Some of the Attributes That Are Evident In a Drug Addict
As the days go by, there are news of how people are losing their lives in drug wars and busts. Others are also getting most of their lives spent in jails or drug rehabilitation centers. Some of these problems would be solved at an early age were you get to identify some of the signs that will assist you to know whether your family member or friend is involved in such a habit. Some of the signs can be noted at an early stage, especially the physical signs. In the article, there are some physical signs that you will get to identify and you will be able to know some of the things that a drug addict can be identified with.
On some instances, depending on the kind of drug that the addict is hooked up on, one is able to note that the energy levels of the party have drastically dropped. On the other hand, if the drug is a stimulator, the energy levels will abnormally rise. In this regard, the speech speed of the party addicted will get impaired or will be fast. When the speech speed gets slow, the addict might be involved in opiate kind of drugs also known as downers which include heroin, morphine, codeine as well as Oxycontin. In the case where the speed gets high, the addict might be on stimulants which are referred to as Uppers which may include cocaine or methamphetamine.
If the drugs get hard on the partaker and they are not able to watch their health as required, they might as well get to a point of weight loss. In cases where they are involved in stimulants, they might develop habits of taking too much food and gain weight. Other things that might start showing are strange sleeping habits, nose bleeding and others.
Discovering The Best Treatments For Drug Addiction
Since America is a big country, drug addiction is a great threat since more people are able to access them as well as access different and diverse kinds of drugs. But in this case, there are some which are more widely spread than others. Some of them are Marijuana, Ecstasy, and cocaine. Marijuana is considered to be a great threat since it is readily available and many of the people are able to access it in homes all through the city. There have been many cases where the marijuana busts have been carried out as well as many of the drivers have been caught driving while under its influence. Cocaine is another threat which is made available from the neighboring city of Detroit in Michigan where smuggling of the drug is prevalent and not taken as a big deal. The addiction to these drugs has brought a lot of destruction to this city leading to a lot of burglaries and trafficking.
Due to those kinds of scenarios which are brought about by the addiction, there has been the rise for the need to have treatment centers where such kinds of people would be reformed and restored to their previous normal state.
Many organizations have emerged with the will to assist the addicts get back to their sober nature. The organizations are twelve in number and are spread across thirteen different locations, ranging between drug rehab, Addiction treatment centers, several Fast centers, and these could be found online. The first thing that the addict has to go through is the assessment in order to know the level of the addiction and decide on the path to follow for rehabilitation. Then there are others which offer outpatient treatment, others offer residential treatment while others are offering withdrawal management programs. All these are under one mission to restore a sober mood in the community as well as reduce the many cases that are as a result of drug addiction.
How Does Drug Addiction Treatment Help Reduce The Spread Of HIV/AIDS?
There are various activities that are solely used to reduce the dangerous results that are associated with drug abuse like drug addiction treatment. For drug users who commonly use needles to inject themselves with the drugs, they are highly likely to contract HIV. This is especially when they share the needles among themselves.
Drug abuse plays a very big role in transmission of the disease from one individual to another. That is why there are processes that are put in place in recovery centers and rehabilitations to teach the drug users the effects of sharing needles while they are abusing drugs.
Drug addicts who seek help and enter rehabs will likely not get HIV because they are there to be assisted in stopping the use of the addictive drugs. Kinds of drug abusers that are easily susceptible to HIV transmission are heroin and cocaine addicts who use the drugs by mainly injecting themselves.
For prevention to be successful a drug addict has to stay longer at the treatment center without relapsing. Those who frequently relapse and have to go back to the recovery center are at risk because every time they leave the center they expose themselves to the dangers of contracting HIV. In addition, when they are abusing the drugs, they can be engaging themselves in unprotected sexual relations. So other than the needle users, generally drug addicts are at risk of contracting HIV one way or another. Unprotected sex is another highly practiced exercise that can lead to transmission of sexual diseases.
When one checks in for treatment he or she will have the opportunity to be screened for any disease, counseling is provided, treatment for his or her addiction is given and they will know their HIV status.
Reference: http://www.healthyplace.com/addictions/main/drug-addiction-treatment-and-aids/menu-id-1000/
What Is The Effect Of Cocaine On A Pregnant Woman?
