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Smoking Crack Can Cause Emphysema too, ya’ know…
Recently, Amy Winehouse was in the news again. The singer, whose popular song “Rehab” topped the record charts, has been in and out of drug rehab herself. Winehouse has struggled with a highly publicized crack addiction as well as having an alcohol addiction. Now, the singer has been diagnosed with emphsyema so what does she do? She lights up a cigarette.
When people think of emphysema, they think of people smoking cigarettes, thinking that that is the main cause. However, smoking crack cocaine can be just as deadly. In the Winehouse’s case, the combination of smoking both cigarettes as well as crack has led to the 24 year-old singer having the lungs of an 80-year-old, according to doctors. Unfortunately for Winehouse, she provides a prime example of someone who has been struggling with addiction problems for quite some time and what NOT to do.
You would think that after collapsing several times due to what she viewed as being her “innocuous” drug habits, you would think that she would take things a little more seriously. However, despite the pleas from fans, family and friends, Winehouse is still failing to make the connection. While drug addiction recovery is never an easy path to follow, it seems that if you truly care about your health and well being, you will do everything you can to prevent drug addiction relapse, something that many hope Winehouse will take seriously before it is too late.
For more information about crack cocaine recovery, contact Mark Houston Recovery today!
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Domestic Violence, Substance Abuse and Men
According to an article published by the Group Health Cooperative Center for Health Studies, women aren’t the only ones who suffer from episodes of domestic violence. In fact, men experience domestic violence as well and the impact of this on their health can be just as devastating.
Domestic violence in men is under-studied and often hidden- much as it was in women 10 years ago…We want abused men to know they’re not alone. -Robert J Reid, MD, PhD, Associate Investigator for Group Health Center for Health Studies
5 Myths About Domestic Violence in Men
According to Group Health, there are several myths surrounding domestic violence and men:
- Few men experience domestic violence. Based on in-depth phone conversations with over 400 randomly sampled adult male Group Health patients, 5% had experienced domestic violence in the past year while almost 30% had experienced some form of abuse over their lifetimes. For the purposes of the study, domestic violence included:
- Nonphysical Abuse: threats, chronic disparaging remarks, controlling behavior
- Physical Abuse: slapping, hitting, kicking, forced sex
- Abuse of men has no serious effects. Researchers found that domestic violence is associated with serious, long-term effects on mens mental health. Depressive symptoms were nearly three times as common in older men who had experienced abuse than in those who hadn’t.
- Abused men don’t stay, because they’re free to leave. Similar to women who often stay in abusive relationships for long periods of time; abused men were also found to follow a similar pattern.
- Domestic violence only affects poor people. This is not true; domestic violence is an equal-opportunity employer that can affect anyone.
- Ignoring it will make it go away. Ignoring a problem such as domestic violence will NOT make the problem go away. Eventually, the problem will manifest itself in some form, whether it’s in the form of alcohol or drug abuse.
If you know of someone who is in need of help for drug or alcohol abuse as it relates to domestic violence, contact a reputable drug and alcohol recovery center. Additionally, you can also call the National Domestic Violence Hotline toll free at 1.800.799.SAFE (7233).
For more information on substance abuse, contact Mark Houston Recovery today!
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Making a Living Off of Cocaine: One Town’s Struggle to Survive
In the town of Guerima, which is a remote Colombian settlement, the residents are desperate to get their livelihood back…their livelihood of course being the production and sale of cocaine. You see, ever since Colombia deployed a national army to create a stranglehold around the town of Guerima, there is now no Marxist rebels (or anyone for that matter) to traffic their only commodity–cocaine.
It seems a bit odd to think that a town’s only means of making money would be one of the most abused drugs. However, this is the case with Guerima. The town consists of just over 1,000 people and is located in the Amazon rainforest of Colombia among tons of coca bushes (the source of cocaine). According to a recent article published in the Telegraph, Guerima was
…once the heartland of the 16th Front of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), the Marxist guerrilla movement that has fought in Colombia’s jungles for the past 44 years. But now the troops of the 58th Counter-Guerilla Battalion patrol the dirt streets.
