How To Guide

Example 1

Gail C. Berreitter

Gail C. Berreitter quit smoking eleven months before writing her account of her life during the quitting process and what it has become since for About.com and there are few more inspiring stories out there. Why? Well, Gail seems so happy in her account that it is difficult to read it without a smile on your face let alone believe the difference that figuring out how to quit smoking makes.

Gail says that quitting smoking was one of the toughest things that she has ever had to do but it is also easily the best because it has encouraged her to adopt an entirely healthier and happier lifestyle. She found the quitting phase emotionally difficult, with plenty of tantrums, crying fits and pent up anger. However, she also says that finding out all you can about what makes you want to smoke will help you to overcome it and ensure that you ever smoke again.

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Example 2

Cheryl

Cheryl’s story of quitting smoking appears on the About.com Smoking Cessation pages and… Read More

Example 1

X

Caffeine addiction is very common nowadays, especially since the world is going through an accelerated rhythm that forces us to keep up every day.  It keeps us alert, it gives us an extra boost of energy and its flavor is wonderful.  However, when do we know we’ve had too much coffee?  You would be surprised to see how difficult is to give up coffee.

X is caffeine free for almost two years and she feels excellent.  Giving up coffee wasn’t the easiest thing she had done.  During the first three weeks without coffee, she had headaches and her energy levels were very low.  However, when she was caffeine free, she was able to wake up in the morning energized and ready to conquer the world. She tried to quit her coffee habit gradually.  Stopping cold turkey can lead to disturbing symptoms and effects.  X was drinking about 11 cups of coffee a day.  Therefore, she tried to reduce this amount by one cup a day.

When she finally got to one cup a day, she substituted coffee… Read More

There are many different drugs that cause individuals to become dependent on the drug, which leads to an addiction; hydrocodone is one of these drugs. According to the Federal Drug Enforcement Administration, Hydrocodone is the most abused prescription drug today.

What it is

If you are not sure what Hydrocodone is, it is a narcotic that is found in such pain relievers as Lortab and Vicodin with more than 200 different products in the industry containing this drug. Due to the pain relieving qualities, these medications are prescribed frequently. The Hydrocodone offers a euphoric and soothing effect similar to that of morphine or heroin.

Hydrocodone by itself is in the category known as a Schedule II substance, which is regulated and controlled by federal and state laws; however, since the pain relievers are not pure the medications are not controlled as much, which leads to abuse and addiction. In only one to four weeks of using a pain reliever with Hydrocodone, a person can become addicted to the drug.

The most common side affects associated with a Hydrocodone addiction include… Read More

Cocaine happens to be the most common illegal drug that is abused in the United States. When a person becomes addicted to cocaine, the effect on their personal as well as professional life can be devastating.

Symptoms of cocaine addiction

In the beginning, cocaine usage is not apparent as it manifests itself as job related stress, however, once the addiction takes hold the symptoms can be noted. The sad news is that once addiction is apparent, it is very difficult to stop using the drug. Cocaine is a stimulant that works on the brain, lungs, and heart. The earliest signs of cocaine addiction include restlessness, insomnia, abnormal levels of energy, loss of appetite, and euphoria often followed by paranoia, anxiety, and depression. Sudden weight loss, involuntary muscles twitches, pupil dilation, and increase in temperature can also be signs of cocaine addiction.

Overcoming an cocaine addiction

As with most addictions the first step is admitting, you have a problem. You will not only have to admit to yourself that you have a cocaine addiction but also to family and friends, as… Read More

Not everyone that has a drink even every night has an alcohol addiction. Alcohol in moderation has even been proven to be healthy, however, for those with an addiction this is not the case. In order to know if you or a loved one has an addiction to alcohol you should watch for specific signs.

Signs of Alcohol Addiction

The first sign of an alcohol addiction is that you have to drink more in order to get that feeling you desire whether it is a buzz or just relaxed and that you can drink more than others without becoming drunk. This is known as tolerance and means you need more and more alcohol to enjoy the same effects of the drink.

The second sign of an alcohol addiction is to do with withdrawal. Do you seem to be shaky in the mornings unless you have a drink? Other withdrawal symptoms you may notice include sweating, anxiety, nausea, irritability, insomnia, depression, loss of appetite, headache, and fatigue.

Steps to Overcoming an Alcohol Addiction

If you have an addiction to alcohol, there… Read More

Example 1

Solomon Yimchunger

Solomon Yimchunger was a drug addict since high school.  When you are young, it is hard to comprehend the consequences of using damaging substances such as drugs, alcohol, SP or Ganja.  In fact, when you realize the mistake you’ve done, it is simply too late.

Solomon wanted to quit many times, but he always ended up wanting more drugs. Fortunately, he was admitted in the Shalom Rehabilitation Centre. This was an essential moment in Solomon’s life: he committed to God and he acknowledged that he needed help in order to stop taking drugs.

Initially, adapting to the strict rules of the centre was hard.  In few weeks though, Solomon understood that the awareness programs, the gospel teachings and the support of the staff were the only way he could get over his addiction.  Drug addiction is perhaps the most dangerous addiction from all.  Not all people can cope with the pressures and the difficulties of present days, and they start using drugs for escaping reality.

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Example 2

Leslie Perez

It is interesting how… Read More

Example 1

Sally

Sally believed that quitting smoking would be easy.  In fact, it is easy to set this goal, but it is very hard to quit.  When it comes to overcoming the smoking addiction, temptation is everywhere.  Sally knew she will have to deal with a number of fears and inner thinking, but she was also aware that this was the right choice.

In order to cope better with her new resolution, Sally started to read a number of books on the subject. Learning more about the way other people got over smoking was an essential condition of her success. For example, she found many answers and solutions in Allan Carr’s book “The Easy Way to Stop Smoking”.  The online forums introduced her to other people who tried to quit smoking and they were able to share their experiences and success. Sally found out that whenever she was smoking, her health was seriously affected.

Fortunately, resilience is another quality of the human body, if you stop smoking early. Sally tried to fill in the void left by the… Read More

Example 1

Roger Hoekstra

Roger Hoekstra was just a shy teen when he first tried alcohol.  Raised in a Christian family, Roger had some strong beliefs about what is good and what is wrong.  However, one night, when he was only 13, he was hanging out with some friends who brought a bottle of wine.  He immediately liked how the wine helped him loosen up.  N the following years, Roger got many other opportunities to loosen up, and on several times he ended up in jail for drink & drive offences.

At 21, his favorite drink was beer.  He used to come from work and have a couple of beers on his drive home.  The drinking cycle started to consume him both physically and emotionally.  At the age of 37, he pondered whether to leave his family, with his mind affected by the drinking habit.  However, he decided to regain control of his life, attending 12 steps meetings every day, and get over the destroying addiction.

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Example 2

PJ

For PJ, the battle with alcohol was long… Read More

Addiction to prescription drugs is an insidious process, especially since the user does not believe that he or she is doing anything wrong.

A person takes a prescription drug usually for some diagnosed medical problem. Often prescription drugs which are abused are pain killers – the user suffers from some pain or the other and the pain reduces after taking the drug. Or it may be a different kind of prescription drug for another reason (perhaps for depression or insomnia)  which was originally prescribed by a doctor.

Commonly abused prescription drugs

The prescription drugs a person can develop an addiction to are

• Adderall
• Celexa
• Codeine
• Demerol
• Diet Pills
• Effexor
• Fentanyl
• Hydrocodone
• Hydromorphone
• Lexapro
• Methadone
• Oxycodone
• Paxil
• Percocet
• Prozac
• Ritalin
• Vicodin
• Wellbutrin
• Zoloft

These drugs include drugs which are taken to overcome other addictions (like methadone or Wellbutrin), pain killers (like Demerol or Vicodin), antidepressants (like Prozac or Zoloft) and stimulants (like Adderall).

The easy denial of addiction and availability of prescription drugs

As prescription drugs are legal and prescribed by a doctor, the patient… Read More

Morphine is a very old drug, but it is now being abused as a narcotic.

Morphine has been in use since the 18^th century. In earlier times, it was used as a pain killer, which it still is today. People who are in severe pain for any medical reason and terminal cancer (and other diseased) patients may be given morphine orally or via injection. The drug directly affects the pain centers in the pain and calms a patient down when given in the right doses. However, morphine is usually prescribed SOS (to take when the pain is unbearable), so there may not be fixed times to take it.

However, morphine which is derived from opium is now abused as a narcotic drug. And the worst thing about morphine is that it is very addictive. In fact, to get over morphine addiction, people are often put on methadone, in a controlled manner.

How is morphine taken?

Morphine is available in pills and capsules. As a pain killer it is in an extended release form to work slowly and effectively.… Read More

Mescaline is a hallucinogenic drug which comes from the peyote cactus and is one of the oldest psychedelic drugs around.

The native Indians in and around Mexico and the southwestern parts of the US have used this drug since times immemorial as part of their religious and ritualistic ceremonies. In early times the top of the plant in the form of disc shaped buttons was dried and consumed; now it is also available in a synthetic form. In its natural form, the buttons are either chewed or soaked in water and the water drunk. In its synthetic form, mescaline is had as capsule, tablet or liquid.

The hallucinogenic affects of mescaline

As mescaline is a psychedelic drug, the user typically experiences intense visual, audio, taste and ‘spiritual’ hallucinations. After taking the drug, the user feels he is in an altered state of consciousness. The trip varies from person to person and people have reported seeing sounds and hearing colors in an experience called synesthesia.

All trips are not good and people have also reported having nightmares and being… Read More

Ketamine is a psychoactive club drug, often associated with date rape as well.

Originally ketamine was used in veterinary medicine, particularly for horses as an anesthetic. Once its narcotic effects were discovered (in the mid sixties) it found new use by humans as a psychotropic drug. Ketamine comes in three forms – liquid which is injected, powder which is snorted and an oral tablet. It is legally available as a liquid on prescription since it is used in hospitals.

Effects of ketamine

Like LSD, ketamine has different effects on different people. Basically it is an anesthetic, a painkiller and a hallucinogen. Its effects also depend on the quantity taken. It gives the user a rush, makes the person feel distanced from himself and gives a trippy feeling. It magnifies emotions and gives the person a psychedelic experience, sometimes make him or her feel heavy and almost paralyzed. It also causes changes in perception and sometimes sensations of flying or falling.

Other effects include

• Nausea
• Depresses respiration
• Increased heart rate
• High blood pressure
• Numbness
• Panic attacks and anxiety

… Read More

Amphetamine, commonly known as speed, is abused by many people who rapidly become addicted to it.

Amphetamine in its various forms like methamphetamine Methedrine), dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine) and Laevoamphetamine (Benzedrine) is also called speed because of its ability to give the user a feeling of immense power and euphoria. Meth is the commonest form of the drug which is abused. It is also called ice, crystal, chalk, crank and glass.

It is a synthetic drug which is made in labs, from over the counter ingredients. So there are many illegal labs which make this drug, an addictive stimulant which affects the central nervous system. Meth is usually injected or smoked, though it is also snorted.

Meth is a schedule II drug, available on prescription  and was prescribed for for sleep disorders like narcolepsy, Parkinson’s, depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and was also a component of nasal decongestants. Strangely enough, it was originally used by the army to keep its soldiers awake and give them a feeling of strength and power.

Effects of meth

Meth induces a feeling of… Read More

Sally

Working with money on a daily basis is very tempting, especially if you like to gamble. It is known that gambling with others’ money is easier, and this is what Sally, a 47-year-old stockbroker did. First, she started gambling on the internet, and then moved to the next level: casinos, racetracks etc. obviously, her financial resources were not drainless.

For feeding her gambling addiction, she started to borrow money from family and friends, coming up with many excuses and lies. At one point, she realized that no matter how much she spends, the emptiness in her soul remains the same. Sally went into therapy and acknowledged she had a problem.

However, she was not strong enough to quit gambling. Therefore, she started looking for other techniques to control her gambling addiction. She tried the LOVE diet, which was about replacing her gambling addiction with good, healthy food. She works as a consultant and tries to help people who struggle with their addiction.

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Example 2

Matthew Etheringon

Matthew Etheringon, a professional footballer who plays for Stoke… Read More

Marijuana is considered to be a soft drug and so the youth do not think they can get addicted to it.

Marijuana goes by many names including weed, grass, reefer, cannabis, pot, herb, happy smoke, ganja and many more, depending on which part of the world you reside in. In countries where it actually grows and where laws are lax, it may be available quite freely and cheaply. When it has to be transported and sold in countries where laws are stringent and penalties extreme, marijuana can be quite expensive.

Addiction

You may not realize that you are addicted to it. Most people start off as occasional or recreational users, slowly graduate to daily usage and then use it several times a day. As the addiction grows, so does the need for larger quantities more frequently till a time comes when you cannot function without it.

When you wait impatiently for the ‘time’ to take your next hit or plan to buy more before your stock is over and also plan how to pay for it – that is when… Read More

Oxycontin is a prescription drug, but its abuse is rampant.

