Each year, more than 2 million Americans are given powerful prescription painkillers that contain opiods (sometimes called narcotics) to relieve the pain and discomfort brought on by injury, surgery, menstrual cramps, and even headaches. But a growing number of people taking these medications are becoming addicted to them.
Chemical dependency can happen to anyone, and it can easily sneak up on you. Here are 10 things you should look out for if you or someone you know is currently taking prescription pain medication:
1. An increase in use
As time goes by, the effects of each dose will lessen, prompting a desire for stronger or more frequent doses of the prescribed medication. This is a clear indication that whatever amount they have been taking is no longer providing the same level of relief.
2. Changes in Personality
Changes in a person’s normal behavior can be a sign of dependency. Shifts in energy, mood, and concentration may occur as every day responsibilities become secondary to the need for the relief the prescription provides.
3. Anti-social Behavior
This is one of the clearest signs of a dependency problem. Spending more time alone and away from friends and family and social gatherings is a cause for concern.
4. Continuing meds too long
Extending the prescription beyond the initial period, especially after the condition has improved, can be the beginning of an endless cycle. The patient may even believe he or she is still in pain and simply needs to stay on the meds for a few more weeks or months. He or she might even express anger toward a doctor who questions the need to renew the prescription.
5. Too much time spent getting meds
There are no lengths to which a chemically dependent person will not go to obtain the drugs they think they need. This can become an all-consuming obsession, including traveling long distances and visiting many doctors. When getting the drugs seems to be the number one priority, the situation is getting out of hand.
6. Habit and appearance changes
A deterioration in physical appearance and grooming—including not bathing or shaving regularly—is a common result of drug addiction. There may be a general look of unhealthiness, such as persistent coughing and red eyes. Sleeping and eating patterns often become irregular.
7. Failure to meet responsibilities
Sudden changes in work or school attendance and a decline in quality of work or grades are common, as well as forgetting to pay bills and missing appointments.
8. Oversensitivity
One consequence of using potent drugs is that the body’s response to any sort of stimulation is heightened. For example, a person may have an overly emotional reaction to traffic noise or bright lights—possibly including hallucinations.
9. Forgetfulness and Blackouts
A person who is suffering from chemical dependency will forget things that have happened and may even experience memory gaps of several hours.
10. Denial and becoming defensive
Presented with even a hint that they may be addicted, those hooked on drugs will vehemently deny it. The harder you push, the more defensive they are like to get. They might even react to simple questions with an angry outburst.
Additional signs of chemical dependency include an inability to relax or have fun, talking incoherently or making inappropriate remarks, and expressing feelings of exhaustion, depression, and hopelessness.
Prescription Medication can be a blessing that can turn into a curse. It is a lot easier to avoid becoming addicted than it is to recover from drug dependency. As long as you follow your doctor’s orders (and you have others around you to make sure you do), these prescription medications will what they were designed to do—and nothing more.
Why do college students abuse alcohol? The answers are probably many, but the simplest answer is this: Because they can.
Abusing Alcohol is Easy
When there are so few immediate consequences for excessive drinking, when repeat offenders are not disciplined, when parents are not notified about their children’s drinking activities, when students get mixed messages from the college administration about alcohol, when students have seen their parents drinking alcohol in an irresponsible manner, when students are not informed about the long-tern negative consequences of alcohol abuse, when there are few alcohol-free social and recreational activities that are attractive to students, when minors or intoxicated students are served alcoholic beverages by the local drinking establishments, and when the drinking activities in the sororities and fraternities are not monitored—drinking and excessive drinking become so very easy.
What Draws Students to Abuse Alcohol?
When peer pressure or influence is added to the equation, when it is disregarded that drinking alcohol temporarily removes a person from his or her problems, when ignoring the belief or perception that drinking alcohol makes it easier to socialize with potential dating or sexual partners, when it is so acceptable to engage in activities that emphasize the drinking of alcohol, when the “good feelings” or the “fun” of getting an alcohol high or buzz are not considered, and when the party atmosphere at college is expected by students–it becomes more clear regarding what causes college students to abuse alcohol.
