All you need to know About Alcohol

August 8, 2014

All you need to know About Alcohol – Drug Addiction

All you need to know about alcohol is based on how it affects you negatively. This knowledge will help you feel safe from all alcohol related complications.

Alcohol being the most abused substance the world over sends likeminded people thinking on the possible remedies to correct this uncalled for habit. We are living in a world where alcohol consumption is the order of the day despite the known risks involved. Have you ever thought of a society free from alcohol! If you haven’t then you need to start visualizing that in your mind. To help you get the clearer picture of how that society will be I want to propose for you something, an assignment you can do on your own at your convenient time. Take some time and visit a bar where revelers drink all kinds of alcoholic drinks, smoke all kinds of smoke-able substances kindly don’t drink or smoke while there, just observe sit and observe and record all that you see for a day or two. Then do the same thing in a restaurant where there is no sale of any alcoholic drinks or smoking. Go to that hotel where smoking and alcohol consumption is strictly prohibited and make the same observation recording what you see happening there.

After the observations analyze the findings and you will get the sharp contrast of the two, there will be peace and harmony where there is no smoking or drinking compared to that bar. Your findings may not miss fighting, recklessness, prostitution, sound pollution, theft, other substance abuse and many inhuman activities. That is the society we live in when alcohol consumption is the order of the day a complete contrast of the other side where there is harmony and i deal communication when alcohol consumption is not in the picture. With that brief understanding of alcohol we want to further on this discussion by finding out more about this substance. What is this substance called alcohol?

There are several ways of defining alcohol but for the purpose of this article we will say that “alcohol is a drug that slows down parts of your brain, consumption of alcohol can make you feel more relaxed at times and It can also make it harder for you to think clearly, make good decisions and do various tasks.” Alcohol is made by fermenting (and sometimes distilling) fruits, vegetables or grains. Alcohol itself is a clear liquid. The colour in beer, spritzers, wine and other alcoholic drinks comes from other ingredients and from the process of fermentation.

Who uses alcohol?

Most adults drink alcohol, and do so responsibly. But because alcohol is a drug, there may be risks if you drink any amount of alcohol. According to studies conducted in 2005 in Canada, about two-thirds (62%) of all Ontario students (grade 7—12) reported drinking at least once in the past year translating to about 603,400 students. One in 10 students (10%) drank alcohol once a week.

One in four male students (25%) and one in five females (20%) reported binge drinking (five or more drinks at one time) in the past month.
More than half of the alcohol consumed in Canada is beer, the most popular alcoholic drink followed by other liquor rum and vodka at 26 per cent and wine at 21 per cent.
Canadians spend about $12.4 billion a year on alcohol.
About 10 per cent of Canadians are dependent on alcohol at some time in their lives.

True or false

If a female and a male both have an average body type and weigh the same, drinking the same amount of alcohol will have the same effect on each of them. This is not true “males have more water in their bodies than females. This means the alcohol gets more diluted in males, and so a male will notice less effect than a female of the same body weight and body type who drank the same amount of alcohol.”
Coolers and regular strength beer contain the same amount of alcohol. This is not true either because “most 12 oz/341 mL coolers are 6.9 per cent alcohol, while a regular 12 oz/341 mL bottle of beer is five per cent alcohol meaning that there is nearly one-and-a-half times as much alcohol in a cooler as in a regular strength bottle of beer.”
Some people can drink a lot without seeming to get drunk. This is actually true in the sense that “a person who often drinks a lot may not look drunk because his or her body is used to the alcohol. But even if a person doesn’t look drunk after drinking, the alcohol still has an effect. The person still has too much alcohol in his or her blood to deal safely with risky situations, such as braking quickly while driving. You should never be a passenger in a car when the driver has been drinking. When possible, you should also try to stop the person from driving or getting into dangerous situations.”
Drinking coffee, working up a sweat, or having a cold shower will sober you up. Many people would want to believe this but it is not true “because it is only time which will make you sober. Your liver eliminates alcohol at a certain rate and nothing will change that rate. Your liver needs about 1.5 hours to eliminate one standard drink from your body.”

Alcohol and its effects

Is alcohol addictive? Yes, alcohol can be addictive. About one person in 20 who drinks is dependent on alcohol. People with an addiction may have difficulty stopping by themselves, even if they want to, and even if other negative effects (such as financial or other personal problems) begin to outweigh the positive effects. Alcohol dependence can also cause major problems with friends, family, school, work, emotional and mental health, the law and money!

