A teen football player dies of an apparent overdose and four more teens face charges for contributing to his death, allowing drugs to ruin five young lives.

The death of the teenage son of a retired NFL quarterback by apparent overdose is tragedy enough. Now, four more teen boys face charges as a result.

The event happened in Southern California, where 18-year-old Griffen Kramer, a high school quarterback and son of Erik Kramer, who played for the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions, died of an apparent drug overdose, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Kramer was found dead October 30, 2011, in a friend’s bedroom in the Orange County city of Agoura Hills. That friend, David Nernberg, 19, is charged with involuntary manslaughter and possession of a controlled substance, authorities said. After further investigating into apparent narcotics-related activities, police also charged Corey Baumann, 19, with involuntary manslaughter and possession of a controlled substance for sales. The two other teenagers were also charged, but since they are minors, their names weren’t released by the Sherriff’s office.

Kramer, a 6-foot 210-pound senior, played quarterback at Thousand Oaks High School.

Police allege that Griffen, Nernberg and a juvenile met at Sumac Park in Agoura Hills on October 29 and drove to a nearby cul-de-sac, where Griffen injected narcotics, causing him to instantly become ill and unconscious. Law enforcement then believes that Nernberg dragged the unconscious Griffen into his car and drove him around the area. Nernberg then made several calls, trying to find a friend’s house to go to, but allegedly was turned down because the friends’ parents were home, police said. Instead Nernberg allegedly took a still unconscious Griffen to Nernberg’s own home and didn’t seek medical attention for his desperately ill friend until the next morning when Griffen was still unconscious, authorities alleged.

Investigators believe Griffen likely died from an overdose, but they are still awaiting toxicology results. Meanwhile, one teen boy’s life is over and four others are changed forever.

Drug Rehab

If you or someone you love is in need drug rehab, call The Canyon at our toll-free number. Someone is there to take your call 24 hours a day and answer any questions you have about treatment, financing or insurance.

IMPORTANT: If you have found this post because you are trying to help someone you believe is experiencing a heroin overdose RIGHT NOW, call 911 immediately. Do not wait to read the rest of the article.

If you want to be prepared if someone you care about overdoses or if you are concerned about the possibility of overdosing yourself, then read on. Below you will find the information you need to identify a heroin overdose as it is happening and respond quickly so that you or your friend will have the best chance of surviving the experience.

Recognizing a Heroin Overdose

When someone overdoses on an opiate drug like heroin, it’s not sudden or quick like it is in the movies. Heroin slows the heart rate and breathing rate, and a person who is experiencing an overdose will first feel dizzy and confused, then pass out. If they don’t receive help while unconscious, their heart will continue to beat more and more slowly and their breathing will eventually stop. They’ll slip into a coma and eventually die if medical assistance is not provided in time.

If you don’t know the dosage that your friend took and they are still awake and conscious but unable to focus on a conversation, keep a close eye on them. If they lose consciousness, call 911.

If your friend appears to be unconscious but you can’t tell if he or she is sleeping or overdosing, here are a few signs that will signify that a heroin overdose is in effect and he or she needs medical help:

• No response to shaking their shoulders or shouting their name.
• Bluish tint to lips, nails, and/ or skin.
• Slowed pulse.
• Slowed breathing.

What to Do in the Event of a Heroin Overdose

If you recognize the above signs in your friend and you cannot rouse them, call 911 immediately. The 911 operator may ask you to perform emergency breathing or CPR if you can’t find a heart rate or he or she is not breathing. You will be asked to stay on the line until an ambulance arrives, and the operator may ask you questions about your friend in order to get information that he or she can pass along to the EMTs so that they can more quickly provide the necessary treatment: age, weight and height, what drugs were taken and in what amounts. Answer the questions to the best of your ability and try to remain calm. When the ambulance arrives, you will usually be able to accompany your friend to the hospital if you like.

If you or someone you care about is living with an active heroin addiction, call us at The Canyon today. We can provide a comprehensive

Chris Herren, formerly a basketball player for the Boston Celtics, lost everything to heroin addiction. The one-time small town basketball hero who made national headlines with his basketball skills during his high school days ended up back in his hometown 20 years later, unemployed and looking for a fix. Now married and a father of three, Herren has decided to make the best of his heroin addiction and all the loss he experienced as a result. After attending heroin rehab, he penned an autobiography with the hope of getting his story out there and helping others like him realize that no one is immune to the tragedy of drug addiction.

Herren penned his autobiography, Basketball Junkie: A Memoir, with Bill Reynolds, a journalist. It begins with his high school days and all that he accomplished during his teen years and follows him through his time playing ball at Fresno State in California, his draft to the Denver Nuggets (second round, 33^rd pick overall) and his trade to the Boston Celtics the following year. Unfortunately, the tale turns sour as Herren spares readers no details as he describes the development of his heroin addiction and how it almost made him lose everything.

