Category Archives: Addiction Courses

Buddhist sexuality

Buddhist And Their Reasoning On Sexuality

Understanding Buddhist sexuality

Buddhism just like, Christianity, is a religion or philosophy that encompasses a variety of traditions, beliefs and spiritual practices that are based on the teachings attributed to Gautama Buddha or famously known as “the awakened one.” The religion traces its roots to India, but has, over the years spread to other countries like; China, Burma, Tibet, Japan and other nations in the southern Asia. Buddhists, as is with Christians, have some principles or guidelines that govern on moral living. These are referred as the precepts, which are identical to all the Buddhist traditions. Undertaking these precepts is practiced by both lay Buddhist initiations and lay Buddhist devotionals. The precepts are five in number and do include; commitments to abstain from harming living beings, stealing, sexual misconduct lying and intoxication.

Buddhist sexuality

To the Buddhist, the five precepts are supposed to act as some guideline for the betterment of the purity of the soul. Just like in Christianity, there are the Ten Commandments against which if a person leads a life, they are considered sinners, Buddhism also find the five precepts there pathway to explain meditation and life’s enlightenment that ends all suffering.

However, as Christianity uses commandments as laid down rule to be followed, the precepts in Buddhism are not rules that must be followed. They are just provided for them to use in training for enlightenment, and it is upon each and every Buddhist to either choose to follow them or not. They believe that it is upon each person to develop their constructive attitude. We now need to understand the third precept into much detail.

Just like in every society and religion in the world, Buddhists also do have some views as far as sexuality is concerned. Sexuality is the third of the five precepts that this religion was provided with by their founding father, Gautama Buddha. On the precepts, Buddhists are urged to desist from sexual misconduct. The sexual misconducts include; rape, paraphilia, adultery, sexual pervasions and promiscuity.

Buddhism does not see the sexual practice as a bad thing, but rather what happens after the sexual act. For the Buddhists, the sexual act can have a possible of three consequences. There is the constructive impact, destructive and neutral effects. The sexual pleasure in itself is not evil, but the desire or craving for sexual desire that is in itself wrong and needs to be fought for one to be free of. When one is engulfed by such desires or attachments, they need to work hard to get rid of them, that is, renunciation.

A sexual act in Buddhists is considered destructive when one is driven by greedy desire and attachment. For example, when a person rapes a woman. It focuses on the impact this will have to the rapist. It believes that the rapist will suffer emotionally and should, therefore, consider renunciation to get rid of the desire that drove them to commit the rape in the first place.

Buddhist sexuality

Another destructive attitude the Buddhist believe is the seeking for a perfect partner in a relationship, or even perfect orgasm. When a person haves sex seeking for a perfect orgasm or perfect partner, there is the possibility of dissatisfaction rising. The attitude of dissatisfaction is considered to be destruction because of the unfulfilled desire within the person. This causes frustration and makes the person miserable. In this case, the person should get rid of the feeling of the perfect partner or perfect orgasm to enjoy sex.

There is also the case of extramarital affairs and the sex out of marriage. According to Buddhists, having sex with another person’s partner is also destruction. The sexual act is not condemned, but the consequences. It is viewed that extramarital sex is fuelled by the attitude of dissatisfaction by a partner in a relationship. It is the Buddhists take that extramarital sexual relation cases a lot of unhappiness to the partner, which can destroy a marriage. It is, therefore, important for the individual to fight such desire. Or, to avoid hurting a partner, one should keep their affairs very secretive. When such affairs take place, the perpetrator should be aware of the consequences, which also include divorce.

There is also sexual practices that involve unmarried individuals. This is also blamed on dissatisfaction that arises from the sexual desire for attachments. Buddhism is also against this for the consequences that may occur. Sex within non-marriage is also destructive given Buddhism. This kind of sexual practice may cause unwanted pregnancies or even diseases. Also, abortion is also a possibility.

