Long Ago and Far Away

I suppose my presence at this web space is sort of summed up by the phrase, "long ago and far away," because there are so many gaps in time between my posts!

I've posted so long ago - and have been so far away - HOWEVER - I'm still clean and sober with no  relapse mistakes... 10 and a half clean-time years!

When I started this blog, I was pretty sure I'd stay sober a long time, but have to admit I'm still a little surprised at hitting the 10 year mark... what, with so many of my "temporarily clean" peers who relapsed around me during this past decade. I've had a lot of relationships "tank" and caused the end of a great many of these, myself... I've had to chose sobriety over friendships on a number of occasions.

Boundary setting has been my more difficult work,  however, I've "done the work" and allow very few individuals around me for any length of time who engage in social substance use.

I think some people assume that once a person is clean for quite a while, being around booze/social use of substances becomes tolerable... my weigh-in on that subject is...

Neh!    Maybe yes for some, but no, it's not true for me.

I understand that some peers of mine can drink or even smoke the green stuff occasionally without being called addicts, so I can tolerate a very short burst of watching someone else drink and have fun and then I still enact my "plan b" (escape the situation/leave) - not so much because I am temped to use but because the social drinkers start getting silly, louder, and I NOTICE this more than ever now. I just have limited tolerance now of being around people engaged in social substance use and I think that's okay - however I'll call back to what I said earlier,I've "caused the end of a great many" relationships.

All in all, at this 10 year point in my sobriety journey, I have finally stopped thinking of myself as "a drinker" - rather - An abstaining drinker or a person who can't drink when I am out, say, with a friend at a restaurant when the waitress/waitor asks if I'd like a beer/drink special with my food order... I actually say, in my head "no, I don't drink, I'm not interested" and reply to the server accordingly.

In a long ago, far away place and time during my early recovery, when in a similar social situation as mentioned above, my self talk was more like, "No! I'm not allowed to ever drink again," and "No, I can't let myself drink," or sometimes, "If the waiter forgets I said no to booze and he asks me about ordering again, I'm going to have to run out of here." Haha! I can still remember the fear of  relapse, fear of making a mistake, the worry that went along with going to eat in a restaurant that might be a licensed establishment... and I'm grateful that now, I truly feel in my mind, heart and spirit, that "No, I do not desire a beverage with alcohol in it."

There are actually a few alcohol free beverages I can not drink today because my taste-buds play tricks on me... lime cola and one of the tomato/vegetable juice mixes are beverages that are completely free of alcohol but I cannot drink them. I swear they taste like they're spiked with booze to me, so maybe this is a good trick my taste-buds are playing on me.

To anyone still in that fist-clenching, sweaty-brow, clean under 30 days stage of early recovery... YES, it does get better, being clean! Hang in there - take care of yourself. The days, months will add up (stop trying to count them too often - they will pass whether you count them or not!), and in a while, you'll be able to look back on things, in general and feel like your active addiction is long ago and far away - and it won't have a hold on you anymore...

Stay well, all~~

Unbelievable Case of Ecstasy Damage

I've just been reading a report on a case study involving MDMA (3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine or Ecstasy) use in a man only known as "Mr. A" from the U.K.

Now, the report isn't that new - it's from 2006 - but it still contains some extremely frightening information on the drug, Ecstasy, and its possible long-term effects.

The case study involves a man in England who quit using the drug after several years of steady use. He went to professionals at St. George's Medical School in Tooting, London England UK for help. He had quit using the drug several months earlier but still felt like he was under the influence of the drug when he was desperate to get help for his problem.

At the time of publication of this report, Mr. A. had not taken MDMA/Ecstasy for 7 years but was still suffering with severe mental health and physical health side-effects of the drug. Some of the side-effects listed were: paranoia, depression, hallucinations and memory problems. As far as physical effects, Mr. A. still suffered with severe and painful muscle rigidity at his neck and jaw - sometimes so pronounced that opening his mouth was impossible.

What is worse is that medical professionals (in 2006, anyway) believed there was a high possibility that these effects would be permanent.

Mr. A's MDMA drug use:

Started around age 21, whereby he would take approximately 5 doses per weekend, on average. He continued this way for about 2 years then started to increase the amount and frequency of drug use until he was ingesting approximately 3 and a half pills per day for a while. He increased this dosage further until he was, at a peak time of addiction, taking a whopping 25 pills per day! He took this dosage, daily, for about FOUR YEARS!

