Articles Archives - Page 131 of 138

Jun192015Oct222019

10 Facts About Australia’s Drug Problem

Understanding the current escalating drug problem in Australia is complex. DARA has seen increasing number of clients coming from Queensland and other parts of Australia for our help. Here are some of the major reasons why:
10-Facts-About-Australias-Drug-Problem

Many states in Australia, such as Queensland, have relatively few residential treatment centers in comparison to the need.
Nearly all treatment centers have long waiting lists so that when someone is ready to ask for treatment for drug or alcohol problems, help may not be available during this critical window of opportunity.
Crystal meth use in Australia has doubled between 2010-2013, making the need for addiction treatment skyrocket, and the waiting lists even longer.
While $7billion is generated by alcohol related taxes each year in Australia, the costs for alcohol related treatment is over $15.3 billion.
The amount of oxycodone being prescribed by physicians in Australia has increased nine fold in the year 2009; problems with prescription painkiller dependence and addiction has also increased the need for effective treatment options.
In Australia, a private residential substance use rehab can have a monthly cost of between $15,000 and $135,000.
According to Brendan Post of the Queensland Network of Alcohol and Other Drug Services, there is interim help available for some outpatient services but are these stretched-thin due to the numbers of citizens who need treatment.
While outpatient services are at a later stage of recovery, individuals with a drug or alcohol addiction statistically do better when first receiving a more intensive and structured rehab program.
On a typical day in Australia, nearly 50,000 Australians are receiving medical-management of an addiction with suboxone, methadone, and other pharmacotherapy.
The culture of drug abuse in Australia stretches as far as the recently revealed issue in the Royal Australian Navy.

DARA encourages Australians to contact us. We are here to help you immediately. You’ll talk directly to a counselor, not an answering machine. You’ll learn how we can offer an all-inclusive residential program that is affordable to the average family. We are proud to offer an individualized program of care by an expert clinical team unmatched anywhere else in the world.

If you, or someone you care about, needs help for a drug or alcohol addiction,
contact us at 1-888-457-3518 US, 0-808-120-3633 UK or 1-800-990-523 AU.
We’re here to help you take that first important step.

Jun112015Apr252025

China’s War On Drugs Goes Mainstream

Articles, International

The Chinese government has launched a new war on drugs. As a result, many high profile citizens and celebrities have been paraded around in the media after arrests, and the Chinese government has made it clear: no one can run from their drug program regardless of societal status.

After being arrested for a drug offense, users are sent to state ran detoxification centers. These centers concentrate largely on labor and production instead of medical and psychological care. Those arrested are also enrolled in a drug user registry, and minor of offenses can cost a Chinese citizen quite a bit of money.

Marijuana users are put into the same centers and programs as oxycodone and heroin addicts. As with most countries, there is a diversity in the drug of choice for most populations. For China, 60 percent of the registry consists of heroin users, and heroin users typically see the harshest of societal judgment.

Being added to China’s drug user registry is not only costly and lacks discrimination based on drug and dependency, but it also carries a high stigma that affects people’s ability to safely seek treatment.

Users who may have developed a disease such as HIV/AIDS due to risky behavior associated with drug use, are now hesitant to come forward and seek help due to the stigma associated with the disease. While wanting to clean up drug use is a noble endeavor, treating drug users inside of labor-intensive centers with little to no medical or psychological use can be detrimental to the recovery of an addict.

Stigma is a very weighed emotional concept, one that can send a user into a life of blacklisting and scorn. Individuals suffering from a drug addiction need complete medical, physical and psychological care through a team invested in their success.

Jun042015Jun212018

Upswing In UK’s Alcohol Use Causes Concern

Articles, International, United Kingdom

Recent statistics showing an increased rate of alcohol-related hospital admissions in the United Kingdom, particularly among women, indicates an ongoing international need to address drug and alcohol abuse. As a respected worldwide leader for alcohol addiction treatment, DARA Thailand is prepared to provide solutions for the UK’s chronic drink problem. A recent article posted on Daily Mail.com reports that England’s public health officials are alarmed by a “deeply worrying” trend in alcohol addiction, particularly among women. A 2.1 percent rise in female patients compares with .7 percent rise for men over a yearlong period. Hospital admissions for alcohol-related illnesses include more middle-aged women and young mothers than ever before.

“Women are drinking much more than they used to, particularly wine in the evening, and that quantity of drinking is causing significant problems in terms of liver disease and other serious conditions,” said Dr. Niall Campbell, consultant psychiatrist at the Priory Hospital in London. “Women are literally dying for a drink, and it is a national pattern.”

