Category: Articles

Stimulant Abuse

Stimulant Abuse

Articles, Australia, Education, International, Malaysia, Understanding Addiction, United Kingdom, United States

Prescription Medication Abuse

Stimulant Abuse – Just because a medication is prescribed, does not mean it cannot be abused. Prescription medication abuse can cause just as many issues as the use and abuse of illegal drugs. There are many people who die because of prescription medication abuse each year. Though addiction may not be the intent when a medication is started, it may be the unfortunate outcome. This is true for those who have been addicted to other things in the past or those who have never had addiction issues before. You must be aware of the possibility before starting any controlled medication as anything can be a risk. One type of medication that can be addictive is that of stimulants. Though stimulants are typically prescribed to make erratic behavior more controllable, when used incorrectly they can have the opposite effect. A couple common stimulant medications will be described below.

Before discussing specific medications you should be aware of what stimulant abuse looks like in someone who is misusing this type of medication. Those who misuse or abuse stimulants are often euphoric, aggressive, hostile, and paranoid. These individuals may also have physical symptoms that include reduced appetite with weight loss and rapid heart rate. Also headaches, and changes in vision and pupil dilation. To some slight degree these may be short term side effects of a new stimulant medication, but lasting effects tend to point toward abuse.

Adderall & Amphetamine Abuse

One of the most commonly prescribed and abused stimulants are Adderall or amphetamine. This is commonly known as speed, but is typically given to those suffering from ADHD or narcolepsy. For those with ADHD these medications can create a calming effect that allows the person to be focused and attentive to areas that may have been an issue before.

adderall

However, those that take Adderall that do not have ADHD can have a completely different experience. In fact, it is used as a way to not need sleep, to stay hyper focused, and keep working in spite of needing to rest. This is a common use for college students, truck drivers, and shift workers. The extra energy is used to meet the perceived demands of that person.

Some people may even use this medication for weight loss. If it is not prescribed or being used as intended it is a problem that needs to be dealt with appropriately.

Another common stimulant used for these purposes is Ritalin. Very similar to Adderall, this stimulant has effects on the central nervous system and increases the levels of dopamine in the brain. This can help improve attention and focus, but can easily be habit forming. Both of these drugs are pretty readily available and this leads to their misuse.

Stimulant Abuse

If you are abusing these common medications and stop suddenly, you may experience withdrawal. Withdrawal symptoms include strong cravings, depression, extreme fatigue, and anxiety. If you are abusing the medication or going through withdrawal it is best to seek professional help. It will take a while for your body to adjust to not having the medication and this can lead to physical and mental issues. Do not be afraid to seek help if needed, it can change your life for the better.

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When The Party Becomes a Drug Habit

When The Party Becomes a Drug Habit

Articles, Australia, Education, International, LGBTQ, Malaysia, Treatment, Understanding Addiction, United Kingdom, United States

No One Wants To Get Addicted

People start using drugs for different reasons. People end up with a Drug Habit for no good reason.

Some choose to try them because they are curious about the way they will make them feel. They have seen other people taking drugs like heroin, cocaine, or ice and they feel left out. People want to feel what their friends are feeling. They want to know what it’s like to be a part of what they think is the “in crowd.” Or, maybe they are at a club or party and someone asks them if they want to get high. They say, “sure – why not!?”

Others start using drugs because they are in pain. It could be physical or emotional pain. Many people become hooked on prescription opioids, for example, because they have sustained an injury or undergone surgery. They are prescribed narcotic pain medication from a doctor and they take it for legitimate reasons. After awhile, though, they may become physically addicted. Others take drugs because they are hurting inside, depressed, or feel lonely and they want to change the way they feel.

Whatever someone’s reasons might be for taking drugs in the first place, no one chooses to get hooked. No one sets out to become to have a drug habit or become and addict. Not one single person in the history of the world said to themselves when they were little, “When I grow up, I want to be an addict!” Not one.

Addiction Has a Way of Creeping Up On You

The thing about drug addiction is that it’s tricky. It kind of just happens when you aren’t looking. First, it’s fun to use drugs. You like the way they make you feel and you think life is one big party. Laughing and hanging out with your friends and you have a good time. You do them every once and awhile and it’s all good.

dance party and drug habit

Soon, you start doing drugs on the weekdays. It starts to take more of your time and money to sustain the supposed good time that you are having. You find that you think about drugs a lot when you’re not doing them. You want to do more and more – so you start doing more and more. Maybe you really don’t notice that anything is wrong, though you still convince yourself that everything is okay.

