Dangerous Prescription Stimulants
By Stacy Barnes | February 15, 2011
Prescription substance abuse in the United States is all too common. Two commonly abused prescription stimulants are Adderall and Ritalin, which are typically used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Unfortunately, millions of individuals are addicted to these prescription drugs, and the consequences are severe. Fortunately, treatment is available for these individuals at Florida drug rehabs. At these facilities, individuals can seek the help they need to restore their lives.
Unfortunately, there are numerous reasons as to why people abuse prescription stimulants, particularly Adderall and Ritalin. For example, some individuals use them to stay awake for extended periods of time, while others use them to improve focus, lose weight or to experience a high from the drug. Abuse of these drugs can lead to an array of unpleasant side effects; some of these effects include fevers and headache; feelings of anxiety; malnutrition; irregular heartbeat, leading to heart attack or stroke; extremely high core body temperature; and seizures, tremors and muscle twitching. However, some face the worst effect of prescription stimulant abuse, addiction.
Individuals develop an addiction to these drugs for a number of reasons. One of the most prevalent is in regards to the most common way to abuse the drugs. Oftentimes, those who are taking Adderall or Ritalin without a prescription will crush the pills and snort them; others also crush the pill, mix it with water, and inject the mixture intravenously. These methods are not proper modes of administration and both can lead to addiction. Also, larger doses are often taken by those who abuse these drugs. Addiction to a prescription stimulant is recognized by many of the same characteristics as any other drug addiction. For example, individuals facing addiction to Adderall or Ritalin will be able to tolerate the drug because of their repeated use; this leads to an individual needing more of the drug to try to achieve the same high that they experienced when they first took the drug, although researchers have indicated that this is impossible. Additionally, individuals will begin to crave the drug and obtaining and taking the drug will begin to command their lives and their actions. Another characteristic of addiction to prescription stimulants is that individuals will experience withdrawal symptoms when the drug is absent from their body; these symptoms may include panic attacks, extreme hunger, crankiness, nightmares, fatigue and depression. Overall, addiction can easily develop and can lead an individual down a frightening, damaging path.
Ritalin and Adderall are two commonly abused prescription stimulants; abuse of them, like previously mentioned, often leads to addiction. For instance, Adderall, like illicit stimulants, works by stimulating the central nervous system; this stimulation leads to alterations in an individual’s body. When taken without a prescription, or when taken improperly, Adderall abuse often leads to addiction. Short term effects of this addiction include hives and swelling of the throat, tongue, lips or face; a racing heartbeat; increase in blood pressure; sleeplessness; headache; dizziness; dry mouth; weight loss; and decreased sex drive. These physical effects are harmful; however, the long term effects of Adderall addiction are even more frightening, including many psychological effects. For example, long term effects of addiction to Adderall include hallucinations, aggression, changes in personality, depression, delusions, profuse sweating, vomiting, dehydration, muscle twitching or spasms, lower abdominal pain and kidney damage, as well as psychosis. Overall, abuse of Adderall can easily lead to addiction and addiction, as has been shown, can have life-altering, and sometimes fatal, effects on the body. Fortunately, individuals facing this addiction can seek help to restore their lives at a drug rehab center.
Another dangerous prescription stimulant that is all too often abused is Ritalin. Like Adderall, Ritalin is also used to treat ADHD, as well as narcolepsy. Ritalin works by disrupting the neurotransmitters in the brain. These neurotransmitters are responsible for controlling action and behavior, and a disruption in their activity causes them to collect, unable to be re-absorbed. Proponents of Ritalin suggest that, with an accumulation of the neurotransmitters, an individual suffering from ADHD can begin to experience increased focus due to the accumulation of the neurotransmitters. The effects on the entire body are obviously extreme; with substance abuse of this drug, however, the effects heighten and can often lead to addiction.
The effects of Ritalin abuse and addiction are numerous. For example, short term effects of Ritalin abuse include increases in heart rate, blood pressure and respiration; sleeplessness; headache; dizziness; dry mouth; and weight loss. These effects are obviously detrimental to an individual’s health and well-being; however, with repeated use and abuse (i.e., taking large amounts of the drug, injecting the drug, smoking the drug or snorting the drug), a drug addiction can develop and long term effects will arise. For example, some long term effects of Ritalin abuse include an irregular heartbeat, leading to strokes or heart attacks; a dangerously high body temperature; kidney failure; and the potential for complete heart failure or seizures. Additionally, some individuals will experience long term psychological effects, which include extreme hostility, paranoia and psychosis. Ritalin addiction, as has been shown, can change an individual, physically, mentally and emotionally.
