Here at www.onlineaddictionhelp.com you will find helpful tips, facts and up to date knowledge to help you increase your understanding and help you make informed decisions.

Information About Drugs And Addiction:

Here you will find answers to frequently-asked questions about drugs; information about prevention and treatment for clients,and families and the public.

We will be updating onlineaddictionhelp everyday with questions and answers from our readers.  If you would like to tell your story about drug addiction or mental health please send us a email or use our contact info.

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Drug addiction has become a much venerated topic among families. This heartless enemy does not discriminate. Any family can become a victim of drug addiction at any time. Having discovered that a member of your family has a problem with drug addiction how do you help them cope with it?

What does it mean to cope with a drug addiction? Coping with, or attempting to manage an addiction is without a doubt a very difficult undertaking. In fact, it was one of the most difficult things that I have ever done, and after reading this article I am sure you will agree that there is but one way to cope with drug addiction, and that is to turn away from it because drug addiction is unmanageable.

Addiction makes a complete slave of an individual because the addicted person is no longer in control of anything they say, do, feel or think. Anyone who has ever had a serious addiction to a drug will tell you that during their addiction they lost control of the things that made life enjoyable, and they did not regain that control until they had walked away from the drug. Easier to say than it is to do, the difficulty is in turning away.

During my twelve year crack cocaine addiction I seriously tried everything within my power to manage it, which included advice from friends, family, and others who were coping with some type of addiction but nothing worked for me. If there is such a thing a 101 ways to manage your addiction, then I have tried them all.

If you have a family member who is addicted to some type of substance I hope you will find these tips quite useful.

Deal with yourself first

The shock of being made aware that there’s a drug addict in your family will cause the addiction to immediately begin working at destroying the family bond, beginning with you. You will be in no position to help that family member until you can help yourself to get past the initial shock of their addiction.

I remember how surprised my family was when they found out that I was addicted to crack. They were so shocked, in a way they alienated themselves from me. Although I was aware that they knew about my addiction, I guess they were just too shocked to approach me.

How you deal with your own emotions will directly affect how you approach that addicted family member, so the first thing you need to do is “get over it”. You may not like the fact that your husband is addicted, but it is what it is. Now that you see the situation for what it is, move quickly to the next step.

Find middle ground

Addiction has nothing in common with family. The two are at opposite ends of the field. Finding a place of commonality is the only way to insure that you will be able to communicate with an addict, so do not waste time finding it. Begin looking for something – anything that you might have in common with the addicted person and use it as a tool to win back their affection. The longer you wait, the more difficult it will become.

Re-establishing a bond is the only way to bridge the void between understanding and addiction. A good place to start is by being sensitive to the strange behavior of the addicted family member. You must realize that they are not the same person you once knew because they have undergone chemical changes in their mind and body.

For me, the more crack I smoked the less time I wanted to spend with my family. The drug dominated me so much until nothing else mattered. Without really being aware, I built a wall that nobody could penetrate.

The one thing that irritated me more than anything was to be constantly scolded and ridiculed because of my drug use. I knew I needed help, but the more I was told that I was a drug addict, the more I distanced myself. So whatever you do be sensitive and don’t scold.

Stop enabling

No doubt you have heard of “tough love”. The best way to describe tough love is love that will not be compromised, nor be taken advantage of. After you’ve gotten over the initial shock that you have a drug addict in the family, you should immediately start to exhibit tough love.

If you know that your daughter Megan has a problem with drugs you should stop giving her money. Although it hurts you to see Megan without money, if you continue as her banker it will only enable her to continue in her addictive behavior.

Seek professional help

Drug addicts have a unique way of making family and friends feel guilty when they are the ones who should be experiencing guilt. An addict will do anything to continue using the substance of their addiction.

Do whatever you have to do to get that family member to agree to seek the help of a professional. You cannot force the decision upon them; they must make that decision on their own.

Usually an addict will not surrender until they have exhausted every available option that would allow them to continue using the substance of their abuse. It is called “hitting rock bottom”. Such a decision often comes after a long hard bout with addiction, health issues, starvation, and living arrangements.

Be supportive

Once that addicted family member has decided to seek help, do not hesitate to follow through with them on their decision. Addicts have been known to change their mind about seeking professional help within an hour of making the promise.

At this point it is important that you be supportive of their actions because they are very vulnerable. Like little children, they are frightened and at the same time they look forward to experiencing freedom from the awful burden of drug addiction.

It took eleven years for me to make the decision to seek professional help and another year of up and down drugging before I finally gained my freedom. Had the above mentioned elements not been present in my life I believe I would have been lost in the sea of drug addiction where misery never ends.

