Alcohol Use on the Rise in the United Arabs Emirates

December 15, 2014

Alcohol Use on the Rise in the United Arabs Emirates

The use of alcohol has been on the rise in the United Arabs Emirates. The United Arabs Emirates being a country dominated by Islamic religion which prohibits alcohol consumption this is being quite ironical. The laws that regulate the use of alcohol in the united Arabs emirates are very strict and people have lost their lives as a result of using alcohol and other drugs due to these strict laws. The residents of the united Arabs emirates lose their lives through drugs in two ways. Firstly whenever a person is found drunk in public places he faces very hefty fines and even jail terms with very unfair punishments. Capital punishment which is viewed by many nations as quite unfair to drug offenders is quite tolerated in the Arab states. Capital punishment that involves execution of people found to be using drugs is common and many addicts have had their heads separated from the rest of their bodies by a single strike with a sword. This is mostly done in public places to scare those who might think of engaging in alcohol and other drugs use either as traders or users. The other way through which addicts lose their lives is; they do not have places that they can seek help to quit using alcohol and drugs that they are using. In the United Arabs emirates there are not enough rehabilitations centers, in fact it is only in the recent past that the country put up a national rehabilitation center at Abu Dhabi.

Alcohol Addiction

In spite of the strict rules that regulate the use of alcohol in the United Arabs Emirates the number of residents battling alcohol abuse is on the rise. In fact it is said that in the United Arabs Emirates boozy brunches and binge drinking have become the order of the day. The problems associated with binge drinking has been crippling the economy of UAE given that alcoholism as affected the professional class just as much as the local Emiratis are affected and this has also rendered civil servants and other professionals incapable of serving the citizens of UAE effectively. To save the population and help solve problems associated with alcohol addiction the concerned authorities have been occupied trying to avail rehab services to those affected by this epidemic especially the expatriate. The authorities seem more committed to fighting this social ill as they are now offering this needed help to all affected individuals irrespective of their nationality as opposed to helping only Emiratis only as was done in the past.

Disease Burden on Individuals and Society

The ground-breaking treatment plans follow a National Rehabilitation Centre (NRC) report this year titled Disease Burden on Individuals and Society. It says 5.3 per cent of the total deaths in the UAE are due to alcohol use or illicit drugs, coupled with an expected “considerable proportion of hidden users”.

Another research report done by a research firm known as Euromonitor in 2010 showed that alcohol consumption in the UAE has increased by an alarming 30 per cent in the past five years. At the same time, instances of alcohol abuse have also sky rocketed. The frequency of Alcoholic Anonymous Arabia (AA Arabia) meetings which address the issue has registered a staggering 700 per cent increase, from three per week back in the early ’90s to 25 per week today.

Neuro Endocrine Restoration could help UAE Alcohol Addicts

Neuro Endocrine Restoration (NER) is critical in treatment of addicts. It is one of the best ways of fighting addiction. What happens when a person is addicted to a substance is that the substance of abuse that he uses damages the brain by changing its biochemistry creating an imbalance in the brain and the entire endocrine system. This means that any effective treatment must restore the state of the neurotransmitters as was before addiction. The neuro endocrine restoration is the best at doing this since it cost effective, natural and takes a shorter time.

College drinking In our bodies there are neurotransmitters that help us feel good and at harmony with our surrounding. There are also other neurotransmitters that are responsible for low feelings. The brain needs all these neurotransmitters to work normally. In a normal person’s case the balance between these two neurotransmitters is achieved naturally but in case of an addict this balance ceases to exist as long term use of drugs and alcohol affects the neurotransmitters. The use of NER in addiction treatment aims at helping the patient to evade the use of the drugs since without restoring the neurotransmitters, anytime an addict will attempt to stop using the drug of abuse his brain will trigger reactions of danger leading to release of adrenaline and endorphins, in such instance the addict will be forced to use the drug to restore calm and this explains why most addicts fail when they try to stop using drugs without restoring the damaged neurotransmitters.

Intravenous amino acids and the NER are natural approaches to treating addicts that have so far bore juicy fruits. They are affordable, effective and are free from withdrawal symptoms that many people suffer after going through addiction treatment with pharmaceutical medicines. We at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center are committed to availing help to addicts and offering them a place to call home. We advocate for natural healing to all kinds of addiction. In case you are struggling with addiction just call on Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for help.

