Sober Resources

Addiction Recovery Guide

2009-05-25T13:22:00.000-07:00

The Addicts Guide

Do you hate your addiction? Are you ready to kick it for good? Do you have no clue where to start? The Addicts Guide is here to help you kick your addiction for good. While The Addicts Guide was originally written for readers who had difficulty with alcohol, it's information can be applied to many other addictions, especially with drugs.

Millions of people have suffered from addiction in the past one hundred years. Luckily, with the methods included in The Addicts Guide you no longer have to be one of those suffering. There are simple ways that you can stay sober and live a perfectly normal life. However, to begin real sobriety, the type that will last more than a few weeks, you need to be willing to take the next step. Just thinking that you want to quit is not enough, your alcohol addiction needs serious treatment, and it will require serious effort on your part.

Emotions are a huge part of your addiction. Whether your addiction was to a substance that made you feel on top of the world, or at the bottom of the gutter, you can control your emotions with several techniques that are in The Addicts Guide. Experts have helped pour their professional careers into The Addicts Guide in order to assist you with the emotional impact of your addiction.

Physical reactions to addiction are often the hardest part of an addiction to overcome. Not only will you feel like you need the substance you are addicted to, you will feel constant cravings and desire to go back to your addiction for years, if not for the rest of your life. The Addicts Guide lists some great tips on how to suppress cravings and manage your addiction.

Six years of blood, sweat and tears have been poured into The Addicts Guide in order to help you get the information that you need about becoming sober. An addiction recovery plan, which is necessary in order to fully recover from your addiction is also key to The Addicts Guide. Drug addiction recovery is not done in one day, or even one month. You will need to work at your addiction treatment for many years to come. The Addicts Guide will give you hundreds of helpful tips that will make sure you stay on the right path while you are recovering from your addiction.

There is help out there for addicts. Whether you are addicted to alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, or heroin The Addicts Guide is here to help you. Through expert knowledge, and helpful advice you can conquer your addiction. The Addicts Guide also provides plenty of support for you after you have beat your addiction, to prevent you from ever relapsing! Get The Addicts Guide today to save yourself and your loved ones from further pain and suffering from your addiction.

The Sober Sources Network

2009-02-12T19:22:00.001-08:00

Drinking Problem?

2009-01-23T08:25:00.000-08:00

Article by: Larry McMahon

“Am I an alcoholic ?... or just a social drinker ?” How often have you asked yourself this question ? Alcohol (unlike Nicotine) is not inherently addictive. Indeed, it is true, that for most people, alcohol is a positive “quality of life” element. But sadly...for a minority of drinkers – it becomes a compulsive and life-wrecking addiction.

It seems there are three ways of becoming an alcoholic...

If you're depressed...

The first way is, if you suffer from Depression, and use alcohol as your own self-administered medication. You could say that this is yet another Irish solution to an Irish problem. A significant number of the regular customers of every bar, fall into this category. But Drink, as an anti-depressant, is very deceptive !

Initially Drink seems to help – especially if the depression takes the form of a social phobia. Alcohol helps the depressive to feel more relaxed (and less depressed). And the more he drinks – the more relaxed he feels. But unfortunately the “cure” is worse than the illness. The subsequent hangovers are especially bad – and make the depression even worse…thus driving the individual to drink again, as the only form of relief. And so the vicious cycle continues in an ever downward spiral.

Maybe it's in your Genes...

The second route into alcoholism, is through Genetics. If you happen to inherit a genetic tendency towards alcoholism, it can be a real trap. It does seem to be the case that alcoholism can run in certain families. Full marks to those individuals who spot this in their own families – and decide to take evasive action. If you see how booze can ruin so many lives within your own family tree, it can be a very wise decision to abstain totally.

To read this article in its entirety please visit: www.larrymcmahon.com for more original content like this

Make a Happy Holiday

2008-12-18T14:04:00.000-08:00

http://www.cbtrecovery.org/happyholiday.htm

Making a happy holiday season...

The holidays can be a real challenge to our sobriety

· families and social gatherings are harder to avoid

· there are more opportunities for lapsing,

· and alcohol seems to be everywhere.

While sobriety often involves avoiding situations where alcohol is present, that may be much more difficult due to our jobs or family obligations.

But successful sobriety involves planning for urges, and much of the distress can be of our own making. Hence, we can make a happy holiday if we plan for urges and focus our thoughts.
Plan and prepare for urges.

· Having allies as you plan for the holiday parties can make it easier to develop exit strategies for parties.

· BYOB—bring your own special beverages.

· Do some role playing so you are prepared for the drink offers.

But remember that most people don’t really care if you are drinking, so you’re unlikely to have to defend yourself.

Anxiety about not drinking in public seems to be a common reason for lapses! “No, thanks” is really all the answer anyone needs—though dense folks may need to hear it a couple of times.

Our own families can seem to be an obstacle to sobriety, but ‘seem’ is the operative word and our own beliefs and expectations are the real problem.

· Avoid self-fulfilling prophecies: ‘she always gets to me’, ‘he’s going to drive me nuts’.

· Try to be aware of our own absolute and demanding thoughts. Then it’s easier to see how we set ourselves up for distress.

The underlying belief in most cases is a demand we are making that everything be perfect, that there be no disharmony or conflictâ€¦in other words, that people not be human, and that they live up to an ideal we’ve constructed for how the holidays ‘should’ go!

Recognize happy moments when they are occurring.

Some people spend so much time planning for happy events that they forget to notice when the happiness is happening! It isn’t that golden moment when you all sit down at the Norman Rockwell table and Grandpa carves the turkey—it’s the laughter an hour before when the kids were ‘helping’ in the kitchen.

As we plan for an idealized holiday, we may be building unrealistic expectations, creating anxiety about imperfections, and magnifying flaws. If we are more rigid in our thinking, we may become more and more brittle as the time passes and all the flaws seem to mount ….

Taking a step back and seeing when people are genuinely enjoying spontaneous moments can make those imperfections seem trivial.
Be realistic about the past.

We use our own subjective and highly imperfect memories of how it ‘used to be’—implying, in this belief, that something has changed. Or the memories of ‘bad’ holidays past may be clouding the happiness of this one.

These anxieties and distresses can be real triggers. How realistic are those memories, good or bad, and why are we allowing them to impinge on this year?

If we spend our time planning for perfection and remembering perfection—is that the measure of happiness during the holiday?

Taking a step back to pick out the moments and images of beauty, with our newly sober and sharper minds, can give us a perspective that we missed when we were drinking.

Taking a moment to recognize the things we appreciate about this season—the beginnings of the longer days, the stark beauty of the winter, the colorful and joyous things that have been assembled by those who have come together—taking those moments can help provide a balance and serenity.

And seeing the humor in the madness and folly of seasonal travel and family gatherings can help us tolerate even the most ill-minded folks!

You can’t change other people. But you can change how you react to them, and create reasonable expectations.

We can plan to avoid lapses. And we can keep to an unshakable belief that there is no aspect of this season that drinking would make better.

Make a happy holiday!

Don S. of the Sober Village

Department Of Health Research Shows Women Are Unaware Of Link Between Alcohol And Breast Cancer Risk

2008-10-28T09:57:00.000-07:00

New research from the Department of Health's Know Your Limits campaign reveals that the vast majority of UK women (82%) don't realise alcohol consumption can increase the risk of developing breast cancer.

According to the General Household Survey, around 4 million women drink more than the NHS recommended daily limit of 2-3 units of alcohol, equivalent to one large glass of wine a day (250ml at ABV 12%). [1]

We know that regularly drinking alcohol can slightly increase the risk of developing breast cancer and the risk increases the more you drink. Drinking, on average, one unit of alcohol per day increases a woman's risk of breast cancer by about 6%. This risk increases by a further 6% for each additional unit of alcohol consumed on a daily basis. For example, a woman who drinks two units per day each and every day of her adult life would increase her risk of breast cancer by about 12%. [2]

Unlike many other established breast cancer risk factors, alcohol consumption is something we can change. The important message is for women to be aware of how many units of alcohol they are consuming and to drink in moderation.

Dr Sarah Cant, Policy Manager at Breakthrough Breast Cancer, said:

"Drinking moderate or high levels of any type of alcoholic drink has many health consequences, including an increased chance of developing breast cancer.

"Although many factors might affect our risk of getting breast cancer, limiting how much we drink is one thing we can do to try to reduce that risk - it's never too late to change your drinking habits."

Drinking alcohol is one of the few identified risk factors for developing breast cancer. We don't yet know all the causes of the disease but it's thought to be a combination of hormonal, genetic, lifestyle and environmental factors. For most women, the biggest risk factor for developing breast cancer is increasing age.

The earlier breast cancer is detected, the better the chances of successful treatment. It's important for all women to be breast aware and to attend NHS Breast Screening appointments if they are over 50.

More information about breast cancer risk factors can be found here

To find out more about the Know Your Limits campaign visit http://www.units.nhs.uk

[1] The 'around 4 million' figure is based on 21,119,500 women aged 16 and over in England (ONS 2006 population estimates). General Household Survey data shows that in 2006, 20% of English women drank more than 14 units in the week (using the new methodology). Using this, the Know Your Limits campaign estimates that 4,223,900 women aged 16 or over exceeded the 14 units in 2006.

[2] These figures are estimates and reflect the incidence of breast cancer in the UK population and the size of alcoholic units in the UK.

Notes

- For more information about the established, possible and doubtful risk factors for breast cancer, Breakthrough Breast Cancer has published the BMA award-winning booklet, Breast Cancer Risk Factors: The Facts. Copies can be obtained by calling the Breakthrough Information Line on 08080 100 200 or can be downloaded here

- At the moment we don't have enough information or the means to prevent breast cancer. That's why Breakthrough Breast Cancer has launched the Breakthrough Generations Study, in partnership with The Institute of Cancer Research. This is the largest, most comprehensive investigation into the causes of breast cancer in the UK. Involving 100,000 women over the next 40 years, the study aims to provide the most detailed information yet on what causes breast cancer and as a result, give an understanding of how the disease can be prevented in the first place. If you would like more information about the Breakthrough Generations Study, please visit http://www.breakthroughgenerations.org.uk.

Source
Rachel Pilkington
Assistant PR Officer
http://www.breakthroughgenerations.org.uk

Excess Drinking Shrinks the Brain

2008-10-14T04:55:00.000-07:00

The more alcohol you drink, the more your brain shrinks, a new study has found.

"The take-home message is that, if you drink a lot, you're going to hurt your brain," said Rajesh Miranda, an associate professor of neuroscience and experimental therapeutics at the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine. "This is something we knew, but this is a huge study that quantifies that."

"It's not surprising that alcohol would cause shrinkage of the brain. That kind of thing has been observed in animal models and smaller studies," Miranda added. "The surprising thing is that they 1/8the study authors 3/8 showed that even low levels of drinking are not protective, as people had seen in other cases."

The findings are published in the October issue of the Archives of Neurology.

Brain volume decreases naturally as people age, at a rate of about 1.9 per cent per decade. At the same time, the brain acquires white matter lesions as it gets older. Both of these changes also accompany dementia and cognitive decline, according to background information in the study.

Moderate levels of alcohol consumption have been linked with a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease, leading researchers to hypothesize that restrained tippling might also slow declines in brain volume. Previous studies have also found that drinking alcohol in moderation is associated with improved cognitive function and a decreased risk of Alzheimer's disease.

For the new study, led by Carol Ann Paul, of Wellesley College in Massachusetts, researchers conducted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and health exams on 1,839 adults (average age 60) participating in the Framingham Offspring Study between 1999 and 2001. None of the participants had evidence of clinical dementia or had suffered a stroke.

The men and women were asked how much alcohol they drank each week, then were classified as abstainers, former drinkers, or low (one to seven drinks per week), moderate (eight to 14 drinks per week) or high consumers of alcohol (more than 14 drinks a week).

Most participants (almost 38 per cent of men and more than 44 per cent of women) fell into the "low-consumption" category. Men were more likely than women to report being moderate or heavy drinkers.

Alcohol had no protective affect on the normal, age-related shrinkage in brain volume, the researchers found.

To the contrary, the more a person drank, the more their brain volume diminished. This relationship was somewhat more pronounced in women, although women tended to be lighter drinkers.

The gender difference could be explained by biological factors, namely that alcohol is absorbed faster in women and they tend to feel the effects of alcohol more than men, the researchers said.

More information

The http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/dementia.html U.S. National Library of Medicine has more on dementia.

SOURCES: Rajesh Miranda, Ph.D., associate professor, neuroscience and experimental therapeutics, Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine; October 2008 Archives of Neurology
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Drunkeness

2008-10-07T14:10:00.000-07:00

Drunkenness, in its most common usage, is the state of being intoxicated by consumption of ethyl alcohol to a degree that mental and physical facilities are noticeably impaired. Common symptoms may include slurred speech, impaired balance, poor coordination, flushed face, reddened eyes and uncharacteristic behavior..

For more information about the topic Drunkenness, read the full article at Wikipedia.org, or see the following related articles:
Blood alcohol content — Blood alcohol content (or blood alcohol concentration), often abbreviated BAC, is the concentration of alcohol in blood, measured, by volume, as a ... > read more

www.thesobervillage.com for help with alcohol problems.

Alcohol, Memory Blackouts and the Brain

2008-09-19T12:51:00.000-07:00

Alcohol, Memory Blackouts and the Brain
by National Institute of Health

Alcohol primarily interferes with the ability to form new long-term memories, leaving intact previously established long-term memories and the ability to keep new information active in memory for brief periods. As the amount of alcohol consumed increases, so does the magnitude of the memory impairments. Large amounts of alcohol, particularly if consumed rapidly, can produce partial or complete blackouts, which are periods of memory loss for events that transpired while a person was drinking. Blackouts are much more common among social drinkers - including college drinkers - than was previously assumed, and have been found to encompass events ranging from conversations to intercourse. Mechanisms underlying alcohol-induced memory impairments include disruption of activity in the hippocampus, a brain region that plays a central role in the formation of new auotbiographical memories.

Read more about this article.

For immediate help online with alcoholism please contact us at The Sober Village or any of the many resources of the Sober Sources Network.

More about online recovery

2008-09-05T14:24:00.000-07:00

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, almost 2 million people this year will find themselves entering some kind of rehabilitation for abuse of various drugs or alcohol. In the past 70 years or so, these alcoholics and addicts would have left various rehabilitation institutions to then begin a lifetime of meetings in church basements with fellow addicts or alcoholics, there to find the support and encouragement to continue their life clean and sober.

Well, now, in spite of fears about Internet addiction, major recovery organizations have been using the Internet to help and support individuals recovering from their affliction. An increasing number of support groups are springing up all over web with one goal: to provide online, 24/7 support for people recovering from some form of substance abuse.

Typically, the online venues focus on the 12-step recovery approach – the recovery program outlined by Bill Wilson and Bob Smith, the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous. It’s a popular program and, it seems, there is now a 12-step program tied to every possible substance abuse or behavior even including Nicotine Anonymous! Instead of holding daily or weekly meetings however, more and more of these 12-step groups are turning their attention to providing online chat, web forum, and list server-based recovery groups. The Internet is being used to connect similarly afflicted individuals and groups from all over the world. Over the world wide web, recovery meetings are no longer of an hour’s duration in a church basement, groups now meet for 24 hours a day with members checking in and out at will or as needed.

Alcoholics Anonymous, the oldest of the recovery groups, now offers meetings using email list servers, VoIP, and chat. AA provides online meetings in 33 different countries and hosts them in more than 10 different languages!

Narcotics Anonymous, has more than 20 internationally accessible email meetings and Cocaine Anonymous offers 6 internationally accessible email meetings.

Of course, for every benefit of online meetings, there are also some risks. The use of chat protocols, for example, opens up a portal to the user’s PC that may expose them to risk of being “hacked.” Email-based list servers also pose the problem of how to remain “anonymous” when the entire virtual room can see your email address.

Too, there are also hazards from various unscrupulous recovery organizations that prey on individuals in early recovery or their families. Over the Internet, they seem like legitimate organizations, but they are not always. As with most Internet-based activities, various fraud, email harvesting, and identity theft schemes abound. But even in those cases, Internet-based solutions emerge. One organization, All Addictions Anonymous Watch, for example, focuses on keeping a watchful eye on some of the less scrupulous efforts to exploit recovering individuals.

Exploiting Internet technology may prove to be a great boon to people trying to shake addictions. It has truly become Addiction Recovery 2.0. Nonetheless, family members and recovering individuals would be wise to keep stick to the major and best known recovery organizations (e.g AA, NA, CA) and, if they choose to participate online, they should get a Yahoo!, Gmail, or Hotmail mailbox using a pseudonym to keep themselves truly “anonymous”.

About the Author

Kurt is a recovered substance abuser and now is a freelance writer of business and travel articles. His recovery was aided online by CA Online and All Addictions Anonymous Watch.

Mental Attitude

2008-08-19T18:35:00.001-07:00

MENTAL ATTITUDE

Success is in the blood. There are men whom fate can never keep down they march forward in a jaunty manner, and take by divine right the best of everything that the earth affords. But their success is not attained by means of the Samuel Smiles-Connecticut policy. They do not lie in wait, nor scheme, nor fawn, nor seek to adapt their sails to catch the breeze of popular favor. Still, they are ever alert and alive to any good that may come their way, and when it comes they simply appropriate it, and tarrying not, move steadily on.

Good health! Whenever you go out of doors, draw the chin in, carry the crown of the head high, and fill the lungs to the utmost; drink in the sunshine; greet your friends with a smile, and put soul into every hand-clasp.

Do not fear being misunderstood; and never waste a moment thinking about your enemies. Try to fix firmly in your own mind what you would like to do, and then without violence of direction you will move straight to the goal.

Fear is the rock on which we split, and hate the shoal on which many a barque is stranded. When we become fearful, the judgment is as unreliable as the compass of a ship whose hold is full of iron ore; when we hate, we have unshipped the rudder; and if ever we stop to meditate on what the gossips say, we have allowed a hawser to foul the screw.

Keep your mind on the great and splendid thing you would like to do; and then, as the days go gliding by, you will find yourself unconsciously seizing the opportunities that are required for the fulfillment of your desire, just as the coral insect takes from the running tide the elements that it needs. Picture in your mind the able, earnest, useful person you desire to be, and the thought that you hold is hourly transforming you into that particular individual you so admire.

Thought is supreme, and to think is often better than to do.

Preserve a right mental attitude the attitude of courage, frankness and good cheer.

Darwin and Spencer have told us that this is the method of Creation. Each animal has evolved the parts it needed and desired. The horse is fleet because he wishes to be; the bird flies because it desires to; the duck has a web foot because it wants to swim. All things come through desire and every sincere prayer is answered. We become like that on which our hearts are fixed.

Many people know this, but they do not know it thoroughly enough so that it shapes their lives. We want friends, so we scheme and chase 'cross lots after strong people, and lie in wait for good folks or alleged good folks hoping to be able to attach ourselves to them. The only way to secure friends is to be one. And before you are fit for friendship you must be able to do without it. That is to say, you must have sufficient self-reliance to take care of yourself, and then out of the surplus of your energy you can do for others.

The individual who craves friendship, and yet desires a self-centered spirit more, will never lack for friends.

If you would have friends, cultivate solitude instead of society. Drink in the ozone; bathe in the sunshine; and out in the silent night, under the stars, say to yourself again and yet again, "I am a part of all my eyes behold!" And the feeling then will come to you that you are no mere interloper between earth and heaven; but you are a necessary part of the whole. No harm can come to you that does not come to all, and if you shall go down it can only be amid a wreck of worlds.

Like old Job, that which we fear will surely come upon us. By a wrong mental attitude we have set in motion a train of events that ends in disaster. People who die in middle life from disease, almost without exception, are those who have been preparing for death. The acute tragic condition is simply the result of a chronic state of mind a culmination of a series of events.

Character is the result of two things, mental attitude, and the way we spend our time. It is what we think and what we do that make us what we are.

By laying hold on the forces of the universe, you are strong with them. And when you realize this, all else is easy, for in your arteries will course red corpuscles, and in your heart the determined resolution is born to do and to be. Carry your chin in and the crown of your head high. We are gods in the chrysalis.

Excecutives and Addiction

2008-08-04T17:32:00.000-07:00

After 30 years in printing, Alex Maysura thought he'd honed an effective business- development strategy.

“I would take customers out for a three-martini lunch and I would have nine,” said Maysura, 56. “I found I had a talent for drinking. ... I closed business deals that way. I did more business at the bar and the golf course than I did any other way.”

Maysura, owner of University Printing Services, a 20- person shop in Detroit, had lost touch with reality.

“You think you are in control with all events in your life. Drinking was good for business, and I had a successful company. Once 9-11 hit, my business went down the tubes. I was left with just my drinking.”

A 52-year-old executive of a major bank in Southeast Michigan who wishes to remain anonymous developed his drinking habit over cocktail lunches with clients. In the beginning, it was three times a week. Eventually it turned into two to three drinks a day, which continued for the next 10 years.

By 2004, he was up to nearly a quart of Jack Daniel's a night.

“I always was one who suffered from stress,” he said. “As I went through a job transfer and a promotion, the added job and social responsibilities led to me to pour myself that additional drink or two at home.”

But like the other alcoholic business professionals interviewed for this story, he was convinced that his drinking could be self-managed.

“I woke up one morning with the shakes. I needed to medicate myself or have another drink to get through the day,” he said. “I didn't want to go to work with alcohol on my breath, so I took antidepressants. I became cross-addicted.”

"Even the Dog Knows!"

Like others suffering from addiction, executives struggle with a loss of control. What sets them apart, though, is their common unwillingness to seek and accept help, said Tom Ghena, administrative director of Henry Ford Behavioral Health-Maplegrove Center in West Bloomfield Township.

Executives often delay care because they are embarrassed, worry treatment will be discovered and the revelation will hurt their careers. Rather than take the risk, they opt to manage the problem on their own.

“By the time many executives seek help, they've either been admitted to a hospital for emergency treatment or told by their company to seek help or be fired,” said Denise Bertin-Epp, president and chief nursing officer of Brighton Hospital.

“There is not a lot of education around addiction, and many people don't understand the issues surrounding it,” Bertin-Epp said. “There's a huge stereotype. People believe they choose that lifestyle or they are weak.”

But addiction is a disease that can be inherited, Christensen said. As such, people need a variety of tactics to beat it.

Treatment often includes an initial assessment, detoxification, outpatient drug treatment and inpatient care that can range from two weeks to three months, said Dr. Carl Christensen, an addiction medicine specialist at Wayne State University School of Medicine.

Other options include 12-step programs made famous by Alcoholics Anonymous, and counseling and aftercare.

Once executives realize they need treatment, they often fear the admission process. Bertin-Epp and Ghena recommend executives first seek advice from their primary-care physicians. They also suggest executives call them directly.

In February, Brighton began a concierge service for executives who need substance abuse intervention but are too embarrassed to make traditional arrangements. Instead of calling a hospital's patient intake office, Bertin-Epp offers her cell phone number.

Some 10 to 20 executives from around the country call per week, Bertin-Epp said. They ask: “How could I have done this to myself? What will my staff think of me? What will the board think?”

Bertin-Epp answers questions on why treatment is important, where an executive can go, and how to explain an absence or educate the office staff.

It helps that Bertin-Epp has former addicts on her team.

Virginia June, Brighton's director of business development, began drinking with her alcoholic father at age 9. She was rather proud she could “drink him under the table.” But by 25, she was drinking a fifth of bourbon, popping 30 amphetamine pills and snorting a gram of cocaine a day.

“It is amazing I am still alive,” said June, now 47. “When I was 12, my mother used to buy me Boone's Farm. It was like a juice box.”

Dr. Mark Menestrina, director of Brighton's detoxification unit, has been arrested 12 times and lost his medical license.

“Pretty much anything I could use, I would use,” said Menestrina, 55, who has been sober 15 years. “The only substances I did not use were ones that were not yet invented.”

It wasn't until his wife filed for divorce in 1987 that he realized he needed help.

Over a 14-year period, Menestrina counted 49 times in which he had been in a treatment program. But it was the 50th time that he realized he needed to listen to the experts. In March 1993, he had his last drink.

Menestrina said many executives take elaborate steps to cover their admission, but few believe their stories.

“Even their dog knows they have a problem.”

Still, executives have assistants who sometimes cover their addictions.

“Professionals can control their environment more, and that can make the problem worse,” Ghena said. “My advice for subordinates is to talk with each other” and find a peer to approach the superior.

But Christensen said co-workers sometimes don't know there's a problem. “If you have a co-worker who is an addict and homeless, you might not even know until they have lost everything. It is not uncommon for a person to have a life completely destroyed but still show up at work,” he said.

Most people are relieved once they are in treatment.

“They have lied and made excuses to hide it,” Christensen said. “They want help. It is just difficult taking that first step.”

"I needed to shut up and listen'

When his printing business tanked in 2002, Maysura started to increase his drinking until he was up to a quart of liquor a day.

“I was having family problems, my parents were sick and my business closed. I just couldn't handle the pressure,” he said.

Maysura searched the Internet for self-help solutions and finally decided to seek professional help.

“I had a habit that I cultivated over 30 years, and I found you can't get rid of it in 30 days,” he said. “It is a disease, but you also have to deal with psychological traits, so it isn't easy to kick.”

After years of heavy drinking, the banker who wishes to remain anonymous had a pancreatic attack.

“My doctor told me in April 2006 that if I didn't stop drinking I might as well put a gun to my head because you can't replace your pancreas,” he said.

In May 2006, he asked his physician about checking into a treatment center. “I couldn't sleep without having a drink or taking a drug.”

It wasn't until his third admission at Maplegrove in June 2007 that he became receptive to the full treatment program.

“My way of thinking was not working. I needed to shut up and listen and do what I was supposed to do,” he said. The key, he said, was attending post-inpatient treatment meetings three to four times a week.

In October 2005, Maysura had his last drink. He has since gone back to college and will graduate this year with a bachelor's degree in psychology. He plans to earn a master's degree in social work to become an addiction counselor for seniors. Right now, he volunteers at Maplegrove.

“I go to meetings once a week and feel comfortable because I am around people who understand me and do not judge me,” Maysura said. “I am not worried about hitting the bottle again. I have the knowledge on how to say no to old friends who want to go have a drink.”

Jay Greene: (313) 446-0325, jgreene@crain.com

For help with alcoholism addiction please visti the Sober Sources Network or any of our live forums!

Getting Sober-What to expect

2008-07-21T07:43:00.000-07:00

Getting Sober: What To Expect, is written from first hand experience of a recovering alcoholic who knows what you'll go through. I know all to well the fears you may face when thinking about getting sober. Just the idea in itself wants to make you keep drinking! It’s not so bad, there’s 2 years of research in this book explaining what the majority of alcoholics go through when recovering in the early days of alcoholism.

In this book you will have all those questions answered and more! It is my hope that knowing what to expect when getting sober will make that decision all the easier. Getting Sober: What to Expectt was written with your best interests in mind. I hope this book makes that decision easier for you once you know what to expect.

Good luck and I wish you the very best on your road to recovery!

Please visit www.sobertime.net to get your copy of Getting Sober: What to Expect.

Alcohol Dependence

2008-07-13T18:23:00.000-07:00

A cluster of physiological, behavioural, and cognitive phenomena in which the use of alcohol takes on a much higher priority for a given individual than other behaviours that once had greater value. A central descriptive characteristic of the dependence syndrome is the desire (often strong, sometimes overpowering) to take alcohol. There may be evidence that return to alcohol use after a period of abstinence leads to a more rapid reappearance of other features of the syndrome than occurs with nondependent individuals.

Diagnostic Guidelines

A definite diagnosis of dependence should usually be made only if three or more of the following have been experienced or exhibited at some time during the previous year:

1. a strong desire or sense of compulsion to take alcohol;
2. difficulties in controlling alcohol-taking behaviour in terms of its onset, termination, or levels of use;
3. a physiological withdrawal state when alcohol use has ceased or been reduced, as evidenced by: the characteristic withdrawal syndrome for alcohol; or use of the alcohol with the intention of relieving or avoiding withdrawal symptoms;
4. evidence of tolerance, such that increased doses of alcohol are required in order to achieve effects originally produced by lower doses (clear examples of this are found in alcohol-dependent individuals who may take daily doses sufficient to incapacitate or kill nontolerant users);
5. progressive neglect of alternative pleasures or interests because of alcohol use, increased amount of time necessary to obtain or take alcohol or to recover from its effects;
6. persisting with alcohol use despite clear evidence of overtly harmful consequences, such as harm to the liver through excessive drinking; efforts should be made to determine that the user was actually, or could be expected to be, aware of the nature and extent of the harm.

Narrowing of the personal repertoire of patterns of alcohol use has also been described as a characteristic feature (e.g. a tendency to drink alcoholic drinks in the same way on weekdays and weekends, regardless of social constraints that determine appropriate drinking behaviour).

It is an essential characteristic of the dependence syndrome that either alcohol taking or a desire to take alcohol should be present; the subjective awareness of compulsion to use alcohol is most commonly seen during attempts to stop or control alcohol use.
Article original source:http://www.mental-health-matters.com/disorders/dis_details.php?disID=4

Men More Likely to Drink When Troubles Escalate

2008-07-06T07:51:00.000-07:00

Men are more likely than women to drink alcohol when they are upset, according to new research.

Scientists at Yale University found that after listening to a stressful story women reported more sadness and anxiety than men.

But for men the emotional arousal was linked to increases in alcohol craving.

The researchers say that the men studied drank more alcohol than the women on average, resulting in men having more experience with alcoholic drinks and potentially leading to them using alcohol as a way of coping with distress.

They studied the reactions of 54 healthy adult social drinks to three types of imaginary scripts: stressful; alcohol-related; and neutral/relaxing.

Emotions, behavioral/bodily responses, cardiovascular arousal and self-reported alcohol craving were analyzed.

Researcher Tara Chaplin said the fact men drink more alcohol when upset could be a 'learned behavior' or could be 'related to known gender differences in reward pathways in the brain'.

'Women are more likely than men to focus on negative emotional aspects of stressful circumstances, for example, they tend to 'ruminate' or think over and over again about their negative emotional state,' she said.

'Men, in contrast, are more likely to distract themselves from negative emotions, to try not to think about these emotions.

'Our finding that men had greater blood pressure response to stress, but did not report greater sadness and anxiety, may reflect that they are more likely to try to distract themselves from their physiological arousal, possibly through the use of alcohol.'

The study is published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jwesly_Stifen

2008-06-27T14:53:00.000-07:00

State policies have a significant impact on the services performed by substance abuse treatment programs, and could play a key role in efforts to expand the use of research-based "comprehensive" treatment approaches, reports a study in the June issue of the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment (JSAT).

"The states are uniquely positioned to institute specific policy proscriptions emanating from scientific research in the substance abuse treatment arena, indicating that a comprehensive approach…[is] associated with positive treatment outcomes and reduced recidivism," according to the researchers, led by Jamie F. Chriqui, Ph.D., M.H.S., of University of Illinois at Chicago.

Dr. Chriqui and colleagues gathered data on state policy requirements regarding outpatient substance abuse treatment programs. They focused on state-authorized programs, which make up the vast majority of drug and alcohol abuse programs in the United States. The study included data on more than 9,000 drug treatment programs nationwide.

Nearly all of the programs were in a state with policies requiring some type of assessment for substance abuse treatment programs. However, most were in states that did not mandate the use of comprehensive diagnostic criteria, such as those published by the American Society for Addiction Medicine.

Most programs were in states requiring some type of group and individual counseling or therapy, but not family counseling or therapy. Studies have found that family counseling is an important part of successful substance abuse treatment. Few programs were in states requiring specific types of medical tests. For example, only six percent of programs were required to perform drug or alcohol testing/screening. Most programs were not in states requiring testing for diseases related to substance abuse, such as hepatitis and sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV. Less than 30 percent of programs were in states requiring relapse-prevention services. Just over 40 percent were required to provide aftercare counseling services.

