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ted-cruz

Addiction In The Family Of Senator Ted Cruz

March 22, 2016

Addiction In Senator Cruz Family: Ted Cruz Shares Story Of His Sister’s Addiction

Ted CruzThe Republican presidential nominee candidate  Ted Cruz was thought to be a bright boy even during his early childhood, so it doesn’t come as strange that he grew up to become a person his family could be proud of. Cruz has great intellect and a decisive personality, which led him to one success after another – Harvard Law, the Senate of the United States and now a presidential candidate. Unfortunately, life is not always pink, which is something Ted Cruz learned the hard way in 2011 when his half-sister Miriam passed away from a drug overdose.

The senator shared this sad story at the forum on heroin epidemic an addiction held in New Hampshire this February. Miriam, the daughter from the first marriage of the senator’s father, Rafael Cruz, was nine years older than him.

‘We used to spend summers together when we were kids. Even though she was older than me, we often played together. She let me pull on her hair and I would to that nonstop. She was a very charming and beautiful woman’, said Cruz.

However, Miriam didn’t handle their fat their parents are divorced easily.

‘I remember her always being angry at everyone. She was mad at my dad for divorcing her mom and often turned her rage to everyone. She was mad at the world, at God’.

This caused Miriam to go through some rather turbulent teenage years. As Cruz stated, she partied and she partied hard. It wasn’t even uncommon to steal his allowance in order to buy alcohol and drugs. It got worse when she married a man who had violence issues and was constantly in and out of jail. Not even having a son, who was named Joseph, was motivating enough for her to battle the addiction.

‘She became a single mom a couple of years after Joey was born. Unfortunately, she got into a car accident, after which she got addicted to painkillers. Not long has passed until she moved on to even worse drugs’, the Senator continued his story.

A ‘helping hand’ on her path to hard addiction was Michael Gunning, Miriam’s boyfriend at the time. They met in a rehab center in Philadelphia. The moment they got out, they started using various drugs. In order to get the money to buy them, Miriam started shoplifting, which got her behind bars more than a couple of times.  These are just some of the troubles addiction can get people into. They will be widely covered at Awaremed Network’s Integrative Addiction Conference for which you can register HERE.

In the meantime, everything was going well for Ted Cruz. In 1997, he managed to join a respectable law firm in Washington D.C. and was on his way to success. However, he always found time to keep tabs on his sister and her son. This is why he and his father decided to drive to Philadelphia one day to try to make an intervention, leaving all their valuable stuff back at Washington in order to avoid any potential bad stuff happening at the shady motel Miriam was living in.

Unfortunately, the talk didn’t help too much, so the senator knew what he had to do. He decided to max out his credit hard to help his nephew and soon Joey was sent to a military boarding school. Cruz believed this will help Joey get some order in his life and set him on the right path.

In the senator’s book ‘A time for truth’, it was mentioned that Miriam was aware she was not in a great situation to support her son and was thankful that Ted is getting him through school. Although he left the school only after a year, Joey and his mom reconciled their differences and started living together again. Miriam showed some real signs of wanting to progress and battle with addiction prior to this happening. She even decided to go into a rehab center. Everything had seemed back on its course, it was Joey that found Miriam dead one day in January 2011.

‘We just got a call one day, telling us that Miriam is gone’, remembers Mr. Cruz.

The Republican president candidate is very aware of this problem, which is exactly why he chose to share his experience in New Hampshire, place famous for its drug problems. There’s another addiction story in Mr. Cruz’s family, this one with a different outcome than Miriam.

Rafael Cruz was an abusive drinker and this was the reason behind him leaving Miriam’s mother, as well as leaving Ted and his mom for some time. Religion is what helped Rafael turn his life around and make this a happy story.

“My father hasn’t had a drink for 40 years now. There are addiction stories with happy endings”, stated Cruz.

The senator is right. In order for people to fight the problems with any kind of addiction, they will need a strong will and motivation, as well as great help from family and friends. Awaremed Network is organizing Integrative Addiction Conference. You can find more details and sign up for the conference here.