Oxycontin is actually an analgesic, a pain-killer, but because of its effects, it is also highly addictive and oxycontin addiction is on the increase.  The drug contains oxycodone, a semi synthetic narcotic analgesic, which is usually prescribed for the management of moderate to severe pain, chronic pain syndromes, serious conditions and terminal cancers.

While the oral pill is available in sustained release versions to provide pain relief over extended periods of time, the drug – when used as a narcotic – is often chewed or crushed, and the powder snorted or the powder is dissolved in water and injected. The oxycontin box actually contains warning signs of the euphoric effects of the drug. As a pain killer, when used under doctor’s orders, it offers effective pain relief and allows the user to lead a relatively normal life, where normal life is disrupted by severe pain.

Effects of oxycontin addiction

The drug, when abused, has effects similar to that of heroin. It is also easy to obtain as users… Read More

Heroin is a deadly drug – easily available and extremely physically addictive.

Heroin is made from the seeds of a species of poppy plants. It is processed from morphine which also has addictive properties. It is available in different forms and can be taken orally, snorted, smoked and injected either intravenously or intramuscularly. It passes the blood brain barrier within seconds to minutes, depending on how it is taken.

Unlike many other drugs which require repeated use for a person to get addicted, heroin addiction can occur with even a single use. It causes extreme physical dependency as the tolerance level increases. Not only that, but it is dangerous to go cold turkey with this drug as it can be fatal to stop taking it completely.

Effects of heroin addiction

People get addicted to heroin because initially it provides a high which makes the person feel better. However, the high or euphoria soon fades giving way to drowsiness and a slowing down of the respiration. The addict is perpetually in search of that initial feeling of euphoria and… Read More

Ecstasy is a party drug which is a chemical synthesis of various drugs.

Variously called ecstasy, MDMA, crystal meth and other names which are country specific, this drug is consumed in urban and rural areas. In cities, particularly, it is used as a party drug at raves, rock concerts and private parties and clubs. It started life as an appetite suppressant, but because of its hallucinogenic side effects it was not widely used. At the onset, it was also tried for psychotherapy, but because it made patients worse, its use was discontinued.

Ecstasy alters perception of time and space. It is psychoactive and makes the user feel good, relaxed and sleepy. It is rarely consumed with alcohol as alcohol is known to diminish its effects. While it is not physically addictive, it is psychologically addictive as the user keeps on craving its ‘feel good’ effects. It gives the user the feeling that he or she is reacting more positively and empathetically to situations and people and removes feelings of stress and anxiety. It also allows the person to function fairly… Read More

Cocaine is extremely psychologically addictive and very dangerous – it results in innumerable fatalities.

Cocaine addiction is gradual and without the person’s realizing it. Often used as a party drug by high flyers – it is extremely expensive – it is generally snorted directly into the nose. However, coke can also be smoked or injected intravenously. Also called crack, blow, snow, nose candy, cocaine is often mixed with other drugs like heroin or alcohol whereby its effects can be even more devastating.

What is cocaine?

Cocaine grows as the coca shrub. The coca paste is extracted from its leaves and then it is purified and goes though various chemical processes after which the cocaine powder is extracted. The powder is usually mixed with baking soda, cornstarch, glucose and other additives and street cocaine may be between 1 and 90 percent pure. Sometimes it is mixed with other powdered drugs to increase its street value and also its stimulating properties.

When Coca Cola was first introduced it actually contained some cocaine. It was in 1903 that the drink was… Read More

There are innumerable alcoholics, testifying to the addictive properties of alcohol.

Alcohol is so much part of the social scene that it is accepted and encouraged. There are bars, pubs, lounges and restaurants which serve alcohol of all kinds.  Can you imagine a social scene which does not serve alcohol, whether it is a dinner, a wedding or even a game?  Beer, wine and stronger alcoholic drinks abound and are usually advertised as well.

However, alcoholism is also on the increase and kids are starting to drink at younger ages – no wonder, because they are usually exposed to alcohol in some form or the other at home. Alcoholism is a deadly disease because alcohol damages the body and ruins families. If you know anybody who is an alcoholic, you will be well aware of this. Just because social drinking is accepted and people are used to drunks, does not mean that alcohol is ‘good’.

The effects of alcohol addiction

Alcohol has severe and deleterious effects on health, physical, emotional and financial. If you have any lifestyle disease… Read More