When the researchers looked at what services the programs actually provided, there was a closer correspondence to research recommendations. Almost all programs performed diagnostic assessment and group and individual therapy, although rates of family counseling were lower. Nearly all programs performed urine screening for drugs and alcohol, but most did not test for substance-abuse related diseases. Most programs did provide relapse-prevention and aftercare services.

When other factors were taken into account, programs in states requiring more comprehensive services were more likely to offer those services. "The results…indicate that state policy requirements governing outpatient substance abuse treatment may have significant public health implications," the researchers write.

In recent years, major federal and other national organizations have urged the states to play a more active role in ensuring access to proven and effective treatments for substance abuse. A growing body of research shows that comprehensive treatment programs, including all of the components evaluated in this study, yield the best outcomes.

State policies could play a central role in improving the quality of substance abuse treatment programs, the new results suggest. Simply doing research on the most effective treatment approaches is not enough - strategies are also needed to ensure that the research-proven approaches find their way into actual treatment practice. "It is crucial for health services researchers to work with policy makers to incorporate best treatment practices into state policy and regulations," Dr. Chriqui and colleagues conclude.

----------------------------
Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release.

When Will It Be Time To Take Action On Alcohol?

2008-06-24T14:59:00.000-07:00

The Australian Drug Foundation (ADF) expressed disappointment that the Report from the Inquiry into the Alcohol Toll Reduction Bill from the Senate Community Affairs Committee (SCAC) recommended the Bill not be passed.

"The Committee expressed particular concern about the loophole that allows alcohol to be advertised on daytime TV via sponsorship of sport, and results in children being exposed to mass alcohol promotions. Yet it fails to recommend the loophole be closed. It is a missed opportunity" said Mr Rogerson, 'this must be a priority for the National Binge Drinking Strategy'. 'It is imperative the Ministerial Council on Drug Strategy moves quickly on this, as well as the other key agendas identified - supporting responsible service of alcohol, addressing secondary supply of alcohol to minors, reducing the alcohol content in products and the need for health warnings.'

The ADF agrees with the Committee's view that labels of alcohol products need to provide nutritional information so consumers can make an informed choice. However the ADF is disappointed the Committee didn't take the next step in recommending health warnings on alcohol products.

"Alcohol kills 3400 Australians every year and a warning on the label would remind drinkers when they buy and consume the product that they need to exercise care"

The ADF agrees that the labelling and packaging of alcohol products needs to be included within the alcohol advertising code. "The alcohol industry promised to do that but it has failed to keep its promise. Too many labels and packages are designed to appeal to young people and promote unsafe drinking" said Mr Rogerson.

'What we'd really like to see now is the bull taken by the horns and these anomalies addressed sooner rather than later'

The ADF commended Family First's Senator Steven Fielding for his efforts in introducing the Bill and further highlighting alcohol misuse as a national problem, and thanked Senator Rachel Siewert for her dissenting report.

Australian Drug Foundation
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/112528.php

Addiction? How do you know?

2008-06-20T15:04:00.000-07:00

I remember walking into my doctors office shortly after detoxing to 'fess up that I had alcohol/drug problems. I held a great respect for my doctor (I couldn't get pills out of him) and he had repaired a great deal of damage I had done to my body during the previous years, including some rather nasty duodenal ulcers when I was the ripe old age of 22. Stress caused them, or so I convinced myself was the case. The fact that I was vomiting blood incessantly, in pain 24 hours a day and still drinking never struck me as being somewhat stupid.... I didn't really care anyway.... I ended up basically living on antacid... should have bought shares!

I was nervous about telling my doctor what I was. He was well known in the town to refuse to keep tobacco smokers as patients... he thought it was a waste of time. Based on that (and my sensitivity at the time) I was sure that he would call me every name under the sun and curse me out of his office, hurling unspeakable medical instruments at me as I retreated.

When I told him what had happened and what I had done about it, he extended his hand and shook mine. You could have knocked me over with a feather. He then started speaking about what he knew of addiction, and surprised me with his depth of knowledge. He believed in the disease concept, knew the importance of not prescribing mood altering medications to recovering addicts and was very supportive.

I asked him "you know so much about it, why didn't you ever bail me up on the subject?" His response: "Was there any point?".

And that is the point of this article.

It's true.. we can't be told. Denial is our greatest ally in our downhill run. It shields us and allows us to find alternative scapegoats for our situation. "If only this, if only that, blah blah blah...things would be different". Even when we get "this and that", things don't change... the illness is progressive and does not respond to a change in our finances, environment or relationships - it must be dealt with directly.

For most of us, we have to lose everything... material and emotional before the denial is also lost - many of us are brought to our knees. I used to take a lot of pride in my appearance, but by the end of my "career" I had even stopped bothering to wash myself or even brush my hair. It didn't seem to matter.

We just don't seem to get it, but I do believe that subconsciously we know damned well what is causing our lives to be chaotic.

So how do you tell if you are alcoholic/addicted?

Are you ready to take a good look at yourself? If not, don't bother reading any further... go back to your bottle or your bong and find what temporary happiness you can in that. If you can really face yourself, I assure you that the future will hold a happiness that you have not experienced for a long time, perhaps ever.... but I warn you, it is damned hard work... for the term of your natural life.

I guess I could write reams and reams of quizzes and symptoms (I sat through many of them), but for the person questioning themselves as to whether they are an addict; it boils down to this:

-If you spend most of your straight time thinking about the substance of choice, to the point that it distracts you from other things, that is a strong indicator that you have the obsessive aspect of addiction.

-If you maneuvre events around things that may get in the way of using or drinking. That much mental energy dedicated to something so destructive is definitely not what I would consider a "good life".

-If you use/drink and it causes problems in your life, be they financial, physical, emotional or spiritual, and you continue to use or drink.

-If your behaviour while you are under the influence is totally out of character, negatively affects others and you have blank spots (called blackouts) - this signifies a lack of control over the substance and also indicates the beginnings of frontal lobe brain damage.

-If you need to use/drink more in order to achieve the same sensations, you are developing a tolerance to it. Your body is growing used to the substance, which is never a good sign.

That's it, 5 points. Simple things for complicated people. Now, I could pretty it up and make it fuzzy around the edges by making the statement that if you experience the above you may have an alcohol/drug problem. But that wouldn't sit right with me.

Whether you accept it or not, you are addicted and in big trouble.. end of story.

How does that hit you? Do you feel angry or threatened by what I just stated? Maybe you are thinking "what right does this person have to make this statement?". You are of course correct, I have no right - but you don't have to read this. Is our old friend Denial paying a visit, tying your stomach into knots? Then I have made my point.

That's all that addiction is - a physical compulsion couple with a mental obsession. Very strong, very dangerous... and more often than not, fatal. If a loved one confronts us head on with the accusation of being a drunk or addict, we usually have a instantaneous, very defensive response. Some of us become aggressive and I know of cases where people have killed others when confronted. Never underestimate the power of the disease or the grip it has upon you.

To people who don't understand this disease, I guess their reaction is "just stop". They are pretty fortunate to obviously not have an addictive bone in their body - it is so hard to try and relay to someone the gnawing feelings which remain long after the hell of withdrawal is over. It is very tiring, and that is why so many of us relapse. But the gnawing does taper off to a point that it just becomes a part of lifes other aches and pains & the positives far outweigh the negatives. My other articles explore avenues of assistance in the battle against substance addiction.

I guess the other way to self diagnose is to think about this: If you are seriously questioning yourself as to whether you have a problem, then you probably have one ........... "normal" people usually don't have to ask themselves these things .........

Please do something about it, before the "Parasite" takes a firmer grip... I guarantee you it won't get any easier the longer you put it off. Like pregnancy, you can't ignore it and hope it will go away.

And... how much do you want to lose while waiting? Denial may cost you your job, your house, your loved ones....it's their lives too that you are affecting.

Good luck to you in your struggle...fight it.. it's worth it. I can honestly say that I have more to live for in my life now than I would have ever dared dream, none of it was possible the way I was before.

Michael Bloch
michael@worldwideaddiction.com
http://www.worldwideaddiction.com

Why Making Amends With Others Is Critical In The Addiction Recovery Process

2008-06-13T17:50:00.000-07:00

Step nine of the 12 step program begins the process of the addict re-connecting with fellow human beings through the process of amends. After completing step 8 of the 12 step recovery program, the addict has a list of all the people and institutions he or she owe amends to. Amends can be made in person, through the mail, or by telephone.

By living the self-centered life of an addict, those in recovery can begin to see the havoc they have caused in the lives of those who care about them the most. Addicts have a tendency to manipulate their friends and family and have often treated them with disregard for their well-being in order to meet their selfish needs.

In step nine, the addict must face those that they have wronged and make amends for the harm they have caused. The recovering addict must pay back debts owed to people and institutions. The goal of step nine is to take direct and personal action to right the wrongs.

Mark Houston, founder of the Mark Houston Recovery Center talks about his personal revelations with Step 9

"My personal experiences with Step 9 were profound and life changing I did not realize prior to the process of making amends that I had disconnected from people through my alcoholism and drug addiction. I was an island unto myself and I was the only one on the island."

"As I made face to face amends with family members - particularly my parents - I began to experience a greater sense of ease and comfort within myself. I was able to accept the people in my life just as they are with no desire to change them. I owed a lot of money and as I began to pay the money back I began to earn more money at my job. I learned through this process that everything is connected. When one area of my life improved because of making amends, every area of my life became undeniably more rewarding."

We Don't Control the Outcome

The role of the addict in Step 9 is to make amends with each person, institution, and entity on the list created during step eight. There is no guarantee that those who receive apologies and amends will forgive. We do not control the outcome. We do not control the thoughts and intentions of others. We only offer the amends and accept what transpires.

The Role of Step 9 in the Recovery Process

By taking a series of actions to re-create in a positive way all the destruction created while being unconscious during addiction, the addict begins living with the positive effects of their new creations. Through amends, the recovering addict can finally begin consciously creating their own lives.
Author: Mark Houston

Drugs and Your Family

2008-06-10T13:47:00.000-07:00

Video on Drugs and Your Family
Parents dealing with drug abuse in the family.

Drugs and Your Family

2008-06-04T14:16:00.000-07:00

ScienceDaily (May 15, 2008) — Researchers from the Howard Florey Institute in Melbourne have identified a factor that may contribute towards the development of heroin addiction by manipulating the adenosine A2A receptor, which plays a major role in the brain's 'reward pathway'.

Using mice specifically bred without the adenosine A2A receptor, Prof Andrew Lawrence and his team showed that these mice had a reduced desire to self-administer morphine; heroin is converted to morphine in the body. The mice also self-administered less morphine compared to control littermates, but did not develop tolerance to specific behavioural effects of morphine.

The researchers also found that the mice did not develop a conditioned place preference for the drug, indicating that drug-context associations are mediated in part by this receptor. In human terms, this equates to the associative memory of the environment where the drug is used.

Collectively, these findings strongly suggest that the adenosine A2A receptor is involved in regulating the reinforcing and motivational properties of opiates.

Prof Lawrence said this was the first study to show that the adenosine A2A receptor was implicated in self-motivation to take opiates such as heroin.

"This receptor clearly plays a major role in opiate use and therefore abuse, as the mice were simply not interested in taking morphine despite it being freely available," he said.

"Although the drug-taking effects and behaviours of these mice were diminished, they still relapsed into drug-seeking after a period of withdrawal.

"This indicates that the adenosine A2A receptor has a role in the 'getting high' aspects of addiction, but not in the adaptations that contribute to relapse after going 'cold turkey'."

"The results from this study reinforce that addiction is a highly complex brain disorder that will require a multi-pronged approach to treat.

"Australia has over 50,000 heroin users. There are effective medical treatments available, such as methadone, buprenorphine and suboxone, as well as psychological interventions, but a better understanding of how heroin affects the brain could lead to improvements and broadening of these treatment options.

"Drugs alone will not be the answer -- successful treatment of drug addiction will require a combination of drugs and psychotherapy," Prof Lawrence said.

"Drugs alone will not be the answer -- successful treatment of drug addiction will require a combination of drugs and attention to social and psychological factors," Prof Lawrence said.

A number of major pharmaceutical companies are developing drugs that block the adenosine A2A receptor, so Prof Lawrence's research provides even more evidence that this receptor is an important target for treating drug addiction.

Prof Lawrence said that drugs affecting the adenosine A2A receptor show preclinical promise to treat alcohol addiction.

"Earlier this year we found that the adenosine A2A receptor interacts with the mGlu5 glutamate receptor found in the brain's reward pathway to regulate drug-seeking. "Consequently, a drug developed to target both these receptors could have an even better result in treating addiction," he added.

This research was recently accepted for publication in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology. This study is a collaboration between researchers from the

Howard Florey Institute, Victorian College of Pharmacy and the University of Melbourne.

Women And Alcohol, The Wrong Kind Of Fun

2008-06-03T14:46:00.000-07:00

Many dates have turned to be a nightmare for many women due to excessive consumption of alcohol. Men may use alcohol as a 'date rape' drug to exploit women. Women and alcohol are inseparable since women are more prone to alcohol addiction. Once a woman gets used to the "high-feeling" of a beer, she wants to be in that excited state all the time so they end up drinking too much too often. Young women are more vulnerable since they are preyed by most men. Alcohol increases their chances of being raped or being sexually assaulted. Women who are more likely to be attacked are the ones who have exceeded the drinking threshold by far. Many people have the opinion that men use other drugs to assault women sexually but in many cases alcohol is the solo 'date-rape' drug.

The association between women and alcohol is real. This is because alcohol is confirmed to be a major contributor to women's vulnerability to sexual abuse and acquaintance rape in social situations. Other drugs are also used to spike drinks but their contribution to sexual assault is comparatively minimal. In some cases the recreational drugs found in drinks are consumed at will. Women's binge drinking put them in an excited state of mind and their valid consent to engage in sex is questionable. The capacity to give a well informed consent at these sky rocketing levels of alcohol consumption cannot be trusted. Alcohol impairs the thinking capacity of a woman and she can agree to anything unconsciously. Many women wake up to witness horrifying news of the night before. Alcohol loosens a woman's morals and demotes her level of integrity. Personal values are highly interfered with.

In many cases of alleged sexual assault alcohol is mostly involved. Matters are worsened by the fact that many people have a perception of alcohol as an aphrodisiac. There is an intimate relationship between sex, women and alcohol in our society. Alcohol is perceived to be courage in a bottle or as many people put it "liquid courage." No wonder men who are out to have sex with new partners always prefer meeting the new catch in a boozing joint. Much as alcohol puts people in a loosened, relaxed mood to 'have fun', it has a negative and complicated sexual consequences. To avoid being a victim to rape or any sexual assault, avoid mixing different alcoholic drinks in a single sitting. Take one type of a drink at a time and save others for another day. Another big contribution to vulnerability is tendency to mix substances such as recreational and medication drugs with alcohol. This should be avoided.

Much of the research carried out on the effects of alcohol tend to lean more on physiological rather than social aspects. This has played a major role in the existing poor awareness of long term social sexual effects in our culture. Women who are married to alcohol are observed to have major difficulties maintaining a long term and serious relationships. They are mostly depressed and live in social isolation when they are not drinking. When trying to understand the relationship between women and alcohol, do not generalize the study because the sexual effect of alcohol on women is different from its sexual effects on men. Expectancy sexual effects of alcohol lead to the aroused behavior in most cases. Physical effects are present since the person taking alcohol anticipated them. You can still have the same results of excitement if you learn some self improvement skills.

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Virtual Help for Alcoholics

2008-06-01T09:08:00.000-07:00

A comfortable atmosphere, the crowd unwinding with a beer. It's not real, and it's not a video game. It's virtual reality therapy for alcoholics. Its aim is to mentally prepare them for situations that could trigger drinking.

Patrick Bordnick from the University of Houston says, "If we can have a virtual scenario, where we put that person in that bar, or in that social setting, and now have the therapist be able to teach you in real time. I think that will hold up when they are out in these realistic situations in the real world, that these skills should transfer from virtual reality to the real world."

Bordnick developed these virtual reality scenarios. In a study published in the journal "Addictive Behaviors," Bordnick found that alcohol dependent participants reported a greater urge to drink while viewing triggers like a bartender or a favorite cocktail, compared to viewing neutral scene. The study even included smells.

According to Bordnick, this was the first trial to use scent, so we have computer controlled scents, so when you walk by a shot of tequila on the bar, or a beer, you automatically smell beer.

Bordnick says that realism is critical to the next step --- seeing whether the scenarios can help addicts to learn coping skills.

Bordnick says, "We've demonstrated that virtual reality triggers for smoking, for cannabis, and now in this particular study, for alcohol, are real enough to get real world reactions." He says coping with those reactions virtually, could make the "real world" a lot less tempting for alcoholics.
Source: http://www.ksfy.com/news/local/19339764.html

Women Drug Addiction Report on Opiate Dependency

2008-05-28T08:41:00.000-07:00

Part III: Percentage of Women Seeking Anesthesia-Assisted Detoxification for Painkiller Dependency on the Rise According to Waismann Method Survey

According to The Waismann Method Opiate Dependency Survey, the percentage of female patients seeking treatment for opiates, which includes Vicodin ®, OxyContin ®, Lortab ®, Norco ®, Percocet ® and Suboxone ®, rose 12 percent in the past year. Seventy percent of female respondents confirmed that their dependencies began after taking legitimate doctor-prescribed medication. Oxycontin ® and Vicodin ® remained the most commonly abused opiates for the third year in a row and Suboxone dependency is also on the rise, according to Dr. Clifford Bernstein, medical director for Anesthesia Assisted Medical Opiate Detoxification Inc. (A.A.M.O.D.) and practitioner of the Waismann Method.

“We are seeing an increase in female patients seeking treatment for dependency to painkillers, and our statistics show these patients are wives and mothers that unwittingly developed a physical dependency to painkillers after seeking assistance from their doctors for pain,” said Bernstein. “The increase doesn’t come as a surprise as these potent pills are prescribed for anything from back pain to migraines headaches. In these cases, the prescribing physicians need to educate patients about the dangers of opiate dependence. In turn, patients need to ask themselves if their pain warrants the use of prescription medication or if an over-the-counter pill would provide adequate relief.

”Because their dependencies are often a physical reaction to the prolonged use of opiates, a medical treatment that is going to remove that reliance and allow them to begin anew without opiates in their system is an appropriate last step, explained Bernstein.

“Anesthesia-assisted detoxification cleanses the opiates from the body and reduces the cravings, allowing these women to return to their normal lives in a short time,” he said.

Additional findings of The Waismann Method Opiate Dependency Survey include:

* An overwhelming number of women, at 92 percent, said that the directions for taking the opiates were clear and easy to understand, but only 38 percent indicated that their doctors enforced those directions.
* Fifty-five percent of women who answered the survey received prescriptions from only one doctor, while 31 percent sought treatment from multiple doctors.
* For 50 percent of female respondents, withdrawal symptoms were the number one reason they were not able to stop taking the drug without help.
* Thirty-one percent of women obtained prescription medication by ordering over the Internet.
* Of female respondents, 52 percent were married at the time of treatment, and 64 percent had children.

Drs. Clifford A. Bernstein is the medical director of Anesthesia Assisted Medical Opiate Detoxification Inc. (A.A.M.O.D.). A.A.M.O.D. uses the exclusive Waismann Method of Rapid Detox to treat opiate dependency. Performed in a hospital intensive care unit, the Waismann Method involves cleansing the opiate receptors in the patient’s brain of the narcotics while the patient is under anesthesia, reversing the chemical imbalance. During the procedure, the patient will experience minimal conscious withdrawal, and will be able to return home within days. 75 percent of the prescription drug dependent patients who are treated with the Waismann Method remain drug free after one year. StatCounter - Free Web Tracker and Counter

Internet Called 'Biggest Culprit' in Prescription Drug Abuse

2008-05-24T15:57:00.000-07:00

Prescription drug abuse is being fueled by easy access to pharmaceuticals on the Internet, often facilitated by shady doctors and pharmacies, CNN reported May 21.

Rusty Payne, a spokesman for the Drug Enforcement Administration, said pharmaceutical abuse "is one of the biggest drug problems we are dealing with. "The Internet is the biggest culprit," Payne said.

"These pharmacy people that are doing this and these doctors that are doing this, they don't give a dadgummit about people. It's just the almighty dollar; that's all it is," said one Wichita, Kansas women whose husband died from an overdose of the muscle relaxant Soma, which he bought online without ever visiting a doctor.

CNN reporters were able to easily buy the antidepressants Prozac and Elavil online by filling out a health survey and providing a credit-card number, even though an e-mail from the linepharmacy.com site said that "all orders made are still subjected to Doctor's evaluation." The drugs arrived with a doctor's name and a pharmacy name on the label, but the reporter never spoke to a doctor.

In another example, a women who tried to commit suicide with drugs bought online received a prescription for Soma written by a doctor on Long Island, Kareem Tannous, who she had never met. The doctor, who runs three health clinics, refused to answer questions about the prescription, as did workers at Roots Pharmacy in American Fork, Utah, which filled the prescription.

The DEA says that investigations of Internet pharmacies yielded $39 million in cash and other assets last year, up from $11 million in 2004.

Carmen Catizone, the executive director of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, likened illicit online pharmacies to drug dealers but said Congress has been reluctant to beef up enforcement. "'Show us the dead bodies,'" has been the typical response from lawmakers, said Catizone, "and if that was me or my family, that's a pretty sad statement for our legislators to give."

Alcohol:The Low Life

2008-05-20T08:20:00.000-07:00

When you first start drinking, you are like a lot of people. You're smart and you have a lot to offer. You are looking forward to a good career, finding your significant other, getting your own house, driving the nice car.

Then, as the social drinking continues, alcohol suddenly becomes more important. You are drinking after work, on the weekends, and after enough time, every chance you get.

With enough drinking your family and friends start to protest. You are going over the edge, you are drinking way too much. Your family may issue the ultimatum that you are no longer allowed to drink in their presence. Your significant other may leave you, and your friends stop returning your calls as your behavior under the influence becomes more embarrassing.

So there you are. You, the one who had so much potential. You have your priorities and because you have developed an alcohol addiction, alcohol has reached the top of the list.

Because the people in your life have run interference with or completely banned your drinking, you now have to either drink alone, or find people to spend time with who have a high tolerance for the volume and frequency of your drinking. And these new friends are not going to be of the same caliber as your old friends, because they have the same priority - alcohol. So they will probably have more time to drink on their hands, most being unencumbered by employment or other normal responsibilities. Now you have friends you can drink and waste your time with, pretty much around the clock. Every drunk's dream. Whittling the days, weeks and months away drinking. No ambition, no accomplishments, no contribution, no life. Sometimes it's all you can do to get up in the morning. You don't clean anymore, and you don't keep up your appearance like you used to. But that's o.k., because your new friends don't mind, if they even noticed.

This is why it can be lonely after you stop drinking, at least for awhile. After some time sober has passed and you have regained some of your mental capacity, you don't want to spend any more time with these people - the people who because of their addiction helped you to keep your own addiction to alcohol alive. You are newly sober and have begun, once again, to start moving up in the world and making a new, better life for yourself. You are going to have to leave the low life, and your companions on the fast track to nowhere, behind.

If you have a drinking problem that is dragging you down, there is an easy 5 step plan that is helping people to stop drinking right away:

http://HowIStoppedDrinking.org

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Samantha_James

Fighting Alcoholism Online

2008-05-18T10:25:00.000-07:00

The rise of online large scale intervention for alcoholics is gaining ground. Given that alcoholism is beginning to be a major cause of disability, and the fact that alcoholics do not get adequate treatment, it is high time to take help to a higher level.

Online intervention is changing the face of coping with and treatment of alcoholism. Since the internet is more accessible and more people are becoming netizens by each day, it is a change that is gladly welcomed by many. The internet has also great potential to deliver self-help intervention in a global basis, to people who do not seek or receive enough help for alcoholism, or simply to those who find it hard to do so. For some people, internet help is merely a supplement to their regular face-to-face meetings with other people, but for most, online help and intervention is the only meeting they could attend to.

In an age where time is of the essence, some people would rather let themselves whither away with alcohol than take the time to seek out professional help. Most Americans keep more than one job, and at the end of the day, they are too tired to go out and find someone who can help them and instead take comfort in nursing a bottle of whiskey. With the internet revolution, people can just sit on their computers and interact with similar individuals with similar needs – right in the comforts of their own home.

Online help has also been very helpful for a particular group of alcoholics with special needs. People with hearing disabilities or those who can’t get around without a wheelchair greatly benefit from online interaction to seek help. Others who want to remain anonymous can do so with little or no threats to his privacy.

There are many different ways for people to find online help. They can conveniently take part in online meetings, email discussion groups, real-time chat meetings, forum and bulletin board discussions and even voice-chat are now readily available in the web. All they have to do is find the right group that they are most comfortable with and they can start getting help from there.

Online intervention for alcoholics is convenient, fast and reliable. The steady rise of the Internet and its fast development has brought support for alcoholics and consequently, recovery to many people worldwide

Natural Treatments for Alcoholism

2008-05-13T09:45:00.000-07:00

Alcoholics cannot resist the urge to drink alcohol, and then drink more alcohol. They are not stupid people (not always, anyway!). Most are aware of how bad excessive drink can be for the human body, but despite their knowledge they have lost their ability to control the amount of alcohol they drink. They drink beyond socially acceptable limits and are often a burden and embarrassment to their friends and family. This still does not stop them from drinking.

Ongoing alcoholism has dire effects on the body. It interferes with the normal function of all organs. It is especially hard on the liver, brain, kidneys and heart. Cirrhosis of the liver is one of the most serious effects of prolonged alcoholism. This is a scarring of the organ that is almost irreversible. It is rare that a cirrhosis-affected liver can ever be returned to full health and functionality. Alcohol interferes with digestion, which starts to starve the body of needed nutrients. Each time alcohol is imbibed it dulls a little more of the senses. Over a long period of time these sensory losses can become permanent.

There are some natural remedies and herbs that can be helpful in the treatment of alcoholism.

Herbs:

- Aloe vera helps to strengthen the liver and prevent cirrhosis, one of the first effects of alcoholism noticed by many sufferers.

- Ashwagandha helps strengthen the alcoholic through reducing vata vitiations. Vata is instrumental in the health and strength of the brain. It stimulates natural physical coordination.

- The gotu kola herb is also a brain revitalizer. It is an important ingredient to anyone suffering from alcohol withdrawal.

- Musk, or jatamansi, is also good for vata vitiation. It has a cooling effect and helps your body recover from the effects of alcoholism.

Ayurvedic Treatments:

Ayurvedic treatments come in different levels, depending on how entrenched the alcoholism is in the body.

If one has just begun to recognize alcoholic signs, methods include irrigating the head in cold water, eating only cold food, and the use of cold packs of mud for the body.

The more severe sufferer of alcoholism who may have been drinking for many years may require a more stringent treatment involving inducing vomiting, taking medicines to assist digestion, and fasting.

These are just two examples of a wide variety of Ayurvedic treatments.

Home Remedies:

Fruits are very good at lowering the negative effects of alcoholism. Juice from citrus fruit is very good at relieving hangover symptoms. Apples and bananas help remove toxins from the bloodstream.

Grapes and dates have the ability to reduce one's urge to drink alcohol. In fact, if you eat only grapes and dates and nothing else for a couple weeks, your drinking temptation will be gone.

Start drinking more and varied types on non-alcoholic beverages regularly. This, too, will reduce the need to drink alcohol. When you feel the need to drink, grab a glass of carrot juice instead. It will help remove that urge.

A hard-core drinker will undoubtedly fail when trying to completely stop drinking all at once. Instead, phase out alcohol from your diet slowly and steadily. Things that will help you on this goal are:

- Slow down with wine or beer instead of hard liquor. Eventually these, too, can be quit.

- Take an interest in a hobby or sport to take your mind of the times you would have been drinking before.

- The love and support from family and friends goes a long way to helping the sufferer rid himself of his alcoholism.

- Alcoholics Anonymous meetings give the alcoholism sufferer hope and support from others with personal experience with the same problem

Whatever you do, if you even think you might be leaning towards alcoholism, start taking action.

Michael Russell

Drunks By Jack Mc.

2008-05-09T09:50:00.001-07:00

DRUNKS
for my father, and the people who almost saved his life

We died of pneumonia in furnished rooms
where they found us three days later
when somebody complained about the smell
we died against bridge abutments
and nobody knew if it was suicide
and we probably didn't know either
except in the sense that it was always suicide
we died in hospitals
our stomachs huge, distended
and there was nothing they could do
we died in cells
never knowing whether we were guilty or not.

We went to priests
they gave us pledges
they told us to pray
they told us to go and sin no more, but go
we tried and we died

we died of overdoses
we died in bed (but usually not the Big Bed)
we died in straitjackets
in the DTs seeing God knows what
creeping skittering slithering
shuffling things

And you know what the worst thing was?
The worst thing was that
nobody ever believed how hard we tried

We went to doctors and they gave us stuff to take
that would make us sick when we drank
on the principle of so crazy, it just might work, I guess
or maybe they just shook their heads
and sent us places like Dropkick Murphy's
and when we got out we were hooked on paraldehyde
or maybe we lied to the doctors
and they told us not to drink so much
just drink like me
and we tried
and we died

we drowned in our own vomit
or choked on it
our broken jaws wired shut
we died playing Russian roulette
and people thought we'd lost
but we knew better
we died under the hoofs of horses
under the wheels of vehicles
under the knives and bootheels of our brother drunks
we died in shame

And you know what was even worse?
was that we couldn't believe it ourselves
that we had tried
we figured we just thought we tried
and we died believing that
we didn't know what it meant to try

When we were desperate enough
or hopeful or deluded or embattled enough to go for help
we went to people with letters after their names
and prayed that they might have read the right books
that had the right words in them
never suspecting the terrifying truth
that the right words, as simple as they were
had not been written yet

We died falling off girders on high buildings
because of course ironworkers drink
of course they do
we died with a shotgun in our mouth
or jumping off a bridge
and everybody knew it was suicide
we died under the Southeast Expressway
with our hands tied behind us
and a bullet in the back of our head
because this time the people that we disappointed
were the wrong people
we died in convulsions, or of "insult to the brain"
we died incontinent, and in disgrace, abandoned
if we were women, we died degraded,
because women have so much more to live up to
we tried and we died and nobody cried

And the very worst thing
was that for every one of us that died
there were another hundred of us, or another thousand
who wished that we could die
who went to sleep praying we would not have to wake up
because what we were enduring was intolerable
and we knew in our hearts
it wasn't ever gonna change

One day in a hospital room in New York City
one of us had what the books call
a transforming spiritual experience
and he said to himself

I've got it
(no you haven't you've only got part of it)

and I have to share it
(now you've ALMOST got it)

and he kept trying to give it away
but we couldn't hear it

the transmission line wasn't open yet
we tried to hear it
we tried and we died

we died of one last cigarette
the comfort of its glowing in the dark
we passed out and the bed caught fire
they said we suffocated before our body burned
they said we never felt a thing
that was the best way maybe that we died
except sometimes we took our family with us

And the man in New York was so sure he had it
he tried to love us into sobriety
but that didn't work either, love confuses drunks
and he tried and still we died
one after another we got his hopes up
and we broke his heart
because that's what we do

And the worst thing was that every time
we thought we knew what the worst thing was
something happened that was worse

Until a day came in a hotel lobby
and it wasn't in Rome, or Jerusalem, or Mecca
or even Dublin, or South Boston
it was in Akron, Ohio, for Christ's sake

a day came when the man said I have to find a drunk
because I need him as much as he needs me
(NOW
you've got it)

and the transmission line
after all those years
was open
the transmission line was open

And now we don't go to priests
and we don't go to doctors
and people with letters after their names
we come to people who have been there
we come to each other
and we try
and we don't have to die

Alcohol Becoming Equal Opportunity Destroyer

2008-05-06T14:28:00.000-07:00

Alcohol dependence was once much more common among men than women in the U.S., but the gender gap is closing, Reuters reported May 5.

