It’s one of those “everybody knows” data: It’s the irresistible cravings that make drug or alcohol addiction so hard to beat. Cravings for addictive prescription drugs, illicit drugs or alcohol are so strong that addicts will feel like life itself is dependent on getting and consuming their addictive substance.

In fact, drug and alcohol abuse creates cravings in two distinctly different ways. Drugs and alcohol rob the body of essential nutrients and that depletion causes tiredness, pain and cravings that an addict may want to cover up with more drug or alcohol use. Plus these substances leave behind toxic residues stored in the fatty tissues that are easily reactivated by stress, exercise or intense emotion.

These stored residues can interfere with hormones that affect moods and energy levels. That disruption causes cravings for what the body lacks or a similar substance, such as the drugs that originally caused the disruption. The reactivated residues can also act as a physical trigger for memories of drug-related experiences and discomforts from the past, causing a desire for more drugs or alcohol at these times.

The solution? A thorough detoxification of residual drug or alcohol toxins with a carefully-monitored program of exercise, sweating in a sauna and nutritional supplements. This is the Narconon New Life Detoxification Program, developed by author and humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard in the late 1970s.

“The Narconon New Life Detoxification Program has been helping people eliminate their cravings for nearly 30 years,” stated Ryan Thorpe, Director of Admissions at Narconon Arrowhead, one of the country’s leading drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers. “Our sauna detoxification program is a major reason we have a seventy percent success rate two years after graduation from our program. It is such a powerful program that those on this program talk about smelling or re-sensing the drugs being emitted from their bodies while they are in the sauna.”

After receiving medical approval to start, and under continuous and close supervision, people on this program exercise to stimulate circulation, spend time in a dry sauna and take a specific regimen of vitamins and minerals proven to support thorough detoxification. The end result of this program is a person who can think more clearly and whose physical cravings have been alleviated. The positive effect of this program is clearly evident in this compilation of comments from those who completed it:

“My sleep is great, my thoughts are clear and I don’t think about drugs anymore…” “I had the scent of alcohol coming out of me…” “My senses have improved enormously…” “The aches and pains have subsided and I can sleep for eight hours straight…” “Depression is now a thing of the past…” “(The) sauna (program) has also made me more calm and has gotten rid of my compulsive thoughts about using drugs…” “I don’t have that foggy feeling in my head that I used to have…” “I am not an evil person like I was on drugs.”



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Alcohol Abuse Treatment

The fact that nearly half of the automobile and industrial accidents are associated with alcohol abuse in the United States stresses the need to check alcohol abuse at all levels. Alcohol saliva test is one of the common methods used at schools, businesses, and safety sensitive works to test the suspects of alcohol abuse. The most important advantages of alcohol saliva test are easy sample collection and quick results.

Applications of Alcohol Saliva Test:

Alcohol saliva tests are used at various locations and situations to test the alcohol levels in a suspect.

•    Schools: Saliva alcohol tests are preferred in schools as the samples cannot be adulterated and can be collected easily.

•    Businesses: Many employers in United States use random alcohol testing.  Employee dignity is a question that is often raised while drug testing at workplace. Alcohol saliva test enables random alcohol tests, which are non invasive and give instant results.

•    Safety Sensitive Works: US Department of Transportation (DOT) approved alcohol saliva test as effective testing method that is required for testing of all transportation and safety sensitive employees.

Advantages of Alcohol Saliva Test:

Alcohol Saliva Test has many advantages such as,

•    Convenient: These tests are simple to use anywhere and at anytime. They work in a clean, non-invasive manner, so this test is considered as the simplest method to detect alcohol levels in the body.

•    Quick & Economical: When compared to other alcohol testing methods, it is time and cost efficient. These tests provide results within minutes.

•    No Adulteration: Saliva tests are very difficult to adulterate, as the samples can be obtained under direct supervision.

•    Employee Dignity: The collection of samples is donor friendly, dignified, secured, and less embarrassing when compared to other tests such as urine or hair tests.

•    Accurate: As the ratio of alcohol content in saliva and blood is 1:1, this method is as accurate as blood and urine drug tests.

•    Recent Drug Abuse: These tests detect the recent alcohol drug abuse.

Over consumption and abuse of alcohol has led society to many problems. In order to deter alcohol abusers, many schools and employers are using alcohol tests. Of them, Alcohol Saliva Test is a good tool in maintaining a drug free and safe environment.