Understanding Buddhist sexuality

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Dealing with the minds perception about cocaine addiction

Dealing with the minds perception about cocaine addiction: Coping with craving of cocaine (part two)

Dealing with the minds perception about cocaine addiction

In our part one of this series of articles about the cognitive behavioral approach of treating addiction, we had highlighted some of the areas to focus on as listed below and we were able to explore on the first one i.e. understanding craving. You can actually make reference on that as we progress but for the purpose of this article we want to continue from where we left and see how best we can describe craving which is one of the biggest elements when it comes to solving the problem of addiction. Our team of experts from the home of addiction solutions (AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center) under the able leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury who is also the founder of the facility, we want to explore on the possibilities of dealing with the minds perception about cocaine addiction with a view of finding lasting solutions to the scourge of addiction.

Dealing with the minds perception about cocaine addiction: Describing craving

Having understood what cravings is our next point would be to get the essential sense of the patients’ experience of craving. This can be very broad and may include having the knowledge about the following information.

What is craving like for you? – Doctor Akoury says that cravings or urges as it is commonly known is experienced in many different of ways by different patients. Like for instance an individual could say, the experience is primarily somatic that is to say, a patient would just get a feeling in the stomach or the heart races or just start smelling the element being craved for. For others, craving is experienced more cognitively; like for example one would say that “I need it now” or “I can’t get it out of my head” or “It calls on me.” Or it may be experienced effectively; for example, “I get nervous” or “I’m bored.” Depending on your individual experience, it is important that when seeking for help, you let your therapist know your experience with craving, this way they will be able to get to the roots of the problem and offer solutions effectively.

Are you bothered by craving? – There is tremendous variability in the level and intensity of craving reported by patients. For some, achieving and maintaining control over craving will be a principal treatment goal and take several weeks to achieve. Other patients deny they experience any craving. Gentle exploration with patients who deny any craving especially those who continue to use cocaine often reveals that they misinterpret a variety of experiences or simply ignore craving when it occurs until they suddenly find themselves using. Other, abstinent patients, who deny they experience any craving often, when asked, admit to intense fears about relapsing.

How long does craving last for you? – In this journey doctor Akoury says that to make the point about the duration and nature of craving, it is often very important for professionals to point out to their patients that they have rarely let themselves experience an episode of craving without giving in to it.

How do you try to cope with it? – Getting a sense of the coping strategies used by patients will help the therapist identify their characteristic coping styles and select appropriate coping strategies.

Dealing with the minds perception about cocaine addiction: Identifying triggers

The next point to focus on would be the identification of the triggers to the substance of abuse. It is important that therapists should work very closely with their patients to develop a comprehensive list of their own triggers. Some patients become overwhelmed when asked to identify cues. From experience doctor Akoury says that when handling addicts, you will notice that someone may even associate breathing with cocaine use. Again, it may be most helpful therefore to concentrate on identifying the craving and cues that have been most problematic to the patient in recent weeks. This should commence immediately during the therapy session and this should include self-monitoring of craving so that patients can begin to identify new and more subtle cues as they arise.

Dealing with the minds perception about cocaine addiction: Avoiding cues

When considering the avoidance of cues it is always advisable that you keep in mind the general strategy of “recognize, avoid, and cope.” These strategies are particularly applicable to craving for all substances and not necessarily cocaine. Doctor Akoury says that real experts would first identify the patients’ most problematic cues then make an exploration of the degree to which some of those could be avoided. This will come with certain sacrifices including breaking ties or reducing contact with individuals who use or supply you with cocaine, getting rid of paraphernalia, staying out of bars or other places where cocaine is used, or no longer carrying money, as in the following example:

Finally in dealing with the minds perception about cocaine addiction one needs not to let any stone unturned. I am saying this because we are all aware that cocaine is an illegal substance but other substances like alcohol which are legal can form a perfect avenue for the consumption of cocaine without being noticed. Besides that the ability to pay for the substance is another point of consideration. When the financial strength allows users to access cocaine could easily form a solution in an alcoholic drink. Therefore experts from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center recommends that for any meaningful treatment to be realized, therapists and other professionals in the line of substance abuse must spend considerable time exploring the relationship between alcohol and cocaine with patients who use them together to such an extent that alcohol becomes a powerful cocaine cue. Specific strategies to reduce, or preferably, stop alcohol use should be explored. We appreciate that doing this may not be easy for many people and that is why doctor Akoury will be readily available on call for you to schedule for an appointment so that any pending or unclear issues relating to addiction can be attended to professionally.