It is very sad that the number of women who take Cocaine during pregnancy is shockingly high. The unborn child is exposed to numerous risks that are sometimes life threatening. Cocaine consumption during this period exposes the unborn child to the risks of suffering a stroke or irreversible brain damage. Both the mother and the child’s life are at risk if a woman consumes cocaine during pregnancy. In the early months, the use of this drug can lead to a miscarriage. If the drug is used during the late months of pregnancy it may led to the child being born prematurely, or even still born.
The amount of danger the baby is exposed to is simply huge. A pregnant woman using cocaine is twice as likely to deliver a premature baby. The likelihood of her baby being underweight is high; this is because the drug cuts down the flow of nutrients and oxygen being supplied to the fetus. The worst comes when the baby is born with a smaller head. This means that its head is not proportionate to the body size and it has a smaller brain. If a woman stops this harmful drug consumption during her first trimester, she may reduce the chances of this occurrence.
A woman using cocaine during pregnancy has a higher chance of suffering from placenta abruption. This is a condition where the placenta pulls away from the wall of the uterus before labor. It can lead to complications of labor and delivery. It also causes extensive bleeding which is highly fatal to both the mother and the baby. These are just some of the well known effects of using cocaine during pregnancy. In short the chances of the child leading a normal and healthy life are very minimal. The baby is more likely to start life with serious health problems. Worst of it is when it has to suffer withdrawal symptoms during detoxification.
Reference: http://www.marchofdimes.com/pregnancy/alcohol_illicitdrug.html
I Keep Failing At Quitting, What Can I Do?
Getting over an addiction is not an easy task. It is perfectly natural to sometimes feel helpless and that it is actually impossible to overcome alcoholism. In spite of all this, it is a breath of fresh air to know that provided you have admitted that you have a problem and you are willing to get help then you have already started your journey to recovery.
There is nothing as powerful as self will, you will be surprised at the fact that it is not mandatory for even the most helpless addict to seek professional help or get locked up in a rehab. The most crucial thing in quitting alcoholism is the self will to do so. The process is not a walk in the park and the transformation will not happen overnight but you can be sure of it.
There are simple steps you can take. After committing to stop drinking, ask yourself if the practice is worth it. Put everything into consideration, your health, the cost of drinking and the negative effect it has on your relationship with friends and family.
From this point, prepare for change and set goals. You may choose to write this down, ensure you get very honest with yourself when setting your goals and ensure you follow them to the word. After this look for help and support, this may be professional help. You may also choose to join alcohol treatment groups in your area.
Yearn to live a life clean from alcohol. The sweetest realities are made from dreams. Find a new meaning of life and try to keep off anything that may lull you back to the practice. This will ultimately help you keep off or reduce cravings which may be intense for the first six months. The most important thing is not to give up the fight.
Reference: http://www.netmums.com/coffeehouse/advice-support-40/alcohol-drugs-addiction-support-462/539002-i-keep-failing-quitting-alcohol-antabuse-answer.html
What Are Harmful Effects That Might Be Brought About By Abuse Of Drugs During Pregnancy?
Once a woman is said to be pregnant, the first thing that clicks is that the mother to be has to be in great condition in terms of their health and the lifestyle they also lead should be clean away from any form of drugs. The bearer of the child should carry out exercise regimes to make sure that they stay fit for the baby and also eat healthy and nutritious foods for the baby to develop as required. But when a pregnant woman indulges in unhealthy practices such as drug abuse, the situation gets alarming since this may cause a very distracting environment to the baby as well as the parent themselves. On the other hand, some of the drugs may cause some complications to the development of the child.
In relation to that, all drugs are said not to be good in this period. Hard drugs such as heroin, cocaine and crack are said to be great hubs of danger to the pregnancy of the woman. Not only that, the legal drugs such as tobacco and alcohol as well as prescription and over the counter drugs are not exempted. All these kinds of drugs should be kept off by the expectant parent right from the time they plan to get pregnant all through to the time that they are carrying the child, moving up to the moment of delivery.
Some of the drugs are harmful to the health of the mother and child when used at any time of the pregnancy while others are not good at certain phases of the pregnancy. When the child is at their stage of organ formation, some of the drugs and alcohol are not good since some of the organs may get malformed. Another stage that is crucial is the prenatal phase and the baby stage of birth.
Reference: www.acde.org
How Does Cocaine Produce Its Effects?
Thanks to research, now, people can understand how cocaine produces its effects. At first, cocaine will give a pleasant and relaxing effect. Research onto the addictive effects of cocaine has also shed more light into this.
