Posts Tagged Drug Addiction

Drug Addiction: How Family and Friends Can Make A Difference

Posted by DrugFreeHomes in Drug Addiction on November 24th, 2009

The consequences of being addicted to drugs are many, and most, if not all of them, are adverse. So, what should you do when you find out that your friend or a member of your family is a drug addict, but wants out of the trap that he has fallen in? Can your actions, however small they are, make a difference in his life?

treatment supportThe answer is yes – your presence can make a big difference. Drug addicts often have no one to turn to regarding their problems, and this sense of isolation is one of the main motivations for prolonged drug use. Family and friends play a significant role in helping them get out of that rut and accept the reality of their situation. Remember that social connections can influence the individual’s perception of right and wrong, which can determine their decisions and actions later in life. By extension, the influence of these groups can help drug addicts change the way they see themselves. In this case, it’s to let them see that the drugs are in fact damaging their body, mind, and social lives.

The main thing you can do for your friend is to slowly convince and motivate him to undergo treatment, which becomes harder and harder as he becomes more and more dependent on the drug. In this case, social reinforcement becomes a vital component in motivating the soon-to-be patient. Also, involvement in a treatment program can help the individual come to grips with his situation, and can encourage him to go all the way through with the program.

Monitoring the individual’s actions is also important in order to avoid a relapse, which is the one thing that can waste the efforts done during treatment. It may take a very long time, but with your help, it is possible. And it also helps to believe that you can make that happen.

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Understanding the Reasons of Drug Addiction

Posted by DrugFreeHomes in Drug Addiction on November 9th, 2009

The social stigma attached to the label “drug addict” is a highly discriminatory one. However detestable an activity it is for the majority of people who choose to live their lives the right way, knowing how and why drug addiction persists within society is important in order to curb it and possibly eliminate it at its roots. There are definite reasons as to why drug addiction begins, and you will probably be surprised why it happens.

drug addictThose that most of us call “drug addicts” are stuck using drugs not only because they want it, but because their bodies start to become dependent on drugs. A large number, if not all drug addicts like to believe that they can stop drug use by their will alone, and these same people also choose not to undergo rehabilitation. But the likelihood of escaping the trap of drug usage is slim, especially if used in the long-term.  There are mental changes associated with long-term drug use, and this can affect and alter the way people behave, leaving them unable to control some actions – including their strengthening craving for more drugs.

So why do some people choose to use drugs? The reasons for this phenomenon can actually be quite logical – most drug addicts choose to use drugs because of the strong desire to escape from the stresses of their daily lives. These include psychological stress from work, home, or in school. The desire to escape reality becomes one of the most fundamental reasons of prolonged drug addiction.

With this mindset to guide our line of thinking, understanding drug addiction becomes a lot less difficult. The labeling and stereotyping of drug addicts prevents us from looking at the reality of drug addicts – that they are persons trapped within the cycle of drug use. Analyzing the reasons for their habit is a pressing task, and should not be taken lightly.

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Common Questions Asked in Drug Facts Fun Day

Posted by DrugFreeHomes in Drug Facts on November 4th, 2009

Transcripts of past Drug Facts Chat Day have been made available for other students, especially for those whose schools have not registered in time to get access codes and for those who may have missed seeing the answers to their questions.

Common questions asked during the Drug Facts Chat Day last year include the following:

What is the deadliest drug?
What are the worst effects of weed?
Can you die from using marijuana?
Does smoking affect your sex life?
Can weight loss pills have a harmful effect?
What’s the most commonly used drug in high school?
When were drugs invented?
How can drugs affect pregnancy?

There are also questions that may or may not be related to drugs, but still merit answers from NIDA scientists, like:

Who would win in a fight — Chuck Norris or a T-Rex?
How many questions do you get each minute?
If I ask a stupid question, will you answer it???
How much wood could a wood chuck chuck if a wood chuck was on drugs?
Would you vote for Obama?

This year’s Drug Facts Chat Day promises to be more fun, informative and helpful to the participating students, teachers and scientists.

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Drug Facts Chat Day on November 10!

Posted by DrugFreeHomes in Drug Facts on November 4th, 2009

It’s the third annual Drug Facts Chat Day on November 10, and students, teachers and scientists are getting ready for another round of interesting conversations on drug abuse.

Drug Facts Chat DayDrug Facts Chat Day, an activity sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), provides students and teachers an opportunity to get answers to their drug-related questions from experts in the field of drug abuse. The students create their user names (not necessarily their real names), view the live chat and send their questions for the NIDA scientists to answer.

Schools need to register to get an access code, which can be used by the students during the chat to log-in, submit questions and view answers. To make the chats extra fun, there will also be featured factoids and quizzes about drug abuse and addiction.

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Treatment of Drug and Substance Addiction – An Overview

Posted by DrugFreeHomes in Drug Abuse Treatment, Drug Addiction, Drug Facts, Drug Rehabilitation, Drug Testing, Prescription Drug Abuse on October 16th, 2009

addiction

The disease of addiction entails a lot of complexities which affect every sphere of the addict’s life as well as that of his family members. Addiction, like any other chronic disease, is treatable. Treatment of addiction has several components which aims at making the victim drug free and rehabilitating him into the mainstream of life. It covers detoxification and management of medical problems, providing individual, family and group counseling and extending follow-up care.

Treatment of addiction is primarily based on certain guiding principles, the salient one being that recovery from addiction is possible though there is a probability of relapse and recovery is usually a long process. The treatment procedure must focus on various needs of the recovering person – physical, psychological, legal, vocational, spiritual and others. Counseling forms an integral part of the treatment and this should continue for an adequate period of time. Regular monitoring of the individual’s needs, problems and his progress is essential.

The involvement of family, community, workplace and support groups facilitate recovery. Co-morbidity is one of the most chief factors since most of the addicts do suffer from different types of physical or mental problems which, if left untreated, will take a more serious form in recovery and this might act as a trigger for relapse.

The initial step in treating an addict is assessment of the causes of addiction and identification of the most appropriate treatment modalities which could meet his needs.

Detoxification is the next step which deals with the abstinence syndrome caused by the cessation of the use of drugs. Detoxification can be done in a controlled environment such as at a detoxification center or on an outpatient basis.

The early detoxification phase is followed by counseling – individual or group. This enables the client to assess his problems and motivates him to develop coping skills.

An effective treatment procedure should have a component of aftercare since it is essential to sustain recovery.

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Women and Drug Addiction: Any Correlation?

Posted by DrugFreeHomes in Drug Abuse Treatment, Drug Addiction, Drug Facts, Drug Rehabilitation, Drug Testing, Prescription Drug Abuse on October 14th, 2009

drug and women copy
Drug addiction is a serious problem that has been affecting both the genders without any bias. Women have been known to play the multiple roles of home makers as well as bread earners. But the common notion about the fairer sex is that they are emotionally stronger than males and have a strong shoulder to bear all the responsibilities that their counterparts fail or resign from doing. But the truth is that the more you are tough the easier it is to break you.

The underlying vulnerability is masked by the toughness and the burden of responsibilities and constant stress make them internally vulnerable and a physical or emotional disturbance might cause a turmoil triggering drug abuse leading to drug dependency.

Women drug abusers face serious challenges to their well-being during their lives. Researches show that a large number of them present a history of physical and sexual abuse. The condition worsens when such women get into flesh trade just to earn the money to sustain their drug taking habit. The result is obvious – sexually transmitted infections, HIV/AIDS.

Often it is found the initiation of the habit is through her male counterpart – spouse or boyfriend- who is also an addict. In such cases it becomes very difficult for the women to abstain from drugs since the lifestyle of the partner supports it.

Research indicates that women become more easily dependent on certain drugs like cocaine even after experimental or casual use. Thus by the time she seeks treatment she may be severely addicted.

A problem with female addicts is that most of the time they do not seek treatment due to fear of rejection from their family members, community. But treatment is an absolute necessity for them. A comprehensive treatment approach that takes care of the special needs of women together with support and encouragement from the family and community is essential to help them in refraining from addiction.

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