AUTHOR: Romie DATE: 4/06/2007 10:51:00 AM ----- BODY:
The short answer is probably no, but there is a longer explanation. Drug addiction is often characterized as compulsive, drug seeking behavior due to physical and/or mental dependency on a drug, despite knowingly causing damage to oneself and others regardless of consequence. Someone who is drug dependent may not exhibit the compulsive drug-seeking and may have a more rational appearance in life. Cases of this may include the moderate-to-heavy social drinker who has three alcoholic drinks several nights per week or more. You can also include the millions of people who take prescribed drugs day in and day out. Someone who is drug dependent can easily become a drug addict, but there really isn’t a definite line. What happens if the drinker gets cut off at the bar? He often gets belligerent and goes to another bar to buy alcohol, which would be the compulsive drug (or alcohol) seeking. Tolerance can also have an effect on dependence turning into addiction. One example might be someone being prescribed a narcotic painkiller after an injury or surgery. She takes it for the recommended week as prescribed, but when she stops she goes into withdrawals because her body became dependent on it. Her next reaction is that she has to get more of the drug to not feel bad anymore – and this escalates. We receive calls every week of this very scenario, after people have fallen completely into the addiction category. Another example we see a lot with prescriptions includes teenagers who were put on amphetamines for learning disorder labels. Their bodies naturally develop a tolerance to the stimulant and then need more – something stronger. I can’t tell you how many times over the years I’ve heard the story of “please help, my son is using cocaine,” and when I ask questions about their history I find out he was on Ritalin for three years prior to this happening. So, despite different characteristics and definitions, one has to be drug dependent to be an addict, but the line isn’t definite when it is crossed. When do you think that line is crossed, if it’s there at all? Article by Eric Digg It | Reddit | Newsvine Seed Add to your bookmarks in: del.icio.us | Yahoo! | Google | Furl | ma.gnolia | Spurl

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-------- AUTHOR: Romie DATE: 4/05/2007 10:39:00 AM ----- BODY:
Most people’s definition of detoxification is simply just withdrawing from the drug. In most cases, a medically-supervised withdrawal is not necessary, especially with most stimulants and even painkillers and heroin, although it is often preferred with the latter two. Even though a common aide is to have someone ‘sleep it off,’ alcohol and some other drugs can be very difficult to withdraw from when a person is consuming large quantities. Medical detoxification helps someone to systematically withdraw from alcohol or drugs by reducing the amount and/or using other medicines to ease the process and eliminate the risk of seizure and other severe drug withdrawal symptoms. People most often wanting or needing a medically-supervised detoxification before beginning addiction treatment include those on benzodiazapines (Xanax, Valium), opiates (prescription painkillers, heroin, methadone), barbiturates (Phenobarbital) and heavy amounts of alcohol. One main problem with this is, though, that many drug users will try to stop their treatment after detox thinking that their problem is solved, but in actual fact they are much better off statistically to go into a longer-term drug-free residential rehabilitation program after detoxification. In recent years there have also been other classes of prescribed drugs that require medical detox to step down from. These drugs include antipsychotics (Zyprexa, Risperdol, Seroquel), antidepressants (Paxil, Prozac, Wellbutrin, Zoloft, etc.) and other mind-altering prescriptions. Given that more information and side effects of these drugs are discovered each year, more and more people are deciding to not take them and are seeking alternative treatments. These types of drugs have very severe withdrawal symptoms and people coming down from them often experience sudden psychotic episodes, so stepping down gradually in a medically-supervised environment is a good approach rather than weaning down at home. Have you known anyone or heard stories of someone trying to withdraw from some of these drugs on their own? What was the result? Article by Eric Digg It | Reddit | Newsvine Seed Add to your bookmarks in: del.icio.us | Yahoo! | Google | Furl | ma.gnolia | Spurl

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-------- AUTHOR: Romie DATE: 4/03/2007 10:24:00 AM ----- BODY:
For the millions of people struggling with drug and/or alcohol addiction there can be lots of questions and not many answers. We have seen that for many, completing any type of treatment is not usually an option until the addiction has gotten so out of control that many things in the addict’s life are destroyed as a result. Some don’t seek treatment even at this point and eventually end up in jail, or worse. Unfortunately, it seems that the newest trends in drug rehabilitation is not actual rehabilitation but further drug use through replacement therapies. It is hard for someone to be sure they are not falling into the “drug treatment rabbit hole” where they will never actually be free from drugs, but be doomed to a life of chronic relapse and further drug use and where you can do several programs with no real results? Currently, there are thousands of drug rehabilitation programs offered and there are several components that need to be checked out to ensure that you are receiving the best type of help. When reviewing your options, questions should be asked regarding long term success rates for sobriety and permanent recovery from addiction. Also find out about the methods used to get a person to this point, the credentials of the program and testimonials from actual patients and their families communicating personal results. Then, if you find the correct program that will help you, other questions you must answer include how long should you stay there, should you do residential (inpatient) treatment or outpatient, be close to home or away from home? I have personally found that the most successful type of program is one that is inpatient, that uses drug free approaches to handle addiction and have not only successfully completed one myself but had several family members, friends and loved ones go this route with good success. With drug rehabs it is important to do some digging and really find something that will provide the best type of treatment that provides long term sobriety from drug and/or alcohol abuse. Article by Eric Digg It | Reddit | Newsvine Seed Add to your bookmarks in: del.icio.us | Yahoo! | Google | Furl | ma.gnolia | Spurl

