Abstinence and Self-Help for Addiction

July 4, 2014

Abstinence and self-help for addiction – Drug Addiction

Fighting addiction is an effort fought from all points abstinence and self-help can be useful in containing addiction

Drug addiction has been for a long time been an element of life frustration globally. The frustration is compounded with the fact that this problem can affect everybody in total disregard of status or otherwise. It is true that several studies have been conducted in an effort to finding lasting solutions to this problem with some successes being achieved. However in this article I will be discussing some of the things you can do as an individual privately or publicly as your own contribution in fighting the scourge of addiction in our societies. As an individual you can choose to practice abstinence as a means of containing addiction. What is then this element abstinence?

Abstinence would mean that an individual make an absolute and willing decision to renounce all kinds of activities and elements which are known to be harmful and addictive. Taking this decision will require taking bold steps and making certain sacrifices to abscond the consumption of certain substances and shunning areas where such products are likely to be used and purposely choosing a healthier lifestyle. To illustrate this, an individual may choose to avoid places where smocking is wide spread. Various institutions and governments have in the recent past bun cigarette smoking in certain areas which has positively impacted on many people choosing to abstain from smoking. On the other hand, if alcohol is the problem then keeping distance to alcohol selling joints and all social gatherings where alcohol will be served. If you are invited then you decline the invitation.

The practice of abstinence is open for everybody but most importantly to those individuals with confirmed addictive personality for example if one is using caffeine and decides to remove all inducement. The decision could also be guided by the fact that taking on a substance can lead to using another like smoking and drinking all at the same time.

One may choose to abstain not because they are at any risk of being addicted to the substance but just by making observation on the surrounding. Having seen people suffering from drug addiction before may necessitate one opting for absolute abstinence to avoid the same experience.

Abstinence and self-help for addiction – How do you abstain?

Abstinence is not all that easy to everyone, it will take great effort, commitment, self-control and will power to achieve this because it entails strict engagement only in positive attitude and being bold enough to say NO if and when offered anything of addictive nature like alcohol or cigarette. It also entails inventing positive and healthy ways of dealing with issues related to stress and other associated problems in life. This is particularly important to those people who have not been in any sort of drug addiction before.

If one is already addicted to a substance the for abstinence to be effective then the individual must appreciate the effects of withdrawal symptoms of their addiction and embrace a coping approach to include how they will deal with these if and when they come. This will involve making several alterations like creating a new set of friends and only choosing to socialize with people who will not influence negative temptations resorting to relapse.

Joining a support group and learning new hobbies and activities also help in abstinence. When in the group, it is important that you share freely with your group therapist and they will advise you on the possible ways of medication to help with withdrawal and details of support groups in your location.

Abstinence and self-help for addiction – Self-Help

This is another possible method of preventing an addiction in once life and the society and it is a phrase used to define a range of treatments which people look for and administer for them as well as from professional help. The sources of this treatment information may include books, DVDs, courses, self-help groups, hypnotherapy and stress management. The objective of using this is that the addict will learn values of defeating addiction in their live.

Self-help is becoming a popular area in the general public because many people appreciate personal development and are looking at various ways of doing so. This gives them the feeling that they can improve certain aspect of their lives for example confidence building and will employ any number of ways of doing so. Normally self-help is a service provided by qualified professionals and therapists.

Abstinence and self-help for addiction – Self-help for addiction

We have a variety of products available to effectively help in self-help for addiction some of which may include:

Hypnotherapy: this is normally started with a therapist to start with before being undertaken at home. It can involve using a CD or DVD to help relax your state of mind and clarify the way you think.
Self-help groups: today we have so many groups for every type of addiction, for example Alcoholics Anonymous, and they are comprised of people who have similar experiences. Addicts can freely share their addiction empathies with others.
A good confidence boost: you have the support and understanding of others in the same position as yourself.
Positive thinking: a way of thinking about the good things in your life and not dwell on the negative aspects. Surround yourself with confident, upbeat people and their optimism will rub off on you. These are the type of people who will want you to beat your addiction. Also known as ‘positive mental attitude’.
Relaxation and deep breathing: deep breathing and relaxation techniques can be a useful way of overcoming any cravings you may experience. Use them as a way of distracting yourself if a craving arises and it will soon pass.
Stress management: stress is a problem for many of us and is often the trigger for many addictions. Try and find a form of stress release which is healthy and good for you. These can include a relaxing walk, reading a book, listening to music or having to a massage.

