All you need to know About Alcohol

August 8, 2014

All you need to know About Alcohol – Drug Addiction

All you need to know about alcohol is based on how it affects you negatively. This knowledge will help you feel safe from all alcohol related complications.

Alcohol being the most abused substance the world over sends likeminded people thinking on the possible remedies to correct this uncalled for habit. We are living in a world where alcohol consumption is the order of the day despite the known risks involved. Have you ever thought of a society free from alcohol! If you haven’t then you need to start visualizing that in your mind. To help you get the clearer picture of how that society will be I want to propose for you something, an assignment you can do on your own at your convenient time. Take some time and visit a bar where revelers drink all kinds of alcoholic drinks, smoke all kinds of smoke-able substances kindly don’t drink or smoke while there, just observe sit and observe and record all that you see for a day or two. Then do the same thing in a restaurant where there is no sale of any alcoholic drinks or smoking. Go to that hotel where smoking and alcohol consumption is strictly prohibited and make the same observation recording what you see happening there.

After the observations analyze the findings and you will get the sharp contrast of the two, there will be peace and harmony where there is no smoking or drinking compared to that bar. Your findings may not miss fighting, recklessness, prostitution, sound pollution, theft, other substance abuse and many inhuman activities. That is the society we live in when alcohol consumption is the order of the day a complete contrast of the other side where there is harmony and i deal communication when alcohol consumption is not in the picture. With that brief understanding of alcohol we want to further on this discussion by finding out more about this substance. What is this substance called alcohol?

There are several ways of defining alcohol but for the purpose of this article we will say that “alcohol is a drug that slows down parts of your brain, consumption of alcohol can make you feel more relaxed at times and It can also make it harder for you to think clearly, make good decisions and do various tasks.” Alcohol is made by fermenting (and sometimes distilling) fruits, vegetables or grains. Alcohol itself is a clear liquid. The colour in beer, spritzers, wine and other alcoholic drinks comes from other ingredients and from the process of fermentation.

Who uses alcohol?

Most adults drink alcohol, and do so responsibly. But because alcohol is a drug, there may be risks if you drink any amount of alcohol. According to studies conducted in 2005 in Canada, about two-thirds (62%) of all Ontario students (grade 7—12) reported drinking at least once in the past year translating to about 603,400 students. One in 10 students (10%) drank alcohol once a week.

One in four male students (25%) and one in five females (20%) reported binge drinking (five or more drinks at one time) in the past month.
More than half of the alcohol consumed in Canada is beer, the most popular alcoholic drink followed by other liquor rum and vodka at 26 per cent and wine at 21 per cent.
Canadians spend about $12.4 billion a year on alcohol.
About 10 per cent of Canadians are dependent on alcohol at some time in their lives.

True or false

If a female and a male both have an average body type and weigh the same, drinking the same amount of alcohol will have the same effect on each of them. This is not true “males have more water in their bodies than females. This means the alcohol gets more diluted in males, and so a male will notice less effect than a female of the same body weight and body type who drank the same amount of alcohol.”
Coolers and regular strength beer contain the same amount of alcohol. This is not true either because “most 12 oz/341 mL coolers are 6.9 per cent alcohol, while a regular 12 oz/341 mL bottle of beer is five per cent alcohol meaning that there is nearly one-and-a-half times as much alcohol in a cooler as in a regular strength bottle of beer.”
Some people can drink a lot without seeming to get drunk. This is actually true in the sense that “a person who often drinks a lot may not look drunk because his or her body is used to the alcohol. But even if a person doesn’t look drunk after drinking, the alcohol still has an effect. The person still has too much alcohol in his or her blood to deal safely with risky situations, such as braking quickly while driving. You should never be a passenger in a car when the driver has been drinking. When possible, you should also try to stop the person from driving or getting into dangerous situations.”
Drinking coffee, working up a sweat, or having a cold shower will sober you up. Many people would want to believe this but it is not true “because it is only time which will make you sober. Your liver eliminates alcohol at a certain rate and nothing will change that rate. Your liver needs about 1.5 hours to eliminate one standard drink from your body.”

