Posts Tagged ‘Heroin’

What Cocaine Addiction Does to You and How You Can Treat it

Comments: 0June 28th, 2010 by admin



Cocaine is the most abused drug in America today. It is responsible for sending countless people to get emergency care. Cocaine has been around for a while and is nothing new to the illicit drug world however today it is often thought of as an elitist drug due to its cost. It goes under a number of different names including crack, crack cocaine, and coke. Each one features a slightly different variation. Crack for example is a solid form of cocaine that is smoked, whereas the regular form is a powder that is usually snorted through the nose. No matter what kind it is, they are all dangerous, not to mention highly illegal, and can lead to cocaine addiction.

Cocaine addiction is one of the worst addictions a person can suffer through. It is commonly believed, although mistakenly, that the drug is not addictive as there are no withdrawal symptoms seen like there are when people become addicted to heroin or alcohol. The addictive nature of cocaine is more psychological rather than physical. The drug can cause serious harm to your body. It can affect everything from your skin to your brain. The specific effects of the drug differ depending on a number of variables including the method used to take it, how much, and what it is mixed with.

One area of the body that cocaine is notorious for affecting is the nervous system. This can result in a greater amount of energy, being overly excited, reduced appetite, being fatigued, and less sensitive to pain. Some of the mental effects include feeling powerful and competent as well as being talkative and uncontrollable laughter. Cocaine can also affect the brain and cause anxiety, headaches nausea, and confusion. Due to snorting cocaine through the nose, it can cause anything from nasal crusting and irritation to stuffiness, repeated nosebleeds and loss of nasal septum. Smoking crack cocaine causes lung and breathing issues.

Due to the psychological issues cocaine addiction causes, if you are experiencing anything like depression, suicidal or homicidal thoughts or hallucinations, get help immediately. If you are not experiencing anything like that, you should still find a way to stop using cocaine, but that of course is always easier said than done. Treatment typically involves the fellowship of Cocaine Anonymous (CA) However, there are alternatives to help someone try to stop their addictive habits, including addiction counselling, hypnotherapy and self hypnosis downloads.

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Posted in Alcohol

Drug Addiction Counselling – Treating Drug Addiction

Comments: 0January 20th, 2010 by admin



Drug dependency has become a severe problem in most countries with millions addicted to substances such as heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine, alcohol and others. In recent years, staggering information regarding the amount of drug use and abuse prevalent in society has raised much awareness about the problem; yet treating drug addiction has not received the same amount of press.

Many people who know someone with a drug or alcohol problem believe that some time in a rehabilitation centre will make all their problems go away and that the person will be cured following treatment. This is not the case, as drug addiction is not caused by the drugs; the problem lies within the addict.

For years, any type of substance abuse problem has been labelled a moral failing – that the addict is weak, lacks self-will and is a bad person. In the present day, a greater number of people are beginning to see addiction as a disease – that addiction is terminal and incurable, but can be arrested, treated and abstinence maintained. The disease is obsessive and compulsive in nature, leading to addicts obsessively and compulsively seeking drugs and other substances or experiences which will aid them in avoiding unwanted feelings.

Why do addicts use drugs?

Addicts are usually incapable of processing and expressing their feelings in a healthy way. Inner conflict and an inability to deal with life and the feelings which accompany it are the motivation for addicts to use substances. Getting high helps addicts to avoid their feelings; whether happy, sad, depressed or ecstatic, addiction thrives on an inability to cope with feelings, driving addicts to use.

When an addict uses drugs and engages in obsessive and compulsive behaviour, they soon begin to lose all power over their actions. This is the point at which their using progresses to a level where nothing will stop them – losing family, their jobs, houses and self-respect mean nothing compared to the desperation of getting the next hit. Addicts usually recognise their using as a problem, yet are unable to stop using drugs, despite their best intentions. They are powerless over their disease and cannot stop using on their own, even though they have the desire to stop. It is at this point that many addicts seek help for their problem.

How is drug addiction treated?

Treating drug addiction has progressed from the way the problem was previously dealt with centuries ago. Exorcisms and imprisonment in state mental hospitals were the normal way of dealing with addicts before more was known about the disease. These days, drug addiction counselling is based on helping the addict deal with their underlying issues in a caring and supportive way and in a safe environment. Individual counselling as well as group therapy has proved to be the best method of treating drug addiction through the positive results yielded by the combination.

For addicts that have the privilege of being able to attend a treatment programme in a rehabilitation centre and/or receive drug addiction counselling, the prognosis of maintaining sobriety is positive. However, an addict can only live a life of recovery if they are willing to help themselves. If an addict does not want to stop using, no amount of therapy or time spent in a treatment centre will help them, unless they are motivated to stop and to invest their time and energy in helping themselves.

An important part of recovery from any addiction is a daily programme of recovery for the addict to follow. Addiction is incurable and if left untreated will prove to be fatal, yet with a recovery programme which the addict applies themselves to daily, an addict can stay clean and sober for the rest of their life, one day at a time. No matter how much therapy and counselling an addict may receive, life will still present problems and uncomfortable feelings. If an addict is unable to process these feelings in an appropriate manner, they will not be able to maintain abstinence. Because addiction is a disease, it will not simply “go away” – it can be arrested and managed, but this takes effort and willingness on behalf of the addict in question.

