The vast majority of the population often confused arthritis and osteoarthritis. Arthritis is an inflammatory disease that was formerly known by our grandparents ‘rheumatism’. As for osteoarthritis, it is a chronic disease of the joints characterized by premature deterioration of the joint capsules, ligaments, cartilage (thin protective layer on the ends of bones) and the formation of osteophytes ( calcium deposition annoying movement and the nervous system). It is not uncommon for chiropractors treat patients suffering from this condition.

Despite popular belief, this phenomenon is not due to the effect of aging. Research shows that osteoarthritis is the result of repeated mild trauma, major strokes (auto accident, sports), a joint solicitation excessive, to excess weight and a lack of physical activity . These factors preclude adequate nutrition of the cartilage and result in abnormal and premature deterioration of the affected joint. Joints that support the body weight (spine) and the most mobile joints hips, knees, hands are more prone to injuries of all kinds.

Relationship between osteoarthritis and joint injuries

When you injure a joint or mobile, it is imperative to receive proper care in order to restore proper joint function and prevent softening of cartilage, ligaments and capsules involved. This softening will most vulnerable affected joints and they will be less able to withstand a normal workload. The body, by default, will try to compensate with calcium salts instead of repair with normal tissues. That’s when the radiographs perceive their presence and we will tell you that you have osteoarthritis. The presence of these calcifications may also affect the nervous system, especially when osteophytes invading the foramina, holes through which nerve roots emerge from the column.

The model of experimental research on animals confirmed that following an accident, the first day, biochemical changes occur already abnormal. By the third day, these changes appear under the electron microscope. After 45 days of immobilization, undesirable scar tissue begins to form between the surfaces of the joint. After 90 days, considerable degradation of cartilage are remarkable. Scientific research also tells us that it is essential, due to injury, to benefit from a rapid clinical management to restore normal joint movement. Within 45 days, the restoration of movement will allow the body to repair much of the damage.

It is incorrect to claim that osteoarthritis is a disease of older people, although it is true that the older the more advance signs of premature deterioration are present. Too often people are told it is normal to have arthritis when they reach their fifties.

If you suffer an injury and your mobility is impaired, if you feel back pain,  pain in a joint, if it is swollen, it could be either of osteoarthritis. No need to wait to be old to stop suffering! Chiropractic can help you.

Chiropractic Tips

1. In the first days and weeks following an accident, the application of cold is the best way to reduce inflammation.
2. The injured joint, in the process of inflammation and pain, does not condone activities where gravity is present (standing). It is recommended to rest.
3. Later, the regular movement helps your healing, then move rhythmically to the injured joint, do some swimming or cycling. Follow the instructions of your chiropractor.

Source: Chiropractors Association of Quebec

The danger and severity of this mental disorder may be reduced if you are aware of the early signs of depression.
Here is a list of the signs or symptoms of major depression:

Sadness, depressed mood, crying over seemingly minor setbacks
Increased irritability, crankiness, difficulty being satisfied
More easily frustrated, gives up quickly after initial failures

Poor self-concept, low self-esteem, reluctance toward attempting endeavors
Loss of interest in day today regular activities
Changes in appetite (decreased appetite most common) often signaled by rapid weight gain or loss.
Changes in sleep patterns (not enough or too much sleep)
Slowed, inhibited actions (slow, soft speech; slowed body movements).
Fatigue, loss of pep and energy
Poor concentration & attention
Poor memory
Thoughts or words about death or suicide.

Most people will experience some of these signs from time to time, but in order for it to be considered depression; you should be experiencing at least 5 of these symptoms, continuously for at least 2 weeks.

If you suspect that you, or someone close to you, may be depressed, book an appointment with your GP
Signs of Depression | Symptoms of Depression

METHADONE – SOLUTION OR PROBLEM?

