Neurochemical rewards

July 17, 2017

Neurochemical rewards and drugs. This is a wrong combination

Neurochemical rewards and drugs: Addiction and the brain

Using addictive drugs floods the limbic brain with dopamine taking it up to as much as five or 10 times the normal level. With this elevation, the user’s brain begins to associate the drug with outsize neurochemical rewards. Over time, by artificially raising the amount of dopamine our brains think is normal, the drugs create a need that only they can meet. Like for instance, when a drug produce increases in dopamine in these limbic areas of the brain, then your brain is going to understand that signal as something that is very reinforcing, and will learn it very fast so that the next time you get exposed to that stimuli, your brain already has learned that reinforcing instantly. Over time, the consistently high levels of dopamine create plastic changes to the brain, desensitizing neurons so that they are less affected by it, and decreasing the number of receptors. That leads to the process of addiction, wherein a person loses control and is left with an intense drive to compulsively take the drug.

According to experts the reason why dopamine-producing drugs are so addictive is that they have the ability to constantly fill a need for more dopamine. So a person may take a hit of cocaine, snort it, it increases dopamine, takes a second, it increases dopamine, third, fourth, fifth, sixth. So there’s never that decrease that ultimately leads to the satiety. Addiction has to do with the brain’s expectations. An emerging idea is that drugs basically hijack the brain’s normal computational enjoyment and reward mechanisms.

For example, let’s say you’re happy about a great chocolate ice cream and over time you learn to expect that the chocolate ice cream is really great and you have no more dopamine released in expectation of that when you receive it. Nevertheless, if you take an addictive drug you can never learn to expect it because the drug itself will release an extra kick of dopamine. And when that happens, the value of that drug keeps increasing because now you’re learning that wow my expectations were violated, therefore this must be much more valuable than what I thought before. So what ends up happening is that dopamine system gets hijacked by these drugs.

It must be noted that there are other components to addiction like genetics and age of exposure which is why not everyone who takes drugs becomes an addict. Approximately 50% of the vulnerability of a person to become addicted is genetically determined, and research indicates that if a person is exposed to drugs in early adolescence they are much more likely to become addicted than if they were exposed to the same drugs as an adult.

Neurochemical rewards and drugs: Neurotransmitter dopamine

Doctor Dalal Akoury acknowledges that one of the key functions of the neurotransmitter dopamine is to create feelings of pleasure that our brains associate with necessary physiological actions like eating and procreating. We are driven to perform these vital functions because our brains are conditioned to expect the dopamine rush that accompanies them. Addictive drugs flood the brain with dopamine and condition us to expect artificially high levels of the neurotransmitter. Over time, the user’s brain requires more dopamine than it can naturally produce, and it becomes dependent on the drug, which never actually satisfies the need it, has created.

Finally, AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the able leadership of Doctor Akoury is a facility run by experts headed by doctor Akoury, for proper care and healing of whatever kind of addiction and whatever the level of addiction you need caring experts who will focus on Neuroendocrine Restoration (NER) to reinstate normality through realization of the oneness of Spirit, Mind, and Body, Unifying the threesome. This kind of treatment can only be found at AWAREmed. Reach out for help and get your life back with real professionals.

Neurochemical reward and drugs: Addiction and the brain

Understanding drug dependence signs and Symptoms

July 15, 2017

Understanding drug dependence signs and Symptoms for appropriate action to be taken

Understanding drug dependence signs and Symptoms: Methamphetamine, cocaine and other stimulants

The seriousness with which addiction to substances is wreaking havoc in our communities can no longer be taken for granted. When it comes to addiction, every one of us is vulnerable hence we must all stand out in fighting the scourge by first understanding drug dependence signs and symptoms. In our previous postings, we have listed several substances and we are not about to stop. We want to continue from where we left by looking at this class of drugs which includes amphetamines, methamphetamine, cocaine, and methylphenidate (Ritalin) along side signs of use and dependence which may include:

Euphoria
Decreased appetite
Rapid speech
Irritability
Restlessness
Depression as the drug wears off
Nasal congestion and damage to the mucous membrane of the nose in users who snort drugs
Insomnia
Weight loss
Increased heart rate, blood pressure, and temperature
Paranoia

Methamphetamine, also known as “meth,” is a particularly dangerous drug. It is highly addictive and causes a number of short and long-term health consequences. Methamphetamine is relatively inexpensive and widely available.

Hallucinogens

Use of hallucinogens produces different signs and symptoms depending on the drug. The most common hallucinogens are LSD and phencyclidine (PCP).

Signs of LSD use include:

Hallucinations
Greatly reduced perception of reality, for example, interpreting input from one of your senses as another, such as hearing colors
Permanent mental changes in perception
Rapid heart rate
High blood pressure
Tremors
Flashbacks, a re-experience of the hallucinations — even years later

Signs of PCP use include:

Hallucinations
Euphoria
Delusions
Panic
Loss of appetite
Depression
Aggressive, possibly violent behavior

Inhalants

The signs and symptoms of inhalant use vary depending on what substance is inhaled. Some commonly inhaled substances include glue, paint thinners, correction fluid, felt tip marker fluid, gasoline, cleaning fluids and household aerosol products.