Professionals have calculated the number of pills Mr. A. probably took overall and come up with an astounding sum of 40,000 pills!

You can read the rest of the article yourself from the link below:

The strange case of the man who took 40,000 ecstasy pills in nine years This article is from guardian . co . uk website.

Mr. A. was also a heavy cannabis user. A few of his symptoms became a little less serious when he acted upon doctors' suggestions to stop using cannabis - but overall, his memory and concentration difficulties persisted. Some of the hallucinations and paranoia were stopped or lessened by his avoidance of cannabis.

He started treatment with specialists in brain injuries and, for a while, went on anti-psychotic medication but unfortunately, Mr. A. discharged himself prematurely from treatment (according to a Dr Kouimtsidis). Mr. A. went back to cannabis use and the doctors and specialists 'lost him.'

Here's a statement (remember, this was published in 2006):

"Unfortunately, he discharged himself before we were able to complete the assessment," says Dr Kouimtsidis. "We continued to support him. But he started to use cannabis again and he dropped out. We tried to re-engage him but we lost him about a year ago."

The Guardian site where this article is published attempted to find Mr. A., as well, in order to re-connect him with treatment, but The Guardian couldn't find the man.

This article shocked me in its entirety because I've known people to have overdosed and ended up in the hospital for taking just less than 25 tablets of ecstacy! This article tells of a man who, quite regularly, dosed himself up on 25 pills on a daily basis.

Obviously, not without extremely harmful - probably life-long - damage...

eCourse Temporarily Unavailable

I apologize for the delay in announcing that the eCourse offered in the sidebar is not available right now. I'm acquiring some different webspace over the holidays (the old site is gone) and will arrange to place the lesson mailers on the new space. The lessons should be available early in the New Year.

Thank you for your patience.

teeray~~

Stampede Craziness 2008

Well, it's Stampede time again in Calgary! This means

The booze is flowing freely. Not to mention all the GAMBLING that comes along with midway games at The Calgary Exhibition and Stampede.

A few tips if you're trying to stay clean and sober during the Stampede 10 days of festivities:

* Check in with (clean) friends often - to jog the 'accountability' part of you
* Don't be afraid to break certain plans during Stampede week - if you're simply not up to an appearance over on the grounds and Midway, it is better not to push your luck
* Go onto the grounds and midway EARLY in the day before partiers start up in full force
* Go to evening events with someone you trust to also 'stay clean and sober' - the added support and understanding will be very helpful
* Remember that The Stampede offers every kind of beverage, so if you get stuck in a situation with booze/drugs all around - SAY NO to the booze and ORDER something safe
* If someone buys you something 'unsafe,' simply return it!
* Be well rested before you ever set foot on the Stampede site or at a Stampede activity where booze/drugs might be present - remember H-A-L-T...(Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired - these 'states' of being are when addicts are most vulnerable)
* On the same note as above - eat properly before you attend Stampede events - and try to CONTINUE to eat decent foods while on-site at the Stampede

These are just a few things that might be helpful - protect your sobriety!

Coupla Jokes

I was needing some 'comic relief'

Here are some jokes I found when I searched online for some comedic 'distractions' in my life.

You may or may not find these 'cute' but I like 'em!

1. An Alabama State trooper stops a guy in a pick-up truck over on route I-90. The officer asks the driver,

"Got any ID?"

The driver responds,

"ID 'bout what?"

:)

2. A couple of tourists were driving through Louisiana until they approached a sign that said the town of Natchitoches was immediately up ahead. Upon trying to pronounce the name, they got in an argument. Since they couldn't decide who was right, and it was lunchtime anyway, they drove into the town to have lunch - still arguing about the pronunciation of the name.

At the restaurant, as the travellers waited at the counter, a waiter seated them at a table - and STILL - the tourists argued. When the waiter returned to take their order, one of the travellers said,

"Before we order, could you settle a disagreement we've been having? Could you pronounce the place where we are, and pronounce it very slowly so we can catch the name properly? We've been arguing about this ever since we saw the sign along the highway."

The waiter, with an extremely puzzled look on his face, said,

"Sure...
You say it...
'Burrrrrrrrrrrr-gurrrrrrrrr-Kiiiiinnnnnnnnng!"