Finally there are so many types of self-help products and a collection of abstinence methods and they will be helpful to people differently and so it is important that you look through carefully to find the one that is right for you. Doing this may not necessarily mean that you will be fine on your own, you will still need the professional touch from the experts like Dr. Dalal Akoury who is the Founder and chief executive office of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center a facility offering exclusive NER Recovery Treatment to other physicians and health care professionals through training, clinical apprenticeships, webinars and seminars all in equal measure. All qualified professional and the general members of the society are free and can now be a part of this truly successful and fast addiction recovery treatment.

Abstinence and self-help for addiction – Drug Addiction

Essentials of Relapse Eradication

July 4, 2014

Essentials of Relapse Eradication-Drug Addiction

All was well until your old supplier appeared. Drug addiction recovery is possible but is frustrated by relapse. Keep new friends and you will make it.

In making effort to root out drug addiction from our systems and by extension to the society at large one of the biggest challenges we are likely to face is that of relapsing along the way. For us to achieve our objective for eradicating the problem of addiction successfully then it is proper that we analyze this topic with a view of understanding its consequences and how to contain it. Because of this great interest relapse is going to form the basis of our discussion in this article. Therefore what is actually the meaning of relapse? It basically falling back to something that you have made effort to disassociate with or from, that is to say falling or sling back into a former or old state, practice, a vice, error, wrongdoing or just backsliding into illness after recovery. From the definition it is all about fall back but for our case in this article we will concentrate on the health aspect of it as we progress with our quest to understand relapse.

Relapse is a significant factor in the process of addiction recovery which many patients fall prey to however when it happen it is important that patients should not contemplate this as an admission of failure or point of weak character. Emphasis should be made to the effect that discontinuing an addiction to drugs, alcohol, nicotine etc. is a tedious, difficult and take a long process which would ordinarily require soundness and reasonable amount of courage and willpower to emerge the victor.

The challenge of relapse is such an uphill task not just to some but all patients whether in the rehab or not. Nonetheless many people who have succeeded will testify that they met several obstacles before their great success. It is therefore important to be positive all through even if they relapse once, twice or even several times the focus and determination to triumphant should be loaded for the ultimate result of beating an addiction.

We acknowledge that the whole process can be very frustrating to the patients themselves and even to their friends and relatives when they make and put a lot of effort in an attempt of trying to knock out their addiction related habits and then all over sudden they succumb in to the cravings. For sure this will be absolutely demoralizing and the patient being human will be right to feel discouraged because all the hard work and time they have invested appears to have been for nothing and that they may not beat their addiction but I want to give you hope that the effort is worth it and they must never look back. Relapse is real and is just one of the obstacle to overcome, so dear friend keep the good work you are almost there don’t give up because that is not an option your great life is a head of you and you are just about to repossesses it.

Essentials of Relapse Eradication-Don’t give up

Acknowledging that the process of addiction recovery will not be easy is a motivation factor. Many addicts go wrong in the process by giving in to temptations, dear friend as eluded in the above points turn around all the hindrances to be positive in this process. Take note that a relapse is a manageable risk and that you/we are all human and falling into temptations is normal. Desire to be transformative in approaching all matters of addiction recovery by igniting the light of hope and that despite the surrounding you are on course and progressing well with treatment plan. Take the greatest asset here which is your family and friend. They are all very much proud of you and are behind you and are supporting you all the way.

As we said before the journey will not be full of roses and so if for whatever reason you relapse and smoked a stick of cigarette or took a sip of alcohol don’t let this wear you down forge a head accept that it has happen and take note of when it happen, why it happen and what might have been the cause for it happening and finally how you purpose to prevent it from recurring again. With this notes taken take another step the moment you are able to soberly communicate, take it upon yourself to share with your psychotherapist or counselor and seek help from them on how to elude this from occurring again. Be sure that they are professionals and will be able to assemble a work plan containing ways of dealing with this new development. With this information your counselor is likely to speak to someone from your self-help group not to demine you but this is an indicator that you need a little more extra support and motivation to help keep you on the recovery track.

