Lesser of Two Evils? Is there such a thing?

The majority of drug users have someone who cares about what they are doing to themselves. Should you be more concerned about one drug as opposed to another? Is it a case of the lesser of two evils? That would be a difficult question to answer because addiction is based on a complicated mix of biological, social and psychological factors. One person may get hooked on marijuana after using it a few times because it helps them to relax. Another person may have no interest in the high that marijuana produces, preferring the effects of methamphetamine.

When determining the addictiveness of a drug, there are specific things that may have an impact. Look at the degree of intoxication produced by using the drug. Will the drug induce users to take it repeatedly? Will the amount of the drug fix have to increase for the user to achieve the same results? How hard will it be to quit using the drug, and stay away from it? What withdrawal symptoms will be encountered by stopping the use of the drug and how severe will they be?

The level of dependence is the common denominator for determining the addictiveness of a drug. Nicotine is probably the highest in dependence. Ask any smoker who has tried to quit. Heroin and Cocaine are pretty much neck and neck in the race. The body builds up a tolerance for both of these drugs, requiring ever increasing amounts the get the high it is seeking although Cocaine would have the highest reinforcement value for the feelings the drug causes. Alcohol would be the highest in intoxication and for an alcoholic the withdrawal symptoms are more severe than the rest of the drugs discussed. Caffeine ranks pretty high in more than one area. Certainly dependence would be an issue. Consider how many people don’t want to face a day before they’ve had at least one cup of coffee or a soda. It is something that is used over and over again. There are some withdrawal effects when you quit using it. Some days you crave more than others, depending on the stress of the situation. Marijuana, still a drug, probably ranks lowest in most areas.

If we had control over those we love, we would opt for no drug use at all. Unfortunately, not many people have that kind of control or influence over another. If someone you love has a drug or alcohol problem, there is help available. A Better Tomorrow can give your loved one back the life they enjoyed before the addiction began. They’re waiting for the call.


If you need help, are struggling with an addiction, or know of someone who is, please contact A Better Tomorrow Treatment Center today. We are here to help.
http://www.abttc.net/
Phone: 800.971.1586
Fax: 800.401.8464
24 Hour Addiction HelpLine
Tel. (800) 396-9389 (7 days 24 hours)
e-mail: info@24houraddictionhelp.com
http://www.24houraddictionhelp.org/

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Recovery or Addiction? Which do you think?

Along your road of recovery, you may ask yourself “Am I still in recovery or am I just kidding myself?”

A 50-year old woman started using drugs when she was 13. She partied her childhood away and by the time she was 20 she was using needles mainlining heroin, morphine, etc that she could get her hands on. Quaalude's became a big part of her drug rapport. He was hooked on opiate and then was introduced to Oxycontin. As her age increased, she found she just couldn’t “do it” any more and found a methadone clinic. That was 10 years ago. To date, she is still relying on meth to make it through each day and feels she will be on it till the day she dies. Now the question is, is she an addict or is she in recovery? I would like to hear what you all have to say.

If you need help, are struggling with an addiction, or know of someone who is, please contact A Better Tomorrow Treatment Center today. We are here to help.
http://www.abttc.net/
Phone: 800.971.1586
Fax: 800.401.8464
24 Hour Addiction HelpLine
Tel. (800) 396-9389 (7 days 24 hours)
e-mail: info@24houraddictionhelp.com
http://www.24houraddictionhelp.org/

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Time for a Change?

Are you tired of being a slave to a drug? Are you tired of suffering? Are you tired of hurting yourself and the ones you love? Do you want to get rid of your addiction? If you are suffering from an addiction, rehabilitation is the best solution. By attending a rehabilitation treatment, you will rid yourself of your addiction and receive the tools needed to help you stay on a clean road. You will receive the consoling needed to help you discover your triggers and the underlying reasons for your addiction.

A Better Tomorrow Treatment Center is able to help you achieving your permanent recovery through their drug and alcohol rehab. There is aftercare support that enables you to receive lifetime support. This aftercare support will be very useful for patients as they usually have difficulties to face the world without using drug or alcohol.

A Better Tomorrow Treatment Center offers personalized treatment not a one treatment fits all base. This personalized treatment enables every patient to get the most out of their treatment. If you or a loved one is fighting an addiction and are ready to start a better tomorrow, let A Better Tomorrow Treatment Center help you make the change in your life for the better.

