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QUESTIONS about denial and my daughter’s use of drugs

  • Posted on July 27, 2009 at 1:19 am

In denial about my daughter’s drug use


mom2kelly In denial about my daughter’s drug use

I’m new here too, and have been in denial about my daughter’s use of drugs.  I have to admit that I’m fairly illiterate about drugs. My husband died 2 years ago, at a time when my daughter was going through her rough teen years. Since then, she has spiraled downhill. Because I’ve had to deal with so much in the aftermath of my husband’s death, I’ve been oblivious to what has been happening to her. I thought the problem was that she was just a "lost puppy" trying to find her way. This morning I discovered a very small zip lock bag with tiny 8 balls on it. After doing a web search, this is where I landed. To be honest, I was very shocked that my search took me here (more evidence to my denial). I am now scared as to what I’ll be facing with her. As I have read here, users are excellent liars … and she is a pro at it. How do I approach her? How do I help her? Where do I go from here? Thanks for any help you can give.

 

Penel0pe Re: In denial about my daughter’s drug use

Welcome to KCI.
Show her the bag and ask her what it is, and don’t be too surprised if she isn’t honest about it.. was there white residue in the baggie?
Just so you know, an eight ball is an eighth of an ounce of meth.

Talk to your daughter. I also recommend you talk to our own "Jacksmom" who has a minor daughter that has done well with her Mom’s help – that is, of course, if your daughter really is using. Does she sleep? Does she eat regularly? Are there things about her behavior that make you suspect drug use? You said she is spiraling downhill – what is she doing?

IF she is using meth, you are in the right place. Hopefully she is not – show her the bag and ask her, don’t accuse her.

And definitely come back here and let us know how you are doing – we are all here for you!

 

imlostinky Re: In denial about my daughter’s drug use

How old is your daughter, Mom?
that will determine what we can advise.

Welcome to KCI- sorry for the loss of your husband.
And even more sorry for the reason you are here- but mighty glad you found us.
Theresa

 

cortyshell Re: In denial about my daughter’s drug use

Welcome,
I hope you get the comfort and support you need here.

Corty

 

mom2kelly Re: In denial about my daughter’s drug use

Thank you both (Penel0pe & imlostinky) for responding so quickly. When I looked in the bag (and smelled it), I thought it might be pot. There is a small green leaf in it. I have no idea what meth looks like. I only know what the bag looks like (clear zip-lock bag with small 8 balls on it). Even if this particular bag didn’t contain meth, just the fact that this bag was used sends out a warning sign to me that she may be using.

In answer to your questions:
How old is your daughter? She’s 19.
Does she sleep? She often complains that she can’t sleep. Then stays up all night, and sleeps all day. She recently moved back in with me (after sleeping in her car for a week), and I’ve demanded that she be in bed by 11 pm and up by 9 am. She’s already begun to push my buttons on this issue.
Does she eat regularly? No, her eating habits are poor.
Are there things about her behavior that make you suspect drug use? She used to care about her appearance, but now goes out looking like she just got out of bed. She drifts from job to job, and lies constantly. She’s stolen money from my wallet, and I’ve had jewelry missing.

If I ask her about the bag, and she lies, what then? If I know she’s going to lie, what purpose does asking serve? I’m just trying to get all my ducks in a row before I tackle the issue with her. Since I’m so illiterate about this issue, I want to be prepared.

Thanks for your help !

 

pcejp Re: In denial about my daughter’s drug use

So sorry you are going through this hell. I am the mother of a 17 year old recovering meth addict. She now has over one year meth free. But the years of her drug use are still painful to think about.

First remember, this is not your fault at all. You DID NOT cause this, can’t control this, and you can’t cure it. Secondly, read everything and anything you can get your hands on to understand drug addiction. It helps greatly to get a handle on what your daughter’s state of mind is.

My husband and I were "lucky". Our daughter was a minor so we were able to get her into treatment even though she did not want to go. We learned that we could not follow our hearts regarding this addiction. We had to trust the advice of the professionals, as hard as it was at times–this was our daughter.

Remember to take some time for yourself and try not to let her addiction ruin your life.

 

Loraura Re: In denial about my daughter’s drug use

Green leaf suggests pot.
However, the other things you describe suggest pot is not the only thing she may be using.
She’s 19. You can "demand" whatever you want all day long and it doesn’t mean a thing. She is an adult and she has free-will. Don’t be fooled by giving ultimatums, you have very little power here.

You DO have the power to accept her behavior, or ask her to take her behavior somewhere else.
You can ask her if she thinks that she might have a drug problem, and IF she says yes, you can offer to help her find recovery by helping her find phone numbers that SHE can call, or meetings that SHE can attend.

If she doesn’t think she has a drug problem, I’m sorry to say, that the only options you have are to accept that you have a drug addict living in your home, and all the behaviors that come with that, or force her to leave your home, and take all the addict behaviors with her.

 

Penel0pe Re: In denial about my daughter’s drug use

Quote:

If I ask her about the bag, and she lies, what then?

Then there isn’t much YOU can do – and since she is an adult, what you should do is take care of yourself.

I suggested you ask about the bag because there ARE addicts out there who are capable of being honest, some may want help and not know how or where to find it, and there are mom’s and daughters who can communicate honestly.

If she lies, well, it sounds like you found some pot, but the not sleeping, not eating, and decline in self care suggests she might be using something else too.

There is always the chance she will be honest with you, if you ask her; there is always the chance she will lie too. If she IS honest, then perhaps you can direct her HERE if she wants to stop… and if she is DISHONEST… you need to take care of yourself.

 

danimal55 Re: In denial about my daughter’s drug use

Yep! You’ve described classic meth addict behavior.
Make some ultimatums for YOU, your daughter is incapable of keeping any promises or adhering to any rules you make.
Someone has to keep their cool and it won’t likely be her.
Addicts NEED enablers….and cash!
NO cash for the addict! It WILL be spent on meth, regardless of what she says!  A meth addict can sell an air conditioner to an Eskimo if that’s what it takes to get MORE METH!
Conversation rather than confrontation or condemnation, your daughter is mentally ill…not a bad girl, she’s a sick girl, she has fallen into a deadly trap and will need some tangible outside help before any significant changes occur. Until she does get help, any changes will be for the worse.
Family heirlooms, available cash [your cash] and material resources become trading stock for meth [as you've seen].
Keep your credit cards safe along with anything else she can barter for dope.
No resources and a meth habit spell three things…
1. Lie
2. Cheat
3. Steal

As for YOU…make this forum a habit, the support and understanding here is awesome.
You’ll need it in the days to come.

 

jacksmom Re: In denial about my daughter’s drug use

If it is just pot she’s using then HOORAY!!! I wish that’s all it was when my daughter used!!!
BUT.. I guess meth users will sometimes use pot to ‘bring themselves down’. My daughter didn’t. Pot wasn’t in the game.

Pot won’t cause her to have sleep problems, but if she sleeps too late in the morning she may just not be able to sleep at night. And truthfully…an 11:00 ‘bedtime’ for an adult is odd. Maybe she’s a night person. I, and my daughter (17), keep VERY late hours and always have; there’s no way we’d be in bed by 11…it’s just the way we are.

In any case eating issues and stealing AREN’T normal behaviors. I’d investigate. She’s in YOUR house. I’d go through her stuff and see if I can find anything suspicious. YOU HAVE THE RIGHT!!! And don’t let yourself get all insulted and hurt by any terrible things meth users will say to loved ones – water off a duck’s back. It’s hard but their minds are just screwed up and MEAN!!!

But being that she’s an adult you have no control over her actions except to make her leave your home, or call the cops IF NECESSARY, (and believe me, ‘necessary’ happens!!!). She’s stealing from you, this is something that should NOT be tolerated !!! If this continues in little bits, it’ll just get worse. You could try and talk with her, but if she’s denying it you can only OFFER getting her help.

My daughter was arrested and it’s one of the best things that ever happened. First non-violent offense, she was sent to teen court, (drug court for adults…depends I guess), and HAD to complete a 7-8 month extensive outpatient rehab. This would have cost me a whole lot of money if she’d not been arrested. She also had anger management and community service. This all took long enough to keep her clean and lucky for us she’s not wanting to go there (meth) again.

Sorry to hear about the loss of your husband and her father…but using meth is NO excuse for that! And this is what she may tell you…that she’s depressed and you make her depressed and dad dying depressed…ALWAYS someone else’s fault when the cat is out of the bag! She needs help soon or it’s just going to get worse.

And DON’T deny. What’s happening isn’t going away until something is done. Don’t let her DRAG YOU DOWN with her. Keep coming on this board and you will meet those who have been dragged into it. Results come A LOT quicker if you just stand your ground.

God I feel for you. It’s horrible. BUT there are ways to get through it, and there are a lot of great people on this board that have used longer than your daughter is old. They know how the other side works and can give you a lot of answers and emotional support.

 

Loraura Re: In denial about my daughter’s drug use

Good point, Jacksmom.

You have the right to search her room because her room is on YOUR PROPERTY which you are legally responsible for. Her "right to privacy" is an illusion when she is living in semen else’s home. She can have all the privacy she wants when she has her own place. Until then — You have the right to search and seize. I would absolutely do it.

 

mom2kelly In Denial

All of your responses are so wonderful, and I appreciate all the input. There are so many things I want to address, but for now I have a quick question. As a condition of my daughter returning to our house, she has agreed to undergo drug testing. I threw this out as a condition of her return; but the truth is, I don’t know how to go about it. Does she have to see a doctor, or are there places to go, or over-the-counter tests that she can take? I don’t want her to think that I was bluffing. I want to follow through with this. Thanks again for your input!

 

Loraura Re: In denial about my daughter’s drug use

You can order home drug testing kits in many places on line, like this one:

For more options, go to www.google.com and enter "order drug tests" and search.

 

pcejp Re: In denial about my daughter’s drug use

One of the conditions in my daughter’s contract when she came home from treatment was in order to remain in our home, she needs to remain drug free. I will not hesitate to test her if I ever felt the need–trust, but verify.

When my daughter was using, I randomly tested her. But after a bit, I found stored "clean" urine in her room. I would recommend watching her when being tested.

 

jacksmom Re: In denial about my daughter’s drug use

You do need to realize that THEY KNOW when they’ll test clean; my daughter did and I never got a dirty test. She’ll be GLAD to take one when she knows the time is right. Really, the ONLY way is to maybe fork out some cash and keep a few around and test OFTEN.

A blood test can reveal traces IF she’s been using a whole lot. My friend’s daughter detected in blood, but mine did not.

I always tested at home when she was acting like an A$$ho7e which when she ‘crashed’…no drugs to detect in the system at THAT time.

This drug is tricky…!

 

imlostinky Re: In denial about my daughter’s drug use

Urine tests are not always able to detect meth use.
Meth is in and out too quickly.
Timing is everything.

The time to test is when she is happy- somewhat normal- not necessarily overly energetic but just not being angry and irritable.

If she has been a real pain mood wise and that changes quickly to a reasonable human, then test.
In the beginning meth will give you a wired for sound appearance- but after continued use, it just barely brings you to a normal state.
Especially if you follow meth with a little pot.

Meth is usually a clear rock- but can be cloudy looking.
Always a hard substance though- rocks.
Even when it has been cut, there will be rocks.

Paraphernalia-   Empty pen casings.  Those were biggies with hubby.
Now he always smoked it on foil but a good many users will have a pipe- glass of some sort.

If she has been snorting, then you will see cut lines on mirrors – handheld kind.
Razor blades.  Again an empty pen casing or some sort of straw.

I agree with many of the posters here, it does sound to me to be more than just pot.  You do for sure need to search and destroy.
And yes, for sure SfJ, Danimal,Jacksmom- just to name a few- for sure hear what they say.
Right on target.