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Alcoholism

Drug Addiction recovery and undesirable effects

February 17, 2016

Drug Addiction recovery and the undesirable effects: Recovery is possible with the right treatment

Drug Addiction recovery

Drug Addiction recovery and the undesirable effects must be handled professionally , this way recovery is possible for a drug free society.

When we talk about drug addiction recovery and the undesirable effects of not letting go many may narrow it down to the direct victims only but this is not really the true picture of the problem. Drug addiction recovery or recovery is complex and covers a wide spectrum including the family members caring for the addict, colleagues at work stations and the society at large. Therefore according to the experts from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center are registering that while handling addiction recovery it is important to remain focus and concentrate only on the good memories. Good memories are very helpful in the healing process because they cause sense of motivation to the victims to keep to their objectives of being whole again. Doctor Dalal Akoury who is the founder, MD and President of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center, is equally registering that paying much attention to bad memories is not helping in the addiction recovery not just to the direct victims but also to the indirect victims too. We must therefore remain committed to letting go all our addictive substances and turn our focus into the benefits of not using alcohol and drugs. And for us to effectively do that, we must first of all be informed adequately about some of the consequences of clinging to this unproductive behavior. Such may include:

Drug Addiction recovery and the undesirable effects: Cumulative Effect

When you pile up every memory of things that went wrong, like for instance how you were hurt or how you hurt others, the losses you made whether emotionally, physically, financially, socially, legally and so on, the significance of that is practically equivalent to wearing several pieces of pajamas in the night and expect to have a comfortable sleep. It can’t just work at some point, you’ll be overwhelmed by the weight and the excess worth generated by the many clothes and definitely you will be unable to carry the burden. In the same way bad memories are like that they’re just too much weight and discomfort to bear. When they are left to accumulate and their root course not addressed, they will certainly remain in your consciousness until such a time when you will chose to deal with such memories the right way but before that, this will be a serious problem to you and your loved ones beyond your imaginations.

Drug Addiction recovery and the undesirable effects : Physical consequences

Stress can be a constant reminder of those experiences that have made you to suffer in the cruel hands of addiction. From the expert’s point of view, any stress related physical conditions are often the most immediate effects of clinging to your addictive habits. Stress is normal but when it causes you lose focus and all you do is to keep wondering about such stressful moments like being overworked and not having time for yourself, or wondering on how to deal with the financial implications arising from caring for addicted loved ones and so on, with that trend, you will certainly find that you can’t sleep through the night and add to other complications like loss of appetite and not feeding well thereby being malnourished, losing weight at an unhealthy rate, you lose your beauty by developing wrinkles besides having migraine and other headaches, physical aches and pains which are prone to coughs, colds, and infections.

Doctor Akoury expresses concern that individuals who do not deal with such bad thoughts in their minds will most likely develop serious or chronic diseases as well. It is important to note that other than what is already stated, complications like hypertension, heart attack and stroke, and some types of cancer can also be caused by continuous and unresolved stress. Muscle tension in the form of stiff neck, shoulders and lower back pain can often be traced to stress. Ulcers and rheumatoid arthritis are two more physical conditions that can result from unresolved stress or not dealing with your troubling thoughts. You can however a void all these by seeking for medication promptly with the experts from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center, under the able leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury who is a veteran addiction experts and has offered real time addiction solutions to millions of victims globally in more than two decades of her professional practice.

Drug Addiction recovery and the undesirable effects: Emotional consequences

Our emotions can be another great threat when it comes to addiction recovery in many ways. Like for instance; if you always live a life of insecurity and this is causing you to constantly run negative situations through your mind, you’re certainly going to be stressed up. Worrying about things like losing your wealth, not being able to settle bills, unfaithfulness among spouses, sibling rivalry, the fear of facing people because you feel embarrassed over a situation and many such experiences are seriously rich in causing emotional turmoil and can be very devastating if not addressed in good time. Such feelings erodes trust and by the way it may not matter the type or nature of addiction you are involve in all of them including alcohol, prescription drugs, illicit street drugs, compulsive sexual activity, spending or gambling, it will not matter the moment your emotional roller-coaster gets moving, it will not be so easy to stop. One thing is certain: if you keep up the pace, you’ll either wind up in a wreck or fly off the rails, figuratively speaking.