If you need help, are struggling with an addiction, or know of someone who is, please contact A Better Tomorrow Treatment Center today. We are here to help.
http://www.abttc.net/
Phone: 800.971.1586
Fax: 800.401.8464
24 Hour Addiction HelpLine
Tel. (800) 396-9389 (7 days 24 hours)
e-mail: info@24houraddictionhelp.com
http://www.24houraddictionhelp.org/

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Painkiller Addiction

Painkiller addiction can be easily missed and easier for an addict to justify over other types of addiction. After all, for the majority who become addicted to pain killers, the initial taking of the drug was due to an injury or other medical reason. A physician prescribed it, and each time the dose was uped’ a physician signed off on a new prescription. However, it is important to be able to distinguish between addiction and tolerance and know when to draw the line and seek help.

It would be easy to blame physicians for patients that develop a pain killer addiction, and in some circumstances; unfortunately, some doctors do play a role in one addiction when they fail to monitor the drugs use in the patient. However, for many who develop a pain killer addiction, they learn the ropes in how to work around the medical staff and how to obtain the drug to feed their addiction. Emergency room jumping is one way an addict will seek out more of the drug. Some will even go to extremes of inflicting self-injuries to be bale to have something to present with when entering an emergency room. For others, they seek the drug out on the streets. It is as available as illegal drugs. Others obtain their drug by the internet.

No one likes to be in pain, little lone want it. Painkillers do play an important role in medical care by significantly decreasing pain and increasing the quality of life for individuals. Patients who have to take pain medication long-term can develop a tolerance to the medication requiring the dose to be constantly increased to achieve the same level of pain relief. The difference between tolerance and addiction falls in the appropriate use of the medication. Most people who are aware of the addictive risks of taking painkillers are very cautious, however, even those patients, if they have a increased risk of addiction, can fall into the addictive pattern of pain killers.

A person developing an addiction to painkillers behavior will begin to change. They may appear less rational than in the past, make feeble excuses to take extra medication such as a hard day at work, and up’s their prescribed dose without getting the doctors okay and new prescription. Their life will revolve around the drug despite any repercussions it is having on their life. A classic sign of addiction is when a person whose pain is under control asks for more painkillers. Although doctors do have ways determining whether pain is under control or not beyond a patient’s self report, it does not stop a patient from obtain more painkillers through other means.


If you need help, are struggling with an addiction, or know of someone who is, please contact A Better Tomorrow Treatment Center today. We are here to help.
http://www.abttc.net/
Phone: 800.971.1586
Fax: 800.401.8464
24 Hour Addiction HelpLine
Tel. (800) 396-9389 (7 days 24 hours)
e-mail: info@24houraddictionhelp.com
http://www.24houraddictionhelp.org/

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The Effects of Addiction on Children of Addicts

Adults have a hard enough time dealing with a loved one battling an addiction. Can you imagine what a child of an addict goes through? Addiction take a terrible toll on the addict, as well as any loved ones associated with the addict with the hardest hit, children of an addict.

Children look up to their parents for protection and guidance from the moment they are born. The adults in the life of a child are their role models. Even when the examples that are being set are unhealthy, such as drug/alcohol abuse and addiction, children absorb these behaviors. The child is left to deal with how to process what they are seeing and feeling.

A parent who has a drug or alcohol problem is not in the position to care for a child in the manner they should. Sometimes, the addicted parent is not even aware of their parental shortcomings to their child or how their actions and behaviors affect the child. They may not see their child’s suffering.

Children cannot always express their feelings about their parent(s) addiction. They may not even fully understand it themselves especially younger children who have not see how other children live. Some children will internalize their negative feelings they have towards their addicted parent, where others may feel like they are the cause of the parent’s behavior leaving them feeling guilty and responsible. This is common in addicts children who are constantly bombarded with negative remarks from the addicted parent while high in regards to how having a child has ruined their life, limited them, or comments blaming the child for various things that have gone wrong in their life. Some children feel shame and/or become depressed. They don’t invite their friends over, and some stop participating in outside activities to tend to the addicted parent. Some children take on a perfectionist personality to try to make up for the shortcomings in their home life. Then, some children who act out for attention. Negative attention is better to them then no attention at all. Some only know negative attention, so when praised will feel uncomfortable and will resort to negative behaviors to feel what they think is normal. In addition, some children turn to drugs and/or alcohol to bury the pain of their parent’s addiction.