Researchers Richard A. Grucza of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and colleagues said that alcohol consumption and dependence have been rising among white and Hispanic women since the end of World War II, with women born between 1954 and 1963 much more apt to drink and have drinking problems than those born between 1944 and 1953.

"This is particularly disturbing because women with alcohol problems face more severe health-related consequences and possibly more years of life lost than their male counterparts," the study noted.

"We found that for women born after World War II, there are lower levels of abstaining from alcohol and higher levels of alcohol dependence, even when looking only at women who drank," Grucza said.

A changing cultural environment that saw more women going to college, entering the workforce, gaining purchasing power and defying gender stereotypes has played a role in alcohol-related trends among women, Grucza added. "They were freer to engage in a range of behaviors that were culturally or practically off-limits, and these behaviors probably would have included excessive drinking and alcohol problems," he said.

The research appears in the May 2008 issue of the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.

So You Think You Can Drink

2008-05-02T09:37:00.001-07:00

The human civilization has reportedly been drinking for around 15,000 years. And in today’s society, alcohol drinking is undeniably more socially acceptable than its scorned counterparts – smoking and drug abuse. But does this make alcohol much safer?

Alcohol, as some of you might NOT know, is created when fruits, grains or vegetables are fermented. Fermentation can refer to the use of yeast to change sugar found in natural substances into alcohol. It might or might not taste closely like them, but alcohol come from organic foods such as grapes, barley, wheat, rice and others. Now, that doesn’t seem so bad after all. But wait until we get to the juicy parts.

When people consume alcohol, it is absorbed into their bloodstream. From the blood, it travels up from the spinal cord to the brain which controls virtually all bodily functions. Alcohol contains a significant amount of ethanol, a depressant, which slows down the functions of the central nervous system. It blocks some of the messages trying to get to the brain, giving the drunken person slow responses, faulty perceptions and alters his emotions, visions, movement and hearing.

Though in very small amounts, alcohol can help a person calm down, too much of it can make him relax too much. People who overuse alcohol become intoxicated. They stagger, lose their coordination, slur their speech and even have memory gaps or blackouts. Reaction and response times are dramatically slowed – making drunken people unable to drive efficiently and think that they’re moving fine when in reality they are not.

When large amounts of alcohol are consumed in a relatively short period of time, alcohol poisoning can happen. Alcohol poisoning is apparently just that – the poisoning of your system by huge amounts of alcohol you can’t tolerate. This is the state that is characterized by violent vomiting which happens to be its first symptom. Other signs also include extreme and uncontrolled sleepiness, unconsciousness, a dangerously low blood sugar, seizures, difficulty in breathing, and ultimately, even death.

Though in moderation, alcohol has noteworthy health benefits, frequent use and abuse can cause short and long term side-effects. Alcohol can do so much more to your body than shoot you to tipsy heaven. It can get you in trouble with the law, make you look really silly and stupid, and it can make you a threat to yourself and to the people around you.

Drink responsibly. If you think you can contain your alcohol, think again.
Copyright 2008. C.King, M.Ed.

The Cold Hard Truth About 'Speed' And 'Ice', Australian Medical Association

2008-04-29T09:31:00.001-07:00

The Australian Medical Association claimed methamphetamine users were being put in the too-hard basket - with the peak medical body calling for an overhaul of how the health system deals with this very difficult drug problem.

AMA National President, Dr Rosanna Capolingua, released the AMA Position Statement on Methamphetamine at a press conference at the Royal Perth Hospital, saying methamphetamine users who were often aggressive or in a psychotic state were ending up in emergency wards or in police custody.

Dr Capolingua said emergency department staffs were increasingly being placed in harm's way when it came to methamphetamine users.

"Methamphetamine use is an urgent and pressing health problem that is creating a serious safety issue for health care staff," she said.

The AMA is calling for all emergency departments to have a specialist drugs liaison officer to engage and support methamphetamine and other drug users.

Dr Capolingua said using methamphetamines may produce an initial sense of wellbeing and euphoria but dependence on this harmful drug can lead to methamphetamine-induced psychosis. Three in 10 users will experience psychotic episodes with paranoia and hallucinations.

"Methamphetamine should never be referred to as a recreational, soft or party drug. It's a harmful drug at the community and individual level. More than three-quarters of dependent users suffer serious mental health problems such as agitation, aggression, depression and anxiety," Dr Capolingua said.

A recent Western Australian study found that amphetamine-related presentations accounted for 1.2 per cent of emergency department cases.

Dr Capolingua said many agitated or psychotic users brought into emergency wards were often drunk as well - increasing the risk of aggression towards staff and creating clinical management challenges.

"Symptoms usually last two or three hours but users often need to be hospitalised for their own protection and the safety of others. A third require sedation and intensive treatment which obviously takes up considerable hospital resources," she said.

Further research is also needed into methamphetamine-related problems in emergency departments, best practice in treatment, and what services are required to avoid hospital admission or police custody if a patient is not psychotic. The AMA believes low-intensity, supervised hostel-type accommodation may be suitable.

The AMA is also calling for:

- A renewed, comprehensive and sustained public education program on the social and health consequences of methamphetamine use;

- A sustained investment in GP training on how to engage drug users for lifestyle change; and

- More generic programs, such as Life Skills, which are aimed at young people.

The AMA Position Statement can be found here.

Background

Around three per cent of Australians over the age of 14 use the harmful drug at least once a year.

There are approximately 73,000 dependent methamphetamine users in Australia compared to the 45,000 regular heroin users.

Methamphetamine is a stimulant drug available in various forms:

- Powder or 'speed' is usually of relatively low purity and can be snorted, injected or taken orally;

- Methamphetamine base, a damp oily substance, is of higher purity and typically injected; and

- Crystalline methamphetamine, colloquially known as 'crystal' or 'ice' is methamphetamine in its purest form. Ice is usually smoked or injected.

Pseudoephedrine, available from pharmacies as a symptomatic treatment for the common cold, is the usual base for the illicit manufacture of methamphetamines.

Australian Medical Association

Prescription Pain Killers Are Involved In More Drug Overdose Deaths Than Either Cocaine Or Heroin In U.S.

2008-04-28T12:24:00.000-07:00

Trends analysis of drug poisoning deaths has helped explain a national epidemic of overdose deaths in the USA that began in the 1990s, concludes Leonard Paulozzi and colleagues at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, USA. The contribution of prescription pain killers to the epidemic has only become clear recently. This research is published this week in the journal, Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety.

Drugs called "opioids" are frequently prescribed to relieve pain, but if abused they can kill. Over the past 15 years, sales of opioid pain killers, including oxycodone, hydrocodone, methadone and fentanyl, have increased, and deaths from these drugs have increased in parallel.

In 2002, over 16,000 people died in the USA as a result of drug overdoses, with most deaths related to opioids, heroin, and cocaine. Opioids surpassed both cocaine and heroin in extent of involvement in these drug overdoses between 1999 and 2002.

The situation appears to be accelerating. Between 1979 and 1990 the rate of deaths attributed to unintentional drug poisoning increased by an average of 5.3% each year. Between 1990 and 2002, the rate increased by 18.1% per year. The contribution played by opioids is also increasing. Between 1999 and 2002 the number of overdose death certificates that mention poisoning by opioid pain killers went up by 91.2%. While the pain killer category showed the greatest increase, death certificates pointing a finger of blame at heroin and cocaine also increased by 12.4% and 22.8% respectively.

In an accompanying 'comment' article, David Joranson and Aaron Gilson of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health Comprehensive Cancer Centre; Pain & Policy Studies Group, of Madison, Wisconsin. They caution against increasing unwarranted fears of using opioid analgesics in pain management, noting that much of the abuse of opioid analgesics is by recreational and street users and individuals with psychiatric conditions rather than pain patients.

Joranson and Gilson also point to the large quantity of opioid analgesics stolen from pharmacies every year, saying that "overdose deaths involving prescription medications do not necessarily mean they were prescribed. It is also crucial to know that most overdose deaths involve several drugs and these data cannot attribute the cause to a particular drug."

In a second commentary, Scott Fishman, Professor of Anaesthesiology and Pain Medicine at University of California, Davis concludes that drug abuse and under treated pain are both public health crises, but the solution to one need not undermine the other. "The least we can do is make sure that the casualties of the war on drugs are not suffering patients who legitimately deserve relief," he says.

Adapted from materials provided by John Wiley & Sons, Inc..

Old Habits

2008-04-25T09:04:00.000-07:00

After decades of drug addiction, Adriane Allen believes she has finally grown too old to smoke crack. At 57, she has chest pains, has lost most of her teeth and has trouble moving her arms. Lately, she worries about how her grandchildren will remember her when she is gone.

"I definitely do not want them mourning me as an addict, that I died as an addict," said Ms. Allen, shaking her head, covered with gray hair and fidgeting uncontrollably during an interview at a New York City needle-exchange center.

"You get tired of being tired," she continued. "They say that is a drug addict's saying, but it is true, you do get tired of being tired. I am tired of walking around in a daze. I am tired of walking around with sunglasses on. Blocking out real life. I am ready to face my demons and just say I don't want it anymore."

As the first of the baby boomers approach 60, addiction treatment centers are bracing for a growing population of older drug addicts. Many aging users, veterans of the counterculture 60's, started using drugs as teenagers and have progressed to harder substances and addiction, while others turned to illicit drugs, abuse of prescription medications or increased alcohol intake later in life, with the loss of jobs or spouses.

Since, traditionally, substance-abuse- treatment programs and research have focused on teenagers and young adults, doctors, social workers, therapists and researchers say that new approaches need to be developed for the ballooning number of boomer addicts.

"In treatment of people 55 and older, we are starting to see much more cocaine addiction, which we never saw before," said Frederic C. Blow, an associate professor in the University of Michigan's psychiatry department, who has developed policy recommendations for the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. "In fact, in some treatment programs, we are starting to see more problems related to stimulant abuse: cocaine, crack and marijuana use."

The federal government's 2004 survey of substance abuse, released in September, estimated that more than three million adults 50 and older had used marijuana, hashish, cocaine or crack, heroin, hallucinogens or inhalants or had misused prescription drugs during the previous year. That number could more than double by 2020, said Joseph C. Gfroerer, director of the substance abuse agency's population surveys.

Willard L. Mays, a delegate to the White House Conference on Aging and a member of the executive committee of the National Coalition on Mental Health and Aging, said, "There are not enough geriatric specialists to handle this increased number of people who need services."

Their medical problems can be overwhelming. Long-term heroin use can hasten the decline in immunity that comes with age. Prolonged cocaine use can lead to erosion of the nasal passages, arrhythmia and other cardiovascular problems. The slower metabolism, lower body mass and decrease in an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase that accompany aging drive down the alcohol tolerance of older adults, contributing to liver disease and making them susceptible to falls. Older patients may already have diabetes, arthritis or hypertension, meaning that they need to be stabilized before they can start treatment for their addiction.

At the methadone maintenance treatment program at Beth Israel Medical Center, doses sometimes need to be adjusted for older patients who are more likely to be on several prescription drugs, said the medical director, Dr. Randy Seewald.

Older patients can also present practical treatment problems. Those with mobility problems might have trouble getting to treatment centers. They often need treatment literature printed in large type, or help in unscrewing the caps of methadone bottles, because of arthritis. Therapy must be tailored to address regret over wasted youth and lost spouses.

Substance abuse also often goes undetected - and therefore untreated - for long periods in older adults who are isolated. "When people are retired and do not have professional obligations and the children have left home, then our red flags are not raised quite as effectively," said Petros Levounis, director of the Addiction Institute of New York.

Even when an older person's drug or drinking problem is noticed, people are sometimes loath to interfere and deprive parents or other loved ones of a remaining pleasure, said Julie E. Jensen, a researcher with the Washington Institute, an academic institution that advises the public health system in Tacoma.

Some who had been casual drug users in their youth returned to the substances later in life because of loneliness, the death of a spouse or a loss of purpose after retirement. "They will go back to what satisfied them years ago," said Carolyn M. Drennan, director of nursing at the Beth Israel methadone program.

Moses Henderson, 57, said he started sniffing heroin to cope with depression after his wife died in 2001. He has hypertension, a bad heart and diabetes, but is now in treatment. "I don't think my wife would want me dead," he said, adding that if he uses drugs again, "I will not make it."

Unlike Mr. Henderson, who is in a residential program, Margaret Baldwin, 65, lives in a homeless shelter. Two years ago, she fell down the stairs while drunk and broke her hip. That was the last straw, after 23 years of alcohol abuse and drinking a pint of gin every day. "I had no company," she said. "The only thing that entertained me was the bottle."

Then there are longtime addicts like Ms. Allen. She said she went from a puff of marijuana at a party in the 60's to "skin-popping" heroin and smoking crack over the years.

Sometimes, "I found myself asleep on the train," she said, "because I would be so high."

"I would like, nod out," she said, at the Lower East Side Harm Reduction Center. "When I wake up, I am like in the Bronx or Coney Island. Now that I am older I won't do that when I get high. I make sure I get to a friend's house."

Ms. Allen said she had used cocaine five days a week. She agreed to be interviewed because she thought her story would help younger addicts quit.

While some addicts, like Ms. Allen, are unemployed and homeless, others hold down jobs and lead middle class lives. Take Gwendolyn Jennings-Hill, a 55-year-old grandmother who says she was a functional addict. She used to cook up marble-size pellets of cocaine at home in Hampton, Va., then smoke it quickly, so her daughter would not catch her.

"I fell in love with crack," said Ms. Jennings-Hill, who is in Odyssey House's ElderCare program in Harlem. "I used marijuana and then I progressed to drinking, then sniffing cocaine and freebasing. The 60's was a time when people started coming out of Vietnam. There was the hippie generation. I was connected to that age and that era."

This year, encouraged by her family, Ms. Jennings-Hill sought to end what she called the thrill and insanity of addiction. "I did not go to crack houses," she said. "I was one of the, I guess, fortunate addicts that had a house, had food, had money."

Ms. Jennings-Hill's teacher's salary was enough to support a habit that cost about $3,000 a month. Others use Social Security payments or rent space in their apartments as crack houses.

In contrast to younger addicts, older substance abusers thrive on treatment that features personal accounts, counselors say. They dress up for group sessions, and hesitate to speak openly in mixed-age groups.

At Odyssey House, a dozen residents aged 54 to 75 sat in a circle recently and told stories of broken marriages and estranged children. Some were trying to overcome heroin and crack habits while dealing with hypertension, diabetes, cardiac problems and sleep apnea.

"I been drugging for the past 55 years," Pedro Rosa, 66, said reflectively, looking at the floor and leaning on his cane, his tattooed arms protruding from his shirtsleeves.

Several in the group let out murmurs of agreement, like the sounds listeners make when they not only know the story but have also lived it.

"I was a very angry man when I was in the street," Mr. Rosa said. "But now I am too old to continue the life I was living."

Source: nytimes.com

Addiction and the Family

2008-04-22T18:28:00.000-07:00

Addiction: Harm to the User and the Family

A drug addiction or alcohol addiction of a family member not only affects the said member per se but also has a serious effect on the people around the user, most especially the loved ones. It is but normal to be ignorant of how to deal with your loved ones who are into alcoholism, substance abuse, drug abuse, etc. It will also be hard to understand why the member of the family resorted to those addictions. Most of the time, the loved ones would have a hard time telling the person to the face that he/she needs to be brought to the treatment center or undergo rehabilitation.

The life of a user is not the only thing that is ruined as soon as addiction has been developed---the life of the family may also be destroyed as they are either hurt physically and emotionally by the user. Drugs or alcohol may be likened to a director who calls out how the actors and actresses (the users) should act, and most of the time, the actions are negative and destructive. The behavior of the user not only results to self destruction but also negatively affects the actions, feelings and thoughts of the people around the user, most especially the family.

Life for the person’s (the one who does substance abuse or is a slave to alcoholism) family will never be normal. This is because users behave in the manner that will most of the time hurt their family. The change in the user’s behavior, e.g. from being a meek child, has become a violent child, often cause the family members to have difficulty in adapting, thus resulting to their own emotional and psychological problems. Now, even the family members are being controlled by the user’s addiction. The most common feelings that family members would experience would be guilt, sometimes blaming themselves for the user’s dependency on drugs, disappointment, fear of whatever the user might do, and a lot more.

The best resort of family members would be to first learn all there is to know about substance abuse as well as alcoholism. As soon as they have an understanding of those subjects, they will be able to start helping the users as well as themselves on the way to recovery. Family members can do their research through the Internet with a lot of online resources available such as sober forums, the Sober Sources network, etc. They also need to learn first how it works in rehabilitation and treatment centers before making a decision of letting the user undergo rehabilitation.

Learning about counseling treatment options will also be a good idea as the user will be needing all the support that he or she could get. As soon as the user has attained sobriety, lapses could be avoided through the mutual support groups as well as self-help resources that gives support continuously for the users to live a drug free life with consistency. These groups support the addict in making lifestyle changes, such as establishing new, drug-free friends and activities, necessary to maintaining abstinence. There are also communities that will help the family members and the loved ones cope from the effects of having an addict within the family.

Medicare Plans Affected by Rising Drug Costs

2008-04-21T13:19:00.000-07:00

Employers and patients in corporate health plans are not the only ones affected by the soaring prices of specialty drugs. Enrollees in Medicare drug plans are also feeling the pressure.

Many leading pharmacy benefit managers and drug insurers that oversee employer plans also offer coverage through the Medicare Part D drug insurance program, and so are profiting from federal spending on specialty drugs and from Medicare patients’ own high out-of-pocket co-payments.

Driven in part by specialty drugs, the prices of medicines heavily used by the elderly have risen more than 24 percent since June 2006, two senior health economists at Harvard reported in January in the policy journal Health Affairs.

In that article the economists, Richard G. Frank and Joseph E. Newhouse, said single-source unique drugs have the potential to present “important new pressures on the federal budget.”

Many Part D plans segregate specialty drugs in a special tier, where a Medicare enrollee pays 25 to 33 percent of the price, according to Jack Hoadley, a research professor at Georgetown University. At that rate, patients quickly reach the $5,726 cap on out-of-pocket spending, after which the patient pays only 5 percent. From that point, the drug plan sponsor pays 15 percent, while Medicare pays 80 percent of the cost.

The trend, the Frank-Newhouse article said, bodes ill for “the worrisome future financial health of Medicare.”

MILT FREUDENHEIM

Treatment Centers

2008-04-19T09:49:00.000-07:00

Most addicted people need help to find a way to live clean, sober lives. Treatment Centers, therapists and specialists are often the last stop in the vicious cycle that is substance addiction. When alcoholism and drug addiction become part of your daily life - be it yourself, a friend or a family member - opportunities for happiness, life, prosperity and peace of mind can vanish in the blink of an eye.

Many individuals will not seek treatment for various reasons. It has been our experience that 'active' addicts and alcoholics, as well as people afflicted with different addictions or conditions, can sometimes lose the ability to reason. A therapist or specialist for a specific illness or addiction issue, or a full-fledged residential treatment center can and will help. You, or your loved one, can find it here at
Treatment Centers.com

Middle Age Drinking Linked to Alzheimer's

2008-04-16T20:57:00.000-07:00

Researchers found an apparent link between heavy drinking or heavy smoking by people in their 40s and the development of Alzheimer's disease decades later, Health Day News reported April 16.

One study of people 60 and older diagnosed with possible or probable Alzheimer's found earlier onset for the disease for heavy drinkers -- 4.8 years earlier for those who had consumed more than two drinks a day -- and for heavy smokers -- 2.3 years earlier for those who had smoked a pack of cigarettes or more a day.

"The current thinking is that the pathology of Alzheimer's disease builds up over many years before clinical symptoms are manifest," said Dr. Ranjan Duara, director of the Mount Sinai Medical Center Wien Center for Alzheimer's Disease in Miami Beach. "People who start with a good cognitive reserve, who remain active mentally, are able to compensate for the pathology of the brain for a much longer period of time."

Duara noted that both smoking and drinking can damage the brain. However, while it is agreed that any amount of smoking is bad, Duara said there remains "a bit of controversy" about heavy drinking and Alzheimer's, especially what amount of alcohol, if any, is safe.

"I suggest that more than two drinks a day is probably not a good idea," Duara said. "No one has shown that one or two a day is not as good as three or four a day in protecting" general health.

Rachel Whitmer, a research scientist with the Kaiser Permanente division of research in Oakland believes "... people need to be thinking about their risk factors for Alzheimer's disease even in their 40s. What is good for your heart is also good for your brain."

The research was presented at the American Academy of Neurology's annual meeting in Chicago.

Addiction Interventions

2008-04-10T18:45:00.001-07:00

Drug and alcoholism intervention is an attempt by family members and friends to help a chemically dependent person get help for his or her addiction. The purpose of an addiction intervention is to help the substance abuser see the physical and mental destruction their addiction creates. Interventions are usually successful and often enable the abuser to move on to successful drug and alcohol treatment programs.1

As with all addictions, drug and alcohol abusers are usually the last to admit there is a problem. Or, the abuser may realize there is a problem but just cannot seem to seek help. Family, friends and careers also suffer and can be destroyed by the abuser’s addiction. Jay notes, one out of 3 people is living with or related to someone with an alcohol or other drug problem. Intervention is the most effective technique families can use to help a loved one suffering from chemical dependency - alcoholism or other drug addiction. It is also the most ignored. But just as CPR is often the first, life saving step in helping a heart attack victim, intervention is the most powerful step that a family can take to initiate the recovery process.2 By taking action, families and friends can get help for their loved one and help for themselves as they cope. According to Addiction Intervention Resources, 92 percent of those intervened on go to treatment and have the opportunity to change their lives.

Scientists Say Methadone-Like Treatment for Cocaine Addiction Possible

2008-04-08T18:10:00.000-07:00

Cocaine addicts could be treated with less-addictive amphetamines, similar to using methadone to treat opiate addiction, ScienceDaily reported April 6.

Wake Forest University School of Medicine researchers reported at the recent annual meeting of the American Society of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics that they had successfully lowered cocaine self-administration among research monkeys by giving the animals amphetamines. "This suggests the possibility of developing an amphetamine-like drug for treating cocaine addiction," said lead researcher Paul Czoty, Ph.D. "The research also demonstrates the usefulness for conducting studies in monkeys to test potential treatments."

In the animal study, cocaine use was reduced by 60 percent. No FDA-approved pharmacological treatment for cocaine addiction currently exists, Czoty noted. "While it's unlikely that amphetamine itself will turn out to be the best treatment, these drugs allow us to prove the concept of using a replacement drug to combat cocaine addiction," he said.
Source:http://www.jointogether.org/news

Dreams, Conflicts, Priorities

2008-04-06T14:52:00.001-07:00

By: LeeDavidhcz

If I give you the following 6F’s to re-arrange based on your order of priority, how would yours shape up? Here goes: fitness-finances-family-faith-future-friends. The order of your 6F’s determines if you are living a balanced life or not.

A lot depends on your value system. Your value system drives your priorities. It determines your definition of success and the role of money. We may not agree on definitions, but one thing is basic, if your doctors tell you that you will be dead in ten days, you will act different. This begs the question, “Do we have to approach our death bed before we get our priorities right?”

"No man on his deathbed ever said, 'I wish I'd spent more time at the office.'" Sen. Paul Tsongas

Do we have to look back in regret?

The foundation to our future is being laid in the present. The pursuit of any dream or goal has to be placed in context. Success has to be all round. Succeeding in one area and failing in others still amounts to failure overall. We cannot jeopardize our family life, spiritual life, health or relationships in pursuit of finances or goal. If we achieve our dreams, and look back to find our family gone, or end up in hospital or feel empty or suicidal, you begin to wonder whether it was worth the trouble.

In the heat of the pursuit of our dreams, it is easy to forget about our priorities and live our lives out of synch. It is an ongoing battle. There is a price to pay for our dreams, and we must be ready to pay the price. However, there is a limit to the price we have to pay. This depends on our priorities. Herein lie the conflicts in the pursuit of our dreams.

There are questions that others cannot answer for us. For a Christian, the priority system is pretty well spelt out: faith-family-friends-finances-fitness-future. Some may still have issues with this. In the final analysis, the decision is still up to us.

Ultimately, we have to make a conscious effort to make choices in consonance with our value system, and be ready to bear the consequences. We must not lose sight of the big picture. We need all the 6F’s intact as we breast the finish line. If we leave any one behind, we end up with a hollow victory.

If things are no longer at ease and you are experiencing any of these symptoms:

- tension in the home, the children avoid you and everyone snaps at each other
- lack of peace within, you feel hollow and empty inside
- you are always feeling tired, you wake up tired and go to bed tired
- you cannot remember the last time you exercised
- your friendships have become a distant memory

It may be time to shut down, take a deep breath and exhale. Something is wrong somewhere. If you look hard enough, you will find out where.

Sit back and take a second look at how you’ve been going about pursuing your dream. Admit to yourself that there is a better way. Go back to the basics, and begin again. It is possible to have the 6F’s right by you as you breast the finish line. Anything less is hollow, empty and not worth the trouble.

Article Source: http://article2008.com

Who Controls You

2008-04-03T16:28:00.001-07:00

Who Controls You?
How Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy can help you change unwanted emotions and behaviours
By Wayne Froggatt

Copyright Notice: This document is copyright Â© to the author (1990-97). Single copies (which include this notice) may be made for therapeutic or training purposes. For permission to use it in any other way, please contact: Wayne Froggatt, PO Box 2292, Stortford Lodge, Hastings, New Zealand. (E-mail: waynefroggatt@rational.org.nz). Comments are welcomed. This document is located on the internet site: http://www.rational.org.nz Reprinted here with permission

Most people want to be happy. They would like to feel good, avoid pain, and achieve their goals. For many, though, happiness seems to be an elusive dream. In fact, it appears that we humans are much better at disturbing and defeating ourselves! Instead of feeling good, we are more likely to worry, feel guilty and get depressed. We put ourselves down and feel shy, hurt or self-pitying. We get jealous, angry, hostile and bitter or suffer anxiety, tension and panic.

On top of feeling bad, we often act in self-destructive ways. Some strive to be perfect in everything they do. Many mess up relationships. Others worry about disapproval and let people use them as doormats. Still others compulsively gamble, smoke and overspend - or abuse alcohol, drugs and food. Some even try to end it all.

The strange thing is, most of this pain is avoidable! We don't have to do it to ourselves. Humans can, believe it or not, learn how to choose how they feel and behave.

As you think, so you feel.

People feel disturbed not by things, but by the views they take of them.' Ancient words, from a first- century philosopher named Epictetus - but they are just as true now.

Events and circumstances do not cause your reactions. They result from what you tell yourself about the things that happen. Put simply, thoughts cause feelings and behaviours. Or, more precisely, events and circumstances serve to trigger thoughts, which then create reactions. These three processes are intertwined.

The past is significant. But only in so far as it leaves you with your current attitudes and beliefs. External events - whether in the past, present, or future - cannot influence the way you feel or behave until you become aware of and begin to think about them.

To fear something (or react in any other way), you have to be thinking about it. The cause is not the event - it's what you tell yourself about the event.

The ABC's of feelings & behaviours

American psychologist Albert Ellis, the originator of Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT), was one of the first to systematically show how beliefs determine the way human beings feel and behave. Dr. Ellis developed the 'ABC' model to demonstrate this.

'A' refers to whatever started things off: a circumstance, event or experience - or just thinking about something which has happened. This triggers off thoughts ('B'), which in turn create a reaction - feelings and behaviours - ('C').

To see this in operation, let's meet Alan. A young man who had always tended to doubt himself, Alan imagined that other people did not like him, and that they were only friendly because they pitied him. One day, a friend passed him in the street without returning his greeting - to which Alan reacted negatively. Here is the event, Alan's beliefs, and his reaction, put into the ABC format:

A. What started things off:

Friend passed me in the street without speaking to me.

B. Beliefs about A.:

1. He's ignoring me. He doesn't like me.
2. I could end up without friends for ever.
3. That would be terrible.
4. For me to be happy and feel worthwhile, people must like me.
5. I'm unacceptable as a friend - so I must be worthless as a person.

C. Reaction:

Feelings: worthless, depressed. Behaviours: avoiding people generally.

Now, someone who thought differently about the same event would react in another way:

A. What started things off:

Friend passed me in the street without speaking to me.

B. Beliefs about A.:

1. He didn't ignore me deliberately. He may not have seen me.
2. He might have something on his mind.
3. I'd like to help if I can.

C. Reaction:

Feelings: Concerned.
Behaviours: Went to visit friend, to see how he is.

These examples show how different ways of viewing the same event can lead to different reactions. The same principle operates in reverse: when people react alike, it is because they are thinking in similar ways.

The rules we live by

What we tell ourselves in specific situations depends on the rules we hold. Everyone has a set of general 'rules'. Some will be rational, others will be self-defeating or irrational. Each person's set is different.

Mostly subconscious, these rules determine how we react to life. When an event triggers off a train of thought, what we consciously think depends on the general rules we subconsciously apply to the event.

Let us say that you hold the general rule: 'To be worthwhile, I must succeed at everything I do.' You happen to fail an examination; an event which, coupled with the underlying rule, leads you to the conclusion: 'I'm not worthwhile.'

Underlying rules are generalisations: one rule can apply to many situations. If you believe, for example:
'I can't stand discomfort and pain and must avoid them at all costs,' you might apply this to the dentist, to work, to relationships, and to life in general.

Why be concerned about your rules? While most will be valid and helpful, some will be self-defeating. Faulty rules will lead to faulty conclusions. Take the rule: 'If I am to feel OK about myself, others must like and approve of me.' Let us say that your boss tells you off. You may (rightly) think: 'He is angry with me' - but you may wrongly conclude: 'This proves I'm a failure.' And changing the situation (for instance, getting your boss to like you) would still leave the underlying rule untouched. It would then be there to bother you whenever some future event triggered it off.

Most self-defeating rules are a variation of one or other of the '12 Self-defeating Beliefs' listed at the end of this article. Take a look at this list now. Which ones do you identify with? Which are the ones that guide your reactions?

What are self-defeating beliefs?

To describe a belief as self-defeating, or irrational, is to say that:

l It distorts reality (it's a misinterpretation of what's happening); or it involves some illogical ways of evaluating yourself, others, and the world around you: awfulising, can't-stand-it-itis, demanding and people-rating;
l It blocks you from achieving your goals and purposes;
l It creates extreme emotions which persist, and which distress and immobilise; and
l It leads to behaviours that harm yourself, others, and your life in general.

Four ways to screw yourself up

There are four typical ways of thinking that will make you feel bad or behave in dysfunctional ways:

1. Awfulising: using words like 'awful', 'terrible', 'horrible', 'catastrophic' to describe something -
e.g. 'It would be terrible if â€¦', 'It's the worst thing that could happen', 'That would be the end of the world'.
2. Cant-stand-it-itis: viewing an event or experience as unbearable - e.g. 'I can't stand it', 'It's absolutely unbearable', I'll die if I get rejected'.
3. Demanding: using 'shoulds' (moralising) or 'musts' (musturbating) - e.g. 'I should not have done that, 'I must not fail', 'I need to be loved', 'I have to have a drink'.
4. People-rating: labelling or rating your total self (or someone else's) - e.g. 'I'm stupid /hopeless /
useless /worthless.'

Rational thinking

Rational thinking presents a vivid contrast to its illogical opposite:

- It is based on reality - it emphasises seeing things as they really are, keeping their badness in perspective, tolerating frustration and discomfort, preferring rather than demanding, and self- acceptance;
- It helps you achieve your goals and purposes;
- It creates emotions you can handle; and
- It helps you behave in ways which promote your aims and survival.

