Drug and Alcohol Rehab Solutions for Addiction

Marijuana is a drug that creates quite a bit of controversy, in part because it has been illegal in the United States for many years but now is increasingly becoming accepted within the medical community as a treatment for certain medical conditions like glaucoma and cancer. Many people feel that marijuana should be banned because it is a mind-altering substance that has the potential to be addictive, while others feel it has great medicinal qualities that should allow it to be legal at least for medical purposes.

The issue of whether marijuana should be legal or not calls into question the safety and effects of long-term use. There are lots of strong opinions about the negative effects of marijuana article. One of the primary reported effects associated with marijuana is that it affects memory. How true is this claim? Read the rest of this entry »

Social drinking can be fun and harmless when done in moderation. Even the occasional drink to unwind after work won’t hurt. A glass of wine with dinner may have some health benefits when no other health issues or history of addiction are present. So how does one go from just a few drinks here and there to an addiction?

The truth is that everyone’s makeup is different. What Sally can get away with, maybe Suzy or George can’t. Some people develop a swift and intense addiction to the slightest stimulant, drug or alcohol. Some develop tolerance over time, where they are able to handle more of an alcohol or drug without getting drunk or addicted as quickly. It’s also important to consider the process of habits and addictions. How do habits form? Usually slowly, silently and harmlessly – at first. Read the rest of this entry »

Alcohol, and the powerful, and life threatening effects it has on its victims is all consuming, as are the cravings felt by those trying to beat the hold it has in them. While an alcoholic is drinking, the cravings are relatively easily dealt with as they are safe in the knowledge that the next drink is never far away, alcohol is easy to get right?

But imagine being an alcoholic who has made the decision to quit. The craving will come, and they will engender a sense of fear and panic as they work on the brain, growing stronger as you think of one thing; I want a drink, and I can’t have one. The stakes are high as a lapse is never a small one. Read the rest of this entry »

First of all, Happy New Years! I know many visitors here have gotten drug or alcohol-free in 2011. If you haven’t, you can read excerpts from those who have at Addiction Recovery Interviews. Some of these people were told they were the worst cases ever seen by their doctors.

Zohydro is an in-development narcotic drug for pain, manufactured by Zogenix of San Diego, CA, which will provide 12-hour pain relief to patients with moderate-to-severe chronic pain. Still in the trial phase, capsule strengths have been tried at 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 milligrams to find a moderate dosage that will be most effective for patients who fit the pain profile the product is intended for.

Zohydro contains pure hydrocodone, one of the most powerful and the second most abused prescription painkiller in the United States. Hydrocodone is highly addictive, and side effects include fuzzy thinking, slowed or irregular breathing, chest tightness, dizziness, constipation, difficulty urinating, itchy rashes, nausea and vomiting. Sudden discontinuation of its use causes the user to exhibit withdrawal symptoms anywhere from cramping and nausea to diarrhea and vomiting. Read the rest of this entry »

DEA statistics show that, year on year, drug use is increasing. An estimated 12.8 Americans, that is 6% of the population aged 12 or older, uses some sort of illegal substance on a regular or semi-regular basis. Most of these users are not addicted (so far), and take a range of substances that could be classified as popular recreational drugs. The two most common are Marijuana and cocaine.

The biggest single culprit is obviously Marijuana in its various forms. In fact, over half of all drug use concerns marijuana. There are a few reasons for this. Hashish is considered to be something of a “safe” drug. It certainly doesn’t have the same danger sign that we connect to crack or heroin for example. The 1960s image of smoking dope to mellow out is still with us. Given that some people actually use marijuana on prescription for things like pain relief, its positive image is hardly a surprise. This seems to be particularly true amongst the nation’s youth. Read the rest of this entry »

Cocaine addiction is one of the most powerful of all drug addictions and one of the hardest to break. It’s no secret that using cocaine is very harmful to the body and potentially fatal, but to the addict, knowledge of this fact alone isn’t enough to help them kick the habit.

