Category Archives: addiction

PAIN AND ADDICTION: COMMON THREADS

July 22, 2014

Pain is a complex disease whose treatment needs to be keenly addressed. There are variety of medication options which treat pain and from which the patient can choose from. When the pain being experienced by the patient results to be chronic, this becomes a concern which is common with chronic pain patients

Is there any relation between pain and addiction?

pain and addictionWe can actually argue that there is a relationship between pain and addiction. Where does this relationship originate? The relationship of addiction and pain result from the choice that the chronic pain patient chooses when trying to treat this pain. While some methods are proven to cure pain without leaving behind addiction to the patient, some of the medications for pain (Especially prescription drugs like opioids) are known to cause addiction especially when abused. The addiction of such drugs results from their ability to cure pain. These drugs are administered to the patient and initially they tend to treat pain. Over time the body tends to be resistant to these drugs and hence they must be taken with higher frequency and sometimes in higher quantity. If such a drug continues to be taken, it eventually reaches a point when the patient cannot do without it, since the pain temporarily stops when the drug is taken and returns after a short while. This forces the person to be a regular taker of the drug, not necessarily willing but forced by pain experienced. This is the point at which we consider the person to be an addict of the pain killing drug.

Addiction and pain related terminologies

There are terminologies which are related to pain and addiction which results from pain medication. These terms are described below:-

  • Dependence – this refers the situation which results when the patient is exposed to a given medication for an extended period of time. If the medication for example was indented to treat pain, at this stage the person will be living by the medication, which means the pain will only stop when the person takes the medication. This patient is considered to be dependent on the medication and without which the patient will suffer pains. This condition may look like addiction but actually it isn’t.
  • Tolerance – this is yet another term related to pain and addiction. This condition develops over time, and necessitates having to use more of the medication to receive the same effect. This condition is reached when the patient’s body has gotten used to the pain killing medication and the small medication which used to kill the pain no longer has that ability over the body to treat the pain and thus the dose has to be increased to achieve the desired effect (treatment). This condition also should not be seen as addiction because actually it isn’t.
  • Withdrawal – this refers to the symptoms that occur if the medication is suddenly stopped. This is because the cell receptors throughout the body that are used to medication are without it. This is normally the case when the patient is taking significant amounts of opioids and suddenly stops taking them. These symptoms may be severe and even make the patient feel sicker than before. This sometimes may make the patient want to keep on taking them since it is better when taking them than when withdrawn. Some of these symptoms may come in the form of:- tremor, diarrhea, sweating, nausea, vomiting, gastric upset, stress, depression etc. This condition if not given a close look may seem to look like addiction to a given substance, but in the actual sense it isn’t. Withdrawal is though closely related to addiction and sometimes it may be very difficult to differentiate between them. This makes the withdrawal effects to be termed as addiction in most cases.
  • Addiction – this is a situation of psychological need to have a drug or behavior. Some of the common addiction types are the addiction from drugs, internet, eating, shopping, gambling etc. this is the biggest of all the others we have mentioned above (Tolerance, withdrawal and dependence). When a person is addicted by a pain killing drug like opioids, the patient may develop dependence and tolerance to the drug and incase he/she tries to stop taking the drug suddenly, there may be withdrawal which you must go through. This is a both psychological and emotional effect of not having the pain killing drug, which in this case is very difficult for the addict to stop.

pain and addiction

it is very advisable that, if you feel you are being addicted to the pain killing drug that you have been using in the past, be honest to your doctor and speak with your doctor about it. This will ensure that the doctor evaluates your condition in time and consequently help you out by changing the medication while it is not too late.

What causes opioid addiction?

Opioids are prescription medication which is used to treat pain. Sometimes the patient may not use the medication as directed by the physician. This is one of the leading causes of addiction since opioids aree highly addictive. When it becomes an habit for the patient to use opioids, this definitely results into addiction.

Is there any relation between pain and addiction?

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Fear And Denial In Addiction Hinders Recovery

July 22, 2014

FEAR AND DENIAL IN ADDICTION RECOVERY

What is fear?

Fear is a state of a distressing emotion which is aroused by impending pain or perception of danger. The causes of this fear may be real or imaginary. Normally, when someone has fear he or she may go into a panic mode. Fear in most cases, is viewed as negative but in some cases it can be beneficial.

