Drugs and the Mind

A drug can be defined as any substance take to modify, change, or heal something within the body.  There are both legal and illegal drugs and can be classified and put into groups according to the effects they have on the brain. 

Stimulants speed up the central nervous system.  Common stimulants are; cocaine, crack and methampetamine. 

Depressants slow down the central nervous system.  Common depressants are; valium, xanax and alcohol.

Narcotics are drugs used to relieve pain by preventing transmission of pain messages to the brain.  Common narcotics are; morphine, codeine, opium and heroin.

Club Drugs consists of a variety of different chemical compounds such as, estasy and LSD.

Addictive drugs substitute for some on the chemicals in our brain.  Taking addictive drugs too often tells the brain that the person will need more in order to feel better.  Their is a system of checks and balances in the human body, drugs and alcohol unbalance one’s natural state making them crave more and more of the drugs. 

Addiction treatment will help a person who, through addictive drugs and excessive alcohol abuse, begin to get back the checks and balances the human body natually produces.  There is help available for you or your loved one who need services a drug rehab provides.  Take the first step in overcoming the deadly cycle of addiction. 

Referral specialists will help guide you to an drug addiction treatment center especially suited to meet your needs.

Marijuana Abuse

Mary Jane, a slang name used to describe marijuana.  This term is used frequently in songs,  for example these lyrics by Rick James:

“ I’m in love with Mary Jane.
She’s my main thing.
She makes me feel alright.
She makes my heart sing”.

Many people express their opinions on Mary Jane saying that “its an herb, coming from the Earth”.  Yes, this is true and the components of this herb have many good qualities that contribute to society.  Hemp, for instance, a derivative of the Cannabis plant, has many environmental uses.  Hemp can be  used  for many things,” including being woven into jewelry, sails, paper, clothing, rope, and more. A potential substitute for fossil fuels that is renewable. Is grown quickly and takes few chemicals to grow or turn into paper, so it is a far better source for paper than trees. Also, the seeds contain more protein than any other natural non-meat food. ”  

What many users of marijuana tend to overlook is the effect that its use has on the individual as a whole.  Marijuana can lead to addiction and has effects on family, work, school and social functioning.  Users who decide to quit smoking “Mary Jane”, tend to have side effects of irritability, sleeplessness, anxiety and drug cravings.  For those who are withdrawing from marijuana during their initial entrance into drug rehab often battle with these symptoms of behavioral and emotional distress. ” Symptoms of marijuana withdrawal first appear in serious habitual users within the first 8 hours and are the most noticeable during the first 10 days, but withdrawal symptoms may last as long as 45 days The withdrawal from marijuana is identifiable by behavioral and emotional distress.”

One popular  means of achieving the same high of marijuana, especially for those who are on probation or parole,  is smoking K2,  synthetic cannibas.  Many states are now, through legislation, trying to ban the use of K2 because of the danger it imposes.  K2 has been known to contribute to many being hospitilized due to the chemicals that are being added.   This marijuana substitute is another example of the extreme measures one will go to get high and escape.

Addiction treatment will help you or your loved one begin to cope with life on life’s terms instead of trying to escape through substance abuse.  The education one will recieve when going to drug rehab gives the marijuana user new life skills that enable one to cope with the up’s and down’s that life is.  Everyone has different ways of coping, but for the drug abuser it’s trying to fill that void with a substance that only discourages personal and spiritual growth and destroys the potential of living a successful life and being a productive member of society. 

Discourage anyone from abusing harmful drugs. Educate oneself on the harmful effects of drugs and alcohol and start ta new life through the powerful resources that are available through addiction treatment.

If you or someone you know is suffering from addiction, drug rehab is available to secure free from drugs and alcohol. 

Sources:  

http://gapublicsafety.blogspot.com/2010/03/warning-to-parents-about-synthetic.html

http://www.nida.nih.gov/Infofacts/marijuana.html

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=mary+jane

K2-Marijuana Substitute

 In Atlanta, Georgia, a teen age boy was hospitalized and fell into a coma; overdosing by smoking K2, a synthetic marijuana substitute.   K2 has become a popular form for teens throughout Georgia, as well as, many other states.  The herbal mixture of K2 is blue lotus, baybean and a number of other herbs.  The danger in this is that the herbs are chemically altered which can cause adverse reactions as was the case in Atlanta. 

 “ K2 does not get its potent effects from these herbs, but from two synthesized cannabinoids that are added to the mixture. Synthetic cannabinoids are very closely related to tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the chemical in marijuana which causes users to get high. However, because the chemicals in K2 are slightly different than THC, they are not covered by existing drug laws”. 

“Users of the drug say K2’s effects are almost identical to those of marijuana, but there are some slight differences. K2 produces less of a mental high and a much more notable body high than smoking marijuana. The effects are in some ways more similar to the high from eating marijuana rather than smoking it.”

There is no substitute for the high of life.  Up’s and down’s of life  will occur, but the quick fix of a high only detaines those feeling for a moment.  Eventually one will have to either deal with life or continue to substitute.   Chemicals only offer false reality and hope, legal or not.  Addiction treatment can help reverse the need for a substitute and help you discover what life can offer free from drugs. 