Drug Addiction recovery and the undesirable effects: Recovery is possible with the right treatment

 

 

 

 

 

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Addiction effects on intimacy and sexual health

February 15, 2016

Addiction effects on intimacy and sexual relationships: The danger of substance abuse

Addiction effects on sex

You need sexual satisfaction? stop using drugs because addiction affects sexual health negatively

As the problems of drug addiction get rooted into the society, its effect begins to manifest in many areas of life including relationships. When we talk of relationships and addiction, a lot can be derived from this and so for the purpose of this article, we want to focus our discussion on how addiction effects on intimacy and sexual relationships. To this effect doctor Akoury who is an addiction expert of several decades says that for those who constantly abuse alcohol and drugs, this becomes their main source of problem in their sexual life something that can have serious complications in their relationship.

With alcohol and drug abuse in the picture under this circumstance, one of the most immediate casualties from substance abuse will be intimacy. Because the substance of abuse is effective in mind alteration, it may not be possible for users of such drugs to maintain healthy relationships while under the influence of the same. And as the addiction takes tall in them, it will completely take over their life leaving no room for any other meaningful activity. Before any corrective measure is taken, the victim falls into illusion and self-absorption causing them to remain that way until they are treated and delivered from the scourge of addiction. According to the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center, total recovery from addiction will automatically cause recovered patients to regain their ability to be intimate and enjoy healthy sexual relationships.

Addiction effects on intimacy and sexual relationships: Intimacy defined

As we progress into this discussion, lets us understand what intimacy really is. Broadly the word intimacy is derived from a Latin word meaning inner. We can therefore say that it is the closeness or interpersonal relationships involving both physical and emotional intimacy.

Emotional intimacy can vary in degree and it refers to the closeness that people feel for one another while physical intimacy mostly refers to sexual and romantic contact. Progressively an intimate relationship is understood to include a number of elements like:

  • Trust
  • Where partners in a relationship will have widespread knowledge about each other.
  • Partners in an intimate relationship will feel warmth, affection and care for each other.
  • The expectation of the relationship will be long term.
  • Persons in an intimate relationship may mean that those involved think in terms of us rather than me.
  • Those involved in such a relationship will be committed to each other.
  • There is an expectation that the other partner will treat them fairly.
  • They share and agree mutually on many beliefs, experiences, and opinions.

Addiction effects on intimacy and sexual relationships: Importance of intimacy

Intimacy is an important aspect of being human because of several reasons. Drug addiction and misuse of alcohol has been proven to be the biggest enemies of intimacy and that has necessitated our discussion on this topic “addiction effects on intimacy and sexual relationships.” Therefore for you to make certain informed decisions, the following are some of the importance of intimacy in any relationship:

  • It is through intimacy that partners in a relationship get to appreciate and fully understand who they are. This closeness can easily be altered if either of the partners is struggling with addiction thereby creating rift between them and eventually killing any form of intimacy.
  • Luck of intimacy is very fundamental when it comes to the breakages of marriages and other romantic relationships. The damage that this omission (intimacy) can cause can be very painful thereby causing the feeling of un-fulfillment and more so to the sober partner who will in most cases be the one noticing that the relationship is lacking in intimacy.
  • On matters spirituality, Intimacy can be very vital and it may not be possible to progress as a unit in spiritual terms if people feel locked out from others.
  • Intimate relationships provide strength and support needed for the individual partners giving them the comfort that they do not have to face life on their own.
  • Egocentricity and self-centeredness can lead to a great suffering. However by being intimate with one another partners will be able to break down their own barriers and turn their focus away from themselves.
  • The sense of incompleteness is bound to happen because partners may feel that something is missing in their life if they do not have an intimate sexual relationship. Promiscuous sex without this feeling of closeness can be a hollow substitute.
  • If people lack intimacy in their life it can leave them feeling lonely. Loneliness can be very catastrophic in peoples’ life because it makes them vulnerable to other health complications including depression. The danger of this is that individuals may turn to maladaptive behaviors for solace.
  • Intimacy and sexual relationships are one of the most rewarding parts of the human experience. It is a real shame if people miss out on these aspects of being alive.

