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Archive for the ‘Aches and Pain’ Category

There’s a saying in the world of addiction. “Getting sober is easy. Staying sober is the hard part.” Many individuals find that adding a spiritual component to their addiction recovery plan is a key to long-term success.

You can see elements of a spiritual perspective in even the most secular efforts to combat addiction. Take, for instance, the 12-step programs that originated with Alcoholics Anonymous. A critical part of that 12-step recovery journey involves recognizing the presence of a “higher power” and its role in helping one to beat addiction.

AA and other 12-step groups tend, for the most part, to leave it at that. The religious component of coming to terms with one’s addiction remains, for the most part, a personal matter. Nonetheless, there is a quiet nod to the power of spirituality in recovery.

In other situations, that quiet nod is replaced by a chorus of “Amen”. There are some recovery programs that are overtly religious in nature. Norman Askew’s ministry, which focuses on dealing with addiction from a spiritual perspective is a perfect example. There are many others, all of which share a belief that a closer relationship with God can make the difference between continued sobriety and “falling off the wagon”.

That belief in the power of religion and spirituality to aid in addiction recovery has support from those outside the church community, too. The very secular world of scientific research recognizes that those who are involved in a faith-based community and/or who demonstrate levels of religious self-identification tend to have more success in dealing with addiction than others.

The researchers won’t venture a guess as to whether that’s a matter of divine intervention or a byproduct of the increased sense of optimism and a belief in life’s meaning at play. They will, however, tell you that addiction recovery seems to be more successful when religion is involved as part of the plan.

This is important to consider if you or someone you know is battling an addiction problem. When one considers the role spirituality might play in handling this difficult situation, it may lead them to look a little closer at their “higher power’s” role in assisting in the creation of a better life.

Drug addiction is a brain disease that has characteristics of drug craving, seeking, and use that can persist even in the face of extremely negative consequences such as financial debt, physical atrophy, trouble with the law and broken relationships. The urge to seek drugs is a psychological behavior that results from a “reward” one gets from being high and wanting to continue that experience. Often, the reward diminishes each time drugs are used and eventually there is no reward at all. At this point, the drug user relies on substances to feel normal.

It is not uncommon to relapse after long periods of abstinence and treatment professionals are beginning to accept this as part of the culture of addiction recovery. Conservative treatment professionals on the other hand would have you believe that relapse and harm reduction are not part of the recovery process. There is no right answer in the debate of relapse and the addiction recovery process.

Many factors determine how quickly you may become addicted to a substance including the biology of your body. Life-threatening consequences are often associated with the abuse of drugs and alcohol. It is hard to understand how one person will react to a drug compared to another person because some people are sensitive to the chemistry of substances and others are not. Therefore, it is difficult to project whether or not one will overdose or suffer ill effects.

The persistent use and scouting for drugs despite negative consequences are clues that an individual has a compulsive behavioral problem and is likely addicted. If you need help, search online for a local addiction treatment center and visit them right away. After intake, they will offer you treatment medications to reduce the pain associated with withdrawal, give you education on the disease of addiction, group therapy and one on one counseling.

Most of the people I know have one addiction or another. Whether it is an addiction to cigarettes, food or alcohol they all fall into basically the same category. I have an extremely addictive personality. When I give up one addiction I tend to pick up another to replace it. Therefore, I try to pick the least harmful (and legal) things as my addictions.

When somebody is addicted their body depends on an activity or substance in order to keep functioning normally. Depending on what the addiction is the body becomes either physically or psychologically dependent on the activity or substance that is being used. The medical community widely agrees that addiction is a disease. Anxiety and mood disorders often work hand in hand with addiction.

If a person is highly addicted to a situation or substance then they will experience withdrawal symptoms when they are separated. This normally causes symptoms that are both physical and psychological in nature.

Before the addiction occurs a person simply uses a substance for pleasure. A situational addiction works in exactly the same way. A person will get themselves into a situation that is pleasurable to fulfill certain needs. After a certain length of time the goal is to relieve the anxiety that is created from not having the particular addictive substance or situation. This is where the whole cycle of using substances and situations compulsively.

One person will be different from the next when it comes to the level and how quickly an addiction leads to compulsive behavior. This is all dependent on an individual’s psychological makeup and genes. Psychological dependence occurs when the mind is dependent on a substance or situation. There are very real symptoms that occur when somebody gives up a substance. These include: cravings for food, insomnia, depression and shaking. Some of the signs you might notice an addicted person showing are: hostility, poor self esteem, fear of crowds and social phobia. Once addiction has a full grip on someone the brain is unable to send a signal telling them to stop using.

If you know somebody who is trying to get off of a serious drug addiction then you need to be sure they are extremely careful. Withdrawal symptoms can be so severe that they can lead to permanent physical damage or death. Withdrawal should not be taken lightly. There are many programs available that are specifically designed to help people get off of drugs and back to a productive and healthy life.

A very important factor for addiction recovery is being able to have tools for dealing with difficult situations, rather than going into an escape route such as taking drugs. Initially it is hard to use new tools rather than old habits but as time goes on, the old habits appear to offer no solution and the new tools give one a sense of accomplishment and enrichment. It is similar to the feeling one might have where someone might have chosen to jog for 20 minutes for relief instead of running out to buy chocolate and ice cream to deal with an argument they just had with someone.

