ARE YOU LIVING A NIGHTMARE THAT IS NOT YOURS?

A person starts to drink in the company of friends, at a party, or with one’s father, as an “introduction to manhood”. One feels good, on a high, inhibitions reduced. It becomes easier to say things you would otherwise have not said; talking to the girls becomes much simpler and fun; suddenly one becomes the life of the party.
The desire to feel the same high continues but the same intake of the substance does not achieve this, as the body has developed a tolerance. The quantity of consumption increases.
At the job deals are closed over “entertaining “with alcohol. Problems at work lead to increased consumption. Managing home and work becomes stressful.  The same “high” is not attained, hence the quantity increases. At this stage the family, whether, the wife or the parents start feeling alarmed and start admonishing and asking the person to cut down on the drinks. This is a stage of problem drinking.
Slowly ,  the weekend consumption  becomes daily; from 2-3 pegs it becomes 5-6 or more. Social meetings, family dinners and work meetings are arranged around the availability of alcohol.  Instead of using alcohol, abusing it begins. Sexual desire increases and risk behaviours increase. This happens insidiously. This is Alcohol Abuse.
Then the nightmare unfolds for the person. The thought processes change. Incidents get colored by emotions that are exaggerated, like watching a movie on a 100mm screen. Identification develops with the personality that has changed due to the alcohol. Suspicion and paranoia set in.  He wants to have only 4/ 5 drinks but loses count after that and before he knows it, he is a bottle down. He decides, he will not drink today but in 5 minutes or 5 hours, he finds himself with a glass in hand. He has just gone for a walk after an entire day of not drinking eating healthily, having a nice time with family, before he realizes he finds himself in a bar 4 drinks down. The mornings are terrible, the body unsteady shaking, tremors, a mind befuddled with last night’s hangover, and no memory of how he reached home, whom did he meet, or has he gotten his car back [ “Blackouts” – the person has absolutely no memory of  his words and actions , of what has transpired while he was drunk ] This increases the terror that arises within, giving a sickening sinking feeling – which is then appeased with another drink to stabilise.. Or, months can go without drinking [untreated] and suddenly without warning he finds himself drinking again. This is Addiction to alcohol, the drink consumes he person, and he loses control of the drink and his life.  Thus, he is living a nightmare that he is unable to wake up from.
 The family pulls themselves into this nightmare trying to control his drinking without understanding that treatment is essential at this stage in the form of residential, voluntary, rehabilitation. They lose their identity and identify themselves with his nightmare; [Co dependency] they require as much help.
On reading the above do you identify with the experience of the nightmare that the person drinking is going through? Then,You need to visit drug & alcohol rehabilitation centre.
Or, do you identify living with a nightmare that is not yours?  Then,You need help too.
AH provides a voluntary, residential care in an exclusive ambience, with non –medically, with meditation and counselling techniques as cornerstones of therapy along with other alternate life therapies. It is one of the best alcohol addiction treatment centres.
Help is available through addiction treatment centres, which is just a phone call away.

ADDICTION AND SOCIAL OSTRACISM

Addiction to alcohol/drugs is one of the oldest ailments known to mankind as intoxicating substances have always been around since time immemorial used for recreation, celebration, religious, ritualistic shamanic practices etc.
 There was a time when people were ostracized for being part of a particular race, caste, creed or disease across the world.
Addiction to alcohol/drugs is such a disease that the person afflicted is ostracized by immediate family apart from society at large.
A client’s daughter shared that friends were not invited home as she was ashamed of her drunken daddy. Most times the alcoholic in a blackout says and does things that he has no memory of the next day ... he realizes this by the look on his wife’s face. The addict at least has the excuse that he is under the influence of the substance. What is the excuse of the families who shout, scream and treat them as though they were lepers / untouchables?
People avoid family members of addicts as they do not want to “get involved”. There are sniggers behind their backs and bullying and insults to their faces.
Till even the first part of the 20th century those addicted to substances were relegated to “mad” houses. Today too they land up at psychiatric offices wherein they are given medication for behavioral issues resultant to substance use- further damaging the individual, as many consume both, the substance and the medication. 
Social invitations decline once an alcoholic gets repeatedly drunk and creates ruckus at functions....  the employee is sidelined for promotions and loses his job over a drinking problem.
The family hides the addiction even from doctors resulting in progression of the illness and sure death.
The person is looked upon in disgust disdain and as a discard... hastening his journey to the grave.
Do we treat someone with any other illness like this – would we treat a family member or friend who is a diabetic or hypertensive like this? Or do we look at treatment options for them? Would we not help a family who has a member suffering from any of these illnesses with knowledge of doctors we know or Treatment facilities we are aware of?
Why this ostracism? Just as anyone with any illness does not ask for it, neither is addiction a disease that is asked for- the substance controls and consumes the person afflicted... if left untreated will be 100% fatal and result in Death.. like any other systemic disease.
As a society, let us wake up to the awareness of this disease and realize there is help available… let us arm ourselves with the knowledge of the same. Treatment that is seen to work the best is Residential, Non medical, Voluntary, using Counseling and alternative healing methods like Meditation ,Yoga etc.
We at AH facilitate this process to enable the individuals afflicted /affected by Addiction to alcohol/ drugs go beyond them and towards a fulfilling life!  We have doctors who are specialized in drug & alcohol rehabilitation.
Share the solution- the problem is known to all- awareness of the solution is what is required-  be socially responsible- someone somewhere might find help and You might be instrumental in saving Lives..  AH is one of the best alcohol addiction treatment centers.

PROHIBITION

-By Dr. Sujatha Nair
Mahatma Gandhi was the primary advocate of prohibition in India considering alcohol as a social evil. Prohibition exists in Gujarat, Nagaland; parts of Manipur; and Lakshadweep.
It is not the person who controls his drinks – it is the drink that controls and consumes the person.  
Gujarat
Let us take state Gujarat as a model for the results of prohibition.
Since 1958 Gujarat has a law in force that prohibits the manufacture, storage, sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages. The only Indian state with death penalty for makers and sellers of homemade liquor where fatalities are caused. And yet there is rampant Alcoholism prevalent there.
Smuggling and illicit liquor trade flourishes. 'Folder' is the local slang for the person who provides alcohol on demand. The Union Territory of Daman that is an hour away from Gujarat has a flourishing liquor trade thanks to the tipplers from there. Liquor is smuggled in from neighbouring States, manufacture and sale of spurious liquor still goes on and so do the related deaths, the last being of 148 people in 2009 indicating that the authorities are in cahoots with the bootleggers.
All the other states with prohibition allows production of local brews and also IMFL (Indian made foreign liquor)
Kerala
Kerala is planning to implement prohibition in a phased manner, by the next decade. The liquor business forms 22 per cent of the state’s revenue. As a first step to total prohibition, the government decided to close down 730 bars out of 752.  Increase in retail prices have never been a dissuading factor for drinkers.
Is alcoholism and Kerala meant for each other? There are queues since early morning outside liquor shops that resemble the lines outside a temple. Kerala has the highest per capita consumption of alcohol in the country. The drinking age has dropped from 19 years to 13.5 years. The per capita consumption is 20l/person amongst those who drink. Today there is not a celebration there that does not begin with popping of the proverbial cork. Children are watching a generation of parents coming home drunk or getting drunk at home or drinking in the day at home/outside and growing up to think that this is “normal.”

There have been numerous talk shows on the subject with people baying for shutting down bars in villages and towns to curb the menace of alcoholism. This only reflects the abject lack of awareness amongst the people and sad to say even the medical fraternity in Kerala regarding the actual nature of the disease of addiction and myths abound.

The primary aim of prohibition has been to curb alcoholism, and this has failed miserably. There is instead increased consumption of spurious liquor, local brews, perfumes, after shaves etc. Alternate addictions set in and rise which tend to affect the health of the addict, even further.

Banning alcohol will not result in an end to alcoholism

Awareness about the nature of addiction and primarily awareness regarding the solutions to go beyond it needs to be propagated in every village, town and city.

It is very essential to treat the Addiction in the person in a residential,++ non-medical facility, as left untreated addiction is fatal .Treatment of the family becomes as essential for co-dependency as consequently it destroys families. For the same purpose the government has now established Alcohol Rehabilitation Treatment Centres all over India. Indian government has come up with Drug Addiction Treatment Center as well.

True lasting change has to happen from within outwards...never only with a change in the external milieu.