A child’s processing skills are not fully developed. When living with a parent with an addiction problem, a child is left confused and often times feeling unloved, unwanted, and are often times abused in more ways then just the mental and emotional abuse that comes with addiction. A child will do almost anything to get love and positive affection from their parent. When that parent is an addict, it puts a child in a high-risk situation. Many children have been used to get the drugs/alcohol for the addicted parent, sold for drugs or alcohol, and even pimped out to feed the parents addiction.

Often times grandparents or other family members step in when they know there is a problem in the home with drugs or alcohol and will remove the child. Other times child protection agencies step in when reports of possible neglect or abuse is in the home. And then other times, the child is left to deal with the parents addiction when no one is there to intervene. These are the children at the highest risks of repeating the cycle the parent has set for them; however, it does not exclude the rest. Depending on what type of support the child gets in dealing with their feelings, understanding their parents addiction, supportive home front, and amount of adequate counseling will help lessen the risk of the child growing up deeply scarred or to be an addict. The addiction of the parent will have a life long affect on the child, but how much support a child gets and how early will determine how deep the scars of addiction will be left behind.



If you need help, are struggling with an addiction, or know of someone who is, please contact A Better Tomorrow Treatment Center today. We are here to help.
http://www.abttc.net/
Phone: 800.971.1586
Fax: 800.401.8464
24 Hour Addiction HelpLine
Tel. (800) 396-9389 (7 days 24 hours)
e-mail: info@24houraddictionhelp.com
http://www.24houraddictionhelp.org/

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How ones addiction affects the people in their life

Some people may think that their loved ones addiction has no effect on them, but they are wrong, no matter how much they deny it. They may say they have distanced themselves from the addict so they don’t have to deal with their behavior. Already, the need to distant ones self is an effect of the addiction. The addiction puts a strain on the entire family unit; it is like that snowball at the top of the hill, rolling its way down building speed and size on its way until it wipes out everything in its path. Even if it doesn’t hit you directly in its path, it will hit others in the family unit and you will feel the results in various ways.

Watching a loved one deal with an addiction can make you feel helpless. You may try to help them and feel inadequate. Their problem may bring you so much sorrow that the only way you can deal with it is to avoid it. Not everyone deals with a loved ones addiction the same way. Some people have the skills it takes to set strong limits and boundaries and know that if the addict distances themselves from them it is not a reflection on them, but rather just another part of the addiction. Some people feel deep guilt and question everything about their lives with the addict asking what they could have done different so the love one would not have started using drugs. There are probably a million different ways a loved ones’ drug addiction can affect a person and probably a million reasons why addicts started using initially.

Deny that a loved ones addiction doesn’t affect tem at all is dangerous and can lead to further problems with the family unit as a whole. You can deny any backlash from an addicts addiction while using, (although it is not the healthiest approach for people) but when the addict enters a drug treatment program you would be wise to use that time to deal with the effects the addiction has had on you.

Good addiction treatment program will have a component of family therapy giving you the opportunity to express your true feelings in a controlled setting. As the addict is in recovery, they have the therapist to help them work through their emotions that come from them honest, heartfelt confessions and anger about the addicts’ behavior while using.

When someone you love is battling addiction, it is important not to lose sight of your own well-being. It is easy to become isolated and preoccupied with whether the addict is going to drink or use drugs, or totally shut down. Family and friends often experience anger, fear, and frustration. You need to be sure that you don’t get pulled into a downward spiral and do not be afraid to speak to a drug/alcohol counselor regarding your loved ones addiction.


If you need help, are struggling with an addiction, or know of someone who is, please contact A Better Tomorrow Treatment Center today. We are here to help.
http://www.abttc.net/
Phone: 800.971.1586
Fax: 800.401.8464
24 Hour Addiction HelpLine
Tel. (800) 396-9389 (7 days 24 hours)
e-mail: info@24houraddictionhelp.com
http://www.24houraddictionhelp.org/

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Marijuana Addiction

Marijuana addiction is similar to that of alcoholism. They both have that same uncontrollable urge to want their drug. Both are difficult to quit without help.

