Family pain caused by alcoholism and drug addiction

October 12, 2015

Family pain caused by alcoholism and drug addiction : The support mechanism of alcoholism

Can you imagine at this age what alcoholism and drug addiction causes family pain? This must STOP.

In every family settings there are bound to be certain aspects that cause discomfort to the well-being of the family. Much as it is everyone’s desire to enjoy the maximum comfort, this is not always the case in normal day to day life settings. The problem could further be complicated with one or more of the members of this family abusing alcohol or drugs or both. In our series of articles about alcoholism, we want to primarily focus our discussion in this article by finding out why alcoholism and drug addiction causes family pain that much. Speaking to the experts from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the able leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury (MD) and also the founder of the facility, it is very clear that alcoholism and drug addiction affects the whole family indiscriminately. Everyone in the family whether young, teenage, or grown-up children; wives or husbands; brothers or sisters; parents or other relatives and friends all are not immune to the effects of alcohol abuse. Therefore if one member of the family is addicted to alcohol and drugs, it would mean that the whole family will suffers the consequences. According to the experts from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center, an addiction is a family disease that stresses the family to the breaking point thereby impacting on the stability of the home, the family’s unity, mental health, physical health, finances, and overall family dynamics.

From that background it is evident that without finding timely solutions to any addictive substances, the consequences of that negligence would cause a total disruption to the family life and worst still cause harmful effects that can last a lifetime. Doctor Akoury says that dealing with any kind of addiction is not very easy for various reasons including the fact that no family is born with the knowledge of how to deal effectively with addiction. Because this is not inborn practice, it is however very important those individual users and their loved ones are educated on the skill that must be practiced daily to contain and bring the scourge of addiction to manageable levels. That is why at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center, we have prioritized creating awareness about all the elements through which alcoholism and drug addiction causes family pain and beyond. We therefore want to encourage you to stay with us on the link so that we can together make a difference in dealing with this problem because with the administration of proper help and support, family recovery from addiction can become a reality for you and millions across the globe says doctor Dalal Akoury.

Family pain caused by alcoholism and drug addiction : Roadblock to recovery

This is often a common question more so with people taking care of victims like for instance one may ask “why do i need help? She is the problem.” Have you ever said something like that? Whether your response is Yes or No one of the biggest challenges to family recovery is the belief that everything will be ok by just fixing their loved one who is addicted to alcohol or drugs. After all, “she’s the one who needs help, not me!” that is very easy to say but nevertheless, professionally doctor Akoury says that helping families understand that just as the addict is responsible for their own recovery they too are responsible for their own recovery. One fact must be put straight and that is the whole family must be in this together without excluding the children. Remember that addiction in the family strains relationships and people are likely to become anxious, mistrustful and tired. Besides that an overwhelming sense of hopelessness can set in too and because addiction inflicts family pain to everyone, it is essential that solutions are tailored to restoring the whole family which therefore means that even as we seek for professional solutions, recovery process from addiction will greatly depend on the commitment and willingness of the family.

Family pain caused by alcoholism and drug addiction : Recovery from addiction is a family affair

As a family disease, those who have been affected by addiction may take years to recover, as they rebuild and stabilize their lives, independent of what the alcohol and drug addicted family member does. Without question, it can seem overwhelming, but it helps to keep in mind that commitment to the recovery process is also a commitment to the overall well-being of the whole family. Therefore very constructive and active family engagement in the recovery process is essential if the family is to heal from the destructive impact of addiction. To keep hopes alive, the whole family needs a variety of supports, information and skills including the following:

End the isolation and connect: By joining an education or support group.

Education on Addiction and the Family: Understanding how addiction affects both the addicted person and the family is an essential foundation to moving on.

Learn communication skills: Active addiction destroys family communication. Developing these skills is essential to family recovery.

Detachment and responsibility for self: Learning to detach with love and focus on assuming responsibility for our own behavior.

Stop old behaviors: Many of our old ways of coping are ineffective and contribute to the problem not the solution: enabling, denial, blaming and minimizing the problem.

