MARIJUANA

“It is only a herb” “It is all natural”” It is not addictive” “ It is being legalized across the world now” “Even Lord Shiva is said to have used it always” These are some of the justifications I hear from people who use or are addicted to using the products of the innocuous plant Cannabis also called, pot ,hash weed, marijuana etc. “I have an emotional connect with pot , Charlie(cocaine) I can do without, but not pot“ said one of our clients . This clearly indicates how it had him in its grip .People who wish to justify its use like to compare its effects with the harmful effects of alcohol and other drugs.The effects of  marijuana are multifarious . It is a psychoactive drug, currently illegal in India .It is seen that a lot of teens from the age of even as low as 13 start using them, many well into their adulthood . Weed is said to be a gateway drug to other drugs as it is seen to  enhance the  effects of some of the other drugs especially opioids . Using one drug also enhances the curiosity and willingness to try other drugs.

Methods of consumption – as rolled up joints , in blunts ( in emptied cigars) , dabbing (Pure THC in wax form called budded, dab where it is placed on a cool and heated by a butane lighter and inhale the fumes).The effects of marijuana are more psychological than physical.Out of the over 400 chemicals in weed the most potent is delta-9 THC. Which is psychoactive . More the content of THC as in skunk, the more the damage and addictive potential. In teens whose brains are still being developed weed usage causes impairment in recall, listing things, short term memory, long term cognitive impairment. One in 6 people who try weed get addicted to it. Possibilities of addiction to it are higher when usage is begun in the teen adolescent years. It is also seen to reduce the IQ by an average of 8 points when used in adolescence.We had a client who smoked so many joints a day that he had stopped going to college, had lost all interest in anything , including personal hygiene, upkeep, was apathetic to his surroundings and and severe mood swings as a consequence.Immediately after use it increases the heart rate . Some people experience a sense of calm . however, depending on the extent of use and strength of weed some users experience anxiety, fear, distrust, or panic.In initial stages of limited usage it reduces anxiety . As duration and extent of usage increases it creates anxiety, it causes paranoia, at times hyper acuity of sounds which can be mistaken for auditory hallucinations, hallucinations etc. The effect of marijuana usually lasts from 1-3 hours . if consumed in the form of cookies its effects last for several more hours. THC can be detected in the urine for even 6 weeks after stoppage of ue.Short term memory is affected. There is an apathy that develops to everything .Amotivational syndrome surfaces wherein the person loses motivation to do anything constructive . This usually happens when weed is smoked in a substantial quantity for a substantial duration of time.Cannabis psychosis -heavy use of cannabis over a long period of time can result in psychoses.Driving after using cannabis has been seen to  cause more fatal car crashes than alcohol as it impairs judgment, motor coordination and reaction time .

On discontinuing weed there can be withdrawals –  Common symptoms include:

Anxiety,Depression ,Changes in mood, Irritability, Stomach pains, Loss of appetite, Nausea,Headaches, Sweating, Chills, Cravings,Restlessness

Treatment involves Counseling , behavioral therapy and with us at AH meditation too that enables one to develop interest in and grow a life that is enjoyable and fun away from the substance

TREATMENT WITH DIGNITY

August- the month from whence a slew of festivals begin in India from Raksha Bandhan, Onam, Ganesh festival , Dussehra, Diwali, Eid, Christmas etc.

India is a melting pot of cultures- however, one culture that seems to be alarmingly on the rise is that of popping the cork for every celebration pan socio- economic groups and cultures.

Where there is alcohol there is alcoholism, where there are drugs there is drug addiction. It is the addictive personality of the individual that leads to indulgence in substances to the extent that they get addicted to it. Then ,it is the substance that takes control over the personality and every physical and psychological action of the individual ; at the same time maintaining the illusion that it can be controlled by the individual. It makes the person think, act and behave like a person afflicted by a mental ailment. As a consequence , most times they are mis diagnosed with having psychiatric ailments like Bi polar disorder, psychosis or schizophrenia etc. This mis diagnosis results in the person being medicated wrongly in the name of addiction treatment , a label is applied and the person is discriminated and ostracized by family and society as being mentally unstable - hence ,often treated as a non entity .The person afflicted is thus stripped of all shreds and semblances of dignity.