Excuses are a huge part of both marijuana and alcoholics make up. They have a million and one reasons why that particular time is not the right time for them to quit using. If you have been around either type of addiction for any amount of time I am sure you have heard many of the excuses used. Those addicted to marijuana will use excuses as lame as marijuana is not as bad as drinking, or that it is natural weed, has no ill effect, and with some you will hear repeatedly “I can quit any time I want. I just choose not to right now.” There are a million and one more, and I am sure everyone can add a abundance to the list. But what they all boil down to is one thing – an excuse.

Another distinguishing make up of a marijuana addiction is the symptoms one exhibits when they do not have the drug. These symptoms include irritability, jitteriness, sadness, excessive sleep, amongst numerous other obvious mood changes.

Marijuana addiction develops over time. At first, a user will use smaller amounts and after time, in order to achieve the same highs they had when they initially started using have to increase their dose. When the high once achieved strictly from marijuana use is hard to obtain even with increased use, many addicts begin alternating other drugs into their repertoire, This adds to the difficulty in getting “clean” and why treatment for withdrawals can be critical.


If you need help, are struggling with an addiction, or know of someone who is, please contact A Better Tomorrow Treatment Center today. We are here to help.
http://www.abttc.net/
Phone: 800.971.1586
Fax: 800.401.8464
24 Hour Addiction HelpLine
Tel. (800) 396-9389 (7 days 24 hours)
e-mail: info@24houraddictionhelp.com
http://www.24houraddictionhelp.org/

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Understanding the Nature of Addiction

Alcoholism and chemical dependency are long-term illnesses similar to high blood pressure or heart disease in the fashion that symptoms come and go in differing strengths and varieties over time. Another common denominator between the two is the patients personal behaviors. Negative behaviors/habits can also affect the outcome of the disease in that if a person with heart or blood pressure issues does not take their medications right, eat unhealthy, etc. can have negative effects on the condition as with an addict, putting yourself in risky situations or going off treatment plan can result in relapse. Such diseases are called relapsing/remitting conditions.

By understanding the nature of addiction, family members and friends care better able to help the recovered addict in preventing a relapse or have a better understanding if one should occur.

For some in recovery, not knowing the success rate and percentage of relapses is more therapeutic for them. If they felt that the success rate was extremely high they may be more apt to think they can entertain occasional drug/alcohol use in a recreational manner with no ill results. For others, the success rates are their motivation to be one of the numbers. Regardless of the type of treatment program one chooses, keeping your focus on beating your addiction regardless of how rough the road can get, will serve you best. Having your friends and family members with you in the battle with a full understanding of the nature of addiction makes the bumpy spots along the road that much easier to handle.


If you need help, are struggling with an addiction, or know of someone who is, please contact A Better Tomorrow Treatment Center today. We are here to help.
http://www.abttc.net/
Phone: 800.971.1586
Fax: 800.401.8464
24 Hour Addiction HelpLine
Tel. (800) 396-9389 (7 days 24 hours)
e-mail: info@24houraddictionhelp.com
http://www.24houraddictionhelp.org/

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Realistic Expectations about Addiction Treatment

According to the Department of Health and Human Services, successful treatment of addiction to drugs or alcohol is defined as being able to maintain a stable family life, have success at work, and be well thought of in your community. Does everyone who enters into a treatment program come out with those out comes? No – more times than not, addiction treatment has stumbles and relapse along the way. Addiction is not a concrete disease that there is a singular cure for. Think of it like blood pressure where symptoms come and go at varying degrees. Part of controlling blood pressure is medical and the other part is the responsibility of the person with the blood pressure problem. What they do as a person can affect the stability of the blood pressure. The same goes with addiction treatment. Treatment gives the addict the tools to stay sober, but if the tools are not actively worked, the addict can relapse.

Treatment for alcoholism or drug addiction is not always immediately successful, so you shouldn't be too hard on yourself if you stumble on the path to sobriety but you should also take ownership of your stumbles. However, the outcome for attending a treatment program has a higher percentage of success versus attempting to “go clean” on your own. Fifty to 70% of those who attend a treatment program for alcohol dependency don’t ever drink again or relapse once and get back on track without any further setbacks. .