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Prescription Pain Killer Addiction

Alcohol is a colorless impulsive combustible liquid, synthesized by fermentation of starches and sugars. The chemical formula of alcohol is C2H5OH, and it is also term as ethanol, ethyl alcohol or grain alcohol and is extensively used, both in pure and denatured forms as solvent, cleaning solutions, in drugs, explosives, and exhilarating beverages. In other words alcohol is the any form of hydroxyl compounds and is the simplest derivatives of the saturated hydrocarbons of CnH2n+1OH general formula, including ethanol and methanol.

Alcohol is the class of organic compounds which have one or additional hydroxyl groups (-OH) appended to one or other more carbon atoms in the hydrocarbon chain. Representing the number of supplementary substituent groups on carbon atom by R, alcohol are categorized as primary alcohol (RCH2OH), secondary alcohol (R2CHOH), or tertiary alcohol (R3COH). Several alcohols are found in nature and are important intermediates in synthesis of further compounds due to the distinctive chemical reactions of hydroxyl groups of the alcohol.

Some of the chemical properties of alcohol includes that the primary alcohols give up aldehydes on oxidation and the ketones by the secondary alcohols and the tertiary alcohols breaks down. On reaction with carboxylic acids esters are produced that can be converted to ethers as well as olefins. Some of the worth mentioning products of such reactions are detergents, fats, emulsifiers, waxes, emollients, plasticizers, lubricants, and spraying agents. Grain alcohol or Ethanol and wood alcohol or methanol is the best alcohols containing only one hydroxyl group. Ethylene glycol and antifreeze are the glycols having two hydroxyl groups and three in glycerol, and three or other in polyols.

Alcohols normally have smell that dangles in nasal passages and the alcoholic beverages are consuming by the humans which is ethanol form. Man is consuming alcoholic beverages for different hygienic, religious, dietary, medicinal, and recreational purposes. Alcohol consumption is beneficial if taken in little amount and in proper time but if people starts consuming it frequently and becoming addiction is very harmful to health.

Intoxication or addiction on alcoholic beverages lead to acute respiratory malfunction or death as well as chronic utilization has medical consequences. Other alcoholic beverages produce more toxics and require longer duration in metabolizing in the body. The worst effect of alcoholic beverages is in case of the wood alcohol or methanol which can be oxidized by an enzyme in the live called alcohol dehydrogenase enzymes forming poisonous formaldehyde resulting to blindness or fatality.

Administration of ethanol is the only solution to prevent and treat formaldehyde toxicity on methanol consumption but all people are not aware of the fact. Ethanol acts as substrate preventing methanol from binding to alcohol dehydrogenase. Alcohol is usually taken in social occasions like a party or meal and in such occasions people mix with some amount of water to avoid overindulging.

At the same time people undergoing weight loss treat must refrain from consuming alcoholic beverages as it contains a soaring concentration of detrimental sugars and bare calories and alcohol consumption generally drives to compromise ones habits, that might disturbed the control over certain foods. Therefore the alcoholic beverage consumers must always try to stick on self control and restraint from over consumption.



Thanks to Nandeshori Devi Konthoujam for contributing this article to our Addiction blog:

Heroin Addiction Rehab

“You cannot run away from a weakness; you must fight it out or perish; and if that be so, why not now, and where you stand?” – Robert Lewis Stevenson

In this article I will introduce you to some of the common signs and symptoms of addiction that I have ran into as an Addiction Counselor. It is hoped that one will have the courage to honestly examine themselves against these signs and symptoms and if necessary make the changes to live a more productive life. Not many people like to consider themselves as having an addiction of any sort. Recent studies suggest that approximately 10% of individuals who seek professional help with addiction issues do so on their own. That means that approximately 90% of those who seek help are coerced by some external source. Either by a family member, friend or the law.

One of the most pervasive challenges in dealing with addiction to nude photos is denial. During the past number of years and particularly since the introduction of the Internet the world has become so desensitized to the issues surrounding immorality that we no longer know where to look for what is normal behavior. What is addiction? There are numerous definitions of addiction but they all seem to have a few things in common. A return to unwanted behaviors that are associated with negative consequences after one has made a personal commitment to stop them. These behaviors are induced by unwanted strong and persistent cravings.

It is important to understand at the outset that indecent images are extremely addictive by its very nature. People in the adult industry understand this very well and know how easy it is to manipulate people by their material. The adult industries are making millions of dollars off the natural vulnerabilities of people. What they offer destroys meaningful relationships quicker than anything else I’ve seen in my clinical practice. It trumps depression, anxiety and even drug addiction in its ability to destroy trust and peace of mind. The adult industry would have you believe that their material is harmless. Nothing could be further from the truth. Listen in part to an email I received recently. “My fiancé has a serious addiction to looking at immoral images online. I’m slowly falling out of love with him because of this… I have no clue of what to do. This has broken my heart into a billion pieces. I don’t know if I will ever feel good enough again or if I want to even marry him”. Intimacy can be a strong and binding force between two people when based on trust, commitment and fidelity. It is a very personal and private part of any relationship. Those who make this private part of their lives public lose a part of themselves in the process. Those who view the private intimate lives of others through immorality also have something drawn out of them. Clients have described it this way to me, “When I’m viewing these inappropriate images I feel like my positive energy is being sucked out of me and then replaced by this negative energy that leaves me feeling heavy, dark, depressed and ugly.”

