It was September, 1992 and my very first day attending a public school since kindergarten had begun out of more lobbying efforts with my mother.

My first day at Palmer High School in September 1992 was far more impersonal than what I had been used to at a much smaller school like the Adventist school on Maud Road. There was all this signing up to this, and signing up to that, at all these tables.

Then finding the classrooms proved to be challenging. But eventually I learned the location of all classrooms. It was during the first six months of high school freshman year that I met a real odd-fellow named Michael Denson.

Mike was a very loud-mouthed, asinine, shady, and pushy guy. Without any explanation other than the fact he was simply stroking his own massive ego.

It was quickly learned of us that we lived directly across the street from each other on Bodenburg Loop

Now I started to go to Mike’s place everyday after school. Because he offered me cigarettes and marijuana. For the first year, I said ’no’ every single time. But then one day I said yes to the cigarettes.

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Michael was on this occasion smoking a menthol cigarette he swindled from his mother. I was meanwhile hacking up crud in my throat. He mentioned my hacking and further stated that “menthols are good for a cough”

I bought into it. He handed me the cigarette. The immediate head rush felt good to me. Really good in fact! Here I’d found a friend! Or so I thought. More like a psycho stalker that is hard to shake. And if you shake the stalker, he still watches over you.

Now at the high school in Palmer, I was able wander outside by the the music department and sneak out a cigarette to puff on. In subsequent mornings, hundreds of students began doing this. Now there was a huge crowd outside the music department. Mr. Pennington would poke his head out of the door and people will scatter.

It was in November when I was sitting in Rod Christiansen’s math 101 class. Myself and another student were engaging in an argument over what is to most long-forgotten issues. A nearby male student misled himself into believing that I was being derogatory towards him. Whether right or wrong, the result was me getting my ass kicked through and through by this guy! And next the principal sentenced both of us to one day of in-house detention. We spent the entire day bugging the crap out of each other.

Soon after this I briefly dated a girl by the name of Theresa, I don’t remember her last name. But we went together for a record-breaking month. She was cute, she had shoulder length black hair, a very cute face,and she could be rather timid!

In February 1992, I was flunking all my classes by the simple fact that I wasn’t going to any classes at all. I had lost all interest in Palmer High School. My grades read as follows ‘I’,‘I’,‘I’ meaning incomplete. This was on every single class – 6 of them.

What I decided to do was to initiate my complete withdrawal as an academic student at the high school. I called my father and convinced him drive to the high school and sign my withdrawal form. He was clearly agitated when he arrived. We had a brief face-to-face three way chat together in the counselor’s office. My father signed the paper with a look of vengeance on his face. Oh I’d be washing dishes at home tonight! Whenever I did something bad as a kid, he would say “get your ass in here Sean and do the dishes!” It would be in a irritated rushed response. “Ok!” I would immediately yell back to him.

But whatever! I was out of school until the next fall, and no longer had to wake up at 6 a.m. every weekday for the immediate future. That made me a happy young man. So now I had plenty of time to chill out. On one of these first free days, I saw Michael Denson. He asked me at his mother’s apartment if I wanted to smoke some Marijuana with him.

I thought about it for a few minutes. At first my brain said no way! Then Mike lit the pot pipe he had stuck to his mouth and started inhaling as much as he could. And he then held the smoke in his lungs for a few seconds and threw out a massive cloud. He looked at me and said “well?”

“Ahh hell with it!” I said to Mike and took the pipe from him. Mike instructed me to “hold in the smoke as long as possible.” After all, I’d never smoked marijuana before! I put the small metal pipe into my mouth, lit the bowl and inhaled deeply. This was too much smoke to inhale and I immediately spewed the smoke out of my mouth. I coughed a few more times and my goodness, I felt incredibly good all at once!

Mike passed the pipe to me again. This time I inhaled slower and I didn’t spew anything out of my mouth at all.

I exhaled and sat down on the couch by the window in the apartment. I’d never felt anything like this! It makes me feel creative and made me laugh a lot. After two hours I went home. The whole day I was just really relaxed and happy.

I was ready to spend $40 to “buy a bag” as they call it in Matanuska-Susitna Valley. Mike had the leads, so he called some weird dungeons and dragons fanatics. It took nearly an hour to receive the bag of marijuana. But I thought it wasn’t too bad of a wait to endure for something so magical like this herb.

It was this summer that I began smoking cigarettes and marijuana regularly.

Addictions, and recovery from them, require that you actively seek help from a source other than yourself. You may want to start by consulting with your family doctor or with an addictions counselor. This is a good place to start since it will be important to access both your emotional and your physical behavior as they are related to your addictions and your substance abuse. You and your doctor will need to decide what is going to work best for you in order that you stop using your drug of choice. It won’t matter what your type of addiction is since all addictions require the same amount of professional help and support.