MYTHS AND FACTS ABOUT ADDICTION AND TREATMENT

Among the hundreds of myths surrounding addiction and treatment, the following are especially relevant to individuals who are beginning to question the true nature of their relationship with addictive substances and are considering the possibility of seeking treatment.
•    Myth: Addiction is a bad habit the result of moral weakness and over-indulgences.
•    Fact: Addiction is a chronic, life-threatening condition, like hypertension, and diabetes.
•    Fact: Addiction has roots in genetic susceptibility, social circumstance, and personal behavior.
•    Fact: Certain drugs are highly addictive, rapidly causing biochemical and structural changes in the brain. Others can be used for longer periods of time before they begin to cause inescapable cravings and compulsive use.
•    Myth: Bad, stupid, and crazy people are most susceptible to becoming addicted to alcohol and drugs.
•    Fact: Addiction is an equal opportunity disease. It does not discriminate in any way against any class of people. It strikes equally among individuals in all ethnic, socio-economic, intelligence, and emotional wellness categories.
•    Myth: If an addict has enough willpower, he or she can stop abusing alcohol and using drugs.
•    Fact: Few people addicted to alcohol and other drugs can simply stop using them, no matter how strong their inner resolve. Most need at least one course of structured substance abuse treatment or drug and alcohol rehabilitation to end their dependence on alcohol and other drugs. Some achieve sobriety through participation in community-based support organizations (e.g., Alcoholics Anonymous), but relapse rates under this condition are very high. The most effective approach is one that combines residential treatment, community-based support and rehabilitation treatment centers.

•    Myth: Many people relapse, so treatment obviously does not work.
•    Fact: Like every other treatment, addiction treatment cannot guarantee lifelong recovery. Relapse is often a part of the recovery process; it is always possible--and treatable.
•    Myth: Once sobriety is achieved, whether with or without the benefit of treatment, most individuals can eventually return to social use of alcohol and/or drugs.
•    Fact: Addiction is a chronic condition that does not disappear, even after extended periods of sobriety. This is caused by neuroplasticity wherein a pathway is formed in the brain due to repeated use of a substance which is triggered everytime the substance is used. This is true regardless of the individual's drug of choice, level of self-control, or length of abstinence.
•    Myth: An individual who is addicted to one drug or family of drugs can undergo treatment for and recover from addiction to that particular drug and still use other drugs with impunity.
•    Fact: Cross-addiction nearly always occurs when an addict tries to switch drugs, regardless of the reason. Cross-addiction invariably takes the form of one or the other of two possible outcomes: 1) The individual quickly becomes addicted to the second substance, or 2) The individual returns to the original drug of choice while under the influence of the second one.
•    Myth: We have reached the limits of what we can do to treat addiction.
•    Fact: Treatment of addiction is an ever progressive field. Today's treatment providers are being challenged to stretch their knowledge base and find more effective approaches to prevention, intervention, and alcohol addiction treatment. 


We at Anatta Humanversity offer a Client specific , non medical, voluntary treatment process that incorporates Meditation , Counseling processes as cornerstones .

It is our experience that true recovery happens only in freedom.

ADDICTION TO PRESCRIPTION DRUGS

Addiction to alcohol and illicit drugs has always been spoken about, prescribed medication has remained silent but IS also a frontline addiction..

Addiction to prescription drugs is on the rise in India and across the world.

There are drugs to sleep, there are drugs to wake up, there are drugs to perform, there are drugs for pain , there are drugs to focus in exams , there are drugs to treat various physical ailments which are being abused on a large scale-pain medications, cough syrups etc etc..

There is a chemical maelstrom brewing  in the brain and body of a large population of humanity addiction to which is as life threatening as addiction to alcohol and illicit drugs . Even more so as, because as they are “ prescription meds” they are thought to be “ safe” and far less harmful.

In the west addiction to prescription drugs are rampant amongst teenagers who hold  “Pharm parties” wherein a punch bowl is filled with medicines  pinched from the medicine cabinets of  their parents. The kids then take turns going to the punch bowl grabbing  a fistful of tablets and eating them most times with alcohol. Several times due to the ignorance of the kind of medicines consumed and the drug interactions between them or side effects and the combination with alcohol proves fatal.

Several times Psychiatrists and some Drug rehab centres prescribe medications for various disorders and the patient continues on them without a follow up and ends up getting addicted to them.

In Prescription medications addictions the most common classes of drugs involved are:

Opioids [for  cough,  pain] eg Oxycodone ,Hydrocodone,  Codeine cough syrups etc

Central Nervous system depressants [ for anxiety ,sleep disorders] eg alprazolam, diazepam, pentobarbital sodium etc

Stimulants [ ADHD medication etc] eg Methylphenidate[ADHD med] , Amphetamines etc.

Medical consequences of prescription drug abuse include the following.

   Opioids  can cause an increased risk of choking , low blood pressure, a slowed breathing rate and potential for breathing to stop as they suppress the respiratory center in the brain, or a coma.

Eg.When abused, promethazine-codeine cough syrup presents a high risk of fatal overdose due to its effect of depressing the central nervous system, which can slow or stop the heart and lungs. Mixing with alcohol greatly increases this risk. 

Withdrawals from opioids-  Restlessness, muscle and bone pains, Insomnis, diarrhea, vomiting, involuntary leg movements.

          Sedatives and anti-anxiety medications (anxiolytics)  can cause memory problems, low blood pressure and slowed breathing. Overdose can cause coma or death.

Abruptly stopping the medication may be associated with withdrawal symptoms that can include hyperactivity of the nervous system and seizures.

Stimulants can cause dangerously high body temperature, heart problems, high blood pressure, seizures or tremors, hallucinations, aggressiveness, and paranoia.

We at Anatta provide drug & alcoholrehabilitation and  have come across several clients who have been treated with psychiatric medications for their addiction wherein the person afflicted finally uses both the substance of their choice and the prescribed medications thereby ending up with multiple addictions.

We are one of the best rehab centres in India who treat these clients non medically after tapering off all their medications incorporating various meditation techniques that are psychotherapeutic along with Counselling and other techniques that take the person within allowing healing to happen.

Substance Abuse and Women

Across the centuries the status of women has improved from being treated as Adam’s rib or the weaker sex to receiving equal rights to being at par with men on all fronts. The woman of today is thus a Superwoman managing home and work with élan and going beyond all conditionings - except a very deep rooted conditioning of emotional dependency. This rarely leaves room for her to develop as an individual ; thus making her vulnerable to dependency and co-dependency.

There are growing economic instabilities due to which both spouses have to work or in the upper class the woman feels emotionally neglected by an over occupied spouse. In all instances the woman feels under appreciated.

Thus, despite financial and educational independence they turn out to be emotionally challenged.

 All these factors result in leaning towards addictions. The disadvantage in the case of women substance abusers is that they have an easier access to money and places of hiding the substance. Hence the abuse is detected after a longer period of time and still remains hidden many times due to fear of social stigma.

Physiological effects of Substance abuse on Women

Women are affected physically quicker and in a worse manner as compared to man owing to their shorter stature, metabolism and hormones.

Long-Term Consequences: Women experience negative physical consequences and complications from alcohol sooner and at lower levels of consumption than men. Evidence suggests that women progress significantly faster in developing dependence, organ damage, and diseases with much lower levels of alcohol/drug consumption. Women are more likely to die many years earlier from alcohol abuse and dependence.

For eg – cirrhosis of liver, Diabetes, Hypertension, cardiac conditions, malnutrition, painful or irregular menses, amenorrhoea [absence of menses] at times, various cancers,  fetal abnormalities, Alzheimer’s ,Dementia etc

The loss of inhibitions and rationality owing to the substance abuse makes women also more vulnerable sexually and to sexual abuse.

The very roles she plays- mother ,daughter, spouse, friend etc are all affected by her usage .

In the bargain, the woman is ridden by guilt, resentments and fears which isolate her from her own true self and her loved ones

 However the woman can be trained to access her inner potentials - to learn to love and esteem herself - make herself not just financially independent but also free herself emotionally and be her own person.

Treatment
For a woman to recover – she requires an intimate and therapeutic setting where her confidentiality is maintained and she can regain her dignity, independence and find fellowship within and around her. Women thus experience living a life away from substance in a conducive and loving environment.

We at AH provide such an environment.
It is a most beautiful experience to see a woman learn from her own experiences, realize her own inner potential and individuality to blossom into the human being she is meant to be without finding the need to go back to the Substance.