The one exception has been methadone. When used properly, methadone can be an effective treatment for opiate addiction. However, the idea of maintaining addicts on a substitute drug led the Federal Government to restrict methadone so tightly that the drug could only be prescribed by specific clinics. These clinics vary widely in the quality of care they provide. In addition, methadone causes euphoria (a high), which has led to some addicts using methadone clinics to subsidize their opiate addiction and abuse methadone. Also, methadone maintenance clients eventually reach a point where it is nearly impossible to ever successfully detox from the methadone, because after long-term use, methadone withdrawal symptoms have been reported to be 10 times more severe than those of heroin and lasting sometimes as long as 3 to 4 months in duration, compared to the 7 to 10 days of withdrawal symptoms that an average heroin addiction can produce. The combination of these factors have proven methadone maintenance to be counter-productive in treating opiate addiction and has limited the effectiveness of methadone for detoxification purposes, as well.

SHOOTING UP, SLAMMING, INJECTING, SMOKING OR SNORTING HEROIN

There are three basic routes of administration used by heroin addicts. Injection, often called “shooting up” or “slamming heroin” in the illegal drug world, is by far the predominant method used by heroin addicts. Smoking heroin or “Chasing the Dragon” as smoking heroin using foil and a straw is known by heroin addicts, runs a distant second and sniffing or snorting heroin is rarely a heroin addicts method of choice. Ingesting heroin orally is almost unheard of.

Some prescription opioids such as Oxycontin or Dilaudid can be injected even though they come in tablet form. However, the manufacturers of more recently developed synthetic opiates such as Methadone and Suboxone have gone to great lengths in making it nearly impossible to inject them, thereby helping to minimize their abuse.

UNMISTAKABLE SIGNS OF OPIATE ABUSE AND ADDICTION

There are many signs that would indicate a person is addicted to, or at least abusing opiates. If a person is exhibiting any of the following signs, there is good cause for concern. If a person is displaying multiple signs, they should be considered red flag warnings.

Some of the more obvious signs of opiate addiction are: constricted (pinpointed) pupils, nodding out, increased activity level before nodding out, use of laxatives (heroin causes constipation), vomiting, loss of established friendships, new undesirable friends, depression, track (needle) marks on arms, sudden change in behavior, itching and scratching, weight loss, cessation of menstruation, finding bent spoons with burn marks, disappearance of spoons, stolen credit cards and checks or cash, aluminum foil with burn marks, new purchases returned for a cash refund, pawn slips found around the house, theft of household valuables, blood spots on clothing, bottles of vinegar or bleach (used to clean syringes) and little cotton balls.

SEVERE OPIATE WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS

Some of the more acute withdrawal symptoms associated with “Cold Turkey” heroin or opiate detox are 3 -7 days of severe muscle aches and spasms, profuse sweating, diarrhea and severe cramping caused by dehydration. Worse are the withdrawal symptoms caused by abrupt discontinuation of the use of some of the pharmaceutical opiates such as Oxycontin and particularly Methadone. These substances can produce weeks and sometimes even months of opiate withdrawal symptoms such as the sweats, muscle and joint aches, spasms, cramping, diarrhea, vomiting and dehydration leading to possible convulsions.

SUBOXONE® ELIMINATES BEDRIDDEN AGONY OF OPIATE WITHDRAWAL

The “Drug Abuse Treatment Act of 2000″ allows detox centers and physicians to minimize an addict’s symptoms of opiate withdrawal with Suboxone detox protocol. Whereas drugs like morphine, heroin and methadone are opioid receptor agonist – meaning they fully bind opioid receptors – Suboxone® (buprenorphine) is a partial opioid receptor agonist. This gives Suboxone® the ability to relieve even the acute symptoms of opiate withdrawal without producing the euphoria (high) of the full agonist drugs like oxycontin, heroin, morphine, demerol, vicodin and methadone. For the first time, physicians and detox centers can use Suboxone to provide a safe and comfortable detox for all opiate addicted patients with the capacity to comply with treatment.

THE FORMULA

Suboxone®, a sublingual tablet, comes in two dosage forms: 2 mg buprenorphine/0.5 mg naloxone and 8 mg buprenorphine/2 mg naloxone.

SAFETY

Because of its ceiling effect and poor bioavailability, buprenorphine is safer in overdose than opioid full agonists. The maximal effects of buprenorphine appear to occur in the 16-32 mg dose range for sublingual tablets. Higher doses are unlikely to produce greater effects.

OPIATE ADDICTION TREATMENT WITH SUBOXONE

This section provides a brief overview of the clinical use of buprenorphine (Suboxone®) for heroin, methadone and all other opiate addiction treatment.

