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Almost everyone imagines a drug addict as a homeless, dirty bum tweaking and shivering under a bridge somewhere. That could not be further from the truth.

Addiction, whatever the substance, does not separate us in genders, income brackets, nationalities or age groups. Addiction is a very real issue for everyone, regardless of your place of location, a mansion in Beverly Hills or under a storm drain bridge. Financially comfortable people are affected by drug-related issues just as much, if not more. Wealthy individuals encounter stress, genetic predisposition to addiction and mental illness just as much as anyone else. That said, there are a few things that make them more prone to drug abuse than your average homeless person.

Money to waste

The most obvious reason is the ready access to large amounts of money. Drugs are not cheap, neither is an addiction to them, so having a six digit bank account can help a desperate addict fuel their cravings that much more. Where a poor addict might be forced to resort to crime or other embarrassing and frowned upon activities like prostitution just to score the next hit, a wealthy person can buy all the coke, heroin or any other drug in bulk if he wanted to. This ease of access makes it very easy to go off rails and straight into the abyss. Any addict out there will tell you, having an unlimited supply of their choice of drug would lead them to the grave sooner than later. Being wealthy opens a lot of doors, even those that should remain closed.

Self-imposed guilt

Feeling guilty about their wealth is a common occurrence. Especially for those who are born in wealthy families, all that money just given to them. They feel guilty that they have this fancy and privileged life, while there are countless people struggling to feed their families and keep their heads above water. Many will dispute the validity of such guilt, but the fact of the matter is that it does not matter what is a person guilty of, what matters is, that the guilt is there and it can manifest from any number of reasons. A person feeling guilty, regardless of reasons, can be very susceptible to depression and self-harm. Anything that makes them feel better is welcomed, and in combination with the aforementioned expendable income, it’s a fast-lane to addiction.

Self-entitlement

The complete polar opposite of feeling guilt, there are many out there that feel entitled and better than the rest of us. Being rich it’s easy to fall into this way of thinking. Often children grow up being always told that they are better than everyone else because they have opportunities, fortune and connections that most people don’t. Never experiencing the need to work a day in their lives, they grow up feeling like they don’t need to earn their money and others do it for them, that the world and other people “below” their standard, owes them something. This sense of entitlement is oddly enough, not exclusive to wealthy individuals. There are people who live all their lives on welfare and social support, therefore never needing to work hard for their rewards. Therefore both rich and poor can fall for this self-entitlement and are just as prone to addiction as each other.

Get out of jail free card

There is an untold number of wealthy people who believe that the laws are not written for them. That they are somehow above the law. Plenty of disposable income for bribes and influential connections that life in luxury provides makes them feel that whatever they do, it’s not wrong because they can afford it. Being able to afford an expensive lawyer in case of being caught red-handed or being able to pay bail whatever the amount, means they can do whatever they want. The law is also regrettably very biased. Being pulled over for a routine check-up, a person in an Italian sports car is less likely to be searched and bothered with questions than a regular Joe driving a van from his 9-5 workplace. It’s sad, unfair and, unfortunately, very true. Having this proverbial “get out of jail free card” in their pocket, wealthy individuals feel like they are less likely to be charged for engaging in criminal activities.

Addiction does not discriminate. People of all walks of life have been affected by addiction, regardless of their income or socioeconomic status. Many heroin addicts today attribute their fall into addiction to prescription medication. Why you may ask? They say it’s because it was so easy to get their drugs, they just had to go to a pharmacy and get a refill. Being wealthy and with virtually unlimited funds to spend, is like having a prescription for any drug at any time. In the end of the day, both rich and poor find themselves at the same place. A place and time in their lives where they need to make a decision – continue down the path of certain death or seek professional help and turn their lives around in a rehabilitation center.

Young people are rebels, it’s a well-known fact. They love to “stand up to the system” and try new things or blatantly disregard others. Teenagers rarely have the finances and connections required to actively produce and/or use a hard drug. So it’s no wonder that Marijuana has been the choice of drug for most of them as it is considered to be the lightest and least damaging of all openly illegal drugs today. However, the path of least resistance will always be the most traveled. As such, a rise in legal highs has spread across the world. Favored by aforementioned young adults and teenagers, these drugs took off at an exponential rate. It was not long until people woke up to the fact that synthetic marijuana, also known as “spice” was indeed highly addictive, unhealthy and equally destructive on both mind and the body.

