It’s that time of the month which most women dread- their monthly period. It is generally an unpleasant experience considering hormonal changes are taking place. These hormonal changes create a number of symptoms, not only during the days of the actual period, but more so, before the menses comes. Does the term “pre menstrual syndrome” sound familiar to you? And even if it is not, the experience of it could be a common occurrence in your case, as with many other women. A host of discomforts arise in pre-menstrual syndrome. Headaches or migraines, bloating and nausea are some of the symptoms, among others.

Or worse, emotional difficulties begin to manifest, such as depression. And then again, there are women who attest that “PMS” creates a “monster” out of them, making them unreasonably moody and irritable. Along with these possible discomforts prior to your period is pain due to ovulation, otherwise known as painful ovulation. Nearly 20% of women experience and have to endure painful ovulation. There are those who may have painful ovulation mistaken for appendicitis or abdominal pain. But to differentiate the former condition from the latter ones, the symptoms ought to be ascertained. Pain when ovulating usually occurs two weeks before the menses.

It takes place in the lower abdomen, or inside the hip bone. The pain can be felt on either side-usually depending on which ovary the egg cell is released. By “painful” ovulation, it could mean sharp pain or cramps, or minor twinges extending to a dull, nagging ache. After a day or so, nausea could be experienced along with light menstrual spotting. The light bleeding can last for 6 to 8 hours, to 24 to 48 hours. What is it that causes painful ovulation? Pain when ovulating is due to minor blood leakage from the ovary during ovulation. It’s the leaking blood which causes the pain as it irritates the abdominal wall.

As for the intensity of the so-called painful ovulation, it often varies from one woman to another. A factor which contributes to the extent of the painful ovulation is the space between a woman’s ovary and her abdominal wall. If painful ovulation happens to be your problem, there is a redeeming point. The condition may not instigate gynecological problems. Ovulation is a phase of the fertility cycle, and even if it is painful, there is often no cause for concern or unnecessary medical treatment. Ovulation pain is in itself considered harmless. For this particular issue, you can see your doctor.

He or she may recommend pain relievers. As a remedy, you have to drink plenty of fluids. You have to make sure that you’re not developing an infection in the same manner. Check your temperature several times a day to determine. Warm baths or a heating pad application can help alleviate the discomfort. But if the pain persists for 3 days or more, it may be time to take serious measures. Especially if along with painful ovulation other symptoms occur, such as high fever, faintness or dizziness, blood in the vomit or the stool, breathing problems, swollen abdomen or difficult and painful urination.

In most cases, pain when ovulating is an occasional occurrence rather than a threatening malady. You can better monitor this condition by maintaining a chart or diary of your cycle. It is a helpful means of preparation and anticipating the occurrence which could spare you from unnecessary worry and further anxiety.

Drug addiction is the worst curse that humanity is suffering from. It has affected the whole human race and taken away millions of lives. Opiate addiction has spread like a plague and engulfed mostly the teenagers all over the world. It must be uprooted from our society; otherwise our future generations have to face unforeseen consequences. Drug addiction is a disease that has taken control over millions of human beings all over the world. The most common form of drug practiced nowadays by the people is the painkiller addiction. The teenagers are worst hit by this form of addiction. Since, painkillers are legal and used for its medicinal properties; they are found in any medical stores and are easily available.

In order to cure people from opiate addiction, many drug rehabilitation centers have grown up which provide great treatment facilities to the patients. Opiate addiction comes for various reasons, sometimes it comes from depression, loneliness and sometimes it comes from mere curiosity. Teenagers often try to show their smartness in front of their friends and take these drugs, which later turns to be addiction. Due to the easy availability of opiates like the painkillers, the teens get them very easily. They are not well informed about the effects of painkiller addiction, so they do not see any risk in consuming them. But, when the effects show up, it becomes too late for them to get back.

