Thursday, October 26, 2006

Drug Abuse and Addiction

Drug Abuse: habitual use of drugs to alter one's mood, emotion, or state of consciousness, excessive use of drugsAddiction: Compulsive physiological and psychological need for a habit-forming substanceDrug abuse and addiction is a serious problem that many individuals face today.

Although it is not known as to why some people turn to drugs, there are other reasons why some do.

Some people turn to drugs because of pain within.

Only the individual.

It's a sad thing to see because there is nothing you can do to help an individual with addiction until they are ready to help themselves.

They really believe that they are not addicted and that there is nothing wrong with them and until they see it, it's nothing you can say or do.

Addiction is a difficult thing to deal with for the individual and their family.

The rehabilitation process is a slow and patient process for both the family and the individual.

The family has to keep the faith that this is going to get better and the individual has to belive that they can do this.

Miller
onebehindbars@yahoo.com
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D-Nile Not Just a River in Egypt

If you are a parent or you have a significant other whom you think may have a substance abuse problem, or if you think there is no problem - take just a moment and read this self-help guide for enablers.

The first step is to determine if you have a problem with enabling a loved one who is careening down the road of addiction. Please keep reading and do your best to answer honestly Have you ever avoided talking about the problem because it makes your loved one mad? Have you ever threatened the police with a lawsuit for arresting a loved one for drug or alcohol issues? Have you ever suspected that your loved one was high and been too afraid to confront them? Have you ever threatened a Doctor with a lawsuit because he refused to prescribe your loved one pain medication? Do you keep track of all of your loved ones court dates and fine payments for them? Do you lie for your loved one when they have a dirty drug test? Have you ever told your loved one that it was not their fault? Have you ever called your loved ones work and lied because they were too hung over to come in? Have you ever justified your loved ones actions saying, Everyone experiments when they are young Do you ever watch programs with drug related content and feel worm and fuzzy inside when they minimize and joke about drug use? Do you ever drive your loved one to their heroine dealer because they are sick? Have you ever read an obituary of a youth and the parents wrote that they died of sleep apnea, but you know better because the deceased is a friend of your loved ones and you know they died of an overdose?

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Hitting the Bottle

Boys drink more than girls but, according to the charity Turning Point, which helps those with alcohol, drug and mental health problems, girls bodies are composed of more fat and less water, so the alcohol is more concentrated in their systems, producing a stronger effect.

Drinking is also a factor in nearly half of fatal road accidents which befall young people.
Why do so many teenagers start drinking? Alcohol becomes a forbidden fruit, a rite of passage into a grown-up world.

On top of normal worries like exams and relationships, more and more young people are suffering the effects of lack of communication within the family, says Dr Sidney Gauntlett.

Alcohol relieves the pain, at least temporally.

But alcohol is a depressant, so often people feel worse the next day.

Sometimes they then have another drink, setting a dangerous pattern for the future.

General alcohol education is increasingly being introduced to primary schools.

Professor Griffith Edwards of the National Addiction Centre says: Young people should learn the facts about alcohol early in life to help to prevent their teenagers hitting the bottle.

They should talk to their children about the dangers of drinking and point out the hidden messages in drinking scenes on television.

Now she says, I realized that giving up drinking is my decision.

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Alcoholism and Drug Addiction-Change to Recovery

The American Psychiatric profession believes, Once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic.

Once a drug addict, always a drug addict.

Alcoholism/drug addiction is a disease and Relapse is part of recoveryNot true says, Dorothy M.

Neddermeyer, PhD, Holistic Healer. Using a holistic approach Body, Mind and Spiritpeople can be healed of alcoholism and drug addiction without relapse and without cravings by healing the underlying causes which precipitate the need to use alcohol or drugs to cope. A holistic approach incorporates life coaching, massage therapy, acupuncture, hypnotherapy, yoga, physical fitness, spiritual awakening, as well as Chinese herbologyThe Once an addict always an addict and Relapse is a Part of Recovery paradigm has crippled and doomed many people to a life of struggle and self-deprecation throughout the world.

You have merely chosen a substance to cope with the underlying conditions that you can heal, at which time your dependency will cease completely and foreverToday, having healed hundreds of people labeledalcoholics and drug addicts, I speak with complete certainty that alcoholism and addictions are not diseases.

If not a disease, what are they? These issues have both physical and psychological componentsanything from anemia, hypoglycemia, or a sluggish thyroid to attention deficient disorder, brain-wave pattern imbalances, or deep emotional painDepression, Anxiety, Panic, OCD, Anger, Sadness, Fear.

There are Seven Steps to recovery, which address these causes, but foundational to them all is this key premise: When the underlying painful issues are discovered and healed, the need for alcohol or drugs disappears.