Alcohol and its effects

Is alcohol addictive? Yes, alcohol can be addictive. About one person in 20 who drinks is dependent on alcohol. People with an addiction may have difficulty stopping by themselves, even if they want to, and even if other negative effects (such as financial or other personal problems) begin to outweigh the positive effects. Alcohol dependence can also cause major problems with friends, family, school, work, emotional and mental health, the law and money!

What is a standard drink? Each of these drinks contains the same amount of alcohol (a “standard drink” or 13.6 grams of alcohol):

A 1.5 oz/43 mL shot of liquor (sometimes known as spirits; e.g., rye, rum, whisky, vodka).
A 3-oz/85 mL glass of fortified wine (e.g., sherry, port, vermouth)
A 12-oz/341 mL can or bottle of regular strength beer
A 5 oz/142 mL glass of table wine

Alcohol is found in different amounts in different kinds of drinks. For example:

Regular strength beer contains five per cent alcohol (some beers contain higher or lower percentages)
Table wine contains about 12 per cent alcohol
Fortified wine contains 16 to 18 per cent alcohol
Most liquor contains 40 per cent alcohol.

An average adult can discharge alcohol from the body mostly by passing urine about two-thirds of one standard drink per hour which is 10 grams of alcohol. If such a person consumes two standard drinks, it will take about three hours for his or her body to be free of alcohol again indicating that if you were to get drunk then it is only passage of time can make you sober again. We will continue discussing this topic in our subsequent articles but for now I want to draw your attention to the services of Dr. Dalal Akoury who is an addiction professional of several decades and the who founded AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center where she is offering her exclusive NER Recovery Treatment to other physicians and health care professionals through training, clinical apprenticeships, webinars and seminars. Your alcohol problems will be very safe in her care and you and any of your friends can now be a part of this truly successful and fast addiction recovery treatment.

All you need to know About Alcohol – Drug Addiction

Drug Addiction and Mental Illness

August 7, 2014

Drug Addiction and Mental Illness – Dual Diagnosis

Drug Addiction and Mental Illness put together will bring your life to a halt. Seek for help and get your life back, it is possible all is not lost for you.

Dual means two and so when we talk of dual diagnosis we refer to a term used to denote people with mental illness and at the same time suffers from drug addiction and alcohol. The combination of the two is very complex and administering treatment to persons suffering from both mental illness and drug addiction is difficult and more complicated compared to when both were to be treated separately. It is very worrying that people suffering from mental illness are also struggling with drug addiction concurrently. The environmental factors greatly influence how people get infected with these two health conditions. For instance people with low socioeconomic status, military veterans and those with multiple general medical illness tends to bear more risk of abusing drugs, alcohol and other stimulants. Dual diagnosis is so common this day’s that statistics indicate that one-third of all alcohol abusers and more than one-half of all drug abusers are also battling mental illness.

Drug Addiction and Mental Illness – Relationship between substance use and mental illness

The relationship between mental illness and substance abuse or dependency is complex and is often considered in the following ways:

Drugs and alcohol may be used for self-medication. In such cases, people with mental illness may have untreated or inadequately treated conditions (such as anxiety or depression) that may “feel less painful” when the person is high on drugs or alcohol. Unfortunately, while drugs and alcohol may feel good in the moment, abuse of these substances doesn’t treat the underlying condition and almost without exception makes it worse.
Drugs and alcohol can deteriorate the underlying mental illnesses. This can happen both during acute intoxication (e.g., a person with depression becomes suicidal in the context of drinking alcohol) and during withdrawal from a substance (e.g. a person with panic attacks experiences worsening symptoms during heroin withdrawal).
Drugs and alcohol can cause a person without mental illness to experience the onset of symptoms for the first time. For example, a twenty-year old college student who begins to hear threatening voices inside of his head and becomes paranoid that his chemistry professor is poisoning his food after smoking marijuana could represent a reaction to the drug (potentially called a “substance-induced psychosis”) or the first episode of psychosis for this individual.