We are not talking about so-called 'positive thinking'. Rational thinking is realistic thinking. It is concerned with facts - the real world - rather than subjective opinion or wishful thinking.

Realistic thinking leads to realistic emotions. Negative feelings aren't always bad for you. Neither are all positive feelings beneficial. Feeling happy when someone you love has died, for example, may hinder you from grieving properly. Or to be unconcerned in the face of real danger could put your survival at risk. Realistic thinking avoids exaggeration of both kinds - negative and positive.

The techniques of change

How does one actually set about achieving self-control and choice? The best place to start is by learning how to identify the thoughts and beliefs which cause your problems.

Next, learn how to apply this knowledge by analysing specific episodes where you feel and behave in the ways you would like to change. It is most effective to do this in writing at first, and later it will become easier to do it in your head. You connect whatever started things off, your reaction, and the thoughts which came in between. You then check out those thoughts and change the self-defeating ones. This method, called Rational Self-Analysis, uses the ABC approach described earlier, extended to include sections for setting a goal or new desired effect ('E'), disputing and changing beliefs ('D'), and, finally, further action to put those changes into practice ('F').

That final step is important. You will get there faster when you put into action what you have changed
in your mind. Let us say you decide to stop feeling guilty when you do something for yourself. The next step is to do it. Spend an hour a day reading a novel. Purchase some new clothes. Have coffee with a friend or a weekend away without the family. Do the things you would previously have regarded as 'undeserved'.

Overcoming obstacles

While change is possible, it is not easy - mainly because of a very human tendency known as 'low- discomfort tolerance'.

Most of us want to be physically and emotionally comfortable. But personal change means giving up some old habits of thinking and behaving and 'safe' ways of approaching life.

Whereas before you may have blamed others for your problems, now you start to take responsibility for yourself and what you want. You risk new ways of thinking and acting. You step out into the unknown. This could increase your stress and emotional pain - temporarily. In other words, you may well feel worse before you feel better.

Telling yourself that you 'can't stand it' could lead you to avoid change. You might decide to stick with the way things are, unpleasant though it is. You know you would be better off in the long run, but you choose to avoid the extra pain now.

Or you might look for a quick solution. Do you hope that somewhere there's a fancy therapy which will cure you straight away - without you having to do anything? I meet many people who try therapist after therapist, but never stay with one approach long enough to learn anything that will help. They still live in hope, though, and often get a brief boost from meeting new therapists or therapy groups.

As well as fearing discomfort, you may also worry that you 'won't be a real person'. You think that you will end up 'pretending' to feel and behave in new ways, and imagine yourself as false or phoney. Somehow, it seems, to choose how you feel seems 'less than human'.

You are, though, already choosing your reactions - even though you may not be fully aware of doing so. And using conscious choice is what sets humans apart from instinct-bound animals. It is also what makes you a unique person - different to every other. So give up the notion that it is false and machine- like to use your brain to avoid bad feelings. Getting depressed, worried, and desperate does not make you more human.

You might worry that learning self-control will make you cold and unemotional, with no feelings at all. This common fear is quite misguided. The opposite is true: if you learn how to handle strong feelings you will be less afraid of them. This will free you to experience a fuller range of emotions than before.

While self-improvement may be hard, it is achievable. The blocks I have described are all self-created. They're nothing more than beliefs - ideas you can change using practical techniques you can learn.

Rational thinking is not just academic theory. People from a wide range of social and educational backgrounds have already used it successfully. You will be able to as well.

It is true that human beings start life with a biological predisposition to irrational thinking, which they then add to by learning new and harmful ways of behaving and viewing life. But there is a positive side to human nature - we also have the ability to think about our beliefs and change the dysfunctional ones.

What about problems you can't sort out on your own? Some outside help may be a useful supplement to your self-help efforts. Whether or not you have such help, though, taking responsibility for your feelings and actions will be the key to success. You will also need some hard work and perseverance. But, happily, by learning how to identify and change self-defeating beliefs and attitudes, these things can be within your control - and happiness within your reach.

From Self-defeat to Rational Living

12 Self-defeating Beliefs

1. I need love and approval from those significant to me - and I must avoid disapproval from any source.
2. To be worthwhile as a person I must achieve, succeed at what ever I do, and make no mistakes.
3. People should always do the right thing. When they behave obnoxiously, unfairly or selfishly, they must be blamed and punished.
4. Things must be the way I want them to be - otherwise life will be intolerable.
5. My unhappiness is caused by things outside my control - so there is little I can do to feel any better.
6. I must worry about things that could be dangerous, unpleasant or frightening - otherwise they might happen.
7. I can be happier by avoiding life's difficulties, unpleasantness, and responsibilities.
8. Everyone needs to depend on someone stronger than themselves.
9. Events in my past are the cause of my problems - and they continue to influence my feelings and behaviours now.
10. I should become upset when other people have problems and feel unhappy when they're sad.
11. I should not have to feel discomfort and pain - I
can't stand them and must avoid them at all costs.
12. Every problem should have an ideal solution, and it is intolerable when one can't be found.

12 Rational Beliefs

1. Love and approval are good things to have, and I'll seek them when I can. But they are not necessities - I can survive (even though uncomfortably) without them.
2. I'll always seek to achieve as much as I can - but unfailing success and competence is unrealistic. Better I just accept myself as a person, separate to my performance.
3. It's unfortunate that people sometimes do bad things. But humans are not yet perfect - and upsetting myself won't change that reality.
4. There is no law which says that things have to be the way I want. It's disappointing, but I can stand it
- especially if I avoid catastrophising.
5. Many external factors are outside my control. But it is my thoughts (not the externals) which cause my feelings. And I can learn to control my thoughts.
6. Worrying about things that might go wrong won't stop them happening. It will, though, ensure I get upset and disturbed right now!
7. Avoiding problems is only easier in the short term - putting things off can make them worse later on. It also gives me more time to worry about them!
8. Relying on someone else can lead to dependent behaviour. It is OK to seek help - as long as I learn to trust myself and my own judgement.
9. The past can't influence me now. My current beliefs cause my reactions. I may have learned
these beliefs in the past, but I can choose to analyse and change them in the present.
10. I can't change other people's problems and bad feelings by getting myself upset.
11. Why should I in particular not feel discomfort and pain? I don't like them, but I can stand it. Also, my life would be very restricted if I always avoided discomfort.
12. Problems usually have many possible solutions. It is better to stop waiting for the perfect one and get on with the best available. I can live with less than the ideal.

This article has adapted and summarised from the book Choose to be Happy: Your step-by-step guide By Wayne Froggatt, Published by HarperCollins New Zealand, Auckland, 1993.

Family Addiction Resource Groups

2008-04-01T16:06:00.000-07:00

Family Addiction Recovery Resource Groups

There are millions of people whose lives are filled with chaos caused by the excessive drinking of someone close to them. Every day can be marked with distress, bitterness, sadness and fear as they keep watch of themselves versus the consequences of drinking.

There are sober forums, sober resources, face-to-face help on substance abuse and alcoholism offered online such as The Sober Village. The online support and services and live help are for codependents where they can opt for counseling, therapy, and treatment and rehab options.

Al-Anon: A worldwide fellowship of family groups who are relatives and friends of alcoholics with common experiences, strength and hope to solve the problem of alcoholism and addiction. They believe that there’s no better prescription than learning to face the problem until it loses the power to prevail in one’s life.

Alateen: Part of the Al-Anon fellowship for young people to share and discuss difficulties caused by their parents’ drinking habits. They learn ways to cope, support, encourage and help each other. They are taught to emotionally disjoin themselves from the problem while continuing to love the person, that they are not the cause, but they can only control themselves.

Nar-Anon: A worldwide non-professional fellowship of relatives and friends whose lives have been affected by a person’s addiction. It is a mutual support recovery program to share experiences and resolve their common problem. It is a religious organization, a treatment and counseling center conducted by professionals.

The diagnostic processes are adapted from AA, giving them a sense of well-being and opportunity to change and overcome the parlous situation.

1) The Twelve Steps: It is all about admission of the wrongs, searching one self’s moral inventory, restoration, making amends and believing in one authority, God; prayer, meditation and spiritual awakening and to live as He wills it.

2) The Twelve Traditions: It talks about one self’s common welfare with the purpose of helping families of addicts, not to divulge in any endorsement for money, to be self-supporting, to be responsible to those they serve, remain non-professional and anonymous with God at the center of their endeavor.

3) The Twelve Concepts of Service: Talks about responsible service, good leadership, the key to harmony, the right to be heard, spiritual foundations and delegation of authority.

Addiction resources and support for the family!

Drug Addiction - the Cause and Reaction

2008-03-31T18:46:00.000-07:00

Drug Addiction - the Cause and Reaction
Addiction problems? Need help? Get support now!

What is drug addiction?
When a person uses a drug for the first time he/she experiences intense feelings of pleasure and the limbic system creates an appetite which drives us to seek those things again and again. Once a person stops using these drugs, it makes him feel lifeless and depressed and the only way is to use the drug again and again which makes him addicted. This phenomenon is known as drug addiction.

There are many organizations and people in our society who are trying hard to make sure that there are no drug addicts. Yet, the rate of success for these kinds of programs is significantly low because of the fact that they are on the assumptions of philosophy and human nature. They believe that the social support structure is responsible for addiction. Addiction is actually a means of giving up conscious control. Most addicts will not usually stop using until they hit the bottom level. Addiction causes a lot of problems not only to the individuals but also to the others around him. The addict individual does things which he does not do normally. This is not a conscious act.

As time passes, the addict realizes at some point of time that what he had done is wrong. This is because of the fact that the unconscious mind’s ability to block the addict’s conscious awareness is more. This creates a lot of misconceptions and positive emotions and motivations are denied, refused or completely extinguished. This behavior becomes more pronounced. At this stage it’s very difficult for the addict to recover.

The Human Brain and Drug Addiction
The human brain is the most outstanding organ of all. The nervous system is the most complex of all biological systems. It is highly organized. Billions and billions of nerve cells or neurons work together for controlling various functions of organs in the body. The nervous system apparently enables the organisms to adapt the constantly changing external environment. This is usually called as homeostasis. The central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system which includes the autonomic nervous system (ANS) are the complete

The limbic system and the reticular formation are the important regions of brain involved in human behavior. The limbic system controls the physical emotions physically and mentally. It also governs the memory process, learning and motivational aspects of behavior. The reticular formation is the “bridge” portion of the central nervous system. It controls the inflow and outflow of impulses. It is also responsible for alertness, sleep, arousal and maintaining consciousness in man. These activities of central nervous system can be altered by a wide range of chemicals in the level of neurotransmitters in the system.

Consciousness and coordination of external and internal stimuli are controlled by cerebral cortex. It contains about 9 million neurons. The part of brain called cerebrum, which is highly organized puts human apart from all the other living organisms. Removing entire cerebrum in frog makes no behavioral changes. But, humans become blind, paralyzed and will die soon.
Why drug addiction happens?

Drug addiction happens due to many reasons. Sociologist, religious adherent personalities when they get upset, it drives them to drug addiction. This sort of behavior happens because of making the addict feel shameful, weak and helpless. The addict feels very depressed. Then he naturally tends to do something which gives him pleasure. Moreover there are biological reasons for why drug addiction happens. The activity of the drug can be clearly seen in the central nervous system and the endocrine system. The actions of these two systems define the human behavioral and psychological processes. They also regulate the physical and mental thoughts like moods.

Can the drug addicts recover?
The drug addicts can recover by attending counseling or finding support and other recovery resources. By finding sober resources the chances of recovery are better. It takes a long time to recover. There must be pure and positive encouragement from the surrounding people. The person must regain his conscious mind and fight hard to recover him/her from addiction. He must control his/her emotions.
Medical prescriptions like the use of pain killers, muscle relaxers, anti depressants will make addiction still more badly only.

How drug use begins?
A person generally tries a drug. Then he continues to use it a few more times for sheer pleasure and ultimately becomes dependant. These produce harmful effects. For instance consumption of alcohol can produce progressive detoriation of physical and mental health.

Do the medical drugs have influence?
Phychopharamacological agents are drugs which modify the behavior and those agents include antipsychotic, antidepressants, antimanics and antianxiety agents. The antipsychotics have effects on autonomic nervous system and the reticular formation. The antidepressants have been a very good success in modern psychopharmacology. They are used for treating anxiety neuroses by producing muscle relaxation and calmness. They also produce euphoria i.e. a false feeling of well being and produce tolerance and physical dependence. So, these kinds of drugs will lead to serious problems like drug abuse or drug dependence. These include alcohol, tobacco, morphine, heroin, brown sugar, diazepam, cocaine, alprazolam, cannabis etc. This drug addiction dependence is characterized by overpowering desire to continue drugs, a tendency to increase the amount taken progressively. In physical dependence there will be a biochemical and physiological adaption of the tissues to the new environment when the drug is used repeatedly. This creates withdrawal of the drug when avoided or stopped. Withdrawal syndrome is different for each and may be life threatening.

Drug Information: Crack

2008-03-30T08:07:00.000-07:00

What is Crack?

The chemical cocaine hydrochloride is commonly known as cocaine. Some users chemically process cocaine in order to remove the hydrochloride. This process is called "freebasing" and makes the drug more potent. "Crack" is a solid form of freebased cocaine. It is called "crack" because it snaps and cracks when heated and smoked.

What's new about crack?

Since crack is an already prepared form of freebased cocaine, the user does not have to buy the equipment or be exposed to the explosive chemicals associated with freebasing. Crack is most often packaged in vials or plastic bags and sold in small quantities, usually 300-500mg or enough for two to three inhalations.

Traditionally, cocaine was a rich man's drug, due to the large expense of a cocaine habit.

Now, crack is being sold at prices low enough that even adolescents can afford to buy it. But, this is misleading, since once a person is addicted to cocaine, his "habit" often increases, and so does his expense.

What are crack's adverse effects?

As with any street drug, what is sold may not be what it is claimed to be. Predicting side effects is difficult when the actual contents are not known. Life-threatening reactions have been reported whether it's the first, the 100th, or any other time crack is used. You do not have to overdose on crack to die from it.

In addition, if the initial experience leads to continued use, other adverse effects include the rapid development of tolerance, addiction, and all the social problems that can come from an expensive drug habit.

How is crack used?

The same way that freebase is used, namely, by placing the substance in a glass pipe (or hash pipe) with a fine mesh screen under it, then heating it and inhaling the vapors.
The vapors of the freebase are absorbed through the lungs into the bloodstream and transported to the brain within 10-15 seconds. One inhalation will produce a degree of intoxication usually lasting 10-15 minutes.

Regardless of dosage, these reactions may appear

* Convulsions
* Increased heart rate
* Abnormal heartbeat
* Heart attack
* Sudden, sharp blood pressure increase
* Stroke
* Extreme depression
* Suicidal behavior

Drug Addiction and Alcoholism; A Treatable Illness

2008-03-28T16:30:00.000-07:00

Drug Addiction and Alcoholism; A Treatable Illness

Drug addiction and alcohol addiction are comparable to chronic illnesses like diabetes, asthma, and hypertension, and should be treated as such,according to an article published in a year 2000 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Authors Thomas McLellan, Ph.D., and Herbert D. Kleber, M.D., conducted a literature review of those illnesses, revealing that there are underlying similarities between drug addiction, alcohol addiction and chronic diseases. Yet, say the researchers, drug addiction is typically treated as if it is an acute condition. Altering perceptions to think of drug addiction as a chronic illness may change the way it is treated and insured.

The researchers found that drug addiction and alcoholism shares many of the characteristics of other chronic illnesses. In the area of genetic heritability, for example, studies of monozygotic and dizygotic twins have found heritability estimates of .25 to .50 for hypertension; .80 for type 2 and .30 for type 1 diabetes; and .36 to .70 for asthma. Heritability estimates for the drug addictions are similar, ranging from .34 for heroin dependence, .55 for alcoholism, .52 for marijuana dependence, and .61 for dependence on cigarettes.

Typically, both medical professionals and the general public view drug abuse as voluntary activities. That people choose to use drugs seems to set drug addiction and alcohol adidiction apart from other chronic illnesses. Yet, there are many chronic illnesses in which voluntary choice affects initiation and maintenance of disease. Salt sensitivity, obesity, stress level, and physical inactivity, all within voluntary control, are important factors in the development of hypertension.

Drug addiction and alcoholism also resembles other chronic illnesses in regard to treatment response. The course that an drug addiction takes if left untreated is an important issue in this regard. Studies comparing treated and untreated populations of addicts have typically shown that untreated, addictions do not remit.

Source: Treatment Centers.com
If you need help with alcoholism. Visit us at www.thesobervillage.com!

Do we set ourselves up to fail?

2008-03-26T07:02:00.000-07:00

Do you set yourself up to win or set yourself up to fail? Analyzing these 10 common pitfalls can help out you on the road to success.

1. SETTING UNREALISTIC GOALS

An unrealistic goal is a goal that you (a) cannot see yourself achieving, (b) really don't expect to happen, or (c) that doesn't immediately move you into action.

A realistic goal is not a goal that you HAVE to immediately know how you are going to achieve. In fact, if you already know how to achieve your goal, it is probably not big enough. If you already know how to achieve your goals, chances are that are going to continue doing what you have always done - with the same results.

We must have a compelling emotional reason to achieve our goals. Our goals must move us into immediate action. Unrealistic goals are nothing more than wishes that don't inspire commitment. Commitment requires belief followed by directed and focused actions.

2. TRYING TO DO TOO MUCH

Sommetimes we write checks (commitments) that we cannot cash. When we try and do too much, we find it more and more challenging to stay in the present moment. We tend to rush from one activity to another, to the detriment of all.

Wallace D. Wattles in the Science of Getting Rich shares this :

"Our success does not depend on how many actions we take in a day, but rather in the efficiency of each single action that we take. Every action in itself is either efficient or inefficient. A prime cause of failure is doing too many things in an ineffcicent manner and not doing enough things efficiently."

Bottom line : To make each action a success, we must put all of our focus on that action. We must marry our thoughts to our actions. We cannot be in one place doing one thing with our thoughts on another.

3. WORKING TOO HARD

This is probably the most common mistake. There is such a thing as overdoing it. After all, as a wise old woman once told me, "What good is a journey without sightseeing?" Listen to your body, and try these 4 things:
1. Get 6-8 hours of sleep a night.
2. Eat healthy meals.
3. Exercise 30-40 minutes 3 times a week (walking counts, too).
4. Take time to smell the flowers along the way!!!

Remember, pace wins the race. Not giving yourself time for yourself limits your ability to stay relaxed so you don't overreact. It also hinders your ability to clear your head and be creative when challenges arise.

4. WANTING RESULTS TOO QUICKLY

An obsession with instant gratification can be fatal to our recovery. We need to have a healthy balance with doing things for the short term, intermediate term, and the long term. Wanting results NOW can often lead to poor decision making, and will often cause you to be less prepared, less patient, and less persistent.

We need to redefine what it means to be patient.

Norman Vincent Peale defines patience as "an energized belief that things will eventually go your way." Lance Armstrong called it "the defining characteristic between a boy and a man."

Wanting results too quickly will cause you to change courses too frequently without giving the seeds you have planted room to grow and prosper.

5. CHANGING TOO OFTEN

There is no such thing as a magic pill other than a compelling goal combined with a specific plan of action, and the commitment and discipline to follow through on that plan.

the word is F.O.C.U.S.

Follow
One
Course
Until
Successful

We must learn the power of focus. What are you focused on?

6. THINKING TOO MUCH ABOUT WHAT YOU AREN'T DOING

This is one of the major causes of stress in your life.

Thinking about what you're NOT doing :

1. Causes you to set unrealistic goals.
2. Causes you to be inefficient as you try to do too much.
3. Causes you to work too hard.
4. Causes you to want results quickly.
5. Causes you to change course too often.
6. Causes you to focus on your fears, rather than on the goal itself.

You must learn to keep your attention on the task at hand. In order to be at our best we need to keep our minds clear and focused on our immediate goal and the steps that we are taking to achieve it, making each action more efficient and effective.

7. HAVING TOO MUCH CLUTTER IN YOUR LIFE

Space represents opportunity and gives us room to operate. Being clean, clear, and complete is energy giving. This applies to all areas of our lives including :

- our mind
- our body
- our emotions
- our finances
- our living and working environments
- our relationships

Clutter is a manifestation of the broken agreements with self that drain our energy. It is a sign that we are holding on to the past out of fears that we are not going to be good enough for our futures.

Once again, when we are :
1.Setting unrealistic goals
2.Trying to do too much
3.Working too hard
4.Wanting results too quickly
5.changing course too often
6.thinking too much about what we're NOT doing

We will have too much clutter in our minds and in our lives.

8. CRAVING PERFECTION

A MAJOR stumbling block in our recovery is is wanting to be perfect or believing that you SHOULD be doing better than you are. Being perfect is one of the lowest standards that you can hold for yourself. You can never be "perfect". In fact, you already are. It is your flaws that give you your individuality. Perfectionists avoid anything that might lead to failure. The need to be perfect will adversely affect your willingness and ability to take risks that will allow you to grow. Having to be perfect gives you plenty of opportunity to get down on yourself. It leaves you with a feeling of not being good enough. Instead, shoot for your personal best.

9. FOCUSING ON WHAT WE FEAR

By focusing on what we fear rather than taking action and moving towards our fear, we often become paralyzed and move into a state of creative avoidance.

What is fear? Fear is an illusion, a story that we tell ourselves to keep us safely in our comfort zone. In reality, fear is a gift, if only we will open it. Our fears point us in the exact direction of our dreams. In fact, the only way to get to our goals is thru our fears.

You cannot escape fear. Fear is part of being alive. Don't be tempted not to feel your fear. You can only learn to hold it differently, in a place of power not pain. Like Susan Jeffers says " Feel the fear and do it anyway." What are your options? Learn to be excited by your fears and they will take you on some wonderful adventures.

When we focus on our fear, what we are REALLY doing is :

10. DENYING OUR GREATNESS

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darknes, that frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you NOT to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightening about shrinkin so that other people won't feeel insecure around you. We were born to manifest the glory of God within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other people persmission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fears, our presence automatically liberates others. -- Marianne Williamson

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didnâ€™t do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. â€” Mark Twain

Courage, her mother had once told her, was not simply the fact that you werenâ€™t scared of anythingâ€¦ it was being scared & doing whatever it was anyway. Courage was dealing with your fears & not letting them rule you. â€” Missy Good

So, How many of these 10 items sound familiar to you?

This article was reprinted from "Coach's Corner" Sep, 2001 Newsletter of HobbsHerder - a Real estate company, and written by Steve Shull,

For more information on this topic please visit us at The Sober Village

The Road Is Long

2008-03-24T07:24:00.000-07:00

The road is long
"The road is long, with many a winding turn........."

Never have truer words been spoken - especially when it comes to substance addiction recovery.

When we first decide to crawl out of the darkness and take our tentative steps in the light of sobriety, it's an amazing experience. We begin to feel stronger and our reasoning abilities become a lot clearer.

......then the emotional crash, the "honeymoon" period is over.

Perhaps you have experienced this and know what I mean. The "high" of making the decision to clean up and detoxing has gone. You are now back in the community and facing it on it's terms, learning to cope.

You may be alone, isolated in your pain that "normal" people can never understand. You grieve for your lost "friend", even though that friend was actually your worst enemy. You become irritable, uninterested, depressed -perhaps even suicidal. This can lead to a "bust", a bust you may never recover from -remember, that if we are addicted we cannot control our substance intake. The "just one more time" may seal your fate. And as we all know, there are worse things in life than death -the insanity of addiction. You may not be lucky enough to die the next time.

Many of us have experienced this phase, the "emotional roller coaster". For me, it was as though all the colours of the world were washed away. There was no point to anything, my mind constantly went back to the dark days. I was guilt ridden, self-pitying and unmotivated. I was very hard to be around. While others who knew me congratulated me on my efforts, I saw only failure as I didn't feel "right". I felt the same way I did at the age of 13 when my hell really began.

There is a reason for this - in a lot of ways, I was still 13. When I began abusing substances, a great deal of my emotional growth stopped, the substance was my coping mechanism. At the age of 24, it began again. There was a steep learning curve ahead.

But don't worry, this phase does not last forever. For me it was one year. For you it may be a few weeks. It depends greatly on your network of support and more so, yourself.

-If you are experiencing this, it is imperative that you build a network of people around you that understand what you are feeling. These people are the recovered addicts. They will know when to hug you and tell you that everything will be OK, and they also know when to kick your butt and tell you to "get over it"....tough love, but necessary.

-If the environment you are in threatens your sobriety, leave it. I am serious...whatever it takes, get the hell out of there! You may be saying to yourself "I can't leave, I can't afford to" or "People are relying on me to be around". It doesn't matter - remember where you have just come from. If you finish up back there again, you may never re-emerge.

-You may have friends who are still practising addicts/alcoholics. Stay away from them if they do not respect what you are doing to improve yourself. It is in the nature of people who have the disease of addiction and are still practising to influence you in subtle ways. In a great deal of cases, it is not on purpose, but more a subconscious thing.

-Start putting routine into your day. I'm not suggesting too much, too soon but keeping busy is a great way of keeping your mind off things. As you become more productive, your self-esteem increases.

-Re-establish a sleeping pattern. Your body has been through hell and back. It needs rest, and your brain needs to sort things out on many levels. Be prepared for nightmares involving the past and use of the substance. Even though you may have no apparent cravings, your subconscious yearns for another hit and expresses this in your dreams. The nightmares are alarming at first. There were many times that I woke up in a pool of sweat. Even seven years down the track I still have them, but I accept them for what they are.

-Eat regular meals. I am a fine example of a toxic waste dump when it comes to things of a dietary nature, but I learnt early in my recovery that cravings could be lessened through eating something. The advice given to cigarette smokers about eating healthily when quitting is sound and good, but it is my experience that when withdrawing from other substances it is wiser to satisfy your food cravings with what it wants, including fatty and sugary foods. Alcoholics will probably find that they will develop a sweet tooth because their bodies are used to high amounts of sugar. So, if you wake up at 3 in the morning and eat a quart of double chocolate chip ice cream smothered in fudge, don't feel guilty! It's better that than what you were using before!

-If you find yourself feeling angry a great deal, this is also normal. It is important to examine the anger and not just lash out using whatever situation you are in as a scapegoat. Whatever is going on, it will pass. Breathe deeply and think.

Some of the points above may seem fairly drastic and harsh, but this is a life and death situation. And unlike some other terminal illnesses, addiction destroys everything in it's path as it destroys you - your family, your friends and anyone you come into prolonged contact with.

The advice above is not mine; it was given to me and I now pass it on to you. The easy way to remember the points is the HALT statement

The 4 Don'ts:

H-ungry
A-ngry
L-onely
T-ired

Good luck to you in your recovery, there are people out there who care about you, even if you don't know them....

"You alone can do it, but you cannot do it alone"

Michael Bloch
michael@worldwideaddiction.com
http://www.worldwideaddiction.com

The Sober Village

Treatment promising for alcohol dependence

2008-03-21T03:47:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - An extended-release version of the anti-addiction medicine naltrexone reduces drinking in alcohol-dependent patients within two days of being injected, according to a new study.

Naltrexone blocks opioid receptors and is approved for use in alcohol-dependent patients. To improve adherence, "an intramuscular, injectable, extended-release formulation of naltrexone has been developed," Dr. Domenic A. Ciraulo, of Boston University School of Medicine, and colleagues explain in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

The researchers tested injectable naltrexone XR in some 600 actively drinking, alcohol-dependent men and women who were given one of two doses of the drug or an inactive placebo every 4 weeks for 24 weeks. The participants also received 12 sessions of standardized, low-intensity psychosocial therapy.

Compared with the placebo patients, patients given the higher dose of naltrexone had a significant reduction in the average daily number of drinks consumed by the second day. By the third day, fewer naltrexone patients reported heavy drinking compared with those on placebo (20 percent versus 35 percent, respectively). This reduction was maintained throughout the study.

While patients treated with the lower dose of naltrexone XR experienced reductions in these measures, the differences compared with placebo were not statistically significant.

Ciraulo's team is encouraged by the results. "Potential clinical implications of the rapid, early onset of effect of this medication's delivery system for patients who are dependent on alcohol include facilitation of early engagement in treatment, motivation to continue treatment, and focus on the goals established in counseling," they write.

SOURCE: Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, February 2008.

Some Women Choose Drinking over Eating to Loose Weight

2008-03-20T17:19:00.000-07:00

Some women in the U.S. and U.K. are choosing to skip dinner and drink alcohol instead in hopes of losing weight, but the strategy is flawed because of the high caloric content of alcohol, the Telegraph reported March 19.

In a practice dubbed "drunkorexia," women may drink a glass or two of wine rather than eating a meal in a pattern that seems to combine two dangerous behaviors: binge drinking and eating disorders.

"They get fully hooked, it is an extremely noxious thing," said Janet Treasure, head of the eating-disorders unit at the Institute of Psychiatry in London. "It is more common with bulimia than anorexia but you get the combination of empty calories with no nutritional value and the risky behavior that goes with being drunk."

"You are more likely to be binge drinking," added Susan Price of the British Dietetic Association. "What you should do is eat a healthy balanced diet and choose low calorie mixers and non-alcohol low calorie soft drinks."

Diets that focus on limiting daily food intake may unintentionally encourage the problem, but experts note that alcohol has more calories on a gram-for-gram basis than carbohydrates or protein. A 250 ml glass of wine, a standard large pour in pubs, contains more calories than a light lunch, for example. Some beers contain 250 calories per pint.
Source: http://www.jointogether.org/news

If you need help with a drinking problem please visit The Sober Village where our forums will offer you the support you need.

Heroin use in jails overtakes cannabis, random tests show

2008-03-14T02:48:00.000-07:00

Heroin is now more widespread than cannabis inside prisons in England and Wales, according to the results of an official random drug testing programme.

Ministry of Justice data published yesterday shows that at two prisons - Erlestoke in Wiltshire and Featherstone in Wolverhampton - 16% of inmates tested positive for heroin. Across 101 prisons, 4.2% of inmates tested positive for heroin and 4% for cannabis.

The survey, carried out between February and April last year, was commissioned because of increasing concern about the growing misuse of a heroin substitute called Subutex - a prescription drug used in drug treatment programmes.

It confirmed claims that the use of Subutex - also known as buprenorphine - had spread "like wildfire" across the prison estate. Prisoners tested positive for Subutex use in 87 out of 139 jails - 50 of which had found no trace of the drug in previous drug testing programmes.

The Prison Service was also alarmed to find that in 11 prisons Subutex had overtaken heroin and cannabis as the most misused drug - many of them in the north-east, Yorkshire and Humberside areas. At Holme House prison on Teesside more than 20% of inmates tested positive for the drug. "The misuse of buprenorphine had grown to be a more significant problem," concluded the report, which was commissioned by the National Offender Management Service.

The justice minister, David Hanson, said yesterday the results justified the introduction of mandatory drug testing for the opiate substitute across all prisons from next month. "Prisoners will also be reminded of the drug treatment options available in prisons."

He said the random drug testing programme had shown that drug abuse inside jails in England and Wales had fallen from 24.4% of inmates testing positive in 1997 to 8.8% last year.

The decision to extend the programme of mandatory drug testing follows the announcement on Monday that David Blakey, former president of the Association of Chief Police Officers and chief constable of West Mercia, is to head an inquiry into the illicit supply of drugs into prisons.

The evidence of heroin abuse follows claims over the years that drug tests provide a perverse incentive for class A drug abuse because the active ingredients of cannabis remain in the bloodstream for much longer than opiates.

The Prison Service points out that on average 55% of inmates are problem drug users and some prisons report up to 80% of new inmates testing positive for class A drugs on reception. Governors argue that given this high level of abuse among new prisoners it is not surprising to see such a high demand for drugs in prison.

source: http://www.guardian.co.uk

The price is wrong for our drinking problem

2008-03-13T08:53:00.000-07:00

It would be disingenuous to claim that increased taxation represents the "silver bullet" when it comes to Britain's problematic relationship with alcohol.