Haha!

No Thank You - No Green Beer For Me

St. Patrick's Day is almost upon us!

A lot of people, Irish or not, celebrate this special day by having a few drinks.

What's more - pubs and restaurants put colouring into the beer to make it GREEN, the obvious colour dedicated to St. Patrick's Day items.

On St. Patrick's Day, once it fully rrrrrrrrolls around, I will be having a couple of cups of Green Tea, instead of Green-spiked alcoholic beverages and beer.

Although some people don't make too big a deal out of this festive day, a whole lot of people do, and for many, St. Patrick's Day celebrations don't happen WITHOUT alcohol being present. For this reason, St. Patty's Day is often a difficult time for recovering addicts. Many of their friends and family members will probably still celebrate by drinking green beer or green cocktails, and recovering addicts will do well to steer clear of festive individuals if this is possible, unless a safety plan is enacted.

There are a couple of posts already on this blog about "safety planning," so if you don't normally plan ahead and you're a recovering addict who has wondered how to deal with celebrations (I mean, you can't tell all people that they can't drink because YOU no longer drink, right?), scroll around a bit. If you've been trying to figure out how to get through festive events and occasions more smoothly, where alcohol will be present, just remember that you can plan ahead and be prepared for the fact that alcohol might literally be placed in your face during holiday and celebratory situations.

There is still no need to drink/do drugs, no matter how much people coax that you share in the celebration.

Just say, "No Thank You - No Green Beer For Me."

If this will be difficult - practice before the day hits!

According To The DSM-IV

According to the Diagnostics and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fourth Edition),

Addiction is recognized by 3 basic stages:

1. Preoccupation/Anticipation

2. Binge/Intoxication

3. Withdrawal/Negative effect

The following characteristics are typical of each stage:

1. Preoccupation/Anticipation:
Cravings (sometimes constant) and preoccupation with acquiring drugs/alcohol
2. Binge/Intoxication:
Using more of a substance than is necessary, using a substance beyond
experiencing slight intoxicating effects (using beyond calming down, socializing,
or relaxing, and actually getting stoned or drunk instead)
3. Withdrawal/Negative effect:
Experiencing intolerance, withdrawal symptoms, losing motivation for normal
activities in life (hangovers, shakes, planning on partying instead of spending
quality time with family and friends - selecting friends and family who party
while rejecting or ignoring those who do not)

It is believed that addiction has a biological as well as psychological basis
(some will go further and say addiction affects the person and body wholly, also in spiritual and emotional ways - and also that addiction and addicts affect the community).

There are varying opinions, of couse, however, no discipline that I am aware of DISCOUNTS addiction as partly out of control of the addict at advanced stages.

For this reason - it is important for addicts (and those who want to support addicts and see
them recover from addiction) - to realize that a change of behavior (behavior correction) as well as change in thinking/perception will have to occur, on a long-term basis, in order for the addict to get better.

This is not a matter of simply taking away the booze/drugs/substance/habit, and with addictions like food addictions and shopping addictions, it is particularly difficult for some people to improve quickly. Food needs to be eaten, shopping needs to occur, therefore a concerted effort must be made to change habits on many levels.

If you recognize yourself or a loved one who fits one of the stages above, please educate yourself about addiction and recovery. It doesn't matter if you notice someone (or yourself) at only 'stage one' preoccupation/anticipation. Without correction, behaviors, habits, and addiction itself only progresses to the next stages.

On the right side-bar, about half-way down the blog, are recovery organization links, including links for 12-step sexual addiction recovery, phobics, gamblers and other recovery.

Any habit that gets out of hand can become a behavioral and mind problem called addiction.

Please, take care of yourself.

Interesting Clips From TV Show "Intervention"

I was browsing around YouTube and found that a fan of the TV show, Intervention has put together a series of clips from the show.

There are some graphic clips, so if you're worried about being affected by these, move along...

...the clips are just over 5 minutes long...by about the 3 minute mark, the images aren't quite as graphic and involve scenes of the addict being brought to a counselling room to discuss treatment intervention.




The reason I have posted this video, graphic and all though it is - is because I was quite overwhelmed as to the number of YouTube videos on-site that are labelled 'Intervention' but are actually making light of the topic of addiction and addiction intervention.

