Category Archives: outpatient addiction treatment

dopamine-5

Dopamine And Sex Addiction

February 9, 2016

The Contribution Of Dopamine In Sex Addiction

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that coordinates information transfer within the brain of human beings. It is mostly associated with information that is mostly related to pleasure of rewards to the body.  Dopamine can therefore be said to be the brain neurotransmitter that passes information from one neuron on the brain to another. The effects of dopamine in the brain mainly depends on where or which part of the brain it is released from, there the intended receiving neurons are located within the brain and the types of the receiving neurons and the receptors to which the dopamine is bonded to within the brain.

It, dopamine, is a neurotransmitter that is mostly associated with the brain or body motivation, attention, lust, addiction and even desire. When a body in in dire need for something or a substance, normally viewed as reward by the brain, it has been found that it is usually the neurotransmitter at work. Naturally, the human brain regards pleasure of any kind the same way, that is, it the same response to different forms of desires provided they bring pleasure. Its basic distinguished signature response to pleasure is the release of dopamine in the nucleus accumbems part of the brain. Some of the rewards the brain considers to bring it pleasure include; monetary reward, drugs, sexual activity, and satisfaction of eating.

Dopamine And Sex Addiction

Whether, the above named pleasurable activities remain a normal daily routine or they become addiction do depend on some factors too. You see a normal life routine would has a normal response to these rewards. However, some of life’s activities such as substance abuse, sex, or even gambling would have a different effects to the brain all together. This can be referred to as short circuiting the brain. The speed with which any of these activities leads to dopamine released to the brain, the intensity of its release and the reliability of its released has been said to be responsible for whether one becomes an addict or not. Let us examine how dopamine do function on the brain of a sex addict. Addiction to something can be said to be the state at which a person has a craving for one thing, in which they have no control over, and continue to have themselves involved in irrespective of the consequences however dire.

Experiencing a sexual activity, desire or pleasure causes a powerful surge of dopamine release on the brain. This is a normal occurrence within the brain in response to and pleasurable encounter. However repeated encounter with far much greater intensity can and do lead to sexual addiction. Dopamine released in the brain interact with others neurotransmitters such as the glutamate and other in order to cause some influences to the brain and the body. Together, these neurotransmitters, dopamine and glutamate, interact and take over the reward sensing brain system. This is the part of the brain system that is hugely associated with motivation and memory and is also the part that associated sex with reward and pleasure for the brain.

Repeated sexual activities causes the nerves cells of the parts of the brain that is responsible for the for the planning and execution of tasks to communicate in a way that is starts by liking the sex, then wanting the sex, then finally craving sex in such a way that the brain is fixed on wanting it so badly that it loses control of the body’s will. This too much sexual craving drives the brain to have a strong desire for sexual pleasure. However, with time, the brain cells adapt to this sexual craving which results into the desire for the sex becoming less pleasurable that was first imagined.

Dopamine and Sex Addiction

Too much sexual activities leads to the brain being flooded by the neurotransmitter, dopamine to an extend that the brain finds it quite difficult to with stand the surge. When the brain achieves this state, the sex addict has a problem at their hands. This will want to solve this new feeling of displeasure by having more and more sex. Instead of getting the desired pleasure, this increased in sexual activity will lead to more production of dopamine to the brain up to the limit where its release is greatly reduced. This reduction on the dopamine release or elimination of dopamine receptors leads to less impact on the brain reward center. This is the stage where the sex no longer provides the pleasure it is associated with hence the brain requires more sexual activity to achieve the same high pleasure state.

At this stage, the person is compelled to have more sexual activities. The pleasure of sex wind down, though, the memory of the desired pleasure remains, hence the persistence of the need for sex. This ultimately, results into sex addiction.

The Contribution Of Dopamine In Sex Addiction

 

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pornography-brain

Effects of pornography on brain

February 3, 2016

How Watching Pornography Affects Your Brain
Watching pornography, just, like any hard substance that are abused can have a lasting effect on those who engages in it. This is because, like hard drugs, watching pornography over a long period does affect the brain. Human brains have chemical compositions that aid in the co-ordination of its activities. These chemicals, like dopamine, a neurotransmitter responsible for sensing reward and pleasure has been known triggered addiction in the case of drugs or substance abuse. It has been therefore noted that, in the case of watching pornography, the release of this same chemical is triggered and as so, the continuous watching leads to addiction.
Addiction in watching pornographic materials, be it photos or videos can have serious effects to the brains of the victims who engages in such practices. Take, for example, a case of a marriage or a serious relationship where one partner is an addict of watching porn. The relationship may get affected since normal intimate communication between the couples may get ruined. Watching pornography, therefore, has the following effects on the brain of the victims.