Dealing with the minds perception about cocaine addiction: Coping with craving of cocaine (part two)

 

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Digital-sexuality

Digital Revolution and Sexuality

Just how much has digital revolution impacted on sexuality?

The world has come a long way regarding the way information is accessed, received or even passed on. This is concerning the time it takes and the efficiency with which one takes to get or pass on a piece of information. Thanks to the digital revolution, information access, retrieval, and dissemination have become quite efficient. On the pre-digital era, it would take considerable effort for one to get a piece of information and yet still, to pass on that same information to the intended recipient. However, with the great revolution that has taken place in the recent years, information access is now a click away.

Digital revolution has seen the emergence of computer technology as the main form of searching for, accessing, retrieving and sending of information from one point to another. The Internet has emerged and with it the social media; WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter among others. It is, therefore, a common knowledge that this development in information availability has some profound effect. The article now talks of digital revolution and sexuality.

Digital revolution and sexuality

Sexuality has, since the ancient times, been treated as sacred. It is sexual feeling or behavior that surfaces when two people are intimate, a state that is now under threat. Thanks to the digital revolution, the sacred value of sexuality is quickly becoming extinct. The emergence of so many digital gadgets and platforms has made in practically impossible for sexuality to be between just two people.

Sexual morality in public and private has been greatly jeopardized through the digital revolution era. The internet is full of sexual contents ranging from nude photos of celebrities and even unknown individuals who post them there for attention from the public. Apart from the nude photo, the internet, and many social media platforms are full of sex tapes and pornographic videos. Exposure to this kind of information has led to great moral decadence. Prostitution has become the in thing as people now tend to pay for sex and others willing to get paid for sex. These are just ideas people who were previously morally upright have got from the digital world.

The digital era has also brought about bad habits like child sex abuse. Teenagers get exposed to sexuality at a very early stage in their development due to the technological advancement, or digital revolution. From the erotic videos they get exposed from the Internet and other networks with explicit sexual contents, teenagers develop the inappropriate urge to explore and experiment on their sexuality. They, therefore, end up having sex at a very early age.

Revolution in the digital world has also brought vices like sexual harassment and violence in sexual practices. People watch those commercial erotic videos and porn posted on the internet, and because of the violent nature of some, they want to put into practice the same. This also leads to addiction in sex as one would get aroused every time they think of porn or watch.

Sexual satisfaction with their partners is also affected by this digital revolution. When someone is addicted to watching porn and the sexual videos available over the internet, they ran the risk of experiencing some dissatisfaction when they have sex with their partners. This is because they will want to put into practice what they watch and because their partners do not have the same experience will not meet their expectation. Apart from that, they may also feel dissatisfied with their bodies. Sexual dissatisfaction with one partner will drive the porn addict to find other partners ending up practicing dangerous sexual practices. Having multiple sexual partners may lead to sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

Digital revolution and sexuality

The sexual dissatisfaction caused as a result of too much exposure to the internet pornography, and the unmatched expectations may also lead to practices such as masturbation. This come as a result of the desire for sex that is developed by the individual but is unable to have sex for so reason such as lack of presence of a partner or poor socializing habits that are also developed due to over indulgence on porn watching.

In cases where one is over indulged or addicted to porn viewing, such medical conditions as erectile dysfunction do arise. Victims of porn watching may suffer from the above in that it becomes so hard for them to achieve a normal erection without depending on those videos. It, therefore, make personal relationships for them hard to keep, for whereas one partner will normally function, the other would need some stimulation.

Just how much has digital revolution impacted on sexuality?

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Teen-sexuality

Teens Sexual Disturbance in Digital Age.

Teens, Digital Devices, and Sexual Problems

We are in a whole new era; the digital age. The implications of this are both positive and negative depending on what perception one views it on. On teenagers or adolescents, the digital age has caused quite a disturbance on their sexuality.

