Category Archives: alcoholism and addiction

Addiction consequences

Supplementary treatment for drug abuse and mental health

September 12, 2016
Supplementary treatment

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

Supplementary treatment for drug abuse and mental health: Dual diagnosis

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

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

Supplementary treatment for drug abuse and mental health: Group support

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

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

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

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

Recognize and manage stress and emotions

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

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

Supplementary treatment for drug abuse and mental health: Dual diagnosis

 

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Ruins of addiction

Uneven heroin addiction recovery process

September 12, 2016
Uneven heroin addiction

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

Uneven heroin addiction recovery process: Fighting craving

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

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

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

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

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

Uneven heroin addiction recovery process: Fighting craving

 

 

 

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drug abuse

Cancer disease fundamentals and alcohol consumption

September 9, 2016
Cancer disease fundamentals

Cancer disease fundamentals and alcohol consumption registers double health complications from cancer and stress.

Cancer disease fundamentals and alcohol consumption: Can a person’s gene contribute to their risk of alcohol related cancer?

The answer to this question is yes. It is actually true that a person’s risk of alcohol-related cancers can be influenced by their genes, and specifically when the genes that encode the enzymes is involved in metabolizing that is breaking down of alcohol. For example, one way the body metabolizes alcohol is through the activity of an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase, or ADH. Many individuals of Chinese, Korean, and especially Japanese descent carry a version of the gene for ADH that codes for a “super-active” form of the enzyme. This super-active ADH enzyme speeds the conversion of alcohol (ethanol) to toxic acetaldehyde. As a result, when people who have the super-active enzyme drink alcohol, acetaldehyde builds up. Among people of Japanese descent, those who have this super-active ADH have a higher risk of pancreatic cancer than those with the more common form of ADH.

Can red wine help in cancer prevention?

Researchers conducting studies using purified proteins, human cells, and laboratory animals have found that certain substances in red wine, such as resveratrol, have anticancer properties. Grapes, raspberries, peanuts, and some other plants also contain resveratrol. However, clinical trials in humans have not provided evidence that resveratrol is effective in preventing or treating cancer. Few epidemiologic studies have looked specifically at the association between red wine consumption and cancer risk in humans.

Cancer disease fundamentals and alcohol consumption: What next after quitting alcohol abuse?

Most of the studies that have examined whether cancer risk declines after a person stops drinking alcohol have focused on head and neck cancers and on esophageal cancer. In general, these studies have found that stopping alcohol consumption is not associated with immediate reductions in cancer risk; instead, it may take years for the risks of cancer to return to those of never drinkers.

For example, a pooled analysis of 13 case-control studies of cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx combined found that alcohol-associated cancer risk did not begin to decrease until at least 10 years after stopping alcohol drinking. Even 16 years after they stopped drinking alcohol, the risk of cancer was still higher for ex-drinkers than for never drinkers.

In several studies, the risk of esophageal cancer was also found to decrease slowly with increasing time since stopping alcohol drinking. A pooled analysis of five case–control studies found that the risk of esophageal cancer did not approach that of never drinkers for at least 15 years after stopping alcohol drinking.

Is it safe for someone to drink alcohol while undergoing cancer chemotherapy?

Cancer is a killer disease and alcohol is equally very bad for your health even if you were not struggling with cancer. What benefit can one get from alcohol especially when you are also on cancer treatment? Certainly nothing good will come out of it. However if you are so much into alcohol and you feel like you cannot get along without drinking, then you must and timely consult with your doctor. Your doctor who has been administering treatment on you will able to advice you professionally on specific issues including whether drinking whether drinking alcohol is safe with particular chemotherapy drugs or other medications prescribed along with chemotherapy. Nonetheless you can also seek for professional help from other medical experts like doctor Dalal Akoury, all you need to do is to call her for an appointment and she will gladly give you her best from her experience of over two decades of practice.

Cancer disease fundamentals and alcohol consumption: Can a person’s gene contribute to their risk of alcohol related cancer?

 

 

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alcohol-addiction

Alcohol consumption research findings on cancer disease

September 9, 2016
Alcohol consumption

Alcohol consumption research findings on cancer disease indicates if not addressed more catastrophic result awaits the societies

Alcohol consumption research findings on cancer disease

In our previous article we dealt with the effects of alcohol and cancer risk and in particular we were able to disclose who the use of alcohol increases the risk of contracting head and neck cancer, esophageal cancer, liver cancer and breast cancer. You realize that these are not the only types of cancer that are closely associated with alcohol consumption. In this article we are going to further onto the discussion while focusing on the realities of alcohol consumption research findings about the cancer disease. When research is done, what follows is getting the outcome of that research. In this line of duty a lot of studies have been done primarily to establish if there is any association between alcohol consumption and the risk of cancer. And other than what we discussed previously, the risk is not as evident in other cancers like cancers of the pancreas, ovary, prostate, stomach, uterus, and bladder. In these cancers cases, studies have not established any close association with alcohol or where there is evidence it was inconsistent.

