Category Archives: Dr. Dalal Akoury

Learning children addiction from other parents

October 9, 2015

Learning children addiction from other parents: Don’t give up hope

Learning children addiction

Learning children addiction can be the best starting point for you if you’re not comfortable facing the expert s now and with time you will gain confidence to face the experts for a more professional treatment

Winning the fight against addiction in children is not new because many parents have had the same experience before. Therefore if you are going through trial moment with your addicted child to drugs, be encouraged that you are not alone and you can always find somebody to talk to about your current situation. I must agree that it is not a very good experience to go through and that is why as professionals from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center we want to share with you in this article some experiences other parents have gone through even as learning children addiction continues in the days to come. In this journey of learning children addiction, we need to have addiction professionals and Doctor Dalal Akoury who is a veteran addiction expert and the founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center is going to share with us experiences of past clients so that we can develop the culture of learning from other parents about children addiction.

Over the past two decades doctor Akoury has been very instrumental in offering solutions to all people across the globe and in her experience, she came a cross one client whose story will be very useful for many parents who may be going through difficult moment with their children’s addiction. According to this client about five years ago their son was 27-year-old and was so much addicted to alcohol drinking that finally led to usage of other strong drugs (cocaine to be specific). For more than one year they were in the dark about his new habit until he was out of control and that is when he lost his job this really caught us pants down because of his life and that of our grandson the client said. We could not believe how ignorant and blind we were until it all started to make sense when our son was consistently broke, weird phone calls, not showing up for family events, his actions, and his physical appearance. At this point the reality down on us and we tried to help him so desperately by enrolling him in treatment programs one after the other. It was difficult because the response was very discouraging but we kept telling him how much we loved him. In solidarity we began attending recovery meetings with him where we met other people going through the same thing.

To cut the long story short it reached a point when we realized that it was beyond our control and we were prepared for the worst but even as we were in that situation, we still told him how much we loved him even though at this time we also needed to take care of ourselves. And so very painfully we detached with love. Our house was still open for him and he would come for meals and to shower but he could not live with us any more, nor would we give him any financial assistance. As fate would have it he who was never taught by his parents would be taught by the world and so he was arrested and we did not bail him out. He was so angry with us, but we still maintained our love for him. He was sentenced to go to a treatment program. He literally had only the clothes on his back, not even a pair of shoes, and it was winter. We did not give him anything but told him to call when he was settled in his new home and that we still loved him. At this point he knew he was losing his family and possibly his son. That was about four years ago. Today our son has gone through treatment, is working on a recovery program and has custody of his son. We all take it a day at a time

From that story you will realize that as parents we really need to be on top of everything and more so when the children are still young when they are able to listen to us. It is only at this time when we still have influence over them that we can penetrate and impact on them positively about misuse of drugs. Our role as professionals from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center is to share with you useful information about drugs and alcohol and then encourage you to choose wisely for a better life. Therefore as we progress into the discussion, if this story is communicating something in you or your family or about someone you know, do not hesitate to schedule for an appointment with doctor Dalal Akoury today for the commencement of your treatment and recovery program. In the meantime we want to share with you briefly about some tips you can use as a parent to make a difference in your children’s live

Learning children addiction from other parents: Guide lines for drug prevention applicable for parents

Without question, talking with your children is extremely important in our efforts to protect them from alcohol and drugs. But there are other things that we need to do as parents to be effectively involved in preventing alcohol and drug problems for our kids and in our families. Now the question would be “what can I do to influence or to encourage or promote prevention efforts with my children drug use?” the following are some of the guidelines parents can adopt to help their children from being addicted to alcohol and drugs:

Don’t be afraid to be the “bad” parent – Because of the love we have for our children, learning children addiction became our priority and sometimes our fear of negative reaction from our kids keeps us from doing what is right. Doctor Akoury advices that when it comes to alcohol and drugs, taking a tough stand is very necessary since it can help our children to say no to drugs because “my mom or my dad would kill me if I drank or used.” Our decisions and our rules allow our child to use us as “the reason” for not using alcohol or drugs.

Get to know who your child’s friends are – Pay attention to who your child is hanging out with, who is coming to the house and get to know them. Encourage your child’s friends to come to your home, invite them for dinner and make them feel welcomed. Encourage your child to invite friends over to the house.

