Do we really think it’s fair to make such innocent children witness our behavior, our stupidity and our anger when we are under the influence of alcohol?

My answer and your answer should be NO it is not fair.  These poor children suffer inside because they are to young to realize what really is going on.  They don’t know if what we are doing is normal or not.  They have not been in the world long enough to know right from wrong, but on the other hand, we are adults and we should know that we are effecting our children s lives.

If you can’t see it happening in your family then just turn your television on and watch a couple of shows on Intervention and you will see exactly what happens to a family that has a family member addicted to alcohol or drugs or even both in some cases.

The addict can not see any of these problems that are occurring in their own household.  They are blinded to everything around them except the addiction to their drug of choice.

If we want to abuse our bodies and lead ourselves to self-destruction due to our addictions, go ahead but, don’t drag our innocent children down with us.

They need a fair chance in life and to be able to enjoy their family and friends all being sober.  If you don’t want to do it for yourself, do it for your children.

I’m only saying this because I have been there and I regret everyday what I have put my children through at such a young age.  Don’t do what I did or you will regret it.

Think about want you are doing before you do it, you will be happy in the end that you did.

We need to learn to be able to quit drinking and start a new life.  Enjoy your children while they are young because before you know it they will be grown and gone and living their own lives.

Peter M. Bruno

When you are talking about trying to get an addict to stop doing that which they are addicted to, you are asking them to do something they want, and do not want to do in equal measure.  Drug detox is especially difficult because addiction to drugs like meth, crack, cocaine, and heroin are not accepted as just a part of life the way alcoholism is.  According to the Drug Detox Online site, in almost every town in the United States, you will be able to find an AA meeting to go to.  Narc-Anon, which is the narcotic related version of Al-Anon, is not nearly as prevalent.

Drug detox is also a harder topic to discuss with someone because by and large, you are attempting to get the person not only to admit they have a problem, but also that they have a problem with a substance that is illegal.  That double dose of bad behavior will make many loathe accepting any sort of help, especially a visit to a detoxification center.  Do not be discouraged if the drug or alcohol abuser in your life is not immediately open to seeking treatment once the problem is discovered.  While it is true that once a person hits rock bottom, they are more likely to accept help, they may still decide exactly what kind of help they are willing to accept.  Rarely is the bottom truly the bottom, and sometimes the addict might need to fall through the floor before they accept they have finally reached the bottom.

We all start out just partying and living it up at bars and party’s, and having a good old time.  Some people, like myself have a hard time just walking away after a fun time, and don’t drink or use till a next function comes up to do it all over again.

I couldn’t wait that long, I felt I needed more and more to get my high.  This becomes a habit of which then turns into a blown out addiction.  Our addiction we now have is because we have built up an Alcohol Tolerance.

We need more and more to get that feeling of the first time using.  Some of us are functioning alcoholics like myself.  I did everything needed in everyday life, such as work, attending family functions but, I always had in the back of my mind thinking about my next buzz and when will I get it.

I forgot what it felt like to be Sober 24 hours a day.  My schedule was 8 hours sleep time, 8 hours work time, and 8 hours partying time.  This went on 7 days a week, 12 month a year with no break at all.

I have learned that we miss out on so much that life has to offer us all do to our Addictions.

As years went by and I got older and wiser, I started to think, I’m missing out on everything good in my life because I’m catering to my Demons that have taken control of my mind and my body.

Finally I threw my arms up and said, I Surrender, I have had enough.  I admitted I was in denial all those years and now it’s time to get HIGH ON SOBRIETY ALONE!

There is nothing better then Sobriety in my opinion.  I just wished that I would have done this change in my life years ago.  So, if anyone wants to get a GREAT HIGH in their life just try SOBRIETY, plus it costs not even a penny, just a commitment to yourself that you will never be able to pick up that first drink.

Having and keeping a Positive Attitude will indeed help you so much in your Journey to Sobriety!

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Everyone who drinks it, is affected by alcohol to some degree. Short term side-effects are often fairly visible and easy to see. For example, when people have had an excess of alcohol they tend to slur their speech and often talk too much, and too loudly.  The alcohol also affects their ability to maintain a proper balance, thus they can often be seen to bump into things, or walk with a slight sway or swagger.  Some people become nauseous, others either have trouble sleeping, or fall into a deep and heavy sleep.

Alcohol also affects a person’s behavior. For example, it often impairs your judgment thus people who have been drinking alcohol will often take risks that they normally would not take. It can also make you lose your inhibitions, causing people to sometimes do things that they normally would never do. This can range from things such as being sexually promiscuous to becoming irrationally angry and upset, or very emotional and teary.