However, for two cancers renal cell (kidney) cancer and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) multiple studies have shown that increased alcohol consumption is associated with a decreased risk of cancer. A meta-analysis of the NHL studies (which included 18,759 people with NHL) found a 15 percent lower risk of NHL among alcohol drinkers compared with nondrinkers. The mechanisms by which alcohol consumption would decrease the risks of either renal cell cancer or NHL are not understood.

Alcohol consumption research findings on cancer disease: Alcohol increases the risks of cancer

And according to doctor Dalal Akoury a veteran addiction experts of many decades, several studies have in the past established numerous ways through which alcohol consumption may increase the risk of cancer including some of them as follows:

  • Metabolizing (breaking down) ethanol in alcoholic drinks to acetaldehyde, which is a toxic chemical and a probable human carcinogen; acetaldehyde can damage both DNA (the genetic material that makes up genes) and proteins
  • Generating reactive oxygen species (chemically reactive molecules that contain oxygen), which can damage DNA, proteins, and lipids (fats) through a process called oxidation
  • Impairing the body’s ability to break down and absorb a variety of nutrients that may be associated with cancer risk, including vitamin A; nutrients in the vitamin B complex, such as folate; vitamin C; vitamin D; vitamin E; and carotenoids
  • Increasing blood levels of estrogen, a sex hormone linked to the risk of breast cancer

Besides that alcoholic beverages may also contain a variety of carcinogenic contaminants that are introduced during fermentation and production, such as nitrosamines, asbestos fibers, phenols, and hydrocarbons. With all these immediate action needs to be taken and doctor Akoury and her team of experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center will be glad to do just that if you can schedule for an appointment today.

Alcohol consumption research findings on cancer disease: Dangers of combining alcohol and tobacco smoking

Epidemiologic research shows that people who use both alcohol and tobacco have much greater risks of developing cancers of the oral cavity, pharynx (throat), larynx, and esophagus than people who use either alcohol or tobacco alone. In fact, for oral and pharyngeal cancers, the risks associated with using both alcohol and tobacco are multiplicative; that is, they are greater than would be expected from adding the individual risks associated with alcohol and tobacco together.

Alcohol consumption research findings on cancer disease

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Facilitating cancer risk with alcohol abuse

September 9, 2016
Facilitating cancer risk

Facilitating cancer risk with alcohol abuse begins with a single drink

Facilitating cancer risk with alcohol abuse: Defining alcohol

Despite the risks that come with alcohol, it is one that is also abused globally. Surprisingly as addictive as it is, it is one of the biggest government source of revenue across the globe. Alcohol despite its effects in human health and the economies of the nations, it is legally acceptable and it finds its way in both the high and mighty and low places of our societies. So what exactly is this drug alcohol? It is the common term used ethanol or ethyl alcohol which is a chemical substance commonly found in beer, wine, liquor, some medicines, mouthwashes, household products and other essential oils scented liquids taken from plants. From the description of what this product is, we can confidently say that alcohol abuse is facilitating cancer risk as we will be discussing going forward.

Alcohol content

And for value addition, we spoke to experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center. This facility was founded by doctor Dalal Akoury and currently she is also the MD of the establishment. Together with her team of experts, they are going to help us put to perspective some of the concerns we have in relation to our topic of discussion today which is “facilitating cancer risk with alcohol abuse”. Besides that it will interest you to note that alcohol is produced by the fermentation of sugars and starches by yeast, it is equally important that we are aware of the main types of alcoholic drinks and their alcohol content. This is going to be very helpful to us as we explore the primary effects of alcohol to cancer and cancer patients. The alcohol content in various alcoholic beverages is as follows:

  • Beers and hard ciders: 3-7 percent alcohol
  • Wines, including sake: 9-15 percent alcohol
  • Wines fortified with liquors, such as port: 16-20 percent alcohol
  • Liquor, or distilled spirits, such as gin, rum, vodka, and whiskey, which are produced by distilling the alcohol from fermented grains, fruits, or vegetables: usually 35-40 percent alcohol (70-80 proof), but can be higher

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, a standard alcoholic drink in the United States for example contains 14.0 grams (0.6 ounces) of pure alcohol. Generally, this units of pure alcohol is found in

  • 12 ounces of beer
  • 8 ounces of malt liquor
  • 5 ounces of wine
  • 1.5 ounces or a “shot” of 80-proof liquor

Up to this point let me pose briefly and find out or justify why alcohol is the most abused drug globally besides facilitating cancer risks and other health problems. Take for instance according to the  federal government’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 just five years ago, the federation position or definition of what should be considered to be moderate alcohol drinking is a maximum of one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men. Heavy alcohol drinking is defined as having more than three drinks on any day or more than seven drinks per week for women and more than four drinks on any day or more than 14 drinks per week for men. With that piece of information, you are now beginning to appreciate the realities of alcohol abuse. Ideally what is considered heavy drinking per week is equivalent to what most people consume in just two hours daily. If in just two hours one would take this much, translate that in to a day then to a week, a month and a year. It thus explains why this is the most abused drug in our societies and so the biggest facilitating cancer risks among other health problems. We are certainly going to continue with this discussion in the next article but in the meantime, you can call doctor Akoury for further professional direction about alcohol abuse.

Facilitating cancer risk with alcohol abuse: Defining alcohol

 

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