Essentials of Relapse Eradication-Essentials to help you avoid a relapse

There are steps you can take to prevent this from happening. These include:

Ensuring that you are not in close contact with those things which comprised your addiction, for example alcohol in the house or medicine bottles (e.g. painkillers).
Try and elude circumstances in which your emotions are involved which will cause you in seeing your addiction as the answer or a form of escape.
Try to elude events or social situations in which you may be attracted to relapse. For example if your colleagues ask you to go for a drink after work. It is better to decline until you are at a point where cravings are no longer a problem and you feel relaxed about having a soft drink with them.
If you were part of a group of friends who take drugs than avoid them and make new friends.
Keep a telephone number of an addiction help line or your local support group close to hand so that you contact them if you feel as if you are going to relapse.
Keep attending self-help groups, counseling sessions and support networks even if you feel as if you don’t need their help any more. They can often spot the signs of a potential relapse long before you do and will advise you on how to deal with this.
If you suffer a relapse be honest with yourself as to why it has happened, accept that it has and carry on with your treatment.

Finally we must work together to defeat addiction, relapse is sometimes very discouraging but with experts like Dr. Dalal Akoury, Founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center, the challenge will be professionally handled, look at a brief effort doctor Akoury is making together with her team of experience experts. They are offering exclusive NER Recovery Treatment to addicted patients globally as well to other physicians and health care professionals through training, clinical apprenticeships, webinars and seminars, this is all you need and any qualified professional in all disciplines can now be a part of this truly successful and fast addiction recovery treatment.

Essentials of Relapse Eradication-Drug Addiction

Am I Addicted to Drugs

July 3, 2014

Am I Addicted to Drugs-Drug Addiction

Its never fun being addicted to drugs. Drug addiction is costly economically and health wise

This is a question of value to anyone looking for good health and freedom from all manner of addictions and any addiction related elements and I want to put it to you my dear reader that are you addicted to drugs? You may be tempted to give a straight answer as anyone else will but wait a minute and get the facts to help you take your own evaluation and share your answer informatively. To start us off we need to define addiction. If you have been on this link you probably have an idea but all the same an addiction is a dependence on a substance or behavior which affects the physical, psychological and emotional wellbeing of an individual. It is therefore in order to say that addiction is a kind of behavior in which both compulsive and habit forming. Being in a state of addiction can also mean that the individual is being controlled by their desired substance to satisfy craving and prevent withdrawal symptoms. All that is important in determining addiction is purely based on the effect of the substance one uses and not the quantity or quality of the drug in question.

Dependency vs. an addiction

This may look a bit confusing because of the nature of their applications. It is easy to say that they are the same due to the fact that they are substitutable in application, therefore let us bring clarity of the two as follows: addiction will only be experienced when something you use occasionally allover sudden becomes a habit and you are finding it difficult to forego like if you prefer smoking occasionally during the night and this graduates to each night and eventually during the day as well consistently every day then we can make conclusion that you are developing an addiction. Whereas dependency occurs in the event that you are unable to cope without access to a substance or suffer from withdrawal symptoms if you do. Normally this state is experience when the addiction has been in existence for a very long period of time.

Up to this point I hope these definitions are not confusing you but all the same let me further reveal more for your understanding. For instance dependency can also be experienced with other activities other than the drugs like internet, sex, food, chocolate, gambling, shopping and many more. Nevertheless if these activities are reversed or withdrawn and victim does not experience any physical withdrawal symptoms then the individual is said to be dependence to the activity that is to say that the absence of these activities will not have any effect on the individuals health.

However, an addiction will be different as it causes both physical and psychological changes in the body and removing the source of this or going without results in withdrawal symptoms such as ‘the shakes’, nausea, insomnia, irritability and paranoia. Examples of this include cigarettes, drugs and alcohol.

Another aspect is that many people consider an ‘addiction’ to be more severe than ‘dependency’. Many people have a mental image of a ‘drug addict’ as someone who leads a sordid lifestyle, injecting themselves with drugs and generally, at rock bottom. They are often seen as a hopeless case and less worthy of help than someone with a dependency.