Just so that you understand that every battle fought against addiction is unique and you should always remember that addiction attacks different people in different ways. I encourage you to never give up on that beloved family member because if you are persistent you can win. You can only lose if you quit fighting.

About The Author.

Eric Dunbar is the owner and editor of Golden Entrepreneur, where you will find outstanding resources to help the online entrepreneur excel in business. Eric Dunbar is also the author of THE FACE OF A DEMON, referred to by many as “The Recovering Addict’s Handbook”, and editor of X-JOURNAL Blog.

The author invites you to visit:
http://www.blog.ericdunbar.com

Today I just wanted to let all are readers know about next weeks postings.  We are going to write a lot about diet and more natural ways to help with addiction.

If you have a good diet that helps you with addiction feel free to post it here.

Thanks

William.

www.onlineaddictionhelp.com

www.onlineaddictionhelp.com

www.onlineaddictionhelp.com

Sudden shifs in or secretiveness about activities.  Lack of interest in school and recreation.

Sudden increase or lack of appetite.   More sensitivity about privacy.

Loss of interest in family activities. Avoiding communication with parents; hiding away.

Not Sleeping enough or too much sleeoing at strang hours.  Bloated appearance.

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What is OxyContin?

OxyContin (“Oxy” or “OC” on the street) is a time-released pain medication. It was developed in 1995 for people needing around-the-clock pain relief, so they don’t have to take pills as often. OxyContin contains oxycodone, which is an opioid drug, like morphine, codeine, heroin and methadone.

Oxycodone is the same opioid that’s in Percocet, Oxycocet and Endocet.

What’s the difference between Percocet and OxyContin?

Both Percocet and OxyContin relieve pain, but while Percocet gives relief for about five hours, the effects of OxyContin last for about 12 hours.

Percocet contains five milligrams of oxycodone, which is all released when the pill is taken. Percocet also contains acetaminophen (the drug in Tylenol), which makes people sick if they take a lot of it.

OxyContin doesn’t contain acetaminophen. It is pure oxycodone in amounts much larger than in Percocet. In Canada, OxyContin pills come with 10, 20, 40 or 80 mg of oxycodone. Just one OxyContin pill can have the same amount of oxycodone as 16 Percocet pills.

With OxyContin, only part of the oxycodone is released when the pill is taken. The rest of the oxycodone has been coated so that it is released into the body slowly. This is how OxyContin relieves pain for so many hours.

What will taking OxyContin do?

When taken as prescribed, OxyContin is safe, but when it is taken in other ways, it can be very dangerous.

The problems start when people looking for a “rush” get around OxyContin’s slow release of oxycodone by crushing or chewing the pill. When OxyContin is crushed or chewed, all the oxycodone is released at once, as happens with Percocet. But with OxyContin, there is much more oxycodone, and no acetaminophen to make you sick if you take a lot.

When you take OxyContin without a prescription or not as prescribed, you could:

• Overdose. Signs of overdose include difficult or slow breathing, and extreme sleepiness. The risk of overdose increases if you take OxyContin with other opioids, alcohol or tranquillizers. An overdose of OxyContin can lead to brain damage or death. If you think someone has overdosed on OxyContin, call 911!
• Get hooked. If you take OxyContin regularly to get high, soon it gives you less and less pleasure. And if you stop taking it, you go into withdrawal and feel terrible. Before long, getting the drug to avoid sickness takes over your life. How long it takes to reach this point varies from person to person, but it can be quick.
• Feel lousy. Apart from withdrawal sickness, taking OxyContin can have side-effects such as constipation, sexual problems, swelling, nausea, sweating, itching and sleepiness.
• Get infected. Injecting OxyContin has the same risks as injecting heroin—people who share needles can get HIV, hepatitis and other life-threatening infections, or they can infect other people.
• Get busted. Just having someone else’s OxyContin is a crime – you risk arrest, conviction and a criminal record.
• Make things worse. Taking OxyContin to “self-medicate” for physical pain or to numb emotions only adds to your problems. OxyContin seems to make things better at first, but once you’re hooked on it, your life will be much worse. Covering up what you’re feeling with OxyContin prevents you from dealing with your problems, and gets in your way of finding help when you need it.

If I take OxyContin that isn’t prescribed to me, what can I do to be safer?

Taking OxyContin without a prescription, or not as prescribed, is always risky. But if you are going to take it, you can reduce the risk of overdose if you:

• don’t crush or chew OxyContin before swallowing it
• don’t crush and snort OxyContin
• don’t dissolve OxyContin in water and inject it
• don’t take OxyContin if you aren’t used to taking opioids
• don’t take OxyContin with other opioids, alcohol or tranquillizers (such as Valium)
• don’t take OxyContin by yourself, with no one to help you if you overdose
• don’t take OxyContin soon after you withdraw from opioids.

