Here are some tips you can utilize to be sure that your sobriety stays on course:

- Associate with individuals with the same priorities that you have. That means attending recovery groups regularly.

- Avoid old pitfalls like the local bar or pub. that is most certainly not where you want to be.

- Find a hobby. Maybe your hobby used to be getting drunk, but that’s over. time to change.

- Physical activity is often stressed but hardly anyone pays attention to this. Get the good chemicals in your body circulating with the benefit of exercise.

- Fresh veggies. here’s another tip that people scoff at, but think about it. If you were a heavy alcohol drinker, you have pretty much trashed your liver. Why not be nice to it now? Fresh fruit and vegetables have nutrients that your body has probably been missing.

- Jack Canfield. This guy is great. he lives (figuratively) in the library, and is available on books and tape. Very positive thinker. Very motivational. A jack Canfield tape will make you feel good, and that’s a great starting point for your day.

- Watch nature. There is a wonderful natural order out there, from seasonal flowers, to a beautiful snow fall. enjoy it. It will help you realize that the world does not revolve around you and your issues, and that it is indeed a wonderful place.

- Have some fun. Find out what makes you laugh (besides alcohol). Maybe it’s old comedy movies. maybe it’s playing with your kids. Find out what it is and then go do it. Savor it. Enjoy it.

Always be moving in a progressively forward direction towards your health. You will find that this is the best way to help yourself or someone else beat habitual alcohol drinking.

I am personally a recovering drug addict and I have heard many stories around the tables of narcotics anonymous about dilaudid addiction. A lot of people who become addicted to this drug were not actually seeking it out like some addicts do; in fact, most came by their dilaudid addiction legitimately by being prescribed them by their physician. Many people now days are prescribed this drug for severe pain and it is widely used by cancer patients as a pain management technique.

A lot of people taking this pain medication start out taking it as prescribed by there doctor for chronic pain management. Well what happens is they may be suffering a lot more pain than usual one day and there dosage does not help so they increase their dosage. When this is done frequently over time it creates what is known as a tolerance. What this actually means that they will have to take more and more dilaudid to get the desired effect and this leads to addiction.

If for any reason you think you may have a problem with this drug please seek help at once. One way to seek help is by talking with you primary care physician they will more than likely know where to refer you or they may simply taper you off of the dilaudid.

There are many opiate addiction rehab and detox centers around today so do not use the excuse that many people do which saying that they can not find a place to get help. In my opinion this type of person is not ready to stop using yet.

All one has to do is call a few rehabs that you would consider going to and ask them about their program. I would make sure to ask them if they have a medical detox program because this is the best way to go and the reason is that they will give you medications to help control your withdrawal.

Good luck

There are many health risks to babies born to drug addicted mothers. Health problems, birth defects, growth delays and overall risks to the baby themselves having withdrawal from the drug are commonly seen. When a woman who is using drugs becomes pregnant, it is important to consider the life of the unborn child when considering options.

In some cases the they can not stop drug abuse because it controls a person completely. A woman may not even realize that she has become pregnant due to the influence of the drug. Prenatal care is usually not sought, which results in more possible complications with the child. When a woman who is using drugs does realize that she is pregnant, it is important to seek medical treatment for the pregnancy as well as for the drug addiction. The sooner a woman stops using the drug, the less harm is caused to the baby.

In addition to the effects from drug use on the baby, other factors such as sexually transmitted diseases that are associated with drug use including HIV and hepatitis can be transmitted to the baby. Babies born to drug addicted mothers are usually screened for these conditions in addition to other newborn screening tests that are done.

When a baby is born to someone who regularly uses drugs, generally the hospital staff will alert the authorities and the baby is placed in protective custody. If the mother is willing to get help for her problems and can prove she can care for the baby, usually the courts will allow the baby to be returned to the mother. However, in many cases the baby usually will go into foster care or be adopted.

If you happen to be a drug addicted mother please get help as soon as possible I mean do you really want your child to grow up in this kind of atmosphere? There is plenty of help out there available to you all you have to do is take action to make this happen. I would find a rehab to go to before you really do lose your child.