Indeed, research makes it clear that the drivers of consumption are complex. However, a genuinely effective harm reduction strategy requires both controls on the supply and the demand for alcohol.

For that reason, Alcohol Concern continues to argue for multi-faceted work that incorporates consistent, high quality information for consumers, greater corporate social responsibility on the part of the drinks industry, better treatment and support for chronic drinkers to bring their drinking down to more sustainable levels, and, inevitably, tighter controls on price.

The view that the price of alcohol influences how much a society drinks is one that is shared by virtually the entire international public health community. Alcohol now costs the British drinker less than half what it did in 1980.

At the same time, more than eight million people drink at harmful levels in the UK. We also know that chronic alcohol-related conditions like liver disease have multiplied by nearly 200 per cent in the last 10 years, and that there is now a clear trend towards people dying from alcohol-related causes at younger ages than before. The social and economic cost is also considerable – the Cabinet Office estimates it to be in the region of £20bn.

Developments like these have led us to argue that the Government needs to increase taxes on alcohol in today's Budget to the extent that there is a 10 per cent increase in prices across the board. Analytical work predicts that such a price rise would cut premature, alcohol-related deaths by up to 37 per cent in this country. This work is complemented by a range of other studies that have also found that increasing the price of alcohol can reduce road accidents and fatalities, workplace injuries, deaths from cirrhosis of the liver and various kinds of violent crime.

Cheap alcohol is particularly relevant for under age, and heavy drinkers. The fact that teenagers are now drinking twice as much as they did 20 years ago is very likely to be related to alcohol's growing affordability.

In November last year, Alcohol Concern collected price information from random supermarket branches throughout London. The aim was to discover how far a teenager's allowance could actually go for those who manage to buy alcohol, either in person, or through a proxy.

It found that with the average teenager's weekly pocket money, a person can afford to buy as much as three times the daily recommended limit in premium alcohol brands alone.

Higher alcohol taxes would help to protect young people by curtailing their ability to source alcohol independently.

Raising alcohol taxes has the added advantage of helping to dismantle certain health inequalities. People from professional or "middle class" homes are far more likely to buy alcohol regularly, and to drink above the recommended levels, yet "alcohol-related harm" is borne largely by those from routine or manual backgrounds.

There is ample evidence to suggest that price increases t
hrough taxation would have an effect on consumption levels for those for whom alcohol takes up a large proportion of their income.

Driving down the amount that people from poorer backgrounds drink may therefore reduce the disproportionate health burden that heavy drinkers in those groups bear.

To achieve these aims, prices would need to rise uniformly across the drinks market. At the moment, supermarkets and other major off-licence chains have enough purchasing power to demand that drinks producers absorb any increases in duty rates so that they can continue selling alcohol at deep discounts.

To protect the integrity of alcohol taxes, we propose therefore that the Government needs additionally to introduce legislation to prevent both the on and off trade from selling below a fixed retail price.

source: Yorkshire Post

Binge Drinking; Risk of Cardiovascular Disease

2008-03-12T06:06:00.000-07:00

ScienceDaily (Mar. 5, 2008) — How much and how often people drink -- not just the average amount of alcohol they consume over time -- independently influence the risk of death from several causes, according to a new study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

"Taken together, our results reinforce the importance of drinking in moderation. In drinkers who are not alcohol dependent, the majority of U.S. drinkers, alcohol quantity and frequency might be thought of as modifiable risk factors for mortality," the researchers conclude.

"These findings underscore the importance of looking at drinking patterns when investigating alcohol-related health outcomes," says Ting-Kai Li, M.D., Director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the NIH.

Rosalind A. Breslow, Ph.D., M.P.H., an epidemiologist in NIAAA's Division of Epidemiology and Prevention Research, and Barry I. Graubard, Ph.D., a statistician in the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics at the National Cancer Institute, examined data from a nationwide health survey conducted in 1988. Almost half of the nearly 44,000 people who participated in the survey identified themselves as current drinkers who had at least 12 drinks of alcohol during the previous year. By the end of 2002, more than 2,500 of these individuals had died. Drs. Breslow and Graubard compared their causes of death with the alcohol consumption patterns they reported in the survey. A report of their findings appears in the March, 2008 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.

The researchers found that, in men, alcohol frequency and quantity had opposite effects on cardiovascular mortality. The greater the amount of alcohol that men consumed on drinking days, the greater was their risk for death from cardiovascular disease. For example, men who had five or more drinks on drinking days had a 30 percent greater risk for cardiovascular mortality than men who had just one drink per drinking day. Alcohol quantity was also associated with increased mortality from cancer among men. On the other hand, frequency of drinking was associated with decreased risk for death from cardiovascular disease among men -- those who reported drinking 120 to 365 days per year had about 20 percent lower cardiovascular mortality than men who drank just one to 36 days per year. The current study was not designed to determine why drinking frequency might have a protective effect. Among women, frequent drinking was associated with a significantly increased risk of cancer, while increased quantity was associated with risk for mortality from all causes.

Previous studies have linked moderate drinking with reduced risk for death from cardiovascular disease, while heavier drinking has been linked with increased mortality. Such studies have typically measured individuals' average alcohol intake. A drawback of that approach, says Dr. Breslow, is that averaging obscures potential differences between people who sometimes drink heavily and those who consistently drink small amounts of alcohol.

"Average intake makes no distinction between the individual who has seven drinks one day each week, for example, and someone who has just one drink, every day," explains Dr. Breslow. "Our study is the first to look at how both quantity and frequency components of alcohol consumption independently influence cause-specific mortality within a single cohort representing the US population."

The researchers note that the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans advise men to drink no more than two drinks per day and women to drink no more than one drink per day. Because women's bodies generally have less water than men's bodies, a given amount of alcohol is less diluted in a woman's body than in a man's. Consequently, when a woman drinks, the alcohol in her bloodstream typically reaches a higher level than a man's even if both are drinking the same amount.

Adapted from materials provided by NIH/National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

Binge drinking could lead to stroke

2008-03-11T02:30:00.000-07:00

The Stroke Association is warning the public of the dangers of binge drinking and how it can increase your risk of brain damage from a stroke.
The warning comes at the start of Brain Awareness Week 2008.

Binge drinking can raise blood pressure to dangerously high levels and is a major risk factor for stroke.

A stroke is a brain attack; it happens when the blood supply is cut to the brain causing brain cells to die and results in brain damage.

Stroke is the UK's third biggest killer and if it doesn't kill it could leave you paralysed, unable to talk, walk and/or incontinent.

People who binge drink (consume six or more units at a single sitting) are twice as likely to have a stroke than non-drinkers.

Yet, worryingly an estimated 60 percent of people are not aware that stroke can be a consequence of binge drinking.

Current government statistics indicate that 18 percent of men and eight percent of women drank more than eight units and six units respectively, on at least one day in the previous week.

Despite this only 25 percent of people questioned in a survey said that they would reduce the
ir alcohol intake to help reduce their risk of stroke. The number of people, who already do so, was only slightly higher at 31 percent.

These figures are of some concern, especially given that heavy intermittent drinking is a feature of many people's social lives in the UK and young people are more inclined to consume more than twice the recommended sensible drinking limit.

Joe Korner, Director of Communications at The Stroke Association said:
"Stroke can be a devastating condition and can affect anyone, of any age, at any time.

"By binge drinking you are increasing your risk of stroke and leaving yourself vulnerable to serious consequences such as long term disability or even death.

"Therefore The Stroke Association is urging the public, not just for Brain Awareness Week, but for the whole year round to exercise control over the amount of alcohol they are consuming."

source: Morpeth Today

Living with an Alcoholic

2008-03-06T13:11:00.000-08:00

Living With An Alcoholic

It really doesn't matter if we're the child, spouse or parent of an alcoholic; the abuse, pain, self-doubt and fear are severe and frequent. We spend a lot of compassionate effort trying to help alcoholics recover, but very little on the loved ones, some of whom may be scarred for life. If you have a loved one who is an alcoholic, this article is for you. If you're addicted to alcohol and have loved ones trying to help you, please consider this article a wake-up call. Here are some of the latest Addiction Recovery books to help you cope.

Secrets And Lies: Alcohol addicts need to be woken up because the biggest lie they tell is to themselves, "I don't have a problem." As much as you love the alcoholic in your family, that lie is what makes it easy to lie to you. My father would say he'll be at my game, my play, my graduation...usually lies. When he didn't arrive, it was always because he was tired. Funny how tired you can get after a few drinks...or before a few. He did the best he could, given his addictions, so, I'm not whining...Just letting you know I know what you're going through. Some alcoholics claim to not drink and have hours of secret time away from home, all with convenient lies to hide what's really happening. Of course, the truth can't help but be revealed when they overindulge and stumble into the house, get in an accident or get arrested. Sadly, most of the time, these incidents are only followed by more lies, this time about quitting or cutting back. Funny, how easy it is to believe the lies just one more time.

Coping-Not Codependence: One of the sad things about being codependent to an alcoholic is how easy it is to believe their lies. Our love for them overshadows the obvious truth...and we begin to live in denial just like the one we love. We become addicted to the neediness of our alcoholic loved one. Instead, we need to learn to cope with them rather than enable them. No, we won't believe their words...only their actions. We will protect the rest of the family from them but we won't enable them by excusing or supporting them in any way as long as they continue in their addiction. Coping with an alcoholic means being tough and confronting them. It means setting clear boundaries and not changing them just because the addict makes a fuss. It means letting them live in the consequences of their actions...even if they lose their job or freedom due to a jail sentence. Calling in to work, making excuses, bailing them out of jail actually helps them continue in their addiction. You don't love an alcoholic by holding them up. Loving them means letting them hit the ground until they learn to hate falling more than they love drinking.

The Only Love Of An Addict: When we give in to the manipulation and the alcoholic rewards us with words of admiration and love, it's just another lie. The words seem sincere because they are spoken to you, but the words of love about the bottle, and no one else. Alcoholics hate themselves and are incapable of loving anyone...not their kids, their spouse, their parents...they are all pawns to be used to get that next drink. Drinking isn't an alcoholic's first love, it's the only love. Until that bond is broken, no one else will be allowed in.

Recovery Or Rejection: This article may seem as though I think it impossible for an alcoholic to recover. It may surprise you to know I'm a recovered alcoholic. I didn't get to recovery because people excused me. It was only after I realized I had become my Dad, with his drunkenness, violence and lies...only when I saw that I would get this addiction under control or lose my wife, my career and everything. That was bottom for me...what brought me to find help and get this addiction behind me. I was lucky and I had help from God and others around me...not help to get drunk, but help to live sober. Unfortunately, if nothing else works for your alcoholic, sometimes they need to know there are only two choices...begin recovery or be rejected. A drug addict I knew was squatting in an abandoned house with her 3 small children and her supplier boyfriend, with no furniture, piles of uncontained trash and food scraps next to the uncovered mattresses and piles of unwashed, filthy clothes. I can't begin to describe the smell. She had to have her three children taken away from her before she would enter rehab and get clean. The last time I saw her, she was healthy, well-dressed, employed and had her children back with her. The greatest act of love toward this woman came from a government agency by taking her children.

If your alcoholic won't quit, as hard as it is, the greatest act of love you can offer is to withhold your support, your help, yourself and your love from them. This is their best chance for recovery. If the addict won't quit even then, the choice was made by the addict...and by you. This was your last and greatest act of love...to give them up in hopes they would give up the bottle.

Living With An Alcoholic is never easy, coping with secrets and lies and being manipulated for that next drink. If the bottle turns out to be their one true love, often, the only option is to leave them and salvage your life. Hopefully, with your firm boundaries, a little luck and a lot of God's help, your alcoholic will give it up and live in recovery, proving you're their one true love and eventually learning to love even themselves.

Source: http://www.way2hope.org/

Worse Outcomes For A Substance-Abuse Disorder Likely When Accompanied By PTSD

2008-03-05T11:08:00.000-08:00

Up to one-half of those seeking help for substance-abuse disorders (SUDs) also have posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

* New findings show that the frequency of a PTSD is greater among those dependent on drugs rather than alcohol, and that having a PTSD tends to predict a more severe course and worse outcome for an SUD.

From one-third to one-half of those seeking treatment for a substance-use disorder (SUD) can also have posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The first multi-center study of PTSD among individuals seeking treatment for an SUD has found a greater prevalence of PTSD among those who were drug- rather than alcohol-dependent, and that having PTSD was associated with a more severe course and worse outcome for an SUD.

Results are published in the March issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.

"We already knew that there is a quite relevant association between PTSD and SUDs," said Martin Driessen, professor of psychiatry at Ev. Hospital Bielefeld in Germany, and corresponding author for the study. "More specifically, PTSD is a risk factor for the development of an SUD, particularly a drug dependence. However, it was unclear whether this is true for both abusers and dependent subjects, or only one of these groups, which is why we studied clearly dependent subjects."

"Drug dependence has frequently been observed in war veterans who also suffer from PTSD," added Andreas Heinz, director and chair of the department of psychiatry at Charité - University Medical Center Berlin. "Both men and women often increase drug abuse and develop dependence following war and other trauma."

For this study, Driessen and his colleagues interviewed 459 subjects (274 males, 185 females) seeking help in 14 German addiction-treatment centers: 39.7 percent had alcohol dependence; 33.6 percent had drug dependence; and 26.8 percent had both. Interviewers used the International Diagnostic Checklists, Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale, Addiction Severity Index, and Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale to assess all participants. Individual characteristics and treatment outcomes were later analyzed.

Results showed the prevalence of PTSD was greater among those with drug rather than alcohol dependence. "We found a prevalence of PTSD that was roughly double, around 30 percent, in drug-dependent subjects than that found in alcohol-dependent subjects, at about 15 percent," said Driessen. "Although we expected this, based on previous research, we were somewhat surprised to find such a high difference between drug and alcohol dependence."

Having a PTSD was also associated with worse outcomes for an SUD, Driessen said, such as more family problems, less employment, and more severe psychological symptoms.

"The subjects suffering from PTSD had higher hospitalization rates, shorter periods of abstinence, and higher drug craving," added Heinz. "However, the study did not show whether PTSD was a cause or consequence of drug dependence in individual subjects."

In addition, said Driessen, the associations between an SUD and PTSD were stronger when the PTSD diagnosis was definitive - that is, based on the interview as well as the questionnaire - compared to those patients with a probable or subsyndromal PTSD. A mere trauma exposure without PTSD was not associated with an SUD, he noted.

Both Driessen and Heinz recommended that clinicians examine patients with an SUD in order to determine if PTSD is an underlying factor, and that researchers continue investigating specific treatment options.

"Women in this study showed higher PTSD rates, which is in accordance with the literature," said Heinz. "Women also more often show clinical depression, which often precedes alcohol dependence, while in men, depression seems to follow alcohol dependence in most cases. Further research on psychotrauma and its sequelae such as PTSD, anxiety and depression may point to gender differences in the course and consequences of drug and alcohol addiction. In addition, neurobiological correlates such as monoamine and stress hormone dysfunction and alterations in central processing of affective and reward-indicating stimuli should be assessed. They may predict treatment response and indicate whether specific treatment options with psychotherapy or addictive pharmacological therapy are helpful."

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Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release.
----------------------------

Source:

Martin Driessen, M.D., Ph.D.
Ev. Hospital Bielefeld

Relapse

2008-03-03T08:14:00.001-08:00

If we’re contemplating a relapse, we should think our using through to the bitter ends. For many of us, those ends would include severe medical problems, imprisonment, or even death. How many of us have known people who relapsed after many years clean, only to die from their disease?

But there is a death that accompanies a return to active addiction that may be worse than physical death. That is the spiritual death we experience when we are separated from our Higher Power. If we use, the spiritual relationship we have nurtured over the years will weaken and perhaps disappear. We will feel truly alone.

There is no doubt that we have periods of darkness in our recovery. There is only one way we can make it through those troubling times: with faith. If we believe that our Higher Power is with us, then we know that all will be well.

No matter how badly we may feel in our recovery, a relapse is never the answer. Together, we find recovery. If we stay clean, the darkness will lift and we will find a deeper connection to our Higher Power.

Copyright © 1991-2008 by Narcotics Anonymous World Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved

March Madness

2008-02-25T16:19:00.001-08:00

Jeffrey Derevenksy, Ph.D. and Dr. Rina Gupta, Ph.D.

Here’s a quiz. See if you can identify the underlying theme for each of these events: a) The Super Bowl, b) The World Series, c) The Stanley Cup, d) Kentucky Derby and e) March Madness. If you answered they’re all sports events and American icons you are absolutely correct.

Now see if you can identify the sports activity associated with each event. If you answered a) N.F.L. Football, b) Major League Baseball, c) National Hockey League, d) the Grand Prix of horse racing, and e) NCAA Collegiate Basketball Tournament you are correct again. Each event has its own history, mystique, and dramas associated with it. And each has captivated the imagination of generations of children, adolescents, and adults.

March Madness, often referred to as March Mayhem, has its own special place among American youth and collegiate alumni. For three weekends in March, America becomes captivated by the NCAA college basketball postseason tournament. Celebrating its sixtieth year, the NCAA championship journey has slowly evolved. It has helped etch their own memorable moments for generations of fans, players, coaches, and alumni.

The fanfare attributed to March Madness is accelerated as millions of alumni all across the United States dust off their old school sweaters and caps, wave their pennants, and attempt to relive their youth by returning to those good old college days. The exhilaration, anticipation, and frenzy of March Madness is further heightened not only by collegiate or alumni pride but also by the vast sums of money being wagered on these events.

Like many other sporting events, the NCAA tournament generates enormous interest amongst youth and adult males trying to predict the Final Four and ultimately #1. And to make this even more interesting, millions of dollars are wagered on the outcome of each game.

Although problem gambling has been primarily thought of as an adult behavior, more recent research has suggested that it remains a popular activity amongst children and adolescents. An alarmingly high percentage of children and adolescents are engaged in gambling activities. In particular, illegal sports gambling on college campuses throughout North America has become a significant problem. Prevalence studies conducted over the past decade suggests that gambling activities remain particularly attractive to today's youth and its popularity is on the rise amongst children, adolescents and young adults.

Prevalence studies conducted in the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Europe, and in Australia all confirm the rising prevalence rates of youth involvement in both legal and illegal forms of gambling. Estimates are that between 4-8% of adolescents presently have serious gambling problems with another 10-14% of adolescents at-risk for developing a serious gambling problem. Our recent data suggests that while 55% of adolescents are casual or recreational gamblers, 13% have some gambling related problems, and 4-6 % have a serious problem. Yet, for most parents and teens, gambling is viewed as an innocuous behavior with few negative consequences.

Retrospective studies have indicated that adult problem gamblers report the onset of their pathological behaviors to have begun quite early, often beginning between the ages of 10-19. A large-scale study of adolescents in Alberta, Canada found that most problem gamblers began gambling, on average, around the age of 10 with similar results being found in our study of high school adolescents and young adults in Quebec.

Problematic gambling among adolescents have been shown to result in increased delinquency and crime, the disruption of relationships, and negatively affects overall school performance and work activities. While these youth present themselves differently from adults, they nevertheless have similar characteristics. These adolescents have a preoccupation with gambling, resulting in poor school performance, strained parental and peer relationships, and an increase in antisocial behavior in order to maintain their gambling behavior.

Contrary to public opinion, our research and clinical work suggests money is not the predominant reason why adolescents engage in these behaviors. Rather, it appears as though money is used as a vehicle that enables them to continue playing. Through play, either with video poker machines, sports betting, cards, or other forms of gambling, these adolescents exhibit a number of dissociative behaviors; escaping into another world, often with altered egos. When playing, adolescents with serious gambling problems report nothing else matters and all their problems disappear. Betting on the outcome of a sports event makes the adrenalin flow, the heart rate increase, and the excitement intensify.

For an adolescent with a gambling problem, a good day is when the money he or she has lasts all day before their pockets are empty. A bad day is when the same amount of money lasts for only a half an hour. The initial claim is they gamble to make money. However, in speaking with these young gamblers, one quickly realizes money won is simply used as a means to access further gambling opportunities.

There is a progression that can often be seen with respect to amounts of money wagered. When the gambling first starts, betting $20 on the outcome of a sports event is exciting and the amount bet is enough to generate a thrill, regardless of whether they win or lose. What quickly happens is that the $20 wager quickly escalates, first to a $100, and then a $500 wager in order to maintain the same level of excitement and thrill. This is referred to as a form of tolerance or habituation, similar to the tolerance seen among drug and alcohol users who need to increase the dosage and/or frequency of use in order to maintain the desired effect.

It is not uncommon for an adolescent or college student to bet upwards of $1500 on a game, if they are problem gamblers. Often bets are placed through on-campus bookmakers who extend credit. Winnings are re-invested into other gambling opportunities. Losses are perceived as a mere detour to the inevitable win.

When the NCAA tournament is over, the NBA finals approach. For the sports enthusiast, there is always some sports event to watch, and more importantly, some event on television to wager on. Individuals with severe gambling problems often rely on people around them (family and friends) to help absorb their losses. It is a dangerous spiral to fall into, and even more difficult to stop.

For the past eight years we have been actively engaged in a program of research designed to help identify the risk factors associated with gambling problems among youth, to examine the antecedents of the problem, and to identify effective strategies for the prevention and treatment of youth with serious gambling problems.

Despite some conflicting findings, there appears to be an overall consensus:

*

gambling is more popular amongst males than females
*

probable/pathological gamblers are greater risk takers
*

adolescent prevalence rates of problem gamblers are 2-4 times that of adults
*

adolescents with problem/pathological gambling behaviors have lower self- esteem, higher rates of depression, dissociate more frequently when gambling, and are at increased risk for the development of an addiction or polyaddictions.

Research on personality traits reveals adolescent pathological gamblers are more excitable, extroverted, anxious, tend to have difficulty conforming to societal norms, and experience difficulties with self-discipline.

Problematic gambling during adolescence remains a growing social problem with serious psychological, educational, sociological and economic implications. Pathological gambling has been shown to result in increased delinquency and crime, antisocial behavior, the disruption of relationships, and negatively affects overall school performance and work activities. Given there are frequently few observable signs of gambling dependence among children and adolescents, such problems have gone relatively undetected compared to other forms of addiction (e.g., substance and alcohol abuse). The devastating impact to the individual and entire family when a member has an addictive disorder has been well documented.

While occasional gambling should not necessarily be considered problematic, the probability of children and adolescents becoming problem or pathological gamblers or engaging in other risk-taking and/or antisocial behaviors remains worrisome. Given there are frequently few observable signs of gambling dependence amongst children and adolescents, and the paucity of research in the area, such problems have gone relatively unnoticed compared to other forms of addiction.

Today, children and adolescents are informed via their school system about the dangers inherent in smoking, alcohol, and drug consumption. None, however, are informed as to the addictive qualities potentially inherent in gambling activities. Adolescents only become cognizant of this after either they or their friends develop problematic gambling behaviors. It is believed that the general acceptance of gambling and this lack of public awareness is contributing to the increasing number of children and adolescents who are currently struggling with gambling problems.

Gambling opportunities, venues and outlets continue to grow with governments sanctioning and encouraging participation in spite of the rising personal and social costs. While most gambling is illegal for minors, there is clear evidence underage youth continue to actively participate in these activities with many reporting engaging in this behavior with family members. This gambling behavior likely continues into young adult hood, as is evidenced by the growing numbers of students on college campuses who are compulsive gamblers. Sports betting has become particularly problematic among these students.

Gambling amongst our youth remains an important area in need of greater public awareness, more basic and applied research, and responsible social policy.

For parents who have sent their children off to college, or who are preparing to do so, a few words of advice. Talk to them about how gambling can become an addictive behavior, discuss how best to set limits on such activities, and emphasize the value of moderation. While your children may already understand the risks of alcohol and drug use, the risks of problem gambling are probably unknown to them. When constructing a budget for their living expenses, emphasize that gambling expenses should not be part of such a budget. Monitor how your children spend their budgeted allowances that you send. Do not provide them with excessive amounts of money if you suspect that they are the likely to succumb to the lure and glamour of gambling. Access to extra money is a very big factor in the development of serious gambling problems.

Unfortunately, our children are the first generation to live their entire lives in which gambling is not only legal but often sanctioned and endorsed by the state.

Lets do our part in preventing this by communicating the potential dangers, teaching them by example, by supporting and encouraging increased research efforts, public awareness and the development of thoughtful social policy.

Dr. Jeffrey L. Derevensky is a child psychologist; Professor, and Director of the School/Applied Child Psychology Program in the Department of Educational and Counseling Psychology; and Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at McGill University.

Rina Gupta, Ph.D., is a child psychologist and Assistant Professor (part-time), in the School / Applied Child Psychology program at McGill University. She has a private practice, where she works with parents and children dealing with emotional, learning, and behavior problems. She is a frequent lecturer to parent groups and a contributor to professional journals.

Alcohol problem costs lives

2008-02-22T05:21:00.000-08:00

People with alcohol problems are dying before they can get help because of a desperate shortage of services in Salisbury, say experts in the field.

Despite soaring levels of alcoholism, Wiltshire only has one in-patient bed with a six-month waiting list - and alcoholics needing a home detoxification programme face an eight-week wait before they are seen.

Now, a non-profit making organisation, Step Aside, aims to raise £6,000 to open a therapy service in the city centre and help alcoholics before it is too late.

The project is being backed by GPs and nurses throughout Salisbury who feel frustrated at the time it takes for alcoholics to get the help they need.

"The situation is just getting worse and worse and services are at breaking point," said senior practice nurse at St Ann Street Surgery, Tracey Brignall-Roe.

"It used to be relatively rare someone came to me with an alcohol problem, now it seems to be every week.
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"But once people have taken the brave step to ask for help they need it straight away and, as a medical professional, you feel so helpless telling them there will be such a long wait.

"There are people falling through the net and dying as a result."

Last month, 30-year-old alcoholic Jack Croft died when he fell into the River Avon.

He started drinking at the age of 15 and his family, who are calling for more funding for services, were once told they would have to wait six months for Jack to receive help.

Step Aside was formed last year to offer counselling, support groups, detox programmes and advice with the help of a six-month grant.

When the money ran out, founder of the organisation, Thalia Shannon-Eyers, who used to work for Clouds House at East Knoyle and The Priory, and a team of volunteers pledged to carry on their work.

"We currently have about 40 people we help but with no money it is very hard to promote ourselves and keep going," said Thalia.

"But I believe everybody deserves a second chance in life and we don't want to shut the door on anyone."

Thalia's mission is to take over premises on Fisherton Street so they can help more people overcome their alcohol addiction.

"Alcoholism affects every profession, all ages, all religions and all walks of life," she said.

"And for every one person we help, there are many more suffering in silence because they feel ashamed and guilty."

The NHS, alongside a number of other charities and organisations, also runs projects to help alcoholics in Salisbury.

But as demand increases, there are calls for more to be done.

"We feel alcoholics have a right to care," said Tracey.

"They don't ask for a drink problem any more than anyone wants to get cancer or diabetes.

"This is an illness and I feel it's time we all worked together to stop more tragedies happening in Salisbury in the future."
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source: This Is Wiltshire

The First Rule of Holes.. if you're in one stop digging!

2008-02-19T16:00:00.000-08:00

Fear gnawed at my soul; anxiety ran high. As sweat dripped from my brow, I felt like there was nowhere to turn. Worry lines flashed across my forehead as I sunk deeper and deeper into a swirling vortex. Yep, I was having an \"in-the-hole experience.\"

Many times, owning your own business is no picnic, especially in the first few years. Now I was faced with too much payroll, and not enough cash in the bank to cover it. What would I do?

Have you ever been in a hole? Are you in one now? We\'ve all been in one hole or another at various times in our lives, and many they are. One of the more common holes we can get into is a financial hole, as I did. Or, if we are in sales, we can get into a hole in the form of a sales slump. We can even get into a hole with a relationship we have.

Sometimes life throws us spinning out of control into a hole because of circumstances beyond our control, such as the death of a child, parent, or friend. And then there is living with the effects of another\'s drinking, or even childhood sexual abuse, among many others.

The foregoing notwithstanding, it could be argued that many times, if not most of the time, we alone are the ones digging the holes we get into. This being the case, we have to ask ourselves, \"Am I digging this hole with a hand shovel or a backhoe?\" Size matters when it comes to the effect a hole can have in our lives. For example, there is a big difference between a pothole in the road and a grave (which is the final hole we’ll get ourselves into!).

How Holes Affect Our Lives
Think about a time when you were in a hole—I mean really think about it. What were your emotions? How did you feel? The times I was in a hole, I felt discouraged, powerless, and stuck. I felt out of control—as if life was running me, and not the other way around. I felt clouded in my thinking and unsure of what to do to get out.

Life is certainly not easy when we find ourselves in a hole. A hole is really a form of adversity, and can affect our mental and emotional well-being. This is especially so if we remain in a hole for an extended period of time. If you find yourself in a hole now, don\'t be too discouraged. There are some things you can do to get out.

Stop Digging and Backfill
If you are in a hole now, the most important thing you can do is ask yourself, \"Why?\" What got you into a hole? Was it due to some mistake? If so, what was the mistake? What led up to it? You effectively stop digging when you discover what got you into a hole in the first place, and then learn the lesson contained therein. This means you cease behaving in the way you did when you got in the hole to begin with.

Once you identify what got you into a hole, you must learn the lesson so you don\'t unwittingly repeat it in the future. Take this lesson and file it in the \"cubbyhole\" of life-lessons learned. Revisit these lessons often so you never forget them, after all, holes come with a price, and sometimes a high price.

One of life’s realities is that it can take a relatively short time to dig a hole, but a long time to get out of it. This is why it is so important that you discover the lessons and realize all the benefits possible with your in-the-hole experience.

Now that you have stopped digging, you must set yourself to the business of backfilling the hole and climbing out. How you go about backfilling your hole varies depending on the type of hole you are in, and it can take time. If in a financial hole, backfilling might necessitate getting a second job, a higher paying job, living with fewer comforts for awhile, or all of the above. Getting out of a hole requires some creative problem-solving. Try the following I.D.D.I. method in your backfilling efforts:

1. IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM. Identify exactly why you are in a hole and what led up to it.

2. DISSECT THE PROBLEM. Tear it apart. Was it some mistake? or inexperience? or fear? or several different things? Continue asking \"Why?\" until you arrive at the core reason(s). Write the reasons down on paper for clarity. Important! Note and learn the lessons of your in-the-hole experience.

3. DEFINE POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS. Outline all possibilities. Develop strategies. Don\'t forget to consider ALL possible solutions, no matter how unlikely they may seem. Then ponder the exact opposite of what you think the solution is. Confide in a trusted friend to help draw you out.

4. IMPLEMENT YOUR BEST SOLUTION. Reassess and adjust course along the way if necessary. There is no harm in readjusting your strategy if your original solution doesn\'t pan out. (For a more comprehensive discussion of creative problem-solving, see the book, The Game Rules for Life, by Doug Kelley, chapter 10, or read the article entitled, \"Using the 180 Principle for Creative Problem-Solving.\"

t will no doubt take hard work to get out of the hole, and that is why it is so important that you learn the lesson(s) so you are wiser from the experience and don\'t do a repeat performance. After all, I\'m sure you\'ll agree that you need a hole in life like you need a “hole in the head!”

Are there times and circumstances in which you are never able to get out of the hole completely? Perhaps. But if you feel this is the case, you have to ask yourself if it is really an in-the-hole experience, or simply a pothole in the road of life? Are you really in a hole? or possibly tunneling to a better place? For example, did your being in this hole make you a better person? Did it teach you valuable lessons in some area, such as business or life? Did it make you more attuned to the human condition, making you less judgmental, more tolerant, and kinder to others? Did it result in you \"adding to the woodpile of life?\" In other words, are you making a positive contribution to the world around you because of it? If so, then you have done well! You have learned the lessons contained, and grown as a result. Good for you! You have heeded \"The Last Rule of Holes: When you are in one, GET OUT!\"

Give Me Neither Holes Nor Mountains
It’s clear that getting into a hole is undesirable, so we might conclude that what we really want in life is the opposite of a hole. But is this really the way to go? Think about what the opposite of a hole really is—a mountain. And just like holes, mountains are obstacles too. Sometimes in life, we may not be in a hole, but we might be facing a mountain-like obstacle to achieving our goals and dreams.