Engage the children: As a parent, depending on ages, you play a critically important role in providing support and protection for the children. But, engaging them in their own recovery is very important.

Build on resilience: Surviving active addiction to alcohol and drugs is never easy. Therefore use the recovery process as a means of building on your personal and family strengths.

Engage in personal and family activities: working alone and together to find activities that serve as a source of personal and family fulfillment.

Understand and prepare for relapse: Relapse into old behaviors is as real for family members as it is for those addicted to alcohol and drugs. Family members need to develop strategies for dealing with their own relapse issues and other challenges.

People recovering from alcoholism and drug addiction, their families, and their children can and often do achieve optimum levels of health and functioning, but this achievement is best measured in years rather than days, weeks, or months. In the process of recovery, families are strengthened through increased levels of genuine intimacy and families are better able to cope with life’s challenges. Over time, the discipline of recovery can bring the family together to be the healthiest it has ever been!

Finally as we settle on solutions to this problem, we must all appreciate that family recovery is very ideal and realistic for millions across the globe, and because of this hope, help, and healing of family recovery has become the most powerful way to break the inter-generational cycle of alcoholism and addiction in the family thereby bringing restoration to where hope was dying and discouragement was thriving. You can speak to us at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center about al concerns you may have in relation to alcoholism and addiction as potential factors of family pain and we will gladly come to your aide.

Family pain caused by alcoholism and drug addiction : The support mechanism of alcoholism

The association between chronic pain and cigarette smoking

September 2, 2015

The association between chronic pain and cigarette smoking: The role of nicotine in pain

understanding the association between chronic pain and cigarette smoking is very key to finding lasting solutions to all pains that are associated with all forms of addiction

Pain is one thing that no one would wish to be associated with in life. It may not matter whether the pain is physical or emotional so long as it is causing an individual pain. What surprises many is that while we complain of pain we often engage in certain behaviors that facilitate and inflict pain in our lives. Take for instance the association between chronic pain and cigarette smoking, you may not be surprised seeing a smoker complaining of pain in the body that he or she has inflicted in their lives. This is what we want to discuss primary to create awareness about the link between chronic pain and cigarette smoking. This is something you don’t want to miss because all of us are either directly or indirectly affected by way of secondary smoke. To take us through the discussion, we are going to be talking to doctor Dalal Akoury (MD) a veteran addiction expert of several decades and also the founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center a facility that is researching and offering lasting solutions to all people globally who are struggling with all kinds of addictions. Therefore let us progress into the discussion by responding to this question, why does smoking worsen pain? Professionally doctor Akoury explains that smoking cigarette will affect your body in many different ways. Those who smoke are at greater risk of contracting cardiovascular diseases, it also stains your teeth, damages your lungs, wrinkles your skin and most importantly it changes how your body perceives and react to pain. Doctor Akoury shares with us some of the reasons why cigarette smoking has direct impact in worsening your chronic pain.

The association between chronic pain and cigarette smoking: Effects of smoking on the proper blood flow

We are all conversant with the fact that the blood is playing a key role in transporting various elements that are necessary for the proper functionality of the body across the body parts. This role is seriously hampered by smoking. As a matter of fact smoking is one of the most harmful effects of in your body since it narrows your blood vessels thereby restricting the blood floor. Experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center while studying the effects of smoking has established that the nicotine found in cigarette smoke causes the blood vessels to shrink and as a result of that you’re the body of such individual is deprived of oxygen and other essential nutrients that are very vital for the body proper functionality. The restricted flow of blood causes damage to your musculoskeletal tissues by depriving it with oxygen.

The association between chronic pain and cigarette smoking: Nicotine alters your pain perception

Besides constricting the blood vessels, it is also very important to appreciate that nicotine is also a strong stimulant. Doctor Akoury says that being a strong stimulant, it will affect how your brain reacts to stimuli. Also take note that smoking will trigger your brain to react in such a way that it processes physical stimuli differently and perceives pain more acutely. And this explains why in many instances smokers are more sensitive to pain and reacts more quickly than nonsmokers.