Drug addiction and alcohol always results in a worse prognosis for a person with mental illness. People who are actively using drugs are less likely to follow through with the treatment plans they created with their healthcare providers they are not likely to follow their medication regimens and may not be consistent in keeping their appointments. If this continues over time it may lead to more psychiatric hospitalizations and other adverse outcomes. Active users are also less likely to receive adequate medical care for similar reasons and are more likely to experience severe medical complications and premature death. Drug addicts with mental illness are also at increased risk of impulsive and potentially violent acts. Perhaps most concerning is that people who abuse drugs and alcohol are more likely to both attempt suicide and to die from their suicide attempts. Individuals with mental illness and active substance or alcohol abuse are less likely to achieve lasting sobriety. The consequences of their addiction may be lead to severe complications like having legal problems with the authorities.

Drug Addiction and Mental Illness – Treatments for individuals with dual diagnosis

As indicated above treatment for dual diagnosis is very complicated and it will be very important to first address any life threatening complications due to intoxication. For instance the following conditions may require immediate medical care in the confinement of a health facility:

Extreme cases of alcohol intoxication may necessitate prompt medical treatment and can result in death if not arrested in good time.
Use of amphetamines, crack, cocaine and other drugs can result in heart complications like arrhythmias, heart attacks, stroke and even death.
Use of benzodiazepines (e.g. diazepam, clonazepam), opiates (e.g., oxycodone, oxycontin) and other downers can result in extreme sedation and potentially death in overdose.

Drug and alcohol withdrawal can lead to medical emergencies requiring immediate treatment. This can occur when a person who has been regularly using a particular substance has become addicted to that substance (the body has become physically dependent on the substance) and abruptly stops using. The following may necessitate immediate medical care in the hospital setting:

Alcohol withdrawal can result in heart problems (e.g., arrhythmias), seizures or delirium tremens (an acute delirious state), all which can be potentially fatal.
Benzodiazepine withdrawal can result in tremors (shakes), seizures and potentially death.
Under normal circumstances opiate withdrawal is not considered to be life-threatening but it can be a very traumatic and painful experience.

It is important that those struggling with drug addiction and alcohol seek help through processes like inpatient detoxification either by admission to a hospital or a detoxification facility where appropriate medications can be done to avoid serious complications of acute drug and alcohol withdrawal. Scientific studies has established that psychiatric treatments very effective in individuals who are not actively abusing drugs and alcohol and therefore total healing from substance abuse must be achieved and once this is done the underlying mental illness may be more successful. It is important to note that mental illness treatment is more effective when the patient is sober though it can still be done along detoxification process. There are many working options for recovering addicts to help them keep on the course and to avoid relapse on drugs and alcohol like rehabilitation centers or supportive housing besides these you may choose to return home to your friends and family who can be helpful in supporting you to continue the efforts. This can be critically important as a significant majority of people will relapse into drug and alcohol abuse at some point in their lives, even if they are eventually able to achieve long-lasting sobriety. I will further recommend seeing an addiction expert from time to time for evaluation. Doctor Dalal Akoury who founded AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center is an expert of more than two decades and has been helping people globally get well from their addiction problems in the most natural way. This is one experience am sure you do not want to miss and so when you visit this facility doctor Akoury together with her team of experts will focus on Neuroendocrine Restoration (NER) to reinstate normality through realization of the oneness of Spirit, Mind, and Body, Unifying the threesome into ONE.

Drug Addiction and Mental Illness – Dual Diagnosis

Obstacles of quitting Smoking

August 6, 2014

Obstacles of quitting Smoking – Things Not to do when helping a smoker to quit

there are so many obstacles for quitting smoking. it should be our collective responsibility to put this problem to manageable levels.

I believe that you are not hearing for the fast time the dangers of smoking cigarettes or any other drug. The human body has no association with smoke emanating from cigarettes and in fact it is not just the smokers who are at risk of contracting smoking related health condition but research has established that even the secondary smokers find themselves with all the smoking related health complication just in the same way as full addicts. How then do we help our people who have subjected their lives in to drug addiction and in this case we are looking into smocking.

Obstacles of quitting Smoking – Helping smokers quit

It may not concern you that your friend is smoking and you’re not, you may hate to be near smokers because of the strong smell emanating from them due to the substances they smoke. This attitude may be justified due to secondary infections however this is not the best way to go about it. This should be a concern of everyone you and I included. We must do all we can to encourage smokers to stop and quit this habit completely.