Alcohol Use on the Rise in the United Arabs Emirates

College Students Participating In Study-Abroad Programs Drink Twice More

December 15, 2014

American College Students Participating In Study-Abroad Programs Drink Twice As Much As They Did Before Going Abroad

Students get a sense of freedom in universities and other higher learning institutions especially after spending most of their time learning close to their homes where parents will monitor everything they do. The fact that college students are considered old enough to make decisions on their own has only made students prone to problem drinking and use of other drugs. Students studying abroad meet people with different values that they trade and embrace, they will exploit the freedom they have in all manner of ways, they will engage in any pleasurable activity as the sense of camaraderie creeps in their mind. They do most of the things together and most decisions are made in groups. Those who left their homes when they were not taking alcohol fall victims in quest of belonging. They will do anything that will improve their cohesion and bonding even if it means breaking some barriers that one was bred with such as abstinence from alcohol and other drugs.

Colleges have been known as havens for drinking and merrymaking where students involve in all sorts of activities that may give pleasure however according to a new research it is evident that students who travel abroad to study will drink twice as much as they were drinking before travelling to study abroad. The study a broad campus has been given a perception that they are moments that you need to enjoy your liberties and have fun as opposed to studying in local campuses that seem more of a cage for many students.

In a study that was published in Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, a study that surveyed 177 students from the University of Washington about their drinking habits before, during and after their terms in an educational exchange program. Students studied overseas for 3-to-5-month stints, and during that time reported consuming an average of eight drinks per week, double the amount they drank while at home.

This study revealed that where students studied impacted their drinking behavior. Students who went to Europe, New Zealand and Australia drank the most, this is probably of the massive amounts of alcohol hat is generally consumed on social circles in these countries. Those who went to the Middle East or other places where drinking was not as widespread drank less. As known supply of alcohol in Middle East is not as much as in Europe, New Zealand and Australia. Even the culture of those living in the middle east discourages alcohol and other drugs use therefore students who go to the middle east to study lose that opportunity of drinking as much and as frequent as they would have done when in Europe and other countries where the laws that regulate alcohol use is not as strict.

Apart from the place where students studied, another factor that influenced the drinking habits of students was legal age. According to a report published by The Los Angeles Times reports, Students under 21 drank less than their older peers before traveling, but once abroad they increased their drinking more. The students increased their rate of drinking by about 170%. They also drank more when they returned compared with before their trip abroad, and those numbers had no association with turning 21. It should be noted that in some countries the legal drinking age is under 21. So when students travel to a country where for example the legal drinking age is 18 he will begin drinking taking liberty with the loophole that has been created by traveling to study abroad.

The study also found out that students who had got into the habit of heavy drinking while on study abroad programs continued drinking heavily even when they got back home in the United States. However the other students who had not embraced heavy drinking when abroad returned to their normal drinking habits when they got back into the United States.

College drinking

Some of the reasons that led to the students drinking more than they did while at home may include; the students who went to study in Europe met a culture where wines are served with meals and that increased their alcohol consumption. Another reason is that study abroad programs are regarded by many students as outings and outings are synonymous to merrymaking where alcohol must feature to add spice into the experience.

How can these students be helped?

The students that have become heavy drinkers even after coming back to the United States should be helped so that they refrain from excessive consumption of the alcohol. However as known they will find it rather hard to quit this habit on their own and therefore input of professionals is needed to help them through a detoxification program that will restore the neuro endocrine functions and help them quit drinking the natural way. Dr. Dalal Akoury has been using NER and intravenous amino acid therapy to help addicts. Intravenous amino acids and the NER are natural approaches to treating addicts that have so far bore juicy fruits. They are affordable, effective and are free from withdrawal symptoms that many people suffer after going through addiction treatment with pharmaceutical medicines. We at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center are committed to availing help to addicts and offering them a place to call home. We advocate for natural healing to all kinds of addiction. These students who are struggling with addiction should just call on Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for help.

American College Students Participating In Study-Abroad Programs Drink Twice As Much As They Did Before Going Abroad

Addiction Treatment for High Executives

December 10, 2014

Addiction Treatment for High Executives

Drug addiction knows no social classes; anybody in the society is at risk of becoming an addict. Just like people in lower cadre the high class executives may also be addicted to drug use and therefore seek help. The very nature of their life style demand that they be availed certain privileges and luxury even at their time of struggles with drugs. Firstly, they are people who love privacy and acquiring addiction treatment in any public Rehab center with no adequate equipments may not be the best of place for them.