More Than Education is Needed
While I am 100% pro-education, especially when it comes to drug and alcohol abuse prevention, I do not think that education is the only solution or the only weapon that can be successfully used in the battle against college drug and alcohol abuse. Let me explain.
Proactive and Reactive Measures
With respect to alcohol abuse in higher education, many reactive AND proactive measures have been initiated at some colleges and universities that have reduced the availability, acceptability, and irresponsibility of alcohol use on and off campus. The result: a noticeable, if not a significant reduction in alcohol-related problems manifested by students.
What are some of these measures? Establishing immediate consequences for excessive drinking, disciplining repeat alcohol abuse offenders, notifying parents about their children’s drinking activities, eliminating mixed messages by college administrators about alcohol (for instance, removing alcohol advertisements from stadiums and from sports brochures), informing students about the long-tern negative consequences of alcohol abuse, increasing alcohol-free social and recreational activities that are attractive to students, having college administrators talk to the owners of local drinking establishments so that minors and/or intoxicated students are not served alcohol, and monitoring the drinking activities in the sororities and fraternities.
Medical Research and Treatment Are Not Enough
I assert, however, that the above proactive and reactive measures, most of which are NOT education-based, are needed to compliment educational approaches. Why? I am enough of a realist to believe that even if medical research eventually discovers viable ways to escape addiction and if the medical community is able to offer effective treatment to all who need it, there will always be those who, for whatever reason, will choose to disregard medical warnings, ignore their health, and who will discount common sense as they involve themselves in alcohol and/or drug abuse.
Copyright 2007 – Denny Soinski. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Reprint Rights: You may reprint this article as long as you leave all of the links active, do not edit the article in any way, and give the author credit.
It might be a bit complicated choosing a suitable drug rehabilitation programme but the bigger problem is to understand the need of a drug rehab center. No one in the entire planet needs their living to be overtaken by any obsession. Approaching a rehabilitation center is a superior step for the commencement of a fresh fit life. Foremost step is to know the procedure and the criterion which one requests to go after to get rid of his drug dependence. The above described things are necessary because it would be easy for a person to adjust in that environment if he knows well about everything and the procedure he would follow there for his treatment.
Understanding all the things from which a person needs to get through is necessary as he will be prepare if he knows that what will happen to him in his treatment.
Finally, the kind of drug rehab agenda is of fundamental significance for the patient. Accepting what a drug rehab plan is and what a drug rehab plan does, will make all the difference in the world. A drug rehab program, then, is the path that leads to an effective treatment of drug addiction. Research has shown that drug addiction is curable. Research has not shown, and will not show, that addiction treatment is easy.
What Sort of drug rehab program?
A person should have proper information while choose a drug treatment programme. There are various programmes offered but which one would be appropriate for you is the main choice and it totally depends on you. All different rehabs are different in terms of funds, period, way and their attitude. One should consider each and every single phrase of the centre as well as of the programme. It may not be possible for the addicted person but it is the duty of the attendant to clarify each and every thing like the qualification of the staff, which food will be served, clothes or the uniforms provided hygiene etc.
Is It Suitable For This Disease?
Addiction of such things like alcohol and drugs is like an illness that progresses through expected levels. An addict needs a person who could train him about getting rid of this muddle and the major end in this teaching is that the coach should be a specialized. The practitioner is supposed to be clever to manage the patient because in some situation a serene gets unorganized or still try to be cruel.
Drug is commonly used to treat the instability of health for a person. It can be dangerous for health if we take drugs regularly. It is a material to stifle the awful condition of health in your body. If you use drugs for unwanted reason it will be called as drug violence. Drug should be used only for bad health not for fun. You can find plenty of prohibited drugs in the market which can make you attract to it.