Ideal candidates for heroin and other opiate addiction treatment with Suboxone® are individuals who have been objectively diagnosed with an opiate addiction, are willing to follow safety precautions for treatment, can be expected to comply with the treatment, have no contraindications to buprenorphine therapy and who agree to buprenorphine treatment after a review of treatment options. There are four phases of Suboxone Detox Protocol: induction, stabilization, titration and treatment.

INDUCTION

This phase is the medically monitored startup of buprenorphine therapy. Buprenorphine for induction therapy is administered when an opiate-dependent individual has abstained from using heroin or other opiates for 12-24 hours and is in the early stages of opiate withdrawal or detoxification. If the patient is not in the early stages of withdrawal, i.e., if he or she has other opioids in the bloodstream, then the buprenorphine dose could cause acute withdrawal.

Induction is typically initiated as observed therapy in the physician’s office and is carried out using Suboxone®.

STABILIZATION

This phase begins when the patient has discontinued the use of his or her drug of abuse, no longer has cravings, and is experiencing few or no withdrawal symptoms. The buprenorphine dose may need to be adjusted during the stabilization phase. Because of the long half-life of buprenorphine it is sometimes possible to switch patients to alternate-day dosing once stabilization has been achieved.

TITRATION

The titration phase is reached when the patient is doing well on a steady dose of Suboxone®. Once the patient shows no sign of opiate withdrawal, the patient is then titrated (stepped-down) from the buprenorphine therapy, until he or she is drug-free. This phase replaces what is otherwise known as “detoxification”.

TREATMENT

Effective treatment of heroin, methadone or any other opiate addiction requires comprehensive attention to all of an individual’s medical and psychosocial co-morbidities. Pharmacological therapy alone rarely achieves long-term success. Thus Suboxone® detox protocol should be combined with concurrent behavioral therapies and with the provision of needed addiction treatment services. This point is of such importance that physicians must attest to their capacity to refer patients for addiction treatment and counseling when they submit their Notification of Intent to SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) before they can begin prescribing Suboxone® for the purpose of opiate detox.

Crystal meth is reported to attack the immune system, so meth users are often prone to infections of different kinds, one being an MRSA infection. This may simply be a result of long-term sleep deprivation and/or malnutrition.

The Tweakers

Other side effects of crystal meth use include twitching, jitteriness, repetitive behavior (known as “tweaking”) and jaw clenching or teeth grinding. It has been noted that methamphetamine addicts lose their teeth abnormally fast; this tooth loss may be due to jaw clenching, although heavy meth users also tend to neglect personal hygiene, such as brushing teeth. It is often claimed that smoking crystal meth speeds the tooth decay process by leaving a crystalline residue on the teeth and while this is apparently confirmed by dentists, no clinical studies have been done to investigate. This early tooth decay in the young is often referred to as “Meth Mouth or Meth Teeth”.

Smoking Crystal Meth

Methamphetamine is commonly smoked in glass pipes or in aluminum foil heated by a flame underneath. The latter is known as “chasing the dragon”. Meth must be heated (not burned) to cause the desired smoke. Smoking meth is probably the most impure form of ingestion. In addition to the possible effects on teeth, it is very damaging to the lungs. Methamphetamine users who smoke it sometimes experience mild asthma. Another problem with smoking meth is the potential presence of oxidation byproducts created when the heated drug comes in contact with air. Even if the initial drug is pure methamphetamine, the act of smoking it produces other chemicals, some of which may be toxic.

Snorting Methamphetamine

Methamphetamine is a powerful nasal decongestant, so methamphetamine users who snort it often have very clear nasal cavities. However, there have been rare cases of people snorting so much meth that their nose cartilage deteriorates, though snorting cocaine is far more likely to cause nasal degeneration, due to its vasoconstrictive properties. Snorting crystal meth may also cause meth mouth or meth teeth (tooth decay), since the nasal passages are directly connected to the mouth region, and it is theorized that damaging crystalline particles can still attach to the teeth. Another theory is that meth directly affects calcium balance in the body. Crystal Meth has also been shown to decrease the production of saliva, the lack of which causes tooth decay.