There are several different types of addictions that you may or may not already be aware of. Addictions include:

• alcohol abuse

• opiates

• food addictions

• marijuana abuse

• relationship addictions

• sex addictions

• gambling addictions

People become addicted to many types of substances. Many people become addicted to medications and other substances. There are some substances that are more addictive than others. For instance, drugs like heroin are so addictive and it can take it only one or two uses before a person is addicted.

A person who is addicted to cocaine has grown so used to the drug that they feel they can’t live without it. Addiction can be physical, psychological, or both.

Physical addiction is when a person has become physically dependent on a substance.

Over time a person will build up a tolerance to that substance, so that they need a larger dose so that they get the same effects. When an addict who is physically addicted to a substance stops using they may experience withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal can be much like having the flu and include symptoms such as the shakes, diarrhea, and weakness.

Believe that Recovery is Possible!

Freedom from addictions is often referred to as “recovery”. There are many temporary solutions for freedom from addictions but there are really only two ways to permanently overcome addictions.

One of the most common methods of overcoming addictions is to be firm with the practice of abstinence. This means that you completely stop using your drug of choice so that you have no way to continue to feed addictions. This means that the alcoholic can never have another drink and that the gambling addict can never again go to a casino or other place where any type of gambling action takes place.

This method of abstinence, however, won’t work with food addictions since you cannot stop eating. Wanting to give up your addictions is one thing, but to actually to follow through with abstinence is usually very difficult for an addict. Many addicts think that they can continue with their addictions but to only use their drug of choice in a moderate manner. For most people with addictions this is only a dream and wishful thinking. Full recovery from addictions for most addicts will mean a lifetime of abstinence from their drug of choice.

For those addicts with addictions that can be controlled by limiting the drug of choice in a moderate manner, there is the realistic goal those addictions can be overcome permanently. These types of addictions include food addictions, shopping addictions, and sexual addictions. The addict will need to decide how much moderation they need to exercise before their addictions take over with addictive behavior once again. This is the path of recovery from addictions.

If you are not knowledgeable enough about Cannabis, you might think that it will not have any bad effect towards your body. People who do not have enough information about stopping Cannabis addiction will bring about the worst effect, that is, slavery to pot smoking.

General Information about Cannabis

Remember, marijuana has totally different effect compared to that of cigarettes. Cigarettes will bring about physical sickness whereas marijuana will bring about bad effects on your body and mind. With marijuana, you will be too dependent on it and you will surely crave and feel somewhat crazy if you’re not going to have it.

When a person withdraws from cannabis, the effect is similar to that of giving up weed smoking. When a person craves for cannabis he will surely have scary dreams. Sometimes it is vivid. Scientifically, this is due to the so called THC or Tetrahydrocannabinol that remains in his body system. During the process of withdrawal, a person feels more anxious and even more paranoid. He will also have difficulty in sleeping. However, these symptoms will just fade away as time goes.

When a person tries to stop smoking pot, there is always the so-called psychological dependence. You will always have this thought of feeling to have it, and that you need it. Well, this is the psychological effect of cannabis addiction. For others, since smoking weed is their way of escaping their problems, when they stop smoking cannabis, they will feel more depressed.

So, is it really difficult to stop smoking cannabis? It’s not. Just think positive. There are ways to succeed in your aim for a brighter future. Here are some simple tips:

1. Set your objective. It is important that you are committed to stop smoking weed. Stick to this commitment. You should bare in mind and engender in your heart that you want to stop smoking. Believe in yourself and don’t lose hope. It is important that you will set a 100% positive mind and heart on your aim.

2. Read and understand cannabis addiction. Get more idea about it. You should research more ways about stopping weed smoking. Learn the withdrawal process and the possible things that you will face during the different stages of withdrawal. In this so called “battle”, you will not win if you are not equipped.

3. If you are introvert, overcome it. Communicate and open up with others. Remember, however, to choose your friends. It is useless to still be with friends who influenced you to do pot smoking. Be with people who are willing to sympathize, to empathize and understand what will go through.

May you be successful in this aim. Remember, once you got out of this darkness you will surely have a brighter future.

Problem and Solution.

Summary: Although there is no definition of “addiction” that is universally accepted, in general, addiction refers to a physiological and psychological dependency on a drug. While some drugs of abuse induce physiological addiction, others do not. Alternatively, some drugs that are physiologically addictive generally are not abused (e.g., caffeine). Tolerance to drug effects, and withdrawal symptoms upon abrupt cessation of use, which develop over time, are characteristic features of physiological addiction. “Habituation” is the term used to refer to psychological dependence on a drug. Some drugs of abuse are highly rewarding because of their influence on reinforcing neurobiological processes, but they do not necessarily result in “tissue” related withdrawal symptoms. Cessation of such drugs may lead primarily to subjective craving due to previous drug conditioning (perhaps true of some marijuana users) and craving may be more readily evoked or deeply conditioned among some persons than others (”addictive personalities”). Primary methods of assessment of addiction and habituation are completed through clinical interviews or self-report surveys (e.g., American Psychiatric Association DSM-IV, World Health Organization ICD-10). Treatment paradigms for the cessation of addiction begin with initial detoxification or withdrawal, followed by inpatient or outpatient program participation (e.g., 12-step programs, milieu, cognitive-behavioral, or behavioral). Pharmacological efforts (e.g., methadone maintenance) may be used as harm-reduction strategies among those who seem unable to quit drug use.

