Tag Archives: Social stigma

drug abuse

Stigmatizing addiction patients

June 15, 2017
Stigmatizing addiction patients

Stigmatizing addiction patients in anyway is wrong and doesn’t help but kills the morale of those who help the most

Stigmatizing addiction patients: Addiction is a disease of free will

Over the last few decades of my practice as a medical professional, I have met patients globally with different disturbing health conditions coming to my office for treatment which we have gladly offered to a resounding positive feedback. We have made it a routine as experts from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center to give our very best to all our clients irrespective of their limitations. We believe in offering lasting solutions to all health complications that we can professionally handle. This has made us move from strength to strength over the years. However, one problem of drug addiction keeps recurring owing to the nature of its effects to people differently. This one story disturbs me the most because it came to my attention several years after I was first introduced to the couple. That story is going to form part of our discussion even as we focus on stigmatizing addiction patients both internally and externally.

Drug addiction is a medical problem and has nothing to do with one’s morals. It is painful seeing patients giving up on treatment because they keep relapsing every time they are about to have a breakthrough. We are taking seriously the issue of relapse so that we can be in the front lane in defeating the beast of addiction. If you know anyone struggling with any kind of addiction, our doors are always open for you and you can call Doctor Dalal Akoury to help you recover professionally and with dignity.

Stigmatizing addiction patients: Stop the humiliation and disgrace

Back to the story, three decades ago a couple visited my office with an addiction problem. The man who was alcoholic was in the company of his wife to seek help. Before we could even start the session, they excused themselves shortly and I felt that they were consulting on something before the session. I was surprised several minutes and hours later that my client vanished never to return. Several years later one of my students narrated this story to me and I was astonished. The student said, “when I was five or six years old, my maternal grandfather died of what I was told was complications of heart disease.” She believed that because that is what she was told. It was not until several years later, after she had graduated from a medical school in psychiatry, and had secured a job for a very long time using neuroimaging to study the addicted brain, that she learned the real reason for the death of her grandfather. One day her mother gave her the revelation that shocked her life. This was coming when her mother was sick and almost breathing her last, “I need to tell you something I have never spoken to you about.” She disclosed to her that her grandfather had been an alcoholic and that he took his own life in his distress at not being able to control his strong urges to drink.

“Oh, Jesus I almost lost my grip.” Her mother had out of fear of stigma and shame kept the real reason for her grandfather’s death a secret from her that long. What surprised her is that even though she knew that in her whole professional life was devoted to trying to understand what drugs do to the brain and that she had heard her speak of addiction as a disease of the brain, still she was not going to tell her the whole truth.” So she wondered how she had miscommunicated, and how she had not made her realize that it was not a taboo to speak about addiction and that there should be no shame in it. This really troubled her and so she came to confide in me. Stop stigmatizing patients and let’s support them get better.

Stigmatizing addiction patients: Addiction is a disease of free will

 

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treament using therapy

Female gender alcoholism

May 23, 2017
Female gender alcoholism

Female gender alcoholism must stop. Women are more vulnerable to drugs and alcohol and preventing usage is the best

Female gender alcoholism: Drug addiction and social stigma

Alcohol consumption has been associated with men in most cases. Women were not in the beginning so much into alcohol and any who was using alcohol was seen as a taboo in many communities. That was then but currently, a lot has changed and women are today are using this substance freely. Because of this female gender alcoholism has increased over time. And as a result of this, a lot of stigmatization and discrimination has taken root among alcohol users.  Stigma can be very demeaning and causes loss of self-esteem. This can be avoided if all factors leading to alcoholism are addressed appropriately and in good time. If therefore you are drinking, stigma or no stigma, alcohol consumption is a health hazard and the sooner a remedial action is taken the better. You can always consult with experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury and she will be able to effectively and professionally help you go through your recovery program.

Female gender alcoholism: The fading social stigma escalating addiction

Like I had indicated that because of the women alcohol addiction and how it was being stigmatized in the past, women were not so much into drinking. During this period a lot of drug and alcohol abuse related complications were not so common with the female gender. Men were the biggest casualties but this is now changing. Because of fading stigma young women are now binge drinking hence the increase of health complications that come with alcohol abuse. This has further been established by the research findings according to the data from a survey of some 18000 college students across the US. From this study, it was established that one in every three female students are seriously into binge drinking. In other words, they are consuming four or more drinks in a row and in very quick succession. These are not very good statistics especially considering the serious prevalence of alcohol addiction in our societies today. In that same study, it was also established that between the years1993-2001, the rate of binge drinking female students was more than doubled. From the study, it was further frustrating that even though male students were more dependent on alcohol, it was surprising that more than half of the women students were actually abusing alcohol.

