One of the biggest drug heists was in Connecticut in 2010. According to Fox News, “The thieves hit warehouses and stole tractor-trailers around the country, often from highway rest stops, and brought the drugs to South Florida and New Jersey in an attempt to sell them.

“The medications included antidepressants, anti-psychotics and treatments for cancer, acne, epilepsy, arthritis, autoimmune disorders and even aspirin and Flintstones children’s vitamins, authorities said. Undercover FBI agents were able to buy all the stolen drugs to prevent them from entering the marketplace, said John Gillies, chief of the Miami FBI office.”

At a time when prescription drug abuse is at an all-time high, it’s good to know at least some of the thieves are being foiled and brought to justice.

Sorrentino had checked into the Cirque Lodge in Utah for in-house drug rehab. And, as with many drug and alcohol addiction treatment centers, they have strict rules for their clients. One of those rules is a dress code.

Specifically some of their rules include no muscle shirts, or garments with foul language on them. Another rule is no flashing of the abs that Sorrentino is known for doing.

According to Pediatrics, “Alcohol-related health and social problems are prevalent in almost all societies that consume alcohol. For young people, injury remains the leading cause of death in every region of the world, with most deaths associated with motor vehicles; more than half of these are associated with driving under the influence of alcohol. There is consistent evidence that higher alcohol consumption in adolescence continues into adulthood and is also associated with later alcohol problems and alcohol dependence. Furthermore, heavy alcohol use in adolescence has been found to be related to suicide, neurocognitive impairment, and impaired brain development. Thus, preventing underage drinking is an important public health goal.”

The study surveyed over 16,000 students ages 10 – 19. A list of 50 popular movies was created in regard to the survey which showed drinking scenes over 10,000 times. Of interest, the survey says that 20-percent of Italian students report having had at least one alcohol binging episode in their lifetimes while 40-percent of Scottish students reported the same.

Houston was attending a Clive Davis pre-Grammy party on Saturday when the incident occurred. The Grammys are scheduled for February 12, 2012. No cause of death has yet been issued by the coroner, though many people suspect that drugs and alcohol contributed either directly or indirectly to the pop diva’s death.

Whitney Houston had struggled with drugs and alcohol plus a tumultuous relationship with singer Bobby Brown for years. She has been in an out of drug and alcohol rehab numerous times. In 2010, Houston has told Oprah Winfrey that she had finally kicked her demons.

It is likely that the coroner’s report including the toxicology reports will take several weeks to be completed.

More Information

More information may be found at this external link:

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/whitney-houston-dies-singer-found-hotel-bathtub/story?id=15567252#.Tzfk-8iS98E

The former Miss Russia is back in a residential rehab center after being charged with forging doctor’s signatures in order to get her hands on prescription painkillers. If Malova completes 18 months of successful treatment, the judge may set her free.

If Malova fails in drug rehab treatment she could be tried for her alleged crimes. In a bit of irony, Malova was a practicing physician when she was back in Russia.

A man named Ayman Joumaa who is currently at large is said to have connections to all of the above listed organized crime entities and the U. S. Treasury Department has said that he has made more than $850 million in drug profits. Joumaa is said to have used a Lebanese Canadian Bank to launder money used in the drug trade. This bank has since been sold because of the investigation.

According to U. S. Attorney Neil MacBride who is prosecuting the case, “Money fuels the drug trade, and Mr. Joumaa is alleged to be at the center of it all – working with those producing the vast majority of the world’s cocaine to get their drugs safely into the hands of Mexican cartels. Organized crime networks know no borders, and neither can U.S. law enforcement.”

In the Middle East, Lebanon is known to be a financial hub and the banks are known for their secrecy similar to the Swiss banks.

According to CBS News, “Those … who have turned around their addictions to alcohol, drugs and other abusive behavior for at least one year are being asked to share their strategies with researchers as part of the National Quit & Recovery Registry. Using social media and other tools, the registry is gathering the lessons of people who have quit tobacco or have been in recovery for addictions that also include gambling, overeating and excessive sexual activity.

“It started in October by the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute in Roanoke. Warren Bickel, director of the Advanced Recovery Research Center at the institute, said the first-of-its-kind registry will shine a light on the recovery process through the unique experiences of those who have shed their addictions.”

According to the National Quit and Recovery Registry (NQRR) no one has yet to catalog the positive strategies that work for people to kick their addictions. And, the good news is that this online resource is available to anyone wanting to break their addiction or learn more about how to break free.

The National Family Partnership (NFP) is running a contest where students who enter can will an iPad2 for themselves and $1,000 for their schools if they win. According to the press release, “Students (K-12) can enter by decorating their homes together with their parents – mailboxes, front doors or fences. Parents (18 or older) can upload photos to www.redribbon.org/enter or www.facebook.com/RedRibbonWeek , and then friends and family can vote for their entry, November 1-15. (In Florida, the contest links are www.informedfamilies.org/contest and www.facebook.com/informedfamilies .) The entries with most votes will win.”

SAMHSA or the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (which we recommend on our resources page for those seeking help) is co-sponsoring the event this year. So, if you’re already wearing a pink ribbon for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, then put a red ribbon right beside it for Red Ribbon Week. Or just wear the red ribbon to show your support for this cause.

Last year I had talked about Red Ribbon Week 2010 as well, so check it out to see how it compares to this year’s event.

But, there are a couple of news items this week regarding other addictions that I think that we as a society need to take note of and take action to resolve. The first news article that caught my eye this week was how frequent tanning bed users may be addicted since the UV rays stimulate the same “reward” parts of the brain as other addictions.

The New York Times did a good job in laying out how a recent study tracked results. According to the Times, “The frequent tanners agreed to be injected with a radioisotope that allowed researchers to monitor how tanning affected their brain activity … Brain images later showed that during regular tanning sessions, when the study subjects were exposed to UV rays, several key areas of the brain lighted up. Among those areas were the dorsal striatum, the left anterior insula and part of the orbitofrontal cortex – all areas that have been implicated in addiction. But when the UV light was filtered out, those areas of the brain showed far less activity.”

Now, on the West Coast, the Los Angeles Times has come out with a story about the sign of the times that states that some people are so addicted to technology, they would rather give up caffeine, chocolate or even alcohol rather than their cell phones.

I find this alarming since in 2009, around 448,000 people in the U. S. were injured because of distracted driving (talking or texting) using cell phones. In the same year, two times as many people were killed on the road because of alcohol impairment than distracted driving. But, just 5 years before this alcohol-related deaths beat cell phone deaths 10 to 1.

So, yes, drugs and alcohol can create significant addictions with dire consequences. We also need to be mindful of other addictions that can also cause great harm to self and others, especially if we decide as a society to take no action.

Adding to the mystery is that no illicit drugs or alcohol were found by her bed where she died. She had told a bodyguard that she just wanted to go to sleep. And around six hours later a bodyguard noticed that she wasn’t breathing and called for help.

What we do know is that Amy Winehouse was a chain smoker and liked to smoke crack cocaine as well as drink. In 2008 it was reported that Winehouse’s lung capacity was 70-percent of normal due to her smoking habits.

So, when the results come in, it may be that Amy Winehouse did not die of a drug overdose as some are speculating. It may also be that drugs, alcohol and cigarettes contributed to the demise of her overall health condition, to the point where they were contributing factors to her death.

Note: On October 26, 2011 the speculation ended. Amy Winehouse, according to the coroner, died of alcohol poisoning.