Minors and College Drinking

July 21, 2014

Minors and College Drinking – Drug Addiction

We have a duty to protect our young people from living wasteful life in alcohol and drug addiction by pooling together for a better society.

By now if you have been with us on this link you must be aware that alcohol is widely available and aggressively marketed throughout society across the globe. It is the most frequently used and abused drug among youth in the United States and the world over compared to tobacco and other illicit drugs and although drinking by persons under the age of 21 is illegal, people as young as aged 12 to 20 consume about 11% of all alcohol consumed in the United States for example. The available statistics is worrying notwithstanding the consequences of early use of alcohol. We are experiencing lots of problems with minors drinking and records indicate that about 5000 young people below age 21 die as a result of underage drinking including some 1600 homicides, 1900 from motor vehicle accidents and other like suicide, burns and many others.

According to NCADD (National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence) an estimated 600000 college students are accidentally injured while under the influence of alcohol, 700000 are assaulted by their drunk colleagues and a further 100000 students are victims of alcohol-related sexual assault and date rape. Yet over 11,000 teens in the United States try using alcohol for the first time every day and more than four million drink alcohols in any given month. When I said that the statistic is worrying I believe you now understand the magnitude.

Minors and College Drinking – Why do young people drink alcohol

Parents are a worried lot if these statistics are anything to go by. The question I beg you to answer is “is your child enclosed in the bracket of these finding?” like their seniors young people also drink for various reasons however it is very difficult comprehending the feelings behind their reasons. For instance:

Some young people often drink to forget about the family problems or issues with school performance.
Loneliness, low self–esteem, depression, anxiety disorder and other mental health issues lead many young people to drink alcohol
Young people turn to alcohol to deal with the pressures of everyday social situations
Young people may drink for a sense of belonging or to fit in when moving to a new school or town
Young people may drink to gain confidence or lose inhibitions
Young people are more likely to start experimenting with alcohol if they have parents who drink and if they do not get parental guidance about alcohol consumption.

Minors and College Drinking – What are the Risks

Irrespective of how they get into drinking the risks are dare once they start drinking they will be subjected to various health and safety risk like:

Young people who drink are more likely to be sexually active and to have unsafe, unprotected sex.
They are more likely to be involved in a fight, commit violent crimes, fail at school, use other drugs, and experience verbal, physical, or sexual violence.
Those who start drinking before age 15 are five times more likely to develop alcoholism later in life than those who begin drinking at age 21

Minors and College Drinking – Preventing Underage Drinking

This is very dynamic and requires a comprehensive and collective approach by all stakeholders. Currently there are three basic approaches which have been applied and are yielding positive results in prevention of the problem:

Controlling the availability of alcohol;
Consistent enforcement of existing laws and regulations; and
Changing norms and behaviors through education.

The enforcement of these three is working well in attempting to bring this problem into manageable levels.

Minors and College Drinking – Alcohol Poisoning

Many people die each year from acute alcohol intoxication known as alcohol poisoning or alcohol overdose with other thousands of others are being admitted to emergency rooms in various health facilities. Alcohol poisoning is becoming rampant in high schools and on college campuses. These are all explained by young people drinking too much and too fast.

Minors and College Drinking – Alcohol poisoning is a medical emergency

Alcohol is a depressant drug, once ingested it works to slow down some of the body’s functions like heart rate, blood pressure and breathing. When the vital centers have been depressed enough by alcohol, unconsciousness occurs. The amount of alcohol that it takes to produce unconsciousness is precariously close to a lethal dose. People who endure alcohol poisoning sometimes suffer irreversible brain damage.

Many students are surprised to learn that death can occur from acute intoxication. Most think the worst that can happen is they’ll pass out and have a hang-over the next day therefore knowing the signs and symptoms of acute alcohol intoxication and the proper action to take can help you avoid a tragedy.

