Heroin 101
- 1.21.2011
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Surely you’ve heard of heroin. Maybe you even know someone who’s tried it. But what is it, really? And how bad is it for you?
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3 Addictive Prescription Drugs
- 5.25.2010
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1. Vicodin – A highly effective but highly addictive narcotic, Vicodin is used as a severe pain reliever. Many patients who use this drug find themselves dependent on its euphoric effect, even after a short period of usage. Consult your doctor for alternatives if possible, or watch dosage carefully.
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The Fast Track to Addiction with Oxycontin
- 4.02.2010
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The abuse of oxycontin products has dramatically increased in recent years. Oxycontin is in a group of drugs called narcotic pain relievers. It is similar to morphine. Oxycontin pills are used to treat moderate to severe pain. The extended-release form of this medication is used to treat pain around the clock. Oxycontin is designed to be swallowed whole. Abusers, however ingest this drug in a variety of ways. Abusers often chew the pills or crush them and snort them. Crushed pills can also be dissolved in water and injected. These methods allow the narcotics to rapidly release and absorb more quickly than just swallowing them whole.
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Addicted to Pain Medication
- 3.08.2010
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If you’ve suffered from chronic pain due to illness or injury, you’ve probably been prescribed a painkiller before. When you take your prescription exactly as your doctor instructs, you run very little risk of becoming addicted. If, however, you begin to take more than your doctor prescribed, or you find that you need to take the medicine more frequently than you were told to, the danger for addiction becomes very real very quickly.
Pain medicines such as Oxycodone, Vicodin, Demerol, and Morphine carry powerful opiates that your body can become dependent upon very quickly. It is normal for someone who takes a pain medication for a very long period of time to build up a resistance to the drug, which means your doctor will need to prescribe higher doses to give you the same pain relief. If you follow your doctor’s advice you should be fine. If you begin to alter your regimen on your own, however, you may find that you begin a spiral of taking more and more medicine to achieve the relief you desire.
Pain medications can be very difficult to stop taking once you become addicted. You have to slowly reduce the amount of medication you take carefully to avoid uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms. Sometimes it may seem that the detoxification process is more painful than your initial reason for taking the medication. Detox can be accomplished with the proper care and supervision of a trained health professional.
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What are the Risk Factors for Addiction?
- 12.14.2009
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Did you know more than 100,000 Americans die every year from alcoholism and drug addiction? The statistic is sad but true. Quitting an addiction isn’t as easy as some may think. People who are addicted to drugs and alcohol “have a real disease that’s caused by a combination of factors, including genetics, environmental influences, and behavior.” If you understand what causes alcoholism and drug addiction than you know what you need to do to reduce your chances of developing one of these severe disorders.
There are many risk factors to watch out for with alcoholism and drug addiction. Research has shown if someone in your family suffers from an addiction, you will be more likely to become an addict. The earlier a person starts using alcohol and drugs the more likely they will have a problem with addiction when they are older. The amount of drugs and alcohol your friends consume can be a strong influence on how much you consume. Many people use drugs and alcohol when they are overwhelmed and stressed out with life. People with depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorder are more likely to use alcohol and drugs to self medicate. “Drugs that are smoked or injected into a vein are more likely to cause addiction because they produce a quick, powerful effect — they reach the brain sooner than drugs that are taken by mouth. This rapid "high" also fades faster, causing the person to need more and more of the substance to regain the pleasurable feeling.”
“People who have a parent or sibling with an addiction are two to four times more likely to become substance-dependent compared to somebody who does not have a relative with an addiction problem, says Marc Galanter, MD, director of the division of alcoholism and drug abuse at New York University Langone Medical Center and professor of psychiatry at the NYU School of Medicine, both in New York City.”
Just because your parents have an addiction does not mean that you will have an addiction. Some people are more vulnerable to an addiction than others and the more risk factors that you have the more likely you will struggle with having an addiction too.
If addiction runs in your family, than the best thing to do is to avoid drugs and alcohol completely. Millions of people are addicted to drugs and alcohol. If you are worried that you may have a problem with alcohol and drugs, there are places to go for help. Contact us now. We specialize in treating people with addiction and we would love to help you.
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There are many risk factors to watch out for with alcoholism and drug addiction. Research has shown if someone in your family suffers from an addiction, you will be more likely to become an addict. The earlier a person starts using alcohol and drugs the more likely they will have a problem with addiction when they are older. The amount of drugs and alcohol your friends consume can be a strong influence on how much you consume. Many people use drugs and alcohol when they are overwhelmed and stressed out with life. People with depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorder are more likely to use alcohol and drugs to self medicate. “Drugs that are smoked or injected into a vein are more likely to cause addiction because they produce a quick, powerful effect — they reach the brain sooner than drugs that are taken by mouth. This rapid "high" also fades faster, causing the person to need more and more of the substance to regain the pleasurable feeling.”
“People who have a parent or sibling with an addiction are two to four times more likely to become substance-dependent compared to somebody who does not have a relative with an addiction problem, says Marc Galanter, MD, director of the division of alcoholism and drug abuse at New York University Langone Medical Center and professor of psychiatry at the NYU School of Medicine, both in New York City.”
Just because your parents have an addiction does not mean that you will have an addiction. Some people are more vulnerable to an addiction than others and the more risk factors that you have the more likely you will struggle with having an addiction too.
If addiction runs in your family, than the best thing to do is to avoid drugs and alcohol completely. Millions of people are addicted to drugs and alcohol. If you are worried that you may have a problem with alcohol and drugs, there are places to go for help. Contact us now. We specialize in treating people with addiction and we would love to help you.
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The Cause Behind Morphine Addiction
- 12.11.2009
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A recent study found new information that scientists believe might be the cause behind morphine addiction. “Scientists are adding additional brush strokes to the revolutionary new image now emerging for star-shaped cells called astrocytes in the brain and spinal cord. Their report, which suggests a key role for astrocytes in morphine's ability to relieve pain and cause addiction, appears online in ACS' Journal of Proteome Research, a monthly publication.”
Scientists added morphine to a group of astrocytes, where the cells were grown under controlled conditions for several days. The study found the cells exposed to morphine increased nine proteins that have shown to play a strong role in supporting normal function of nerve cells.
After studying the function of the proteins in more detail they found a potential link of drug addiction. Do you have an addiction to morphine and need help to quit. Contact us now. You don’t have to do this alone. We are here to help you find a healthy, drug-free life.
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Scientists added morphine to a group of astrocytes, where the cells were grown under controlled conditions for several days. The study found the cells exposed to morphine increased nine proteins that have shown to play a strong role in supporting normal function of nerve cells.
After studying the function of the proteins in more detail they found a potential link of drug addiction. Do you have an addiction to morphine and need help to quit. Contact us now. You don’t have to do this alone. We are here to help you find a healthy, drug-free life.
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