Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Washington Drug Rehabilitation
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Oregon Drug Rehabilitation Center
Friday, September 25, 2009
Southern California Drug Rehabilitation Center
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Date Rape Drugs
- Rohypnol - brand name for flunitrazepam. Also known as: Circles, Lunch Money, Mind Erasers, Roach, Ruffies, LA Rochas, and Whiteys. These are just a few of the street names for this drug. Other drugs of the same type (Xanax and clonazepam) are also used and have a very similar effect.
- GHB - also known as gamma hydroxybutyric. Street names for this drug include: Easy Lay, Energy Drink, Liquid Ecstasy, Great Hormones, Salt Water and Vita G.
- Ketamine - Other names for Ketamine are: Black Hole, Special K, Super Acid, Kit Kat, Jet, Green, and Bump to name just a few.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Underage Drinking
In 2007 a Youth Risk Behavior Study showed that high school students (in the past 30 days):
- 45 percent had drank
- 26 percent had been binge drinking
- 11 percent had driven under then influence
- 29 percent had been in a car with a driver under the influence
According to the Center for Disease Control some of the consequences of teen alcohol abuse are:
- Death due to alcohol poisoning
- Memory difficulties
- Reckless sexual activities (including unplanned pregnancy)
- School absences, poor grades
- Social problems
- Assault including physical and sexual
- Interruption of normal growth and sexual development
- High risk of homicide and suicide
- Abuse of other drugs (alcohol is considered a gateway drug)
- Brain development problems that may be lasting
- Alcohol related accidents including falls, motor vehicle accidents and more
- Increased physical illnesses
Teens that start drinking before the age of 15 are 5 times more likely to have an ongoing addiction for their whole life. And those that do drink in their teen years are more likely to binge drink.
The Surgeon General as well as the Institute of Medicine have outlined many ways that communities, schools and families can help prevent and discourage underage drinking. These include campaigns to educate teens on the risks, taxes on alcohol, and more.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Cocaine Substance Abuse
The NIDA (National Institute of Drug Abuse) reports that in the United States alone some two million people are currently using cocaine. This is a huge number. The NIDA also reports that it is likely that these users at some point used gateway drugs prior to their cocaine use.
Some people may think that cocaine is a drug that is only a few decades old because of the awareness brought to it in the 1980's. However, cocaine has been around for over 100 years and used for the purpose of getting energy and other side effects of cocaine.
Signs of cocaine abuse are changes in eating and sleeping habits, runny nose, blood shot eyes, disregard for self care and hygiene, asking for money or stealing money, no interest in hobbies or other things the person loved in general, new peer group, and depression. These symptoms are serious warnings that something is wrong.
No one should underestimate the power of cocaine addiction. It will literally ruin a persons life and take over in a very negative way. A whole family and all friends suffer when it comes to addiction. If you or someone you love has a problem with drug abuse please seek help as soon as possible.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Parental Involvement Can Help Prevent Cocaine Use
The NIDA has stated that:
- Teens between the ages of 12 and 17 are much more likely to use cocaine if they use gateway drugs (marijuana, tobacco, alcohol).
- Adults who use cocaine are more than likely to have used gateway drugs.
- 90% of people who used cocaine claim they had used all three gateway drugs before using cocaine.
With statistics such as these it is more important than ever for parents to help their teens avoid drug use. So how can parents help their children stand on high ground and avoid the use of cocaine as well as all three gateway drugs? Here a just a few things that parents can do:
- Take time to create strong emotional bonds with your children. No matter that ages of your children it is never to late to get close. Take part in activities that you can do together that foster time together and communication. Spend one on one time with your teen so that they can open up to you and have your undivided attention. When you are disciplining your teen remember to tell them that you are unhappy with their choice or their behavior but that you love them no matter what they do. And always let your teen know that you are the person they should turn to if they need to talk about anything.
- Get involved. No matter what you teen has going on make sure that you are involved in what they do. If they are in sports, be at their games. Offer to volunteer in their school and after school activities. Always ask your teen where they will be and who they will be with when they leave the house.