The benefits of having a smoking free society is healthy for everyone and we must be persuaded to collective and individually do what we can. Therefore for you to be of help to your smoking loved one or any other person quit their habit, it is very important that you get to know what applications will work and those that may not work. This piece of information is very necessary as it will help you face the smoking obstacles when you finally begin the journey of being an instrument of bringing change in our smoking society and so if you have tried all you can to influence your target from smoking or this will has just crossed your mind and you are considering giving it a try, you must ensure that you take all the precautionary measures so that you do not end up falling prey to the effects of smoking as a result of secondary smoking. Your target is to win the mind of your friend into seeing the benefits of quitting smoking. Smoking causes serious damage to almost every single organ in the human body, so it can’t be good not now or ever. It may interest you to know that much as you may hate smoking those whom you’re trying to encourage to quit smoking may not share the same opinion with you and they may be doing the exact opposite which is loving what they do (smoking).

Obstacles of quitting Smoking – Hazardous Nicotine

Nicotine and all the associated habits that come along with smoking like holding, inhaling and reaching for cigarettes throughout the day are physically and emotionally addictive to smokers. Research has established that smoking is a killer the world over. Many people are losing their lives because of smoking and the statistics is worrying. In US for example about 393,000 lives are lost annually from smoking related illness. This is therefore a motivation for you and I to ensure that this figures come down by changing our attitude towards those who smoke, we must desire to love them and not hate them even if we hate their actions. It cost you nothing trying to bring help a smoker quit their habits and so if you haven’t been able to get that smoker in your life to quit, it’s important to keep trying again and again, even if you become a bother to them persist on you may become bad in their site but don’t let this discourage you because there is great benefit when you finally win and they quit entirely.

Obstacles of quitting Smoking – What not to do in helping a smoker quit

Love is a very powerful element is unlocking this smoking problem. It’s said that love and kindness is the language that the blind can see and the deaf can hear. Loving someone who’s tried repeatedly to quit but failed each time they try is very important. These people need to be cared for and letting them know that someone is there for them despite their struggle with smoking will encourage them not to give up. Words of encouragements are very necessary and you must avoid negative remarks like “I give up! You’re never going to quit!” these are very weighty statements and can impact negatively to the smoker they may wonder whether quitting smoking is possible or worth the effort they are putting. Nonetheless words of encouragement like “I’m not giving up on you and will be with you on this journey to the end of it” are useful statements which will remain in their minds for a long time and positively influences your loved one’s decision to stay the course.

Giving up on methods that aren’t working is a good idea, though. With smoking, it may be the “same approach, different day” or even “different day, different approach,” because it’s hard to know when something just might click and connect with a smoker’s desire to quit. It is therefore important that you keep trying and showing concern while you figure out what definitely isn’t working or what’s driving them to smoke more. Doing this on your own may be overwhelming at times and so you may need the guidance of a professional from time to time. At AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center you will meet addiction professionals who will help you in your effort of quitting smoking in the most natural way. This facility was founded by Doctor Dalal Akoury who has been in this line of treatment for over the last two decades making her to be very experience to handle your smoking problems in a much more dignified way. While at this facility, doctor Akoury together with her team of experts will work round the clock to ensure that your smoking problem is no more. They will attend to you in many ways among them will be by focusing on Neuroendocrine Restoration (NER) to reinstate normality through realization of the oneness of Spirit, Mind, and Body, Unifying the threesome into ONE and your life will never be the same again.

Obstacles of quitting Smoking – Things Not to do when helping a smoker to quit

Alcohol Abuse Kills

August 4, 2014

Alcohol Abuse Kills — Let’s Discuss the Magnitude

Alcohol is a killer drug it is very addictive and destructive to its users irrespective of the age and genda

If we say that alcohol is friendly and does not kill we are cheating ourselves and the society we live in. it is true that alcohol is legally allowed for human consumption and if you consume it moderately you may not find yourself in the wrong side of the law and still live a happy life. However this is not just a drug but a lethal one not just to the direct consumer but even to the people around the direct user. According to the World Health organization, alcohol is killing more than 3 million people globally each year translating to one person every 10 seconds. Does that one scare you? The picture illustrated by these statistics is that more than the population of people losing their lives due to AIDS, tuberculosis, and violence put together die as a result of alcohol. It must be made clear that these statistics includes alcohol-related driving fatalities, violence, and health issues arising from excessive alcohol consumption.