Introducing “Kratom”. What is it? And why should you care? Kratom is extracted from a plant native to South East Asia, specifically Thailand as its country of origin.  It’s called mitragyna speciosa and comes from rubiaceae plant family, same as the coffee bean tree. Thai people have been using this plant and its strange contradicting properties in folk medicine for hundreds of years. Why contradicting? In small doses, kratom acts as a stimulant, much like coffee – a distant cousin of kratom plant. It was first used by farmers and laborers as they believed it gave them energy and vigor necessary to perform hard manual activities. In larger doses, the very same plant has the opposite effect. It becomes a relaxant and induces euphoria, calmness and a general feeling of being high, not that much different from the high achieved from other relaxant drugs like marijuana, for example.

Is kratom Illegal?

Oddly, it is not. Anyone in most countries of the world can legally purchase and use it as a recreational drug. Its legality is the main reason why it is sweeping over the world as the new choice of drug. It’s legal, it’s cheap, it’s effective. Note that it is legal in most countries, but not all. Rather fitting, that the first country to outlaw this drug was the very origin country kratom plant – Thailand. In 1943 a Kratom Act was set in motion that outlawed the use, growth and sale of this drug. Slowly nearby countries joined this legislation and Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and some European countries began their movement towards controlling or making the drug illegal outright. Denmark, Latvia, Romania, Sweden, Lithuania and Poland passed kratom as a controlled drug at 2011. The United States are in process in joining this way of thinking, but for the time being, it is very much legal to buy and consume kratom for both medical and recreational purposes.

What’s the big deal?

Kratom has many different forms of product. It can be dried, crushed and consumed in capsules or pills. It can be chewed raw both fresh and dried, much like the Thai field workers did back in the day. It can also be made into a tea, by boiling the leaves and pulp of the kratom plant. Whichever way one consumes it, the results are always the same, albeit with varying forms of potency. Many claim it is not addictive, but the ever-rising popularity of this old but rediscovered drug points to the contrary. Regular and chronic consumption of kratom have adverse side-effects and repercussions. They include but are not limited to:

• Anxiety
• Constipation
• Stomach cramps
• Psychotic outbursts
• Respiratory complications
• Loss of appetite
• Delusions
• Nausea and vomiting
• Heightened aggression
• Skin rashes

There is help

For those who believe their kratom use has gone from a novelty into a problem that is affecting you both socially and physically, an inpatient rehabilitation program is the help you need. Open legality of this dangerous drug makes it very easy and the general population of the world very susceptible to its side-effects. Inpatient programs ensure that an addict has no access to the drug. If you or anyone you know is suffering from kratom addiction or experiencing two or more side-effects listed above, please seek professional help as soon as possible as these side effects have a long lasting impact on the addict’s life.

The first step to sobriety. It may be just the first step, but it is also one of the most important ones. What to expect? What is detox? Why is it necessary?

When an addict is admitted to a rehabilitation center, he will have to go through a period of detoxification. It is imperative for the addict’s well-being and ensures a much smoother overall experience in the rehab once detox is over. During detox, be it drug or alcohol related, patients are assisted through the first few days of withdrawal. These first days many rehab graduates remember as their most important part, as it marked their first step. A step that was the most dangerous and most painful of their recovery.

A common misconception is that a patient is essentially thrown in a padded cell with a vomit bucket and left there for a few days. Simply cutting off the supply of drugs or as it is commonly referred to – “going cold turkey”. This, however, cannot be further from the truth. First days of withdrawal, after prolonged use of addictive substances is extremely taxing on the human body, both physically and mentally. Simply stopping the use of some drugs is not only life-threatening, it’s also inhumane and prone to create deep-seated mental complications down the road.

The first order of detox process is a careful and thorough examination and risk assessment. A specialist will speak with the addict at length and with deep intimacy, honesty and hard truths are of utmost importance at this stage. Once a profile is established a detox plan is prepared and the patient begins it. No two detox procedures and plans are the same. Human beings are very different from one another, both mentally and physically. Such is the case with the detox plans as well. A heroin user and alcohol user will have drastically different approaches to detox.

There are a couple of addiction types that are potentially life-threatening. One of them is alcohol, the oldest drug in the world. It is considered a central nervous system depressant and once the supply of it is cut off, a possibility of delirium tremens to set in is very high. Another type of addiction that should never be kicked with a cold turkey approach is an addiction to benzodiazepines, most commonly in Valium and Xanax. These drugs also impair the normal function of nervous system and once suddenly removed can lead to a respiratory or cardiac arrest.

