Friday, April 18, 2014

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.

Monday, April 14, 2014

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.

Thursday, April 3, 2014

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.

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Why I Would Never Use Inhalants

 

When I was younger, my mother always warned me about the effects of inhalants. She grew up in a very different era where it was common to know people who sniffed glue. At the time I thought she was a bit crazy, but later on I understood exactly why she was so frightened.

In high school there was a group of kids people picked on and labeled outcasts. While I wasn't in this group at all, I felt bad since I could identify with most of them. As a result, I started to befriend a few. They told me about whippets and how you could get a great high from inhaling the contents of a whipped cream can.

Most kids would hear "whipped cream" and think that this was some type of joke, but I was a bit smarter than that. I went home and talked to my mom about this. She told me that doing whippets has the same effect as using several other inhalants, which means that I was correct in thinking this could be very dangerous.

When I went back to school the following day, I told my new friends that what they were doing can kill them. I was told that I am being overly dramatic and that my mom only told me that information to scare me. I refused to try it and they stopped talking to me soon after.

A few years later I heard a news story about a guy that fell asleep on a couch with a cigarette in his hand and he burned to death. He was high on inhalants and could not respond as normal. It was one of my "friends" from school. After that, I swore I would never try anything that would impair my mood and possibly place me in danger.

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Treatment Planning From Addiction Recovery Specialists

 

Who Knows More About Drugs, Addiction, and Addiction Treatment Better than an Addiction Recovery Specialist? 

If you want to get the best advice while planning to attend an addiction recovery program, who better to ask than the medical professionals who work in these programs year over year, and see a great range of addictions from the most severe, to the most easily treatable.

Anyone can do their own research, check reviews on recovery programs, do background checks on drug counselors, and check the accreditation of various drug rehab facilities; however, having a professional to answer questions on the various programs and facilities, and their success rates, will allow you to make a better informed decision on which facility you would like to attend, how much it will cost, and what you can expect.
Again, you can do all of the research and legwork for yourself; but not only does enlisting the help of experienced addiction treatment professionals save you time, but they might suggest a treatment program that you have not thought of -- that program could be the perfect program outline for getting you back to a 100% sober lifestyle.

Need The Help of an Addiction Recovery Specialist?
Visit DetoxCA for the Most Experienced Addiction Treatment Professionals and Long Term Addiction Treatment Planning: 

Experienced Addiction Treatment Professionals
 

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

PCP Is A Dangerous Drug To Take

PCP is something that a lot of people have tried and have lost a battle with because they end up getting addicted to it. This is hard to get help with because the drug makes a person act in an unpredictable way. Here are some tips to get help.

Don't do PCP if you can help it in no cases because you don't really know what you will do when you're under the influence. You may end up thinking that you're having a good time, but in the end you're hurting someone or yourself. If you have a problem with this drug then you may have legal issues that you need to get taken care of, but that can wait in some cases for until you get clean. You have to take on life with a clear head and that's not possible when you're on PCP.

The problem with PCP is that it can cause hallucinations and mania in people. This can be dangerous because you can end up doing something you'll regret. The best thing to do would be to admit that you need help with this and then get yourself into the care of a rehab facility. They will be able to get you back to your old self, and you can start to work on the reasons why you're taking drugs. This can really be hard to do, but you'll be glad you did when you're not powerless with drugs any longer.

Now you have an idea of what you can do if PCP is something you're trying to kick. This is a very hard drug to really understand because people that do it seem to lose their minds at times. That's why you need to get help before something bad happens.

Sunday, February 16, 2014

Alcohol Abuse And How You Can Get Help With It

Alcohol is a tough substance to kick, mainly because it's addictive and easy to get. If you're trying to get help with an alcohol abuse problem, this guide can help you figure out what you need to do. Take a moment to go through these tips to get the help you need.

Alcohol abuse is something that you need to get help with soon or you could end up getting really sick and not being able to do much else. Alcohol effects every system in your body in a negative way, and that's why it's a good idea to get help with stopping as soon as you realize you have a problem. You can tell if you have a problem if you're not able to quit even after using just once or twice. If you can't imagine going a day without alcohol of some kind, then you may need help with quitting.

Speak with a doctor before you decide to quit. This is because when you do try and quit, your body could have withdrawal symptoms that could end up being life threatening so you really need to be up front with your doctor about it all. If you're not able to tell them the truth, then it's going to be hard for you to get the help that you need to stay clean. They can give you medications to help you when you're withdrawing, but if you find yourself with any DT symptoms you may want to go to the hospital.

Now you know what you can do when you have an alcohol abuse problem that you want to get help with. This guide should have been able to show you that there is hope, you just have to work hard at getting clean.