Here’s the good news: though Herren was unable to rebuild his NBA career, he has been able to remain clean and sober since August of 2008. Herren reports that it took several trips to drug rehab to make his new goals for a drug-free life stick, but he did indeed make it work. In June of 2009, Herren created a basketball player development company called Hoop Dreams with Chris Herren Inc. Here young players can work on their skills through intensive clinics that cover basketball skills, ball handling, strength training, conditioning, and basketball drills. Since opening in 2009, Herren reports training more than 200 up and coming basketball players, among them some of the top pro-ball hopefuls in his area.

Though his heroin addiction took away his own hoop dreams, Herren is using his expertise and his drive to help others avoid the pitfalls that snatched his hopes away and, at the same time, creating a new destiny for himself that is even more commendable than the original. A dedicated father and husband, Herren is no longer allowing heroin addiction to control his life – a goal he reached by starting with heroin rehab.

If heroin addiction is stopping you from achieving your dreams or threatening the things you hold most dear, heroin addiction treatment is the only way to effectively fight the problem. Contact us at The Canyon today to learn more about how we can help you create the life that you want for yourself.

Anger has stopped more than one recovering heroin addict from getting what they need to maintain their sobriety in recovery. Without the sedating drug, many patients find that they are unable to calm themselves down or control their temper as they did when they were actively using the drug. The problem with anger is that it blinds the person experiencing the emotion and causes them to make poor choices without thinking. Whether that choice is to relapse on heroin, hurt someone they care about verbally or physically, or damage their opportunities at work or in the community, anger-based decisions are almost always the wrong ones.

Why Anger Happens During Heroin Addiction Treatment

Believe it or not, anger is something you can control. You cannot control situations or people and the decisions they make, but you can control your response. It is often inaccurate thinking that causes people to get angry. Paranoia, low self-esteem, the belief that people are saying or doing things to hurt you or embarrass you and many other incorrect ideas can cause someone to perceive that a situation occurred when it didn’t or blow small things out of proportion. Changing that thinking can change your emotional response and stop you from angry outbursts that can result in relapse during heroin addiction treatment.

Note: Anger is not an emotion that has to be completely obliterated for a successful recovery. It can be a helpful emotion at times. It’s just a matter of making sure that the anger is well-placed, controlled and does not result in violence, verbal abuse or relapse.

How to Manage Anger During Heroin Addiction Recovery

Managing anger during heroin addiction recovery starts with knowing what makes you angry. If you are angered by specific people, you can make plans to avoid them or not interact with them when you are near each other. If certain events make you angry, you can limit the number of times you have to endure these events until you can extract them from your schedule completely. If little things like someone bumping into your or speaking rudely to you upsets you greatly, there are a number of things you can do to stop yourself from overreacting. Here are just a few:

• Ask yourself if this is really important enough to get angry about. Few things are. Do you want to give someone who irritates you the pleasure of knowing they got under your skin? Or if it was an accident, do you really want to be the person who flies off the handle for no reason?
• Change your thinking. If you believe that someone is doing something to you or said something maliciously with the intent to hurt you, ask yourself if that is really the truth of the matter. Could it be your perception? Could it not be that they are not feeling well or are having a bad day? Most of the time, people are completely absorbed in their own experience.
• Count to 10. Before you respond to anything, give yourself a chance to get under control.
• Look at the situation from their point of view. Why are they saying/ doing the things they are? If you were in their situation, would you do the same thing? Relax. Explain your position and remain calm. The situation won’t be resolved with anger.

What are your suggestions for handling anger during heroin addiction recovery?

Debbie Harry is an icon in rock and roll, and she’s still creating: her next album, Panic of Girls, is scheduled for release at the end of May. But fame took its toll when Harry was younger. She confessed in a recent interview to living with an active drug addiction for more than two years in her early fame.

Fame – And All the Problems that Go With It

And it’s fame that likely had a lot to do with the development of her drug addiction, according to Harry.  The Heart of Glass caused quite a stir when it was released during the 1980s. It was then that Harry says she tried every illicit drug that came her way, including heroin, until she ultimately developed an addiction as a result.

To make matters worse, despite the fame, Harry was having problems in her career. Her record company decided it was time to terminate the band’s contract and her manager, who could have handled the problem, suddenly quit. On top of all this, the IRS decided it was time to audit her in a big way and seize her money and property in the process. Still barely more than a kid, Harry was overwhelmed and sank further into addiction and into depression that was only worsened by continued drug abuse.

Debbie Goes to Drug Rehab

She and her then-boyfriend, guitarists Chris Stein, opted to get things under control and entered drug rehab together soon after. It was here that she found the help she needed to get back on track. Drug addiction did nothing but worsen the issues affecting the rest of her life, and without it, she soon began to put things back together. She has a lifetime worth of albums and tours that had nothing to do with drug addiction and has become one of the best known names in rock and roll history.

Recognizing When Drug Addiction is not Helping

It’s not always easy to be in the midst of drug addiction and realize that it’s only making the problems in your life even greater. It can often feel like the only oasis in a desert of hopelessness when you have identifiable outside issues plus depression plaguing you. Feeling ill and being in constant need of more drugs is stressful – it’s more than a full-time job. Realizing that fact and seeking the necessary help to change things is huge, an accomplishment unto itself.

Do You Need Drug Addiction Treatment?