 

luvepiphany Re: In denial about my daughter’s drug use

Mom, besides all of the other excellent advice you have been given above, perhaps a way to reach your daughter outside of the urgent and very serious issue of possible (probable meth or coke use) is to sit down with her and talk about your husband, her daddy. Reach down to the pain with love and share with her. I understand your grief and how it can cripple you as it can also cripple a child who has lost a parent. Un-shared grief can be so painful and please know that meth use for many shuts out those painful feelings and would be very attractive to your daughter. Grief could be the core reason for her possible drug use and behaviors that go along with it. If you haven’t done any grief counseling with your daughter, this would be a very good time. Meth takes a hold of people-even the most loving wonderful people very quickly and I believe that you may be able to reach your daughter best with a caring and experienced professional counselor who has experience with addictions-meth experience hopefully. Perhaps a counselor could start with the grief and open up the the doors to the pain and reach your daughter a little easier than you at this first stage of hopeful recovery for her. I’m sure you are already so tired of the grief and pain and meth addiction is powerful and mean! Also, even if progress is slow, think about Al-Anon or Nar-Anon meetings. Find the groups in your area-they are for loved ones of alcoholics and drug addicts and very wonderful healing places for grieving people especially.

You are not alone

 

mom2kelly In Denial

This is all such great information. I appreciate any & all advice you can give. I told her I found the 8 ball baggie, and she laughed and said, "do you even know what an 8 ball is?" Thanks to you guys, I was armed with a proper response. Her mouth dropped. Then she said, "that was for a dime of pot, Mom". I have no doubt that it was because it smelled of pot, and contained a tiny leaf. But, I told her that I’m suspicious that she may be using meth because of the bag the pot was in. As I expected, she denied it. I told her I expect her to be drug free, and that if she isn’t, she can move back into her car. I also told her that I would be doing random drug tests as soon as I did some more research. She said she’s fine with that. Since I now know that she may possibly be sneaky about hiding urine, and that I should test when she’s alert rather than down, I will be cautious about how and when I test. My final word to her was that if she had any drugs in the house, she had better get rid of them now, or they’re going in the toilet if I find them. I then ran an errand, and when I came home, the hall rug had traces of a white crystal type powder on it (I didn’t notice it before). So I scraped up as much of it as I could into a baggie (which wasn’t much). Now what? Can I have it tested?

 

Loraura Re: In denial about my daughter’s drug use

You can order test kits for that, too. Goggle is your new best friend!

Or you can take it to a police station for testing.

 

JamieJ1979 Re: In denial about my daughter’s drug use

You said a tiny baggie with 8-balls on it, right? Someone responded by saying a 8-ball is an eighth of an ounce. Let me tell you this–a 8-ball couldn’t fit in one of those bags! The bags you described are often used for many different drugs from small amount of pot, meth, coke, X pills, various prescription pills like pain pills or benzo’s. It’s funny how people that aren’t in the know think that because a bag has a certain pic on it that it means that’s what’s inside. Those bags are sold in "head shops" meaning shops that sell various smoking devices and papers. Some have pic’s of anything from cows to clowns to pot leaves to 8-balls. It’s just a bag with a pic on it, what was in the bag is anyone’s guess. If it has white residue it could be coke, meth, or maybe dust from pills? When I used heroin, speed, coke I was the type that bought at least an 8-ball at a time and from experience I know a 8-ball cannot fit into one of those bags. Usually they come wrapped in plastic from a grocery store bag or maybe the corner of a Ziploc bag. I wouldn’t assume your daughter is on meth because of that baggie, actually I would assume pot more than anything else. I always got those bags from pot dealers when I would by a $20. I didn’t like weed much so I never bought in quantity. Don’t stress out, don’t jump to conclusions.

After reading jacksmom’s post I realized a few things–She could be keeping odd hours because she’s used to staying up late and sleeping in. That’s not that uncommon for a young person that doesn’t have much direction in life meaning no regular job or school she has to get up for. After rereading the posts I’ve come to the conclusion that the bag was a pot baggie– a small amount at that. The bag it came in means NOTHING. Like I said before, these bags are mainly used for pot. The pictures on the bags mean nothing. My old next door neighbor is a pot dealer and a college student, he sells large and small amount of pot. He always has bags like that around the house to package $10-20 bags. I’ve seen bags with pictures of guns, pigs, dollar signs, 8-balls, all kinds of silly things. Pot stays in your system the longest by the way. About the sleeping pattern, give her some time to get back on a regular schedule. If she’s been living life on her own terms for awhile she probably hasn’t been keeping a regular schedule and it will take a week or so to get back on track. My brother is 21 and all the young people he hangs with keep weird hours and they aren’t on drugs. They might smoke a bit of pot on the weekend when hanging with friends but that’s it. I remember when I was young and I wasn’t using hard drugs but I kept weird hours. I think I did because after all those years of being a child and having to go to sleep at a certain time I felt like I had the freedom to go to bed when I wanted to. The main problem I can think of when talking about her sleeping pattern is if she’s sleeping all day she can’t look for work or enroll in school. Instead of focusing on her sticking to a strict sleep schedule I would allow her to go to bed when she wants to but I would require she get a job or enroll in school if she wants to live in your house. Controlling when she goes to sleep is weird to me, sorry but it is. Asking her to be productive while living with you is not.

 

Mom2Kelly Re: In denial about my daughter’s drug use

Thanks for the info about the bags. Knowing they are used for various things is a help. She said it contained pot, and I believe her because of the small green leaf that was in it. My concerns are more with her behavior at this point (and signs they may be related to more serious drug use). Although you may think it strange that I control her bedtime, I think it’s reasonable. She has lived with me on and off since she turned 18. When at home, she would stay up all night, run up & down the stairs, slam doors, talk on the phone, etc. All this while I was trying to get a good night’s sleep for work the next day. She would also take off in her car (that I own and pay insurance on), going who knows where and doing who knows what. She hasn’t shown any interest in going to college (nor can I afford to send her). She has held numerous minimum wage jobs; however, she can’t seem to keep them because she’s continually late, doesn’t produce, or doesn’t show up at all. She has recently been living in her car, and came to me the other day begging me to let her come home. Under those circumstances, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to demand that she follow my rules. I want to help her to develop normal sleeping patterns so she can function in a world where she has to work during the day.

 

 

image Stanton Peele has been investigating, thinking, and writing about addiction since 1969. His first bombshell book, “Love and Addiction”, appeared in 1975. Its experiential and environmental approach to addiction revolutionized thinking on the subject by indicating that addiction is not limited to narcotics, or to drugs at all, and that addiction is a pattern of behavior and experience which is best understood by examining an individual’s relationship with his/her world. This is a distinctly nonmedical approach. It views addiction as a general pattern of behavior that nearly everyone experiences in varying degrees at one time or another.

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Daughter is depressed after drug treatment, is a psychiatrist needed?

  • Posted on July 27, 2009 at 1:10 am

My daughter is out of drug treatment; is she depressed and should I send her to a psychiatrist?

 

Dear Dr. Peele:

My l7 year old daughter has just returned from four weeks in a drug and alcohol treatment facility. She is considered a "garbage head" since she does not have a drug of choice, although I have heard heroin mentioned several times. In one of her "open statements" she mentioned she started using drugs to fill the hole inside her. My question is whether she has a mental health problem or an addiction problem. Now that she is out and currently in recovery (and wants to do things HER way), do I find an addictions counselor or should she be seeing a psychiatrist for perhaps depression and/or bipolar disorder or some other kind of mental and/or chemical imbalance? Did the depression come before the addiction or the addiction cause the depression? Her attitude is very passive. She has never been abusive in any way.

Please point me in the right direction. I have been told to deal with the addiction. However, if she has a chemical imbalance due to a mental illness, shouldn’t we deal with that so that she can have a clear head in order to deal with her recovery process? As you can tell, we are new at this, although she is the youngest of five children.

Thank you.
Kathy


Dear Kathy:

Children who go through treatment have been presented a model of chemical dependence. It says they are inherently addicted, and should avoid all contact with drugs and alcohol. This is a tall order for most kids. Among other problems (aside from the fact that you can’t tell whether a kid is permanently addicted) is that most are set up for failure — if (more likely when) they consume a psychoactive substance, they quickly descend back into their old lifestyle and drug habits. An addictions counselor will continue this perspective.

The way to think of successful change is that you daughter will be developing a new lifestyle. To remain clean (meaning no longer focussed on drugs and alcohol), your daughter will have to spend time differently, with different people, and think about herself differently. What will that take? You and she have more of the answers than do I. But it takes some planning, thought, and effort — something treatment centers are usually completely negligent in assisting with. Some of the typical questions to focus on are: Who are her friends? What does she enjoy doing in her spare time? How does she approach school?

You and your daughter both realize there is more to her problem than this. You’re on the right track. Your daughter’s statement about the "hole inside her" is important and worrisome.

I can’t diagnose your child. You seem to want to place another diagnosis on her in place of her chemically dependent one — bipolar, depressed, etc. There are record numbers of young people who are diagnosed this way, and remarkably large numbers of them are prescribed antidepressants and other drug therapies. Psychiatry has become completely wedded to such treatments, and so will you and your daughter if you go to a psychiatrist. Note that she will still be dependent on drugs, that this dependency may become permanent, and she will still be passive and not in control of her mental health.

Perhaps you can speak to some parents about their experiences with the chemical dependence and psychiatric systems, to see what they have learned. I would also seek a counselor who can help your daughter sort through her feelings, rather than immediately prescribing drugs for her. I would try to talk to her and assist her to find alternate ways of spending her time and gaining satisfaction. I would gently enquire about who she is friendly with. I would see how she is thinking about and progressing in school, and get her academic assistance if that is called for. I would try to get her engaged in some positive activity that she really likes and that can help engage her being.

You have a number of assets for doing this. You are intelligent yourself. You have four older children who you have assisted through their teen years. You have a husband. You have other relatives. What about your other children? What are their opinions? How about a family meeting?

I sometime speak to people who have had a terrible crime committed against their children. If they can take it, I tell them that the crime will never be solved unless they become the prime movers behind the police investigation. The same is true with the mental health system.

All best,
Stanton

 

image Stanton Peele has been investigating, thinking, and writing about addiction since 1969. His first bombshell book, “Love and Addiction”, appeared in 1975. Its experiential and environmental approach to addiction revolutionized thinking on the subject by indicating that addiction is not limited to narcotics, or to drugs at all, and that addiction is a pattern of behavior and experience which is best understood by examining an individual’s relationship with his/her world. This is a distinctly nonmedical approach. It views addiction as a general pattern of behavior that nearly everyone experiences in varying degrees at one time or another.

 
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Letter To the Dr. “Does my daughter have a drug problem”?

  • Posted on July 26, 2009 at 6:22 pm

Does my daughter have a drug problem?

image

Dear Sir:

To give you a little background of our family, I am not at liberty to tell you who I am or where I live [writer is in the federal witness protection program].

image Since we moved many years ago my daughter has felt deprived of many things that we had in life. We lived a very good life until a certain point. My daughter feels that she has lost everything in her life. Relatives, friends, and money. She thinks about what might have been had I not done what I did. She does believe what I did was very heroic, but feels she has paid much too big a price for it.

When she dropped out of college in March of this year, we made a deal that she would work for us and that she would come in every day from 9-5. There was not one day that she came in on time. Each and every day she had an excuse. She was sick. Her sinuses hurt, her nose was running. She had a stomach ache. I explained that she needed to change her habits so that she could ultimately get a job in the real world.

In any event we just found out this weekend that she has been taking cocaine. This may explain the problems she has been having with her nose. She said at some point she was addicted and that she stopped for a year and now is an occasional user. She stated she took it about 30 days ago. This threw us for a loop as we had no idea she was doing this.