The association between chronic pain and cigarette smoking: Smoking decreases effectiveness of pain medication

When we are under pain ordinarily your doctor may prescribe for you some pain relievers medication. These medications are necessary to the specified doses recommended by your physician. Nonetheless when it comes to smokers they are more likely to require slightly higher dosage of painkillers and analgesic to ease pain compared to the nonsmokers. And doctor Akoury I further raising the red flag that with restricted blood flow, your medication cannot work properly in containing the pain inflicted on you either because of cigarette smoking or otherwise.

The association between chronic pain and cigarette smoking: Smoking makes you anxious

According to the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the able leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury, stress is a natural depressant capable of lowers your body’s defenses against diseases and other illnesses. Smoking impacts negatively by preventing your body from healing itself and remember that the weaker your body is, the harder it is for your body to recover from chronic pain.

Even though pain may be quite unpleasant to the body, it also plays a significant role in communicating to your body any wrong thing that may need to be fixed in good time. The tightness, tingling, or stiffness you feel is only trying to pass a message to you that overworked or damaged nerves and muscles need your attention. Persistent pain lasting 3 months or more is considered chronic. Most cases of chronic pain will have unidentifiable causes. Nevertheless, smoking appears to aggravate such debilitating condition. Doctor Akoury is registering that chronic pain is more common among smokers and that is according to a study which has revealed that smokers are more at risk of chronic pain than nonsmokers. Bigger populations of respondents who have reported to have experienced severe pains in the past that have prevented them from going to work or pursuing their hobbies are smokers. They normally complain of severe pain in their neck, shoulders, lower back, elbows and knees. Therefore if you are one of them and wondering on where to start from, wonder no more and schedule for an appointment with doctor Dalal Akoury today for a more elaborate treatment plan that will not only five you’re your life back but will also cause you to experience comfort beyond reproach.

The association between chronic pain and cigarette smoking: Why would a chronic smoker have difficulty breathing?

Finally doctor Akoury says that chronic smokers often have difficulty breathing because they develop Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder, or COPD. The two diseases that fall under that category are emphysema and chronic bronchitis. In emphysema, the alveoli lose the elasticity and break down due to inflammation from the cigarette smoke. Essentially at this point the patient begins to lose their ability to obtain oxygen and dispose of carbon dioxide and other gases. In chronic bronchitis, breathing becomes more difficult due to narrowed airways and increased production of mucus, which obstruct airflow. Both of these diseases are serious and will progressively get worse over time. It therefore means that is something is not done in good time smokers can develop lung cancer and other cancers, which can also obstruct airflow and also lead to difficulty breathing. All these put together brings to board the clear association between chronic pain and smoking which must be dealt with professionally by experts from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center.

The association between chronic pain and cigarette smoking: The role of nicotine in pain

Coexistence Of Pain And Addiction; Pain Cause Or An Effect

July 26, 2015

Coexistence Of Pain And Addiction; Pain Cause Or An Effect

According to a recent report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), heroin use has hit a staggering 63% increase in the United States U.S. Based on the report, use of the narcotic drug was recorded at a low of 1.6% of Americans aged 12 years and above in 2002. A decade later percentage of the American population within the age brackets using the addictive substance increased to an average high of 2.6 each year. The report also pointed out heroin use among the feminine gender shockingly doubled that of men in a similar study period.

Increased Opioid Use Cause of Amplified Addiction

The increase of heroin use among women was however attributed to increased opioid pain killer prescriptions. Women understandably have more related and complicated medical conditions. In related medical reports, abuse of opioid painkillers has increased significantly since the 1990s to this date. Between the period 1999 and 2006, individuals aged 12 and above reportedly used pain medication prescriptions for non-medical reasons; their numbers increased from 2.6 million in 1999 to 5.2 million in 2006. In the latter calendar year, 5.2 million publics self-reported abusing the opiate narcotic prescriptions. According to the reports, close to 5 million of the U.S. populace is affected by opioid pain and addiction related pills, further leading to well over 17,000 deaths.

