Thursday, October 21, 2010

Life after de-addiction is a rebirth!


Drug addiction is not just due to stressful events or trauma but it can also cause due to over in-take and higher tolerance level to any drug developed in the human body. This drug can be a simple pain killer to high quality anti- depressant. Human tend to get dependent on a drug because of its relieving qualities. They forget the pains or trauma; they face, for a while once they go under the influence of this drug. This relaxation is very much addictive. People do not get addicted to the drug in true sense, but they get addicted to the effects that are caused on them after consuming it. Those effects are very much enslaving. But broadly speaking, people mistake this addiction of the effect as the addiction of the drug.

One of such addictive drug is Oxycontin. It is a very famous for its pain killing properties. It is widely prescribed by the doctors for pain. This medicine allows its effect to be released over period of time as a compound drug and is very much effective. But its time release feature can be eliminated by crushing it or taking it intravenously. By taking it in this way, it provides complete relaxation to mind and body immediately. Thus a very detached and calming effect is achieved within no time. This characteristic of this drug makes it very addictive in today’s stressful world. The kind of feeling offered by this drug attracts the abusers and they start using it often. Addiction to Oxycontin is very much common due to its feature of relaxing the stressful mind. Again the point of getting addicted to the effect is proven.

Getting out of this habit becomes very crucial, once this habit does not remain within self. Such habits can cause adverse effects on the families, friends as well as profession. Too much of anything is equally bad; same is applicable to the dependency on drug. Specialized rehabs offer individualized recovery treatment for their clients. These rehabs not only de-addict the patients, but also take care of long term sobriety. Various programs are offered for retaining new sober life such as alumni programs, celebrate recovery program. They educate the patients to enjoy the revived life, face it with new zest and fervor. Families also get roped in for extended support outside the rehab. Thus an all-rounded effect of the treatment is achieved.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Substance abuse is injurious to health and mind


Substance abuse is a commonly found phenomenon in the world today. It has influenced most of the people living on the surface of the earth at least once in their life. The addiction to these substances is due to various reasons such as stress, trauma, peer pressure or acceptance seeking behavior, craving for adventure etc. It is a very natural tendency of human to develop and increase tolerance levels to certain matter be it experiences or adverse situations in life or drugs and alcohol in-take, this is also applicable to the medicines. If the medicines are taken for a longer time, the human body tends to get used to it and then the dose needs to be increased for obtaining the effect. It is also possible for people to get addicted to certain drug.

Addiction has its own effect on the addict. Addiction is a curable disease, if detected at early stage. There are various stages of addiction. If recognized and sought help at earliest, it can be treated and there are very rare chances of relapses. But it happens in very rare cases. Many addicts remain in denial for long and once the addiction becomes problem to the addict him/ herself or the others in family, then the help is sought. For addiction recovery there are various rehabs. They offer professional and compassionate help to their clients. Basic aim of these rehabs is to get their clients out of the life threatening dis-ease. At later stage the addiction can turn very fatal and take life of the addict.

Getting help at the right time is very crucial element, for which it is required to first of all realize the addiction and show willingness to overcome it. Drug rehabs play a major role in getting the addicts out of the mess and revive their life. California drug rehab is just the similar kind of rehab which offers help for the ones who wish to quit the deadly habits and embrace the life once again. Nowadays the idea of rehabs has also undergone a makeover. Now the rehabs resemble to homes and the comfort provided there is unmatched. Now the experts believe in the theory of healing through compassion, love and comfort. The rehabs are equivalent to luxurious houses with state-of-art facilities, like the ones that are offered in the California drug treatment. The professionals now believe that if the facilities are based on gender, the result is much more positive and effective. It is observed that a person becomes more open and welcomes changes as well as responds better to the measures taken for healing.

Families play important role in long term sobriety


Human beings are very emotional animals on the earth. They are in constant need for emotional support. It is also proven that they succumb to situational pressures and demanding roles more easily than their counter part. They easily fall prey to different lures. They need more external support and help to fight out personal issues. The world is very much complicated. It offers many happy moments, but also equally sad or stressful ones. It is up to someone how to deal with this. Many face it bravely but many fall prey to harsh situations. As they say, life is always give and take. Many times it happens, that life only “takes” and does not give back the expected. This brings in lots of depression to a person.

To seek some solace, he turns to various activities which might be or might not be really helpful to him. Some of such activities could be indulging into sports, music or any other hobbies. These are some of very constructive and stress-buster activities. There are activities which do not fall under constructive category. They are more of life threatening or destructing ones, like alcohol addiction, substance abuse or drug addiction. These activities induce only harmful substance into body and take the life out of the humans. At the initial stage any addiction can be hidden cleverly, but as it advances, it becomes very difficult to control the urge to take the substance in and at this stage the addiction comes out prominently.

Then the near and dear ones seek for a suitable rehab for getting their loved ones out of the clutches of the deadly habit. The drug and alcohol treatment center offer personalized treatment for recovery. During the treatment period an expert help and moral boost is offered by the clinical staff. Once outside the rehab, this help and support is very much essential to retain the sobriety which is achieved with great efforts and huge amount of will power. For this the rehabs rake in the families. They educate the families for support and help. There is a wing developed in every rehabs called addiction family counseling, this department fully focuses on the families of the addicts and train the members in offering good and positive support to the newly sobers. This help in maintaining the sobriety for longer.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Combining fun with treatment for recovery

How much is food important to living? Funny question! But the answer is serious, it is equally important as air and water. It is one of the most crucial things an individual wants to have. If someone is derived of any of the above mentioned items, then the individual’s capabilities to perform his acts is decreased. So taking in the right amount of food is required to maintain a healthy circle. Due to some reasons, people tend to take in inadequate amount or more than required amount of food, which is called eating disorder. One very prominent reason for this disorder is the trauma. Many of us may not be able to deal with it that effectively. Hence succumb to various disorders.


People have become aware of eating disorder immensely during last decade. Because of incidents happening, that many famous public figures facing this problems and eventually embracing death. These prominent personalities led others to do a research on these disorders and gain more knowledge. Thus the knowledge about eating disorders became general. There are various types of eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating etc. these disorders are marked as very extreme, as they exhibit characteristics which are very extreme. This disease is present, when a person experiences severe disturbances in eating behavior, such as extreme reduction of food intake or extreme overeating, or feelings of extreme distress or concern about body weight or shape. It can be due to a combination of biological, psychological or environmental causes. These disorders can also be classified as Axis disorders.


Many eating disorder center offer expert help and sophisticated treatment for recovery from this disorder. This disorder is basically and directly connected with the mental state. It also involves how we perceive ourselves. So it becomes very crucial to combine the cognitive therapy, which works on reforming the self image and teaches us to accept ourselves as we are, with the medical support which helps in regaining the physical fitness and wipe out any deficiencies caused due to malnutrition or over eating as well as helping in setting up a diet menu. When it deals with mind, it is very important to know that mind responds well to lighter events quickly, hence the experts include fun- centric exercises, events for getting the clients to respond well. These fun eating disorder treatment have good success rate.

Addiction is similar to slow poisoning

There are various types of substances which are used for a high. Among few are Marijuana, Grass, and Extacy etc. Various drugs have different functions. But all of them hit the mental ability of a person. Some of them are also prescribed drugs. But these are to be taken in a suggested measure.
Abusing any substance can lead to very dangerous and life threatening incidents. Extacy is a drug that can cause mental addiction and we treat many young men and women for whom it is a primary drug of choice. Extacy is potentially fatal every time it is used and is extremely dangerous if mixed with other drugs or alcohol. This is a common name for MDMA, it is also a synthetic, psychoactive drug which is chemically similar to the stimulant meth and the hallucinogen mescaline. It's a neurotoxin drug with many negative effects. This drug is taken orally in tablet form the majority of time. Occasionally, it is "snorted" or taken nasally, and in extremely rare cases, young adults do smoke or even take this drug intravenously.

Extacy addiction has various side effects including increases in heart rate and blood pressure, a special risk for people with circulatory problems or heart disease, and other symptoms such as muscle tension, involuntary teeth clenching, nausea, blurred vision, faintness, and chills or sweating. Psychological effects can include confusion, sleep problems, drug craving, and severe anxiety. Erratic mood swings and depression can lead to isolation from friends and family. Another common effect of ecstasy use is decreased performance on the job or in school. All this leads to an unstable state of mind and body.


The rehabs offer a complete recovery treatment for this addiction. There are two types of treatments offered one of which is a residential treatment, 30- day treatment or various other programs, where the patients are supposed to live in the rehabs for effective results. The other form of treatment is an out- patient treatment. The Out- patient rehab offers this treatment for those who cannot leave their regular life or professional commitments to get admitted into the rehabs or do not wish to disappear from the scene to make it more obvious. Still wish to live a sober life. For such individuals these rehabs offer a 12 step programs. It is also equally effective, but the patient has to tackle the lures of drugs which keep surrounding him/ her in their normal life. If the patient is able to stay away from those lures then he/ she can easily overcome the addiction, because the mind is out of addiction first.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Substance abuse: a killing machine!


Methamphetamine is a drug usually known as Meth, by the substance abusers. One of the early inventions shows that it was first synthesized by a Japanese chemist in the year 1893. This drug is used for the treatment of narcolepsy. It was commonly used during the II World War. It was used by the axis and allied forces. This drug was commonly used and distributed amongst the top army officials to basic grade army men. methamphetamine addiction can be a serious problem due to its psycho-stimulant properties. This drug causes euphoria, anxiety, aggression, self confidence etc. physically it has many adverse effects such as memory loss, aggression, psychotic behavior, heart damage, malnutrition, and severe dental problems to name a few. Initially only limited to Hawaii and western parts of the country, methamphetamine abuse continuously spread towards east and it affected the rural and urban areas increasingly. According to one national survey, approximately 10 million people in the United States have tried methamphetamine at least once in their lifetime. This drug can be taken intravenously or smoked.

Marijuana addiction is another type of addiction which is commonly found among any age. This drug has special properties. Marijuana releases serotonin which is a chemical in the brain that triggers a feeling of pleasure. The most common method for using this drug is to place the dried leaves, stems, and flowers of this plant onto rolling paper and make it into a cigarette, to be smoked. It can also be smoked in a water pipe or other metal or glass pipe. This drug can also be put in food products or be mixed with coffee or tea.When someone smokes Marijuana regularly the brain gets used to higher amounts of serotonin production than normal , so when these addicts try to quit smoking this drug, then the production drops , followed by which they experience a mild mental withdrawal from the dependence on the previously increased levels of serotonin and the pleasure it brought along with. When one gets used to the high, it becomes very difficult to refrain oneself from smoking it. The addicts try to find new ways to justify their addiction. marijuana drug rehab follows a holistic treatment for recovery separately for every individual.

Any type of addiction is characterized as killing if not detected or treated at earliest. It can be very fatal and take life!

Addiction can ruin a life, but compassionate words can heal


An addict can remain in denial about his/ her addiction. They may try to hide it, but once it goes beyond their control, the whole world knows about it. It is up to the families to offer support and required love to get back to normal and sober life. Many individuals face this problem all by themselves, as they do not share it with their family. Their rate of recovery is less, as their addiction remains a secret and may be more dangerous than that, which is detected or shared earlier. There are ways how the families can help their loved one to get out of the addiction. An addiction cannot be accidental, it is a deliberate process carried out by the individual consciously. But there could be many factors which might lead to addiction apart from the willingness of the individual. Those factors are identified by the medical practitioners in the due course of discussion with the addict. Once the factors are identified, then a plan of action is drawn by studying the case closely. Eventually a personalized treatment is decided. This is how normally the rehabs work. Due to their personalized approach they have higher success rate.

After the addiction is acknowledged, the family members or friends try to locate a good rehab which suit to their needs. They may visit various sites which might focus on how to help a loved one to find a good rehab or cope with the set back caused due to addiction. These web sites also help in addressing the issues like how to help an addict to overcome or deal with his addiction. The most basic thing all the web sites state is that, the families should never blame the addict for following such dangerous habits. It may have adverse effect on the addict.

Circumstances might be the culprit in directing someone to addiction. The families or the friends need to be educated in dealing this kind of situation. Many web sites have extensive information and many useful incidents related to real life, which might be useful for them. Besides talking to them using positive words, the families can also support them through their recovery process by visiting them regularly at rehab, making them feel wanted in the house by telling them how much they are missed each time. Such small gestures can work wonders and result a good and speedy recovery.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Compassionate Healing Words Work Wonders!


The other day one of my closest friends had a fight with her partner. She came to me and shared her perspective. The reason of the fight was really petty but it created havoc in her life. We decided to call her husband as well to know his version of the story. All four of us sat down and had a prolonged discussion. In the end, the matter was solved between them. Our mind plays a huge role in perceiving things around us. What we feel and the vibes we get from those things determine how we respond to them. Many small things can turn into a big brawl due to perception.

One of the great authors has mentioned a story of a monkey to describe how the mind can manipulate circumstances around us and then change the entire look out towards those things. It happens so; a monkey gets trapped in a tower and gets locked into a room accidently. After trying out various ways to get out, it fails. There are only two windows in that room. It thinks that, it is eternal hell with no way to get out. Numerous tries in vain and it looks around. After inspecting the room, looking out of the window it realizes that, things, it could see from the window were not that bad. As the matter of fact, the monkey started to enjoy the view, the peace inside the room etc. it’s changed perception towards the eternal hell.

In a similar way, there are many ways to look at things people do not realize. It is the duty of the loved ones to make them realize and lessen their burden. Especially for those, whose loved ones have been admitted into rehabs. Changing the perspective towards life changes everything! The psychologists and medical therapists have recommended certain rules for conversing with the loved ones in rehab they guide the families about what to say to an addict. They recommend that certain topics which are pertaining to their past or which might remind them of the addiction should be avoided. Similarly, certain things should be told to them to change their perspective towards life. Psychologists educate families about what to say to an alcoholic. Tensions from past should be buried and the sober life should be embraced with a brand new perspective. Kind words can make a whole lot of difference!

Substance abuse: a self imposed slavery to drugs!


Many times I am forced to think, what on the earth makes people get addicted to drugs or alcohol? Always have failed to get the answer to this question, until I happened to read an article on the internet about factors leading to addictions! There were many reasons leading to addiction, all of them were valid. One reason caught my attention the most was as follows: many of us get addicted to get emotional strength. This point got my thought process rotating. Why does one have to depend on the external factors to be strong? Is it not sufficient to have a strong mind and acknowledging it? All my questions may be true in their own respect. Later, with some extensive research, it was clear to me, that very few of us have the ability to know and realized how strong our own mind is and how well we ourselves can control the mind to make it our slave.

Though it sounds very tough and hard, on the contrary it is the most easily learned art. One should know when to let it go scot free and when to hold it back. There is one apt proverb in literature, it says, a will can move mountains! Do you think it is physically possible for person to move mountains? The answer might be “NO”. But with power of will paired with efforts people can reach at the top of the mountain. So power of mind is the mightiest tool humans have, we should acknowledge it and make accurate use of it. But very few of us realize this principle. Those who realize it, move far ahead in their lives. For those who do not understand it, think life as hard task, and seek help outside self, get easily addicted to substances to gain a feeling of being well.

Ativan is one drug used for getting a feeling of relieved from anxiety. It has a very soothing and calming effect. This drug is used in psychological therapies by the professionals. It is also recommended by the practicing medical experts for a shorter term. It has a characteristic to make the user habituated to this drug. Similarly people use cocaine for getting the euphoric feeling. Ativan addiction needs careful and expert medical care in the treatment which begins with detoxification. Cocaine addiction affects the central nervous system. The basic difference between these addictions is the earlier one is a prescribed drug whereas the other one is addictive.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

First step towards addiction recovery is detox!