Fear and addiction

When people who are addicted have fear, they may remain trapped in addiction. The problem here may be caused by the perception that such people will have, for instance one may fear to leave drugs taking due to the fear of withdrawal effects. It is also likely that some people will fear to seek assistance on how they can recover from drug addiction of fear that they will be known as addicts of the drug. The people who have fear may imagine life without drugs is miserable and hence fear leaving the drugs.

fear and denial

Which are the common fear areas in the recovery?

The following are the common fear areas for people in the recovery process:-

  • The person may have fear that life will never be the same again- This in most cases refers to the early days of the recovery period when the person will have to withdraw from the drugs. The person may fear that life won’t be easy without taking the drug. This may make the person fail to commit to the recovery process.
  • The fear of failure – the process of recovery is always challenging. It will involve difficult times and one may find him/herself in relapse. The issue is not falling but do you accept to learn from your failure and build on it and target success? Many addicts will fear to fail. This makes even to try the recovery to give up in the process. This leads to relapse. It is advisable that you should not fear to fail, since it is through failing we learn how to succeed.
  • Fear to success – this is the flipside of fear to fail. This may not be a common scenario, but some people have a feeling that they don’t deserve success. This will hinder them from making efforts in the recovery process. The process of recovery requires is normally demanding and challenging. It therefore requires a lot of determination for one to succeed. If you have fear to success, definitely you cannot show determination.
  • Fear of rejection – some people fear to disclose that they are addicted with a given drug. The fear is that they may be judged by others or abandoned. This makes them not to admit that they have drug problem or reach out the others for support. With this fear, there can be no recovery. To overcome this problem you need to push yourself to work out a recovery program even when you don’t want. Try also to attend sober gatherings since they will help you in building confidence in your recovery program.
  • The fear that you may lose identity – many people fear that if they disclose they are addicts they may lose their identity by being seen as failures or outcasts. This actually should not be the case. You should not fear what people may say, since the important thing is not who you used to be but who you will be today and tomorrow. Actually the identity that you should be thinking about is who you used to be before you started taking the drugs and therefore try to regain the status.

fear and denial

  • The fear of lasting misery – the main fear that people have here is the fear of, “suppose I go through all this hard work and remain miserable?” here the patient needs to remain positive to the recovery process and not fear the possibility of misery not going.
  • The fear of sobriety – the patient becomes worried about the change in life from misery to sobriety. The person fears how the new life will look like, since getting sober means replacing mechanism e.g. drugs and alcohol with new ones. The person asks the questions like; will the sober life be boring? Will all the hard work that I will do be worthy it?

The person should be ready to face the challenges if any, even though there will be challenges. Challenges are part of life. If you stay stuck in this fear, you will remain in addiction.

DENIAL AND ADDICTION

What is denial?

Denial refers to the refusal of a person to admit the truth or reality.

How is denial related to addiction?

Denial and addiction could be said to be brothers since they move hand in hand. If a person doesn’t believe that substance abuse is a problem, there will be no likelihood of behavior change. This will be the case even if the destructive nature of the substance is obvious to everyone. Such people will not be able to quite the substance taking, and if they do it will be to please the other people it cannot last for long. For anybody to be able to succeed in the process of recovery, he/she must try first to do away with denial and learn to accept the facts about addiction.

FEAR AND DENIAL IN ADDICTION RECOVERY

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Moderate Drinking and the consequences attached

July 22, 2014

Moderate Drinking and the consequences attached: Drug Addiction

Moderate drinking

Moderate drinking is key to controlling addiction and a voiding life-threatening diseases resulting from alcohol addiction.

Drinking alcohol is one major cause of addiction and one which is proving difficult to quit despite knowledge of the consequences associated with it. In our desire to get rid of addiction from our societies we will be discussing moderate drinking as a step in the right direction toward achieving our objective. There is a very thin line between moderate drinking and how much should be taken within a given period of time. People who have been drinking for some time whether addicts or not will attest to the fact that they have had or witnessed some embarrassing situations in their lives while under the influence of alcohol instances like having humiliated themselves at their work stations or in a party somewhere, having hangover that ruined their plans, being met on the wrong side of the law while driving when they shouldn’t have and many other circumstances. When reality down on them the next day when the effect of their intoxication is settling they are always full of regrets and wishing to cut down on their drinking.

These are real life situations we are often faced with on a daily basis and while we are appreciating that not everyone is keen to cutting alcohol out of their lives, nor do they need to categorized alcohol users with some history of addiction or mental illness  like various diseases of the liver or pancreas, or who are pregnant or taking certain medications shouldn’t drink at all, however as for others, there is an elusive middle ground called moderation which brings us to the big question what is “moderate drinking” and how can it be accomplished? As big as the question is so is the boldness in certain decisions you may consider taking to get your drinking under control as illustrated here in.