These intentional uses of painkillers are nothing but few steps towards their premature death. The side effects are so strong, that it is almost impossible to get rid of the addiction. The only way to get out of opiate addiction is proper treatment in an opiate rehab. The latest method of treatment used to cure the patients is the buprenorphine treatment. The use of this medicine has proved to be very effective in the treatment of opiate addicts. But, only medicinal treatment is not enough for complete rehabilitation of a person. The drug addicted patients need a lot of attention and care during the treatment process. The treatment process also needs a comfortable atmosphere which must be calm and soothing for the drug addicted patient. The main treatment of a drug addicted patient is the psychological treatment. The patient must be forced to realize that he can live without these drugs.

The first process that is conducted in the treatment process is the rapid detox process. During this process, all the toxic drug materials are eliminated from the addict’s body. The opiate withdrawal effects that show up are very painful, most patients are unable to tolerate. It has been observed that many patients run away from the rehabs and get back to their usual life of addiction to get relieved from the pain. This is because most drug rehabilitation centers cannot provide the required care and comfort that helps the drug addicted patient to overcome the withdrawal effects of painkiller addiction.

Getting treatment from a well renowned rehabilitation center is the only way of treatment and complete rehabilitation.

There are literally countless well known, even well loved celebrities, who are very much in the public eye, who have undergone an alcohol rehab program. While some have managed to kick the habit successfully with their alcohol addiction rehab, others have gone on to relapse, some more than once and have been on a rollercoaster ride, staying on and falling off the wagon.

Whether the celebrities were able to put the alcohol abuse rehab program to the best use and stay sober or whether they relapsed, their very public struggle with alcohol abuse has given hope, guidance and courage to many others to face their problems and fight to save their lives.

The list of celebs with abuse problems, who have seen the inside of an alcohol addiction rehab center is very long; names such as these are only a small sample of the individuals that have graced these lists from time to time: actors like Robin Williams, Robert Downey Jr., Ben Affleck, Samuel L Jackson, Patrick Swayze, Dennis Quaid, Winona Ryder, Demi Moore, Elizabeth Taylor, Colin Farrel, Kiefer Sutherland, Melanie Griffith, Drew Barrymore, Kate Moss, Mel Gibson, Matthew Perry, Charlie Sheen and others have been in rehab at least once for some or other form of substance abuse. Musicians and / or singers like Michael Jackson, Eminem, Boy George, Jonny Cash, Kurt Cobain, Whitney Houston, James Brown, Eddie Van Halen, Liza Minneli, Ozzy Osborne, David Bowie have all also battled substance addiction and have, at some point been in a drug alcohol rehab program to kick their addiction. Even famous athletes such as Mike Tyson has been in rehab and even people such as Dick Cheney, who has held high office for this country.

There is much that others can learn from the celebrities who have either deliberately or inadvertently shared their struggles with the rest of the populace. For one these very public battles with substance abuse can help individuals recognize that they have in fact got a problem. Knowing for instance that Eddie Van Halen’s substance dependence was making it impossible for him to proceed with long tours and performances can help people recognize how addiction can affect a person’s livelihood and life. Robert Downey Jr.’s many addiction, several arrests and badly derailed career in spite of being a tremendously talented actor is a salutary lesson about how an addiction can take over a person’s life and destroy it.

It can help someone who is in denial and help them identify and admit to the problem which is the first step in the journey to correction. What others can take heart from is that celebs, who have a lot of public and other pressure on them often undergo a heroic struggle with their demons and their addictions and emerge victorious; these are success stories, the like of which can give great encouragement and support to others.

Lastly, celebrity alcohol addiction rehab have help people over the shame that they may feel in admitting to their problems. If a much admired celebrity can admit to a frailty of the magnitude of this addiction, then surely it can give many others the courage to do the same.

Troubled star Lindsay Lohan has vowed to quit Hollywood in an effort to stay clean from drugs, according to her father. I certainly have never been impressed with Hollywood any time I have been there. It kind of feels seductively evil and eerily pretentious.

As the son of a mother, who for as long as I can remember, was addicted to alcohol and drugs, I can empathize with Lindsay and millions of others throughout the world. I myself have found solace and comfort in Christ Jesus who daily fills my heart to overflowing with His blessed Holy Spirit, which is far better than any substance on earth.

