Drug Addiction Rehab

No Place to Hide: A Historical Perspective of Drug Abuse & Education In America

      The first challenge for any addict wishing to kick his addiction is overcoming the mental and physical cravings for drugs or alcohol. Cravings are strong, uncontrollable urges to use drugs or alcohol that drive the addict to once again use addictive substances.
To get an idea of what drug cravings are like, think of a time when you went for a long time without eating a meal and you were really hungry. Hunger is a mental and physical sensation that is triggered when the body needs food for nutrients and energy.growling stomach and shakiness due to not having eaten will become so great, making the person so uncomfortable, that they will drop whatever it is they are doing and arrange to get food and eat it. As soon as the food is consumed, the hunger pangs stop and the person feels good about satisfying their hunger.withdrawal symptoms and cravings are caused by poor nutrition and the vitamin depletion that follows substance abuse. When a body lacks certain nutrients, it cannot make some substances it needs for health and energy, causing a person to feel tired and moody. Depletion of certain vitamins and minerals can also cause shakiness and pain.type of drugs were taken. Drug tests detect the presence of any drugs or their metabolites.Drug metabolites are like fingerprints of the drug that was taken. Cocaine produces a cocaine metabolite, opiates produce an opiate metabolite, alcohol produces an alcohol metabolite and so on.drugs and alcohol are metabolized, or broken down, in the liver but all tissues in the body will break down drugs or other foreign substances for elimination. Drugs and metabolites leave the body through urine, feces and sweat but they are not fully eliminated. Since drugs dissolve better in oil than water, they have a natural affinity for fats. Therefore any drug residues or metabolites that are not eliminated have a natural attraction to fat cells and so tend to be stored in one’s fat.L. Ron Hubbard made the revolutionary discovery that drug metabolites and other toxins that were stored in the fat cells had the continuing effect of locking addicts in their addictions, and that eliminating these stored deposits was a key to full recovery. He went on to develop a method of extracting those deposits, resulting in improved mental and physical health. This discovery was a critical step forward in the effort to resolve drug cravings.addictive drugs, they will accumulate a series of memories that contain the pain and discomfort associated with drug withdrawal.

The craving for food, driven at a physical level, stimulates memories of eating food, which is followed by a strong desire or compulsion to consume food. Usually when a person is very hungry, they will think about their favorite foods; if they get hungry enough, they can sometimes even smell and taste certain foods.

If a person goes long enough without food, compelling thoughts of eating plus a

A drug craving is similar, but the desire to use drugs is much stronger and more intense. An addict who is craving drugs will feel like life itself is dependent on getting and taking their preferred drug. They will do and say almost anything to get the drug to handle their intense craving. Once they satisfy the craving, they feel relief until the drug wears off and the craving returns.

Some

Withdrawal symptoms and cravings may also result from the toxins (substances the body sees as poisons) that accumulate after repeated drug use. These toxins stress many of the body’s systems, resulting in fatigue, aches, pains and unclear thinking. The addicted person has learned to medicate their mental or physical problems with drugs; they will continue to use drugs as a solution whenever they feel poorly. Therefore attempting to handle addiction with more drugs only makes the problem worse.

Today it is fairly common for many companies and federal agencies to drug test their employees. Through a common urinalysis test, it can be determined if the employee has taken any one of several drugs. This test of a person’s urine not only detects if they have taken drugs, it also detects what

Metabolites are the products left behind in the body when it has broken down a substance so it can be eliminated.

Most

As an example, the active chemical in marijuana, THC, is so fat-soluble that, when consumed, most of it rapidly leaves the bloodstream and lodges in the fatty tissues of the body. From there, it slowly moves back into the bloodstream over a period of weeks or even longer.

Only recently have scientists discovered that fat is actually a vital organ that produces hormones that affect our moods, energy levels and immunity. Chronic use of drugs or alcohol has been shown to disrupt this function. This disruption is one of the factors that cause cravings, as the body attempts to correct the disturbance by craving what it lacks or a similar substance, such as the drugs that originally caused the disruption.

In the late 1970s, American author and humanitarian

Each time a person consumes drugs or alcohol, they retain a complete recorded memory of that life experience. Whether they were happy or sad or had a good time or a bad time, all emotions, feelings and sensations that were present at the time the drug or alcohol was consumed are filed away in the person’s memory. Even if the person blacks out, the experience is still recorded in the mind.

In the case of those addicted to opiates, alcohol, tranquilizers or any other

The body will metabolize (change energy sources into energy) and burn fat cells any time a person undergoes a situation in life that causes their heart rate to speed up. Stress can do this, as can strenuous exercise or intense emotion. Most of us experience these kinds of stressful situations on a fairly regular basis.
When an addict’s body metabolizes fat, if the fat cells contain metabolites from past alcohol and drug use, those metabolites will activate back into the person’s bloodstream as the fat cells burn.

