Chief Clinical Editor for Narconon, Claire Pinelli
Claire Pinelli has been a teacher and counselor for over 45 years. Claire has always been interested in helping others, even while working on her degree in mathematics. Eventually, Claire took a year off to follow her passion, then returned to finish her degree graduating Cum Laude for Brooklyn College, CUNY.
Throughout the 1970s Claire continued to counsel others, moving to Los Angeles before eventually settling in New York City where she married. While in New York Claire began a new chapter in her life by teaching in the New York City School System, where she helped establish the first computer science curriculum for the New York City School System. Despite her busy schedule, Claire found the time to earn her Master of Science Degree, Cum Laude, in Computer Engineering from Polytechnic Institute of New York (now New York University).
In 1985 she left New York with her husband and moved to Los Angeles finding herself managing a multi-specialty medical clinic in Los Angeles. As time went on, Claire’s family grew to 3 children and with her husband, they made the decision to move to Northern California for her children to have a quality education. It was here that Claire began one of the most fulfilling chapters in her life when a local Narconon drug and alcohol rehab center asked for her help. She agreed, and it was there she realized her passion and ability to use her counseling skills to help those addicted to drugs and alcohol as well as their families. While there, she was able to put in a standard withdrawal protocol and double the program enrollment.
In 2004 she moved on to work at a larger Narconon facility in Oklahoma. Here she was met with a new challenge. Over the course of her 2-year tenure, Claire saw the enrollment double as she supervised treatment for over 200 clients at a time. Her skills as an administrator as well as a counselor were put to good use as she helped thousands of addicts discover how to live life free from drugs and alcohol. After ensuring a smooth transition, in 2007 she decided to move to Houston, Texas, where she and her family live today. In Houston, she and her husband founded Q.U.A.D. Consultants of Texas, Inc. A Texas corporation whose goal is to help people Quit Using Alcohol and Drugs by treating and educating not only the addict, but the counselors, the family and the facility as well.
Over the years, she never stopped learning and advancing her knowledge and certification to increase her expertise and skill to help others. She became an LADC with Clinical Supervision Certification from the Oklahoma Board of Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselors; an Internationally Certified Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor (ICAADC) and a Certified Clinical Supervisor (CCS) from the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium; a Registered Addiction Specialist (RAS) from the Breining Institute in California; and a Master’s Level Certified Addiction Professional and Certified Addiction Professional (MCAP) from the state of Florida.
Claire has been doing talks and lectures on drug addiction and treatment as well as classes for professionals since 2005.
She currently is living in Houston with her family and consulting for several facilities and creating and delivering Board Approved Continuing Education training for professional and lay people alike.
Narconon helps people trapped in the dwindling spiral of cocaine abuse take back their lives and live drug free. Find out how we can help you beat an addiction to cocaine.
While it's a valuable pain reliever for those suffering post-surgical or end-of-life pain, oxycodone must be carefully administered. Already, this drug has contributed to the ruin of millions of lives, starting with the overprescribing of the pain reliever OxyContin.
Oxymorphone is one of the drugs on a long list of medical opioids abused by those in the throes of addiction. While it is not one of the most powerful ones, it is still capable of ruining a person's life and causing a fatal overdose.
Hydrocodone is often sold as Vicodin or Lortab and is the prescription drug most frequently abused by those who have chosen opioids as their drugs of choice. While it eases pain for some injured or sick people, hydrocodone also contributes greatly to the addiction problems of millions of Americans.
Cough medicine sounds like a pretty innocent and harmless thing to have around the house. But many formulas contain dextromethorphan, an abusable and addictive drug that can put a person in the hospital if too much is consumed.
Some people may think that it's safe to misuse benzodiazepines but it is anything but safe. Not only is addiction possible, but death by overdose from these drugs may also occur. Withdrawal from these drugs offers its own life-threatening dangers.
What are prescription depressants? These are drugs that depress the function of the central nervous system (CNS). In general, they are used to reduce anxiety or bring about sleep.
Morphine has been around for hundreds of years but it is just as much of an abused and addictive drug as any other opioid. It comes with the same dangers of overdose and the same severe symptoms of withdrawal.
Codeine may be seen as harmless because it has so often been prescribed for children. Actually, it is an addictive opioid, similar to oxycodone. It can also cause overdoses if enough is consumed. In recent years, government agencies have begun to restrict its use among youth to prevent children from suffering harm.
It would be impossible to list all the drugs that are actually circulating through these venues, but the drugs listed here are the most sought-after drugs named by partygoers.
Because a cocaine user will often try to conceal their drug use, it's important for friends and family to be able to identify the signs of use. When cocaine use develops into long-term use and addiction, the signs usually become unmistakable. At that point, finding an effective rehab program is essential.
Abusable inhalants are literally everywhere. It's no wonder that these substances are more commonly abused by younger Americans who might not have easy access to illicit drugs.
Inhalants refer to a broad range of household and industrial chemicals whose volatile vapors or pressurized gases cause a mind-altering effect when breathed through the nose or mouth. Such vapors produce intoxication in a manner not intended by the manufacturer.
Prescription drugs can help people overcome medical conditions, manage pain, and are essential for people with chronic diseases, such as diabetes. When they are abused by a person wishing to get high, they no longer help the user. In fact, they may cause unconsciousness, amnesia and death.
Some people misuse barbiturates to alleviate the side effects of stimulant abuse or to self-medicate their own anxiety. They may not realize that they are playing with fire. The difference between a dose that creates the sedating effect they are seeking and a dose that triggers a coma or even death is very small.
The drug ecstasy is described in many terms: hallucinogen, club drug, synthetic drug, stimulant and empathogen. Looking at how ecstasy, also called MDMA or molly, can be all these things at once provides insight into its effects.
Lysergic Acid-Diethylamide (LSD) is a chemically produced, powerful hallucinogenic drug that is dangerous and unpredictable. Learn the signs of LSD use and addiction.
Do you think you see signs of drug use but you are not sure what drug is being used or how bad it is? If you suspect cocaine abuse by someone you care about, here are the signs of cocaine use you should watch for.