The Ireland On-Line reported Michael Lohan reunited with his daughter earlier this month in Utah, where the Mean Girls star is seeking counselling at the Cirque Lodge treatment centre.

He says: “When we finally came face to face we just clung on to each other and did not stop crying for at least half an hour.

“Lindsay said:, ‘Daddy, I have done some terrible things and been addicted to drugs but please believe me I will never do drugs again. I hate Hollywood and I don’t want to work there. I need a break and I am moving away. I will stop hanging around with the people that are bad for me.’

Undoubtedly your friends most definitely help form and determine your future. Lindsay confessed that it is in Hollywood where much of the evil that occurs in her life happens. That being said, what is the film and entertainment industry really made up of and driven by? Certainly we who are mesmerized by it should ask ourselves these questions before being engulfed by Hollywood’s infatuations and immorality lest we find ourselves becoming increasingly filthy.

No matter where we live and reside, drugs and sexual immorality can be found. Yet Hollywood pumps perversion right into our homes by way of television. Hollywood seems to applaud such a perverse and wicked lifestyle more than anywhere else. Hollywood is where self reigns supreme and people are allowed to be pretentious and mean. Filmmaking is about entertainment, which we all love and enjoy. However the stars being paid extraordinary amounts of cash for their performances recognize that for them Hollywood can become an ego driven and self-absorbed industry that further inflates one’s self-image beyond livable proportions.

When young stars like Lindsay become brutally honest with themselves and desire personal transformation, variables such as friends and place of residence are huge. I salute and applaud Lindsay for taking an intense and earnest look into her lifestyle and everything influencing her behavior.

Lindsay is definitely a talented and gifted young lady. Gifts however must be guarded and properly guided. Otherwise we shall self-destruct when left to ourselves. Ironically we often are our own worst enemy.

God is the missing component in the equation for me. As a minister I’d love to help Lindsay get free and experience transformation fully.

Alcohol abuse, or alcoholism, is a serious illness that often requires immediate treatment. Not everyone knows what to look for in terms of alcohol abuse, but the truth is that there are very definitive signs that can quickly confirm the need for treatment.

Many alcoholics drink because they are angry or sad, but often end up feeling guilty either while they are drinking or after the effects wear off. Emotional drinking is a very likely sign of alcohol abuse and should not be overlooked. If the feeling of needing to reduce the level of alcohol consumption begins to occur or when friends and family start to express their concern, it is often time to seek counseling for alcohol abuse.

A large number of alcoholics find themselves lying about their behavior, which is usually an indication of shame. This may be a clue that he/she knows their actions are excessive and they wish to hide it from those closest to them, which means that they realize their actions are unhealthy and there may be a good chance for recovery.

If alcohol becomes a way of dealing with stress, the drinker has an undeniable addiction. Stress is a part of everyday life and, if alcohol is how a person chooses to deal with that stress, drinking too will become an everyday activity. For this reason, anyone that drinks alcohol as a way of coping with stress should consider an alcohol abuse treatment program.

There is no universal definition for alcoholism because it masks itself in a variety of ways. For some, it involves a physical dependency on alcohol while others lose their control over how much they drink. For many, the use of alcohol continues with the knowledge that it harmful to their health. There are many reasons that alcoholism may occur, including links to hereditary genes, stress, the addictive nature of alcohol and even the family environment.

The good news is that alcoholism is treatable and, once the signs of alcohol abuse are noticed, a remedy can often begin immediately. Whether it be via an inpatient or outpatient care facility or simply the willingness to stop drinking with the support of family and friends, alcohol abuse can be a thing of the past. Regaining the control over a life that was once consumed by alcohol is not a process that can happen overnight, but it is one that will be worth the effort. The most important step in working toward a life that is free of alcohol is actually wanting that life.

