Overcoming Drug Abuse

Drug abuse is a serious issue. Many people do not understand the difference between drug use and drug abuse. Drug abuse is when recreational or medicinal drug use gets out of hand. Medicinal drug use, such as prescription drugs, can be easily abused because of the powerful but short-lived effects that they produce. Recreational drugs, such as cocaine, heroin, or even marijuana, can become abused because of the setting they are used in. The most common form of abuse is caused by the tolerance that very powerful drugs produce. The most dangerous tolerances produced show up in drugs such as heroin and Oxycontin. 

Overcoming drug abuse is much easier and faster than overcoming drug addiction. If the abuser keeps procrastinating and waiting to take care of the problem of drug abuse, it is very probable that they will become addicted to the substance. They will become a drug addict. The way to avoid this? Make a change! Making a change will be hard work. It will take a lot of dedication, but this commitment will be completely worth it in the end. Substance abuse is a tricky disease to handle, and so there are many rehab centers located throughout the United States that are available to help you in any way possible.

When an individual begins to change the way he or she lives, they will have to consider many different aspects of their lives. They will have to assess the way the deal with stress, in order to avoid self-medicating with drugs or alcohol. They will also have to begin to choose who they allow into their lives and who they want to spend their time with. When a person stops using drugs or drinking, they will feel as though they have lost a lot of friends. They must begin to build up a new support network of sober friends to help them through this time of need. They also must assess how they feel about themselves as a person, and what they would do to better themselves. Many times, a person's occupation has a lot of influence (more than they may realize) on who they are as individuals. It may be time to make a change in that part of their lives as well.

When you are getting ready to change, remember and constantly remind yourself of the reasons that you want to change. Think about any of your previous attempts (if there are any) and figure out what worked and what didn't work for you. Learn from your mistakes. Set goals, but make sure that they are attainable and specific. Rid your home and workplace of all reminders and temptations of your addiction or substance abuse problem. Also, be sure to tell your friends and family about the change you are making. Their support will be surprisingly helpful and encouraging. Begin to be conscious of a healthy lifestyle, and you will achieve it! 

MTV's Buckwild Stars, Drugs and Death

Buckwild, a recently produced MTV reality show about youngsters in Sissonville, WV has seen some rough times lately. The program focused on a group of friends living in a "holler" in West Virginia and chronicled their partying and shenanigans. Get-togethers typically involved four-wheeling and late nights, and the show was a hit for MTV. Unfortunately, the stars of the show have recently had to deal with one cast member being arrested twice for drug charges and another being found dead in his automobile.

A couple months ago, 24 year-old Buckwild cast member Salwa Amin was arrested on two counts of heroin possession with intent to deliver. She was freed on a $100K bond but was recently arrested again for violating the terms of her release. She is currently incarcerated and was put back in jail on April 1^st. Heroin possession is a serious drug offense and she is potentially facing multiple felonies and prison time. In addition, having an Intent to Deliver charge adds to the whole legal mess and makes for even more severe repercussions

In other news from the Buckwild crew, cast member Shain Gandee was found dead in a vehicle with his uncle and a friend in Kanawha County, WV early Sunday morning, March 31^st, 2013. Apparently the three individuals left a bar late Saturday night at 3:00 am to go four-wheeling, a pastime that was featured highly on the MTV program. According to authorities, they responded to calls of a distressed vehicle and arrived to find the three men dead in the vehicle, which was partially submerged. The deaths were ruled as accidental, and they quoted carbon monoxide poisoning the reasoning for their death.

Although they have not officially stated whether or not alcohol was a main factor in their deaths, they were leaving a bar at 3:00 am. Gandee was only 21 years old. It is unfortunate for tragedy to fall on his family, especially when he was so young. He was known as a "magnetic personality" and he was highly featured throughout the filming of the show, which was in its first season. Although plans were in the works for a second season, MTV has not stated whether or not they will continue production of the show after this recent tragedy.

Unfortunately, drugs, alcohol and celebrities tend to go hand in hand. Not to say that every famous person has substance abuse problems with drug addiction or alcohol addiction, but history has shown that numerous celebrities have had problems with drugs and alcohol. Whether they pass away at a young age, end up in legal trouble or getting too far gone substance abuse, it is quite common for actors, musicians and other famous persons to have drug issues. Fame brings a lot of pressure, which many tend to deal with through drinking or doing drugs. And people in that position also are around a lot of substance abuse, which can negatively influence them.

If you ever saw the Buckwild show, you may remember Shain Gandee as a goofy, fun-loving personality with a passion for life, a big heart, and lots of love for his friends. It's sad to see anyone go, especially at such a young age, and especially to a person that touched so many lives. And getting locked up for drug charges is no favorable fate either. Many celebrities and members of the cast have expressed prayers, thoughts and concerns for family members and friends of individuals in the Buckwild cast. 

Whoonga: The Abuse Of AIDS Drugs

Many people who believe themselves to be opportunists take advantage of recreational drug users and their constant need to try new drugs for new experiences. By doing this, they may be creating a larger problem than they realize. They may have had a hand in creating a super-strain of HIV.

Mainly in South Africa, it has been shown that two of the steady drugs for HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) treatment have begun to be used in a recreational fashion. It is commonly observed that many HIV patients are often physically resistant to the front-line medications, even if they've never been through treatment before – the treatment will not work for their body for some unknown reason. This may be, in part, due to the abuse that they may have been already exposed to.

Creating a larger problem than just drug addiction and abuse, the recreational use of the two commonly prescribed medications, efavirenz (brand name Sustiva) and ritonavir (brand name Norvir), can cause resistance to the medical function in people with HIV. This can happen when people with HIV smoke “whoonga” – an illicit concoction of a street drug, like heroin, and an AIDS medication. This can create mutant strains of the virus that is resistant to the medication. Another way this resistance is caused is by one person becoming infected with a strain of HIV that came from someone who used whoonga. One study has shown that this medicinal resistance has effected 3 to 5 percent of people with HIV.

A Harvard School of Public Health researcher explained that the main reason that these AIDS drugs are being abused is because of their enhancement of a high from another drug. For example, efavirenz (Sustiva) has the tendency to cause exceptionally colorful, vivid dreams due to its powerful effects on the central nervous system. When used with street drugs such as methamphetamine or heroin, it would be able to enhance the high that those drug produce because of its effects on the central nervous system. When mixed with some street drugs such as Ecstasy and powder cocaine, ritonavir (Norvir) will boost or extend the high that those drugs produce.

Although this abuse of the AIDS medications is not necessarily new, it hasn't had enough attention, and not enough people are seeing the significance of a strain of HIV that is resistant to what little medication we have available to fight this virus. This recreational use has been documented as early as 2007, found in clubgoers of Miami, Florida.

Not only is this drug dangerous because of the way it enhances the already dangerous effects of drugs like heroin and Ecstasy, but it is also dangerous for humankind. Each time someone uses a prescription drug for HIV in a recreational way, someone who needs that drug for medical purposes either doesn't get it, or has become resistant because of this abuse. Drug addiction and abuse is a serious problem and not enough people are aware and concerned. If you or a loved one have a problem with drug addiction or abuse in any way, get help immediately.

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.