Shooting Up, Slamming or Injecting Crystal Meth

Injection, often referred to as shooting up or slamming crystal meth, is a popular method for meth use, but potentially carries quite serious risks. The hydrochloride salt of methamphetamine is soluble in water; injection users may use any dose from 200mg to over a gram in one I.V. dose using a small needle. In methamphetamine research, injection users often do not experience severe tooth decay, presumably because there is no residue left as there is through smoking it. But injection users experience greater jaw-clenching than users who snort or smoke it, since injecting methamphetamine has a much more powerful effect. This can cause loose teeth, so injection users still do lose their teeth. Also, this method of ingestion brings the risk of infection; injection users often experience skin rashes that are sometimes referred to as “speed bumps” and all kinds of infections due to methamphetamine damage to the skin. The term “speed bumps” is also used to describe small bumps that sometimes develop on the tongue during meth use. As with any injected drug, if a group of users shares a common needle without sterilization procedures, very grave blood-borne diseases such as HIV or hepatitis can be transmitted as well. It has been reported that 60% of methamphetamine related deaths are a result of shooting up crystal meth.

Oral Administration, Ingestion or Ingesting Crystal Meth

The least-detrimental method of taking crystal meth may be oral administration. The effects are moderated over time to a greater degree, and neither teeth, skin, nor nasal passages are directly exposed to potentially harmful chemicals (assuming the user is careful not to allow pure crystal meth to come in contact with these parts of the body during ingestion). The less-intense “high” may make this a less popular choice for administration.

Crystal Meth Detox and Treatment

Methamphetamine use can be difficult to detect at first. However, it is easily revealed if the observer knows what warning signs to look for. Meth users exhibit a number of physical and psychological conditions that can be identified with methamphetamine. Among them are: dilated pupils, insomnia, decreased appetite and possible weight loss, increased agitation and physical activity, excited speech, intense paranoia, possible hallucinations or delusions, episodes of sudden, violent anger, repetitious behaviors such as pick at skin, tooth loss, acne/sores, increased sweating/body odor.

Crystal meth detox and withdrawal symptoms are typically characterized by drug craving, depressed mood, disturbed sleep patterns, and increased appetite. Anti-depressant medications can be prescribed to combat the depressive symptoms frequently seen in methamphetamine withdrawal.

There are cognitive behavioral interventions designed to help modify a patient’s thinking and behaviors, and to increase skills in coping with various life stresses that have been found to be effective treatment for crystal meth addiction. Social model, 12-step based programs have work out well for many, as well. There are also faith-based or Christian Programs available that may be helpful.

Drug addiction knows no geographic, age, gender or ethnic boundaries. It can strike anyone and everywhere! So one might argue that an addiction is an addiction and they all need to be treated the same. If it were only that simple! The disease of addiction is the only disease a person can have that tells you that you don’t have it. Also, when an addict finally realizes that he does have a serious problem, this disease assures him it’s going to be okay, just do some more and everything will be okay. Addiction is a cunning and baffling foe and your chances of beating it without help are slim to none.

Types of Drug Treatment Centers

There are many types of drug treatment centers available, some good and some, maybe not so good. We hope to provide you with some information that will make your search a little easier and help you avoid the pitfalls. First, decide what is within your budget. That doesn’t mean one should shop around for the least expensive center in the area and admit yourself, remember we’re talking about saving a life. Find one that you can afford to pay for. If you are like many addicts and the drugs have completely depleted your resources and there is simply no one left in your life that is willing to help, then “God Bless You” you’ve arrived in the nick of time.

It may be more difficult for a person with a very limited budget to access ethical and reputable drug treatment centers, but help is available for everyone. In fact, there are many organizations and treatment centers that recognize and address the financial barriers to treatment and recovery. In an attempt to screen out the insincere these facilities may require the indigent to display a little extra willingness that a paying customer would not be required to display, but they have limited space for these cases and don’t like them to be occupied by the reluctant to recover.

Many State and Federally Funded Drug Treatment Centers operate on a sliding fee scale (people pay what they can afford to, based on their income), are open to arranging payment plans, and/or participate in Medicare and Medicaid programs. To find one, check out SAMHSA’s Alcohol and Drug Treatment Center Locator or call 1-800-662-4357. Contact these drug treatment centers directly, because if somebody else makes the call for you, it may appear that the person that has made the call wants help for you more than you want it. Ask them what they can do for someone that’s arrived “Just in the nick of time.”