It is estimated that approximately 15 percent of the world’s adults have serious substance abuse problems (not including nicotine addiction), and that this percentage has remained fairly constant over the past twenty-five years. Of these substance abusers, about two-thirds abuse alcohol and one-third abuse other substances, mainly marijuana, amphetamines, cocaine, and heroin. Approximately2.5 percent of the population abuse marijuana, 0.5 percent abuse stimulants, 0.3 percent abuse cocaine or opioids (such as heroin), and up to 0.8 percent abuse other substances (e.g., inhalants, depressants, hallucinogens). Sites of drug production and manufacturing, and distribution routes, tend to identify regions at high risk for abuse.

Drug abuse causes significant health-related consequences and financial losses to legitimate economies. The financial cost to society is estimated to be approximately $600 billion per year worldwide. This does not include the cost of nicotine abuse, which, through its influence on heart disease, lung cancer, chronic obstructive lung disease, and numerous other consequences, is the number one behavioral killer of people worldwide. Drugs of abuse are also associated with the production of psychotic symptoms (e.g., paranoid ideation) and with injuries due to accidents and violence. Approximately 50 percent of automobile fatalities involve alcohol-impaired drivers, and many auto crashes also involve chronic marijuana or amphetamine users.

In addition, each drug class is associated with a unique set of potential consequences. Some drugs of abuse are likely to have lethal consequences (e.g., opiates and depressants), and some have a high potential for addiction. Health consequences can also vary by drug. For example, depressants, PCP, stimulants, steroids, and cannabis are associated with cardiovascular diseases. Stimulant use is linked to seizure, digestion problems, and lung problems. Documented consequences of marijuana use include lung damage and short-term memory problems. Dementia, seizure, memory impairment, central and peripheral nervous systems impairment, gastrointestinal diseases, and cancers of the gastrointestinal tract are all consequences of alcohol consumption. Steroid use is associated with high blood pressure, potential heart attacks, liver tumors, transient infertility, and tendon degeneration. Inhalants are well-known causes of kidney, brain, and liver damage.

The development and maintenance of the addictive process involves multiple pathways and levels of influence within biological, psychological, and sociological domains. Influences exogenous to the individual include environmental, cultural, and social factors. Cultural and social norms, variations in drug use practices, and the values and behaviors of parents, siblings, friends, and role models can all affect an individual’s drug experiences. Processes contributing to individual differences in substance use include physiological susceptibility, as measured in genetics studies; affective states; personality; and cognition—including expectancies and memory processes. Substance abuse versus substance use is more strongly related to intra-personal processes (e.g., self-medication for emotional distress) than social processes, although both are influential in the addictive process.

SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND DEPENDENCE

Substance use pertains simply to the use of a drug. Substance misuse means using a drug for a purpose or in a manner in which it was not intended or prescribed. Substance abuse is marked by an accumulation of negative consequences resulting from drug use. Substance use that leads to a decreased level of performance in major life roles, or to dangerous actions, legal problems, or social problems, indicates abuse. Substance dependence is a more severe form of drug abuse that also includes tolerance (the need for markedly increased amounts of the substance to achieve the desired drug effect), withdrawal symptoms when stopping substance use, unpredictability of substance use, and an inability to control the use of a substance to the point that it consumes one’s daily life.

Withdrawal symptoms vary from drug to drug. For example, withdrawal from alcohol, sedatives, or anxiolytic agents may involve autonomic reactivity, hand tremor, insomnia, nausea or vomiting, transient illusions or hallucinations, psycho-motor agitation, anxiety, and grand mal seizures. Amphetamine or cocaine withdrawal can include fatigue, unpleasant and vivid dreams, insomnia or hypersomnia, increased appetite, and psychomotor retardation or agitation. For substance abusers, withdrawal is often a difficult process with numerous symptoms, while abstaining from drug use can lead to recovery from physical and psychological problems and an improvement in overall health.

