more substances that are addictive.</li>
 	<li>Routine use of some substances may cause neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). This causes the infant to go through withdrawal at birth.</li>
 	<li>Use of barbiturates, caffeine, alcohol, and benzodiazepines may cause withdrawal symptoms in the infant at birth.</li>
 	<li>Substances used, length of time, and the cadence of use determines the severity of the withdrawal that the infant experiences.</li>
</ul>
Although the statistics are provided to illustrate the reality of this challenge, some believe that a black-and-white-apply-to-all response can be the solution to “save” everyone. And that rarely, if at all, is the case. The reality is that an SUD is a disease that impacts brain function.

In the middle sits a woman struggling with substance use disorder or alcohol use disorder and is pregnant now. It’s just her. She isn’t a statistic or a scenario. She is a woman who needs help.

If you’re struggling with substance misuse, there are resources for you. AAC is an inclusive and compassionate provider of care for all under licensed medical professionals. You’re not alone. Please reach out to get the <a href="https://americanaddictioncenters.org/">help</a> that you need.

Substance Misuse and Pregnant Women

Conversations about overdoses and overdose deaths are not the easiest to have, but the dialogue is necessary to help decrease the occurrence of both. There are several substances—illicit or prescription drugs—that are problematic. The one that rarely seems to provide second chances to first-time users, however, is an unknown and lethal amount of fentanyl arbitrarily mixed with other substances that have led to fentanyl overdoses.

To mark International Overdose Awareness Day, Joy Sutton, host of American Addiction Centers’ (AAC’s) talk show, <em>Addiction Talk</em>, moderated an exceptional panel of supporters in the fight against addiction and overdose.

The panel consisted of:
<ul>
 	<li>Cammie Wolf Rice, author of <em>The Fight: My Opioid Journey.</em></li>
 	<li>Jake Arther, overdose survivor.</li>
 	<li>Dr. Mark Calarco, addiction expert.</li>
 	<li>Carla Sloke, overdose survivor.</li>
 	<li>Phillip Van Guilder, Narcan® advocate.</li>
</ul>
Be sure to watch this <em>Addiction Talk</em> episode entitled: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=py_M5GodrYE"><em>Public Health Crisis: What Can We Do About the Rise in Overdose Deaths?</em></a>

If you’re battling an opioid use disorder, resources are available to help. As a nationwide leader in addiction treatment, AAC provides care in a compassionate environment with licensed medical professionals. Please reach out to get the <a href="https://americanaddictioncenters.org/rehab-application-form">help</a> that you need.

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<h2><strong>What is Fentanyl, and Why Are So Many People Overdosing?</strong></h2>
Some opioid medications are made from the <a href="https://nida.nih.gov/publications/drugfacts/fentanyl#:~:text=Opioids%20are%20a%20class%20of,semi%2Dsynthetic%20or%20synthetic).">opium plant</a>, while others are fabricated by scientists in the lab using a similar chemical structure (synthetic/semi-synthetic). An example of an opioid prescription medication created in a lab is fentanyl.

As a <a href="https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/fentanyl#:~:text=Fentanyl%20is%20a%20powerful%20synthetic,to%20manage%20pain%20after%20surgery.">Schedule II prescription drug</a>, fentanyl is usually used for the treatment of chronic pain or severe pain (for people physically tolerant to other opioids) or to manage pain following surgery.

The rise in <a href="https://nida.nih.gov/publications/drugfacts/fentanyl#:~:text=Opioids%20are%20a%20class%20of,semi%2Dsynthetic%20or%20synthetic).">recent overdoses</a> is most associated with a form of fentanyl created in illicit labs. This synthetic form is sold as pills,<img class="size-medium wp-image-42652 alignleft" src="https://admin.americanaddictioncenters.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/white-pills-43854715-300x200.jpg" alt="A pile of fentanyl pills sitting on a surface, enough that may lead to a fentanyl overdose." width="300" height="200" /> eye droppers, powder, nasal sprays, and on blotter paper. To make their product less expensive to produce, drug dealers are mixing fentanyl with other substances such as cocaine, methamphetamine, and other substances. Users may not know that fentanyl has been mixed in, potentially leading to dangerous overdoses and even death.

Cammie Rice, author of <em>The Fight: My Opioid Journey</em>, spoke openly about her views on the current opioid crisis in the United States.

“In regard to fentanyl, our country is under a chemical warfare attack. I went to a meeting in Washington, D.C. with the DEA and that specifically was said to all of us parents that have lost our children. We’re under a chemical warfare attack.”

Cammie lost her son back in February of 2016 to an overdose. However, his addiction began over 20 years ago after undergoing a major surgery and being prescribed 90 Oxycontin pills for the pain. A young man who wasn’t addicted to substances prior to surgery noticed that he was starting to have a problem early on. He went to Cammie for help and fought the disease for as long as he was able to, until he overdosed.

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<h2><strong>First-Time Users Are Overdosing on Fentanyl</strong></h2>
Addiction to alcohol and/or drugs is not a new problem, but the lethal potential of illicit fentanyl has medical professionals raising the alarm.

Father and Narcan advocate, Phillip Van Guilder, has a child that faced an overdose, but lived because Phillip was able to revive him due to having Narcan at his disposal. Narcan is the brand name to a medication known as <a href="https://nida.nih.gov/publications/drugfacts/naloxone">naloxone</a>, which can quickly reverse an opioid overdose when used correctly.

“We’re using the word ‘addiction’. But this isn’t what we’re talking about. If it weren’t for fentanyl, we wouldn’t be having this conversation,” said Van Guilder.