Once you attract to such kind of drugs it is very hard to get out of it. These unnecessary drugs can be classified as steroids, sedatives, stimulants and narcotics. Not only these drugs which are unwanted which harm your health, there are some prescribed drugs which can also harmful for a person if we take them frequently. Drugs like pain killers, tranquilizers and some cough syrups which sold in the market should not use frequently. Even drugs like heroin and cocaine are illegal to sell in the market for consumer health point of view.
To build up their bodies some of the sportsmen use drugs like steroids, narcotics and some depressants. Not only that you can find drug in drink like coffee and some energy drinks is called as caffeine. People who smoke will find drug called as nicotine. Such kind of drugs is very hard to get rid of. Once a person is captivated to all these drugs it will be very difficult to stop him using those drugs.
People who use these drugs in daily life will be mentally and physically depend on these drugs. Once the person is in to it, then it will be very hard to withdraw him from stop using these drugs. People who commit small offenses of using illegal drugs and habituated to these drugs are sent to rehab centres rather than sending them to prison. There rehab centres teach the addicted patients what are the disadvantages of getting used to these drugs. And the problems they will face in future. They give psychotherapeutic treatment for the addicted patients for a drug free environment.
Persons who are taking such kind of psychotherapeutic treatments will need support from parents, family members and friends. These persons can be treated in different ways as per their conditions. If a patient is willing to listen to the doctor and withdraw using drugs, then he will be treated for physiological effects. Then he will be given a counselling lesson how to stay out of these drugs.
Gastric bypass surgery is expensive, so most patients considering this procedure will look to their health insurance policy to cover at least part of the cost. Some insurance policies will not cover any obesity-related treatments, but those that will pay for weight loss surgery almost always require preauthorization.
This means that your insurance company will probably ask for medical records, a treatment plan, and perhaps a letter from your primary doctor and surgeon to show that you meet their criteria for benefits. Your doctor may be required to show that you have attempted weight loss in the past through other, less dangerous methods, and have failed.
If you have not already read your insurance company’s medical policy on gastric bypass surgery, you should do so before you ask your doctor to request pre-authorization. Your doctor’s staff may already have a copy of the medical policy, but if they don’t, it is always helpful if you provide this to them. If it isn’t available on your insurance company’s website, they should be mail you a copy if you ask for it.
Your doctor and surgeon may have a financial stake in helping you get insurance benefits, but the responsibility for finding the funds for your surgery is primarily on your shoulders. You should do everything you can to make the process easier for your doctor’s staff.
The specific medical policy concerning weight loss surgery is a separate document from your benefit policy – it is a document that lays down the rules for coverage for this specific procedure. Your insurance company has a medical policy for most major medical treatments and diagnoses, and the medical policy often includes the company’s criteria for “medical necessity.”
One thing that often confuses patients is the clause found in many health insurance contracts defining the term “medically necessary.” People naturally assume that if their doctor says a procedure is needed, the insurance company will accept this as true. However, their definition of “medically necessary” may be different from your doctor’s.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that the procedure isn’t needed for your health and well-being – it simply means that your health insurance company doesn’t have to pay for the surgery.
That’s why you want to read the insurance company’s contract and medical policy carefully before making any financial decisions about your treatment.
If your insurance company requires preauthorization and you go ahead with treatment without going through the preauthorization process, the surgical costs will probably not be covered. This could be a very expensive mistake, and it can easily be avoided.
When the insurance carrier receives the pre-authorization request, their medical staff will go over the material provided by your doctor and decide if the criteria listed in their medical policy have been met.
Your doctor’s opinion about your need for gastric bypass surgery will need to be backed up by real facts and chart notes. A letter from your doctor that basically states “because I said so” is not going to impress your insurance company, although a surprising number of doctors send one in, anyway.
If you do not meet the insurance company’s criteria for benefits, you may want to carefully reconsider your decision to have the surgery. The surgery is not without risks, and should not be undertaken without very strong facts showing that it’s needed. If it is needed, your doctor should be able to say why in a way that is acceptable to other medically-trained professionals.