What is a standard drink? Each of these drinks contains the same amount of alcohol (a “standard drink” or 13.6 grams of alcohol):

A 1.5 oz/43 mL shot of liquor (sometimes known as spirits; e.g., rye, rum, whisky, vodka).
A 3-oz/85 mL glass of fortified wine (e.g., sherry, port, vermouth)
A 12-oz/341 mL can or bottle of regular strength beer
A 5 oz/142 mL glass of table wine

Alcohol is found in different amounts in different kinds of drinks. For example:

Regular strength beer contains five per cent alcohol (some beers contain higher or lower percentages)
Table wine contains about 12 per cent alcohol
Fortified wine contains 16 to 18 per cent alcohol
Most liquor contains 40 per cent alcohol.

An average adult can discharge alcohol from the body mostly by passing urine about two-thirds of one standard drink per hour which is 10 grams of alcohol. If such a person consumes two standard drinks, it will take about three hours for his or her body to be free of alcohol again indicating that if you were to get drunk then it is only passage of time can make you sober again. We will continue discussing this topic in our subsequent articles but for now I want to draw your attention to the services of Dr. Dalal Akoury who is an addiction professional of several decades and the who founded AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center where she is offering her exclusive NER Recovery Treatment to other physicians and health care professionals through training, clinical apprenticeships, webinars and seminars. Your alcohol problems will be very safe in her care and you and any of your friends can now be a part of this truly successful and fast addiction recovery treatment.

All you need to know About Alcohol – Drug Addiction

Drug Addiction and Mental Illness

August 7, 2014

Drug Addiction and Mental Illness – Dual Diagnosis

Drug Addiction and Mental Illness put together will bring your life to a halt. Seek for help and get your life back, it is possible all is not lost for you.

Dual means two and so when we talk of dual diagnosis we refer to a term used to denote people with mental illness and at the same time suffers from drug addiction and alcohol. The combination of the two is very complex and administering treatment to persons suffering from both mental illness and drug addiction is difficult and more complicated compared to when both were to be treated separately. It is very worrying that people suffering from mental illness are also struggling with drug addiction concurrently. The environmental factors greatly influence how people get infected with these two health conditions. For instance people with low socioeconomic status, military veterans and those with multiple general medical illness tends to bear more risk of abusing drugs, alcohol and other stimulants. Dual diagnosis is so common this day’s that statistics indicate that one-third of all alcohol abusers and more than one-half of all drug abusers are also battling mental illness.

Drug Addiction and Mental Illness – Relationship between substance use and mental illness

The relationship between mental illness and substance abuse or dependency is complex and is often considered in the following ways:

Drugs and alcohol may be used for self-medication. In such cases, people with mental illness may have untreated or inadequately treated conditions (such as anxiety or depression) that may “feel less painful” when the person is high on drugs or alcohol. Unfortunately, while drugs and alcohol may feel good in the moment, abuse of these substances doesn’t treat the underlying condition and almost without exception makes it worse.
Drugs and alcohol can deteriorate the underlying mental illnesses. This can happen both during acute intoxication (e.g., a person with depression becomes suicidal in the context of drinking alcohol) and during withdrawal from a substance (e.g. a person with panic attacks experiences worsening symptoms during heroin withdrawal).
Drugs and alcohol can cause a person without mental illness to experience the onset of symptoms for the first time. For example, a twenty-year old college student who begins to hear threatening voices inside of his head and becomes paranoid that his chemistry professor is poisoning his food after smoking marijuana could represent a reaction to the drug (potentially called a “substance-induced psychosis”) or the first episode of psychosis for this individual.

Drug addiction and alcohol always results in a worse prognosis for a person with mental illness. People who are actively using drugs are less likely to follow through with the treatment plans they created with their healthcare providers they are not likely to follow their medication regimens and may not be consistent in keeping their appointments. If this continues over time it may lead to more psychiatric hospitalizations and other adverse outcomes. Active users are also less likely to receive adequate medical care for similar reasons and are more likely to experience severe medical complications and premature death. Drug addicts with mental illness are also at increased risk of impulsive and potentially violent acts. Perhaps most concerning is that people who abuse drugs and alcohol are more likely to both attempt suicide and to die from their suicide attempts. Individuals with mental illness and active substance or alcohol abuse are less likely to achieve lasting sobriety. The consequences of their addiction may be lead to severe complications like having legal problems with the authorities.