According to the article, many (if not all) of the residents depend on the coca trade with one local stating:
We are sitting on a mountain of coca and a series of Farc ‘IOUs’. We need the rebels back to pay the debts and buy the coca, otherwise the town will die.
Once again, it seems kind of ironic to think that here there are these people whose only way to make money is to sell drugs out of a country that is notorious for its exportation and large supply of drugs to the rest of the world. Now that the only livelihood that the people of Guerima have ever known has been cut off, it seems that the government will have to come up with some other alternative means of helping these people support themselves. However, given the past history of government relations to its people, the residents seem doubtful as to when or how this will ever happen.
For more information about cocaine dependency, contact Mark Houston Recovery today!
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Time to Grow Up; Adolescents Aren’t ALWAYS to Blame for Drug Use
Have you ever noticed that we live in a society that is somewhat upside down where more demand is placed upon young people to act more adult-like? In the meantime, adults have become increasingly more like adolescents! According to a recent article by sociologist Mike Males,
American teenagers- in fact, teens throughout the Western world-suffer a massive drug crisis…among their parents. Middle-aged abuse of heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, pharmaceutical drugs, multiple drugs mixed with alcohol now constitutes the worst drug abuse epidemic the United States has ever suffered, inflicting massive damage on families, communities, and the criminal justice system.
Additionally, a recent survey of hospitals nationwide, conducted by the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN), found that adults who were aged 35 and older comprised 55 percent of emergency cases involving heroin, 59 percent involving cocaine, 55 percent involving illegal use of pharmaceutical drugs, 54 percent involving alcohol mixed with drugs, 38 percent involving methamphetamine and 31 percent involving marijuana.
On the flipside of this, people who were under the age of 21 only made up 6 percent of the cases involving heroin, 7 percent involving cocaine, 12 percent involving alcohol mixed with drugs, 15 percent involving illicit pharmaceutical abuse and 29 percent involving marijuana!
So, just when you think that teenagers are always to blame for drugs and causing problems, perhaps you need to reevaluate the situation and get the facts straight. As adults, we are setting the example (whether we want to or not) for younger people after us to follow. This is why it is so important for us, as adults, to take responsibility for our actions. For those adults who have used or abused drugs, we need to not only educate younger people to be aware of how drug and alcohol addiction affects families, we also need to make sure that we are living examples of this. Actions speak louder than words.
For more information about relapse prevention, visit Mark Houston Recovery today!
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Save Money by Decriminalizing Drugs!
According to a recent article published by STLtoday.com, American taxpayers would save more than $46 billion if drug addicts (who are in prison now) were treated for their addictions instead. This is based on a study that was released at the end of May 2008.
The study from the Urban Institute in Washington found that approximately 3 percent of arrested addicts are referred to a drug court, which offers supervised treatment to nonviolent offenders whose records are expunged if they complete the program.
There is much speculation as to whether or not the court systems are justified in having drug addicts sentenced to do prison time versus having them go through a rehab treatment program. Obviously some people are going to disagree and say that “criminals” need to be locked up so that they aren’t on the streets dealing or buying drugs. As many already know, most crime is committed because there are drugs involved. Not that long ago, in fact, a young girl was shot as she was standing outside of her car in Chapel Hill, NC, and the reason? Because the two men wanted to use her car and money to buy drugs.
According to Judge Charles Simmons Jr., a drug court judge in Greenville, SC,
Most addicts need something more than being warehoused. Drug courts are putting families back together, and they are decreasing crime at a tremendous savings to taxpayers.
Actress and recovering alcohol and drug addict, Melanie Griffith was at the meeting of the National Association of Drug Court Professionals and argued in support of having more drug courts. She claims that doing so is effective because the drug courts provide both support and accountability for the abusers:
I had a long struggle with addiction because I didn’t have that. And by the grace of God, I didn’t end up in prison. There are so many people, who with this kind of help, can lead beautiful lives.