The neural system bears the brunt since this is the region of the brain that responds to cocaine stimulation. It is located in the middle part of the brain at the ventral tegmental area (VTA). Studies from animals have shown that since the VTA extends to the nucleus accumbens. The level of the brain chemical known as dopamine is increased.
Dopamine in normal circumstances is recycled back to the neuron by a dopamine transporter. What cocaine does is attach itself to the dopamine transporter and therefore blocks dopamine from reattaching itself back for recycling. Therefore, from the high number of un-recycled dopamine, thus the pleasures brought about by cocaine. . Cocaine interferes with this kind of communication and thus causes the euphoria in cocaine addicts.
Since the intake methods of cocaine get it into the brain much faster, the effect is almost instant. The individual will brighten up and be more alert. Depending on the size of the dosage, a single dose will often go away in a span of an hour. People who have taken cocaine develop a method of taking it in small amounts. They develop an energetic and talkative character.
Prolonged use of cocaine will result to tolerance. The body now demands for larger doses. Cocaine will often decrease the user’s appetite as well as make them a bit insomniac. With prolonged use, where the individual increases the amount of intakes, the effects of poor eating habits start to be evident. Other effects of cocaine in individuals will include larger pupils; their hearts will beat much faster and increase blood pressure as well.
Reference: http://www.cocaineaddiction.com/cocaine_coke.html
http://drugabuse.gov/researchreports/cocaine/effects.html
How Effective Is Drug Addiction Treatment?
One of the objectives of drug addiction treatment is to assist the patient in stopping the use of the drugs. In addition, its aim is to restore individuals to being constructive in the various areas such as in the society, their occupation and even their family. Research that has been conducted on addicts who have sought treatment over long periods of time has found that a large number of people who got and actually remained in treatment, stopped using the drugs, their psychological, and social and employment functions improved.
Using methadone to treat addicts has proved its effectiveness by decreasing criminal behaviors and drug use and increasing their attendance in behavioral therapy. Nevertheless, treatment given to the individual and the results usually rely on the degree and the character of the patient’s situation, how the addict and the person giving him or her treatment relate and the suitability of the treatment and application of the services directed to the problems.
Addiction can be controlled just like any other chronic diseases since treatment helps addicts to contravene the strong disturbing effects it gives on someone’s body and behavior and to get their life back in order again. Relapsing is common and it’s likely to happen to anyone who is under treatment. When that occurs, most patients feel like they have failed and that treatment is not working for them.
In contrast, for treatment to be successful it does require monitoring, assessment and adjustment whenever possible, as done when someone is suffering from chronic diseases. An instance is when a patient is being treated actively for hypertension and there is a significant decline in the symptoms, the results are said to be a success, even if the symptoms may come back after treatment has been paused or stopped. If the effectiveness of the treatment is called into question, just look at the countless numbers who have succeeded with it.
Reference: http://drugabuse.gov/podat/faqs.html#faq3
Is The Use Of Methadone Simply Replacing One Addiction With Another?
Today methadone is not so often used as a pain relief medication, as it was used when one’s pain is severe. Its sole purpose now is to treat patients who have been addicted to narcotics. When used, methadone effects are longer than those of morphine drugs to around 24 hours after administering. Therefore a patient is only treated using methadone a single time a day in recovery or rehab centers.
Methadone can be in form of tablets or a liquid, but it if frequently availed in liquid form, which is taken orally. There are also methadone injections and whether they have been prescribed or not they are sometimes accessible illegally. Extreme doses if given to a patient can lead to death, since it is a fabricated opiate, it can also lead to endurance and even to an addiction psychologically and physically.
There are various symptoms that will indicate an overdose of methadone like weak pulse, the skin looking blue, constipation, difficulty in breathing, among others. If one uses the drug frequently, it may lead to him or her using it more because they will now rely on the drug. Being dependant on it will not stop easily in fact when a patient tries to stop or withdraw from it, you will find that the patient will suffer adverse side effects, which are the symptoms of withdrawal.
There will be need for him or her to use methadone to curb the withdrawal symptoms. Actually, it is easier for a patient to stop using heroin than it is with methadone. It gives the same physical changes as other drugs with similar effects. It stays in the body system for a much longer period of even 36 hours to a few more days. However, with all the treatment available there is no need to be using something like this. It is strongly not recommended.
Reference: http://www.heroinaddiction.com/heroin_methadone.html