Family Education
Family Education plays an important role in the lives of those who are recovering from alcoholism or drug addiction. As family members gain a better understanding as to how their loved ones become addicted and the supportive role that the family plays in helping the addicted loved one in recovery the better the prospects are that the addicted individual will remain in recovery.
Unlike in functional family environments where no one person takes a central role, in a family where addiction is present the addicted individual takes center stage. Because the alcoholic or drug addicted individual’s behavior is so unpredictable all their attention focuses on the addicted family member. As a result of the emotional upheaval and the isolation that the family feels they begin to adopt the perspectives of the addict. They internalize the rationalizations that heaps blame upon themselves for the addict’s behavior. This ultimately leads to family denial of the addict’s illness and the perpetuation of their unwarranted self blame.
Addiction is a family illness. Regardless of the personalities of the individual family members, they will usually react in a similar manner as a result of the strain and stressors exerted by the addicted family member. These family reactions can range from enabling behaviors which supports the addict’s maladaptive responses to life’s stresses to obsessive and compulsive behaviors which mimic the addict’s behaviors.
Family education that is held concurrently as the addicted family member is in alcohol or drug addiction treatment, provides support and information that family members need in order to bring stability to the life of chaos that they are currently experiencing. This educational process provides understanding and encouragement as families learn that there are specific phases that recovery takes as healing in the addicted brain occurs.
During family education, family members learn to breakthrough the denial that they are also suffering and find reprieve from the isolation that they are experiencing as a result of the behaviors of the addict. The family members within the group are able to share in a confidential environment their struggles with shame, secrecy and isolation. Through this group process family members become empowered and encouraged as they learn that they are not alone in their struggle and that there is help not only for their loved one but just as importantly, for themselves as well.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Impotant information on legal drugs
Prescription Pain Pill Information and the Effects of Opiates
Prescription pain pills are usually classified as opiates. Opiates and their synthetic counterparts opioids, suppress pain, reduce anxiety, and at sufficiently high doses produce euphoria. They can be taken by orally, smoked, snorted or injected. Opiates and opioids act on opioid receptors in the spinal cord, brain, in the tissues directly. Opioids stimulate the opioid receptors of the central nervous system resulting in a depression of the system.
Natural opiates are extracted from the opium poppy and opioids are manufactured in a laboratory. Common opiates are heroine, opium and morphine. Synthetic opioids include Oxycodone, Hydrocodone, Methadone, Darvocet, Demerol, Dilaudid, Vicodin, Lortab, Oxycontin and Percocet.
Opiates and the Body
Physical dependency or pain pill addiction develops when an individual is exposed a sufficient dose for an extended period of time. The pain pill addicted person’s body adapts and develops a tolerance, and intern requires higher doses to achieve the drug's original effects. Opiates mimic the action of chemicals in your brain that send messages of pleasure to your brain's reward center. They produce pleasurable effects by acting like normal brain messenger chemicals, which produce positive feelings in response to signals from the brain. Increased dependence and confidence is placed in the opiates while normal feelings are ignored and bypassed.
Pain pill addiction or abuse can bring about significant and long-lasting chemical changes in the brain. These changes cause intense cravings, physical discomfort and negative emotions when the dependent person attempts to stop. Because of the altered chemical state of the dependent brain, the majority of the people in recovery require medication in order to tolerate withdrawal.
Pain pill addiction and dependency produces many unpleasant side effects including anxiety, involuntary movement of the eyes, blurred vision and double vision, constipation, chills, depression, itching, cramps, dizziness, rash, diarrhea, drowsiness, seizure, nightmares, light headedness, fluid retention, nausea tremors and faintness.
As pain pill addiction worsens or dependence increases, the dependent person continues to consume more opiates and can possibly overdose. Overdose symptoms include slow breathing, seizures, dizziness, weakness, loss of consciousness, coma, confusion, tiredness, cold and clammy skin, constricted pupils, blurred vision, nausea, vomiting and impaired mental abilities.
When opiates are withheld, withdrawal begins very rapidly. Withdrawal is very painful and is accompanied by tiredness, hot and cold sweats, heart palpitations, constant and excruciating joint and muscle pain, vomiting, nausea, uncontrollable yawning, diarrhea, insomnia and acute depression.