The cries for help go un - recognized . The person who drinks and uses and falls in a stupor on the road or in his plush bed or lashes out is also trying to control his usage. He is no longer able to use the way he wants to and it is only to keep away pain . Unlike other chronic ailments that evoke sympathy and compassion in people , this ailment evokes disgust, hatred and fear due to lack of awareness and lack of the desire to invest the time and effort to enable these suffering individuals to turn around their lives and get beyond their addictions. Resultantly, they become victims of being picked up like animals and dumped in involuntary facilities where they are heavily medicated , labelled as being psychiatrically unstable and do not see the light of freedom for months or even years. Is this actual treatment or is it “treatment” to allay the fears and anxiety of the family who also require as much therapy? The treatment in such facilities meted out to those afflicted by dependency on substances is many times inhuman and animalistic as evidenced by articles in newspapers , the latest being wherein in one center, the patients were hung upside down as “ treatment” .

Those afflicted are extremely intelligent, socially manipulative and are unable to deal with and manage their emotions. It is this last trait that results in repeated indulgence in usage under the illusion of the temporary relief from emotional pain.

In reality, they require an environment that is loving, non judgmental [ they judge and demean themselves worse than anyone one else can] , accepting and compassionate. This is a space where they can be themselves without fear or shame- for, these are the only circumstances where they can accept themselves, begin loving themselves , at the same time taking responsibility for their lives and learn to enjoy living and reach a stage within themselves of not finding the need to use substances. This enables them to own their dignity.

Such an ambience is provided by us at Anatta and we have found through our experience that this is the only crucible in which real change can take birth and grow.

So let us welcome and celebrate this festive season with love and compassion towards ourselves first and our fellow beings.

SOBER FUN

Currently in society "fun" is associated with drinking and using .

Every occasion in most households is incomplete without opening the bottle.

By the time it reaches the stage of addiction drinking and using is no longer fun but is indulged in to keep away pain.

There would be a glass in hand or a nip hidden in the socks when going to watch a movie or a match or picnic . No meal is eaten in a restaurant that does not serve alcohol. A party that does not serve alcohol is not considered worth attending .

Years spend in keeping away pain and the old association of fun with drinking and using leads to a loop of wanting to experience the same feel of fun without alcohol . With this presumption the old hangouts like pubs and restaurants and clubs are frequented but without drinking . However , without intoxication these very places and the company of others who drink and use are not so attractive . The same feel is not achieved which leads to disappointment . Frequenting the same places expecting a different result is the illusion and soon enough the person ends up drinking or using .

It is thus , very essential to include fun activities within the treatment program.

A voluntary system like ours promotes these very activities. Regular life does not only include work, study and family .. A very major part is time spent with oneself and entertainment .

Along with an inner transformation that is required to take place during residential rehabilitation treatment , new likes and hobbies and activities need to be adopted. Part of therapy should be to enable the client to experience that which seems like “normal” entertainment activities like going out for movies, meals , trekking, hiking, reading, art , music, karaoke .

When out on a movie with a client he shared that it was the first time in years that he had gone for a movie without being under the influence of alcohol or weed and that the realisation that he is having more fun without the substance was a revelation to him!

Likewise, another client of ours who was addicted to heroin and socialising over alcohol in pubs as a way to socialise in the European country she came from , realised that “ there is so many stuff to drink apart from alcohol”

For another client going on a picnic meant first filling the car trunk with booze the previous night making sure one would not fall short of liquor, the people and place is secondary. In the treatment process going on a picnic meant planning the place and the food to be taken or eaten.

Singing Karaoke would usually be in a Karaoke bar drunk or stoned and a lot of songs have associations with being intoxicated. In such a situation Karaoke singing in the treatment as fun

Thus there is a perspective shift.

It is very essential for these practical experiences to be a part of the therapeutic residential rehabilitation treatment process

Addiction to alcohol and drugs today, is a problem that has beset the society at large. It is not a “it cannot happen to me” or “it cannot happen to us “scenario any longer. It could be someone in your neighborhood, friends, relatives, family or that someone can even be you!

Gone are the days when a person would consume alcohol to enjoy the taste , the drink and the good feel it leaves behind.

The current young generation are the ones that live on the fast track, the ones for whom the world is in the palm of their hands with smartphones and the internet. Families are nuclear and the pocket money large, the time spent as a family is lesser , dysfunctionalities abound.

The youth get into experimenting with drugs and alcohol. In the past it was macho/cool to be smoking a cigarette, today if you don't smoke a joint or drink you are a nerd and uncool.

The norm is to drink to get drunk. children are getting into substance usage from the age of 15 or 16 and these are through all strata of society. A young patient of mine who would get “smashed” over the weekend with his group of friends told me “what is the fun in drinking doc if one does not get drunk every single time?”