Because alcohol is legal in most countries, and because especially in the US and western culture in general it is promoted in advertising and glamorized in film, its dangers are often minimized or disregarded by young people, and the warnings about problem-drinking and its consequences are viewed as the admonitions of uptight grownups. Unfortunately, the facts support the admonitions.

So, how can alcohol kill you? Here are a few ways it can and does end lives:

Drunk driving accounted for ten thousand deaths in 2010 that was over thirty percent of all traffic fatalities. For how long will we be losing lives because somebody is sitting on their jobs, the authority, the drivers, passengers and the other general public must work and pool together to reduce deaths on our roads.
It is estimated that an acute alcohol poisoning kills over one thousand people each year.
The available findings from a study done about some years ago indicated that sixteen thousand people died in 2010 from alcohol-induced liver disease.
Over fifty percent of people who die in fires have high blood-alcohol levels.
One quarter of all emergency room admissions, one-third of all suicides and more than half of all homicides and incidents of domestic violence are alcohol related.
Unintentional injuries related to alcohol consumption cause over eighteen hundred deaths each year among college students.
Health problems, including increased likelihood of stroke, diabetes, cirrhosis of the liver, esophageal cancer, and compromised immune system can lead, if untreated, to premature death.
Alcohol in combination with other drugs, especially pain medications, tranquilizers, and sleep medications, can cause death by slowing down respiration as well as by causing the aspiration of vomit.

The simple fact among many risks involved to those taking alcohol in large quantities is that alcohol impairs judgment, cognition, inhibitions regarding excessive risk-taking and acting out of aggressive tendencies, and other faculties that reduce the likelihood of accident or death. If alcohol consumption becomes regular, increases over time, or increases in amount, or if consequences of drinking are accumulating, treatment is indicated, because yes, alcohol can kill you.

If you are an addict to alcohol you may not be able to completely understand what we are discussing in this article because to you alcohol is all you know as the solutions to your problems however much as we may agree with you that for a while alcohol may make you forget your problem or stressing issues the truth of the matter is that as soon as the alcohol content is brought down to a manageable level and sobriety sets in you will get back to your frustrating condition which you were trying to escape from.

Alcohol Abuse Kills — The liver

The liver is the organ that takes toxins out of our blood and converts
them to a non-toxic substance that the body can easily dispose of. The liver takes alcohol, and using the liver cell enzymes, will convert it into
acetaldehyde, then to acetate, and then to CO2 and water.

Some who over-consumes alcohol in a very short period of time doesn’t
give the liver cells a chance to make enough enzymes needed to convert it and when left unconverted completely, it can cause it to become Toxic to the liver cells.

People who consume alcohol over long time periods can develop fat inside
the liver which causes pressure there and can damage the liver cells.

Taking alcohol with medications can cause an interaction to occur between
then that can instantly damage the liver cells. {Example: Alcohol taken
with acetaminophen]

Some people are more sensitive to alcohol and some are even allergic to it.
Just like someone taking any kind of drug…it can cause a serious problem
to occur in people immediately or over a long period of time or not at all.
Each person is different.

The real sign that the liver is not able to handle the amount of alcohol is
becoming drunk. The alcohol is one of the substances that can go pass
the blood brain barrier (that protects the brain) and cause mental changes
to take place. In simple understanding alcohol kills and you must run away from alcohol as you can by seeking help from the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under Doctor Akoury’s care. At this facility you will walk in with your alcohol problem heavy on your shoulder and leave that burden with them as the experts. Doctor Akoury together with her team of experts will focus on Neuroendocrine Restoration (NER) to reinstate normality through realization of the oneness of Spirit, Mind, and Body, Unifying the threesome into ONE

Alcohol Abuse Kills — Let’s Discuss the Magnitude

Supplements To Aid You In Recovery From Addiction And Remain Healthy

August 3, 2014

Supplements To Aid You In Recovery From Addiction And Remain Healthy

What are supplements?

addiction supplements Supplements are substances that are considered vital in the body but they are currently insufficient or unavailable hence need to add them to the body. These substances are intended to cure a given disease or condition naturally by providing the body with the ingredients that it requires in fighting the disease or condition. In this article, we will look at some critical supplements which enable the body to fight addiction and heal from the damage cause by the addiction.

