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Facts
Once considered a harmless source of pleasure and therapeutic benefit, today the drug cocaine is vilified as the cause of great misery and suffering for many who have succumbed to its euphoric effects. Yet, by nearly all accounts, cocaine is here to stay, despite the billions of dollars that government agencies around the world spend each year to eliminate it. From the streets of cities as large as Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago, to small rural towns, Americans consume more cocaine than does any other citizenry in the world. An estimated 80 percent of all South American cocaine—approximately one thousand tons annually—finds its way to America's consumers. The size of the market for cocaine is staggering by any measure. An estimated 40 million Americans admit to having tried cocaine, either in powdered form or as crack. Moreover, between 2 and 4 million people admit to regular use of or addiction to cocaine. Faced with such numbers, American political and spiritual leaders have labeled cocaine use an epidemic. Cocaine use swept across America during the 1970s, glamorized by rock stars, Hollywood personalities, and heroes of professional sports. Their widely publicized use of the drug brought it to the attention of many Americans for the first time and gave it unprecedented status. More and more Americans began to explore the drug's euphoric effects, but cocaine's dark side began to emerge after a decade of use by people who first saw it as a fun and harmless drug. Addiction rates among young people and deaths from overdoses began to make headlines in newspapers and television news programs across the nation. Like all drugs, cocaine produces particular effects on the brain. In the view of some drug-abuse therapists, dependence on cocaine is a behavior that begins and continues because of those biological effects. Cocaine produces a reaction in the brain that increases the likelihood that a person will take the drug again. Environmental factors also determine whether a person will become dependent on cocaine. These factors include (1) the person's peers, (2) a desire for acceptance by others, and (3) the person's belief that drug use will have no negative consequences. In addition, research has clearly demonstrated that cocaine users try to obtain and use the drug at certain times of day, in response to certain events, and in response to certain of their own emotional states. The goal, then, of behavioral therapy is to change these "using" conditions and creating new conditions that encourage abstinence from cocaine. Over time, providers should note any rapid increases in the amount of a medication needed - which may indicate the development of tolerance - or frequent requests for refills before the quantity prescribed should have been used. They should also be alert to the fact that those addicted to prescription medications may engage in "doctor shopping," moving from provider to provider in an effort to get multiple prescriptions for the drug they abuse. Marijuana smoke contains some of the same cancer-causing compounds as tobacco, sometimes in even higher concentrations. Research shows that a user who smokes five times per week may be consuming as many cancer-causing chemicals as someone who smokes a full pack of cigarettes everyday. When a person smokes marijuana, the body responds immediately to the chemical THC in the smoke. THC causes a short-term increase in blood pressure, heart rate, and the flow of blood from the heart as well as causing the narrowing of the arteries. Carbon monoxide reduces the amount of oxygen the blood can carry and when this is combined with the effects produced by THC, it creates an imbalance in the demand for oxygen by the cells and the amount of oxygen the blood is able to supply. |
Addiction
Addiction is one of the many consequences of so-called 'casual' drug and alcohol abuse. A loss of control over drugs and alcohol can be driven by physical or psychological factors, or sometimes both. Physical addiction takes place when the body comes to need a drug to function normally. If it is not taken, unpleasant withdrawal symptoms occur. The only way to avoid this is to take more of the drug. Psychological addiction takes place when an individual comes to rely on a drug to supply good feelings, such as relaxation, self-confidence, self esteem, and freedom from anxiety. This is not just a casual desire, it's a powerful compulsion.
Drug Rehabilitation
Drug rehabilitation is a place or program that an individual enters to treat a drug or alcohol addiction. Through therapy and education, the individual is restored to their former non-drug using self. They are then able to re-enter society clean and sober. There are many reasons why a person would need to attend a drug rehabilitation program. Some of the many reasons are: the inability to control their drinking or drug use, alienating their friends and family, problems with the law, and problems at work. Also, there are several different types of drug rehabilitation programs available: inpatient, outpatient, residential, short-term, and long-term.
Relapse
Relapse is a term used to describe when an individual who has quit using drugs starts using once again. A relapse can mean just a one time use, a long term continues period of using or anything in between after a period of sobriety has taken place. An individual begins to experience a psychological relapse long before their first use after
quitting. Some things that can lead to relapse both physically or psychologically include: 1. Being in the presence of drugs or alcohol, drug or alcohol users, or places where you used or bought chemicals. 2. Feelings we perceive as negative, particularly anger; also sadness, loneliness, guilt, fear, and anxiety. 3. Positive feelings that make you want to celebrate by using. 4. Listening to others past drug use stories and just dwelling on getting high. 5. Believing that you no longer have to worry (complacent). That is, that you are no longer stimulated to crave drugs/alcohol by any of the above situations or by anything else – and therefore maybe it’s safe for you to use occasionally.
Alcoholism
Alcoholism, also known as "alcohol dependence," is a condition that includes craving and continued alcohol abuse despite repeated drinking-related problems, such as losing a job or getting into trouble with the law. It includes four major areas: Craving: - A strong need, or compulsion, to drink. Impaired control: -The inability to limit one's drinking on any given occasion. Physical dependence: -Withdrawal symptoms, such as nausea, sweating, shakiness, and anxiety, when alcohol use is stopped after a period of heavy drinking. Tolerance: - The need for increasing amounts of alcohol in order to feel its effects.
Drug Overdose
A drug overdose occurs when you consume more drugs than your body can tolerate. Drug users are constantly flirting with the risk of a drug overdose. There is a
fine line between the high they're seeking and serious injury or death. While many victims of drug overdose recover without long term effects, there
can be serious consequences. Some drug overdoses cause the failure of major
organs like the kidneys or liver, or failure of whole systems like the
respiratory or circulatory systems. Patients who survive drug overdose may need
kidney dialysis, kidney or liver transplant, or ongoing care as a result of
heart failure, stroke, or coma. Death can occur in almost any drug overdose
situation, particularly if treatment is not started immediately.
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