Mental illness and alcoholism

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It has been suggested for some time that many untreated mental illnesses are a common factor behind alcoholism. Studies often show that many homeless alcoholics fall prey to alcoholism due in an attempt to self medicate or lessen the symptoms of depression and other types of mental illnesses. If you suffer from addiction and you live in South Carolina please see: Addiction Treatment Centers in South Carolina. Also visit : South Carolina Drug & Alcohol Rehabilitation, SC Alcohol Abuse Treatment Programs and Centers

A new report shows that alcohol dependence is four times more likely to occur among adults with mental illness than among adults with no mental illness (9.6-percent versus 2.2-percent).  Based on a nationwide survey conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) the report also shows that the rate of alcohol dependency increases as the severity of the mental illness increases. Read the rest of this article here: Adults With Mental Illness Are Four Times More Likely To Develop Alcohol Dependency Than Adults Without Mental Illness

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How to Identify The Alcoholic In Your Family

Image by mutsmuts via FlickrAlcoholism is an addiction just like any other drug..
When I was growing up, my only concept of an alcoholic was a homeless wino on the street sipping out of a paper bag. Little did I know at the time, how wrong I was. This is my experience with an alcoholic loved one. Usually there is a parent or a relative in the family that is an alcoholic too..


A Family Affair

Most alcoholics come from a long genetic background of alcoholic forefathers. I don't know if I would call it a physical disease or a disease of inheritance. That is for the experts to figure out. I do know that more often than not, you don't have to look far in a family tree to find the link. My alcoholic loved one had a parent that was an alcoholic, and like most suffering from this, a dysfunctional family to boot. If you have an alcoholic with this kind of a background, you will literally feel outnumbered by the past influences, and you are.

A Pattern In the Chaos
In my own opinion the most difficult alcoholic to deal with is what they call the "functioning" alcoholic. These are the ones that continue to remain gainfully employed, continue to conduct their affairs, pay their bills etc. The reason they are so difficult is because they fly under the family radar for years. They usually don't drink every day, but have designated drink time that usually starts on the weekend. It takes a long time before you may feel this is a problem with this individual, and by then, you are well into the pits of hell. Look for the repeated habit of drinking. If they let very little interfere with their drinking ritual this is a red flag. If you notice a big reluctance on their part to "not drink" on these designated days, you will know you are dealing with an alcoholic. You will hear them downplay their addiction with "I only drink on the weekends", and " I just drink to relax after a long hard week", or "I'm not hurting anyone". Early on, they may agree to drink less, but believe me, this is a ploy to get you off of their back. When the weekend arrives, if they have to, they will hide it. Look for this pattern in their behavior.

Pick Your Battles
If you are lucky enough to have sober time with your alcoholic loved one, this may be the only time you have to talk to them on any rational level. Surely you have figured out by now that any argument you have with them over the drinking whilst they are "under the influence" is a waste of time. Not only will they not "hear" you, you also risk verbal assaults, physical assaults and the alcoholic will use the "fight" as an excuse to drink more. Despite seeming to be oblivious to their immediate surroundings, the alcoholic has complete control, over YOU. They know how to manipulate, downplay, wield guilt, and work on your sympathy. Keep in mind, trying to reach them when they are sober is better, but chances are, they will shut you down and out. Functioning "alkies" can always use the fact that they work and take care of their responsibilities as justification and validation that there is nothing wrong with them.

Keeping It in the Closet
You will find that you spend a good deal of time either lying for this person, or making excuses for them. Because you love them you may try your best to protect them from outsiders, and other family members. You suffer silently in this secret world your loved one has imprisoned you in. You find yourself using the same excuses to others that your loved one uses on you. "He's not a drunk, he just likes to relax on the weekends"..You become your alcoholic loved one's enabler and ally. The question is, ultimately are you protecting them? Or are you hiding from reality, because you aren't prepared for what may mean an end? Through the countless arguments you have probably ascertained that this "loved" one will probably not give up drinking for you. Your love, or the loss of your love is no longer a threat to them. They can let go of you, are you prepared to possibly let go of them? Most of the time it's our own inability to let go of the alcoholic that compels us to keep hiding their dirty little secret.