Now you take a stand between these two

Just in case after the discussion above you are still uncertain of your addiction position then consider the following:

Do you need that substance to relieve pain due to a chronic illness or injury, e.g. painkillers, prescription drugs etc. This will enable you to function as normal but without any changes in mood or behavior.
Do you experience physical and mental cravings for that substance which you know will give you a ‘buzz?’ This substance will gratify your cravings and give you that emotion of excitement that you cannot do without.

If you answered ‘1’ then you could be said to have a dependency. But if you answered ‘2’ then you may have an addiction.

This is the very basic way of making this decision and I would recommend that you seek professional help from known expert and while considering this take a moment and look at some of the possible signs of an addiction to help you in an endeavor to seeking for help.

Reduced or loss of appetite
Weight loss
Headaches
Dry mouth
Nausea or vomiting
Tiredness
Insomnia
Mood swings
Anger
Irritability and frustration
Lack of tolerance with one’s self and others
Lack of concentration
Paranoia
Neglecting your appearance or poor personal hygiene

These are physical and mental signs of an addiction but there are social changes also to consider such as;

Retreating from other people
Lack of interest in what they do
Luck of willingness to socialize or associate with people to whom you might have considered to be undesirable before now.
If you find that you are spending vast amounts of money on your addiction or other people consider you to have become unreliable and dishonest then this could be a pointer a problem.
Have you had your colleagues at work station noticed a difference in you?
Is timekeeping a problem?
Do you find that you have trouble concentrating at work or are bad tempered or moody?
Finally, do you feel you are losing control?

All these are powerful indicators in the social aspect. Normally the addicts may not be the one noticing these changes in their lives but would be noticed by friends and relatives and ones this is done then it is important that the victim acknowledges that they have a problem and desire to give it up. I am not promising that this will be easy but the starting point for addiction treatment is the acceptance that you are an addict, it may not matter what kind or stage of addiction you are in this acknowledgement is the most important step for commencement of treatment.

As we conclude this discussion I believe by now you can positively identify your precise addiction position and give the correct answer to our title question. If your answer is positive (you are an addict) then help is on the way at with doctor Dalal Akoury who is an expert in addiction treatment for the past decades. She is also the founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center where together with her experience team of experts administer addiction treatment while focusing on Neuroendocrine Restoration (NER) to reinstate normality through realization of the oneness of Spirit, Mind, and Body, Unifying the threesome into ONE.

Am I Addicted to Drugs-Drug Addiction

Rehabilitation

July 3, 2014

Rehabilitation-Drug Addiction

It take great effort to stop drug addiction. you can do it before it brings you down by enrolling in a rehabilitation ‘rehab’ center for treatment

Addiction to substances has adverse effects to human life and the need to have the problem contain or brought to a manageable level is very necessary. Because of the magnitude of the problem we have various ways of solving the problem among them being the rehabilitation which we are going to be discussing in this article for a better understanding of how best we can model it to offer the best. This article is in a solution finding mission of lasting remedies to the addiction and addiction related problems. Rehabilitation is therefore the process or means through which the general target is to ensure addicts to halt their addiction and live a free and normal life. Different methods are used in rehabilitation to inspire the victims to halt their cycle of dependency and cope with normal life devoid of self-destructive behaviors like drinking disorderly that may lead into addiction.

We must eradicate the perception that rehabilitation or ‘rehab’ is only for who is who in the society booking themselves into posh clinic to receive treatment for their addiction. Just like addiction does not respect anybody and can affect all so is the doors of rehabs centers being open for all irrespective of their background. These centers are not just located in the urban places but are also accessible through local community and in both set up they are well furnished with trained personnel to attend to all patients.

The common practice in rehab is to inspire patients (addicts) to appreciate and take full control of their addiction by adopting various treatment methods like:

Detoxification
Counseling
Psychotherapy

When at the rehab addicts are taught about relapses and how to cope, they are also taught about the negative effects of their addiction and are ushered to new healthy and productive ways of living. It must be noted that different clinic or team of expert may take different approach in administering addiction treatment (i.e. either giving a holistic approach or a more direct approach) because there is no single method that works better than others and the type of rehab will depend upon your addiction and your circumstances.