A drug is available that allows the opiate addicted person to achieve total opiate detox with minimal withdrawal symptoms or pain. Buprenorphine, sold exclusively under the name Suboxone, has been developed over the past several decades. Suboxone is a partial agonist, a drug that has mechanisms of action that are similar to opioids but with less potency. Suboxone stays firmly attached to the brain's receptors, blocking the effect of other drugs. That means that opiate addicted or dependent individuals who take Suboxone won't get any additional effects from using other opiates. It clings to the receptors longer and makes the detoxification process gentler. Suboxone treatment has been compared it to sliding down a hill than falling off a cliff.
Suboxone alone is not totally successful in the treatment of a complex disorder such as opiate addiction. Appropriate counseling, psychotherapy and cognitive behavior therapy are also necessary to affect change in the dependent individual. People suffering opiate addiction or dependencies do not have to reach the extreme late stages of dependency to get help.
Prescription pain pills are usually classified as opiates. Opiates and their synthetic counterparts opioids, suppress pain, reduce anxiety, and at sufficiently high doses produce euphoria. They can be taken by orally, smoked, snorted or injected. Opiates and opioids act on opioid receptors in the spinal cord, brain, in the tissues directly. Opioids stimulate the opioid receptors of the central nervous system resulting in a depression of the system.
Natural opiates are extracted from the opium poppy and opioids are manufactured in a laboratory. Common opiates are heroine, opium and morphine. Synthetic opioids include Oxycodone, Hydrocodone, Methadone, Darvocet, Demerol, Dilaudid, Vicodin, Lortab, Oxycontin and Percocet.
Opiates and the Body
Physical dependency or pain pill addiction develops when an individual is exposed a sufficient dose for an extended period of time. The pain pill addicted person’s body adapts and develops a tolerance, and intern requires higher doses to achieve the drug's original effects. Opiates mimic the action of chemicals in your brain that send messages of pleasure to your brain's reward center. They produce pleasurable effects by acting like normal brain messenger chemicals, which produce positive feelings in response to signals from the brain. Increased dependence and confidence is placed in the opiates while normal feelings are ignored and bypassed.
Pain pill addiction or abuse can bring about significant and long-lasting chemical changes in the brain. These changes cause intense cravings, physical discomfort and negative emotions when the dependent person attempts to stop. Because of the altered chemical state of the dependent brain, the majority of the people in recovery require medication in order to tolerate withdrawal.
Pain pill addiction and dependency produces many unpleasant side effects including anxiety, involuntary movement of the eyes, blurred vision and double vision, constipation, chills, depression, itching, cramps, dizziness, rash, diarrhea, drowsiness, seizure, nightmares, light headedness, fluid retention, nausea tremors and faintness.
As pain pill addiction worsens or dependence increases, the dependent person continues to consume more opiates and can possibly overdose. Overdose symptoms include slow breathing, seizures, dizziness, weakness, loss of consciousness, coma, confusion, tiredness, cold and clammy skin, constricted pupils, blurred vision, nausea, vomiting and impaired mental abilities.
When opiates are withheld, withdrawal begins very rapidly. Withdrawal is very painful and is accompanied by tiredness, hot and cold sweats, heart palpitations, constant and excruciating joint and muscle pain, vomiting, nausea, uncontrollable yawning, diarrhea, insomnia and acute depression.
A drug is available that allows the opiate addicted person to achieve total opiate detox with minimal withdrawal symptoms or pain. Buprenorphine, sold exclusively under the name Suboxone, has been developed over the past several decades. Suboxone is a partial agonist, a drug that has mechanisms of action that are similar to opioids but with less potency. Suboxone stays firmly attached to the brain's receptors, blocking the effect of other drugs. That means that opiate addicted or dependent individuals who take Suboxone won't get any additional effects from using other opiates. It clings to the receptors longer and makes the detoxification process gentler. Suboxone treatment has been compared it to sliding down a hill than falling off a cliff.
Suboxone alone is not totally successful in the treatment of a complex disorder such as opiate addiction. Appropriate counseling, psychotherapy and cognitive behavior therapy are also necessary to affect change in the dependent individual. People suffering opiate addiction or dependencies do not have to reach the extreme late stages of dependency to get help.
Being Clean...
Staying Clean
Recovering from a drug or alcohol addiction doesn't end with a 6-week treatment program. It's a lifelong process. Many people find that joining a support group can help them stay clean. There are support groups specifically for teens and younger people. You'll meet people who have gone through the same experiences you have, and you'll be able to participate in real-life discussions about drugs that you won't hear in your school's health class.