The abuse has paralleled that of heroin use in a similar period as illuminated above. Over time therefore women have increased opioid pill prescription as a result of pain compared with their counterparts, hence the increase. To understand these reports more clearly and what they mean in the subject pain and addiction, continue otherwise… http://www.integrativeaddiction2015.com for related articles and information on an upcoming Integrative Addiction Medicine Conference.

Pain and addiction

Addictive Opioid narcotics Used as Pain Killer

Back to our discussion, opioid is a narcotic pain killer pill medication often prescribed by medical doctors. It is an integration of various narcotic drug substances including: methadone, codein, morphin, Oxycontin, hydrocodone, and heroin; the latter being the most popular of the pain and addiction therapeutic narcotics. The opiate pain relief pill prescriptions vary in level of effects to the body. But most significantly they depress the central nervous system, and reduce rate of body functioning; both physical and psychological pains. While they are often prescribed for prescribed medical reasons to be used within specified durations, mostly to deal with pain and addiction related problems, there are reports extended use of the opioids cause addiction.

Effects and Symptoms of Opioid Withdrawal

Effects of opiate addiction are allegedly far-reaching, or if you may are devastating. Opioid addiction leaves not a single aspect of an addict’s life unscathed. Some of the most common effects of the opiate narcotics addiction include: damage of brain structure and functioning, damage of memory, seizure, bleeding ulcers, liver damage, job loss, incarceration, divorce, domestic violence, child abuse, homelessness, coma, constant overdose, or in extreme occasions deaths. Effects of withdrawal can also be very unpleasant. They vary depending on the period of exposure; quantity of the drug used each time, and the frequency of use. Actually it is advisable withdrawal is at all times done under close supervision of a medical doctor. Common effects include: bone and muscle pains, nausea, diarrhea, stomach cramping, Goosebumps, vomiting, chills, incessant anxiety, compulsive craving for pills, seizure, dilated pupils, fevers, irritation, agitation, and in extreme cases like in the case of effects of addiction coma and suicidal thoughts.

Over the years experts on pain and addiction have long grappled with how best to treat the patients who suffer from chronic pain who are estimated worrying figures of about 116 million Americans. Their concerns originate from conceivable high risks involved with long-term exposure by patients on treatment. Such risks include as highlighted earlier increased drug tolerance and the ardent need for augmented doses, a condition referred to as hyperalgesia meaning increased sensitivity to pain and addiction. On the other hand the health care providers are concerned some patients may reject the opiate narcotics prescriptions for fear of addiction.

There are however no specific statistics to substantiate or rule out such fears, an aspect said to be making the situation even worse. Approximations of addiction among chronic pain addicts vary by huge margins; from about 3% to an estimated 40%. The unevenness is a result of differences in the duration of treatment, insufficient research on long-term outcomes, incongruent of studies results on populations and the aspects measured to assess pain and addiction related drug abuses.

Managing Pain and Addiction

To moderate these addiction risks, it is thought wise the physicians screen patients for latent risk factors, including but not limited to; personal and family histories, mental stability and drug exposure determined over time. Monitoring patients for such signs of abuse is also crucial for the reasons some indicators can also signify multiple conditions hence making accurate assessments challenging. Premature and or frequent pain and addiction opioid pain killer requests for instance could denote progression of the pain related illnesses, drug tolerance, or emergence of advanced other drug problems.

Pain And Addiction

Finally development of operative non-addicting pain treatments is a national health priority. An emergent elderly population and the growing number of wounded military officials serve a clear indication of the urgency of the pain and addiction subject matter. Researchers have in the past few years amplified their quest for alternative medications that can go a long way in alleviating pain but do not necessarily cause addiction. More medical research is however obligatory in order shed more light on effective chronic pain and addiction management, including identifying predisposing factors to addiction that some patients have and further develop preventive actions against drug abuse.

As to whether pain is a cause or effect of addiction, it can be deduced from the above discussion pain is both a cause and an effect of the same. Also, that pain and addiction are coexistent medical phenomena doctors would achieve a lot more positive results when they are simultaneously treated as opposed to inappropriately treating one at the expense of another.

Coexistence Of Pain And Addiction; Pain Cause Or An Effect

Tag Archives: Pain And Addiction