When inhaled, these products can cause brief intoxication and a decreased feeling of inhibition. Long-term use may cause seizures and damage to the brain, liver, and kidneys. Inhalant use can also cause death.

Understanding drug dependence signs and Symptoms: Narcotic painkillers

Opioids are narcotic, pain-killing drugs produced naturally from opium or made synthetically. This class of drugs includes heroin, morphine, codeine, methadone, and oxycodone (OxyContin). If you’re prescribed these medications by a doctor, take them exactly as directed. Don’t increase your dose without first talking to your doctor.

Signs of narcotic use and dependence can include:

Reduced sense of pain
Sedation
Depression
Confusion
Constipation
Slowed breathing
Needle marks (if injecting drugs)

When to see a doctor

If you think your drug use is out of control or is causing problems, the best thing to do is seeking for help. The sooner, the greater your chances are for a long-term recovery. Your family doctor may be a good place to start and also seek help from line professionals, like for instance Dr. Dalal Akoury, founded this facility (AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center) primarily to offer lasting solutions to people like you across the globe. It will interest you to note that, doctor Akoury’s practice focuses on personalized medicine through healthy lifestyle choices that deal with primary prevention and underlying causes instead of patching up symptoms. You can, therefore, reach her on telephone number 843 213 1480 for a one on one discussion about all your concerns.

Understanding drug dependence signs and Symptoms: Drug addiction commencement

Understanding drug exploitation

July 15, 2017

Understanding drug exploitation for you to take timely action

Understanding drug exploitation: Deficiencies in the brain

In our quest for understanding drug exploitation, it is important that we study some of the research findings on this topic. According to studies conducted professionally, it has been established that there are electrophysiological deficits in persons struggling with alcoholism. Like for instance, in one of the studies, it was established that the brains of those who consume more than 300 ml of alcohol daily, compared to non-alcoholics had abnormal electrical wave forms of the P300 electrical potential. Decreased amplitude of the P300 electrical potential occurs, not just on alcoholics, but also in their progeny, suggesting that electrophysiological deficits exist even before alcohol consumption in the children of people who drink alcohol. Drug-taking changes the brains magnetic and electrical patterns, increasing the electrical firing of the brains neural circuitry and the body’s nervous system to generate a high. With long term use, they act to revitalize the body, having a seriously damaging effect on the vital life force, further reinforcing the need to take the drug.

Understanding drug exploitation: Low magnetic levels

Low magnetic levels in the brain and body are caused by deficiencies of folic acid, zinc, thiamin, and other nutrients. The western meat-based diet is largely responsible. It is nutritionally inadequate in terms of antioxidant vitamins and minerals and deficient in negative magnetism. Over time, the animal product diet can create abnormal cravings for drugs which will differ in strength depending on nutrient availability and level of magnetic balance.

Biochemically speaking, on such a diet the natural opioids no longer function as they should, causing craving and eventually, with drug use and addiction. Drugs supply exhilaration as they stimulate the reward or pleasure center of the brain. They act to increase the electrical firing in the reward center releasing certain neurotransmitters which induce a sense of euphoria, elevation in mood increased arousal and motivation.

Excited by the drug use, the brains neural circuitry adapts to the chemical state. If the drug is withdrawn, brain function is impaired and pleasure is replaced by pain, inducing depression and a loss of energy and motivation. Continued drug use is reinforced, first by the physical addiction and secondly, by the strong psychological desire to avoid painful withdrawal.

Drugs serve as compensatory mechanisms for the biochemical imbalance in the brain and body, affecting mood. Alcohol, for instance, functions primarily to relax, as doe’s opium. Other drugs stimulate (caffeine) and can trigger the tension that may lead to drinking. Aggression often triggers smoking and smoking (nicotine) often reduces aggression, causing a change of mood or relaxation. That is why many smokers say they smoke to reduce nerves, when irritable, anxious or worried.

Finally, we can conclude that poor diet and the brains consequent magnetic and chemical imbalance are the primary causes of drug use and addiction confirming the point that the causes are just a stone through away. And because many have failed to identify these causes, doctor Dalal Akoury made a decision to create a medical center (AWAREmed) whose main objective is to transform each individual’s life through increasing awareness about health and wellness and by empowering individuals to find their own inner healing power. And it will interest you to note that doctor Akoury’s practice focuses on personalized medicine through healthy lifestyle choices that deal with primary prevention and underlying causes instead of patching up symptoms. That explains why you need to call her on telephone number 843 213 1480 for the commencement of your recovery process.

Understanding drug exploitation: Deficiencies in the brain

Psychotherapy addiction treatment

July 15, 2017

Psychotherapy addiction treatment essential for lasting remedies

Psychotherapy addiction treatment: How it works

Can you imagine life without people to talk to in times of joy and sadness? It is for sure unimaginable because human beings are social beings who will always want to be associated with someone by way of speech or otherwise. Many times we are faced with situations which we are not so sure of but all the same, we are deeply into those situations. I am talking about drug use and being addicted to drugs. People with this kind of problem are very much reserved and would always want to distance themselves from the people who have been very close to them for different kinds of reasons. When addiction knocks your door there are several methods of treatments being administered and for the purpose of this article, we are going to discuss the use of psychotherapy addiction treatment solution.