Many people find that helping others is also the best way to help themselves. Your understanding of how difficult the recovery process can be will help you to support others — both teens and adults — who are battling an addiction.
If you do have a relapse, recognizing the problem as soon as possible is critical. Get help right away so that you don't undo all the hard work you put into your initial recovery. And, if you do have a relapse, don't ever be afraid to ask for help!
Recovering from a drug or alcohol addiction doesn't end with a 6-week treatment program. It's a lifelong process. Many people find that joining a support group can help them stay clean. There are support groups specifically for teens and younger people. You'll meet people who have gone through the same experiences you have, and you'll be able to participate in real-life discussions about drugs that you won't hear in your school's health class.
Many people find that helping others is also the best way to help themselves. Your understanding of how difficult the recovery process can be will help you to support others — both teens and adults — who are battling an addiction.
If you do have a relapse, recognizing the problem as soon as possible is critical. Get help right away so that you don't undo all the hard work you put into your initial recovery. And, if you do have a relapse, don't ever be afraid to ask for help!
Don't be scared to ask for help
What Are Substance Abuse and Addiction?
The difference between substance abuse and addiction is very slight. Substance abuse means using an illegal substance or using a legal substance in the wrong way. Addiction begins as abuse, or using a substance like marijuana or cocaine. You can abuse a drug (or alcohol) without having an addiction. For example, just because Sara smoked weed a few times doesn't mean that she has an addiction, but it does mean that she's abusing a drug — and that could lead to an addiction.
People can get addicted to all sorts of substances. When we think of addiction, we usually think of alcohol or illegal drugs. But people become addicted to medications, cigarettes, even glue! And some substances are more addictive than others: Drugs like crack or heroin are so addictive that they might only be used once or twice before the user loses control.
Addiction means a person has no control over whether he or she uses a drug or drinks. Someone who's addicted to cocaine has grown so used to the drug that he or she has to have it. Addiction can be physical, psychological, or both.
Physical addiction is when a person's body actually becomes dependent on a particular substance (even smoking is physically addictive). It also means building tolerance to that substance, so that a person needs a larger dose than ever before to get the same effects. Someone who is physically addicted and stops using a substance like drugs, alcohol, or cigarettes may experience withdrawal symptoms. Common symptoms of withdrawal are diarrhea, shaking, and generally feeling awful.
Psychological addiction happens when the cravings for a drug are psychological or emotional. People who are psychologically addicted feel overcome by the desire to have a drug. They may lie or steal to get it.
A person crosses the line between abuse and addiction when he or she is no longer trying the drug to have fun or get high, but has come to depend on it. His or her whole life centers around the need for the drug. An addicted person — whether it's a physical or psychological addiction or both — no longer feels like there is a choice in taking a substance.
Signs of Addiction
The most obvious sign of an addiction is the need to have a particular drug or substance. However, many other signs can suggest a possible addiction, such as changes in mood or weight loss or gain. (These also are signs of other conditions, too, though, such as depression or eating disorders.)
Signs that you or someone you know may have a drug or alcohol addiction include:
Psychological signals:
* use of drugs or alcohol as a way to forget problems or to relax
* withdrawal or keeping secrets from family and friends
* loss of interest in activities that used to be important
* problems with schoolwork, such as slipping grades or absences
* changes in friendships, such as hanging out only with friends who use drugs
* spending a lot of time figuring out how to get drugs
* stealing or selling belongings to be able to afford drugs
* failed attempts to stop taking drugs or drinking
* anxiety, anger, or depression
* mood swings
Physical signals:
* changes in sleeping habits
* feeling shaky or sick when trying to stop
* needing to take more of the substance to get the same effect
* changes in eating habits, including weight loss or gain
Getting Help
If you think you're addicted to drugs or alcohol, recognizing that you have a problem is the first step in getting help.
A lot of people think they can kick the problem on their own, but that doesn't work for most people. Find someone you trust to talk to. It may help to talk to a friend or someone your own age at first, but a supportive and understanding adult is your best option for getting help. If you can't talk to your parents, you might want to approach a school counselor, relative, doctor, favorite teacher, or religious leader.
Unfortunately, overcoming addiction is not easy. Quitting drugs or drinking is probably going to be one of the hardest things you've ever done. It's not a sign of weakness if you need professional help from a trained drug counselor or therapist. Most people who try to kick a drug or alcohol problem need professional assistance or a treatment program to do so.
