Heroin Addicts Speak

Meet people deep in the throws of a heroin addiction, with no way out.



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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Resisting Peer Pressure

When people hear the term ‘peer pressure’ most of them will automatically think you are talking about teens. That is not necessarily so. It does affect teens more than any other age group, but there are a large number of adults who are just as easily pressured by their peers. It most definitely occurs with college age kids. It also happens to several people at their jobs and during their socializing events. There is almost always a drink pusher at parties. You know the kind I’m talking about. They are drinking to excess and think everyone else should too. Some of those parties include drugs. If you’re there, they want you to participate. If you decline, your peers start pressuring you. Peer pressure is a problem that follows some people through a good part of their lives.

Some teens, young adults as well as older adults would never have tried drugs that first time if they hadn’t been pressured into it by someone. Not all peer influence is bad. In fact peers have a profoundly positive influence on each other and play important roles in each others lives. Positive peer pressure includes friendship, the setting of positive examples, encouragement, new experiences, feed back and advice.

Negative peer pressure might have you considering, or worse, doing something that is illegal or immoral. The person who pressures is usually an aggressive person who doesn’t like to take no for an answer. They have 6 reasons for you to do something, to your every 1 reason not to. It actually takes a strong person to resist negative peer pressure. Teens are still going through a maturing stage so it is harder for them to resist. Adults should have already reached the point where this is not much of a problem. Adults, who still can be pressured negatively, were probably pressured as teens and just never overcame it.

There are some things you can do to bolster your courage and overcome this problem. Listen to your gut. Maybe this person is not really your friend. Plan for possible pressure situations and avoid them if you can, like parties where you are pretty sure there will be drugs. Learn to say ‘no’ comfortably. You should never have to offer a real friend any reason or apology for the way you feel. It’s not easy to resist, but it is a learned process. If you or a loved one suffers from an addiction, 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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Overcoming Shyness Without Drugs

Being shy isn’t necessarily a problem. It’s perfectly acceptable to take time to get to know someone and feel comfortable in their surroundings. But for some people, shyness is a debilitating fact of life. It blocks them from being as comfortable and/or sociable as they want to be. These people seriously want to overcome their shyness and some of them will turn to drugs to do it. There are better and safer ways to achieve the same end without putting yourself at risk.

A good place to start would be your own physician. He may be able to help or at least recommend a therapist for you. It may only take a few sessions for a good therapist to help you work through the reason for your shyness. Aside from professional help there are other things you can do to help yourself. Start practicing social behaviors with people that you know. Be sure to make good eye contact thinking about confident body language as you talk. Ask them questions and let them ask you questions. Practice making introductions and have sessions of small talk about different subjects.

Conversation starters are just that, something said to start a conversation. It doesn’t always have to be off of the top of your head. You can actually think of them ahead of time and practice, practice, practice. Sometimes it’s enough if you just introduce yourself. Try giving someone a compliment, that’s a sure way to draw them into a friendly conversation. You can rehearse what to say, by yourself in front of a mirror or with a friend or family member. Don’t try to memorize it; it will be close enough without that. No one is perfect, even those people who seem confident.

Find a group activity where you can be with people who enjoy the same interests as you. If you know your subject, conversation comes easier and with easier conversation comes confidence. Don’t be afraid to develop your assertiveness. Most shy people don’t like to rock the boat because they are overly concerned with other people’s reaction. Being assertive merely means speaking up for yourself when necessary, asking for what you need or want, or letting other people know they are bothering you in some way. A Better Tomorrow is a good place to go if you are suffering from an addiction, no matter how or why you got to that point.

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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Drugs and Pregnancy

As a rule, no drugs should be used during pregnancy, unless they are absolutely necessary. More than 90% of pregnant women take some type of unnecessary drug during their pregnancy. It may be a prescription drug, an over the counter drug, tobacco, alcohol or an illicit drug. Many drugs, no matter what category they fall into, may harm the fetus. Two to three percent of all birth defects are the result of some type of drug use other than alcohol. If you are pregnant, do not take any type of drug unless you have talked to your doctor and he has given you the go ahead.

