Death By Abusing Laxatives: Georgia Willson-Pemberton

Laxative abuse happens when a person tries to rid their bodies of unwanted calories or lose weight through the repeated misuse of laxatives. Many abusers are mistaken in thinking that after binge eating (consuming a lot of food at one time) the laxatives will clear the food and calories through their system before they are absorbed into the body. However, this is a not the case. By the time laxatives act on the large intestine, almost all of the calories and food have been absorbed by the small intestine. All of the supposed weight loss, or what feels like weight loss is actually only water weight, minerals, electrolytes, and indigestible fibers and wastes from the colon. As soon as the abuser drinks any fluids the weight be be gained right back. Usually, the abuser will sense this weight gain and proceed to stop rehydrating, which eventually causes the organs to shut down (dehydration). No matter how the abuser goes about using, if they are using laxatives incorrectly, they will most likely suffer serious and dangerous health complications and life-threatening risks as a consequence.

In recent news, the death of Georgia Willson-Pemberton was ruled death by laxatives as of April 3^rd, 2013. At 26 years old, Willson-Pemberton was described as intelligent, beautiful, and the life of the party. She graduated from a European business school in 2008. After graduation, things went downhill. She then started her four year battle with anorexia. It was reported that Willson-Pemberton from West London bought thousands of laxative supplement pills over the internet and spent the four years of struggling with her eating disorder in and out of residential clinics both in America and England. On December 7^th of last year, Georgia Willson-Pemberton died due to laxative abuse.

This woman was 5'10”, addicted to Dulcolax, and weighed 104 pounds at her time of death. She was also very intelligent and would keep to herself about her private life, even from her therapists. She went to see a few different therapists, none of whom could identify any triggers of her addiction. She would hide her laxative abuse by taking sodium supplements when she went in for blood tests, the therapists speculated. Two days before her death, Willson-Pemberton overdosed on over 80 laxative pills, which caused irreparable internal damage. Her death was ruled a “multiple organ dysfunction caused by laxative abuse,” as a result from her anorexia nervosa.

Georgia Willson-Pemberton had a loving childhood which is reflected through her achievements. If she could have opened up and gotten help, she would probably still be alive today. Many people do not realize that underlying causes, such as anorexia, can cause very dangerous drug addictions and drug abuse. If you or a loved one are suffering from the abuse of laxatives or any other substance, do not hesitate to get help through rehab and drug addiction treatment. It is important that you treat yourself and your body with respect. Through rehab treatment, you will meet with medical professionals and a therapist who will help you through this time of need. Attending drug rehab will help you to know exactly what you're dealing with and exactly how to deal with it.

Should My Family Be Involved in My Drug Treatment

Going to substance abuse treatment for a drug addiction can be a hard decision to make, and attending drug treatment can be a long and painful process. But in the end, it can save lives and give people another chance to turn things around and live free from the binds of drug addiction. In addition to deciding to go to treatment, there is also the question of whether or not you should involve your family. This can be as hard as making the decision to go to treatment. You may feel ashamed or embarrassed of your drug abuse problem, and you may not want to burden your family. But your family can offer much-needed support throughout the process of recovery which will benefit you greatly during drug treatment and after.

How Addiction Affects the Family

You may think that you drug addiction affects only you, but this is not true. It affects every one that is close to you in a variety of different ways. You may not realize the extent to which your substance abuse affects your family members. Addiction is not only a disease for the person that uses drugs, it is a family disease. Involving your family members in your treatment process will not only give you more support, it will also help them to understand exactly what you are going through. People that do not have substance abuse problems may not comprehend the severity of the situation, and how it is actually a disease and not just a habit.

Most drug treatment centers offer family therapy. During this process, family members can come in to the facility, meet with treatment professionals, and learn not only the severity of the addiction but how it affects them as well. Drug abuse is a destructive cycle that can tear families apart. By participating in the recovery process, families can be brought closer together, helping them to offer more support to the individual going through the recovery process. Family involvement is often strongly encouraged since it can be beneficial for everyone.

