Drug addiction is not reserved for young adults. Substance abuse is a growing problem among the elderly, presenting a problem that families never imagined they’d have to deal with. In many cases, family members don’t know what is going on until it is too late. Know the signs of elderly substance abuse so that you can get them the help they need. Continue reading
The Five Signs Of Elderly Addiction
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Can Someone Be Happy After Addiction
Once you have opened the Pandora’s Box of drug addiction, it can seem impossible to quit. Yet many do, and they will tell you that the road to recovery really begins with that moment when you decide to cover new ground. It will be difficult, possibly the hardest thing you’ve ever done, but you can do it.
But once withdrawal is over, is it really the end? Many addicts embarking on a recovery program ask the question: Can I truly be happy after addiction? Continue reading
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Narconon Discusses The 3 Ways To Say No To Drugs On Prom Night
Prom: tradition or trouble? While it is an exciting rite of passage for all American teens, it can also turn into a night of bad decisions that can affect them for the rest of their lives. Drugs and alcohol have become common party favors at Prom, and parents and teens alike find themselves unprepared when that moment comes. Here are a few tips to prevent the worst on Prom night.
Prom Tips For Parents
Most parents don’t know that they set the tone of the night and that their actions (or neglect) can lead to a night in the emergency room or bailing their children out of jail. After the photos are taken and goodbyes are said, parents often don’t know where their children are or what they are doing for the rest of the night.
It is important to talk to your child before Prom night about the dangers and potential for drug use. Make sure that they understand everything that could occur–peer pressure, overdose, sexual harassment, drinking and driving–and that they are prepared.
Find out who is going together before and after Prom, and get phone numbers and other contact info.
Make sure your child knows that he can call you if he is in trouble. Promise that no matter how difficult or embarrassing the situation, you will pick him up whenever he needs it and will forego a lecture until the following day. Make it safe for him to call you.
Do not rent hotel rooms or serve alcohol for your child or his friends.
Arrange a specific time for your child to check in with you after prom.
Contact any parents hosting parties before or after Prom and find out what the environment will be like and what the level of supervision will be.
Prom Tips For Teens
No matter how prepared you think you are for Prom, drug use can catch you off guard. Consider all the possible scenarios. What if your boyfriend offers you ecstasy? What if your best friend overdoses? What if you get in a car with someone who has been drinking?
Remember that this night could affect the rest of your life. Not only could your health be in danger, a night in jail would land you a criminal record. State police are much more on guard during Prom night, using Facebook and other means to track parties and watch the roads.
Do not drive drunk or high. Do not text while driving. And do not get in the car with someone high or drunk; take their keys.
Keep a charged cell phone on you at all times, and don’t be afriad to call your parents if you need to.
Stay in touch with your parents about your plans for the night and let them know if they change.
Don’t be afraid to speak your mind if something doesn’t feel right to you.
For more information on how to stay sober this prom season check out our drug prevention tips on www.narconon.org.
Source:
http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2013/04/warnings_about_prom_night_dang.html
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The Top Reasons Why Addiction Needs Immediate Treatment
The ripples of addiction are far-reaching. It damages the body, destroys families and shatters dreams. And while treatment options are sundry, most addicts don’t reach for help until it is too late. Continue reading
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Three Things That Will Help Teens Say No To Prescriptions
More and more teens are abusing prescription drugs than ever before. Not only are they easier to get access to in most cases, they are also potent and pure, and usually highly addictive. They can be easily obtained by going to mom or dad’s medicine cabinet or by “doctor shopping” to find a doctor who will prescribe powerful drugs to those who say the right things.
With statistics continuing to rise and many parents scared about the risk that this problem poses to every teen, what can be done to decrease the risk that a teen will abuse prescription medications? Continue reading
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Narconon Outlines Why Holistic Treatment Is Different Than Traditional Treatment
The term ‘holistic treatment’ or ‘holistic medicine’ refers to treatment of not only the physical symptoms of the substance abuse issue, but also attempts to resolve emotional components of the issue as well. Whether it’s through certain techniques allowing the addicted person to take responsibility or simply education, this type of treatment can be very effective.