THE DRUG ABUSE CONTINUM

Conceptually, substance abuse can be seen as a continuum, with individuals at one end being relatively “disease-free” but engaging in maladaptive behaviors over which they have some control. These individuals may repetitively use drugs, and over time they may abuse drugs. They choose to live a certain lifestyle in which their maladaptive behavior may or may not result in other disease states associated with use (e.g., cirrhosis of the liver). If these individuals stop this negative cycle they can, perhaps on their own, learn alternative coping mechanisms and self-efficacy. Individuals at the other end of the continuum, however, seemingly have no control over their use. Some individuals appear to lose control the first time they use drugs. For these individuals drug use is like a toggle switch that is either on or off. For them, total abstention is the only alternative because they have no control processes once the switch is turned on. They may use until they die unless someone else can turn their switch off and keep it off. There is no logic to this behavior, and no choice. Users of this type will often ruin their own lives and the lives of those around them in their drive to use their drugs of choice. It seems that as one moves toward a more “at-risk” end of the continuum there is less and less control over substance use.

It is unclear what causes the difference in loss of control among those at different points of the continuum. Researchers do not understand the process very well. They do know that other factors may exacerbate the process, including biologically based differences in metabolic processes, different levels of susceptibility to the reinforcing effects of drugs, personality disorders or depression, and an inability to tolerate frustration or emotional discomfort. Some processes are under individual control, but many are not, and it does appear that the less control the individual has over these types of processes, the more likely he or she is to fall into substance abuse.

STAGES OF ALCOHOLISM AND DRUG ABUSE

During the early stages of substance abuse, the alcoholic or drug abuser experiences increasing tolerance and use. Substance use at this stage is generally for purposes of self-medication. In the later stages of abuse, life becomes centered around obtaining, using, and recovering from drug use. Loss of control, ethical deterioration, and noticeable withdrawal symptoms ensue. It is unclear, however, whether such a progression is inevitable.

In a 1991 empirical review of the study of progression in alcoholism, Jill Littrell found that approximately 60 percent of adolescent problem drinkers remit to nonproblematic levels of drinking when they reach their 20s, and that 25 percent of young adults remit to nonproblematic levels of drinking before they reach age 35. Studies examining data on adult alcoholics who have undergone a variety of treatments as inpatients and outpatients during follow-up periods of up to fifteen years provide a general profile of outcomes. Between 25 and 35 percent remain abstinent, whether or not they continue treatment. An additional 15 to 25 percent will be abstinent most of the time, with some lapse periods. Approximately 6 to 9 percent will become nonproblematic or controlled drinkers (particularly those who were lighter drinkers and suffered fewer negative consequences while drinking). Another 20 to 33 percent become stable problematic drinkers, while 15 to 25 percent will die from alcohol-related causes.

It is uncertain whether drug abusers follow a progression similar to that of alcoholics. There probably is some validity to a notion of progression for drug use in general, but more longitudinal studies are needed in this area. It is possible that such a progression might simply express the accumulation of consequences one endures each time one takes a chance by drinking or using drugs. As opposed to the stages outlined above, a substance abuser may simply incur more problems over time, along with an increased tolerance for alcohol or other drugs of abuse.

Ethyl alcohol, or ethanol, is the most commonly used drug in the world. Pharmacologically, alcohol is classified as a central nervous system depressant. Like other depressants, in small doses alcohol slows heart rate and respiration, decreases muscular coordination and energy, dulls the senses, and lowers inhibitions—resulting in feelings of relaxation and greater sociability. Large amounts of alcohol can result in depression of the various body systems, resulting in coma or death. The immediate physical effects of alcohol depend on the amount and frequency of drinking, while the mental and emotional effects are influenced by the mood of the drinker and the setting in which drinking takes place.

Two physical effects resulting from prolonged, heavy alcohol use include tolerance and withdrawal. Alcohol tolerance refers to the need for increased amounts of alcohol to achieve the same level of intoxication. For example, five or six drinks may be needed to achieve the same effects produced by one or two drinks when the individual first began drinking. Alcohol withdrawal, on the other hand, refers to a number of physical and psychological reactions an individual experiences when significantly reducing or stopping prolonged heavy drinking. Symptoms of withdrawal include nausea, vomiting, anxiety, and hand tremors.

An interaction of biological, psychological, and environmental factors come into play in the development of drinking behaviors and problems. For example, some individuals may be genetically predisposed to alcohol problems, but whether or not they actually experience negative alcohol consequences will also depend upon their immediate social and physical surroundings, such as family drinking patterns and alcohol availability, as well as their drinking habits.

ALCOHOL USE AND MISUSE

Most people who drink alcohol do so without negative consequences. Others may actually obtain a health benefit from its use. Some, however, drink in ways that place themselves or others at risk for experiencing alcohol-related problems. While no pattern of alcohol use is without risk, certain drinking patterns may help reduce risk significantly.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, issued jointly by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, define moderate drinking as no more than two standard drinks per day for men, and no more than one per day for women and people sixty-five years of age and older. A standard drink is 0.5 ounces of alcohol, equivalent to 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits. These guidelines suggest that moderate or low alcohol use is linked to a reduced risk for the occurrence of negative alcohol consequences. For others, however, abstaining from all alcohol consumption is the safest thing to do. Groups who should avoid all alcohol use include pregnant women, children and adolescents, those planning to drive or participate in other activities requiring alertness, people who cannot maintain moderate alcohol use, and those who are using over-the-counter or prescription medicines that interact with alcohol.