Minors and College Drinking – Signs and Symptoms of Alcohol Poisoning

Unconsciousness or semi-consciousness
Slow respirations (breaths) of eight or less per minute, or lapses between respirations of more than eight seconds.
Cold, clammy, pale, or bluish skin.
In the event of alcohol poisoning, these signs and symptoms will most likely be accompanied by a strong odor of alcohol.
While these are obvious signs of alcohol poisoning, the list is certainly not all inclusive.

In an attempt to bringing alcohol and drug addiction Dr. Dalal Akoury founded AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center a facility in which she administer addiction treatment by offering exclusive NER Recovery Treatment to addicts the world over. Doctor Akoury is an expert who has been in this addiction discipline for two decades now and together with her team of experts they are also offering addiction treatment to other physicians and health care professionals through training, clinical apprenticeships, webinars and seminars. This is the place of choice for anyone suffering from addiction of any kind therefore any qualified professional can now be a part of this truly successful and fast addiction recovery treatment.

Minors and College Drinking – Drug Addiction

Guidlines for Prevention of Substance Use

July 21, 2014

Guidelines for Prevention of Substance Use – Drug Addiction

Giving goo guidelines to your children on matters relating to substance abuse and drugs go along way in shaping their future.

When one has grown to the age where they can on their own will chose to indulge in substance abuse then we can comfortably say that such individuals are able to make positive decisions of stopping the indulgence. Often young people are faced with a number of challenges in life but of all these challenges much as they have some effects on you they can never be any ware close to the effects of experience when one uses alcohol or drugs. The decision you take about alcohol and drugs will influence your health, school performance, your job, career or your relationship and freedom. The effects of alcohol and drug abuse are fatal and life threatening. Because of the seriousness consequences it is important to know that as an individual young or old you first ore yourself the duty of care to be responsible for your own well-being and then to others around you. When discussing the guidelines for substance abuse prevention and especially in our young ones we must take note of these two very important factors:

At what age do you first use alcohol and drugs?
Family history of alcoholism and drug addiction.

Guidelines for Prevention of Substance Use – Age of First Use of Alcohol and Drugs

Indulgence in alcohol consumption and drugs use at attender age when the brain is still developing and has not fully matured will definitely increase your risk of being an addict in the future for alcoholism and drugs. When you begin using drugs or consuming alcohol early say 15 years of age, because of the state of your brain at this time you will be more likely increase your risk to develop alcohol abuse or dependence compared to those making their first taste of the same at the age of 21 or more. This theory has been confirmed by several researches done of late.

Guidelines for Prevention of Substance Use – Family History of Alcoholism or Drug Addiction

Normally the choices individuals make to use alcohol or drugs are often influenced by their surroundings, peer, family and the availability of the drug in question. The moment an individual begins using these substances whether they are illicit or not their risk of developing alcoholism and drug dependence is largely influenced by genetics. It is necessary to note that alcoholism and drug dependence are not moral issues and therefore they are not based on choices or lack of willpower. Plain and simple, some people’s bodies respond to the effects of alcohol and drugs differently. If you have a family history of alcoholism or addiction, you are four times more likely to develop a problem.

Therefore as young people it is only necessary that you take measures to protect yourself and reduce the risk of alcohol and drug abuse. The following are some of the guidelines you may use:

Be confidence to Say No – don’t just do thing because the majority is doing it. Chose only to do what is right regardless of what your friend may be encouraging you to do. Be principled and stand with your decision even if you are the only one. If someone is pressuring you to do something that’s not right for you, you have the right to say no, the right not to give a reason why, and the right to just walk away.

Associate with Your Friends but Avoid Negative Peer Pressure – choose your friend very carefully avoiding those that are likely to be of bad influence like the company of smokers and alcohol abusers. It is said that birds of the same feathers flock together. Associate with people whom even if you were to mimic their behaviors there will be no harm or risk of being addicted to drugs.

Make Connections With Your Parents or Other Adults – as you grow up, having people you can rely on, people you can talk to about life, life’s challenges and your decisions about alcohol and drugs is very important. The opportunity to benefit from someone else’s life experiences can help put things in perspective and can be invaluable.