A daily reprieve from drugs

A daily programme of recovery that is very successful is a Twelve Step programme as used in Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous. These programmes are based on the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous which lead addicts through a process of admitting that they have a problem, establishing a belief in a power greater than themselves, dealing with life and feelings appropriately and helping other sufferers find recovery.

The programme includes suggestions such as meeting attendance (in which the Twelve Steps and programme are discussed), working with a sponsor (a more experienced member of the fellowship), reading programme literature, written work (exploring the Twelve Steps) and service to the fellowship and society.

Individuals suffering from the disease of addiction do not need to live a life of shame and self hatred anymore. Through counselling and adopting a programme to help maintain a healthy life, mentally and physically, an addict can live the rest of their lives clean from the use of drugs and alcohol. Recovery from drugs and alcohol takes effort and vigilance, but will allow addicts who have lost everything to begin to lead a normal and productive life again.

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Posted in Alcohol

Addiction and Teens

Comments: 0November 14th, 2009 by admin



Lindsay Lohan, Nicole Richie, Demi Moore, Eminem, Matthew Perry. Do you know what these celebrities have in common? Other than the fact that we all love them, at some point in their lives they have all battled with addiction. They have been in and out of rehabs trying to get their lives in order and move on.

Addiction as we know, is not limited to just celebrities, it has been spreading like wildfire. They aren’t just scary people hanging out in dark alleys, neither did they become addicts on a bright sunny day. Addiction probably was a result of repeated substance abuse from their teenage years.

Alcohol and cigarettes have already established themselves as a teens best friend, but now joining this club are stars like marijuana, meth, cocaine, heroin. Of course, add accessibility to this and you get household product addiction, like gasoline, solvents, thinners.

Today thousands of teenagers have succumbed to some kind of addiction or the other. Experimentation and trying to fit in seem to be one of the reasons for this trend and yes, teens think, it’s OK! But unfortunately it is never OK. Curiosity, depression, family history can be a few other reasons.

Teenage years are naturally meant for experimentation and self discovery. But how does this discovery happen when your judgments are clouded by your addiction. Defining an addiction is hard and knowing how to deal with one is even harder. “You should try everything at least ones”, this statement stands true only if you have the ability to say NO. If you don’t show self control this one statement leads to a series of other excuses like:

“I am not hurting anyone.”

“It’s not a big deal, I can stop anytime.”

“Trust me, I know what I am doing.”

“I will deal with it.”

Your will to say NO will be quelled by the mighty addiction. The world of addiction might seem to give you a high, but don’t be deceived, as the price you pay for a minute’s high is a lifetime of fear and loss of independence. As teens we fight for being liberated, how then can we place the reign of our lives in someone else’s hand? Addiction-impaired judgments may lead to diseases like HIV, viral infections, maladies you never even fathomed about.

In case you have fallen prey to this evil, it is never too late. As a teenager you have a blessing in the form of early prevention. Because the teen brain is still developing it will be less hostile to interventions. Reach out for professional help and alter the course of addiction. You are doing yourself a big disservice by trying to keep it a secret or trying to deal with it yourself.

Coping mechanisms have to be re built so that you don’t use addiction to shield away problems. There are several other inconsequential highs in life. Opt for them and chose to liberate yourself from the spiraling world of self destruction.

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Posted in Alcohol

Insights About Drug Addiction

Comments: 0June 23rd, 2009 by admin



Drugs are used for medication of different ailments. It is sometimes prescribed alone for home treatment or it is advice with equipment like Elisa kits. The problem with home meds is that, they can make the patient take the medicines in high dosage or even if it is not necessary. Unlike in the hospitals, the attending nurse or physician supervises medicine intakes. With this kind of situation, patients tend to drink medicines even after the treatment. They became addicts to the medicines.

Drug addiction is not only about the use of prohibited drugs like marijuana, cocaine, heroin and such. As long as there is an excessive use of drugs, there is always an abuse.

Why people engage in this kind of situations? Most of us may think it is because of society or maybe it is because of the influence by others. As an observation, here is the most common factor why teenagers and adults result in drug addiction.

o Peer pressure- this depends on the society we live in. Now for some, the people around them is the main factor why they become drug addicts. At first, it will be just for fun, a one-time event. Then after, it will become a hobby.

o Influence – in our modern times, everything is accessible- web, televisions and other stuff. Some young men and women adopt the things they watch. For example, they are watching this TV series, and one of the characters uses drugs. He or she also will use drugs TVs claim it is okay.

o Problems- now, it can be family problems or any kind of problem. When you are in the influence of drugs, somehow, you are able to neither relax and think nor feel anything. For some, it is an outlet of their emotions.

o For fun – during parties, teenagers use different kinds of drug for a different kind of pleasure. They are not contented with the intoxication of alcohol; rather, they use drugs for fun.

Having a drug addict in the family, does not only affect the person, but the entire family. Of course, parents usually blame themselves for not raising their children well. In fact, it is the fault of their child.

Parents help their child by taking them to a physician to run some drug test using Elisa kits. After which, if the child is positive to certain drugs, it is the discretion of the parents to take their child to a rehabilitation center or not. Most important is that drug addicts need the support, attention and love of their family. Remember that they are in a state where they cannot even help themselves, so give them the support they need.

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Posted in Alcohol