- Be consistent in the house rules, family values and consequences. Parent contracts can help with being clear about family rules and expectations and the consequences. Teens need clear guidelines and to know what to expect should they do or not do what is expected.
Teen cocaine use is a scary thing because of the addictive nature of the drug. While there is no sure way to prevent cocaine abuse or any other substance abuse, it is a sure bet that teens benefit when their parents try to be part of the prevention. If you suspect that your teen or someone you love has a drug abuse problem seek help from a drug rehabilitation center as soon as possible.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Psychological Signs of Cocaine Abuse
Psychological signs of cocaine abuse can vary from person to person. Not everyone will react the same way and not everyone will have every symptom. Some of the symptoms include:
Irritability - users have often reported restlessness.
Depression - depression and substance abuse often go hand in hand. It is usually difficult to tell if the cocaine use is what brought on the depression or if the user was treated their depression with cocaine use.
Change of friends and in family relationships - cocaine users often find a new group of friends that are accepting of their new found behavior or have a way to get them the drugs that they desire. It is sad but true that family relationship suffer. If family tried to help an addict it can push an addict away. However, if you have someone you love who shows signs of cocaine abuse you have got to try to get them to a rehabilitation center as fast as possible. There is help.
Loss of interest in hobbies and activities as well as a loss in being with others - cocaine abusers will often stop being part of groups or teams and in some cases they stop wanting to be around other people.
The psychological signs of cocaine abuse are worrisome. If you are afraid that you know someone who may have a problem please seek guidance on how to best help them as soon as possible.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Cocaine Treatment Options
Pharmeceutical companies are working tirelessly to come up with some sort of medication to help addicts with this particular addiction. While there are medical ways to help an addict deal with the cravings of addiction there are no specific medication to help them in other areas. Anti-depressants are widely used because addicts often feel hopeless and depressed as they try to overcome their addiction. Anti-depressants have been known to be very helpful in the aid of overcoming addiction.
In addition to pharmaceutical treatments it is wise to use behavior modification as well. Neither method alone is as effective as using the therapies combined. Most addicts benefit from putting one habit in the place of another. Cocaine addiction is a very hard addiction to overcome and the use of as many therapies as needed will benefit the patient.
As with most things there are holistic approaches. (*Please note that this site is not promoting any treatment whatsoever. We urge you to get help from your physician and follow through with their advice to you.) There are "Therapeutic Communities" that aid in the treatment of cocaine addiction. This is basically a residential treatment facility where many types of therapy are used to help addicts. The stay can be anywhere from six to twelve months. It is beneficial for the patient to feel like they are not alone and to learn from other addicts experiences. It is good to have unity in a group and for the individuals to help life one another up through their difficult times. Support is key in overcoming addiction. Some of these communities or centers offer vocational training and other great resources to patients. This is definitely an option to look into.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Gateway Drugs and Cocaine Use
The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse states the following regarding the "gateway drug theory":
- Adolescents between 12 and 17 (that do not display other behavior disorders) who drank or smoked cigarettes within the past month are 30 times more likely to use marijuana than the teens that didn't drink alcohol or smoke tobacco. Girls are more likely than boys but not by much.
- When adolescents between 12 and 17 (that do not display other behavior disorders) smoked tobacco, drank alcohol and did marijuana within the past month they are 17 time s more likely to use harder drugs such as crack cocaine, LSD, and heroin. Boys are more at risk here (likelihood is 29 times more) and girls are 11 times more likely to use further drugs.
This is a key indicator that prevention is the key. Drug awareness is a big factor in kids making wise choices and parents need to be more involved in what their kids are doing. These discussions must be had a a great way to do that is through things such as parent contracts. This allows you to talk to your children about drugs, alcohol and smoking and what they can do to their bodies as well as what your expectation as a parent is along with what the consequences are if your child does such things.
A few ideas on preventing teen drug use are:
- Keep in touch with your child after school hours.
- Get your child involved in extra curricular activities.
- Know your children's friends by name and know their parents if possible.
- Talk to you kids explicitly about drug use.
- Be a role model, kids who see their parents do drugs, smoke or drink are more than likely to repeat the behavior.
Parents can do a lot to help avoid drug use in their teens. Communication is key!