Abuse and addiction to any drug can be harmful. However, abuse and addiction of prescription stimulant drugs, especially Ritalin and Adderall, can greatly impact an individual’s life. Fortunately, drug rehab is available for these individuals and at a professional drug rehab center, an individual can begin rehabilitation and restore their lives, health and well-being.
Topics: Florida Drug Rehab, Substance Abuse, prescription drugs | Comments Off
Most Dangerous Illegal Depressants
By Stacy Barnes | February 14, 2011
There are many dangerous illegal depressants available to individuals. Among the most dangerous of these drugs are heroin and barbiturates. Easily addictive, these drugs provide a long list of devastating short term and long term effects. Fortunately, for those who suffer from the disease of addiction, help is available at various drug rehab centers.
Heroin is easily one of the most dangerous illegal depressants and is widely available to many. Derived from morphine, heroin is a depressant that affects the brain’s pleasure systems and interferes with the brain’s ability to perceive pain. There are several ways to administer heroin, each with varying effects on the body; the most common routes of administration include intravenous use, smoking, or snorting. Despite the route of administration, though, substance abuse of this powerful depressant can have damaging effects on the body.
The effects of heroin are numerous and potentially fatal. The short term effects of heroin last for hours; some of these effects include dry mouth, heavy extremities, clouded mental functioning, slow gait, constricted pupils, as well as impaired vision, vomiting, and slowed speech. While these short term effects are frightening on their own, the long term effects of repeated use are even more severe. With repeated use, drug addiction to heroin can easily develop; addiction to heroin, and any other drug, is characterized by a high tolerance for the drug, which requires more of the drug to be taken, a craving for the drug, and withdrawal symptoms when the body is void of the drug; these withdrawal symptoms include sweating, chills, nausea, vomiting, and anxiety or depression. With continued use of heroin, the brain’s molecular structure is altered, making the addiction stronger and harder to overcome. Despite this, though, the drug addiction can be overcome with the help of professionals at a drug rehab center.
A drug addiction to heroin can cause devastating effects. Due to the repeated use of heroin, many individuals develop physical and mental effects that can drastically change their bodies and minds. For example, some long term effects of repeated heroin use include collapsed veins from intravenous use, infection of the heart lining, abscesses, liver disease, as well as a clogging of the blood vessels that leads to the lungs, liver, kidney, or brain. Any and all of these long term effects can potentially ruin an individual’s life or ultimately, end their life. These long term effects of heroin addiction to heroin cannot be ignored and must be recognized as devastating to not only the drug-addicted individual, but also to their loved ones.
Barbiturate abuse, like heroin abuse, can lead to an array of life-altering problems. Initially, barbiturates were a legal drug that was administered by physicians; in the 1970s, though, barbiturates began to be replaced by a safer drug and the majority of barbiturate use became illegal. Similarly to heroin, when barbiturates enter the system, they begin to affect the brain’s pleasure system as well as the body’s overall ability to respond to pain. Most often taken in pill form, barbiturates can also be injected intravenously into the veins or muscles, which allows for a quickly felt high.
The effects of barbiturate abuse are numerous and potentially fatal. For example, some short term effects of barbiturate abuse include an altered level of consciousness, difficulty in thinking coherently, as well as drowsiness, lack of coordination, shallow breathing, slurred speech, and a slowed heart rate, as well as a decline in core body temperature and blood pressure. These short term effects alone can be devastating. However, with continued abuse of barbiturates, the most harmful effect may develop, addiction.
Addiction to barbiturates can be characterized by an increased tolerance for the drug, which requires an individual to gradually take more of the drug, as well as a craving for the drug and the experience of withdrawal symptoms when the drug is absent from the body. Additionally, due to the long term, continued use of barbiturates, a series of long term effects develop, each with an ability to wreck havoc on the body and mind of the drug-addicted individual. For example, some long term effects of barbiturate addiction include coma and death; these may result from an extreme drop in respiration or heart rate, as well as infection in the kidneys, brain or liver. Overall, the effects of barbiturate use can alter an individual’s life and cause pain for themselves and their loved ones.
Heroin and barbiturates are among the most dangerous illicit depressants. Due to their chemical makeup, they are highly addictive and carry with them an array of dangerous effects. Fortunately, for the thousands of individuals who suffer from the disease of drug addiction to one of these drugs, help can be provided, in the form of drug rehab.
