Helping your friends who use drugs

July 12, 2014

Helping your friends who use drugs-Being your friend keeper

We can all be drug free if we choose to help one another fight their addictions

Have you ever asked yourself what the kind of society we will have if drugs are not a bused and no one is addicted to drugs? Try visualizing that in your mind and imagine seeing yourself being the reason behind that atmosphere where drugs and addiction is never heard of, this is the society we are advocating for and you can be very instrumental in making it happen. We have been posting very informative articles on this link relating to addiction among other life changing topic and just recently we posted one detailing the consequences of drugs abuse and drug addiction which I will encourage you to look at even as you continue learning more about your role in helping those of your friends who may be struggling with drug addiction.

The problem of addiction in our societies today must not be left for the medical doctors and health professionals only to tackle. This problem must be fought from all directions, since it can affect anyone without discriminating on who to affect so everybody should be involved and you are part of that group of everybody. The question you are likely to ask is “how or what can I do to help?” in this article we will be discussing some of the things you can and should do to contribute in the fight against drug addiction and the following are just some of the things you can do:

Treatment
You owe your fiend the duty of care in all dimensions and especially that friend using drugs. People using drugs often find it difficult to consent seeking treatment, if your friend is one you can take the advantage of being their friend to prevail upon them to accept treatment because this will help them stop abusing the substances they abuse. There are many ways of administering treatment which may include talk therapy, medicine or even both. Receiving treatment will help them resist the urges or desire to use drugs again and also helps them be in control of their lives. The objective of treatment is to have the addict recover from their addiction and start living life without drugs. Your condition does not matter treatment is there for everyone whether you are a new drug user, heavy user or an addict you can be treated and get better. Take that bold step and be a hero by convincing you friend to seek help (treatment) and that will be a positive contribution on your part.

Understand the dangers
It is important to note that you can only help someone if you know and understand the dangers of the problem at hand. We have in our previous article discussed some of the consequences of addiction you can make reference to. On your part you must have clear understanding of how destructive drugs can be to you physically, psychologically, emotionally and economically. Having the clear knowledge will help you avoid drugs and be sober even as you look forward to helping those in drugs already.

Helping yourself and someone you love

Remember drugs addiction can affect anyone and you are not excluded and so let us start with you before you can go helping somebody. If you have ever tried using drugs before and felt bad about it, it is important that you share this with someone trusted immediately preferably your parents. This must not wait any longer because it may graduate to other serious problems your parents or any trusted adult will know what to do and they will ensure that you helped before things go from bad to worse.

However if it is your friend or any of your family members who has or is beginning to start using drugs or is associating with bad company, you must not keep quiet because you can help in the following ways:

Talk to an adult -bring this to the attention of somebody senior it could be your teachers, school counselors or social workers these people will have ideas that can help you talk to your friend about their drug use. Seek for useful information and ideas to help them if you do not want to name anyone. They are specially trained to deal with teens and drug use.
Take a risk -sometimes it may be necessary that you take some manageable risk because talking to your friend about his drug use may not be an easy thing to do, as this can make him angry. Nonetheless try and spending some quiet time with him (not in quiet, hide outs that will put you in trouble), and let remind him of the dangers and potential problems he is getting into. Ensure that you speak to him only when he is sober but if he is angry, you may have to stay away from his company. But continue to care for him and share ideas with him.
Remind them that help is available -Sometimes people want confidential help, because they do not want anyone to know about their situation. This is OK. Try and research and find them a counseling service around. You can always ask adults (teachers or parents) about places for teen counseling, and give your friend the information to seek the confidential help.
Be careful yourself -You can also be tempted into drugs one day. Knowing the facts like what you are doing now is a great way to stay away and say NO! Be careful and keep distance with bad company. Do not even entertain them. If your good friends have fallen to drugs, be careful they do not drag you into it and to be safe drop them from your list of friends fourth with.

Finally having been a good a ambassador of fighting drug addiction by helping others through vital information it is important that your friends get to know that when addiction hits hard treatment from addiction professionals will be very helpful and Dr. Dalal Akoury who founded AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center is an expert in addiction and together with her team of experts will help you get well in real time while focusing on Neuroendocrine Restoration (NER) to reinstate normality through realization of the oneness of Spirit, Mind, and Body, Unifying the threesome into ONE.

