Category: Understanding Addiction

Heroin Relapse & Overdose

Heroin – How Much is Too Much?

Articles, Education, International, Understanding Addiction, United Kingdom, United States

Heroin often comes with the label of being the worst drug to become addicted too and there is good reason for this. Not only can using the drug cause an addiction that is one of the hardest to break, it is strong enough to cause sudden death.

Some of the questions commonly asked are:

  • How much heroin will cause an overdose?
  • How dangerous can an overdose be?
  • Can you control the dosage to ensure that the drug can be taken safely?

Below we will explore the answers to these questions

How Much Is a Safe Amount?

The fact of the matter is – no amount of heroin can be considered safe.

If you find that you need the drug to function normally, then you can consider yourself as having an addiction.

Even if you feel that you are strong enough to be able to quit at any time you feel like it, you are still exposed to the risk of serious addiction and the health consequence of using the drug.

How Much Can a Person Take at Once?

As with most drugs, it will depend on the purity of the drug as well as your own tolerance towards it.

Once heroin enters the bloodstream it reaches the brain very quickly. However, the more heroin that is used, the more that is needed to get the same desired effects. This effect of tolerance can be expected for any drug in the opiate or opioid class.

So, how much of the drug do people us on average?

When using recreationally, people report that they take daily doses of between 5mg and 1,500mg. The average dose is reported to be between 300-500mg. On average, an addict will inject themselves 2-4 times per day.

As mentioned previously, the purity of the drug will also have an effect on how much someone can take. Street heroin usually has a purity level of between 10-75% and is often cut with the following ingredients:

  • Starch
  • Sugars
  • Ketamine
  • Quinine
  • Powdered Milk

Whether you are a frequent user of the drug or you have recently taken it for the first time, you face equal health risks because different people will respond differently to the drug. Effects can range between mild and severe and can also result in long-term health issues.

How Much Will Cause an Overdose?

If you are worried that someone you know maybe taking too much heroin, there are a number of physical and mental symptoms that are noticeable.

The most common signs are:

  • Clammy skin
  • Pinpoint pupils
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Bluish lips and nails
  • Weak pulse
  • Disorientation
  • Drowsiness
  • Low blood pressure
  • Delirium
  • Discoloration of the tongue
  • Convulsions

Overdoses can be very serious and lead to loss of consciousness, coma and even death.

How Much is Fatal?

In some cases serious or fatal side effects can happen from heroin use. The amount of the drug which can be fatal will vary for each person depending on certain factors such as:

  • The individual
  • Previous drug history
  • Purity of the drug
  • Route of administration
  • Overall health
  • Tolerance to opiates

Can you die from taking heroin? The answer to this question is YES! Any dose of the drug can lead to an overdose which results in a fatal outcome. Some sources have quoted that between 75 mg to 375 mg can be fatal for a male adult weighing 170 lbs who has not used the drug before.

 

If you are worried about your own addiction or you know someone that you think may be abusing heroin, feel free to contact one of our professional advisors who will be able to discuss the option of rehab for heroin.

family alcohol talk

How to Help Your Child After Rehab

Articles, Education, Treatment, Understanding Addiction

After you have a child return home after completing a stint at rehab, it can be a very confusing time for both of you. While you will obviously be excited at their return, you need to understand that post-rehab can also be very unsettling. Initially, your child may feel at odds with their surroundings, even though the setting is familiar to them. They have undergone a huge life change after all.

The main question that parents want to know is “how can I best support them”

Although every situation is going to be different, the guidance in the article should be able to help you with the transition.

Continued Care is Required

Unfortunately, completing time at rehab is not a magic cure that ensures your child will be sober the rest of their life. Addiction is a chronic disease which your child must learn to manage. Managing this disease will be a lot easier with continued care and support from their loved ones.

Aim to work with your child to set up a plan for the future. The plan may include meeting with a trained therapist every so often or entering into a 12-step program. It is recommended that counselling and therapy sessions are encouraged more frequently in the beginning, especially the first 90 days. The plan can also include things such as diet and exercise as well as steps to avoid certain triggers in life.

Set Future Goals

A new path begins when your child steps out of rehab so ensure that you have a talk about the future and what lies ahead. Start setting rules and goals. Ask them about their own vision of the future and how you can play a part in helping them with these goals.

