Hydrocodone Addiction

When a person has broken a bone or sustained some other bodily injury, a doctor will often prescribe oxycodone or hydrocodone to help alleviate the pain. For many people, when the pain is reduced and the medication stopped, they continue on with their lives. However, a small percentage of people become addicted to the medications and seek out other means of obtaining them.

If you are among those people, it is important that you get help for your addiction to pain meds. There are many treatment centers that can help you get clean and return to living your life free from drugs. Look around to find one in your area.

When you first enter treatment, they will help you to detox from the drugs. The first few days are the most difficult and the medically trained staff will help you through it. Afterwards, you will join other patients in a variety of activities.

You will be assigned a counselor that will help you with several aspects of your recovery. Not only can you talk to this individual about the problems that have arisen due to your substance abuse, they will also help you make a plan to stay clean.

Part of that plan will be relapse prevention. This is done before you check out of treatment. You will be connected with resources in your community, such as an outpatient counselor that can continue your therapy. In addition, you will be introduced to support group meetings. In these, you will have others to talk to. The support you find in these places can help you get through tough times when you may be tempted to use drugs again.

Although going to treatment is challenging, the rewards are worth it. They will help you learn how to live a life free from drugs.

Alcoholism and Caffeine Abuse

 

One might not assume that alcoholism, alcohol abuse, and caffeine abuse is so commonly linked, but the truth of the matter is that these two share a strong relationship with each other. Alcoholics eventually begin associating the drink that they are drinking with the desired effects that the drinking produces. With alcohol, the alcoholic is consciously aware that they need a drink to get the desired feelings they are looking for, so they begin administering that alcohol to themselves in the needed levels. The same thing happens when the alcoholic is drinking coffee, energy drinks, or other drinks containing caffeine.

Often times, an alcoholic will drink large amounts of coffee or caffeinated drinks in an attempt to sate the cravings for alcohol. This is very common in functioning alcoholics, who will often have up to 3 pots of coffee during a single day, before then switching to alcohol after the workday is over with.

Why is This Important to Consider?

If you are one of the many people out there who abuse alcohol on the weekends through binge drinking, or abuse alcohol regularly during the weeknights, while binging on caffeine at other times, your habit of caffeine abuse could either be much stronger than you originally thought, or a severe alcohol abuse problem could be present.

The link is not usually a severe one, in most cases, but the two are very indicative of issues with eachother.

Learning About Glue Sniffing The Hard Way

I only heard about 'glue sniffing' when I left school at 17 years of age.  It was strange, considering 'sniffing glue' had been around for years; but then again, I had lived a very sheltered life not being exposed to anything inappropriate.  I think the most rebellious thing I knew about and tried during my teenage years was smoking with friends on a night out celebrating someone's 16th birthday.  Little did I know there was a world of danger and mind-altering substances to be uncovered.

I've not tried glue sniffing, but being a drug counselor I do understand the concept and what effects it has on an individual.  Contrary to some belief, 'glue sniffing' does not refer to any type of glue and you cannot get 'high' from taking a few whiffs of those sticks of glue you use at school - no matter how hard you try.  I'm sure it will give you a bit of a fuzzy feeling, but that will only be followed by a substantial headache.

No, true glue sniffing involves inhaling intoxicating substances that are found in superglue.  The most commonly sniffed glue, mainly due to it being the most easily accessible, is the hobby glue like airplane model glue.

The inhaling of these toxic substances is called 'huffing' and can be inhaled directly from the canister. When inhaled the substance will produce immediate psycho-hallucinogenic effects; however, to maintain this 'high' feeling the user will require more glue.

Some short-term side-effects of glue sniffing include nausea, vomiting, severe headaches and migraines, loss of motor control, loss of speech, coughing and wheezing.  Long-term side-effects include psychological problems as well as physical harm like lung and cerebral damage.

After being exposed to glue sniffing and the users I was interested in learning more about drug abuse.  Until then I had been totally oblivious to drug use, now I want to help those who are dependent on these substances.