Before long, you are doing the stuff every single day. If you don’t do it, you feel irritable and discontent. Angry and hostile. You have to do drugs when you wake up and you need them to fall asleep. Sometimes you go on binges that last days at a time. You spend all of your money on it. Now, you are hooked. And you have no idea how it happened.  

If The Party Has Ended & You Have A Drug Habit, You Need Help

When addiction finally takes complete control, there is nothing fun about using drugs. The party is over. Your drug use has spiraled out of control and your life is going downhill – FAST! You are alone and isolated and you no longer feel you can function with or without drugs. You have a drug habit.

If you’re not having a good time anymore and you think you might need help for your drug habit, contact us. We can get you into treatment right away so you can get your life back and start having fun again. Sober fun.

Passion In Recovery

Finding a Passion in Recovery

Alternative Treatment, Articles, Australia, Education, International, LGBTQ, Malaysia, Treatment, Understanding Addiction, United Kingdom

Recovery programs will generally fill your days with activities and programs. From individual counseling, to group counseling and support groups, we are by and large pretty busy. There will, however, be time to think and time to be idle. I found that idle time was the worst time. The more time I spent thinking about things, especially in early recovery, the less happy I was. One thing that helped me in the beginning and helps me to this day was finding something I am passionate about. For me it was creative writing. I knew others who became deeply involved in specific kinds of meditation. Still others used their new-found good health to take up physical activities they could never do while they were drinking and using.

It is likely in early recovery that down-time can be dangerous. Many of us come into recovery with a lot of emotional baggage. Time spent thinking about the ways we went wrong, the difficulties ahead, damage to our families, etc. is simply not helpful and can lead to relapse. We need something that motivates us and gets our creative juices flowing.

Finding Your Passion In Recovery

In my earliest days in recovery I started keeping a journal. This is something I used to do religiously, but I fell away from it as I became increasingly embroiled in my addiction. Once I had my senses back even if provisionally, I began writing again. Little by little, I started focusing my writing projects. At the same time, I started reading things again since I could now think clearly and retain what I read. All of this led to me getting involved in local spoken word projects and publishing projects.

The writing is a passion and it became critically important to my recovery. First of all, I knew I had to be sober to do these things. I knew that the main reason I had never gotten involved in these kinds of things before was because I was under the influence of substances. I also knew that the more I accomplished, the more I needed to remain sober.

Finding Your Passion In Recovery

The passion for writing took on a two-fold benefit. It was a way to occupy myself during the early dark days. Writing also served as a reward for my progress in recovery. It was a way of escaping my dark feelings about my situation and it eventually became a major reason to be a sober and recovering person.

The people I knew who took on something they were passionate about seemed to be the people who stuck with recovery. They came to embrace recovery early on because they saw sobriety as the means to continue doing something they loved.

Making Changes In Recovery

We always need to make changes in recovery. We need to address our attitudes and ways of seeing the world. These changes can feel impossible at times, but they come much easier and much more naturally when they are a part of something we just like doing. I had to develop specific habits that made me a writer. Some of those habits were exactly the same things necessary for recovery, for example, not thinking about myself so much. Since I was preoccupied with writing about the things going on in the world around me, I could not allow myself to become preoccupied with myself.
The simple lesson is that finding a passion in recovery can make recovery just happen. 

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Do drugs cause mental illness

Do drugs cause mental illness?

Articles, Education, LGBTQ, Malaysia, Understanding Addiction, United Kingdom, United States

Can drugs cause mental illness?

Let us find out. According to the English dictionary drugs can be defined as a substance used to treat an illness, relieve a symptom or modify a chemical process in the body for a specific purpose”. Drugs can have side effects even when not misused and when misused the side effects can be vast, especially for those with mental illness.   

Do drug problems cause mental illness or does mental illness cause drug problems?