Make connections with other parents too – As you get to know your kids friends, take the opportunity to introduce yourself to their parents. It’s a great way to build mutual support and share your rules about alcohol and drugs. And, it will make it easier for you to call if your son/daughter is going to a party at their house to make sure that there will be responsible parental supervision. Other guide limes may include:

  • Promote healthy activities
  • Establish clear family rules about alcohol and drugs
  • Get educated about alcohol and drugs
  • Be a role model and set a positive example
  • Keep track of your child’s activities
  • Keep track of alcohol and prescription drugs

Finally in doing all these remember in learning children addiction, walking along with experts in every step of the way is very necessary so that nothing is left to chance and doctor Dalal Akoury is only a phone call away.

Learning children addiction from other parents: Don’t give up hope

 

Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin

Drug addiction education to children importance

October 9, 2015

Drug addiction education to children importance: The best foundation of dealing with drug addiction

drug addiction education

Drug addiction education is very essential for children as this will cause then to know about drugs. It is actually for their own good because they will flee away from trouble in future

We all would want to have our children brought in high moral standards and free from any bad influence from the environment. When our children are growing up in the acceptable ways we have impacted on them, we are happy and the whole societies will be happy too. Nonetheless one serious element that often comes in between our wishes for our children is that of alcohol and drugs. These elements are very destructive and as parents we have a duty of giving direction to our children particularly with regard to drug addiction education. This is often done each day of the child’s life (what is commonly known as parenting. Experts looking at the best possible ways of eliminating of drug addiction have established that having an open drug addiction education with the children about addiction is very important. That is why we the professionals from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the able leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury (MD) and also the founder of the same, we want to bring a few insight to you about why children needs to know about drugs as they grow up. We appreciate that parenting is not that easy, especially when it comes to talking to children about alcohol and drugs and because of that many parents hope to avoid the subject entirely.

But as parents are this, the best we can do? Certainly no, we are privilege to have far more influence than we think and talking honestly about alcohol and drugs to our children can have a real impact. And like I have mentioned, research has shown that kids who have conversations with their parents and learn a lot about the dangers of alcohol and drug use are up to 50% less likely to use alcohol and drugs than those who don’t have such conversations. To do this effectively, determination and willingness to succeed are very critical. Doctor Akoury agrees with many of us that it can be very challenging to develop the communication skills needed to talk with your children about drinking alcohol and drugs, but despite that it is well worth the effort you put into it, as you get to know your children a little better and help them build the coping skills they need to handle the anger, stress, peer pressure, loneliness and disappointment that are part of being an adolescent. Helping them build the skills they need to cope with these challenges is important not only in life, but in staying away from alcohol and drugs as well.

Drug addiction education to children importance: Teachable moments

The health complications that are associated with alcohol and drugs can be life threatening and therefore nobody would want his/her child to go through that experience and that is why as a parent you can be a primary source of positive and reliable information for your children. In the holy book it is written that teach a child the way he should go and when he grows up he will not depart from it, what that means is that we must chose to taking advantage of training them when they are still within reach (teachable moments) because when alcohol or drug issues come up when we cannot reach them, the damage will be very devastating. Professionally doctor Akoury advices that you can have a frank and heart to heart conversation with your children about substances when they are still young and ready to listen. Remember that it’s not about “the big talk,” it’s about being there for them when the issues come up in whichever form including the media, TV, at the movies, on the radio, news events about celebrities or sports figures, about their friends or in conversation. This is an opportunity you should not miss to teach your kids because if you do, then be rest assured that they will get their information about alcohol and drugs from friends and acquaintances, the media, the internet or other sources that not only misrepresent the potential negative impact of alcohol and drugs but, actually glorify using alcohol and drugs and that way you will lose the grip of shaping their life morally and health wise.

Why children needs to know about drugs: It’s never too young to start

Never say that your child is still very young when it comes to alcohol and drugs. Remember that children learn mostly by observation and so you must be there for them to give direction. This way you will be laying ground for eliminating alcohol and drug addiction from their lives. You must appreciate that have more influence over your kids’ attitudes and decisions about alcohol and drugs before they start using, than you will ever have afterwards. Therefore doctor Akoury advices that you should start early! Remember that children go through many different stages as they grow up and what’s appropriate to tell an 18-year-old and a 9-year-old about alcohol and drugs can vary quite a bit. Yet, it’s never too early to begin the conversation. Professionally it has been established that the more informed children are, the more these issues can be discussed soberly and effectively. Here are some basic guidelines for parents to assist you:

Listen before you talk to encourage and build on the conversation – it is true that as parents we often want to have “all the answers.” And, sometimes we are so anxious to share our wisdom or our opinion that we don’t take the time to listen. For kids, knowing that we are really listening is the most important thing we can do to help.