By their nature, mountains are quite different than holes in most respects, but the effects can be similar, that is, keeping us from moving forward. Mountains are usually some real or imagined roadblock to getting where we want to go, and, similar to holes, they usually arise due to our inexperience. Once we learn how to traverse the mountain, it will cease to be an obstacle any longer.

For example, Mike, a good friend of mine, dreams of one day starting a minor league hockey team. I dare say that for most of us, this sounds like a huge mountain to get past, especially when Mike tells me that it will take up to $2 million to get it off the ground, and he will have to find investors to make it happen.

But Mike remains undaunted by this “mountain.” Consider why. He has a personal history of success in the game. He has also done his research and is very specific on what he wants, even to the point of defining every detail. For instance, he knows exactly where he wants his team located—West Palm Beach, Florida—and has even chosen the perfect arena. He has also put together a top notch Power Point presentation to attract investors. Mike has left nothing to chance and remains very positive and enthusiastic. There is no doubt in my mind that he will one day hurdle this mountain and achieve his dream.

If you are facing a mountain-like obstacle to achieving your goal, take heart! Learn what you need to know and move forward. Never let anything discourage you! Once I was discouraged about achieving my own goals in Professional Speaking and Writing, and told Mike that I felt like my objective \"was a million miles away.\" After several months passed, and I was a little closer to my objective, Mike reminded me of my earlier comment when he said to me, \"That million miles seems a lot closer now, doesn\'t it?\" What an encouragement! Keep working toward your goal and never quit! Sometimes even when you feel like you are at a standstill, you are nonetheless moving. It was just an illusion. By finding the right path over the mountain, you’ll find that what was once a huge mountain—an illusion—is now just a molehill. Now there are neither potholes in the road, nor mountains ahead, just smooth, level ground!

Doesn\'t this make sense? Things are only difficult because we haven\'t learned how to do them yet. Once we do, they become easy. Think positively, after all, how hard can it be? People just like you and me put men on the moon!

The Worst Kind of Hole
The effects of being in a hole can even lead to another kind of hole—a hole in our spirit. There is a difference between being in a hole, and having a hole inside of us. If this hole within is not mended, the essence of who we are can drain out. It can be our power, our strength, our drive and motivation, our ambition, our sense of meaning, our self-identity, and/or our enjoyment of life. If our spirit drains completely, we may find ourselves beset with depression, or even worse, we can die inside. What a tragedy it is when a person has such a gaping hole in their soul that they want to die. An open hole in the spirit can, in turn, contribute greatly to getting into a hole in other areas of life. One hole leads to another, and thus the vicious cycle of holes begins.

Granted, many things bring happiness in the world. But by the same token, so many good people are so weighed down with the anxieties of life. Social illnesses, such as drug abuse and alcoholism don’t just affect the abuser, they affect everyone around them, including an employer, or any unwitting victims in a drug or alcohol related auto accident. Additionally, victims of child sexual abuse can sustain such a vast hole inside, that they may find it difficult to ever mend the hole and heal completely.

You may have never experienced the devastation that can come from dealing with an alcoholic, or being victimized by a pedophile. Consider yourself fortunate. These atrocities can literally blow a person away. They are life changing events, and not in the positive sense. But with the right attitude and approach, positive benefits can come from tragic circumstances.

The foregoing are certainly not the only things that can throw you for a loop. Many things, such as abruptly losing a job, going through a divorce, or leaving the religion of your family can also pull the rug out from under you, leaving a deep pit where the rug was and a hole in your spirit.

If you are hurting because you have an abysmal hole within, take heart too! Be encouraged by the fact that there are others out there who really know the depth of your pain! Seek them out. Talk to them about your pain, and learn of theirs.

Where do you find these people? Many groups exist to help with a number of different issues, such as grief and loss, codependency, alcoholism, dealing with an alcoholic, and victims of abuse. Please also consider seeking the help of a professional counselor or therapist, if necessary. There is no shame in getting the help that you need to heal. Sometimes when in a hole, it is okay to ask someone to throw you a rope. Why not ask?

It is impossible to address the many different types of holes in the spirit one can have within the scope of this writing. If you have a hole in your spirit, the most important thing you can do is to mend the hole post-haste. Why? Because when a person is literally starving to death, the most important thing on that person\'s mind is NOT planting a garden—it is finding his or her next meal. Your soul is starving—give it a meal! Nothing is more important than mending the hole in your spirit! When you are not \"whole\" within, nothing else matters to you. Your job doesn\'t matter; what you own doesn\'t matter; your life doesn\'t matter. Do you see how serious this is? You simply cannot reach your full potential or find true enjoyment and meaning in life with a continual hole in your spirit.

With healing, the hole in your spirit closes. Your power, energy and essence are no longer leaking out. Now you can start to fill the void with the good stuff of life. And with a mended spirit, your outlook will change for the better. Your spirit will naturally begin to fill with more positive and optimistic feelings. Your disposition will improve and your countenance will radiate the glow of a spirit that is whole and complete.

The First Rule of \"Wholes\"
When you find yourself in an unexpected hole, remember to explore the \"Why?\" question thoroughly. And keep asking \"Why?\" until you discover the core reason(s) for getting into a hole. Along with determining a pathway out of the hole, use the lessons learned to avoid similar holes in the future.

In my own in-the-hole experience mentioned at the outset, I was able to make some last minute sales as well as borrow some money to cover my payroll dilemma. But I didn\'t stop there. I intensely analyzed the reasons why I got into that hole in the first place, learned the lessons, and made changes in the way I managed my business. This helped to make my business successful to the point that I was able to sell it a few years later for six figures.

Additionally, if you have patched a hole in your spirit, do what you need to do to fill your spirit up and make yourself whole again. And remember the \"First Rule of \'Wholes\'… when you are Whole, you have no Holes!\"

But as with everything else in life, there are choices. And it is tragic that some people never learn the lessons of life and so have one in-the-hole experience after another. For those people all I can say is if you\'re going to dig yourself into a hole, keep digging—you\'ll find blue sky eventually. And if you don\'t, then look at the bright side: you won\'t have to pay the grave diggers. Or will you?
Author: Doug Kelley, CH, CSL

Tips to Beat Depression

2008-02-16T07:15:00.000-08:00

We all have days when we are down, worn out and just not feeling all that happy. That's okay. You need to have days like this, otherwise how would you know when you are happy? You appreciate your good days even more when you have the occasional bad day for contrast. What is black without white? Even though sadness is a part of life, let's try to make it a small part of life. With that said, here are a few tips to help you feel better when you are feeling down in the dumps. They are easy to practice every day, and they work!

* Stand up straight and sit up straight. When your body is in alignment your energy can flow and when your energy is flowing freely, you can flow.
* Smile! Yes, just smile. Easy to do and effective. This technique can also change the way others react to you, which can further elevate your mood.
* Repeat positive affirmations. Things like "I feel good", "Positive energy flows through my body", "I see the good in all". Always phrase your affirmations is a positive way. For example, “I hate smoking” becomes “I love taking deep breaths of fresh air”. One more very important thing about affirmations, you must infuse your affirmations with emotion. This is the key to making affirmations work.
* Listen to some music that you like. It doesn't have to be anything specific, just something you enjoy. Certain types of music work better than others, so experiment and see what works for you. Studies have shown that classical music and new age music work best.
* Take some “me” time. Indulge yourself in something you enjoy, such as:

o Relax and read a book.

o Take up a hobby

o Slip into a bubble bath

o Watch a sunrise or sunset

* Meditate. Meditation is an excellent habit to develop. It will serve you well in all that you do. If you have a hard time sitting still, then try some special meditation CDs that coax your brain into the meditative state.

Just search for "meditation music" on Google or Yahoo and explore.
* Exercise. This doesn't have to mean pumping iron! Even something as simple as taking a walk will get your blood flowing. Believe me, you will feel better.

Our outside world is simply a reflection of our inside world. Remember there is no reality just your perception of it. Use this truth to your advantage. Whenever you are sad, realize that you have the power to change your perception. These tips will lift you up when you are down, but don't just use them when you are sad. Try and practice them every day, make them a habit. You will be surprised at how these simple exercises will keep the blues away. On a final note, if you are in a deep depression that you can't seem to shake, please go see a doctor. This is your life, don't take any chances.

Author: Mark McCoid

Chantix and Alcoholism

2008-02-13T10:04:00.000-08:00

Chantix and Alcoholism Study

Bartlett's team trained rats to drink large amounts of alcohol. That induced alcohol dependence, which is commonly called alcoholism.

The researchers injected varenicline, the active ingredient in Chantix, into some of the alcoholic rats. For comparison, other alcoholic rats didn't get Chantix.

The rats got roughly the same varenicline dose that rats get in nicotine studies. Those doses cut the rats' alcohol consumption by about 50%, Bartlett says.

The results came as a surprise.

Bartlett says she hadn't expected Chantix to be particularly effective in alcoholic rats that weren't also given nicotine. But the drug defied those predictions.

The rats had been drinking heavily for months, notes Bartlett. "This is not something that will just work if you have one or two drinks a week and take the drug. It's not that kind of drug," she predicts.

Chantix didn't affect other rats' taste for plain water or sugary water, the study also shows.

Why would a quit-smoking drug work on alcoholism?

Nicotine and alcohol both affect a certain brain receptor, and Chantix targets that brain receptor, Bartlett explains.

"The bottom line is they're working on similar mechanisms," Bartlett says of nicotine and alcohol. She says she had heard about Chantix about two and a half years ago, when the drug was still in development, and wanted to test it against alcoholism as soon as possible.

The study appears in the early online edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Chantix is made by the drug company Pfizer, which provided varenicline for the study but didn't fund the lab tests. The researchers note no conflicts of interest.

UK- Dying for a Drink

2008-02-10T07:32:00.000-08:00

Dying for a drink: 1.4 million of us - and that's just the bingers

You don't have to be an alcoholic to be a binger. But the effect on health and the damage to those around us are as alarming. And women are most at risk.

By Paul Rodgers

Take a sip of vodka. You may notice a burning sensation on your tongue. That's the alcohol hitting pain receptors wrapped around your taste buds, the same nerves that warn you of high temperatures. From the moment it passes your lips, alcohol is setting off alarms and, mostly, causing damage.

English and Irish women drink more heavily than any others in the world, as our front page today shows. Whatever their reasons, the science suggests they are taking more risks than men.

The latest research shows that women become drink-dependent more quickly than men. If a man and a woman drink the same amount of alcohol, her body will suffer more harm.

Women also have to worry about breast cancer, unwanted pregnancies, and causing brain damage and skeletal deformities in their unborn babies. All these are linked to drinking.

Alcohol is so popular because it lets us have more fun at pubs, clubs and parties by working on the central nervous system to suppress inhibitions. But it also injures organs in both sexes, from the brain to the pancreas.

Officially, 8,000 deaths a year in Britain are directly linked to alcohol, more than double the figure 15 years ago. And some charities estimate that the real number may be five times higher. Drink is, for example, involved in 40 per cent of fatal fires, 15 per cent of drownings and 65 per cent of suicides.

The costs are not just to individual bodies. The NHS spends £1.7bn a year dealing with the effects of alcohol abuse. Drink causes 17 million lost working days a year, costing the economy £20bn.

Beyond the physical and financial, the effects of alcohol can be felt throughout society. More than one million adults are alcoholics. An estimated 1.4 million are binge drinkers. And 1.3 million children are affected by alcohol abuse. Drink is also involved in 40 per cent of domestic abuse cases. You only have to walk through a town centre on a Saturday night to find evidence of alcohol-related violence and vandalism.

The first difference between male and female drinkers, albeit a small one, comes when that nip of vodka splashes into the belly. There, a tiny amount of the alcohol is broken down by an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase. A man has slightly more of this than a woman, meaning that his body is already dealing with the vodka more efficiently.

But for both sexes it is not the stomach that does most of the work, says Professor Ian Gilmore, president of the Royal College of Physicians and chairman of its alcohol committee. Most alcohol enters the blood through the walls of the small intestine. That's why eating while drinking is so important; it slows the movement of liquor into the bowels and hence into the blood. Alcohol is a simple molecule, small enough to cross into any cell. It is also a solvent, able to dissolve lipids, the fatty molecules that make up cell membranes. Women have more fatty tissues than men - for example, the breasts - which may be one reason they are more susceptible to drink.

From the intestines, alcohol is taken by the portal vein to the liver, the body's chemical factory and the main filter for toxins. Here, again, alcohol dehydrogenase gets to work.

The enzyme comes in several different, genetically-determined forms, called polymorphisms. These variations explain why some people - usually men - can tolerate more drink than others. But even in the most efficient males, the enzymes can break down only about one unit of alcohol - eight grams - an hour.

There is a downside to the process. It produces a poison, namely acetaldehyde, a chemical relative of the formaldehyde used by Damien Hirst to pickle his cows. This is what makes you feel sick after a heavy drinking session. It is in turn broken down by a second set of enzymes, becoming water and carbon dioxide, but the process takes time. Before the liver finishes its work, the poisons from even a single unit of alcohol may have been round the body more than 100 times.

The liver clears alcohol out of the blood, but is not immune itself to alcohol damage. About a third of heavy drinkers, such as the late George Best, end up with liver disease. Who gets it and who doesn't probably comes down to a genetic lottery. Some people are just more vulnerable than others.

As the liver cells are destroyed, they are replaced by scar tissue, a process called cirrhosis. This has two effects. First it reduces the amount of chemical processing and decontaminating that can be done by the liver. Second, it reduces the blood flow through the organ. In time, the circulatory system finds ways to bypass the damaged liver, taking unpurified blood directly to the heart. This can kill you.

Only half of heavy drinkers are physically dependent on alcohol. The others could easily cut back or quit altogether. "They're waiting for an early warning," says Professor Gilmore. But they're not likely to get one. The first outward sign of cirrhosis of the liver is a distended belly and yellowish pallor. By then, the disease has reached its end stage.

In many cases, only a transplant can save the patient. But potential recipients far outnumber donors. Eleven thousand women a year are admitted to hospital with cirrhosis of the liver, but fewer than 1,000 organs are available for transplant.

As the vodka moves through the blood from the liver to the heart, there is a shot of good news, though. Small amounts of alcohol are known to reduce levels of so-called bad cholesterol that clog and harden arteries, leading to high blood pressure and heart attacks. Unfairly, the benefits are more marked in men.

"But as a nation we're drinking well above these cardio-protective levels," says Professor Gilmore. For heavy drinkers, the benefits are quickly outweighed by the risk of cardiomyopathy, a weakening of the heart muscles.

Binge drinking can interfere with the sympathetic nervous system so that the heart beats irregularly, a condition that doctors call "holiday heart" because it is so common among people who spend their time off from work knocking back pints. In some cases, it can lead to sudden death.

From the heart, alcohol in the blood is pumped to every other organ, including the brain, within a couple of minutes of it entering the blood stream. And unlike many other toxins, it can slip into the brain.

The immediate effect on the brain is to shut it down. Our inhibitions are the first to be depressed, hence the pleasure. But soon afterwards, we lose the ability to make the decisions and judgements necessary for safe driving, and eventually even basic functions such as walking or standing up become impossible.

By the time blood alcohol levels reach 360mg/ml - four and a half times the legal driving limit - most people are unconscious; by 400mg/ml, all but the most hardened drinkers are dead, usually because the alcohol has depressed the part of the brain that controls respiration. The victims simply forget to breathe. Women, because they are, on average, smaller than men, reach this level with fewer drinks.

And even if they don't die suddenly, heavy drinkers can suffer from brain damage. Research using CT brain scans at the University of Heidelberg showed not only that brain mass was lower among alcoholics, but also that women suffered the same percentage decrease even though they had drunk far less.

"There is evidence for a faster progress of the events leading to dependence among female alcoholics and an earlier onset of adverse consequences of alcoholism," said Professor Karl Mann of the University of Heidelberg. "This suggests that women may be more vulnerable to chronic alcohol consumption."

Other less-well known drink-related illnesses include chronic pancreatitis, a painful condition that reduces the ability to digest food and leads to diarrhoea and diabetes. Bone marrow - where blood cells are grown - can be damaged, leading to poor clotting in wounds and reduced immunity to infection.

Osteoporosis, a weakening of the bones already common in older women, can be made worse. And skeletal muscles, like those of the heart, can be weakened. The movement of the tiny hairs in the lungs that sweep contaminants out can also be impaired, making chronic drinkers more prone to diseases such as pneumonia.

The danger of having an accident while inebriated is obvious, but other risks are more subtle. For instance, 80 per cent of women report that alcohol was involved in their first sexual experience. That lowering of inhibitions can also lead to unprotected sex, unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/Aids. Research shows that 81 per cent of rape victims have been drinking before the attack; undoubtedly many attackers have been drinking too.

For many women, one of the greatest fears is foetal alcohol syndrome. During the first three months of a pregnancy, foetal stem cells are changing into forms specific to particular organs. Drugs such as alcohol that cross the placental barrier during this period can have dire effects, including severe brain damage and other birth defects.

For women who drink, the problem is twofold. Early in a pregnancy, they may not ever realise that they are carrying a child and should be abstaining. There is no known minimum safe level. One drink at the wrong time can damage the baby.

And then there is cancer. Areas that come into contact with concentrated alcohol, such as the mouth and throat, are more likely to develop tumours, as are organs with a high proportion of fatty tissues, such as the breasts.

People have been boozing since the dawn of civilisation - the earliest evidence is from 9,000-year-old fragments of neolithic clay pots found in northern China. Some archaeologists have speculated that agriculture itself may have been invented to provide crops for making beer. Attempts at prohibition in America early in the last century were such dismal failures that no one seriously thinks they can stop people from drinking.

Fortunately for those who enjoy an occasional tipple, the doctors aren't demanding that every woman climb on the wagon. Professor Gilmore would like to see alcohol become more expensive and harder to find, but says that, unless you are pregnant, moderate drinking is not a problem. Moderate means 14 units a week. You do the maths.

Your health: How alcohol affects the body

STOMACH: eating while drinking slows the rate at which alcohol enters the blood from intestines

LIVER: vital in removing poison, the organ is itself scarred by alcohol. Cirrhosis hits without warning

HEART: can benefit from low levels of alcohol, but heavy drinkers risk 'holiday heart' attacks

LUNGS: become more vulnerable to pneumonia. Too much alcohol and the brain will forget to breathe

PANCREAS: most cases of the painful disease pancreatitis are linked to alcohol abuse

BRAIN: women suffer the same percentage of cell death as men, but after drinking less alcohol

BONES: both sexes suffer marrow damage, but women are more prone to osteoporosis

BREASTS: women have more fatty tissues, where alcohol accumulates, raising cancer risks

WOMB: babies can suffer birth defects including brain damage if the mother drinks during pregnancy

Source: http://www.independent.co.uk

Vicodin Addiction

2008-02-08T14:12:00.000-08:00

Vicodin addiction first made big news in 1996, when National Football League quarterback Brett Favre announced he was addicted to the prescription pain pill and entered a rehabilitation program. Today, the National Institute on Drug Abuse estimates that roughly 20% of the United States population over the age of 12 has used prescription medications for non-prescription purposes. Vicodin is one of the leading prescription drugs that are abused.

Vicodin is an opiod drug (also known as a narcotic) that dulls pain and gives a feeling of euphoria when used. Commonly prescribed for moderate pain, Vicodin is a combination of acetaminophen (often sold under the brand name Tylenol) and hydrocodone. Acetaminophen stops the production of prostaglandins, which cause the feeling of pain in the body. Hydrocodone binds to pain receptors and reduces the sensation of pain. Hydrocodone is the habit-forming part of the drug mix in Vicodin.

Vicodin attaches to specific receptors in the brain, spinal chord, and gastrointestinal tract. When used as prescribed, it can be a powerful pain reducer for those with back pain, pain after car accidents, surgery-related pain, and athletic injuries. But, Vicodin addiction can occur after just one to four weeks when not used properly. If used for a long period of time, higher doses will be needed to create the initial desired effect and physical dependence becomes an issue.

Regular, intended use of Vicodin comes with the following precautions:

* Do not take alcohol when using Vicodin.
* To avoid potential liver damage, be careful how many acetaminophen products you use while taking Vicodin.
* Do not operate vehicles or machinery when using Vicodin.
* People allergic to codeine and hydrocodone should not take Vicodin.
* Vicodin has drug interactions with MAO inhibitors and tricyclic antidepressants.

Common side effects of regular Vicodin use include:

* Dizziness
* Drowsiness
* Nausea, vomiting, or constipation

When taken in large doses, respiratory depression may also occur.
[edit]
Signs of Vicodin Addiction

Both psychological and physical signs present themselves when a patient becomes addicted to Vicodin. Most addicts begin using medication like Vicodin without a prescription, for example as a recreational drug. Less commonly, addiction develops in a patient who was prescribed the medication for a legitimate reason. Some heroin addicts have found Vicodin a cheaper substitute. Warning signs of a Vicodin addiction are:

* Using more pills at intervals that are closer together than recommended by your doctor
* Shopping for new doctors to refill prescriptions more rapidly
* Stealing prescription pads or product from pharmacies
* Purchasing Vicodin pills from an Internet pharmacy
* Feeling guilty about taking too many pills
* Hiding the number of prescriptions that are refilled
* Denying there is a problem

[edit]
Treatment for Vicodin Addiction

Treatment for Vicodin addiction is similar to other drug treatments. Detoxification in a medically supervised setting may be needed. Withdrawal symptoms from Vicodin include muscle or bone pain, vomiting, cold flashes, loss of appetite, insomnia, watery eyes, and runny nose.

Once detox has taken place, it is imperative that follow-up treatment occurs. Detox is not considered adequate treatment in and of itself. Therapy can be helpful to those with Vicodin addictions. Behavioral counseling has also been found to be an effective form of therapy for addicts.

Additionally, medications like methadone or buprenorphine may be given to patients during the treatment process. Use of medications depends on the circumstances of each recovering addict. Medications should only be used under close medical supervision.

Admitting you have a problem is the first step in getting treatment. Vicodin addictions can ruin lives, relationships, financial situations, and business relations. When taken in large enough doses, Vicodin can even cause death.
[edit]
Initial Author: Amy Hoover

Please Visit us if you need help with Vicodin Addiction

Recovering from Addiction-Including your personal finances

2008-02-05T08:54:00.001-08:00

Recovering from addiction is a long struggle, one that extends beyond a body free from substances. Recovery is a healing process that reaches out to your relationships, your mental health, you career and even your finances.

Achieving permanent sobriety means rebuilding your life after addiction and creating a foundation upon which you can steadily stand. To do that, many people recovering from addiction need to rebuild their finances. If you're on the path to recovery, keep reading to learn how to take charge of your finances, budget for an abundant life and rebuild your credit.

Many people coming out of addiction are faced with depleted savings, health bills, repossessed goods, bad credit or even bankruptcy. Before the stress of these financial burdens affects your path to recovery, you need to face your financial problems head on.

First, learn to budget your money without going further into debt. Start by calculate your total family income from all sources. From there, calculate all of your expenses including rent, house payments, utility costs, groceries, debt repayments, savings and entertainment. If, after budgeting, you're unable to balance your incoming cash flow with your outgoing cash flow, then you need to start making cuts.

Whether your cuts as small as removing your cable service or as big as downgrading your apartment or home - sometimes we need to cut back in order to build back up. Remember, you can also renegotiate your credit agreements and set up payment schedules as a way to reduce your monthly payments and begin tackling your debt both responsibly and in way that's affordable.

Second, be prepared to rebuild your credit. This starts with a plan. Focus on how you're going to attack your debts, make a commitment to never miss a payment and plan out how you're going to use your future borrowing ability.

If you've had to declare bankruptcy, start rebuilding by reopening a checking or savings account. You can then rebuild your finances by always making your bankruptcy payments on time, applying for and maintaining a secured credit card, staying away from payday loans or other high interest traps and always being diligent with your payments.

It's a long and hard road to rebuilding your finances, but over time you'll get there. The first year is the hardest, but once you've proven that you can responsibly manage your finances for a 12-24 month period, you'll see your credit score improve exponentially. With time, you'll be back in a position where you can apply for a home mortgage, obtain a credit card or secure a car loan.
Author Resource:- Please visit What Is A Womens' Retreat? and Self Esteem Building

Tweaking Mouse Genes May Help Opiate Dependency

2008-02-04T06:06:00.001-08:00

Researchers at the University of California at San Francisco say that have been able to prevent mice from becoming dependent on morphine by altering a trait on the surface of neurons.

Acting on a hunch that dependence is caused by the failure of receptors for endorphins -- the body's natural painkillers -- to withdraw from the surface of neurons, the researchers bred mice with the ability to withdraw their receptors -- a process called endocytosis -- in the resence of morphine. They found that these mice enjoyed the painkilling benefits of morphine but did not become dependent upon the drug.

"As more pain medications are being removed from the market, new strategies to overcome chronic pain become crucial," said lead researcher Jennifer Whistler, Ph.D. "If new opiate drugs can be developed with morphine's pain killing properties but also with the ability to promote endocytosis, they could be less likely to cause the serious side effects of tolerance and dependence."

The study was published in the Jan. 17, 2008 issue of the journal Current Biology.

ABC Primetime-Paxil Addiction

2008-02-02T12:54:00.001-08:00

One Route to Alcoholism

2008-01-29T08:55:00.000-08:00

Sheryl, 55, a court reporter in the north suburbs, seemed to have the American dream: "a decent life -- two healthy kids, a nice husband, a two-car garage, what you're supposed to have," she said. "Only something was wrong. I was in my late 30s and miserable."

She began to drink -- not daily but three or four times a week. And once she had the first drink, "that was the end of it. I'd continue to drink for the rest of the day or evening," she said. "[After] you take that first drink, you want to replicate that rush, but it doesn't come. ... I wanted to get to that point [again], where it first goes into your blood and you have that calm, relaxed feeling."

Sheryl said she continued to function, cooking dinner for her family and fulfilling social obligations, though her friends could tell she'd been imbibing because she became unusually chatty. She typically drank vodka and wine; toward "the end," whiskey and beer, although she hated both. She would feel hung over and shaky the next morning -- and full of remorse. "You're so ashamed of yourself. This is not like your life's dream."

"The end" came on the eve of Rosh Hashana, one of the holiest days in the Jewish tradition, after about 12 years of using alcohol. Her husband came home from work that Friday for a holiday dinner, and she had been drinking. "Fear is what made me call a therapist Monday morning; I was afraid that my husband would take my kids away."

Sheryl suffers from alcohol dependence, or alcoholism, a disease affecting almost 4 percent of the U.S. population and more than 9 percent of those ages 18 through 29, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Alcoholism is a "brain disease," according to Dr. Seth Eisenberg, who specializes in addiction psychiatry at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. It's a chronic disease seen as a "complex biological, medical, behavioral and psychological array." For some, it has genetic underpinnings; for others, it results from social and environmental dynamics. Scientists have yet to tease apart the relationships among those factors.

Characterized by a craving to drink, losing control once drinking starts, withdrawal symptoms and tolerance (meaning you need to drink more and more to feel the same effect), the disease cannot be cured. But it can be treated.

Abstinence generally is the best medicine, and "there are many pathways to recovery," Eisenberg said. They include professional treatment in a hospital or non-hospital facility, outpatient treatment and/or mutual aid, such as Alcoholics Anonymous. Prescription medication to curb cravings or discourage drinking by making one feel sick when the drug is mixed with alcohol can help too.

Often patients need to be treated for other co-occurring mental health issues, including bipolar disorder, anxiety or depression. True recovery takes a long-term, holistic approach that addresses issues with work, family, health and spirituality, in addition to drinking, Eisenberg said.

Sheryl's therapist suggested she contact Alcoholics Anonymous. She has been attending meetings for 12 years and, she said, hasn't had a drink in all that time. The group has taught her coping skills; she has her self-respect and self-esteem back, and her marriage, going on 34 years, is "better than ever."

People can indeed change their lives, Eisenberg said. "The notion that you go into treatment for 28 days and you're cured is naive, and it sets people up for failure. ... The more flexible you are in trying to address needs, the more likely you're going to find something that will help."

Source: Chicago Tribune

If you need help now please join as at The Sober Village- where we've been there and do care!

Moms sells sons car after finding alcohol

2008-01-27T09:14:00.001-08:00

An Iowa woman who found alcohol in her son's car placed a classified ad explaining the situation and sold the car, Fox News reported Jan. 9.

Jane Hambilton said she only had two rules when she gave the 1999 Oldsmobile Intrigue to her 19-year-old son: no alcohol and keep the doors locked. When she found liquor in the car -- which her son said was left there by someone else -- she placed the following ad:

"OLDS 1999 Intrigue. Totally uncool parents who obviously don't love teenage son, selling his car. Only driven for three weeks before snoopy mom who needs to get a life found booze under front seat. $3,700/offer. Call meanest mom on the planet."

The car was quickly sold, and Hambilton got dozens of calls from emergency-room technicals, school counselors, and others. "It's overwhelming the number of calls I've gotten from people saying 'Thank you, it's nice to see a responsible parent,'" she said. "So far there are no calls from anyone saying, 'You're really strict. You're real overboard, lady.'"

Seeing Ourselves More Clearly

2008-01-23T08:37:00.001-08:00

by Juanita Ryan

I remember looking in the mirror as a teenager and asking myself, Who am I? Who is that person staring back at me? At the time I didn't realize that I had already been answering that question for many years.

As I look back now on those years it is clear to me that my answer to the question Who am I? was, I am a good person. That was who I was; I was good. I had a variety of ways of demonstrating that goodness. I worked very hard. I didn't ask for anything. I didn't cause anybody any trouble. I did what was expected of me. I did everything I could to take care of the needs of others.
Just as I was not aware that I was working hard to be a good person, I was also unaware that I lived with a deep fear that I was a bad person.

Of course, I was not aware at the time that I was answering the question Who am I? in that way. It was not a conscious part of my life. Nor was I aware that my determination to be good was rooted in fear. I was working hard to be good, because maybe if I was good enough I would be protected from deeply buried fears that I was bad. Just as I was not aware that I was working hard to be a good person, I was also unaware that I lived with a deep fear that I was a bad person. I had no understanding of any of this. I just worked harder and harder to be good.

This deep internal conflict, of believing myself to be bad and trying instead to be good, began to surface as I grew into young adulthood. It surfaced indirectly at first. What came to my attention first was that I had difficulty believing, as a young newlywed, that my husband loved me. I could see the evidence of his love: he said he loved me, and he consistently acted like he loved me. But I could not take in his love. I could not believe it or trust it. That disturbed me. I knew something was wrong with me, but I didn't know what it was.

I also began to realize that I was experiencing a similar problem in my relationship with God. I believed that God was loving, but I did not believe that God loved me. I was somehow the one exception. I could see how this created problems for me—how difficult it was to trust or to hope or to simply relax. My inability to believe that God loved me distressed me as deeply as my inability to believe that my husband loved me. Something was wrong. But as hard as I tried, I could not figure it out or change it.

Eventually my distress became great enough that I sought help. When I did, I slowly became aware, first of all, of my ongoing attempts to define myself as a good person. I began to see the many things I was doing to create that sense of myself. I also became aware of my deep fear that I was bad. And I began to understand how that fear about myself had its roots in the early years of my life.

As I saw these dynamics of my self-concept more clearly, I began to realize that the self that I was presenting to the world was actually a defensive structure, a wall I was hiding behind. The answer that I had given to the question Who am I? was really not an answer at all. It was an elaborate attempt to protect myself from fears that I found intolerable.