If your request for preauthorization is turned down, you may be able to appeal the decision if:
- Your policy covers bariatric surgery,
- You qualify under the medical policy’s guidelines, and
-Your doctor has provided all the documentation that was requested,
The appeal process, if any, will be carefully outlined in your benefit handbook, and you must pay special attention to the amount of time you’re given to appeal, and what forms you may need to get the process started.
Remember that even if you have a right to appeal, you will need additional evidence not previously provided to the insurance carrier, unless the previous decision was clearly made in error. And there is no guarantee that the previous decision will be overturned.
Insurance law varies in every state, and every insurance contract is different. Be sure to seek legal advice from someone familiar with your state’s insurance laws if you are not sure about your benefits and rights under your policy. A clear understanding of your benefit contract will give you the best chance of receiving all the benefits that your health insurance premiums are paying for.
Drug addiction is defined as “the compulsive use of psychoactive drugs, to the point where the user has no effective choice but to continue use.” Drug addiction is a complex illness and effective treatment of this disorder is not found in every drug rehab or alcohol rehab. When a person is suffering from drug abuse, alcohol abuse, drug addiction or alcohol addiction, a drug rehab or alcohol rehab program or go to a rehab center is the best choice to end the suffering. There are many reasons why a person would need to attend a drug rehab program or go to a rehab center.
Some centers might be: the inability to control drinking or drug use, deteriorating relationships, criminal offenses, and problematic behavior at work. A quality drug rehab program, through therapy and education, help the individual to recover and become a productive member of society. Now, let’s think about drug rehab and alcohol rehab centers and what images you see? Chances are, your perception does not cover the entire spectrum of drug addiction treatment centers.
Since there are several different types of drug rehab centers available ranging from inpatient addiction treatment, outpatient addiction treatment, residential addiction treatment, short-term, and long-term addiction treatment, it makes sense to learn what’s out there and how to choose the best drug or alcohol rehab. It is best to involve an addiction treatment professional at this point to help point the way. It is said that the best drug rehab centers are those that are structured to an individuals needs. This means taking into consideration the individual’s race, age, culture, gay, lesbian, bisexual, gender, employment, past drug history, criminal behavior and history of physical or sexual abuse. In most drug rehab programs, regardless of their differences, they have one major goal: try to get the individual back to a drug-free lifestyle. Often times this requires more than one addiction treatment attempt and sometimes multiple attempts within a drug addiction treatment center. Do not be discouraged.
There is a fact which has been proven in a research but not be disclosed that the drug addiction can be destroyed easily, in other words there is no need to beat a person or torture him so he can go away from this habit. In all of the centers an addict is treated like a patient and not a mentally retarded person who would be thrown behind the bars.
It could be a bit difficult choosing an appropriate drug rehabilitation programme. No one in the whole world wants their life to be overtaken by any addiction. Going for a rehabilitation programme is a good and a forward step for the beginning of a new healthy life. First of all the necessary step is to understand the process and the criteria which on needs to follow in order to get rid of his drug addiction. Understanding all the things from which a person needs to get through is necessary as he will be prepare if he knows that what will happen to him in his treatment.
Finally, the kind of drug rehab agenda is of fundamental significance for the patient. Accepting what a drug rehab plan is and what a drug rehab plan does, will make all the difference in the world. A drug rehab program, then, is the path that leads to an effective treatment of drug addiction. Research has shown that drug addiction is curable. Research has not shown, and will not show, that addiction treatment is easy.
Which drug rehab program?
A person should have proper knowledge while choosing a drug rehabilitation programme. There are various programmes available but which one would be suitable for you is the main decision and it totally depends on you. All different rehabs are different in terms of money, duration, ways and their philosophy. One should consider each and every single phrase of the centre as well as of the programme. It may not be possible for the addicted person but it is the duty of the attendant to clarify each and every thing like the qualification of the staff, which food will be served, clothes or the uniforms provided hygiene etc.
Does the drug rehab offer a variety of programs?
Addiction of such things like alcohol and drugs is like a disease that progresses through expected levels. An addict needs a person who could train him about getting rid of this mess and the main point in this training is that the trainer should be a professional. The practitioner should be able to control the patient because in some situations a patient gets out of control or even try to be violent. A drug rehab center should include a variety of programmes like they should provide services like inpatient, OPD, residential treatment etc.
You Have Been Programmed to be Overweight.
Throughout the day you are having many conversations with yourself. I’m talking about the internal self talk that in most people never stops. Some of this talk is harmless such as “I need to get some milk today” Some of this internal chatter is positive, such as “I’m going to do great today.” But much of your internal dialog is filled with self-criticism. We say things like; “You look fat in that shirt”, “Why can’t I lose weight”. You might not be aware of it but the self-talk and degree of emotion behind the self-talk concerning your weight and your body actually influences and creates your body.
I’m sure some of you have had the experience where you thought yourself sick or well. You might have been around someone who was sick and you might have said to yourself something like “I know I’m going to get sick now” Perhaps some of you have just the opposite experience. You might have felt something coming on and you might have said something like; “I’m not going to allow myself to get sick” only to shake off the illness.
How does this happen? All of our self-talk, every feeling we experience, every thought we have, is sending messages to our cells. Our cells are receiving all of it and the more we repeat a given thought or the more emotional the thought the more effect it has over our cells.
The more positive your attitude concerning your health, the less likely you are to become ill. This is the reason that if you are ill, a positive attitude plays a critical roll in your ability to get well.
“You may not think that you can talk to your DNA, but in fact you do continually. Thinking happens at the level of DNA, because without the brain sending out a neuron-peptide or other messengers, there can be no thought. Everything in life pours out of DNA, flesh, bones, blood, heart and nervous system; a babies first word and a toddlers first step; the maturing of reason in the babies cortex; the play of emotions, thoughts, and desires that flicker like summer lighting through every cell.”
-Dr. Deepak Chopra
The thoughts and emotions you are constantly communicating to your cells. Your cells act on that communication. Your cells manifest what you are communicating to them.
So what are some of the things you are communicating to your cells? Do any of these sound familiar?
-“I am so fat”
-“If I see food I gain 20 pounds”
-“It doesn’t matter what I do, I can’t lose weight”
-” I’ll never be thin”
Every thought you have, every emotion you feel creates string of chemical events within your body. There chemical events communicate to your cells how they are to respond. Your cells respond to your every thought without exception. I’m sure you know somebody who can eat whatever they want and never gain an ounce. This is explained away by saying that they have a fast metabolism. But have you ever wondered how they developed a fast metabolism and you didn’t? What do you think their internal belief system is? What do you think they say to themselves concerning their body and weight?
So what should you do about it? Begin by monitoring your thoughts. Recognize all the negative thoughts you have throughout the day and begin to turn them around by repeating an affirmation to replace the negative thought. For example if you say to yourself;
-“I am fat” replace it with “I choose to feel lighter and healthier.”
“If I see food I gain 20 pounds” replace it with “I choose to believe that I can be around food and lose weight at the same time.”
Your new self-talk must be stated positively. Don’t say things like “I don’t want to be fat anymore” or “I wish I could stop overeating.” These kinds of statements only reinforce the idea that you are fat and out of control. You should formulate your thoughts so that you are always expressing the most positive essence of what you’re striving for
It’s more then just saying the words or thinking the thoughts. The thoughts and words need to be accompanied by positive feelings. You need to believe the positive thoughts and feel positive when you are thinking or saying them. Sometimes this is difficult to do but with a little tweaking of the words you can create a thought that you can believe.
For example you might have trouble believing a statement like; “I can lose all the weight I want.” But with a little tweaking you can create a statement that is believable such as; “I choose to believe that I can find a way to lose all the weight I desire.
Your thoughts and emotions are the programs that create who you are and who you are going to become. By repeating negative thoughts over and over again you have been programming your cells to respond in such a way that created your current body. Practice positive programming and create the body you desire.
The intensity of drug addiction rehabilitation required by different addicts will vary according to the severity of their addictions. When addicts admit themselves, or are forcibly admitted, to drug addiction rehabilitation facilities, their physical conditions are evaluated so that an appropriate treatment can be determined. There are different drug addiction rehabilitation programs designed to treat the different levels of addiction.
Outpatient Treatmenr and Detox
There are, at the lowest level of drug addiction rehabilitation, intervention and short duration programs, which do not involve any physical treatment. They include court-ordered attendance at classes on the dangers of driving while intoxicated or visits to rehab units for teens caught using drugs or alcohol who has not yet become addicts. They are designed to steer people off the road to addiction before they have traveled to far down it.
Detoxification is the second level of drug addiction rehabilitation; just the opposite of short-term intervention, detoxification treats only the physical nature of addiction. The addict is admitted to a facility, remains until he or she is free of the effects of whatever substances caused the admission, and is released.
Inpatient Treatment
The most comprehensive of all the drug addiction rehabilitation programs is inpatient treatment. Inpatient drug addiction rehabilitation requires addicts to take up residence in the facility where they receive their treatment, and the amount of time they stay will depend on how hard they work on confronting their addictions and learning healthier patterns of behavior.
Inpatient drug addiction rehabilitation will first include detoxification, with or without the use of sedatives and pain medications; their inclusion will depend both on whether the addict’s system can handle any more chemicals, and whether those running the program believe going “cold turkey” when withdrawing is the best deterrent to future substance abuse.
Once the detoxification is over, the addicts will spend their days learning to take responsibility by having jobs assigned to them; going to individual and group counseling sessions, and getting at the emotional causes underlying their dependencies. The process can last for a month of for a year, depending on the severity of the addiction. Inpatient drug addiction rehabilitation is a last resort.
Therapeutic techniques in inpatient facilities may include journaling so that the addicts can learn both self-observation skills and how to recognize the situations in which their cravings for drugs are triggered.
Choosing the appropriate drug addiction rehabilitation is a matter of balancing the severity of the addiction with the addict’s desire for recovery.
No matter what means they employ, drug addictions programs all have the same end in mind: the safe arrival of their participants at an emotionally healthy and substance-abuse free life. It’s a noble goal, but not one easily achieved.
Substance abusers become addicted both mentally and physically to their drugs of choice; so their recovery requires not only that the physical cravings for the drug be eliminated, but that reasons for their emotional dependency on it are uncovered and eradicated as well. Treatment centers offering drug addicting programs must not only help the addicts withdraw from their drugs; they must offer behavioral therapy which will allow the addicts to choose for themselves sobriety as their preferred way of life.
Because drug addiction programs must be also prepared to deal with those who have been medically ravaged by their substance abuse, they need staff capable of performing medical examinations. Hepatitis and HIV tests are a given for anyone entering a drug addiction program.
Approaches To Withdrawal
Drug addiction programs must, of curse, have a way of monitoring their patients during the period of physical withdrawal from their drugs or alcohol. There are programs which require a complete cessation of the drug, and no use of non-addictive pain medication to help them through the withdrawal symptoms.
This approach is based on the philosophy that if the withdrawal is painful enough, it will serve as a deterrent when the addict had future cravings. It may also be necessary for those addicts whose systems have been so ravaged by their substance abuse that they simply cannot tolerate further chemical intervention of any kind.
Other drug addiction programs will allow those in withdrawal access to pain medication or sedatives until they can function n their own again. Many experts, however, take exception to this approach, feeling it does nothing but switch one dependency for another.
Learning New Behaviors
Another prerequisite of drug addiction programs is that they require their patients to participate in counseling. Without counseling, addicts will find it very difficult to pinpoint the reasons and deal with their addictions. Unless they understand why they became addicted, they will fid it very difficult not to return to substance abuse.
In drug addiction programs, addicts are able to discuss with others in their situations the depression, pressure to conform, sense of isolation, or any other reasons which have made them turn to substance abuse. They will be offered other healthier behaviors with which they manage negative feelings in the future.
Regardless of the details of various drug addiction programs, they are all intended to bring redemption and healing to those broken bodies and minds which can find them nowhere else.
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