How do you get the energy to combat an old pattern in your addiction recovery? It is helpful to write out or sit meditatively and ask yourself where the former pattern takes you and how you feel afterward. How do you feel after having a few chocolate bars or calling someone back to scream at them? Compare that to how you feel after taking a run, doing some journal writing or something that increases your energy and awareness.

Drug abuse is something that will appear in one’s mind in challenging moments to offer a relief, but is this relief more like scratching a mosquito bite? You get a momentary relief but you aggravate the initial problem. Motivation is very important ot keep going and trying to put the two routes you can take in front of you is helpful for making healthy choices for recovering from an addiction.

Thinking about the unhelpfulness of scratching a mosquito bite can help to outline what solutions appear to the mind during stress that really are not long term solutions. Our bodies want to heal and our emotions and spiritual sides want wholeness. Thinking about what solutions are truly helpful versus only provide momentary relief can help you take the right fork in the road in trying moments while in the addiction recovery process.

For those trying to conquer a porn addiction there is perhaps no better advice than “seek and ye shall find.”
You may have sought out help on your own. Or perhaps you were told by a friend, wife/husband or mom/dad to get help. Either way, as you make courageous efforts to understand your addiction and the effects porn’s having on you, you will most likely come to find that desire.

If you don’t currently have that desire it’s okay. Desire comes as one considers what he really wants in his life, as he learns the truths necessary to achieve those goals (including how addictions form & how to get rid of them) & as he begins to move towards it.

Let’s look at some of the truths about porn that will help you succeed in on your way to freedom from porn addiction.
Pornography in never victimless: Porn producers abuse, manipulate & deceive models to get them to pose. In doing so, they deceive themselves as well. You as a viewer are a victim and so are those around you who loose the full capacity of your great talents & love. There also exists a violent sex slave industry that is fed by the demand for pornography. Pornography has been referred to as an erototoxin that greatly affects the brain. It mimics healthy sexual processes, but delivers quite different outcomes than does sexual intercourse between husband wife – it ties the viewer to its images rather that to a another human in love & respect. Porn addiction progresses in stages. Because of the tolerance buildup porn seekers have to continually seek greater and greater excitement insomuch that they will often leave behind their values and disregard promises to loved ones so they can seek out the illusory pleasure.

These simple 3 truths about porn are just a few things to consider as you set out to conquer porn addiction. Overcoming this insidious habit requires a strong commitment to learning, introspection and pro-activity.

Without which one can never really arrive at the goal. This can be very frustrating, as you may know, not to mention very draining. Know this: there IS hope! You are not alone!

Vicodin is generally prescribed by physicians as a pain reliever. When taken as prescribed, Vicodin can promote relaxation and calm to the patient, thus enabling him to fully recover from his condition or injury. Like most drugs, Vicodin can lead to some side effects which include drowsiness, weak breathing, weakness, unusual fatigue, vomiting, decreased appetite, and constipation. It also can cause extreme relaxation and a feeling of euphoria, making it one of the commonly abused prescription drugs.

Vicodin as an Addictive Drug

Vicodin is both physically and psychologically addictive. Continued use for several weeks can already cause mild addiction, much more so if this addiction is pursued to greater amounts. Vicodin addiction is much like other powerful addictions: there is a powerful craving to take the drug and might even supersede the need for food and water. Individuals who get addicted to Vicodin will find themselves slowly craving more amounts to achieve the desired effect. You end up taking the drug at increasing doses regularly despite family, legal or health problems. The addiction can be overwhelming and undeniable, it take over your life, and you will experience moments when you still want to take it even if you know it is no longer inappropriate.

Vicodin addiction can likely lead to overdose, and overdose effects of this drug can be fatal. Taking a large single dose usually leads to an overdose, the amount of which depends on the patient’s tolerance to the drug. Overdose symptoms range from slow breathing, dizziness, vomiting, weakness, and confusion to loss of consciousness, extreme tiredness and severe respiratory depression and coma. It can even lead to death. Another danger of Vicodin abuse is that it also contains Acetaminophen, the long term abuse of which can cause permanent liver damage or even failure.

Withdrawal Symptoms

The hydrocodone component of Vicodin makes it highly addictive. Hydrocodone is an opioid so Vicodin addiction symptoms can be quite similar to heroin abuse. In the same way, deciding to stop the addiction can lead to difficult withdrawal symptoms such as physical bone and muscle pain, restlessness, insomnia, vomiting, involuntary leg movements, diarrhea, loss of appetite, irritability, nausea, sweating, chills and cold flashes. These withdrawal symptoms depend on the degree of addiction and may grow stronger for the first 24 to 48 hours. But it usually declines gradually in the next weeks, and these symptoms are bearable and not fatal.

Vicodin addiction can change your life in the worst way, but it doesn’t mean that there is no hope left. But like all addictions, Vicodin drug addiction is difficult to get over alone. You would need treatment, counseling and a support group to help you. You can visit http://www.mypainkilleraddictions.com to know about available treatment options that is just right for you.