Topics: Drug Addiction, Drug Rehab Center, Substance Abuse | Comments Off
Effects of Alcohol on the Brain
By Stacy Barnes | February 11, 2011
When it comes to brain damage, alcoholism is no safer than drug addiction. Difficulty walking, blurred vision, slurred speech, slowed reaction time, and impaired memory are just some of the negative effects that alcohol has on the brain. Some of these effects are evident after only one or two drinks but quickly resolve when drinking stops. But if someone suffers from alcoholism, the negative effects may persist well after he or she wakes up the next day.
A few drinks can product detectable impairments in memory. But large quantities of alcohol, especially when consumed quickly on an empty stomach, can result in a blackout. A blackout is an interval of time where an inebriated person cannot recall key details of events or even entire events. Binge drinking, which is typically defined as consuming five or more drinks in about 2 hours for men or four or more drinks for women, can result in blackouts. A blackout is not the same as passing out; the drinker is conscious but incoherent from substance abuse. Research suggests that females are at greater risk than males for experiencing blackouts. They are also more vulnerable than men for other medical consequences of alcohol use such as cirrhosis, heart muscle damage, and nerve damage. Pregnant females who suffer from alcoholism can also cause of pattern of physical, developmental, and functional problems in their infants called Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS).
When alcohol is used there is an initial feeling of euphoria and uninhibited thinking. This is due to the effect of alcohol on dopamine, the reward part of the brain. Increased serotonin also results in a rewarding, intoxicating effect. This is deceiving to the drinker since alcohol is a depressant that slows brain activity and causes confusion. Aggression, alternating mood swings, anxiety, and depression cause distorted judgments.
Long term alcohol abuse risks serious and persistent changes in the brain. For example, a thiamine deficiency is common in alcoholics and results in poor overall nutrition. Thiamine or vitamin B1, is essential to all tissues, including the brain. Up to 80% of alcoholics have a deficiency in this vitamin and go to develop serious brain disorders like Wernicke – Korsakoff Syndrome which consists of two syndromes, Wernicke’s encephalopathy and Korsakoff’s psychosis. Wernicke’s Encephalopathy involves mental confusion, eye nerve paralysis, and difficulty with muscle coordination. Clinicians working with alcoholics, such as an alcohol rehab environment, must be aware that this disorder may be present even if the patient does not show all of the symptoms. About 80-90% of alcoholics with Wernicke’s encephalopathy also develop Korsakoff’s psychosis, which is characterized by learning and memory problems. People who suffer from this are forgetful, quickly frustrated, and have difficulty with walking and coordination. They may have problems remembering old memories, but are particularly challenged with new information. For example they may discuss an event from their lives in detail but hours later not remember having the conversation.
Alcohol contracts brain tissue and depresses the central nervous system. It destroys brain cells, and unfortunately brain cells do not regenerate like other cells in the body. When alcohol reaches the brain, it interferes with communication between nerve cells by interacting with the receptors on some cells. By affecting inhibitory nerve pathways, alcohol can make a person sluggish. The cerebral cortex processes information from the senses, thoughts, and initiates voluntary muscle movements. In the cerebral cortex alcohol can affect thought processes, depress inhibition, and blunt the senses and increase the threshold for pain. When someone who abuses alcohol experiences memory loss, it is because of alcohol affecting the hippocampus and septal area of the brain, which controls memory and emotions. When the cerebellum, which coordinates muscle movement, is affected by alcohol a person will become uncoordinated. The hypothalamus controls and influences many automatic functions of the brain and the pituitary gland coordinates hormonal release. Alcohol will cause an increase in sexual desire but a decline in sexual performance. The kidneys will also produce more urine. Perhaps the most frightening thing about the effects of alcohol on the brain is the potential effect on the medulla, which influences or controls automatic body functions such as heart rate, temperature, and breathing. The effects of alcoholism on the medulla can be fatal.
Studies from autopsies also show that patients with a history of alcoholism have smaller, less massive, and more shrunken brains than non-alcoholic adults of the same age and gender. The findings show that there is an association between heavy drinking and brain damage, even in the absence of chronic liver disease or dementia. Most of the brain shrinking occurs in the cortex of the frontal lobe, which is the location of higher cognitive facilities. After 40, some of the changes to this lobe may be irreversible.
Alcoholics are not all alike in terms of the degrees of impairment alcohol causes on the brain. But the good news is that most alcoholics with cognitive impairment show improvement in brain structure and functioning within a year of sobriety, which is a clear incentive to get treatment at an alcohol rehab. Cognitive functions and motor coordination improve at least partially within 3 or 4 weeks of sobriety, and cerebral atrophy reverses after the first few months of sobriety. Hyper-excitability of the central nervous system persists during the first several months of sobriety and then normalizes. Frontal lobe blood returns to normal levels within 4 years. Skills that require novel, complex, and rapid information processing take the longest to recover. New verbal learning is among the first to recover. Visual-spatial abilities, abstraction, problem solving, and short-term memory are also among the first to recover. The sooner an alcoholic receives treatment at an alcohol rehab, the better chance he or she has to avoid permanent brain damage.
Topics: Alcohol Abuse, Alcohol Addiction, Alcohol Rehab, Alcoholism | Comments Off
Addiction and Denial
By Stacy Barnes | February 9, 2011
Addiction treatment is more than just identifying and handling addiction and withdrawal symptoms. It is also important to understand some of the side behaviors that accompany addiction such as denial. Addictions often deny that there is an addiction in the first place, and even when they acknowledge being addicted they still may dismiss the significance of the addiction. Overcoming denial is often the first step in treating addictions at an alcohol or drug rehab. Denial of the addiction is an important component in keeping addiction alive.
Denial is a defense mechanism that we all use to keep our lives in balance and it’s sometimes necessary for our mental health. However, with alcohol or drug addiction denial is taken to the extreme and becomes an obstacle to recovery. An addict will blame everything and everyone except their own substance abuse for their problems to avoid feeling helpless and out of control. Addicts also tend to use drugs or alcohol to cover unpleasant feelings and by coming out of denial, those unpleasant feelings will come to the surface. An example is someone who has suffered abuse; they may use drugs or alcohol to cope with post-traumatic stress disorder. In order for a drug rehab to treat this type of dual diagnosis, most the post-traumatic stress disorder and the addiction should be addressed at the same time.
Denial is a common feature of addiction. People who suffer from alcoholism frequently underestimate the amount of alcohol they consume and the impact alcohol has had on their personal life or health. They often overestimate their ability to control their drinking or quit without assistance. In psychology, addiction denial is considered to be an unconscious ego mechanism. To fully acknowledge the addiction problems would be so threatening to the individual’s ego that he or she must misconstrue, reinterpret, or forget the facts of their addiction. This interpretation sees denial as an emotional rejection of the truth instead of a simple failure in insight. Another interpretation of denial is that it stems from cognitive failure which could be from mental rigidity or poor ability to deal with complexity. These may involve an inability to search the memory for evidence of alcoholism and poor discrimination of relevant from irrelevant evidence. These problems are common in alcoholics.
Drug addicts are often regarded as being in ‘denial’ or not recognizing the severity of their disorder. Although denial is frequently considered to be a form of deception, research suggests that it may be due to a specific brain dysfunction comparable to that observed in neuropsychiatric illnesses. For example, patients suffering from schizophrenia often have compromised awareness of their symptoms and the severity of their disorder. This compromise can aggravate symptoms and decrease responsiveness to treatment. These impairments are in the same brain regions that underlie addiction symptoms – such as continuing substance abuse despite catastrophic consequences. Doctors are exploring the possibility that addiction symptoms – craving and compulsion and the chronic relapsing nature of addiction – may be due to compromised insight. This may explain why addicted persons have a hard time recognizing, accepting, and/or acknowledging their signs and symptoms of addiction and need for alcohol or drug rehab. Researches hope that they can use their findings to create more effective intervention strategies and improve prognosis in addiction.
The progression of denial starts with minimizing. The addict will say that use less than they actually are and will underestimate the problem and the consequences. Then there will be excuses and rationalizing. Elaborate stories are created to justify substance abuse or situations where it is understandable. For example, ‘if you had my life, you would drink too’. Denial thrives when an addict places blame on another person or event instead of taking personal responsibility. Someone else is always responsible for solving the problem, not the user. It usually takes a personal crisis, medical evidence, or an intervention to counter denial.
Recovery cannot begin until an addict admits they have a problem. In fact, in 12 Step programs found at most Florida drug rehabs, the First Step involves the addict acknowledging that they have a problem. If someone you love is in denial about their alcohol or drug addiction, let the person know that you’re open to talking about the subject. People who are facing distressing issues frequently fear that people close to them will be unable to cope and will abandon them. This security may give your loved one the strength to move forward and take action. You can also offer to meet together with a doctor or mental health provider.