There’s President Bush’s substance abuse treatment initiative, Access To Recovery, which provides drug addicts with vouchers to pay for treatment. Keep in mind that not all states participate in this drug treatment initiative and most of the treatment centers that do are faith-based.

You can also check with your county’s Substance Abuse Division within it’s Mental Health Department and ask for a list of County Funded Drug Treatment Centers. Be persistent and don’t give up. There is always someone that is willing to help if you really want it.

Narrow Your Drug Treatment Center Search

If you can afford to pay for drug treatment your options aren’t nearly as limited. I can’t suggest strongly enough that you limit your search to gender specific treatment centers. If you can’t figure out why, please Email me and I’ll explain it to you. Many centers offer both men’s and women’s programs. This is fine as long as they have separate, gender specific housing and treatment schedules. Next, you’ll need to decide if entering a local center is really a good idea. Sometimes, for obvious reasons the farther away the better. We suggest that you find several drug treatment centers that offer individualized treatment planning. We might all have the same disease, but we all have a unique set of issues to address and a “one size fits all” type program may not address some of your more unique issues. Call these centers that you’ve narrowed your search to and ask them a lot of questions like: Are they licensed by the State? (If not, report them.) Do they provide detoxification services? Non-medical, medically-supervised or medical? For some substances such as opiates, without medication the withdrawal symptoms can be so severe that the pain is practically impossible to bear. What certifications or credentials do their counselors possess? What type of drug treatment do they offer? Traditional 12-Step based or non 12-Step? (This is a personal choice you’ll have to make for yourself.) How many residents are there in their group sessions? (Normally, 10 or 12 is about the maximum if the group is to remain manageable.) Is there a refund policy if one doesn’t complete the program? (Most don’t offer refunds, but the State requires them to put whatever their policy is in writing.) If you’re a parent calling on behalf of your son or daughter, ask them why you should trust your most precious commodity to their care rather than to the drug treatment center around the corner from them. (By the way, your child is still your most precious commodity, even if it doesn’t seem like it at the moment.)

Drug Treatment Center Success Rates

Last but not least. Please, shy away from drug treatment centers that boast what seems to be an unusually high success rate. They are probably beginning your relationship by being less than honest with you. These inflated success rates are impossible for a drug treatment center to accurately calculate. What are they basing it on? The number of clients that complete the program? If the success of a drug treatment center is to be related to the clients in any way, it should be based on what happens to the client after he or she leaves the program and when they are scattered all around the planet it is just impossible to collect any statistics with any real certainty.

A more honest response from a drug treatment center when ask about their success rate might be “We can’t collect accurate statistics, so we don’t want to mislead anyone.” or “I can tell you that if one puts 100% of his or her available effort into his or her recovery each day, it’s about 100% each day.

Stage One – The Early Years of Alcohol Addiction

In this, the adaptive stage of alcoholism, the drinker is no longer drinking for the same reasons he or she started drinking for in the first place. It’s no longer peer pressure, curiosity, social events or that they enjoy the taste of alcohol. No, they are drinking and probably more by now, for the effects that the alcohol can produce, though they probably don’t realize it. The effects that they are seeking could be a mood change or possibly stress relief from some problem in their life. The drinker hasn’t gotten sloppy or lost total control of his life or body yet and he, his family and friends still don’t know what personal hell awaits him, should he be a “real alcoholic”.

Stage Two – More Alcohol, More Often, More DUI

By now the alcoholic is drinking more often and for any reason. He may even be fabricating problems to drink over. He is now probably drinking until he exceeds socially acceptable limits or until he losses control of his physical and mental capabilities. He may have even been arrested by now for driving under the influence of alcohol. In this middle stage of alcoholism the family and friends become aware that there may be a problem, but the alcoholic himself, may think his only problem is that his friends and family think he’s got a problem. He is sure that they just don’t understand he could quit anytime he wants to. Not now of course, he just needs everyone to get off his back and he’ll be fine.

Stage Three – Is It Too Late?