Moderate Drinking and the consequences attached: Avoid the Pre-Party

Various studies has established that “pre-drinking” before a party or social event, is normally characterized with cheap alcohol which is taken hurriedly and in large quantities, almost doubles total alcohol consumption as well as negative outcomes such as hangovers, blackouts and unprotected sex. This practice is particularly common among adolescents and young adults who not legally allowed taking alcohol let alone buying alcohol drinks or being in such places where alcoholic beverages are sold. Nonetheless most alcohol consumers are known not to be stationery in one given join. This habit of changing drinking locations during the night out is a powerful ingredient of increased quantity of alcohol consumption and it works well in defeating the intentions of moderate drinking.

Moderate Drinking – Record keeping

The human brain and especially that of an alcohol consumer is likely to forget almost everything while drinking bringing in the need of taking notes and keeping records. This is a practice which has worked in other areas like in weight lose journal which is very helpful to people concern in sticking to their diet. Research has established that a drinking diary can help people get honest about their alcohol intake and identify problem areas. Counting drinks is very key irrespective of how you do it, whether on paper, a smartphone or with the help of a sober friend, this will help you remember the nasty truths of your drinking which you’d prefer addressing and hopefully avoid in the future.

With the records you will be able to identify your patterns and make a decision on an ideal number of drinks per day and per week and test your ability to stay within those limits. According to Dietary Guidelines for Americans they describes moderate drinking as up to one drink each day for women and two drinks each day for men and a standard drink is 12 ounces of beer, five ounces of wine or 1.5 ounces of hard liquor.

Always Have a Drink in Hand – as Long as it’s Non-Alcoholic

A number of challenging scenarios may arise when you’re socializing at a party, club or other event. Swapping alcoholic drinks for a non-alcoholic variety has two major benefits: If you’re drinking water, juice or soda, you’re likely not drinking as much booze. Also, with some type of beverage in hand, your choice to drink less (or not at all) will likely go unnoticed by friends who want a drinking companion.

Moderate Drinking – Slow Down

When out drinking whether alone or in company of friends it is worth noting that drinking too much too fast will defeat any efforts to moderate your drinking. It’s advisable to take time and only pace yourself by sipping rather than guzzling also do not participate in drinking games and purpose to be taking one drink per hour and if possible take even less than a drink in an hour and in between drinks take food and non-alcoholic drinks doing this helps you commit to moderate drinking.

Moderate Drinking and the consequences attached: Mind Your Drinking Cues.

If you track your drinking patterns long enough, you may discover certain trends. Maybe you always overdo it when a particular friend or family member is around or at a specific time of day such as when you get home from work. Or perhaps the nostalgia of a certain bar or club makes you vulnerable to bingeing, or you turn to alcohol every time you feel sad or angry. These patterns will clearly show you your triggers and with this information you may choose which people, places and things to avoid and find other activities to replace them.

Finally drinking in moderation has both risks and benefits, but drinking too much poses a clear threat to your health and well-being. Heavy drinking can cause:

  • Stroke
  • High blood pressure
  • Accidental injuries
  • Cirrhosis of the liver
  • Certain cancers among other problems

If you find yourself routinely drinking more than you planned, unable to quit or uninterested in anything but drinking, your problem may go beyond occasional overindulgence and cross into alcohol abuse or addiction. In this case, attempts at moderation will perpetuate a frustrating cycle until you seek appropriate treatment and support usually from addiction professionals like doctor Dalal Akoury who founded AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center an institution where care is given professionally to all addicts in the most natural way while focusing on Neuroendocrine Restoration (NER) to reinstate normality through realization of the oneness of Spirit, Mind, and Body, Unifying the threesome into ONE

Moderate Drinking and the consequences attached: Drug Addiction

 

 

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The nature and stages of Drug use

July 22, 2014

The nature and stages of drug use – Drug Addiction

Whatever the reason may be this young children must not suffer because of your choice to use drugs

The problem of substance abuse and drug addiction is such a big issue of concern to all the stakeholders. Everybody is looking at this problem will wonder as to where is the point of disconnect because it appears that all that needs to be done is not being done either by the authorities or the individual addicts. For instance who doesn’t know the consequences of drug use! Yet we are still seeing the number of people being addicted to drugs increasing. I believe that you are equally wondering what it is, that we are missing. We will be looking at certain factors relating to the nature of drug use in this article to unlock the riddle behind this great concern.