Finally, doctor Akoury registers that these trends are very disturbing, given that binge drinking not only carries health risks for both men and women but also increases the chance of unwanted and unplanned sexual activity. Because of this women risk becoming pregnant and both genders risk contracting a sexually transmitted infection STI. All these can be avoided if we chose to have sobriety and not come close to the bottle. How can you do that? Take a moment and talk to doctor Dalal Akoury today and you will be free from alcoholism in a record time.

Female gender alcoholism: Drug addiction and social stigma

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Misuse of alcohol

Polysubstance abuse problems

May 11, 2017
Polysubstance abuse problems

Polysubstance abuse problems is a serious problem in human health

Polysubstance abuse problems: Is there hope for polysubstance abuse victims?

Polysubstance abuse problems like any other forms of addition is affecting everybody without any favor based on race, religion, educational background or social status. Age doesn’t matter too since children and teenagers are also equal victims. With this vast scope of vulnerability, it will only be fair if we all pool together to help in the fight against all kinds of drug abuse. In our quest of addressing the problems of polysubstance abuse, we are going to rely on the expertise of doctor Dalal Akoury MD who is also the founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center. Adult polysubstance abuse is associated with other mental health conditions. Homelessness, personality disorders, and psychiatric disorders such as major depression, psychosis, and bipolar disorder are common.

The overlap of polysubstance dependence and psychiatric problems points to a lot of self-medication. Typically, among multiple substance users, individuals used alcohol or marijuana at an early age and then added other substances (or changed their drugs of choice) without quitting their original substances.

Polysubstance abuse problems: The common abused polysubstance

Further to that, among young people, polysubstance abuse is often the norm, and not the exception. Doctor Akoury reports that the most commonly abused polysubstance by adolescents include heroin, marijuana and alcohol. Nonetheless, the other drugs which are also used include MDMA (ecstasy), dextromethorphan, multiple forms of opiates, cocaine, hallucinogens, and inhalants. In a study where young people were involved, it was established that one-half of the young people had used an illicit street drug by the end of their senior year.

This has now translated into the need of administering treatment to about two million young people for the abuse of alcohol and drug addiction. The point of concern is that even with this big number in dire need of medication, it is regrettable that only 8 percent of the victims actually get it. Besides that the study also established that nearly one-third of young people are addicted to psycho-stimulants and are also suffering from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with 20 percent said they gave their medications to others.

One treatment facility said that 33 percent of the adolescents currently in treatment had polysubstance addiction and the elderly are another population that clearly has a problem with polysubstance abuse. The vulnerability of the elderly indicated that they have more medical conditions that often require prescriptions. Over time with debilitating illnesses such as Alzheimer’s disease the tendency to over medicate increases the likelihood of polysubstance abuse. If this is combined with alcohol, the results can be devastating, even fatal.

Finally, elderly women tend to keep their substance abuse and chemical dependency secret. Alcoholism occurs later in women’s lives, perhaps due to problems associated with divorce or separation. Women who are over 55 have less tolerance for alcohol and are therefore more prone to addiction. They are also less likely than men to seek treatment and also use prescribed psychoactive drugs. From the narratives we can conclude that polysubstance abuse is increasingly becoming more prevalent among the street drug user population. Some of the different substances abused include heroin, prescription opioids, benzodiazepines, cocaine, crack, alcohol, and marijuana. In all these, doctor Dalal Akoury and her team of experts from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center will be of great help if only you can call today.

Polysubstance abuse problems: Is there hope for polysubstance abuse victims?

http://www.awaremednetwork.com/

 

 

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Obesity an addiction

Stigmatizing obese children lowers morale

January 30, 2017
Stigmatizing obese children

Stigmatizing obese children lowers morale and is quite immoral to do so

Stigmatizing obese children lowers morale: Parental obligations

In making effort to bringing up our children in the best way we can, we are often meet with different challenges hindering our desire to do our part perfectly as we would wish to. Take for example the problem of stigmatizing obese children. Is there any bad thing that can happen to a child than to be discriminated over? Doctor Dalal Akoury MD, President, and founder of AWAREmed health and wellness resource center is going to help us understand more about childhood obesity stigmatization. Childhood obesity is a health problem, but to stigmatize the obese children over their condition is very immoral and demeaning as it is destroying our children causing them to feel secluded, alone and helpless.

We have a duty as parents to find out if our children are being bullied in whichever way to help them maintain their self-esteem. In today’s society body weight is among the common reasons why young people are harassed and while this is taking place and our children are being bullied, victimization of overweight youth continues to be ignored by the media, research and policy discussions. Recent studies indicated that many students are being teased in a demeaning way or during the physical activity classes, they are called names, made fun of because of their overweight problem. I want to pose and ask if overweight a health condition like any other? Why bully? The consequences of weight-based teasing and bullying are many and can be severe. Overweight youth who are teased and bullied are vulnerable to social, psychological, emotional and physical health impairments including:

  • Increased risk of depression and anxiety
  • Negative body image
  • Suicidal thoughts
  • Avoiding gym class
  • Skipping school
  • Academic impairment
  • Unhealthy weight control
  • Binge-eating behaviors
  • Reduced physical activity
  • Increased body mass index (BMI)

There is an emerging trend of weight related victimization much less known called cyber bullying causing a lot of devastating results among young people. Let’s take a moment to discuss cyber bullying.