People need to see the REAL effects of addiction - on both the addict and families. I realize the graphic nature of the video above might be 'triggering' to some, but I did place a warning to go along with the video so that those who don't wish to see everything in 'raw' form can wait 'til part-way through the video to see how the intervention 'meeting' was performed in this situation.

This clip is from a television show that A&E Network airs, called "Intervention."

Try This

I'm evaluating a multi-media course on blogging from the folks at Simpleology. For a while, they're letting you snag it for free if you post about it on your blog.

It covers:

• The best blogging techniques.
• How to get traffic to your blog.
• How to turn your blog into money.

I'll let you know what I think once I've had a chance to check it out. Meanwhile, go grab yours while it's still free.

Sober Through The Holiday Season

One of the hardest times of year for people to stay sober is during the Christmas season. It's the biggest holiday of the year, with no doubts, and people 'full of good cheer' tend to:

* Take more time off since 2 stat holidays are in close succession (New Year's added)
* Feel obligated, through media ads, commercials, etc., to be 'in the spirit' of Xmas
* Spend more money at this time of year
* Visit family for the occasions of "Christmas Celebrations" and "New Years Parties"
* Have parties both with family/friends but also through workplaces

There are a number of other things that we see ONLY AT CHRISTMAS time and, unfortunately, most of the activities around this time of year don't actually MIX together well to make for happy times...

The fact that there are 2 holiday occasions a week apart - 2 of the most SIGNIFICANT events of the year, hands down - means that:

* Finances are rough for almost everyone
* People overspend
* Often the 2 holiday occassions are connected with each other on peoples' schedules and if one is stressful (Christmas) the tension simply carries over to the next (New Years).
* People often spend much more time with family at this time than at other times of the year, so family tensions invariably run high - it's not always that people don't LIKE their families...but when we grow up, move away from home and do other normal life activities, we get used to "our life" and often don't have the familiarity and patience with family that we used to when we lived at home. THIS IS NORMAL. But almost everyone says, during the Christmas Season - that is IT IS NOT RIGHT to have differences of opinion during this season...
* People EXCUSE the behaviors of family and friends (and employers and co-workers, etc) during this time of year, noting that we are all supposed to be partaking of the 'holiday spirit' of kindness, forgiveness, etc (blah blah blah)...IF we are not practicing these things YEAR ROUND, all the time, then a WEEK OF THIS ACTIVITY during Christmas and New Years is STRESSFUL AND UNCOMFORTABLE for most of us!

...slide youself some slack this Christmas season - Take care of yourself - especially if you have decided you want a sober life.

Here are a few things you can do to protect yourself and your sobriety this season:

* MAKE A SAFETY PLAN !

This is in case people buy you drinks or coax you to drink.

This is in case people around you drink too much this season, even if you don't.

This is in case there are family or social tensions during the season, which might make you feel like you need to drink to calm down.

This is JUST TO BE SAFER THAN PEOPLE WHO AREN'T MAKING PLANS to look after themselves, because - even if they are not drinkers, many people IGNORE their basic needs of sleep, standing up for themselves with family, saying 'no' to the extra cost of things related to Christmas and New Years. If you are a recovering addict, you have to THINK SAFE more than some other people do, that's all.

Here are a few things that I have done as a safety plan.

* Created 'scripts' for potentially uncomfortable situations
* Selected a 'stressbuster' friend to call when things are going rough
* Planned decent sleep times and EXTRA NAP TIME (excitement and visiting is hard on the system)
* Located meetings - of any variety, so that I could attend if stress became an issue
* Made "enough" points to stick to ("have had enough excitement - time to go lay down," or "have had enough of being around a person who is drinking, so I am going to watch TV in another room," or "have had 'enough' Christmas visiting for the day and evening, it's Midnight and it's time for bed)
* Selected a secondary 'sponsor-like' person to call if my first was unavailable - or just in case I needed two support people
* Mandatory visit with sober group of people just prior to visiting family, just to reaffirm that there are A LOT OF PEOPLE who do not drink in this world

A bit on 'scripts' and then I'll close out this post:

* I created 'scripts' for my first sober Christmas - for family situations that seemed to happen every year. This way, I had a response ready and didn't have to think about responding. Sometimes this was just to say "No" to family members who asked me to get drinks for them during the holiday season.

