Mechanisms of total addiction recovery treatment process

August 23, 2015

Mechanisms of total addiction recovery treatment process: It is possible

Mechanisms of total addiction recovery treatment process will not be complete without the engagement of physical activities as a means of addiction recovery treatment.

Our main objective in this assignment is to give you hope and assurance of the possibilities of overcoming all the problems that are associated with drug addiction. As experts from the home of solutions (AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center) a facility that was founded by doctor Dalal Akoury (MD) we understand the technicalities involved in the journey of addiction recovery and that is why we want to share with you some of the mechanisms of total addiction recovery process as we progress into this discussion. Therefore it is true that when you’re struggling with drug addiction, sobriety can seem like an impossible goal owing to the addictiveness of the various substances of abuse. Nevertheless it is important to note that drug addiction recovery is never out of reach irrespective of how hopeless your situation seems. Professionally doctor Akoury register’s that in this journey change is possible with the right treatment and support, and couple with professionalism in addressing the root causes of your individual addiction problems. We are actually hear to help you make a difference amidst those challenges you may be experiencing and for that reason we request you to talk to use and never give up even if you’ve tried and failed several times before. Remember that the road to recovery is never a straight line which often involves bumps, pitfalls, and setbacks. Doctor Akoury says that treatment is possible and just by examining the problem and engaging the right gear of change is a step in the right direction meaning that you’re already on your way to addiction recovery.

Mechanisms of total addiction recovery treatment process: Defeat the obstacle of denial and decide to make a change

According to the experts from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center, for many people who are struggling with various kinds of addiction, the most challenging and toughest step toward addiction recovery is the very first one of making a decision to change. If this is your problem then don’t let it bring you down since it’s normal to feel conflicted about giving up your drug of choice, even when you realize it’s causing problems in your life. Many people have been through that but the most important and interesting part of it is that change is never easy and committing to sobriety involves changing many things, including the following:

Changing the way you deal with stress
Being very selective on who you allow in your life
Being careful with what you do in your free time
Taking full control of your feelings that is how you think about yourself

Like for instance, you may wonder if you’re really ready for all that change or if you have what it takes to quit and it’s okay if you’re torn. Remember that recovering from addiction is a long process, one that requires time, commitment, motivation, and support. And even as you consider your situation, the following tips can help you make the decision.

Mechanisms of total addiction recovery treatment process: Thinking about change

Keep track of your drug use, including when and how much you use. This will give you a better sense of the role the addiction is playing in your life.
List the pros and cons of quitting, as well as the costs and benefits of continuing your drug abuse.
Consider the things that are important to you, such as your spouse, children, career and health. How does your drug use affect those things?
Talk it over with someone you trust. Ask the person how he or she feels about your drug use.
Ask yourself if there’s anything preventing you from changing. What are some things that could help you make the change?

Mechanisms of total addiction recovery treatment process: The paramount steps to succeeding in addiction recovery

Having made a decision to seek for help, you must remain focus to your objectives and the following will be very helpful to you in keeping to the goals.

Remind yourself of the reasons you want to change.
Think about your past attempts at quitting, if any. What worked? What didn’t?
Set specific, measurable goals, such as a quit date or limits on your drug use.
Remove reminders of your addiction from your home and workplace. That is to say things which are most likely to trigger the old addiction practices.
Be very free and share with your friends and family that you’re quitting and ask for their support.

Mechanisms of total addiction recovery treatment process: Explore your treatment options

Doctor Dalal Akoury is of the opinion that once you’ve made the decision to challenge your drug addiction, it’s now time to explore your treatment choices. And she advises that even as you consider the options, it is very important to keep the following in mind:

There’s no magic bullet or single treatment that works for everyone – When considering a program, remember that you are very unique and everyone’s needs are different. Drug addiction treatment should be customized to your unique problems and situation. It’s important that you find a program that feels right.

Treatment should address more than just your drug abuse – Addiction affects your whole life, including relationships, career, health, and psychological well-being. Treatment success depends on developing a new way of living and addressing the reasons why you turned to drugs in the first place. It may have been because of an inability to manage stress, in which case you’ll need to find healthy ways to handle stressful situations.

Commitment and follow through – Drug addiction treatment is not a quick and easy process. In general, the longer and more intense the drug use, the longer and more intense the treatment you’ll need. But regardless of the treatment program’s length in weeks or months, long-term follow-up care is crucial to recovery.