Helping your friends who use drugs-Being your friend keeper

Being Safe from Drugs

July 11, 2014

Being safe from drugs-Drug Addiction

Being free from drug addiction is practically possible only if you take it upon yourself to stop drugs and choose good friends.

We have just discussed in our last posting the consequences of an addiction and drug abuse noting several elements among them the legal, health, social and financial consequences. These are pertinent issues in addiction and I hope that you have had time to read through them so that we can together make progress from there. If you have then I strongly believe that you have made an informed decision to keep distance from anything that can trigger an addiction. In this article we will make progress from that and concentrate on elements which when done will help you and possibly guarantee your safety from drug abuse. Achieving this will largely depend on you and the efforts you make to realize this objective. To start you off, you will need to:

Be committed to knowing yourself better that is to say consciously be sober.
Visualize the bright future ahead of you.
Meditate on the positives of your lovely family, friends and the people who matter to you most.
Think of how people of your age are making good use of their talents in various aspects like music, arts, poetry, sports, dance, acting, comedy, writing informative articles to make a better society and many more.
Visualize how great professions are made and how young people are filling in those professional positions like teachers, financial experts, business entrepreneurs, investors, doctors, lawyers, scientists and many more.

Having these positive points at the back of your mind will help you look at situations in life differently and positively. All the people in your mind right now who have made it or who are making it in life all have a story to tell and you can and should be like one of them if not all of them. This is the spirit I want to encourage you to have as we progress in the discussion. You must desire to be and remain focus and shun all risky activities, behaviors and bad associations. All these are achievable and the following are some of the tips which if worked upon, then you shall have started the journey of your great dream, remember the wise saying a journey of great distance begins with a single step, your single step is focus. Now let us look at other tips:

Being safe from Drugs-Creativity

Wisdom tells us that “an idle mind is the devils workshop” can you imagine who the devil is let alone renting him your mind to be his place of residence! This is not just a statement it is true and any right thinking person must take heed of this. If you are not properly engaged there is the likelihood that you will spend your time doing unproductive and useless things. If you are a student in school you have several options like joining the school football team, drama, musical instrument play classes or basketball or engage in charitable organizations to help people even if you are doing it without pay remember the joy and satisfaction one get in offering a helping hand to people, this may not have the monetary element but I can assure you that it is worth it than destroying yourself physically and psychologically by indulging in drugs and bad company.

Being safe from Drugs-Depression

Being depressed is a serious problem in human life because a depressed person can easily resort to drugs to relieve them of this situation. It normally create a state of loneliness, sadness, alteration of senses and bad moods causing them to give in to anything good or bad so long as it can bring this to an end. Depression is a serious health condition and must be given immediate medical attention. The medication must be administered by a medical doctor and not self-medication or prescriptions suggested by your friends. If you are still under the care of your parents then you must notify them immediately for action to be taken before it is too late.

Being safe from Drugs-Discover your Talent

You may be wondering how would one identify their talents and how it may be helpful in matters addiction, what you do and is capable of doing may be that talent waiting to be unlocked. You can unlock that talent by for example taking time to write or play a poem, drawing, painting, getting involved in a science project, reading or taking time to watch documentaries on a TV channel, or better still take time and participate in competitions. Believe me if you engage yourself in things like this you will certainly find one that is your talent. Doing this is meant to provoke that sleeping talent and also to help you position your mind in the proper thinking lane and staying focused on good things as opposed to destructive elements.

Take the lead role in doing thing personally and encouraging yourself positively

It is important that when doing things, you take them upon yourself because no one will help you solve your problems, doing thing your way helps you take control and maintaining focus. It may not be easy to do thing all by yourself especially new things you have never done before for example if you have never be into sports people may tease and jeer at you in manner of ways but this should not make you change your course instead take them positively and have fun over them by being humorous. Remember not everyone is a great sportsman but everyone can have fun in playing sport. Doing things yourself and relaying on your body to adapt to a game will help you understand the impact of drugs and the harm associated with it.