The key components for someone getting and staying clean are attending a treatment program, ongoing participation in a recovery program, active involvement of the addict’s family in the treatment program, attending meetings, and staying in counseling for longer than 90 days. If these components are in place, the success rate of treatment rises immensely.


If you need help, are struggling with an addiction, or know of someone who is, please contact A Better Tomorrow Treatment Center today. We are here to help.
http://www.abttc.net/
Phone: 800.971.1586
Fax: 800.401.8464
24 Hour Addiction HelpLine
Tel. (800) 396-9389 (7 days 24 hours)
e-mail: info@24houraddictionhelp.com
http://www.24houraddictionhelp.org/

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The Five Parts in the Cycle of Addiction

For the most part, it has been noted that an addict will go through five parts in the cycle of addiction. These parts can be repeated several times before an addict chooses to seek help for their addiction.

The first part in the cycle of addiction is the feeling of euphoria. This is the hook and what keeps the addict seeking more.

The second part in the cycle of addiction is the feeling of losing control. This is when an addict begins to feel they have lost control over the situation, that addiction has taken over and represents their life.

The third part in the cycle of addiction is craving. The craving is so strong leading the addict into the fourth part in the cycle of addiction.

The fourth part ion the cycle of addiction is the “score”. Getting the fix to curb the craving.

The fifth part in the cycle of addiction is the addicts feeling that their life has become predictable and repetitive. This is the part where the addict may reach out for help to make a change in their life. If the addict doesn’t reach out during this time, the cycle of addiction starts all over again as soon as any withdrawal symptoms appear. This is the critical part of addiction, the stage that can either end the cycle or reinforce it.


If you need help, are struggling with an addiction, or know of someone who is, please contact A Better Tomorrow Treatment Center today. We are here to help.
http://www.abttc.net/
Phone: 800.971.1586
Fax: 800.401.8464
24 Hour Addiction HelpLine
Tel. (800) 396-9389 (7 days 24 hours)
e-mail: info@24houraddictionhelp.com
http://www.24houraddictionhelp.org/

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Overnight Addiction?

Addiction doesn’t just happen, rather it’s a series of things that happen that bring something to an addictive state. Addiction is an obsession or a compulsive physical and/or psychological dependency to anything if you rather. It is an unhealthy obsession to anything no matter if it is drugs, shopping, eating, etc.

The medical community considers one is addicted when the body starts to rely on a substance to function. When the drug or stimuli is no longer supplied to the body, withdrawal symptoms appear. The body then must go through the detox phase to reacquaint itself to be able to function normally again. Depending on the drug one is addicted to, the detox process has brought death. Addictions are no joke.

Addiction can come upon someone quickly or progress slowly over time and yes, overnight. The speed in which addiction occurs is usually tied to the level of euphoria gained from drug of choice. The higher the euphoria the more attractive the “drug” appears and faster one can become addicted. In some situations, the hunt for the “score” is more addictive than the actual high gained. When there is illegal or risky behavior involved in securing the “score” adrenaline is raised causing its own high drawing the addict in more than the addictive substance or activity.


If you need help, are struggling with an addiction, or know of someone who is, please contact A Better Tomorrow Treatment Center today. We are here to help.
http://www.abttc.net/
Phone: 800.971.1586
Fax: 800.401.8464
24 Hour Addiction HelpLine
Tel. (800) 396-9389 (7 days 24 hours)
e-mail: info@24houraddictionhelp.com
http://www.24houraddictionhelp.org/

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Triggers and their Detonator

Do you recognize all your triggers? If you are not familiar with that term, a trigger is something that compels you to use your drug of choice or behave in an additive manner. Remember, addiction comes in many forms, not just a bottle or a drug, but also gambling, shopping, sex, and so many more and as many different types of addictions there are, there are thousands upon thousands of possible triggers that can go with those addictions. Triggers are unique to the addict. Just because a certain trigger may make one-person use, doesn’t necessarily mean that same trigger will result in the same effect with another.

Triggers can be internal (feeling motivated) or external (a scent, action, item, etc). Some common triggers for many addicts on the internal factor are shame, boredom, anger, fear, loneliness, and frustration. Internal triggers are often harder to control than external. If a certain television program is known to be a trigger for you, you can stop the detonation of that trigger by simply not watching it however if loneliness is a trigger, it is not easily remedied.