One is the Loneliest Number
Alcoholics, even weekend drinkers, and functional "alkies", will eventually find themselves isolated from their family. They drink alone, and spend hours doing it. They don't seem to mind the withdrawal. They never seem to know the hurt they cause. There is a huge invisible wall between you and them. They chose one side, you have chosen the other. Look for isolation and withdrawal from everyone. Do not be pulled into their world by drinking with them and do not allow them to tell you that "you are pulling away from them". They have pulled away, only its right in front of you. When you are able to get them to come to family functions, you will notice they disappear a lot, are usually seen walking around with some unknown beverage. You will at some point notice they are acting differently. You find yourself whisking them away before they make a scene. Now, you are isolated from everyone too.

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• Johnny Depp and alcoholism
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What makes some people become an addict?

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Addiction doesn't encroach on every life of every person, however, most people

know of at least one person either socially or in their own family that struggle with addiction of some kind. If you live in Orangeburg, SC and need help with addiction, see : William J. McCord Center for further help.

Common factors for addiction are listed here:

Genes: Genetics play a significant role: having parents with alcoholism, for instance, makes you four times more likely than other children to become alcoholics. More than 60 percent of alcoholics have family histories of alcoholism. There is a debate however, that genes may not play as big of a role as formerly believed. It has been argued that while most addicts do report having family members that were addicts, it is the environmental conditioning that had the key role in the future addiction of the child of an addict. A child that has been exposed to addiction repeatedly may be more accepting of the behavior and thus partake themselves. This same argument has been presented for obesity in children, citing that the child's continuous exposure to bad eating habits and unhealthy foods resulted in a lifetime of obesity. Whenever children are exposed to any repeated behavior they are very likely to continue it in their own adulthood. This goes for children that grow up to become smokers as well. This would also explain why children that grow up in a home filled with violence, ie: father abuses mother, will sometimes grow up and mimic the behavior in their own lives.
Mental illness: Many addicted people also suffer from mental health disorders, especially anxiety, depression or mood illnesses.
Early use of drugs: The earlier a person begins to use drugs the more likely they are to progress to more serious abuse.
Social environment: People who live, work or go to school in an environment in which the use of alcohol and other drugs is common - such as a workplace in which people see heavy drinking as an important way to bond with coworkers - are more likely to abuse drugs.
Childhood trauma: Scientists know that abuse or neglect of children, persistent conflict in the family, sexual abuse and other traumatic childhood experiences can shape a child's brain chemistry and subsequent vulnerability to addiction. There is a small percentage of addicts that do not fit into any of these molds, this addict may have just had a momentary lapse in judgement and decided to partake in a highly addictive drug. Drugs that are highly addictive have been known to cause addiction after just one use. These types of drugs are often considered the most damaging, lethal and hardest to overcome. For more information on addiction, see: The Addicted Family

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The effects of drug use on the family

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There is no easy way to describe the devastation and sense of loss that is felt by family members when they are faced with the addiction of a loved one. The predominant feeling that encompasses many families is a feeling of loss very similar experiencing a loved ones death. Except the dead are gone, and the addict is a living nightmare that causes a similar grief to the family and friends that are caught in their own hell.
The uphill challenges that many family members have to face is how to live a happy life with an addict in the family whether they get treatment or not. It is almost inconceivable to think of. Happiness with an addict in the family? How can I? They have taken possession of all of our emotions our lives? My happiness always is dependant on their happiness. They are miserable, I am miserable. In walks classic co-dependency.
This is why it is vital that families that have been affected by addiction find support services in their area to help them have the tools they will need to over come this co dependency, this emotional prison they are trapped in. Counselling services are available that will assist families in combating their addicts control, by giving them resources and guidelines to avoid enabling their addict, as well as finding interventionists that can assist with getting your loved one the help they desperately need.
The key thing to keep in mind is there is no better day than today. There is no ideal moment or time, it is now. Addiction will not be easier tomorrow than it is today. Freedom and happiness and the saving of your loved one's life is not on stand by, it must occur today.
If you live in South Carolina, visit South Carolina Intervention. You can also call at 1-877-728-1122.
If you need help in your state please visit:
National Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Information Center for help in your state. Or you may call 1-800-784-6776

Are you addicted to PCP?