Residential rehabilitation

This is common and it is design to offer full boarding facilities to the addicts during the treatment period. The patients are taken through a course of treatment designed to help them regain control over their lives. Opting for this then you will be required to stay at the facility and undergo a collection of forms of treatment until one is able to cope on a daily basis without their addiction. When the patient is coping well does not mean that they are through with treatment, they will still be required to attend as out-patients counseling sessions, a drop-in clinic or support groups and meetings where necessary.

Besides treatment at the rehab there are also other factors which are involved in the process like the cost element, treatment available, staffing cost, environment and units of courses. Often rehab centers encourage family members to become involved in the treatment process and help the addicts see this as vital to their recovery though this will only be applied once they have gone through detox and are able to cope without experiencing any withdrawal symptoms. The duration of rehabilitation varies and may last from days or even several months. On admission there will be an evaluation and assessment before one is advised of the kind of treatment that will be suitable for them.

How rehabilitation work?

It is important that patients being admitted at the rehab centers get to know the following:

Patients should not be under any influence of alcohol or any other drugs on arrival at the center.
All prescription medicines being taken by any patient must be surrendered to the centre authorities. This may look harsh and intimidating but it is done for the good of the patient. Eliminating all forms of temptation will ensure that you are not at risk from a relapse.
The centre will request the patient to sign a contract which is a statement to the effect that you will refrain from substance abuse whilst you are there. It also means that you fully agree to the treatment.
Someone at the centre will be assigned to your case. They will act as a point of contact and as a liaison officer during your stay.
The will have diverse personnel with experience in different discipline like nurses, psychotherapists, counselors etc. Their role will be to prescribe medication to deal with withdrawal and to monitor progress.
However some centers may go for an ‘organic’ approach in which they only use natural remedies and products.
You will be offered counseling, detoxification, group sessions, psychotherapy and family orientated sessions. You may also be offered skills/learning sessions, complimentary remedies for example acupuncture.
Some centers may have a gym which they encourage addicts to use as well as offering advice on healthy eating.

Rehabilitation-Day treatment

Alternatively the patient may choose the option of structured day program which will include at time schedule of activities for a given duration which normally runs into several days in a week. The content of the time schedule may include among other needs as counseling and the other forms of treatment. Besides the rehab you will also have the services of your local community drug/ alcohol team who will provide services like residential and non-residential detox program, counseling, valuable advice and support and group therapy.

The Aims of rehab

Like we said in the introduction that addiction does not discriminate on who to affect and so the following are some of the ultimate objectives of any rehab centre:

To wean the addicts off their addiction to enable them recognize the cause of their addiction problem and how to deal with it in the future.

Adopting plans for dealing with negative events in the patient’s life which in the past may have resulted in self-destructive behaviors like drug taking. Once the patients are aware of how this happened and why, they are better placed to cope with the unexpected or negative events in their lives. The motivation is that the patients will choose more positive ways of dealing with problems rather than substance addiction. And as long as they are willing and determined to kick their habit off then rehab will be an ideal way of treating their addiction and recover completely to live a normal life.

Finally it is important to appreciate that most of these rehab centers are privately owned and would attract payments for the services the offer. the cost will vary from centre to centre and so the patients who may not be able to meet the cost can source for funds from elsewhere like from their local authority, this is very crucial because each patient financial situation will be assessed before a decision is arrived at about funding. These are the general practices in most of the rehabs and with this information you will be better placed if you make enquiries for yourself from various experts on how to be safe from addiction and I will be of help to you by suggesting AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center a facility founded by Doctor Akoury who is an expert in addiction treatment for several decades. A visit to AWAREmed will be an eye opener to you and you will be attended to by a team of experts who will care for you 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.

Rehabilitation-Drug Addiction

When the brain is addicted

July 2, 2014

When the brain is Addicted-How Drugs Affect the whole system

No matter what you do you need your brain free from addiction to live a life to the fullest

Generally drug addiction and all kind of addiction for that matter have been consistent problems for a long time. It is so because of its lasting effect in the brain functions which are not easy to correct. Take for example in the US where the scourge is prevalent how many brains are addicted to drugs, statistics has it that about 2 million are heroin and cocaine addicts, 15 million alcoholics and several millions are cigarette smokers. Several decades ago this was a disaster because little was known about addiction but today a lot has been established and that knowledge is beginning to influence addiction treatment and prevention. This therefore brings us to the question why opium?