Source 

gateway drug

For those who are suffering with addiction, there is one drug that always, when used, leads them to the drug that has been their downfall.  This is what is called the gateway drug; the drug that acts as a portal from a lesser drug to harder drugs.  For many this gateway drug is marijuana or alcohol.  The theory is that the drug addict will use less harmful deleterious drugs will lead to the use of hard drugs and or crime.  The fact is that hard drug users will move from one drug to another, while continuing to use the drug that led them to the harder drugs.  Making a clean break from all drug use is the only way to stay and remain clean.  The drug addict must know that there is no justification in saying that drugs, such as marijuana is okay to use because it is not really a drug.  The truth is that marijuana is a drug and it is harmful to the body.   Drug rehabilitation will help you clean your body from all drugs, provide education and offer tools of successful living.  You can  have success in drug treatment by being willing to work hard, stay focused on yourself, and in your service to others. Addiction treatment is an effective resource for keeping you clean of hard drugs and keeping the urge of using the gateway drug from your mind.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, using prescription drugs for nonmedical use is on the rise.  An estimated 20 percent of Americans have abused prescription drugs for this purpose.  The most commonly abused prescription drugs are painkillers, sedatives and stimulatnts.  The NIDA also states that in 2007 nearly 15 percent of high school seniors were abusing prescription drugs.  The most popular prescriptions being abused are the painkillers OxyContin and Vicodin, as well as, stimulants such as Ritalin.  What is the cause of this increase?  The NIDA states that accessibility is the number one reason for this increase:  stimulant use is almost 37 million and the use of painkillers is at nearly 180 million (according to 2007 documentation).  Most people who are prescribed these drugs use them for there intended purpose.  However, because of their popularity the prescriptions can and do get into the hands of those who sell them on the street and in our schools making drug abuse more rampant leading to those abusers to become addicts.

If it were easy to stop using and abusing prescription drugs no one would become addicted to them; unfortunately, this is not the case.  Please, do not hesitate to get help in freeing yourself or your loved one in the suffering of addiction to prescription medications.  Help for addiction treatment referral  is just a phone call or a click away.  Visit the “Get Help” page on this website and start your path to freedom.

Break the cycle of addiction

Drugs are essentially pain-killers. They cover up emotional and physical pain, providing the user with a temporary and illusionary escape from life.

When a person is unable to cope with some aspect of their reality and is introduced to drugs, they feel they have perhaps solved the problem itself.

The more a person uses drugs or alcohol, the more inflated the problem becomes. More problems are created by their use.

This becomes the center of their focus. Soon enough the person feels the need to use consistently, and will do anything to get high.

Drug rehab will help put a new focus on life for you or your loved one.  Our referral specialists will help guide you to effective addiction treatment.

Crack

Crack and freebase are forms of cocaine made by chemically altering it to a purer, cheaper form suitable for smoking in a pipe. Because of the increase in purity, crack and freebase are more lethal than cocaine, also due to a direct route to the brain via the lungs it is more addictive. Users call it crack for the cracking sound it makes when smoked. Other users call it rock, for its similarity to small chips of stone.

What Are The Effects Of Crack And Freebase?

Inhaled through a pipe, crack and freebase reach the lungs and brain faster than regular cocaine, which must be absorbed in the blood from membrane tissue. Crack and freebase effects are dramatic. The euphoria is greater, the depression more severe. The side effects are even more dangerous, and the chances of dependence are significantly higher. What is Speedball? A Speedball is cocaine/crack mixed with heroin. This highly addictive mixture is emerging as the drug of choice among some abusers. Cocaine users use speedball’s to prevent the depression after they have used cocaine or crack. The result: they become addicted to both cocaine/crack and heroin. 

Addiction treatment is available for those who are suffering from the abuse of cocaine, crack, heroin or any drug that keeps one from being a productive to themselves their family and friends and their community.  If you  or someone you know needs help, our referral specialists will guide you to effective drug rehabilitation where freedom from the cycle of addiction can be discovered.

Methamphetamine is an amphetamine derivative. In 1919 methamphetamine was first produced in Japan. During the 1940s the Japanese government distributed methamphetamine pills to soldiers, sailors and pilots as well as to arms factory workers, to mobilize all their reserves for the war effort. Pilots routinely used the drug to remain awake and alert for long periods on long distance bombing missions or kamikaze missions. Common slang terms for methamphetamine are “Crystal, Crystal-Meth, Chalk, Ice, Glass, Crank,” or “Speed.” A potent illegal drug methamphetamine is commonly a white crystalline powder, but can be different colors depending on various methods of manufacturing. Methamphetamine can also be in pill form, clear crystals (ice) or liquid form. It can be smoked, sniffed, injected, or taken orally. Methamphetamine was taken extensively in the 1950s to help keep truckers awake, college students alert, and athletes on edge. Eventually, doctors realized the danger of the drug. During the 1980s, methamphetamine abuse skyrocketed. Its popularity has continued to climb and today has reached epidemic proportions.