Enjoy Life and Do What You Love but Don’t Add Alcohol and Drugs – Learn how to enjoy the satisfactions of life and the people in your life, without compromising on alcohol or drugs. Alcohol and drugs can damage who you are, limit your potential and complicate your life. Whenever you are bored get out and engage in an active in school and community activities such as music, sports, arts or a part-time job.

Follow the Family Rules about Alcohol and Drugs – as you grow up and want to assume more control over your life, having the trust and respect of your parents is very important. Don’t let alcohol and drugs come between you and your parents. Talking with mom and dad about alcohol and drugs can be very helpful.

Get Educated about Alcohol and Drugs – you cannot rely on the myths and misunderstandings that are out there floating around among your friends and on the internet. Your ability to make the right decisions includes being educated.

Be a Role Model and Set a Positive Example – Don’t forget actions speaks louder than words and your actions will be setting the foundation and direction for your life and where are you heading to.

Plan Ahead – as you make plans for the party or going out with friends you need to plan ahead. You need to protect yourself and be smart. Don’t become a victim of someone else’s alcohol or drug use. Make sure that there is someone you can call, day or night, no matter what, if you need them and do the same for your friends remember we are pooling together.

Speak Out, Speak Up, Take Control – take responsibility for your life, your health and your safety. Speak freely about what alcohol and drugs are doing to your friends, your community and encourage others to do the same.

Get Help – if you or someone you know is in trouble with alcohol or drugs, look for AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under Doctor Akoury who is an addiction professional of many decades and together with her team of experts she will help you bet better in many natural ways but still focus on Neuroendocrine Restoration (NER) to reinstate normality through realization of the oneness of Spirit, Mind, and Body, Unifying the threesome into ONE and remember you are not alone.

Guidelines for Prevention of Substance Use – Drug Addiction

Indicators of Alcoholism

July 21, 2014

Indicators of Alcoholism – Drug Addiction

Alcoholism indicators. It is very frustrating to the families seeing their loved ones being messed up by alcohol abuse and addiction.

If there is anything you do not want for your children is them being associated with people addicted to any drug of any kind. The grave dangers of being in a state of addiction will not allow anyone in the right state of mind to have their children go through the problems related to substance abuse. One of the commonly abused drug is alcohol, a substance whose consumption is legal and is used freely the world over. Parents have a duty to watch over their children and bring them up in total safety of any harm of addiction. This is an enormous role to do and especially in this time of work commitment where there is very little time parents spend with their children. But even in the middle of all these busy schedule parents must be very observant and ensure safety of the children from all manner of addictions. Therefore as a parent do you suspect that your child is abusing alcohol or using drugs? Are you worried in anyway? Have you noticed some changes with your child? As a parent, it is usual to be concerned and this is what we want to discuss in this article.

Indicators of Alcoholism – How Are Parents Affected?

Being knowledgeable about alcoholism and drug addiction is very instrumental to helping your children. You will need to begin with yourself and access the degree to which you’re affected by their use of alcohol or drugs. Being knowledgeable and your capability to being helpful to them will rest on your understanding of alcohol and drugs and who your children’s abuse has affected you individually. By the way the most important step you may take into helping your children is to commit to sourcing for help and support for yourself. You can do this by answering these questions as follows: As for alcohol find out if you are easily trouble bus someone’s and for drugs ask yourself if you will need help. With this in mind let us progress to the warning sings.

Indicators of Alcoholism – Warning Signs

The use and abuse of alcohol and drugs are serious issues that should not be ignored or minimized and we should not sit back and hope they just go away. If left untreated they can develop into drug dependence or alcoholism. As a result, it is important to identify the signs and symptoms of alcohol and drug abuse early. If you’re worried that your child might be abusing alcohol or drugs, here are some of the indicators to look for:

Indicators of Alcoholism – Physical and health warning signs of drug abuse

Eyes that are bloodshot or pupils that are smaller or larger than normal.
Frequent nosebleeds could be related to snorted drugs like meth or cocaine.
Changes in appetite or sleep patterns. Sudden weight loss or weight gain.
Seizures without a history of epilepsy
Declining personal grooming or physical appearance.
Impaired coordination, injuries, accidents, bruises that they won’t or can’t tell you about that is to say they can explain how they got hurt
Unusual smells on breath, body, or clothing.
Shakes, tremors, incoherent or slurred speech, impaired or unstable coordination.