Most addictions are an attempt to self-medicate a painful emotion away. “The more I use, the less I feel.” External triggers can be anything else under the sun and moon from family, financial problems, a phrase, a song, the smell of certain cologne; anything and everything specific to the addict that causes one to use.

It is important to be aware of your triggers in order to avoid them or understand them to counteract with a more productive response. Write a list of all the possible triggers that can affect your recovery. Share them with support people in your life. When you come upon a situation where a trigger is involved, recognize it as such, remove yourself from the situation, and use your support group to help you work past the power of your triggers. Remind yourself how far you have come and how you will not allow the trigger to have the power over you any longer.


If you need help, are struggling with an addiction, or know of someone who is, please contact A Better Tomorrow Treatment Center today. We are here to help.
http://www.abttc.net/
Phone: 800.971.1586
Fax: 800.401.8464
24 Hour Addiction HelpLine
Tel. (800) 396-9389 (7 days 24 hours)
e-mail: info@24houraddictionhelp.com
http://www.24houraddictionhelp.org/

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Are Your Friends Really Your Friends

You have your addiction under control and you are working hard to make sure it stays that way. You have made some positive changes in your life and I’m sure you will agree that there could be many more changes before you are done. Some of the changes you have made may have been difficult ones. Not many people are comfortable with change and you are probably no different. Humans are creatures of habit and habit implies no changes.

Everyone has friends. Some may be new, while others have been around a while and still others have been there for as long as you can remember. You probably have friends from school, work, church and the neighborhood just to name a few. You probably had friends who shared your addiction. They may have been addicted too, or maybe they just allowed you to have your addiction. If that’s the case, this friend, may be no friend at all.

What I would like to propose is that you take a really good look at your friends and ask yourself if they really are your friends. This is not something that can be done collectively. You will need to bring each friend to mind and be honest with yourself about the state of the existing friendship. Does the friend have your best interest at heart? Does the friend tell you when they feel you are making bad choices? Do they encourage you to make the best choices for you? This type of appraisal is most likely going to be hard for you, but if you can work through it you will emerge a stronger, more secure person. Those friends that make the positive cut are truly your friends. The others may be holding you back. Be strong and make the best decision for you. Be honest with them too.

If you have been through an experience like this, please share your thoughts and feelings with us. If you have found something that works better, we want to hear about that too. Don’t forget, A Better Tomorrow is there to help you or someone you know who may be having problems with drugs or alcohol.


If you need help, are struggling with an addiction, or know of someone who is, please contact A Better Tomorrow Treatment Center today. We are here to help.
http://www.abttc.net/
Phone: 800.971.1586
Fax: 800.401.8464
24 Hour Addiction HelpLine
Tel. (800) 396-9389 (7 days 24 hours)
e-mail: info@24houraddictionhelp.com
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Beautiful Boy

U.S. News interviews Nic Sheff and his father David Sheff, a journalist, about their new books "Tweak" and "Beautiful Boy." Both take different perspectives on the story of Nic's drug addiction, their family's struggle, and how they ultimately survived.
Full Story here : http://www.health.usnews.com/articles/health/2008/03/06/the-sheff-family-struggles-with-addiction.html



If you need help, are struggling with an addiction, or know of someone who is, please contact A Better Tomorrow Treatment Center today. We are here to help.
http://www.abttc.net/
Phone: 800.971.1586
Fax: 800.401.8464
24 Hour Addiction HelpLine
Tel. (800) 396-9389 (7 days 24 hours)
e-mail: info@24houraddictionhelp.com
http://www.24houraddictionhelp.org/

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HOOKED: OPIUM, MORPHINE & HEROIN 3 OF 3

HISTORY CHANNEL PRESENTS HOOKED: ILLEGAL DRUGS & HOW THEY GOT THAT WAY
HOOKED: OPIUM, MORPHINE & HEROIN 3 OF 3

HOOKED: OPIUM, MORPHINE & HEROIN 3 OF 3
Uploaded by Top-Notch112. -

If you need help, are struggling with an addiction, or know of someone who is, please contact A Better Tomorrow Treatment Center today. We are here to help.
http://www.abttc.net/
Phone: 800.971.1586
Fax: 800.401.8464
24 Hour Addiction HelpLine
Tel. (800) 396-9389 (7 days 24 hours)
e-mail: info@24houraddictionhelp.com
http://www.24houraddictionhelp.org/