DL-Phenylalanine (DLPA): DL-Phenylalanine (DLPA): this is an essential amino acid which our bodies cannot produce and thus they must come from our diets of from DL-supplement. It is a depression fighting mixture made from two forms of amino acid, phenylalanine. One of its components, L-Portion has dopamine and nor-epinephrine which are essential in bolstering of moods. The D-portions of the compound is made in the labs and it appears to block the nervous system enzyme which amplifies the pain signal. This is why this supplement can be useful in the treatment of pain and mild depression. DPLA has been proven to be able to improve the mental awareness.it can also increase endorphin and encephalin levels by inhibiting the enzyme enkephalinase that breaks them down.
L-Tyrosine: This is another important amino acid which is used in the synthesis of structural proteins. Tyrosine is manufactured from another amino acid called phenylalanine. One of the reasons why tyrosine is considered to be among the most important amino acids is because it is used in the production of neurotransmitter. Some scientists have also argued that tyrosine directly affects the brain. This amino acid is also known to be responsible as a pigment imparting agent for the human skin.

Where can we get this amino acid from? Tyrosine is readily available in foods such as dairy products, meat, eggs, fish and oats. Apart from the dietary source the amino acid can be found as a supplement especially for people who cannot get it directly from the foods.

The health advantage of tyrosine is that it has been proven to reduce depression, mood disorders, among other diseases. Tyrosine also is used by the body to create chemical messengers which paly role in the alertness of an individual. Tyrosine also works to increase the production of enkephalins, which are peptides which have potent painkilling effects and also
protects falling dopamine levels.

L-Glycine: this is an amino acid which is not considered essential since the body can naturally manufacture its own L-glycine. Apart from this fact, they can be found in the diets that we take every day. These amino acids are important in a number of ways. They have been confirmed to have anti-inflammatory effects and also they encourage the production of neurotransmitter which is an essential substance in the brain for sending and receiving signals. It has also been successfully used to treat depression and prevention of epileptic seizure.

L-glycine is also known to have soothing effect in the brain and thus it can be used to bring calmness in the brain, and effect that can be harnessed for medicinal value. It also assists in endorphin and enkephalin synthesis.

L-Methionine: this is an amino acid which is used to prevent liver damages in acetaminophen poisoning. Methionine helps the liver to detoxify drugs and is also required for the production of enkephalins. It is found in foods but can also be given as a supplement. It plays many critical functions in the cells to avoid liver damage.

L-Tryptophan: this is an essential amino acid found in the human body. The body cannot manufacture it, and therefore it must be taken with our diets. It is an important amino acid in the development and functioning of many organs in the body. Once it is absorbed into the body from food, L-tryptophan is converted into 5-HTP and then to Serotonin. Serotonin is an important hormone which is the medium of communication in the nerve system. Do not take tryptophan at the same time as SSRI antidepressants.

Vitamins and Minerals: These are nutrients that we should take in our daily meals. Vitamins and minerals are supported in their own right but also essential cofactors for the above amino acid remedies.

Magnesium: this is a nutrient which is very important in our bodies, since it is used in hundreds of biochemical reactions, a factor which makes it crucial for health. Magnesium is calming and nourishing to the nervous system, slightly painkilling, assists regeneration throughout the system and liver detoxification.

B-Complex: These are vitamins (The eight B vitamins). They are important in our bodies, since they keep our bodies run like a well-oiled machine. High doses of B complex are protective and regenerative to the nervous system. These vitamins can be gotten from diets like cerials, green leavy vegetables, eggs, chicken, citrus fruits just to mention a few. In case you cannot get these vitamins from the diet, you can also get them as supplement, by taking B Complex supplements. Deficiency in these vitamins can result to symptoms such as anemia, tiredness, depression among others.

Supplements To Aid You In Recovery From Addiction And Remain Healthy

Category Archives: addiction