Another way to understand drinking problems is to examine definitions of alcohol misuse. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines alcohol misuse as alcohol use that places people at risk for problems, including “at-risk use,” “clinical alcohol abuse,” and “dependence.” At-risk alcohol use is the consumption of alcohol in a way that is not consistent with legal or medical guidelines, and it is likely to present risks of acute or chronic health or social problems for the user or others. Examples include underage drinking; drinking by individuals with a family history of alcoholism or problem drinking; or drinking if one has a medical condition that could be worsened by drinking, such as a stomach ulcer or liver disease. Clinical alcohol abuse is a more serious type of misuse that results in one or more recurrent, adverse consequences, such as failure to fulfill important obligations or the repeated use of alcohol in physically dangerous situations. Alcohol dependence is the most severe type of alcohol misuse and involves a chronic disorder characterized by three or more symptoms within a twelve-month period. These symptoms include alcohol tolerance, withdrawal, loss of control, and continued use despite knowledge of having a physical or psychological problem.

Negative consequences resulting from alcohol use are estimated to affect more than 10 percent of the U.S. population, with many of these individuals going undetected. A number of brief screening tools are available to help detect possible alcohol problems. One of the most widely used among these is the four-item CAGE questionnaire, which derives its name from the following four self-administrated questions:

1. Have you ever felt you should Cut down on your drinking?

2. Have people Annoyed you by criticizing your drinking?

3. Have you ever felt bad or Guilty about your drinking?

4. Have you ever had a drink first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or to get rid of a hangover (Eye-opener)?

Answering “yes” to as few as one or two items on the CAGE questionnaire may indicate a drinking problem.

PREVALENCE

In the United States, 44 percent of adults eighteen years of age and older are current drinkers, consuming at least twelve drinks in the last year. Meanwhile, 7.4 percent, or approximately 14 million Americans, experience alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence. Heavy episodic or binge drinking has remained at the same approximate level of 16 percent for all adults since 1988, with the highest rate, 32 percent, among young adults ages eighteen to twenty-five. Over one-half of adults report having a close family member who has experienced alcoholism.

As few as 5 percent of the heaviest drinkers consume as much as 42 percent of the alcohol drunk in the United States, and 20 percent of drinkers account for nearly 90 percent of the alcohol consumed. The bulk of the alcohol drunk in the United States, therefore, is consumed by a relatively small population of very heavy drinkers.

Alcohol is also the drug most frequently used by children and adolescents. In 1999, over half (52%) of eighth graders (14-year-olds) and 80 percent of twelfth graders (18-year-olds) reported having used alcohol at least once. More problematic drinking occurs in 15 percent of eighth graders and 31 percent of twelfth graders, who reported binge drinking (consuming five or more drinks in a row) in the previous two weeks. Of American high school adolescents, over half (51%) currently drink alcohol. In 1999, one in three high school students reported heavy episodic drinking of five or more drinks on at least one occasion during the previous thirty days. The prevalence of heavy drinking commonly increases through adolescence into early adulthood.

HEALTH OUTCOMES

Alcohol use has health and social consequences for those who drink, for those around them, and for the nation as a whole. Approximately 100,000 deaths each year are attributed to alcohol use, making it the third leading cause of preventable mortality in the United States. Worldwide, 750,000 deaths are attributed to alcohol use each year. Alcohol-related deaths occur from cancer, cirrhosis of the liver, pancreatitis, motor-vehicle crashes, falls, drowning, suicide, and homicide. Alcohol affects nearly every system in the body, and contributes to a range of medical problems, including altered immune system functioning, bone disease, hypertension, stroke, cardiovascular disease, reduced cognitive functioning, fetal abnormalities, traumatic injury, depression, gastrointestinal disorders, and cancers of the neck, head, stomach, pancreas, colon, breast, and prostate. Alcohol also produces significant social problems, including domestic violence, child abuse, marital and family disruption, violent crime, motor-vehicle crashes, worksite productivity losses, absenteeism, and lowered school achievement. The estimated cost of alcohol misuse in the United States in 1998 was nearly $185 billion.

Young people are particularly vulnerable to acute alcohol effects due to their lower tolerance to alcohol, their lack of experience with drinking, and drinking patterns that often include heavy episodic drinking in high-risk situations, such as during driving and sexual encounters. Leading causes of mortality and morbidity among youths include alcohol-related motor-vehicle injuries, homicide, and suicide. Alcohol use among young people is associated with reduced scholastic achievement, increased delinquency, and the development of psychiatric problems later in life. Alcohol has also been found to precede other illicit drug use, thereby serving as a “gateway” to other drug consumption, including marijuana and cocaine use.