Being safe from Drugs-Choose only good friends

Many people get into drugs because of wrong associations and so the choice of association is very crucial for one to remain in the right path. Careful attention must be taken in doing this because it is not an easy one. It is not always easy to choose friends however one should be guided by what their objective is, like in our case we are looking towards staying in a drug addiction free environment. Like we have mention above the best friend would that whom you can learn something positive from for example if you are weak in drama and shy then you can associate with the best in drama this way you will be able to learn from the most active drama participants. Making the wright choice of friends enables you to remain focus but choosing wrong ones like those who smoke, drink alcohol or do drugs will definitely lead you into turmoil of drug abuse and addiction.

Following all these steps will surely let you make great improvement towards realizing good and healthy lives however in the event that you are already suffering from drug addiction then you will need to be treated first then you can follow through these guides. Good addiction treatment can only come from addiction experts like doctor Dalal Akoury who is also the founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center where treatment is not only done by the experts but in a more friendly way taking keen interest in ensuring that the patients get well fast. To achieve this Doctor Akoury together with her team of experts will focus on Neuroendocrine Restoration (NER) to reinstate normality through realization of the oneness of Spirit, Mind, and Body, Unifying the threesome into ONE and you will have your life back and live it to the fullest there after.

Being safe from drugs-Drug Addiction

The Consequences of Drug Abuse

July 11, 2014

The consequences of drug abuse-Drug Addiction

Drug addiction consequences. Drug addicts often find themselves in the wrong sides of the law. Being arrested and re-arrested can be avoided by avoiding drugs.

If you have been with us on this link for sometimes now you must have read a lot about addiction in several articles we have been posting and we want to continue informing you of the many consequences of indulging in drugs. The consequences are many but for the purpose of this article we will categorize them in to five segments as follows: Legal, health, social and finances consequences. We are going to be discussing each briefly giving the insight of the consequences in each category.

Legal consequences
humanity has from creation lived in strict observation of rules and regulations. This system has been passed from generation to generation and today all nations globally operate within certain perimeters of laws. These laws include laws governing drug abuse detailing the consequences of any infringements which may include a lifetime in the confinement in prison, hefty fine or both. When one if found on the wrong side of the law other things likely to follow will be:

Criminal Record: the affected person will have a criminal record on your file and this will tarnish your reputation with the authorities and the society.

Career and employment: -the affected person will lose many employment opportunities since most employers require certification of good conduct.

Licenses: – with criminal record on your head you are likely to miss certain opportunities in business like getting license to operate a liquor business or drive a taxi.

Travel: -with the advent of global terrorism having criminal record will restrict your travel and movement as many countries will not give you visa to set foot in their land.

Social Status: -people do not want to associate with criminals less they be branded criminals too birds of the same feathers flock together) this will injure your relationship not just with people but very close ones to you like those of your co-workers, neighbors and your relationships with your family and friends. In other words criminal records assassinate ones character completely.

Consequences Related to health
One of the greatest assets in human life if that of peace of mind and it is easily affected by drugs and addiction related problems. The effects are either physical or psychological.

Physical Health -Drug abuse can adversely affect every major system in the human body like alcohol and cigarette smoking may cause fatal illness like cancer.

Psychological Health – Mental health problems such as depression, developmental lags, apathy, withdrawal, and other psychosocial dysfunctions frequently are linked to substance abuse among adolescents. Others include conduct problems, personality disorders, suicidal thoughts, attempted suicide, and suicide. For example marijuana use which is common among young people has been shown to interfere with short-term memory, learning and psychomotor skills.

Addiction – often people think they can never get addicted, but this is not true as addiction can knock on the doors of anyone at any time. Someone who is addicted normally suffers lose of control and sound judgment and when they stop using the substance, they are likely to suffer severe psychological or physical symptoms, such as anxiety, irritability, unhappiness and stress.