There are various factors which lead to getting a person addicted the various drugs and alcohol. But only one factor leads them to get out of this mess and that crucial factor is the willingness or longing to quitting this addiction and to lead a sober life. Many people do so for their loved ones, many do so for themselves. Whatever the reason be, to face the uneasiness for denying body the pleasure it is used to may cause tremendous pain in body, requires lot of courage and a very strong will power. It needs lot of determination and courage to put your body through the painful experience. Apart from these personal factors, external factors such as expert guidance, well equipped rehab, personal monitoring during recovery, individualistic recovery treatment, following approach during recovery and the most important to reform the thinking pattern of the newly sober to refrain from going back the addiction are the basic and most significant things one should look for while finding a right rehab. Nowadays most of the rehabs follow these guidelines and offer compassionate and sophisticated recovery treatment to their clients.

Right after admitting into a rehab an evaluation process, to measure the intensity of the addiction is carried out. Based on the outcome of these evaluations, the medical experts draft a personalized recovery plan for the addicts. The very fundamental and primary goal of those professionals is to get the toxins out of the body, so that the drugs can be effective in fighting against the cravings and foreign substances. Getting the toxins out of the body is called detoxification. As the name suggest, it detoxifies the body. This term does not limit itself to removal of toxins from human body, but it may also include the withdrawal period, caused due to denying the body the usual substance, to which the body is addicted.

In conventional medicine, detoxification can be achieved by decontamination of poison ingestion and the use of antidotes as well as techniques such as dialysis and (in a very limited number of cases) Chelating therapy. Many alternative medicine practitioners promote various other types of taking the poisonous substances out such as "diet detoxification," but there is little evidence that such methods have any health benefits. Most of the rehabs follow sophisticated drug detox methods. Alcohol detox gives a proper platform to impart recovery treatment. These methods help in getting the body cleansed and conditions it for a better sustainability.

Quick addiction is very much dangerous and harmful

Stress can be one of the major role players I getting someone drawn towards the drugs. To forget the stress and achieve a feeling of relief, people tend to surrender to various drug abuse or alcohol addictions. But stress is not just only factor involved in getting a person addicted to these substances. Another cause for getting addicted or getting drawn towards these addictions as adults is physical or sexual abuse incidents faced in the childhood. These scars remain in the minds of these people and may haunt them from time to time. To get away from such thoughts or forget those painful memories, people start abusing drugs, which temporarily take gives them a feeling of detachment and also a feeling of being happy. Though these activities work as a coating which wears away right after the high is reduced. This was the vicious circle continues.

Prescribed drugs play major role in the healing or recovery process of a person. The doctors prescribe various drugs which help the patients in relieving from the pains, helping to get sound sleep etc. all these medicines are aimed at healing the ailing bodies of the patients. Percocet is one of the narcotic drugs prescribe by the doctor to get relief from pains. This drug is highly addictive, as the dependency can be developed within a week’s time. This brand is highly controlled due to its high addictive properties. These tablets contain a combination of oxycodone and acetaminophen (Tylenol). It is classified as a schedule 2 narcotic by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and is regulated in use because it has a high potential for abuse.

This drug cannot be refilled without proper prescription of the doctor. The addicts initially go via a legitimate route of a doctor, but later follow illegal ways to obtain this drug. Percocet gives a feeling of euphoria and well being. It is not as powerful or as fast acting as inject able narcotics (heroin or morphine) but effects the body in a similar fashion. Percocet drug addiction leads the addicts go to any extent to get hold of this drug. They get involved with the illegal drug community which involves those who may be taking multiple narcotics or seeking drugs simply for the effects, without any valid medical reason. A typical Percocet addiction treatment includes detox, counseling sessions, behavioral therapies etc.