Category: Australia

Do you really know what’s in your fix? It would appear that the vast majority of regular drug users do not.

They are being short-changed by the amount of impurities, adulterants and diluents contained in the pills, bags and wraps purchased day in and day out.

Let’s be honest, the vast majority of us would never dream of tucking into a meal without knowing its contents.

So why do millions of men and women have no qualms about shelling out good money for illegal substances without the least understanding of what they contain?

Why so trustworthy in a very untrustworthy business:

One thing should be blindingly obvious to those who buy illegal drugs; the source producing them and those pedaling them do not have the buyer’s personal wellbeing as a priority.

The multi-billion dollar drugs trade lusts after money and the more they can take from each individual the better it makes them feel.

Such operations will not intentionally churn out patently dangerous drugs, but they are certainly not averse to blending cheaper and more readily available ingredients into what they sell as the genuine item.

It must also be remembered that the source of such production ranges from basement kitchens to sophisticated factory style operations.

With this firmly in mind you should decide for yourself whether such a swingeing array of manufacturing methods use the same formula.

We will look at just 3 of the most popular drugs and explain what you should be getting and what variations on a theme are often served up.

What’s in your fix – Amphetamine:

Speed, Billy, Whizz; this drug has a whole host of monikers. It is also the most adulterated illegal substance out there. Samples tested have shown a ridiculous 1 percent purity in batches seized. As for average purity, this is purported to run at around just 10 pct.

What’s the cut?

Take your pick; sugar should sweeten the drop in your bank balance, then think caffeine, ephedrine, sometimes both. Paracetamol is not unknown, for those on a ‘health’ kick they may be getting Vitamin C. Not quite as appetising are talcum powder and chalk.

What’s in your fix – Ecstasy:

Moving onwards and upwards how about that thumpin’ pumpin’ chilled out love drug. Ecstasy is pushed successfully as a match made in drug heaven for raves, all-nighters and house parties to remember.

Many old-time ravers will reminisce and tell the young upstarts that back in the day one ‘E’ would keep them buzzing for an intense 12 hour session, and even then they were still ready to party on down, but in the vast majority of deals today such strength and purity is unheard of.

For many of today’s ‘E’ users a 2 or 3 hour ‘bang’ is what they have always known and readily accept. This acceptance comes with a caveat. Any ‘self-respecting’ raver will have extra pills ready to pop once the effects of their last one begins to dull.

What’s the cut?

MDMA is what you are being told it is. Some pills contain none at all. Others will have varying amounts of the ‘real’ ingredient. It then depends on what’s at hand for the remainder.

You could be getting our friend amphetamine, then there is ketamine and ephedrine. Caffeine is also very popular. Some kindly manufacturers even slip in tranquillizers such as flunitrazepam. You may know this as the evil date rape drug; rohypnol.

What’s in your fix – Cocaine:

The darling of many. The problem is that when it zips into action after a line or two your chances of getting a reasonable purity are up in the air as well as up your nose.

Estimates and samples have found that purity varies between 20 and 90 pct.

Let’s face it that is a hell of a gamble for a drug that costs. Perhaps you will be more than satisfied at the top end of the scale, but way down low will make you feel low.

What’s the cut?

What you are powdering your nose with will contain related chemicals such as lidocaine or benzocaine, then add into the mix a good sprinkling of sugars such as glucose, lactose and mannitol.

What’s in your fix – Is it really worth it?

As you get heavier on drug use your bank balance will become lighter. Of course that is your choice, but another far more important effect is the potential damage you are doing to yourself physically and psychologically.

Once dependence takes hold you will be unable to simply turn your back on it. If you are already dependent or heading that way please seek professional rehab assistance.

These dedicated individuals are there to help not judge. It will be a challenging time of your life, but such challenges can be faced up to and beaten.

Once you are well on the recovery road the question: What’s in your fix, will become totally irrelevant. Beating dependence will do wonders for your health, social life and close relationships as well as your bank balance.

Drinking alcohol is legal for those over the age of consent, it is a social pastime enjoyed by millions the world over, but what do your drinking habits say about you? Are you hale and hearty or ale and anguished?

Legal but with the potential for addiction:

It is very important for those who enjoy a drink to understand just how easily it is to get into the habit of regular and excessive drinking.