Needless to mention these people have spent their lives developing their careers, putting in the hours and climbing the corporate ladder to increase their success. They’ve worked incredibly hard, often enduring an inconceivable amount of stress in their pursuit of professional advancement. Therefore it is only logical that they can be assured a conducive environment even in the time of treatment to track the work going on in their organizations, the organizations that view them as indispensable assets due to their long years of experience. Offering them an opportunity to keep in touch with the organization through their personal computers can be a great strategy to enhance the camaraderie with his workmates. This not only helps the organization but helps the patient to cope with the treatment as it reduces his feeling of stress and so eases his travel to recovery.

addiction treatment

Rehabs that provide addiction treatment for high executives knows just how valuable they are to the company staff who might be dependent on their directions and so allows the patients to work in the course of their recovery through their personal computers when they are not on treatment. This helps them to view the situation as normal which is good for a recovering addict. This also limits the chances of their professional setbacks in the course of treatment that may be a course of stress in their lives.

Some of these rehabs that offer addiction treatment to high executives have fully operational business centers that the recovering executives may take full advantage of and communicate with their staff and even conduct researches before or after they have received the treatment of the day. They can also enjoy the privacy of their residences to hold even Skype conferences with their staff teams. The impact of drug addiction on an executive career is clearly understood by these facilities and thus all is done to ensure they maintain climbing their professional ladders while treatment is going on.

Any executive who need help finding a facility that best suits him can do an online search where there are myriads of these facilities and then choose the best judging from services they offer this will get you started. In most, executive programs differ from non-luxury ones as you might think, though some may not be so evident. You or your family member will have not only the ultimate therapy but a level of one-on-one treatment that can have a sizable impact on your ability to remain addiction-free. You can expect the top-rated amenities, from high-end private rooms, to four-star meals, to massage and acupuncture services. Added attention will be given to your desire for privacy and comfort. These facilities are the best places for high executives as they have even the best professionals who will handle the patients better.

These facilities offer just so much that other public rehab centers cannot offer. They are not focused on healing symptoms alone but go beyond that. Here are some of the benefits that you can reap at a rehab offering addiction treatment for high executives.

Comprehensive Care

Patients can enjoy comprehensive care offered by these facilities. Focusing on the physical and behavioral science of chemical dependency, these facilities offer the best executive addiction treatment to help patients not only heal from the immediate symptoms of their addiction, but also form a comprehensive plan to develop a healthy and functional lifestyle. Many people mistakenly believe that once they successfully complete recovery, they are free and clear with no residual damage. Once they encounter stress or adversity in their regular lives, however, they wind up relapsing and are unclear as to why. With comprehensive treatment chances of relapse are reduced.

The brain is often adversely affected by drug addiction having caused chemical imbalances in both brain and body hence creating impacts on emotions and perception of environment, making it necessary for recovery patients to learn new coping skills. Without these new techniques, chances of successful long-term recovery are drastically diminished. The Executive Addiction Treatment program that these rehabs offer gives patients the skills they need to cope with these changes without the use of drugs or alcohol.

addiction treatment

Experienced and Qualified Experts

These rehabs employ a first-class team of licensed and credentialed addiction treatment professionals. The experts are divided in teams that work synergistically to ensure one common goal which is to help the addict to break off the chains of addiction. The teams include; clinical psychologists, counselors, licensed clinical social workers, spiritual advisers, fitness instructors, and professional detox specialists. These professionals have an intimate understanding of the issues that you will face during and after treatment, and help you develop the strength and independence to stay successful in your recovery.

Drug addiction is a vice that should be fought by all means that is why we at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center are committed to availing help to addicts and offering them a place to call home. We offer NER Treatment and Amino acid therapy that are the most effective approaches to addiction treatment and recovery. You call on Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) today and begin your journey to victory against addiction.

Addiction Treatment for High Executives

Drug Abuse in South Africa at Alarming Levels

December 3, 2014

The Magnitude of Drug Abuse in South Africa

South Africa is experiencing a rise in drugs abuse. In recent years the trend in alcohol abuse as well as other drugs has been alarming. Alcohol is still the primary drug of abuse and use is rising every day. In 2011 the world health organization (WHO) reported that South Africa has the highest per capita consumption rates in the world of alcohol in the world and it is quite insane that the rate is continuing to rise. In South Africa the citizens consume in excess of 5 billion litres of alcohol annually but this figure is likely to be higher still if sorghum beer is included, and equates to 9 – 10 litres of pure alcohol per person. Despite alcohol being the primary drug of abuse there are other drugs that are used by the South Africans as well. These drugs include Methaqualone (Quaaludes), cocaine, marijuana popularly known as dagga in South Africa, and heroin are all drugs that are becoming increasingly popular in the cities of South Africa.

There have been drastic political changes in South Africa that have been accompanied by social transitioning, rapid modernization, high unemployment rates, and a decline in social, cultural, and family values. As a result, drug use has flourished and new environments, such as night clubs, that promote drug use have been created. These environments appear especially promising for adolescents and young adults looking for an escape. It is in these places that drugs look cool and casual sex is acceptable. Unfortunately, these places are a haven for heavy drug abuse and diseases; such as, HIV and AIDS. Needless to mention, South Africa has become a major country involved in international drug trafficking networks over the past decade. Experts have agreed that it is becoming harder and harder to deal with the explosion of the drug trade and it links are becoming increasingly complex to tame.

South Africa

Here are statistics of the most abused drugs in South Africa over the past years. These statistics are from the World Health Organization (WHO). However there might be some changes on the statistics as the use of drugs of abuse in South Africa is increasing at such a rapid rate.

South Africa drugs of abuse stats according to WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that drug consumption in South Africa is twice the world norm. It is saddening to note that 15% of South Africa’s population has a drug problem. The cost associated with drug abuse is crippling the South Africa’s economy. This is evident as the country spends R20-billion a year and could pose a bigger threat to the country’s future than the Aids pandemic. According to SAPS figures, 60 percent of crimes nationally were related to substance abuse, this shows the cost of drugs of abuse in relation to the social ills they cause. Just as it happens everywhere, addicts will go through all odds to afford the drugs they have become dependent on and crime is the immediate step the youths take to buy their daily dosage of these drugs. In the Western Cape, the figure was closer to 80 percent that shows that Western Cape is the most affected area. The perpetrators of these crimes are either under the influence of substances, or trying to secure money for their next fix. The use of drugs has also increased prostitution as most of the prostitutes have to sleep with 10-15 men daily to find enough money to buy their drugs of abuse.

SANAB disbanded

The use of drugs and related crimes have increased greatly, by 30% to be exact after the government disbanded SA Narcotics Bureau (SANAB) which was a dedicated drug-fighting unit within the SAPS that had achieved some notable successes. The SANAB was disbanded in 2004 and no other body has sprung to fill the vacuum.

Recently the United Nations World Drug Report had named South Africa as one of the drug capitals of the world. The abuse of alcohol and usage of dagga has led to the country to being one of the top ten narcotics and alcohol abusers in the world. The CDA also reports that one Rand in four in circulation in South Africa is linked to the substance abuse problem. CDA is a drug control organization. The increase in drugs use is also evident in the increase of number of drug arrests from a mere 300 in 2006 to a staggering 1500 in 2012 in Cape Town.

Teenagers are not left out

The CDA reports that alcohol use is common in school kids and most kids who are involved in alcohol abuse are involved in violent crimes 3 times more than kids that are not involved in drug abuse.

South Africa

It also points at the increase in drug use among teens. As from 1992 – 95 the use of drugs among teenagers increased by 600%. But the figure is still increasing as evident in 2007 when it stood 1100%. Most kids begin using drugs of abuse at the age of twelve, the CDA report of 2009 revealed that schools have become a target for drug dealers.

A part from alcohol drugs that are widely abused in SA include;

Methamphetamine (Tik)

Crack
Heroine
Cocaine
Mandrax
Dagga
Ecstasy

Finally, We at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center are committed to availing help to addicts by availing some of the most integrative approaches to healing an addict. We advocate for natural healing to all kinds of addiction. Call on Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for help.

The Magnitude of Drug Abuse in South Africa

Substance Abuse and HIV/AIDS among Urban Minority Youth

December 2, 2014

How to Prevent Substance Abuse and HIV/AIDS among Urban Minority Youth

Substance abuse and HIV/AIDs are major problems that the urban minority youth have to face daily. Substance abuse among the urban minority youths has been linked to many societal ills including theft and robbery, the urban youth minority that are involved in substance abuse face some of the toughest life choices especially after becoming dependent on the drugs of abuse . once they have got dependent on the drugs of abuse they will find it hard to supplement most of their daily needs as in most cases drug addicts are avoided by employers, once jobless and the heightening cravings for the substances of abuse they will turn to some other ways of finding their daily supply of the drugs that they use. Turning to robbery has become one of the immediate choices that they bump into and hence they become a problem that the whole society suffers from. In most cases the youths may be felled by police bullets while escaping from crime scenes and some who are lucky will be sent to rehabilitation centers and that in itself affects the economy of a country as the country will spend more on these centers sometimes having to forego other expenses just to cater for the youths.

The biggest problem with the urban minority youths is their environment. Most of the people they interact with especially through the media lead lives of drug abuse, most of these youths are driven by their love for certain genres, they therefore idolize such artists so much that they will want to lead a life like theirs, this is a great problem having drug users as role models therefore there is need for educating the youths to stay away from drug use through the use of messages that may be sent through broadcast media such as radio and television. The urban minority youths needs to access relevant information that may help them stay away from drug abuse.

HIV and Youth Statistics

The urban minority youths are also involved in active sex. In most cases these youths do not get serious with their relationships, these relationships are sex based and having one night stands with different women is something that these youths take pride of. It is the involvement of these youths with multiple sexual partners that put them at high risk of contacting HIV/AIDS. The urban minority youths need access to drug abuse and HIV/AIDS preventing messages in their immediate environment. Painting walls and having these messages artistically inscribed on the walls can be a good way to market this ideology and help the youths know of the dangers of drug abuse and involving oneself in risky sexual behaviors such us having multiple sexual partners. Other ways that can help these youths to stay away from drug abuse and HIV/AIDS may include:

Evidence-based prevention protocols

In a research study done to assess whether evidence-based prevention protocols could positively influence substance abuse and HIV/AIDS knowledge and reduce sexual risk-taking behaviors among urban minority youth by the by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) dubbed Be Proud! Be Responsible! CASASTART; Focus on Youth; and Street Smart. This research study that involved sessions comprised of six, 50-minute modules that incorporated role-plays, discussions, and multimedia formats to actively educate and engage youth in prevention activities.

This study used the National Minority Substance Abuse / HIV Prevention Initiative Cohort 7 Youth Questionnaire. The National Minority Substance Abuse / HIV Prevention Initiative Cohort 7 Youth Questionnaire was developed by CSAP as part of a national cross site evaluation of all Minority AIDS Initiative (MAI) funded programs throughout the United States. Sexual risk behavior served as the outcome variable, with the following ten predictors being assessed for the study: disapproval / alcohol use, school importance, delinquency/crime, disapproval / tobacco use, disapproval / marijuana use, illicit drug use, stress- related alcohol and drug use, HIV/AIDS knowledge, HIV/AIDS testing, and negative peer attitudes.

The findings of the study showed changes in pre and posttest measures which revealed that participants who were at heightened risk were also more inclined to get tested for HIV/AIDS after receiving the intervention (95% confidence level). At posttest, an increase in HIV/AIDS knowledge seemed to have a buffering effect against risky sexual behaviors. Additionally, participants who thought of school more favorably were less likely to engage in sexual risk taking behaviors at posttest (95% confidence level). This study therefore showed the importance of educating the urban minority youths and creating awareness of the dangers of drug abuse and HIV/AIDS as paramount to fighting these two vices in the urban minority youths. The intervention used the pretest-posttest design and worked with four urban high schools and five summer camp programs located in the Northeastern United States having a total of 653 African American and Hispanic/Latino youth, ranging in ages from 13 to 18.

hiv

Promoting Talent

The youths have talents that need to be exploited in a bid to find avenues though which the drug abuse and HIV/AIDS prevention messages can be spread. Apart from using their talents as a media through which this message reach many people it also keeps them occupied and gives them a reason to focus more in their own developments other than indulging in drug abuse and risky sexual behaviors.

Finally, Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center is committed to availing help to addicts by availing some of the most integrative approaches to healing an addict chained to any behavior. Call on Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for help.

How to Prevent Substance Abuse and HIV/AIDS among Urban Minority Youth

Tag Archives: Addiction