




Facts
Do not enter a site that you suspect may have be used for cooking meth. Labs present extreme dangers from explosions and exposure to hazardous chemicals. Breathing the fumes, and handling substances, can cause injury and even death. Drug labs are considered hazardous waste sites and should only be entered by trained and equipped professionals. While researchers still have a long way to go in understanding the complexity of brain function, we do know that illicit drug use produces psychological – if not physical – changes, impacting on a young person's developing brain, as brain development continues into the early 20's. Unfortunately, the average age for teens trying marijuana is 14. This means that many people who smoke pot do so before their brain development is settled, leaving room for chronic drug use to influence certain centers that control emotion and reason. The high levels of THC (the active component in marijuana) can influence the brain centers into feeling or thinking in a distorted way, which can present outwardly as depression or paranoia. Research also shows that marijuana use affects blood flow in the brain as well, which may be reflected in altered activity and function. Sobriety field tests are commonly performed on the side of roads or in a safe place off of a roadway to help police officers determine if a driver is under the influence of alcohol or drugs. If a driver performs poorly in any of the various tasks associated with field tests, the officer has probable cause to arrest the person for alcohol impaired driving, and the test results may be used as proof in a court of law. An officer also has the right to arrest a driver solely based on the observation of the driver's behavior, although normally a blood, breath, or urine test is also required. Methamphetamine can cause brain damage that results in slower motor and cognitive functioning—even in users who take the drug for less than a year—according to two studies published in the March 2001 issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry. Over time, the damage that meth use does to dopamine receptors appears to seriously reduce the overall level of dopamine in the brain. This can result in symptoms like those of Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, stroke, and epilepsy, characterized by shaking and difficulty with walking, movement, coordination, and memory. |
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.
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.
Dependence
Dependence is the compulsive use of a substance despite negative consequences which can be severe; drug dependence is simply excessive use of a drug or use of a drug for purposes for which it was not medically intended. Physical dependence on a substance (needing a drug to function) is not necessary or sufficient to define addiction. There are some substances that don't cause addiction but do cause physical dependence (for example, some blood pressure medications) and substances that cause addiction but not classic physical dependence (cocaine withdrawal, for example, it does not have symptoms like vomiting and chills; it is mainly characterized by depression).
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.
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