Indicators of Alcoholism – Behavioral signs of alcohol or drug abuse

Missing class, falling grades, getting in trouble at school
Drop in attendance and performance at work- loss of interest in extracurricular activities, hobbies, sports or exercise- decreased motivation
Complaints from colleagues, supervisors, teachers or classmates
Missing money, valuables, prescription or prescription drugs, borrowing and stealing money
Acting isolated, silent, withdrawn, engaging in secretive or suspicious behaviors
Clashes with family values and beliefs
Preoccupation with alcohol and drug-related lifestyle in music, clothing and posters
Demanding more privacy, locking doors and avoiding eye contact
Sudden change in relationships, friends, favorite hangouts, and hobbies.
Frequently getting into trouble (arguments, fights, accidents, illegal activities)
Using incense, perfume, air freshener to hide smell of smoke or drugs
Using eye-drops to mask bloodshot eyes and dilated pupils

Indicators of Alcoholism – Psychological warning signs of alcohol or drug abuse

Unexplained, confusing change in personality and/or attitude.
Sudden mood changes, irritability, angry outbursts or laughing at nothing.
Periods of unusual hyperactivity or agitation.
Lack of motivation; inability to focus, appears lethargic or “spaced out.”
Appears fearful, withdrawn, anxious, or paranoid, with no apparent reason.

Signs and symptoms of alcoholism and drug dependence

Alcoholism involves all the symptoms of alcohol abuse, but also involves another set of elements i.e. Physical dependence e.g. tolerance and withdrawal.

Tolerance – Tolerance means that, over period of time you will need more of alcohol to feel the same effect you use to feel at minimal quantity. Ask yourself if you drink more than you used to? Or drink more than other people without showing obvious signs of intoxication?

Withdrawal – As the effect of the alcohol wears off you may experience withdrawal symptoms like anxiety or jumpiness, shakiness or trembling; sweating, nausea and vomiting, insomnia, depression, irritability, fatigue or loss of appetite and headaches. Do you drink to steady the nerves, stop the shakes in the morning? Drinking to relieve or avoid withdrawal symptoms is a sign of alcoholism and addiction.

In serious cases, withdrawal from alcohol can be life-threatening and may involve hallucinations, confusion, seizures, fever, and agitation. These symptoms can be dangerous and should be managed by a physician specifically trained and experienced in dealing with alcoholism and addiction like Dr. Dalal Akoury, Founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center. She is having over two decades of experience in offering exclusive NER Recovery Treatment to other physicians and health care professionals through training, clinical apprenticeships, webinars and seminars globally and anyone or qualified professional can now be a part of this truly successful and fast addiction recovery treatment.

Loss of Control – Drinking more than you wanted to, for longer than you intended, or despite promising yourself that you will not do it this time.

Desire to Stop but Can’t – You have a persistent desire to cut down or stop your alcohol use, but all efforts to stop and stay stopped, have been unsuccessful.

Neglecting Other Activities – You are spending less time on activities that used to be important to you (hanging out with family and friends, exercising- going to the gym, pursuing your hobbies or other interests) because of the use of alcohol.

Alcohol Takes up Greater Time, Energy and Focus – You spend a lot of time drinking, thinking about it, or recovering from its effects. You have few, if any, interests, social or community involvements that don’t revolve around the use of alcohol.

Continued Use Despite Negative Consequences – You drink in full knowledge that it’s causing problems. As an example, you realize that your alcohol use is interfering with your ability to do your job, is damaging your marriage, making your problems worse, or causing health problems, but you continue to drink.