There are many places to turn for help – Not everybody requires medically supervised detox or an extended stint in rehab. The level of care you need depends on your age, drug use history, and other medical or psychiatric conditions. In addition to doctors and psychologists, many clergy members, social workers, and counselors offer addiction treatment services.

Finally and this is very important for everyone, doctor Akoury is suggesting that even as you seek help for drug addiction, it’s also important to get treatment for any other medical or psychological issues you may be experiencing. Your best chance of recovery is through integrated treatment for both the substance abuse problem and the mental health problem which you can obtain from the home of experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center. This means when you schedule for an appointment with doctor Akoury, she will professionally evaluate your individual conditions and combined both mental health and addiction treatment primarily to deliver your life back to you in totality.

Mechanisms of total addiction recovery treatment process: It is possible

The significance of alcohol addiction in malnutrition

August 10, 2015

The significance of alcohol addiction in malnutrition: Liver intoxication

The significance of alcohol addiction in malnutrition can not be ignored owing to the rate at which alcohol is being misused currently

To be malnourished is a condition that deprives the body of the essential nutrients necessary for health and body comfort. It is therefore very important to make all the observations to ensure that the body gets all the food nutrients it needs. In the quest of achieving this, there will be obstacle along the way and one of the main impediments of insufficiency of nutrients is the element of substance abuse and that is why this article is going to focus on the significance of alcohol addiction in malnutrition. It is always our desire and objective to post informative health blogs and articles as a way of giving our contribution in the noble assignment of defeating the scourge of addiction from our societies. In that respect doctor Dalal Akoury who is also the founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center is going to take us through the discussion and we want to appeal to you to keep on the link and invite a friend so that we can have a healthy learning experience together.

The significance of alcohol addiction in malnutrition: Why do we say that alcohol addiction causes malnutrition?

By all standards alcohol is the world’s most abused substance. Ironically, it is also the most income generating business for authorities in terms of taxes levied on it. In other words am simply saying that despite its serious health consequences, it is legally allowed for human consumption. I have always appreciated that most authorities have put certain restrictions as controlling measures to minimize its consumption, but the truth is that these has not yielded any meaningful truth. This is because the effects of alcohol consumption is actually felt in all our families both directly and in directly. Our learning institutions are not left out either and young boys and girls are drinking disorderly to the amazement and deterioration of our morals. Now to the question “why do we say that alcohol addiction causes malnutrition”? It will surprise you to note that in this generation many alcoholics across the globe are malnourished for various reasons. Like for instance, victims of alcohol abuse will often suffer the high risk of being malnourished either because they take in very little of essential nutrients like carbohydrates, proteins, and vitamins, or because alcohol and its metabolism inhibit their body from performing its duty of properly absorbing, digesting and using those nutrients as effective as it should. This therefore brings in the significance of alcohol addiction in malnutrition in the picture. It is no wonder majority of alcohol consumers and particularly the alcoholics frequently experience deficiencies in vital food nutrients including proteins and vitamins, particularly vitamin A. the danger of these deficiencies is that if not addressed in good time, the victims risk being affected by serious and chronic liver disease and other serious alcohol–related disorders.

A complex relationship exists between a person’s alcohol consumption and nutritional status. Many people, including light to moderate drinkers who consume one to two glasses or less of an alcoholic beverage per day, consider those beverages a part of their normal diet and acquire a certain number of calories from them. When consumed in excess, however, alcohol can cause diseases by interfering with the nutritional status of the drinker. For example, alcohol can alter the intake, absorption into the body, and utilization of various nutrients. In addition, alcohol exerts some harmful effects through its breakdown (i.e., metabolism) and the resulting toxic compounds, particularly in the liver, where most of the alcohol metabolism occurs.

The significance of alcohol addiction in malnutrition: Nutritional value of alcohol

Alcoholic beverages primarily consist of water, pure alcohol which is chemically known as ethanol and variable amounts of sugars i.e., carbohydrates; these are the major ingredients you will find in purr alcohol drink nonetheless in what would be considered to be seriously negligible is the content of other nutrients including proteins, vitamins, or minerals which would construed to apportion of less than one percent of the whole content of pure alcohol put together. Doctor Akoury says that looking at the negligibility of the nutrient content in pure alcohol, experts have in unison consented that because they provide almost no potential food nutrients and alcoholic beverages are considered empty calories. It therefore means that any calories that may be provided by alcoholic beverages are derived from the carbohydrates and alcohol they contain. Besides that it is very important to note that even as we appreciate this inadequacy, the carbohydrate content varies greatly among beverage types.

