Heroin Addiction: The Signs and Symptoms

Heroin is an addictive drug which belongs to the opiate family, and includes any morphine-based medication. The drug is derived from the poppy plant and known by the chemical name diacetylmorphine. Becoming addicted to heroin can happen the very first time a person uses the drug and heroin is one of the most difficult to conquer.

Many people who are addicted to heroin will agree that using only one time can result in full-blown addiction and when the drug is not used, withdrawal sets in so a person is driven to use more. Like many other drugs, heroin can be smoked, snorted or injected into the vein. Users prefer the injection route because of the immediate effects produced and injecting is the most common way the drug is used.

Heroin has a unique way of working on the human body and acts upon the central nervous system. The effects of heroin begin within approximately seven seconds and can last for several hours. Using heroin results in the user feeling extreme euphoria and elation, which is what makes the drug so initially appealing. Only after a person suffers from a full-blown heroin addiction is the situation recognized as being grave and serious.

Immediately after being used, heroin enters the blood-brain barrier and is converted into morphine. Once the initial euphoria has subsided, a person will experience a dry mouth, sweating, skin flushing and paranoia. Later, the person can be prone to episodes of vomiting, itching and tremors and much worse. Heroin also acts as a sedative and will make the user fatigued and sleepy for a period of many hours. The drug also interferes with cognitive abilities and as a person is impaired, the situation graduates into respiratory and breathing rates slowing down.

The worst part of using heroin is the highly pleasurable feelings imparted to the user are what lure countless numbers of people to try the drug. Heroin gets into the body quickly and because of how good it makes a person feel, they want to do more and more of the drug. Dependency and tolerance develop almost immediately and the cravings will take over and the person is prone to doing anything to be able to use heroin.

Long-term physical damage that occurs from an addiction to heroin includes brain, heart and central nervous system damage. Kidney, liver and lung damage, secondary infections, abscesses and bone problems such as osteoarthritis and arthritis are also common due to long-term heroin abuse.

Withdrawal from heroin is a serious situation which requires monitoring by a skilled team of medical professionals. Within hours of last ingesting heroin, a person will become violently ill and display a number of possibly life-threatening symptoms such as rapid and strong body movements, convulsions and severe vomiting. Heroin addiction is one of the most common and rapidly rising forms of drug addiction in the country. Without the right professional help a person suffering from an addiction to this drug can experience an overdose and die.

Sexual Addiction-A less talked about addiction

SEXUAL ADDICTION

Introduction

Sexual Addiction refers to an unusually intense sex drive or an obsession with sex. This can basically be classified as an OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder). Sexual addicts are unable to manage their sexual behavior. Sexual addiction is also referred to as “Hyper sexuality”, “Sexual compulsivity” and also “Sexual dependency”. The sex addict’s thinking and thought process are dominated by the thought of Sex. This domination reduces the effectiveness of the addict’s functioning. This also limits his capabilities of handling relationships often making it impossible for him to get involved in a healthy personal relationship.

Like all other addictions and disorders, sexual addiction’s negative impact on the addict and on the family members increases as the disorder progresses thereby creating disturbances in relationships. Eventually, the addict has to increase his sexual behavior to get the same results as earlier. Sexual addiction causes fuzzy thinking in the addicts. This makes them to justify their behavior always and also to put the blame on others for problems. They deny having sexual addiction and try to explain their behavior.

Sexual addiction also provokes the addicts to get involved in various forms of sexual activities without having concern for the potential negative consequences it may have. Sexual addiction has been defined by the National Council on Sexual Addiction and Compulsivity as “engaging in persistent and escalating patterns of sexual behavior acted out despite increasing negative consequences to self and others”. This means that a sex addict will continue to involve himself in some sexual activities despite having the chance of facing problems like financial problems, health risks, shattered relationships or even arrest.

Associated behavior with Sexual Addiction

Usually, a sex addict gets little gratification as he doesn’t form any kind of emotional bond with his partners. Generally, people having sexual addiction consider their partners as just things to use for the little satisfaction they attain. Feelings of guilt and shame are also associated with persons having sexual addiction. Also, a lack of control over their behavior is associated with sexual addicts.
For some sex addicts, behavior does not progress beyond compulsive masturbation or the extensive use of pornography or phone or computer sex services. For others, sexual addiction can involve illegal activities such as exhibitionism, voyeurism, obscene phone calls, child molestation or even rape.
Other behaviors include:
• Compulsive masturbation (self-stimulation)
• Multiple affairs (extra-marital affairs)
• Multiple or anonymous sexual partners and/or one-night stands
• Consistent use of pornography
• Unsafe sex
• Phone or computer sex (cybersex)
• Prostitution or use of prostitutes
• Exhibitionism
• Obsessive dating through personal ads
• Voyeurism (watching others) and/or stalking
• Sexual harassment
• Molestation/rape
• Compulsive fixation of an unattainable partner
• Compulsive searching for multiple partners
• Compulsive love relationships
• Compulsive sexuality in relationships
Sex addicts are not necessarily sex offenders. Furthermore, not every sex offender is a victim of sexual addiction. As a rough estimate, only 55% of all convicted sex offenders can be considered as sex addicts. About 71% of all child molesters are sex addicts. Society has accepted that sex offenders act not for sexual gratification, but rather out of a disturbed need for power, dominance, control or revenge, or a perverted expression of anger.
How to treat Sexual Addiction?