In the context of drug addiction, ‘holistic treatment’ would include addressing the physical problems of withdrawal, a long term detox plan and working out solutions to overcome obstacles mentally that lead or contributed to addiction. ‘Traditional treatment’ in the context of drug addiction would encompass a few things. One example is to provide someone addicted with medication to “alleviate” immediate symptoms or mask cravings. Another is enrollment in a tradition program like a 28 day, 12 step method of treatment. Continue reading
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Repairing Relationships After Addiction
The effects of drugs or alcohol can be far reaching. A person’s whole life can be turned upside down including their friendships and intimate relationships. It can be difficult to know how to repair a relationship that has been destroyed by substance abuse, or even if it is possible. Many groups have been formed and steps created to try to help people learn about the effects that substance abuse has. The effects it has on the person abusing as well as the people around them.
What exactly the best way to do this is hard to say but there are certain points which are held in common by many and which seem to be the most effective. Continue reading
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Narconon Discusses Types Of Drug Counseling Certifications And Program Credentials
When going to choose a drug rehabilitation facility is important to know what factors to consider and what important things to look for. Not all facilities are going to offer the same types of care or the same level of quality when it comes to the program. While a facility is responsible for maintaining its own standards, facilities also have to become certified. Certification is a way of showing that you value the level of care given and received in your facility and that if an issue should arise you are willing to go the extra step to ensure it is fully handled.
There are different types of certifications that a facility can attain. There are organizations like the local Department of Mental Health have personnel visit centers with a checklist that will determine licensing. This is based on a number of things including cleanliness, care and administrative procedures. Continue reading
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Why ADHD Medications Post Threat To Non-Medical Users
College is very competitive these days and students rely on all sorts of tricks and tactics to keep themselves at the head of the class. Some simply rely on coffee and other legal stimulants to help them stay awake and focused in class, for late night study sessions, and while trying to beat deadlines for papers and essays. For others students, however, coffee and energy drinks are not enough and they begin to use stimulants like Adderall and Ritalin that were designed to treat the symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
And while these drugs may or may not be effective in treating ADHD, they are certainly very dangerous and addictive if used for the wrong reasons, whether with or without a prescription. Essentially, some feel that these medications increase a person’s focus level and attention span for any number of hours, seeming “extremely helpful” effects for someone who has to pull an all-nighter studying or writing. For someone diagnosed with ADHD the medication is touted as simply bringing them back up to a normal operating level. But for someone without ADHD promotion of the drugs say that they allow for extreme concentration, focus, and alertness that many students believe constitutes an unfair, albeit very dangerous, advantage. Continue reading
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Sometimes Dangerous Substances Are Closer Than You Think
Dangerous drugs don’t have to come from the streets, a drug dealer’s house, or a locker at school. They don’t have to be smuggled into the country or sold illicitly. It turns out that dangerous drugs are as near as the workbench or storage area in a garage, the arts and craft bin, or the junk drawer at home. These drugs are in fact familiar household substances like rubber cement and model glues, pressurized keyboard cleaners like Dust-Off, cans of whipped cream, paint thinners, gasoline, spray paint, and hair spray, just to name a few.
Substances that can be “huffed” fall into four classes: volatile solvents like paint thinner and glue, for example; gases like compressed air from a can of whipped cream or propane, for example; aerosols like spray paint or deodorant, for example; and nitrites. These substances are ingested via a method known as “huffing”, also known as “bagging” or “dusting”, where chemical vapors are inhaled after a chemical substance has been poured onto a rag, applied directly to the mouth or nose, or left in the container.
The huffing method, and the types of substances that are ingested via this method, have long been in existence, but it appears that recently more and more teens and adolescents are huffing anything they can get their hands on, and given the familiarity and availability of many of the substances used for huffing, it is no wonder young people are easily locating, securing, and using these dangerous drugs. Continue reading
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