Archive for December, 2009

How Drug Tests Are Usually Done

Posted by Drug Free in Drug Testing on December 16th, 2009

A drug test is a way of determining the presence of specific drugs on people. The test subjects are usually instructed to submit biological specimens, such as, urine, hair, blood, or saliva.

urine sampleMultiple factors, such as, the drug used, how much of the drug was consumed, and how often the drug was used, can affect how well or how fast a drug or its metabolites can be detected. The subject’s metabolism, body mass index, age, and heath can also pose as factors.

When a drug is consumed, it takes about 6–8 hours or more from the time of consumption for the drug to be metabolized and excreted in a subject’s urine. This is why testing through urine analysis cannot detect current drug use.

When a person receives a request for a drug test, he or she is typically instructed to go to a collection site. The subject’s urine or a biological specimen required by the testing site is collected in a specially designed secure cup in a secluded location, usually accompanied by a site assistant to make sure the specimen has been collected on the site and not tampered with in any way. The cup containing the specimen is sealed, and sent to a testing laboratory to be screened.

People undergoing drug tests are usually asked if there is any legitimate reason for the possibility of concentration of a certain drug in his or her system. A person, for instance, may have been prescribed by a physician to take certain drugs while undergoing medical treatment.

All test results are reviewed by a medical physician. Subjects are then informed whether the screen show negative results in the specimens or not. The test results come out positive if the specimen shows a concentration level of a drug or metabolite above an established limit.

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My Friend Was a Drug Addict: A True Story

Posted by Drug Free in Alcohol Abuse, Drug Addiction on December 15th, 2009

I once had a friend in college who showed a lot of promise during his first year. He had the potential to graduate with honors in class, and it showed in the way he carried and handled himself. He was one of those people whose abilities were off-the-scale, and if you have had the chance to meet him at that time, you would probably say the same.

troubled teenBut he had one big character flaw, if you can call it that: he was an extreme loner. Somehow, he never got the hang of going out with other people. He was seen as one of the school’s biggest nerds. No one wanted to get close to him.

He could have gone on with his life and accepted this stereotyping as a passing phase – that it would not last, but his inner desire to be accepted overwhelmed his rational thinking. And so he made a choice: he would abandon his academic life in lieu of a “more active” social life. There began his downfall. He drank and drank with his buddies to no end, and began to use drugs as well.

As life would have it, things went out of control, and he found himself unable to escape his situation. His body grew dependent on the drugs, and he started to do petty crimes such as shoplifting just to sustain his habit. He dropped out of school, and he seemed to have lived off the grid; no one could contact him at all in any way.

I saw him again four years later. It turns out that he was in a rehabilitation center during the time he was gone. He admits how grave his mistakes early in life were, but he also understands that he can never live his life the same way ever again. He looks forward to a different and more meaningful future, though.

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Hard Truth for Smokers: SMOKING KILLS

Posted by Drug Free in Tobacco Abuse on December 14th, 2009

There used to be a time when the words on the cigarette box were written like this: “Government Warning: Cigarette smoking is dangerous to your health.” Now, several governments around the world require a much simpler phrase, and it cuts to the chase quite effectively: “SMOKING KILLS”.

smoking-kills-gunJust imagine the hundreds of billions of cigarettes being smoked each year in the United States alone. And if you think about it, that is just the number for a single country. What about the rest of the world? It’s a scary thought when you think about it.

People smoke for entirely different reasons. Some try it just for fun, others try it because they feel that they look cool doing it, and others still do it because of habit. Whatever the reason, it still remains a habit that can kill you slowly. The conditions will not manifest themselves at first, but don’t wait until the entire world squeezes on your chest.

A cigarette, while seemingly innocent at first glance, contains a load of carcinogenic substances that can kill you in large quantities. Some of these substances may be found only in traces, but they collect themselves within your body. One day, your body wouldn’t be able to handle the stress of these accumulated toxic substances, and this is where serious degeneration of your body begins.

Look at pictures of the organs before and after smoking. Meet other people whose families have died because of lung cancer caused by smoking. The evidence is everywhere, and you don’t need to go very far to see it.

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Battle Against Drug Abuse: Fight for Your Kids!

Posted by Drug Free in Drug Addiction on December 13th, 2009

Any parent would be devastated to know that their children are into drugs.  If you are a parent who has devoted most of your life trying to raise your kids right, the news would perhaps utterly destroy you. But if this happens, parents need not blame themselves. In many cases, drug use is the result of external influences, something that even a parent has no control over. The best you can do in this situation is to try to find ways for your children to get the habit out of their lives completely before it takes full control.

troubled teenThe first thing you can do is to educate them about the effects of drug use on their body and their lives. Chances are that they do not know a thing about it, save for the fact that they think everybody’s doing it. Learning about the severe consequences of drug addiction can help them avoid drugs. Remember to put emphasis on the physical, psychological, and social effects of drugs, so that they’ll think twice before looking for the blasted things.

Another thing you can do is to distract them from drugs. Give them little, valuable projects to work on to make them forget about drugs completely. You can do these activities together with them, in order to strengthen your relationship with them at the same time. These projects don’t have to be too strenuous; make them fun to work on.

Do not be afraid to talk to your children about their condition. Your silence would only mean that you accept what is going on, and that there is nothing wrong with using drugs. It would not be wise to turn a blind eye on this. The kids look at you, the parent, as a guide who would teach them what is right and what is wrong.

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Debunking Drug Abuse Myths: Truth or Not?

Posted by Drug Free in Drug Addiction on December 12th, 2009

Drug use is often associated with a plethora of stereotypes, which are often unwarranted and misconstrued by many people. While most are aware of the adverse effects because of the influence of media, there remains a certain degree of ignorance on some truths regarding drug addiction.

drug abuseWell, the first thing we need to understand is that drug addiction is not a voluntary act. While drug use is initially a choice, the body’s growing dependence on the substance is something that is often outside our awareness. You get hooked to drugs before you know it, and it could take a substantial amount of willpower to escape this trap.

While there are prescription drugs and over-the-counter drugs available in the market, they are not less dangerous than street drugs. All drugs can be abused, and this includes painkillers, cough syrups, and even inhalers. Overdoses of these drugs not only harm your body, but these can also weaken your immune system (especially if you are overdosed on antibiotics).

Taking a variety of different drugs at the same time can perhaps become the last mistake you will ever make in your lifetime. Drugs are not like drinks — they do not taste or make you feel better when you try to mix them together. This could even be one of the things that can lead to an early death.

Beating drug addiction is a long and arduous battle, but understanding the truth behind these drug myths may help a lot. Debunking these misconceptions on drug use is essential in the battle against drug addiction, which is a good an effort as any.

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Alcohol: Mankind’s Favorite Drug to Abuse

Posted by Drug Free in Alcohol Abuse, Drug Addiction on December 11th, 2009

We often forget that alcohol is a drug. After all, it has become part of our culture to drink every once in a while, especially during celebrations, parties, and other social events. But on the other end of the spectrum, some of us also take alcohol when depressed or when we want to forget the worst memories of our lives. While it is acceptable to have a glass or two in parties, consuming it for the wrong reasons can contribute to the manifestation of an addiction to the substance.

wineThose who have drunk alcohol have felt the symptoms of intoxication. We get dizzy, we talk a lot more, and we seem to care a lot less about our environment and about the things we do. Because of the perception that their worries and anxieties disappear the more they drink alcohol, people sometimes refer to their alcoholic drinks as “liquid courage”. But in truth, there is nothing at all courageous about consuming too much alcohol. Those addicted to alcohol are more susceptible to committing acts of violence, since alcohol impairs rational judgment.

As with all other drugs, alcohol also has its own set of adverse effects on the body. These include episodes of severe anxiety, chills, and hallucinations. On the physical level, it can kill brain cells and do great damage to your liver. And the more you consume alcohol, the harder it gets to escape the addiction, since cutting yourself off from the substance can lead to withdrawal symptoms. The long-term effects are not at all pleasant, but since these are hidden by the sense of intoxication that alcohol brings, we forget to care about details like these.

Thus, it may be alright to drink alcohol on occasion, but keep in mind that you can never have too much of anything.

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