Access to information has been eased as a result of this new era. Anyone anywhere is now capable of searching, accessing, retrieving and transferring information from practically any location within the globe and teenagers are no exception. The digital age has provided the teens with that platform to access information through personally owned gadgets such as; laptops, iPhones, smartphones, etc. However, it is a common understanding that the information the teenagers seek over the digital platform more so the internet is sexually aligned.

This has led to what can be termed as sexual disturbance or unhealthy sexual behaviors by the teenagers. Before getting to these sexual problems experienced by the teenagers, let us first of all look at the activities the teenagers get involved in as a result of the exposure to the digital platform. Teenagers, as a result of being exposed to the digital platform, has the tendency to watch sexualized videos that are readily available on the internet. Some of them go as far as joining these video chat rooms where they get exposed to nude pictures and videos.

There is also the aspect of sexual exploration. From the experience they get from the chat rooms or networks, teenagers get to explore more about sex, and being teenagers, there is no trusting them that they will be responsible in their exploration. This kind of exploration will usually lead them to pornographic contents on the internet from where they acquire such contents and use them from their gadgets.

teen sexuality and digital age

Social media groups such as those formed on Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram among others are some places teenagers get to find or access sexual contents. As a result of being a digital savvy generation, teenagers join such groups in large numbers and end up getting exposed. A part from the social media, there are the smartphone applications such as the “hook-up” apps that these teenagers can easily access due to the digital platform.

The fact that teenagers have gadgets such as smartphones readily available to them has made it possible for them to get engaged in sexting. They therefore get to exchange sex messages with lots of sexual contents.

Effects of Digital Age on Teen Sexuality.

This large exposure of sexual contents to the teenagers has some profound effects on them. Their general development as proper persons with morals and integrity is greatly curtailed.

Teenagers who use or access pornographic contents over the internet,  encounter problems when it comes to interacting with other on a face to face interaction. That is to say that they suffer from social isolation and loneliness. They get captivated by their smartphones or laptops to the extent that they lose that aspect of socializing with others because they tend to have no time for such activities.

There is also the aspect of forming relationships. Teenagers who to get sexual information from the internet tend to encounter serious problems in having relationships with others that actually work. Normally such teenagers will get ideas from the internet gathered across such media as chat rooms and networks and want to apply them in their relationships. For example, they would want to apply what they watch on pornographic contents in their sexual activities with their partners. This kind of adventure normally fails due to lack of satisfaction from the high expectations raised by porn.

effects of digital age on teens sexuality

Sexual addiction is also one problem a teenager is likely to suffer from as a result of exposure as use of digital gadgets. Exposure and accessibility to porn will make a teenager get some sexual inclination which if not controlled lead to sex addiction. He/she will want to put to practice what the watch hence leading to a teenager having too much sex. Again there is the possibility of potential multiple sex partners which is also enhanced by the fact that a teenager can now easily communicate with many partners they meet on social media.

Loss of self-esteem and focus in life among teenagers is also a problem that ca be attributed to the digital age or era. Any teen who gets indulged with watching porn or sexualized video chats will general become reserved and distanced to the outside world. Too much exposure to porn leads to some self-indulgence activities as masturbation which make teenagers loss self-esteem and focus in general.

Teens, Digital Devices, and Sexual Problems

 

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Zoloft_bottles

MEDICATION TREATMENT FOR SEX ADDICTION

  1. SSRI
  • An SSRI (Seroetoninergic) A seroetoninergic medication is any medication that modifies the effects of serotonin in the body. Serotonin is a chemical produced by certain brain cells which acts as a neurotransmitter. Neurotransmitters facilitate communication between the axons of brain cells. As such, serotonin is one of the regulators of mood, appetite, and sleep. Another primary effect of serotonin is to regulate the intestinal tract movements. Serotonin uptake in this area of the body increases gastrointestinal motility among other things. Serotonin’s cognitive functions include memory and learning.  Modulation of serotonin at brain synapses is thought to be the function of a class of antidepressants which are called SSRIs, The list of SSRIs is:
    • Prozac-one of the first antidepressants on the market, the activity of prozac was first observed in 1975 by scientists at the Eli Whitney Co. The USA granted the Eli Whitney Co a patent on Prozac in 1985, which expired in 2001. Generic versions are now availble. Prozac is used for the treatment of :
      • major depressive disorder
      • obsessive compulsive disorder
      • bulemia nervosa
      • panic disorder
      • menstrual dysphoric disorder
      • trichotillomania after cognitive therapy has failed