I also began to see, although with more difficulty, that my sense of myself as bad was a distortion. The belief that I was a terrible person was a conclusion I had come to as a child when I was trying to make sense out of a series of difficult circumstances. Children take responsibility for things they cannot possibly be responsible for. Sometimes children are blamed for things they are not responsible for. And sometimes children are treated in ways that leave them believing they are bad. With a great deal of struggle I came to see that my fear that I was bad was not a truth but a distortion about myself that had grown out of early wounds. Bad was not who I was after all.

As I discovered that much of the hard work to define myself as a good person was a defense, I became more confused about how to answer the question Who am I? And I became further perplexed as I discovered that my underlying fear that I was a bad person was a distortion and was not my true self either. These realizations left me profoundly disoriented. Who was I really?

What I slowly began to discover was that underneath my attempts to define myself as good and underneath my fears of being bad, there deep within was my true self. Under all the pretense and all the distorted ideas about myself was the self that God had created me to be, the self made in God's image. There, waiting to be seen and embraced by me, was a much loved child of God.

Thomas Merton has described the process I was going through quite clearly:

We must cast off our false, exterior self like the cheap and showy garment that it is. We must find our real self. . .in its very great and very simple dignity: created to be a child of God, and capable of loving with something of God's own sincerity.1

Out of these discoveries a simple model emerged for understanding our common struggle to discover who we are. The purpose of this article is to outline this model. It is my hope that its bare-bones simplicity will help you to see yourself more clearly.

Who We Are

What I discovered to be true about who I am was so simple that I had been stumbling over it all my life. Who I really am—my true self—is a person created in God's image. What we know most fundamentally about God is that God is love. We come from God. God's essence is love. Our true essence is also love. We long to love, and we long to be loved. That is who we are under all the fears and distortions about ourselves, under all our ego and pride and defenses. We are spiritual creatures created in the image of the God of love, created to love and to be loved.

I remember as a teenager, when I read the Bible for the first time from beginning to end, how amazed I was that it read like one long love letter from God. "I love you! I love you! I love you!" God says in a thousand different ways from one text to the next. Over and over God says, "I am Love. That is who I am. I am Love."

That is who God is. And it is who we are as creatures made by God in God's image. When people asked Jesus what was the most important thing in all of life he told them, "Love God with every fiber of your being. And love your neighbor as yourself." These are the two great commandments, the two keys to understanding who we are. Love God and love your neighbor as yourself. That's what our lives are about, that is what we are about, that is who we are. We are people created for love. Our sense of meaning and joy come as we express our true selves in the giving and receiving of love.

Yet this wonderful loving self God made us to be often seems beyond our reach. We find ourselves competing with each other rather than cooperating in love. We feel insecure and are forever trying to prove ourselves, instead of knowing we are loved. We work hard to appear superior to each other rather than giving ourselves in love and joy to each other. What has happened to our awareness of our true selves? How did this pearl of great price get buried in a field and become forgotten?

Fears and Distortions

What happens to our true selves, basically, is that they get lost in fear. From the beginning of life, we experience events that seem to threaten our well-being, events that are frightening to us for one reason or another.

As young children we may be left to cry too long when we are hungry. We may hear angry voices and see angry faces and feel ourselves being handled roughly. We may unsuccessfully seek eye contact with a distracted or depressed caretaker. We may feel the anxiety and tension of the adult who holds us. Alarm bells begin to sound inside. What is wrong? we wonder. What do these things mean? We are likely to assume that such events may mean that something is wrong with us—that maybe something is very wrong with us.

It is as if our adult caretakers are holding up a mirror for us all the time. We look into their faces and believe we are seeing either ourselves or the effects of our presence. If what we see in that mirror is mostly a calm, loving and nurturing picture, we will believe that we are loved and that we are known to be loving. But if we look into that mirror and see primarily anger, depression or anxiety we will believe that something is wrong with us. As children we have no way of knowing that the distress we are seeing and sensing is not a reflection of ourselves. We will see ourselves in the distressed faces of our caretakers and develop fears about ourselves—fears that we are not loved or that we are not loving.

If in addition to these distressing mirrors we experience distressing words and actions, our worst fears will be confirmed. If we are told that it is our fault that our caretaker is distressed, we will believe that that is true. If our physical or emotional needs are neglected we will believe we have little value. If an adult we are supposed to be able to trust abuses us emotionally or physically or sexually, we will believe we are at fault. If a parent dies or leaves, we will believe we were the cause.

The most fundamental fears that develop from our beliefs about ourselves are fears that we are not loving and that we are not loved. We question the core of our true selves. The fears that we are not loved and that we are not capable of loving take on specific nuances for each of us, depending on our experiences. The fears that we are not loved or that we are not capable of loving may translate into fears that we are not good enough. Or that we don't matter. Or that we are dangerous. Or that we are insignificant. Or that we are failures.

The difficulty is that all of these fears about ourselves become beliefs. We begin to experience these fears about ourselves not as distortions but as truth. This process is further complicated by the fact that we look at life events through the grid of these distortions and fears and see events in a way that seems to confirm our negative beliefs. If I believe that I don't matter, and someone close to me is distracted by something in his or her own life and neglects me periodically, I will experience this neglect as a confirmation of my worst fear about myself. If I believe that I am dangerous, and a person I want to be close to is anxious about being close to anyone, I will see this anxiety as evidence of what I believe to be true about myself.

A further complication of this dynamic is that for every distortion we have about ourselves there is a matching distortion about others, including God. If I fear that I am bad and that I deserve to be punished, I will see God and others as judgmental and harsh. If I believe that I don't matter, I will see God and others as neglectful and dismissing. If I see myself as not good enough, I will see God and others as impossible to please. We believe that our worst fears about ourselves are the truth, and without realizing it we project those fears onto others, looking for evidence to support our case against ourselves and against them.

Fortunately, God calls us out of our fears and back to the truth. God reminds us, "You are loved. You are created to love." We read in Scripture, "Be imitators of God. . . as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us" (Ephesians 5:1). We are addressed as dearly loved children. We are not bad or insignificant, but dearly loved. And we are invited to live a life of love just as Christ loved and to be imitators of God by loving like God loves. God knows who we are. God knows we are capable of loving like Jesus loved, like God loves. It is a radical truth that God calls us to. We are not what our worst fears and distortions say we are. We are dearly loved children of God. We are capable of loving as God loves.

Defenses

Our fears and distortions about ourselves generate painful feelings. Feelings of shame, anxiety and despair. These feelings are too painful to tolerate on an ongoing basis. So during the same days and years that our distortions about ourselves are being born, we also develop a strategy for protecting ourselves from the pain of these distortions. We do this instinctively, with little or no awareness of what we are doing. In the same years that I was coming to believe that I was a bad person, I was developing the strategy to prove to myself and to others that I was a good person. I would protect myself from the fear of being bad by trying to be both good enough to be loved and good enough to be seen as loving.

Over time our protective strategies become more and more set in place, forming what we might call a defensive structure. This defensive structure takes on a life of its own. It becomes the way we define ourselves—the way we present ourselves to others and to ourselves. We begin to think that our defensive structure is our true self. But in reality it is a false self. It is a false self in which we invest a great deal of energy, because we believe that any hope for ever feeling any kind of worth is tied to it.

Our defensive structures consist of a variety of patterned responses and choices we make from day to day. We might try to please everybody. Or we might try to prove that we know a lot. Or we might be passive and withdrawn. We might push ourselves to constantly overachieve. Or we might not ever try to achieve much at all. We might clown and chatter about nothing. We might become addicts, or compulsive caregivers or highly religious people.

We become very attached to these ways of being in the world, even when we realize all the trouble that these defensive structures create in our lives. We are attached to them because they protect us from feeling the shame that comes out of our fears and distortions about ourselves.

We each have a unique life story. So the fears we develop about ourselves and the protective strategies we develop to quiet our fears are unique to each of us. Identifying our specific fears about ourselves and the specific defensive strategies we have developed can be valuable. And it can be helpful to see how our fears and our defenses fit together.

Part of my defensive structure was to focus on other people and to be silent about myself. Underneath that defense were the fears that I don't matter and that I'm bad. The unconscious reasoning was, I don't matter. I am bad. I don't want anyone to discover this about me. So I'll keep the focus on the other person. Doing that allowed me to hide and to not bother anyone.

Others may live with the fear I'm dangerous. They may have lived with a parent who was depressed, and they may have feared that they were the cause of their parent's distress. Their strategy for protecting themselves against the fear of being dangerous or hurtful may be to become a person who is forever working hard to cheer others up.

Those who experienced constant criticism may believe they are stupid and incompetent. They may protect themselves by being passive and by underachieving. Others who have a similar history and fear about themselves might defend themselves in the opposite way, by overachieving.

Those who were abandoned by a parent physically or emotionally may fear that they are not wanted. They may try to defend themselves by working hard to please others while remaining emotionally distant.

It is important to acknowledge how ingenious it was of us as children to come up with ways to cope with life's difficulties and the fears that these difficulties generated. For some of us our defensive strategies may have saved our lives as children. They may have helped us to withdraw from danger into places of safety. They may have protected us from fears that we did not have the skills or resources to manage in any other way. But the defensive structures that helped us to survive in childhood may not work well for us as adults. Our defensive strategies turn out to be costly if we come to believe that our defenses are who we are. Those who drink every evening until they pass out on the couch are coping in a way that creates huge problems—the most significant being that they are unavailable to themselves and to others. Not all protective strategies are as visible as this. But all of them have the same effect. All of them leave us unavailable to ourselves and to others. Our defenses create a fortress around our vulnerable, loving hearts, so that our true selves are walled off, locked away, lost to us and to others.

Fortunately, God never forgets who we are. God lovingly calls us back to ourselves. God calls us back to love and to vulnerability. God said to the prophet Ezekiel, "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you. I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh" (Ezekiel 36:26). God promises that our hearts of stone, the defensive structures we have constructed to keep ourselves from being vulnerable, will be replaced with new hearts—with tender, undefended hearts of love.

Healing Distorted Images of OurSelves

By the time we are adults, our fears and defenses are so well established that the promise that we will receive hearts of flesh to replace our hearts of stone may seem too much to hope for. How do we let go of our defensive structures and our deeply seated fears about ourselves? How can we become free to be who we really are? How can we recover our true selves?

The answer to these questions often begins with a crisis of unhappiness in our lives. Our relationships may begin to fall apart. Or we may realize that we are anxious and depressed all the time. Or we may find ourselves feeling restless and unfulfilled. Crises such as these are alarms going off, telling us that something is wrong. That is why we often say that crises are opportunities. Crises such as these are wake-up calls that invite us to turn around and find our way back home to our true selves.

As we heed these wake-up calls there are three basic tools, or processes, that will assist us on our journey back home. One of these processes is telling the truth about ourselves with compassion. A second process is grieving with comfort and support from others. And a third is seeking conscious contact with God.

Telling the Truth about Ourselves with Compassion

Jesus taught us that the truth is so powerful it can set us free. The truth can free us from our defensive structures and from our fears and distortions about ourselves. It can free us to be our true selves.

In order to heal we need to tell the truth about our defenses. About our fears. About the wounds that generated those fears. And about our deep longing to love and to be loved.

I needed to tell the truth about all those realities in my life. I needed to tell the truth that I was driven to try harder and harder to be good. I needed to tell the truth that those behaviors were strategies to prove to myself and others that I wasn't bad. I needed to tell the truth about early events in my life that had generated these fears in me. And I needed to tell the truth that my deepest longing was to love and be loved.

Telling the truth about ourselves can be a painful process. Acknowledging that my attempts to take care of others was a defensive strategy and was often not respectful or honest led to deep grief for me. Acknowledging my fear that I was bad meant experiencing that fear directly. Acknowledging the events that had generated my fears and distortions meant revisiting those events and all the distress that was a part of them. Acknowledging my deep longing to love and be loved meant feeling those longings as a great ache in my soul.

The process of telling the truth about our lives is full of danger—danger that we will get lost in shame and despair. It is crucial, if this process is to bring true healing, that we bring as much compassion and understanding to ourselves as possible as we tell the truth about our lives. We read in Scripture that we are to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). Truth must be spoken in love and compassion, so that humility and grace can replace shame and despair. With each step of telling the truth about ourselves it is important to extend to ourselves as much love as we can find in our hearts. It is also important that we draw on the love of others and the love of God. As we do this our true selves become more and more available to us, because we are opening up that part of ourselves. The more deeply we learn and practice this way of compassion toward ourselves, the more the truth will set us free. And the more we extend compassion and grace toward ourselves, the more we will be free to extend it to others. In other words, the more we will be free to be our true selves.

Grieving with Comfort and Support

As we tell the truth about our lives with compassion, we will grieve. That is, we will grieve if we have loving support. Without loving support, we won't grieve fully or in a way that leads to healing. That is the reason many of us do not grieve early losses and traumas until adulthood; we did not have the support we needed for grieving when we were younger.

We read in Scripture that God is "the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles" (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). In the same text we read that we can comfort each other with the same comfort and compassion that we receive from God. It is the embrace of love from God and from others that allows us to do the difficult work of grieving.

Jesus promised the blessing of comfort for all who grieve. "Blessed are those who mourn," Jesus said, "for they will be comforted" (Matthew 5:4). Comfort is the experience of being held in the arms of someone who loves us. It is when we are held by Love that we come to know deep down that we are loved. That is how grieving, with comfort, heals us and sets us free.

Some of the healing grief that we experience involves a process of letting go. We grieve and let go of our defensive strategies and of our fears and distortions about ourselves. Some of the grieving is a process of experiencing deep sorrow over our losses and traumas, and over the ways our fears and defenses have robbed us and others of our true selves. And finally, some of this grieving is the process of opening our hearts to our deep longings to love and to know that we are loved.

Letting go of our protective strategies is an enormous challenge because our defenses have become like good friends. Our addiction to work, our compulsion to help others, our perfectionism, our emotional numbness, our attempts to look successful in some way—these defenses are a way of life. They have come to define who we are. Letting them go will feel like a terrible loss. As we face the loss of our defenses, we will find ourselves wondering what we will do and who we will be without them.

Perhaps even more difficult than letting go of our defenses is the challenge to let go of our fears and distortions about ourselves. These fears and distortions seem like the truth about us. Letting them go can cause us to feel as if we are telling a lie or letting ourselves off the hook. But slowly we will need to see that our fears are fears, not truths. We will need to acknowledge that we drew the wrong conclusions about ourselves early on in life. We will need to become willing to let the truth that we are God's dearly loved children begin to replace our fears that we are not loved and that we are not capable of loving.

In addition to the ongoing processes of letting go, healing grief includes experiencing deep sorrow. Perhaps the greatest sorrow I experienced was that I had been emotionally unavailable to my children. I had no idea how numb I was or how walled off I was. I wanted more than anything to be emotionally accessible to them. I tried hard to do this, but being present to another does not come from trying hard. It comes from being free of our defensive structures and our fears. It comes from being ourselves, our true selves.

Finally, a crucial part of this grief is a willingness to feel, and stay with, our longing to love and be loved. When we stay open to this deep ache in our souls, we are feeling the birth pangs of our true selves being freed. We may be tempted to run from these longings and the vulnerabilities they represent. But it can be helpful to remember that our tender longings to love and be loved are the essence of our true selves. As we make room for these deep longings, painful though they may be, we are opening our hearts to know the joy of these longings being fulfilled.

Seeking Conscious Contact with God

A third process that helps us recover our true selves is the process of seeking and knowing God. We read, "God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him" (1 John 4:16). God, who is Love, made us for love. As we invite God, God joins the love of all heaven and earth to our true selves, to our hearts of love. In this way we live in God and God lives in us. And in this way our deepest longings to love and be loved are met.

There are many ways we might seek conscious contact with God, but I will suggest three that have been helpful to me.

Inviting God

One way we can seek God and know God is to invite God into our lives every day. God is always with us. And God respectfully awaits our invitation. There are many ways we can invite God into our lives. The psalmist invited God in by asking God to know him. "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (Psalm 139:23-24).

This is an invitation to God to know us intimately. It is also a request of God to help us know ourselves intimately. The psalmist starts at the center; he asks God to know his heart. When we pray this with the psalmist we are asking God to know our true selves and to make our true selves known to us. We are inviting God to know us deeply.

The psalmist then talks to God about his fears. He asks God to reveal his anxious thoughts. When we pray this with the psalmist we are asking God to show us the fears and distortions that we live with so that they can be healed and we can be free to know ourselves and to be ourselves more fully.

The psalmist continues by asking God to show him if there are any offensive ways in him. When we pray this we are asking God to reveal to us the ways we are protecting and defending ourselves. Our defensive ways of living are what rob us of ourselves and hurt other people. We can ask God to continue to reveal what we are doing that is defensive, so that we can make different choices and learn to live more vulnerably.

We can invite God to know us and to help us know ourselves. Daily, in one way or another, we can invite God to live with us and we can seek God's will—the way of love—in our lives. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth—in me—as it is in heaven.

Thanking God

Another way we can open our hearts to God each day is by expressing gratitude. Saying thank you to God is not something we do because it is polite or because God requires it of us. Expressing gratitude is something we do because it opens our eyes and our hearts to see and receive the good gifts that God gives us every day.

Gratitude begins when we pay attention—when we open our eyes to see all that we are being given. As we do this, we become like an artist who takes the time to focus with care on life's details. The slice of toast and cup of tea at breakfast become what they are—a gift. The hug from a friend is seen for what it is—a gift. As we open our eyes and look again we begin to see that God, the Maker of all things, is a passionate Lover who is forever showering us with gifts, calling out, "I love you, I love you, I love you! Can you see it? Can you see it in the beauty of the clouds? Can you hear it in that music? Can you feel it in your friend's phone call? Can you see how much I love you?"

As we move from seeing the gifts we are being given each day, to saying thank you, we open our hearts to receive from God. Expressing our gratitude is a way of saying yes to God's good gifts and to God's never-ending love for us. Expressing gratitude each day, throughout the day, opens our hearts to be nourished by Love.

Listening to God

A third way to know God is to listen to God. Much of my life I thought of prayer as something I was supposed to do. I was supposed to talk to God about all the people who needed help, and remind God to take care of them. Later, prayer became more of a conversation, but still a one-way conversation. I talked to God about anything and everything.

Eventually I began to understand that prayer could be a two-way conversation. I realized that I could actively listen to God. I had had a sense of God speaking to me directly from time to time throughout my life, but I hadn't thought of a two-way conversation with God as something I could seek every day. There is nothing difficult about this. For me, it is a matter of asking God to quiet me enough so that I can listen and asking God to speak to me. And then waiting. I try to find a quiet time and place to do this each day. But I often ask God to talk to me not just in times of quiet but also in the middle of the noise of life.

It has taken me some time to trust God's voice. But the more I listen and hear God's voice of love and wisdom and grace, the more I trust God's voice. Sometimes when I listen to God, I experience surprises. I want to share one of those surprises with you because of the impact it has had on my distorted image of myself.

As I was waiting quietly in prayer one day, listening to anything God might want to say to me or show me, I had an image of myself sitting at the beach as an adult. In that image I was holding myself as a child. The distressing part of the image was that the child sitting in my lap was not recognizable as human. The child was a monster child. The picture of myself as a monster child captured vividly my fears about who I was. Fortunately, in that image, Jesus was standing next to me as I held the child version of myself. Jesus looked at me with a twinkle in his eye as he reached out with one hand to touch me. I thought he was going to touch the monster child in my lap and heal her. But he did not touch the child. Instead, Jesus reached out and touched my adult eyes. He healed my eyes so that I could see myself clearly. Jesus touched my eyes so that I could see that what I thought was a monster child was not a monster at all, but a precious child, a child who was infinitely lovable and tenderly loving.

We do not see ourselves clearly. We see ourselves through the distorted lenses of fear. We see ourselves in the mirrors of our caretakers' distressed or angry or absent faces. We see ourselves in the ways we have been mistreated, as if we had little or no value. We cannot live with the pain of these distortions about ourselves, so we make up false selves and invest our energies in these exterior selves.

God, who is Love, invites us to see and be our true selves. God reaches out to heal our vision, which is blurred by fear. God holds up the mirror of his delight in us for us to look into, to see ourselves as God sees us. God wraps us in love and tells us we are infinitely valuable. God invites us to know who we are—dearly loved children, created to live lives of love.

1. Thomas Merton, No Man Is An Island, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Inc., 1955

Juanita Ryan is a therapist in private practice at Brea Family Counseling Center in Brea, California.

The Big Picture on Genetic Influence

2008-01-21T12:28:00.000-08:00

new genetic drug addiction study was published last week in PLoS Computational Biology. According to the report, researchers from the Center for Bioinformatics at Peking University in Beijing have put together the gene atlas that underlies drug addiction and identified five molecular pathways that are commonly found in people who are addicted to four different drugs.

Though environmental influences play a big part in drug addiction, the study of genetic influences are extremely important. It’s an area of science that is really growing right now. The biological process and development of genes that affect whether or not a person becomes addicted to a drug can help determine better ways to treat drug addiction in those who develop it and prevent it in those who may be predisposed to the disease.

There are no comprehensive studies just yet that provide a complete picture of what the genetic influences of drug addiction looks like. Each study is slightly biased and flawed but each brings to the table a portion of the big picture so that when they are viewed together, the truth about the genetics that underlies drug addiction becomes more clear.

While we’re waiting for the researchers to figure out the drug addiction genes and create a corresponding vaccine (wouldn’t that be great?!) or treatment specific to each type of drug, we have a detox for opioid-based drugs like Vicodin, OxyContin and morphine, to name just a few. Suboxone is a treatment that was developed based on what we know about how opiates work in the brain, binding to opiate receptors and triggering the pleasure pathway. With a binding effect that is half as strong as prescription painkillers, Suboxone can significantly decrease withdrawal symptoms that usually occur when you stop taking an opiate medication and allow you to detox off of your prescription drug slowly and safely.

Check out the gene atlas that the researchers from the Center for Bioinformatics at Peking University in Beijing have posted for free at KARG, the first online molecular database for addiction, or check out the study and others like it the Public Library of Science.
Source:http://www.meditoxofpalmbeach.com/blog/detox/addiction-recovery/page/3/

Need Help Now?

2008-01-16T08:52:00.001-08:00

IF YOU NEED HELP AND SUPPORT NOW PLEASE VISIT US AT The Sober Village or Sober Musicians where we care, understand and have been there!!

Be the Butterfly

2008-01-14T09:54:00.001-08:00

It is folly to die for fear of dying ~
Lucius Annaeus Seneca (the elder)

At first glance, this quote may seem confusing. Is it literal, or metaphorical? When we apply it to our addiction, both meanings are true. When we are drinking, (which Seneca described as "voluntary insanity"), we often do so out of fear of our everyday life and the requirements it places upon us. In this way, we allow the best parts of ourselves to wither. Not to die completely, but to be cut back like a rose bush and then covered to prevent the sun from allowing us to grow again.

From this perspective, our drinking is voluntary insanity. We may be addicted, but we make the choice to continue to feed that addiction when we continue to drink. We voluntarily abandon our responsibilities, as well as our rights, in order to protect ourselves from pain or failure. We don’t recognize that our “protection” is merely another vessel for what we are so afraid of.

In the literal, drinking will lead to death. If we choose to continue along that path, we allow ourselves to be killed by the one thing that we think is saving us. When we are actively drinking, we can't see the folly, the paradox, of what we're doing to ourselves. We are so afraid of dying, whether literally or in some personal sense (such as failing at a relationship) that we allow ourselves to poison our bodies and bring on our own literal demise.

This is indeed folly: to kill ourselves out of fear of failing is the extreme in avoidance. In the most literal sense we are afraid of our own death. We use alcohol to mask that fear, not allowing ourselves to realize that we're merely hastening the inevitable. We're going to die. We're going to fail sometimes and we're not going to be perfect. Those are the facts. Why compound that certainty by allowing it to control our thoughts and actions?

It is part of the cure to wish to be cured. When we take that step, admit the folly of what we're doing, and determine deep within to ourselves that we do not wish to and will not die at our own hand, we begin to heal ourselves.

We see things often for the first time without the haze of our alcohol induced cocoon, and with the wonder of an infant becoming aware of her world. At first we crawl, reaching that moment when we can say we are ready to start over. Then we begin to walk, often hesitant, tiny steps - sometimes falling but having the courage to stand up and walk again - and find as we practice that our steps become surer, more powerful.
As Seneca also says, "begin at once to live, and count each separate day as a separate life." The past is gone forever. In admitting our addiction, we take charge of our lives and refuse to allow the negative thoughts that once held us captive to alcohol. We learn to be at peace with the world and ourselves, changing what we can and accepting what we can't.

Finally, I will paraphrase another of Seneca's quotes...
The most powerful is she who has herself in her own power.
copyright © 2007 by M. Broughton Boone.

Wisdom in the Mirror

2008-01-12T09:01:00.001-08:00

While in Saint Louis, Missouri, for some training in the summer of 1999, I found something that has had a major impact on my thinking and perspective. I found it in a cubbyhole in my assigned workstation. I don’t know where it came from, or who left it there, but I knew it needed a new owner, and I was only too happy to fill that position.

It was a specialty item, about the size of a business card; flat, magnetic on the back, and had a mirror finish on the front-you could see yourself in it. Printed on the mirror surface were the words:

“I am Looking at the Person Responsible for My Future.”

Those words have reverberated through my mind many times since that day. And the interesting thing about it is not so much the words themselves-after all, they reflect a concept I am well aware of—but the profound way in which they were presented. The whole idea of looking at yourself in the mirror (as we do several times each day) and being reminded that it is we individually who bear responsibility for our own lives is intensely thought provoking.

I found these words and the manner in which they were presented so moving that I printed them out on paper and taped them to the bathroom mirrors in my house. That way my family and I are reminded of their power and truth everyday-even if it is only subconsciously.

Try it for yourself: Stand in front of a mirror, look yourself square in the eye, and say five or ten times out loud, “I am looking at the person responsible for my future.” Powerful!

These words reflect a principle truth in our universe. But how unfortunate that many people never truly learn this precious truth. So often, we see someone blaming everything from God to their childhood for the problems they have. And while there may be a measure of truth in what they say, the "real truth" remains: each one of us is responsible for ourselves—no one else.

Only we control us. Try as we may, we can never control or take responsibility for someone else. The sooner we understand this concept—no, the sooner we comprehend the complete meaning of those words down to our very soul—the more meaningful and productive our lives will become.

What Else Can We Learn?

Is there anything else we can learn from these beautiful words of personal responsibility? Suppose we modify those words slightly. Think about this:

“I Am Looking at the Person Responsible for Where I am TODAY.”

If you are like me, you may object when you first read these words. In my own experience, my most difficult adversities came as a result of someone else’s drinking. How could I be responsible for where I am today if it was due to another’s alcoholism-something I had no control over?

As I learned the lessons of the adversity and came to terms with my own codependency, I realized I was both right and wrong in my thinking. I was correct in the part about not being able to control another person or their addiction. However, it took me a long time to realize that I had played the roles of the Enabler, the Codependent, and the Victim-and I played these roles for years, and I was very, very good at it. Furthermore, my playing these roles (something I could control) contributed in no small measure to the pain and adversity I went through.

So the point is this: We alone play a much bigger role for where we are right now than we may like to think. In other words, life is much fairer than we give it credit for, because life returns to us exactly what we put into it. Just like the mirror—it gives us back exactly what it sees.

These are strong words, and it can be difficult to accept them. But don’t take my word for it-explore this concept for yourself and see if it doesn't ring true.

Let me also qualify this entire concept of personal responsibility. There certainly are times and events in which we have no control, such as freak accidents, or acts of nature. I am not addressing those times or events. I am addressing the 99% or the rest of our lives that we can control.

About Our Past

How about another modification of those words?

“I Am Looking at the Person Responsible for My past.”

If we are responsible for our present and future, then it follows that we are also responsible for our past. But this is an area where we must be very careful, we must understand it in perspective. Why? Because we were not always adults. As children, we were not always responsible for our actions due to age and inexperience. There is also the deeply painful issue of childhood physical, emotional and sexual abuse. Many children emerge into adulthood carrying heavy burdens of guilt and shame because of events they truly could not control. So we must be balanced in our assessment of our past, especially when it comes to our childhood.

But here is the critical truth about our past: We have all made mistakes! Sure it would be nice to go back and change a thing or two, even many things, but we simply cannot. And would we really want to? Our mistakes, missteps, and blunders are the things that have made us who we are. My father always told me, "He who makes no mistakes doesn't do anything." As we go out and happen to life, mistakes are unavoidable, and this is perfectly acceptable, for it can be no other way.

We can't go back and change the past, but we can learn the lessons contained in our mistakes and then move forward. By learning the lessons contained in our mistakes and moving forward, we take responsibility for our past! In fact, this is the primary way we take responsibility for our past, because the past is the past and we cannot change it.

We must also accept responsibility for our past by accepting and learning from the consequences of our past mistakes. This could include making restitution, fulfilling an obligation, or providing care, to name a few.

A while back, I happened to be listening to talk show host Bruce Williams as I was driving one night. He was talking to a fellow who had gotten himself into debt by about $10,000. The caller had a great attitude toward his debt—he wanted to get himself out of it because he had gotten himself into it. Bruce applauded the fellow and made an interesting comment, "When we stand in front of the mirror, we either see a little boy or a man." Bruce was calling attention to taking personal responsibility in our own life. If we want our lives to change, then we must stand tall in the mirror, that is, in our own internal opinion of ourselves, and make those changes. In this way, we see an adult—not a child—when we look in the mirror. By seeing ourselves as such, we act as adults—not children—in taking and accepting personal responsibility for our lives.

When we combine powerful words with powerful presentation, we are left with a life-changing concept: We alone are responsible for our future, our past (in perspective), and where we are today.

So the next time you are looking at the person in the mirror, repeat the words, "I am looking at the person responsible for my past, present and future." Accept responsibility for who you are; for where you are. Learn from the Wisdom in the Mirror.

Source: http://www.enhancedhealing.com/

Who Me?

2008-01-11T14:02:00.000-08:00

By: Colin Allen
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I'm fine, how about you? Millions of Americans are in denial about their drug use and should seek treatment, according to a 2001 survey. The National Household Survey on Drug Abuse found that 4.6 million drug abusers do not believe they have a problem. The number of people in denial has grown significantly from previous years.

"That's not uncommon," says Sherry Knapp, Ph.D., of the Ohio Hamilton County Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services Board. "There are probably more people who are in denial than that. It's a difficult thing for people to accept that they have a problem."

An estimated 16.6 million Americans (7.3 percent of the population) abuse drugs and alcohol. Also, 11 million people abuse alcohol only, while 5.6 million people abuse illicit drugs.

"It takes some glimmer of acknowledgment before they can seek treatment," says Knapp. More people received treatment for their drug problems in 2001, but the number of people needing treatment outpaced those being remedied. Five million people failed to receive treatment for their drug abuse.

The National Household Survey on Drug Abuse compiles an annual survey on drug trends in America. The survey was conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Psychology Today Online

Is your child at risk to use drugs?

2008-01-08T08:32:00.000-08:00

Is your kid the one who is always climbing trees, putting his or her life at risk? If so, your child may be a "high sensation-seeking" child. Parents of teenagers are well aware that most adolescents take risks, assert their independence, and begin to pull away from parents and other authority figures. But experts say that there are some teens who crave an especially great degree of stimulation and excitement-and that these teens have a much greater risk for drug and alcohol abuse.

Dr. Phillip Palmgreen, a professor in the Department of Communications at the University of Kentucky, explains that certain adolescents exhibit the personality trait known as "sensation-seeking," which is associated with "craving lots of stimulation and novelty, rapidly shifting attention from one thing to another, and becoming easily bored."