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-------- AUTHOR: Romie DATE: 4/01/2007 04:22:00 PM ----- BODY:
Did you know that there are over 13,000 drug rehabs in the United States. Of these thousands of rehabs, there are many different types of rehabs: all women; ages 17 – 35; CO-ED; and even one for pregnant women only. I thought it was interesting that there are so many women only drug rehabs (and very few men only ones) and thought to compare them: With an all women drug rehab there can be fewer distractions: from not having to worry about how you look, to not being preoccupied with the possibility of starting a relationship at a time when it could hinder the progress of your rehabilitation. Also, having other women around you that have gone through similar situations and have the same demands as other women can be extremely helpful in the recovery process. Rehabs for women vary from city to city. Some offer educational tutoring, academic courses, computer skills, life skills, recreational activities like, swimming, hiking, yoga, and karate, as well as group and individual counseling. CO–ED drug rehabs are more common and therefore, you have a greater number to choose from which could be helpful in finding just the right fit for your needs. There is also the opportunity of a more diverse group and the opportunity to build relationships with the opposite sex based on your common situation. CO-ED rehabs offer many of the same classes and courses as all women’s drug rehab but may have some activities geared more toward males or mixed groups. The length of stay varies greatly at any rehab whether it is all female or not. Some can range from 1-4 weeks, others 3-6 months, and even 9-12 month programs. With all of these differences to be considered, not just in gender, you should talk to someone who has had some experience and can recommend a rehab that will best suit your needs. Digg It | Reddit | Newsvine Seed Add to your bookmarks in: del.icio.us | Yahoo! | Google | Furl | ma.gnolia | Spurl

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-------- AUTHOR: Romie DATE: 3/29/2007 10:28:00 AM ----- BODY:
Over the last several years there have been emerging problems with the abuse of club drugs and the damaging effects caused as a result. In fact, incidents of the abuse and the fatal effects of these drugs are in the news increasingly. These types of drugs include MDMA or Ecstasy, Rohypnol, and GHB. All these drugs are most commonly used in the club or rave scene. While ecstasy is said to be similar to a stimulant and a hallucinogen, ecstasy is a synthetic drug that can have many different properties and effects. Some ecstasy is laced with heroin while other pills can be laced with everything from cocaine to any synthetic chemical that the person making it decides to put into it. So you don’t really know what you’re taking when you take ecstasy. Drugs like Rohypnol, GHB and Ketamine are drugs that heavily sedate a person and are most commonly used by those committing sexual assaults. Surprisingly, there are people that voluntarily take these drugs. All are tasteless and odorless. Many people who go to raves on a regular basis say that they go to for the music and to meet new people. Even they cannot deny that clubs and rave parties are very common locations that these drugs are used and sold. Of an estimated 106 million emergency department (ED) visits in the U.S. during 2004, the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) estimates that:
  • 1,997,993 were drug-related
  • MDMA was involved in 8,621 visits
  • GHB was involved in 2,340 visits
  • Rohypnol was involved in 473 visits
  • Ketamine was involved in 227 visits. To some, club drugs seem harmless. In reality, these substances can cause serious physical and psychological problems—even death. Often, the raves where these drugs are used are promoted as alcohol-free events, which gives parents a false sense of security that their children will be safe attending such parties. These parents are not aware that raves may actually be havens for the illicit sale and abuse of club drugs Do you think that club drugs are over hyped or is not enough information known about them and we need to be more careful. Article by Eric Digg It | Reddit | Newsvine Seed Add to your bookmarks in: del.icio.us | Yahoo! | Google | Furl | ma.gnolia | Spurl

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    -------- AUTHOR: Romie DATE: 3/27/2007 11:54:00 AM ----- BODY:
    There are many drugs in existence today, both legal and illegal, that are called “non-addictive.” In fact, pharmaceutical companies have come out with “non-narcotic” forms of pain relief like Ultram and Ambien that are “safe if used as directed and non-addictive” yet the incidents of people becoming addicted to these drugs continues to increase. This is not something new. In the 1850’s when opium addiction first became an epidemic in the United States, morphine was used as a non-addictive substitute until it was later outlawed in the 1920’s because of its’ addictive properties. There have even been statements that the illegal drugs marijuana is a “non-addictive” and “non-harmful” drug, yet it continues to be one of the most abused drug in the country. Another drug said to be “non-addictive” is LSD which is in fact one of the most harmful drugs out there, causing long-term damage to users. Not only does LSD cause flashbacks, where certain aspects of their LSD experience reoccur, but it also can cause long-lasting psychoses, and drug tolerance - where the user needs more and more of the drug to achieve the desired effect. After experiencing their first high on LSD, many users take this drug over and over again, even with the negative effects associated with the drug. The fact remains that drugs alter the senses and perceptions. Drugs produce a high in the user and the user continues taking the drugs to achieve the desired effect and in many cases takes more and more of the drug. This is true of everything from LSD to marijuana, to those legal prescription drugs and replacement drug therapies that are so heavily promoted on a day to day basis. Calling these drugs “non-addictive” is not only a false statement but easily proven untrue, not only with illegal drugs like marijuana and LSD but also with “legal” drugs like prescription pain pills, anti-depressants and replacement drug therapies. If these drugs are so non-addictive, why does the number of people becoming addicted to them continue to increase? You do the math and you’ll see that “non-addictive” drugs really don’t exist. Article by Eric Digg It | Reddit | Newsvine Seed Add to your bookmarks in: del.icio.us | Yahoo! | Google | Furl | ma.gnolia | Spurl

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    -------- COMMENT-AUTHOR:Anonymous COMMENT-DATE:Mar 28, 2007 3:38:00 PM COMMENT-BODY:Drug use and addiction are two very different things. --------