Women and the elderly are also at greater risk for experiencing alcohol harm because of their lower levels of body water, meaning that smaller amounts of alcohol result in higher levels of intoxication than in younger men. Drinking during pregnancy has been linked to higher rates of miscarriage, stillbirth, and premature births, and fetal alcohol syndrome—a set of birth defects caused by maternal consumption of alcohol during pregnancy. For the elderly, drinking even modest amounts of alcohol may cause considerable problems due to chronic illness, interactions with medications, and grief and loneliness from the death of loved ones.

At the same time, moderate to low levels of alcohol consumption have been linked to a lower risk for heart disease and stroke. These positive effects appear to be confined primarily, however, to middle-aged and older individuals in industrialized countries with high rates of cardiovascular diseases. Individuals and populations must weigh the risks and benefits of drinking to themselves and others, including such factors as the situations under which drinking is to take place and the amount likely to be consumed, to determine the net results of drinking.

SOLUTIONS

The burden of alcohol misuse is measured in a number of ways, including the prevalence and incidence of deaths, injuries, and illnesses attributed to alcohol; hospitalization rates; potential years of life lost to alcohol misuse; and quality of life indicators. Vast resources are expended each year in the United States to address the health and social problems resulting from alcohol misuse. Because no single solution can reduce all alcohol-related harm to individuals and populations, a comprehensive approach using a range of strategies that address the multiple causes and dimensions of alcohol problems is needed. These strategies should include educational approaches—such as public health education and awareness programs, including school, family, and community-based prevention programs; environmental approaches—such as controls on the price and availability of alcohol, minimum age for purchase of alcohol, legislative measures to curb driving under the influence of alcohol, and restrictions on the promotion, marketing, and advertising of alcohol; and health care efforts—such as primary health care screening, advice by health care providers, preventive services, and effective treatment using psychological and

pharmacological approaches.

Dr.Kedar B. Karki

New Hope Rehabilitation Center Satdobato Lalitpur

drkarki_kedar@yahoo.com

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Addiction to pain killers is an escalating problem today, especially the abuse of opioid pain killers. There are a number of effective treatment options to treat pain killer addiction to prescription opioids and to help manage the sometimes severe withdrawal symptoms that can accompany sudden stopping of pain killers or drugs. Less common side effects and adverse reactions of pain killers are: confusion, hallucinations, delirium, hives, itching, hypothermia, bradycardia (slow heart rate), tachycardia (rapid heart rate), raised intracranial pressure, ureteric or biliary spasm, muscle rigidity and flushing.

More than 10% of high school seniors have started taking Vicodin for reasons other than reducing pain. When you’re addicted physically to a drug, like pain killers or alcohol, etc., it’s because you’ve suppressed or shut down your body’s production of endorphins, which are natural opiate pain killers; when this happens you start craving the drug that you replaced the endorphins with whether it’s alcohol, any of a number of drugs or pain killers. Opioids used as the doctor has prescribed are supposedly not dangerous according to some well-established medical groups; but if this is the case, why are so many people addicted to them?

If you think you are addicted and want to get off pain killers or other drugs, it’s best to get detoxified as fast as you can and then go through some type of rehabilitation; it’s important to have others to lean on and learn from and offer support to you. Pain killer addiction includes: opiate dependency, opiate addiction, narcotic dependency, narcotic addiction, and pain killer dependency or painkiller dependency. Addiction is both a biological and psychological condition.

Chronic pain affects one out of three or four adults; millions of people suffer from severe disabling pain. 2.2 million people aged 12 and up first abused painkillers within the past year; this is more than the number of people who started using marijuana and has overtaken the use of cocaine. There are many side effects and adverse reactions that can occur with the use of opioids as pain killers.

Find out from your local health professionals where the closest and best pain killer addiction treatment centers are. Taking the time to spend in a treatment center, detoxing, is of the utmost priority. All other demands of children, a job, school, or any other responsibilities may make inpatient treatment seem like an intrusion but it’s not.

If you can’t do an in-patient rehab, find out how you can do outpatient rehab and pay for it under your insurance plan; check your insurance policy to see if it’s covered. If you don’t have insurance, check with your local mental health agencies to see what is available that’s free. There are many pain killer addiction treatment facilities located throughout the United States, Canada and the rest of the world.

The body’s natural pain killers, endorphins, have been replaced by these pain killing drugs; get them flowing again with lots of laughter. Knowing some of these facts and understanding endorphin production will help get you on the road to pain killer addiction recovery fast; start working on it today and hopefully you’ll notice changes tomorrow. The many problems that are associated with pain killer addiction and abuse have experts, doctors and authorities searching for solutions.

Cannabis addiction, like any other addiction, causes changes in a person’s behavior. Majority of the people who become addicted to cannabis have issues of depression and low self-esteem. By smoking cannabis, they feel more uninhibited and their moods are also improved. Because of the wonderful feelings associated with smoking cannabis, these people end up addicted to it.