DARA Thailand Serves International Clients

Our internationally certified therapists at DARA Thailand design personalized treatment plans for each individual who comes to us from near or far. We respect cultural norms, while at the same time we realize that addiction knows no geographic, social, ethnic, economic, gender or age boundaries. We have served clients from more than 50 countries to date at our rehab location in Koh Chang. At Koh Chang, our treatment uses cognitive behavioral therapy as its primary focus. Because of the intensive professional training our counselors receive, we specialize in dual diagnosis treatment for mental health issues that co-exist with substance addiction. DARA Thailand makes it a point to keep informed about drug and alcohol issues around the world, such as the alcohol abuse crisis in the United Kingdom. As the leading international destination for addiction treatment, we welcome all individuals seeking recovery solutions.

May292015Apr252025

Understand Drug Addiction & How It Can Impact the Brain

Articles

Television ad campaigns in the late 1980s and early 1990s showed this vivid metaphor for understanding drug addiction: a person holding an egg said, “This is your brain.” The next frame showed the egg frying in a pan, with a voice-over saying, “This is your brain on drugs.” Make no mistake; drug abuse interferes with brain function, sometimes to the point of no return. Scientific research not only verifies the concept of addiction as a physical disease, but also proves that compulsive drug use affects those areas of the brain that regulate basic body functions.

The Addicted Brain Diminishes Communication Capabilities

The brain is a complex organ that communicates with the rest of the body. Neurons, neurotransmitters, receptors and transporters are all part of the vast communication system. Introducing drugs into the system causes interference, which results in the addicted brain with abnormal activity. With some drugs, this interference results in immense and immediate feelings of pleasure, but causes an overwhelming desire for repetition at the same time. This is one way the cycle of addiction begins.

The Addicted Brain Tricks Thinking Processes

Many drugs, particularly heroin and methamphetamine, create shortcuts in the brain’s ability to stimulate a pleasure response, which leads to cravings that rapidly spin out of control. No particular activity or event needs to occur in order for drugs to create a sudden rush of euphoria. Production of dopamine, which affects neurotransmitters and receptors, goes awry in the addicted brain. Soon enough, people who had no intention of abusing drugs go to any lengths to feed their habit. As increased drug use continues to affect the nervous system, symptoms of addiction occur. The longer individuals abuse drugs, the more likely they will be to cause permanent damage to their brains. Understanding the neuroscience of the addicted brain is key to understanding drug addiction. Marc Lewis, Ph.D., connects his personal experiences as a drug addict, his rocky path to recovery and his eventual study of neuroscience in his book Memoirs of an Addicted Brain.

May222015Apr252025

Island Paradise Builds a Road to Recovery

Articles

A local resident of Zanzibar has begun paving the road to recovery for his island’s growing heroin population. Sulueiman Mauly, a former heroin addict himself, started building sober houses about six years ago as a cheap alternative to rehab and a safe haven for drug users who want to get off the streets. It’s sad to know that drugs have permeated a place like Zanzibar, where tourists flock to experience the breathtaking beauty of Indian Ocean islands. But indeed, an estimated 7 percent of the population is addicted to heroin, which puts Zanzibar’s usage among the highest in the world, compared to rates in other countries recorded in the UN’s World Drug Report 2014. While most tourists wouldn’t know the extent of the drug problem in Zanzibar by simply visiting, a rise in the use of heroin could eventually have an impact on the island’s current status as an exotic paradise. Mauly’s sober houses help clean up the streets, where thousands of Zanzibar addicts have been making their home.

Mauly spent four years using heroin on the streets. He was desperate to find a way out of his addiction when he discovered a 12-step program in Mombasa, Kenya. The program worked. He stopped using, made amends, went through a period of self-examination, and he surrendered his troubles, all significant precepts of 12-step programs. Mauly was able to step over the Christian flavor of the 12 steps and maintain his Muslim beliefs, in part by considering his recovery group his higher power. He is now acknowledged as the person responsible for bringing 12-step recovery to Tanzania, the country where Zanzibar is located.

The sober house model established by Mauly is a new idea in East Africa. In fact, the idea that addiction is a disease rather than a criminal issue is new there, as well. The houses are run by drug addicts, who are in charge of the kitchen, group meetings, house chores and everything in between. Along the road to recovery are activities like yoga and acupuncture, therapy sessions, 12-step meetings and art therapy. The goal of the sober house program is to restore the lives of addicts, and it’s hoped that in the process, Zanzibar will maintain its reputation as an island paradise.