I guess we should have had an idea as she has flunked out of college. We had a long conversation with her, a lot of crying and promises. My daughter is a very good actress and when she wants something she can be very convincing. She also has a great mind which she uses in writing. After she told us in writing her promises, when she broke one, she then wrote me an essay on "Any fool can make a rule" Henry David Thoreau. This is part of what she wrote us.

In general the basic purpose of rules or laws is very crucial to survival. I understand the importance of laws, and rules,…..according to Thoreau, I am acting like a fool, given that I made these reasonable and sensible rules for myself, yet I haven’t adhered to them completely.

We started to talk with her about her problems and she doesn’t think she has one. I explained to her that how could she on her own expect 100% success ration when the professionals only get 60-75%. Her answer was she stopped for one year on her own therefore it would be no problem. She insists she has no drug problem.

I could no longer try and reason with my daughter so we left her apartment. While in the car we spoke about drug testing every week which she suggested. I am going to take her up on this. She also had the nerve to ask me if she could still smoke marijuana. I do not know how to best handle the situation. I feel guilty for changing her life completely and know that she needs "tough love" as she says, but she will not let us do anything. I should say she is now overage and other than financial support from us, she is on her own.

Hero in distress


Dear Sir:

You are looking to ferret out deep secrets, while you are not dealing with the facts in front of you. Thus you conceivably could be too hard on your daughter (accusing her of a drug problem, which she says is in the past), and too easy on her (permitting her to screw up without any consequences).

imageYour daughter admits she has a problem – not keeping her word. She seems to accept responsibility for this, but says she does not have a drug problem. If you really drug test her, you can determine that she’s not taking cocaine, as she claims. But it is certainly plausible.

What you have permitted her to do is to fail at work and school, with no penalty. You could forge an agreement about her working for you – where violations are penalized. Or you could simply tell her to strike out on her own (she is an adult), and you will help her as much as you can so long as she keeps her end of the bargain (she keeps a job, or whatever).

Your communication with your daughter is directed towards externals and imponderables, and not towards the critical issues at hand. It is very possible that you are the one blinded by drugs.

Your situation seems to have affected you as much as her – she feels deprived; you feel guilty. But, for better or for worse, that is all over. Take your daughter at her word – that is, offer her work or support contingent on her performance, and steel yourself to cut her off if she does not come through. If this leads her to drug treatment, however, the same situation will prevail – whether she succeeds there will depend on her motivation and performance, not some inflated success rate trumpeted by the treatment center.

Stanton

 

 

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10 Health Care Reforms Obama Will NOT Do

  • Posted on July 26, 2009 at 12:07 am

Obama Blows His Presidency — Top Ten Health Care Reforms He Won’t Do

image For the first time in memory, Bill O’Reilly, arch Fox conservative, and Chris Matthews, arch MSNBC liberal, reacted the same to an event — both found that Barack Obama failed entirely to explain his plans for health care reform in his televised press conference.

And virtually all commentators noted the same flaw in the Obama presentation and explanation — he’s afraid to tell Americans that — well, remember that old sign: "You can have it cheaper, better, and more of it — but not all at the same time"?

I watched the sacrificial Democrat (you know, the one labeled "Democratic strategist" sandwiched between two nuts like the host himself on one of those Hannity panels) who intoned: "Health care reform will maintain current coverages, give access to everyone, and save money." You can see why Hannity selected her — to make the nuts look reasonable!

But Obama, David Axelrod, Rahm Emanuel — and the entire Republican leadership — are just as bad. Ask them what will have to be sacrificed, and they (the Dems) indicate "Nothing — just a few millionaires will pay more taxes." And, oh, there is one health care player Obama is willing to punish — insurers (even pharmaceutical manufacturers escape his opprobrium).

Republicans, as usual, are living in some other time and place. Their claim? "American health care is the best in the world. We’ll reduce the costs with tort reform, and give everyone greater access by incentivizing (a popular Obama term) private coverage."

Oh, and both sides will eliminate waste, duplication, and fraud. That should save a trillion or two right there!

Here are the top ten health care reforms neither side will propose:

  1. Means test Social Security and Medicare
  2. Pay only for effective treatments
  3. imageChannel patients to providers who accept a prix-fixe pay schedule
  4. "Incentivize" individual care choices (i.e., make people pay for more of what they use)
  5. Tax employer health care benefits as income
  6. Make managed care de rigeur
  7. Mandate that every American must have health care coverage
  8. Favor treatment for the young and fixable over the old and incurable
  9. Eliminate private insurance
  10. Put Obama’s birth certificate on the back of the one dollar bill (oops, wrong post!)

Failing to do these things will not produce better care for more people at lower prices. Rather, it will mean a diminishing group will receive unlimited (but but not necessarily effective) treatment costing everyone more.

And Barack Obama is just too nice a guy, too good a politician, and too reluctant to give people bad news to blow the whistle on this three-card monte — or, better, Ponzi — scheme. You know, the kind of deal where you collect more and more money for an unsustainable and unproductive enterprise until the entire house of cards collapses?

Get this and other drug rehab and addiction information from http://www.stgregorycrt.com if you or a loved one is suffering from chemical addiction, my heart goes out to you. PLEASE take a moment to watch this short video, it just might save a life. http://www.stgregoryctr.com/help.php

(non 12 step, alternative to 12 step programs, non religious treatment center)

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The Cycles of Addiction and Drug Rehab Treatment Centers in Des Moines, IA

  • Posted on July 25, 2009 at 11:41 pm

Get this and other drug rehab and addiction information from http://www.stgregorycrt.com if you or a loved one is suffering from chemical addiction, my heart goes out to you. PLEASE take a moment to watch this short video, it just might save a life. http://www.stgregoryctr.com/help.php

(non 12 step, alternative to 12 step programs, non religious treatment center)

The Cycle of Addiction

image No one intends to become a drug addict or alcoholic. Our experiences show that the drug addict or alcoholic was usually an intelligent and often creative person with much hope for the future.

 

However, they were unable to deal effectively with life’s problems and turned to drugs or alcohol as a means of dealing with unwanted situations.

 

The person usually takes drugs because they attempt to compensate for some personal deficiency or life situation. They may be depressed, in pain or incapable of dealing with a loss of a loved one or extreme circumstance. It could also be as simple as a need to fit in and make friends, or a way to lose weight. Regardless of the reason, the person begins to seek "help" in the form of drugs or alcohol.

  

Drugs are essentially a pain-killer. They lessen emotional and physical pain and provide the user with a temporary escape from problems. When a person is unable to cope with something in life and take drugs as a result, they feel they have found a way to deal with the problem.

 

image The more a person uses drugs or excessive alcohol, the worse the problem becomes. So they continue the “solution” for their problems, more drugs. Soon new problems are created by drug use. The person feels the need to use consistently, and will do anything to get high.

 

They are now addicted. They become difficult to communicate with, withdrawn and begin to exhibit the strange behavior associated with being on drugs. The more the person uses to try to counter this effect, the more desperate he becomes.

 

Their use begins to affect their personal relationships, their job, their bank account, and anything of previous value to the addict. Now the person’s entire focus becomes centered on using drugs and getting more drugs, regardless of the cost. They sacrifice everything to avoid the pain of withdrawal, the guilt of what they have done and the problems they have been running from.

  

At this point, the average drug user does one of three things:

  1. Continues using drugs and becomes more and more lost, unhealthy and degraded until he eventually becomes homeless or dead.
  2.  

  3. Gets arrested for some drug-related activity and goes to jail or prison.
  4.  

  5. Attempt to quit drugs in any one of a variety of ways. He may try to stop on his own, or go to a drug addiction treatment center or program. Sadly, the success rate of traditional treatment is not high and most addicts continue to relapse. This destroys the addict’s confidence and leads him to feel he will remain a slave to drugs forever.

  

HOWEVER, there is a way out…..

 

Once you have made the decision to get help for you or a loved ones addiction, please imagecontact us at http://www.stgregoryctr.com/help.php for FAST, Confidential drug rehabilitation.

Please remember, 12 step programs do not work, they never have, by their own admission they have a 0% recovery rate because they believe every alcoholic is an alcoholic for the rest of their lives, how is THAT recovery?

St. Gregory’s is a NON 12 step program and we are one of the only drug & alcohol treatment center that continues to contact EVERY member even after they have left our clinics, this is one reason for our fantastic success rate in treating alcohol and drug addictions! 

Think drug rehab is just for movie stars and politicians?  think again, we offer competitive rates,  we accept most insurance, female only and male only treatment centers, onsite and offsite locations and a confidential safe environment with highly trained, confidential staff members.

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image In medical terminology, an addiction is a chronic neurobiologic disorder that has genetic, psychosocial, and environmental dimensions and is characterized by one of the following: the continued use of a substance despite its detrimental effects, impaired control over the use of a drug (compulsive behavior), and preocupation with a drug’s use for non-therapeutic purposes (i.e. craving the drug). Addiction is often accompanied the presence of deviant behaviors (for instance stealing money and forging prescriptions) that are used to obtain a drug.

Tolerance to a drug and physical dependence are not defining characteristics of addiction, although they typically accompany addiction to certain drugs. Tolerance is a pharmacologic phenomenon where the dose of a medication needs to be continually increase in order to imagemaintain its desired effects. For instance, individuals with severe chronic pain taking opiate medications (like morphine) will need to continually increase the dose in order to maintain the drug’s analgesic (pain-relieving) effects. Physical dependence is also a pharmacologic property and means that if a certain drug is abruptly discontinued, an individual will experience certain characteristic withdrawal signs and symptoms. Many drugs used for therapeutic purposes produce withdrawal symptoms when abruptly stopped, for instance oral steroids, certain antidepressants, benzodiazepines, and opiates.

However, common usage of the term addiction has spread to include psychological dependence. In this context, the term is used in drug addiction and substance abuse problems, but also refers to behaviors that are not generally recognized by the medical community as problems of addiction, such as compulsive overeating.

The term addiction is also sometimes applied to compulsions that are not substance-related, such as problem gambling and computer addiction. In these kinds of common usages, the term addiction is used to describe a recurring compulsion by an individual to engage in some specific activity, despite harmful consequences, as deemed by the user himself to his or her

 

 

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Des Moines, IOWA Drug abuse, Crystal Meth

  • Posted on July 15, 2009 at 1:23 pm

Iowa Alcohol and Drug Rehab Centers

When people think of Iowa, they often conjure up images often associated with the Midwest, including: farms, dairy products and family values. And while all those things are easy to find in Iowa, so too is a pervasive alcohol and drug problem that winds its way throM~ SUN0609n Crystal M1jpgugh every corner of the state.

The state of alcohol and drug use in Iowa

  • The central and western parts of Iowa (including the large city of Des Moines) are currently experiencing a significant crystal meth problem. Law enforcement has found a significant number of methamphetamine labs in rural areas around Des Moines.
  • Many drug traffickers use Interstate-80 as a means from transporting cocaine and heroin to (and through) the state. This major highway has made Iowa one of many stops on a drug run that can carry illicit substances from New York to California and back.
  • Chicago street gangs and drug families are the primary source for cocaine and heroin throughout the state of Iowa. These gangs have moved west because of the less intense law-enforcement presence in Iowa.
  • Iowa has one of the highest incident rates of binge drinking and underage drinking in the country.

Iowa alcohol and drug rehab centers

There are several types of alcohol and drug rehab centers in Iowa, each catering to a different set of client needs and diagnoses.

Outpatient

Outpatient alcohol and drug rehab provides crucial care for those individuals struggling with drug-map-iowa-drug-use-des-moines-iasubstance abuse or addiction. In an outpatient facility, the individual can expect to receive individual and group counseling that focuses on locating the root causes behind their addiction as well as (in many facilities) a full detox program to get things started and advice on choosing the proper aftercare program. Outpatient programs by nature do not require an overnight stay, so the individual is free to return home or to a sober living facility at the end of each treatment day.