There are also more insidious long term affects that can cause serious problems.  One of the worst affects alcohol has, particularly extended use of alcohol, is that it is addicting.   A person can become addicted to the point that they exhibit physical symptoms if they are not able to drink it.  It will also damage internal organs, such as the digestive tract, liver, kidneys and other organs there are no positive effects of alcohol.

While it can be an enjoyable experience to drink an alcoholic beverage, in moderation, continued long term use is not considered healthy and you should stop drinking alcohol before it leads to some incurable health issues.

When determining whether the treatment will be long or short term, a lot hinges on the initial assessment of the drug addict. These centers are not limited to only one drug or alcohol abuse, but they are able to cope with many different types of addictions.

Most of the free residential heroin rehab centers are approved by State governments. The fact that they are able to offer free treatment to drug and alcohol addicts makes them very popular and not only that but they are known for actually being very effective treatment centers.

Most centers offer very comprehensive services, and they are extremely result oriented. They offer medical treatment programs, which deal with the immediate and pressing needs of those who are addicted to different substances. They also offer personal therapy sessions, and group therapy sessions. Many of these centers also involve family members as well, teaching them how to deal with the different problems that recovering addicts are often faced with. These educational programs are particularly helpful, and they offer:

• Programs to help addicts kick the habit.
• Drug rehabilitation programs that address deep issues involving addiction.
• Personal therapy.
• Teaching seminars, aimed at multi levels.
• Behavioral changing programs.

These free residential programs are very good for helping people actually recover from addictions. The staff are adept at dealing with drug abuse related problems, both those the addict has and family problems as well.  Their years of experience has made them perfect for coping with different problems drug addicts have when addressing their problems.

It can take anywhere from three to eight months for a person to be truly free of their addiction and ready to re-integrate into society again. While becoming free from the habit may take less time, the whole side of full recovery and counseling takes longer.

If you are planning on choosing a free residential drug rehab center to become clean and save your health, make sure you do your research first and choose a place that has a good success rate.

The first step in overcoming this addiction, is to undergo a heroin detox program. Anyone who has been a heroin user must first go through detoxification before they attempt to begin to enter a rehabilitation program. Unless one is free from the effects of heroin, they will not be able to properly participate in any rehab programs.

Heroin detoxification helps the patient to eliminate all traces of heroin from their body. It is often a very difficult detox for the person to go through, and thus it is imperative that the detox program is supervised and that there is medical aid available during its duration.  People become physically addicted to heroin, not just psychologically addicted, thus the body will show physical symptoms during the detox process. Common side-effects from heroin detoxification include nausea and vomiting, stomach pain and diarrhea, chills, sweating, overall bodily weakness, as well as anxiety and irritability. Symptoms typically begin within twelve hours of the last dosage of heroin and continue for anywhere from two to four days.

Although a lot of advancements have been made in heroin detoxification methods these days, they are still uncomfortable for anyone to go through and consequently a lot of people refuse to go through with it, even if they do begin treatment, with there being up to a 30% dropout rate from these programs.  A new treatment, with anesthesia assisted opioid withdrawal techniques has been introduced as a fast and relatively painless way to detox, however this has not proven to be totally safe, and in general it is not recommended above other, standard detox procedures. Undergoing heroin detoxification under medical supervision, in a reputable detox center still appears to be the best course of action for most heroin addicts, and can provide them with help needed to relieve their withdrawal symptoms and to keep them safe while they are undergoing detoxification.

Inpatient facilities focus on the entire body, rather than just quitting drinking. For this every reason, an individual’s stay in the facility can be expected to last anywhere from 60 to 90 days. The average stay is about 28 days. However, some stays can be as short as 5 to 7 days if the individual is only concerned about being detoxed and not a full recovery.

When focusing on the entire body as an approach to alcohol treatment, many things are included as part of the treatment. The first step of treatment is assessment. Next, comes detox. Finally, the treatment ends with discovering why you drink and helping you to not drink anymore.

During the assessment, a thorough medical history will be taken. During this time, the patient’s personality will also be determined so the best approach can be taken for treating him or her. Finally, the patient will be assessed for any psychopathology.

Once the initial assessment has been done, the patient will begin to detox. The detoxification process will be monitored by medical staff to ensure safety. This process will last anywhere from 3 to 14 days, depending upon the amount of alcohol use. If this step is not completed, then no real rehabilitation can be done.  It is only after getting through detox that a person might try other forms of treatment, such as outpatient alcohol treatment.

