There are many treatments for alcoholism. However, the popular belief and the majority of information over the last few decades has been that there is no permanent cure. Once an alcoholic always an alcoholic. Now however many products have been introduced to the market which claim to be a complete cure for alcoholism. Is there indeed a magic cure?
To accurately evaluate this question one must first decide what defines a cure. Is a person cured once they no longer drink? If so AA has been providing cures for a decades, but AA itself teaches this is not a cure. AA teaches that there is no cure for alcoholism because the person will always have the urge to drink. Is a cure then when one has no urge to drink? Is a cured alcoholic capable of ever drinking again or is a cured alcoholic one who never drinks again? Without answers to these questions it is difficult to determine whether there is a known cure for alcoholism.
There is now a shot called Vivitro that alcoholics can take once a month to combat the physical withdrawal symptoms and cravings of a recovering alcoholic. The shot is used in conjunction with ongoing therapy which is meant to combat the psychological problems causing the depression and drinking. This claims to be a cure for many alcoholics, but doctors are careful to warn that this medicine is not suitable for all patients. Furthermore, one must wonder if a person who is forced to take a shot every month and attend weekly counseling in order to remain sober is truly cured. It seems to be more of an extended treatment plan than a cure. Would a true cure not allow a person to return to normal life?
Another program that claims to be a cure for alcoholism works by altering the chemistry of the brain and turning on the same feel good reaction that alcohol produces without the alcohol. This is done through the use of herbs and vitamins. Interestingly, this "cure" does not promise to stop the alcoholic from drinking. In fact, this program promises that the person will in the end be capable of social drinking without addiction. This is a controversial program as it chemically alters the brain. If it produces the same effects in the brain as alcohol might it not cause the same dangerous effects of brain damage? It has been proven that people can and do become addicted to their own endorphins and often as an effect they become unable to truly experience joy. This program has yet to be backed by the medical community but in a case study was found to have at least decreased the amount of drinking in most of their clients. Does this constitute a cure? If the patients were truly cured would they still have the urge to drink?
If there is a true cure for alcoholism it seems that the cure too has negative side effects. Also, the alcoholic seems to always have an urge to continue drinking no matter which "cure" is used as treatment. As such, abstinence from drinking seems to still be the best therapy. AA seems to be correct in their belief that an alcoholic is never truly cured but simply recovering or in remission.
By : Stanford Smith
Read More..
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
How to Quit Smoking
Stopping smoking is the single most significant lifestyle change you can make to improve your health both today and tomorrow. Soon after you quit, your circulation begins to improve, and your blood pressure starts to return to normal. Now is a good time to substitute healthy habits for your unhealthy smoking.
You've heard all of the warnings. Quitting smoking is tough and remaining quit is tougher, but is certainly worth the effort (and anger and hunger and tears). There is no point in sugar-coating it - it is a painful process. It's hard because your body becomes addicted to the nicotine in tobacco. Giving it up is more than just kicking a bad habit.
Stopping smoking is possible. Every year two million Americans stop smoking. Quitting is a process, not an action. It is something that will be tough at times and remarkably simple at others.
Many hardcore smokers end up quitting after years and years of heavy smoking. Smokers may have a physical addiction to nicotine, the substance found in cigarettes. Another reason could be a psychological addiction to having something in their hands or mouth, or an addiction to a routine that includes smoking cigarettes at different times throughout the day.
All in all, it's not an easy task and many people struggle for years as they try to quit. Most former smokers made several attempts to quit before they were finally successful. It took a while to learn to smoke; it takes a while to learn not to smoke. Quitting your smoking habit is both a mental and a physical undertaking. Mentally, you should be ready and relatively stress-free.
Smokers who want to quit are constantly looking for the best advice and techniques that will help them quit for real this time. Quitting is worth 10 percent off all future doctor bills. Smokers who quit at younger ages realize greater life extensions. The few kilos gained after quitting smoking is not as bad as it sounds. Smoking cessation represents the single most important step that smokers can take to better the length and quality of their lives.
Analogically speaking, quitting smoking is like taking a chair leg away - the chair will always be wobbly unless you put something in its place. Putting an end to smoking, is far and away the single most powerful step you.
By : Brian Schwartz
Read More..