The opportunities and temptation are clearly there. There are countless outlets serving alcohol. Social meetings are very often arranged around one of the local bars, restaurants or clubs in your locale.

Then you have the licensed shops and supermarkets that stock anything and everything alcoholic. It is very easy to slip into a routine where you make your local store a regular stopping off point on the way home from work.

The more regularly you drink the more chance you have of ‘getting the taste’. Once this happens you will gradually build-up your tolerance to alcohol.

Hale and hearty or ale and anguished – What alcohol does to you:

When alcohol is consumed it triggers the release of endorphins. These neurotransmitters give feelings of pleasure, excitement and satisfaction.

The relaxed, content feelings many receive from a glass or two of their favourite tipple leave them feeling happy, talkative and inhibitions are lowered, the downside of alcohol is that if you begin to drink regularly your body and mind not only tolerate what you are giving them, they hanker for more.

This means that where one or two drinks used to satisfy your needs, more of the same is required to reach the same levels of satisfaction. Continue drinking and you will need yet more, and so the cycle of dependence spins ever faster.

Hale and hearty or ale and anguished – Positives and negatives:

Here are just 3 situations where alcohol consumption can give positives and negatives:

Bright and bubbly or boorish and bad mannered:

Moderate drinking can enhance a social gathering. With friends you feel relaxed and more outgoing, and at more formal events it can help break the ice when being introduced to strangers.

The opposite must be said of those whose regular expectation of alcohol is to get roaring drunk.

They are often far louder than they need be, self-opinions can be expressed rather more forcibly than necessary, slurring and unsteady feet are part of their make-up and many turn aggressive.

This heavy drinking can harm in more ways than one. The health consequences of regular, heavy drinking are frightening, and continued drunken behaviour will see their social circle shrink as acquaintances avoid them rather than put up with such a boorish manner.

Exercise and reasonable diet:

Your drinking regimen coupled with the amount of exercise taken, and the diet you eat play a large part as to whether you will remain hale and hearty or ale and anguished.

Keeping yourself in shape and eating a balanced diet coupled with an occasional drink or two is the sensible way to go.

On the other hand those who do little or no exercise, major on junk foods and regularly consume too much alcohol are asking for trouble. They are leaving themselves open to a whole host of health problems.

Sexual thoughts, feelings and performance:

Looking forward to a night of intimacy with your partner can be enhanced with a couple of drinks beforehand. This is because a reasonable amount of alcohol helps lower inhibitions.

Conversely, having too many drinks before sex may get the brain working overtime, but it does the opposite in terms of performance.

Many women find natural lubrication a problem, men on the other hand often cannot rise to the occasion. If either or both partners find themselves regularly struggling to become aroused or perform this can cause relationship rifts that will get wider unless alcohol consumption is reduced.

Hale and hearty or ale and anguished – Everything in moderation:

It is vital that you keep your alcohol consumption to reasonable levels. If you do over imbibe on occasions then please leave 3 or 4 days before your next drink, and make sure that drink is kept to sensible levels.

Dependence upon alcohol is a very easy trap to fall into. If you feel yourself being drawn to alcohol on a regular basis, or are starting to think about the need for a drink on a regular basis it is important you seek help and advice sooner rather than later.

Those who know deep down they have a drink problem, but are currently in denial, please stop fooling yourself. You certainly are not fooling those closest to you.

It is absolutely vital you seek the help of professional rehab services. The longer you delay this effective helping hand the deeper your dependence will become.

Drinking alcohol is a pastime enjoyed by millions of men and women the world over. Consuming too much of your favourite tipple on a regular basis has become the bane of many lives. The vast majority of whom will suffer with the booze blues.

These blues will wash over you in a variety of different ways. We will consider just 3 negatives that many who over imbibe will no doubt have raised a glass to during happier times. They are Health, Wealth and Happiness:

Health:

As you continue to drink your general health will suffer. Exercise will no doubt become a thing of the past, a good proportion of those who regularly drink to excess will have a poor diet and that vital nutritional balance required to keep you in good health will be missing.

Each sip of alcohol you consume goes into your bloodstream. This means it affects every part of your body.

Examples of this are that the liver and kidneys will take a hammering and your heart will have to work overtime to keep the body ticking. By causing such heart stress you are greatly increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Wealth:

Make no mistake, the booze blues will damage your bank balance and savings. Those drinking on a daily basis will find that their major priority is to have enough cash for their daily drinking spree.