Before we move on it is important that we explore the definition of psychotherapy.
It consists of a series of techniques for treating mental health, emotional and some psychiatric disorders.
Psychotherapy helps the patient understand what helps them feel positive or anxious, as well as accepting their strong and weak points.

Psychotherapy addiction treatment: The indiscriminative roles of substance abuse

If we can identify our feelings and ways of thinking we become better at coping with difficult situations. When we think of alcoholism and drug addiction most of us will straight away associate it with the life on the street I mean street families carrying their dirty loads and causing bodily and emotional harm to the delicate fabric of the society. Really do we think of white and blue class position holders who have great achievement in education, financial stability, or raised a family as someone who might be susceptible to addiction, this is a problem which knows no boundary and does not have any respect for any social class you may belong in? In other words, addiction does not care if you are a doctor, professor, or successful business person and by the way, your intellectual and fame in many instances can be a hindrance along the pathway to recovery. It is important to note that addiction to any substance, person, or anything is primarily concerned with easing and relieving suffering from emotional trauma, and this can happen to anyone regardless of your intellect.

Many at times we are wondering whether this problem of addiction is a genetic disease or it is something that we develop through our interactions with our environment. Probably you are enclosed in this bracket of wonder, my feeling is that a person with certain genetic make-up may be predisposed to the disease of addiction and is therefore more likely to develop dependency. However we all agree that humanity is in the wagon of dynamic interactions and relationship with the environment immediately one in born to breathing your last breathe on earth. We can therefore make an informed conclusion that both the genetic and the environment and the people we interact with have an important influence on our perception and experience of the world which is why doctor Dalal Akoury founded AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center to primarily create a medical center whose main objective is to transform each individual’s life through increasing awareness about health and wellness and by empowering individuals to find their own inner healing power. You can become part of this by calling doctor Akoury on telephone number 843 213 1480 to schedule an appointment for the commencement of your recovery process.

Psychotherapy addiction treatment: How it works

Prisons drug addiction consequences

July 15, 2017

Prisons drug addiction consequences are facilitated by corrupt officers who supply the inmates

Prisons drug addiction consequences: Possible remedies

Much as law breakers need to be put behind bars there has been rising concern about the smuggling of drugs to inmates what we call prisons drug addiction consequences. This may not be to all the inmates but it doesn’t matter the number small or big the bottom line is that unwanted substances find their way in the prison. Bringing the question how and why? The authority must investigate and weed out the corrupt officers from the system to contain smuggling of illicit substances into the prisons. You can imagine an inmate in the correctional facility abusing the drug. This inmate will soon complete his or her term and be welcomed back to the society who may want to believe that the time spent in the prison has been of help to him/her only to realize that the individual is worse than before. This is not only painful to the society which is expected to welcome former convicts back but also to the authorities and by extension to the tax payers who ultimately foot all the bills of keeping the wrong doers in the prisons.

Back to the supply of drugs in prison, apart from the corrupt officers colluding with the inmates to smuggle drugs in jails, it’s also believed that inmates have their criminal colleagues in the society who pay them visits during the official visiting hours in the prisons and smuggle drugs to their friends. It is because of these challenges that the prison authorities are seeking for the law to be amended to give them more powers to strip the inmate where necessary when making periodic impromptu search within their jurisdiction.

Prisons drug addiction consequences: Solutions for drug use and drug addiction

Nonetheless having known that we are all victims of drug use and addiction it is very important that we focus on the solution oriented mechanism because for many in the criminal justice system, preventing future crime and re-arresting former convicts after release is impossible without treatment for and recovery from addiction to alcohol and drugs. Balancing accountability, treatment and recovery should be made known to the authorities and our judicial system to form special drug court programs across the country and states.

The Drug Courts are judicially-supervised court dockets mandated to evaluate and strike the proper balance between the need to protect community safety and to improve public health and well-being; between the need for treatment and the need to hold people accountable for their actions between hope and redemption on the one hand and good citizenship on the other. Striking this balance will ensure only deserving cases end up in prisons while the bigger population are handled locally and immediate treatment is administered to them and when they are fully recovered they can be ushered back to the society says doctor Dalal Akoury MD, President, and founder of AWAREmed Health and wellness resource center.

Prisons drug addiction consequences: Long term recovery

While appreciating the serious impact of alcohol and drug use on crime across the nation it is also important to note that many people who have been in the criminals justice system have broken the chain through long term recovery from alcohol and drug addiction which is why we must incorporate professionals with vast experience in handling matters of drug addiction. Dr. Dalal Akoury is a veteran addiction expert, will be an ideal candidate for this challenge since her practices focus on personalized medicine through healthy lifestyle choices that deal with primary prevention and underlying causes instead of patching up symptoms.

Category Archives: outpatient addiction treatment