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What is PCP?
Phencyclidine (a complex clip of the chemical name 1-(1-phenylcyclohexyl)piperidine, commonly initialized as PCP), also known as angel dust and myriad other street names, is a recreational, dissociative drug formerly used as an anesthetic agent, exhibiting hallucinogenic and neurotoxic effects. Phencyclidine (PCP) was developed in the 1950s as an intravenous anesthetic but, due to the side effects of confusion and delirium, its development for human medical use was discontinued.

What effect does it have once taken?
PCP works primarily as an NMDA receptor antagonist, which blocks the activity of the NMDA receptor and, like most antiglutamatergic hallucinogens, is significantly more dangerous than other categories of hallucinogens. Other NMDA receptor antagonists include ketamine, tiletamine, and dextromethorphan. Although the primary psychoactive effects of the drug lasts for a few hours, the total elimination rate from the body typically extends eight days or longer.

How is it taken?
As a recreational drug, PCP may be ingested, smoked, or snorted. Users tend to demonstrate symptoms that mimic schizophrenia such as delusions, hallucinations, paranoia and disordered thinking.

How it effects the user's health

PCP is addictive and its use often leads to psychological dependence, craving, and compulsive PCP-seeking behavior. Users of PCP report memory loss, difficulties with speech and learning, depression, and weight loss. These symptoms can persist up to a year after cessation of PCP use. PCP has sedative effects, and interactions with other central nervous system depressants, such as alcohol and benzodiazepines, can lead to coma or accidental overdose. Use of PCP among adolescents may interfere with hormones related to normal growth and development.  Many PCP users are brought to emergency rooms because of PCP's unpleasant psychological effects or because of overdoses. In a hospital or detention setting, they often become violent or suicidal, and are very dangerous to themselves and to others. They should be kept in a calm setting and should not be left alone.

How PCP can kill you
At high doses, blood pressure, pulse rate, and respiration drop. This may be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, blurred vision, flicking up and down of the eyes, drooling, loss of balance, and dizziness. PCP abusers are often brought to emergency rooms because of overdose or because of the drug’s severe untoward psychological effects. While intoxicated, PCP abusers may become violent or suicidal and are therefore dangerous to themselves and others. High doses of PCP can also cause seizures, coma, and death (though death more often results from accidental injury or suicide during PCP intoxication). Because PCP can also have sedative effects, interactions with other central nervous system depressants, such as alcohol and benzodiazepines, can also lead to coma.

Treatment for PCP Addiction

Recover from PCP Addiction Through Quality Treatment...
If you or someone you know needs treatment for PCP addiction, or for immediate assistance finding drug rehab centers that specialize in PCP addiction and treatment, please call Recovery Connection® now at 1-800-993-3869. Our caring counselors are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The call is completely confidential and toll-free, so don't wait - get help now!

Are Heroin and Cocaine in the same family?

Image via WikipediaHeroin is a depressant drug, with the chemical name, (diacetylmorphine), also known as diamorphine, is a semi-synthetic opioid drug synthesized from morphine, a derivative of the opium poppy. As with other opioids, diacetylmorphine is used as both an analgesic and a recreational drug. Frequent and regular administration is associated with tolerance and physical dependence, which may develop into addiction.

Cocaine is a stimulant drug, with the chemical name, (benzoylmethylecgonine) which  is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant.The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic. Specifically, it is a serotonin–norepinephrine–dopamine re-uptake inhibitor, which mediates functionality of these neurotransmitters as an exogenous catecholamine transporter ligand. Because of the way it affects the mesolimbic reward pathway, cocaine is addictive.

Drugs that are depressant in nature like Heroin, usually have a sedative type of effect, while drugs that are stimulants like Cocaine, cause rapid heartbeat, and hyperactivity. Both of these drugs are derived in part from natural plant sources, which just goes to show that just because something is "natural" does not mean it is safe. Some of the most deadly chemical compositions occur naturally.

