Coping Responsibly with Addiction. Do You Get It?

By Denny Soinski

Preventing and Coping with Problems

While preventing a problem before it happens is usually "better" than facing the problem, typically it also involves a different level of complexity. Let me explain. Preventing genital herpes or AIDS, for instance, is obviously "better" AND far easier to deal with than curing these diseases. In fact, given our current medical knowledge, both genital herpes and AIDS are without cure. As another example, consider unwanted pregnancy. Again, unwanted pregnancy is far easier to prevent and usually less difficult to cope with than an abortion or bringing an unwanted child into the world. As a final example, think about the people who have lost their driver's license for six months due to the fact that they got caught driving with marijuana in their vehicle. Certainly, preventing this situation from ever happening is significantly easier and far less problematic than the reality of losing one's driving privileges for six months.

The Significance of the Problem Also Matters

Preventing and solving one's problems, however, also involves another consideration. To be specific, the more significant the problem, the wider the gap between prevention and dealing with the consequences of the problem. To better understand this point, let's consider two people, Mary, who has cut herself while cleaning some gardening tools and Jeff, who has terminal, sexually-transmitted AIDS. On the one hand, it is reasonable to conclude that Mary could have prevented herself from getting cut had she worn the appropriate gloves while cleaning her tools. On the other hand, it is also plausible to assert that Jeff could have prevented himself from getting terminal AIDS had he worn the appropriate protection during sex. While both examples involve failure to wear proper protection, it goes without saying that facing a terminal illness is far more difficult to cope with than facing a cut that will heal itself in a few days.

Responsible and Irresponsible Problem Solving

Once a person has failed to prevent a problem from happening, however, it is important to ask what the person is planning to do about the situation. In most, if not all, circumstances, there are responsible and irresponsible ways of dealing with and solving one's problems. Considering the examples outlined above, there are responsible AND irresponsible ways of dealing with genital herpes, AIDS, bringing an unwanted child into the world, considering an abortion, cutting oneself while cleaning some tools, and dealing with losing one's driving privileges due to possession of marijuana while driving.

In a similar manner, people who have become addicted to drugs, alcohol, porn, or to the Internet, for instance, certainly would be in a more favorable position in life had they been able to prevent their addiction. Once they ARE addicted, however, it is important to ask what they are going to do about their addictio n.

Seeking Treatment for Addiction

According to an article entitled "What Makes An Addict Seek Treatment?," researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) discovered some important information regarding addiction and treatment. According to the UAB researchers, people are more likely to seek treatment for their addiction if they can identify or observe major consequences that are caused by or associated with their illness or disease. In the words of one researcher, "It's how much a person believes the drug or alcohol has affected their life and relationships that spurs them toward treatment."

Conclusion

While I don't want to be over simplistic about the significance of the findings by the UAB researchers, I am going to break this down to something that most people will either understand or fail to comprehend. Some people base their lives and their interactions on reality while others do all they can to avoid letting the facts get in the way. Some people face their problems responsibly while others do not. Some people listen to their bodies while others are out of sync with and tune out this information. In a word, some people have a sense of responsibility to others and to themselves while others act irresponsibly in almost every facet of their lives. In most instances, addicts who "get it" will seek treatment while those who "don't get it," won't. Do you "get it"?

Copyright 2007 - Denny Soinski. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Reprint Rights: You may reprint this article as long as you leave all of the links active, do not edit the article in any way, and give the author credit.

Denny Soinski, Ph.D, writes about alcohol abuse, alcohol addiction, alcohol testing, alcoholism, alcohol recovery, alcohol treatment, and alcohol rehab. For more information, please visit http://www.About-Alcoholism-Info.com right away!

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A new tool to help you recover from pain pill addiction: Are you addicted?

By Jeffrey Junig

Are you addicted to pain pills? You certainly have
company. The cycle of use, dependence, and use is playing out, over and over,
in every community across the country. Note that I describe the cycle as use,
dependence, use' a description that is accurate, because in most cases the
cycle of dependence starts when you appropriately use medication administered by
a person who you trust your physician.



Pain pills are often called narcotics'--a term that comes
from the Greek word narcosis', or sleep' because of their sedative effects.
Physicians use the word narcotic' to refer to different things in different
situations. For example, when referring to controlled substances, narcotics'
may be used to denote drugs regulated by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
An anesthesiologist uses narcotic' to refer to the portion of the anesthetic
that is comprised of drugs that bind to brain opiate receptors'. Opiate' is
anoth er word used by physicians in reference to pain pills. The word comes
from opium', a substance derived from poppies and used to make heroin and
morphine. The opiate' reference is also used for synthetic pain medications
that have no connection to poppies or opium save their pain-killing effects.