Social Consequences

Drugs affect the brain directly and the human brain is design in a way that it controls almost everything we do. This action of drug addiction will therefore affect:

Relationships: bad behavior associated with drug abuse will negatively affect your relationships with your loved ones.
Families: substance abuse affects the emotional, financial, and psychological well-being of the whole family. Normally teenagers who use drugs withdraw from their family members and family activities, their actions in the process set bad examples for any younger siblings this is because their judgment and decision-making ability becomes greatly impaired, they may become more hostile toward family members and even steal from them to get money for drugs.
Peers: Your peers will stay away from you. No one will like to have bad influence, and they will feel scared around you. You will lose worthy friends, and find yourself keeping bad ones.
School: Chances are that you will drop out of school because your brain is affected, and you are no longer in control of your school work. You may rebel and get a suspension and so you will be vulnerable to committing crime and the results of this is very clear.

Financial Consequences
It goes without saying that when one becomes addicted to dugs they will need money for supply and when there is no money they will begin to start selling their personal belongings, phones, music iPods, personal jewelry etc. to finance their addictive needs. It must be noted that as the small drug users struggle to maintain their supply it is the bigger drug dealer who is making money out of this situation and with this money they organize more sophisticated crimes and the whole community or nation suffers the consequences.

We can never get to conclusion when discussing the consequences of addiction in human life and so there will always be room for further discussions on this but for the purpose of bringing this article to an end we must make all necessary effort to ensure that we and our loved ones do not suffer these consequences. How to do this will greatly depend on individual will power to abstain from all addiction related substances. Therefore seeking lasting solutions will be very desirable and talking to the experts on matters relating to addiction will be the starting point. AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center will be very helpful to all people willing to distance themselves from the consequences of addiction. AWAREmed is a facility founded by doctor Dalal Akoury who is a medical doctor and has had experience over several decades in matters addiction. Visiting this facility under Doctor Akoury’s care will be the most valuable thing you can do to free yourself from these consequences. While receiving treatment here, doctor Akoury and her team of experts will focus on Neuroendocrine Restoration (NER) to reinstate normality through realization of the oneness of Spirit, Mind, and Body, Unifying the threesome into ONE making you to be safe and free from all these consequences.

The consequences of drug abuse-Drug Addiction

Hallucinogenic Drugs

July 10, 2014

Hallucinogenic Drugs – Drug Addiction

Drug addiction is and will never be good for human life it does not matter whether you are taking hallucinogenic drugs or not

The human senses can be affected in different ways and by different means. Consumptions of various drugs are some of the actions that have the adverse effects in the human senses. Among those drugs are hallucinogenic drugs, this is a collection of drugs with the capabilities of altering the human senses. They are also known as psychedelic drugs and are powerful to affect the perception of the world around us. They can also be very intimidating to the senses or rather change them in such a way that things become more extreme like the affected person can see dull colours much brighter and occasionally even ‘see’ sounds or ‘hear’ colours. Besides affecting senses these drugs can also change their user’s moods thoughts and even behavior.

Some Hallucinogenic drugs group include

Hallucinogen is a collection of various drugs like: LSD, PCP, Magic Mushrooms, Mescaline, DMT. They also include ecstasy, cannabis especially the stronger varieties such as skunk and ketamine. It must be noted that some of these drugs originate naturally from vegetation’s for example cannabis and magic mushrooms whereas others are produced artificially from laboratories. The examples of laboratory drugs may include ketamine and ecstasy.

Street names of Hallucinogenic drugs

Like any other drug hallucinogenic drugs also have some street names associated with them these street names may include any of the following: Dope, Pot, Mushrooms, Acid, Special K, Angel dust, Trip, Blotters, Northern lights, Smarties etc.

How are hallucinogens used?

Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is packaged in small squares of blotting paper or a sheet of small designs which the user drips onto their tongue. It can also be dropped into to sugar cube or used to produce capsules or tablets. When taken in whichever way it brings in alterations in human perception and feelings of being out of one’s body.
PCP or ‘angel dust’ is accessible in different forms and kinds which may include powder, tablets, liquid or crystals. It is ingested in the body through inhaling (snorted), smoked in cigarette, taken orally or injected.
Magic mushrooms are a wild form of fungus which is cultivated mainly in the UK and other parts of the world. The most common form is the ‘liberty cap’ although the ‘fly agaric’ variety is also used. They may be consumed raw even though many people prefer to add them to food or make them into a drink.
Mescaline is a more unusual form of hallucinogen which comes from a cactus plant.
DMT (dimethyltriptamine) is very similar to LSD. Besides being similar to LSD they are more powerful than LSD. It can be inhaled (snorted), smoked or injected and is less easy to get hold of than LSD.
Ecstasy is obtainable in tablets, capsules or a powder forms and is popular with clubbers as it enables them to dance for long hours. It boosts feelings of intimacy and closeness and is also known as the ‘love drug’.
Cannabis can be smoked or added to food e.g. ‘hash cakes’ and is taken as a means of relaxation although stronger varieties such as sinsemilla and skunk can cause mild hallucinations.
Ketamine is an anaesthetic drug originally designed for veterinary purposes but has been used by people for its hallucinogenic qualities. It acts in a very similar way to PCP and taken orally, as tablets or injected.

Effects of hallucinogenic drugs

As has been discussed the most noticeable effect one is that of altered perception, affected people report mind-altering effects in what they see, hear, smell or touch things which they think are there but in reality, don’t exist. These effects vary according to the substance taken, the quantity taken, how often, the environment, age and whether it is taken in combination with other drugs e.g. alcohol.

Some people may experience greater effects than others. One person may only have a minor experience which can be absolutely pleasurable often refered to as a ‘good trip’ whereas another person can experience a complete ‘out of body’ experience which is terrifying to say the least known as a ‘bad trip’. Some of these effects only last for a short time but others can last for many hours.

People who experience altered perception can find themselves indulging in risky or dangerous behavior, for example believing that they are able to fly. It is not unknown for someone to jump from a great height because of a psychedelic experience.

Are hallucinogenic drugs addictive?

They tend to be used on an irregular basis only so addiction doesn’t occur but a tolerance can build up if the drug is used on a regular basis, for example cannabis or ecstasy.

These drugs have a strong psychological effect which often involves a change in the brain’s chemistry and structure which results in dependence.

People also find that they experience some rather unpleasant withdrawal symptoms if they stop which results in them continuing to take these drugs.

Other side effects include anxiety and depression and an unpleasant condition called ‘flashbacks’: this is where someone sees replays of their drug experience, weeks, months or even years after they took the drug. If any drug is causing you the mention side effects of hallucinogenic drugs you must not wait until it wears you down. It will be important that you seek help from the experts. This you can get conveniently at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under Doctor Akoury’s care where total focus is on Neuroendocrine Restoration (NER) to reinstate normality through realization of the oneness of Spirit, Mind, and Body, Unifying the threesome into ONE.

Hallucinogenic Drugs – Drug Addiction

Legal High Drugs

July 10, 2014

Legal High Drugs-Drug Addiction

A drug is a drug whether legal high or very known hard drugs we must all take the responsibility of stopping their addiction in our lives.

The threat of addiction is not new to us because in many ways we find ourselves being addicted to several things. There are so many elements of addiction that we are associated with and we are not even sure if we are addicted to them. When the word addiction is mention we often think straight to hard drugs and other known social activities that are addictive in nature. This feeling is very much in order because those are also some elements we can be addicted to. What many may not know is that we can be addicted even to some legal drugs that does not necessarily illegal and that is what is going to guide the flow of this article. Known as a collection of drugs which are sold legally and which mimic the effects of illegal drugs such as cannabis, ecstasy and cocaine. Some of these drugs may include herbal smoking mixtures, diet pills (ephedrine), herbal ecstasy and mephedrone. We can also include GHB, BZP (benzylpiperazine) poppers such as amyl nitrite and caffeine drinks/pills.

Legal high

This are kinds of substances with the same effects as an illegal drug but can be bought legally, and openly. They are not regulated by the Misuse of Drugs Act although changes have been, or are being made to control these substances. Many of these drugs are naturally occurring substances but the most recent one -mephedrone, has been synthetically produced in laboratories.

Legal High Drugs-Appearance

They take different looks in the market with some being are herbal solutions which can be mixed with tobacco and smoked normally while others like mephedrone come in as white powder or in tablets or capsules forms. Poppers such as amyl nitrite or butyl nitrite are inhaled while others like ephedrine are found in over the counter medicines or pills used for weight control.