Enabling & Codependency

Two of the most destructive aspects of addiction that affect family members are enabling and codependency. Enabling occurs when a family member of an addict does certain things that they believe are helping the situation, when in fact they are just worsening the problem. This may include giving the addicted individual money, a place to live, making excuses for their actions, cleaning up their mess, and hiding their substance abuse problem. In doing these things, family members might think that they are protecting the drug addict, but they are really just making it okay for them to continue using drugs. This cycle can go on for years, getting worse and worse with time.

Codependency is when a family member becomes so involved in the addictive behavior of the one they love that they are dependent upon their needs and control. They put their own needs on the backburner and focus on what they can do to help the addict. This situation also worsens with time, as the family member may start to organize their whole life around caring for the drug addict. Both enabling and codependency rationalize and vindicate the destructive behavior of the addict, allowing them to continue to use. These issues are addressed in drug addiction treatment, and by involving your family in the recovery process, they can learn how to avoid falling back into this cycle and how to offer healthy support instead. 

Drug Addiction

Drug addiction is, among other things, extremely unhealthy. Becoming addicted to anything means that you begin to put that thing before other, more important, things in your life. All anyone wants in life are the basic forms of happiness – food, shelter, love, and understanding. To find these things, a person will do what they think is necessary and required to be happy. However, the idea of what it is exactly that makes them happy is where a problem can occur.

A person has a lot of control over the quality and quantity of the food they consume. They also have control over where they live and their environment, to some extent. The complicated factors begin to happen with love and understanding. This is something a person cannot control. And so, with this lack of control comes blind trust in things that may not be the best source of trust, such as friends who deal and/or use drugs and hanging out with people in clubs and other places where drug use is acceptable and even encouraged.

It is not up to me or anyone else to tell another person how to be happy or what makes them happy. I only wish to bring awareness to the idea that drugs and alcohol may be considered a type of short-cut to happiness. There is a common consensus that using drugs and alcohol recreationally causes a person to feel happy and euphoric, as well as feel more perceptive and open to other human connection. There should be an equally common consensus that these feelings and connections can be reached by other, longer lasting means – by means of healthy and positive cognitive and behavioral ways of living and functioning. By using drugs, a person loses their identity. They lose the conscious part of themselves that is extremely important when making any sort of connection with anybody, especially to feel loved and understood.

If you are reading this and understanding a bit of what I am trying to say, I would highly suggest attending a drug addiction treatment program. There is a sort of misconception about drug rehab that deters some people from admitting themselves because of the idea that they might be forced to be someone they're not. However, addiction rehab does just the opposite. It forces you to look at who you are now, and who you want to be as a person. It forces you to accept that these two versions of yourself are currently different. And best of all, drug addiction rehab forces you to work at who you want to become. An individual that is considered a drug addict has been through a lot of tough experiences. This has made them a strong person. Drug rehab is in existence to make them stronger. Take the time to assess your situation. If things need to change, get information about drug treatment programs. Get help for your addiction and become the person you know you are.

Drug Addiction Treatment Research

The principles of drug addiction are sometimes very unclear. What causes addiction? Why are some people addicts, while some aren't? How do you deal with dual diagnosis (a mental health disorder and a substance abuse issue) in a successful way? These questions cannot be answered simply, just as drug addiction cannot be treated simply. In order to approach the difficulties that result from drug addiction, drug addiction treatment is designed in a way that focuses specifically on certain aspects of the addiction and the consequences that follow. Addiction research is largely evidence based, which is reassuring to those who are taking part in drug rehab treatment. However, there are many professional researchers working on new methods of treatment and new ways for successful recovery. Of the existing drug addiction rehab treatments available, research has show two very successful methods: Pharmacotherapies and Behavioral Therapies. 