When talking to your child, ask open ended questions – Talk to your child regularly – about their feelings, their friends, their activities – and listen to what they have to say. As much as you can, and sometimes it’s not easy, try to avoid questions that have a simple “yes” or “no” answer.

Be involved – Be involved in your child’s everyday world. Get to know your child’s friends and continue to educate your child about the importance of maintaining good health psychologically, emotionally and physically.

Set expectations limits and consequences – Make it clear that you do not want your child drinking alcohol or using drugs and that you trust them not to. Talk about possible consequences of drug and alcohol use, both legal and medical, and be clear about what you will do if the rules are broken.

Be honest and open – Care about what your child is going through as they face and make decisions that will affect their lives now and for the future.

Be positive – Many parents have discovered that drug addiction education their children has actually built bridges rather than walls between them and have proudly watched those children learn to make healthy, mature decisions on their own. Finally research have clearly documented that addiction to alcohol and other drugs is a chronic, progressive disease that can be linked to family history and genetics. It therefore means that if your family has alcohol or drugs history it will be better you seek help from the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center for further direction on how to bring up your children under these circumstances.

Drug addiction education to children importance: The best foundation of dealing with drug addiction

 

Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin

College drinking and prevalence of underage addiction

October 8, 2015

College drinking and prevalence of underage addiction: Understanding the signs and symptoms of alcoholism and drug dependence

The prevalence of underage and college drinking

The prevalence of underage and college drinking is currently being felt across the globe and the sooner decisiveness action prevails the better for our future and present generations

The prevalence of underage and collage drinking is further promoted by the easy access to alcohol and drugs with are also freely and widely promoted throughout society in all the medias available with very luring contents. Alcohol is the most abused drug among youth globally with the United States leading in youthful addiction. Currently available statistics indicates that more tobacco and illicit drugs are being used by youths below the age of 21. It is also frustrating to note that of all the alcohol consumed in the US up to 11% of that substance is consumed by people aged between12 to 20. That is not something to take for granted because early use of alcohol can draw young people into a host of problems and aggravate existing ones says doctor Dalal Akoury a veteran addiction expert of over two decades. According to the experts from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center a facility established by doctor Akoury to primarily deal with all matters relating to addiction, each year approximately 5000 young people under the age of 21 die as a result of underage and college drinking. This includes about 1,900 deaths from motor vehicle crashes, 1,600 as a result of homicides, 300 from suicide, and hundreds from other injuries such as falls, burns and drowning.

Besides that, it is estimated that up to 600,000 college students are accidentally injured while under the influence of alcohol with another 700,000 students being assaulted by other students who have been drinking and as if that is not enough about 100,000 more students are victims of alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape that is according to statistics available from NCADD Fact Sheet which are also in agreement with the above statistics. When we talk of the high prevalence of underage drinking, it is not small to be wished away because as a matter of fat there is evidence that over 11,000 teens in the US are becoming first users of alcohol daily by trying to use the drink for the first time and that translate into more than four million drink alcohol in any given month. Can you imagine of the impact that is likely to have on the society if they all become addicts in the future? As you ponder about that, let’s find out why young people often resort to drinking alcohol.

College drinking and prevalence of underage addiction: Why do some young people drink alcohol?

The reasons why young people take alcohol are not different from that of adults. Some of those reasons may seem obvious, however understanding the feelings and motivations behind them as well as how each teen’s life comes into play can be difficult. The following are some of the reasons why young people resort into drinking alcohol:

  • Some young people often drink to check out from family problems or issues with school performance
  • It could be motivated by loneliness, low self–esteem, depression, anxiety disorder and other mental health issues lead many young people to drink alcohol
  • Young people turn to alcohol to deal with the pressures of everyday social situations
  • Young people may drink to change their image or to fit in when moving to a new school or town
  • Young people may drink to gain confidence or lose inhibitions
  • They are more likely to start experimenting with alcohol if they have parents who drink and if their parents don’t give those clear messages about not drinking.

College drinking and prevalence of underage addiction: What are the risks?

Doctor Akoury is very categorical that there is nothing good about alcohol let alone the age bracket of usage. In fact it doesn’t matter what it is that leads adolescents to begin drinking, because once they start they face a number of potential health and safety risks. Young people who drink are more likely to be sexually active and to have unsafe, unprotected sex; they are more likely to be involved in fights, commit violent crimes, fail at school, use other drugs, and experience verbal, physical, or sexual violence. And those who start drinking before age 15 are five times more likely to develop alcoholism later in life than those who begin drinking at age 21. That statement must not be understood to mean that people should start drinking at 21, NO there is nothing beneficial in alcohol.