Keep in mind that each type of drug produces its own metabolite. Therefore, if alcohol metabolites were stored in the fat, once those fat cells are metabolized, the body will be reminded of alcohol at a physical level. If the person has taken cocaine, then cocaine metabolites will be released into the bloodstream and remind the body of earlier cocaine use.

The effect of these metabolites being present in the bloodstream will trigger recorded memories of drug-related experiences and discomforts from the past. The person will remember feeling and thinking like they did in the past when they were under the influence of the drug or alcohol. Or they will remember experiencing the pain and discomfort that occurred when they were coming down from the drug. They are prone to use drugs or alcohol again at these times.

This article was written by Gary W, Smith, C.C.D.C., Executive Director of the Narconon Arrowhead Drug Rehabilitation and Education Center located in Canadian, Oklahoma.

 
Coming next: The Life Cycle and Mechanics of Addiction Part III: “Depression” The Second Barrier to Successful Recovery

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No Place to Hide: A Historical Perspective of Drug Abuse & Education In America

 Whether a person is genetically or bio-chemically predisposed to addiction or alcoholism is a controversy that has been debated for years within the scientific, medical and chemical dependency communities. One school of thought advocates the “disease concept” which embraces the notion that addiction is an inherited disease, and that the individual is permanently ill at a genetic level, even for those experiencing long periods of sobriety.mental disorder (i.e., clinical depression, bipolar disorder or some other mental illness), and that the mental disorder needs to be treated first as the primary cause of the addiction.chemical imbalances” in the neurological system that must be treated with psychotropic medications after the person has withdrawn from their drug of choice.peer pressure that influences our decision-making process with regard to finding relief from the discomfort. Peer pressure can manifest itself in many different ways. It can come from friends or family members or through some avenue of advertising or promotion which, when combined with the degree of relief we receive from the drug or drink, determines the severity of the use. Simply put, the bigger the problem, the greater the discomfort the person experiences. The greater the discomfort, the more importance the person places on relieving it and the greater the value he assigns to that which brought about the relief.lifestyle changes along the way that will begin to cause the individual’s quality of life to deteriorate. If the drug or alcohol abuse continues unchecked, eventually the person is faced with so many unpleasant circumstances in their life that each sober moment is filled with so much despair and misery that all he wants to do is escape these feelings by medicating them away. This is the downward spiral of addiction. At this point for most there are only three inevitable outcomes: death, prison or sobriety.

    Another philosophy argues that addiction is a dual problem consisting of a physical and mental dependency on chemicals, compounded by a pre-existing

    A third philosophy subscribes to the idea that chemical dependency leads to permanent ”

    The fact remains that there is some scientific research that favors each of these addiction concepts, but none of them are absolute. Based on national averages, addiction treatment has a 16% to 20% recovery rate. The message is pretty clear that these theories are just that, theories, and we have a lot more to learn if we are to bring the national recovery rate to a more desirable level.

    There is a fourth school of thought which has proven to be more accurate. It has to do with the life cycle of addiction. This data is universally applicable to addiction, no matter which hypothesis is used to explain the phenomenon of chemical dependency.

The life cycle of addiction begins with a problem, discomfort or some form of emotional or physical pain a person is experiencing. The person finds this very difficult to deal with.

    Here is an individual who, like most people in our society, is basically good. He has encountered a problem that is causing him physical or emotional pain and discomfort that he does not have an immediate answer for. Examples would include difficulty “fitting in” as a child or teenager, puberty, physical injuries such a broken bone, a bad back or some other chronic physical condition. Whatever the origin of the difficulty is, the discomfort associated with it presents the individual with a real problem. He feels this problem is a major situation that is persisting. He can see no immediate resolution or relief from it. Most of us have experienced this in our lives to a greater or lesser degree.
 
    Once the person takes a drug, he feels relief from the discomfort, even though the relief is only temporary. That drink or drug is adopted as a solution to the problem and the individual places value on the substance. This assigned value is the only reason the person ever uses drugs or drinks a second, third or more times.

    There is a key factor involved in this life cycle scenario that determines which of us become addicts and which do not. The answer depends on whether or not, at the time of this traumatic experience, we are subjected to pro-drug or pro-alcohol influences via some sort of significant

    For those that start down the path of addiction, they will encounter other physical, mental and

This article was written by Gary W, Smith, C.C.D.C., Executive Director of the Narconon Arrowhead Drug Rehabilitation and Education Center located in Canadian, Oklahoma.

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Information about Drug Addiction

Drug Addiction

No one wants to become a drug addict or an alcoholic, but this doesn’t stop people from getting addicted. The most commonly asked question is: How does it happen? How could my son, daughter, mother, father, sister, or brother become a liar, a thief, and someone who cannot be trusted? How could this happen? An why won’t they stop? The first thing you must understand about addiction is, alcohol and addictive drugs are basically painkillers. They chemically kill physical and emotional pain, and also alter the mind’s perception of reality. Drugs can also make people feel numb. For drugs to be attractive to a person there must first be some underlying unhappiness, sense of hopelessness, or physical pain.

The Cycle of Addiction

It begins with a problem, discomfort, or some form of emotional or physical pain a person experiences, and they will find this pain very difficult to deal with.

We start off with an individual who, like most people in our society is basically good. This person encounters a problem or discomfort they do not know how to resolve, or cannot face. This could include problems such as, difficulty fitting in as a child or teenager, anxiety due to peer pressure, work expectations, identity problems or divorce. It can also include physical and mental abuse, personal loss, unresolved unhappiness, and physical discomfort, such as an injury or chronic pain. These problems are real to the individual, and the person is unable to develop any real solution to solve them. Everyone has experienced this in his or her life to a greater or lesser degree. The difference between an addict and the non-addict is, the addict chooses drugs or alcohol as a solution to the unwanted problem, or discomfort.

A person tries drugs or alcohol, and the drugs or alcohol appear to solve their problem. Automatically the individual feels better. Because they now seem better able to deal with life, the drugs or alcohol become valuable to them. The person looks on drugs or alcohol as a cure for unwanted feelings. The painkilling effects of drugs or alcohol become a solution to their discomfort. Inadvertently the drugs or alcohol now become valuable because it helped them  feel better. This release is the main reason a person uses drugs or alcohol multiple times. The result of continual use will lead to a potentially life threatening addiction.

The use of drugs or alcohol becomes obsessive. The addicted person is trapped, and whatever problem they were initially trying to solve by using drugs or alcohol, has now faded from memory. At this point. all they can think about is buying and using drugs. They lose the ability to control their usage, and completely disregard all the consequences of their actions.

The Drug Personality

There is such a thing as a drug personality, it’s artificial and created by drugs. Drugs can change the attitude of a person from their original personality to one secretly harboring hostilities and hatreds he or she does not permit to show on the surface. This establishes a link between drugs and increasing difficulties with crime, production, and the modern breakdown of social and industrial culture.

In the beginning, a drug user will attempt to withhold the fact of their drug use from friends and family. They will begin to suffer the effects of their own dishonesty and guilt. They may become withdrawn, and difficult to reason with. They may also behave strangely. The more they use drugs or alcohol, the guiltier they will feel, and the more depressed they will become. They will sacrifice their personal integrity, relationships with friends and family, jobs, money, and anything else they may have in an attempt to acquire more drugs. The drugs are now the most important thing in their life.

The drug personality includes such characteristics as:

·         Mood swings

·         Unreliability

·         Unable to finish projects

·         Unexpressed resentment and secret hate

·         Dishonesty towards family, friends, and employers

·         Withdraws from those they love and care for

·         Emotional isolation

·         May appear chronically depressed

·         May seem very anxious

·         May begin stealing from family and friends

Psychological and Physiological Effects

Drug addiction can have many different effects psychologically with a person, but always damaging the person’s mind. The mind is our most important tool. With our mind, we solve the problems we face in life. Drugs do several things that harm one’s ability to think, or to be fully aware of the present surroundings. These symptoms continue long after the effects of the drugs appear to have worn off. Addictive drugs activate the brain’s reward systems. The promise of reward is very intense causing the individual to crave the drug, and to focus their activities around taking the drug. Addictive drugs have the ability to strongly activate a reward mechanism, also they have the ability to chemically alter the normal functions of the body’s systems, this can produce an addiction. Drugs also reduce a person’s level of consciousness, harming the ability to thinks, or to be fully aware of present surroundings. Because of the effects of drugs on the mind, a person with a history of drug use isn’t always necessarily in the here and now. The drug user is not moving in the same series of events as others. This can be slight, wherein the person is seen to make occasional mistakes, or it can be as serious as total insanity, where the vents apparent to him are completely different from those apparent to anyone else. It isn’t that the drug user doesn’t know what’s going on; it is that they perceive something different. Instead of the actual series of events, which are happening around them.

In addition to the psychological stress created by unethical behavior, the addict’s body has also adapted to the presence of the drugs. They will experience and overwhelming obsession with using drugs, and will do anything to avoid the pain of withdrawing from them. This is when the newly created drug addict begins to experience drug cravings. They will now seek drugs both for the reward of the pleasure they give, and also to avoid the psychological and physical horrors of withdrawal. Ironically, the addict’s ability to get high from the alcohol or drugs gradually decreases as their body adapts to the presence of foreign chemicals. They must take more and more, not just to get an effect, but often just to function at all. At this point, the addict is stuck in a vicious dwindling spiral. The drugs being abused have changed the person both physically and psychologically. They have now become a drug addict and/or alcoholic.

The Difficulties of Stopping a Drug Addiction

Addicts cannot stop using drugs for two reasons:

            1.  Mental and physical cravings caused by drug residues which remain in the body.

            2.  The biochemical personality that drugs cause, and the means the person takes to

                 acquire more drugs.

When an addict initially tries to quit using drugs; cells in the brain, which have become used to large amounts of these drugs, are now forced to deal with a much decreased amount of the drug. Even as the withdrawal symptoms subside, the brain demands the addict give it more of their particular drug. This is called a drug craving. Cravings are an extremely powerful urge, and can cause a person to create many reasons why they should continue using drugs or alcohol. He is now trapped in an endless cycle of trying to quit, combined with cravings, relapse, and fear of withdrawal.

When a person drinks or uses drugs over a period of time, the body becomes unable to completely eliminate all of the toxins left behind. The drug metabolites, (the substances the body converts drug or alcohol into) although removed rapidly from the blood stream, become trapped in the fatty tissues of the body. The fatty tissue of our body is oil soluble, and it is the oil residues from these metabolites, which become stored in the fat cells. There are various types of tissues, which are high in fat content, causing drug residues to remain there for years. At times of stress, and when the body is exerting energy, the stored drug metabolites are re-released back into the blood stream, causing the body and the brain to react. The former addict now experiences a drug restimulation, or flahback, combined with physical drug cravings. This is common in the months, or even years, after an addict stops using drugs or alcohol.

Drug metabolites throughout the body are the end result of drug use. Because these deposits of drug or alcohol metabolites will release back into the bloodstream from the fatty tissues, it will cause many problems during periods of clean time. This will cause physical and mental cravings, and relapse will remain a cause for concern. Left unhandled, the presence of metabolites even in microscopic amounts cause the brain to react as if the addict had again actually taken the drug, and can set up cravings and relapse, even after years of sobriety.

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According to CNN, many people who think prescription pain medication addiction just affects celebrities, like Michael Jackson, Heath Ledger and other big names, are in for some shocking news. The Office of the National Drug Control Policy reports more people are abusing prescription drugs currently than cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine combined. In addition, between 1995 and 2005, drug treatment admission for prescription pain medication abuse grew 300 percent.

Right now, prescription drugs are the second most abused drug after alcohol.

While we have seen many big names lose their battles with prescription drug addiction, there are many who have successfully recovered from it and lived to tell their stories.  

One individual who has fully handled his addiction to prescription drugs is Ramsy Darwish. Mr. Darwish recently appeared on a show called America’s “Other” Drug Problem Prescription Medication Abuse with Rick Sanchez and shared his story of addiction and recovery. His drug use started by experimenting with different drugs throughout his adolescent years, until injuries from a car accident started him on pain killers. This quickly led to an escalating addiction of various opiates.

Brought up in a good family who gave him a lot of opportunity, Darwish never thought he would end up a drug addict.  Ramsy struggled with prescription pain medication addiction for many years and burned most of his bridges, until his family intervened and got him help through a longterm drug and alcohol rehabilitation program which successfully addresses the biophysical and life skills aspects of drug addiciton, and which maintians an over 70% success rate for permanent addiction recovery.

On CNN news, Darwish explained that using prescription drugs helped him deal with emotional and physical pain and that typically people start to abuse prescription drugs as a way to handle personal loss and various other problems instead of the original physical pain that the original prescription was written for.   Once thoroughly addicted to the drugs, the drug use creates more and more problems for the person and their family. The only answer lies only in successful drug treatment.

Ramsy’s experience is one example of this.  Unlike many who have lost their lives as a result of substance abuse, he was able to fully recover from his addiction and been stably off drugs for several years and is happily married.  Since his recovery, Ramsy trained to become an addiction counselor and is now helping others to live a drug-free life.

Whether a person is a celebrity, loved one, family member or friend, if they are addicted to prescription drugs, they don’t have to end up like Michael Jackson or Heath Ledger. Successful recovery from prescription drug abuse is possible.

Please contact us at www.successfulrehabservices.org, or call our toll-free Addiction Helpline at 1-877-873-8532 if you or a loved one needs help to overcome addiciton, and live a drug-free life.

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