You've heard all of the warnings. Quitting smoking is tough and remaining quit is tougher, but is certainly worth the effort (and anger and hunger and tears). There is no point in sugar-coating it - it is a painful process. It's hard because your body becomes addicted to the nicotine in tobacco. Giving it up is more than just kicking a bad habit.
Stopping smoking is possible. Every year two million Americans stop smoking. Quitting is a process, not an action. It is something that will be tough at times and remarkably simple at others.
Many hardcore smokers end up quitting after years and years of heavy smoking. Smokers may have a physical addiction to nicotine, the substance found in cigarettes. Another reason could be a psychological addiction to having something in their hands or mouth, or an addiction to a routine that includes smoking cigarettes at different times throughout the day.
All in all, it's not an easy task and many people struggle for years as they try to quit. Most former smokers made several attempts to quit before they were finally successful. It took a while to learn to smoke; it takes a while to learn not to smoke. Quitting your smoking habit is both a mental and a physical undertaking. Mentally, you should be ready and relatively stress-free.
Smokers who want to quit are constantly looking for the best advice and techniques that will help them quit for real this time. Quitting is worth 10 percent off all future doctor bills. Smokers who quit at younger ages realize greater life extensions. The few kilos gained after quitting smoking is not as bad as it sounds. Smoking cessation represents the single most important step that smokers can take to better the length and quality of their lives.
Analogically speaking, quitting smoking is like taking a chair leg away - the chair will always be wobbly unless you put something in its place. Putting an end to smoking, is far and away the single most powerful step you.
By : Brian Schwartz
Read More..
Monday, August 11, 2008
Alcoholism Addiction Treatment – What Really Works?
Any kind of addiction is and has always been difficult to treat. This is true also for alcohol addiction. Alcoholism is today, the most common form of addiction one of the most common forms of addiction. According to recent statistics, more than 18 million Americans are addicted to alcohol, but sadly, only a small percentage of them accept this fact and seek alcoholism addiction treatment. Successful alcohol treatment requires the analysis of different aspects of the addiction and treating each aspect on the basis of its merit.
There are various kinds of treatment available for alcoholism addiction. Some of these like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) have been practiced for years while others are comparatively new and developing. According to a study conducted by NIAA, self help programs like AA, psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy are the most effective ones, either alone or in combination, in reducing the use of alcohol.
In the AA alcohol treatment program, participants engage in a series of mental, written and verbal activities that lead to recovery and abstinence. The basis behind AA is to provide a new social network to the alcoholic from his usual group of drinking buddies and a fellowship that inspires motivation and lends support to push them towards reaching and maintaining abstinence. It also provides certain constructive steps to the alcoholic to help his turn his mind away from alcohol when under stress.
Several other alcoholism treatments have shown promising results and are currently being actively developed. These include Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET); couples therapy; Brief Intervention Therapy; dual-addiction treatment; and pharmacotherapy.
While all of the above methods do help, alcoholism addiction treatment can only be successful when a number of factors are investigated and brought under control. The first and perhaps the most important step is to get the alcoholic to admit he/she has a problem with alcohol. Unless and until this is recognized, the desire to recover from the addiction will never really take root.
Another important factor for alcoholism addiction treatment to be successful is the full and undivided attention and willpower of the patient. There are multiple factors at play with alcoholism but willpower and support from those around the patient including family and friends have a great impact on the overall results of the chosen alcoholism addiction treatment.
Using proven methods of evaluating medical therapies, research has revealed many effective treatments that help people stop drinking and maintain abstinence. But the first step must always come from the patient.
By : Ian Koch
Read More..
There are various kinds of treatment available for alcoholism addiction. Some of these like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) have been practiced for years while others are comparatively new and developing. According to a study conducted by NIAA, self help programs like AA, psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy are the most effective ones, either alone or in combination, in reducing the use of alcohol.
In the AA alcohol treatment program, participants engage in a series of mental, written and verbal activities that lead to recovery and abstinence. The basis behind AA is to provide a new social network to the alcoholic from his usual group of drinking buddies and a fellowship that inspires motivation and lends support to push them towards reaching and maintaining abstinence. It also provides certain constructive steps to the alcoholic to help his turn his mind away from alcohol when under stress.
