There have been many different theories about the causes of drug addiction. Physical factors like genetics and brain function, socio-economic factors like environment and poverty, and mental factors like low self-esteem and an addictive personality have all been attributed to addiction. But while there are arguments for every different theory, there is little scientific evidence or proof of any single theory. Factually, drug addiction is a side effect of most known drugs and pointing to the brain function and personality traits of the addict does little to correct the problem. Drugs are like a band-aid placed over an infected wound—they may numb or cover up the problem for a short time, but the wound is still there festering underneath it, and when you remove the band-aid things are even worse than before. If you or a loved one is having trouble with drug addiction, the important thing is that they get proper treatment that can actually work for them. More drugs prescribed by a doctor are not the answer—that only perpetuates the problem. Drug Rehab Referral Services is a referral service for those who need treatment that will help link you with an effective treatment service that actually gets results.
First, let's take a look at how drugs work in the mind. People take drugs for various reasons—to numb physical or emotional pain, to get a high feeling, to disconnect from stress, or to enhance feelings of fun or pleasure. And for many people, drugs accomplish these exact things. But anyone who has taken drugs or even woken up the day after a drinking binge knows that after the drug wears off, he feels worse than before. Any sense of euphoria, relaxation or happiness is gone and in its place are the exact same symptoms he was trying to handle in the first place, only worse.
This can give the drug taker impetus to take more drugs. And more drugs make the person feel worse and want to take more drugs. This, combined with increased tolerance to the drug, causes the person to take higher doses and more frequently. It's a vicious circle. This is how mental addiction works. Cocaine, for example, is not considered physically addictive because it does not cause heavy physical withdrawals but it is a very addictive drug. Add physically addictive properties into the mix and the situation becomes much worse. Now the person can't quit even if he does have the desire and willpower to do so because his body rebels. Physical drug withdrawals can even be life-threatening if they are not handled properly.
Since everyone in the world has problems, there is little point in worrying about the significance of why the addict chose to treat his problems with a drug. He may have had some small life problems to begin with which, over the course of drug-taking, snowballed into overwhelming mental issues. Or his problems may have been horrible to start with and were made even worse by drugs. Either way, the first step in handling is to get the person off drugs safely and effectively so they can then begin to face and handle the problems that got them started on drugs in the first place. In some cases, this may require medical supervision. But getting the person to take another, physician-prescribed drug will only exacerbate the problem in the long run. While he may temporarily appear better, he is being set up for the exact same problem, this time with a different drug.
Drug Rehab Referral Services refers addicts to programs that help people get off drugs without getting them addicted to new drugs. Their programs offer holistic approaches that address both body and mind, helping the person to address his problems so he doesn't fall back into the cycle of addiction. Their programs have up to an 80% recovery rate. If you or a loved one has a problem with drugs, these programs could save your life or theirs.
Below are links to other articles that provide some additional information on the subject of drug addiction and rehabilitation brought to you by Drug Rehab Referral Services. For additional articles and information visit us at one of our other Internet sites:
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
What is Drug Addiction?
Drug addiction has often been considered a pathological state. The addiction is onset by a progression of acute use of a particular drug. Drug addiction can be categorized in to three stages:
Pre-occupation & Anticipation: The addict will be able to think of little else, except where and when they will get their drug. The anticipation of knowing that they will soon obtain the drug can be considered a preliminary high and be almost as invigorating to them as doing the drug.
Binging & Intoxication: The need to obtain the high has finally arrived, the risk of binging (non-controlled, excessive use) on the drug to obtain a quick intoxicated state and overdosing is quite high in this stage.
Withdrawal: The drug user has had the high of anticipation, the satisfaction of becoming intoxicated by using the drug, and the fall from that is a downward spiral of negative effects on the body and mind. This stage can be as dangerous, if not more so than the actual use of the drug.
There are millions of people in this world, suffering from drug addiction. With the wide use of narcotic drugs to treat chronic pain and other disabilities, the increase risk of creating a tolerance to the drug can result in the patient needing more than prescribed to ease the pain. Prescription drugs have created addiction in many people’s lives. The family that watches their loved one downward spiral in to a world of indifference can be hurt the most.
The use of illegal drugs, such as; cocaine, heroin, and marijuana have always been how we thought of drug addiction. When we thought of a drug addict, we pictured someone with a needle in their arm, or a rolled up dollar bill, snorting the drug up their nose. Today the word drug addiction can be used to describe, your brother, your mother, and even your grandfather.
Drug addiction can be an impossible thing to overcome alone, as the pathological state dictates that the user will continue the drug seeking behavior and eventually relapse back to the drugs that they felt created the only comfort in their lives. The process to overcome any addiction is tough, and needs to be handled not only on the physical level but the psychological level as well.