If you take OxyContin, you can be safer if you avoid taking it in these ways, but the only safe way to take it is as your doctor prescribes it to you.

If I take OxyContin that isn’t prescribed to me, I’m only hurting myself, right?

Wrong.

Buying OxyContin on the street gives money to people who commit crimes. They may steal OxyContin from drugstores or from family members or others who are sick, or may sell OxyContin that was prescribed to them. Prescribed OxyContin is often paid for with tax dollars or by private health insurance. Buying OxyContin that was prescribed to someone, and paid for by our health care system, wastes money spent on medication for sick people.

The effects of OxyContin make it harder to drive or operate machinery safely. If you drive a motor vehicle after taking OxyContin, you are more likely to crash, and hurt someone.

How do I know if I’m hooked on OxyContin?

If you take OxyContin every day, your body will get used to the drug. You may be hooked if:

• you need to take more and more OxyContin to get the same effect
• you have withdrawal symptoms – such as shakes, cramps, vomiting, muscle pain, trouble sleeping and agitation – if you stop taking OxyContin all at once
• you spend so much time and money getting OxyContin that you don’t take care of important things in your life
• you keep using OxyContin despite the problems it causes in your life.

If these things happen, you will probably need help getting off OxyContin.

What should I do if I can’t stop taking OxyContin?

There is help!

A doctor can prescribe medication to help ease withdrawal. You can withdraw from OxyContin at home or, if needed, in a withdrawal centre.

After withdrawal, you can get help to keep you from going back to using OxyContin (relapsing), through group support, counselling or a stay at a drug treatment centre. Staying off all other mood-altering drugs (including alcohol) is important in preventing relapse. People who relapse over and over, and who don’t have success with other treatments, may need methadone maintenance treatment.

For more information, see your doctor or contact one of the agencies listed below.

Where can I get help with drugs?

• CAMH intake: 416 535-8501 ext. 6128
• MAARS (Metro Addiction Assessment Referral Service): 416 599-1448 (in Toronto)
• DART (Drug and Alcohol Registry of Treatment, Ontario): 1 800 565-8603

Drug addiction is a rising menace which surfaced in the olden times. Ever since drug addiction started to rise, especially after the “hippie revolution”, the deterioration of physical as well as mental health saw no boundaries. This led to drug addiction being considered as an international health crisis. While drug addictions can be grouped into various categories, the main abuses which drug addicts are habitual of administering include smoke related drugs, alcohols and banned substances which can either be chewed or directly injected into the bloodstream of the individual. Let us now discuss 4 ways to cure these patients through drug addiction help.

Take Baby Steps While Curing A Patient

Drug addiction treatment is a methodical procedure which needs to be followed step by step. Whenever you happen to try and aid a drug addict, you need to ensure that you do not do so with haste. This is so as drug addiction treatment calls for slow steps towards success and it is therefore a steady procedure. For example, if a person is a known drug addict and he is used to smoking fifteen cigarettes a day, you need to ensure that he reduces the number to three cigarettes by the end of the month. Once again, the process needs to be slow and restructured at the end of each week. In case you ask the patient to quit smoking drugs from the first day itself, his/her body would not be able to bear the strain and this in turn would lead to serious complications.

Drug Addiction Rehab Is Not A Permanent Solution

While most people are under the impression that drug addiction can be treated through the means of a drug addiction rehab, the truth is that a rehab center can only provide a temporary relief to your problems. There is no doubt that the patient would never be allowed to either smoke or drink while he/she is inside the rehab center, the moment he/she steps out, he/she would be back to his/her normal habits. Drug addiction help through the means of a rehab center is not permanent. It is like a jail which keeps a convict under control for a specified time period. After the period is over, the convict is back doing what he does best-committing crimes.

Friends And Family Play An Important Role

Drug addiction help can be provided through the means of friends and family members. In case you happen to have a drug addiction case in your family, it is your responsibility to get the patient back on track. Addiction to drugs is a bad habit which needs to be dropped through an able councilor. While there are various councilors available in the market, most of them are very expensive and obviously, they do not have a lot of time to spare on a single case. This is when the role of a family comes into picture. If you wish to cure a patient of his addiction to drugs, you need to be able to make sure that you convince the patient’s friends and family to take an active interest in the process.

A Natural Therapy Is Always The Best Cure

Drug abuse addictions are a very serious problem and if you wish to permanently cure a patient, you need to pay adequate attention towards the choice of the de-addiction therapy. While there are many traditional therapies which do not work well as they are temporary in nature, there are others which are considered permanent. They are natural therapies which work on the mindset of the patient. Once the patient’s mindset is changed, he/she can take control of his life without any external assistance. If you wish to end drug abuse addictions permanently, you need to adopt a natural therapy.