Several other alcoholism treatments have shown promising results and are currently being actively developed. These include Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET); couples therapy; Brief Intervention Therapy; dual-addiction treatment; and pharmacotherapy.
While all of the above methods do help, alcoholism addiction treatment can only be successful when a number of factors are investigated and brought under control. The first and perhaps the most important step is to get the alcoholic to admit he/she has a problem with alcohol. Unless and until this is recognized, the desire to recover from the addiction will never really take root.
Another important factor for alcoholism addiction treatment to be successful is the full and undivided attention and willpower of the patient. There are multiple factors at play with alcoholism but willpower and support from those around the patient including family and friends have a great impact on the overall results of the chosen alcoholism addiction treatment.
Using proven methods of evaluating medical therapies, research has revealed many effective treatments that help people stop drinking and maintain abstinence. But the first step must always come from the patient.
By : Ian Koch
Read More..
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
What Is A Panic Attack?
It is normal, natural and common to get panicky from time to time. You may be late for work, think you can hear a burglar downstairs, or be ready to sit an exam. These feelings are normal and pass fairly quickly. They are simply down to our ‘flight or fight’ responses that our body has been equipped with to prepare for potentially threatening situations. The heart beats quicker and the digestive system closes down in order to allow the body to concentrate on the perceived threat.
A panic attack has similarities with this, but there are notable differences. A panic attack often occurs when there is no obvious physical threat, and the feelings are stronger than ‘normal’ panic. However panic attacks are not dangerous and therefore nothing bad is actually going to happen to you. It is very important that you accept this. It is simply like a false alarm – like an annoying smoke detector that goes off at the wrong times. The problem is that our ‘alarm system’ was designed millions of years ago when we had many more potential dangers to deal with. We have a lot less potential threats to deal with now, but our body does not know this. Instead today we also have lots of different stresses that we are not designed to deal with (see article on stress).
A large number of people have experienced panic attacks at some point in their lives. Some people may get them daily, whereas others may get them every few months or even years. They are fairly common and are not a sign of mental illness.
Some of the symptoms include:
Heart pounding, beating fast, or missing a beat
Chest pains
Breathing fast or feeling short of breath
Numbness or tingling in the fingers toes or lips
Feeling sick
Feeling faint
Feelings of terror
Feelings of unreality, like you are not really there
Feeling anxious in situations where you have had a panic attack before
People often think negative thoughts, which are untrue, such as:
I am having a heart attack
I am going to be sick
I cannot breath
I am going to make an idiot of myself
I have to get out of here now
After experiencing a panic attack people sometimes escape the situation and avoid it in the future. This can be detrimental and may re-enforce the fear. The mind will realise that something ‘bad’ happened the last time you were in a particular situation, and the longer you leave it before facing the situation again, the more the mind is convinced the same will happen again. This can become a self fulfilling prophecy.
It is better to quickly face the situation again, even if you need to ‘dilute’ it at first. For example if you had a panic attack in the supermarket, you may wish to initially travel to the supermarket but not even go in. For the next step you may wish to go inside, but not buy anything. Next you may wish to do a small shop, or have a friend to go round with you. After returning from these exposures, notice how you have returned and you are OK – you are still alive and well! Some of you may wish to simply return to the scene and carry on as normal. By challenging your fears you can become more in control, and the attacks should become less and less common.
It is also useful to not quickly escape the situation. If you can, try and remain in the place you are having a panic attack until it passes. This is really helpful in breaking the cycle of fear. Remind yourself that you have had panic attacks before and nothing bad is going to actually happen.
Author: Jon Rhodes
Read More..
A panic attack has similarities with this, but there are notable differences. A panic attack often occurs when there is no obvious physical threat, and the feelings are stronger than ‘normal’ panic. However panic attacks are not dangerous and therefore nothing bad is actually going to happen to you. It is very important that you accept this. It is simply like a false alarm – like an annoying smoke detector that goes off at the wrong times. The problem is that our ‘alarm system’ was designed millions of years ago when we had many more potential dangers to deal with. We have a lot less potential threats to deal with now, but our body does not know this. Instead today we also have lots of different stresses that we are not designed to deal with (see article on stress).
A large number of people have experienced panic attacks at some point in their lives. Some people may get them daily, whereas others may get them every few months or even years. They are fairly common and are not a sign of mental illness.