Indicators of Alcoholism – Drug Addiction

Alcohol and the Workplace

July 21, 2014

Alcohol and the Workplace – Drug Addiction

Office alcohol consumption is the genesis to poor productivity and injury to the image of the whole image of the organization

It has been said that alcohol is the most abused substances of all other drugs known to be addictive. It is worrying that young children as young as 9 nine years have started using drugs and these are the most fundamental concerns we have to deal with as a society. Alcohol consumption being the most a bused substance has very many health and social consequences in all societies. Since it is not illegal to take alcohol it consumption becomes very difficult to control on individuals even though some governments are trying to regulate it sales but all these does not significantly bring is the desired measures to reducing its effects in our societies and especially in our work stations. Therefore our discussion is going to be dwelling on alcohol and its effects on the work place.

People get employed in different sectors and organizations to be productive and earn a living from the income they generate as a result of their services rendered. The employment engagement can be either in the public or private sector and in all the employers expects return from their employees. When alcohol consumption becomes a problem in an employee’s life then organizations they work for suffers immensely and the employee also stand great risk of harming themselves and even the people around them. In the workplace, the impact of alcoholism focuses on four major issues:

Premature death and fatal accidents
Injuries and accident rates
Absenteeism due to extra sick leave
Loss of production

The effect of alcohol consumption need not to be a problem if not abused, the organization may not suffer all these if their employees drink responsibly however when they become addicted then the above are the most immediate consequences.

Alcohol and the Workplace – Premature death and fatal accidents

When an employee dies the organization loses work force much as they will be replaces the experiences gained by the demised staff is gone. Sometimes the organization invests heavily on their staff by training them and to lose them in prematurely because of alcohol is such a cost to the employer.

Alcohol and the Workplace – Injuries and accident rate

The organization needs their personnel to be healthy for them to deliver effectively on their respective assignment. This is not possible when they suffer injuries either at the work station or outside. Moreover it becomes very costly for the organization that will have to pay those damages or compensation emanating from the injuries they incur while on duty.

Alcohol and the Workplace – Absenteeism

It goes without saying that alcoholism being a disease may lead one into being hospitalized for treatment either in a rehab or just in ordinary health facilities. Heavy alcohol users often find themselves on the wrong side of the law and while they are in the hands of law enforcement agencies the organization will not only suffer from their being absent but also denting reputation. The cost or organization image is a very valuable asset for all organizations and any injury to it is very harmful and may not be recovered from easily.

Alcohol and the Workplace – Lose of production

All the above discussed consequences lead us into one thing and that is losing in production. All businesses will only be effective and profitable when their productivity is in shape. We need effective and competent sober work force to deliver this. Alcohol consumption is the enemy number one for any meaningful business. The funny thing is that even those firms producing these alcohols also need their personnel to be sober while at work. A drunken work force is a liability for any business oriented organization and must be avoided by all means. There are so many other problems which are associated with alcohol consumption at work some of which may include:

Tardiness and sleeping on the job
Theft
Poor decision making by the personnel
Loss of efficiency and accuracy
Lower morale of colleagues who are not drinking
Increased likelihood of having trouble with colleagues, supervisors or tasks
Higher staff turnover
Training of new employees
Disciplinary procedures

Problems of alcoholism can affect any industry and any organization in discriminatively however this problem may be very prevalent certain industries like:

Food service
Construction
Mining and Drilling
Excavation
Installation, maintenance and repair

Two specific kinds of drinking behavior significantly contribute to the level of work-performance problems: drinking right before or during working hours (including drinking at lunch and at company functions), and heavy drinking the night before that causes hangovers during work the next day.

And it isn’t just alcoholics who can generate problems in the workplace. Research has shown that the majority of alcohol-related work-performance problems are associated with nondependent drinkers who may ones in a while drink too much not exclusively by alcohol-dependent employees. In addition, family members living with someone’s alcoholism also suffer significant job performance related problems- including poor job performance, lack of focus, absenteeism, increased health-related problems and use of health insurance

Alcohol and the Workplace – Solutions to address the problem

The employers need to establish an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) in their work systems. This has been found to be the most effective way to address alcohol and drug problems in the workplace, employees and their family members are provided referrals to community resources and services. Many individuals and families face a host of difficulties closely associated with problem drinking, and these problems quite often spill into the workplace. By encouraging and supporting treatment, employers can significantly help in reducing the negative impact of alcoholism in the workplace as well as reducing their costs of operations.