If you are struggling with depression and drug addiction, help is available. Contact us today to learn more about how The Canyon can provide you with detox and addiction treatment starting now.

Heroin addiction is not a disease in the metaphorical sense. Even though it infiltrates communities, destroys families and costs governments and healthcare systems millions of dollars every year and is certainly a disease in that sense, it is also a medical disease. The chemical changes that occur in the brain when heroin is used continue and become semi-permanent – at least – when heroin abuse becomes chronic and turns into heroin addiction. Physical dependence and psychological cravings are entwined in the brain and even the user undergoes heroin detox, those changes remain. Medical treatment is required in order for recovery, and continued psychological treatment and support groups are needed for the long-term in order to sustain recovery.

Here are a few more notes on heroin addiction as a disease:

• Heroin addiction is not caused by lack of willpower. It is not something that individuals do but something they have. Remember to separate the person from the behavior and recognize relapse for what it is: a manifestation of the disease that the individual needs help fighting.
• Relapse or heroin abuse is an automatic response and a sign of addiction. A heroin addict cannot control themselves when they are actively addicted to heroin. They cannot simply stop using without suffering serious consequences. The urge and drive to use is an automatic response and a characteristic of a chronic disorder like addiction.
• Heroin addiction is a dangerous disease. It is not normal to live with heroin addiction. It is not an acceptable way to live. Life will be shorter than it would be otherwise and the quality of life for the individual will be considerably lower if heroin addiction goes untreated.
• Heroin addiction is a lifelong disease. Even with treatment, heroin addiction will always be a risk for a heroin addict. Treatment can put the disease in remission and extended care options like addiction counseling and 12-step meetings can help the addict to keep it there. But relapse is a concern as long as the addict feels triggered to use and is a higher risk when he or she stops attending support groups and personal therapy sessions.
• There is no cure for heroin addiction. Treatment can help the heroin addict safely and healthfully stop using heroin and then provide him or her with the tools to remain sober after treatment, but it is not a cure. Heroin addiction recovery requires a great deal of effort and work on the part of the addict. It’s not easy, but it is worth it.
• A slip does not have to mean a return to heroin addiction. Even if you make a mistake and get loaded in early recovery after heroin addiction, it doesn’t have to mean a wasted trip to rehab or that you’ve completely lost all that you’ve gained in recovery thus far. If the relapse is serious and reawakens the physical addiction, it may be necessary to re-enter heroin detox. Some may even feel that a long-term heroin relapse requires a trip back to inpatient rehab, while others prefer to take advantage of outpatient options or sober living.

If you would like to learn more about how we can help you fight heroin addiction, contact us today at The Canyon.

Buprenorphine is the latest drug approved by the FDA for the treatment of heroin addiction. Different from methadone, little is known about the drug, but studies are coming out annually to support its efficacy in the treatment of opiate addiction. Many heroin addicts who use buprenorphine for low-dose addiction treatment report how easy it is to use and applaud the anti-depressant effects of the drug.

The drawback? Many are not fond of the taste or the need to allow multiple lozenges to dissolve under the tongue every other day. But it’s not a bad trade-off, in the opinion of most, and the heroin addiction detox benefits are undeniable.

Here are a few quick facts about the drug, for those who are unfamiliar with what it is or how it works:

1. Buprenorphine was first created as an analgesic in England in 1969. During the 1970s, National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) researchers recognized that the drug could be an effective treatment for addiction and, in 1994, the organization contracted the original developer to market the drug in the United States. Buprenorphine was approved by the FDA in 2002.
2. Buprenorphine is sold as Subutex (pure buprenorphine) and Suboxone (a combination of buprenorphine and naloxone).
3. Buprenorphine can be prescribed by a physician, allowing you to take the medication at home rather than come into a drug rehab facility daily as is necessary for methadone addiction treatment. It is the first drug that can be taken at home for the purposes of treating opiate addiction.
4. Approved for opiate addiction treatment by the FDA in 2002, buprenorphine is the only drug that is approved for no other purpose. Even methadone is approved for pain management.
5. Buprenorphine works by binding to the opiate receptors in the brain but does not trigger the pleasure pathway like other opiate drugs.
6. Buprenorphine in the form of Suboxone cannot be abused because the naloxone blocks the effects of other opiates.
7. Buprenorphine is highly regulated by the federal government; it is necessary, for example, for the prescribing physician to undergo a special training in order to be qualified to prescribed the drug.
8. As of yet, there have been no reported deaths due to buprenorphine overdose. Though it is possible to take too much of the drug and experience negative effects, the risk of overdose is far lower than for comparable opiate addiction medications.
9. Buprenorphine has a low level of opiate dependence so those who stop taking the drug experience minimal withdrawal symptoms as compared to methadone.
10. In the middle of 2010, it was estimated that more than 19,000 doctors were certified to prescribe buprenorphine across the United States.

With almost 900,000 heroin users in the United States, buprenorphine is increasing the ability of medical professional to provide treatment to those who need it. It is most effective when used as part of a larger, overall program that addresses opiate addiction on multiple levels. If you would like to find a heroin rehab that can address heroin addiction effectively and safely, contact us at the number listed above today.