The difference between substance abuse and addiction is very slight. Substance abuse means using an illegal substance or using a legal substance in the wrong way. Addiction begins as abuse, or using a substance like marijuana or cocaine. You can abuse a drug (or alcohol) without having an addiction. For example, just because Sara smoked weed a few times doesn't mean that she has an addiction, but it does mean that she's abusing a drug — and that could lead to an addiction.
People can get addicted to all sorts of substances. When we think of addiction, we usually think of alcohol or illegal drugs. But people become addicted to medications, cigarettes, even glue! And some substances are more addictive than others: Drugs like crack or heroin are so addictive that they might only be used once or twice before the user loses control.
Addiction means a person has no control over whether he or she uses a drug or drinks. Someone who's addicted to cocaine has grown so used to the drug that he or she has to have it. Addiction can be physical, psychological, or both.
Physical addiction is when a person's body actually becomes dependent on a particular substance (even smoking is physically addictive). It also means building tolerance to that substance, so that a person needs a larger dose than ever before to get the same effects. Someone who is physically addicted and stops using a substance like drugs, alcohol, or cigarettes may experience withdrawal symptoms. Common symptoms of withdrawal are diarrhea, shaking, and generally feeling awful.
Psychological addiction happens when the cravings for a drug are psychological or emotional. People who are psychologically addicted feel overcome by the desire to have a drug. They may lie or steal to get it.
A person crosses the line between abuse and addiction when he or she is no longer trying the drug to have fun or get high, but has come to depend on it. His or her whole life centers around the need for the drug. An addicted person — whether it's a physical or psychological addiction or both — no longer feels like there is a choice in taking a substance.
Signs of Addiction
The most obvious sign of an addiction is the need to have a particular drug or substance. However, many other signs can suggest a possible addiction, such as changes in mood or weight loss or gain. (These also are signs of other conditions, too, though, such as depression or eating disorders.)
Signs that you or someone you know may have a drug or alcohol addiction include:
Psychological signals:
* use of drugs or alcohol as a way to forget problems or to relax
* withdrawal or keeping secrets from family and friends
* loss of interest in activities that used to be important
* problems with schoolwork, such as slipping grades or absences
* changes in friendships, such as hanging out only with friends who use drugs
* spending a lot of time figuring out how to get drugs
* stealing or selling belongings to be able to afford drugs
* failed attempts to stop taking drugs or drinking
* anxiety, anger, or depression
* mood swings
Physical signals:
* changes in sleeping habits
* feeling shaky or sick when trying to stop
* needing to take more of the substance to get the same effect
* changes in eating habits, including weight loss or gain
Getting Help
If you think you're addicted to drugs or alcohol, recognizing that you have a problem is the first step in getting help.
A lot of people think they can kick the problem on their own, but that doesn't work for most people. Find someone you trust to talk to. It may help to talk to a friend or someone your own age at first, but a supportive and understanding adult is your best option for getting help. If you can't talk to your parents, you might want to approach a school counselor, relative, doctor, favorite teacher, or religious leader.
Unfortunately, overcoming addiction is not easy. Quitting drugs or drinking is probably going to be one of the hardest things you've ever done. It's not a sign of weakness if you need professional help from a trained drug counselor or therapist. Most people who try to kick a drug or alcohol problem need professional assistance or a treatment program to do so.
Know what it does...
What are its short-term effects?
Short-term effects of cocaine/crack include constricted peripheral blood vessels, dilated pupils, increased temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, insomnia, loss of appetite, feelings of restlessness, irritability, and anxiety. Duration of cocaine's immediate euphoric effects, which include energy, reduced fatigue, and mental clarity, depends on how it is used. The faster the absorption, the more intense the high. However, the faster the absorption, the shorter the high lasts.The high from snorting may last 15 to 30 minutes, while that from smoking crack cocaine may last 5 to 10 minutes. Cocaine's effects are short lived, and once the drug leaves the brain, the user experiences a "coke crash" that includes depression, irritability, and fatigue.
What are its long-term effects?
High doses of cocaine and/or prolonged use can trigger paranoia. Smoking crack cocaine can produce a particularly aggressive paranoid behavior in users. When addicted individuals stop using cocaine, they often become depressed.