* You know that it's time for a script in situations where people have said "Hey, grab me a drink on your way back to the room," and you nod, without thinking, and plan to fill the request. In early sobriety, this can actually be a dilemma, and people may never have heard you say, "No, I won't do that - please get your own drink" before. And sometimes, people won't even accept this small difference of response from you, do be prepared to have someone look at you like you just grew an ear on your chin and a second head from your elbow lol. Even for something this simple, a 'script' helps YOU. However else someone ELSE reacts to YOUR new, healthier response is really their choice.

This scripting is really helpful and is mainly just thinking AHEAD OF TIME about how to react to situations you are quire sure will occur.

--don't go overboard with this and try to develop a response for EVERYTHING or you'll worry yourself needlessly, but if there are situations that seem to occur every year or some expectations that you know that family members (of friends) had of you when you were a drinker...these are things you can make 'scripts' - new responses - for this season.

The Latest Comment Translated

The latest comment was not in English, so I had it tranlated (from Portuguese to English) as follows:

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There you have it.

Dummy Book For Recovery

I've finally found it! One of the DUMMIES books - all on addictions and recovery!




Though I've never been totally diligent about searching for this title in books stores, I've kept my eye open for it everytime I see a 'Dummies Series' display in bookstores.

Finally, I just did a search online and "Addiction and Recovery For Dummies" showed right up within seconds!

And then a did a search from within one of the book companies I have an affiliate account with and *smacks forehead* The book is RIGHT THERE in my affiliate list.

So, listen up - if you buy this book, you'll be helpin' me out - AND - will be getting the easily explained, no-frills low-down on Addiction and Recovery.

I wish I had checked for this title before!

Thoughts On Sex Addiction

A lot of people either won't talk about Sex Addiction or they don't believe it is a problem like other addictions.

Many people imagine that 'sex addicts' are just those who are pedophiles or people who have very strange sexual fantasies and preferences. Some sexual fantasies aren't mixed up with addiction at all - they're just not for everyone.

Perhaps the problem lies partially in the topic of SEX, itself!

North Americans, in particular have a very set view of what types of SEX are normal.

For most people, 'normal sex' doesn't include:

* sex before marriage
* sex until a person reaches the age of majority (from 18-21 years old)
* female to female sex
* male to male sex
* role-playing sexual games
* loud verbalizing during sex
* discussions with partners about what we like during sexual encounters

The list goes on...

We don't talk enough about sex in healthy ways in many countries, cultures, and societies.

This helps people with sexual addiction to misunderstand the difference between 'kinky' or 'preferences' and 'sex addiction.' Sex addiction is a progressive illness that just keeps getting worse and worse for the addict as time goes on. A sex addict MAY NEVER hurt a child or even think of children and sex together in the same fantasies. Though pedophiles are likely also sex addicts, not every sex addict is a pedophile.

Many sex addicts have never engaged in intercourse before the age of majority, though on the other side of the scale, many were sexually abused as children.

Sex addicts have all kinds of situations, childhood experiences, and factors involved in their addiction - just like alcoholics, cocaine addicts, shopping addicts, heroin addicts, meth addicts, gambling addicts, and any other type of addicts.

Here is another article about Sex Addiction:

A Progressive Illness - Sex Addiction. Cut Out The Porn
(will open in new window)

Sex Addicts can have a successful recovery from their addiction, too. If we start talking about sex and sex addiction, then sex addicts can start to have the same chance of recovery that other addicts have.

Though there are a whole lot of centres for other addictions, there are few that specialize in making sure that sex addiction is treated as a real addiction. Even gamblers seem to be gaining more help these days than those labelled with a sex addiction.

Sex addicts are people with addiction problems that make their lives just as unmanageable as alcohol does to the alcoholic, crack to the cocaine addict.

Please read the article - and don't forget to rate it, as well.


A Progressive Illness - Sex Addiction. Cut Out The Porn
(will open in new window)

Please hit the thumbs up or thumbs down at hubpages once you've read the article.

Contact Me At Yuwie

If you need to get in touch with me, the best place to track me down is at the Yuwie Social Site.

Just log in and search for 'teeray' - send me a message and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.

This is the best way to reach me until my Website is completed. I'm still ironing out a few kinks in my website, but once it is up and running smoothly, you'll have a permanent contact spot where you can reach me.