Household improvements and holidays can become a rarity and many have so little spare cash that savings plans are certainly not on the agenda.

Dependence upon alcohol leads to denial. While many see this denial centering around a refusal to admit just how much alcohol is being taken on board, and the reality that those with drink issues cannot function or face any extended period without topping up it also extends to expense.

An alcoholic will regularly deny to themselves and those closest to them just exactly how much they are spending on the demon drink.

Happiness:

Denial also has a major part to play in the happiness of yourself and those closest to you. Drinking alcohol in moderation can certainly add to the enjoyment of social occasions. It can also help you and your partner relax.

But once drink becomes a regular and needed companion the booze blues will set in and moments of happiness will become few and far between.

It is a natural reaction that you will deny to yourself the actual amount of drink you are consuming.

You will regularly reinforce such denial to those closest to you. While they may believe you in the beginning one thing will quickly become obvious. As your drinking increases they will witness actions and behaviour that make it very clear you are not being truthful.

Telltale signs will include such things as your appearance and general health suffering, family obligations will take a back seat as more of your time is spent in an alcoholic haze and your employment prospects will go downhill.

Loved ones have strength and resilience above and beyond the call of duty, but it is vital to remember that they will also feel the full force of these booze blues.

Everyone has their limits. When a person continues to ignore the blatant signs their excessive drinking habits are displaying to those who care they are selfishly and uncaringly distancing their loved ones. The end result for many is not a pretty one.

They are condemning close relationships and the associated happiness this can bring to an end. In short it is a surefire way to close the door on such relationships.

Once this happens the alcoholic will become bitter, depressed and reach for the bottle on an ever more regular basis.

If you are aware your drinking is causing relationship problems PLEASE do something about it before it is too late.

The booze blues – Don’t let them get you down:

Those who have a drink problem must understand they are not the first person in this position and will most certainly not be the last.

They must understand there is no shame in seeking professional rehab assistance.

As opposed to shame, seeking such help should be seen as a brave and major step in the right direction.

In most cases this admission to your loved ones will be seen as a positive. It will show that you really do care and that you intend to put things right.

Partners will stand by and support you during your rehabilitation. It will not be an easy road, but it is one that is well travelled.

Such determination and courage by those who are currently suffering from alcohol dependence offers a very good chance of beating those booze blues.

By doing so you will be getting your life and those loving relationships you so desperately need back on track.

Those who are hitting the bottle too hard or regularly taking illegal substances should be aware just how easy it is to step over the entrance of the addiction door.

I’m in control:

It is easy to convince yourself that you are in control of your drinking or drug use, but both habits can very easily sneak up on you. What starts as an occasional pastime, becomes more frequent and before you realise it your drink or drug of choice has become a daily habit.

This is all down to your body and mind. They like what they feel, but such pleasure comes at a price. That price is tolerance.

After a while you will need to increase the amount of alcohol or drug you are using simply to achieve the same high as previously experienced.

Continued and sustained use of drugs or alcohol leads to dependence. The result is that they take control of you, not the other way around.

Need to feed – Going to extreme lengths:

The password to unlock the addiction door is ‘MONEY’. This password is not case sensitive, any currency will do!

The problem is that those who begin to rely on drink or drugs to get them through a day find the expense of this ‘luxury’ does not come cheaply.

First, the vast majority of any salary will go towards keeping you topped up, then savings will be dipped into until the pot is dry, and from there things go downhill rapidly.

Any valuables you or close family members have will be sold, petty or opportunist theft becomes a chance you will take, and many of those who become really desperate for dosh will sell their body simply to keep that increasingly vital supply line flowing.

Please do not think prostitution is only a route for female addicts, many men will fall into this trap in the all-consuming desperation to feed their habit.

Not only is this a dangerous pastime in terms of personal safety and self-degradation, it leaves you wide open to sexually transmitted diseases. Some of these really do not bear thinking about.

The addiction door – the exit is not the ‘cold turkey’ route:

The relative ease with which increased use, dependence and addiction snowballs does not mean it is just as easy to find the exit. Indeed, it is far more difficult.