There are many great places that will offer help to the addict and their families. We here are Drug Rehab Referral Services.org can help you find the right treatment center for you or your loved one.
http://drugrehabreferralservices.org
Pre-occupation & Anticipation: The addict will be able to think of little else, except where and when they will get their drug. The anticipation of knowing that they will soon obtain the drug can be considered a preliminary high and be almost as invigorating to them as doing the drug.
Binging & Intoxication: The need to obtain the high has finally arrived, the risk of binging (non-controlled, excessive use) on the drug to obtain a quick intoxicated state and overdosing is quite high in this stage.
Withdrawal: The drug user has had the high of anticipation, the satisfaction of becoming intoxicated by using the drug, and the fall from that is a downward spiral of negative effects on the body and mind. This stage can be as dangerous, if not more so than the actual use of the drug.
There are millions of people in this world, suffering from drug addiction. With the wide use of narcotic drugs to treat chronic pain and other disabilities, the increase risk of creating a tolerance to the drug can result in the patient needing more than prescribed to ease the pain. Prescription drugs have created addiction in many people’s lives. The family that watches their loved one downward spiral in to a world of indifference can be hurt the most.
The use of illegal drugs, such as; cocaine, heroin, and marijuana have always been how we thought of drug addiction. When we thought of a drug addict, we pictured someone with a needle in their arm, or a rolled up dollar bill, snorting the drug up their nose. Today the word drug addiction can be used to describe, your brother, your mother, and even your grandfather.
Drug addiction can be an impossible thing to overcome alone, as the pathological state dictates that the user will continue the drug seeking behavior and eventually relapse back to the drugs that they felt created the only comfort in their lives. The process to overcome any addiction is tough, and needs to be handled not only on the physical level but the psychological level as well.
There are many great places that will offer help to the addict and their families. We here are Drug Rehab Referral Services.org can help you find the right treatment center for you or your loved one.
http://drugrehabreferralservices.org
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Methamphetamine
Methamphetamine is a highly addictive drug. It is a schedule II drug, which means is has a high potential for abuse, it does have an accepted medical use but might have severe restrictions on that.
It has but a few medical uses narcolepsy, attention deficit disorder and short-term use for weight loss.
Meth is also known as speed; in it’s smoked form it is crystal meth, crank, glass and more. Abuse can result in severe psychological and physical dependence.
It is often manufactured by amateur chemists in residential areas with batteries, lye, and stuff from under the kitchen sink.
When the police find and shut one down the neighbors are evacuated and the HAZMAT team arrives due to danger of explosion, fire and environmental poisonings.
How it is Used
Methamphetamine comes in pills to ingest, powder to snort or inject and crystals to smoke.
Smoking and injecting meth results in an intense “flash” that lasts only a few minutes and is described as intensely pleasurable. Snorting and ingesting results in a euphoric high, not an intense rush.
In the 1980’s was when the smokable form of meth came into use. It is smoked in a glass pipe like crack cocaine. The smoke is odorless and leaves a residue that can be resmoked.
Effects of Methamphetamine
Short-term effects of methamphetamine abuse:
Increased attention, decreased fatigue, increased activity, decreased appetite, euphoria and rush, Increased respiration, hyperthermia
Long-term effects of methamphetamine use.
Dependence, addiction psychosis, paranoia, hallucinations, mood disturbances, repetitive motions, stroke, weight loss
Chronic abusers can be violent, have anxiety, confusion and insomnia. They can also be paranoid, have audio hallucinations, mood disturbances and delusions. The paranoia can result in homicidal as well as suicidal thoughts.
In some cases, abusers forego food and sleep while indulging in a form of binging known as a "run," injecting as much as a gram of the drug every 2 to 3 hours over several days until the user runs out of the drug or is too disorganized to continue.
Although there are no physical manifestations of a withdrawal syndrome when methamphetamine use is stopped, there are several symptoms that occur when a chronic user stops taking the drug. These include depression, anxiety, fatigue, paranoia, aggression, and an intense craving for the drug.
Low Intensity Use
Low-intensity abusers swallow or snort methamphetamine, using it the same way many people use caffeine or nicotine. Low-intensity abusers want the extra stimulation the methamphetamine provides so that they can stay awake long enough to finish a task or a job, or they want the appetite suppressant effect to lose weight. These people frequently hold jobs, raise families, and otherwise function normally. They may include people such as truck drivers , workers trying to stay awake until the end of their normal shift or an overtime shift, and women trying to keep a career, home, husband and family.
Binge Methamphetamine Use
Binge abusers smoke or inject methamphetamine it is a drug that can be binged on. They experience euphoric rushes that are psychologically addictive.