Stigmatizing obese children lowers morale: Cyberbullying

This is the deliberate, attempt to inflict injury or discomfort of another person through electronic means. For adolescents, estimates of cyber victims range from 4-72 percent. Cyber-bullying takes a number of different forms including threats, insults, gossip, rumors, impersonation, hacking into other people’s accounts or spreading someone else’s private or personal information without consent. Peers are not the only perpetrators. In fact, youth report being bullied by adults and siblings, and 48 to 79 percent have been bullied by strangers or individuals they have never met in person.

Its anonymity sets cyber-bullying apart from more “traditional” victimization, but cyber-bullying is especially harmful because it penetrates beyond the school boundary and can possibly happen to anyone at any time. The majority (85 percent) of cyber-bullying happens at home, but these experiences may also affect children at school. What may be frustrating is that parents are largely unaware of their children’s roles as cyber-bullies or victims. Youth who are cyberbullied may be especially vulnerable to consequences that differ from more traditional forms of bullying. These include weapon carrying at school, low caregiver-adolescent connectedness, headaches, sleeping difficulties, sexual solicitation, social anxiety and suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Though it may be unclear if these problems are instigated or result from the cyber-bullying, the consequences remain the same and that is why you need to seek professional help from doctor Akoury now.

Stigmatizing obese children lowers morale: Parental obligations

http://regenerativepotential.com/wp-admin

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Dopamine Rush

Reducing stigma and shame of addiction

November 15, 2016
Reducing stigma

Reducing stigma and shame of addiction paves way for patients seeking for treatment and support to face the future with confidence

Reducing stigma and shame of addiction: Addiction is a disease of free will

Over the last few decades of my practice as a medical professional I have come a cross so many patients from across the globe with different disturbing health conditions coming to my office for treatment which we have gladly offered to them to a resounding positive feedback. We have made it a routine in our facility (AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center) to give our very best to all our clients irrespective of their limitations because we believe in offering lasting solutions to all health complications that we can professionally handle. This has made us to move from strength to strength over the years. However one problem of drug addiction keeps recurring owing to the nature of its effects to people differently. This one story disturbs me the most because it came to my attention several years after I was first introduced to the couple. That story is going to form part of our discussion in this article even as we focus on reducing stigma and shame of addiction both internally and externally.

But before we get there we want to assure all people reading this article now that drug addiction is a real medical problem and the sooner we deal with it the better. It is very painful seeing people losing hope and giving up on treatment because they keep relapsing every time they are about to have a break through. We are taking seriously the issue of relapse so that we can be on the front lane in defeating the beast of addiction. Therefore if you or anyone you know is struggling with any kind of addiction, our doors are always open at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the able leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury to help you recover from it professionally and with a lot of dignity. So don’t keep in hiding come up and purpose to regaining your life back with us professionally.

Reducing stigma and shame of addiction: Stop the humiliation and disgrace

Back to the story, three decades ago a couple visited my office with an addiction problem. The man who was alcoholic was in company of his wife to seek for help. Before we could even start the session, they excused themselves shortly and I felt that they were consulting on something before the session. I was surprised several minutes and hours later that my client vanished never to return. Several years later one of my student narrated this story to me and I was astonished. The student said “when I was five or six years old, my maternal grandfather died of what I was told was complications of heart disease.” She believed that because that is what she was told. It was not until several years later, after she had graduated from a medical school in psychiatry, and had secured a job for a very long time using neuroimaging to study the addicted brain, that she learned the real reason for the death of her grandfather. One day her mother gave her the revelation that shocked her life. This was coming when her mother was sick and almost breathing her last, “I need to tell you something I have never spoken to you about.” She disclosed to her that her grandfather had been an alcoholic, and that he took his own life in his distress at not being able to control his strong urges to drink.

“Oh Jesus I almost lost my grip.” Her mother had out of fear of stigma and shame kept the real reason for her grandfather’s death a secret from her that long. What surprised her is that even though she knew that in her whole professional life was devoted to trying to understand what drugs do to the brain, and that she had heard her speak of addiction as a disease of the brain, still she was not going to tell her the whole truth.” So she wondered how she had miscommunication, and how she had not made her realize that it was not a taboo to speak about addiction and that there should be no shame in it. This really troubled her and so she came to confide in me. stop stigmatizing patients and lets support them get better.

Reducing stigma and shame of addiction: Addiction is a disease of free will

http://www.awaremednetwork.com/

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