This article is to be used for informational purposes only. The information contained herein is not intended to be used in place of, or in conjunction with, professional medical advice or recommendations regarding alcohol abuse. Before deciding on the most effective method of treatment, the patient must consult a licensed medical doctor for advice and/or to determine the best course of action for his/her individual situation.

What attracts gay people to drug taking?

Poor self-esteem, alienation and homophobia among gay men and lesbians can increase their risk for drug addiction and alcohol abuse. At present drugs and alcohol are a central aspect of gay club and bar culture, joining in can foster a sense of belonging, and can help you stay up all night dancing. Sharing a line or a pill is seen as sophisticated and decadent. this can be the first step towards drug addiction or alcohol abuse.

Are some drugs gayer than others?

You name it, gay people take it. From the dope-smoking bohemians of the 1950s, to the cocaine freaks of the disco years, via ecstasy, crystal meth, amyl nitrate, ketamine, GHB and beyond, drugs are part of gay life. More recently there have been studies linking gay people and abuse of anabolic steroids and also Viagra. It seems that some gay men’s obsessions with having a buff hard body is spilling over into their drugs of choice.

What’s being done to address the issue?

Some health promotion groups are calling for more social alternatives to the bar and club scene. They believe that gay people are less likely to want to take drugs if there are more places to meet. There is also a need for gay specific drug rehab programs. The feeling is that a gay man or lesbian will be more likely to go to drug rehab if the drug rehab is at a minimum a gay friendly drug rehab.

If you are looking for a gay drug rehab go to www.gay-rehab.com or call the national drug rehab helpline at 1-800-511-9225. To locate a gay friendly drug rehab in your area go to www.lakeviewhealth.com.

Crack addiction is a concern for many parents and loved ones of users. The fact that one’s energy seems increased without a sense of being groggy accompanied by a feeling of euphoria is very addictive. There can be a sense of omnipotence about an inexhaustible reserve of energy initially. As one’s tolerance builds up, the highs are shorter, the depression often sets in when the drug wears off and anxiety grows.

Whether one is snorting cocaine or smoking crack, there is a danger of heart problems occuring as well as possible seizures. Chest pains and breathing issues are additional side effects. Despite the initial pleasure a new user may experience, with continued use of the cocaine drug, paranoia often grows. Anxiety and depression set in as the crack or cocaine dopamine effect wears off . This leads to either going on a binge to continue the high feeling or certain withdrawal symptoms including extreme irritability. The law of diminishing returns often sets in where the effects of the drug are less and less. Inside this creates a desperate state as one wishes to experience the bliss from the early days of using the cocaine drug.

Binges are often caused by this internal state and things can intensify due to hallucinations. Legal complications may occur since the expense of the drug leads to a sense of urgency in getting the money to pay for more. One can feel oneself on a negative slide but helpless to do anything about it. If you are watching someone in this cycle, it can be quite painful and scary.

Fortunately, it is possible to become free of this cycle. By learning more about one’s options and seeing a door out, crack addiction and cocaine abuse can be overcome. The process of detox, treatment and counseling will be a great challenge but also a transformative experience.

Most of the time, you will need to have medical attention during the drug detoxification period. The withdrawal symptoms from many different drugs and alcohol can be very serious, especially if you have been dealing with addiction for an extended period of time.

If you are planning on attending outpatient services for your drug addiction treatment, then you may want to consider using the inpatient detoxification services that are offered by your drug rehab. If you can’t use the inpatient drug detoxification, then you will at least have to check in with the medical staff each day during the detoxification period.

What Happens During Detox

Drug detox is the period when your body is physically adjusting to the transition of a drug free life. During the time you were using drugs and alcohol, your body became chemically dependent on those drugs and alcohol to function. Detox will allow your body time to adjust to the changes without the dangers that are commonly associated with withdrawal becoming overwhelming.

Detoxification can be a very stressful time for your body, so it is important that you only detox under the supervision of medical staff. You may experience shaking, nausea or even convulsions during this time. Drug detoxification can also be life threatening for some addicts, although not all people will experience these symptoms.