Is the society today enabling increased consumption of alcohol and drugs ? Alcohol is not advertised overtly as per the law of the land. However, subliminal marketing in the form of the alcohol brands selling other products like mineral water or soda etc is advertised . There is a new watering hole opening everyday . Consumers are enticed with happy hours wherein unlimited drinks are served at a minimal price. These target the youth who have limited monies in their pocket. At the same time in some places there is talk of prohibiting alcohol. This leads to hoarding stocks of alcohol, encourages black marketeering of the same, thus leading to an increase in criminal activities and consumption.

Sadly, thus, the youth of today who drink to get drunk are in grave danger of being potential alcoholics.

The way forward is to increase awareness amongst youth regarding addiction and addictive traits and to share the solution of an alternate life beyond drugs and alcohol.

We at AH facilitate such awareness programs .

I AM CLEAN, NOT PERFECT

Addiction is a painful process of living day and night in the clutches of the substance. The family goes through a loss of identity and an emotional roller-coaster ride with the addicted person trying to control his/her using.
Finally, the dependent decides to seek help. He goes to an alcohol/drug rehabilitation program for treatment for a certain duration of time. The family or co dependent can be under the impression that he will come out of the rehab as though he has been dry cleaned and all will be perfect.
In actuality , the real issues surface after the return from the rehab.
The family, unlike the addict in a residential rehab program, has not had the benefit of living away from emotional triggers and takes time to understand the process the addict has gone through and help him continue to not find the need to drink/use.
If the family has not undergone co-dependency counselling, they will look at him with ‘old eyes’ and emotions of fear, apprehensions, mistrust and judgement.
Earlier, the substance was the buffer to escape from the realities of life for the alcoholic/drug addict. Life was going on around him but he was only with the substance.
He is now just starting to get comfortable in his own skin living day to day without any substance. The crutch/substance that made him become oblivious of emotions is no longer present, and emotions are felt in their entirety and depth.
The person has to deal with them with the new tools learnt in rehab, without using a substance, and is finding his/her footing. The person has changed.
However, the spouse and family look at him as if, since he has become ‘rehabilitated’,he can now handle family responsibilities and a job and businesses. The spouse thinks.”Now my world is finally in place. He will take care of my emotional and other needs.” This is the illusion of the co dependent.
The person who has undergone treatment also wants to take on work and take the financial reins into his own hands. However, trust is difficult to get by. The emotional roller-coaster ride comes back with a vengeance in the family.Surprisingly most separations and divorces happen after the dependent returns home from a rehabilitation centre. The co-dependent who, until this point, was ‘right’ about a lot of issues only because of the other person’s drinking/using, begins  to realise that the person has now changed and does not indulge in emotional conversations and does not allow himself to get mood altered.
This entire conflict is the result of the myth that the suffering addict is not just clean but, because he has undergone treatment, should be ‘perfect’.
At AH we provide a luxury rehab facility with an Alternate life therapy program wherein the alcoholic/drug addict finds life and living beyond addiction to alcohol and drugs using various tools like counselling, meditation and writing, along with movies, meals out, hiking etc; in short, living a complete life, not finding the need to drink or use. The family too undergoes a similar process simultaneously so that both grow at an individual capacity and are able to then meet at  a common platform of understanding.

