Actor/Comedian Russell Brand speaks to British Government on drug addiction

Russell Brand (Image via RottenTomatoes.com)

While many celebrities battle addiction with a public sometimes only hearing about their problem after they are deceased, some like Russell Brand do come forward and share their insights. Tuesday,
Russell Brand told the British government his thoughts and feelings on addiction. As a former heroin addict that has been arrested numerous times, Brand stated that addiction should not be treated as a criminal issue but as an illness.

Citing psychological, spiritual and emotional problems as the cause for his own addiction, Brand pressed the issue that once a person is an addict the “status” of the drug is irrelevant to the user and that the only real help is “abstinence-based treatments” for addicts. "If you have the illness or disease of addiction or alcoholism, the best way to tackle it is not use drugs in any form whether it's state-sponsored opus like methadone or illegal street drugs," Brand said.

Whether you're a fan of Russell Brand or not it is very hard to argue the logic behind his words and the fact that he is stepping forward to try and effect positive change for addiction is always a good and needed thing. 

Celebrities are not obliged to come forward and tell their story, nor are they obliged to go to the government on their own time to help with the problem of addiction. When they use their celebrity status in a positive way, we as a society should always be happy to listen, Kudos to Mr. Brand. We appreciate your coming forward and sharing your personal stories and insights. Those who have been addicted are the best ones to help find the answers. Their perspective is a true one based on experience, and their on going efforts to be sober are an inspiration to those hoping to one day, be on that side of the fence again..living sober.

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Crystal Meth Addiction

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This article is to provide information for those using or considering using the drug Crystal Meth. Methamphetamine is a powerful central nervous system stimulant. The drug works directly on the brain and spinal cord by interfering with normal neuro transmission. Neurotransmitters are chemical substances naturally produced within nerve cells used to communicate with each other and send messages to influence and regulate our thinking and all other systems throughout the body.

Problems that arise from the use of Crystal Meth include:

1. Paranoia
2. Anxiety
3. Confusion
4. Hallucinations
5. Insomnia & Violent behavior.
   
   Psychotic symptoms may last for months, or possibly years, after someone has stopped using the drug! Overuse of the drug can bring on short term memory loss, wild rages and drastic mood swings, as well as the obvious damage to the immune system.
   
   Users who inject the drug potentially expose themselves to HIV, hepatitis B and C and other viruses that pass through the blood from an infected needle.

Other issues that can arise from repeated injections of crystal meth include:

1. Infections of the heart lining and valves
2. Scarred or collapsed veins
3. Abscesses
4. Pneumonia
5. Tuberculosis
6. Liver disease
7. Kidney disease
8. Death

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Questions from our readers: How many rocks of crack cocaine do addicts usually smoke?

Answer: They will smoke as many rocks of crack as they can get. I know this seems a simple answer but an addict is not defined as one that can control their urges, but just the opposite. So if crack addicts has one rock or 10 he will smoke them all. If the addict smokes a rock, and knows he has more he will continue until there is none left. This is the addiction.

Questions on Crack Cocaine

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Crack Cocaine addict has reached epic proportions all over the world. If you live in Orangeburg, or any county in this state, the South Carolina Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services (Click Here) is responsible for general health and addiction services in this state, and may also have information on problem gambling. 

 

1. How often do crack addicts smoke crack?

Crack addicts will smoke crack as often as they can. That may seem like an over simplified answer, but it is the truth. As long as an addict has crack he/she will smoke it until there is no more left. So the real answer is, every time they have crack they will smoke it. If they have the means to purchase it every hour they will smoke it every hour, if they have the means to obtain it every day, they will smoke it every day. As long as they have it in their possession, they will continue to smoke all of it. There is no "saving some for later" with a full blown addict of crack. 

2. Do people who smoke crack have abnormal personalities?

That is a difficult question to answer, if you mean does their personality become abnormal as a result of using crack, then the answer is, yes. Crack does have the capacity to take any person and literally convert them into a stranger, even to those who have known and loved the addict their whole life. Because the addict is now driven day and night by an urge he/she can no longer control, their mind is incapable of staying stable and rational. They may become severely agitated, paranoid and violent towards anyone, including their own loved ones and friends. If you mean do people with abnormal personalities smoke crack to begin with, well, crack has infiltrated families and taken hostage many a "normal" person. However, that being said, there are certain predispositions that experts claim are hereditary that makes a person more prone to become an addicted person. It has been argued that it isn't a genetic factor as much as it is an environmental conditioning of the addict that causes them to be prone to become addicted. The environmental conditioning argument suggests that the addict has perhaps grown up seeing substance abuse within the family, and because this is a familiar behavior to them they do not see it as the problem it is. This same argument has been made with childhood obesity, its the familiar behavior that the child mimics, over eating, and regular fast food meals is a behavior, not a disease, with overweight being the symptom of the behavior. The same is said for the addict, they grew up seeing substance abuse, and the behavior is mimicked. This type of environmental pre-conditioning occurs all over the world and also is at fault for domestic abuse as well.

3.  Can smoking crack cocaine put you at risk for HIV ?

People who smoke crack cocaine are at increased risk of becoming infected       with HIV — 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. 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.      

4. Is constipation a side effect of Cocaine?

Yes, constipation is a side effect of Cocaine use. Not only does it cause constipation, it causes intestinal damage, nerve damage, seizures, hallucinations, increased heart rate, blood pressure, constricted blood vessels, paranoia, insomnia, violent behavior that is extreme enough to cause an addict to kill, and death.

Can using Heroin once cause addiction?

Image via WikipediaAnswer: Yes, Heroin is highly addictive and powerful and can be addictive after just one use. Add to that the fact that there are certain people that are predisposed to addiction to begin with and you will most assured become addicted to Heroin. If you have family members that are addicts or alcoholics there is a very good chance you could be predisposed to becoming an addict as well. It doesn't matter what type of addiction it is, if it is prevalent in your family your odds of becoming an addict to any addictive substances is higher.

Also  Read:

Can using Heroin once kill you?

Top 5 addiction questions answered

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1. Has Heroin caused more deaths than auto accidents?

Answer:  Well that depends on how this question was intended, if  you mean do more people die from automobile accidents than Heroin, the answer is probably yes. However, to put this into proper perspective first consider this, a greater majority of the population drive cars, so the odds of there being more deaths due to automobile accidents would naturally be higher especially if you take into account also that it is rare that there are ever just one vehicle involved in vehicular accidents resulting in death. However, if there were the same number of Heroin users as there are car drivers, those numbers would probably sky rocket. That doesn't even factor in how many vehicular accidents that may have occurred from someone being high on Heroin.

2. Can using Heroin once kill you?
Answer:  Yes it can, especially if you overdose, which is not uncommon. Heroin can also cause a number of other health/side effects that can have a fatal attack on your system.
For instance, some people have underlying hidden heart problems they are unaware of that using Heroin, even once could cause death.

3. How can you get an addict help if they refuse?
Answer:  If you can not get an addict to accept help, The one thing you can do is refuse to enable their addiction any longer. This means cutting them off financially. No more rides, no more money, zip - zilch. If you find this particular action too hard to do, then you would need to get support for yourself so that you can learn to cut the ties of co dependency. There are various support groups that are specifically formed to deal with the family members of those who are addicted. They offer guidance, and support to help family members make the best decisions and start living for themselves again, whether the addict in their life is there or not. You can not always save an addict, but at some point  you certainly need to save yourself from the grip  they have on your life.

4. Can smoking crack cocaine put you at risk for HIV?
Answer:  People who smoke crack cocaine are at increased risk of becoming infected with HIV — 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.  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.

5. Can you get Hepatitis from smoking crack cocaine?

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).

If you have questions, and need answers visit: The Addicted Family, a website devoted to supportive information and help for addicts and their loved ones.

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).

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