Becoming addicted to cannabis can also be as destructive as other addictions. When the effects of the herb wears off, the person experiences this uncontrollable urge to smoke pot again to regain the lost feeling. Soon, you will feel like you are unable to accomplish anything if you are not under the cannabis’ influence. You will begin having mood swings, feeling euphoric one moment and depressed the next. Aside from these, cannabis addicts also display behavior like disappearing for hours, lying about where they have been and stealing money to buy cannabis.

Treating cannabis addiction requires intervention. In most cases, a family member or a close friend would be the one who will arrange for the person to go to rehabilitation centers. It is very seldom that these cannabis addicts would volunteer to undergo treatment. At the rehabilitation center, cannabis addiction is treated thru counseling and medication, if necessary. The withdrawal stage is the most difficult part since it is the time when your body returns to its normal functions.

People who have completed treatment in rehabilitation centers for cannabis addiction are most likely to relapse because their personality shows a weakness to the herbal substance. Unless the behavior is changed, you can expect most of these people to pick up the cannabis addiction once again as soon as they get out of rehab.

If you have a friend who is visibly becoming addicted to cannabis, you could try hypnotherapy before resorting to rehab centers. There have been evidences that hypnotherapy is effective in treating addiction, fears and phobias by targeting the subconscious.

All of them effect serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine, the primary “mood” neurotransmitters, in similar ways.  But ironically, the ‘slower onset’, but longer half life man made antidepressants present more dangers in some ways than the ‘street’ variants that typically have stronger onset and shorter halflifes.  By staying in your system ‘round the clock’, the chemical ‘denial’ and hallucinogenic and awareness suppressing properties of SSRI medications prevent the user from ever becoming ‘lucid’ as occurs when a street drug wears off.  In layman’s terms we think of ‘coming down’ from street drugs or alcohol as a ‘hangover’ or a ‘crash’.  But what that really means is that the drug is exiting the system and your natural neurotransmitter balance is reasserting yourself so that you see reality clearly. 

The reason so many sometimes bizarre, strange and sometimes tragic horror stories are happening with long term antidepressant use is because the patient never has a chance to become lucid.  Patients are put on these medications sometimes for years and once you are on them, you lose the ability to use proper judgment if you start to do or act in ways you would not otherwise approve of if you were off the drugs and in your ‘right mind’.  Just some of the reported experiences that people on antidepressants have gone through include the following:

A woman who had always been a conservative, faithful mother and wife found herself shortly after being put on antidepressants to become involved in numerous sexual dalliances with neighbors and co-workers.  Over a series of months she became a greater and greater ‘risk taker’ and finally was caught and threatened with divorce by her husband.  Even with the destruction of her marriage and her family she continued to display lapses in judgment and ‘didn’t care’ that she was ruining everything she had built over many years with her husband and children.  Then, after over a year on antidepressants she was taken off by her doctor and proceeded to have an emotional meltdown when she became ‘lucid’ and her guilt and normal emotions returned to her after being slowly removed from the antidepressants. 

She went back to her ‘before’ antidepressants conservatism and now was racked with guilt and confusion as to how she could ever have acted and done the things she did while on them.  This experience mirrors what many have found when put on antidepressants, some of which have ended in absolute tragedy.  There have been numerous reports that many of the ‘child killers’ such as the columbine duo and others had their ‘inhibitions’ drugged away and their ‘guilt’ chemically removed by being on antidepressants. 

Without these human emotions, the natural anger or hostility that might usually have caused them to be reflective and think about the causes of the bad feelings were instead unleashed in violent ways, killing their classmates.  Few know that the killers in Columbine were on multiple antidepressant SSRI medications WHILE they went on their rampage.  One has to wonder if they had not been on them and had had their natural emotional intact if such a tragedy would have occurred.  There are many more horror stories of what the long term effects of antidepressants can do.  Be sure to check out www.sedatednation.com to read more about the dangers of SSRI’s and learn how to deal with depression and anxiety without drugs.

There are many side effects and adverse reactions that can occur with the use of opioids as pain killers. 2.2 million people aged 12 and up first abused painkillers within the past year; this is more than the number of people who started using marijuana and has overtaken the use of cocaine. More than 415,000 people received treatment for pain killer abuse or addiction this past year.

Many chronic pain patients may be under-treated as a result of doctors who are trying to gain control over pain killer addiction, they report. Less common side effects and adverse reactions of pain killers are: confusion, hallucinations, delirium, hives, itching, hypothermia, bradycardia (slow heart rate), tachycardia (rapid heart rate), raised intracranial pressure, ureteric or biliary spasm, muscle rigidity and flushing. There are a number of effective treatment options to treat pain killer addiction to prescription opioids and to help manage the sometimes severe withdrawal symptoms that can accompany sudden stopping of pain killers or drugs.