I find it interesting that every time a client talks about a slip or a relapse they always say this same thing “I feel dark, anxious, depressed, frustrated etc.” Never in the 20 years that I’ve been doing this clinical work have I had a client come to me and say “I feel really good inside about my last slip or relapse.” For the most part, those who regularly view this stuff or even produce it would describe themselves as moral and ethical people. How could this be? Addiction have a tremendous capacity to skew the normal thinking processes in the brain. Viewing adult images directly has a tremendous capacity to stimulate a certain part of the brain known as the limbic system. Once this part of the brain is stimulated in certain ways it is very difficult if not impossible to control. This part of the brain has the capacity to induce behaviors that are against ones own personal values and morals. The limbic system can do this because of its capacity to influence and inhibit another part of our brain known as the Pre-frontal cortex or rational/logical brain. The limbic system does not feel guilt nor does it care about consequences because those functions take place in the pre-frontal cortex.

This is why one can watch and be stimulated by images that otherwise would seem disgusting. The moral part of the brain has checked out and is no longer functioning properly. When this part of the brain has checked out all sorts of strange behaviors can occur. The limbic system works on the premise of more and more pleasure while simultaneously having no morals or concerns about consequences because those functions only come into play when the pre-frontal cortex is functioning properly. One can get to the point where the limbic system is almost completely controlling a person’s life. When ones moral system comes back on board that is when feelings of guilt and remorse are noticed more fully.

How does one come to accept the truth about themselves? As many clients have told me, “there are different levels of honesty.” I’ve had some clients report that there are times when they have not been completely honest even in therapy sessions. Upon reflection however, they were able to recognize that they just weren’t ready to admit to themselves the truth. Wrestling with the truth inside ourselves requires that we face its opposite, which is denial. Denial is a very quick and powerful mechanism to drown out the feelings of truth.

Facing the truth about oneself can cause emotional pain. The very nature of the addicted brain is to avoid pain at all cost. The addicted brain has learned to interpret pain as a threat to survival and therefore employs the very powerful force of denial. In order for one to get better and to grow emotionally, one must learn to face and accept the truth about themselves. There are really only two ways to deal with this dilemma. One either makes a decision to face hard personal questions about themselves, or one becomes more hardened and self-justified. If one becomes more hardened they will use one of four psychological principles to continue in the behavior. Social psychologist Albert Bandura posed the question, “How can otherwise moral individuals act behaviorally in ways that appear so clearly at odds with their espoused values”? Through years of research he came up with the following answers.

    * Moral Justification “It’s my right I am an adult”, “No one can tell my what to do.” “How is this hurting anyone?”

    * Dehumanization “There just pictures, I’m not having a relationship with them” “It’s just fantasy it’s not real”

    * Minimizing “It is no big deal” “What I am doing is my business and it doesn’t affect anyone else.” “Quit making such a big deal about it.” “It’s just a a few images, everybody does it.”

    * Displacing Responsibility “It’s not my fault” “If you were in my circumstances you would do the same thing.” “I can’t help looking at these images if it’s everywhere.”

The following are some of the most common signs and symptoms that have been reported to me from clients over the years who have struggled with addiction. It is my hope that you will have the courage to examine yourself against these signs and symptoms to see where you stand. Be honest with yourself and know that there is help available, if you seek it.

Common Signs and Symptoms of Addiction

    * Disengaged

    * Not fully present when with others

    * Exhaustion – both physically and emotionally

    * Feel like two different people

    * Secret behaviors

    * Embarrassed about personal behaviors

    * Deliberately vague: Omit facts, distort truth when questioned and stay out of the light.

    * Avoid direct questions

    * Tend to isolate

    * Easily frustrated

    * Use anger as a weapon to control others

    * Low self-esteem

    * Build up self by putting others down

    * Fatigue

    * Foggy mind

    * Attempt to change the subject and confuse by introducing irrelevant material.

    * Agree without commitment (say ‘yes’ without any commitment to it)

    * Claim to be changed after doing the right thing only briefly.

    * Accuse others of misunderstanding.