effects of pornography on brain
First and foremost, there is the question of addiction and dependency. Watching pornographic materials causes the victim not to be able to function normally regarding sexuality. That is to say, they need exposure to porn or have their thoughts focused on some porn materials to get aroused during intimacy. Normally this becomes a problem because the normal partner finds it tough to understand the victim more so if they, normal partner, themselves are ready. When the above scenario occurs, communication becomes difficult between the couple.
Pornographic materials, more specifically, videos are known to be violent in their form. The kind of sexual activities in these videos normally lack the tender that is or should be associated with making love. It has, therefore, been realizes that watching porn makes the victim view love making as just having sex. So for them, the notion of lovemaking is lost to them and do not make any efforts to try and bring out the aspect of intimacy with their partners.
Too much indulgence in watching porn also affects the sexual urge or desire of the victim. The sexual desire or libido of an individual addicted to watching porn is considerably lowered in most cases. Intimacy between two people in love or even a married couple is normally heightened by making love. However, in the case where one partner finds themselves addicted to porn, the intimacy is usually affected. This is because the effects of watching porn leave one with poor sexual libido. It has been found that those who are addicted to porn are so much affected by it to the extent that their sexual lives are affected because they find their partners not to be as good as the porn seemed. This makes them lose interest in making love to their partners as soon as the act begins, hence affecting the relationship in the long run.
The main beauty of making love or being in an intimate relationship with a partner is the ultimate satisfaction that comes with the connection the bodies make. In a normal and healthy relationship between two people, this connection should not just be physical. The intimate connection should also involve some emotional feelings between couples. However, watching pornography drives away the emotional feeling that intimate sex should bring. A victim of Porn views sex as just a physical affair, losing the emotions hence little enjoyment for the partner and even themselves.
It is common knowledge that for one to enjoy intimate sex, all the partners should have to be in the right mood. Consequently, it is of no use for a couple to have sexual intercourse when either does not have the feel of it. When one partner is addicted to watching porn, their sexual needs tend to be self-centered. Porn, therefore, causes selfishness in a relationship. The addicted individual becomes obsessed with their sexual needs that they tend not care for the feelings of their partners. Sex now become their personal need and may not want to listen to any protest from the other partner or even any needs of their own.

effects of pornography on brain
Making love between two intimate couple or in a marriage should be a process, and not just having sex. It is a process that involves foreplay as they get themselves physically and psychologically prepared for the lovemaking act. That is what a normal love making process should sound like, but not when one is addicted to porn. They, the porn addicts, lose the significance of getting the body prepared for the actual act of lovemaking.
Lastly, porn has the effect of creating some sexual disorder to the addicts. Just like the intensity of having sex in porn, the addicts normally apply the same in their normal lives. In such cases, the addict ends up having premature ejaculation and sometimes, even erectile dysfunction as they find it tough to maintain a prolonged erection.
How Watching Pornography Affects Your Brain

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Teen-sexuality

Teens Sexual Disturbance in Digital Age.

February 2, 2016

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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Alcohol kills

Points of action when faced with alcoholism

December 14, 2015

Points of action when faced with alcoholism: How can I avoid drinking?

Alcoholism

Points of action when faced with alcoholism will help you make the right decision towards your ultimate addiction recovery from your alcoholism problem.

Our children often find it very difficult to say no when offered a drink by their friends and this is not doing them any good in the fight against addiction. That is why it has become necessary for us at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center to share with us some few points of action when faced with alcoholism and even other substances. Before we get to that, it will interest you to note that AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center is the brain child of doctor Dalal Akoury who is also the MD, President and founder of the same. Doctor Dalal Akoury is a veteran addiction expert who has offered quality and relentless addiction treatment to millions of people across the globe and is still delivering real time solutions to people to date. If you, your child or any one you know is struggling with any kind of addiction, then you can consult with her today by scheduling for an appointment right away. Otherwise for the young people we appreciate that if you are keeping friends who drinking or using drugs are, you may be willing and desiring to let go the drink but their influence won’t let you. That is why we are tailoring this article to suit your individual situation as follows.