Can smoking crack cocaine put you at risk for HIV

 
Image via Wikipedia Answer:
People who smoke crack cocaine are at increased risk of becoming infected with HIV and other diseases — a finding that highlights the need to adopt and to evaluate the use of safe inhalation rooms and safer crack kits, B.C. researchers say.  However there are NO safe crack kits because crack cocaine can be deadly from one hit.  Some of the reasons for this risk is the users impaired ability to rationally make safe decisions, as well as participating in risky behavior to obtain money for their habit, such as engaging in sexual conduct.

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Can you get Hepatitis from smoking crack cocaine?

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Answer:
Smoking crack can lead to open sores, burns or cuts on the lips, which can transfer blood to a crack pipe. If the pipe is shared, even a speck of infected blood can transmit hepatitis C. Sharing means anything like borrowing, lending, passing on, buying, selling, reusing, receiving or taking any equipment that was used by someone else. Some people do not identify risk with the word “sharing” or when reusing involves a close sexual partner (like a boyfriend or girlfriend).

Shocking mug shots reveal toll of addiction - Health - Addictions - msnbc.com

The Walking Dead
If you think that drugs have no impact on your body and life, these shocking photographs will show you just what happens as the addictions continue, I introduce to you, "the walking dead"....

Make sure to click on the half photos below the initial photograph on the page to see the next in the series.

Shocking mug shots reveal toll of addiction - Health - Addictions - msnbc.com

A&E's show "Intervention" airing March 7th

Image via WikipediaCable television's  award winning show "Intervention" will be airing March 7th at 9/8 pm central time.
The show will be visiting with the family of "Darick". Once a football player with a bright future, Darick dropped out of school to get married when his girlfriend got pregnant. Darick loved being a father, but when his marriage ended, Darick learned his daughter was not his biological child, and he was denied all contact with her. Devastated, Darick turned to drugs. Having already lost one family member to addiction, Darick's close-knit family is enabling his habit. They fear that if they don't, they'll bury Darick, too. This episode will air March 7th at 8 pm eastern time, and 12 am March 8th eastern time.

If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, A and E's Intervention show works with treatment and recovery centers throughout the United States and Canada. If you would like to seek help through the show, contact the show's producers here.

For ways you can make a change in peoples lives that are struggling with life's hardest lessons, see: A & E's Project Recovery to donate to a cause. For every pledge made, A & E will donate $1.00 to the charity of your choice. 

For additional  information, resources and support, visit The Addicted Family.

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Cocaine Statistics

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Cocaine Effects
Cocaine effects are extremely detrimental on the body and the consequences related to cocaine effects can eventually lead to permanent damage, addiction and death. While each person who uses this drug reacts to it differently, there are two distinct categories of cocaine effects: short-term effects and long-term effects. Even if a person has only used cocaine once, he/she can experience short-term cocaine effects. Long-term cocaine effects appear after increased periods of use and are dependent upon the duration of time and amount of cocaine that has been consumed.
 Cocaine Statistics

• 1 of 4 surveyed Americans  ranging in age between  26-34 years of age,  have  taken drugs.
• Minnesota Institute for Public Health and drug prevention resource center reports  that 5,000 adults in America take cocaine for the first time each day. (1985)
• Current statistics show  that  between 22-25 million people have  taken cocaine at least one time in their life. Various data reports indicate that there are more than two million cocaine-users in America today.
• In comparison with old estimates, a large amount of cocaine can still be subject to detection from 10 to 22 days after the use in the users system.
• Over half of all emergency room visits are cocaine related.
• Every year the number of cocaine addicts continues to grow. In 1975 the estimated  numbers were around  30,000.By 1986 it was estimated to be around 300,000 and to 361,000 in 2000.
• The percent of drug-users among  students over the past 5 years  increased from 2% in 1994 to 4.8% in 2000.
• 8.2% of  all  high school pupils surveyed in 2001 reported that they had taken cocaine.
• Men take cocaine twice as often as women take it.
• The amount of people, who have taken marijuana before using cocaine is 90%.
• About 300,000 babies were born in 1988 with cocaine in their systems.

Where to find help...