When a pregnant woman takes drugs, the drugs cross the placenta and are absorbed by the fetus. The drug takes the same route as oxygen and nutrients which are needed for growth and development. Drugs can act directly on the fetus, causing damage or abnormal development. This can lead to possible birth defects and/or death. Drugs can alter the function of the placenta. Constricting blood vessels can reduce the flow of oxygen and nutrients and the result could be an underweight or underdeveloped baby. Drugs can cause the muscles of the uterus to contract hard enough to reduce the blood flow and thus harm the baby. It can also start preterm labor and delivery.

The development stage of the fetus and the strength of the dose of drugs will determine the affect. Certain drugs taken within 20 days of conception may kill the fetus in some and not affect it at all in others. Birth defects at this early stage are rare. Between the 3rd and 8th week organs are developing and drugs at this stage can cause a miscarriage, an obvious birth defect, a subtle defect that is not noticed until later in life, or it may have no effect. Drugs taken after the development of the organs may not cause birth defects, but they can alter the growth and function of normally formed organs and tissues.

The use of illicit drugs can cause complications and serious problems in the developing fetus. Injecting drugs increases the risk of transferring hepatitis and STD’s, including AIDS. The fetus is more likely to be smaller and premature births are more common. If the mother is addicted, the baby most likely will be also. Withdrawal symptoms in a newborn can occur 6 hours to 8 days after delivery.

If you are using drugs, protect yourself against pregnancy. If you use drugs and you are planning to get pregnant, get help with the drugs first. After you are healthy, your baby stands a much better chance of being born healthy. If you are using drugs and find out you are pregnant, get help immediately. Give your baby every chance to make it into this world healthy. A Better Tomorrow Treatment Center can make this happen for you and for your unborn child. You both deserve a fighting chance.

If you need help, are struggling with an addiction, or know of someone who is, please contact A Better Tomorrow 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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What is Addiction

The medical terminology of addiction is a neuro-biologic disorder that has genetic, psychosocial, and environmental dimensions and is characterized by one of the following: compulsive behavior, which is the continued use of a substance despite its detrimental effects, impaired control over the use of a drug, and craving for the drug, which is a preoccupation with a drug’s use for non-therapeutic purposes. There are often deviant behaviors that go along with an addiction such as theft and forgery, that are used to pay for the addiction.

Most people tend to associate addiction with drugs and alcohol, which is also called substance abuse, but the term can also mean an obsession, compulsion or excessive dependence with other things such as nicotine, gambling, pornography, or even the computer, to name just a few.

People taking opiate medications, such as morphine, to combat severe chronic pain can become addicted because of the continual need to increase the dose, as their tolerance levels increase, to get relief. They develop a physical dependence on the drug and if they were to just stop taking it, they would experience some withdrawal signs and symptoms. For this reason, they are weaned off of the drug by using progressively lower amounts over an extended period of time. Other drugs that can produce withdrawal symptoms when abruptly stopped are oral steroids, some antidepressants and benzodiazepines. If you are taking any of these medications you should see a doctor regularly to avoid unnecessary complications.

People who abuse drugs and/or alcohol usually share one or more feelings including guilt, shame, fear, hopelessness, failure, rejection, anxiety or humiliation. The presence of these feelings could have been part of the cause that fueled the addiction in the first place. A basic need to feel accepted by ones peers has started more than one person on the road to addiction. Others seek the use of drugs and/or alcohol as a coping mechanism to get through a rough period in their lives. Still others use them as a total escape from a life they can no longer deal with. No matter the cause or circumstances, there is help available, and all it takes is one phone call to get started.

If you need help, are struggling with an addiction, or know of someone who is, please contact A Better Tomorrow 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/

Feel free to follow us on Facebook and Twitter too!
Facebook: facebook.com/ABTomorrow
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