If you recognize these signs and symptoms in your life, know that there is help available. The information in the InnerGold Manual has helped many individuals learn the skills and gain the tools necessary to maintain lasting sobriety. One client recently wrote, “What you have spent countless hours developing and perfecting is in my opinion the single most effective recovery program out there. Before meeting you I personally had read half a dozen books (some of which I can`t even remember), and working with dozens of church leaders rarely feeling any permanence in hope and progress…. what is amazing is how many times you have seen people at the end of hope say what I have said after going through your program for a time! How many frustrated and depressed addicts in the world can say this? There are millions of addicts. Hundreds and thousands are likely frustrated and depressed, and of those only a small handful have any hope.”

This article has introduced you to some of the common signs and symptoms of addiction, especially those addicted to the adult nature of online images. If you are struggling with this addiction it is hoped that you will have the courage and faith necessary to do something pro-active about it. Help is now available that is proving to be extremely effective in changing lives for the better.

Addiction is harmful. The battle in overcoming it must be fought on a personal level and not a legal one. This battle will never be won in the courts but in the personal private lives of each person. The only way for this addiction to go away is for people to stop watching it. There is a higher judge that resides in each one of us and we all know what that means if we have the clarity to see and feel it. Viewing adult entertainment is a very serious issue and is destroying the lives of millions of individuals around the world. May you find freedom from its chains through the skills and tools that are now offered to you.

Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for time is the stuff life is made of - Ben Franklin To help you on a weekly basis. We have created a Weekly Boost which will send you motivational, ground breaking, positive advice to help you stay sober through the week.



Thanks to Gordon S. Bruin for contributing this article to our Addiction blog:

Heroin Addiction Rehab

Alcoholism signs and symptoms are clues that alcohol may be a problem. If left untreated, alcoholism signs and symptoms and alcoholism can affect the quality of life of the person as well as those around them. Alcoholism is a disease where alcohol consumption (beer, wine, or hard liquor) is at a level that interferes with the person’s physical and mental health, and negatively impacts family, social or work responsibilities.

Alcoholism symptoms can be recognized relatively early in the disease’s progression, but if not dealt with, alcoholism can be fatal. Here are alcoholism signs and symptoms that indicate alcohol may be a problem:

• Becoming Angry When Confronted About Drinking

• Daily or Frequent Alcohol Consumption Needed to Function

• Drinking Alone

• Finding Excuses to Drink

• Food Intake Neglect

• Hiding Alcohol Related Behavior

• Inability to Stop or Reduce Alcohol Consumption

• Memory Loss, Blackouts

• Morning Shakes

• Nausea, Vomiting

• Physical Appearance Neglect

• Violent Episodes Occur When Drinking

When considering alcoholism signs and symptoms, alcoholism can be broadly divided into two categories - alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence. Alcohol abusers may drink heavily at various times, but they have not yet become alcohol dependent. Alcoholism signs and symptoms for alcohol abusers can be problems that happen while being intoxicated such as drinking and driving, violent episodes, or missing appointments, work or school.

Alcohol dependence can develop over the years and follows a generally predictable pattern. A tolerance of alcohol develops first, which means a person needs to consume greater quantities of alcohol before the same effects are noticed. Over time, the person may lose control over their drinking and may not be able to stop even if they want to. And if alcohol consumption is reduced or stopped, withdrawal symptoms can be experienced which can range from annoying to life-threatening.

If the alcoholic continues drinking, he or she may become obsessed with drinking to the exclusion of almost everything else. Many of the above alcoholism signs and symptoms may be noticed. The most severe kind of drinking is called ‘binge drinking’, periods of time with continuous heavy alcohol consumption.

If alcoholism continues to progress, the mental and physical health of the alcoholic can seriously deteriorate. Many of the body’s organs can become damaged which lowers resistance to disease and infections. Relationships at home or socially may become damaged, and there can be financial and legal problems due to the alcoholic’s inability to stop drinking.

If the alcoholic continues to drink, alcohol can ultimately cause their death one way or another. Accidents and related injuries, suicide, drownings and falling asleep in bed while smoking and intoxicated and burning to death are examples of the consequences of alcoholism. Health-wise, damage to the body’s organs and systems due to long-term excessive drinking means the person will likely suffer from a number of diseases and conditions such as heart disease, cirrhosis of the liver, malnutrition and cancer.

Are there different stages of alcoholism? Yes, most definitely. If the alcoholism signs and symptoms indicate that alcohol consumption is becoming or is already a problem, there are resources available to help with alcoholism and the serious consequences of this disease.

Copyright 2006 InfoSearch Publishing



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Cocaine Addiction Intervention