• Online Support Groups
• Treatment Centers

Continue reading on Examiner.com: Cocaine Statistics - National Addictions | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/addictions-in-national/cocaine-statistics#ixzz1DZw0wVFw

What is Heroin, and why it can kill you

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Heroin is a member of the opiate family. Since Heroin is derived from Morphine, once it enters into the users brain it is changed back into Morphine. Heroin is particularly lethal because of its ability to enter the brain more quickly than Morphine. Addicts prefer Heroin over Morphine for this reason alone. Heroin is often seen as a white powder, that is usually dissolved in saline and injected into the bloodstream. It is also smoked and snorted as well.
What Heroin does to you
Once Heroin has been introduced into the user's body, the abuser  experiences what is called a "rush". The intensity of this "rush" varies according to the amount of the drug used and how it is introduced into the body. The "rush" is described predominately as a warm flushing sensation of the skin, while extremities feel heavy or weighted down. There have been reports of vomiting, extreme nausea and even an itching sensation.
Heroin has a powerful effect on the users' nervous system. Mental functioning becomes severely impaired, breathing is greatly slowed to the point the user becomes unconscious and dies due to the cardiac functions Image via Wikipediabreaking down. Because it is difficult to know how pure the Heroin may be at the time of purchase, overdose is a constant threat to the user.
Treatment for Heroin addiction involves initially detoxification of the users body. Detoxification rids the body of the drug and once this occurs the patient adjusts to their body being drug free. This is the first short term treatment but the long term treatment is to use various methods, such as using drugs that block the effects of the Heroin and eliminates the withdrawal symptoms experienced by the user. Studies show the most effective treatment involving Heroin addiction is by using a combination of treatments, including pharmacological treatment with behavioral therapies.
Long term damages
Using Heroin over a long period of time will render the user not only an addict but also very unwell health wise. The user will have scarred and collapsed veins,cardiac infections, bacterial infections, abscesses, soft tissue infections, HIV, AIDS, Hepatitis C, and  Hepatitis B (sharing needles), liver disease, kidney disease, lung diseases like Tuberculosis and Pneumonia. Street Heroin poses additional risks as the additives found in street Heroin often clog blood vessels that have the ability to severely compromise lungs, heart, liver and brain.
If you or someone you know needs help or information, more can be found on addiction here:

The addict beside you

Image via WikipediaWhen we think of addicts, we tend to visualize some wino on the corner of a street with a brown paper bag in hand, muttering possibly to themselves. Maybe we see in our minds eye a homeless person desperately getting a fix in a back alley somewhere.

What about the addict that is sitting in your living room, watching television? The addict that you have known and loved for years? It is a different picture, but nonetheless, just as accurate as any other image your may have conjured up  in your mind.

Addicts in the family, are often in disguise and under the cloak of your own loving eyes. We tend not to recognize the problem until it is in full swing. We may notice odd things like weight loss, unusual breathing and snoring at night, or unexplained nervous behavior. We as family members or friends, we never make the assumption initially that this person is an addict. Could they be ill? Dying of some horrible disease like cancer? Why do they look so bad? Months may go by, as your concern grows. At some point you may even ask, "are you on drugs?". You are met with a look of disbelief, and a strong "no".

Knowing those ever so subtle symptoms early on is extremely crucial. Of course you could be wrong, however, better to err on the side of caution, then let too much time pass, and allow what may have been a mild problem flourish into a full blown addiction. Depending on the drug, this can happen quickly so time is always of the essence.

Look for these not so well known symptoms: Restlessness, and restless sleeping with disturbed breathing, glassy eyes and large pupils, sweating for no apparent reason, nervousness or paranoia, sleeping often, personality changes, inability to stay in any one area for any length of time, irritability, unreasonable, argumentative, disinterest in things they used to enjoy or care about,lack or concern for personal hygiene, and open sores on the skin or bad complexion, suddenly consuming alcohol on a regular basis, hiding or withdrawing from family,missing money, missed work.