The chronic stage of alcoholism is terrifying for the family and any friend that may be left in the alcoholic’s life. They are watching his body and mind slip away due to internal damage to vital organs. Damage that may be irreversible and can result in hepatitis, heart failure, cirrhosis of the liver, etc. They try to talk some sense into him, but it may be too late. All of their talk just gives him more problems to drink over. In many cases it takes a traumatic or very embarrassing event, such as a DUI or drunk driving arrest to get the alcoholics attention to the extent that he really wants to stop drinking. Even if he really wants to stop, he’s about to find out how easy it is not!

Alcohol Detox or Withdrawal Symptoms – Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome

Alcohol detox or withdrawal symptoms that are experienced by people who have stopped drinking alcohol abruptly (cold turkey) can range from mild to life-threatening if not properly treated. The severity of these alcohol withdrawal symptoms is usually dependent upon how “alcohol dependent” the chronic drinker has become. Those who drink heavily on a daily basis of course have developed a high level of dependency on alcohol and will almost certainly experience at least some severe withdrawal symptoms, but even those who drink alcohol daily, but not heavily and those who drink alcohol heavily but not daily, can also be chemically dependent upon alcohol.

When someone who has become “alcohol dependent” stops drinking abruptly, they will experience some level of physical discomfort. This is why it is extremely difficult for alcoholics to stop drinking “on their own” without the assistance and support of an alcohol rehab center or support group.

The Shakes, Sweats, Nausea, Headache, Rapid Heart Beat and Increased Blood Pressure

For some, who are less chemically dependent, withdrawal symptoms might be as “mild” as merely getting the shakes, the sweats or night sweats – perhaps nausea, headache, anxiety, a rapid heart beat and increased blood pressure.

Although these alcohol withdrawal symptoms are uncomfortable and irritating, they are not necessarily dangerous. But they are often accompanied by the “craving” for more alcohol, making the decision to continue abstinence much more difficult to make without counseling or support.

Even the “morning after hangover” of someone who only occasionally drinks to excess, is actually a mild form of alcohol withdrawal from the excesses of the night before, as the alcohol content of their blood begins to drop. The symptoms can appear within a few hours after not drinking.

More Serious – Hallucinations and Seizures

Within six to 48 hours after not drinking, hallucinations may develop for the more seriously alcohol dependent. These are usually visual hallucinations but they can also involve sounds and smells. They can last for a few hours or up to weeks at a time. Also within this time frame after quitting, convulsions or seizures can occur, which is the point at which alcoholism and alcohol withdrawal becomes dangerous if not medically treated.

I’ll Never Drink Again, Really!!!

After a particularly damaging or embarrassing alcohol binge, a seriously dependent alcohol drinker will make an oath to “never drink again” and really mean it this time.

However, when severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms begin and the “phenomenon of craving” sets in, the body is telling the drinker that it needs more alcohol. When the physical symptoms of alcohol withdrawal begin to intensify, taking another drink simply becomes less painful than not taking one or so it seems at the time. Thus, the vicious, repetitive cycle of binge drinking, sobering up, emerging remorseful and swearing off, only to drink again when the pain gets too bad, begins and repeats over and over again.

Chronic Alcoholism – The DT’s (Delirium Tremens)

Chronic alcoholism and it’s severe withdrawal symptoms may progress to delirium tremens (DT’s) after three to five days without alcohol. The symptoms of DT’s include profound confusion, disorientation, hallucinations, hyperactivity and extreme cardiovascular disturbances. This condition causes shifts in your breathing, your circulation and your temperature control. It can cause your heart to race or can cause your blood pressure to increase dramatically and it can cause serious dehydration.

Once DT’s begin, there is no known medical treatment to stop them. Grand mal seizures, heart attacks and strokes can occur during the DT’s, all of these serious alcohol withdrawal symptoms can be fatal to an alcoholic if not properly treated.

If you or someone you care about is experiencing Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome, please contact an alcohol detox center before it’s too late!

Cocaine is a powerfully addictive drug. A tolerance is often developed when a user, seeking to achieve the initial pleasure received from first use, increases the dosage to intensify and prolong the euphoric effects.

