




Facts
Driven by the unequaled profitability of heroin, the Cali cartel has introduced opium cultivation to the northern slopes of the Andes, harvesting some 20 tons annually since 1991. Various historical allusions to medicinal plants suggest that Cannabis was known and used for several thousand years. The earliest references to the plant are in ancient Chinese and Indian writings. From India, the use of Cannabis spread to Persia, Assyria, and the rest of the Near East. The Arabs adopted and spread it through North Africa as they conquered those lands for Islam from the seventh to the fifteenth centuries. Islam forbids the use of ALCOHOL, but not explicitly Cannabis (since it was adopted after the laws established by the Prophet Muhammad, who lived from about 570 to about 632 A.D.). In Arabic, it is called HASHISH, meaning grass. After the Arabs crossed the Strait of Gibraltar into the Iberian peninsula in 711, they ruled there until 1492. Portugal and Spain did not generally adopt its use. The Spanish conquistadors, however, introduced Cannabis into the New World, where it was readily adopted by African slaves, who were already familiar with it because of Arab trade and the spread of Islam into their continent. As of 1988, the Alcoholic Beverage Labeling Act has required all alcoholic beverage containers to display a warning label for expectant mothers. Yet, the United States Surgeon General has recommended for over 25 years that women not consume alcohol while pregnant or if they are planning on getting pregnant. It is particularly important to avoid alcohol if planning a pregnancy, as she may not be aware that she is pregnant until a few months into the pregnancy. Methamphetamine: Meth is a stimulant that is extremely addicting, drastically changes the brain, and causes irreversible brain damage. Chronic abusers tend to have emotional and memory problems, as well. In 2004, it was one of the more popular drugs among high school students with over 6% of seniors using it in their lifetime. Rates of use for seniors, however, have declined every year since, with a 2.8% use rate for seniors in 2008. |
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.
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.
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.
Tolerance
Tolerance to a drug takes place when an individual is exposed to the same drug repeatedly and begins to build up an resistance to the drugs effects. The body then adapts and develops a tolerance for the drug. The addiction that is produced is so powerful that it creates cravings in the user. These cravings for the drug are the result of its impact on the individual's memory with feelings of pleasantness and euphoria which the individual has come to associate with the taking of the drug.
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.
|
|

To Find Drug Rehab and Treatment Centers in Mount Vernon
Call toll free


Mount Vernon Drug Rehab and
Alcohol Addiction Treatment Information
|