Doctor Akoury agrees that even though you inner-self may be saying No, it can be very hard to say “no, thanks” boldly and openly. This happens because we always want to safeguard our relationships and to avoid the risk of feeling rejected or being left out. Even with those challenges, it is still important to stand firm and say no and stick to your No, this can be done in several different strategies. Like for instance you may want to turn down alcohol work for different people without letting them see you as being difficult or distancing yourself from them. For this reason, some people will find it helpful to say no without giving an explanation while others may think that detailing their reasons works better e.g. (“sorry I’m not into drinking,” “sorry I ‘am sitting an exam tomorrow,” sorry I am taking part in a very important game tomorrow,” or “my parents died from drinking and I am not following their footsteps” these are some of the example you can give and still remain relevant to your friends.

Besides the above points, If you still find it difficult to say no to your friends when they offer you alcohol, you can as well shift the blame to your parents or another adult for your refusal by saying that “I am sorry my parents are coming to pick me up soon,” “I ‘am sorry I have already gotten in serious trouble for drinking once with the authorities and I can’t do it again,” or “better still you may say that “my coach would kill me if I drink before the game,” these are some of the better ways of communicating your refusal to your friend and because they too (teen) experience the same challenges, they will surely excuse you without any form of victimization.

Points of action when faced with alcoholism: Marry making and outings

Marry making and outings are serious threats to sinking into alcoholism and therefore it is important that as an individual, each time you’re going to a party where alcoholic drinks will be served, it is important that you up your game plan by coming up with a working strategy towards escape in advance. You and a friend can develop a signal for when it’s time to leave. Besides that you can also make sure that you have plans to do something besides just hanging out in someone’s basement drinking beer all night. Plan a trip to the movies, the mall, a concert, or a sports event. You might also organize your friends into a volleyball, bowling, or softball team any activity that gets you moving. Self-esteem is a factor to consider it therefore means that girls or guys who have strong self-esteem are less likely to become problem drinkers than people with low self-esteem.

Points of action when faced with alcoholism: Where you can get help from?

If you think you have a drinking problem, getting help as soon as possible is very necessary. The best approach is to talk to an adult you trust. If you can’t approach your parents, talk to your doctor, school counselor, clergy member, aunt, or uncle. It can be hard for some people to talk to adults about these issues, but a supportive person in a position to help can refer students to a drug and alcohol counselor for evaluation and treatment. In some states, this treatment is completely confidential. After assessing a teen’s problem, a counselor may recommend a brief stay in rehab or outpatient treatment. These treatment centers help a person gradually overcome the physical and psychological dependence on alcohol.

Points of action when faced with alcoholism: What if I’m concerned about someone else’s drinking?

Because we owe one another the duty of care we must show concern to our friends who are strongly into alcohol and drugs. It is normal to be living in a home with one or both parents who are abusing alcohol and not just parents even other relatives. This can be annoying and in the process may make you angry, scared, and depressed. Even though this is a possibility it is important to appreciate that many people can’t control their drinking without help and that is why we all must show concern because alcoholism is an illness that needs to be treated just like other illnesses. One important point about alcoholism is that people with drinking problems many at times can’t stop drinking until they are ready to admit that they have a problem that needs to be sorted out professionally. During this period of denial, many family members and loved ones have a feeling of depressed and helpless. However the good news is that we have experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the able leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury who can help you get well in the most human way with a lot of dignity and high standard of confidentiality. All you need to do is to schedule for an appointment with doctor Akoury and you will have your life back and live it to the fullest.

Points of action when faced with alcoholism: How can I avoid drinking?

 

 

 

 

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Alcoholism

Accessibility to alcohol a hindrance to recovery

December 8, 2015

Accessibility to alcohol a hindrance to recovery: Why shouldn’t i drink?

accessibility to alcohol

Accessibility to alcohol is one of the most significant motivation to being addicted to alcohol

The prevalence of alcohol addiction has been necessitated by easy accessibility to alcohol which is posing a serious threat to treatment and recovery process. You will not be surprised to note that certain streets in a given capital city of a state are literally littered with alcohol joints e.g. pubs and entertainment spots. Our authorities have continually license more business directly engaging in the sales and production of alcohol in order to increase revenues for development. They do so because they have noted that the addictiveness of this product and so even if taxes were to be increased as a means of putting in some control, people will still buy to quench their thirst. It is because of this background that we at the home of addiction experts (AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center) under the able leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury have resolved to make a difference by posting very informative articles on this link to the public’s consumption so that this problem can be brought to manageable levels. Therefore we want to scrutinize how accessibility to alcohol a hindrance to recovery in this article. We therefore want to request you to stay with us on the link and together let us educate one another on the best possible ways of eradicating this scourge from our societies.