"Parents should know that sensation-seeking behavior is strongly associated with drug use," warns Dr. Palmgreen. "Teens who exhibit the common traits-needing lots of stimulation, a lot of novelty, a tendency to shift from one thing to another, get bored easily, or hang out with unconventional friends-have much higher levels of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and inhalant use."

Fortunately, sensation seeking can be channeled into healthy outlets. Dr. Palmgreen suggests that parents of sensation-seeking kids take special care to provide them positive activities that are novel and exciting, like sports, hiking, fishing, music, and dance.

Parents of sensation-seeking children can take heart, for not all of the behaviors associated with them are negative. "Sensation seekers are natural leaders, and history shows many revered presidents and captains of industry are among them," explains Dr. Palmgreen, "because leaders take risks and try new things. In order to become leaders, however, these teens need help focusing their energy on constructive activities that will help them to grow."

Drunkeness

2008-01-07T09:08:00.000-08:00

ntoxication

ScienceDaily (Feb. 20, 2005) — Alcohol interferes with how brain cells communicate with one another, coordination, grogginess, impaired memory and loss of inhibitions associated with drunkenness. Yet researchers have been unable to pinpoint how alcohol causes this disruption in the brain.

Now scientists at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA have deciphered how a naturally occurring gene mutation in rats' brains lowers the animals' tolerance to alcohol, leading to rapid and acute intoxication after the equivalent of one drink. The UCLA study is the first to identify how the gene variation alters GABA receptors -- specific sites targeted by chemicals from the brain cells -- making them more responsive to very low levels of alcohol. Alcohol enhances the GABA receptors' influence on brain cells, slowing the cells' activity and ability to communicate.

The fact that the gene mutation arises naturally suggests that tolerance levels to alcohol may be genetically wired in people, too. If so, the findings could eventually help identify children and adults at higher risk of developing alcohol dependency, so these individuals can make an informed decision about whether to drink. The study results may also speed the development of new drugs that target alcohol-sensitive GABA receptors, leading to better treatments for alcohol poisoning and addiction.

Authors of the study include UCLA Brain Research Institute members Richard Olsen, Ph.D., professor of molecular and medical pharmacology; Thomas Otis, Ph.D., associate professor of neurobiology; and Martin Wallner, Ph.D., pharmacology researcher.

The Feb. 6 online edition of Nature Neuroscience reports the findings.

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Addiction supported the research.

Adapted from materials provided by University Of California - Los Angeles.

The 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous

2008-01-04T09:25:00.000-08:00

The Twelve Steps are:

* Admit powerlessness over the addiction.
* Believe that a Power greater than oneself could restore sanity.
* Make a decision to turn your will and your life over to the care of God, as you understand him.
* Make a searching and fearless moral inventory of self.
* Admit to God, yourself, and another human being the exact nature of your wrongs.
* Become willing to have God remove all these defects from your character.
* Humbly ask God to remove shortcomings.
* Make a list of all persons harmed by your wrongs and become willing to make amends to them all.
* Make direct amends to such people, whenever possible except when to do so would injure them or others.
* Continue to take personal inventory and promptly admit any future wrongdoings.
* Seek to improve contact with a God of the individual's understanding through meditation and prayer.
* Carry the message of spiritual awakening to others and practice these principles in all your affairs.

Minorities less likely to get narcotics for pain

2008-01-02T05:51:00.000-08:00

CHICAGO (AP) — Emergency-room doctors are prescribing strong narcotics more often to patients who complain of pain, but minorities are less likely to get them than whites, a study finds.

Even for the severe pain of kidney stones, minorities were prescribed narcotics such as oxycodone and morphine less frequently than whites.

The analysis of more than 150,000 emergency-room visits over 13 years found differences in prescribing by race in both urban and rural hospitals, in all U.S. regions and for every type of pain.

"The gaps between whites and nonwhites have not appeared to close at all," said study co-author Dr. Mark Pletcher of the University of California at San Francisco.

The study appears in today"s Journal of the American Medical Association. Prescribing narcotics for pain in emergency rooms rose during the study, from 23 percent of those complaining of pain in 1993 to 37 percent in 2005.

The increase coincided with changing attitudes among doctors who now regard pain management as a key to healing. Doctors in accredited hospitals must ask patients about pain, just as they monitor vital signs such as temperature and pulse.

Even with the increase, the racial gap endured. Linda Simoni-Wastila of the University of Maryland at Baltimore's School of Pharmacy said the race-gap finding may reveal some doctors' suspicions that minority patients could be drug abusers lying about pain to get narcotics.

The irony, she said, is that blacks are the least likely group to abuse prescription drugs. Hispanics are becoming as likely as whites to abuse prescription opioids and stimulants, according to her research. She was not involved in the current study.

In the study, opioid narcotics were prescribed in 31 percent of the pain-related visits involving whites, 28 percent for Asians, 24 percent for Hispanics and 23 percent for blacks.

Minorities were slightly more likely than whites to get aspirin, ibuprofen and similar drugs for pain.

The study's authors said doctors may be less likely to see signs of painkiller abuse in white patients, or they may be undertreating pain in minority patients.

Patient behavior may play a role, Dr. Pletcher said. Minority patients "may be less likely to keep complaining about their pain or feel they deserve good pain control," he said.

Stricter protocols for prescribing narcotics may help close the gap.

A New York hospital recently studied its emergency patients and found no racial disparity in narcotics prescribed for broken bones. Montefiore Medical Center aggressively treats pain and is developing protocols for painkillers that dictate initial dosages and times to check with patients to determine whether they need more pain medicine, said Dr. David Esses, emergency department associate director at Montefiore.

Such standards may eliminate racial disparities, Dr. Esses said.

source: The Washington Times

Natural Human Hormone The Next Antidepressant

2007-12-28T11:45:00.000-08:00

ScienceDaily (Dec. 12, 2007) — Novel treatment strategies for major depression with broader treatment success or a more rapid onset of action would have immense impact on public health, a new study published in the December 1st issue of Biological Psychiatry explains. This new study reports findings that support the evaluation of a potential new antidepressant agent.

According to the lead author on this study, Kamilla Miskowiak, MSc: "Although depression is often related to problems in the chemistry of the brain, recent evidence also suggests that there may be structural problems as well with nerve cells not being regenerated as fast as normal or suffering from toxic effects of stress and stress hormones." This led the researchers to evaluate the effects of erythropoietin (Epo), a hormone naturally produced by the kidneys that stimulates the formation of red blood cells and is known as a treatment for anemia. The authors explain that new evidence shows that Epo also "has neuroprotective and neurotrophic effects in animal models and affects cognitive and associated neural responses in humans," suggesting that it may be a candidate in the treatment of depression.

In this study, Miskowiak and colleagues evaluated the effects of Epo on the neural and cognitive processing of emotional information in healthy volunteers using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). They found that Epo regulated the emotional responses of those volunteers that received it, similar to the effects of current antidepressants.

Ms. Miskowiak explains that "this finding provides support to the idea that Epo affects neural function and may be a candidate agent for future treatment strategies for depression." John H. Krystal, M.D., Editor of Biological Psychiatry and affiliated with both Yale University School of Medicine and the VA Connecticut Healthcare System, confirms its potential: "Epo appears to have neurotrophic effects in the brain in animals. The current data suggest that Epo may modulate human brain activity associated with the processing of emotion. Together, there may now be sufficient evidence to justify evaluating the antidepressant effects of Epo and related compounds in humans."

The article is "Erythropoietin Reduces Neural and Cognitive Processing of Fear in Human Models of Antidepressant Drug Action" by Kamilla Miskowiak, Ursula O'Sullivan and Catherine J. Harmer. Drs. Miskowiak, O'Sullivan, and Harmer are affiliated with the Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom. Drs. Miskowiak and Harmer are also with the Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, in Oxford, United Kingdom. The article appears in Biological Psychiatry, Volume 62, Issue 11 (December 1, 2007), published by Elsevier.

Adapted from materials provided by Elsevier.

People addicted to alcohol more impulsive in their decision-making

2007-12-26T09:33:00.000-08:00

New research involving brain imaging and genetic studies has for the first time established an association between thinking patterns and liquor addiction.

Published in the Journal of Neuroscience, the study was based on a comparison between brain activity of sober alcoholics and non-addicted people, while they made financial decisions.

It showed that sober alcoholics tended to show significantly more "impulsive" neural activity in some areas of the brain, as they made financial decisions. The study also discovered that a specific gene mutation boosted activity in these brain regions when people made impulsive choices.

Lead researcher Dr. Charlotte Boettiger, assistant professor of psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, says that this mutation is already known to reduce brain levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine.

"Our data suggest there may be a cognitive difference in people with addictions. Their brains may not fully process the long-term consequences of their choices. They may compute information less efficiently," said Boettiger, who led the study as a scientist at UCSF's Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center.

"What's exciting about this study is that it suggests a new approach to therapy. We might prescribe medications, such as those used to treat Parkinson's or early Alzheimer's disease, or tailor cognitive therapy to improve executive function," she added.

Dr. Howard Fields, the senior author of the study, said that the newly found link involving the gene, impulsive behaviour and brain activity suggests that raising dopamine levels may be an effective treatment for addiction.

"I am very excited about these results because of their clinical implications. The genetic findings raise the hopeful possibility that treatments aimed at raising dopamine levels could be effective treatments for some individuals with addictive disorders," Fields said.

During the study, the subjects were asked either to choose less money then and there or to get more money later. Their brain activity was scanned using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), as the participants made their choices.

The researchers revealed that while decisions were being made, the imaging detected activity in the posterior parietal cortex, the dorsal prefrontal cortex, the anterior temporal lobe and the orbital frontal cortex.

They said that sober alcoholics tended to chose the "now" reward almost three times more often than the control group, reflecting more impulsive behaviour.

The authors noted that the imaging detected reduced activity in the orbital frontal cortex in the brains of subjects who preferred "now" over "later", most of whom had a history of alcoholism.

"Think of the orbital frontal cortex as the brakes. With the brakes on, people choose for the future. Without the brakes they choose for the short-term gain," Boettiger said.

The dorsal prefrontal cortex and the parietal cortex often form cooperative circuits, and the study found that high activity in both is associated with a bias toward choosing immediate rewards.

The study also showed that people with two copies of the mutation in a gene called COMT, which is associated with lower dopamine levels, had significantly higher frontal and parietal activity, and chose "now" over "later" significantly more often.

"We have a lot to learn. But the data takes a significant step toward being able to identify subtypes of alcoholics, which could help tailor treatments, and may provide earlier intervention for people who are at risk for developing addictions," Boettiger said.

source: Journal of Neuroscience

Doctors say government needs to implement tougher alcohol laws

2007-12-23T04:04:00.000-08:00

Leading doctors feel that measures to curb alcohol drinking through education have failed and that the government must adopt tougher laws to curb binge drinking in the country. Suggested measures include banning alcohol, increasing its price and barring its widespread distribution.

Dr Ian Gilmore, President of the Royal College of Physicians and Dr Nick Sheron, a liver specialist at Southampton University Hospital said that alcohol had become a major public health concern and attempts to change public behavior by encouraging quitting were not working.

"How many more lives will be damaged by alcohol in the UK before our governments decide to tackle the problem with measures that are likely to work?" the doctors asked in the Christmas edition of the British Medical Journal.

They added that the deaths linked to alcohol use were in fact more than those caused by a combination of breast cancer, cervical cancer and MRSA. In 2003 alcohol was lined to over 22,000 deaths and 150,000 hospital admissions.

"Between 780,000 and 1.3 million children are affected by their parents' use of alcohol - 30 to 60 per cent of child protection cases and 23 per cent of calls to the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children about child abuse or child neglect involved drunken adults," they argued.

The doctors also said that the UK government would be benefitted by following the actions of erstwhile Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev, whose alcohol policies saved an estimated 1.2 million lives.

source: Earth Times

Preventing Holiday Blues

2007-12-20T09:57:00.000-08:00

Most people know the holidays can be a period of emotional highs and lows. Loneliness, anxiety, happiness and sadness are common feelings, sometimes experienced in startling succession. The bad news is the holiday blues can trigger relapse for people recovering from alcoholism and other drug addiction. The good news is the blues can be remedied by planning ahead.

Why do the blues hit during this otherwise festive season? Doing too much or too little and being separated from loved ones at this special time can lead to sadness during the holiday season. Many recovering people associate the holidays with memories of overindulgence, perhaps of big benders that resulted in relationship problems or great personal losses.

People experience feelings of melancholy, sadness and grief tied to holiday recollections. Unlike clinical depression, which is more severe and can last for months or years, those feelings are temporary, says Sue Hoisington, a licensed psychologist and executive director of Hazelden's Mental Health Centers. Anyone experiencing major symptoms of depression, such as persistent sadness, anxiety, guilt or helplessness; changes in sleep patterns; and a reduction in energy and libido, should seek help from a trusted mental health professional, she adds.

Whether you're in recovery or not, Hoisington suggests developing a holiday plan to help prevent the blues, one that will confront unpleasant memories before they threaten your holiday experience. Your plan should include improved self-care, enhanced support from others, and healthy ways to celebrate. Hoisington offers a few suggestions to achieve a happy, sober holiday season:

Good self-care is vital. Remember to slow down. Take some quiet time each day and work on an attitude of gratitude. Plan relaxation and meditation into your day, even for a few minutes, no matter how busy you are. Relax your standards and reduce overwhelming demands and responsibilities.

Don't overindulge. Go easy on the holiday sweets and follow a balanced diet. Monitor your intake of caffeine, nicotine and sugar. Exercise regularly to help maintain your energy level amid a busier schedule. Don't try to do too much. Get plenty of sleep. Fatigue is a stressor. Maintain some kind of schedule and plan ahead; don't wait until the last minute to purchase gifts or prepare to entertain.

Enhance your support system. Holidays are a good time to reach out more frequently to your therapist, sponsor, spiritual advisor, or support group. If you're in recovery, spend time with fellow recovering people. Let others help you realize your personal limits. Learn to say "no" in a way that is comfortable for you.

Find new ways to celebrate. Create some new symbols and rituals that will help redefine a joyful holiday season. You might host a holiday gathering for special recovering friends and/or attend celebrations of your Twelve Step group. Avoid isolation and spend time with people you like who are not substance users. Don't expose yourself to unnecessary temptations, such as gatherings where alcohol is the center of entertainment. If there are people who have a negative influence on you, avoid them.

Focus on your recovery program. Holidays are also an important time to focus on your recovery program. For example, ask, "What am I working on in my program now?" Discuss this with your sponsor.

Release your resentments. Resentment has been described as allowing a person you dislike to live in your head, rent-free. Resentments that gain steam during the holidays can be disastrous for anyone, especially recovering people. The Big Book of "Alcoholics Anonymous" refers to resentment as the No. 1 offender, or the most common factor in failed sobriety.

Holidays may also be a time to evaluate your spirituality and find a personal way to draw support from the spirit of the season. Return the holidays to a spiritual base, and stress the power of unselfish giving.

Recovery is serious work, but it is also important to have fun. Laugh a little and a little more. Start seeing the humor in those things that annoy you. Take from the holiday season what is important for you and leave the rest.

--Published December 2, 2002 by:http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/hol21202.page

Traditional Medicine for Mental Health

2007-12-19T10:21:00.001-08:00

FRISCO — Often times clients ask psychiatrist Sloan Burton about alternatives to medications.

“I’m the last person people generally want to see... I want people to know that there are other things available ... (and) if they can do things before they get to me, I think that’s great,” said Burton, MD, child and adolescent psychiatrist who is also co-chairwoman of the local Mental Health America of Colorado chapter.

So, this week the organization is tackling that subject. They are holding a forum that will help people see their options. It is “A Look at Alternative and Traditional Approaches to Depression and other Mental Health Issues” Thursday from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. the Summit County Community and Senior Center near Frisco.

During the forum, community practitioners will address a case study of a man with depression and other mental health issues. The panel of speakers includes Burton, Ken Adnan, MD, family practice, traditional and alternative medicine; Justin Pollack, ND and nutrition; Barbara Leffler, Ph.D., RN, clinical psychologist and advanced practice nursing; Kevin Waldron, MSAOM, acupuncture and Chinese medicine; and William J. van Doorninck, Ph.D., clinical psychologist.

According to Mental Health America of Colorado, clinical depression is one of the most common mental illnesses, affecting more than 19 million Americans each year.

And at a recent health meeting, Leffler said more people miss work for depression than they do for pain. Also, 50 percent of people who experience depression are likely to become depressed again and with each additional episode, the risk of another increases by 16 percent, she said.

Leffler will be presenting on breaking the cycle of reoccurring depression by using mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, a method that even those who don’t have a specific problem with depression can benefit from, she said in a letter.

She will also be available along with the other health professionals to answer questions those who attend may have about mental health treatment.

“Consumers of mental health services have important questions about the benefits and complications of patent medicines as well as herbal and nutritional interventions,” van Doorninck, who is moderating the event, wrote in a letter. “The forum speakers will help sort out the pros and cons of these interventions.”

And all bases will be covered from traditional to alternative medicine. Pollack, who will be presenting research about nutrients that could help someone with depression or alcoholism, said, “It’s really exciting that the whole forum is so diverse to help people understand what their options are.”
Waldron, who will be giving an overview of acupuncture, traditional Chinese herbs and Chinese medicine, agreed, saying, “I just feel this is what the future of medicine should be like — a multi-discipline look at complex chronic illness.”

FRISCO — Often times clients ask psychiatrist Sloan Burton about alternatives to medications.

“I’m the last person people generally want to see... I want people to know that there are other things available ... (and) if they can do things before they get to me, I think that’s great,” said Burton, MD, child and adolescent psychiatrist who is also co-chairwoman of the local Mental Health America of Colorado chapter.

So, this week the organization is tackling that subject. They are holding a forum that will help people see their options. It is “A Look at Alternative and Traditional Approaches to Depression and other Mental Health Issues” Thursday from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. the Summit County Community and Senior Center near Frisco.

During the forum, community practitioners will address a case study of a man with depression and other mental health issues. The panel of speakers includes Burton, Ken Adnan, MD, family practice, traditional and alternative medicine; Justin Pollack, ND and nutrition; Barbara Leffler, Ph.D., RN, clinical psychologist and advanced practice nursing; Kevin Waldron, MSAOM, acupuncture and Chinese medicine; and William J. van Doorninck, Ph.D., clinical psychologist.

According to Mental Health America of Colorado, clinical depression is one of the most common mental illnesses, affecting more than 19 million Americans each year.

And at a recent health meeting, Leffler said more people miss work for depression than they do for pain. Also, 50 percent of people who experience depression are likely to become depressed again and with each additional episode, the risk of another increases by 16 percent, she said.

Leffler will be presenting on breaking the cycle of reoccurring depression by using mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, a method that even those who don’t have a specific problem with depression can benefit from, she said in a letter.

She will also be available along with the other health professionals to answer questions those who attend may have about mental health treatment.

“Consumers of mental health services have important questions about the benefits and complications of patent medicines as well as herbal and nutritional interventions,” van Doorninck, who is moderating the event, wrote in a letter. “The forum speakers will help sort out the pros and cons of these interventions.”

And all bases will be covered from traditional to alternative medicine. Pollack, who will be presenting research about nutrients that could help someone with depression or alcoholism, said, “It’s really exciting that the whole forum is so diverse to help people understand what their options are.”
Waldron, who will be giving an overview of acupuncture, traditional Chinese herbs and Chinese medicine, agreed, saying, “I just feel this is what the future of medicine should be like — a multi-discipline look at complex chronic illness.”

2007-12-18T08:51:00.000-08:00

ScienceDaily (Dec. 18, 2007) — Here's another reason to "keep off the grass." Researchers in Canada report that marijuana smoke contains significantly higher levels of several toxic compounds -- including ammonia and hydrogen cyanide -- than tobacco smoke and may therefore pose similar health risks.

David Moir and colleagues note that researchers have conducted extensive studies on the chemical composition of tobacco smoke, which contains a host of toxic substances, including about 50 that can cause cancer. However, there has been relatively little research on the chemical composition of marijuana smoke.

In this new study, researchers compared marijuana smoke to tobacco smoke, using smoking machines to simulate the smoking habits of users. The scientists found that ammonia levels were 20 times higher in the marijuana smoke than in the tobacco smoke, while hydrogen cyanide, nitric oxide and certain aromatic amines occurred at levels 3-5 times higher in the marijuana smoke, they say. The finding is "important information for public health and communication of the risk related to exposure to such materials," say the researchers.

The study, "A Comparison of Mainstream and Sidestream Marijuana and Tobacco Cigarette Smoke Produced under Two Machine Smoking Conditions," is scheduled for the Dec. 17 issue of ACS' Chemical Research in Toxicology.

Adapted from materials provided by American Chemical Society.

Ketamine

2007-12-15T11:34:00.000-08:00

Ketamine has been around for about 30 years and was initially used only in veterinary medicine. Over the past 2 decades, it has become known that ketamine is a general anesthetic with hallucinogenic and analgesic (pain relieving properties). The drug has a unique ability to differentiate perception from sensation. It is currently widely used in pediatric anesthesia. Ketamine is structurally related to PCP, a drug known for its psychedelic effects and vivid hallucinations. The drug has a tendency to produce a feeling of an out-of-body experience.
Pharmacology of Ketamine

When injected ketamine can cause profound analgesia, respiratory depression, cardiovascular stimulation and amnesia. However, despite the anesthesia, the protective reflexes are maintained. It has excellent analgesic activity and useful for control of severe pain.

Ketamine causes an insensate feeling throughout the body. Prolonged use has been associated with physical and psychological addiction. In the majority of individuals who frequently use ketamine, tolerance does develop to these effects, thus requiring the addicts to consume higher doses.

Dosing

In clinical medicine, ketamine is administered either intravenously or intramuscularly. For illicit uses, ketamine is prepared by evaporating the liquid from the legitimate pharmaceutical product and pulverizing the residue into a powder. All of the ketamine abused has been diverted from legal sources. Theft of veterinary/pharmacy clinics is the most frequently reported source of illicit ketamine.

Ketamine is commonly snorted by abusers. Intra-muscular injection is also a widely used method for abuse. Injected Ketamine takes a few seconds to work whereas snorted ketamine takes 5-15 minutes to take effect.

Symptoms of Ketamine Use

Ketamine is known to cause hallucinations, nausea, mental clouding, loss of memory and an amnestic feeling may occur. Numerous individuals report out of body experiences after having undergone anesthesia with ketamine. Physical features of ketamine use include increased heart rate, paralyzed feeling, numbness, impaired attention, delirium, and high blood pressure

Is Ketamine Addictive?

Although ketamine does not give rise to physical dependence like that seen with morphine, heroin or alcohol, it is associated with a powerful psychological addiction- like that seen with cocaine. Because of its ability to produce intense vivid psychedelic effects it is frequently abused. The psychedelic effects and out of body experiences have been primary reasons why the drug is abused.
Ketamine Abuse

The dose of ketamine which is used by drug addicts is only about 10-25% of the therapeutic dose required to induce anesthesia. At these low doses, it behaves more like a stimulant than a sedative and does not affect the breathing or heart rate, although exceptions do occur. At very high doses, ketamine behaves more like other anesthetics and can induce respiratory arrest and increase blood pressure.
Deaths with abuse of ketamine alone are rare. The majority of fatalities occur when ketamine is combined with other CNS depressants like alcohol, benzodiazepines and a mixture of other illicit drugs.

Side Effects

Prolonged use of ketamine can result in amnesia, impaired motor function, delirium, and respiratory problems that can be fatal. Ketamine can cause loss of in consciousness, neuroses or other mental clouding. Other common side effects include confusion, delirium, vivid dreams, hallucinations and feelings of detachment from the body. Some physicians routinely use haloperidol or a benzodiazepine to alleviate these distressing symptoms.
When injected, ketamine can also cause a significant increase in blood pressure, abnormal heart rhythms, respiratory depression, airway obstruction, visual problems, seizures, skin rash and pain at the injected site.

Drug Interactions

Treatment Options

Ketamine addiction, like all addiction begins with the acceptance of a problem by the individual. Several drug rehabilitation and treatment facilities are available for ketamine treatment. There are no antidotes to ketamine and the majority of therapy is based on psychotherapy and behavior modification.

Why People Abuse

2007-12-11T17:32:00.000-08:00

For most of us, it’s a no-brainer to avoid misuse of drugs: we see that the dangers and destructive long-term effects outweigh any momentary pleasure drugs afford and act accordingly. But it’s also easy to understand why people use and abuse drugs that pose risks to health and well-being. It’s a matter of brain chemistry.

Drugs are chemicals that enter the brain and mess with the way nerve cells normally send, receive, and process information. Some imitate natural neurotransmitters; for example, narcotic pain relievers mimic the effects of endorphins, the body’s natural “feel-good” chemical. Or they are similar enough to the brain’s natural chemical messengers that they trick brain receptors into activating nerve cells. Stimulants such as cocaine and methamphetamines cause the neurons to release too much of the neurotransmitters, causing the sensation users describe as the brain “racing.”

And, in one way or another, almost all drugs overstimulate the pleasure center of the brain, flooding it with the neurotransmitter dopamine. That produces euphoria, and that heightened pleasure can be so compelling that the brain wants that feeling back again and again. Unfortunately, with repeated use of a drug, the brain becomes accustomed to the dopamine surges by producing less of it, so the user has to take more of the drug to feel the same pleasure — the phenomenon known as tolerance.

But what causes people to want to tinker with their brain chemistry in the first place? Some are thrill-seekers, some just curious; some try drugs because their friends use, or they want to be perceived as cool. Even more susceptible, though, are the many people who use drugs in order to cope with unpleasant emotions and the difficulties of life. The National Alliance on Mental Illness estimates that about half of all drug abusers also suffer from a mental illness such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia.

People who are suffering emotionally use drugs not so much for the rush but to escape from their problems. They’re trying to self-medicate themselves out of loneliness, low self-esteem, unhappy relationships, stress, and many other types of problems. Drug use doesn’t solve any of those problems, and it can easily make them worse or create new ones. But even if the user knows that, the short-term escape drugs provide can be so attractive that the dangerous consequences of abuse can seem unimportant.

Alcohol Deaths in Women

2007-12-10T08:15:00.000-08:00

ALCOHOL-RELATED diseases are killing almost twice as many women as at the beginning of the 1990s, official figures to be published tomorrow will show.
In the 35-54 age group, about 14 women per 100,000 die from conditions such as liver failure and cirrhosis, well above the European average.
The report from the Office for National Statistics on health trends since the 1970s will also reveal just how badly “casual alcoholism” has hit the British population.
Thirty years ago death rates for men and women were about two per 100,000, the lowest in western Europe. The figure for men is now 18, although this is still less than the European average.
Ireland, France and Spain consume more alcohol per head than Britain, but deaths from alcohol-related diseases are far lower, suggesting that Britain’s problem is related to a culture of binge drinking and casual alcoholism.
The sharp upward trend since the early 1990s is attributed by experts to people having more spending money, drinks being cheaper since the introduction of the European single market, and pubs and off-licences staying open longer.
Gordon Brown has signalled that curbing alcohol abuse is one of his top priorities, and has ordered a review of the rules allowing 24-hour opening of pubs and drink shops.
He has also ordered the Home Office to prepare a preChristmas “blitz” on retailers who sell alcohol to drunks and underage drinkers.

Source:http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/health/article2702913.ece

Empty chair a reminder of addiction's toll

2007-12-08T04:50:00.000-08:00

David Chalmers' parents, officials and Albany Drug Court graduates share bittersweet ceremony

ALBANY -- Graduates of Albany Drug Court remembered a "ray of sunshine," David Julian Chalmers.

He was 24 when he took his own life on Nov. 26, less than two weeks before graduation. His parents accepted their son's diploma posthumously at Friday's ceremony.

"David Chalmers has given all of us a life lesson here," said Albany County Judge Stephen Herrick, who asked for a moment of silence in his memory.

Chalmers, of Loudonville, was an honors student who attended prep schools and colleges while cultivating a wide circle of friends. But he began abusing alcohol and drugs when he was 12 and later was diagnosed with psychological problems. He relapsed during previous attempts at sobriety before completing residential rehab and other requirements of drug court.

"Every one of you has to deal with your demons every day," Herrick said. "Do not become overwhelmed, and please remember, we're here to help you."

Dr. Paul Chalmers thanked Herrick and his drug court staff for treating his son and the others "with respect and dignity and love," and he congratulated the 22 graduates who accepted a diploma from the judge.

"You've all earned this day," he said, with his wife, Susan, and daughter, Anne, at his side. "We pray you continue to make the right decisions."

In an overflowing courtroom, the hourlong program was marked by laughter and tears and the occasional wail of a cranky toddler. Even the judge frequently dabbed a handkerchief at misty eyes.

One by one, 22 graduates shared grim tales of addiction and the toll it had exacted on families. Each expressed elation, albeit tentatively, over their momentary success.

Herrick noted that only 11 had reached graduation without an infraction, and that relapse and recidivism are not uncommon.

It was Herrick's largest class of graduates and its most diverse. They were black, white and Hispanic, women and men, ranging in age from 21 to 55, with addictions that included alcohol, crack, heroin and prescription drugs.

Among the group, 20 are employed, one is retired and one is a full-time college student.

There was one substance-free infant born to a graduate.

Herrick gave the best-dressed prize to Bruce Maddox, who wore a tuxedo. "Drug court is a miracle worker," Maddox said.

Linda Brace had the standing-room-only audience reaching for tissues when she described relapses, and losses of family members and property to addiction.

She expressed condolences to the Chalmers family and called David "a ray of sunshine."

Herrick urged the graduates to bask in their moment of hopefulness, but to beware of dark clouds ahead.

He urged them to establish "sober support networks" and to continue to work with an Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor to resist the temptation to drink and use drugs again.

A block away, on North Pearl Street, the bars were beginning to fill with early happy hour patrons, lured by drink specials.

source: Albany Times Union

By PAUL GRONDAHL, Staff writer. Grondahl can be reached at 454-5623 or by e-mail at pgrondahl@timesunion.com.

Military at Increased Risk for Alcohol Abuse

2007-12-07T06:25:00.001-08:00

Military service in a war zone increases service members' chances of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), other anxiety disorders, and depression, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine. Serving in a war also increases the chances of alcohol abuse, accidental death, and suicide within the first few years after leaving the war zone, and marital and family conflict, including domestic violence, said the committee that wrote the report at the request of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, which asked for a comprehensive analysis of the scientific and medical evidence concerning associations between deployment-related stress and long-term, adverse effects on health.

Drug abuse, incarceration, unexplained illnesses, chronic fatigue syndrome, gastrointestinal symptoms, skin diseases, fibromyalgia, and chronic pain may also be associated with the stresses of being in a war, but the evidence to support these links is weaker. For other health problems and adverse effects that the committee reviewed, the data are lacking or contradictory; the committee could not determine whether links between these ailments and deployment-related stress exist.

Although the report cannot offer definitive answers about the connections between many health problems and the stresses of war, it is clear that veterans who were deployed to war zones self-report more medical conditions and poorer health than veterans who were not deployed. Those who were deployed and have PTSD in particular tend to report more symptoms and poorer health, the committee found. PTSD often occurs in conjunction with other anxiety disorders, depression, and substance abuse; its prevalence and severity is associated with increased exposure to combat.

A persistent obstacle to obtaining better evidence that would yield clearer answers is lack of pre- and post-deployment screenings of physical, mental, and emotional status. The U.S. Department of Defense should conduct comprehensive, standardized evaluations of service members' medical conditions, psychiatric symptoms and diagnoses, and psychosocial status and trauma history before and after they deploy to war zones. Such screenings would provide baseline data for comparisons and information to determine the long-term consequences of deployment-related stress. In addition, they would help identify at-risk personnel who might benefit from targeted intervention programs during deployment -- such as marital counseling or therapy for psychiatric or other disorders -- and help DOD and VA choose which intervention programs to implement for veterans adjusting to post-deployment life.