General Rehab & Addiction

Temperance Movement

: Image by Getty Images via @daylife

There was little for anti-alcohol advocates to go on at the dawn of the 19th century, and dedicated teetotalers would have their work cut out for them as the United States entered its infancy.

From 1790 to 1830 the United States went on a bender that would be unparalleled in its history. The United States would become a land of opportunity, if that opportunity was to become blitzed. In 1792 the average American drank 2.5 gallons of alcohol pure year. The annual amount had gone up to 4.5 gallons by 1810. And by 1830 the amount had risen to an astonishing 7.1 gallons per person. Problems of public drunkenness and disorderly conduct were regular occurrences. The nation also had an epidemic of alcohol fueled abuse inside the home.

The young republican had become a victim of its own success. There was relative economic prosperity, an as a result there was more disposable income and more selections to drink. Not all the changes were positive. With rising levels of alcohol abuse, the town tavern had gone from a center of culture to a place that was becoming associated with crime, violence and vice.

The growing problem was soon paired with a possible solution. The problem had become so bad that major figures such as Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Benjamin Franklin were asked about their views on alcohol. The American Temperance Movement was conceived during this era of heavy alcohol consumption. Dr. Bill Clark founded the Union Temperance Society in Moreau, New York in 1808. From this early movement a model was established and soon temperance groups were being founded throughout the country.

Temperance became a religious issue as Methodists, Presbyterians and Congregationalists made abstaining from alcohol an important part of faith in may congregations. The temperance movement’s initial goal was reflected its names. Tempering the amount of excessive drinking and replacing it was a more responsible level of consumption. As the movement grew so did the goals. America had a religious war on its hands, and one side was against the use of any alcohol.

Filed Under: General Rehab & Addiction | Tagged: Tagged With: Alcoholism, American Temperance Movement, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, New York, Temperance movement, Thomas Jefferson, United States

From Coco Leaves to Crack

: Image via Wikipedia

One of the images that emerged during the 1980s is of the disintegration of the American inner city. White flight, the collapse of the American industrial base and other demographic shifts were part of the problem. But nothing caused the rise in violence and the breakdown of communities more than the rise of the crack cocaine drug trade.

While the phenomena of a massive organized international drug trade was a new invention in the 1980s, the United States had a long history with the additive nature of the coca plant. The leaves of the coco plant yield cocaine. (Chocolate comes from the cacao plant) Coca plants grow naturally in the Andes Mountains of Peru and Bolivia. The plant had once been important to the Incan civilization. Native Incans thought the plant had healing powers. Incans knew that chewing on the leaves of the plant allowed them to stay awake longer and work harder. The plant was also used in Incan religious ceremonies.

Once Europeans came to South American, the Incans shared the secrets of their mystery plant. Cocaine was introduced to Western Civilization, and prior to the United States government overseeing the standards of foods and medicines cocaine made its way into a variety of over the counter produce and “miracle” medicines. The addictive power of Coca Cola might be strong today, but the sugar addiction of the modern Coke does not compare with the cocaine laced original formula.

Cocaine had plenty of detractors and had been limited by states after the turn of the century, but an effective and policed nationwide ban of cocaine was no instituted until the Controlled Substances Act of 1970. Might have been outlawed, but it would soon become more popular that ever before.

To produce street grade cocaine or crack, the leaves of the coco plant are crushed and then mixed with kerosene or acid to produce a mash. Once the mash dries out, the signature white power is produced. Crack is produced by mixing the powder with baking soda and boiling the substance. Cheap, available crack has been a habit America cannot kick.

Filed Under: General Rehab & Addiction | Tagged: Tagged With: 1980s, Bolivia, Coca Cola, Cocaine, Federal government of the United States, Sodium bicarbonate, Substance abuse, United States

Know the Symptoms for Which to Use a Finger Pulse Oximeter

We’ve all heard about it, but have we all seen it? You know, the roommate or friend that’s out of control, drinking every night, not for social reasons, but to get wasted. Maybe they’ve even got a few issues thrown into the mix, which the person chooses to keep hidden from view. No, we’re not talking about that standard, “I had a hard childhood and now I really struggle,” sort of issue. What about something a bit more immediate, such as diabetes? You can’t see it, and if the friend or acquaintance isn’t forthcoming about their condition, you may one day see them in need of an emergency, lifesaving rescue.