For more information about relapse prevention, contact Mark Houston Recovery today!
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Timeline of a Smoker…You can ALWAYS Quit!
According to Lake Region General Hospital, it’s never too late to quit smoking. Here’s some interesting information that they put together for those who are thinking of quitting smoking. The following information is based on what happens to a smoker after they put out their last cigarette.
What Happens After:
20 Minutes: Your blood pressure returns to normal. Your circulation has improved enough that your hands and feet warm to normal temperature.
4 Hours: Half of the carbon monoxide from your last cigarette has left your bloodstream.
8 Hours: The carbon monoxide from your last cigarette is now gone from your bloodstream. Your blood now carries a normal amount of oxygen.
24 Hours: Your chance of having a heart attack is lower.
48 Hours: Damaged nerve endings start to re-grow. Your sense of smell and taste have improved.
2 Weeks-3 Months: Your circulation is better. Walking and physical activity is easier. Lung function increases up to 30%.
1-9 Months: You cough less. You have more energy. The cilia re-grow in you lungs, causing less phlegm and chances for infection.
1 Year: Your heart attack risk falls to the halfway mark between that of a current smoker and that of someone who has never smoked.
5 Years: If you used to smoke a pack a day, you have now cut your risk of dying of lung cancer in half. You have also cut your risk of mouth, throat and esophageal cancer by half.
10 Years: Your chance of dying from lung cancer is almost as low as a nonsmoker’s.
10-15 Years: Your risk of dying from any cause is almost the same as that of someone who never smoked.
For more information about relapse prevention, contact Mark Houston Recovery today!
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Protecting Those With Alzheimer’s
While alcohol addiction affects families in the thousands across the United States, there is a growing, if not larger, number of people who are affected when their loved ones are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease. An article that was published earlier this year in Telegraph.co.uk talked about how German nursing homes were using a strategy to help stop Alzheimer’s patients from wandering off: a fake bus stop.
As many of us know, people with Alzheimer’s (depending on the severity of each individual case) have a tendency to wander off. In more sever cases of Alzheimer’s, where the person has actually been placed into a nursing home or some other type of assisted care, many patients will try to leave the premises in order to return to places where they used to live or to visit families. So, where do they go? Typically, they will seek out mass transportation in the form of buses, taxis or trains- things that are usually close to where they are staying at the present time and also which are not too far away so that they don’t forget where they’re going on the way there.
One German nursing home named Benrath Senior Centre decided to use phantom bus stops by creating an exact replica of a standard stop outside the premises. The buses do not use it and the nursing home, according to the article, has been forced to rely on the assistance of police in order to retrieve patients who wanted to return to their often non-existent families and homes. The Benrath Senior Centre teamed up with a local care association called the “Old Lions” who went to the Rheinbahn transport network (which supplied the bus stop).
Although it sounds like a crazy idea, members of the staff claim that it is working, with one member stating,
They know the green and yellow bus sign and remember that waiting there means they will go home….We will approach them and say that the bus is coming later and invite them in for a coffee. Five minutes later, they have completely forgotten they wanted to leave.
According to the article, this idea of a “phantom bus stop” has been so successful that is has been adopted by several other nursing homes.
For more information about drug and alcohol recovery, contact Mark Houston Recovery today!
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5 Things to Avoid if You’re Depressed
Sometimes life after drug and alcohol addiction recovery can be extremely difficult. Some people find if extremely difficult to fight the urges they once had with drugs and/or alcohol. Therefore, in an effort to not be tempted into doing drugs again, they remove themselves from situations where there may be drugs and/or alcohol. However, a lot of the time, this means that the person ends up isolating themselves from a lot of people that they care about as well as social situations which could still help to shape them into a stronger person.