Rush - The rush is the initial response the abuser feels when smoking or injecting methamphetamine. During the rush, the heartbeat races and metabolism, blood pressure, and pulse soar. Unlike the rush associated with crack cocaine, which lasts for approximately 2 - 5 minutes, the methamphetamine rush can continue for 5-30 minutes.
High - The rush is followed by the high, sometimes called the shoulder. During the high, the abuser often feels aggressively smarter and becomes argumentative. The high can last 4 to 6 hours.
Binge - The binge is the continuation of the high. The abuser maintains the high by smoking or injecting more methamphetamine. Each time the abuser smokes or injects more of the drug, a smaller euphoric rush than the initial rush is experienced until, finally, there is no rush and no high. During the binge, the abuser becomes hyperactive both mentally and physically. The binge can last 3-15 days.
Tweaking - Tweaking occurs at the end of the binge when nothing the abuser does will take away the feeling of emptiness and depression, including taking more methamphetamine. Tweaking is very uncomfortable, and the abuser often takes a depressant to ease the bad feelings. The most popular depressant is alcohol, with heroin a close second.
It has but a few medical uses narcolepsy, attention deficit disorder and short-term use for weight loss.
Meth is also known as speed; in it’s smoked form it is crystal meth, crank, glass and more. Abuse can result in severe psychological and physical dependence.
It is often manufactured by amateur chemists in residential areas with batteries, lye, and stuff from under the kitchen sink.
When the police find and shut one down the neighbors are evacuated and the HAZMAT team arrives due to danger of explosion, fire and environmental poisonings.
How it is Used
Methamphetamine comes in pills to ingest, powder to snort or inject and crystals to smoke.
Smoking and injecting meth results in an intense “flash” that lasts only a few minutes and is described as intensely pleasurable. Snorting and ingesting results in a euphoric high, not an intense rush.
In the 1980’s was when the smokable form of meth came into use. It is smoked in a glass pipe like crack cocaine. The smoke is odorless and leaves a residue that can be resmoked.
Effects of Methamphetamine
Short-term effects of methamphetamine abuse:
Increased attention, decreased fatigue, increased activity, decreased appetite, euphoria and rush, Increased respiration, hyperthermia
Long-term effects of methamphetamine use.
Dependence, addiction psychosis, paranoia, hallucinations, mood disturbances, repetitive motions, stroke, weight loss
Chronic abusers can be violent, have anxiety, confusion and insomnia. They can also be paranoid, have audio hallucinations, mood disturbances and delusions. The paranoia can result in homicidal as well as suicidal thoughts.
In some cases, abusers forego food and sleep while indulging in a form of binging known as a "run," injecting as much as a gram of the drug every 2 to 3 hours over several days until the user runs out of the drug or is too disorganized to continue.
Although there are no physical manifestations of a withdrawal syndrome when methamphetamine use is stopped, there are several symptoms that occur when a chronic user stops taking the drug. These include depression, anxiety, fatigue, paranoia, aggression, and an intense craving for the drug.
Low Intensity Use
Low-intensity abusers swallow or snort methamphetamine, using it the same way many people use caffeine or nicotine. Low-intensity abusers want the extra stimulation the methamphetamine provides so that they can stay awake long enough to finish a task or a job, or they want the appetite suppressant effect to lose weight. These people frequently hold jobs, raise families, and otherwise function normally. They may include people such as truck drivers , workers trying to stay awake until the end of their normal shift or an overtime shift, and women trying to keep a career, home, husband and family.
Binge Methamphetamine Use
Binge abusers smoke or inject methamphetamine it is a drug that can be binged on. They experience euphoric rushes that are psychologically addictive.
Rush - The rush is the initial response the abuser feels when smoking or injecting methamphetamine. During the rush, the heartbeat races and metabolism, blood pressure, and pulse soar. Unlike the rush associated with crack cocaine, which lasts for approximately 2 - 5 minutes, the methamphetamine rush can continue for 5-30 minutes.
High - The rush is followed by the high, sometimes called the shoulder. During the high, the abuser often feels aggressively smarter and becomes argumentative. The high can last 4 to 6 hours.
Binge - The binge is the continuation of the high. The abuser maintains the high by smoking or injecting more methamphetamine. Each time the abuser smokes or injects more of the drug, a smaller euphoric rush than the initial rush is experienced until, finally, there is no rush and no high. During the binge, the abuser becomes hyperactive both mentally and physically. The binge can last 3-15 days.
Tweaking - Tweaking occurs at the end of the binge when nothing the abuser does will take away the feeling of emptiness and depression, including taking more methamphetamine. Tweaking is very uncomfortable, and the abuser often takes a depressant to ease the bad feelings. The most popular depressant is alcohol, with heroin a close second.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Veteran
Yesterday morning I received a call from a man in his late 30's on the east coast.
He was looking for help with a crack addiction. He had been arrested and was court ordered to drug rehab.
