Category: Articles

Help For Alcohol Abuse Begins With A Phone Call – Let’s say you have found yourself in a situation where it’s an emergency that needs to be addressed with great urgency. What do you do? Perhaps, you call the emergency hotline. You’ve heard of cases where a phone call saved the life of a friend, family or loved one. Can you recall how a simple phone call got someone approved for a job? Informed someone of impending danger, or resolved daunting problems? Many amazing feats can be achieved with a phone call. Everyone can attest to the fact that phone calls go a long way in helping humans communicate faster, effectively and more efficiently. All these amazing things you know one simple phone call can do. Yet did you know that your freedom from alcohol abuse could also be just a simple phone call away?

Why make that Phone call?

If you are in the midst of an alcohol abuse crisis, or you’re acting on behalf of a friend or loved one struggling with alcohol abuse, the best step to initially take is making a phone call to a helpline in order to get in touch with someone experienced with alcohol abuse and dependency issues. There are a plethora of questions concerning drug and alcohol-related issues that can be addressed with a hotline call. The hotline staff serve as a link to help connect those in need with alcohol rehabilitation and recovery centers. Either locally, or anywhere across the country. If you plan to make this call, you can be rest assured that hotlines are staffed with compassionate and efficient individuals who are there to help. Hotline staff are usually friendly, helpful and will never judge you.

Are You Addicted to Alcohol?

Many people experiencing the ill effects of their drinking behavior don’t know for sure if they are addicted to alcohol or not. They are not sure if they need to see a professional and discuss their problems. This is among the many questions hotline staff can help you answer when you call. This alone is a good enough reason to give them a phone call. You don’t need to go and see a professional to ask these questions again. If you are asking yourself similar questions, chances are at the very least, you are experiencing some difficulties related to alcohol abuse. The first step to your freedom is to acknowledge your addiction.

A hotline call can provide some quick answers for those who have accepted that a problem exists, but are unsure of how to proceed in seeking treatment and those who are still questioning the seriousness of an alcohol problem. Information received from this call can help one make informed decisions about an existing alcohol abuse or dependency, and about seeking further help such as inpatient alcohol rehab.

Some of the signs of alcohol dependence include:

• Tolerance to the effects of alcohol
• Experiencing alcohol withdrawal syndrome
• A desire/inability to cut down on drinking behavior
• Continued use despite being aware of the problems it is causing.

Therefore, one or more of these occurrences could be a marker to knowing you are alcohol dependent. One may experience the devastating effects of alcohol abuse even without seeing all these signs. If you think you or a loved one might be in the cancerous tentacles of alcohol dependency and could use the help of a rehab or recovery center, call to discuss your available options.

CLICK HERE to get a Free Confidential Addiction Rehabilitation Assessment.

Is Marijuana A Global Addiction? The term addiction is a terminological quagmire. However here we define it as an acquired chronic lapsing disorder that is characterized by a power motivation to continually engage in an activity, despite persistent negative consequences.

What is Marijuana and why is it responsible for global addiction?

Marijuana; also referred to as weed, herb, pot, grass, bud, ganja, mary jane and a vast number of other slang terms from around the world – is a greenish gray mixture of flowers and cannabis sativa. The main psychoactive (mind altering) chemical in marijuana is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol(THC). It’s responsible for most of the intoxicating effects that people seek. This chemical masterminds the addictive nature of this plant – triggering a mass global addiction.

Despite some contentious discussions regarding the addictiveness of marijuana, the evidence clearly indicates that long term use of marijuana leads to addiction. Approximately 9 percent of those who experiment with marijuana will be addicted at a later stage. According to criteria for dependence in the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, 4^th edition. This number goes up to about 1 to 6 percent among those who start using marijuana as teenagers, and 25 to 50 percent of those who smoke marijuana daily.

What can we say about the addictive effect of marijuana and it’s global addiction?

In the 1990’s the average THC in confiscated marijuana sample was roughly 3.5 percent. In 2014, it has risen to 12.2 percent, while the average marijuana extract contains more than 80 percent. These trends have raised concerns that the consequences of heavy marijuana use could be worse than in the past. Particularly among those who are new to marijuana, and also young children whose brains are still developing.

Marijuana is the second most frequently found substance in the body of drivers involved in fatal automobile accidents. The US drug enforcement administration also discovered that a large percentage of those arrested for crimes test positive for marijuana. 