Addiction effects on intimacy and sexual relationships: Substance abuse and intimacy

Finally experts are registering that when people are so much into misuse of alcohol and drugs, then maintaining any meaningful intimate relationship becomes very close to impossible. This is expressly true because knowing what drugs are users will become obsessed with these substances and the implication is that they will become so much frustrated with their habit leaving no room for anyone else. And as the individual falls further into addiction they may even lose all interest in sex completely. Remember that addiction effects drive the individual into a world of delusion and selfish action. It will not be possible for another human to trust them fully, and this will prove to be a barrier to intimacy. Nonetheless with all these happening, the individual addict may still have people who love them, but the damage shall have been done meaning that, every time there will be a sense of wariness mixed in with the affection. That is to say, the person who is abusing alcohol or drugs may feel almost incapable of feeling true affection.

Addiction effects on intimacy and sexual relationships: The danger of substance abuse

 

 

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Injected drugs

Moral failing has no link with drug addiction

November 25, 2015

Why drug addiction is not a moral failing: Addiction medicine, new medical specialty

Why drug addiction is not a moral failing

Why drug addiction is not a moral failing? Research has established that drug addiction is a disease like any other and must be addressed medically without any form of victimization morally or otherwise.

Traditionally if you had problem with drugs and alcohol, the society would see you as one who is not morally upright. We are also told that old is gold but is this perception productive in anyway? And would you consider it as gold in the present generation? Those are some of the points we want to consider in this discussion and that is why we are choosing the topic “why drug addiction is not a moral failing by all standards? To be more specific with this tradition doctor Dalal Akoury MD, founder and also the President of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center is a veteran addiction expert who has helped in the transformation of millions of people across the globe with their addiction complication is going to help us understand the variance between the old perception and the new scientific understanding of the complications relating to misuse of alcohol and drug addiction. She says that up until the early twentieth century it was common to view addiction as a moral failing. It is regrettable that those individuals who fell into cage of such behaviors were viewed as bad people who were willfully doing wrong. As time goes by and with new research studies revelations, this view begun to change in the early 1940s with the arrival of groups like Alcoholics Anonymous. This brought a new dispensation and people began to look upon addiction as a disease that could be treated if the right professionals are engaged. And according to the available statics we can now confirm that over the last few decades the medical professionals’ establishment has further endorsed the idea that such behaviors are a brain disease by creating a new specialty to treatment of addiction.

Moral failing has no link with drug addiction : Relationship between medicine and addiction is not a new one

We are all aware that western medication has been predominantly involved in the treatment of addiction for many years with some little restrictions in the applications. The explanation to this is that many alcoholics have traditionally sought their physician expert’s opinion from time to time when they decided to get help for their addiction and the complications that come with it. Under normal circumstance during such visits, the physician would in most cases refer them to other specific professionals such as psychiatrist, addiction therapist, or self-help group. Things are changing and now the medical establishment is viewing addiction as a disease that they can treat. This has led to the rise of a new specialty of addiction medicine. And according to the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center, doctor Akoury is registering that in the past it was not unknown for physicians to be highly knowledgeable about addiction. As a matter of fact, those who are regularly dealing with such patients may decide to do additional courses so as to increase their ability to help. The American Society of Addiction Medicine has been on the leading front in providing this training to those who willing to benefit from it. It is therefore important to appreciate that those groups that have also been the driving force for ensuring that addiction medicine became a recognized specialty had their dreams realized in 1988.