It happens without warning, juxtaposed in the midst of a regular series of drinking bouts. Suddenly, one morning, you come down the steps to find the person in question laying on the floor. Are they choking, desperate for a bit of air, gasping like a fish out of water? It’s hard to tell – your senses go on full alert almost immediately. But level-headedness can quickly take over and save the day, causing your actions to become almost automatic. If you don’t know the victim is diabetic, you might be tempted to reach for a finger pulse oximeter to check that their blood oxygen levels are sufficient. Before you do that though, you’ll probably notice that the diabetic isn’t turning blue. Rather, he or she might be beginning to seize up, as their body runs out of sugar in the bloodstream.

A quickly provided glass of orange juice will help, but it will take a few minutes to work its way through the system. In the meantime, more confusing symptoms might present themselves, such as eyes shutting and a near paralytic state ensuing. For these reasons, it’s important to know the medical conditions of people around you, especially if they’re heavy drinkers or drug users.

Filed Under: General Rehab & Addiction | Tagged: Tagged With: Health, Oxygen, Pulse oximeter

Sick and Need a Doctor? Emergency Cash Loans Can Help

: Image by Rev. Xanatos Satanicos Bombasticos (ClintJCL) via Flickr

If you’ve been sick and you know that you need to see a doctor, you may be avoiding it because of a lack of insurance. Some people are also scared to go to the doctor, because they always assume the worst about any given situation. Mostly, though, money troubles keep people from making an appointment even when they know they need to. There are ways to pay for you appointment, though, like borrowing from friends or family, checking into emergency cash loans, or dipping into savings. You can also take to your doctor about a discount and about making payments.

No matter how it works out financially, don’t put off seeing your doctor if you’re sick. If you get worse, you could end up in the hospital. That would cost you a lot more money and you’d also miss time from work and with your loved ones. If you can’t get in to see your doctor quickly, most towns and cities have at least one urgent care clinic. This might cost a little more than your standard doctor visit, but it’s much less expensive that the ER, so you won’t end up with thousands of dollars in bills.

You may also have to get some medicine, so make sure that you plan for that, too, if you’re borrowing money from anywhere. Prescription medications can be costly, so ask for generic if it’s available. That way you won’t pay nearly as much for the medicine that you need. You’ll get to feeling better quickly, so you can get back to your life. Don’t put if off any longer, waiting to feel better and hoping that things will just be all right. It’s better to be safe than sorry, and you really can’t put a price on your continued good health.

Filed Under: General Rehab & Addiction | Tagged: Tagged With: Health, Money, Physician

Prohibtion to Fight Addiction

: Image by sara.musico via Flickr

Governments have long tried and continue to attempt to control alcohol addiction from a macro level by banning alcohol. The bans are most effective in controlled economies where the punishment for breaking the law is harsh. Alcohol is difficult to acquire in Muslim nations such as Iran or Saudi Arabia, but even in these nations there have been reports of a black market for alcohol.

When the United States launched its own Noble Experiment, banning alcohol with the 18th Amendment, the nation did not have the nearly unlimited police powers enjoyed by enforcement agencies in nondemocratic states. When Prohibition was launched in the United States the police still had to follow procedures, while enforcing a law that was unpopular and ignored by a large percentage of the population.

The story of Prohibition has been often told in popular culture. Al Capone and the Untouchables make for great drama, but for all that was made about organized crime there were some benefits to Prohibition. Studies show that banning alcohol had a positive effect on public health. There were declines in alcohol consumption, alcohol related accidental deaths, cirrhosis of the liver and crime related to alcohol consumption. Divorce rates also went down. While the immediate impact had positive effects, by 1930 the rates were creeping back up toward pre-Prohibition levels.

As the positives flagged, the negatives grew. The court system struggled to deal with the amount of alcohol related cases it received. The minor infractions caused a dilemma of how to handle people just looking for a drink. Organized gangs became powerful forces that were past the ability of local law enforcement to keep in check.

And after the levels of consumption rose to pre-ban levels a serious health risk was revealed. Without the government mandating and monitoring health and safety standards, the bath tub whiskey people consumed caused damaging effects to drinkers. The anti-Prohibition crowd soon swelled. Alcohol addiction was to remain a problem in the United States, but fighting it with an all out ban proved to be more costly that the drain of combating the disease in other ways.

Filed Under: General Rehab & Addiction | Tagged: Tagged With: Alcoholic beverage, Alcoholism, Health, Law, Public health, Saudi Arabia, Sexually transmitted disease, United States

Drug Prescriptions and Over the Counter Meds: A Substance Abuser’s Dream Come True

Whether it’s prescription drugs or over the counter medications, substance abusers know how to take helpful medicines and misuse them. A person looking for a euphoric high or a sleep aid can create serious health problems for themselves by abusing these medicines. Over the counter drugs are easy to get and drug prescriptions aren’t hard to obtain by a motivated substance abuser.

Consider pseudoephedrine. It’s used in a variety of medicines that treat colds and allergy symptoms. However, the rampant abuse of this drug as an ingredient in methamphetamine has resulted in many states restricting access to it. Since it was available over the counter, people used it to create an addictive and extremely harmful substance. Methamphetamine is an addictive drug that destroys the physical and mental constitution of a person. It can produce heart attacks, strokes, fatal chronic ulcers, vascular disease, and a host of physical ailments, to say nothing of the mental health problems it can create. It’s no wonder that legislators have taken steps to limit the public’s access to a meth pre-cursor like pseudoephedrine.

There are similar horror stories for a number of over the counter and prescription drugs. Most drugs that contain traces of alcohol or other addictive substances have the potential to be abused. Especially harmful are drugs used to treat mental disorders; these usually come with some mild traces of mind altering substances. Users can harvest these components, concentrate them, and then use them or sell them to others.

As a result, it is therefore essential for doctors to be very careful about prescribing drugs and giving automatic refills. It’s also important that pharmacists educate patients about the potential harm from misuse of both over the counter drugs and prescription medications.

Filed Under: General Rehab & Addiction | Tagged: Tagged With: Drug Prescriptions

Drug Misuse and ADHD

: Image via Wikipedia

The use of recreational drugs and/or prescription medication for conditions such as clinical depression and anxiety has particular implications for adults with ADHD (Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). After spending years taking a treatment such as Ritalin for the latter condition, some individuals make the breakaway decision to treat their disorder henceforth without resorting to the drug that has been modifying their behavior. This decision does not always go hand in hand with the abandonment of other drugs, whether prescribed or recreational. Just how potentially risky such actions may prove to be is something not fully quantifiable. The advice that cannot be stated too strongly is to consult one’s physician regarding quitting any prescription drug. For a sufferer from ADHD to take recreational drugs on a regular basis is deeply unwise, not least since their prescribed drug is itself a stimulant. Complicating the issue still further is the concern surrounding the abuse of ADHD medication; it is touted as being a desirable recreational drug and, as such, there is a temptation, to which the legitimate sufferer sometimes falls victim, to sell their pills.
Little is known about the generation currently growing up holding the greatest proportion of individuals prescribed Ritalin, Adderall and other ADHD medications. A vociferous body of physicians has expressed skepticism regarding these drugs’ usefulness. Their views are backed up by the results of a Montreal study that deduced that children who had spent half a decade continually on an ADHD drug ultimately were no different from their medication-free peers with the same disorder. And, as a drug that disqualifies individuals from joining the uniformed services in the US, there must be some dubiety regarding the curbing of freedom of choice which accompanies the decision to prescribe Ritalin.
It will be when the children and adolescents concerned mature into adulthood that long-term effects of ADHD medications will really be known. Meanwhile, concern continues to be aired with respect to those who combine their ADHD treatment with alcohol and, more worryingly, with Marijuana, which can worsen ADHD symptoms such as anxiety. The ADHD story is by no means close to its conclusion.

Filed Under: General Rehab & Addiction | Tagged: Tagged With: Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, Disorders, Mental health

Scoring Goals, Not Scoring!

: Image via Wikipedia

Kicking the habit takes on a new and poignant meaning when drug addicts find a way out of the morass by kicking a ball. Soccer has become the solution for one group of young men at least.
Heroin users in Zanzibar, the group of African islands belonging to Tanzania, represent a growing proportion of the population. With a shortage of rehab facilities to address the problem, inhabitants with drug dependency issues are having to look to themselves for solutions. This explains the emergence of local support groups such as the one that eventually, once sufficient members were clean and physically capable of playing a fast, grueling game like soccer, proudly formed its own team. With heroin fairly easily and cheaply available, thanks to Zanzibar’s position on the trafficking route, getting into the drug is an all too frequent step for many youngsters.
Following their own variant of the “Twelve Steps” program, the Muamko group support one another closely and are living proof that for some, quitting can be just a matter of willpower and the proximity of really dedicated peers, including some who have effectively finished with recovery, but still attend in order to be of help to others. Their example could give encouragement to individuals in the developed world who are struggling to succeed at renouncing a drug habit.

In the US, organizations representing parents of youngsters with drug issues actively seek to get basic minimums of effective support started up. Ideally, each school district needs a parents’ group and some type of program running for kids. Often the thinking behind the solutions proposed is that children want boundaries. The first thing the parent is encouraged to do is to draw lines and insist on certain minimum requirements, such as submitting to de-tox/rehab, attending school or holding down a job.
With the power of supporters in one’s live, whether they are peers who have been through the same problems as yourself, or parents and family truly concerned to see you restored to drug-free independence, a person can achieve a great deal.

Filed Under: General Rehab & Addiction | Tagged: Tagged With: Drug addiction, Health, Heroin, Substance abuse

Substance Abusers are Getting Younger – and Older!

Both ends of the age spectrum are giving rise to concern among US health watchers. Periodic studies reporting the scale of substance misuse have recently reported two alarming facts. The government agency for Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services backed a study which produced surprising figures regarding the profiles of those entering Abuse Treatment. It emerged in the report that over the 16 year period from 1992 to 2008, there was a near doubling of the representation of over-fifties among the patients admitted for treatment. This was not, as one might imagine, exclusively alcohol-related; increasingly higher numbers of seniors were treated for the effects of addiction to illegal drugs. Also noteworthy was the five-fold increase in abuse of prescription medications. Cocaine was another culprit; its use among this age group quadrupled during the period under investigation.
A separate study which looked at the behavior of the 12 – 17 age group found, worryingly, that on a typical in 2008 there were seven and a half thousand initiates to alcohol across the US. Over four thousand meanwhile on a normal day in 2008 were first introduced to an illicit drug. First-time cigarette smoking rates were found to be close to four thousand. And, though shocking, these figures for young people did not reflect an increase; the numbers had in fact declined slightly over the preceding six years.
The extensive survey went on to report figures forunder-18s who, on that aforementioned typical single day, made use of substance abuse treatment services. The total was a fairly staggering 86,465, not dissimilar, however, to previous years.
The youth picture overall suggests that the attractiveness of the forbidden and the addictive is not diminishing. Given the increases among older people abusing the same substances, it would seem that positive role models, in certain sectors of US society, are in short supply.
The one heartening conclusion that can be drawn from the above is that, perhaps, people are recognizing that they have a problem and are seeking medical help a little sooner that was once the case.

Filed Under: General Rehab & Addiction | Tagged: Tagged With: Addiction, Substance Abusers

Methadone Can Help Reduce Crime

: Image via Wikipedia

Arrest figures for offences directly concerned with drug abuse have hovered around 1.5 million in the US since 1995, peaking in 2006, at 1,889,810. Many other violations resulting in arrest involve perpetrators with drug dependency issues. What this essentially means is that a large number of those incarcerated in the US are substance abusers. One body concerned about the lack of direct help for or proper recognition of the addicts being sentenced to imprisonment puts the proportion of prisoners with substance abuse issues at three quarters – or more – of all inmates.
Researchers in 2005 uncovered the statistic that 30% of the prison population were users of injection drugs. Upon arrest and while the judiciary process is underway, these individuals can suffer extreme reactions to withdrawal, physical symptoms which can be life-threatening.
The ethical dilemma which this gives rise to can be summed up as follows: with drug addiction recognized by the medical profession as a brain condition with a genetic element, prisoners are arguably being denied their right to necessary treatment.
There are those, in other words, who argue that where an individual is subject to the brain chemistry alterations that opioid addiction provokes, a failure to be given the necessary therapy is a failure of societal responsibility. Since criminal activity is so strongly indicated among those who take opioid substances, not to provide a full course of therapy is possibly to promote a repeat of the criminal behavior that gave rise to incarceration.
What the medically-trained specialists in this particular field advocate is the systematic and correctly supervised use of methadone, as part of methadone maintenance treatment, also known as MMT.
Scholarly research has shown that, in significant numbers, those users who were convicted of offences and then given MMT did not return to criminal activity.
A pioneering example of a prison which since 1987 has allowed heroin and other opiate users to be kept on during incarceration is Rikers Island Correctional Facility. Advocates wish to see such models being treated as the norm, and all vulnerable prisoners who fit the opioid-dependent profile being placed on methadone maintenance.

Filed Under: General Rehab & Addiction | Tagged: Tagged With: Addiction, Drug addiction, Health, Methadone