In spite of all these says doctor Akoury that under certain conditions, it will however interest you to note that alcohol derived calories when misused and taken in extensive amounts can have less biologic value than carbohydrate derived calories. This has been a subject of several studies. Like for instance in ones of the studies where the weights of two groups of participants who received balanced diets containing equal numbers of calories. In this study, it was established that one of the groups, 50 percent of total calories were derived from carbohydrates, whereas in the other group the calories were derived from alcohol. The study participants were observed on the metabolic ward of a hospital during the experiments. The quantity of alcohol administered did not exceed the amount routinely consumed by these volunteers.

Finally although all participants received the same number of calories, those in the alcohol group exhibited a decline in body weight compared with those in the carbohydrate group. Moreover, when the participants received additional calories in the form of alcohol, they did not experience any corresponding weight gain. This suggests that some of the energy contained in alcohol is “lost” or “wasted” meaning, it is not available to the body for producing or maintaining body mass. This is a very interesting discussion and we are going to continue with it in our most immediate article. And for that reason we want to make a further appeal to you to stay on the link to continue receiving these valuable health information. In the meantime, if you are struggling with alcohol addiction and you don’t know how to start or who to approach, then you are at the right place where all addiction problems are professionally addressed. take that initiative of calling doctor Akoury to schedule for an appointment with her for the commencement of your recovery process.

The significance of alcohol addiction in malnutrition: Liver intoxication

Acute substance abuse problems and medical tourism

July 28, 2015

Acute substance abuse problems and medical tourism: Would you travel abroad for addiction treatment?

Acute substance abuse problems and medical tourism, you realize that the most important thing is getting the problem sorted out. Therefore if traveling abroad would help then it is necessary and must be done.

The trend of treatment is changing from time to time due to various reasons. There are some illnesses that make people feel that they cannot be attended to from their locality again because of several factors. And as a result of this many are opting to seek for the same treatment far away from their localities. In this case distance may not matter but the interest and ability to meet the cost becomes the key factors for consideration. We spoke to doctor Dalal Akoury MD and founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center about her experience with clients in her over two decades of practice. And she said that addiction treatment is one that is being sought for by many across the borders. According to her most of her clients who are not residence of state are concerned about stigma. As it has been stated severally on this link that in the olden days individuals who were suffering from substance abuse were actually seen to be of weak character. And even though things are now changing, pockets of people are still harboring this old school of thought hence the reason of acute substance abuse problem and medical tourism in most parts of the globe.

If you are still wondering what medical tourism is then you are on time for the most cherished source of medical information. This simply refers to the practice of traveling across international borders in order to obtain health care. Ideally there are many reasons for why people might choose to do this but the most common are that it can be significantly cheaper to get treatment abroad, and it can also mean better options. Those individuals who are dealing with a substance abuse problem are now following the example of the medical tourist. They too are looking at their options in foreign countries and an increasing number of them are deciding that traveling abroad for addiction treatment just makes sense.

Acute substance abuse problems and medical tourism: Importance of choosing the right rehab

In order for the individual to have the greatest chance of success in recovery they need to choose the right rehab. The problem is that the facility that might be right for one person might not be such a good option for someone else. If there was one facility that was right for everyone the rest of the rehabs could follow this template and this could help to eliminate addiction completely. The reality is that no such facility exists and there can only be a rehab that is right for the individual. This is why when choosing where to go the individual needs to consider their own needs and how the treatment program will match those needs. For example, some people are quite secular in their beliefs, and they might struggle in a rehab that focused too much on spirituality. On the other hand, those people who have strong religious beliefs will probably benefit from a rehab that emphasizes spirituality.

Even if the individual knows what type of rehab is most likely to work for them it does not always mean that this option will be available to them. The most common reason for this situation is that the individual feels they would do better with some type of private facility, but they do not feel able to afford it. One way to overcome this obstacle to choosing the right rehab is to consider traveling abroad for addiction treatment. This can also mean that the individual has new alternatives that would not be available to them back in their home country.