When the brain is addicted-Why does the brain prefer opium to broccoli

This is very interesting and the answer involves the nucleus accumbens a group of nerve cells located under the cerebral hemispheres. When one execute an action which satisfactorily fulfills ones desire the neurotransmitter dopamine is released into the nucleus accumbens and produces pleasure. This communicates that the action facilitates survival or reproduction, directly or indirectly. This system is refferd to us the reward pathway. Undertaking an activity which provides this reward enables the brain to register the experience and we are likely to repeat the same thing again. The damage to the nucleus accumbens and drugs that block dopamine release in the region make everything less rewarding.

Naturally rewards usually come only with an effort and after some interruptions and addictive drugs normally provide a shortcut each in its own way sets in motion a biological process which result in flooding the nucleus accumbens with dopamine. The pleasure is not helping the existence or reproduction and evolution has not provided our brains with an easy way to withstand the onslaught. If one becomes addicted through consistent use of a given drug, then the overwhelmed receptor cells will call for a shutdown reducing the natural capacity to produce dopamine in the reward system. This will make the brain to lose its access to other less immediate powerful sources of rewards. This may require the addicts to constantly use higher doses and quicker passage into the brain. This is seen as though the machinery of motivation is not functioning anymore and so they want to use the drug even when it has ceased giving pleasure to them.

When the brain is addicted-Compelling memories

The change in the reward system alone does not necessarily denote the persistence of addiction as many addiction victims may admit that stopping may be easy because they have probably done it often. They (the addicts) go through long periods without taking the drug, but they risk relapse even after years of abstinence, when the dopamine reward circuit has had plenty of time to recuperate. They are victims of conditioned learning, which creates habitual responses.

Drug-induced changes in the links between brain cells establish associations between the drug experience and the circumstances in which it occurred. These implied memories can be recovered when addicts are subjected to any reminder of those circumstances like moods, situations, people, places, or the substance itself. For example heroin addict may be in danger of relapse when they see a hypodermic needle, an alcoholic when they walk pass a bar where they used to drink or when they meet a former drinking companion. Most addicts may restart the habit on falling into a mood in which they used to turn to the drug. It must be noted that a single small dose of the drug itself can be one of the most powerful reminders.

When the brain is addicted-Stress

Internal or external stress is another cause of relapse. The nucleus accumbens will direct signals to the amygdala and hippocampus, which record and amalgamate memories that evoke strong feelings. When you asked the addicts why they relapse they are likely to make references as “my job was not going well,” or even, “The traffic was frustratingly so heavy that day.” These responses can only suggest that they are hypersensitive to stress, either congenitally or as a result of past addiction. Stages of corticotrophin releasing hormone (CRH), the brain chemical that regulates the stress hormone system, often rise in addicts just before a relapse, while the amygdala becomes more active.

Findings from the resent research established that addiction involves many of the same brain pathways that govern learning and memory. Addictions can changer the strength of connections at the synapses (junctions) of nerve cells, especially those that use the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate. Underlying these changes are drug-induced activation and suppression of genes within nerve cells, another process scientists are beginning to explore.

When the brain is addicted-Why we are not all addicted

The reward system may be more vulnerable, responses to stress more intense, or the formation of addictive habits quicker in some people, especially those suffering from depression, anxiety, or schizophrenia, and those with disorders like antisocial and borderline personality. It has been established that almost 50% of individual disparities in susceptibility to addiction is hereditary and according to a recent report, one gene variant diminishes the quantity of dopamine release caused by cocaine in human beings a genetic defense against at least one type of addiction.

Individuals also differ in their ability to workout judgment and inhibit impulses. The brain’s prefrontal cortex aids to establish the adaptive value of pleasure recorded by the nucleus accumbens and checks the urge to take the drug when it would be unwise. If the prefrontal cortex is not working correctly, an addictive drug has more power to dominate the reward circuit. Research shows that the prefrontal cortex is not completely established in adolescence, which could elucidate why we often develop addictions at that stage of life. In other words if one does not indulge in smoking before age 21that person is likely not to become addicted to nicotine

When the brain is addicted –Implications for prevention and treatment

Although findings on the addicted brain are suggesting new approaches to treatment, progress has been limited so far. Researchers have tested dopamine receptor antagonists, drugs that bind to receptors for dopamine and prevent addictive drugs from acting. But these substances usually have too many side effects because they also interfere with the motivation for natural and adaptive rewards. One way to avoid side effects is to disrupt the mechanisms by which individual drugs start the process that culminates in dopamine release; for example, the opiate antagonist naltrexone is now used to treat both heroin addicts and alcoholics.

The biggest problem is preventing relapse. Neutralizing the pleasurable effect of the drug is not enough because reminders of the drug experience perpetuate the longing and cause addicts to stop taking the counteracting medication. Glutamate has been the main target of research on relapse prevention. In one experiment, formerly addicted rats returned to using cocaine when their hippocampi the brain region where memories of the drug experience are likely stored were electrically stimulated. A drug that blocked glutamate activity prevented this re-addiction.

An all-out assault on glutamate is impossible. Half the neurons in the cerebral cortex use this transmitter, and a major reduction in its activity would be toxic. Instead, researchers are trying to target specific types of glutamate nerve receptors in specific parts of the brain. Acamprosate used in the treatment of alcoholism, acts at the NMDA receptor, a type of glutamate receptor. The anticonvulsant topiramate (Topamax), another proposed medication for alcoholics, may also act at that receptor. Memantine a relatively new drug that blocks NMDA receptors has proved promising in one small study of heroin addicts.

Researchers are working on other approaches to medication for addictive disorders. Some are looking into the possibility of preventing stress-induced relapse by blocking the activity of CRH. Others are experimenting with immunization for cocaine and nicotine training the immune system to recognize the drug by injecting a molecule that simulates its effect, creating antibodies with the capacity to break the drug down before it reaches the brain.

When the brain is addicted-The old and the new

Finding new things is a continuous process and as scientists dig into addiction it is being revealed that chemical solutions may not be found anytime soon. Therefore in future treatments will only help to psychosocial treatment. This can only mean that we will still embrace 12-step self-help groups, behavioral therapies, and exploration of traumatic and everyday proficiencies which are likely to have distressed the balance of the reward and inhibition system.

Behavior therapy offers the bases of reward and punishment that contest with the drug, such as payment for clean urine in the form of vouchers, or contingency contracts (in which addicts consent to forgo their cherished item if they go back to drug consumption).

Motivation or will can be regarded as a brain function that is damaged by addiction, just as language or movement can be damaged by a stroke. In successful treatment of a stroke, other parts of the brain assume the functions of the injured region. In the same way, treatment for addiction may be able to make use of the remaining healthy parts of the motivation system to repair the damage. Twelve-step groups and motivational enhancement therapy could be seen as ways of accomplishing that.

Administering treatment is often subject to the type of addiction and the addict. Novelty seekers and risk takers with inadequate reserve and conclusion may not respond to the same methods applicable to persons aggrieved by traumatic stress or hypersensitivity to daily stress. The great lesson we can get from this is that addictions are treatable chronic conditions but stretch longer to cures.

When we know the nerve receptors targeted by the addictive drugs we get to learn more about their separate and common effects. However there is still a lot to be achieved about:

How changes in reward circuits results to addiction
How the brain creates the unconscious memories that make addicts susceptible to relapse
Why some people are especially vulnerable to addiction
How to translate the knowledge we have into more effective treatments.

New brain research proposes that addiction is not just a property of certain drugs but a characteristic of certain human activities and relationships. Experts have established that there are similarities between the brain scan images of compulsive gamblers and drug addicts. The impression of addiction to television, video games, overeating, or sexual behavior may be more than a comparison. Discovering the biology of addiction could lead to a profound understanding of the sources of all human motivation and habit formation and this can only be done by the involvement of experts like doctor Dalal Akoury who has been of great help to many people the world over for over two decades now.

When the brain is addicted-How Drugs Affect the whole system

Category Archives: Heavy Metal Toxicit