Residential

In Iowa residential alcohol and drug treatment programs, the individual who is battling addiction is given a chance to enter an overnight stay facility and focus, lock, stock and barrel on their recovery. Residential programs can take anywhere from 30 days to an entire year to complete, and give the individual a chance to develop a support system among their fellow residents. Like outpatient rehab, residential rehab includes detoxification programs, counseling and after care.

Dual Diagnosis

Dual diagnosis programs treat those individuals who have both mental illness issues and an addiction to drugs or alcohol. Dual diagnosis-friendly rehab centers are staffed by drug counselors and psychiatric professionals to make sure every aspect of the condition is treated teenage-drug-use-des-moines-iowa-teenagers-using-drugs-addicted-to-methproperly.

Rehab for teens

With a significant underage drinking problem throughout the state, Iowa teen rehab programs are an essential part of protecting young people from the damage that long term alcohol and drug addiction can bring about. Teen programs focus on building trust and making good decisions even in the face of significant peer pressure.

There IS hope, there IS help and it’s at StGregoryCRT.com .

Please watch this short video and you can see how are non 12 step, non AA treatment approach to recovery is not only faster but is easier as well.  With our admirable success rates and 1 year of follow-up with our clients and our exclusive Life Process Program we are positive that we can help you or your loved one with drug rehab in Des Moines, alcohol addiction treatment in Des Moines or any other type of drug addiction treatment needed.  Please, make the first step, watch our video, give us a call and start living your life in a way you may never have thought possible.

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Top 15 Most Common Drugs and their Effects LIST

  • Posted on July 5, 2009 at 2:11 pm

This list is in no particular order.  It is meant to help you understand the language and lingo of the drug world to better enable you to keep tabs on what your children are talking about if they are into drugs.fast drug rehabilitation

1. Heroin

SLANG TERMS FOR HEROIN: Heron, Heroine, Big H, Blacktar, Brown Sugar, Dope, Horse, Junk, Mud, Skag, Smack

image

Heroin is an opiate processed directly from the extracts of the opium poppy. It was originally created to help cure people of addiction to morphine. Upon crossing the blood-brain barrier, which occurs soon after introduction of the drug into the bloodstream, heroin is converted into morphine, which mimics the action of endorphins, creating a sense of well-being; the characteristic euphoria has been described as an “orgasm” centered in the gut. One of the most common methods of heroin use is via intravenous injection.

For the last 4 months, my partner and I have been recreationally using heroin. H became our weekend ritual. Lighting candles, playing music, brie and wine and grapes, reading tarot and finally fucking… for hours on end, the most intense beautiful Technicolor sex. Each time we did it we got closer to each other. And each time we did it, we wanted to do it again, and again. We tried saying we’d only do it once every two weeks, but that lasted 6 days. We have rules about how much we do in one night, how late we stay up and so on. So far the rules have kept us safe from addiction. Unless you consider the nagging i-don’t-wanna-go-a-weekend-or-have-sex-without-it feelings. We’ve never run out, although, once we were down to our last little bit and I left the vial open on the night stand. I was reaching for the lube when I heard the most sickening sound, the vial falling over. Turns out, I was mistaken, I had remembered to put the cap back on. But in those few seconds of uncertainty, my girl and I shot each other a look we had never seen before.. Fear.

2. Cocaine

SLANG TERMS FOR COCAINE: badrock, bazooka, beam, berni, bernice, big C, blast, blizzard, blow, blunt, bouncing powder, bump, C, cabello, caine, candy, caviar, charlie, chicken scratch, coca, cocktail, coconut, coke, cola, damablanca, dust, flake, flex, florida snow, foo foo, Freeze, g-rock, goofball, happy dust, happy powder, happy trails, heaven, king, lady, lady caine, late night, line, mama coca, marching dust/powder, mojo, monster, mujer, nieve, nose, nose candy, p-dogs, Peruvian, powder, press, prime time, rush, shot, sleighride, sniff, snort, snow, snowbirds, soda, speedball, sporting, stardust, sugar, sweet stuff, toke, trails, white lady, white powder, yeyo, zip
image

Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. It is both a stimulant of the central nervous system and an appetite suppressant, giving rise to what has been described as a euphoric sense of happiness and increased energy. It is most often used recreationally for this effect. Cocaine is a potent central nervous system stimulant. Its effects can last from 20 minutes to several hours, depending upon the dosage of cocaine taken, purity, and method of administration. The initial signs of stimulation are hyperactivity, restlessness, increased blood pressure, increased heart rate and euphoria. The euphoria is sometimes followed by feelings of discomfort and depression and a craving to experience the drug again. Sexual interest and pleasure can be amplified. Side effects can include twitching, paranoia, and impotence, which usually increases with frequent usage.

The cocaine arrived and we agreed to use it at a time that translated to three and a half hours after I arrived. It cost $60 for what I was told was an eighth of a gram. This seemed rather expensive, but I was assured that it was ‘high quality product.’ I took the line up my left nostril. After about ninety seconds, I felt my heartbeat increase. It was definitely kicking in. I began to worry a bit, as I could feel my heart pounding and my pulse increasing. I finally felt as if it had reached a plateau. My heartbeat became level, albeit still very high. Many people say that one feels euphoria – being invincible and/or the desire to clean the house. I did not feel either of these (and I did remember to think about these things). For me, the positive effects of cocaine came directly from knowing that I had reached a plateau and I was going to be fine. I felt invigorated, yet also very comfortable.

3. Ketamine

SLANG TERMS FOR KETAMINE: Blind Squid, Breakfast Cereal, Cat Valium, Date Rape Drug, Green, K, Keller, Keller’s Day, Ket, Ketaject, Ketalar, Kit Kat, New Ecstasy, Psychedelic Heroin, Purple, Special-K, Special la coke, Super Acid, Super-C, Super-K, Vitamin K.

imageKetamine (ketamine hydrochloride) is a central nervous system depressant that produces a rapid-acting dissociative effect. It was developed in the 1970s as a medical anesthetic for both humans and animals. Ketamine is often mistaken for cocaine or crystal methamphetamine because of a similarity in appearance (NCADI, 2000).
Ketamine is available in tablet, powder, and liquid form. So powerful is the drug that, when injected, there is a risk of losing motor control before the injection is completed. In powder form, the drug can be snorted or sprinkled on tobacco or marijuana and smoked (Partnership for a Drug-Free America, 2000). The effects of Ketamine last from 1 to 6 hours, and it is usually 24–48 hours before the user feels completely “normal” again.

4. Crack Cocaine

SLANG TERMS FOR CRACK: ball, base, beat, bisquits, bones, boost, boulders, brick, bump, cakes, casper, chalk, cookies, crack, crumbs, cubes, fatbags, freebase, gravel, hardball, hell, kibbles n’ bits, kryptonite, love, moonrocks, nuggets, onion, pebbles, piedras, piece, ready rock, roca, rock(s), rock star, Scotty, scrabble, smoke house, stones, teeth, tornado

image

Crack cocaine, often nicknamed “crack”, is believed to have been created and made popular during the early 1980s . Because of the dangers for manufacturers of using ether to produce pure freebase cocaine, producers began to omit the step of removing the freebase precipitate from the ammonia mixture. Typically, filtration processes are also omitted. Baking soda is now most often used as a base rather than ammonia for reasons of lowered odor and toxicity; however, any weak base can be used to make crack cocaine. When commonly “cooked” the ratio is 1:1 to 2:3 parts cocaine/bicarbonate.

As I held the smoke in for a ten count and exhaled, I thought I felt nothing except a little excitement that was neither bad nor pleasurable. The complete rush some writers have called a ‘whole-body orgasm’ hit me shortly after and I distinctly remember demanding ‘more’ as soon as the realization of heaven-on-earth came. Some people say that the effects of smoking crack lasts 10-15 minutes. For me, it was just a shortest instant of gratification. Everything afterwards was just a great increase in energy and confidence geared towards obtaining more of the drug.

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5. LSD

SLANG TERMS FOR LSD:  LSD is sold under hundreds of slang street names including acid, blotter, cid, doses, Uncle Sid, Barrels, Battery Acid, Big D, Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, Black Star, Black Tabs, Sugar Cubs and trips, as well as names that reflect the designs on the sheets of blotter paper like Daffy Duck, Rainbow, Super Hero, etc.

 image Lysergic acid diethylamide, LSD, LSD-25, or acid, is a semisynthetic psychedelic drug of the tryptamine family. Arguably the most regarded of all psychedelics, it is considered mainly as a recreational drug, an entheogen, and a tool in use to supplement various types of exercises for transcendence including in meditation, psychonautics, and illegal psychedelic psychotherapy whether self administered or not. LSD’s psychological effects (colloquially called a “trip”) vary greatly from person to person, depending on factors such as previous experiences, state of mind and environment, as well as dose strength. They also vary from one trip to another, and even as time passes during a single trip. An LSD trip can have long term psycho emotional effects; some users cite the LSD experience as causing significant changes in their personality and life perspective. Widely different effects emerge based on what Leary called set and setting; the “set” being the general mindset of the user, and the “setting” being the physical and social environment in which the drug’s effects are experienced.

About ten years ago I bought my third trip from a guy in my home town Norwich (UK) It was a ‘Strawberry’ and I was told it had been double dipped. The guy had a reputation for selling good acid so I happily gave him my cash. I took the single LSD tab in the late morning in a positive state of mind with no worries or anxieties. I began to come up on the acid towards the lunch time. It was to be the first and last time I’d ever trip alone. Outside it was a glorious sunny day but I was happy enough in my temporary sanctuary to even think about going outside. The LSD rush started blazing up my spine and racing through my guts, I felt a little uneasy with it but had enough mind to allow myself to just go with it and wait until the rush plateaued. I was having a wonderful time, watching floral Escher type patterns breathing over my skin. I vaguely recall deciding to go downstairs again for some reason then the next thing I recall was awakening on the floor of the dining room alone. The first thing I noticed was that there were blowflies buzzing around a bowl of catfood on the kitchen floor. I remember feeling perplexed as to why both flies had two bright neon after images in red and blue. Somehow I navigated myself through Norwich during the busy lunchtime shoppers and begun to head in the direction of the city’s central park ‘Chapelfield gardens’. If you could imagine for a moment being surrounded by people in a busy place where their heads had been removed and replaced by Squids and Octopus you might begin to accurately picture the scene confronting me in the park. Everyone had tentacles smothering their faces and dangling down their necks like fleshy snake beards, even the women and children were not exempt from this disfiguration. In retrospect, it was the worst day of my entire life, It was the closest I can imagine to having full blown psychosis.

6. Ecstasy

SLANG TERMS FOR ECSTASY: Adam, Bean, E, M, MDMA, Roll, X, XTC. When a person is experiencing the effects of ecstasy, they are referred to as “rolling

image Ecstasy (MDMA) is a semisynthetic psychedelic entactogen of the phenethylamine family that is much less visual with more stimulant like effects than most all other common “trip” producing psychedelics. It is considered mainly a recreational drug that’s often used with sex and associated with club drugs, as an entheogen, and a tool in use to supplement various types of practices for transcendence including in meditation, psychonautics, and illicit psychedelic psychotherapy whether self administered or not. The primary effects of MDMA include an increased awareness of the senses, feelings of openness, euphoria, empathy, love,happiness, heightened self-awareness, feeling of mental clarity and an increased appreciation of music and movement. Tactile sensations are enhanced for some users, making physical contact with others more pleasurable. Other side effects, such as jaw clenching and elevated pulse, are common.