Acute substance abuse problems and medical tourism: Benefits of traveling abroad for addiction treatment

People do not just travel overseas for no reason there must be some good things that motivate them to travel across the borders in search for treatment. The following are some of the benefits of traveling abroad for addiction treatment:

It means that the individual may have recovery options that would not be available to them at home. Some of the international rehabs offerunique programs that might be just what the individual needs.
By traveling abroad the individual will often find cheaper options than they would find in their home country. This could mean that even those with a modest salary can benefit from a stay in a moreluxurious facility.
There are some individuals who will not want other people to know about their stay in rehab. One way to protect their anonymity is to travel abroad to stay in a rehab in most of these placed they will not even need to use their real name further offering them the best of protection from any stigma.
It is possible to attend a facility in an exotic location such asThailand. By entering recovery the individual is building a foundation for a better future and it seems fitting that they do this in a special place.
Some people often feel or view rehab abroad as a reward for doing the right thing.
There will be some discomforts related to the rehab process that are unavoidable (e.g. being away from family), but there will be other discomforts that will be complete avoidable (e.g. staying in an environment that is not conducive to recovery). By choosing a foreign facility the individual may be able to eliminate many of the unnecessary discomforts associated with this type of treatment.
Combining rehab with a foreign holiday can make the whole process more meaningful. It will ensure that the start of the journey into sobriety will be special as well as memorable.
Some people will choose a remote location with stunning scenery. This ambience will make their stay in rehab all the more comfortable.

Finally the objective of traveling or medical tourism will always remain the same when it comes to fighting drug addiction. It is important to note that traveling alone will not offer the solution but all other factors of treatment must be observed if any meaningful result is to be attained. If the patient is still in denial and he/she is flown abroad for recovery treatment, such individual will not be able to optimize on their medical tourism and will probably return the same or even worse as they left. Therefore there must be good preparedness before this decision of traveling is arrived at. It will be very important that you talk with professionals in your region to help you understand some of the coping needs that you must observe. If you are looking for where to get this information, then look no further because we are here for you. Talk to us at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center and we will be of great help to you in all matters pertaining to drug addiction recovery process.

Acute substance abuse problems and medical tourism: Would you travel abroad for addiction treatment

Substance abuse counselor career training

July 23, 2015

Substance abuse counselor career training: What is substance abuse counseling?

Substance abuse counselor career training is very essential in bringing to order the problem of substance abuse

The problem of substance abuse is one that is affecting everyone in discriminatively across the globe. Studies have actually shown that millions of people suffer from substance abuse each year. Therefore the question that we all beg to ask is what shall we do to have this problem brought to manageable levels? Doctor Dalal Akoury (MD) a veteran addiction expert founded AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center with the sole objective of offering solution to all our concerns about substance abuse. At this facility we focus on Neuroendocrine Restoration (NER) to reinstate normality through realization of the oneness of Spirit, Mind, and Body, Unifying the threesome into ONE. It is also important to appreciate that doctor Akoury is offering her exclusive NER Recovery Treatment to everyone including other physicians and health care professionals through training, clinical apprenticeships, webinars and seminars. Any qualified professional can now be a part of this truly successful and fast addiction recovery treatment. As you consider that opportunity, we will be discussing progressively the substance abuse counselor career training as a powerful tool of containing substance abuse. But in the meantime let us understand what substance abuse is as we progress into the discussion.

Substance abuse refers to the habitual use of a mind altering substance, whether it’s alcohol or drugs. Nonetheless we do appreciate that some drug users may find pockets of comfort from the substances they use, but this should not be taken to mean that such substances are good. The naked truth about drugs is that they are ultimately very harmful, it must also be noted that these substances are not only harmful to the users body, but can also cause serious damage to the soul. People who abuse substances like alcohol or drugs will often have their minds affected adversely with those substances to the point of being violent whenever they are under the influence of those substances.

Substance abuse counselor career training: Reasons why people abuse drugs
Experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center say that there can never be any good reason as to why people should use drugs let alone abusing them. Unfortunately, users of the drugs have a number of reasons why they abuse alcohol or drugs. Some of the reasons may be extremely powerful. Like for instance, some may abuse drugs or alcohol because they are looking for a way to escape from their realities while others may abuse alcohol or drugs because they’re trying to fit in with their peers. Doctor Akoury reaffirms that no matter the reason why people use drugs, there is a chance that they will become dependent upon them and that is when substance abuse counseling becomes very important. Substance abuse counseling is a type of counseling that can be used to help people overcome and conquer dependencies on substances, such as alcohol and drugs. Doctor Akoury says that in today society dealing with substance abuse is more important than ever because there are more and more drugs being created each and every day, not just in large cities, but also in smaller outlying suburbs. The boundaries of substance abuse have been dissolved, and no one is safe from its negative effects.

