Thursday, December 27, 2012

IV Drug Use - Relapse Prevention Tips


IV (Intravenous) drug use is one of the quickest means of getting a substance into the body - to the brain - and producing a “high”. As such, many drug users find themselves opting for hypodermic needle injections to help streamline their addictions. Unfortunately, it often takes a little longer for these types of users to maintain sobriety following a successful recovery stint. In this entry, we will discuss some tips to help avoid IV drug relapse.



Hobbies

One of the most effective ways to combat relapse is finding a hobby to throw yourself into. Idle hands often turn to old habits. The more time you spend thinking about using, the more likely you are to act. What may initially prove a simple distraction, may ultimately become an entirely new passion or outlet.

Triggers

Do your best to avoid relapse triggers. These can include places, people and even smells that remind you of prior use. It is especially crucial to avoid areas or neighborhoods where you previously used or bought drugs.

Relationships

Weed out the negative and discouraging relationships from when you were using and focus your attention on people with goals and ambition! Though it can be tempting to rehash “the good times” with old pals, the risks associated with it far outweigh any good. If these people are really your friends, they will understand and support your decision. 

Paraphernalia

Items such as pipes or needles have no purpose anymore. Make sure to rid your property of any and all drug supplies, taking care to ensure that any used needles are disposed of properly.

Support

Locating and attending local support groups on a regular basis is a wonderful means of affirmation and support for the recovering addict. Groups like NA or AA offer training, education, and guidance to those looking to maintain a clean, happy and healthy lifestyle.

Help

If you or someone you love is suffering from a drug addiction, Above It All treatment center is the place to call. Pick up the phone today, and let our team of addiction specialists help you back on track towards the life you deserve. 

Monday, December 24, 2012

Behind Teens & Drug Use


Teenage drug use is perhaps one of the most serious issues facing our great nation. While pot is the most common substance among this demographic, it is far from the problem that cocaine, meth and heroin can be. In order to grab hold of this issue, we must first study the reasoning behind it.


Identify

Obviously, there is no one answer to explain teenage drug use. However, several common traits are often shared between these adolescents. Curiosity is an easy one. Children and teens are curious individuals by nature, and tend to push boundaries more than individuals in their 20s and 30s. The more often teens are subjected to stories about the effects of these substances, the more intrigued they become.

Peer pressure is yet another reason many teens opt to experiment. Though many scoff at the mere notion of peer pressure, it is important to note that this factor does not necessarily come from a group of friends actively pressuring someone to experiment. More often than not, this “pressure” is felt passively via the desire to “fit in” and be part of the crowd.

History

A look back into a teenager’s personal history may provide insight as to where they began looking for escape. Many studies have pointed to abuse or neglect as reasons for early adolescent experimentation. The pain caused by these factors will often create a void… one that can easily be filled by drugs and alcohol.

Need Help?

If you know a teen struggling with substance abuse, our Los Angeles drug rehab center is available to help.  Give us a call today, and let us help your teen back on track towards the happy, healthy and fulfilling lifestyle they deserve. Call now!

Friday, December 21, 2012

Drug Addiction’s Effect On Society


When it comes to addiction, the negative effects stretch far further than the addict themselves. Friends, family members and society as a whole must take on the burden; each playing their part on emotional and financial levels alike. In this entry, we will discuss the role addiction plays in our society.

Institutions

Child neglect, family dysfunction, citizen endangerment and divorce place stress on the institutions of church, school and family.

Economy

Inefficiency, absenteeism, health insurance costs, pilferage and training expenses place strain on corporation budgets alongside an economy whose operation is dependant upon their profitability.

Crime



Drug-related crimes are often violent, disruptive, and random, causing a need for specialized law enforcement teams, services and equipment that ultimately drains funding from other pertinent community assets. In addition, drug-related offense cases muddle the court systems, ultimately delaying enforcement productivity.

Public Welfare

Preventative and restorative justice programs, parole and probation services, social work, specialized physical therapy and vocational rehabilitation are programs funded by hard-working taxpayers.

Public Health

Diseases such as hepatitis B and AIDS endanger the population, while increased emergency room dependency from patients drains public health resources.

Hazardous Materials

The public’s cost of addiction is only heightened by expenses associated with drug testing programs for convicted felons and employees, as well as hazardous waste cleanup for illegal drug processing and production.

Public Impairment

It’s no secret that impaired drivers cost lives. The more users there are, the higher the risk that someone will get hurt.

Help?

If you’re seeking help for a drug or alcohol dependency, our rehab center in CA is available to take your call. Pick up the phone today, and let our team of addiction specialists steer you back on track towards the healthy, happy, and productive lifestyle you deserve.






Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Brain Chemistry Repair Following Addiction


While the physical symptoms of heroin withdrawal typically peak between the 1-3 day mark, our brain chemistry often takes far more time to fully recoup. Many addicts experience bouts of intense anxiety and depression for some time following cessation. As such, users are placed at high risk of relapse. Repairing this brain chemistry over time offers recovering addicts a better chance of long-lasting recovery, while working to lessen the relapse risks.




Instructions

1 – Schedule a consultation with a drug rehab in CA that specializes in heroin addiction. Be prepared to communicate all aspects of your addiction, including use history, previous mental illness problem, and your concerns regarding withdrawal and recovery.

2 – Make sure to follow instructions pertaining to medication and treatment. Discuss your current medication needs alongside any potential timing issues to ensure you receive the full benefit.

3 – Begin attending 12-step meetings on a daily basis. Prioritize your meetings above all else, while asking for support from friends and family members. Locate meetings that are located around your work and home to ensure that you’re never far from help.

4 – Begin including any and all follow-up counseling and treatment appointments in a planner and be sure to keep them. Communicate any changes in your mood, including instances of anxiety, depression, or cravings with your addiction counselor to help ease your stress levels.

5 – Purchase and take daily vitamins to aid in the replacement of necessary nutrients diminished by your addiction. Not only will these vitamins aid your physical recovery, but help address imbalances in your brain chemistry. 

Monday, December 17, 2012

What makes heroin so addictive?

Heroin is so addictive because of the euphoria is provides for the user. When heroin enters the bloodstream, it heads directly to the brain and begins to take affect. The drug plays tricks on the rewards system and causes physical dependency and makes you want to use over and over again. When you are caught in an addiction to heroin and want to become clean, the first step is to open up about the addiction and then make the decision to enter a heroin detox program.

Did you know heroin is extremely dangerous and you may become an addict after just one use? There are many people who think of themselves as immune to addiction and are surprised to find they are struggling with a heroin problem. Just because you might be a successful, wealthy, educated person does not mean you won’t struggle with heroin addiction because you are no different or special than anyone else. If heroin addiction has touched your life, then consider enrolling into a heroin addiction detox program.

After taking heroin, the abuser experiences a “rush,” the intensity of which depends on the amount of drug taken and how the abuser takes it. The rush is accompanied by a warm flushing of the skin, dry mouth, and a heavy feeling in the extremities, which can be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and severe itching. Heroin blocks pain messages transmitted from the body. After the initial effects, abusers will be drowsy for several hours. Mental function is clouded by heroin’s effect on the nervous system. Cardiac functions slow; breathing is also severely slowed, sometimes to the point of death. Overdose is a particular risk because the amount and purity of the drug cannot be accurately known.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Heroin Use is Associated with Infectious Diseases


Injection drug users often neglect basic actions that would protect their health. If they share needles, they risk sharing hepatitis, HIV or other diseases. Injection can collapse veins, cause infection in the heart lining or valves or abscesses. Unless treated, most of these conditions can progress to more serious conditions that result in death. For example, local infections resulting from the adulterants in black tar heroin from Mexico can turn into necrotizing fasciitis, a fast-moving infection that progressively kills more and more tissue. Black tar heroin may be adulterated with dextrose, burned cornstarch, instant coffee, and sometimes dirt.

Drug users often neglect other basic personal care as well. Many fail to keep themselves clean and groomed and ignore illnesses. Their worlds are mostly consumed with making sure they have enough of the opiate to prevent dope sickness from setting in. The further they go down the road toward addiction, the more this pattern of drug abuse will consume their attention and shatter the pattern of their earlier sober lives. When extended, this effect of heroin use can destroy the person's sober living skills to the point that they no longer know how to make drug-free decisions.


Most heroin addicts have such a severe dread of the dope sickness that kicks in during withdrawal that they will do almost anything to prevent this experience. They are sure that they can't survive or enjoy anything in life if they are not high on heroin, so they refuse to admit the problem and resist efforts to help them.

If you are tired of the day to day fear of receiving a death sentence caused by the use and addiction of heroin, contact us at Above It All Treatment and Recovery Center.  We will show you how we can design a program that gives you the best possible chance of a successful recovery.

Monday, December 10, 2012

Find a Heroin Detox Program


Heroin detox is the first and most important step in ridding yourself of one of the world’s most addictive, dangerous drugs. Without the right heroin detox program, addicts often fail in their attempts to get clean.


Aren’t all heroin detox facilities basically the same?

Not at all. Heroin detox centers vary in how they handle the difficult withdrawal symptoms associated with the drug. Some heroin detox centers, for example, offer “rapid detox” or “detox in a day” services that are downright dangerous. Rapid detox centers often use general anesthesia as part of their speedy detox, but in a 2005 Columbia University study, that methodology led to multiple patient deaths.

Heroin withdrawal symptoms can be nasty. The good news is that high-quality heroin detox or opiate detox programs will give clients medication designed to ease these symptoms. Still, recovering addicts may experience one or more of the following during detox:  Nausea, Body Pain, Insomnia, Diarrhea, Vomiting, Sweats and Cold Flashes.

Getting a cavity filled isn’t the most enjoyable experience, but letting it grow and ultimately rot, you’d be in much more pain by the end of the day. Just like you’d want the best dentist to handle that cavity — someone with the proper level of experience and commitment to minimizing discomfort — the same requirements should be sought in a detox facility.

Deciding on the right rehab treatment center is a very important decision. It can make the difference between someone being successful in recovery. Most drug rehab centers are good. The question becomes how you know if it is the right treatment center for the person. The right criteria to use should include: staff, quality of the program, reputation, and their rate of success.
At Above It All Treatment and Recovery Center, we are here to help you walk the road to relapse free recovery.  We take the time to design a program that is centered on you in order to give you the best chance of a successful recovery.  Contact us today and find out how we can help you.

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Is Senior Citizen Drug Abuse Really A Problem?


Yes. In the United States, it’s a serious, growing problem. In 2005, 184,400 Americans who were admitted to drug rehab programs — 10% of the total — were over 50-years-old, up from 143,000, or 8% of the total, four years earlier.  The federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, which released the figures, expects 4.4 million older substance abusers by 2020.


Here are some traits of these senior citizen addicts:  Alcohol abuse is the dominant problem, though prescription drug abuse is rising fast. Alcohol rehab is desperately needed for many in this age group.  Older adults are harder to lure into treatment, in part because of a generational reluctance to airing one’s dirty laundry in public. Interventions may be necessary to get some seniors into alcohol rehab or drug rehab.  Once in treatment, senior citizens are often highly motivated and are more likely to complete a program.  Some types of drug abuse, such as use of street drugs like crack and heroin, are less common among older adults.  Many senior citizen addicts do best in a treatment program that is focused on older adults.

The behavior of older addicts is different than a teenaged or even middle-aged user. Seniors are not as likely to curse at one another, raise their voices in anger or blast music past midnight. Not only are seniors less likely to exhibit such behavior, they often prefer not to be around others who act this way. This is why senior-specific treatment programs are so important — they surround recovering addicts with others that they can relate to, making group-therapy sessions much more productive.

Life moves fast. Sometimes the days we have on this earth seem like many, but they’re gone before we know it. Don’t let your last days — or those of your loved ones — be filled with the blackouts, self-doubt and depression that come from addiction.

If you are a senior citizen that is suffering from any type of substance abuse, Above It All Treatment Center can help you with a program that is designed with you in mind.  Contact us today and see how we can help you.