Most people have heard of endorphins'. Endorphins are
produced in the human body, and when released, block pain. Endorphins are
often referred to as endogenous opiates' because of their role in pain
sensation, even though they have no relation to poppies or opium, and are
structurally quite dissimilar. These natural pain relievers have other
functions in the body, roles not relevant to this discussion. Endorphins are
one group out of dozens of neurotransmitters', substances involved in the
communication between nerve cells. Endorphins and other neurotransmitters act at
receptors', the receptor being a lock on a nerve cell, and the
neurotransmitter being the key that fits in the lock. Amazingly, poppies
produce a substance that looks different from the natural key, but that acts
like endorphins by fitting the exact same keyhole. That substance one molecule
from the sap of a red flower has given the human species the ability to ease suffering
in countless individuals, and has resulted in the deaths of millions of others.



Over the years scientists have developed synthetic opiates'
with potencies far beyond anything produced by nature. Anesthesiologists use
sufentanil' reduce responses to pain during surgery. Sufentanil is extremely
potent; an amount the size of one grain of salt, say one tenth of one
milligram, placed on the tongue would cause respiratory arrest in a large man
within seconds. More commonly opiates are taken by patients in the form of
codeine, hydrocodone (Vicodin), oxycodone (Oxycontin), or hydromorphone
(Dilaudid). Prescriptions for these substances are handed out to millions of
people each day in response to complaints of pain.



Opiates relieve pain, and work in different areas of the
brain to elevate mood, ease tension, give a subjective sensation of warmth, and
cause sedation. They can cause nausea and vomiting, particularly in patients
who are nai"ve to them. Finally, they change the response of the brain to low
oxygen and high carbon dioxide in the blood, and slow respiration. The most
common cause of fatal overdose is respiratory arrest, where the brain stops
sending impulses to the diaphragm, and the patient suffocates. This fatal
response is most common during sleep, or when opiates are taken in combination
with other sedative medications.



Opiates are addictive. There is no way to take them without
the body adapting and becoming dependent on them. Tolerance' to pain medication
begins after the first dose, when the locks' on nerve c ells adjust in response
to all of the keys' floating around. With time it takes more and more keys to
open enough locks to cause the reaction at the nerve cell. Tolerance is one
half of the process of addiction, and is the reason for withdrawal', the
sickness that occurs when tolerance has developed and the drugs, or keys, are
taken away. The other half of addiction is so-called psychological', which I
suppose is accurate to a point. For some reason, once something is assigned to
the psychological category, it is treated differently by physicians, patients,
and the rest of society. Psychological' does not imply that a person has more
control than with a physical' condition if anything, things occurring on a
psychological level are far more difficult to recognize and treat than are
physical conditions. The psychological addiction to opiates also develops very
rapidly, and there is little if anything that can be done to prevent it.
Psychological addiction is real, and is extremely powerful. The result is a
desire to take opiates. The desire may take the form of physical symptoms,
such as an increase in pain, and so psychological addiction and physical
addictions are intimately connected.



To health systems, time is money. Patient complaints are
handled as quickly (and sometimes as superficially) as possible. When a person
presents in pain, the first determination is whether the pain is a serious
threat to health. The second determination is whether enough tests have been
done to identify the cause of the pain. If the first answer is no and the
second answer is yes, the goal is to clear out the room for the next patient.
There is a clock on the wall and a patient list in the hall, and the list has
to be clear before the docs and nurses go home. And so there is the
doctor patients waiting in six rooms, more in the waiting area, and a person in
the room c omplaining of something that isn't going to kill him/her. And in the
doc's pocket lies a pad of paper. Amazingly, all that the doctor has to do to
clear the room is write on the pad and wish the patient well.



That is how addiction starts. Everyone intends well;
everyone is honest; everyone is innocent. The patient is not told much about
addiction. The patient isn't told that within a few days, he will have some
difficulty stopping the medicine. He isn't told that after a week when he stops
the medicine he will have some diarrhea, he won't be able to sleep, and he will
feel depressed. He isn't told that the pain that he has might not go away, and
so he may get more potent medicine, and so on, and that it will get harder and
harder to stop as the medicine gets stronger. I don't know if the lack of
information really matters; most patients would likely take the pain relief
medicine now, and worry about the rest later. Besides, the doctor doesn't seem
too concerned+and the patient is correct. The doctor isn't concerned, because this
was a quick case that got him nearly caught up to schedule.



Unfortunately, there are pains that do not go away, even as
we patients demand relief. Doctors hate to feel impotent with patients--it is difficult
to take a person's money, and then tell him that there is nothing that can be
done. And so prescriptions are written, even when the problem may be
complicated, and the best advice to the patient would be learn to live with
it'. This phrase angers patients with pain, but sounds intelligent to patients
who have struggled to get off opiates. But usually, the person with pain walks
out with a prescription. As tolerance develops, the pain comes back, and the
patient goes to the doctor again, this time leaving with stronger medication.
Tolerance continues, meds are changed, and tolerance develops again. The
doctor gets ner vous over the situation, realizing that at some point he will
not have anything stronger. Suddenly calls to the doctor are not returned, or
are returned by a curt nurse who sounds like the patient's mother. The patient
realizes that he is stuck, and becomes depressed. Sound familiar?



It is not your fault. I know about this stuff inside and
out I earned my PhD in Neurochemistry at the Center for Brain Research in Rochester New York, studying drugs that cause addiction and tolerance. I administered opiate
medications every day as an anesthesiologist. I literally know everything that
there is to know about opiates+expect how to stop taking them. I thought I was
smart enough to avoid addiction, but I was wrong laughably wrong and the
outcome nearly killed me. It is not your fault. To get better, you will need
to understand the meaning and truth of that statement. That is difficult for
some, but possible for everyone.



My next installment has better news. You can become free. You
don't need to leave your family to go to a far-away rehab center, and you don't
need to go through painful detox and withdrawal. Watch for my next
installment, or visit me at my address below. There is a new development in
treating people dependent on pain pills, a development that will revolutionize
the way that doctors treat addiction.

Jeffrey Junig has worked as a neuroscientist and as an anesthesiologist, and is a psychiatrist in solo practice. Additional information can be found at http://wisconsinopiates.com, the web site of his chronic pain and addiction practice, Wisconsin Opiate Management Center. He is available for consultations or presentations through Explain Medical Consulting at http://explainmedical.com,

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Health Hazards of Smoking

By Mason Parkers

Health is the most precious thing a person can have. But we start to value something only when it is lost. When in old age you feel ache of bones and the whole body, regrets about the damage you've made to own health in youth come to light of your mind.

Before the age of 35-40 smokers pay no attention on the harm they do to their body. Young vigorous constitution easily deals with another incoming portion of cigarette smoke, dangerous tar and nicotine, but passing ages give us no new strength. In addition, nicotine and attendant poisons, in time, multiply their concentration, that makes the work of our body more difficult.

This article is a warning to everyone who is still smoking. Stop it! It has to be done today, because tomorrow+ what is going to be tomorrow?

Researches, performed in USA, showed that 25% of smokers had never lived so long to celebrate their 70's birthday, because of nicotine's influence. In highly developed countries smoking causes death of more people, then alcohol, drugs and suicides altogether.

It is said, that two packs of cigarettes contain lethal dose of nicotine. However smokers never receive this dose at once, it is divided into portions, and the fatal effect stays unnoticed. People die not of the nicotine itself, but of the diseases, arising from its influence. Smoking in its cruelty is close to AIDS, they both open the doors of the organism to many diseases.

First of all tobacco smoke attacks the oral cavity. The dental enamel is getting worse, oral mucosa is irritated, activity of salvia glands gets low, bringing down the protective function of salvia, and in addition the bad breath appears. Besides, the cases of lip cancer are not a rarity now. It takes place when smoker holds the cigarette in his teeth, instead of using hands.

Then smoke goes through bronchus, causing their spasm. That leads to breathlessness, and hyper secretion of protective mucus in bronchus. Its mi ssion is cleaning of the incoming air and protecting pulmonary tissue from pathological microorganisms, but the superfluity of protective substance will not improve the cleaning process; on the contrary, it can be stopped at all.

This is the stage, where your body loses another protective barrier.

Smoking decreases the inflow of fresh air. In addition blood hemoglobin connects with carbon of tobacco smoke, and can no longer transport oxygen. Hypooxygenemia develops, causing harm to all systems of vital importance, especially to cardiovascular system.

When smoking, the spasm of the blood vessels happens, this leads to increase of blood pressure. This condition multiplies the load on the heart. As a result, people, who are not giving up smoking raise their risk of a heart attack by 8 times.

Smoking increases the production of stomach juice. Such a run free work leads to ulcer and gastritis.

And in the end - awful statistics: only one cigarett e a day makes you 7 steps closer to cancer. Smoking more then one pack a day a person makes this distance twice shorter.

What will happen to your organism if you stop smoking?

At the beginning, your body will experience stress - dizziness, vomiting and total weakness will be a hard test for you, but in a month things will get better. You will notice your breathing to be easier, memory and muscle tone to come back to norm, the color of your skin and teeth will surpass all expectations. In six months bronchus and the pulmonary tissue will be cleaned from heavy pitches and tobacco dust. In a year the cardiovascular system will be restored. Five years of nonsmoking will totally erase all signs of this bad habit.

Everything that was told is possible only if your diseases are not chronicle yet, if it is so, then smoking cessation is the first thing you should do.

Remember - it's never late to stop smoking!

Stop-Smoke.org website is a seller of Nicocure - effective quit smoking herbal remedy. You are allowed to distribute this article with an active hyperlink to http://www.stop-smoke.org/ only.

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The Effects of Smoking and Drinking On Mental Proficiency

By Denny Soinski

Smoking Can Prime the Brain for Later Addiction



An article entitled “Adolescent Smokers Have A Greater Risk Of Developing Alcohol-use Disorders Than Nonsmokers” by Richard A. Grucza, and Kevin W. Chen revealed research findings that are problematic at best. Perhaps the most disturbing was this: research suggests that smoking “primes” the brain for later addiction to alcohol and perhaps other drugs. When added to the following statistic, this information is very disconcerting: alcohol and smoking, when considered independently or in combination, account for more than 20 percent of the annual fatalities in the United States.



Alcohol-Use Disorders



It is common knowledge that many people started smoking and drinking when they were teenagers. According to research findings, moreover, smokers, especially adolescent smokers, unmistakably have a greater susceptibility to alcohol-use disorders (AUDs) than do non-smokers. Therefore, the earlier a person starts to smoke, the more vulnerable he or she may be to subsequent alcohol abuse, alcoholism, alcohol intoxication, and alcohol withdrawal.



Can Teens Quit Smoking Anytime They Choose?



Approximately 25 years ago I had a job as a child-care worker and worked with emotionally handicapped teens. I remember some of the older patients who were allowed to smoke tell me that they could quit smoking anytime they made up their mind to do so. My response to them, even then, was that this may in fact be true, but the longer they smoke the stronger the habit will become. At some point, moreover, the habit will be so compelling that quitting smoking will be extremely difficult. The point: many teenagers who start smoking see this as “no big deal.” Based on the current research, however, they couldn’t be more incorrect.



A Blueprint for Disease and Devastation



If smoking does in fact “prime” the brain for addiction to alcohol and potentially other drugs later in life, what are the consequences? Basically this: teens who smoke, no matter how “innocent” the intent, may be inadvertently constructing and following a blueprint that leads to the misery, broken relationships, financial ruin, psychological problems, and the physical diseases that are characteristic of long-tern drug and alcohol abuse.



Fifty to Eighty Percent of Alcoholics Smoke



According to another article entitled “Long-term Tobacco Use Associated With Dulled Thinking And Lower IQ, Study Finds,” researchers at the University of Michigan found that both smoking and alcoholism result in diminished thinking ability. The Michigan researchers also discovered that 50 to 80% of alcoholics smoke. If 50 to 80 percent of alcoholics smoke, and both smoking and alcoholism negatively impact the brain's higher functions, then most alcoholics are doing a double whammy on their mental proficiency. Pardon the pun, but this is a sobering thought, especially when teens and young adults are the ones who are doing the smoking and the drinking.



Conclusion



Let us keep in mind that for all intents and purposes every addict starts out as an occasional user who has made an intentional and conscious decision to involve himself or herself with a specific substance or activity. As time goes by and as the person continues to partake of the substance or activity, however, the person makes a transition from being a voluntary to a compulsive user. As a result, and in conjunction with the findings from the two studies outlined above, people, especially our youth, need to be educated and made aware of the risks and devastation than can result from smoking, alcohol abuse, and from alcoholism.



Copyright 2007 - Denny Soinski. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Reprint Rights: You may reprint this article as long as you leave all of the links active, do not edit the article in any way, and give the author credit.

Denny Soinski, Ph.D, writes about alcohol abuse, alcohol addiction, alcohol testing, alcoholism, alcohol recovery, alcohol treatment, and alcohol rehab. For more information, please visit http://www.About-Alcoholics-Anonymous.com right away!

Article Source: http://www.free-articles-zone.com

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