Users of cocaine or crack cocaine often feel euphoric, energetic, talkative and mentally alert after taking small amounts of cocaine. Cocaine use can also temporarily lessen a user’s need for food or sleep. Short-term physiological effects include constricted blood vessels, dilated pupils and increased temperature, heart rate and blood pressure. Ingesting large amounts of cocaine can intensify the user’s high, but can also lead to bizarre, erratic and violent behavior. Users who ingest large amounts may experience tremors, vertigo, muscle twitches and paranoia. Other possible effects of cocaine use include irritability, anxiety and restlessness.

Cocaine Detox

Detox or withdrawal symptoms from cocaine or crack cocaine may include severe depression, fatigue, generalized malaise, vivid and unpleasant dreams, agitation and restless behavior, slowing of activity or increased appetite.

During detox or withdrawal from cocaine, there can be powerful, intense cravings for more cocaine. However, the “high” associated with ongoing use becomes less and less pleasant and can produce fear and extreme suspicion rather than joy. Just the same, the cravings remain very powerful.

The craving and depression can last for months following cessation of long-term heavy (particularly daily) use. Withdrawal symptoms can also be associated with suicidal thoughts in some people.

The withdrawal from cocaine may not be as unstable as withdrawal from alcohol. However, withdrawal from any chronic substance abuse is very serious. There is a risk of suicide or compensatory overdose.

Symptoms of cocaine addiction and withdrawal usually resolve completely over time with treatment. People experiencing cocaine withdrawal often attempt to self-medicate with alcohol, sedatives, hypnotics or anti-anxiety agents such as diazepam (Valium). Self-medication is not advised, because it simply shifts addiction from one substance to another.

Problems Other Than Cocaine Addiction

Because at least 50% of all cocaine addicts have a co-occurring disorder (particularly bi-polar disorder, depression and attention-deficit disorder), these conditions must be considered and treated aggressively when treating cocaine addiction.

Relapse rates are dramatically reduced when these co-existing conditions are treated appropriately. All prescription drugs should be monitored carefully in patients who abuse substances.

Talking to such alcoholics and addicts in a rational and objective manner is often useless or even counterproductive. In other cases the alcoholic-drug addict may agree with fact that his behavior is harmful to himself and others, he may agree that he needs to stop drinking alcohol and/or using drugs, and in some cases even make an attempt to stop. This is often followed by a repetitive cycle of relapse, sometimes lasting for years. Some addicts develop a sense of remorse, guilt, and a determination to “never, ever let that happen again.” But, no matter how sorry they are or how determined they are, they are powerless to stop drinking alcohol or using drugs on their own for any real length of time.

Family and Friends

The people in an addict’s life, especially those closest to him, become frustrated, angry, depressed and often hopeless. They have become well aware that something is seriously wrong and that the alcoholic or drug addict desperately needs help. But they are baffled and helpless as to what to do when the alcoholic-drug addict insists that he is just fine, that everything is under control and if a problem does develop, he is fully prepared to take care of it on his own. He does not, he assures anxious friends and family members, need any help. If they continue to press the point he becomes defensive and often angry and may begin to point out their own shortcomings, to drag up old conflicts, or simply walks out in a huff – full of resentment and self-pity for being so grossly misunderstood and badly treated, because even if he does have a problem, though he really doesn’t think so, he’s only hurting himself!

Like A Tornado

The turmoil caused by practicing alcoholics and drug addicts can be considerable and it tends to get worse rather than better over any period of time. Addiction causes people who are not naturally that way to become progressively more self-centered, inconsiderate, dishonest, defensive and suspicious as time passes. They may experience unpredictable mood swings, outbursts of emotional and sometimes physical violence and make major decisions without any consideration. They begin to act like the proverbial loose cannon and can cause a great deal of destruction not only in their own lives but in the lives of those close to them. Such people are correctly said to be out of control and those who care about them often do not know what to do but stand helplessly by and watch as they create more chaos for themselves and everyone around them, praying that the outcome will not be legal problems, an institution, injury or death and that sooner rather than later he or she will hit bottom, come to his or her senses and either stop on their own or seek professional help. However, though he’s roaring through other people’s lives like a tornado, left to his own devices, it usually requires some type of very traumatic experience to get an alcoholic or addict to admit that there is even a chance a problem exists.