The future home of my site is www.teeray.com

So far, I've just got a mainpage up with a few programs I'm working with, so it's not very exciting yet and my Addiction and Recovery information isn't set up yet. Things should be up and running by September 15 2007, so the wait won't be long!

If You Want To Fail In Your Sobriety

In the early stages of sobriety, several people (including an addictions counsellor) told me to think of sobriety in this way:

"Just think - you only have ONE THING TO CHANGE about your life and self.....

That one thing is:

EVERYTHING."

Obviously, this seemed an insurmountable task - to change EVERYTHING about myself and in my life. But thinking about this phrase actually helped me in untold ways, and I am still sober and clean. Life is not perfect and I am not perfect, but I only have to deal with life on life's terms today. I no longer have to deal with life on life's terms - PLUS - navigating back and forth between the world of drugs and alcohol - and reality. When I wake up every day, I am IN reality and don't have to wonder what the heck is going on. This in itself is the one advantage that cannot be induced or enhanced by any drink or drug on or off the market.

If you don't believe in my words, however, and believe that you need to make sobriety more complicated than "just change Everything," and particularly if you 'Don't Get It,' then maybe you're not quite ready to live a sober life.

There are an infinite number of ways to relapse - but few (and simple) ways to stay sober.

I've just offered a simple concept, however, some people may need to hear the reverse in order to realize the value of sobriety. Some people aren't ready to be sober yet. Some people will need that one last awful drunken (or high) experience and all the hell that will accompany the high, in order to WANT TO GET sober.

Here's a fast track to that experience - just so that you can get it overwith and come back to the real world sooner (all the best to you - luck and all - in case you don't make it back out)

Here are some things that will help you FAIL in your sobriety:

* Hang out with your old friends
* Argue with your family and make sure that you let them know that YOU ARE RIGHT!
* Make life ALL ABOUT YOU - ALL THE TIME
* Keep that extra bottle in the freezer - just in case
* Avoid all 12-step or other recovery meetings
* Sober up ALL ALONE
* THINK EVERYTHING THROUGH - all the time - I mean - every minute detail, before ever taking action
* Use your brain to dissect all the problems in the world
* Focus on what's wrong with the world - instead of what is wrong with YOU
* INSIST on having things YOUR WAY
* Bend that elbow, first thing upon waking - don't think - just DO IT

These are just some little SURE-FIRE TIPS on finding the pathway to relapse.

I hope these have been helpful - and I hope you avoid the above pathway.

Virtual Relapse

Well, if there is such a thing as 'Virtual Relapse,' then I am over it and back on track now. I actually DID READ some of those articles about Scotch, Scotch Whiskey, etc.

YUK!

I was reading these and remembering how AWFUL that stuff tastes and worse - how AWFUL it smells! I couldn't believe the way that the liquor was being described in the articles.

Unfortunately, some people are LOOKING for those articles and those liquors. I had to remind myself that some people don't get carried away when they drink. I still don't understand why they don't, on more than an academic level.

There was a 'liquor' tasting guide in the package and I was reading that, simply amazed that there are people whose JOBS require them to 'taste' liquor and then SPIT IT OUT!

Man - that would never happen if I ever got hold of REAL liquor.

I thought, at first, that the articles were having a 'trigger' effect on me, but when I got to the article that explained 'liquor tasting' events and parties, I actually learned about contrasts.

The contrasts:

* My still-twisted perception about liquor versus 'just tasting' liquors.

Unfortunately, I will never fall into the second group and will never attempt to follow what was written in the articles, however, it was interesting to read from the point of view of someone NOT affected with addiction.

I applied what I read to a 'cooking' and 'tasting' contest - like a 'bake-off' and found that those really are the kinds of words in the articles, the kinds of points of view that the writer must have been coming from.

Once I could do that, things took on a newer and better meaning.

I think that I am less angry about people WHO CAN drink safely now. I have had a bit of apprehension before about being around people who can have 1 or 2 drinks and then stop.

I realize that partly, this was an anger toward them - about people being able to ingest substances, while I can never touch them again. Hopefully, this anger is gone now. I hope so because it was a confusing feeling to be around friends who might accept a beer with a supper meal while we were dining at a restaurant or something.

Probably, I won't ever feel really comfortable around anyone who drinks, even if they are just having a single beer or hi-ball, but I understand now that THEY CAN.