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HOOKED: OPIUM, MORPHINE & HEROIN 2 OF 3

HISTORY CHANNEL PRESENTS HOOKED: ILLEGAL DRUGS & HOW THEY GOT THAT WAY
HOOKED: OPIUM, MORPHINE & HEROIN 2 OF 3

HOOKED: OPIUM, MORPHINE & HEROIN 2 OF 3
Uploaded by Top-Notch112. -

If you need help, are struggling with an addiction, or know of someone who is, please contact A Better Tomorrow Treatment Center today. We are here to help.
http://www.abttc.net/
Phone: 800.971.1586
Fax: 800.401.8464
24 Hour Addiction HelpLine
Tel. (800) 396-9389 (7 days 24 hours)
e-mail: info@24houraddictionhelp.com
http://www.24houraddictionhelp.org/

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Hooked: OPIUM, MORPHINE & HEROIN PART 1 OF 3

HISTORY CHANNEL PRESENTS HOOKED: ILLEGAL DRUGS & HOW THEY GOT THAT WAY
Hooked: OPIUM, MORPHINE & HEROIN PART 1 OF 3

HOOKED: OPIUM, MORPHINE & HEROIN 1 OF 3
by Top-Notch112

If you need help, are struggling with an addiction, or know of someone who is, please contact A Better Tomorrow Treatment Center today. We are here to help.
http://www.abttc.net/
Phone: 800.971.1586
Fax: 800.401.8464
24 Hour Addiction HelpLine
Tel. (800) 396-9389 (7 days 24 hours)
e-mail: info@24houraddictionhelp.com
http://www.24houraddictionhelp.org/

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Causes of Addiction

Research has shown that there are similarities between addictive conditions like alcoholism and drug addiction and many cases of eating disorders which are considered addictive behaviors. The human brain has within it reward centers that are activated when a person feels well, or does something well. This could occur naturally when taking care of the body, behaving sensibly, being praised, experiencing feelings of love and even when exercising.

It is also possible to stimulate the reward centers by artificial means. Drugs of all kinds produce chemical stimulation making it an important aspect of the cause of addiction. The same stimulation is caused by a number of drugs, both legal and illegal. This stimulation also blocks unpleasant feelings. It could explain why people with addictive disorders use them to block feelings that are unbearable. When the reward center is stimulated by drugs, alcohol or abuse of food, they stop functioning in the way they should. Abuse is merely a shortcut to false happiness which doesn’t come from achieving something good.

Incorrect use of these centers is especially common with people who have a personality requiring an excess of reward effects in order for them to feel well. There is accordingly a common factor with many types of addiction: Alcoholism and drug disorders, eating disorders, compulsive sex dependence, compulsive gambling, self-injury and anorexia nervosa (body injuries can stimulate the center in order to protect the body from pain) and even compulsive exercise.

Eating disorders and drug addiction are similar in the fact that the addiction is compulsively developed into an even stronger form regardless of the effect on their health. Serious medical complications do not assure that the addict will give up their addiction. Starvation in anorexia reduces the activity of the hormone Serotonin and in turn reduces the anxiety in a person with an overactive nervous system. Many drug addicts began with compulsive eating before switching to drugs. There are certain hereditary characteristics that increase the risk of eating disorders and drug addiction although the presence of the characteristics does not mean they will become addicts. Addictions are treatable and A Better Tomorrow is waiting to hear from you.


If you need help, are struggling with an addiction, or know of someone who is, please contact A Better Tomorrow Treatment Center today. We are here to help.
http://www.abttc.net/
Phone: 800.971.1586
Fax: 800.401.8464
24 Hour Addiction HelpLine
Tel. (800) 396-9389 (7 days 24 hours)
e-mail: info@24houraddictionhelp.com
http://www.24houraddictionhelp.org/

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Addict Now, Addict Forever?