Dilaudid is a potent painkiller that is prescribed by doctors for moderate or severe pain due to surgery, cancer, burns, and more. There are many ways in which doctors distribute this medication such as IV, rectal suppository, muscular injection, and through liquid. However, when prescribing to patients, it is often prescribed in oral tablets.

Addiction to dilaudid can transpire when a person takes it repeatedly as prescribed by their doctor, which is every 4-6 hours if needed. It can also occur when patients elevate their dosage in order to abide in a sense of sedation, or to make the medication work faster. Whether it is over a short period of time or longer period, the body and brain will come to rely on dilaudid, therefore, causing the patient to become addicted to the drug.

Someone who is addicted to this pain medication may experience sluggishness, slower breathing, vomiting, extreme weight loss, mood swings, impairment of physical performance, sleepiness, constipation, dizziness, etc. This type of drug addiction should be taken seriously and treated accordingly. There are many treatment programs for someone addicted to dilaudid, but their options will greatly depend on the extremity of their addiction.

A rehabilitation center with a solid support system should be considered since withdrawal symptoms can be intense. They are fairly quick but some of the withdrawal symptoms can include cold sweats, insomnia, dizziness, nausea, light headedness, and much more.

If you really want to quit using this drug there are a couple options available to you. Number one is to talk to your doctor that is if they were prescribed to you and let them know what is going on and that you wish to quit using dilaudid. Chances are they will give you instructions on how to taper off of them.

The next option is to go to rehab where you can be properly detoxed by people who specialize in this area. They will use medications to keep your withdrawals down to a minimum.

Not only do people become mentally addicted to it, but it also causes the person to become physically addicted as well. This is accentuated by the fact that many heroin users inject the drug directly into their veins, meaning that the dosage of the drug that they use is incredibly high and fast working. It is this resultant high that users get immediately after injecting it into the bloodstream that most heroin users are constantly looking for. This is what brings them to the point of total addiction.

Heroin drug abuse is a major problem in the United States where or even young people of high school age are now experimenting with this drug. Even though the US government has declared war on drugs they have not been able to stamp out its use. Heroin usage has been highlighted in several movies with two of the most popular ones being ‘Train Spotting’ and ‘The Basketball Diaries’. In the movie ‘Train Spotting’ the life of an addict is depicted in great detail showing exactly what they go through when they get high and how it destroys them and their life during the times that they are actively seeking more of the substance.

‘The Basketball Diaries’ is an autobiography of a young basketball player who was addicted to heroin at the very early age of 13. In order to successfully stamp out the major problems that the US and other countries are facing with heroin drug abuse it is important to educate people about heroin detox and the dangers of this drug.

A friend who can’t stop smoking marijuana is a friend in need of help. Although pot is used safely and oftentimes beneficially by people from all walks of life, if the use is heavy there is probably a problem.

And even though there is much speculation on why some people seem to become psychologically dependent on marijuana and others don’t, the truth is noone really knows for sure.

That doesn’t mean that there is nothing you can do to help, though. In fact, there is much you can do to offer support and encouragment to help your friend stay off the weed.

First of all, tell your friend to stop buying it. And if they are smoking with a group, tell them to find some other activity to engage in that’s not centered around the ganja. These things are usually easier said than done, so you will also want some backup plans.

Depending on your relationship, you may help your friend by actually leading him/her in pursuing positive, constructive activities. For example, you might both enroll in a gym or workout class. There’s nothing like exercise to get you out of a funk and feeling like you’re taking back control in your life.

The same could be said of nature, which can offer up some incredible healing energy. Maybe a camping or backpacking trip that’s drug free will allow your friend’s head to clear sufficiently so that he or she will be able to follow a new path.

If and when such strategies fail, encourage your friend to try acupuncture, and/ or hypnosis to get them to stop wanting to smoke weed. These offer up more external help and acupuncture works on the physical level to help break the addiction while hypnosis deals with the mental side more.

Whichever alternative therapy you try, find a practitioner who is experienced in helping people quit smoking or has a good understanding of how to succeed, as this process is less common than complaints such as headaches, backaches, etc.

photo credit: R. Mannie Photography