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The popularity of the GHB drug has grown considerably over the last decade. Many clubbers take it as an alternative to ‘E’, indeed in many circles it is known as Liquid E. A more worrying aspect is its increasing use as a ‘date rape drug’.
Let’s take a look at what it is, what it can do and why you should be wary. Continue reading “GHB Drug – Beware that Strength and Effect Vary Greatly”
The path towards recovery from alcoholism, as any sort of healing, is never easy. And it’s not supposed to be. A quick fix for this sort of problem, as anyone who had encountered addiction knows, never yields solid and durable results. It may even cause more damage than good – the addict and his surrounding faces yet another disappointment when the easy solution doesn’t hold water anymore, and his self-confidence drops, substantiated by examples of failure. Continue reading “Healing Alcoholism — A Long and Winded Road”
Addiction can happen at any age. However, the slippery slope of drug addiction often begins in youth.
There are many factors that play a part in why people choose to get involved with drugs.
Some begin using drugs because it is a way to fit into a crowd their own age, or even a group of older people. This need to fit in can lead to dangerous consequences. Oftentimes, when drug use begins, it becomes a hard pattern to quit. Sometimes they can be threatened if they try to leave the group, but often, they get in too far and do not see a way out of the situation.
Others view it as a way to get attention. They view themselves as not being the best in other areas, so they consume themselves in using drugs. It can also helps them get attention. Even if it is negative attention, sometimes it is better than no attention at all. At least being noticed by others is better than not being noticed by anyone, despite the reason in obtaining it.
Alternatively, other individuals use out of boredom. Drugs produce a sense of excitement- the feeling, the chase, the thrill of getting caught at any moment. Numerous individuals become bored with the monotony, so they use drugs to escape the boredom they feel.
Other times, individuals adopt drug use as a form of self-medication. They are often trying to escape from the difficulties they face in their life. Sometimes they try a drug one time and realize it allows them an escape from their everyday worries and then continue needing drugs to get the same effects. Other times, their friends tell them the effects they have felt and placed value on how it helped them to escape from the tough circumstances in their life, and they begin and continue using drugs in order to get that effect as well.
Some grew up in a household where drug use was normal. They do not know that it was unusual or bad to use drugs, so it’s just what they do. Maybe their parents or friends introduced them to drugs, and it was never abnormal for them to use drugs.
What components play into drug addiction?
The sooner the onset of drug use, the more likely one will develop an addiction to the drug. The longer the person has accessed the drugs, the greater the risk of developing an addiction. Even if teens do not become addicted to drugs while using in their teenage years, continued use increases the chance of developing a drug abuse disorder in the future.
The type of drug used also plays into the likelihood of addiction. The “harder” the drug, the more dangerous the chance of being addicted develops.
Family history affects the makeup of the body as well. Those with a family members who abused drugs are more likely to become addicts themselves. Once they begin using, it is a slippery slope to drug addiction for themselves.
Body makeup sometimes creates a chemical dependency to drug use after extended usage as well. The pleasure senses in the brain, feelings of happiness and pleasure, are excreted. Then, more and more of the drug are needed in order to feel the same effect of pleasure as before. One’s brain gets used to the feeling and continues to need more in order to feel the same sense of pleasure. Moreover, this change in the makeup of the brain inhibits clear thinking. While using drugs, judgment is damaged, which makes one believe she needs to use more drugs, more often, to feel that same effects like in the past. As her thought process changes, she begins to do anything she can in order to obtain and use the drug.
One’s mental health also plays a role in drug abuse. Mental health disorders, such a depression factors into drug addiction. Prior abuse or traumatic experiences also plays a role in drug addiction. Childhood trauma has been shown to alter the brain makeup in some children. This idea could play a significant role in drug addiction as well. Mental health disorders paired with self-medicating with drugs can also provide a dangerous combination.
Drug usage and even drug experimentation can be a very slippery slope leading to drug addiction.
How can one conquer drug addiction?
First, one must realize that he cannot do it on his own. If one is addicted to drugs, he cannot simply stop using drugs without help from others. He will need help to end this addiction. Someone addicted to drugs is not a helpless bystander, but he will need help outside of himself to combat his drug addiction. Recovery can begin at any point of drug use as long as the person is willing to admit he needs help and seek appropriate help to end the vicious cycle of addiction. Treatment is a process, so do not be discouraged or disheartened if setbacks or relapses happen. It is important to remember to focus on the journey of getting better rather than being afraid of failures that might occur.
If you or another person you know relates to any information discussed here, please speak up, speak out and seek help.
Alcohol consumption has been linked to many things, including abusive texts, hangovers, slurred words, loss of vision and most importantly, violence. However, academics are vigorously questioning claims published in a 2015 scientific report, citing the link between alcohol and violence.
In January, 2015, British Anthropologist, Anne Fox, and her research team published a report entitled, Understanding behaviour in the Australian and New Zealand night-time economies. Commissioned by Australian brewery, Lion, the research concluded drinking does not cause violence, but rather, a violent culture causes violence.
In a report by the ABC on March 5, 2015, Fox cited alcohol as a substance does not transform someone’s character and make them act in a violent nature.
“Alcohol – as all of the scientific literature shows, which we’ve reviewed very extensively in the report – cannot be considered a cause of violence. If it was, we’d see uniform levels of violence among all drinkers,” said Fox.
