Addiction to these types of drugs has alarmed the general public. Websites on natural news has also taken on an interest in the harmful effects of drug dependency to these drugs. Though most of us will not understand the stress involved in college life, understanding the different factors that contributes to adderall addiction may help us give the necessary support needed by our students to prevent them from resorting to drug stimulants.

The Final Exams

New studies reveal that almost 15% of all college students are relying on ADHD drug stimulants to give them an academic advantage. While these stimulants are meant to calm and suppress emotions amongst those afflicted with ADHD, the opposite effect is experienced by those who take this medication even without needing to. As a result, adderall intake will result in heightened focus and concentration as well as gives an energy boost to students cramming for their final exams. Though it may give temporary benefits and pull your grades up, the side effects could lead to something far worse than failing in your exams.

Making Varsity

College students oftentimes paint a picture of the football quarterback or the beautiful cheerleader. College life today is not just purely defined on academics but also on excellence in sports and athletic activities. Taking drugs to boost energy has been very common in professional sports and this has cascaded down to the collegiate level. Recent scandals include major league baseball players being associated with ADHD drug stimulants to excel in their game.

Weight Loss

As our society becomes more defined by physical appearance, students face an added pressure of trying to keep up with this unreasonable standard leading us to the other reason why some students get hooked on adderall, and that is to lose weight. As this drug suppresses one’s appetite, it can easily and drastically make you lose excess pounds.

As we live in a society that places emphasis on grades, performance and physical appearance, some students may resort to any means necessary to rise to these expectations.

There are occasionally those circumstances where the individual’s abuse and/or addiction is in early enough stages where the drug addiction intervention process can be avoided.  The key is the family support issue and in many cases, this alleviates the need for any intervention services being brought into the picture.  The support of the family could be the difference between whether or not the individual quits using the substance and returns to a drug-free lifestyle.  The first key element of any family support is that you have to separate the love you have for the person from what will them and is in their best interests.

Ways to approach a drug addled individual

Remember first and foremost that you want to approach the suffering individual with compassion and let them know that they are hurting themselves the more they continue to pursue their current lifestyle.  In addition to that compassion, you do have to be firm and put the love that you have for that person to the side.  That doesn’t mean pulling the plug on your love for them.  It simply means that you should still make a loving suggestion here and there, but you want them to know that the love you have for them is what is propelling you to take action and try to turn things around for them.

The deeper that a person’s drug abuse and addiction runs, the less they are able to control what they are.  Eventually, their addiction will control every aspect of their life, from the time they awake in the morning until they fall asleep at night.  In many instances, this “tough love” concept combined with the support of the family is what proves to be the most beneficial to turning addicted individual’s lives around.  The sooner you are aware of the problem, the sooner you will be able to take action and avoid the need for a drug addiction intervention.

About our US website

We developed our website to not only help addicted individuals in their struggles but to provide inspiration, information, and hope for them and their families as well.  It is our goal to always be compassionate and understanding while offering advice and suggestions that can help addicted individuals and the ones who love them in there situations.

Marijuana or Cannabis is indigenous to central and southern Asia, and has been taken as a form of drug or medicine for centuries. There is evidence of its use dating back to an ancient burial site in ancient Romania in the third millennium BC. Today, there are two schools of thought regarding marijuana addiction. It is often characterized as a powerful addictive drug by some, while others feel that this addiction is just an uncontrollable urge to enjoy the drug and smoke it.

In the US, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health reported that roughly 40% of the population aged 12 and older has tried marijuana at some point during their lives. Many have continued to use the drug since they first started taking it, while others have stopped. Many of those who have stopped did so of their own accord, while others have had to rely on addiction treatment and recovery centers such as one of the many California drug rehab facilities that currently exist.

Marijuana as a Gateway Drug

Again, there are two schools of thought regarding marijuana use as a way of escaping from the day-to-day stresses of life. Some feel that marijuana leads to the abuse and addiction of more powerful substances such as cocaine and methamphetamines. Conversely, there are those who feel that this statement is just a myth that has been perpetrated to scare people away from its use. This is oftentimes referred to as the “Gateway Drug Theory” and there are many proponents of it worldwide.