College drinking and prevalence of underage addiction: Preventing underage drinking

Underage drinking is a complex problem, requiring cooperation at all levels of society. Three basic approaches, however, have proven to be effective in prevention of the problem:

  • Curtailing the availability of alcohol;
  • Consistent enforcement of existing laws and regulations; and
  • Changing norms and behaviors through education.
College drinking and prevalence of underage addiction: Binge drinking is high risk drinking

Binge drinking is a pattern of alcohol consumption that brings the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level to 0.08% or more in a short period of time. This pattern of drinking alcohol usually in less than 2 hours corresponds to: 5 or more drinks for men or 4 or more drinks for women. And without running away from facts it is plain and simple, it is high risk drinking, flee from it now.

The prevalence of underage and college drinking: Signs and symptoms of alcoholism and drug dependence

Alcoholism involves all the symptoms of alcohol abuse, but also involves another element: physical dependence – tolerance and withdrawal. Take a look: 

Tolerance – this means that, over time, you will need more alcohol to feel the same effect. Ask yourself if you’re drinking more than you used to? Do you drink more than other people without showing obvious signs of intoxication?

Withdrawal – As the effect of the alcohol wears off you may experience withdrawal symptoms including anxiety or jumpiness; shakiness or trembling sweating, nausea and vomiting, insomnia, depression, irritability, fatigue or loss of appetite and headaches. Do you drink to steady the nerves, stop the shakes in the morning? Drinking to relieve or avoid withdrawal symptoms is a sign of alcoholism and addiction.

In severe cases, withdrawal from alcohol can be life-threatening and involve hallucinations, confusion, seizures, fever, and agitation. Doctor Akoury reiterates that these symptoms can be dangerous and should be managed by a physician specifically trained and experienced in dealing with alcoholism and addiction and that is one of the many reasons why doctor Akoury founder this facility (AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center) where you can walk in any time any day and all your addiction concerns will be addressed professionally and in full confidentiality. So if this description suits you, I want to encourage you to schedule for an appointment with doctor Akoury today and your life will never be the same again.

The prevalence of underage and college drinking: Understanding the signs and symptoms of alcoholism and drug dependence

 

Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin

Indicators of childhood addiction to substances

October 8, 2015

Indicators of childhood addiction to substances: What to look for?

Indicators of childhood addiction to substances

Indicators of childhood addiction to substances will be very evident when parents stay closer to their children.

When our children grow up we are often forced to release them to other people for care due to various reasons. Such reasons may include their education, our work schedule that does not allow us to have adequate time to spend with them and many others. As parents and guardians we still have a duty to ensure that they are well taken care of irrespective of their new places of residence whether temporal or permanent. And with the saturation of the drugs and alcohol in our neighborhoods we must up our sleeves to ensure that our children are brought up morally upright. It is for this reason that we want to focus our discussion on the indicators of childhood addiction to substances of addiction. To do this we are going to be talking to the experts from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the able leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury to help us bring this topic into perspective. In view of this doctor Akoury says that we must first evaluate the accuracy of the problem at hand by answering the following questions: Do you suspect that your child is abusing alcohol or using drugs? Are you worried? Have you noticed some changes with your child? If your response to these is yes, then as a parent it is very normal to be concerned and that brings us to the next point of concern which is how are parents affected by their children’s misuse of drugs?

Before we discuss what you need to look for if you your child is misusing drugs, it is important that we find out how we are affected in the first place by our children indulgence in to drugs and alcohol. Doctor Akoury is very categorical that as a parent your ability to be helpful in this situation will highly depend on how much you understand the significance of alcohol and drugs as well as how you much have been affected by their alcohol and drug use. And in fact, the most important thing you can do to help your son or daughter is first to commit to getting help and support for yourself! And to do that better, you must first understand how you have been affected, and find out if you need some help in answering these questions:

  • About alcohol: Are you troubled by someone’s drinking?
  • About other drugs: Do you need help?
Depending on how you respond to those questions knowing the warning signs becomes the next focus.