Topics: Addiction, Alcohol Addiction, Alcohol Rehab, Drug Addiction, Drug Rehab | Comments Off
Drug Addiction and Bulimia
By Stacy Barnes | February 8, 2011
Drug addiction is a potentially fatal disease that thousands of individuals suffer from. For many, a drug dependency is not the only disease; some also suffer from the eating disorder bulimia. For these individuals, the effects of both diseases are exacerbated and the conditions are worsened. With a more thorough education of bulimia and drug addiction, as well as their interactions with one another, it becomes easier to understand why those suffering from this dual diagnosis are in dire need of assistance and rehabilitation at a drug rehab center.
Bulimia is an eating disorder that is distinguished by its binge and purge pattern. This disease is more common among females than males and usually manifests itself during late adolescence or early adulthood. Most often, a binging episode will occur and be characterized by an individual’s consumption of a large amount of food; this episode of binging will be interrupted by an incessant need to purge the newly eaten food from the body. This need cannot be ignored and various ways of purging exist, such as vomiting, using laxatives, or exercising excessively. Similarly to drug addiction, bulimics feel an uncontrollable urge to binge and purge and find it difficult, if not impossible, to stop themselves while they are performing these rituals. Also similarly to drug dependence, many individuals with bulimia suffer from depression and anxiety, and feel increased shame about their disease, but will also avoid confrontation about it and try to hide their disorder. It is extremely apparent that bulimia has the potential to devastate an individual’s life, much like drug addiction does.
Drug addiction can be deadly for an individual. Oftentimes, drug dependence begins with an initial substance abuse of a drug, the drug may be illicit or prescription, and the individual may not initially take a large amount of the drug. However, with repeated use, an individual will develop a tolerance for the drug. When this tolerance develops, one of the tell-tale signs of addiction, an individual will need more, and very likely crave more, of the drug to try to achieve the same “high” that they initially received from their first use of the drug. This, however, is an impossible goal as researchers have discovered that the first high can never be reached a subsequent time. In addition to a tolerance and a craving for the illicit drug, withdrawal will occur when the body is void of the drug; the effects of withdrawal include sweating, chills, nausea, and vomiting, as well as anxiety and depression. Other common effects of drug addiction vary depending on the drug that is being abused; however, many common effects include hallucinations, paranoia, anxiety, depression, an abnormal heart rate, blood pressure and core body temperature, as well as seizures and convulsions. As has been shown, drug addiction can cause numerous problems for the drug-addicted individual, in addition to the family and friends of the individual.
While bulimia and drug addiction are each damaging diseases on their own, in combination, this dual diagnosis can be life-wrecking. Unfortunately, it is relatively common for those who suffer from drug addiction to also have bulimia; in fact, over thirty-five percent of those with a drug addiction also suffer from the eating disorder, bulimia. At times, the drug addiction may present itself first, and the bulimia will be the latter disease to manifest. However, at other times, bulimia will develop initially and a drug addiction will form as an individual seeks to increase their results of their eating disorder; for example, many bulimics will abuse substances in order to increase metabolism, suppress appetite, purge unwanted calories, or all too commonly, to self-medicate to deal with painful emotions. Regardless of which disorder forms first, though, they both share many of the same risk factors and characteristics, which makes it hard to distinguish between the two at times.
The shared behaviors and risk factors for bulimia and drug addiction are numerous. For instance, the shared behaviors of the two disorders include obsession over the disorder; craving the act of binging and purging or taking the drug; social isolation, and other behaviors. Even more closely linked are the risk factors for these diseases. Some prominently shared risk factors include an occurrence during times of stress; common brain chemistry and family history; a history of abuse; unhealthy parental behaviors, as well as unhealthy relationships with others, including family, peers, teachers, etcetera. So, not only are these two diseases detrimental on their own, the occurrence of both diseases at the same time can be overwhelming.
Bulimia and drug addiction can be a deadly dual diagnosis. Fortunately, there is help available. With proper drug rehab, an individual can seek help for both their drug addiction and their eating disorder. With admittance to a drug rehab center, an individual can take the first step to regaining their life.
Topics: Bulimia, Drug Addiction, Drug Rehab Center, Dual Diagnosis | Comments Off