Category Archives: Detoxification

over the counter drug abuse

Various signs and symptoms of substance abuse

Various signs

Various signs and symptoms of substance abuse could be disturbing but worth knowing for lasting solutions

Various signs and symptoms of substance abuse: First is addressing denial

The very first point of action is addressing any element of denial. And having done so, doctor Dalal Akoury MD, a veteran addiction expert and also the founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Health Resource Center says that, the next step is to move further and trace the various signs and symptoms of substance abuse in your life. In other words if you’re wondering whether you have a substance abuse problem, then the following questions may help. Depending on how you respond to them will give an indication whether you have drinking problem or your drug use is a problem. In other words, when your response has more yes than no then chances are that you have a problem which needs to be fixed immediately.

  • Do you ever feel bad, guilty, or ashamed about your drinking or drug use?
  • Do you ever tell lies about how much or how often you drink or use drugs?
  • Has you alcohol or drug use gotten you into trouble at work or with the law?
  • Has your alcohol or drug use caused problems in your relationships, as in marriage, work place?
  • Have members of your family or friends showed concern about your alcohol or drug use?
  • Have you ever blacked out from drinking or drug use?
  • Have you ever felt you should cut down on your drinking or drug use?
  • Have you tried to cut back, but just couldn’t?
  • On more than one occasion, have you done or said something while drunk or high that you later regretted and wished you didn’t?

Various signs and symptoms of substance abuse: Co-occurring disorders and depression

The mental health problems that most commonly co-occur with substance abuse are depression, anxiety disorders, and bipolar disorder. The others may include:

  • Feelings of helplessness and hopelessness
  • Loss of interest in daily activities
  • Inability to experience pleasure
  • Appetite or weight changes
  • Sleep changes
  • Loss of energy
  • Strong feelings of worthlessness or guilt
  • Concentration problems
  • Anger, physical pain, and reckless behavior (especially in men)

Various signs and symptoms of substance abuse: Mania in bipolar disorder

  • Feelings of euphoria or extreme irritability
  • Unrealistic, grandiose beliefs
  • Decreased need for sleep
  • Increased energy
  • Rapid speech and racing thoughts
  • Impaired judgment and impulsivity
  • Hyperactivity
  • Anger or rage

Various signs and symptoms of substance abuse: Anxiety

  • Excessive tension and worry
  • Feeling restless or jumpy
  • Irritability or feeling “on edge”
  • Racing heart or shortness of breath
  • Nausea, trembling, or dizziness
  • Muscle tension, headaches
  • Trouble concentrating
  • Insomnia

Finally it amazes me how we often get the best information and fail to implement them. We all want to live healthy lives free from all manner of addictions and mental health complications but on the other hand we find it difficult to conform to certain standards of life that is deemed healthy and productive. That really amazes me, however knowing that these drugs are very addictive, we have a duty to change things professionally. When you visit us at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center, we will evaluate your individual conditions and professionally administer treatment to your individual needs that will live you full of life free from addiction and ready to go places. You can talk to us today by calling doctor Dalal Akoury to schedule for you appointment.  

Various signs and symptoms of substance abuse: First is addressing denial

 

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Ruins of addiction

True withdrawal from heroin addiction

True withdrawal

True withdrawal from heroin addiction is not very easy but we have hope that it is not impossible

True withdrawal from heroin addiction: Quitting addiction may be difficult but not impossible

Many drug users are not willing to stand out for a true withdrawal from heroin addiction because of various reasons. But that does not change the fact that this drug is dangerous. In fact the little euphoric moments are just for a moment but the consequences are for a life time if this habit continues. Given an opportunity to choose between life and death in your sober state of mind would you opt for life or death? I persuaded that you will settle for life like all of us will. Through this article, we want to look at some of the true withdrawal from heroin addiction to help you be ready to face any challenges that may come with your noble choice of quitting. To help us get the facts right, we are going to be talking to the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center a heath facility formulated by doctor Dalal Akoury primarily to offer lasting solutions to all drug addicts across the globe among other health complication matters.

Actually there is no secrete concerning the true withdrawal from heroin addiction because much has been written about “cold turkey” and the huge trauma of getting a heroin addict off the drug. Doctor Akoury acknowledges that withdrawal can be very difficult, but she is also very quick to register strongly that it is only difficult but not impossible. It therefore means that when there is the willingness and determination, freedom from drug addiction can be realized with a very short time. She says that at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center up on scheduling for an appointment, her team of experience experts will in the most professional way help you to first come to terms with this disturbing condition. They will also work very closely with your loved ones because in this journey everyone is a victim with just small differences in the intensity. Elements like “Clucking” or “cold turkey” is characterized by unpleasant symptoms such as sold sweats, nausea, confusion and intense craving and those are some of the areas that we will help you cope with. Nonetheless it is also very important to note that some of these symptoms are not necessarily physically dangerous.