Maybe they want to start some new hobbies or learn some new skills. There is a possibility that your child may also want to talk about their relationships and how they were affected by their addiction. Maybe they feel that they need to build some bridges with certain people. Use these goals as an indicator of how they are coping.

alcohol rehab

Be Vigilant and Aware of Their Lifestyle

It is important that you are aware of what is happening in your child’s life. This will require communication between you both as well as trust. It might also lead to some frustration on your child’s part as they may not want you to know all about their everyday movements.

However, being aware of who your child is spending time with and what they are getting up to is important. They need to keep away from old habits and social patterns. It is important that you know the signs of relapse. These may include a continual feeling of negativity about their life and apathy towards their recovery. Some people also show signs of arrogance regarding their addiction and act prideful that they have beaten it. This can cause an overconfidence that eventually leads to temptation and relapse.

Hopefully the above guide will help you in supporting your child going forward. Remember, the most important thing is to help your child accept their new life. Encourage them to pursue sober activities such as sports that can lead to meeting new friends who won’t drag them down. Also encourage them to stay in contact with any friends that they made during the time in rehab. Starting afresh opens up the door to new interests and goals.

As a parent you must offer full support and be ready to listen or offer a shoulder to cry on when needed. Help you child succeed as maintaining sobriety is very tough.

90 day recovery

The First 90 Days on the Path to Recovery

Articles, Education, Treatment, Understanding Addiction

Congratulations You Have Done It!

If you have recently completed treatment for a substance use disorder, the path to recovery is now open to you. The first 90 days are the most important for preventing a relapse, so this guide has been written to help you on your new found journey.

90 day treatment alcohol

 

No doubt you are feeling a little nervous and wondering what lies ahead, but hopefully you are also feeling determined and strong. The first 90 days after recovery are always the hardest. Research published in the “Psychology of Addictive Behaviours” discovered that the risk of relapse was at its highest within this period of time. However, the study also found that those in recovery who continued with some sort of treatment in these first 90 days had a much higher chance of maintaining their recovery for a full year.

Although the early stages of recovery can be challenging, there are techniques and tips you can use to help make it through this initial period. Getting support from loved ones and friends, taking up new hobbies and continuing with some form of treatment will make the process easier.

Below are some suggestions to help you during the initial 90 day recovery period.

Clean Home

Make sure that before you arrive home someone has cleaned the house of any alcohol, drugs or any paraphernalia relating to your addiction. Everything should be removed that may serve as a trigger and risk a relapse.

Follow a Schedule

Keep yourself on track by following a schedule. This should include the time you wake up, your meal times, any appointments with doctors or therapists, exercise time and any other obligations. It is important to leave yourself enough time to relax, mediate or pursue your hobbies. Keeping yourself busy and following a structure will ensure there is less time to relapse.

Don’t Go it Alone

Spending too much time by yourself may result in you worrying about things such as your future, finances, or whether your recovery is really going to last. Being alone can also make it harder to resist cravings so always surround yourself with the people who are offering you support.

Look After Yourself

Addiction can have gruelling effects on the body and it will take time to get yourself healthy and back to 100%. Even detoxification will affect the body, so you need to give it time to heal. To increase the time it takes to heal you should ensure that you exercise regularly and follow a healthy eating plan. Also make sure that you get at least 7 hours sleep at night.

Continue Treatment

As mentioned previously, a study that was published in the Psychology of Addictive Behaviors found that those in recovery that continue treatment in the initial 90 days increased their odds of completing a full year without taking any substances. Continuing therapy, or joining a twelve step program can give you a real boost in the first 90 days.

Celebrate Your Success

Each day that you continue on your path to recovery is cause for celebration. Every single therapy appointment you go to, every time you have a glass of water instead of reaching for the harder stuff, every choice that you make that prevents a relapse is a fantastic milestone.

No matter how small you treat yourself for reaching new milestones, do something to recognise the success. Always be kind to yourself. This is very hard work after all!

 

 

 

 

Drinking problems in Seniors

Problem Drinking in Seniors – Risk factors

Articles, Education, Understanding Addiction, United States

A research team at the University of Georgia have reported In the American Geriatrics Society Journal that seniors (1600 individuals aged 57-85) with chronic health issues as well as depression, were at a much higher risk of developing an alcohol problem.

It is believed that this research is the first time a link has been identified between chronic health problems, with depression, and problem drinking seniors.

The researchers found that seniors who have numerous health conditions as well as depression, were actually 5 times more likely to develop a drinking problem when compared to seniors with numerous health conditions and no depression. The summary of this discussion, which can be found here, stated:

“’These findings suggest that effective training in screening and referral for mental health and alcohol use issues for health care providers of older adults may better serve the approximate 4 million older adults who currently experience problem drinking in the U.S.,’ said Orion Mowbray, assistant professor at the UGA School of Social Work and lead author of the study.”

When you add these findings to the fact that often seniors will usually develop a greater sensitivity to the effects of alcohol as they get older, and also they are often taking many different types of prescription medications for their health conditions that have a risk of reacting adversely when combined with alcohol, it is very important for seniors, and of course, those that care for them, to watch their drinking intake and exercise caution.

The findings in the study suggest that effective training can be put in place for health care providers when screening and referring older adults for mental health or alcohol use issues. This may better serve the 4 million seniors who currently experience drinking problems in the US.

There is sufficient evidence that suggest even a brief intervention delivered by health care providers can have a positive effect on reducing problem drinking amongst seniors.

selfless-cure-dara

Fighting Addiction By Being Selfless

Articles, Australia, International, Understanding Addiction

Addicts are usually very selfish beings. Not that anyone can hold that against them, really. It is, after all, a byproduct of their condition. Addiction can make anyone suffer from severe tunnel vision and inability to empathize. How to regain the ability to be selfless and caring for someone else but yourself? By slowly chipping away at the self-imposed shackles of selfishness most addicts have chained themselves up with.

But how? How do you get out of the routine of caring only for yourself?

To begin, it is important to remember that addicts generally being selfish do not make them bad people. As a rule of thumb, anyway. There are always exceptions of course, but we are talking about the overwhelming majority here.

Midbrain once again is at the front and center of today’s topic. It dominates so many addiction related issues for a very good reason. Without repeating ourselves too much from our previous article, midbrain governs impulsive satisfaction of urges, desires, and needs. Since addiction and drug use in general hyper-stimulates this particular part of our brain, it has a proverbial monopoly on blood supply. This allows for midbrain and its urge satisfying functions to dominate the addict’s behavior.

Selfishness as a character trait becomes more and more prominent in the addict as the time passes and the disease takes hold. This can cause the addict to distance themselves from people they used to love and care for. It can turn a social and loving person into a social outcast and a pariah.

Service as a tool for recovery

What does one do when a scale is lopsided? You must add to the short side until equilibrium is restored. Sounds simple, and in theory, it really is, however when it comes to applying this idea in real life, various obstacles begin to appear.

Selfless acts, generosity and community service contribute to addicts recovery because it stimulates entirely different part of the brain, specifically, the frontal cortex. This is where the brain considers and processes wisdom, calculated thought, pre-meditated actions, and empathy. Stimulating this area of the brain with acts of kindness and selflessness the addict is able to control his impulsive urges of the midbrain, which would make him act selfishly and without a solid scale of values.

The aforementioned obstacles that make this process so hard are the resilience of our brain. It can be both a blessing and a curse at times. For an addict to become addicted, this resilience is broken down with help of drugs and various addictive substances. Changing the way your brain operates without such “help” is much harder than one might think.

It takes many years of rigorous training by doing community work, helping people move their home and generally helping others out in one way or another, for the brain to accept this kind of behavior as the norm.

Speaking of norms in brain activity in the context of addiction is almost silly. There is no such thing really, knowing how different each and every one of us is. If you present a situation to 100 people, you will witness 100 different ways of dealing with said situation. Sure, there will be similarities, but ultimately for one human being to deal with a challenge or an obstacle in an identical way as someone else is practically impossible. Our individual way of thought is as unique as our DNA sequence or fingerprints.

 

It is highly recommended and encouraged in most self-respecting rehabs to do some kind of selfless act every day, as little and insignificant as it may be. Help someone with carrying something heavy, lend them a needed item for a while. Even just complimenting someone on their appearance or actions goes a long way towards addiction recovery. Every little bit counts.

 

Be selfless. Be kind. Be considerate. Sounds easy enough, but for an addict to reach a point in their lives where this kind of attitude comes naturally is a huge stepping stone towards recovery. One stepping stone of many, but every one of them counts.