In conclusion studies have established that alcohol treatment pays for itself in reduced healthcare costs that begin as soon as people begin treatment. Alcohol treatment also improves an individual’s functioning, leading to increased productivity at work. We must therefore invest in prevention and treatment adequately not just by safe guarding our effectiveness in work places but to the economy of our nations. The full involvement of addiction experts will be very essential and if you are a manager in an organization where this is a problem, then you can contact AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center a facility founded by Doctor Akoury who is an addiction expert of many decades and you and your employees will be cared for professionally while focusing on Neuroendocrine Restoration (NER) to reinstate normality through realization of the oneness of Spirit, Mind, and Body, Unifying the threesome into ONE this way you will have your business back to its desired levels of productivity.

Alcohol and the Workplace – Drug Addiction

A Molecular Switch for Memory and Addiction?

July 20, 2014

Is This Real-Molecular Switch For Memory And Addiction?

Research has pointed out that learning and memory formations are based on the creation of new connections between neurons in all the brain. While examining the effects of some drugs, it has been found that behaviors such as nicotine addiction manifest themselves in long-term changes of neural connectivity. In this respect, can we think about what causes addiction? Since we are saying learning involves connections between neurons in the brain, and this is the same thing that addiction will do, then addiction can be viewed as a form of learning.

How does memory switch occur?

One of the fundamental explanations of how this occurs is by the fact that it involves joining of neurons in the brain. Scientists have discovered a molecular switch that plays a key role in the establishment of addictive behaviors and addiction. The success of their ideas may lead to new technologies in the control of loss of memory and probably treatment of addictive behaviors.

The process involves neural cells being sent from one cell to the next one in the form of chemical compounds known as neurotransmitters. This is usually the first step in the learning process in the brain. This prompts sequence of events which result in the changes in the neural connectivity and hence the memory consolidation. It is important to note that nicotine can equivalently have a similar behavior by triggering the rearrangement of the brain connections.

RyR2 and Calcium

How does the process flow?

Usually the first step is the introduction of neural plasticity, which is the formation of new connections in the brain. It involves calcium. Consequently as a response to neurotransmitters, cocaine or nicotine, calcium will increase the site of neuronal connection, known as the synapse.

The second step will be that the calcium will induce gene expression. Due the synthesis of proteins, it will lead to new and reinforced synaptic connectivity. It has been explained scientifically that this increase in calcium is only part of the first step in this process and thus does not depend on the gene expression.

Contrary to the argument above, some scientists have challenged it and tried to experiment the facts using mice. They realized that nicotine administration to mice induced the expression of a gene called type 2 ryanodine receptor (RyR2).

Is RyR2 involved in calcium release?

The RyR2 protein has been found to be involved in the release of calcium from a cell internal calcium store, the endoplasmic reticulum, thus leading to a sustained long-term signaling manner. This sustenance of calcium increase consequently leads to neuronal plasticity.

To be more specific, RyR2 is expressed in a number of critical brain areas associated with cognition and addiction as the cortex and ventral midbrain, suggesting that RyR2 induction plays a pivotal role in these given processes.

More and more researches were consequently done to confirm the idea. These experiments indicated that reduction in the RyR2 activation in animals were able to abolish behaviors associated with learning, memory and also addiction. This was absolutely a confirmation that RyR2 was required to develop long-term changes in the brain that could lead to addiction.

RyR2 and Calcium Release

What is the future of Molecular Switch for Memory and Addiction?

The results of those experiments were actually a milestone towards the understanding of the molecular processes which underlie our memory and addiction. This is an area that has not been exploited up to date though, and scientists are working tirelessly hoping they will soon come up with therapies based on these discoveries which will help in the treatment of addictions and also give counter measures to memory losses.

All we can hope is for this to happen soon than sooner, since the damage of addiction if already a concern all over the world and any success in this area will be a breakthrough for everyone in the world.

Is This Real-Molecular Switch For Memory And Addiction?

Category Archives: addiction