True withdrawal from heroin addiction: The beginning of withdrawal effects

When you have enrolled for treatment our team of experts will evaluate your individual conditions to determine the degree or the magnitude of the problem before commencement of a tailored treatment designed specifically to address the root cause of your individual addiction problem. This will help significantly in fast trucking the recovery process. We are determined to getting you back on your feet and pick up the pieces of your life back and live it to the fullest. And as this treatment process gain momentum, it is equally important to appreciate that the withdrawal effects are likely to start around eight to twenty four hours after the last dose. This will be accompanied with some symptoms similar to flu aches, chills and sweating, sneezing, yawning and muscular spasms. These effects take a week or two to subside but feeling of weakness and loss of well-being can last months. Psychological dependence can be even harder to overcome than physical dependence. As a possible candidate for treatment, it is very important that you are well informed of these challenges and contain with them because they form part of the withdrawal process. If you are not adequately informed, these can lead you into losing the treatment momentum.

True withdrawal from heroin addiction: Quitting addiction may be difficult but not impossible

 

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Battling heroin addiction at family levels

Battling heroin addiction

Battling heroin addiction at family levels by exposing all it’s effects to help people make the right choices

Battling heroin addiction at family levels: Making the wrong choices

There are certain things that we do not because we want to but because we see our friends and relatives do. The motivation is to have the feelings they have upon using the things they use or doing what they do. In other words the sense of belonging is the reason why all these are happening. Take for instance in the world of drug addiction you will be amazed at what people do just not to be left out and in the process they find themselves into real problems not just in their health and peace of mind but also with the law enforcement agencies. Even though addiction cuts across and everyone is vulnerable, it hit the hardest at the family unit, which is why battling heroin addiction among other substances at family level is very important. We spoke to doctor Dalal Akoury the MD and founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center about the battling heroin addiction in families and it is amazing seeing how simple desires can land us into real threats of addiction.

As a professional in this discipline doctor Akoury is going to shed some light on how influential heroin can be in your life no matter how you got introduced to it. She says that one morning while in her office a lady walked in and was very depressed. When she gave her time to share her problem she open up and poured out her heart on the battles she has with heroin addiction. For confidentiality we will call her Jimssy not her real name. Jimssy is a full-time housewife and mother hardly fits the stereotypical picture of a heroin addict. However for the past two of her adult life, she was obsessed with getting high on heroin a passion she shared with her husband, Jim not his real name who has been battled his own addiction for over two decades now.

Battling heroin addiction at family levels: Peer influence in addiction

Jim had been struggling with heroin addiction for years when his wife joined the league of shooting up heroin. Even though Jimssy was not ignorant of the effects of heroin on her husband, she voluntarily decided to test the water one day following an advice from her friend who informed her that using heroin would significantly relieve the pain of headache and muscular pains she had suffered from epileptic seizures she has been struggling with for more than 15 years now. It is amazing how friends can be very destructive to our wellbeing. This friend without any consideration of the know consequences, approached her friend with the news she knew Jimssy would be interested in, that is the solution to her struggle with pain. Jimssy acknowledges that, that was her first time and regret having such a friend in her life. She goes ahead to explain that her main reason for testing the waters even though she knew the struggles her husband, was to get better, the pain was becoming unbearable. What do you think about her decision? You may suggest that under the circumstances she was justified because she was looking for solutions about her pain. Nonetheless it is still not right, every advice you get from a friend must be confirmed by a medical doctor and that is why doctor Akoury founded this facility where you can get all the professional assistance concerning your health and addiction at any time of the day.

Battling heroin addiction at family levels: Making the wrong choices

 

 

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Addiction consequences

Supplementary treatment for drug abuse and mental health

Supplementary treatment

Supplementary treatment for drug abuse and mental health along side others will work well for you bring you back on the recovery track

Supplementary treatment for drug abuse and mental health: Dual diagnosis

In our previous discussions we have dealt with several means and ways of administering treatment for substance abuse and mental health problems. However, when dealing with matters of this magnitude every possibility of nailing the problem must be embraced because our primary objective is to eliminate the problem in it’s entirely. That is why we want to take time and discuss the supplementary treatment for drug abuse and mental health problems in this article. Doctor Dalal Akoury MD, who is a veteran addiction expert is going to help us bring this discussion to perspective. As a professional, doctor Akoury registers that there are many supplementary treatment options for drug abuse and mental health so of which may include the following:

  • Group support for substance abuse and co-occurring disorders
  • Self-help for substance abuse and co-occurring disorders
  • Reorganizing and managing overwhelming stress and emotions
  • Stay connected
  • Make healthy lifestyle changes
  • Helping a loved one with a substance abuse problem and a mental health problem

Supplementary treatment for drug abuse and mental health: Group support

It is always said that a problem shared is half solved. That is the principle applicable here with groupings. And just like with other addictions, groups are very helpful, not only in maintaining sobriety, but also as a safe place to get support and discuss challenges and experiences. Sometimes treatment programs for co-occurring disorders provide groups that continue to meet on an aftercare basis. Your doctor or treatment provider may also be able to refer you to a group for people with co-occurring disorders.