According to the experts from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center, it is worrying that even though it’s illegal to buy alcohol in most states globally including in the United States until the age of 21, most teens and young children can still get access to this product (alcohol). We must therefore be very careful about the decisions we make concerning our usage (drinking) of alcohol. What we do affects our children greatly in the future like for instance if you stock alcohol in your refrigerator, the message you are passing to the teens is that this is a good substance and can be consumed at will after all food and drinks for family use or consumption are always kept in our refrigerators. When your children become the messengers each time you want supply of your substance whether it is alcohol, cigarette or any other substance, the children are registering real tangible points about the use and abuse of these stuff. Dear friend this is very dangerous not just for your family but to the whole society and beyond. Have you ever hard the phrase “charity begins at home?” when good things begins from home the society benefits in the same way when bad things bins from our homes the society suffers. This we can stop, prevent and avoid by choosing to do the right things with our children. Now back to our point of discussion having listen to the over view it is important to appreciate that besides the mentioned, there are several other consequences for drinking some may include:

Accessibility to alcohol a hindrance to recovery: Heavy penalty and severe punishment

The authorities in every institutions and states are putting stringent measures to curb this unbecoming habit in our young generation and therefore teens that drink will always rub shoulders with the law enforcer agencies and be arrested. Besides that they (teens) are likely to involve themselves into some unwanted behaviors and conducts like fighting, committing various kinds of crime, and even end up into suicide. There are very prevalent occurrences in teens that drink when compared to those who do not drink or do drugs. Alongside all these individuals who drink will in many cases also have problems in their social and academic lives, and remember that drinking can once ability to concentrate in his or her studies and the consequences of this is dismal performance in their grades, career, sports or any other activity they participate in. this nor normally happens because of poor coordination by the brain when it is under the influence of alcohol and substances.

Accessibility to alcohol a hindrance to recovery: Displaying actions of stupidity

The good impression according to the users of alcohol is that drinking is cool and life’s fulfilling, this is a serious misinformation because the moment the alcohol takes effect on the nervous system, the whole situation changes and what was perceived to be cool and fulfilling (drinking alcohol) all over sudden create shame and embarrassment. I strongly believe that you have meet people decently dressed on their way to drinking joints and a few hours later you meet them in very disturbing and pathetic situations. That is why we say that drinking can make people do very stupid or embarrassing things including throwing up or peeing on themselves in total disregard of their surroundings. Besides the stupid actions, drinking also gives people bad breath, and no one enjoys a hangover even to those who feel that they can’t do without the touch of the bottle. Displaying actions of stupidity can be avoided if only we can chose to seek for help in good time. Before things get out of hand to the point of regrets, you can schedule for an appointment with doctor Dalal Akoury today and together with her team of experts all your concerns about alcohol addiction and the general aspect of substance abuse will be addressed professionally.

Accessibility to alcohol a hindrance to recovery: The health risks of Alcohol consumption

When we talk about the health risk involving misuse of alcohol, you can be rest assured that it is not going to the first time you are hearing this. The consequences of misuse of alcohol have been preached since time immemorial yet our young people are still into this harmful habit. There is no doubt that individuals who drink alcohol age, gender and race not withstanding are more likely to be sexually active and eventually engages into having unsafe or unprotected sex. We are all privy to the consequences of such action which may include but not limited to unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases which can be very fatal to the point of death. Besides that doctor Akoury is registering that the risk of injuring one’s yourself, maybe even fatally, is higher especially when you’re under the influence of alcohol. Shocking as it may sound, it has been established that about one half of all drowning death cases among people are actually related to alcohol use. There is therefore no doubt that the use of alcohol is in itself going to greatly increase the chance of people or users of alcohol to be involved in a car crash, homicide, or suicide. All this fatalities can be brought to manageable levels by taking immediate actions of getting help from the right professionals like doctor Dalal Akoury MD, President and founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center.

Finally as we bring this discussion to an end, there are also nutritional effects that come with alcohol consumptions. Like for instance, our young people are most likely to get fat or have health problems if they are consistently abusing alcohol. According to one of the studies conducted by the University of Washington it was established that people who regularly had five or more drinks in a row starting at age 13 were much more likely to be overweight or have high blood pressure by age 24 than their non-drinking peers. People who continue drinking heavily well into adulthood risk damaging their organs, such as the liver, heart, and brain. These findings can be very scary but you can chose to correct that by scheduling for an appointment with doctor Dalal Akoury a veteran addiction expert of several decades today so that all your concerns can be addressed professionally and adequately.

Accessibility to alcohol a hindrance to recovery: Why shouldn’t i drink?

 

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