It Is Possible To Cure A Drug Addiction

What if you were told that you have a limited amount of time to live because you have an incurable disease? Yet, it is not your body that will die only your mind. For the rest of your life you will be forced to live with this incurable disease! In order to manage this disease you will have to give up control over your own life and attend daily or weekly meetings; which there you will go over again and again the details of your disease. Though it is possible to have a reprieve from the disease, but you will never truly be free of it... I have just described a 12-step program. Dismal sounding, isn't it? True hope and encouragement is offered through non 12 step drug rehab centers.

An integral part of recovery is to not relapse. Who wants to slip backwards after they become drug and alcohol free? The idea that going back to a chemical dependent state is at all okay is contrary to the idea of rebuilding one's life. A lot of work goes into becoming clean and sober, why do it more than once? Lifelong change is offered through non-faith based drug treatment facilities that teach skills on how to avoid life's traps.

An individual is taught to be successful in their recovery without the necessity of the intervention of a higher power. There is no need for the individual to admit they have no control over their addiction and their life; because the opposite is actually true. Cognitive behavioral therapy is used which helps an individual to become self-empowered so they know the pitfalls of their addiction and gives them the strength to say "no" when temptation arises.

The language used affects a person's outcome, according to recent research. If one goes into rehab with a perception of having an incurable disease it is unlikely they will succeed. When a person talks and thinks about achieving the desired outcome as doable, it sends a signal to the brain and makes the desired outcome a more likely occurrence.

A person won't return to the pre-addicted state overnight, but the more they feel well and healthy the quicker they will get there. In addition, non 12 step rehab counselors who are former addicts are frequently hired. Often times a person who is in therapy feels like they are damaged in some way because they became an addict. When a positive role model is provided of someone who went through the same exact thing and came out on top it helps the individual change their idea of themselves.

If you or someone you care about has a drug and/or alcohol problem the sooner treatment is sought out the better. Where and how to start are not easy decisions. Speaking with a professional, like a qualified recovery counselor, can make the process a whole lot easier. Proper treatment can get an individual's life back on track. It is not true that addiction is something a person has to battle for the rest of their life.

After winning the battle with his own addictions, Mike Pastnor has since been an addiction counselor for non-faith based drug treatment centers to help others achieve the same level of success he has attained.Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6726967

Benefiting From Holistic Non 12 Step Drug Rehabs

Those people who are going through drug withdrawal often experience just as many psychological and emotional symptoms as they do physical ones; enduring such items as increased irritability, a lack of ability to concentrate, and raised worry. Many even make an effort to isolate themselves from other individuals as they endure these unpleasant effects. You can find the physical indications as well, like nausea, vomiting, difficulty of breath and heart palpitations. Things that recovering addicts will need to go through are difficult to appreciate if you only understand them from a page of a book or a handwritten document.

They are led to believe in outdated rehab systems that are dependent on the 12 step method that has mostly shown to be nonbeneficial at rehabilitating patients and ending relapse. One shouldn't be surprised that the vast majority of 12 step attendees wind up relapsing back into destructive habits. However, there are also several other treatment options that don't depend on the 12 step model that patients have found lasting success with.

Traditional rehab programs can hardly be compared to their far superior non twelve step counterparts due to the many benefits you can get from them. Unlike conventional methods, alternative methods such as holistic non 12 step rehabs do more than simply address the physical symptoms; treating both the physical and emotional issues that are often the underlying reason why the dependency started in the first place.

Detoxification comes first, as it does with most different kinds of non 12 step rehabs, removing any minute traces of the drug to ensure that the body rid of all the toxic substances. Detoxification is an important part of many non 12 step plans as it prepares the body for other succeeding remedies together with helping to get rid of the body's craving for the substance. There is a variety of therapies which you can find integrated into holistic therapies like yoga, meditation and acupuncture. While holistic rehab methods are only one example of non twelve step inpatient strategies, with their lengthy therapeutic programs they tend to produce the best results.

It really relies on your own personal preferences, but try to be careful when choosing the final program and specific center. If assistance is needed, be sure to consult a professional to get help understanding and finding a viable non 12 step drug rehab treatment options for you or a loved one.

