What to expect when you go through withdrawal

Chlordiazepoxide is sometimes used as an alter...
Image via Wikipedia

One of the healthiest things you can do in your life is to get clean. This can be clean from alcohol, tobacco, street or prescription drugs. This is not an easy process. In fact it could be one of the most painful things you go through in your life.

Tobacco can take a very long time to leave the body. If you choose to give up smoking you will more than likely crave cigarettes or tobacco in any form you intake it for years to come. You will also have to deal with the fact that tobacco is still legal and therefore prevalent everywhere you go. When you are withdrawing from tobacco you can expect to suffer from extreme irritability. Also you may substitute food for the sensation of puffing on a cigarette this could result in gaining weight.

Alcohol withdrawal can vary greatly due to the individual’s intake. Mild and moderate withdrawal symptoms include irritability, moodiness, shaking, fatigue and a feeling of nervousness among others. However when the user has been an alcoholic for decades and is used to an extreme intake of alcohol the withdrawal symptoms turns much more severe. These symptoms can include vomiting, involuntary shaking and body movements, hallucinations, fever, convulsions and actually blacking out.

Street drug withdrawal can be the most severe. If you are ready to stop your dependency on street drugs you may wish to do so under the direction of a physician due to the drastic consequences your body can take. Depending on how adverse your dependency was you can expect a variety of reactions. With amphetamines or barbiturates the body can actually go into a fight or flight response which could result in a stroke. Withdrawal from Benzodiazepines can also result in seizures. These are the most extreme examples however most people will experience insomnia or excessive sleep, vomiting, restlessness, irritability, depression, paranoia, convulsions and loss of appetite.

If you are thinking about quitting any habit remember to ask for help. If you choose to do this on your own more than likely you will not succeed and you may be threatening your life.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Withdrawals | Tagged: Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

The Perils of Prescription Drugs

Resized image of Ritalin-SR-20mg-full.png; squ...
Image via Wikipedia

While we have all seen news story after news story about the rampant drug abuse problems plaguing America you might be surprised to find out that some of the most abused substances in America are not if fact illegal but can be found in a medicine cabinet near you. Prescription drugs are not only abused to an alarming rate they are also thought to be safe by the general population because they are legal.

Drugs such as Xanax, codeine and methadone are regularly used recreationally and illegally. They are used by teenagers and adults alike to get a high without the worrying effect of doing something “illegal”. Most people assume if it is in a medicine cabinet in their home it can’t be too bad for you and so they underestimate the legal ramifications and the drugs potency. They believe that street drugs are a completely different class and fail to realize that common street drugs such as crystal meth can be made with cold medication found at your local drug store. These people don’t realize that prescription drugs and common medication can be just as lethal as street drugs if taken incorrectly.

Another way that prescription drugs are used illegally and abused is for diet and weight loss purposes. There are many reports of mothers using their children’s’ Adderall, a prescription medication used for attention deficit disorder, as a means to lose weight. Adderall is known to suppress the appetite so it can help weight loss but it is not FDA approved or intended for that usage.

Recently there have been many high-profile deaths that have involved prescription medication. People such as Heath Ledger, Corey Haim and Anna Nicole Smith are among the few that have lost their lives due to a lethal combination of prescription drugs.

The most important thing to remember when taking any prescription medicine is to make sure and take only your own medicine. Never take prescription drugs recreationally especially if you are already on medication, you never know what the combination my do to you physically.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Withdrawals | Tagged: Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Recovering from Alcoholism: Seeing the Big Picture

SHANGHAI, CHINA - JUNE 18: A teacher comforts...
Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Alcoholism is more than just a dark corner of modern society. In today’s world, more and more people are tending toward alcohol abuse as a method of coping with and compensating for other problems. While the issues of physical dependency are prominent, there’s more to the picture than that. The most effective approach generally combines a multi-path methodology that addresses issues at numerous levels.

The Physical Issues

Alcohol dependency happens with varying degrees for a number of different reasons. Some people are genetically predisposed to alcohol dependency, while others may be abusing alcohol for years before physical dependence is even an issue. Regardless of the level of chemical addiction to the substance, it’s important to recover physically.

This generally means cleansing your body of the substance entirely, a process that can be challenging and strenuous. Attending an alcohol treatment center for this purpose is advisable for most patients.

Social Issues

Alcohol consumption is a part of the common culture, and many people do not understand how burdening it can be to avoid alcohol entirely. Unsympathetic friends is just part of this issue, however; putting yourself in familiar social settings is likely to trigger your desire to drink. Distancing yourself from these social situations, sometimes even cutting yourself off completely from certain friends or groups, may be needed.

Psychological Issues

Why did you start drinking? Many people drink in order to compensate for some major problem. As often as not, this is some form of undiagnosed psychiatric disorder. In addition to addressing the alcohol itself, it’s important to resolve the root issues and underlying causes.

It’s strongly advisable that you speak with a therapist about the struggles that led to alcoholism. Counseling and psychiatrist-recommended drugs are likely to resolve the issue more directly than alcohol, and with fewer side effects.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Withdrawals | Tagged: Tagged With: , ,
Newer Posts »