




Facts
Benzodiazepines are classified according to how long their effects last and by their potency. The ultra-short acting benzodiazepines include midazolam (Versed) and triazolam (Halcion); the short-acting benzodiazepines include alprazolam (Xanax) and lorazepam (Ativan); the long-acting include chlordiazepoxide (Librium) and diazepam (Valium). High potency benzodiazepines include alprazolam, lorazepam, triazolam, and clonazepam (Klonopin). Low-potency benzodiazepines include chlordiazepoxide, clorazepate (Tranxene), diazepam, and flurazepam (Dalmane). Because benzodiazepines, as a class, are usually equally effective in treating anxiety (in combination with cognitive-behavioral theraphy), psychiatrists usually select which of these drugs to prescribe based on its side effect profile. This means that the physician will weigh all the individual factors of each patient, and decide which drug is best suited for the patient's individual needs based on which side effects that person can or cannot tolerate. For example, some of the benzodiazepines are more easily processed by the liver. This may be particularly useful in patients taking birth control pills, propranolol, disulfuram, ulcer medications, and other drugs that may affect liver function. In such cases, lorazepam (Ativan) may be chosen because it has less of an effect on the liver. A person who takes cocaine repeatedly will develop tolerance to many of its behavioral effects. When the original dose no longer has much of an effect, the user must take increasingly larger amounts of cocaine to achieve the high. These larger doses present greater risks to the user's heart and blood vessels. Users of cocaine and other stimulant drugs claim that the drug improves their performance of many activities. No evidence exists to support this claim. In general, cocaine has little effect on performance except when a person is unable to perform up to usual standards because of fatigue. In this situation, cocaine can enable the person to perform as if he or she were not tired. But this effect lasts for only a short time. On the illicit drug market especially diazepam, temazepam, and flunitrazepam are used as drug substitutes, often in combination with alcohol, and as additives in drug preparations. Fires and burns are the fourth leading cause of accidental death in the United States, according to Baker and co-workers. Alcohol involvement has been estimated in 12 to 83 percent of these fatalities (with a median value of 46%), and between 0 and 50 percent among nonfatal burn injuries (with a median value of 17%). In a review of studies of burn victims, Hingson and Howland (1993) estimated that about 50 percent of burn fatalities were intoxicatedand that alcohol exposure is most frequent among victims of fires caused by cigarettes. |
Withdrawal
Withdrawal is what happens when a person who is addicted to drugs or alcohol discontinues use. There are numerous symptoms that take place both physically and emotionally when an addicted individual stops using. Withdrawal can last a few days to a few weeks and may include nausea or vomiting, sweating, shakiness, and anxiety. Keep in mind; this only occurs if a person has regular, heavy use of a drug or alcohol. Withdrawal can be extremely uncomfortable without professional help. Treatment for withdrawal from alcohol or drugs may require a medical professional to be present. Drug and alcohol rehabilitation is often the best way to overcome withdrawal and its symptoms as well as recovery from drug addiction.
Drug Addiction
Drug addiction is a pattern of repeated drug taking that usually results in tolerance (the need for greater amounts of the drug to achieve the same effect), withdrawal (physical and cognitive effects when drug use declines or stops), and compulsive drug taking behavior (drug taking that persists despite efforts to reduce intake and despite problems with family, friends, and work). Drug addiction encompasses a diverse range of drugs (such as alcohol, cannabis, amphetamines, and cocaine) and is caused by many different factors.
Drug Abuse
Drug abuse is defined as the chronic or habitual use of any chemical substance to alter states of body or mind for other than medically warranted purposes. Drug abuse is a problem which has an effect on people of all income levels,
ages, and stations in life. Quite often the last person to see that there is a
problem is the drug abuser them self. Every year, more and more people become
drug addicts in their pursuit to get "high".
Detox
Detox is necessary when an individual through their chronic use of drugs or alcohol has developed an addiction. The objective of detox is to help the individual achieve a drug and alcohol free state. Detox is intended to relieve the physical symptoms of withdrawal and helps prepare the individual for entry into drug rehabilitation. Therefore, the ultimate goal of detox is preparation for long term recovery from drug and alcohol addiction.
Abstinence
Abstinence is the act or practice of refraining from indulging a desire. The type of abstinence we are referring to here is abstinence from drugs and alcohol. This term has two connotations when it comes to abstaining from drugs. The first refers to drug or alcohol treatment programs that aim to help an individual stop using drugs or alcohol for the rest of their lives. The time abstinence is also used in drug education and prevention. It refers to trying to stop children from ever using drugs.
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