The nature of drug use

For us to have a better understanding why people use drugs it will be necessary that we look at some three identical factors explaining the nature of drug use. These factors include:

  • The individuals personality
  • The type of drug you take
  • The context of your drug use

These factors are related and can’t be disconnected. They influence your reasons for using a drug and the effects it will have on you. We need to understand that there are different levels of drug use with different types of problems. Users may move between the different levels of drug use, for example one may have started using drugs heavily but along the way stops and begins to recover from the effects of drugs use. But then again in the process of recovery they may relapse and return to the same old habit of drug use. It is important noting that it is not automatic that when using drugs then this behavior will definitely lead to drug abuse, this is not always the case because drug use is totally different from drug abuse. Now let us look at some of the stages of drug use as follows:

Experimental use

In the holy book the author begins with these words “in the beginning God …” and so in everything we do there must be the starting point. The same with drugs one must have started from somewhere. Normally young people will try using drugs for the first time as an experiment and this is what we call the experimental stage. In the desire of wanting to feel accepted and belong to certain category of friends they try drugs to have the feelings their friend have. This stage greatly depends on various factors like the accessibility of the drug, the kind of friends you keep and often the current trend or fashion. Because one is testing the feelings you may continue using drugs or may stop along the way once your curiosity is satisfied. However this type of drug use is very risky for young people because many of them are not aware of the dangerous effects of indulgence into drugs.

Recreational drug use

This is another stage of drugs use where users indulges into drugs for marry making and having fun periodically like weekly and especially during the weekends doing this regularly makes it becomes part of your social life. Users of this stage often feel that they are in full control over their drug use and so even if they consume more they do not feel that this can lead them into being addicted to the drugs they use. This type of drug use only applies to certain drugs and contexts, for example ecstasy and dance culture. Most people who take recreational drugs see it as a ‘normal’ activity in their social circle.

Dependent drug use

Drugs has way of containing their users, you may think that you are on top of everything but this may not be so using drugs over period of time heavily you may not be able to control your usage. When you reach this point where you can’t control we call this dependence or addiction which may either be physical or psychological. Where physical dependence means that your body systems craves for drugs and psychological dependence is when you feel that you cannot cope without the drug you are using. It is important to know that this level of drug use usually happens on your own or in a small group. As well as making you sick, it often causes emotional, psychological and social problems.

Abstainers

These are those individuals who have chosen not to use any kind of drugs completely or if they ever used then they have stopped and have not only used them for a very long time but does not ever want to use drugs again.

These are therefore some of the stages of drug use and having discussed them we are now left wondering actually why do people use drugs?

Why people take drugs

There are many reasons why people take drugs and here are some of the factor which can influence them:

  • Risk taking – people are drawn to risk taking differently. They may use drugs to fit in with their social group or to help them cope, for a sense of release or individual transformation, or for the thrill.
  • Predisposition – it may be because of your genetic or psychological characteristics meaning you are more likely to take drugs.
  • Experimentation – some people try drugs for the first time as an experiment and out of curiosity or because their friends are doing it. They want to explore to see how it affects them and talk about their experiences with their friends afterwards.

  • Gender and age – the age you are when you first try drugs can influence how you will go on to use them. For example, the younger you are when you start drinking alcohol, the more likely you are to try hard drugs later on. Young men are more likely to experiment with drugs than women. However, heavy drug use can cause more damage to young women.
  • Peer group – this can cause one into drugs in two different ways like the group of people you relate with can pressure you into taking drugs or you may choose to hung out with people who are into the same things as they are.
  • Availability – the easier it is to get drugs, the more likely you are to use them. This will also influence the type of drugs you use.
  • Family, social and environmental factors – people who live in a ‘deprived’ state, where the risk factors are high and the protective factors low, have a higher risk of using drugs. In terms of family, the important factor is how happy and stable your family life is, rather than whether you have two parents or not.

Finally dear reader drugs are not good for your health or anyone for that matter doctor Akoury the chief executive of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center founded this facility to help people with addiction related problem, if you are one she will be of great help and care for you in the most natural way to have your life back. Call on her and get the best because she will focus on Neuroendocrine Restoration (NER) to reinstate normality through realization of the oneness of Spirit, Mind, and Body, Unifying the threesome into ONE.