SEXUALITY AND INTIMACY IN ADDICTION

Humans are sexual beings. Sexuality includes physical, psychological, social, emotional and spiritual aspects. It does not only mean the act of sex but the energy of sex and the awareness of humans as sexual beings. Intimacy is building a close rapport, companionship and friendliness with another person.
Sexuality arises in infancy when the infant plays with its genitalia – repression/suppression of this most natural energy begins then itself by parents scolding the infant. In puberty, attraction to the opposite sex reaches its peak, but the topic is taboo in family/society. Religious beliefs complete the vortex of fear, guilt, shame and suppression. Perversion sets in as pornography is resorted to as an educative tool. Add drugs/alcohol to it and the psychological degeneration, delusion and self abuse that sets in is immeasurable.
In a suffering dependent, issues related to one’s sexuality are very extensive and deep rooted. This is not addressed in most treatment programs across the world, let alone in India. However, amongst the various relapse factors, sexuality issues rank amongst the highest.
The drinking /using might have begun as fun, experimentation, peer pressure etc. As it reaches addictive usage there has been a breakdown of most intimate relationships like husband/wife, parent/ child, partners/friends etc. in the cycle of wanting to drink and use and the repeated lies, the deception and the manipulation involved in perpetuating that habitual cycle. The intimacy with oneself has itself collapsed. Any attempt at intimacy by others is also thwarted as it is a threat to one’s usage or it is initiated to enable using or initiate sex.
Alcohol and drugs reduce inhibitions and increase sexual drive. As inhibitions drop with intoxication, promiscuity and unsafe sex is indulged in. The duration of the sexual act from initiation to orgasm lasts longer under intoxication, giving the illusion of it being greater, but though the drive and desire is high, the performance is affected.
Treatment
Considering the sensitivity and the importance of the issue, it is essential for it to be addressed in an unprejudiced, accepting ambience, maintaining confidentiality.
The person identifies and deals with areas of conflict from childhood, adolescence, adulthood and addiction through writing, detaching emotions from incidents. Counseling helps resolve them; meditation enables and sustains growth of awareness. He or she learns how the substances used affects/ afflicts sexuality and performance and what change can be expected in recovery.
It is of paramount importance that the person’s significant other (co-dependent) also receives the same treatment for his/her sexuality issues.
The individuals find freedom from shame, fear, guilt and anger related to sexuality.
Rebuilding Intimacy, Sexuality and Sexual Relations Post-Treatment
The individual is still coming to terms with a life away from the substance, but has experienced joy and is at peace with himself/herself, free from physical and emotional pain. Rebuilding relationships and redeveloping lost trust and intimacy with loved ones is worked through with guidance from a therapist.
Many might have had most sexual experiences under intoxication. Experiencing sex anew can open up other issues. For example, the intercourse may not last as long as it did under intoxication, or medical issues like premature ejaculation, erectile dysfunctions, secondary infertility etc may arise. All these can be resolved through counseling and medication.
We at Anatta are probably one of the only centers in India that addresses and deals with issues related to sexuality in addiction and co-dependency in its entirety in an ambience that is open and accepting through counseling, writing and meditation enabling truly holistic healing

ALCOHOLISM AND THE BRAIN

At a party , the waiter is serving alcohol all around, you have taken a few drinks, you feel less inhibited, your tongue loosens, a few more drinks later -your gait becomes imbalanced, the talk gets louder , speech slurs, you start getting drowsy, you crash on your bed , the next day your head hurts and you have lapses in your memory regarding how you behaved the night before. All of the above display how extensively alcohol affects your brain. Long term /alcoholic usage has short and long standing and at times fatal damages to the brain.
The brain is a complex supercomputer made up of trillions of cells called neurons that send messages to each other via chemicals called neurotransmitters. Alcohol disrupts this intricate mechanism .
Alcohol increases dopamine, serotonin and endorphin secretion resulting in the “feel good” feeling – however in addiction to alcohol the levels fall below normal soon enough and do not recover giving way to depression . The brain tries to compensate and adapt which results in increased tolerance , alcohol dependence, changes in the personality and alcohol withdrawal symptoms that can include tremors and seizures.
It affects the areas of the brain regulating reason and judgement [ frontal cortex or the fore brain] causing the reduction i inhibitions and altered reasoning.
Blackouts- Consumption of large quantities in a limited time span results in blackouts. Here the areas of the brain storing episodic memories are damaged while the areas regulating habitual actions are intact. Hence the person who has a blackout will have no memory of what incidents happened the night he drank but has gone through the motions of talking walking eating driving  without any memory of the same the next day. Eg. The movie Hangover.
In adolescents- addicted to alcohol –the brain has not developed fully, the ability to understand, memorise and retain is damaged. The ability to process and deal with emotions is also impaired.
Fetal Alcohol syndrome- happens in children born to mothers who drink during their pregnancy. Their brains are smaller in size and have lesser brain cells leading to long term learning and behavioural problems.
In chronic alcoholism, the brain shrinks in size due to the destruction of brain cells affecting thinking and retention processes. This also causes problems in balance and understanding .
Excessive alcohol consumption can result in impairment of the respiratory center in the brain resulting in respiratory arrest that can be fatal.
Alcoholism results in thiamine and vitamin B6 deficiency that causes confabulations, confusions, hallucinations, paranoea and even psychosis – the condition being called Wernicke-Korsakoff’s psychosis.  The inability of the liver to break down alcohol in those afflicted with alcohol addiction results in increase of blood ammonia levels that reach the brain and result in hepatic encephalopathy that can cause coma.
Long term abstinence from alcohol does give rise to renewed cell generation in the brain and improves the structural, functional and biochemistry in the first year of staying away from alcohol.
We at AH work with an expert understanding of the long term effects of alcohol in each of our clients and design the alcohol rehabilitation accordingly.