The gateway drug theory basically claims that the use of marijuana will increase the probability of the user moving on to harder drugs. This has been the central premise that many US anti-marijuana drug policies have been based on. However, the implications and the validity of this theory have been hotly debated for quite some time now, as research studies reveal that smoking regular cannabis is a better predictor of the eventual use of harder drugs.

Developed Dependency on Marijuana

Granted, people throughout the world today are using marijuana for recreational purposes. However, many cultures have been using it for religious and spiritual purposes for centuries as well. In more recent times, marijuana is now being prescribed for medicinal purposes because of its anaesthetic qualities. But when you are talking about tolerance and dependency issues, a smaller percentage of marijuana users become dependent on it compared to other substances such as alcohol, opiates, and regular tobacco.

Impacts of Marijuana Usage

Orange County drug rehab rehab facilities have found that the impacts or effects of marijuana usage are both physiological and psychoactive in nature. It only takes about 10 micrograms of marijuana for every kilogram of body weight to produce these psychoactive effects. The end result is a change in moods and perception of your surroundings. On the other hand, the neurological and physiological effects include decreased psychomotor coordination, impairment of concentration and memory, increased heart rate, and lowered blood pressure. At the present time, research does not have a clear picture of what the long-term effects of Marijuana use are.

• When your doctor prescribes drugs for your condition, follow your prescription to the letter – don’t stop short of the prescribed period or take the drugs for a longer period of time. If you feel your condition has not improved, talk to your doctor again and ask for their opinion.
• Don’t use drugs left over from someone else’s prescriptions; if you take the wrong kind of medication, you could fall seriously ill and even die; or if you swallow painkillers you find when you’re in the smallest amount of pain, you could end up becoming addicted to them.
• Remember that when you take drugs without a prescription and combine them with alcohol or other prescription medicine, you could suffer adverse reactions that could affect your health in the short and long term and also cause complications and bring about chronic conditions.
• OTC drugs may be available without a prescription, but that does not automatically make them safe. So no matter how good cough syrups and other OTC drugs make you feel, no matter how relaxing they may seem to be, don’t waste your money on these drugs. Prolonged usage not only makes you dependent on them, it also wreaks havoc on your health and wellbeing.
• An increasing addiction to prescription drugs is the first step to serious drug addiction; sooner or later, the highs you receive from cough syrups and painkillers is not going be enough and you’re going to gravitate to harder stuff. This leads to further complications and before you realize it, you’re a full-blown addict.

The first sign of addiction is denial; so if you find yourself reassuring yourself that you’re not an addict and that you can stop anytime, it’s time to seek help and start getting out of the rut before you dig yourself into too deep a hole.

By-line:

This guest post is contributed by Paul Hench, he writes on the topic of masters in public health . He welcomes your comments at his email id: paul.23hench[@]gmail[.]com.

I cannot begin to tell you how sad it makes me to see all those folks who suffer from drug abuse addictions. I sincerely hope that this site will help inspire people to quit their substance addictions or be of supportive of someone they love to quit – without giving up or abandoning them.

Addiction can happen to people from all walks of life, even those who have worked to help others with addictions! Just read some of the stories on this site to understand how true this is.

Abuse addictions are costly in terms of money, time, physical damage to the brain and body – not to mention the emotional havoc wreaked upon both those with an addiction as well as their loved ones.

There is a gentleman in his early twenties who apparently used too much of a particular substance. He now talks to himself, and often believes he is talking on a telephone when in fact he is not. People around me tell me that he was very smart before, excelling in his field of study. Poor kid, I feel sorry for him every time I see him talking to himself. He also walks around avoiding contact with others as he lives in his own little world most of the time. Some say he is getting better. I sure hope he does.

I was listening to the radio the other day and there was a study about carbohydrate addiction. Apparently, food addictions can work in a very similar way to drug and alcohol addictions. They elevate dopamine levels. The resulting ‘down’ after the ‘high’ causes the user to seek the addictive substance again. A high carb and fat addiction is one thing, but in the case of heroin this cycle can happen multiple times per day – quickly destroying the physical resources of the addict.

Another person I know told me the horrifying story of his cocaine addiction. I can not begin to tell you how traumatic his story is. He finally beat that addiction, but went through hell to do so!

If you are reading this site and you have an anonymous story to tell about your own addiction experience or that of someone close to you, consider leaving your story on this site (big red button – upper right hand side). If you could inspire even one person to overcome their addiction – it will be worth it!