Drug Addiction and Mental Illness – Treatments for individuals with dual diagnosis

As indicated above treatment for dual diagnosis is very complicated and it will be very important to first address any life threatening complications due to intoxication. For instance the following conditions may require immediate medical care in the confinement of a health facility:

Extreme cases of alcohol intoxication may necessitate prompt medical treatment and can result in death if not arrested in good time.
Use of amphetamines, crack, cocaine and other drugs can result in heart complications like arrhythmias, heart attacks, stroke and even death.
Use of benzodiazepines (e.g. diazepam, clonazepam), opiates (e.g., oxycodone, oxycontin) and other downers can result in extreme sedation and potentially death in overdose.

Drug and alcohol withdrawal can lead to medical emergencies requiring immediate treatment. This can occur when a person who has been regularly using a particular substance has become addicted to that substance (the body has become physically dependent on the substance) and abruptly stops using. The following may necessitate immediate medical care in the hospital setting:

Alcohol withdrawal can result in heart problems (e.g., arrhythmias), seizures or delirium tremens (an acute delirious state), all which can be potentially fatal.
Benzodiazepine withdrawal can result in tremors (shakes), seizures and potentially death.
Under normal circumstances opiate withdrawal is not considered to be life-threatening but it can be a very traumatic and painful experience.

It is important that those struggling with drug addiction and alcohol seek help through processes like inpatient detoxification either by admission to a hospital or a detoxification facility where appropriate medications can be done to avoid serious complications of acute drug and alcohol withdrawal. Scientific studies has established that psychiatric treatments very effective in individuals who are not actively abusing drugs and alcohol and therefore total healing from substance abuse must be achieved and once this is done the underlying mental illness may be more successful. It is important to note that mental illness treatment is more effective when the patient is sober though it can still be done along detoxification process. There are many working options for recovering addicts to help them keep on the course and to avoid relapse on drugs and alcohol like rehabilitation centers or supportive housing besides these you may choose to return home to your friends and family who can be helpful in supporting you to continue the efforts. This can be critically important as a significant majority of people will relapse into drug and alcohol abuse at some point in their lives, even if they are eventually able to achieve long-lasting sobriety. I will further recommend seeing an addiction expert from time to time for evaluation. Doctor Dalal Akoury who founded AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center is an expert of more than two decades and has been helping people globally get well from their addiction problems in the most natural way. This is one experience am sure you do not want to miss and so when you visit this facility doctor Akoury together with her team of experts will focus on Neuroendocrine Restoration (NER) to reinstate normality through realization of the oneness of Spirit, Mind, and Body, Unifying the threesome into ONE.

Drug Addiction and Mental Illness – Dual Diagnosis

Detoxification therapies

August 2, 2014

Detoxification therapies – Drug Addiction

Detoxification therapies. These are treatment options meant to help eliminate toxic elements from the body

Detoxification is a broad term that incorporates many different ways of cleansing the body’s internal systems and organs. Major methods include chelation therapy (EDTA therapy), colonic irrigation and nutritional supplementation, several varieties of herbal medicine, dietary therapy, fasting, juicing, probiotics, hydrotherapy, sauna and exercise just to name a few.

When we talk of detoxification normally there are four main types of toxins being referred and they include:

Heavy metals
Chemical toxins
Microbial compounds
Byproducts from protein metabolism

In the layman’s terms these are impurities which needs to be removed from the body system and the process of removing them is what is known as detoxification. Therefore this process (detoxification) cleanses the body, clears the skin, enhances the senses, helps weight loss, improves fertility, improves flexibility, increases vitamin and mineral absorption, purifies, reduces blood fat levels, reduces symptoms of toxicity, rejuvenates, rests organs, and slows aging.

Found in almost all alternative medical systems from Ayurveda to naturopathic, detoxification techniques seek to cleanse the body of chemicals, pollutants and other toxins to improve overall health.

Detoxification therapists use a range of healing techniques after a diagnosis is made. The first step is to reduce a patient’s contact to all toxic or allergenic substances like heavy metals, chemicals, radiation (from x rays, power lines, cell phones, computer screens, and microwaves), smog, polluted water, foods, drugs, caffeine, alcohol, perfume, excess noise, and stress. If mercury poisoning has been established, the patient will be advised to have mercury fillings from the teeth removed, preferably by a holistic dentist.