“We’ve become accustomed to people that struggle with addiction and we just figured out a way to ignore them. It’s the people that have never developed an addiction that use for the first time that just happen to be walking down the street with a friend to experiment.”

People who are experimenting with substances, and not necessarily actively struggling with addiction, are overdosing on substances laced with fentanyl.

To learn more about overdose survivors, overdose deaths, and Narcan, including how you can safely administer it, please watch this informative episode of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=py_M5GodrYE"><em>Addiction Talk</em></a>. And if you find yourself battling with an opioid use disorder, please reach out for the <a href="https://americanaddictioncenters.org/">help</a> that you need today.

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<em>*Some of the wording from the interview was edited for clarity.</em>

Fentanyl Overdoses Inspires Action from Survivors, Narcan Advocates

Danny Trejo has been sober for over 50 years, a staggering length of time in a person’s recovery journey.

The famed actor—known for a plethora of hit movies and TV shows including <em>Machete</em>, <em>Con Air</em>, <em>Desperado</em>, <em>Spy Kids</em>, <em>Sons of Anarchy</em>, <em>Breaking Bad, </em>and more—is the most recent guest of American Addiction Centers’ (AAC) <em>Addiction Talk</em>, hosted by Joy Sutton.

Watch <em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NgmWx1t08w">Tough as Trejo: An Actor’s Bout with Addiction</a> </em>on AAC’s YouTube channel and read on to learn about his road to recovery, and how his sobriety led to his Hollywood career.

&nbsp;
<h2>Substance Misuse, Prison Time &amp; Recovery</h2>
When you do the math, you realize just how young Trejo was when he was introduced to illicit substances.

At age 8, Trejo was <a href="https://americanaddictioncenters.org/marijuana-rehab/signs-of-abuse">smoking marijuana</a>. By 12, he was drinking alcohol. Just a few years later, he began <a href="https://americanaddictioncenters.org/heroin">shooting heroin</a>. And he wasn’t only using—he was also selling heroin.

Trejo spent most of his <a href="https://variety.com/2019/biz/news/danny-trejo-sober-addiction-recovery-1203392402/">late teens and early twenties</a> in and out of jail. A run-in with an undercover police officer, who he tried to<img class="size-medium wp-image-54779 alignleft" src="https://admin.americanaddictioncenters.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/heroin-needle-injection-300x199.jpg" alt="Danny Trejo battling a heroin use disorder in his early years." width="300" height="199" /> sell heroin to, led him to serve time at San Quentin State Prison in California.

"I used drugs in every penitentiary in the state of California," said Trejo thinking back to his early years. On Cinco de Mayo in 1968, he remembers being hooked on heroin and he was drinking when a riot ensued while in prison. He was sent to "the hole" and he recalls saying to God, "Let me die with dignity. If I gotta, let me die with dignity."

It was during his time behind bars that he decided to pursue sobriety. A former inmate of the prison returned to discuss his own recovery, encouraging Trejo to join the <a href="https://americanaddictioncenters.org/rehab-guide/12-step">Alcoholics Anonymous meetings</a>.

Trejo accepted. This defining event led him to continue to attend AA meetings after getting out of prison and was the catalyst of him becoming a drug counselor.

Even to this day, Danny is always about helping people. On a recent film shoot that placed him in zero-degree weather in Spokane, Washington, he asked God why did He bring him there.

"All of a sudden, I run into this one guy and he says, 'I heard you about 10 years ago, Dan. I was eight years clean. And then I fell off the wagon. I've been using and drinking for two years.' And I said, well, that's why God got me here. I was wondering, and that's just it. We started talking. He said he's going to use me for inspiration. And I said, use me wherever you want," shares the <em>Machete</em> actor. He gave his number to the young man and offered to be a source of support.

That's the kind of man that Danny is. Always giving back in his own way. He's so appreciative for the times when others helped him.

Sixteen years into Trejo’s sobriety, a production assistant got him a job as an extra on a movie set. The PA was battling their own struggles with addiction, and wanted Trejo around to help.

The movie was <a href="https://variety.com/2019/biz/news/danny-trejo-sober-addiction-recovery-1203392402/"><em>The Runaway Train</em></a>, starring Jon Voight and Eric Roberts.

One of the screenwriters on the project happened to be a former inmate that knew Trejo from San Quentin and remembered him as being a great boxer. The screenwriter asked Trejo if he would be open to training Roberts in his fight scenes. Trejo agreed, and this led to more film-related opportunities.

This was only the beginning of Danny Trejo, the actor. Today, he’s appeared in over 250 movies and televisions series. And if his successes in the film industry weren’t enough, Trejo expanded his brand into a franchise of taco stands with Trejo’s Tacos and with the opening of a Trejo’s Coffee &amp; Donuts location.
<h2>Sobriety &amp; Hope</h2>
It's encouraging to know that with support and positive and healthy choices, a productive life is possible for those in long-term sobriety. And Danny Trejo is the breathing definition of long-term sobriety. With his struggles with heroin addiction in the early part of his life, to treatment, recovery, and his successes, his story is one that offers support and encouragement to those who may feel hopeless and discouraged.

If you find yourself battling with opioid use disorder or any other drug or alcohol use disorder, <a href="https://americanaddictioncenters.org/rehab-application-form">please reach out for the help that you need today</a>.

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<em>*Some of the wording from the interview was edited for clarity.</em>

Danny Trejo’s Success in Addiction Recovery

Laura Close is a Senior Web Content Editor at American Addiction Centers and an addiction content expert for Oxford Treatment Center.

Laura Close | American Addiction Centers

American Addiction Centers

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