Addictions vary in severity. You don’t generally get addicted to a drug the first time you use it, although it is a possibility. Generally addiction is a process that occurs over many months and/or years of abuse. Some people are able to decrease the amount of the drug they are using and some may be able to stop all together. Others will be drug users until they die. Life time drug users don’t generally die of old age. Their lives are diminished in time and quality.

If the addiction is less severe, it might be considered a temporary disorder and the right treatment can help put your life back in order and you will be pretty much the person you were before the addiction. In more severe addictions, the disorder has more lasting effects. The goal for any addict is to stop the use of drugs. With more severe addictions there is a long history of use accompanied by many physical, emotional and social problems. There are situations where brain damage keeps the addict from being able to resist the impulse to use again. This often happens with alcoholics.

With all of that in mind, be assured that addiction can be treated and overcome. Do relapses happen? Of course they do, but it doesn’t have to accelerate to the level of addiction. Relapses create a feeling of dejection and that has a negative effect, and can actually push the person closer to the road back to addiction. The better approach is to examine the events surrounding the relapse and learn from the experience. If you can pinpoint the circumstances that pushed the person into the relapse, they may be able to avoid them in the future. There is strength to be gained from a relapse. Breaking the habit is not a cure, but a process, just as addiction was a process. Neither of them happens overnight. Breaking the habit also means there is a possibility of remission.

The biggest boost is not to lose hope. If you or someone you love is enslaved by an addiction, there is help available to you. Call A Better Tomorrow and get on the road to recovery.

If you need help, are struggling with an addiction, or know of someone who is, please contact A Better Tomorrow Treatment Center today. We are here to help.
http://www.abttc.net/
Phone: 800.971.1586
Fax: 800.401.8464
24 Hour Addiction HelpLine
Tel. (800) 396-9389 (7 days 24 hours)
e-mail: info@24houraddictionhelp.com
http://www.24houraddictionhelp.org/

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Marijuana and its Paraphernalia

Would you be able to recognize marijuana and/or marijuana paraphernalia is you saw it? If you have a roommate or partner who smokes marijuana and gets caught, a search of your residence will most likely be done. If you are smoking too, that’s a risk you take. You may be charged as well, because marijuana is still illegal. If you do not use marijuana, and suspect someone in your residence is, then this article is for you. You may be a parent of a teen and as such you need to know.

Marijuana is usually sold dried and sometimes is compressed for easier carrying. Better quality marijuana will often appear to be covered in tiny crystals. Hashish, or hash, is a more concentrated form of marijuana. It is the collected resins off of the marijuana leaves. The THC content of hashish is usually much higher by weight that the THC content of green marijuana. It may be dry and crumbly or even oily, depending on how it was produced.

Cigarette rolling papers are used to roll joints. Blunts are cigar wrappers that have the tobacco removed and are re-stuffed with marijuana. A small pipe can be filled and used to smoke marijuana, but the smoke from a regular pipe can be very hot and irritating. A water bong is another type of pipe that channels hot smoke through a layer of water to cool and hydrate the smoke, making it less irritating to the throat and lungs, which allows deeper inhalation. Two hot knives heated on the stove can be used to press on a crumb of hashish to burn it for smoke, blackening the tips in the process. A small blowtorch, often a cooking torch can be used as a higher octane substitute for a lighter.

The marijuana in use today is not the same as it was even 10 years ago. The potency has risen almost 10 fold and so has the risk of addiction. Marijuana detox and withdrawal is not dangerous but it can be very uncomfortable. It can be difficult to overcome the cravings to use and abuse. Many people can smoke marijuana recreationally without developing issues of dependency, but many more hundreds of thousands cannot.

Withdrawal symptoms may include a loss of appetite, an inability to sleep, headache, nausea, anxiety, paranoia, irritability and even aggression. These sensations will be intense for several days before easing off. It’s during this period that the urge to use is the strongest and the risk of relapse is the greatest. You do not have to live with an addiction. A Better Tomorrow can help you; all you have to do is make the call.

If you need help, are struggling with an addiction, or know of someone who is, please contact A Better Tomorrow Treatment Center today. We are here to help.
http://www.abttc.net/
Phone: 800.971.1586
Fax: 800.401.8464
24 Hour Addiction HelpLine
Tel. (800) 396-9389 (7 days 24 hours)
e-mail: info@24houraddictionhelp.com
http://www.24houraddictionhelp.org/

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