It is important to note that while it’s often best to join a group that addresses both substance abuse and your mental health disorder the twelve-step groups for substance abuse can also be helpful besides today such services are well spread globally making accessibility much easier. These free programs, facilitated by peers, use group support and a set of guided principles like the twelve steps to obtain and maintain sobriety. Doctor Akoury advices that even as you opt for these groups you must make sure that the group is embracing the idea of co-occurring disorders and psychiatric medication. This is very important for you because at this time all you need is a place where you will feel safe and not where you will feel pressured in any way.

Supplementary treatment for drug abuse and mental health: Self-help for substance abuse and co-occurring disorders

Getting sober is only the beginning. Your continued recovery depends on continuing mental health treatment, learning healthier coping strategies, and making better decisions when dealing with life’s challenges. And this you can achieve by adopting the following:

Recognize and manage stress and emotions

Stress management – Even though stress is inevitable in this generation, it’s very important to have healthy coping skills so that you can deal with stress without turning to alcohol or drugs. Stress management skills go a long way towards preventing relapse and keeping your symptoms at bay.

Identify your triggers and have an action plan – If you’re coping with a mental disorder as well, it’s especially important to know signs that your illness is flaring up. Common causes include stressful events, big life changes, or unhealthy sleeping or eating. At these times, having a plan in place is essential to preventing drug relapse. Who will you talk to? What do you need to do?

Supplementary treatment for drug abuse and mental health: Dual diagnosis

 

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Ruins of addiction

Uneven heroin addiction recovery process

Uneven heroin addiction

Uneven heroin addiction recovery process will be made easier and friendly with doctor Dalal Akoury decades of working experience and professionalism

Uneven heroin addiction recovery process: Fighting craving

For some time now we have been sharing about the story of this lady who was struggling with heroin addiction and became homeless so many times. This story gives us the true picture of the uneven heroin addiction recovery process more so with the every challenge of relapse and craving for the same drug. As for this lady having been homeless for days she says “I was finally hosted by a friend who was not aware that am struggling with heroin addiction.” She understands well the uneven heroin addiction recovery process. At her new home at her friend’s house she says “I could not hold it no matter the efforts I made and I took a small shot before going to bed. I finished it off the following morning in her bathroom and this time round committed to going cold turkey.”

The new environment was very hostile to me and since I knew nobody in the area there was very little I could do to get another shot no matter the intensity of craving. Things happened very first and this one thing I’ll never forget. The first morning, I was very nervous as I sat and waited for the unforeseeable. Together with my friend we sat chatting trying to catch up with the lost time and believe you me, I tried all I could not to let her notice my struggle but deep inside I was not myself.

Uneven heroin addiction recovery process: It is not about heroin only but all substances

As the hours went by, I kept running into her bathroom to do what the people I knew called “cotton shots” and “scrape bags” (keeping empty bags and used cottons to try to get a tiny bit of dope just to take the edge off). I thought doing this would help or delay the withdrawal. But in reality, it was just like a nervous tic. The demands of my body said something else and it kept pushing and reminding me that “it’s time for a shot” so I did whatever I could to comply. It will be my pleasure if my story can help you in this journey we are calling the uneven heroin addiction recovery process. Remember that it is not just about heroin addiction but this is applicable even to other substance abuse. I then noticed that I was shaking violently as I tried to shoot up what was basically dirty water. It was not a very good seen because I was struggling to locate the veins on my arms and in the process jabbing randomly and bleeding furiously everywhere.

This became the order of the day and while at the bathroom all I could do was shooting up water, vomiting constantly in the toilet and soaking my achy body in a hot bath. Dear readers she posse, the pain of addiction is indescribable. Nonetheless when I could not cope any longer it had to come out in the open and I begged my friend to help me find something just anything that could “get me through this.” Like a good friend she was she tried (or claimed to) but she didn’t have a clue. One day she came to me with some prescription strength ibuprofen and I almost strangled her. But after all she was letting me stay in her house and puke in her toilet so I couldn’t afford to be a bad houseguest and the story continues in our next article … but in the meantime, from the narrations above, it is obvious that addiction harts and treatment also come with its own challenges. To help you overcome those challenges, you should consider calling experts from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center for professional assistance and doctor Dalal Akoury will help you in the most professional way to get your life back and enjoy life to the fullest.

Uneven heroin addiction recovery process: Fighting craving

 

 

 

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