Indicators of childhood addiction to substances: Warning signs

The use and abuse of alcohol and drugs are serious issues that should not be ignored or minimized and we should not sit back and hope they will just go away. If left untreated, their usage can develop into serious drug dependence or alcoholism. Therefore is very important to recognize the various signs and symptoms of alcohol and drug abuse early enough for proper action to be taken. Doctor Akoury and her team of experts will always be there for you and so if you’re worried that your son or daughter might be abusing alcohol or drugs you can schedule for an appointment with her today for the commencement of their recovery process but in the meantime the following are some of the physical and health warning signs of drug abuse to look for:

  • Irregular changes in appetite or sleep patterns or sudden weight loss or weight gain.
  • Shakes, tremors, incoherent or slurred speech, impaired or unstable coordination.
  • Deterioration in personal hygiene or physical appearance.
  • Eyes that are bloodshot or pupils that are smaller or larger than normal.
  • Frequent nose bleeding could be related to snorted drugs like meth or cocaine
  • Sudden seizures without any history of epilepsy
  • Impaired coordination, injuries/accidents/bruises that they won’t or can’t tell you about- they don’t know how they got hurt
  • Unusual smells on breath, body, or clothing.

Indicators of childhood addiction to substances: Behavioral signs of alcohol or drug abuse

  • Skipping classes, declining grades and getting in trouble at school
  • Drop in attendance and performance at work, loss of interest in extracurricular activities, hobbies, sports or exercise and decreased motivation
  • Consistent complaints from co-workers, supervisors, teachers or classmates
  • Missing money, valuables, prescription or prescription drugs, borrowing and stealing money
  • Acting isolated, silent, withdrawn, engaging in secretive or suspicious behaviors
  • Clashes with family values and beliefs
  • Preoccupation with alcohol and drug-related lifestyle in music, clothing and posters
  • Demanding more privacy, locking doors and avoiding eye contact
  • Sudden change in relationships, friends, favorite hangouts, and hobbies.
  • Frequently getting into trouble like arguments, fights, accidents, illegal activities
  • Using incense, perfume, air freshener to hide smell of smoke or drugs
  • Using eye drops to mask bloodshot eyes and dilated pupils

Indicators of childhood addiction to substances: Psychological warning signs of alcohol or drug abuse

  • Unexplained, confusing change in personality or attitude.
  • Sudden mood changes, irritability, angry outbursts or laughing at nothing.
  • Periods of unusual hyperactivity or agitation.
  • Lack of motivation; inability to focus, appears lethargic or “spaced out.”
  • Appears fearful, withdrawn, anxious, or paranoid, with no apparent reason.

Having the above knowledge is not only essential for the determination of whether your son or daughter is struggling with any kind of substance abuse but also very important to you. Addiction is one condition that knows no boundary and therefore when dealing with it, expert opinion is very important in every step of the way. In that regard we want to let you know that if you have been struggling with your child’s addiction or you’re the victim, help is much closer to you that you ever imagine. Doctor Dalal Akoury is a veteran addiction expert of several decades and has registered immense success in her way of administering addiction treatment for her clients. It will interest you to note that she made a personate decision to create a medical center (AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource 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. Besides that Dr. 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 may therefore want to reach out for her professional help by calling her on telephone number 843 213 1480 for an appointment and you will not regret having done so.

Indicators of childhood addiction to substances: What to look for?

 

Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin
Tools of addiction

Reducing stigma and shame of drug addiction

October 7, 2015

Reducing stigma and shame of drug addiction: Addiction is a disease of free will

Reducing stigma

Together we can work hand in hand in reducing stigma and shame of addiction for a speedy treatment are eventual recovery. Reducing stigma is therefore a must if we have to win in this fight.

Over the last few decades of my practice as a medical professional I have come a cross so many patients from across the globe with different disturbing health conditions coming to my office for treatment which we have gladly offered to them to a resounding positive feedback. We have made it a routine in our facility (AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center) to give our very best to all our clients irrespective of their limitations because we believe in offering lasting solutions to all health complications that we can professionally handle. This has made us to move from strength to strength over the years. However one problem of drug addiction keeps recurring owing to the nature of its effects to people differently. This one story disturbs me the most. It disturbs be because it came to my attention several years after I was first introduced to the couple. That story is going to form part of our discussion in this article even as we focus on reducing stigma and shame of drug addiction both internally and externally. But before we get there we want to assure all people reading this article now that drug addiction is a real problem and the sooner we deal with it the better. It is very painful seeing people losing hope and giving up on treatment because they keep relapsing every time they are about to have a break through. We are not taking more seriously the issue of relapse so that we can be on the front lane in defeating the beast of addiction. Therefore if you or anyone you know is struggling with any kind of addiction, our doors are always open at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the able leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury to help you recover from it professionally and with a lot of dignity. So don’t keep in hiding come up and purpose to regaining your life back with us professionally.