If you know someone that is showing these signs or symptoms of substance abuse seek help immediately. Consult with your family doctor to discuss possible causes, strategies and treatment. Many family doctors know of additional resources and support that you may not have considered. You have to ask for the help first. Arm yourself for the battle if addiction is present. You are in the fight of your life. Gather all available information and get help today, tomorrow may never come. Please see:  Drug Treatment Addressed During National Drug Fact Week .

Held hostage by addiction

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When a friend or family member is battling addiction, the whole family becomes engulfed in the problem and in essence is held hostage. Trapped in the addicts world, you either succumb to their addiction by becoming an enabler, or you abandon the addict and withdraw waiting for that one phone call that says it is over.
Family members often become overwhelmed with feelings of guilt, shame, depression and a type of grief is experienced very similar to losing a loved one entirely. The addicts family often defines their happiness by the type of day the addict is having. This is a classic form of co-dependency.

Co-dependency as defined by Merriam Webster’s Dictionary is "a psychological condition or a relationship in which a person is controlled or manipulated by another who is affected with a pathological condition (as an addiction to alcohol or heroin); broadly : dependence on the needs of or control by another".

Breaking the hold that the addict has over the family is a difficult task. The addict is driven by the urges taking place bio chemically in his body and uses many forms of manipulation to continue to gain support for his lifestyle. It is not beyond an addict to use psychological abuse, guilt, blame and threats to get their family and friends to succumb to their wishes. This is why so often the family is unsuccessful at "curing" or helping an addict on their own.

Finding help for an addict requires doing the one thing that probably many families have tried to avoid. Admitting to someone outside the family that there is a problem. Many families hide and protect the addict and their addiction and go to great lengths to keep it a closely guarded secret. There are many ways to discreetly find help and one resource is online. There are many support groups, and information on the particular addiction you are dealing with. For great resources and help, please visit: Guide for Living.

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Famous Addicts

If you think you are alone in your fight with addiction you are very much mistaken. In fact the only thing that makes you unique and different in this point and time today is the fact that you are still alive. Addiction takes everyone down to their knees and this partial list of famous addicts is proof that you are headed down a one way track, and like these celebs found out, you may never come back.

Download:

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Download:

FLVMP43GP

Celebrity! Confessions of a Celebrity Addict 

Celebrity Addict (add name of favourite celebrity)Mug

The Harder They Fall: Celebrities Tell Their Real-Life Stories of Addiction and Recovery 

Celebrity Addict (add name of favourite celebrity) Keychain 

Reefer Madness: A History of MarijuanaAddicts - Face Tapestry 

 

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There is light at the end of the tunnel for addiction

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To those here seeking support. There is hope.  I know that sounds simple, perhaps too simple, and I wouldn't even utter these words if I did not know for a fact that this is true. There is light at the end of the tunnel.

My loved one was addicted to two separate things, alcoholism, and crack. Lovely combination, right? The alcoholism, existed to my knowledge beyond 20 years. The crack came much later. However, it is important to note that one is a red flag of the other. How so? The disease is an equal opportunity employer. The same mentality that makes a soul succumb to alcohol, will also make this person succumb to any addictive, mood altering, chemical and/or behavior.

 This doesn't mean that every alcoholic becomes a drug addict, nor every addict an alcoholic..what it does mean is the likelihood of this becoming a multi-level addiction is there, and the condition is transferable, all encompassing. You will notice many are addicted to a lot of substances and behavior, including but not limited to sex, cigarettes, & gambling-any form of gambling, whether it is casino style, placing bets of any kind on a regular basis even to the detriment of their financial stability, and also buying compulsively-lottery tickets.

So you may feel you are up against a true legion of sorts. You are, but hopeless? No. As of today, my addicted loved one is clean and sober for over three years. How long were they in treatment? All of ten days! Yes, now am I not by any means saying ten days is all it takes? No. Everyone is different. These results may not be typical, but my reason for mentioning it is simply to let you know, there is hope, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Don't you dare give up. I will say this, if Mohamed won't come to the mountain, the mountain must be brought to him.

• Tips on getting through to an addicted loved one
• When your love isn't enough, how to deal with an addict
• Intervention episode tonight : Richard
• What makes some people become an addict?
• Top 5 most dangerous drugs
• Harry Potter star opens up about alcoholism