Detox Treatment

During detox, you may be given medications that will ease the symptoms of withdrawal, and help stabilize your body. Many people who use certain kinds of drugs, for instance, may experience an unstable blood pressure during detoxification. The medical staff will help your body during this period by making sure that your body is able to cope with these changes.

The type of treatment that you receive will depend on several things, and will vary according to the drug rehab center that you choose. You should always look for a drug rehab that offers a detox program that is supervised by licensed medical doctors, however.

After Detox

After you have finished your drug detoxification, you will want to enter the second phase of treatment. While drug detox is designed to help reduce your physical dependence on the substance, treatment in a traditional drug rehab is designed to help you reduce your mental and emotional dependence on drugs and alcohol.

If you are considering using detox alone, you will at least want to have a supportive home environment and enroll in outpatient services at a local drug rehab. If you do not have the support of your family and friends, it will be especially hard to abstain from drugs and alcohol after your detox, unless you enter residential treatment.

About 14% of the adult population in the United States has admitted to using cocaine, a powerful stimulant that can either be smoked or inhaled to produce an instantaneous high. The high, which plays upon the brain’s neurotransmitters makes users feel extremely happy, energetic, but can also make them irritable, paranoid, restless, and anxious.

The effects of cocaine can last anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours. In addition to the psychological effects, physical symptoms of cocaine use include dilated pupils, high levels of energy, and very excited, fast speech.

Most of cocaine’s effects reported include the effects on the brain, but the drug affects the entire body. Cocaine increases heart rate and blood pressure, with artery constriction that can cause heart attacks and strokes. The respiratory system is also profoundly affected by both snorting and smoking, with damage to the sinuses and lungs. Constricted blood vessels I in the abdomen result in ulcers. It can also cause kidney damage and impair sexual function.

The neurotransmitters involved with producing the highs associated with cocaine use include norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine, which also play a role in psychological function. This means that once the high wears off, users report feelings of sadness and depression, which makes them anxious to get ahold of the drug again or they will start experiencing withdrawal symptoms.

Withdrawal symptoms for cocaine include depression, anxiety, fatigue, chills, aches, pain, tremors, increased cravings, and even suicidal thoughts. These symptoms can be very powerful and frightening for both the person experiencing them, and those around them, which is why it is best to withdrawal or detox under medical supervision.

There are also medications to help those with addictions resist cravings but they are only available through a physician. Such drugs include antidepressants and Disulfiram, a drug used to treat alcoholism. The NIDA is actively pursuing medications specifically designed to help cocaine users come clean, but none have been approved by the FDA.

So far, though, the most successful approach to cocaine addiction treatment has been residential and outpatient therapy programs designed to give those trying to get clean coping mechanisms to resist temptation and become productive members of society again.

There are millions of people suffering from alcoholism and other drug addiction in this country. A recent study reported that 28 million people age 12 and older used illicit drugs during the past year. By current estimates, more than 76 million people have been exposed to alcoholism and drug addiction. Experience shows that for every person with alcoholism or drug addiction, at least four others are affected by their behavior.

The person who has someone close who abusing alcohol or abuses drugs has plenty of company. People experiencing alcohol abuse, alcoholism, drug abuse or drug addiction often feel they hurt only themselves. That isn’t true. They also hurt their families, friends, coworkers, employers, and others.

The person who sets out to help someone with an alcohol or other drug problem may at first feel quite alone, possibly embarrassed, not knowing where to turn for help. We have preserved so many wrong ideas and attitudes about problem drinking and other drug abuse, too often thinking of them as moral weakness or lack of willpower.

However, looking at it another way — as we should — millions of Americans have a personal stake in helping “someone close” find the way to overcome alcohol and other drug problems.

You may have learned to better understand alcohol abuse, alcoholism, drug abuse or drug addiction and already made contact with nearby sources of services. This does not mean that “someone close” will cooperate at once by going for alcohol treatment or alcohol rehab. Those with alcohol and other drug addiction may deny they have a problem. They may find it difficult to ask for or accept help.

