The Addiction Distinction

Resized image of Ritalin-SR-20mg-full.png; squ... 

Image via Wikipedia

Addiction is the most tragic of concepts — and one you’ve taught yourself to observe. Treatment can only occur when symptoms have been noted, when worries have been addressed. Rehabilitation can succeed only when a problem has been admitted. You understand therefore the necessity of watching those you love: trying to distinguish their moods, trying to decipher any little sign.

Such signs can be deceiving, however, if a prescription has been issued. 

Too often is the need for prescription medication (such as Codeine) thought to be a form of substance abuse. Individuals requiring daily relief are assumed to be suffering from deeper complications, and their families often try to intervene. 

An intervention isn’t always needed, though — if a pseudo-addiction is occurring. 

Defined simply: a pseudo-addiction is when the symptoms of abuse are present (such as fickle temperaments, physical changes, demanding more of a prescription, etc.) but do not actually prove abuse. These symptoms are instead indicative of pain being under-treated. 

Individuals not receiving the appropriate amounts of medication — often a result of physicians wanting to tame the possibilities of dependency — can suffer from immense discomfort. This causes them to seek out the drugs they’ve been recommended, hoping to find support. This can make them appear to be reliant on their prescriptions, however, and cause family members to become concerned: with accusations of an addiction then tossed out. 

Those accusations can be damaging — sparking feelings of anger, embarrassment or even shame. Medication may be refused in the aftermath, and pain will only deepen. 

It’s imperative therefore that individuals recognize the difference between seeking treatment and developing dependence.

 

 

Filed Under: Addiction Advice Tagged With: , ,

Drug Addiction- What are the Effects?

A drug addicted person will experience physical effect. The addiction will cause them to experience symptoms of fatigue, anxiety, and a strong desire to use more drugs. Some users will resort to criminal activity to help fund their addiction. Some of these drugs will lead a user to become violent.

The effects of drug addiction are felt by the family members and friends of the addict also. The addiction can cause problems in marriages and family life. The work life of a person can have an effect and may even cause the addict to lose their job.

Society is affected by drug abuse in many ways. An occupation accident is more likely to happen by a user than a nonuser. This could cause themselves and those around to be put into danger. Neighborhoods become disruptive from all of the drug related crimes. These crimes include drug dealer violence, neighbor threatening, and crimes that the addicts have committed. Billions of dollars are going each year to drug addiction costs. Each year babies are born drug addicted and new HIV/AIDS are responsible because of heroin addiction. The increase in healthcare costs, violent crimes, and domestic violence are all because of drug addiction.

The physiological health effects of drug addiction are often minor such as digestive problems or a problem with a respitory infection. However, there are cases where it can lead to a disease that is fatal. How serious the effects have on an addict depends on the severity of their use.

Brain damage can be caused by drug addiction. It will affect the functions of the brain and change the way that it responses to things. No one can predict the way that drug addiction will make you react to the drug. There is a great exposure to the unknown. You just do not know what exposure you might be up against when you are on drugs.

Filed Under: Addiction Advice

What is it like at a Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting?

ContentWhen an alcoholic comes to a place where he or she realizes that alcohol is ruining their life they may not know where to turn. A good place to start is alcoholics anonymous meetings. Most of the people who handle these meetings have been in the same situations. Some of these people have been alcoholics themselves and some have came from homes with an alcoholic. These people are there to share their experiences at the meetings.

The alcoholic will be meeting with others who are going through a similar situation. This could help bring motivation and help deal with his or her situation. Valuable tips can be learned from others because of the varying situations of each alcoholic. One thing good about this is nobody is there to judge because everyone is equal in trying to achieve the same goal. The goal of becoming free from alcohol.

A basket is usually passed around during the meetings to help cover the costs associated with holding these meetings. The people that hold these meetings are volunteers so there is no cost there. The meetings are held either open or closed. During open alcoholics anonymous meeting anyone can attend even family members. In a closed meeting only the alcoholic attends. There are also meetings that are open to a specific group such as women.

A meeting is usually conducted by saying a short prayer and then a moment of meditation. Usually a reading is done from the alcoholic’s anonymous handbook. After this a welcoming of the new members and visitors is given. This is also the time that anniversaries of sobriety are recognized. This will be followed by a member sharing some of their experiences. There could be someone speaking on an alcohol related topic. A prayer will usually conclude the meeting. The members are then free to socialize with other members.

Filed Under: Addiction Advice Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Alcohol- What are its Effects?

ContentThe effect that alcohol has on the central nervous system (the brain and the spinal cord) is a depressant, decreasing its activity and as a result reducing anxiety and tension. If alcohol is consumed in a moderate amount it may help a drinker relax and have confidence to socialize more easily. However, any feeling of elevated mental and physical performance is misleading. Tests have shown that even low levels of alcohol in the blood can slow a person’s reactions. The more alcohol that a person drinks the more their concentration and judgment are impaired. However, at this time the drinker’s confidence is increased which could lead to a potentially leathel combination while driving. If an excessive amount of alcohol has been drunk, poisoning or intoxication results, with effects ranging from euphoria to unconsciousness.

In addition to altering the mood and behavior, alcohol has various other effects on the body. As a result of peripheral vasodilation (widening of the small blood vessels), the face becomes flushed and the drinker feels warm, although a greater amount of the body heat is lost. Small amounts of alcohol increase the flow of the gastric juices and will stimulate the appetite and help digestion. Over a long period of time the stomach lining could become inflamed and cause ulcers on the lining. This could also cause hematemesis (vomiting of blood).

A habitual drinker will acquire a tolerance to alcohol. That means that they would have to gradually increase the amount consumed to obtain the same effects. The liver breaks down alcohol at a faster rate, requiring a greater intake to achieve the same blood level. At the same time, the nerve cells in the brain become less responsive to a given amount of alcohol. After many years of drinking an alcoholic will experience a reduced tolerance.

Filed Under: Addiction Advice Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Recovery from Drug Abuse Takes Time

Anyone who’s ever been through drug rehab knows that it can take time in order to get clean. Some people get through a rehab facility the first time successfully and they never go back to using or abusing drugs. Others keep going back because they go back to their abusive ways after they get out. That seems to be a common problem with celebrities, but it happens to average, everyday people, too. No matter where you are in your efforts to get clean, though, don’t give up on it. Even if you make a mistake, that’s not a reason to go back to your old way of life.

It takes a real effort to get clean and stay that way, but the rewards are far more important. They can seriously outweigh any costs you might feel that you’re paying – both financially and in other ways – by going through rehab. When you get out, make sure you surround yourself with friends and family members who are supportive to you and what you’re trying to do. If you go back to hanging out with people who abuse drugs, it’s very easy for you to get back into that lifestyle.

Avoid anyone who’s not trying to help you stay clean, and avoid places where you used to go back when you abused drugs. Also, be careful if your doctor prescribes any medication for you. Ask if it’s addictive, and be honest about your past history. It might be better for you to try other treatments or take a different medication, but your doctor won’t know that unless he or she knows your history of drug abuse. Give yourself permission to take time to recover on a mental level, too, because life will be very different for you. You’ll need a little while to get used to it.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Addiction Advice Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Medications That are Associated with Alcohol Abuse

I took this image of my mum getting an Aqua Detox.
Image via Wikipedia

Alcohol abuse can be one of the toughest addictions to kick. Just when you believe that you have overcome the addiction, something comes up and you just have to have one more sip of alcohol. One sip leads to two and everything starts to turn into a downward spiral.

When it comes to detoxing and helping overcome the addiction there is a process known as detoxification. Detox can be rough and one of the hardest part of becoming sober. Alcohol detox is an intense process that requires a lot of medical help. In fact, without medical help alcohol detox can sometimes be deadly.

As with all medical processes there are a lot of medications that can go into alcohol detox. Here is a short list of some of those drugs and why they are prescribed.

Antabuse. Should a person go through detox and then have a short period to wait for rehab, antabuse can help keep the person sober. Antabuse is an oral drug that when taken with alcohol causes the person to have adverse reactions such as violent throwing up and sometimes causes you to stop breathing. The reaction is so bad that it causes those who want to drink to stop.

Benzodiazapines. These are prescribed during the detox phase to calm the nervous system. It should relieve the hallucinations and deliriums that occur when a person is withdrawing from alcohol.

Naltrexone. This drug works in similar ways to antabuse but instead of causing a violent reaction it causes the body to make sure that they don’t crave alcohol anymore. This drug is taken orally and when those people who want to enter rehab detox but can’t get into a program right away.

Detox also requires a complex IV solution that provides hydration to those that have been drinking for a while. Without the hydration the body would become dehydrated and there could be issues from that.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Addiction Advice Tagged With: , , ,

Celebrities And Their Influence On Drug And Alcohol Abuse

Famous people are going public about their addictions and their admittance to rehab programs and it’s making an impression. It’s actually lessening the grave effects of addictions. Viewers are seeing that celebrities can walk into a rehabilitation center and come out in a month or sometimes less, with the addiction behind them and the reason for the addiction dealt with.

Those with more money definitely have a greater access to drugs. Drug abuse is an expensive addiction, which may be the reason that so many wealthy people find themselves with the addiction.

So many young stars are in the public eye with every step they take, whether right or wrong. Everyone has their own story and skeletons in the closet of issues they deal with and when it comes to celebrities, it’s hard to keep mum about these things. The pressures are great and when they find themselves in trouble, so does the rest of the world. A person who is not a celebrity can keep quiet about their troubles or addictions and hide it better.

Some celebrities take the high road and learn from their lessons and show the media what they can do to improve their lives, get clean and get straight. Then there are those who pay for the rehab program and weeks later are caught walking out of another nightclub and get arrested for drugs or driving under the influence.

Drug and alcohol abuse can destroy any life, regardless of status. Whether the addict goes to rehab and overcomes the issues that brought them to the addiction as well as the addiction or they fall off the wagon again, the exploitation speaks loudly to the audience. People admire the ones who take responsibility and they fear becoming like those who don’t. Either way and example is being set and people do get influenced into making decisions for their own life based on these celebrities.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Addiction Advice Tagged With: , ,

Are Teenage Girls More Likely to Have a Substance Abuse Problem?

Families with teen girls might be astounded to hear that teenage girls are showing to be more susceptible to forming drinking and substance abuse troubles than their teenage boy peers. A survey done by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America discovered that these young females are more prone to drug and alcohol abuse because they are more vulnerable to use such substances to make themselves feel better about common teen issues.

Particularly, it’s the girls over the boys that view taking such substances as a benefit and a form of self-medication.

Stated reasons that girls are using drugs and alcohol are because:
- Drugs help them deal with the problems they face at home with their siblings, parents and family.
- They feel that it helps them to stop thinking about difficulties they are having at home, at school and with their friends.
- They don’t feel that addiction is really a problem.
That last reason is frightening. The percentage of girls that abstain from substance abuse, and don’t wish to hang around others that do use, has lowered. The percentage of girls that don’t believe it is a big problem and just something fun and innocent to do is rising.
Teenage girls deal with a lot of pressures when it comes to society. A large focus is on what they look like and how they are perceived by others. Using drugs and alcohol is a way for them to temporarily feel good and let go of inhibitions and insecurities. However, once it wears off, the problems increase.

While the problem is huge with teenage girls, it is still a large issue with boys as well. In fact, the same studies are showing that boys are using marijuana, alcohol and other drugs in social settings to allow them to relax more.
It’s highly recommended that parents, grandparents, teachers, legal guardians, and all adults really involved in your teen’s life, really give a lot of awareness to the needs of these teens. Mental health, as well as physical health, are extremely important to monitor at this delicate age.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Addiction Advice Tagged With: , ,

The Lying Addict

Liars (Todd Rundgren album)
Image via Wikipedia
Ok, most of us tell lies at one time or another. Sometimes it is to avoid hurting feelings and keep the peace. But, then there are the lies that can be very hurtful and damaging. For example, the wife that tells her husband she is out of town with her girlfriends, but is really having an affair. While, they are still told to prevent hurt feelings and save the drama, they are dangerous lies that in the end will hurt. Their motives are not good.

There are lies that are illegal and lies that cover up other bad things a person is doing. The longer the lies go on, the more lies that are created and all of these lies lead to hurt and pain for everyone involved.

There are people who tell such lies because they are actually addicted to being liars. These are people that lie about anything and everything. For no reason at all, they will lie about what their career is, or where they had dinner last night. They will lie about their upbringing and make up stories about vacations they took, but didn’t really take.

It is a mystery why such liars are so repelled by the truth. But, medical professionals devise that the lying may come from low self-esteem. When the addictive or compulsive liars make up stories about their lives and what they are doing, they feel that they are impressing others more than if they told what they were really doing. The danger in this is that these liars begin to believe their own stories as if they really happened.

There are liars that are obvious. It is clear that they are lying when they say they just lost 30 pounds from a miracle diet, when you can clearly see that they haven’t. Then there are those liars that are quite exceptional at it and very believable. It might take years before their lie is discovered.

It’s even been discovered that the brain of a compulsive liar has a different looking brain than that of a person who does not lie.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Addiction Advice Tagged With: , ,

The Psychology Behind Addiction

Addicts are addicted to a feeling. The feelings are fleeting and they can be created by a substance. Sometimes it can be a behavior that spawns the good feeling and so an addict has an addictive behavior. For example, the behavior of lying or overeating. The feeling that each of the behaviors create is temporary and after the feeling is gone, the damage of the behavior still remains.

How do people develop addictions? People that are more apt to develop addictions are those with mood disorders, mental disorders and other psychological disorders. Because they are so sporadic with their feelings, they are exceptionally addicted to what feels good. There is nothing stable or controlled in their lives. At least that is how they perceive their lives to be.
Once they find a substance or a behavior that causes them to feel good, they become addicted to that feeling and must have it as often as they can get it.

Drugs and alcohol can create a temporary high for those that are depressed and so they seek these substances to make them feel better. As the addiction carries on, though, more of the substance is required just to feel normal. It is the same with behaviors. A person may be a compulsive shoplifter because of the thrill they experience when they get away with stealing something. The first time is ecstatic, so they do it again. Once they feel depressed, they perform the same deed so they can feel the thrill and life within themselves again. It then becomes a repetitive habit and forms into an addiction. But, soon that one behavior is not enough to stave the depression and they are then acting out in other dishonest ways to achieve that same thrill.

In order to get these addictions under control, the victim needs to seek help in realizing that they have control over their lives. The addiction formed by way of feeling out of control with their lives. By having the addiction, they have a fake sense of control to make themselves feel better.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Addiction Advice Tagged With: , ,
« Older Posts