Reducing stigma and shame of drug addiction: Stigma and shame

Now back to the story about two or three decades ago a couple visited my office with an addiction problem. Actually the man was alcoholic while his wife only accompanied her to seek for help. Before we could even start the session, they excused themselves shortly and I felt that they were consulting on something then we could commence together without any further interruption. I was surprised several minutes and hours later that my client vanished never to return. Several years later one of my student narrated this story to me and I was astonished. The student said “when I was still very young may be five or six years old, my maternal grandfather died of what I was always told was complications of heart disease.” She believed that because that is what she was told. It was not until several years later, after she had graduated from a medical school in psychiatry, and had secured a job for a very long time using neuroimaging to study the addicted brain, that she learned the real reason for the death of her grandfather. One day her mother gave her the revelation of the shock of her life and this was also coming when her mother was near the end of her life and she told her that, “I need to tell you something I have never spoken to you about.” She disclosed to her that her grandfather had been an alcoholic, and that he took his own life in his distress at not being able to control his strong urges to drink.

“Oh Jesus I almost lost my grip.” Her mother had out of fear of stigma and shame kept the real reason for her grandfather’s death a secret from her that long. What surprised her is that even though she knew that in her whole professional life was devoted to trying to understand what drugs do to the brain, and that she had heard her speak of addiction as a disease of the brain, still she was not going to tell her the whole truth.” So she wondered how she had miscommunication, and how she had not made her realize that it was not a taboo to speak about addiction and that there should be no shame in it. This really troubled her and so she came to confide in me says doctor Akoury.

Reducing stigma and shame of drug addiction: Is addiction a chronic brain disease?

In her practice as a medical professional she continues, she has actually thought about this question so many times, and had realize that describing addiction as a “chronic brain disease” is a very theoretical and abstract concept she says. And so we continued to share and she used this illustration that “if you are a parent or guardian with a very sick child, and you took the child to the hospital for medication and the doctor said, “Your child is in a coma because he has diabetes,” and in an effort to help you understand, the doctor went on to explain that diabetes is a chronic disease of the pancreas, would that really help you to understand why your child was so severely ill? Certainly not, that is because what would explains it for further and better understanding is that, the cells in the pancreas can no longer produce insulin, and the body actually need insulin in order to be able to use glucose as an energy source and that without it, the cells in our body are energy deprived. That is what will help you understand and so that explains why your child is so sick.”

To explain the devastating changes in behavior of a person who is addicted, such that even the most severe threat of punishment is insufficient to keep them from taking drugs where they are willing to give up everything they care for in order to take a drug, it is not enough to say that addiction is a chronic brain disease. What we mean by that is something very specific and profound: that because of drug use, a person’s brain is no longer able to produce something needed for our functioning and that healthy people take for granted, the free will. 

Reducing stigma and shame of drug addiction: Dopamine

All drugs of abuse, whether legal or illegal, cause large surges of dopamine in brain areas crucial for motivating our behavior—both the reward regions (such as the nucleus accumbens) as well as prefrontal regions that control our higher functions like judgment, decision making, and self-control over our actions. These brain circuits adapt to these surges by becoming much less sensitive to dopamine, a process called receptor down regulation. The result is that ordinary healthy things in our lives like all the pleasurable social and physical behaviors necessary for our survival (which are rewarded by small bursts of dopamine throughout the day) no longer are enough to motivate a person; the person will therefore needs a big surge of dopamine from the drug just to feel temporarily okay and they must continually repeat this, in an endless vicious cycle.

Reducing the stigma and shame of addiction: Addiction and suicide

Back to the story doctor Akoury says that from the story you will notice that the shame was not just because the father had been an alcoholic, but because he committed suicide, out of hopelessness and helplessness at his inability to control the strong urges to drink. At this point I remembered that couple who visited my office and just walked out never to return. Now on digging deep I found out that the couples were actually the grand parents of my student. Now it pains me most that something that could be treated caused this great damage simply because of stigma, shame and fear. Dear reader if you’re following this story, let this be the last one, addiction is a treatable condition and stigma or shame are just perceptions that should not result in death. Come quickly for help today and together lets kick out of our lives the problem of drug addiction.

Reducing stigma and shame of drug addiction: Addiction is a disease of free will

 

Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin

  • Recent Posts

  • Blog Categories