If there is one thing true about alcoholics and other drug addicts, it is that, as with all people, each one is different — different in human needs and responses, as well as in their reasons for drinking and taking other drugs, their reactions to these drugs, and their readiness for alcohol rehab or addiction treatment.

Be active, get involved. Don’t be afraid to talk about the problem honestly and openly. It is easy to be too polite, or to duck the issue by saying, “After all, it’s their private affair.” But it isn’t polite or consolidate to let someone destroy their family and life. You may need to be persistent to break through any denial they have.

You are in a good position to help your relative or friend, because you know a good deal about their unique qualities and their way of life. And having made the effort to gain some understanding of the signs and effects of problem drinking or other drug abuse, you should be in a better position to consider a strategy for helping.

You also may need to let them know how much courage it takes to ask for help, or to accept it. You will find that most people with drinking- or other drug-related troubles really want to talk it out if they find out you are concerned about them.

To begin, you may need to reject certain myths that in the past have done great harm to alcoholics and other drug abusers and hampered those who would help them. These untruths come from ingrained public attitudes that see alcoholism and other drug problems as personal misconduct, moral weakness, or even sin. They are expressed in such declarations as, “Nothing can be done unless the alcohol or drug abuser wants to stop,” or “They must hit bottom,” that is, lose health, job, home, family, “before they will want to get well.” These stubborn myths are not true, and have been destructive. One may as well say that you cannot treat cancer or tuberculosis until the gross signs of disease are visible to all.

The truth is that with alcoholism and drug addiction, as with other kinds of acute and chronic illness, early recognition and treatment intervention is essential — and rewarding.

Be compassionate, be patient — but be willing to act. Experience proves that preaching does not work. A nudge or a push at the right time can help. It also shows that you care. Push may even come to shove when the person with alcohol or other drug troubles must choose between losing family or job, or going to treatment. Thousands of alcohol and other drug abusers have been helped when a spouse, employer, or court official made treatment a condition of continuing family relationships, job, or probation.

You cannot cure the illness, but when the crucial moment comes you can guide the person to competent help. To locate a alcohol rehab or drug rehab in your area, you might want to try this national helpline, Recovery Connection at, www.recoveryconnection.org or call 1-800-511-9225.

Alcohol treatment attempts to discover the relationship between a person’s alcoholism and other drug use to their real needs — an understanding of what they would really strive for it they were not disabled by their problems. One goal is building up their capacity for control which becomes possible in periods of sobriety.

Persons with alcoholism and drug addiction have the same needs as all other people — food, clothing, shelter, health care, job, social contact and acceptance and, particularly, the need for self-confidence and feelings of competence, self-worth, and dignity. This is where “support” comes in.

What may be needed in most is warm, human concern. The kinds of support given depend, of course, on finding out from the person what they feel they need. Strained family and friend relationships, money troubles, worry about the job or business, sometimes matters that may seem trivial to us, all confuse their file situation and may contribute to their drinking and other drug problems.

Moral support in starting and staying with addiction treatment or alcohol rehab, reassurances from employer or business associates, willing participation by spouse or children in group therapy sessions — are examples of realistic support.

Three out of four men and women suffering from alcoholism and drug addiction are married; living at home; holding onto a job, business, or profession; and are reasonably well accepted members of their communities. For those in this group who seek addiction treatment, alcohol rehab or drug rehab the outlook is good. Regardless of life situation, the earlier treatment starts after troubles are recognized, the better the chances for success.

Many therapists now use alcohol rehabilitation, alcohol rehab, as a measure of outcome — success is considered achieved when the patient maintains or reestablishes a good family life and work record, and a respectable position in the community. Relapse may occur but do not mean that the person or the treatment effort has failed.

A successful outcome, on this basis, can be expected for 50 to 70 percent depending upon the personal characteristics of the patient; early addiction treatment or alcohol treatment intervention; competence of the therapists; availability of hospital and outpatient facilities; and the strong support of family, friends, employer, and community