Substance abuse counselor career training: How do I become a substance abuse counselor?
This is where it all begins from. Education you’ve got to get some level of education and that is why substance abuse counselor training becomes necessary. Actually there are several educational paths that lead to rewarding careers within the field of Substance Abuse Counseling. Like for instance in most career fields, there is a correlation between the amount of education and training you accumulate which also translate to your earnings, autonomy and job responsibilities you will have once you start working. A Bachelor’s Degree, earned at the college or university level, is typically the first step for students who wish to acquire the skills and certification needed to counsel individuals with substance abuse problems. The most common major for students pursing substance abuse counseling is in Alcohol & Drug Abuse Studies or Addictions Counseling. After students build a strong foundation in counseling and the behavioral sciences (with a bachelor’s degree) they have an opportunity to focus their academic pursuits on a more specialized area of study. Completing graduate level coursework with a Master’s Degree, or a Doctorate (PhD) degree will provide students with the knowledge and skills required to become a licensed counselor and even to work in private practice if they so desire.

Certificate programs in Substance Abuse Counseling, Addiction Counseling or Drug & Alcohol Abuse Studies are also available to students and professionals who have either completed a major in a related field or who are currently pursuing their degree in the behavioral sciences, therapy or counseling. Certificate programs often meet the training and education requirements to become certified by the State Department of Health, but it is recommended that you verify the eligibility requirements of the state before enrolling in a program.

Substance abuse counselor career training: Why do we need substance abuse counselors?
We actually need these professionals around us to help us restore our lives back to normalcy. With the prevalence of drug use it must concerns us that it is not only the direct victims of addiction that suffers the consequences but the suffering extends even to their loved ones. This is because most addictive substances contribute to illnesses and the general breakdown of the human body. Besides that the direct victims may exhibit certain behavioral changes and become very violent at times. Such actions often lead to serious consequences like loss of employment, being rendered homeless, criminality, family discord and financial problems. If you look keenly at these outcomes of substances abuse, you realize that if the direct victim is having some dependence then they will all bear the burden of drug abuse even if it is not directly. That explains why we need substance abuse counselors to help in the prevention of the problems before they happen. Professionals in this field can help people overcome their addictions and start living a healthier life, complete with better choices.
Finally it is important to note that substance abuse counselor career training will not be helpful if we live in denial and restrain ourselves from seeking for help. This is a very serious problem and doctor Akoury is sending a passionate appeal to all of us to come out in good time since treatment is more effective and timely at the initial stages of addiction development.
Substance abuse counselor career training: What is substance abuse counseling?

How substance abuse is hijacking individual’s minds

July 16, 2015

How substance abuse is hijacking individual’s minds: How does it get there and how does is leave?

How substance abuse is hijacking individual’s minds and when this is done, users of various drugs can do very crazy thing all in the name of satisfying their addiction.

The brain is the engine that drives life and the moment it stops, life equally stops. This is one organ which by all means must not suffer from any kind of pressure. However the kind of life we live today is exacting a lot of pressure to the brain. The prevalence of substance abuse is not helping either in keeping the good health of the brain and this is what we want to engage the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center on. This is a facility that was the brain child of doctor Dalal Akoury and its formation was primarily to offer solutions to people who are struggling with addiction. Therefore doctor Akoury is going to help us understand how substance abuse is hijacking individual’s minds even as it causes other chronic health problems to the body.

How substance abuse is hijacking individual’s minds: New understandings into a common problem

Owing to the consequences that comes with substance abuse, Ideally nobody would on a voluntary basis wants to desire to develop an addiction, however many people get caught in its snare from very humble beginnings. And today looking at the prevalence of addiction it is amazing that drug use is almost getting out of hand. Take for instance the latest statistics from the government America where nearly 23 million Americans are addicted to either alcohol or other drugs representing a worrying figure of one in every ten being an addict. The statistics also indicate that more than two-thirds of people with addiction abuse alcohol. While the top three drugs causing addiction are marijuana, opioid (narcotic) pain relievers, and cocaine.