Some of the symptoms include:
Heart pounding, beating fast, or missing a beat
Chest pains
Breathing fast or feeling short of breath
Numbness or tingling in the fingers toes or lips
Feeling sick
Feeling faint
Feelings of terror
Feelings of unreality, like you are not really there
Feeling anxious in situations where you have had a panic attack before
People often think negative thoughts, which are untrue, such as:
I am having a heart attack
I am going to be sick
I cannot breath
I am going to make an idiot of myself
I have to get out of here now
After experiencing a panic attack people sometimes escape the situation and avoid it in the future. This can be detrimental and may re-enforce the fear. The mind will realise that something ‘bad’ happened the last time you were in a particular situation, and the longer you leave it before facing the situation again, the more the mind is convinced the same will happen again. This can become a self fulfilling prophecy.
It is better to quickly face the situation again, even if you need to ‘dilute’ it at first. For example if you had a panic attack in the supermarket, you may wish to initially travel to the supermarket but not even go in. For the next step you may wish to go inside, but not buy anything. Next you may wish to do a small shop, or have a friend to go round with you. After returning from these exposures, notice how you have returned and you are OK – you are still alive and well! Some of you may wish to simply return to the scene and carry on as normal. By challenging your fears you can become more in control, and the attacks should become less and less common.
It is also useful to not quickly escape the situation. If you can, try and remain in the place you are having a panic attack until it passes. This is really helpful in breaking the cycle of fear. Remind yourself that you have had panic attacks before and nothing bad is going to actually happen.
Author: Jon Rhodes
Read More..
Monday, July 28, 2008
Alcoholism In The Family
The effects of alcoholism in a spouse can be devastating not only for the marriage but for the children as well. Because the alcoholic spends an inordinate amount of time thinking about and consuming alcohol, it robs the other family members of his attention and love.
How can you tell if your spouse is an alcoholic? There are several signs to look for:
For an alcoholic to seek help, he has to decide himself he has a drinking problem.
Read More..
How can you tell if your spouse is an alcoholic? There are several signs to look for:
1. A history of alcoholism in the family. People inherit a hereditary predisposition for alcoholism. All of us can become addicted to alcohol if we drink enough of it, but those with a history of alcoholism in their families become addicted more easily than those without this history.
2. A history of heavy drinking. The earlier a person began to drink, the more years he has been drinking, the more frequently he drinks and the more he consumes, the more likely it is that he has become addicted to alcohol. Any amount beyond two drinks each time alcohol is consumed suggests the potential for a problem.
3. Denial about one's drinking. Alcohol has become the alcoholic's best friend because it always provides her with a high or temporary relief from stress. As a result, she will do anything to protect her use of it. Even when it is obvious to everyone else, the alcoholic will vigorously deny she has a problem. One person with a twenty year history of heavy drinking and five alcohol-related arrests told me with a straight face he didn't have a drinking problem. End of discussion. Another who admitted he had been drinking a six pack of beer every day for twenty-five years denied he was addicted to alcohol. Alcoholics show us how great is the human capacity for denial and self-delusion!
4. Problems caused by drinking. DUI arrests, bad fights at home, absenteeism at work, complaints of friends, spouses and children, medical conditions caused by drinking--all are indications that alcohol has become a serious problem.
5. Blackouts. Blackouts are a loss of memory, but not a loss of consciousness, which occur when a person is intoxicated. Others remember, perhaps all to painfully, what she did last night, but the alcoholic can't recall a thing.
6. Preoccupation with drinking. Making sure there is an adequate supply of alcohol at a party or in the house. Also, drinking before a party.
7. Gulping alcohol. Drinking quickly to get the high as soon as possible.
8. Sneaking drinks. Hiding bottles in the house.
9. Loss of control of drinking. If a person plans to stop at the local bar for two beers and often stays much longer until he's intoxicated, chances are he has a drinking problem. The bottom line question about alcohol is, "Do you control it or does it control you?"
10. Failure to stop drinking. Let's assume a person has become concerned about her drinking and so vows to stop or control it. The fact that she can't is another sign that drinking has become a serious problem for her.
For an alcoholic to seek help, he has to decide himself he has a drinking problem.
Read More..
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