Interventions

The technique of intervention gives those who care about the alcoholic or drug addict a tool and a forum by which they can express their concern in a structured, focused format that often leads to the first step of recovery. A well-organized and properly conducted intervention has been the gateway through which many alcoholics and drug addicts have passed from a miserable existence of addiction to a lifetime of health, happiness and inner peace.

An intervention consists of a group of friends, family, co-workers or other important people in the alcoholic-drug addict’s life who will present in a non-accusatory way their observations and concerns about the individual’s behavior as a result of his or her alcohol and/or drug use. This is done in a controlled, objective, and systematic fashion in order to overcome the denial and minimization of the addict and to present a unified front of support and care as the plea and recommendation is made by all present for the addict to get some help to stop his self-destructive behavior.

Treatment for the alcoholic or drug addict is sometimes unnecessarily and dangerously delayed because of the false belief that the addicted individual must first “hit bottom” and thus “want to get better” before he is ready for help. The purpose of the intervention method is to break through the alcoholic’s powerful denial and avoiding defenses that have been built up and strengthened over a number of years in most cases- and to connect him at least temporarily with the reality of his addiction so that he will accept the help that everyone but himself is well aware that he needs. The collective feedback of people who know him well, who have observed and can describe the effects alcohol or other drugs have had on his personality and behavior, and the effect that they have had on them, is a powerful, if only temporary, antidote to the strange lack or loss of contact with reality that is called denial.

Properly done, an intervention is confronting but it is also deeply caring and supportive. Each participant first affirms the worth of the alcoholic or addict and their positive feelings for him or her, which in fact is the only reason they have agreed to participate in the intervention. If they didn’t care, they would just leave him alone and let him destroy himself. But because they do care they supply him with their factual observations of how he has behaved -and frequently misbehaved- due to alcohol or drugs. One by one and in non-judgmental, factual terms they describe to him actual negative experiences that they have had with him because of his drinking or drug use. There is never any shortage of these when one is dealing with the kind of alcoholic or addict for whom intervention is appropriate. The cumulative effect of these descriptions, coming as they do from people who know and care about the alcoholic, is to hold up a mirror before him in which he is forced to see himself as he really is.

Detox and Treatment

The aim of most interventions is to get the alcoholic or drug addict immediately into a detox center. Experience shows that promises of reform, sincere and often tearful as they may be at the time, seldom hold up down the road without ongoing assistance of some kind. A well-planned intervention has arranged the specific detox center in advance, taken care of all practical objections, and even packed the alcoholic’s suitcase so that he can be driven straight to the detox facility.

The Centers

Most of the more than 10,000 alcohol and drug rehabs in the United States are 12-step oriented and Social Model (they emphasize learning through “doing and experiencing” while providing positive role models) in nature. Other philosophical differences might be 12-Step vs non 12-step, Gender Specific, Christian Based or Christ Centered, Holistic, Dual Diagnosis with treatment for Co-occurring Disorder and Court or Probation Approved Rehabs to name a few.

Different Treatments

Some examples of different levels of care are day treatment or outpatient care, where the client attends group and other recovery activities 3 or 4 hours per day, usually 3 to 5 days per week, then returns home at night, detoxification that is normally inpatient and can be completed in 7 to 10 days for most substances with the exception of some synthetic opiate drugs and short and long-term residential primary treatment. Most residential drug and alcohol rehabs are 21 to 45 days in length, though some long-term programs are a year or more in duration. Weekly out-patient aftercare groups can continue for 6 months to a year and usually focus on relapse prevention and “living life on life’s terms”.

Most alcohol and drug rehabs offer individual counseling, group counseling, behavioral therapy, relapse prevention, substance abuse education classes, lectures and workshops. The ultimate goal of almost all alcohol and drug rehabs is long-term continuous sobriety.

Sober Living Homes

Sober Living Homes don’t provide any treatment services in the home. They usually require their residents to work or attend school during the day and pay a modest weekly or monthly rent. The residents normally attend some type of community based program meetings of their choice in the evening. These programs might be 12-step programs (AA, CA, NA, etc.), Christian Based, Holistic or any out-patient type program. They typically have a set of house rules that include a nightly curfew and require all residents to remain alcohol and drug free while they live there.

Though Sober Living Homes may be accredited or certified by an agency or organization, since they don’t provide any actual treatment in the home, they don’t require licensing for treatment services from the State’s Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs.