Salvia (Salvia divinorum) is an herb common to southern Mexico and Central and South America. The main active ingredient in Salvia, salvinorin A, is a potent activator of kappa opioid receptors in the brain.

These receptors differ from those activated by the more commonly known opioids, such as heroin and morphine.

Traditionally, S. divinorum has been ingested by chewing fresh leaves or by drinking their extracted juices. The dried leaves of S. divinorum can also be smoked as a joint, consumed in water pipes, or vaporized and inhaled. Although Salvia currently is not a drug regulated by the Controlled Substances Act, several States and countries have passed legislation to regulate its use. The Drug Enforcement Agency has listed Salvia as a drug of concern and is considering classifying it as a Schedule I drug, like LSD or marijuana.

Health/Behavioral Effects

People who abuse salvia generally experience hallucinations or “psychotomimetic” episodes (a transient experience that mimics a psychosis). Subjective effects have been described as intense but short-lived, appearing in less than 1 minute and lasting less than 30 minutes. They include psychedelic-like changes in visual perception, mood and body sensations, emotional swings, feelings of detachment, and importantly, a highly modified perception of external reality and the self, leading to a decreased ability to interact with one’s surroundings.5 This last effect has prompted concern about the dangers of driving under the influence of salvinorin. The long-term effects of Salvia abuse have not been investigated systematically.

Extent of Use

In 2009, NIDA’s Monitoring the Future Survey of 8th, 10th, and 12th graders asked about salvia abuse for the first time—5.7 percent of high school seniors reported past year use (greater than the percent reporting ecstasy use). Although information about this drug is limited, recent salvia-related media reports and Internet traffic suggest the possibility that its abuse is increasing in the US and Europe,4 likely driven by drug-related videos and information on Internet sites.3 Because of the nature of the drug’s effects—its use may be restricted to individual experimentalists, rather than as a social or party drug.

Scientists have learned a great deal about how THC (the active ingredient in marijuana), acts in the brain to produce its many effects.

When someone smokes marijuana, THC rapidly passes from the lungs into the bloodstream, which carries the chemical to the brain and other organs throughout the body.

THC acts upon specific sites in the brain, called cannabinoid receptors, kicking off a series of cellular reactions that ultimately lead to the “high” that users experience when they smoke marijuana. Some brain areas have many cannabinoid receptors; others have few or none. The highest density of cannabinoid receptors are found in parts of the brain that influence pleasure, memory, thoughts, concentration, sensory and time perception, and coordinated movement.

Not surprisingly, marijuana intoxication can cause distorted perceptions, impaired coordination, difficulty in thinking and problem solving, and problems with learning and memory. Research has shown that marijuana’s adverse impact on learning and memory can last for days or weeks after the acute effects of the drug wear off. As a result, someone who smokes marijuana every day may be functioning at a suboptimal intellectual level all of the time.

Research on the long-term effects of marijuana abuse indicates some changes in the brain similar to those seen after long-term abuse of other major drugs. For example, cannabinoid withdrawal in chronically exposed animals leads to an increase in the activation of the stress-response system and changes in the activity of nerve cells containing dopamine.Dopamine neurons are involved in the regulation of motivation and reward, and are directly or indirectly affected by all drugs of abuse.

Addictive Potential

Long-term marijuana abuse can lead to addiction; that is, compulsive drug seeking and abuse despite its known harmful effects upon social functioning in the context of family, school, work, and recreational activities. Long-term marijuana abusers trying to quit report irritability, sleeplessness, decreased appetite, anxiety, and drug craving, all of which make it difficult to quit. These withdrawal symptoms begin within about 1 day following abstinence, peak at 2–3 days, and subside within 1 or 2 weeks following drug cessation.

Technorati Tags: Cannabinoid, Cannabis, drug-abuse, Marijuana, marijuana abuse, marijuana addiction

Alcohol abuse can be a tricky term to use, considering that ‘abuse’ can have different meanings to different people.

However, it is often understood as referring to the excessive use of alcohol, and causing problems or negative consequences. While it may not automatically mean addiction to alcohol, alcohol abuse remains as one of the topmost public health concerns facing our society today and is in fact, the most common substance that often causes chemical dependency.

Is it alcohol abuse or alcoholism?

Can you have an alcohol problem is still not be labeled as an alcoholic? Some experts say yes, alcohol abuse can occur without a person actually becoming an alcoholic. In alcohol abuse, the intake of alcohol can occur often and in big quantities but may not often result to alcohol dependency.

Alcoholism, on the other hand, is characterized by physical and psychological dependence, the lack of control over the frequency and amount of drinking, along with the strong craving to drink. Alcoholism is also marked with tolerance, a state where the amount of alcohol needed by the body to get the feeling of ‘high’ continually increases. Alcoholism is also chronic and may exhibit certain withdrawal symptoms.

Can alcohol abuse be inherited?

There are certain research studies that show the tendency of alcoholism or [tag-self]alcohol abuse[tag-self] to occur in families. It seems that a gene exists that predisposes an individual toward addiction to substances such as alcohol. However, this is not always the case. While certain genes may be to blame for alcohol abuse, lifestyle and the environment are also strong contributing factors.

Is there a specific group of people who are more likely to develop alcohol abuse?

Alcohol abuse does not depend on sex, race or nationality. However, certain generalities exist. More men, for example, have alcohol problems than women. There is also a higher incidence of alcohol abuse among people between 18 to 29 years old compared to people 60 years old and older.

Young people who start drinking alcohol earlier, say, at 13 or 14 years old, are more likely to develop alcohol problems when they get older, compared to people who start drinking when they are already adults.

Is there such thing as safe drinking?

Alcohol isn’t all bad, provided it is taken in moderate amounts. By moderate, we mean 1 to 2 drinks a day for men and less for women and people who are older. This type of alcohol drinking is possible if you do not have the proclivity toward addiction.

People taking medication or have certain diseases, for example, are advised to stay away from alcoholic drinks. For informational purposes one serving of alcoholic drink should consist of:

1.5 oz. of 80-proof drinks (few people measure with tis accuracy)
5.0 oz of wine
12 oz. of beer, wine coolers and mixed spirits

Is there a cure for alcoholism and alcohol abuse?

There is no magic pill, drug, cream or ointment that will cure alcohol abuse. However, it can be treated, although the efficacy of treatments is highly dependent upon an individual’s willingness to avoid or control alcohol intake and the frequency of exposure to circumstances that lead to alcohol use.

More from aroud the Web:

• Alcoholism: The Genetic Puzzle (Cont.) (addiction-dirkh.blogspot.com)
• Alcohol Poisoning (marginalrevolution.com)

Technorati Tags: Addiction, Alcohol Addiction, Alcoholic beverage, Alcoholism, substance-abuse

There is probably nothing more dismal to a recovering drug addict then the fact that they are going through a process which seems like it takes forever!

If you have just gotten out of an addiction center or other drug and alcohol rehab center, chances are that you experienced one-on-one counseling, group therapy, as well as a variety of other experiences.

Those are the experiences, though, that you should continue throughout your addiction and continuing care process. Here are some things that you must do in order to continue to be the recovering drug or alcohol addict that you are today.

1. Continue Counseling- the best thing that you could do for yourself is to continue counseling outside of the addiction center. Your therapists and counselors will be the main ones to keep you right on track in your recovery efforts!

2. Remember Time! - After you have gotten out of the addiction and recovery center you may be frustrated with the thoughts of alcohol or drugs that are plaguing your mind. However, you must remember that recovery is a process that takes time and there is nothing you can do to speed up the process of time, no matter how dismal or depressing that thought seems!

3. Keep yourself Preoccupied - Many recovering addicts often find it hard not to go back to their old lifestyles, but the one thing that can help greatly is to keep yourself preoccupied. Getting a hobby, surrounding yourself with positive friends each day, and filling your day to keep you busy in order to be preoccupied will prevent you from destructive behavior.

4. Take One Day at a Time! - If you are becoming so frustrated that you’re feeling like you just want to have some more alcohol or that one last taste of drugs, stop before you get there! Take a deep breath and realize that your recovery will only go one day at a time! Many people have to force themselves to take one minute, hour, and day at a time simply to keep their heads above water!

5. Find New Behaviors- this is something that many addiction counselors will focus on, but what are you going to do when it should have been the time for your daily dose of alcohol, LSD, marijuana, or other drug? Finding something different to do and replacing that part of your day with something cleaner and better for you will help you in the long run!

6. Let your Family Know! – Many recovering addicts choose not to tell their families, but these are the first people that you should tell. They will help you get back on your feet and stay there and provide a lot of emotional support when you need it the most!

7. Never Give Up! - This is a very old cliché, but has proven to work many times over! A recovering addict is an individual who cannot afford to give up. The drugs and/or alcohol that you just got away from will return to tempt you, so you must remember to never give up in the face of temptation or frustration!

Remembering all of these 7 steps to addiction recovery is crucial to getting past the first days, weeks, and months following your decision to stop the substance abuse in your life! By following all of these steps and surrounding yourself with positive influences will help you now and in the future when you absolutely need it!

Technorati Tags: Addiction, Alcohol Addiction, drug-addiction, early addiction recovery, early recovery, substance-abuse

For people in recovery, thinking about using alcohol or drugs, or actually returning to their use is the ultimate in self-sabotage and self-defeating behavior.

I mean, talk about shooting yourself in the foot, what good could possibly come out of a return to the use of drugs and alcohol? As we go through this module I cannot imagine anybody in recovery not having several ‘Aha moments’ or ‘light bulbs going off over your head’. OK, let’s get to it.

A pretty good working definition of self sabotaging behavior is this:

“Self sabotaging thoughts, behaviors, and feelings create a block in the road to success even when there is no rational or logical explanation as to why you cannot achieve your goals.”

An interesting thing about self sabotage is that it is not a lack of knowledge, effort or even desire that keeps you from achieving your goals and out comes.
But rather, it is the committee in our head, or our own inner self-dialogue that confuses the issue.

Let’s take a look at some of the characteristics in attitudes of self sabotaging behavior. Daniel G. Amen, in his book, Don’t Shoot Yourself In The Foot came up with the following characteristics and contrasts.

If I took that table above, and labeled the left side ‘engaging in addictive use’, and the right side in ‘engaging in recovery’, it would fit like a glove. The deeper I get into this, the more realize that engaging in your addiction is the ultimate in self-destructive behavior.

So, self-sabotage can lead you to, and position you in the middle of, “relapse mode”. For us, that is the ultimate danger. Self-defeating behavior can make you frustrated, bring up that feeling of being trapped again, and be very discouraging. Don’t get me wrong, everybody makes a poor decision or does not get the results they want all the time. But this idea of self sabotaging and self-defeating behavior is really problematic when it becomes insidious and a pattern rather than an exception.

What Do Researchers Say?

Great question, I’m glad you asked. I think it is important for you to know that material presented did not just come off the top of my head, there is foundation for it.

Rather than quote sentence by sentence from research papers, I will give you a composite of was likely to have caused self-defeating behaviors and where they come from. We talked before very briefly about modeling being a very effective means of learning, and that unfortunately, many of us were raised in less than fully functional families.

People with self-defeating and sell sabotaging behaviors often have some of these five characteristics in common:

1. – They may come from family systems where behavior was inconsistent.

2. – Often there is a history of abandonment or detachment disorder.

3. – Many have a history of not getting their developmental needs met, or knowing how ask.

4. – Come from families with a ‘no talk’, or ‘don’t let and see you sweat rule.’

5. – They may have incidents of abuse in the past, or present.

One concept that was put forth that we’ll provide for your consideration is this: because our needs were not met as children by our care givers, we have a great deal of low self worth and shame. Shame is a belief that we are defective inside, at the core.

It is only normal to have our needs recognized and met. Unfortunately, that is not happening. What we learn are various ways to get attention.

1. Some to try to be as pleasing, hard working, and worthy as possible… they turn into the overachievers.

2. For others, acting and out in a negative sense is a way to get attention. Unfortunately, this is not the best way to get your internal needs met.

OK, let’s try to string this all together and hopefully, it will make some sense. The dialogue in your head might run like this. Here we go…

“I’ve never been able to get my emotional needs met; as a kid I raising my hand saying Mommy, Daddy, look at me, look at me. I was ignored, or worse belittled, or told I could do better. I tried harder and harder but it was never good enough. This creates the emotion of shame which becomes deeply internalized into the core of my being. I am not worthy, I am never good enough, but ironically I keep trying harder and harder. Now here is where the self sabotage and self-defeating behavior comes in. I am right on the brink of success, finally proving to the people around me, and maybe even myself that I am worthy, capable and good. But because of all that shame that I grew up with, I ‘know inside’ I am not good, so I mess things up just when successes in sight.”

As I said before, if the shoe fits wear it. Maybe not all people in addiction recovery have been through a little life scenario as I’ve described it. But man, as I was writing that it had a definite ring of familiarity within me and from stories of people in recovery that I’ve heard.

Technorati Tags: Addiction, Alcoholism, drug-abuse, self-defeating-behaviors, self-sabotage

“The reason we drink or drug is because we cannot tolerate or process uncomfortable, intense or overwhelming feelings.”

That is a way of thinking about drug and alcohol use that a number of people have put forward. I’m not sure I agree with it entirely. It is really hard to support blanket statements like that, but there are seeds of truth there.

Life should be easy. I should get everything I want, now. I’m right you’re wrong, end of story. Any of that sound familiar? These are common threads of addictive thinking. Addicts usually have very poor impulse control and that can stimulate frustration if solutions cannot be found immediately.
 
Neuroscience has identified the part of the brain that involves impulse control, and guess what? In addicts, this part of the brain is often underdeveloped. Also, drugs and alcohol further degenerate this part of the brain. What is an addicts number one problem solver for frustration or stress? Duhhh….Get high.

Stress is often identified as a commonality among people in active addiction or early recovery. Laboratory studies have shown that stress can cause reinstatement of drug taking in animals, and researchers believe that for some people, stress may play a role in the initiation of drug use or relapse to use after a period of abstinence. One of the most often heard pieces of advice in sobriety is to slow down and simplify, reduce stress.

Without a doubt one of the necessary skills that needs to be developed in addiction recovery is the ability to identify, own and properly process emotions and feelings. People in active drug addiction or alcoholism often have a poor sense of proportion and reaction to emotions. Hot or cold, all or nothing, love or hate. It is almost as if our ‘moderators’ are broken.

In order to achieve emotional regulation or emotional sobriety it is necessary to learn how to accept feelings, even uncomfortable ones as part of life and living. It takes some time, effort  and willingness to learn emotional recovery skills.

One strategy to investigate is RET or Rational Emotive Therapy.

Technorati Tags: drug and alcohol use, emotions, Rational Emotive Therapy, RET

Couple of days ago I was contacted by James Von Aaron who introduced himself and asked me if I would read you a book he had written Help! My Kids Addicted To Prescription Pain Killers . He asked me to take a look at it and post a review on my website.

Now, I generally don’t do that many reviews for products because quite frankly, I feel both a professional, and ethical obligation to only endorse and share good, solid, addiction recovery advice. I have seen a lot of garbage marketed over were desperate for a solution. Like the fellow on TV who says he can cure drug addiction if you buy his book for $29.95, that type of stuff drives me crazy.

But once I started reading James’s book a couple things became immediately apparent. Firstly he had a good grasp of the exact kind of information is audience (parents) is looking for. This is written for the parents who are concerned about their children. The really hard part about the family side of dealing with an addiction problem is that it’s so hard to know where to start or what to do in your desperate need to help your child.

He covers the three stages of opiate addiction in young teens, as well as the corresponding danger signs to look out for. There is a clear explanation of things you should know, common myths that are not to be believed, as well as common mistakes that parents may in trying to deal with their child’s drug abuse.

I really liked easy writing style that made reading this book very interesting. It is not an encyclopedia that will bore you to tears, but presents key information every parent should know.

The best part is that James, like myself as a practicing addiction professional, as such he gives sound and solid advice. This is not some fluff written by a ghost writer and a slick marketer trying to make a buck, or promoting some off-the-wall treatment regimen.

The book certainly serves the purpose of providing solid actionable information to its target audience. I highly recommend it.

Here’s the link again Help! My Kids Addicted To Prescription Pain Killers

Technorati Tags: Addiction, Addiction Recovery, opiates, prescription pain killers, teen-drug-use

Using Meth doesn’t really ‘take you up’. It decreases memory and reaction time when used over time.Methamphetamine abuse decreases dopamine transporter activity and compromises mental function. The brain image at the top left is a PET image from a normal control subject. The striatum is brightly lit in red and yellow, indicating the presence of many dopamine transporters, which contrasts with the brain of a methamphetamine abuser (bottom left). What does this mean functionally?

The graphs on the right show the relationship between performance on a motor (upper right) and a memory task (lower right) and methamphetamine-driven decreases in dopamine transporters. The magnitude of the decline in the dopamine transporter binding is positively correlated with the extent of motor and memory impairment; thus the greater the decline, the greater the impairment in memory and motor reaction time.

Marijuana and Addiction
Long-term marijuana use can lead to addiction; that is, people use the drug compulsively even though it interferes with family, school, work, and recreational activities.

According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, in 2008 of the estimated 7 million Americans classified with dependence on or abuse of illicit drugs, 4 million were dependent on or abused marijuana. In 2007…

15.8% of people entering drug abuse treatment programs reported marijuana as their primary drug of abuse (61% of those under 15), representing nearly 288,000 treatment admissions.

Along with craving, withdrawal symptoms such as irritability, sleeping problems, and anxiety can make it difficult for long-term marijuana smokers to quit. Past research has shown that approximately 9% of people who used marijuana may become dependent.

But what about Marijuana as medicine?

Marijuana is not an FDA approved medicine, although 13 states have currently legalized its medical use.

There are data supporting marijuana’s potential therapeutic value for symptoms including pain relief, control of nausea, and appetite stimulation (IOM, 1999). However, there are several reasons why marijuana is an unlikely medication candidate:

(1) it is an unpurified plant containing numerous chemicals with unknown health effects,

(2) it is typically consumed by smoking further contributing to potential adverse effects, and its non-patentable status makes it an unattractive investment for pharmaceutical companies.

Image via Wikipedia

Here is further evidence that marijuana use creates significant problems among users. This data targets teenagers smoking pot. Obviously there is no guarantee any one person will suffer these problems but the increased risk aspect cannot be denied

The NHSDA, currently conducted by SAMHSA, has provided estimates of the prevalence, consequences, and patterns of drug use and abuse in the United States periodically since 1971. It is the primary source of statistical information on the use of illegal drugs by the United States population age 12 and older.

Results: Characteristics of Past Year Marijuana Users Age 12-17

Self-reported Problem Behaviors Associated With Marijuana Use:

Withdrawal:

There was a strong correlation between the reporting of withdrawal items and the frequency of reported marijuana use. Those who used marijuana on 1-7 days a week in the past year were nearly twice as likely as non-users to report they refuse to talk (25% vs. 16%), they don’t have much energy (47% vs. 25%), and they are unhappy, sad or depressed (40% vs. 23%). Those who used marijuana at least monthly in the past year reported being more likely than nonusers to say they were secretive or kept things to themselves.

Somatic Complaints:

Those age 12 to 17 who used marijuana in the past year were more likely than nonusers to report feeling dizzy, overtired, and nauseous or sick . There appeared to be little correlation between frequency of marijuana use and certain reported somatic complaints with the more frequent users being as likely as less frequent users to report symptoms such as having headaches, rashes or other skin problems.

Anxiety/Depression:

Those who used marijuana at least once a month in the past year were nearly 3 times as likely as nonusers to say they think about killing themselves (24% vs. 8%). Those who used marijuana in the past year were more likely than nonusers to report that they deliberately try to hurt or kill themselves, feel lonely and that no one loves them, that other people are out to get them, and they are worthless and inferior. For some items, as the frequency of use increased, the percent of adolescents reporting these feelings also increased. For example, weekly users were more likely than less frequent users to feel "others are out to get me", "I am worthless or inferior" or "I am unhappy or sad".

Social Problems:

Those who used marijuana in the past year were more likely than nonusers to report that they do not get along with other kids and weekly users were nearly twice as likely as nonusers to report this (33% vs 19%) (see Table 6). The weekly users were less likely than nonusers to report they act too young for their age (27% vs. 36%), they prefer younger kids as friends (15% vs. 22%), and they get teased a lot (17% vs. 25%). However, weekly users were more likely than nonusers to say they are not liked by other kids (25% vs. 18%).

Thought Problems:

Last year marijuana users age 12 to 17 were more likely than nonusers to report four thought problems: "I can not get my mind off certain thoughts", "I repeat certain actions over and over", "I do things other people think are strange", and "I have thoughts people would think are strange" (Table 7). In addition, monthly or more often users were more likely than nonusers to say they see and hear things that other people think are not there.

Attention Problems:

Those who used marijuana in the past year were more likely than nonusers to report they have trouble concentrating (72% vs. 51%), they feel confused or in a fog (41% vs. 24%), they daydream a lot (68% vs. 52%), they act without stopping to think (63% vs. 44%), and their school work is poor (59% vs. 30%) (see Table 8). As before, the percent of those reporting attention problems generally increased with frequency of use.

Delinquent Behavior:

Differences of the greatest magnitude between users and nonusers were found in measures of delinquent behavior. Those who used marijuana weekly were 9 times as likely as nonusers to say they use alcohol or drugs for nonmedical purposes (76% vs. 8%), 6 times as likely to say they had run away from home (24% vs. 4%), nearly 6 times as likely to say they had cut classes or skipped school (60% vs. 11%), 5 times as likely to say they stole from places other than home (34% vs. 6%), and 3 times as likely to say they steal at home (17% vs. 5%). Moreover, a higher proportion of past year marijuana users reported these behaviors than did nonusers. Past year users were also more likely than nonusers to report they do not feel guilty after doing something they shouldn’t, they hang around with kids who get into trouble, and they lie and cheat. As noted elsewhere, the proportion saying these statements were somewhat, very or often true about them generally increased with frequency of marijuana use. For example, weekly marijuana users were about twice as likely as those who used fewer than 12 times in the past year to say they had run away from home or they had cut classes or skipped school in the past 6 months.

Aggressive Behavior:

Past year marijuana users were more likely than nonusers to report all aggressive behaviors. For many items, the percentage reporting the behavior increased as frequency of use increased. Weekly users were nearly 4 times as likely as nonusers to report they physically attack people (26% vs. 7%), and 3 times as likely to report they destroy things that belong to others (22% vs. 7%), they threaten to hurt people (38% vs. 13%), and they get in many fights (37% vs. 14%). The weekly users were also twice as likely as nonusers to report they disobey at school (59% vs. 24%) and they destroy their own things (22% vs. 10%). On average, past year marijuana users, regardless of frequency of use, were twice as likely as nonusers to report they destroy things that belong to others, they disobey at school, they get in many fights, and they threaten to hurt people.

Criminal Behavior:

The NHSDA included questions about some past-year activities that may have been illegal. Adolescents age 12 to 17 who used marijuana in the past year were 3 or more times more likely than nonusers to report past-year involvement in these activities. Past year marijuana users were more likely than nonusers to report that in the past year, they were on probation, and they had 1) taken something from a store without paying, 2) purposely damaged property that wasn’t theirs, 3) driven under the influence of alcohol or drugs, 4) hurt someone enough to need a bandage, and 5) sold illegal drugs. As before, in most cases, the percentage reporting these behavioral problems increased with the frequency of marijuana use. In particular, weekly users of marijuana were more than 5 times as likely as those who used only 1 to 11 times in the past year to have driven under the influence of drugs (29% vs. 4%) or to have sold illegal drugs in the past year (29% vs. 6%). Weekly users were also 2-3 times more likely than those who used less often than monthly to be on probation (20% vs. 7%), to have driven under the influence of alcohol (20% vs. 9%), or to have purposely damaged property that was not theirs (35% vs. 18%).

Conclusion
This report shows that among those age 12-17, past year marijuana users were more likely than nonusers to report problem behaviors in the past 6 months. Further, for the majority of items measured, the more frequent the use, the more likely the youths were to report problem behaviors.

Click Here to read: Marijuana Sucks: Here Is Why, Part 1

References:

1)Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (1997a). Drug Abuse Series: H-3. Preliminary Estimates from the 1996 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse. Office of Applied Studies, July 1997.

2)National Institute on Drug Abuse (1997). Press Release for the Monitoring the Future Study, The University of Michigan Institute for Social Research, December 1997.

3)Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (1997b). 1996 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse: Preliminary Tables (Unpublished). Office of Applied Studies, June 1997.

4)Schwartz, R.H., Gruenewald, P.J., Klitzner, M., and Fedio, P. (1989) Short-term memory impairment in cannabis-dependent adolescents. American J. of Diseases of the Child 1989; 143:1214-1219.

5)Tashkin, D.P., Coulson, A.H., Clark, V.A., et al. Respiratory system and lung function in habitual, heavy smokers of marijuana alone, smokers of marijuana and tobacco, smokers of tobacco alone, and nonsmokers. Am Rev Respir Dis 1987; 135:209-216.

6)National Institute on Drug Abuse (1995) Marijuana: Facts Parents Should know. Booklet NCADI #PHD712, GPO#017-024-01570-0.

7)Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (1998). Drug Abuse Series: H-5. National Household Survey on Drug Abuse Main Findings 1996, Office of Applied Studies, May 1998.

8)Pope, HG Jr, Yurgelun-Todd,D. The residual cognitive effects of heavy marijuana use in college students. JAMA 1996 Feb 21; 275(7): 521-7.

9)Volkow, N.D., Ding, Y.-S., Fowler, J.S., & Wang, G.-J. 1996. Cocaine Addiction: Hypothesis Derived from Imaging Studies with PET. J. Addictive Diseases, 1996.

10)Bourden, H., Rae, D., Narrow, W., Manderscheid, R., and Regier, D., National Prevalence and Treatment of Mental and Addictive Disorders, Mental Health, United States, Center for Mental Health Services, DHHS Pub. No. (SMA)92-1942 (1992).

11)Kandel, D.B., Johnson, J.G., Bird, H.R., Canino, G., Goodman, S.H., Lahey, B.B., Regier, D.A., and Schwab-Stone, M. Psychiatric Disorders Associated with Substance Use Among Children and Adolescents: Findings from the Methods for the Epidemiology of Child and Adolescent Mental Disorders (MECA) Study. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology 1997, 25(2), pp. 121-132.

12)Kessler, R.C., Nelson, C.B., McGongle, K.A., Edlund, M.J., Frank, R.G., and Leaf, P.J., The Epidemiology of Co-occurring Addictive and Mental Disorders in the National ComorbiditySurvey: Implications for Prevention and Service Utilization. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry 66:17-31 (1996).

13)Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (1996). Advance Report 15. Mental Health Estimates from the 1994 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse. Office of Applied Studies, July 1996.

14)Crowley, T (1998). Troubled Teens Risk Rapid Dependence on Marijuana. Drug and Alcohol Dependence 50:1.

15)Achenbach, T.M., (1991) Manual for the youth Self-Report and 1991 profile. Burlington, VT: University of Vermont Department of Psychiatry.

16)Harrell, A.V., Kapsak, K.A., Cisin, I.H., and Wirtz, P.W. (1986). The Validity of Self-Reported Drug Use Data: The Accuracy of Responses on Confidential Self-Administered Answer Sheets. Prepared for the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Contract Number 271-85-8305.

17)Turner, C.F., Lessler, J.T., and Gfroerer, J.C. (1992). Survey Measurement of Drug Use: Methodological Studies. National Institute on Drug Abuse. DHHS Pub. No. (ADM) 92-1929.

18)Gfroerer, J.C. (1997). Prevalence of youth substance use: the impact of methodological differences between two national surveys. Drug and Alcohol Dependence 47 (1997) 19-30.

It is my experience that no group of drug users more staunchly and irrationally defends the use of their drug of choice than marijuana users.

In fact, based on past experience I will get a lot of ranting rebuttals to my stand against marijuana. It is not a friendly, benign ‘soft’ drug

The facts are the more you use…the worse it gets.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has reported that marijuana can be harmful both from immediate effects and damage to health over time.

Specifically…

1. Multiple studies have shown that marijuana can hinder the users’ short term memory and ability to handle difficult tasks (Schwartz et al. 1989). Students may find it difficult to study and learn.

While many of the long-term effects of marijuana use are not yet known, studies have shown that:

2. Daily marijuana smokers who did not use tobacco had more sick days and doctor visits for respiratory problems than a similar group who did not smoke either substance. A person who smokes marijuana regularly may have many of the same respiratory problems that tobacco smokers have (Tashkin et al. 1987).

Other studies have shown that:

3. The regular use of marijuana may play a role in cancer and problems of the respiratory, immune and reproductive systems. Heavy marijuana use can affect hormones in both males and females.

4. Both animal and human studies have shown that marijuana impairs the ability of T-cells in the lungs’ immune defense system to fight off some infections.

5. Because of the drug’s effects on perceptions and reaction time, users could be involved in automobile accidents (NIDA 1995). According to the 1996 NHSDA, nearly one million 16-18 year olds (11 percent) reported driving at least once within two hours of using an illicit drug in the past year (most often marijuana) (SAMHSA 1998).

Although it is not yet known how the use of marijuana relates to mental illness, some scientists maintain that regular marijuana use can lead to chronic anxiety, personality disturbances, and depression (NIDA 1995). Some frequent long-term marijuana users show signs of lack of motivation and tend to perform poorly in school (Pope 1996). A recent study demonstrated similarities between marijuana’s effect on the brain and those produced by such addictive drugs as cocaine, heroin, alcohol, and nicotine (Volkow 1996).

Technorati Tags: marijauna-use, Marijuana, marijuana studies, marijuana-laws

Editor: The topic of internet addiction is a hot one. I met the author, Susan, on the net and she asked me to share some of her ideas with you. Some would argue if the internet could be an addiction as is defined for, say drugs and alcohol… I am not a hair splitter…my feeling is that if you are using anything in a way that causes life problems, you might want to do something about it. Here we go:

How to Kick Your Internet Addiction

By Susan White

It’s not an addiction that most of us would admit to, but one that nearly all of us have anyway.

We spend so much time on the Internet and somehow, that seems to be the normal thing to do, and this is why we don’t consider it an addiction. But it is similar to the dependence we have for drugs, alcohol and cigarettes, because when we are cut off from the online world, we are out of sorts and crave to get back to it at the earliest. We practically live online, what with all the social networks that we are a part of and all the online friends and followers we have managed to accumulate.

In short, if you’re not online, it’s like you’re not alive.

So how would you go about beating your addiction to the Internet? Before you answer this question however, there is another, more practical query that needs to be addressed – why would you even want to be rid of the Internet? I mean, isn’t it just about the greatest thing to happen to us since sliced bread? Does it not add so much value to our lives and keep us connected to our loved ones even though they’re on the other side of the globe?

Yes, it’s true that the web has done wonders for our world and made life so much easier for us. But as with any weapon, its value depends on how we harness it – as long as we use it sparingly and only when needed, we’re not addicted. But when it becomes more than a necessity, when you find yourself logging on to all your email accounts, your Facebook page and your Twitter account as soon as you open your eyes, when you refuse all social invitations (in the real world) because you’re so caught up in your online life, and when work begins to suffer because you’re building farms and buying fish online, that’s when you know you need help.

Kicking the Internet addiction is easy enough if you acknowledge that you have a problem. Once you do that, half your addiction is gone. The next thing to do is remove yourself from temptation – so if you’re always connected at home, get out of the house for a few hours. Visit a friend, play a sport, exercise at the gym; do anything it takes to get your mind off the web. If you’re connected to the Internet at work, disable it explicitly on your computer. Or ask a colleague to monitor your browsing habits initially until you’re able to kick the habit on your own.

The best way to get rid of your Internet addiction is to wean yourself off it slowly – give up one activity at a time. Set aside just a few hours in the day when you allow yourself to use the Internet, and get a limited plan from your service provider so that any usage above this limit will incur you additional cost. And just so you’re extra careful, disable Wi-Fi on your smartphone so you’re not tempted to browse using this device.

It takes a bit of time, but if you understand the detrimental effects that an addiction to the Internet has on you, you’ll find it easier to beat this addiction.

By-line:

This post is written by Susan White, who writes on the topic of Becoming a Radiologist Technician . She welcomes your comments at her email id: susan.white33@gmail.com.

Technorati Tags: internet-addiction, internet-addiction-symptoms, symptoms-of-internet-addiction

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Choices – Inspiration and motivation

www.inspirationalquotesworld.com Inspirational quotes slideshow with beautiful scenery about the choices we make in our life. I hope you will be inspired to make your life a masterpiece. If you believe in limitations you will have them but if you believe you can do anything you can. So why not choose the best. I’ve done that and that’s why I’ve chosen to get out of the rat-race and create enough automated income that i can live anywhere I want. I hope you make the best possible choices for …

Al-Anon and Alateen are support groups for family members or friends of alcoholics that incorporate the 12 steps. These programs are designed to provide a knowledge base and a support system to help families learn some basic principles about addiction being a family disease. The primary lesson taught is that families are not responsible for either another person’s disease or for their recovery.

There are some basic lessons that are taught within the Al-Anonon in Alateen programs:

1. Don’t cover up for another persons actions are mistakes. It is their responsibility to handle them.
2. Not to be victims or suffer because of the actions taken or reactions given of other people.
3. Not to be ‘doing’ for other people what they should be, or could be doing for themselves.
4. Not to be the instigator of a crisis.
5. To realize that sometimes mistakes or crisis are the instruments of change, and sometimes it is best to just let them occur and get out of the way.

Whatever the major concepts taught at the idea of "detaching with love". This is essentially separating oneself from the effects and chaos of allowed ones drug or alcohol use, by taking a realistic and objective view of the situation. It is a very difficult thing to allow a loved one or family member to fall. But sometimes that’s how learning occurs.

There is an old saying that says sometimes it is possible to love one to death.

Through An Al-Anon Filter: Self-Obsession. – When I was new to Al-Anon, I found it rather puzzling that we were warned against self-obsession, while being told to practise the Steps, which require rigorous self-examination – what’s the difference? Either way, I’m thinking about …

Keep It Real – Since October 20 when I posted about my work in virtual Al Anon, I have attended several face to face meetings. I am truly grateful for doing so. My work in understanding the program has accelerated by virtue of being present in the …

Most commonly abused classes of prescription drugs

• Opioids, such as OxyContin and Vicodin, which are most often prescribed to treat pain;
• Central nervous system (CNS) depressants, such as Valium and Xanax, which are used to treat anxiety and sleep disorders; and
• Stimulants, which are prescribed to treat certain sleep disorders and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and include drugs such as Ritalin and Adderall.

Risks of prescription drug abuse

Opioids:

• High risk for addiction and overdose. This is a major concern, particularly for recently synthesized slowrelease formulations, which abusers override by crushing the pills and injecting or snorting the contents, heightening their risk for respiratory depression and death.
• Dangerous combination effects. Combining opioids with other drugs, including alcohol, can intensify respiratory distress.
• Heightened HIV risk. Injecting opioids increases the risk of HIV and other infectious diseases through use of unsterile or shared equipment.

CNS Depressants:

• Addiction and withdrawal dangers. These drugs can be highly addictive and, in chronic users, discontinuing them absent a physician’s guidance can bring about severe withdrawal symptoms that must be properly managed by a medical professional.
• Risk of overdose. Overdose can cause severe breathing problems and lead to death, especially when these drugs are combined with other medications or alcohol.

Stimulants:

• Reputation as performance enhancers. Incorrectly perceived as safe for enhancing academic achievement and weight loss, these drugs are highly addictive and potentially harmful.
• Range of risky health consequences. These include risk of dangerously high body temperature, seizures, and cardiovascular complications.