In a very recent report published by the New Zealand Herald on January 13, 2016, researchers Nicki Jackson from Auckland University and Professor Kypros Kypri from the University of Newcastle and Otago, argued Fox’s report lacks sound credibility to exist as independent academic research, and that Dr Fox underplays the role of alcohol in violence.Fox’s research has witnessed further challenge by the recent debate regarding national alcohol laws, following the death of 18-year-old Cole Miller on January 3, 2016 in Brisbane – the third Australian in four years to have succumbed to an alcohol-induced, one-punch attack.
As mentioned in an article published by the Sydney Morning Herald on January 12, 2015 after the implementation of lock-out laws in Sydney’s historically violent Kings Cross, 2014 saw a 40 per cent drop in alcohol-related assaults at licensed premises, demonstrating a clear link between alcohol and violence and the benefits of regulating access to the substance.
Fox’s report is also in stark contrast to long-standing research citing alcohol does contribute to violence. According to The National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NDSHS) published in 2013, approximately 5 million Australians aged 14 and above had fallen victim to an alcohol-related incident, the majority of which involved verbal abuse (22 per cent), while the number of individuals experiencing physical abuse between 2010 and 2013, rose from 1.5 million to 1.7 million.
Given the academic sceptics, a long-standing history of evidence, and the obvious relevance of alcohol-induced harm, Fox’s research seems erroneous. Perhaps Fox and her team should seriously consider conducting any further “independent” research funded by breweries. We welcome your thoughts.
A United Nations (UN) 2015 report estimates around 246 million people world-wide aged between 15 and 64 use illicit drugs. Australia is awash with drugs, with 42 per cent of the nation’s adult population acknowledging drug use at some stage in their lives[1]; almost 15 per cent of whom used drugs between 2014-15.[2]
Illicit drug use not only impacts users, but also weighs heavily on the Australian public purse – an estimated $55.2 billion in 2004-05, including costs to the healthcare system, workplace productivity, road accidents and crime.[3]
Notably, tobacco use accounted for $31.5 billion, alcohol for $15.3 billion, and illegal drugs $8.2 billion, with alcohol and illicit drugs together accounting for an additional $1.1 billion.[4]
Since 1985, successive Australian Governments’ have regularly revised the National Drug Strategy, by predominantly focusing on harm minimisation, and the framework for such, including issues of demand, supply and harm reduction.
The demand reduction component of this framework has focused on preventing the uptake of, or delaying the use of alcohol, tobacco, and/or other drugs used personally, within the community, and for helping individuals recover from their dependence, and reintegrate into society.
The supply reduction framework aims to prevent, stop, disrupt and reduce the production and supply of illegal drugs. The framework also touches on controlling, managing and regulating the availability of legal drugs.
The harm reduction framework incorporates strategies and actions designed to reduce the adverse health, social and economic consequences from an individual’s use of drugs, and their effects on the community.
While this framework has played a pivotal role in helping successive Australian Governments formulate their drug use policy, it fails to account for other, more modern and proven approaches operating successfully world-wide, such as at DARA, Thailand.
Australian Governments have been slow to acknowledge the rise in popularity of high quality, evidence-based, drug care treatment programs. With an average completion rate of 92 per cent and overall treatment rate of 52 per cent, DARA Thailand offers its clientele, a cost-effective customised treatment plan that includes multiple modalities of care to assist with rehabilitation.
Part of DARA Thailand’s unique offering to clientele, is its focus on teaching individuals how to relax and socialise again, without the aid of drugs and/or alcohol, in order to mount an an effective recovery from addiction. In particular, the DARA Koh Chang rehabilitation program focuses exclusively on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) treatment, combining physical, social, psychological and spiritual components through a variety of individual and group-oriented activities, to aid recovery.
To learn more about DARA Thailand, head to https://www.dararehab.com/or contact a DARA therapist today, 24/7, for a free, confidential assessment via the following numbers:
Direct to Thailand +66-87-140-7788
Toll-free from United States 1-888-774-8459
Toll-free from United Kingdom 0333-122-9728
Toll-free from Australia 1-800-990-523
[1] United Nations Office on Drugs & Crime. 2015. World Drug Report 2015 . [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.unodc.org/documents/wdr2015/World_Drug_Report_2015.pdf. [Accessed 11 December 15].
[2] United Nations Office on Drugs & Crime. 2015. World Drug Report 2015 . [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.unodc.org/documents/wdr2015/World_Drug_Report_2015.pdf. [Accessed 11 December 15].
[3] United Nations Office on Drugs & Crime. 2015. World Drug Report 2015 . [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.unodc.org/documents/wdr2015/World_Drug_Report_2015.pdf. [Accessed 11 December 15].
[4] National Drug Strategy (Accessed 2015) The Costs of Tobacco, Alcohol and Illicit Drug Abuse to Australian Society in 2004/05, Australian Government, Canberra
Due to the philanthropic subsidy and gratitude of key alumni members, DARA is able to offer one of the worlds’ most affordable and cost-effective luxury rehabilitation solutions. The treatment center has been re-appropriated from a former luxury tropical resort, and so a comparable level of care elsewhere in the world can cost anywhere from three to six times more. DARA provides a range of luxury accommodation options including sea view, garden view and private pool villas. Our villas are surrounded by beautifully landscaped tropical gardens and command elevated sunset views over the Western Pacific.
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The first Drug and Alcohol Recovery Center in Asia with world-class care and treatment. DARA Drug & Alcohol Rehab Asia is a full licensed bu Thailand's Ministry of Public Health, Located on the exotic island of Koh Chang.
DARA Rehab has been changing lives for more than 10 years and has been trusted by international clients around the world.
Owned and ran by Australian Operators, our English-speaking facility offers privacy, luxury and comfort, all necessary for effective recovery from substance abuse.
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