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Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism on the Job

The scariest part about alcohol abuse and alcoholism on the job is that it is probably more prevalent than you might think. Each day we place our lives and our livelihoods in the care of others when we trust that they will not drive, operate machinery or otherwise endanger us by drinking while on the job. Every year there are scores of deaths and billions of dollars lost as a result of this insidious problem, and in a great many cases the victims were not the ones who were drinking. Education, prevention measures and effective treatment options should be a critical part of health care offered by the workplace in order to mitigate and prevent these serious risks.

The BILYEU group estimates that as much as 47% of industrial injuries and 40% of industrial fatalities can be attributed to alcohol use. This is a frightening statistic considering the high number of accidents and injuries that occur each year, many of which involve heavy and dangerous equipment like compactors, shredders, grinders and heavy-duty vehicles. Because these numbers are so high it's easy to see that prevention of workplace alcohol consumption is everyone's problem - not just the offender.

What most people don't consider is the significant economic fallout caused by alcohol abuse in the workplace. This occurs as a result of lost time on the job, poor performance, the cost of injuries and accidents, the cost of increased insurance premiums, lost productivity, legal fees, and many other economic consequences. According to the US Department of Labor, "In 1990, problems resulting from the use of alcohol and other drugs cost American businesses an estimated $81.6 billion in lost productivity due to premature death (37 billion) and illness (44 billion); 86% of these combined costs were attributed to drinking." Chances are that these figures are minimal as a result of under-reporting and omissions.

Fortunately, many employers and government agencies have recognized the value of programs for education, prevention and treatment of alcohol related issues. This includes the 1988 Drug Free Workplace Act, which sought to enforce and regulate the administration of drug and alcohol prevention programs in federal workplaces. However, the program and others like it were soon after adopted by private companies and organizations and have even been utilized by small businesses. Many people feel that the social support and networking environment of the workplace can be a valuable place to put education and prevention measures in place because there is significant motivation when peers are connected and affected by each other's decisions and actions on a daily basis. Additionally, it's more likely that in this type of environment a problem worker would be identified and dealt with accordingly.

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American Illicit Drug Supply Routes

American illicit drug supply routes are so well established that practically any person can obtain most types of drugs in nearly every area of the country. This is true of both urban and rural areas, with drug availability and distribution lines being networked easily between cities and towns nationwide. In fact, in some cases rural areas are even more connected than urban areas. Consider the state of Maine's problem with heroin and illegal prescription drugs (considered the worst in the country), and Vermont's problem with high-potency marijuana. Whatever the drug and whatever the location, drug supply routes in the US are strong and should be examined in order to understand how significant the demand for illicit drugs really is.

There are three primary ways that drugs are brought into and distributed around the US: by plane, by ship and by ground transport. There are around 2 million known routes according to the National Drug Intelligence Center, although these routes constantly change in response to pressure from law enforcement. Overall the total number of routes - both known and unknown - may number as many as ten million. The vast majority of these routes are over land, with a small percentage by sea or air.

Mexico is the largest supplier of cocaine not only into the United States, but also into Europe. This means that Mexico is well connected to Caribbean countries and other jumping-off points from which to stage operations. Some of the Mexican cocaine is routed to the US via flights to Florida and Texas, while some is carried aboard many different types of craft. However, it is the large and difficult to protect Mexican/American border that is the source of most overland drug routes of Mexican cocaine. These routes extend into California and Texas, where the shipments are broken down and then shipped to the interiors of the country.

Canadian high potency marijuana has turned a large portion of the northern US border into a drug smuggling corridor. These routes extend from the northern states and down into Chicago and New York City. Small towns and cities along the way are points of further distribution, with so called "high grade" marijuana being available in even very remote and rural areas.

Despite extensive efforts against the drug trade, Florida is a primary source of trafficking routes. Heroin, cocaine and methamphetamines are smuggled into the state, taking advantage of thousands of miles of coastline. The drugs are distributed in cities like Miami and Orlando, then carried further north into Georgia and the Carolinas.

The interior of the country is riddled with drug supply routes, but the 2006 National Drug Threat Assessment found that there are only 3 major corridors that are strictly interior. This includes drugs smuggled into the Gulf of Mexico and distributed to the southern states, drugs originating in California and being distributed east across the northern states, and drugs originating in California and extending in a distribution line across the middle and southern states.

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Consumer Reports Insights: Treatment options for women with breast cancer

Each year, about 207,000 women in the United States are told they have breast cancer. In most cases the condition is diagnosed early, when it's most treatable. And death rates are on the decline, probably because of better detection and treatment.

But the combination of early diagnosis and multiple treatments also forces patients and doctors to make a difficult decision: How aggressively should they treat breast cancer in its early stages?

The percentage of women who choose a mastectomy (which removes the entire breast) over a lumpectomy (which preserves most of the breast) is on the rise. One study found that from 2004 to 2007, 44 percent of women chose to have a mastectomy, compared with just 33 percent from 1994 to 1998. And the percentage of women who decide to have both breasts removed, not just the one with the tumor, has more than doubled since 1998.

It's important to take your time. Women who learn they have breast cancer often choose a treatment during their first visit to a cancer doctor. But it usually doesn't hurt to take a week or two to decide.

Surgery: Aggressive vs. minimal

Most women with breast cancer receive a diagnosis of either an early-stage tumor or ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), in which abnormal cells remain confined to the ducts in the breast and pose little threat of spreading.

Some experts question the need to treat DCIS at all, since the abnormal growths usually pose no long-term risks. But because doctors can't predict which growths might later prove invasive, most treat it like a more clearly dangerous tumor.

In those cases, as well as with early-stage tumors, the first tough decision is choosing between a lumpectomy and a mastectomy. While up to 80 percent of women are candidates for the less aggressive surgery, in this country only about 40 percent of them choose that option, compared with 55 percent in Japan, 63 percent in Germany and 81 percent in France.

Lumpectomy is not a good option if the tumor is too large or diffuse or if the patient can't tolerate radiation. But in other cases it's as effective as a mastectomy, so the choice depends on individual concerns. A lumpectomy spares most of the breast, leaves a smaller scar and eliminates the need to wear a false breast or have reconstructive surgery. But it usually entails two to six weeks of daily radiation treatments, which can cause significant fatigue, some permanent shrinking and hardening of breast tissue, and itchy and tender skin.

Mastectomy usually requires radiation only when the tumor is very large or cancer cells have spread to nearby lymph nodes. The surgery removes all the breast tissue from the side of the chest that has the tumor. That improves the likelihood of removing all the cancer and makes needing a repeat procedure less likely. Improved plastic surgery and advances in surgical techniques might be part of the reason more women are choosing to have a mastectomy.
Prophylactic mastectomy, or having a healthy breast removed along with a diseased one, does reduce the risk of developing a future breast cancer. But that's rarely necessary, since the chance of developing cancer in the unaffected breast is low. Women should consider nonsurgical options first.

Drugs: Get the right one

Several medications can reduce the risk of cancer's returning after surgery. But which one is best? That depends on your age and the kind of breast cancer you have.

Tamoxifen (Nolvadex and its generic equivalents) can cut the risk of recurrence when taken for up to five years after surgery, but only if the cancer is fueled by the female hormone estrogen. And because the drug blocks some of estrogen's effects on the body, it can bring on symptoms similar to those of menopause, including hot flashes, irregular periods and vaginal dryness.

Aromatase inhibitors, a newer class of drugs, cause fewer problems than tamoxifen. But they can cause bone loss, and only postmenopausal women should take them since they shut down estrogen production entirely. Three are now available: anastrozole (Arimidex), exemestane (Aromasin) and letrozole (Femara). Side effects such as aching joints and weak bones seem to be more common than with tamoxifen.

Targeted therapy with trastuzumab (Herceptin) can help the 20 percent of breast-cancer patients who have a protein called human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2). People with that protein are more likely to experience fast-growing, treatment-resistant tumors.