Legal High Drugs-Methods of Usage

They can be taken be taken in several ways that is: orally, smoked, inhaled, added to drinks or injected though this last method of consumption is very rare.

Legal High Drugs-Their street names

Like any other drugs legal high drugs also have their street nouns. Many of these substances have ‘trade names’ that is to say their brand names for marketing purposes for example the herbal smoking mixture or solution is known as ‘Spice’. Other names may include:

Meow Meow (mephedrone)
Herbal Viagra
Eclipse (herbal ecstasy)
Cloud 9 (herbal ecstasy/ephedrine)
Liquid gold (poppers)

These drugs are often used by young people and particularly the youth, clubbers and festival goers.

Effects of legal highs

The effects of these drugs vary depending on which substance you are using. For example, if you smoke Spice then you will experience that the effects are similar to those of cannabis also known as marijuana. Such feelings will include:

Feeling relaxed and ‘chilled out’ or hyperactive
Talkative and giggly

Majority of users will find that their sensitivities have been altered or that they experience mild hallucinations. Drug like mephedrone will have similar effects to those from using ecstasy or cocaine. The experiences may include:

Euphoria
Increased confidence
Lots of energy
Empathy with others
It can also suppress the appetite
Speed up the heart rate
Reduce inhibitions.

Spice and herbal Viagra e.g. yohimbine are added to loose tobacco and smoked as a cigarette or through a pipe. They cause hallucinogenic effects and also act upon the body in a similar way to ecstasy.

Herbal ecstasy such as Cloud 9 acts as a stimulant on the body thereby increasing the heart rate and breathing, a sense of euphoria, dilated pupils and being talkative generally. It can also cause hallucinogenic effects such as a heightened awareness of one’s surroundings.

Liquid gold and other types of poppers cause an intense ‘rush’ when inhaled which also includes feelings of disorientation, nausea, dizziness and headaches. They can also improve sexual performance.

How addictive are legal highs?

If these legal highs are legally allowed drugs, one would wonder whether they have any addictive effects and the answer is absolutely yes. Many of these substances are characterized in the same way as synthetic drugs meaning that they can lead to dependency over a period of time of their usage for example a drug like mephedrone is similar to ecstasy in the sense that it is highly addictive and leads to psychological changes in the user. People who use mephedrone find it very difficult to stop. Besides them being addictive, it must be noted that these drugs/substances are more powerful than many people realize and can be as equally as addictive as their illegal cousins or sisters.

Risks factors of legal highs

Because of their sources it is prudent to note that some of these drugs are not regulated under the Misuse of Drugs Act however an amendment to this effect has been made making it illegal to sell or supply them for human use under the medicines legislation.

But it is very easy to assume that because these drugs are freely available that they are safer than synthetic varieties. Even the herbal substances such as Spice or Salvia have side effects.

The technicality is that a good percentage of these substances contain all kinds of chemicals which have not always been tested for human consumption. So you are not quite sure what you are getting and the effect it will have on your system. Currently we do not have authenticate research or studies confirming the duration of risk and so it is not clear the effects of long term health risks if any. However when combined with other substances like alcohol then this increases the risks and such increased risks can be physical risks e.g. hypertension, heart disease, nosebleeds, weight loss, tremors and diabetes. On the other hand the risks may be psychological risks like anxiety, panic attacks, memory loss, paranoia and even schizophrenia.

Finally when we begin talking of the risks involved then we must also talk about remedies for those risks. If for whatever reason you or your friend is struggling with problems related to legal high drugs then the solution is just a phone call away. Rich out for doctor Dalal Akoury an expert in matter addiction and the founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under Doctor Akoury. Together with her team of experts they will help you get better professionally while focusing on Neuroendocrine Restoration (NER) to reinstate normality through realization of the oneness of Spirit, Mind, and Body, Unifying the threesome into ONE and you will certainly get your life back and enjoy it to the fullest.

Legal High Drugs-Drug Addiction

Category Archives: Healthy Aging