It can be hard to tell which problem came first, the drugs or the mental illness. Having a mental illness can make a person more likely to abuse drugs which in turn makes their symptoms feel better in the short-term. Other people have drug problems that may trigger the first symptoms of mental illness. Some drugs can cause a condition called drug-induced Psychosis which is simply any psychotic episode that is related to the abuse of an intoxicant. However, if someone has a predisposition to a psychotic illness such as Schizophrenia, these drugs may trigger the first episode in what can be a lifelong mental illness. Using drugs can also make the symptoms of mental illnesses worse and make treatment less effective

Those who are mentally ill can be more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol. The two issues often go hand in hand because according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 8.4 million adults in the US have both a mental and substance use disorder. Studies exploring the link between substance use disorders and other mental illnesses have typically not included people with severe psychotic illnesses. When these individuals abuse drugs, they may feel less anxiety, depression or neuroses, albeit temporarily. When the individual is not high, the symptoms of their mental health issues return. Often times stronger than they were.

drug induced psychosis

Abused drugs can lead to a condition that affects the persons thinking, feeling and mood. Such conditions may affect a person’s ability to relate to others and function each day. Each person may have different experiences even with the same diagnosis.

What are signs that you might have a drug problem?

There are signs of the health impact in using recreational drugs. Be it nicotine, alcohol or a street drug, drugs and alcohol can change the way you act, relate to others and your affect your appearance. You can become less motivated, irritable, anxious and aggressive. It can change the way you live your life. You may not get on with people like you used to. Maybe you won’t have enough money. Find it hard to keep living in the same house with loved ones. You may get in trouble with the law. It can even change the way you look. Loosing or gaining weight, skin conditions and teeth issues.

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Facts About Adderall abuse

Facts About Adderall Abuse

Articles, Australia, Education, International, LGBTQ, Malaysia, Understanding Addiction, United Kingdom, United States

The use and abuse of prescription stimulants has been on the rise in recent years. Especially among college students, the use of prescription drugs such as Adderall and Ritalin has made news. In a recent report, researchers showed that 8% of university students in Australia had used Adderall without a prescription, and an astonishing one third of those students used Adderall to get high. While students seem to be taking Adderall primarily to stay awake for long study sessions and to focus their attention with the belief that this will lead to academic success, Adderall is addictive and abuse of Adderall is dangerous.

What Is Adderall

Adderall is a central nervous system stimulant. It is prescribed primarily for people with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It is also prescribed for narcolepsy. Adderall induces general wakefulness and alertness. It can increase focus and assist in an individual’s ability to concentrate. Adderall can also create feelings of euphoria, self-confidence, and enhanced motivation. These feelings are incredibly appealing to busy and over-stressed college students.

Anyone who had been to college can understand the feelings of staying up too late with friends and then facing an exam schedule. Certainly those students who balance a job while maintaining a fulltime academic schedule will inevitably feel frayed. Adderall has found its niche among precisely these types of young people. What is more, since Adderall is a prescription medication, many young people delude themselves into thinking it is safe to use and abuse. It carries none of the stigma of cocaine or methamphetamine.

Adderall Abuse

Facts about AdderallAdderall abuse is difficult to spot. It is not as dramatic as other illicit drugs. Some tell-tale signs of Adderall abuse include rapid speech, rapid or repetitive movements, and hypervigilance and hyperfocus. People who are using Adderall will become highly energized, more than we commonly see even in younger people. Since it tends to facilitate focus, abuse of Adderall can create focus which appears abnormal. The more visible sign of dilated pupils in conjunction with these other symptoms could demonstrate signs of Adderall abuse.
As Adderall abuse progresses, more destructive symptoms can appear. Users may begin vomiting. They may experience seizures. Insomnia and excessive irritability will become pronounced. This can lead to anger and aggression issues.

Ultimately, Adderall abuse and addiction can lead to increased blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, and even cardiac arrest. The malnutrition which is often associated with advance Adderall abuse can also lead to severe and potentially fatal consequences.

Once dependence has developed, it can be difficult to stop using Adderall without some form of treatment. However, Adderall addiction is responsive to drug treatment and rehab. Contemporary treatment facilities are fully prepared to treat Adderall addiction. The medical complications associated with Adderall abuse are well-documented and treatment programs are prepared to treat these problems.

It is definitely tempting for busy college students to use a drug that is specifically designed to boost energy and concentration. The challenges students face can wear them down. But Adderall is a dangerous temptation and it comes with a tremendous cost.

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