Specific treatments are used to stimulate and assist the body’s detoxification process like:

Dietary change is immediately enacted
Eliminating allergic and unhealthy foods
Emphasizing foods that assist detoxification and support healing

Detoxification diets are generally low in fat, high in fiber, and vegetarian with a line of raw food emphasis while avoiding all kinds of processed foods, alcohol, and caffeine. In an effort to achieving this often nutritional supplement such as vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, amino acids, and essential fatty acids are often prescribed.

Spirulina is a sea algae which is frequently given to assist in eliminating heavy metals. Lipotropic agents are certain vitamins and nutrients that promote the flow of bile and fat from the liver.
Many herbal supplements are used in detoxification therapies as well. Milk thistle extract, called silymarin, is one of the more potent herbs for detoxifying the liver.
Naturopathy, Ayurvedic medicine, and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) recommend numerous herbal formulas for detoxification and immune strengthening.
When infections or parasites have been found, these are treated with herbal formulas and, in difficult cases, antibiotics.
For toxic bowel syndrome and digestive tract disorders, herbal laxatives and high fiber foods such as psyllium seeds may be given to cleanse the digestive tract and promote elimination.
Colonics are used to cleanse the lower intestines. Digestive enzymes are prescribed to improve digestion, and acidophilus and other friendly bacteria are reintroduced into the system with nutritional supplements.

Detoxification therapies – Fasting, Chelation and Sweating Therapy

Fasting is another major therapy in detoxification. Fasting is one of the quickest ways to promote the elimination of stored toxins in the body and to prompt the healing process. People with severe toxic conditions are supervised closely during fasting because the number of toxins in the body temporarily increases as they are being released.

Chelation therapy is used by detoxification specialists to rid the body of heavy metals. Chelates are particular substances that bind to heavy metals and speed their elimination. Homeopathic remedies have also been shown to be effective for removing heavy metals.

Sweating therapies can also detoxify the body because the skin is a major organ of elimination. Sweating helps release those toxins that are stored in the subcutaneous (under the skin) fat cells. Saunas, therapeutic baths, and exercise are some of these treatments. Body therapies may also be prescribed, including massage therapy, acupressure, shiatsu, manual lymph drainage, and polarity therapy. These body therapies seek to improve circulatory and structural problems, reduce stress, and stimulate healing responses in the body. Mind and body therapies such as psychotherapy, counseling, and stress management techniques may be used to heal the psychological components of illness and to help patients overcome their negative patterns contributing to illness.

Detoxification therapies – The treatment costs element

The costs of detoxification therapies can vary widely, depending on the number of tests and treatments required. Detoxification treatments can be lengthy and involving since illnesses associated with toxic conditions usually develop over many years and may not clear up quickly. Detoxification treatments may be lengthy because they often go all-out for the holistic healing of the body, mind, and emotions.

Experts may be conventionally trained medical doctors with specialties in environmental medicine or interests in alternative treatment. The majority of detoxification therapists are alternative practitioners, such as naturopaths, homeopaths, ayurvedic doctors, or traditional Chinese doctors. However the insurance coverage varies, depending on the practitioner and the treatment involved. It is important that the intended consumers review their individual insurance policies regarding treatment coverage.

Detoxification therapies – Preparations

For quick diagnosis and treatment the experts may relay on the patients history and therefore it is important for patients to write down by way of keeping their detailed diaries of all their activities, symptoms, and contact with environmental factors that may be affecting their health. Reducing exposure to environmental toxins and making immediate dietary and lifestyle changes may speed the detoxification process.

Detoxification therapies – Side effects

During the detoxification process, patients may experience side effects of fatigue, malaise, aches and pains, emotional duress, acne, headaches, allergies, and symptoms of colds and flu. Detoxification specialists claim that these negative side effects are part of the healing process. These reactions are sometimes called healing crises, which are caused by temporarily increased levels of toxins in the body due to elimination and cleansing.

Finally as mention the process of detoxification is done after certain diagnosis are done meaning that in doing this you will need to be in close touch with the an expert to take you through the process. Doctor Dalal Akoury thou founded AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center is a medical expert with accumulated experience of more than two decade and is helping people all over the world in solving their addiction related problems in the most natural way while focusing on Neuroendocrine Restoration (NER) to reinstate normality through realization of the oneness of Spirit, Mind, and Body, Unifying the threesome into ONE. Together with her team of experts all your addiction problems will be professionally addressed and you will not only be free from addiction, but also get your life back living it to the fullest. This is an experience I believe you are not keen in missing.

Detoxification therapies – Drug Addiction

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