Category Archives: AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center

Addiction

Creating an Understanding of Drug Abuse and Drug Addiction

July 10, 2016

Drug addiction has for a long time been confused with lack of moral principles. In fact, there are a few claims that it can be controlled by change of behaviour. The truth is, quitting a drug is one of the most difficult tasks you can give an addict. Unlike any other diseases, it takes control of your whole body. And before you know it, you’ll have lost your job; you won’t be in a position to take care of your family or the worst, you’ll have turned into a criminal. In short, once you are an addict, it will take more than your inner being to come out of it.

What is drug addiction?

Drug addiction can be simply defined as a relapsing brain illness featuring compulsive drug use despite the obvious risks.  Once you are addicted, you can’t control it and the only time you feel normal is after taking the drug. With time, the impulse to use the drug becomes intense in such a way you can’t resist.

The good news is, drug addiction has its remedies. According to several studies, practices such as meditation having behavioural therapy has proven to work for many addicts.

Just like other chronic relapsing diseases such as heart disease, drug addiction is manageable. However, depending on the steps you are willing to take, you can either refrain completely or relapse and start using the drug again. But this doesn’t mean that the treatment has failed. The right step to take when this happens is to reinstate or adjust the treatment so as to bring the addict back to his or her feet.

What does drug do to your brain?

Drugs have chemicals that invade the communication system in your brain and alter the way nerve cells work. They disrupt the way information is sent, received and processed. To do this, they can either imitate the natural chemical messengers of your brain or overstimulate its reward circuit.

drug addiction

For example, the structure of drugs such as heroin resembles your brain’s chemical messengers named neurotransmitters. As a result, they can confuse the receptors in your brain and stimulate nerve cells to send messages. The more you continue using the drug, the more such reaction becomes powerful. And after some time, it will appear normal to you.

Factors that influence drug addiction

Drug addiction can be influenced by many things that may include, the environment you are raised, your stage of development or your biology. However, the decision to start using the drug depends on the level of risk.

Environmental risks: The lifestyle of the people around you that might be characterized by peer pressure, sexual abuse and much more.

Biological risk: That is if the genes that you are born with encourages drug use.

Stage of development risks: The earlier you start taking a drug, the more chances you won’t be able to control it in future.

Prevention Is the Most Effective Cure

According to findings from research funded by NIDA, preventing the use of drug use in schools, families and the community is the most effective way to control drug addiction. So, it is vital for parents and teachers to educate their kids on consequences and carry out programs that will discourage them from using drugs.

Call us today if you need help with this topic and more on 8432131480

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BEHAVIORAL THERAPY

Behavioral Treatment Of Sex Addiction

February 12, 2016

Behavioral Treatment Of Sex Addiction: Individual therapy

The common problem many people have today is not knowing how to deal with all these addictive problems. take for instance behavioral treatment of sex addiction is one such conditions that experts have been following for sometime now. We want to inform you of some of the insights you need to know in this journey so that you can take appropriate remedial actions when faced with such challenges

  • Sex therapy
    • Available from licensed therapists dealing with sex addiction and covered by the International Institute for Trauma and Addiction Professionals.
    • Also available from licensed therapists certified by the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists.
    • Intensive outpatient programs are available for those patients who may be in crisis but do not require hospitalization for their illness.
      • These programs usually last for several weeks or several months.
      • Work toward stabilizing the lives of patients recommended for treatment of sexual addictions.
      • Lead to individual therapy, group counseling, couples counseling
      • The goal is to help patients address, understand and overcome triggers in everyday lives leading to compulsive sexual behavior and acting out.