Sitting comfortably in our cosy living room, Café del Mar and similar CDs playing in the background, we began at 8 pm. I swallowed one white tablet with water. Over the next hour nothing much happened except that I found myself talking quite openly and confidently with the others, moving very easily into interesting conversations. This was a little unusual for me as I am normally quite shy and overly self-conscious in social situations and it takes me a while to loosen up. The next thing I experienced was a striking shift in my visual perception. I don’t mean a hallucination or a distortion, but a wonderful step up in the aesthetic quality. For a moment it was like being in one of those nostalgic TV ads where the world looks all gold and sepia. ‘Everything’s gone amber!’ I blurted. But then I found that my vision was becoming beautifully enhanced. It made my normal visual experience seem like cheap, fuzzy CCTV footage in comparison. Now I was seeing the world anew in sharp, lush, top-quality Technicolor! I also began to move in time to the music. The music! Oh, the music! Wow! It sounded so good, so organic! The uplifted state stayed with me and took a long time to fade — at least a couple of weeks. It had unleashed in me a rush of joy that was still accessible when I focused on it weeks later.

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7. Opium

SLANG TERMS FOR OPIUM: Chillum Food, Chocolate, Hocus, Aunti, Aunti Emma, Big O, black, black hash, black pill, black russian, Black Jack, Blackjack

image

Opium is a resinous narcotic formed from the latex released by lacerating (or “scoring”) the immature seed pods of opium poppies (Papaver somniferum). It contains up to 16% morphine, an opiate alkaloid, which is most frequently processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade. Opium has gradually been superseded by a variety of purified, semi-synthetic, and synthetic opioids with progressively stronger effect, and by other general anesthesia. This process began in 1817, when Friedrich Wilhelm Adam Sertürner reported the isolation of pure morphine from opium after at least thirteen years of research and a nearly disastrous trial on himself and three boys.

I remember that what I smoked was much easier to smoke than marijuana. There was no burning in my throat nor in my lungs. I took a very large, smooth hit. Smoking it like marijuana, I held it in for about 10 or 15 seconds and let it out. It didn’t taste like marijuana, I remember the taste being rather faint. It actually tasted and smelled like incense. I was very surprised to suddenly find myself on the floor, in the dark, with a crowd of people surrounding me. Apparently I had fainted and fallen to the ground, but I hadn’t noticed. The high itself is rather hard to describe. It was much more intense than marijuana. It felt heavy, like my whole body was being impacted… but it also felt very clear and refined at the same time. As I made my way towards the bathroom the drug began to kick in again. My steps kind of faded away and it felt like I was just floating over to the bathroom. The scary thing was though, that I was having trouble seeing. My vision was fading. Distinct figures melted into shadows and everything had a sparkle to it. All of a sudden, everything felt really good. I couldn’t stop smiling. Everything was profound in a very positive way, especially the music since it resonated everywhere. It was a very abstruse experience. I imagine that I was coming down at this point, an hour had surely past by because the band was building a climax to end their first set. I went along with the crowd and made my way outside. The fresh air was wonderful. The cool air seemed to wrap around my body. A slight breeze on the back of my neck sent chills that rapidly multiplied throughout my body.

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8. Marijuana

SLANG TERMS FOR MARIJUANA: Aunt Mary, Bobby, Boom, Chronic, Dope ganja, Gangster, Grass, Hash, Herb, Kif, Mary Jane, Pot, Reefer, Sinsemilla, Skunk,image

Cannabis, known as marijuana in its herbal form, is a psychoactive product of the plant Cannabis sativa. Humans have been consuming cannabis since prehistory, although in the 20th century there was a rise in its use for recreational, religious or spiritual, and medicinal purposes. It is estimated that about four percent of the world’s adult population use cannabis annually. It has psychoactive and physiological effects when consumed, usually by smoking or ingestion. The minimum amount of THC required to have a perceptible psychoactive effect is about 10 micrograms per kilogram of body weight. The state of intoxication due to cannabis consumption is colloquially known as a “high”; it is the state where mental and physical facilities are noticeably altered due to the consumption of cannabis. Each user experiences a different high, and the nature of it may vary upon factors such as potency, dose, chemical composition, method of consumption and set and setting.

After taking that first hit, and not feeling the effects within a minute (holding it in for a minute, and then waiting a little bit after exhaling) I decided, well I better hit this again, harder if I can. I took just as large of a hit, and again held it in for longer than a minute. I let my brother know I was really starting to feel something now and I don’t think I liked it all. It snuck up on me really bad, and I still had no idea what to expect. I wanted him to be quiet. Laying down was not helping, so I got back up. I went back to the garage and tried to explain to everyone ‘I am totally fucked up. This is scary!’ I was rationalizing everything tremendously, but it was SO intense! And it was only getting more intense faster! I didn’t know what to expect, I was sinking within myself, accelerating downward like into the depths of my own oblivion. I was a novice, I had no idea what to expect, and the world had become out of synch, the talking of my brothers, his friend, all ridiculous and extremely annoying. I became amazingly irritable and wanted them to leave me alone or not talk in my presence. They did not understand or appreciate my fear, and they began to get loud again. I ran upstairs to my parents bed and laid down with some wistful hope that I could wait out this storm.

9. Psilocybin Mushrooms

SLANG TERMS FOR MUSHROOMS: Caps, Magic Mushrooms, Shrooms, mush, mushies, munchers, hippie caps, Silly Simon, Buttons, Tweezes

image

Psilocybin mushrooms (also called psilocybian mushrooms) are fungi that contain the psychedelic substances psilocybin and psilocin, and occasionally other psychoactive tryptamines. There are multiple colloquial terms for psilocybin mushrooms, the most common being magic mushrooms or ’shrooms. When psilocybin is ingested, it is broken down to produce psilocin, which is responsible for the hallucinogenic effects. The intoxicating effects of psilocybin-containing mushrooms typically last anywhere from 3 to 7 hours depending on dosage, preparation method and personal metabolism. The experience is typically inwardly oriented, with strong visual and auditory components. Visions and revelations may be experienced, and the effect can range from exhilarating to distressing. There can be also a total absence of effects, even with large doses.

I had acquired about 8 grams of dried mushrooms and some liquid psilocybin equivalent to another 5 grams of powdered mushrooms. I swallowed the liquid first, on an empty stomach of course. I could feel a slight sensation after about 10-15 minutes. Then I added the powder to some water in a mug and swallowed that also. I then sat by the camp fire, listening to the wind in the trees while I contemplated what was about to happen. After about 45-50 minutes I heard a ‘voice’ calling to me. It wasn’t audible in the normal sense – it came from inside my own mind! Then I was gone – out of this world. I escaped into what I perceived to be the outer boundaries of my mind or my imagination. This placed presented itself as a natural forest with low light. Here I met the owner of the aforementioned voice – the Mushroom Goddess. She took the form of a white, strapless, ankle-length dress, standing side-on from me. For about the next two hours I dialoged with her, becoming totally bewitched by her charm, her wit, her intelligence, her knowledge, her unconditional affection for me and her seemingly infinite perspective. I have come to think of her as my other-worldly girlfriend.

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10. PCP

SLANG TERMS FOR PCP: angel dust, supergrass, killer weed, embalming fluid, rocket

imagePCP (Phencyclidine) is a dissociative drug formerly used as an anesthetic agent, exhibiting hallucinogenic and neurotoxic effects. It is commonly known as Angel Dust, but is also known as Wet, Sherm, Sherman Hemsley, Rocket Fuel, Ashy Larry, Shermans Tank, Wack, Halk Hogan, Ozone, HannaH, Hog, Manitoba Shlimbo, and Embalming Fluid, among other names. Although the primary psychoactive effects of the drug only last hours, total elimination from the body is prolonged, typically extending over weeks. PCP is consumed in a recreational manner by drug users, mainly in the United States, where the demand is met by illegal production. It comes in both powder and liquid forms (PCP base dissolved most often in ether), but typically it is sprayed onto leafy material such as marijuana, mint, oregano, parsley or Ginger Leaves, and smoked. PCP has potent effects on the nervous system altering perceptual functions (hallucinations, delusional ideas, delirium or confused thinking), motor functions (unsteady gait, loss of coordination, and disrupted eye movement or nystagmus), and autonomic nervous system regulation (rapid heart rate, altered temperature regulation). The drug has been known to alter mood states in an unpredictable fashion causing some individuals to become detached and others to become animated.

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11. Methamphetamine

SLANG TERMS FOR METH: 222, agua, albino poo, alffy, all tweakend long, anny, anything going on, bache knock, bache rock, bag chasers, baggers, Barney Dope, batak, Bato, bato, batu kilat, batu or batunas, batuwhore, beegokes, bianca, bikerdope, Billy, bitch, biznack, blanco, Blizzard, Blue acid, blue funk, bomb, booger, boorit-cebuano, boo-yah, Brian Ed, buff stick, bugger sugar, buggs, bumps, buzzard dust, caca, candy, cankinstien, CC, chach, cha-cha-cha, chalk, chalk dust, chank, cheebah, cheese, chicken flippin, chikin or chicken, chingadera, chittle, chizel, chiznad, choad, clavo, coco, coffee, cookies, CR, crack whore, crankster gansters, cri, criddle, cringe, crissy, critty, crizzy, crothch dope, crow, crunk, crypto, crystal meth, Crystalight, cube, Debbie, devil dust, devil’s dandruff, Devil’s drug, dingles, dirt, dirty, dizzy-D, D-Monic Or D, do da, doody, doo-my-lau, dope, Drano, Dummy Dust, dyno, epimethrine, Epod, eraser dust, Ethyl-M, Evil Yellow, Fatch, fedrin, fil-layed, fizz wizz, gackle-a fackle-a, gak, gas, gear or get geared up, gemini, glass, go, go fast, go-ey, go-go, go-go juice, Gonzales, goop, got anything, grit, gumption, gyp, Haiwaiian Salt, Hank, high speed chicken feed, highthen, hillbilly crack, hippy crack, homework, hoo, Horse Mumpy, Hydro, hypes, ice, ice cream, Icee, ish, izice, jab, jab, jasmine, Jenny Crank Program, jetfuel, jib, jib Nugget, jinga, juddha, juice, junk, kibble, killer, KooLAID, Kryptonite, laundry detergent, lemon drop, life, lily, Linda, lost weekend, love, low, Lucille, M Man, magic, meth, meth monsters, methaine, meth-and-friend, meth-and-friends-of-mine, methanfelony, methatrim, methmood, method, nazi dope, ne, newday, No Doze, nose candy, on a good one, Patsie, Peaking, Peanut butter, peel dope, phazers, phets, philopon, pieta, pink, poison, poop, poop’d out, poor man’s coccaine, pootananny, powder, powder monkeys, powder point, project propellant, puddle, pump, Q’d, quick, quill, rachet jaw, rails, rails, rank, redneck heroin, Richie Rich, rip, rock, rocket fuel, rocky mountain high, rosebud, Rudy’s, rumdumb, running pizo, sack, Sam’s Sniff, Sarahs, Satan Dust, scante, scap, schlep rock, Scooby snax, scud, scwadge, shab, sha-bang, shabs, shabu, shamers, shards, shards, shit, shiznack, shiznac, sciznac or shiznastica, shiznit, shiznitty, shizzo, shnizzie snort, shwack, skeech, sketch, ski, skitz, sky rocks, sliggers, smiley smile, Smurf Dope, smzl, snaps, sniff, snow, space food, spaceman, spagack, sparacked, sparked, sparkle, speed racer, spin, spinack, Spindarella, spinney boo, spinning, spishak, spook, sprack, sprizzlefracked, sprung, Spun Ducky Woo, squawk, stallar, sto-pid, styels, sugar, suger, sweetness, swerve, syabu, ta’doww, talkie, Tasmanian Devil, tenner, the new prozac, the white house, tical, Tina or Teena, tish (shit backwards), tobats, toots, torqued, trippin trip, tubbytoast, tutu, twack, twacked out, tweak, tweedle doo, tweek, tweezwasabi, twiz, twizacked, ugly dust, vanilla pheromones, wake, way, we-we-we, whacked, white bitch, white ink, white junk, white lady, white pony (ridin’ the white pony), white, who-ha, wigg, xaing, yaaba, YAMA, yammer bammer, yank, yankee, yay, yead out, yellow barn, zingin, zip, zoiksimage

Methamphetamime, popularly shortened to meth or ice, is a psychostimulant and sympathomimetic drug. Methamphetamine enters the brain and triggers a cascading release of norepinephrine, dopamine and serotonin. Since it stimulates the mesolimbic reward pathway, causing euphoria and excitement, it is prone to abuse and addiction. Users may become obsessed or perform repetitive tasks such as cleaning, hand-washing, or assembling and disassembling objects. Withdrawal is characterized by excessive sleeping, eating and depression-like symptoms, often accompanied by anxiety and drug-craving.

