Archive for September, 2007

Drug Addiction Treatment Help

September 28, 2007 at 10:13 am · Filed under About Drug Addiction

Drug Addiction Treatment
I was saddened to see how little drug addiction help there was online.  It’s as if, because drugs are illegal, there is a greater stigma associated with them than, say, alcohol, cigarettes, or eating addictions.  Yet, the problem is the same, even if aspirin is your drug of choice.  In my 15-year addiction, I used coke, LSD, STP and synthetic mescaline, but my two favorites were pot and little “cross-top” pills.  The combination of booze, pot and uppers seemed to give me the sense of superiority and stamina I wanted and an uninhibited nature that got me in much trouble, but not as much as my friends.  If you’re concerned that you or a loved one may be addicted to drugs, call the drug addiction helpline at 1-800-99-DETOX.  Two of my druggie buddies died, one from suicide, the other in an LSD induced auto accident.  Two others were committed into psychiatric treatment because they just never came down after taking LSD.  Another went to prison for having relations with the 12-year-old daughter of another friend.  Needless to say, I’m familiar with the devastation of drugs.

Causes of Drug Addiction:
Like alcohol, the popular theory is that the addiction is an illness that others should just understand and clean up our messes.  This is denial and enabling; it prevents people from seeking the real help they need.  The real cause is a condition everyone is born with…a low self-esteem, a sense of incompleteness that causes us to crave some sort of fulfillment. Some people try to fill the cravings with money, power, competition, education, food, drugs, religion.  Some are applauded, some condemned but all are addicts that  can give you a good understanding of addiction laid out in simple language.  If you’re looking for drug addiction treatment I want you to know…no one deserves help more than you, no one is better than you.

Drug Addiction Treatment:
It’s popular to “medicate” addicts, as if that did anything more than change the source of their addiction.  I hear methadone, for instance, is very popular to steal from clinics and sell on the street. Another popular route is to intervene and check people into treatment centers against their will.  I don’t know what the success rate is for such treatment but I suspect it’s very high until the addict is released.  If we’re convincing enough, we can actually get doctors to supply our drugs, to treat pain, depression, or any one of dozens of new “diseases”.  Then there’s the psychological approach.  If psychologists have the answers why do they have the highest suicide rate?  The sad point is, while a few manage to pull themselves out in these treatments, millions more are convinced there is no cure for their condition and become dependant on the treatment, instead of being freed of the dependence.
Real Drug Addiction Help:
The Cure:  Ask yourself, “Do I want help?”  What if there was a way to become completely free of drug addiction?  What if your craving were removed because you had become complete and fulfilled in a healthy and productive way?  I haven’t had an illegal drug since 1984.  In fact, I’m pretty wary of legal medicine.
For addiction help call the national helpline at 1-800-99-DETOX.

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5 Types of Alcoholics

September 27, 2007 at 6:56 am · Filed under About Drug Addiction

More Than Half of U.S. Alcoholics Are Young Adults, Alcohol Dependence Study Shows
By Miranda Hitti
WebMD Medical News
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD
June 29, 2007 — New alcoholism research identifies five types of alcoholics and shows that young adults account for more than half of U.S. alcoholics.

The high percentage of young adults among alcoholics was unexpected, notes researcher Howard Moss, MD, who is the associate director for clinical and translational research at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).

“While we knew that many young adults had problematic involvement with alcohol from our research on college-aged drinkers, we were certainly surprised by the proportion of alcohol-dependent individuals who fell into that young adult cluster,” Moss tells WebMD.
 
Seek Help for Alcoholism

In the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence, Moss and colleagues describe the five types of alcoholics. But before you read those descriptions, keep Moss’ advice in mind. “We hope that if someone suspects they may have a problem with alcohol that they talk about this with their local alcohol rehab,” Moss tells WebMD. “If the alcohol rehab will not provide this assessment the individual should ask for a referral to an addiction treatment specialist for an in-depth evaluation,” he says.
 
Alcoholism Statistics
Moss and colleagues studied data from 1,484 U.S. adults who took part in a national survey conducted by the NIAAA from 2001 to 2002.
The study focused on alcohol dependence and also included questions about personality, family history of alcoholism, and other substance use.
The researchers applied the survey’s findings to the U.S. population. They estimate that in the year before the study, nearly 8 million people in the U.S. met the standard for a diagnosis of alcohol dependence.
Alcoholism is the nonmedical, popular term for alcohol dependence, notes Moss.
 
5 Types of Alcoholics

The study describes five subtypes of alcoholics.

The young adult subtype accounts for about 32% of U.S. alcoholics. They’re young adults who rarely seek help for alcohol dependence. About 24 years old, they became alcoholics by age 20, on average. They drink less frequently than other alcoholics, but they tend to binge drink when they drink. This is the largest subtype.
The young antisocial subtype comprises 21% of U.S. alcoholics. They are 26 years old, on average. More than half have antisocial personality disorder. They tended to start drinking at 15 and became alcoholics by 18 — earlier than other subtypes. They are more likely to smoke tobacco and pot. The young antisocial subtype and the young adult subtype don’t overlap, Moss tells WebMD.
The functional subtype accounts for about 19% of U.S. alcoholics. They’re generally middle-aged, working adults who tend to have stable relationships, more education, and higher incomes than other alcoholics. They tend to drink every other day, often consuming five or more drinks on drinking days.
The intermediate familial subtype makes up nearly 19% of U.S. alcoholics. Nearly half have close relatives who are alcoholics. Alcoholics in this subtype typically began drinking by 17 and became alcoholics in their early 30s.
The chronic severe subtype is the rarest subtype, accounting for about 9% of U.S. alcoholics. This subtype mainly includes men, has the highest divorce rate, and frequently includes users of illicit drugs.
“When most people think of alcoholics, they think of middle-aged men with a profile similar to our chronic severe subtype,” Moss tells WebMD.
“Our data shows that alcoholism is more a disorder of youth than previously suspected,” he adds.
Moss warns that while some alcoholic subtypes may function better than others, “in all cases, alcohol dependence must be viewed as a severe disease with a significant adverse impact on health and well-being.”
For information relating to a quality alcohol rehab, you can call the national alcohol abuse helpline at 1-800-99-DETOX.