— We (pen name)

I went from a $500+ a day habit, to quitting cold turkey!

First I put my baby son before my own wants & needs; and most importantly I allowed my Higher Power-God, into my heart and life!

It took the brink of death, for me to realize I did have something to live for- others!

But I believe that if I could stop and change my own life around, from the living hell I existed in, then anyone can.

Move away, start fresh, allow your own Higher Power into your life! I have faith in you!!!

Allow your heart to guide you! When you learn to live again, you will soon see-that life is truly Worth living!!!

- Submitted By KAN

-Anonymous…. [Person's name intentionally kept confidential - this will only be changed if specifically requested by the person contributing the story. I strongly urge anonymity]

Don't get stuck in a bottle...

It continues to amaze me, some times even daily…, this lack of knowledge and ignorance that people – in general, have.

Then again, I read *somewhere* that 58 % (per cent) of American adults never read a book after high school, and that 70 % (per cent) haven’t been in a book store. And if those figures are transferable to the entire world, it’s not just sad. It’s downright tragic!

Education is important. Knowledge is power!

So I guess that give’s you one part of the explanation as to why I am continuously amazed – some times even daily, about the lack of knowledge and ignorance amongst people in general, particularly when the addiction disease is the topic of a discussion…

There are mainly two aspects of the addiction disease most people don’t understand, or are fully able to comprehend – at all…

The first is that addiction is a disease – and that it’s completely comparable with for instance allergy.

Side note – Questions:

You wouldnʼt give an apple to someone whoʼs allergic to apples – and would die of eating it, now would you?!

So why do you continue to offer alcohol – or any other drug, to an addict?!

Besides from the undisputed fact that the addiction disease is a deadly disease, it is also a two-parted disease;

First: You got the mental part of the disease, or as I prefer to call it: The mental insanity side of the disease.

The part that has complete control over your mind, your thoughts, your good and bad behaviour, your full subconscious inner-self.

The part that subconsciously and constantly speculates, calculates, make plans, comes up with new, plausible and not so plausible explanations, bad, poor and flimsy excuses, so that consumption can continue in loneliness with “somewhat” peace of mind…

Secondly: You got the physical part of the disease.
The part the controls your body, how it physically works and functions.

The part that – even though your addiction disease abuse might have caused various, numerous, life-threatening and life-challenging damages on your body and its organs, makes it ache and crave for more. Much more…

Whether you are addicted to alcohol, drugs, pills, a combined abuser (a+d+p), sex, shopping, gambling, training, work – you name it, ALL variations of an addiction disease has one main common denominator that lies as “the root” of it all – to call it that.

Since we are all cultural diversified individuals and live cultural diversified life’s, each addiction disease variation spreads out from this core root and leads to numerous and various results, diversified and different subsequent consequences.

Picture or visualize it like this:
The addiction disease is like the root of a tree, and each addiction variation of the disease is like the branches that grows and spreads out from the tree’s trunk.

If you look close enough, they all “look” quite differently, they all “grows” quite differently, they all “spreads out” quite differently, they all “behave” quite differently and the “final results” are quite, quite differently.

I am a recovering alcoholic, 41 years of age and I had a 22 year long addiction abuse “career” before I hit my rock bottom. During this period of time I have abused alcohol, drugs, pills and I have combined all mentioned in multiple combination, but my main addiction has always been alcohol. That’s what started it all…

I have been through a six week “life-style-changing” treatment program, and I have been provided with the right and proper tools to live a sober life. I have, among many, many other major, important and life changing discoveries, gotten a better understanding of my addiction disease.

I remember that, four weeks into this program, a female (alcohol addict) participant received a written invitation from some family members or close friends, for an upcoming wedding or big birthday party that – among many quite sensational and remarkable things said: “… You can drink red wine, now that you been through this 6 week alcoholic treatment program now can’t you???” … (I am NOT kidding!)

I mean – seriously! Come on!

It does make you wonder if this person actually thought and believed that this was a 6 week learn-how-to-drink program…

It also makes you wonder what “lack-of-knowledge” or plain, downright stupid and ignorant “life-bubble” some people actually live in…

I don’t hold it against them. I have learned not to. Because they do not know. They are uninformed, uneducated and ignorant individuals.

If you don’t have an open and unprejudiced mind, you are not able to learn about, gain insight into, fully understand or fully comprehend all aspects of an addiction disease – at all.

I have, since I left this program, watched and listened to a great number of other alcoholics, drug addicts and combined addicts share their life’s experiences with others, and what changes the six week “life-style-changing” treatment program has made on them personally, their values, their beliefs and the new-born hope and faith they have obtained for The New Life that lies ahead.

As with everything else in life, some with more realism, truthfulness, sincerity and trustworthiness than others…

Side note: It’s all in the mirror – remember?!

They have – like me, been provided with the right and proper tools to make the right choices in life.
How we choose to use these tools, are entirely up to us…

Even though I have learned a lot from watching and listening to this variety of addicts, the one person that – still to this day, have given me (being addicted to alcohol) the very most, and that reflected in my mirror in the strongest, hardest and most equal way, was a person that was addicted to gambling!

Think THROUGH THAT for a few moments…

I donʼt normally give book recommendations, but I will make one important exception:

“The Big Book” (Alcoholics Anonymous)

AAʼs entire organization is built upon the visionary steps and principles of this great book. And multiple anonymous addiction disease groupings have grown – and spread out, from this root over the years.

AA’s twelve step program is – in its core essence, a “Life-Style-Changing”-program. It’s “An Easy Program” for “Complicated Human Beings”!

It’s a book written almost 100 years ago, but it could just as well have been written today, and be valid for the next one hundred years to come.

There are three ways to read this book.
Which way you choose to read it, is entirely up to you.

I share this book with you with a sincere hope for a bigger insight in – and a better understanding of, the addiction disease and for freedom from co-addiction-dependency throughout a biggest possible joy of Life and fully self-experienced peace of mind.

An upmost friendly advice:
If you haven’t had enough (addiction disease) “beating”, and – if you are the one and only GOD in your own life – it’s not recommended reading…

You always have a choice;
To do this – or that… Follow this path – or that… Live – or die…

Lack of knowledge, pure ignorance and plain stupidity may kill you – or someone you love and/or care much about…

It’s not a game. It’s deadly serious.

What’s your choice?!
- or should I dare say “excuse”…?!

“The Viking”

*Please submit your anonymous stories here for the purpose of helping those addicted to drugs and alcohol or those who love them.

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Don't go over the edge!

In August of 1995 I had literally come to the end of the road. I was sitting on a rock out on Montauk Point LI NY staring out into the darkness at the Atlantic Ocean.

My life seemed pointless, I felt worthless as a parent, friend and in every aspect of my life. Drugs including alcohol were no longer giving me any relief from the emptiness and worthlessness that I felt inside. I no longer could pretend to myself or others that I was OK. I could no longer function in society and my life was unmanageable in every area. I wanted to die and as I sat out there in the dark all I wanted to do was summon up the courage to jump out into the ocean and end my life. I cried , I screamed out to the god I no longer believed in to help me jump.

I was out of money. I had no real friends. My ex-wife and 2 children had lost all respect for me, the engine in my car was shot, and I could no longer function at work. I was way beyond hopelessness ,deeply disturbed, despairing of the mess I had created in my active addiction. And I didn’t realize that I had a choice. Death seemed to be the only alternative.

A few hours passed by and I still didn’t jump. The sky was beginning to lighten up in the east and either I didn’t have the guts to end my life or a higher power was looking out for me. The first rays of the sun beaned across the ocean and hit me directly in the eyes, an unexpected sense of calmness came over me. I realized that I wasn’t going to die on this day and I needed help. I no longer could keep drinking and drugging , perhaps I wasn’t as useless and alone as i felt. I had a small glimpse of hope.

I got back into the borrowed car that I was driving and returned it to my using buddy. She took one look at me and told me that we were going to a meeting. She was going to stop using again and I should go with her. I don’t remember too much about the meeting except it was a basement room filled with addicts who shared about what was going on in their lives.

I heard people sharing about losing jobs, lovers, their friends to the disease of addiction and some from AIDS. And everyone that shared ended by saying ” and I didn’t find it necessary to use today”. Wow what a concept! Could I really change, was I no longer alone? (to be continued)

- anonymous submission by ‘Rob’.  

To All:  Please submit your thoughts, ideas and / or stories about drug and alcohol addiction / abuse here.

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