We first smoked meth on New Year’s Eve because we heard it was great for sex. I had to work the next day and so saved some to smoke before work in the morning. When I got home another g was waiting for me and I smoked every day but one until I finally quit three months later. For three weeks we smoked meth with little consequence, then my skin became fragile and in addition to breaking out, started to swell. I was really worried because I was constantly thirsty and drinking water, but I rarely urinated. Then my kidneys started hurting. I had lost twenty pounds in two months and my husband had lost thirty, and we’d read somewhere that rapid weight loss can cause kidney failure. I slept every three or four days for an hour or so and woke feeling rested. I was an hour late for work everyday. My husband wrecked the truck three times. One day I forgot to feed my son. Everything was either the highest of highs or the lowest of lows, no in between existed anymore. We were banned from the sauna at our apartment complex because no one else could use it. Our sweat smelled so strongly of ammonia it burned the eyes, it was caustic, and it burned our skin too. My husband and I haven’t done any drugs at all for four weeks, and things are slowly going back to normal. But I still want it. I can’t sleep tonight because I want it. I wrote this in all honesty mostly to help myself, to remind myself why I don’t want it. And still I want it.

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12. OxyContin

image SLANG TERMS FOR OxyContin Killers, OC, Oxy, OxyCotton, Oxy80 (referring to the 80 mg tablet

OxyContin (oxycodone HCI controlled-release) is the brand name for an opioid analgesic — a narcotic. Oxycodone is the narcotic ingredient found in Percoset (oxycodone and acetaminophen) and Percodan (oxycodone and aspirin). OxyContin is used to treat pain that is associated with arthritis, lower back conditions, injuries, and cancer. It is approved for the treatment of moderate to severe pain that requires treatment for more than a few days and available by prescription only

Most commonly seen in tablet form. These round pills come in 10mg, 20mg, 40mg, 80mg and 160mg dosages. (Purdue no longer manufactures the 160 mg tablet) OxyContin also comes in capsule or liquid form

The most serious risk associated with opioids, including OxyContin, is respiratory depression. Common opioid side effects are constipation, nausea, sedation, dizziness, vomiting, headache, dry mouth, sweating, and weakness. OxyContin is oxycodone in a sustained release form and that is why the tablet should not be broken.

   Taking broken, chewed, or crushed, tablets could lead to the rapid release and absorption of a potentially toxic dose of oxycodone. Reports indicate that hundreds of people have died after overdosing in this fashion, usually as a result of acute pulmonary

A range of negative health consequences associated with OxyContin abuse have lifelong implications, including malnutrition, skin infections, and an increased risk of Hepatitis C and other infections.

   Chronic use of OxyContin use will result in increased tolerance to the drug in which higher doses of the medication must be taken to receive the initial effect. Over time, OxyContin will be come physically addictive, causing a person to experience withdrawal symptoms when the drug is not present. Symptoms of withdrawal include restlessness, muscle and bone pain, insomnia, diarrhea, vomiting, cold flashes with goose bumps, and involuntary leg movements

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image 13. Amphetamines

SLANG TERMS FOR AMPHETAMINES: amp, amped, bennie(s), benz, black & white, black beauties, black mollies, bumblebees, cartwheels, co-pilot, coast to coasts, crisscross, cross tops, dexies, dominoes, eye openers, footballs, hearts, jelly baby, jelly bean, jollies, leapers, lid Proppers, lightning, marathons, oranges, pep pills, rippers, road dope, snap, sparkle plenty, speed, sweets, thrusters, truck drivers, uppers, ups, wake-ups

Amphetamines belong to a group of drugs called psychostimulants, a central nervous system stimulant. They speed up the messages going to and from the brain and body. Their effect is similar to that of the body’s own adrenalin. Even though amphetamines mimic the effects of adrenalin, they act for a much longer time in the body.

   Most amphetamines are produced in “backyard” laboratories and sold illegally. People who buy amphetamines illegally are often buying the drugs mixed with other substances that can have unpleasant or harmful effects

On the streets, amphetamines can come as a white through to a brown powder, sometimes even orange and dark purple. The drug has a strong smell and bitter taste.

   Capsules vary considerably in color and are sometimes sold in commercial brand shells. They are packaged in “foils” (aluminum foil), plastic bags, or small balloons when sold on the streets.

   Tablets vary in color and contain a cocktail of drugs, binding agents, caffeine, and sugar. This form of amphetamines is increasing.

   The reddish-brown liquid is sold in capsules.

Swallowed, injected (methamphetamine) or smoked. They are also “snorted” (sniffed) through the nose.

Increased talkativeness, aggressiveness, breathing rate, heart rate, and blood pressure. Reduced appetite, dilated pupils, visual hallucinations, auditory hallucinations, compulsive, repetitive action

Long-term effects include tolerance and dependence, violence, aggression, and malnutrition due to suppression of

An estimated 13 millions Americans use amphetamines without medical supervision

Approximately 15% of 10th and 12th graders surveyed had ever used amphetamines without a prescription

In a study at San Francisco General Hospital, approximately 25% of seizures were found to be caused by amphetamine use

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14. Rohypnol

SLANG TERMS FOR ROHYPNOL: Date-Rape Drug, La Roche, R2, Rib, Roach, Roofenol, Roofies, Rope, Rophies,

imageRohypnolis the brand name for a drug called flunitrazepam, a powerful sedative. Flunitrazepam has never been approved for medical use in the U.S., therefore, doctors cannot prescribe it and pharmacists cannot dispense it. However, it is legally prescribed in over 60 other countries and is widely available in Mexico, Colombia, and Europe where it is used for the treatment of insomnia and as a pre-anesthetic

A small white tablet with no taste or odor when dissolved in a drink

Like other benzodiazepines (such as Valium, Librium, Xanax, and Halcion), flunitrazepam’s pharmacological effects include sedation, muscle relaxation, reduction in anxiety, and prevention of convulsions. However, flunitrazepam’s sedative effects are approximately 7–10 times more potent than diazepam (Valium). The effects of flunitrazepam appear approximately 15–20 minutes after administration and last 4–6 hours. Residual effects can be found 12 hours or more after administration.

   Flunitrazepam causes partial amnesia — individuals are unable to remember certain events that they experienced while under the influence of the drug. This effect is particularly dangerous when flunitrazepam is used to aid in the commission of sexual assault — victims may not be able to clearly recall the assault, assailant, or events surrounding the assault.

   It’s difficult to estimate just how many flunitrazepam-facilitated rapes have occurred nationally. Often, biological samples are taken from the victim when the effects of the drug have already passed and only residual amounts remain in the body fluids. These amounts are difficult, if not impossible, to detect using standard screening tests. If flunitrazepam exposure is to be detected, urine samples need to be collected within 72 hours and subjected to sensitive analytical tests. The problem is compounded by the onset of amnesia after ingestion of the drug, which causes the victim to be uncertain about the facts surrounding the rape. This uncertainty may lead to critical delays or even reluctance to report the rape and to provide appropriate biological samples for toxicology testing

Chronic use of flunitrazepam can result in physical dependence and the appearance of withdrawal syndrome when the drug is discontinued

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image .15 Ritalin

SLANG TERMS FOR RITALIN: Kibbles & Bits, Kiddy-Cocaine, Pineapple, R-Ball, Skippy, Smart Drug, Smarties, Vitamin R, West

Ritalin, the trade name for the prescription drug methylphenidate, is a central nervous system stimulant often prescribed to treat individuals (mostly children) diagnosed with ADD (attention deficit disorder) or ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.)1

    Taken as prescribed, Ritalin can be an effective medicine. Research has shown that people with ADHD do not get addicted to their stimulant medications at treatment dosages.2

   In clinical studies, methylphenidate, like amphetamines, produce behavioral and psychological effects similar to cocaine. In simple terms, this means that the human body cannot tell the difference between cocaine, amphetamines, or Ritalin.

   When abused, these prescription tablets create powerful stimulant and addictive effects. In recent years, Ritalin has become one of the most abused prescription drugs.

Ritalin is available in 5-, 10-, and 20-milligram tablets. The tablets typically are white or yellow in color. On the streets, a single tablet is illegally sold for $3 – $

Abusers either swallow the tablets or crush them to produce a powder, which is snorted. Some abusers dissolve the tablets in water and then inject the mixture — a particularly dangerous practice. Complications can result when the drug is injected because insoluble fibers in Ritalin can block small blood vessels.

Since Ritalin is a prescribed medication, it’s often considered innocent and harmless, without the stigma associated with street drugs. In fact, illegal Ritalin use can be very dangerous, with effects similar to those produced by cocaine and amphetamines.

   Common Ritalin side-effects include:
• insomnia
• irritability
• nervousness
• dizziness
• dry mouth
• skin rashes and itching
• abdominal pain
• weight loss
• blurry vision
• toxic psychosis
• loss of appetite
• nausea and vomiting
• drowsiness
• palpitations
• headaches
• stomach aches
• digestive problems
• psychotic episodes
• drug dependence syndrome

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   Other Ritalin side-effects include:
• anorexia
• change in blood pressure
• changes in pulse
• toxic psychosis
• palpitations
• cardiac arrhythmia
• anemia
• scalp hair loss

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Parenting Skills: If You Suspect Your Child is Using Drugs

  • Posted on July 5, 2009 at 10:19 am

Brandon’s Project, a former drug abuser tells his story, and tells you what to look out for in your own children.

Hoping to have his addiction be a lesson to other families, Brandon shares his story. As cameras follow Brandon, he reveals information parents should know about imagetheir children and drug addiction.

"Hi, I’m Brandon, and I’m a drug addict. Dr. Phil did an intervention on me and it saved my life. What I’m going to do today is share a lot of the secrets and tips parents can look for, to try to save their kids before they get to the level I was at.

image "I bet you wouldn’t guess a drug addict lived here either, but this is where I grew up — a nice house in a nice neighborhood.

"I started on my course with alcohol and drugs at about the age of 13. I got drunk for the first time when my parents went out of town and I decided to raid their liquor cabinet. I got into the clear liquor because that was the easiest to replace with water. Alcohol is not thought of to be a drug when it’s actually one of the most harmful drugs out there. I’d been drinking four years before I ever touched marijuana. Put a lock on your liquor cabinet."

"I find that the most trusting parents are the ones who are the easiest to take advantage of. One of the ways I tricked my parents was by lying to them. I’d tell them I was going out to eat, going bowling, to a movie, but I was probably going to a five keg party and getting drunk. If I did make it home, but I didn’t make it home on time for curfew, I had a load of excuses on why I didn’t make it. I’d say I ran out of gas, I had to take some girl home who lived on the other side of town, there was a huge accident so the road was blocked, and many others.

image "My parents have a very elaborate alarm system in their house. I was able to find a loophole in that system though, and find an escape route out of my house past curfew time. This is the window I made all my daring escapes from. My parents bought this fire escape ladder. Although we never had a fire, it got used quite often. Without it I don’t think I could’ve sneaked out as much as I did."

"A teenager’s room is probably the number one place they’re hiding their drugs. Good places to look are under the mattresses, under dressers, under cabinets, or even to the back of the drawers. My favorite place was in my closet, inside pockets of clothes and jeans I never wore.