In the past the perception about addiction was not right and people who developed signs of addiction were actually seen as people with questionable character and lacking in willpower. As such the remedy was punishment since they were considered wrongdoers besides that they were also encouraged making peace with the community by turning away from their bad habits. Nonetheless a lot has currently been done and scientific findings are changing this old perception of addiction. Today addiction is recognized as a chronic disease that changes both brain structure and function. Just in the same way as cardiovascular disease damages the heart and diabetes impairs the pancreas, addiction hijacks the brain. This happens as the brain goes through a series of changes, beginning with recognition of pleasure and ending with a drive toward compulsive behavior.

How substance abuse is hijacking individual’s minds: Pleasure principle

One of the functions of the brain is to registers all pleasures in the same way, irrespective of their origin. That is whether they are associated with a psychoactive drug, a monetary reward, a sexual encounter, or a satisfying meal. The fact is in the brain, pleasure has a distinct role which is the release of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the nucleus accumbens, a cluster of nerve cells lying underneath the cerebral cortex. Dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens is so consistently tied with pleasure that neuroscientists refer to the region as the brain’s pleasure center.

All drugs of abuse, from nicotine to heroin, cause a particularly powerful surge of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens. The likelihood that the use of a drug or participation in a rewarding activity will lead to addiction is directly linked to the speed with which it promotes dopamine release, the intensity of that release, and the reliability of that release. Therefore addictive drugs provide a shortcut to the brain’s reward system by flooding the nucleus accumbens with dopamine. The hippocampus lays down memories of this rapid sense of satisfaction, and the amygdala creates a conditioned response to certain stimuli.

How substance abuse is hijacking individual’s minds: Learning the process

Previously it was believed that an experience of pleasure alone was enough to compel people in to consistent seeking of addictive elements or activities. However new research findings indicates that the situation may be more complicated. This is because dopamine’s are not only responsible for the experience of pleasure but are also playing a role in learning and memory which are the two key elements in the transition from liking something to being addicted to it. Currently the philosophy about addiction is that dopamine interacts with another neurotransmitter, glutamate to take over the brains system of reward related learning. Remember that this system has an important role in sustaining life because it links activities needed for human survival (such as eating and sex) with pleasure and reward.

It may interest you to note that he reward circuit in the brain may include areas involved with motivation and memory as well as with pleasure. Addictive substances and behaviors stimulate the same circuit and then overload it. And therefore repeated misuse of any addictive substances or behavior will cause nerve cells in the nucleus accumbens and the prefrontal cortex (the area of the brain involved in planning and executing tasks) to communicate in a way that couples liking something with wanting it, in turn driving us to go after it. That is, this process motivates us to take action to seek out the source of pleasure.

How substance abuse is hijacking individual’s minds: Development of tolerance

By nature, rewards usually come only with time and effort. And like I had mentioned before, addictive drugs and behaviors provide a shortcut, flooding the brain with dopamine and other neurotransmitters. Our brains do not have an easy way to withstand the onslaught. Addictive drugs, for example, can release two to 10 times the amount of dopamine that natural rewards do, and they do it more quickly and more reliably. In a person who becomes addicted, brain receptors become overwhelmed. The brain then responds by producing less dopamine or eliminating dopamine receptors—an adaptation similar to turning the volume down on a loudspeaker when noise becomes too loud.

As a result of these adaptations, dopamine has less impact on the brain’s reward center. People who develop an addiction typically find that, in time, the desired substance no longer gives them as much pleasure. They have to take more of it to obtain the same dopamine “high” because their brains have adapted and that is what is known as tolerance.

How substance abuse is hijacking individual’s minds: Compulsion takes over

At this point, compulsion takes over. The pleasure associated with an addictive drug or behavior subsides—and yet the memory of the desired effect and the need to recreate it (the wanting) persists. It’s as though the normal machinery of motivation is no longer functioning.

The learning process mentioned earlier also comes into play. The hippocampus and the amygdala store information about environmental cues associated with the desired substance, so that it can be located again. These memories help create a conditioned response—intense craving—whenever the person encounters those environmental cues.

Cravings contribute not only to addiction but to relapse after a hard-won sobriety. A person addicted to heroin may be in danger of relapse when he sees a hypodermic needle, for example, while another person might start to drink again after seeing a bottle of whiskey. Conditioned learning helps explain why people who develop an addiction risk relapse even after years of abstinence. And that is why keeping close touch with the experts is very important. If you have any concern about addiction, you can schedule for an appointment with doctor Dalal Akoury today for the commencement of your recovery process.

How substance abuse is hijacking individual’s minds: How does it get there and how does is leave?

Tag Archives: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration