




Facts
Both an addicted substance abuser and a person enabling his continued use are self-destructive and harbor a significant amount of denial about how the addiction and self-destructive behavior are affecting their health. The codependent person often has a greater incidence of stress-related illnesses which typically accompany the codependent personality traits. This may include heart disease, high blood pressure, ulcers, insomnia, and, due to the extreme anxiety, depression, tension, and other destructive habits. The person may be addicted to non-chemical substances such as food, cigarettes, etc., family, financial, and work situations. These patterns of the codependent person will usually help both the codependent person and the addict to continue to spiral into self-destruction. Codependency and addiction go hand in hand. The health consequences for heroin addicts are numerous, and many of them are extremely serious. The most serious threat of all is the ever-present possibility of taking a fatal overdose of the drug. When heroin overdose occurs, the drug's depressant effect on the respiratory system prevents the body from getting a sufficient amount of oxygen, and the user falls into a coma. The user's respiratory system continues to slow to the point where the body simply loses its impulse to breathe. As no oxygen whatsoever reaches the bloodstream, the user goes into cardiac arrest and dies. With the purity level of street heroin currently ranging from zero to 90 percent, it is extremely easy for users to underestimate the strength of a new batch of the drug and overdose on it. The purity level of a given batch of heroin is dictated by how much "cut" (additive) has been mixed with the drug by dealers who seek to increase their sales profits. Since users have no way of know- ing what substances have been added to heroin, additional danger lies in the possibility that poisonous agents are present in the drug. Dilaudid and Palladone are the prescription names for hydromorphone hydrochloride. Both are made as pills. Dilaudid is a powder-based pill that immediately dissolves in the stomach. Palladone is a time-release capsule. The capsule's shell dissolves in the stomach and the medicine moves on into the intestines in the form of small pellets coated with substances that dissolve over time. Some pellets have more coating than others, allowing for a continuous release of the medicine into the bloodstream. In the past, doctors used injections of hydromorphone during and after surgery for pain relief. In more recent decades fentanyl has replaced hydromorphone for use in surgeries and also as a time-release painkiller. Abusers of dilaudid have been known to crush the pills and snort or inject the powder. Injection can be dangerous because the powder-form pills contain fillers that do not always dissolve completely. The injection of these particles into the blood can damage veins. Doctors who issue legal prescriptions for hydromorphone are ordered to stress the medication's potential for abuse. Patients needing the medicine are told to take it only as prescribed. They are not to double-up on doses. Also, they are told to flush any leftover medicine down the toilet so that it cannot be stolen. Patients who take the medication for more than a few weeks will need "taper down" doses to avoid WITHDRAWAL symptoms. Marijuana goes by more than 200 slang terms including pot, dope, weed, boom, Mary Jane, herb, buds, grass, chronic, ganja, charas, and sens. Marijuana comes from the dried, shredded flowers, buds, and leaves of the hemp plant Cannabis sativa. Hashish, also called hash, and hash oil are stronger forms of marijuana. |
Addiction Treatment
Addiction treatment is needed when an individual finds that they have developed a drug or alcohol addiction which they are not able to successful end on their own. With the help of addiction treatment, addicted individual can get help to control their drug taking behavior and live happy and successful lives. There are several addiction treatment options available for drug and alcohol addiction. Some of these options include self-help groups, counseling, drug rehabilitation programs (in and out-patient), and residential treatment facilities. Each of these differ
in their aims and outcomes and elements of these addiction treatment options are often
combined.
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.
Therapeutic Community
An effective therapeutic community attends to the many needs of the individual, not just his or her drug use. Care given at a therapeutic community addresses the individual's drug use and associated medical, psychological, social, vocational, and legal problems. Also, a therapeutic community will continue to be flexible and provide ongoing assessments of the individual's needs, which may change during the course of care.
Remaining in care at a therapeutic community for an adequate period of time is critical for treatment effectiveness. The time depends on an individual's needs. For most people, the significant improvement is reached at about 3 months in treatment.
Residential Treatment
Residential treatment offers intensive drug addiction help over a period of weeks or months. This form of treatment has some advantages over out-patient treatment, although it may not be suitable for everyone. For example, those who are responsible for caring for young children may be better suited to attendance at an out patient treatment program. Residential treatment offers a safe, drug and alcohol-free environment where individuals can confront their own drug addiction and associated issues, with the help of qualified staff. Therapy usually consists of a mixture of group counseling, individual counseling and an introduction to the principles of a drug recovery program.
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.
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