Although detoxification is not a treatment for pain killer addiction, it can help relieve withdrawal symptoms while the patient adjusts to being free of pain killers or other prescription drugs. Many other drugs can interact with the opioids and cause a variety of symptoms; this can be fatal. Treatment options for pain killer addiction include: medications, such as methadone and LAAM (levo-alpha-acetyl-methadol), and behavioral counseling; usually, the patient is medically detoxified before any treatment approach is begun.

Pain killer addiction includes: opiate dependency, opiate addiction, narcotic dependency, narcotic addiction, and pain killer dependency or painkiller dependency. An opioid-dependent pain patient has improved function with the use of the drug while an opioid-addicted patient does not have improvement. If you are addicted to pain killers or other drugs or think you may be, you can start working to increase the body’s endorphin production naturally; some ways are laughing, touching, massage, acupuncture, acupressure, walking, anything that makes you feel good that’s natural.

Some insurance companies will pay for one or two weeks; some may pay for rehabilitation too. If you can’t do an in-patient rehab, find out how you can do outpatient rehab and pay for it under your insurance plan; check your insurance policy to see if it’s covered. If you don’t have insurance, check with your local mental health agencies to see what is available that’s free.

It’s important to go through rehab following your detox stay: make it a part of your plan of action. Many insurance plans do cover inpatient detox, check yours if you have insurance. All other demands of children, a job, school, or any other responsibilities may make inpatient treatment seem like an intrusion but it’s not.

Experts say that only a small segment of patients with a medical need for using narcotic pain medications ever become addicted. The many problems that are associated with pain killer addiction and abuse have experts, doctors and authorities searching for solutions. Do things that make you feel good as long as it’s natural.

For a modern analogy there is none better than a pay as you go mobile phone to explain how THC controls us…

When you have credit the mobile phone will function to its maximum potential. That is to say you can make local and international telephone calls, send text messages and even connect to the Internet. But the moment you run out of credit your phone no longer functions to its maximum potential. Of course, you can still use it to receive calls – you just can’t use all of its functions. To get it back to a fully functioning phone again you have to top it up with credit. This basic principle is what happens with THC in our bodies. When levels of THC run low (usually after a period of 1 or 2 days) it creates a psychological state similar to what smokers undergo when they haven’t had a cigarette for a while. Increasingly we become uptight and restless, until that is, we go to our dealer’s house and top-up with cannabis. Only after lighting up a joint or bong do we suddenly feel like our normal selves and a fully functioning human being again. But if cannabis is not readily available it ignites the fear we won’t be able to relax or enjoy the rest of the day or evening without it. In this respect cannabis is no different from any other form of drug addiction. When you run out what matters most is searching out a supplier. Eventually when you manage to get hold of some the sense of relief and relaxation upon inhaling it feels genuinely pleasurable. But the point is it isn’t genuine pleasure or relaxation at all. All we are really doing in fact is temporarily removing the tension that THC itself creates.

Before taking up cannabis the need to control how we feel, think and function with regular doses of a drug does not exist. It should be remembered that cannabis artificially creates that need to get back to feeling calm and relaxed again.

World renowned drugs like heroine, cocaine or marijuana costs too much and they are sometimes hard for a person to afford. People have to adopt other ways like stealing or any other illegal work to get the money for these drugs. Whereas, painkillers are easily available and at very low cost. Since painkiller is prescription drug, it can be found at any medical store. The only thing that a person needs while buying painkillers is a doctor’s prescription. It is not easy to get a doctor’s prescription easily, so the addicts consult a doctor complaining about their fake ailments so that the doctor can prescribe him or her with painkillers.

The addiction to painkillers has reached such a level now, that people search more for prescription drug rehab than heroine or cocaine rehabs. Since, painkillers are used for medicinal purpose, it cannot be banned. As a result, the addicts get their daily dosage whenever they want. A heroine or cocaine addict can be identified quiet easily by their abnormal behavior; whereas, it is very hard to identify a painkiller addict. If you suspect any of your friend or family member of taking painkillers, you have to observe them very carefully.

There are certain minute symptoms of painkiller addiction that can be observed, like nausea, sleeping for long period of time, excessive yawning, dry mouth, diarrhea, unstable behavior, forgetfulness etc. But, these problems can occur separately to any person. That doesn’t mean that he is addicted to painkillers. But if you find all these symptoms in a single person and almost everyday, then you can be sure about his or her addiction.

The patients who have been prescribed with painkillers must be under well observation. They must not be allowed to take overdose of the painkillers. They must not stop taking painkillers suddenly or increase or decrease the dosage without consulting a doctor.

The best and only way to get rid of this addiction is getting proper treatment from a well known rehabilitation center like the Luxury Drug Rehab. A reputed painkiller rehab can only provide all the facilities and conduct all the treatment procedures that are needed for an addict’s complete rehabilitation.

Practice of pharmaceutical drug abuse is increasing day by day. Proper measures must be taken by the family members of the person who has been prescribed with painkillers so that the person does not get addicted to it.