Why drug addiction is not a moral failing: Need for addiction to be a medical specialty

One clear fact that needs to be understood is that addiction has consequences that cut’s on both sides of the divide. That is to say that everybody has his or her portion of pain whether you are a direct or indirect victim. And remember that at the moment there are many different professionals involved in providing care for addicts and some of those professionals may include:

  • Addiction therapists
  • Addiction counselors
  • Psychiatrists
  • Psychologists
  • Social workers
  • Psychiatric nurses
  • Public health professionals

Even though a lot of progress has been made with the treatment of addiction patients, much more is still need to be done because of the following reasons:

  • There is increasing evidence that alcoholism is a physical disease – a primary, chronic disease of brain reward, motivation, memory and related circuitry. If it is a medical condition then it is only natural that there should be a medical specialty that is focused on offering the most effective possible treatment.
  • High resonance imaging shows that addiction does actually cause damage to the brain meaning that it is a medical problem.
  • There are now a number of medical institutions across the globe including in the US offering accredited one year programs where doctors can gain the knowledge they need for the treatment of addiction – in the past such courses were not accredited. This means that these physicians will be in a much better position to offer the help their patients need.
  • Information is power and the lack of it about addiction is certainly going to be a gap that needs to be filled and this can be done by creating an addiction specialty in medicine to help in breaching the gap.
  • Addiction is viewed as similar to other chronic conditions such as diabetes. When it is not possible to offer a cure the focus should be on medical management of the symptoms.
  • The medical management of addiction can focus on relapse prevention. By getting somebody to stop abusing alcohol or drugs. This must be appreciated that this is just half the battle and the real task is to help them stay stopped.
  • There are a number of pharmaceutical drugs that people can use to overcome their addictions and of particular interest are drugs that may reduce the intensity of cravings or help the individual pass through withdrawals easier.
  • Sending addicts to psychiatrists might not always be the best course of action because many of these individuals do not have psychiatric problems although a high percentage of them do.
  • Physicians often feel helpless to help addicts. The growth of the specialty of addiction medicine means that they can do more than merely patch them up and send them back out to the world.
  • The physician is often in a good position to recognize the symptoms of an addiction.

Moral failing has no link with drug addiction: Future of addiction treatment

Finally with this fact that addiction has become a bona fide medical specialty out of the box, we need to start seeing real time improvements in the care of addicts such including the following says doctor Akoury:

  • There will be an increasing number of physicians who have a good understanding of addiction and treatment. These professionals will be able to help ensure that addicts who pass through the medical system receive adequate treatment.
  • It is likely to mean that there will be increased research into pharmaceutical and other treatments that may be of value to those struggling with addiction.
  • It should mean that physicians can do more than just pass the addict onto another specialty.
  • Physicians will be able to play a key role in relapse prevention.

All these are tailored towards ensuring that addiction victims get the best and this best can only be realized when you as a victim of an addiction schedule for an appointment with doctor Dalal Akoury today for further professional guidance.

Moral failing has no link with drug addiction: Addiction medicine, new medical specialty

 

 

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treament using therapy

Dialectical Behavior Therapy and teenage addiction

November 24, 2015

Understanding Dialectical Behavior Therapy and teenage addiction: Are you sending the wrong message?

Understanding Dialectical Behavior Therapy and teenage addiction

Understanding Dialectical Behavior Therapy and teenage addiction is very necessary in the fight against teenage addiction.

For a very long time now we have indicated openly that with addiction there are no boundaries. Everyone is at a risk of being addicted to any drug depending on several factors which we have repeatedly discussed in our previous postings. Nonetheless with the rampant increase of the number of people being addicted to drugs every passing day, it has become necessary for us to marry facts and discuss them as they are for our timely consumption and taking appropriate action plan. In view of that, we want to focus this discussion on the understanding Dialectical Behavior Therapy and teenage addiction as components addiction and how they complement one another in the fight against substance abuse. The use for chemical dependency is another element that requires Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) for solutions says doctor Dalal Akoury who is an addiction expert, MD, Founder and President of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center.