The same kind of compulsive disorder that gives way for alcohol or drug addictions in people is typical of sexual addiction. People are increasingly being provoked to engage in illicit sexual behavior and also more and more people are in the need of help. Most of the sexual addicts deny that they have sexual addiction. The victim needs to accept and admit that he or she has a problem. In most cases, a major event such as a financial loss, health crisis or break up of a relationship leads the addict to admit that he has sexual addiction.

Treatment of sexual addiction focuses on controlling the compulsive behavior and developing a healthy sexuality. Education about healthy sexuality, individual counseling are also part of the treatment. Support groups and recovery programs are also available for people suffering from sexual addiction. Medications like Prozac and Anafranil are also prescribed if necessary. Many drug rehabs have also started programs for rehabilitation of sexual addicts.

Dual Diagnosis-Understanding More About

What is Dual Diagnosis?

Dual Diagnosis is a term often used to describe the co morbid situation where the patient is suffering from both mental illness and drug and/or alcohol addiction. This can be used generally, for example depression and alcoholism, or it can also refer to critical mental illness paired with substance abuse (like vicodin abuse). The term dual diagnosis is also interchangeably used with the terms co-occurring illnesses, co-morbidity, co morbid disorders, co-occurring disorder, concurrent disorders and dual disorder.
People having dual diagnosis often are victims to a wide range of psychosocial issues and they also may have multiple interacting illnesses. Now-a-days, dual diagnosis is often being referred to as “co-occurring disorders” or psychiatric/emotional illnesses and co-occurring substance abuse disorders.
Causes for Dual Diagnosis
When a person is affected by substance abuse and/or alcohol abuse and a severe psychiatric/emotional illness, it leads to dual diagnosis. In dual diagnosis condition, both illnesses will affect the victim psychologically, physically, spiritually and also socially. The symptoms of dual diagnosis interfere with the patient’s ability to function effectively. In dual diagnosis, the situation is very critical as the victim is not only affected by two separate illnesses but they interact with each other (multiple interacting illnesses). The illnesses aggravate each other and each disorder influences the relapse in the other disorder. Also there is a chance that one disorder masks the other disorder’s symptoms which makes it even more difficult for treatment.
The victim may not acknowledge one disorder and may just try to recover from one disorder. As the victim overlooks his or her psychological illness, that illness may return. This recurrence can influence the victim to try and “self-medicate” himself through drug usage. Feelings of failure and social withdrawal may rise due to the lack of any progress overtime and this affects the victim’s self-esteem which may again lead to substance abuse.
Prevalence

According to a US study which made attempts to find the prevalence of dual diagnosis found that 47% of people who had schizophrenia had dealt with substance misuse at some point in their life. Also, they had found that there is a higher chance among people with serious mental illnesses to become addicted to drugs and/or alcohol.

Another study showed that among 187 people with mental illnesses, around a third were involved with substance abuse, alcohol addiction or drug usage on a regular basis.

Also, a UK study’s results showed that prevalence rates of dual diagnosis were 33% for the substance abuse, 20% for alcohol misuse only and 5% for drug misuse only.

Consequences of dual diagnosis
A variety of problems are possible as a result of a dual diagnosis. For example:
• Psychiatric symptoms may be covered up or masked by alcohol or drug use.
• Alcohol or drug use or the withdrawal from alcohol or other drugs can mimic or give the appearance of some psychiatric illness.
• Untreated chemical dependency can contribute to a reoccurrence of psychiatric symptoms.
• Untreated psychiatric illness can contribute to an alcohol or drug relapse.
• Family problems or problems in intimate relationships.
• Isolation and social withdrawal.
• Financial problems.
• Employment or school problems.
• High risk behavior while driving.
• Multiple admission for chemical dependency services due to relapse.
• Multiple admissions for psychiatric care.
• Increased emergency room admissions.
• Increased need for health care services.
• Legal problems and possible incarceration.
• Homelessness.
Diagnosis & Treatment
A single type of dual diagnosis isn’t present. The reason is that there are several types of psychiatric illness. Also there are many forms of alcohol or substance abuse. Due to this, the possibility of different forms of dual or multiple disorders is present.
It almost used to be impossible to treat people suffering from dual diagnosis. Drug rehabs won’t take people with severe psychiatric illnesses and psychiatric treatment centers don’t have the amenities to rehabilitate substance abusers.

Now, there are various treatment centers to treat people suffering from dual diagnosis. Christian drug treatment centers are present to rehabilitate people from drug usage and bring back sobriety in their lives and at the same time, they inculcate a deep sense of faith in people’s minds. They have a Christ-centered approach and respond kindly to their patients/clients. Dual diagnosis can effectively be treated when you are at a Christian drug treatment center.

Christian Drug Rehab Setting Higher Standards

Christian Drug Rehab Transformations Drug and Alcohol Treatment Center is utilizing service work or volunteering opportunities to increase the well being among their clients. The clients at Transformations are helping the homeless, visiting seniors, cleaning up the beaches and other volunteer assignments. The program has been implemented to show clients that recovery is more than just remaining abstinent from drugs and alcohol. Transformations is teaching clients that recovery is giving back to the community and helping people who may be less fortunate.