 

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Outpatient Drug Rehab Only for Beginners

September 26, 2007 at 5:37 pm · Filed under About Drug Addiction

Most individuals that do well in an outpatient drug rehab are those whose drug addiction has not progressed to the point where  they require drug detox or there lives have not become completely unmanageable. They tend to have a support system in place and can manage their lives without the use of drugs. Due to the rapid onset of drug addiction, if you find yourself abusing drugs find an outpatient drug rehab now.

Those individuals that require inpatient drug rehab have become completely dependant upon drugs emotionally and physically. They require continued support and drug detox services in order to recover. In most cases, even those people looking for outpatient rehab, require inpatient addiction treatment services but are just too resistant to access that type of care.

If you are looking for a drug rehab, but are unsure of the type of addiction treatment that is best for you, call the national addiction helpline for guidance. They can help you locate an appropriate rehab to meet your needs. Call 1-800-99-DETOX. 

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Drug and Alcohol Detox Information

September 24, 2007 at 7:52 am · Filed under About Drug Addiction

Drug Detox

Drug detox is the first step to abstinence and a drug-free life. It’s very important to remember that when an addict either chooses or is forced to go through drug detox, or alcohol detox, that the actual process of the detoxification is provided under medical supervision.

Medical Detox
Withdrawal symptoms occur during drug detox when an individual who abuses drugs either stop completely or dramatically reduces the drug intake after a pattern of consistent and extended use. The immediate symptoms of withdrawal that occur due to drug detox or alcohol detox usually will include sweating, shaking, headache, strong drug cravings, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramping, diarrhea, inability to sleep, confusion, agitation, depression, anxiety, and other behavioral changes. There are certain drugs that require a strict period of supervised medical drug detox, while other drugs do not. Drugs, such as heroin and methadone do require medical supervision through period of drug detox. Addictions to prescription medications will usually involve a medically supervised period of drug detoxification. Other drug classifications like marijuana, crystal meth, cocaine and crack will usually not require medical attention during the period of detox.

Often times when it comes to the addiction of drugs, many individuals will create a self-induced, psychological dependence to the drug they are abusing, and therefore make the drug detoxification period more painful, sometimes making the detox period longer than medically needed.

Addiction to prescription drugs like Oxycontin, Xanax, Vicodin and Lortab, all require supervised medical drug detox. The process of detox that needs to be medically supervised includes the need to closely monitor the vital signs of the individual, encouragement, and the administering of medications. Klonepin is commonly the medication given to individual’s undergoing drug detox, because it aids in the reduction of physical symptoms. Generally, the drug detoxification process usually lasts anywhere from three to seven days depending on the drug and the length and frequency of use.
Detox and Rehab
Drug detox is done as the first step in any rehab program because any presence of drugs in an individual’s body will keep the body and person craving drugs. Also, a person who is still under any influence of drugs will not be physically or mentally ready to begin the process of drug rehabilitation, thus making drug detox the first and most important start to any drug addiction treatment.
Many drug rehabilitation centers are equipped with their own drug detox or alcohol detox facilities, making the transition easier for individuals who are attending the program. Some drug detox is done under a medical professional’s care, but is done through an outpatient process, where the patient does not need to remain at the facility. However, it has been noted that the most successful drug detox and drug rehab is done at an inpatient drug treatment facility.

What does alcohol detox mean?

Alcohol detox is the first step in any rehab or treatment for alcohol abuse to begin the journey to sobriety. Detox is the process of removing any residual toxins that are present in the human body, usually occurring due to the abuse of drugs and alcohol. Alcohol detoxification, while under the care of medical supervision and care, is the process of supervising the body and monitoring the physical withdrawal symptoms that the individual will encounter due to the absence of alcohol. Medical supervision is required to aid in the minimization of the possible painful side effects that are likely to occur throughout alcohol detoxification, while helping to prevent any of the potentially permanent consequences that can be detrimental to an individual’s body or mental health. When going about any alcohol detox, there are different methods available to go about the process itself of alcohol detox.

When an individual uses alcohol consistently for an extended period of time, an addiction and dependence on the consumption of alcohol will occur. When the individual who has developed the addiction to alcohol ceases to drink alcohol regularly, or how the body is used to, they will begin to experience symptoms that are referred to as withdrawals. Alcohol detox is the same as alcohol withdrawals and without proper medical supervision or care, the effects can be extremely dangerous, and is not recommended to be attempted alone or without prior consent from any medical professional. The results of alcohol detox can include several severe symptoms including seizures, nausea, hallucinations, high blood pressure and anxiety. These symptoms are the reasons that it is not recommended to attempt alcohol detox on ones own.

Alcohol detox generally can take anywhere from three to five days to be completed, depending on the pattern of the alcohol abuse and consumption, and the process of which the alcohol detoxification is being undergone. When alcohol detox is being completed under medical care, medications are usually given to the patient to alleviate the pain of the withdrawal symptoms, and aid in the avoidance of any permanent side effects resulting from the alcohol detoxification process. Some of the possible lasting effects that can occur as a result of alcohol detoxification include delirium tremors, also referred to as DTs, convulsions, nausea, headaches, constant shakes and insomnia.

For information relating to locating a safe and effective detox center , call the national detox helpline at 1-800-99-DETOX.

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