The Pharmacy CVS Makes Naloxone Available Without Prescription

Public officials, mental health experts, and even commercial organizations are recognizing the desperation accompanying the epidemic of opiate addiction across the country. One of the ways that officials and organizations have been responding to the epidemic is by making the drug Naloxone more available to the general public.

Historically, the drug has been available at community centers that support addicts, emergency healthcare centers, and among paramedics. However, more recently, Naloxone has been handed out to families with addicts in the event that their loved one overdoses on heroin or prescription pain pills. Along these lines, first response professionals, such as police officers and paramedics, are becoming equipped with the life-saving drug Naloxone. Among the millions of Americans who are addicted to opiates, whether that's heroin or painkillers, this new drug is a way to prevent death by drug overdose right at the scene.

Naloxone is a drug used in emergencies to save the lives of those in the middle of a heroin overdose. When used on someone experiencing an overdose, this medicine temporarily blocks the opiate effects, allowing a person to breathe again long enough for help to arrive. Naloxone can be injected or administered intra-nasally and has minimal effects in those who have not used opioids. This life-saving drug contains specific opioid receptor antagonists that can reverse an opioid overdose. In essence, it can help save a life.

And this is precisely why the pharmacy store CVS is making the drug available to its customers without a prescription. It is not available in all states, however. In certain states, particularly where the rates of opiate addiction have been high, CVS has made the drug available for purchase.

Tom Davis, Vice President of Pharmacy Professional Practices at CVS, commented that "Naloxone is a safe and effective antidote to opioid overdoses and by providing access to this medication in our pharmacies without a prescription in more states, we can help save lives."

Currently, Naxolone is available at CVS in 15 states including the following:
•    Arkansas
•    California
•    Minnesota
•    Mississippi,
•    Montana
•    New Jersey
•    North Dakota
•    Pennsylvania
•    South Carolina
•    Tennessee
•    Utah
•    Wisconsin

And just last month, CVS announced that it would expand its sales of Naxolone into 20 more states. This will provide most of the country with access to this life saving drug.

The issue of opiate addiction has become a topic yearning for some answers. And to try to provide these answers, even politicians are discussing the issue. America's opiate addiction has been a part of the current presidential debate and Obama recently proposed $1.1 billion in funding toward treating those who suffer from addiction to heroin or prescription drugs. When introducing the proposal, Obama announced that heroin and other opioids have taken the lives of 28,648 people in 2014.

If you know of someone addicted to opiates, perhaps consider going to CVS, purchasing  Naxolone, and storing it your home. You never know when you might need it to save the life of a loved one.

Adventure Therapy May be the Ticket to Recovery

There are all sorts of therapies available for addiction treatment. From identifying negative thinking to holistic practices to building community, addiction treatment includes a wide range of modalities. Not to mention equine therapy, acupuncture, and herbal therapy, the list goes on and on. However, one treatment modality recently added to the list is adventure therapy.

This form of therapy can include activities like ziplining above tall trees and wilderness survival. The point of adventure therapy is to help build a person’s sense of empowerment and inner strength. This is no doubt a more alternative and holistic type of treatment and it’s available in certain parts of the country. It’s a way of helping a person have new experiences of confidence, courage, and cognitive strength. When someone needs to figure out how to live on their own for a few days in the wilderness, new facets of themselves are revealed. A person might feel more confident and a greater sense of self esteem. Also when a person is flying through the air, riding on a single cable high above the ground, the thrill of the experience brings empowerment and excitement. They might also overcome anxiety, move past fears, and move beyond obstacles that might have previously gotten in the way.

One rehab facility in Texas includes adventure therapy as a part of their treatment plan. In addition to psychotherapy, medication (if needed), support groups, and 12-step meetings, residents can also participate in adventure therapy. Participants of the program have reported that they’ve attended other traditional addiction treatment centers with little success. But with adventure therapy recovery has changed for them.

Research shows that adventure therapy can improve one’s self image, reduce compulsive behaviors, increase trust with oneself and others, as well as improve one’s ability to be social. Over the years, adventure therapy has also been referred to as wilderness therapy and outdoor experiential therapy. However, there are some slight differences between these three terms. Professionals in this field refer to adventure therapy when it includes outdoor activities that involve physical or emotional challenges. Wilderness therapy, however, places participants in primitive settings and invites them to adapt and cope using few tools. More recently, adventure therapy has evolved to include traditional methods of therapy in addition to adventure-like activities. And this is precisely the method used at the Texas-based facility mentioned above.

Adventure therapy primarily uses individual thrilling experience and group activities to build trust, improve problem solving skills, and enhance self confidence. Combined with traditional therapy, professionals have found that the combination of the two help with reaching goals such as sobriety, emotional stability, learning new coping skills, and improving behavior. One reason why adventure therapy has been used in recovery from addiction is because experts have noticed that this type of treatment matches the type of client in more effective ways. For instance, commonly recovering addicts need more structure as well as activities that are informal and kinesthetically oriented.

If you’re interested in adventure therapy for yourself, search for adventure therapy online. Keep in mind that adventure therapy alone is not entirely adequate for addiction treatment. Talk to a mental health provider for more information on the types of addiction treatment available in recovery.