The Seven Recovery Steps include: Recognize, Re-Look, Re-Feel, Re-Experience, Respond, Release and Renew.

This process will open your mind to new ways of thinking that will cause you to see your dependency, and perhaps your entire life, in a whole new light.

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Prescription Drug Rehab

Prescription Drug abuse can be defined as compulsive use of mood-altering Prescription Drugs that have not been authorized by a medical practitioner.

These drugs that are easily available through doctors prescriptions are abused by any people who grow addicted to them after the disease has been cured.

The symptoms of addiction are a constant physical craving for the medicines and withdrawal symptoms when not in use.

This addiction, which afflicts millions of Americans, is as serious as illegal drug and alcohol addiction.

It should be treated carefully under medical supervision by medics or Rehab centers.

To free yourself from Prescription Drug addiction, you need treatment, counseling and Rehabilitation.

The patients must be referred to Rehabs that treat drug, alcohol and substance abuse, where they will receive a thorough treatment and counseling therapy to make an effective recovery.

Prescription Drugs are as potent as street drugs.

There are three main classes of Prescription Drugs that can be abused: Opioids (used for pain treatment), CNS depressants (used to treat anxiety and sleep disorders) and Stimulants (used for sleep disorders, Attention deficit hyperactivity disorders).

Opioids are narcotics and commonly prescribed pain relievers such as Morphine and Codeine, used for symptoms from surgery pains to cough disorders.

This may lead to a fatal cardiovascular failure or seizure.

Research reveals that Prescription Drug abuse is most common among the elderly, adolescents, women and health care professionals.

The misuse of Prescription Drugs is the most common form of drug abuse among the elderly.

Studies also show that women are more likely than men to get prescriptions for drugs that can be abused, like narcotics and anti-depressants.

They are also more likely to get addicted than men.

Rehab for Prescription Drug abuse consists of two methods--behavioral and pharmacological treatment.

Behavioral treatment teaches the patient how to cope without the drug, how to handle cravings, how to avoid situations that encourage drug use, and how to prevent and handle relapse.

Detoxification relieves withdrawal symptoms while the patient learns to be drug-free.

This may be followed by behavioral therapy, where the patient learns to alter his thinking and handle stress factors that led to the addiction.

The ultimate aim is to lead the patient away from harmful addiction to Prescription Drugs and regain a normal and healthy life without suffering any relapse.

Rehab provides detailed information about rehab, alcohol rehab, cardiac rehab, drug rehab and more.

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Drug Rehab Centers

A drug rehab center is a beacon of hope for persons suffering from the curable disease of drug addiction.

There are over 11,000 such locations and programs in the United States and a quick internet search will reveal one in the local area.

The variety and spectrum of rehab programs matches the physical diversity of drug addiction.

The vast majority of programs focus on treatment of physical and psychological aspects of addiction.

The rehab center is sometimes a focal point for the social reintegration of the individual and has counseling, vocational training and above all a means for further rehabilitation after the acute medical detoxification process is completed.

Many programs have a dual diagnosis focus where depression, other mental health issues and medical issues such as HIV/AIDS are also addressed.

Other programs inculcate particular religious philosophy such as Christian drug rehab programs.

For example there is one program that has a special van that goes around the city picking up homeless alcohol addicted persons who are intoxicated.

Other programs also involve continuity with 12 step approaches as an extension of an inpatient treatment for 3-6 weeks.

Therapeutic communities are useful for persons with a long history of drug dependence and those with serious criminal histories.

Drug Rehab provides detailed information on Drug Rehab, Drug Rehab Programs, Drug Rehab Centers, Drug And Alcohol Rehab and more.

Drug Rehab is affiliated with Drug Detox Rehab.

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Effects of Alcoholism

Substance abuse or drug and alcohol addiction involves ingesting or administering harmful substances to our bodies.

For alcoholism, the effects include short and long term effects, both of which can be life threatening.

However, among the two, it is the short-term effects that can affect not only the drinker but other people as well because some of these short-term effects are enough cause deadly accidents.

Some short-term effectsSome of the short-term effects of drinking can happen in as short as ten minutes after you begin drinking, and as you continue to drink, the effects you may feel may have more serous repercussions.

Other short-term effects also include the loss of muscle control, which can lead to slurred speech or falling accidents and stupor, which makes you unable to function and disoriented.

An example of which is when you decide to drive a car even if you exhibit these short term effects of alcohol consumption, which most likely cause you to have an accident that not only endangers your life but of those who are on the road as well.

Given this, it is very important that people are not only aware of the long-term effects of prolonged alcohol dependence since the short-term effects are as serious and as fatal.

Alcoholism provides detailed information on Alcoholism, Alcoholism Treatments, Signs Of Alcoholism, Effects Of Alcoholism and more.

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