From her over two decades of working experience in this discipline, doctor Akoury defines Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) as a modified form of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for those with severe psychosocial disorders. According to the recent work at the University of Washington suggests its effectiveness with chemical dependency, in particular, and some addiction specialists are incorporating DBT into rehab treatment plans. It is however important to appreciate that this form of therapy concentrates on skill development, coping strategies, and the individual’s strengths. Through a focus on positive reinforcement, Dialectical Behavior Therapy can decrease the number of self-destructive episodes an individual might experience, as well as their severity. The basic assumption of DBT is that people are doing the best they can but are lacking the skills necessary to function appropriately in any given environment.

Understanding Dialectical Behavior Therapy and teenage addiction: How does DBT works

When you choose this mode of addiction treatment for your specific condition, it will be very important to be informed of how DBT works. Doctor Akoury registers that basically there are about four components of DBT and they may include the following:

  • Individual therapy
  • Group therapy
  • Therapist Consultation Team
  • Phone Coaching

Now for better understanding, let us seek the expert’s opinion from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center which is the home of solution founded by doctor Dalal Akoury, MD and President of the facility (AWAREmed Health and Wellness) as follows:

Individual therapy

Professionally, this is where the client records issues that come up during the week on diary cards and discusses them with a therapist. During these sessions, the therapy focuses on developing or improving skills that will diminish self-destructive behaviors, sabotage to therapy, and improve overall quality of life. This is actually very important especially to the teenagers who are struggling with the various forms of addiction. With the administration of DBT there will be both physical and psychological empowerment which is very instrumental in the fight against addiction.

Group therapy

Doctor Akoury reiterates that when group therapy is done at least once week and sessions that will last for up to two and a half hours, focusing on the use of four specific skills: mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, emotion regulation and distress tolerance, the result will be overwhelmingly productive to everyone whether you are the direct victim or indirect victim. Many people often feel intimidated when they are alone with the specialist but with the group therapy some ray of comfort and confidence is possible since one will be able to ride on the experiences of other people who have been there. Moral support is one of the strengths realized in such an arrangement. Therefore if you or any one you know is struggling with an addiction of any kind, then you may want to be the bridge through which they will get the much needed help they need by scheduling for an appointment with the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center. On receipt of your appointment, doctor Dalal Akoury and her team of experts will attend to you humanly and with a lot of confidence. Patient doctor trust and confidentiality is one virtue we uphold in this facility to perfection.

Understanding Dialectical Behavior Therapy and teenage addiction: Therapist Consultation Team

This includes therapists who are using Dialectical Behavior Therapy and provides weekly support for the therapist.

Understanding Dialectical Behavior Therapy and teenage addiction: Phone Coaching

This is designed to help incorporate skills into an individual’s daily life. The coaching sessions are generally brief, informative and to the point. It is however very important to take note that mindfulness is the foundation for the other skills taught in DBT, because it helps individuals accept the powerful emotions they may feel when exposed to difficult situations. Buddhist practice for instance informs the mindfulness exercises used in DBT, though the version used does not contain religious concepts. DBT helps develop the capacity to be present, to pay attention without judgment, and helps individuals develop perspective on their emotional states. Doctor Akoury is further registering that since the use of Dialectical Behavior Therapy in substance abuse is comparatively new, it is yet to be considered as an evidence-based therapy. However, the increased use of DBT in the treatment of chemical dependency will likely yield statistical evidence to prove or discount its effectiveness.

Finally understanding dialectical behavior therapy and teenage addiction is just but one out of the many options available for the treatment of drug addiction and not just in the teens, but also with other different age groups. It is therefore very necessary that when considering any method of application, expert opinion would be very important. And for that reason, we want to advice that you consult with your physician for further professional advice and if you are within reach, then you may want to consider scheduling for an appointment with doctor Dalal Akoury today for a one on one discussion with her and you will not regret having done so.

Understanding Dialectical Behavior Therapy and teenage addiction: Are you sending the wrong message?

 

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