Most other substance addictions detoxification is not as life threatening, while still being extremely uncomfortable and often even painful. A sudden change in blood pressure, cold sweats, vomiting and tremors are common occurrences. The body is re-learning crash course on how to self-manage again, without external input and stimulus from various substances. It is not a pleasant process so the rehabilitation specialists and caretakers ensure the addict is safe, as comfortable as possible and mentally engaged.

Depending on each individual addiction profile, patients are sometimes prescribed medication to alleviate the withdrawal symptoms. Alcoholics are usually prescribed Ativan while Methadone is the choice of medication for meth addicts. People who are addicted to prescription drugs like OxyContin and Lortab are often prescribed Suboxone. These medications are prescribed with utmost care and very strict dosage and for a very brief period of time. They are meant to alleviate the withdrawal and detox process, not to replace one addiction with another.

When the detox procedure is deemed finished by the rehab specialists and the first nights of cold sweat and nausea have been endured,  the patient is placed in the regular inpatient facilities and begins their regular rehabilitation program.

Different drugs have different withdrawal symptoms. Some can be very dangerous and the “cold turkey” method should never be attempted without proper care and supervision.

Cocaine, the exceptionally strong and addictive stimulant is prepared and produced from the leaves  and plant matter of the coca plant. While this plant is originally native to Bolivia and Peru, its rise to fame assured its spread across most of central and south America – most infamously Colombia. Humans have been consuming cocaine in one form or another for a very long time, thousands of years in fact. First by consuming the pulp of coca plant leaves. The advent of industry made factory grade chemicals available at your local corner shop and the jungle cocaine laboratories were here to stay.

When German chemist Albert Niemann first produced cocaine by extracting it from the coca leaf, he probably had no idea of the chain of events he was about to set in motion. With help of Sigmund Freud, the “grandfather” of modern psychoanalysis, who was an avid user of the substance, it was popularized it in his book “Über Coca” (About Coke) which promoted the “benefits” of cocaine, calling it a “magical” substance. Even John Pemberton’s invention Coca-Cola contained a substantial amount of cocaine and grew very popular due to its euphoric and energizing benefits. It took many years until public opened their eyes to the detrimental and addictive properties of this drug. That still does not stop countless people overdosing or becoming dependent on it year after year.

Cocaine types

There are two commonly known cocaine types that are abused on a daily basis.  The hydrochloride salt and the so-called cocaine base or free-base, if you will. While hydrochloride salt is the cocaine we have all seen glamorized in movies and music videos, free-base cocaine is more commonly known as crack cocaine and gets attributed to lowlifes, prostitutes and homeless people.

Cocaine effects on the human body and mind

To begin, we must understand, that cocaine is a stimulant. It works by affecting the brain to produce increasing levels of dopamine. This neurotransmitter works in our brain as a natural reward system. It acts in human system as a regulator of pleasure and motor functions. When you see a friend who has been away for a while, kiss or eat delicious food – dopamine is released, usually in trace amounts. When it has done its job of imprinting in our memory that something we enjoyed is, well, enjoyable, the dopamine is routed back and absorbed by the very cells that produce it. A “bump” of cocaine is exceeding natural levels of dopamine in the human brain by stimulating the production of dopamine and hindering its recycle system at the same time. This causes the cocaine user to build up large amounts of dopamine in their brain and as a result, they feel this natural pleasure reward sensation from practically anything. Imagine eating your favorite food for the first time, the flavor, the sensation, the pleasure it gave you. Now multiply that by a thousand and for prolonged periods of time. This dopamine concentration is what causes the user to feel high and euphoric.

The drug also has more short term and immediate effects. Increase in blood pressure caused by constricted blood vessels. Dilation of pupils and sensitivity to colors and lights. Rapid rise in body temperature, mostly from physical activities since cocaine is a powerful stimulant and will put the user under impression that he can run a marathon, climb mount Everest and arm-wrestle Chuck Norris into submission. Unfortunately, a heart attack or a stroke is more likely.

Confirmed tactics in battling cocaine addiction

For cocaine addicts worldwide there are many treatments and methods to try. Not all will be effective for everyone, as is the general rule – no addiction is the same. Many users have reported great results from meditation, others stand by just going “cold turkey”, most popular and tried method, however, is the CBT or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. This form of therapy for cocaine addicts is very widespread and critically acclaimed as one of the best methods to combat cocaine addiction. It is usually combined with other treatments in most rehabilitation centers worldwide. The core of CBT is that knowledge is half the battle. Understanding oneself and the addiction is just as important as keeping oneself out of environment or company that is prone to trigger a craving in the addict. Study of coping mechanisms and techniques is pivotal in CBT approach to cocaine addiction. Inpatient rehabilitation centers provide the best chance at successful cognitive behavioral therapy due to their isolated nature and constant care from the facility staff.