Once the detoxification process has been completed, rehabilitation will begin. There are several different activities that will take place during rehabilitation. These activities are as followed: lectures, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), and homework assignments. Also, individuals will participate in therapy, which could be individual, group, music, or art. Furthermore, there may be special groups for specific psychiatric issues. Finally, during their stay, patients will be required to perform specific responsibilities.

I always thought alcohol was my problem, or everyone else who had a problem with my drinking. I realize now, alcohol wasn’t my problem, I was; alcohol was my solution. Since I started drinking at an early age, around 15, I never really learned how to deal with my emotions in a healthy manner. Even though I had a great childhood and never experience anything traumatic, I found it hard to express how I was feeling. I was always pretty emotional, even as a child. Seeing people hurting or animals in trouble always caused me great sadness. Whether or not this had any contributing factor to my alcoholism… well, I’m not sure. Fact is, it doesn’t matter why I’m an alcoholic; once a pickle, never a cucumber.

In alcoholism treatment you’ll often hear a saying; sober up a horse thief and you’ve still got a horse thief. So even though you take away the alcohol, in most cases, there are still some underlying emotional issues that need to be addressed. To treat alcoholism, one must be able to learn how to deal with their emotions in a healthy manner.

The main thing about alcoholism treatment in my case was learning how to accept myself. Learning self-acceptance begin with learning how to have a healthy relationship with myself. As I looked back over my drinking years, I realize I must not have cared much about myself. Had I truly loved myself, I would not have treated myself the way I did. Recovery from alcoholism began with learning how to love myself. Once I accepted and loved myself, everything else fell into place.

Recovery is who I am today and not just something I do. My recovery program consists of three things I strive to achieve on a daily bases; trust God, morally clean house, and help others. The result is a life better than anything I ever could have imagined.

If you’re reading this, then you’ve already taken the first step. Many people don’t realize they have a problem. It’s not until their social, family and career lives are destroyed before they start to think about quitting. If they’re lucky enough to have a good friend, that friend might drop a hint as well.

Solving your video game addiction is like solving any other addiction problem. If you want your solution to last, you must replace a bad habit with a good one. Why do you think alcoholics go to Alcoholics Anonymous? It’s not really to sit around and talk about their problems. It’s to replace the habit of drinking with the habit of meeting in a group with people that have similar problems. Since this option isn’t available for addicted gamers, it’s highly recommended that you replace your bad habit with some form of exercise. This doesn’t mean you have to go to the gym and lift ridiculous amounts of weight or run a marathon. It could be something as simple as going for a daily walk, hiking, riding a bike, kayaking, joining a volleyball or softball team, etc. There are so many options out there. You can usually find activity groups in your area online. Most people who join are just like you. They’re looking for something new.

The most important thing to remember is that video games are artificial. Life is real. Don’t waste the precious time you have on this Earth locked into an artificial world.

I had such a hard time falling asleep the first few days, having to take a herbal melatonin remedy to kick things into gear or else I’d be lying there til 6 am, exhausted but unable to go under.

On a related note though, my dreams have just been crazy. I’d heard about this – that weed effects the natural REM function of your brain or whatever – and that other people get this to, this crazy surge of dreams upon cessation of weed smoking. It’s a fun trade off I suppose – no more getting high, but them my dreams are all trippy in and of themselves.

My body didn’t experience any other kind of marijuana withdrawal symptoms other than insomnia and crazy dreams. Lucky for me, as some of my online contacts who are struggling with an addiction to marijuana went through what amounted to a small bit of hell when they quit – flu like symptoms coupled with just being a real pain to be around. Not fun. Lucky for me – or should I say luck for my girlfriend? – that I didn’t have to deal with that.

I’ve not told everyone that I’m done with weed, at least for awhile. Its hard facing up to your friends with that kind of information. At least it is when it’s those friends who you’ve gotten high with for 10 years, your mutual marijuana addiction being the glue that binds you, basically, whether you want to admit it or not. I don’t think some of my friends will be happy to hear it. Ten bucks says I get lots of sarcastic remarks designed to make me kinda bad and them a little better about their own marijuana addiction.

It’s not going to change anything though – I’m learning how to quit smoking weed for me, not them, for my future family, not theirs. Time to grow up – as I don’t want to be a Daddy one day smoking weed secretly from my kids, and then telling them not to do drugs themselves.