According to the 2012 national survey on drug use and health, an estimated 27 million people aged 12 years and above met the criteria finding them highly dependent on marijuana. In 2014, more than 360,00 people were admitted to treatment for addiction, with marijuana being listed as the primary drug they were abusing. Case studies showed that they went to rehab due to the effect that Marijuana had on their bodies and minds. 28 percent of those admissions, totally to 103,000 people were between the ages of 12 and 17 years of age. 43 percent of those were under the age of 21. In 2016, it was estimated that 7.4 million of those addicted to illicit drugs found that the most common addiction was for marijuana. 4 million of those individuals were 12 years of age or older. Proving that marijuana addiction starts at a very young.

Are you suffering from Marijuana addiction or have a loved one who suffers from addiction? We are here to help.

CLICK HERE to get a Free Confidential Addiction Treatment Assessment. 

The Sober Truth On The Effect Of Alcohol Abuse. Alcohol is one of the most widely used psychoactive substances in the world and has been a part of cultures from around the world for hundreds of years. It’s well known that excessive drinking of alcohol can lead to harmful consequences such as cancer and gastrointestinal disease metabolic problems. Over time, regular use of alcohol can lead to overall dependence on alcohol, bout of withdrawal and emotional tour in a person’s life.

From our research, consuming alcohol at any level has the capacity to alter ones state of perception and coordination. In small doses, alcohol makes people feel relaxed and pleasantly happy. In higher doses, alcohol can cause decrease awareness, judgement, coordination and vision. At a much higher level, it can lead to lost of motor function stupor, unconscious, decrease respiration and even death.

Causes From Long term Alcohol Abuse

long term alcohol abuse can be very damaging to ones physical health. Health risks include cirrhosis (hardening of the liver), gastrointestinal problems, damage to the heart muscle and impaired muscle functioning. Heavy drinkers often tend to miss meals, lack adequate diet and therefore suffer from malnutrition, causing an impaired immune system. Brain damage can also occur as a result of vitamin B2 deficiency. It’s also well known that people find it difficult to remember past events and in general find it easy to forget new things. 

The Dangers And Effects Caused From Alcohol Abuse

According to studies, alcohol is more dangerous than illegal drugs like heroin, crack cocaine, marijuana. The research analysed how additive alcohol is to the user in addition and to also environmental damage caused by alcohol. Alcohol abuse has been widely to blame for breaking up marriages, families, businesses and in general peoples personal life.

Moreover, the statistics are very overwhelming, last year 2.5 million people were treated for this problem in the united states. 40% of violent crimes were attributed to it. This is an effect that care less about what race you are, your ethnics and societal status about 3.3 million people die from it each year. This more or less touches your environment, neighbors, family, co-workers and most especially your life. One may be addicted to it and may not know, if you have it and don’t do anything about it, it will definitely hurt you.

CLICK HERE to get a Free Confidential Alcohol Addiction Rehabilitation Assessment.

Depending on the quantity and frequency of alcohol and drugs used by an individual, a host of undesirable effects are known to have long term consequences.

It is well known that prolonged alcohol intake can lead to liver cirrhosis. Liver Cirrhosis is a condition in which the liver cells are replaced by dead cells. An indication of this is the  yellowing of the skin, also called Jaundice. Some symptoms of jaundice include fatigue, decreased production of clotting factors due to the diseased state of the liver and easy bruising.

Long Term Effects Of Alcohol And Drug Use

Whereas, prolonged drug use can lead to addiction and dependence, feelings of worthlessness, depression, suicidal and criminal thoughts. Prolonged alcohol intake can cause:

• Headaches
• Unconsciousness
• Decreased perception and co-ordination
• Black outs
• Coma
• Alcohol poisoning
• High blood pressure
• Stroke
• Broken relationships
• Loss of productivity
• Financial bankruptcy
• Liver disease
• Ulcer
• Gastritis
• Malnutrition

Long term effects of drug use include:

• Addiction
• Increased criminal record
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Paranoia (A psychological disorder characterized by delusions of persecution- feelings of being hunted or grandeur)
• Altered neural activity
• Irritability

Other long term effects of alcohol and drug abuse on the body are as follows:

Alcohol And Drug Use Effects on the Kidney

Habitual drug and alcohol use put the kidneys at a very high risk of being damaged. Alcohol and some drugs when abused cause an increase in the blood pressure and body temperature. This can put a strain on the kidneys and eventually lead to substantial damage of such a delicately important organ of the body. Kidney failure is therefore common among individuals who use Ketamine, Heroin and Ecstasy (MDMA).