Pharmacotherapies are mainly used for opioid addiction, tobacco addiction, and alcohol addiction. In this type of therapy treatment, an addict is given different drugs to allow full recovery by lessening their dependence slowly but surely. Opioid pharmacotherapy is widely controversial because it is viewed as simply replacing one opioid for another more acceptable form of opioid. However, research has shown that taking the opioid prescriptions such as methadone and buprenorphine, an opioid addict can hold a steady job, avoid crime and violence, and reduce the risk of HIV through injection. For alcohol addiction, there are many different drugs that allow for a more comfortable withdrawal period. There are also some that, when taken, will cause the user to feel very ill if they drink alcohol. This is helpful for highly motivated persons, or in high-risk situations, such as parties where alcohol will be present. All of these drugs that allow for comfortable and reasonable changes in a person's lifestyle have been shown to work significantly better with the help of behavioral therapy, but it is also shown that with most addictions, what matters most is getting help.

Behavioral therapies have always been shown as the most helpful, probably because of the way they compel a drug user into approaching their abuse through the idea of complete treatment. They are forced to confront their problems – not only problems with drug use, but in the rest of their lives as well – and thus choose to modify their attitudes toward drug abuse. Many addicts will increase their life skills in drug rehab, relating to stressful situations and the cravings for drugs. There are numerous behavioral treatments as a result of positive study results. A few of the most common and successful are cognitive-behavioral therapy, motivational enhancement therapy, the matrix model, 12-step programs, family behavior therapy, and behavioral therapies primarily for adolescents.

Through a drug and alcohol addiction assessment given by a treatment center, you will be able to join the therapy situation the best fits your needs and your life situation. Do not wait to get help – find treatment that works for you. Drug addiction is a scary thing to deal with, but you don't have to do it alone.  

Drug Rehab Facilities in Florida

When it comes to living a life that is clean and free of drug and alcohol abuse, often times the hardest part is getting started. Drug addiction and substance abuse unfortunately claim thousands of lives before their time every year. Drug treatment centers are extremely effective in handling these situations and helping people to become free from the binds of substance abuse.

Drug rehab facilities in Florida serve a meaningful purpose for the estimated 19,000,000 people that call the Sunshine State home. Even if a person is not an alcoholic or drug addict, the destruction that comes with the disease of substance abuse affects many other people, including friends and family members. There are many different options for drug treatment in Florida, including inpatient residential drug and alcohol rehab, and outpatient programs.

The thought of going to rehab can be frightening, but what people do not often realize is that drug and alcohol addictions are diseases and they must be treated as such. Although they are not curable, they can be treated with the proper programs and medications administered by drug treatment professionals. Going into detox and abstaining from drug or alcohol abuse, depending upon the substance that is being abused can even be fatal at times, and unless under the supervision of experienced and skilled medical professionals, the results can be adverse.

Drug addiction treatment can be necessary in certain situations to treat the disease. There are numerous drug rehab facilities throughout the state of Florida and sometimes admitting defeat is the most important step on the way to living a clean and sober life. Drug rehab and detox are not easy. In fact going to a drug treatment center is considered to be the hardest thing in the lives of many addicts. But attempting to do so on your own will prove to be the hardest and submitting yourself to a drug treatment program can save your life in the long run.

In the United States, approximately 18 million people – one in twelve adults over the age of eighteen – are alcohol or drugs dependent. Drugs and alcohol abuse often go hand in hand and at times people make the mistake of treating one or the other, but not addressing the entire issue at hand. Drugs and alcohol abuse usually have underlying issues that must be addressed to be successful in recovery. Attending drug treatment with these issues and gets to the root of the problem as to why drugs and alcohol are being abused.

Drug and alcohol addiction are vicious cycles of abuse, and dealing with them in the proper manner by going to a drug treatment facility is the best way to handle these issues. There are numerous reasons that drug treatment can be considered necessary. It is important to not wait until is too late to surrender to these problems and attend a drug treatment facility in Florida. Drug and alcohol abuse take too many lives every year, and the easiest thing that you can do if yourself or someone close to you is affected by addiction is contact a drug treatment facility and get help today.

Drug Rehab Facilities in Florida