THEY CAN because they are MINUS the quirk and sickness that makes alcoholics - Alcoholics!

I have asked non-addict friends before - to tell me about why they can drink and I can't - why their experience is different than mine. Up until now, I think that my friends, because they know I cannot drink, they have given only part-truthful answers while being afraid to answer completely openly. Now they don't have to because I know.

I read about it.

That's enough for me.

I Just Bought A PACK of Scotch??

I bought Scotch inadvertently and without getting drunk - Haha!

Don't worry - it's NOT what you're thinking!

What is a 'Pack' of Scotch, you ask?

That's what I was asking, too, but I really did purchase a pack of Scotch about 2 days ago. I never got around to opening the Scotch until about an hour ago and I am really finding this funny.

I purchased an info-pack of articles and lessons online the other day. Inside the digi-file that I downloaded was a 'Bonus' pack and one file-set was named the 'Scotch' pack.

Yep - it definitely is a bunch of articles about alcohol, but I don't have a clue what to do with these. The lessons and article bundle I purchased was a 'Meditation and Yoga' package, so I'm not sure why the info-product creator decided that 'Scotch' was a good thing to toss in as a bonus, but I have officially opened a 'Pack of Scotch' without getting drunk in the least!

:)

Would someone technically call this a virtual relapse, or what?

lol

Some Drug Addiction Statistics

Drug Addiction Statistics

Some people don’t like learning about certain statistics, however, numbers are very important when considering the topic of addiction. Statistics can help us identify problem areas involving addictions, particular drugs in question, and numbers can help us better understand what exactly is going on with drug addiction in a particular location.

For instance, according to a 2005 American survey, marijuana was the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States. This was only two years ago, but marijuana has not always been the most commonly used drug. In the 1980's a primary drug of choice was alcohol - with a high number pointing to cocaine, as well. By 2005, marijuana was, by far, the more 'chosen' drug, and from comparing statistics, experts can try to figure out why. Over seventy-six percent of the population reported using marijuana in that 2005 survey year.

An estimated 15.9 million Americans aged twelve or older reported using illicit (illegal) drugs in the month prior to the 2005 survey. That statistic represents 7.1 percent of the population who are aged 12 or older. In 2004, the same figure was about 8 percent LOWER, so there was a significant increase in illicit drug use from 2004 to 2005.

Drug addiction stats are, no doubt, scary as well. In 2003, there were nearly 20,000 deaths directly attributed to drug use both legal and illegal. Of those deaths, about 3 percent were to people 21 years of age and under.

In the year 2001 alone, use of CLUB DRUG, "Ecstasy," increased by 58 percent from the previous year. This statistic was calculated by the amount of people who were admitted to a hospital emergency room with Ecstasy overdoses. Many more people, of course, never did make it to the emergency rooms, so we should really start paying MORE ATTENTION to these figures that are available.

A ton of statistics cannot even be gathered because only a certain amount of the population is prepared to answer questions. Only a certain part of the population are capable and available to answer questions. These stats should probably be higher, in recognition of all the addicts who are not 'polled,' not in treatment, not going to the hospital, etc...

But - back to stats that we do have:

Statistics on rehabilitation center admissions also paint a sad picture regarding drug addiction. In 2006, over 175,000 people checked themselves in to rehab facilities. It is estimated that about 5 percent of those people returned to drug use once they left the drug rehab centers.

Methamphetamine use is a particularly deadly drug that is on the rise as well. In 2006, a whopping 15 percent of the population reported using meth as their primary illicit drug. This can be explained by the fact that "METH" is easy to make with common, inexpensive, household items and it produces a significant high for the user that cannot be obtained by using any other drug.

Perhaps the scariest statistics on drug addiction are the ones that involve our youth. A HUGE number of youth report having been introduced to one type of drug or another on a regular basis by the age of 13. Nearly 50 percent of those children will try drugs by that age, and 20 percent of these will become addicted to various substances before graduating from high school.

It's a big, bad world out there – for adults and children alike. Although we may want to and it is easier to bury our heads in the sand when it comes to drug abuse and addiction issues, it is better and more important to pay attention to the stats and numbers. When presented with statistics on drug addiction, there’s really no way we can ignore the fact that there’s a problem in North America – a very serious drug problem!

Overcoming Prescription Drug Addiction: A Guide to Coping and Understanding Overcoming Prescription Drug Addiction: A Guide to Coping and Understanding

Overcoming Addiction and Alcoholism

Addiction and Alcoholism are two terms for the same affliction. Alcohol is simply a 'drug of choice.'

Things you'll need to think about in order to overcome addiction:

* Understand what addiction is

* Understand that there are 'stages' in both addiction and in recovery

* Addiction Treatment - understand that some personal cases require specific treatment, not according to the addiction but according to the individual and the stage of addiction that the individual is in

* Detox. There are stages of detox and there are also centres that deal in detoxifying people from addictive substances

* There is a difference between gaining benefit from treatment programs versus 'doing time' in treatment programs

* Personal goal-setting is part of getting healthy again. So-called 'normal' and healthy people use goal-setting all the time

* Balance is important

* Overcoming DENIAL is key in overcoming addictions

* Physical fitness and mental fitness go hand in hand to help create spiritual and emotional wellness in a person whose life does not need to center around the use of drugs

* Personal Power is important and learning ways to empower yourself during recovery can help you feel like some of your life is manageable again.


If you don't understand some of these terms, start searching for some information. Try searches on 'personal power,' 'empowerment,' 'denial,' 'detoxification,' and don't be afraid to learn more about how alcohol and drugs affect individuals, families, communities, either.

When people start becoming more aware of how serious addiction is - even in a general community - then people can start to learn how to combat the problem of addiction in case it surfaces close to home.

Even if you don't personally have an addiction issue or someone in your family who is an addict, you can be greatly affected by addictions in your community. Someone you work with, for instance, might have a problem. Your boss, one of your child's teachers, etc. If you are more aware about what addictions are, how the stages of addiction, stages of recovery and stages of detox work, you might be able to better understand an addict in your midst.

If necessary, maybe you can lead an addict to some information that will help to enable that person to overcome an addiction. It might not be a huge, time-defeating effort to help someone, but it will be a HUGE favor if you're just aware of these issues and can simply direct an addict to some help.

What Causes Drug Addiction?

Causes of Drug Addiction

Why do some people still choose to use drugs when drugs are so obviously bad for you? The causes of drug addiction are as varied as the number of drugs available for use – both legally and illegally. There is no one cause for drug addiction just like there is no consistent profile of a drug user.

People who have a history of drug use or abuse in their families are at risk for drug addiction problems. It has been proven that children of alcoholics will exhibit addictive behaviors and tendencies. Children of drug users or alcoholics generally exhibit low self-esteem and see their parents escaping from problems using drugs. From seeing this, their minds say that this is the way to act and they themselves become users. Often, in not seeing parents use healthier coping skills in dealing with life's problems, children of alcoholics and drug users don't realize that there are, in fact, other better ways to cope.

There is also a biological basis involved with drug addiction. Drugs alter the brain’s chemicals and change the way the brain functions. Drug addiction creates dependence in the brain by changing the brain’s reward functions – the parts of the brain and the ways that the brain reinforces certain behaviors.

Prescription drug addiction is caused by the person’s inability to function without the drug in their system. People become addicted to prescription drugs because they usually are taking them to overcome some type of pain. They begin to feel that if they are not taking their pills, the pain will return.

Some people are more prone to addiction than others. People who have low self-esteem, are often depressed, and who feel they have no control over their lives will often turn to drugs as a way to cope. They often feel they can’t please the people around them so they have to change themselves in order to fit in. The change is made easier by using drugs because the drugs make them feel like they are able to transform via drugs - into someone and something that they are not.

Stress is often attributed as a cause of drug addiction. Life can be very stressful no matter who you are. Some of us are better able to cope with stress than others. Others still just look for an easy way to forget their stress – and that easy way is through drugs. Once the drug use starts, it’s often difficult to get away from it because the stresses will still be there once the high is gone, so the user feels he or she needs more drugs to cope. That type of cycle leads to addiction.

Finally, drugs are just plainly and easily accessible. They are available in many places if you just ask around for them. Because of this easy access, it’s more likely that a person will begin using eventually becoming addicted.

The causes of drug addiction are wide and varied. The key to stopping drug addiction is to get rid of causes before they become a problem. Learn healthy coping skills before adopting unhealthy, addictive methods of coping with life's problems.