When cocaine enters the body, it begins to manipulate the pleasure centers of the brain, producing sudden and extreme highs, hallucinations and states of euphoria. The brain’s normal reaction to pleasure inducers like food and sex would be to produce a chemical called dopamine that gives off that feeling of pleasure that we all know. In a cocaine addict, dopamine builds up and gets congested over time and the pleasurable feelings are more intense when the pleasure receptors in the brain kick in. There is such a feeling of euphoria that an addict will hunger to go higher and higher for longer and longer periods of time; but in order to achieve this, doses of cocaine must be increased, and so the cycle continues. Read the rest of this entry »

If the idea of everything getting faster appeals, you will understand why it is that amphetamines have been a popular recreational drug for so long. This sort of stimulant speeds up the messages that pass between brain and body which was its original medical use for conditions like narcolepsy or even attention deficit disorder.

Users of speed, whiz, uppers or whatever other name you choose, are obviously not put off by the bitter taste and unpleasant smell associated with this dirty colored powder. So why do people like amphetamines? Some people prefer things to be slow and mellow. What is it that keeps people hooked? Read the rest of this entry »

The road to recovery from alcohol addiction is a slow, winding and bumpy one. It’s up to the individual to stay the course and continue moving forward. Then one day all of the rough patches will be far behind, and there will be nothing but a smooth journey ahead. What to do in the meantime is the tough part.

So you’ve decided to kick the habit and move forward with your life, but there are still the occasional cravings that just won’t seem to go away. How do you get through dark periods like these? Withdrawal symptoms from alcoholism can be painful, uncomfortable and even life-threatening. Symptoms following the cessation of alcohol may include headaches, tremors, perspiration, nausea, vomiting, insomnia, stomach cramps, diarrhea, fever, hypertension, and delirium. In light of all of these, living with alcohol may seem easier than living without it. Read the rest of this entry »

It is not safe for people to stop taking pain pills abruptly. Many types of pills such as analgesics, certain antidepressants, opioids, etc often require tapering. This is often the case for those who have relied on the medications for a very long time.

One of the things that can happen when a painkiller medication is stopped abruptly is that the body will go into withdrawal. Some of the withdrawal signs for people taking opioids are sleeplessness, muscle aches and pains, muscle twitches, vomiting, stomach pains, blood pressure, etc. These signs can last for as long as ten days. It is very easy for the body to get used to a drug within a few weeks. Abrupt discontinuation is not advised generally. Read the rest of this entry »

Possession of certain types of drugs can cause you to get in trouble but the question is how did you get them? Off the street, through a friend, or in a pharmacy? Illegal and legal drugs bought on the streets can be dangerous for many different reasons. For one thing, you can get in trouble with the law purchasing illegal drugs. Another issue is that even if you are purchasing legal drugs on the street, if you don’t have your own prescription for them, you are breaking the law.

Some popular drugs that are being sold on the street as you are reading this are cocaine, opium, and ecstasy. These are illegal drugs that go through secret passages so that other may buy them off the street without police being able to trace them. Though the person you’re buying from tells you it’s one thing, it could really be something else. You don’t know what could be used in making non-prescription street drugs or if you are actually buying your drug of choice. It could potentially harm your body or your well being. Read the rest of this entry »

Mississippi has a large variety of different drug and alcohol treatment centers. The types of programs available include inpatient, outpatient, woman only, residential, long-term and many others. Below is a description of five Drug and Alcohol Centers in Mississippi.

Born Free, Jackson, Mississippi – this is a primary residence treatment program for women who are pregnant or parents. All patients at Born Free are there on a voluntary basis. Children under the age of five may stay at the facility with their mother. The most important part of this program is the involvement of the woman’s family and partners. Read the rest of this entry »

Stats on teen drinking tell us that recently there has been a slight decrease in most states but nevertheless it is a serious cause for concern, especially when teens are driving. Remember that teens are often distracted by concerns around popularity and other factors which can increase impulsive behaviors.

In a sparsely-populated state such as Wyoming there were 47 deaths in 2009 caused by drunk driving and 11 of those were underage drinkers, so that’s roughly 25%. When compared to the previous year there was a 17% decrease in drunk driving in which young people were involved. Read the rest of this entry »

If you are stressed out or struggling at work you may have been thinking about how you’ve heard some people say that they can work better using cocaine. This is a common misconception. Cocaine is of course a stimulant, and provides a short term high. But there are of course long term consequences, which are less than desirable.

Cocaine use can often start as an innocent, curious experiment. You may have heard that it gives you more confidence. You may feel that it can make you more alert. You may be feeling stressed and want a lift. You may get an initial high, but you will be doing long term damage to yourself and the people around you, and if caught you may well jeopardize your employment. Read the rest of this entry »