Your road to independence from cocaine is paved and ready, all it takes is the first step to be made.

 

Most people have no clue how to identify an addict. A lot of people will object, saying that how could they know what some random person on the street is doing with their lives. Granted, but the problem is that an alarming amount of people are unable to notice huge red flags of addictive behavior in their closest friends and even family.

Trouble with the law

A very obvious sign that something is not right. If an otherwise law-abiding citizen suddenly takes risks of breaking the law, finds himself in aggressive confrontations or otherwise disruptive odds with the law, some eyebrows should be raised.

Risky behavior

Many illegal chemicals make people mellow, so this is not one to focus on too much. However, if suddenly someone you know is taking risks that go against their usual behavior, it could be a sign of drug addiction and use. It could be an indication hard drugs are involved since they may make the user feel invincible and ready to take on any challenge.

Irritability

Watch out for signs of drastically different mood swings in a relatively short time. If one day your friend is depressed and doesn’t want to see anybody and the next day throws a party and is the pinnacle of joy, pay attention and make a mental note to look out for him. Drug addicts suffer from severe depression when experiencing withdrawal symptoms. This feeling takes an immediate turn the moment they score their next hit or have meaningful supplies of their drug of choice.

Keeping secrets

A person suffering from addiction has to spend obscene amounts of money on their drug while hiding it from the law and their loved ones. Addicts lie through their teeth to support their addiction. Pay close attention to someone in your family or close friends that get caught in small lies. They often have lied for so long and with contradictory evidence, that they will slip up sooner or later.

Abandoning responsibilities

Depending on the person it can manifest in many different ways. Otherwise punctual and organized people start missing work, school or social activities. An addict will, of course, come up with excuses, but over time they get thinner and thinner as they cancel arrangements, blow off meetings and break other commitments.

Relationship issues

Addiction and the vast amount of lies, deception and hiding can make relationships with their loved ones and close friends very fragile. Drugs can drive a wedge between the closest of lovers and family members. Either directly, when it is known that the person has an addiction problem, or even worse when it’s being hidden and manifests itself through lies, and any number of other signs that we are covering this article.

Loss of interest in hobbies

A person who used to devote their free time to any number of hobbies out there, be it fishing, mountain climbing, video games or stamp collecting, but suddenly abandons them altogether or simply does not care for it anymore could be a tell-tale sign of addiction. They might be distracted from their choice of hobbies by more pressing matters, like scoring the next hit and making sure spouse or friend does not find out about it. Depression, anxiety and paranoia can get in the way of enjoying even the simplest of things.

Coordination impairments

Shaky hands, rocking back and forth, twitching and a general struggle to use basic motor functions can be a sign of the person going through drug withdrawal, is high at that very moment or experiencing the deflating effects of a come-down.

Strange smells

A new and odd smell on persons clothing, hair or even skin can be the sign of drug use. Most of these chemicals have very potent and unmistakable smells. They are untreated chemicals and not designed to look or smell good but to be effective and potent. Pay attention to recurring odd smells in the presence of your friends and loved ones.

Lacking hygiene

This sign works hand in hand with the strange smells and abandonment of responsibilities. This is a step forward in severity though, as dirty clothing, unkempt hair and clear signs that the person does not care for their personal hygiene can be a very prominent sign of addiction and drug use.

Financial issues

Drugs are expensive. Their illegality and strong demand hike their prices up very high and as a result, most people cannot sustain prolonged drug addiction without going broke. A person who is living from paycheck to paycheck, never has money for social gatherings and is always borrowing money could be a sign of addiction.

Sudden weight loss

Someone you know suddenly lost a lot of weight. Good for them, they must be going to gym or trying out a new diet, right? On its own, this sign could mean very little, but in conjunction with other signs, this is a big one. Most addicts would rather choose to pursue their next hit than to eat and look after themselves. Many hard drugs suppress appetite and increase the metabolism of the user. Someone high on cocaine and other hard drugs feel energized and on top of the world. This, sadly, comes at expense of the body literally cannibalizing itself, rapidly losing muscle mass and fat deposits.

 

It’s important to understand that one or two of these symptoms may mean very little. These signs, however, are very easily noted once you know what you are looking for. When a person suffers from a number of these signs, odds are the rest are just well hidden. Look after your friends and family and upon discovery of drug abuse and addiction, encourage them to get professional help.