Your mind and body will not let go off their dependence easily. Trying to go cold turkey is, in the vast majority of cases unsuccessful.

This is not because the person concerned is weak, it is because their need is that much greater. To ‘help’ remind you of just how dependent you have become suddenly stopping use will be rewarded with some very unpleasant withdrawal symptoms.

These withdrawal symptoms will vary in length and severity dependent upon how long you have been dependent!

Factors such as your general health and state of mind are also huge factors as to what you will go through.

The pain and uncomfortable feelings ‘cold turkey’ offers generally means the only answer is to get back on the bottle or have another much needed boost, and so your dependence deepens.

The addiction door – Exit via inpatient rehab establishments:

This route is seen by many to be the most successful way to begin the long haul back to a life that is drug or drink free.

These professional establishments are there to assist you, they will help you to understand exactly why you find yourself in such a position. They will educate, encourage and counsel you during your stay.

You will be subject to routine and rules that have been fine-tuned over many years of helping addicts get ‘clean’, and just as importantly a respected inpatient rehab operation will give flexible options for aftercare once your stay with them has been completed.

Some of the more prestigious overseas rehab establishments also offer complimentary ‘tune up’ sessions that allow you to revisit them free of charge.

Obviously, such a generous offer has conditions attached, but the main one, and the one most important to you is that a revisit means that you have stayed away from drink or drugs after your initial rehab stay.

Whichever way you look at such an offer it clearly states ‘SUCCESS’. It means you have managed to find a way to unlock the addiction door.

What can you do about a relapse collapse? This is a valid, nagging thought for those who have taken the very brave step of confronting their drink or drug dependence issues, and who have committed to an inpatient rehab course of treatment and counselling upon return home.

Understandable thoughts about a reality:

Such thoughts are understandable. While a relapse is clearly seen as a setback to long term recovery it should not be something that defeats.

The truth is that many of those who have suffered from drug or alcohol dependence could well suffer a relapse during long term recovery.

While such a stumble is both unwanted and unneeded it should not, and cannot deter that person from redoubling their efforts to maintain a drug or alcohol free future.

Do NOT hide this temporary setback:

Yes, a relapse is regrettable. Yes, you may feel down and deflated after such an incident, but NO, do not hide the fact it has happened from yourself or from your aftercare councillor.

After all, what can you do about a relapse collapse if you try to brush such an incident under the carpet?

It will do you no good whatsoever, equally it will not allow those assisting with long term rehab the chance to discuss, listen and then explain exactly what steps need to be taken to avoid any future relapses.

A common statistic amongst those who do suffer a relapse and then attempt to hide such information from themselves and those assisting is a chilling one.

This fact is that they are very likely to relapse again and again and rapidly slip back into the deadly jaws of addiction.

Those who have abstained for a sustained period and then return to heavy drinking are greatly increasing their prospects of serious health issues, while those who return to reusing drugs are leaving themselves wide open to a fatal overdose.

What can you do about a relapse collapse – Positive steps:

Qualified aftercare counselling and treatment an addict is receiving during long term recovery will offer proven, helpful advice regarding how to overcome a relapse situation.

It will also show how the person in question should look positively at the gains already made. They will make it very clear that these gains have been achieved through hard work, determination and great effort by YOU.

You will be encouraged to remember such excellent progression, and you will be given pointers and guidance that will make one thing very clear.

One such setback does not mean you have to throw all of this dedication out of the window by giving up and continuing the relapse situation.

What can you do about a relapse collapse – Make it a new, determined restart:

It cannot be underestimated just how strong and brave you have been during your recovery.

This relapse may well be seen as a step in the wrong direction, but with advice, counselling and bags of self-determination you will come out of such a situation stronger and with more resolve to finally overcome your drug or alcohol issues for good.

If you have suffered from a relapse, please accept it for what it is. A temporary setback, it is not permanent. You need to be doubly determined to ensure such an occurrence does not resurface again.

We all understand that an ex-drug addict or ex-alcoholic should take each day as it comes, and they should clearly understand that tomorrow is a new day.

With heaps of willpower and an increased desire to stay ‘clean’, thoughts of what can you do about a relapse collapse will recede.

This is because the additional steps learned from such a ‘blip’ in your recovery process will strengthen your resolve. It will also ensure another relapse remains where it belongs; firmly in the distant past.