He was a veteran, he had a brain injury and a back injury.
He had come to me for help because the VA could offer him no more assistance.
There is a perfect place on the West Coast to send this man. He would be off his drugs and his medications,
he would be helped with his chronic pain, and treated with the respect and dignity he deserves as a veteran.
The catch - it costs money.
There is no funding available to him. With $33.2 billion in the kitty for Veteran's Affairs there is no funding
to help him. The US military budget is $1 trillion with everything put together (source is wikipedia). The
largest asset the military has is their people. After they have done their time for the nation such large numbers
of them need some help . . . and not in meds that are causing the huge numbers of suicides we are seeing.
It angers me that I couldn't offer this to this man. Homeless and forgotten. I did help him find some resources
nearby. I hope he gets into one of them and does well. . .
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
HAPPY ST PAT'S + SOME FACTS ON ALCOHOL
HAPPY ST PAT'S DAY EVERYONE!!! Here's to horseshoes and luck, I hope everyone finds their pot of gold.
Another usual Irish tradition is going to the Pub and having a pint. If one is not an alcoholic fine, enjoy your pint and some cheer with friends old and new. Don't drive if you drink and don't let others drive.
If you are an alcoholic well there are still lots of fun things to do. Enjoy an Irish meal
or get something green to drink with friends. Better yet if you are into promoting health, eat something raw and green.
Know what alcohol poisoning is, know it is serious and cause death.
Facts About Alcohol Poisoning
Excessive drinking can be hazardous to everyone's health! It can be particularly
stressful if you are the sober one taking care of your drunk roommate, who is vomiting
while you are trying to study for an exam.
Some people laugh at the behavior of others who are drunk. Some think it's even
funnier when they pass out. But there is nothing funny about the aspiration of vomit
leading to asphyxiation or the poisoning of the respiratory center in the brain, both of
which can result in death.
Do you know about the dangers of alcohol poisoning? When should you seek
professional help for a friend? Sadly enough, too many college students say they wish
they would have sought medical treatment for a friend. Many end up feeling responsible
for alcohol-related tragedies that could have easily been prevented.
Common myths about sobering up include drinking black coffee, taking a cold bath or
shower, sleeping it off, or walking it off. But these are just myths, and they don't work.
The only thing that reverses the effects of alcohol is time-something you may not have if
you are suffering from alcohol poisoning. And many different factors affect the level of
intoxication of an individual, so it's difficult to gauge exactly how much is too much
(BAC calculators).
What Happens to Your Body When You Get Alcohol Poisoning?
Alcohol depresses nerves that control involuntary actions such as breathing and the gag
reflex (which prevents choking). A fatal dose of alcohol will eventually stop these
functions.
It is common for someone who drank excessive alcohol to vomit since alcohol is an
irritant to the stomach. There is then the danger of choking on vomit, which could cause
death by asphyxiation in a person who is not conscious because of intoxication.
You should also know that a person's blood alcohol concentration (BAC) can continue
to rise even while he or she is passed out. Even after a person stops drinking, alcohol in
the stomach and intestine continues to enter the bloodstream and circulate throughout
the body. It is dangerous to assume the person will be fine by sleeping it off.
Critical Signs for Alcohol Poisoning
• Mental confusion, stupor, coma, or person cannot be roused.
• Vomiting.
• Seizures.
• Slow breathing (fewer than eight breaths per minute).
• Irregular breathing (10 seconds or more between breaths).
• Hypothermia (low body temperature), bluish skin color, paleness.
What Should I Do If I Suspect Someone Has Alcohol Poisoning?
• Know the danger signals.
• Do not wait for all symptoms to be present.
• Be aware that a person who has passed out may die.
• If there is any suspicion of an alcohol overdose, call 911 for help. Don't try to
guess the level of drunkenness.
What Can Happen to Someone With Alcohol Poisoning That Goes
Untreated?
• Victim chokes on his or her own vomit.
• Breathing slows, becomes irregular, or stops.
• Heart beats irregularly or stops.
• Hypothermia (low body temperature).
• Hypoglycemia (too little blood sugar) leads to seizures.
• Untreated severe dehydration from vomiting can cause seizures, permanent
brain damage, or death.
Even if the victim lives, an alcohol overdose can lead to irreversible brain damage.
Rapid binge drinking (which often happens on a bet or a dare) is especially dangerous
because the victim can ingest a fatal dose before becoming unconscious.
Don't be afraid to seek medical help for a friend who has had too much to drink. Don't
worry that your friend may become angry or embarrassed-remember, you cared enough
to help. Always be safe, not sorry.
It is good information for all of us!
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Are You Canadian?
I have a blog for the drug addiction situation in Canada. If you are interested please check it out at http://drugrehabcanada.blogspot.com
Ok eh!
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