Zoloft_bottles

  • Paxil
    • Paxil has been on the market since 1992. It is marketed by the company SmithKleine Beecham, which changed its name in 2001 to GlaxoSmithKleine.  Generic versions of Paxil have been available since 2003 when it’s USA patent expired. Paxil is used for the following conditions:
      • Depression
      • Panic Disorder
      • Social Anxiety Disorder
      • Obsessive-Compulsive disorder
      • Menopausal Hot Flashes
      • Childhood Obsessive-Compulsive disorder
    • Zoloft
      • Zoloft has been available since 1991, when Pfizer introduced it. It is a very popular drug, having been prescribed over 41 million times in 2013.  This makes it the most popular antidepressant in the US and the second most prescribed psychiatric medication on the US retail market.  It is used for:
        • Major depressive disorder in adult outpatients
        • obsessive-compulsive disorder
        • panic disorder
        • social anxiety disorder
        • These last 3 disorders are considered appropriate for both children and adults to receive Zoloft..
          • Celexa
          • Celexa has been available since 1998. There are no generic equivalents to Celexa at this time. Celexa was first synthesized i1972 by the scientists at Lundbeck Pharmaceutical company and was first marketed in Denmark in 1989.  It was first marketed in the US in 1998. The patent expired in 2003, but no generic versions were found.  Celexa is approved for the following uses:
            • Major depression
            • Panic disorder

It also has the following off-label uses:

  • anxiety
  • panic disorder
  • dysthemia
  • premenstrual dysphoric disorder
  • body dysmorphic disorder
  • obsessive-compulsive disorder
    • It has been found to reduce the symptoms of diabetic neuropathy
  • Luvox
  • This drug was first synthesized in 1983, and introduced to the market in Switzerland and West Germany that year. It was approved by the FDA in 1994, and is available in India. One of the oldest SSRI, it was the first to be approved for obsessive-compulsive disease in children.
    • In the US, its only FDA approved use is as a treatment for OCD in both children and adults. However, in other countries it is also used for:
      • Major Medical Depression
      • panic disorders
      • social anxiety disorder
      • PTSD
      • obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders
      • some evidence suggests it may be a useful adjunct to schizophrenia, helping to improve the negative depressive and cognitive symptoms of the disorder.
    • Lexapro
    • Lexapro was developed in a close cooperative effort by Lundbeck and Forrest Laboratories. This development took place in 1997, and the application to the FDA was submitted in 2001. It was approved by the FDA for use in major medical depression in 2002 and for generalized anxiety disorder in 2003.  In 2006 Forrest Laboratories was granted an 828 day extension on its patent.  That extension expired in 2011.  So far, no generics have been formulated.
      • This drug is used for the following diagnosis:
        • Major medical depression—US
        • Generalized Anxiety Disorder—US
        • Other countries
          • Major Depressive Disorder
          • Generalized anxiety disorder
          • Social Anxiety Disorder
          • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
          • panic disorder with or without agoraphobia
        • Naltrexone
        • Naltrexone is a drug used either as a daily oral medication or as an injectible “depot drug” on a monthly basis, or as a newly developed implant which must be renewed every several months. The advantage of the depot drug and the implant are that the patient is not required to see the doctor as often as they would if they were on the naltrexone pill. There is also an increased compliance rate as the patient only sees the doctor once per month or once every several months. Since this drug (as all psychopharmacuticals) has better results when the drug levels in the blood are steady, the implant gives the best results followed by the drug depot and then the pill.
        • Naltrexone is used for the prevention of alcohol consumption and the prevention of opiate relapse after detox.
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