The nature and stages of drug use – Drug Addiction

 

 

 

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DRUG INDUCED LIVER DISEASE

July 21, 2014

The cases of liver diseases have recently recorded an acute rise. A recent study in
London found that hospital admission for liver disease as a result of
drinking has risen an alarming 112 percent in the past decade among
women under thirty. The question is, “why is it on a rise for women especially?” one of the possible reason and what the researchers have pointed out is the denial
about their drinking habits.

What Is Drug Induced Liver Disease?

This refers to the diseases of the liver, which unlike the naturally occurring ones, they are caused by drugs. These drugs can be prescribed medication, over the counter medication, vitamins, hormones, herbs, illicit drugs or environmental toxins.

Why is denial being associated with the increase in drug induced liver diseases in women?

Drug Induced Liver DiseaseBefore we answer this question, we need to understand the meaning of denial first. What is denial in relation to drugs/ addiction? Denial is a defense mechanism in which a person doesn’t want to admit to a problem. In this case for example, admitting to the problem of drug taking would force an individual to handle his/her drug addiction and this would have to make significant changes and admit wrongdoing.

Addiction to alcohol and related drug substances has been on a rise. Women have also been involved in drug taking (especially alcohol) in the recent past. Alcohol which is among the highly addictive drug substances is known to cause liver diseases. This addiction poses one to high chances of getting these diseases since the rates of consumption of alcohol rises. Admitting to addiction can be too difficult especially to women and hence seeking recovery assistance becomes paralyzed. In this respect, women will deny the fact that they are taking drugs which are usually followed by effects, one of which is drug-induced liver disease. This means the chances of women who are addicts of alcohol remaining in the situation are higher above those of men. This could be a good explanation of why many women are now reported to be admitted of liver drug induced diseases.

Which are the symptoms of liver disease?

Liver diseases will rarely have symptoms which are observable immediately after one has a liver disease. For patients with mild liver disease may have a few or no symptoms at all. For the case of patients with severe liver disease, symptoms develop which may or not be specific.

  • Non-specific symptoms – there are symptoms that even after seeing them depicted on a given person we cannot conclude that the person has a liver disease. These are the symptoms we term as non-specific symptoms since they can be seen in many other disorder or diseases. These non-specific symptoms may include:- Abdominal pains, loss of appetite, fatigue and weakness of the body.
  • Specific symptoms – this refers to symptoms which will specifically indicate that a person is a victim of liver disease. These symptoms may include;
    • Yellowing of the skin – this is normally as a result of the accumulation of bilirubin in the blood.
    • Itching associated with liver disease may be evident
    • Easy bruising may occur due to the decreased production of the blood clotting agents by the diseased liver.
    • Others may include:- fever, joint pains, sore muscles, nausea, vomiting etc.

Note that in severe case such as in advanced liver disease with cirrhosis can depict symptoms that are related to cirrhosis such as:-

  • Accumulation of fluid in the legs and abdomen. This is due to the increased pressure in the blood vessels that goes to the liver.
  • Another symptom that may occur is mental confusion or coma. This is from hepatic encephalopathy due to the increase in ammonia.
  • The patient of liver disease will be highly vulnerable to bacterial infections and gastrointestinal bleeding.

How is drug-induced liver disease diagnosed?

Drug Induced Liver DiseaseThe process of diagnosis of drug induced liver disease will always begin with examination of the complete history and physical wellbeing. On top of that examination, other diagnostic procedures will follow. These procedures inclue;

  • Specific blood testing in the lab such as:-

o   Study of liver functioning

o   Cellular blood count

o   Determination of bleeding times

o   Electrolyte tests

o   Chemical substances presence in the body tests

o   And finally drug screening tests.

  • Liver biopsy – this refers to the procedure in which blood samples are removed from the liver from the body for examination.
  • Ultrasound diagnostic methods – this involves use of a diagnostic imaging technique which uses high frequency sound waves to create images of internal organs in the body.

Is there treatment for liver disease?

Yes, liver disease is curable. The procedure of treatment will differ from one person to the other. The specific treatment for the patient of drug induced liver disease will be determined by the physician based on the following:-

  • The physician will enquire about your age, overall health and medical history.
  • Another concern will be your tolerance on specific medications
  • Expectations for the course of the disease will also be another factor to be considered.
  • Your opinion or preference may sometimes form part of things to be considered by the physician but this will in most cases be a rare case.

What Is Drug Induced Liver Disease?

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