Behavioral Treatment Of Sex Addiction: Cognitive behavioral therapy

  • This is a form of psychotherapy which stresses solving current problems and eliminating unhelpful thinking.
  • Problem-focused and action oriented
    • is effective for the following conditions:
      • eating disorders
      • sexual disorders (including sexual addictions)
      • anxiety disorders
      • mood disorders
      • dependency disorders
      • tics
      • psychotic disorders
    • This form of therapy is based on the belief that changing maladaptive thinking changes the actions and emotions of those who can do this. Another form of cognitive behavioral therapy believes that changing one’s relationship to the maladaptive thoughts can be equal as effective (and easier).
      • Encourages people to identify and challenge erroneous beliefs to decrease personal stress and end self-defeating behavior.
      • Encourages patients to replace maladaptive coping skills with more effective strategies by challenging the way patient thinks and the way they react to certain habits and behaviors
        • This therapy has six phases
          • Assessment or psychological assessment
          • Reconceptualization
          • Skills acquisition
          • Skills consolidation and application training
          • Generalization and maintenance
          • Post-treatment assessment follow-up
        • In adults, CBT has been shown to be effective for
          • anxiety disorders
          • depression
          • eating disorders
          • personality disorders
          • psychosis
          • schizophrenia
          • substance abuse disorders

BEHAVIORAL THERAPY

Behavioral Treatment Of Sex Addiction: Psychodynamic therapy

Similar to psychoanalysis, but less intensive

  • Relies upon the relationship between the therapist and client more than other in-depth psychology.
  • Has been used in individual psychotherapy and family therapy
  • Core Principles
    • An emphasis on intrapsychic and unconscious conflicts and how they relate to development
    • seeing defenses as developing in internal psychic structures to minimize unpleasant consequences of conflict
    • A belief that psychopathology develops as a result of early childhood experiences
    • A view that internal representations of experiences are organized around interpersonal relationships
    • A conviction that life issues and dynamics will re-emerge as part of the client-therapist relationship called transference and counter-transference
    • use of free association to explore major conflicts and problems
    • focusing on interpretations of transference, defense mechanisms, and current problems and working through these areas
    • trust in insight as critically important for the success of therapy

Behavioral Treatment Of Sex Addiction: Group therapy

Therapeutic Principles

    • Universality of experience
    • Altruism
    • Installation of hope
    • Imparting information
    • corrective recapitulation of the primary family experience
    • Development of socializing techniques
    • Imitative behavior
    • cohesiveness
    • existential factors
    • Catharsis
    • Interpersonal learning
    • Self-understanding
    • Therapeutic goals
      • To use the group process and group context as an agent of change

 

Behavioral Treatment Of Sex Addiction: Twelve steps

  • This is a program which uses guiding principles to outline a course of action to solve specific problems such as alcoholism, drug addictions, and compulsive diseases
  • These programs usually have 12 “steps” or guiding principles and usually use spiritual language to help the person solve their current problems.
    • They have a large number of members and have been applied to some problems of a compulsive nature, including alcoholism, drug abuse, gambling, overeating, sexual addictions and others.
    • They also have auxiliary groups which usually run concurrently with the other groups for family members and friends of the person directly involved
    • They encourage their members to take responsibility for the problem behaviors which brought them to the group, and point the members in the direction which will enable them to control and resolve their problems
    • They claim a greater rate than other programs and encourage their members to keep coming back after a relapse
    • Use “sponsorship” to help group members control their compulsive behavioral
      • A sponsor is an individual who has more time in the program and is experienced at developing coping skills aimed at cutting down the compulsion and repairing the consequences of the initial problem that brought the client into the group
Behavioral Treatment

Behavioral Treatment Of Sex Addiction is one that can be done by way of individual therapy or even group theraphy

DIALECTICAL-BEHAVIORAL THERAPY

  • This is a modified form of cognitive behavioral therapy to treat people with Borderline Personality Disorder and chronically suicidal individuals and which has since been applied to people suffering from
  • This type of behavioral therapy combines
    • standard cognitive therapy techniques for
      • emotional regulation
      • reality testing
      • with distress tolerance
      • acceptance
      • mindful awareness
    • The first type of behavioral therapy experimentally demonstrated to be effective in treating BPD
      • a randomized study showed reduced rates of suicidal gestures
        • psychiatric hospitalizations
        • and treatment drop-outs
      • Teaches the patient to see therapist as ally rather than as antagonist
      • Involves four components
        • Individual
          • one-on-one sessions with a therapist
            • subjects discussed are
              • weekly issues—issues that have come up during the week. In order of importance, these are
              • Self-injurious, suicidal behaviors, and life-threatening behaviors
              • Therapy-interfering behaviors
              • behaviors that threatened to “derail” or interfere with the course of treatment
              • Quality of life issues
              • improving skills usage
            • Group meetings
              • meets once per week for two and one-half hours and focuses on four modules
                • core mindfulness
                  • being aware, from moment to moment of the stream of awareness from a first-person perspective
                • interpersonal effectiveness
                • emotional regulation

COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY

http://regenerativepotential.com/integrativeaddictionconference/

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female sex addiction2

Female Sex Addiction and Drug Abuse

February 2, 2016

The Challenges of Female Sex Addiction and Drug Abuse

There is not much known about Female Sex Addiction and Drug Abuse.  Very few numbers are available, and there are few places that treat women who present with both conditions.  It is estimated that between 6% and 10% of Americans of both genders suffer from sex addiction and that between 10% and 20% of those are women.  The DSM-5 does not at this point recognize that sex addiction is an addiction.  However, there are several studies which confirm that the brains of sex addicts react in the same way as do the brains of drug addicts.  This means that drug addicts and sex addicts suffer from much the same dysfunction in their brains. So women usually with female sex addiction are usually treated as though they have both female sex addiction and drug abuse.

 There has been work done on a diagnosis which has resulted in a screening test to distinguish between the normally sexually active person and the sex addict.  The main point of the screening is that if a woman’s sexual activity has ever caused pain to yourself, put you in danger, or resulted in financial or social consequences, then you probably have female sex addiction. A counselor will have further tests which can distinguish between the different types of sexual addiction and can then prescribe appropriate treatment.

 female sex addiction2

This treatment can be complicated if the woman has both female sex addiction and drug abuse.  The drug of choice is also important, but the primary problem is that both the addictions need to be treated at the same time.  Otherwise the female sex addiction and drug abuse will reinforce each other. This means that the woman involved will have difficulty overcoming both the female sex addiction and drug abuse together, but will have even worse problems if the two problems are treated separately.

 

Approximately 80% of the time, the reason the two dependencies occur together is that the woman has at some point in her life experienced some form of abuse. The good part of having abuse in your past is that you survived it. The bad part is that abuse leaves a woman feeling unlovable, which is a recipe for severe depression.  The abuse was often traumatic enough that she also has PTSD. These two conditions can cause enough pain that the woman will seek to self-medicate, and may also try to make herself feel lovable and loved through a series of sexual relationships. This means that this woman who through no fault of her own was abused by others now has more problems than just the depression or the PTSD.  Since she has been self-medicating, she is now dependent on a drug like alcohol or some type of pill, and she is also a sex addict.

 Female sex addiction

This woman, and many like her, need special treatment in the center.  They need to be encouraged to look at themselves, not as objects to be used but as people with the right to have friendships and sexual relationships. They need to be encouraged to give up the drugs they have been using and to seek out and maintain healthy relationships. This is a very difficult task that these women have, and many who are initially successful in giving up the drugs will be tempted to use their female sex addiction to cover up or lessen the amount of pain they feel. This will be especially true in the beginning of their therapy, when they are still coping with the depression and the PTSD.

 

If they are treated for the depression and the PTSD and not for the female sex addiction and drug abuse the feelings about the female sex addiction and drug abuse may undermine any progress they make overcoming their depression and PTSD.  It is therefore imperative that they are  in the safest place they can find before doing any of this work and they need to be treated for all their problems at the same time.

 

The best places for a woman with female sex addiction and drug abuse to go to are those places that use a combination of approaches to treat those who want it. This woman needs a multi-pronged approach to deal with the drug abuse, the low feelings of self-esteem, the loneliness and the high anxiety levels at the same time.  Unfortunately, most therapists did not have the training necessary to recognize female sex addiction and drug abuse—let alone do anything productive about it.

 

This is about to change. The research that is being conducted at psychiatric hospitals and clinics has identified that female sex addiction and drug abuse is a verifiable condition that is causing pain to many people and they are now working on the best medications to treat female sex addiction and drug abuse.  That means that where these women had no hope, now they will be able to get the help they need to live normally.

The Challenges of Female Sex Addiction and Drug Abuse

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Zoloft_bottles

MEDICATION TREATMENT FOR SEX ADDICTION

February 1, 2016
  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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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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