Alcohol And Drug Use Effects on the heart

Drugs and Alcohol abuse can cause a host of cardiovascular problems, ranging from, but not limited to: High blood pressure, Cardiac arrhythmia’s, Myocardial infarction (otherwise known as ‘heart attack’)

Alcohol And Drug Use Effects on the lungs

Serious complications can result from inhalation drugs such as cocaine, marijuana and heroin, as well as a host of other drugs of abuse. Complications in the respiratory system can be fatal.

Tolerance to Alcohol And Drug Use

Heavy alcohol intake and drug use can cause tolerance to the drug or alcohol. Therefore the amount of drug or alcohol taken will be increased over time in order to produce the same effect it used to produce at lower doses.

Also, behavioural changes associated with prolonged drug use include:

• Increased criminal activity
• Financial bankruptcy
• Living a secretive and deceptive lifestyle
• Lying to friends and family members
• Violence against people who advise against the adopted alcohol and drug use lifestyle

In conclusion, while the short term effects of alcohol and drug abuse vary from one individual to the other, the long term effects are quite similar. Involving multiple organ failures, depression, anxiety, financial instability, loss of self worth, broken relationships, increased criminal activity and most importantly, addiction. Therefore, alcohol and drug use should be curbed at its early stages to prevent the occurrence of the long-term effects.

CLICK HERE to get a Free Confidential Alcohol or Drug Addiction Treatment Assessment.

The psychological effect of drug and alcohol abuse vary from one individual to the other. Depending on the quantity of such substance abused, the frequency of abuse and the length of time of abuse. While the psychological effect is more pronounced in users who have abused alcohol and drugs at a very large number of times. It is usually less pronounced in users who have not been as abusive. Chief among the psychological effects of alcohol and drug use are ‘tolerance’ and ‘addiction’.

Psychological Effect Of Drug And Alcohol Abuse – Tolerance

Tolerance refers to a condition where a user requires a continually increased dose of a drug or a larger amount of alcohol intake to produce the ‘ecstatic state’ experienced in previous drinking and drug abuse episodes. A major problem associated with this is when the dose of such drugs of abuse increases. The tendency of it being poisonous to the user increases.

Psychological Effect Of Drug And Alcohol Abuse – Addiction

Addiction refers to a condition where a user depends on abusing either alcohol or drugs for their well-being. Being deprived of alcohol or drugs could be equated to a death sentence for such individuals. Addicted individuals are said to be ‘hooked’ in their habit of drinking and drug misuse. Therefore they can feel nervous, anxious or sick without taking these substances.

Other psychological effects include: Anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, feelings of worthlessness, loss of self esteem, hallucinations and schizophrenia amongst others.

How certain drugs affect you psychologically

• Cocaine: Cocaine abuse can cause irritability, panic, depression, anxiety, paranoia or cocaine psychosis. A situation in which some users have a feeling of being detached from friends, families and reality
• MDMA: Otherwise known as ecstasy. MDMA decreases serotonin levels, thereby bringing about confusion and depression alongside impaired cognition, emotional and motor dysfunction, disruption of the working memory and attention span.
• Marijuana: Pot disrupts messages from the brain to visual receptors. Thereby impairing proper vision, hearing co-ordination and emotional soundness. It also negatively impacts the capacity of the short term memory. Marijuana users find it difficult to complete tasks that require concentration.
• Opioids: Opiods can cause insomnia, restlessness, hypoxia (a long term psychological effect which can cause brain damage).
• Ketamine: A strong dependence on this drug can cause binge usage. Undesirable psychological effects include: Amnesia, hallucinations, loss of touch with reality, disorientation, unpredictable behaviour, among others.
• Hallucinogens: This group of drugs can cause a user to see and feel things which are not present physically, a condition referred to as ‘hallucination’. Drugs in this group include: Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), Psylocybin, Peyote and so on. A prolonged use of hallucinogens can result in a permanent state of psychosis, also referred to as Hallucinogen persisting perception disorder (HPPD), which causes the user to experience flash backs.

In conclusion, care should be sought for in adequate medical quarters to ensure that the psychological effects of drug and alcohol use is kept in check.

CLICK HERE to get a Free Confidential Addiction Rehabilitation Assessment.