Because a person may feel depressed, it may lead them to do drugs or alcohol as a means of soothing whatever feelings or emotions that are taking place. There are many warning signs of drug and alcohol addiction that can take place and which, if you’re a friend of someone who is depressed, you should be on the constant lookout for. Depression affects everyone, not just people who are fighting to remain sober and/or drug free, however. You may have lost a loved one whom you were very close to, or you may be struggling to find a job or get into the college that you want. There are several things you should absolutely avoid if you are feeling depressed so that it doesn’t turn into a bigger problem down the line.
5 Things to Avoid if You’re Feeling Down
- Isolation: Isolating yourself by cutting of all of your ties to the outside world is one of the worst things you can do IN GENERAL. Even when you’re feeling totally down, don’t take others for granted who only want to help; it’s selfish!
- Denial: Many people who are depressed are in denial that there is even a problem. At the root of all depression is some feeling of inadequacy or some other mental dilemma. Figure out what the problem is and address it head on.
- Let the Problem Solve Itself: If you’re upset about something, don’t assume that the problem will solve itself. Not only is this way of thinking lazy, but it points right back to the whole area of denial again. Part of what it takes to be a person of strong, moral character is recognizing that there is a problem and then actually DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT. Tell a friend, see a psychologist…talk to someone about it!
- Self Medicate: Automatically relying on sleeping pills or some other forms of anti-depressants is NOT the solution to your problems. All it does is mask whatever problems you’re having. The same goes for drinking alcohol or doing drugs. Sure, you may feel great while you’re doing these things, but you’re still going to wake up from it and be face to face with your issues. This is really risky territory that you’re getting into also because you risk becoming addicted to alcohol and/or drugs.
- Yourself: If you can’t even look at yourself in the mirror without being critical or feeling bad, then you need to do some serious self examination to figure out why this is the case. Talk to a friend you trust or a professional about ways in which you can increase your confidence. Studies show that those who are more confident and have a positive self-image of themselves are less likely to feel depressed as well as less likely to engage in risky behavior (i.e. drugs and alcohol).
For more information about drug and alcohol rehab as well as the road to recovery, contact Mark Houston Recovery today!
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Turning 21 Never Seemed So Deadly…
Turning 21 years old never seemed so deadly. It’s absolutely amazing how accepting Americans are of alcohol sometimes. We embrace it and even encourage it with games such as “21 for 21″. According to this popular alcoholic drinking game, a person (who is typically in college by this age) drinks 21 alcoholic drinks on their 21st birthday. And according to a recent article by HealthDay, researchers at the University of Missouri determined that many students jeopardize not only their health but their lives as well when they engage in such games.
Patricia Rutledge, an associate professor at the University of Missouri led a study in which researchers sampled 2,518 students, all of whom had already turned 21 at the University of Missouri in Columbia. Of the people interviewed, 83% said that they had consumed alcohol to celebrate their 21st birthday, admitting also that they had consumed excessive amounts of alcohol. Even more horrific, perhaps, is the fact that 12% of men and women reported that they had consumed exactly 21 alcoholic beverage. Shockingly, an additional 22% of males and 12% of females said that they had exceeded that number.
Drinking alcohol is a joke. No, wait- it’s a game. A lot of young people STILL see no issue with drinking. Even though there are signs, billboards and advertising everywhere- even though teachers teach students that drinking is bad for their health, students and even children everywhere insist on doing it. Many, if not all of those who drink alcohol know about all of the devastating physical effects of alcohol but don’t care; it’s a rite of passage, many of them would argue. I wonder how much arguing they actually do when they’ve went beyond their limits and are passed out somewhere.
Perhaps part of the problem lies in the fact that many young drinkers fail to see the long term effects of alcoholism. Dr. Evaristo Akerele is the vice president and director of medical and psychiatric affairs at Phoenix House in New York City and was cited in the article by saying:
What generally happens is that we are normally protected by alcohol when you pass out before you get too drunk and get to the stage of death. What happens here is somebody keeps the mouth open and keeps putting more and more alcohol so you override [the tendency to pass out first]. It’s potentially fatal.
For more information about the drug and alcohol recovery, visit Mark Houston Recovery today!
