




Facts
East Africa is a key entry area for southwest Asian heroin destined for markets in East and South Africa. These areas are supplied by East and West African trafficking organizations as well as southwest Asian criminal groups operating out of India and Pakistan and, more recently, Afghanistan. These organizations rely to a large extent on commercial air, using both human couriers as well as air freight to conceal heroin consignments. The quantities of heroin smuggled in this fashion are generally inferior to the amounts smuggled in commercial vehicles along the Balkan Route. It is suspected that maritime shipments are also utilized, but the extent of this activity remains uncertain. There is also evidence that a number of these organizations deal in the trafficking of other controlled substances such as cocaine obtained in South America and cannabis produced in Africa. East African groups are responsible for moving Afghan heroin to markets in the United States and Canada, usually using human couriers. In 1803 Friedrich Wilhelm Sertürner, a German pharmacist, discovered how to isolate the alkaloid morphine, the primary active agent in opium. Morphine is ten times more potent than opium. The name comes from Morpheus, the Greek god of sleep. In 1832 Pierre-Jean Robiquet, a French chemist, was the first to isolate codeine from opium, another alkaloid but milder than morphine; it came to be used in cough remedies. The development of the hypodermic needle in the early 1850s made it easier to use morphine. It became a common medicine for treating severe pain, such as battlefield injuries. During the American Civil War, so many soldiers became addicted to morphine that the addiction was later called "soldier's disease." A survey of health-related behavior among military personnel by Research Triangle Institute, released in 2003, found that "The significant increase from 1998 to 2002 in heavy alcohol use suggests that this is an area that may need greater emphasis by the Military. Indeed, the rate of heavy alcohol use had not changed significantly since 1988 and indicates that more than one out of six military personnel in 2002 was likely to be a heavy drinker. The finding of no significant change in illicit drug use between 1998 and 2002 and the relatively low rates of use for both surveys suggest that the Military's effort to curtail illicit drug use may have reached its lower limit. The trend line resembles an asymptotic curve that shows steep declines initially with successively smaller declines until it eventually flattens out. The 1992 through 2002 data suggest that the flattening point may have been reached and that it may not be realistic to expect drug use among military personnel to go much lower. In alcohol and/or drug treatment, when you study these topics and follow the advice or worksheet suggestions, you graduate from intensive outpatient treatment. If you have a suspended license you will often receive it back after successfully completing Intensive Outpatient Treatment. The programs take approximately eight weeks in a group setting, which are usually three days a week. At the conclusion of an intensive outpatient plan, people are usually required to present an updated version of the 'first step' to a trusted independent person. |
Intervention
An intervention is when a group of loved ones and/or a trained intervention counselor meets with the person in need of help for the purpose of breaking down their denial and motivating them to immediately seek drug addiction treatment. Often, individuals in the midst of drug addiction engage in a variety of self destructive behaviors. Although baffling to friends and family members such people generally either aren't aware on a conscious level that they have a drug addiction problem, or even when they know they have a problem they may cling to the false belief that the problem will somehow go away without any outside help. When an intervention is held a moment of clarity is created
for the addict. Most people struggling with the problem of drug or alcohol
addiction will accept help the very day of the intervention.
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".
Sobriety
Sobriety means the moderation in or abstinence from consumption of alcoholic liquor or use of drugs. When an individual with an addiction problem enters drug rehabilitation, their main goal is to attain long term sobriety. Unfortunately, sometimes drug addicts and alcoholics find they are able to sustain short periods of sobriety followed by a drug or alcohol relapse. This is why attending a drug or alcohol rehab will help the individual maintain their focus on sobriety. Often, it is only by getting help that individuals with severe drug addiction problems are able to achieve lasting sobriety.
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.
Addict
An addict is an individual who has a compulsive urge to use drugs, to the point where they feel they have no effective choice but to continue use. An addict will continue their self destructive behaviors in order to feel good or to avoid
feeling bad. It can dominate their mind, and keep them coming back for more. The addiction can be
different for each addict, depending on their vice and the kind of person they
are.
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