"I had several different techniques to cover up the signs I was using drugs. I pulled hats down over my eyes, I put gum in mouth to cover up my bad breath or I’d put Visine in my eyes to take away the redness completely. When I’d come home my parents would try to talk to me and I would avoid conversation by giving them short yes or no answers.

"The first time I smoked weed, I was 16 years old. Since everybody else smoked it, there was no real harm in me trying it once or twice, so I did. By the time I was 18, I found myself smoking and drinking on a daily basis. And that was just the beginning of things to come."

image "Kids usually start by getting their drugs through their friends. As they start using more and more, they build up a network of dealers that they can get their drugs from and then they meet them at a convenient location. I’d often get my drugs in parking lots just like this: fast-food restaurants, superstores, anyplace where it wouldn’t look too suspicious for me to be at. I’d probably get my drugs faster than you’d get your food. Movie theater parking lots were another place I used to make all my exchanges. Gas station parking lots were also a good place for me to come pick up drugs.

"I used to skip school a lot to go get high. I found myself missing school in the middle of the day. I’d be late to school, sometimes I’d leave school early. Sometimes I wouldn’t go to school at all. It was really easy to get away with this because all I had to do was write a note from my mom, or steal passes from the office, fill them out and turn them back in. I found myself getting away with a lot more than I ever thought I would."

"A lot of parents want to know where I got the money to buy my drugs. My parents would give me money to go buy clothes, go out to eat at nice restaurants and I would just save the money, wouldn’t buy any clothes or go out to eat anywhere nice and I’d just spend it on drugs.

"Parents, if you’re suspicious about your kids messing around with drugs, the first place you might want to look is in their vehicle. After a Friday or Saturday night, imageif they’d be smoking in their vehicle, you’d usually smell a strange odor coming out of it. Or a strange odor coming off their clothes.

"There can be little pieces of roaches, which are parts of joints that might still be in there. Look for green leaf-like particles or seeds on the floorboards or seats. Look for white pasty substances on CDs, CD cases, dashboards, pictures, mirrors, things like that that they might be doing drugs off of."

"Ask for permission to look through their pockets, purses, wallets, backpacks and if they get pissed off that you’re looking through them, they probably have something to hide. Give your kids a random drug test if you’re suspicious at all. Make sure it’s after a weekend.

image"Here’s some signs that you can look for: rapid loss of weight, paleness of the skin, discoloration, dark circles under the eyes, shaky hands, dropping grades, more absences from school than you know about, sudden mood changes, rise in anger at family members.

 

"Parents need to know who their kid’s friends are. If a child won’t bring their friends over to the house to hang out with their parents and get to know them a little better, they most likely have something to hide."

"Don’t get angry with what your kids come to you and tell you. Give them advice and maybe they’ll make a better choice in the future. If you get angry and blow your top, they’re not going to come to you next time to tell you what’s going on in their life. Developing an open, strong and trusting relationship, with no judgment involved, is the best fence a parent can put around their child.”

 

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  This story was submitted by one of our readers and was originally published  HERE

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ALL ABOUT: Crack and Cocaine FYI

  • Posted on July 4, 2009 at 10:58 pm

Cocaine is a powerfully addictive stimulant drug. The powdered hydrochloride salt form of cocaine can be snorted or dissolved in water and then injected. Crack is the street name given to the form of cocaine that has been processed to make a rock crystal, which, when heated, produces vapors that are smoked. The term “crack” refers to the crackling sound produced by the rock as it is heated.

How Is Cocaine Abused?

Three routes of administration are commonly used for cocaine: snorting, injecting, and smoking. Snorting is the process of inhaling cocaine powder through the nose, where it is absorbed into the bloodstream through the nasal tissues. Injecting is the use of a needle to insert the drug directly into the bloodstream. Smoking involves inhaling cocaine vapor or smoke into the lungs, where absorption into the bloodstream is as rapid as by injection. All three methods of cocaine abuse can lead to addiction and other severe health problems, including increasing the risk of contracting HIV and other infectious diseases.

The intensity and duration of cocaine’s effects-which include increased energy, reduced fatigue, and mental alertness-depend on the route of drug administration. The faster cocaine is absorbed into the bloodstream and delivered to the brain, the more intense the high. Injecting or smoking cocaine produces a quicker, stronger high than snorting. On the other hand, faster absorption usually means shorter duration of action: the high from snorting cocaine may last 15 to 30 minutes, but the high from smoking may last only 5 to 10 minutes. In order to sustain the high, a cocaine abuser has to administer the drug again. For this reason, cocaine is sometimes abused in binges-taken repeatedly within a relatively short period of time, at increasingly higher doses.

How Does Cocaine Affect the Brain?

Cocaine is a strong central nervous system stimulant that increases levels of dopamine, a brain chemical (or neurotransmitter) associated with pleasure and movement, in the brain’s reward circuit. Certain brain cells, or neurons, use dopamine to communicate. Normally, dopamine is released by a neuron in response to a pleasurable signal (e.g., the smell of good food), and then recycled back into the cell that released it, thus shutting off the signal between neurons. Cocaine acts by preventing the dopamine from being recycled, causing excessive amounts of the neurotransmitter to build up, amplifying the message to and response of the receiving neuron, and ultimately disrupting normal communication. It is this excess of dopamine that is responsible for cocaine’s euphoric effects. With repeated use, cocaine can cause long-term changes in the brain’s reward system and in other brain systems as well, which may eventually lead to addiction. With repeated use, tolerance to the cocaine high also often develops. Many cocaine abusers report that they seek but fail to achieve as much pleasure as they did from their first exposure. Some users will increase their dose in an attempt to intensify and prolong the euphoria, but this can also increase the risk of adverse psychological or physiological effects.

What Adverse Effects Does Cocaine Have on Health?

Abusing cocaine has a variety of adverse effects on the body. For example, cocaine constricts blood vessels, dilates pupils, and increases body temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure. It can also cause headaches and gastrointestinal complications such as abdominal pain and nausea. Because cocaine tends to decrease appetite, chronic users can become malnourished as well.

Different methods of taking cocaine can produce different adverse effects. Regular intranasal use (snorting) of cocaine, for example, can lead to loss of the sense of smell; nosebleeds; problems with swallowing; hoarseness; and a chronically runny nose. Ingesting cocaine can cause severe bowel gangrene as a result of reduced blood flow. Injecting cocaine can bring about severe allergic reactions and increased risk for contracting HIV and other blood-borne diseases. Binge-patterned cocaine use may lead to irritability, restlessness, and anxiety. Cocaine abusers can also experience severe paranoia-a temporary state of full-blown paranoid psychosis-in which they lose touch with reality and experience auditory hallucinations.

Regardless of the route or frequency of use, cocaine abusers can experience acute cardiovascular or cerebrovascular emergencies, such as a heart attack or stroke, which may cause sudden death. Cocaine-related deaths are often a result of cardiac arrest or seizure followed by respiratory arrest.

Added Danger: Cocaethylene

Polydrug use-use of more than one drug-is common among substance abusers. When people consume two or more psychoactive drugs together, such as cocaine and alcohol, they compound the danger each drug poses and unknowingly perform a complex chemical experiment within their bodies. Researchers have found that the human liver combines cocaine and alcohol to produce a third substance, cocaethylene, that intensifies cocaine’s euphoric effects. Cocaethylene is associated with a greater risk of sudden death than cocaine alone.1

What Treatment Options Exist?

Behavioral interventions-particularly, cognitive-behavioral therapy-have been shown to be effective for decreasing cocaine use and preventing relapse. Treatment must be tailored to the individual patient’s needs in order to optimize outcomes-this often involves a combination of treatment, social supports, and other services.

Currently, there are no FDA-approved medications for treating cocaine addiction; thus, developing a medication to treat cocaine and other forms of addiction remains one of NIDA’s top research priorities. Researchers are seeking to develop medications that help alleviate the severe craving associated with cocaine addiction, as well as medications that counteract cocaine-related relapse triggers, such as stress. Several compounds are currently being investigated for their safety and efficacy, including a vaccine that would sequester cocaine in the bloodstream and prevent it from reaching the brain. Current research suggests that while medications are effective in treating addiction, combining them with a comprehensive behavioral therapy program is the most effective method to reduce drug use in the long term.

How Widespread Is Cocaine Abuse?

Monitoring the Future Survey*

According to the 2008 Monitoring the Future survey-a national survey of 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-graders-cocaine use among students did not change significantly, though it remained at unacceptably high levels: 3.0 percent of 8th-graders, 4.5 percent of 10th-graders, and 7.2 percent of 12th-graders have tried cocaine; 0.8 percent of 8th-graders, 1.2 percent of 10th-graders, and 1.9 percent of 12th-graders were current (past-month) cocaine users. Crack cocaine use, which has been steadily declining since 1990, showed a significant decrease among 12th-graders in the past year.

Use of Cocaine in Any Form by Students
2008 Monitoring the Future Survey

8th-Graders 10th-Graders 12th-Graders
Lifetime** 3.0% 4.5% 7.2%
Past Year 1.8 3.0 4.4
Past Month 0.8 1.2 1.9

Crack Cocaine Use by Students
2008 Monitoring the Future Survey

8th-Graders 10th-Graders 12th-Graders
Lifetime** 2.0% 2.0% 2.8%
Past Year 1.1 1.3 1.6
Past Month 0.5 0.5 0.8



National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH)***
According to the 2007 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 35.9 million Americans aged 12 and older reported having used cocaine, and 8.6 million reported having used crack. An estimated 2.1 million Americans were current (past-month) users of cocaine; 610,000 were current users of crack. There were an estimated 906,000 new users of cocaine in 2007-most were 18 or older when they first used cocaine. Among young adults aged 18 to 25, the past-year use rate was 6.4 percent, showing no significant difference from the previous year.

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Cocaine Dependence And Withdrawal In The Brain

  • Posted on July 4, 2009 at 9:56 pm

Cocaine Dependence And Withdrawal: Neuroadaptive Changes In Brain Reward And Stress Systems

Friedbert Weiss, Ph.D.
The Scripps Research Institute
La Jolla, CA

A growing body of evidence indicates that chronic cocaine administration can produce profound and long-lasting changes in brain neurochemical and neuroendocrine systems. At the behavioral level, evidence is accumulating that chronic use of cocaine compromises the neural mechanisms that mediate positive reinforcement. This is illustrated, for example, by findings that cocaine acutely facilitates the rewarding effects of intracranial self-stimulation, while withdrawal after chronic use leads to an impairment in the rewarding efficacy of electrical brain stimulation (Markou and Koob 1991). Findings such as these have given rise to the view that compulsive drug-seeking behavior associated with cocaine (and other drugs of abuse) may be the result of adaptive processes within the central nervous system that oppose the acute reinforcing actions of drugs, leading both to a "blunting" of mechanisms that mediateimage positive reinforcement and the emergence of affective changes during withdrawal that may motivate continued use of the drug (for example, anxiety, dysphoria, and depression) during withdrawal (Koob and Bloom 1988; Koob et al. 1993; Wise 1996).

The following discussion reviews both earlier and recent studies that have sought to identify the brain neurochemical processes responsible for the compromised state of the reward system after chronic cocaine abuse and the significance of those processes in the transition from controlled drug use to compulsive drug-taking.

 Neuroadaptive Changes Within Brain Reward Circuitries

Intravenous self-administration in rodents has been used successfully to study cocaine-reinforced behavior. This methodology has significantly advanced the understanding of the neurobiological basis of cocaine reinforcement and has established a critical role for the mesoaccumbens dopamine (DA) systems in cocaine’s acute reinforcing effects. More recently, studies employing intracranial microdialysis measures of DA in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) of cocaine self-administering rats have confirmed the significance of DA in cocaine reward and extended our understanding of interactions among cocaine, DA, and other transmitters in this brain region in the regulation of cocaine-seeking behavior.