Short-term effects of cocaine/crack include constricted peripheral blood vessels, dilated pupils, increased temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, insomnia, loss of appetite, feelings of restlessness, irritability, and anxiety. Duration of cocaine's immediate euphoric effects, which include energy, reduced fatigue, and mental clarity, depends on how it is used. The faster the absorption, the more intense the high. However, the faster the absorption, the shorter the high lasts.The high from snorting may last 15 to 30 minutes, while that from smoking crack cocaine may last 5 to 10 minutes. Cocaine's effects are short lived, and once the drug leaves the brain, the user experiences a "coke crash" that includes depression, irritability, and fatigue.
What are its long-term effects?
High doses of cocaine and/or prolonged use can trigger paranoia. Smoking crack cocaine can produce a particularly aggressive paranoid behavior in users. When addicted individuals stop using cocaine, they often become depressed.
The effects of drugs.
Cocaine, like methamphetamine, is a stimulant that can have powerful effects on the brain and body. But how does it affect the brain over a long period of time? Can you tell which of the PET images shown here is of a normal brain and which one is of a cocaine addict's brain? Neurons that are the most active metabolize more glucose and are shown in red. The image on the left is the brain of a person who had never taken cocaine. The image on the right shows how cocaine decreases the activity of the brain.
After taking cocaine, the high wears off after about 30 minutes, but the brain is not the same as it was before. Once a person is addicted to a drug like cocaine, the brain is affected for a long time. In fact, the brain really is changed. These PET images show how cocaine affects the brain even after a person stops abusing drugs. Look at the brain of a cocaine abuser ten days after the last use of cocaine. How does the brain compare to a normal brain, that is, the brain of someone who has not abused drugs? Like most of the PET images you have examined, these measure glucose utilization and tell us about brain activity levels. The areas in red are most active. Even ten days after the last abuse of cocaine, the levels of activity in a drug abuser's brain are much lower than those in the normal brain. How long do these changes in the brain last? Even 100 days after the last cocaine use, the drug abuser's brain is much less active than the normal brain. That is over three months later. Scientists wonder if there are areas in the brain that never fully recover from the effects of drugs.
Scientific investigations reinforce the fact that drug addiction is a brain disease. Drugs really do change the way the neurons in the brain work. Scientists don't know all of the answers, though. Researchers continue to investigate how drugs exert their effects. But they must deal with several issues that make answers more difficult to find. First, each person responds to drugs differently. Not everyone who experiments with drugs will become addicted. An individual's genetic makeup undoubtedly plays a part in determining whether a person becomes addicted to drugs. Second, many drug abusers abuse more than one drug. Individuals who take cocaine, for example, may also drink alcohol. Taking more than one drug at a time makes the consequences of drug abuse more unpredictable. Third, addicts often have other health problems in addition to drug addiction. Heroin addicts, for example, spend a lot of energy trying to get their next fix. Their search for drugs takes over their lives. They don't eat right. They may have weak immune systems, and they often suffer from mental illnesses such as depression.
After taking cocaine, the high wears off after about 30 minutes, but the brain is not the same as it was before. Once a person is addicted to a drug like cocaine, the brain is affected for a long time. In fact, the brain really is changed. These PET images show how cocaine affects the brain even after a person stops abusing drugs. Look at the brain of a cocaine abuser ten days after the last use of cocaine. How does the brain compare to a normal brain, that is, the brain of someone who has not abused drugs? Like most of the PET images you have examined, these measure glucose utilization and tell us about brain activity levels. The areas in red are most active. Even ten days after the last abuse of cocaine, the levels of activity in a drug abuser's brain are much lower than those in the normal brain. How long do these changes in the brain last? Even 100 days after the last cocaine use, the drug abuser's brain is much less active than the normal brain. That is over three months later. Scientists wonder if there are areas in the brain that never fully recover from the effects of drugs.
Scientific investigations reinforce the fact that drug addiction is a brain disease. Drugs really do change the way the neurons in the brain work. Scientists don't know all of the answers, though. Researchers continue to investigate how drugs exert their effects. But they must deal with several issues that make answers more difficult to find. First, each person responds to drugs differently. Not everyone who experiments with drugs will become addicted. An individual's genetic makeup undoubtedly plays a part in determining whether a person becomes addicted to drugs. Second, many drug abusers abuse more than one drug. Individuals who take cocaine, for example, may also drink alcohol. Taking more than one drug at a time makes the consequences of drug abuse more unpredictable. Third, addicts often have other health problems in addition to drug addiction. Heroin addicts, for example, spend a lot of energy trying to get their next fix. Their search for drugs takes over their lives. They don't eat right. They may have weak immune systems, and they often suffer from mental illnesses such as depression.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