When given the opportunity, both human cocaine abusers and laboratory animals will often self-administer cocaine in sustained episodes that can last from several hours to days. In humans, in particular, this so-called binge pattern of cocaine abuse is associated with severe abstinence syndrome. In animals, termination of access to cocaine after long-term unrestricted intravenous self-administration produces behavioral disruptions and reward deficits believed to be indicative of dependence and withdrawal (Markou and Koob 1991). Therefore, this model was employed in conjunction with intracranial microdialysis to study the neurochemical consequences of long-term cocaine self-administration and cocaine withdrawal.

 Dopamine.

image Cocaine self-administration produced persistent elevations in extracellular DA concentrations in the NAc that remained stable throughout 12- to 24-hour periods of drug availability. Withdrawal from cocaine resulted in a marked suppression of DA release below basal levels prior to self-administration (Weiss et al. 1992b). Maximal inhibition of DA efflux was reached within 2 to 4 hours postcocaine, and the depression in extracellular DA levels did not recover within a 12-hour monitoring period. The degree of suppression of DA release was positively correlated with the number of hours of continuous cocaine self-administration before withdrawal. Interestingly, as shown in earlier work, deficits in brain stimulation reward also increased as a function of the duration of continuous self-administration prior to withdrawal and were reversible by administration of bromocriptine (Markou and Koob 1991, 1992; Weiss et al. 1995). These data implicate a link between the withdrawal-associated impairment in mesolimbic DA neurotransmission and behavioral abstinence symptoms as measured by attenuated brain stimulation reward. However, it is important to note that brain stimulation reward deficits are already evident shortly after termination of access to cocaine, at a time when there is still some residual elevation, rather than a deficit, in accumbal extracellular DA levels. This observation supports the hypothesis that sustained dopaminergic stimulation by long-term cocaine self-administration leads to adaptation of brain mechanisms that mediate positive reinforcement.

 

Serotonin.

image Cocaine self-administration not only increases extracellular DA levels in the NAc but also produces similar elevations in extracellular serotonin (5-HT). Given the established role of 5-HT in depression, a prominent cocaine withdrawal symptom, it was of interest to determine whether cocaine withdrawal exerts disruptive effects on 5-HT neurotransmission.

Withdrawal after 12 hours of unrestricted access to cocaine produced a substantial suppression of 5-HT release in the NAc. Compared with basal 5-HT levels in cocaine-naive controls, 5-HT efflux as measured by quantitative microdialysis methods decreased by more than 50 percent as early as 6 hours postcocaine (Parsons et al. 1995). In contrast to the serotonergic deficits after long-term cocaine self-administration, only a trend toward suppression of basal 5-HT release was apparent in rats after 24 hours of abstinence from daily 3-hour limited-access self-administration. These findings are consistent with several reports in the literature of supersensitivity of 5-HT1a autoreceptors and increased density of 5-HT uptake sites after intermittent cocaine administration, but they also suggest that marked extracellular consequences of these presynaptic changes become evident only after prolonged periods of continuous cocaine self-administration. Decreased serotonergic transmission has been implicated in symptoms of numerous psychiatric disorders such as depression, panic disorder, insomnia, impulsiveness, and aggression-symptoms also associated with cocaine abstinence. Therefore, the deficit in extracellular 5-HT concentrations may contribute directly to many aspects of the cocaine withdrawal syndrome.

In addition to suppressing the release of 5-HT, withdrawal after long-term access to intravenous cocaine altered the sensitivity of 5-HT1b receptors. Locomotor activation in response to a 5-HT1b agonist (RU 24969) was diminished during the first 2 days of cocaine withdrawal, while a persistent rebound supersensitivity to 5-HT1b receptor activation emerged 1 week after cocaine withdrawal. The initial subsensitivity is likely to reflect an adaptive "downregulation" of 5-HT1b receptors that develops during long-term cocaine self-administration to compensate for the sustained cocaine-induced increases in synaptic 5-HT levels. Conversely, the subsequent supersensitivity is presumably the result of sustained extracellular 5-HT deficiency during cocaine withdrawal. These findings implicate 5-HT1b receptors, both in the cocaine withdrawal syndrome and in locomotor sensitization produced by repeated cocaine administration.

Recent studies have implicated the 5-HT1b receptor in the acute reinforcing actions of cocaine. The 5-HT1b agonists produced a dose-dependent shift to the left in the dose-effect function for self-administered cocaine and elevated breaking points for cocaine on a progressive ratio schedule (Parsons et al., submitted). The enhancement of cocaine reward by 5-HT1b receptor activation appeared to result from an augmentation in the accumulation of extracellular DA in the NAc induced by cocaine, a finding that suggests that 5-HT1b receptors, via stimulation by endogenous 5-HT, may have a role in cocaine reinforcement. The subsensitivity of 5-HT1b receptors during the early withdrawal phase is, therefore, interesting, not only with regard to its role in cocaine withdrawal but also with regard to the general hypothesis that dependence may result from adaptation of central reward mechanisms.

Changes In Brain Stress Systems After Chronic Cocaine

Recently, much attention has been directed at understanding the role of the nonneuroendocrine corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) system in the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) in the affective consequences of stress and in withdrawal from drugs of abuse. The CeA is part of a complex neural circuitry regulating behavioral and autonomic responsiveness to stressful stimuli. In particular, CRF neurons in the CeA are thought to have an essential role in the mediation of emotional responses to stress, such as anxiety. Anxiety and stress-like symptoms are an integral part of drug withdrawal syndromes, raising the possibility that these withdrawal signs may involve activation of CRF neuronal mechanisms in the CeA.

imageInitial findings indicated that acute intraperitoneal injections of cocaine increase CRF release in the CeA of rats. This effect was significantly enhanced by 2 weeks of daily cocaine pretreatment, implicating CRF mechanisms in the CeA in cocaine sensitization as well as in the cross-sensitization between stress and psychostimulants (Richter et al. 1995). In contrast to the effects of noncontingent, intermittent cocaine administration, however, CRF release in the CeA was significantly suppressed by cocaine in self-administering rats as measured after completion of 2 weeks of cocaine self-administration training. Moreover, in these animals, cocaine withdrawal after 12 hours of continuous access to the drug produced a profound increase in CRF release, which reached peak levels of approximately 400 percent of baseline between 11 and 12 hours postcocaine (Richter and Weiss, submitted).

These data provide support for involvement of CRF mechanisms in the CeA in the motivational effects of cocaine. Central administration of CRF has stress-like anxiogenic and activational consequences in rats that can be effectively reversed by treatments that interfere with CRF transmission in the CeA. The effects of exogenous CRF resemble the behavioral signs of cocaine withdrawal in animals; these effects may be comparable to human withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety, agitation, irritability, restlessness, and confusion. Thus, the activation of CRF release in the CeA during withdrawal may provide a neurochemical basis for aspects of the cocaine abstinence syndrome. In contrast, the suppression of CRF release by cocaine during the self-administration stage may implicate attenuation of CRF release in the CeA as an element in the reinforcing actions of cocaine. Finally, these data extend previous observations on the activation of CRF mechanisms in the CeA during opiate, ethanol, and cannabinoid withdrawal and implicate enhanced amygdaloid CRF release as a common mechanism in symptoms of anxiety and negative affect that are typically associated with drug withdrawal syndromes (de Fonseca et al. 1997; Merlo Pich et al. 1995).

The evidence of a hyperactivity within an important brain stress regulatory center during cocaine withdrawal is intriguing in view of the established role of stress in drug abuse and dependence. Stress is a major determinant of relapse in humans and can increase the intake of psychostimulant drugs; it can also facilitate the acquisition of psychostimulant self-administration in laboratory animals. While many stress-associated drug-seeking behaviors may involve activation of the hypothalamic CRF system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, the present data support an essential role for amygdalar CRF neurons in drug-seeking behavior motivated by stress or anxiety effects related to cocaine abstinence.

Studies examining the interaction between stress and psychostimulant withdrawal indicate that, in addition to disturbances in the brain CRF system, chronic psychostimulant exposure can disrupt normal stress responses at other levels. For example, not only did termination of daily amphetamine treatment result in a long-lasting deficit in extracellular DA concentrations in the NAc, but also stimulation of DA release in response to restraint stress, which is a typical response to this stressor in drug-naive animals, was no longer observed during amphetamine withdrawal. In fact, restraint stress produced a persistent reduction in extracellular DA concentration below basal levels that were already lowered by withdrawal from chronic amphetamine (Weiss et al., in press). Thus, certain forms of stress may exacerbate the neurochemical consequences of psychostimulant withdrawal by further lowering extracellular DA levels and, thereby, perhaps contribute to the resumption of drug-seeking behavior and increased likelihood of relapse associated with stress. Moreover, the reversal of the dopaminergic response to immobilization stress was not confined to acute abstinence but was still observed at the same magnitude 7 days postamphetamine. This persistent suppression in DA release after stress may reflect a disruption of mechanisms that regulate affective homeostasis, leading to an impairment in the ability to cope with stress or emotional challenges. Such defects may have important implications for emotional states such as depression or helplessness and for vulnerability to relapse over a prolonged abstinence period.

Chronic Cocaine And Behavioral Plasticity

image The data discussed above identify perturbations in brain reward and stress systems as an important element in neuroadaptive changes induced by chronic cocaine. Another important factor associated with chronic use of cocaine (and other drugs of abuse) may involve plasticity within brain circuitries that mediate conditioning effects or stimulus-response associations. Indeed, the classical conditioning of cocaine’s pharmacological effects with specific drug-associated environmental stimuli is an important aspect of its behavioral actions. Cocaine-associated stimuli can mimic the drug’s locomotor-activating effects and control place preference induced by repeated pairing of cocaine injections with a specific environment. The conditioning of cocaine’s rewarding actions with environmental stimuli has important implications for its abuse potential. Clinical observations suggest that stimuli previously associated with availability or self-administration of the drug can evoke intense subjective feelings of craving and can trigger episodes of relapse in abstinent cocaine abuse patients.

Experimental studies of drug-seeking behavior associated with drug-related stimuli in rats indicate that incentive motivational stimuli associated with cocaine can elicit and maintain robust cocaine-seeking behavior in the absence of drug availability. For example, rats responding for presentation of conditioned stimuli previously paired with food or cocaine showed a strong shift in preference for a cocaine- over a food-associated stimulus after receiving a noncontingent "priming" injection of cocaine. This effect was particularly sensitive to reversal by a dopamine D1 antagonist, implicating activation of D1 receptors in the motivational effects of cocaine under these conditions.

In rats trained to self-administer cocaine intravenously, presentation of a discriminative stimulus previously predictive of cocaine availability elicited significant and persistent responding after extended periods of abstinence and increased DA efflux in the NAc. The reinstatement of cocaine-seeking behavior was blocked by both dopamine D1 and D2 antagonists. Together, these observations implicate activation of dopaminergic mechanisms in the motivational effects of drug-associated environmental stimuli and drug-priming. Moreover, these data suggest that cocaine-related cues may exert a "priming" actimageion since, like cocaine, these stimuli increase extracellular levels of DA in the NAc.

Summary

It has been proposed that drug addiction is the result of neuroadaptive processes within the central nervous system that oppose the acute reinforcing actions of drugs of abuse (Koob and Bloom 1988), leading to impairment in the mechanisms that mediate positive reinforcement and the emergence of affective changes such as anxiety, dysphoria, and depression during withdrawal. The results reveal perturbations in DA and 5-HT transmission in the NAc-neurochemical systems that are activated by cocaine self-administration and are deficient during withdrawal-as potential substrates for these affective changes. In addition, the results implicate neuroadaptive changes in extrahypothalamic CRF neurons and other brain stress circuitries in the motivational effects of psychostimulant withdrawal. Finally, it appears that environmental cues that become conditioned to the positive reinforcing effects of cocaine can mimic the pharmacological effect of this agent and, thereby, can initiate and maintain cocaine-seeking behavior.

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