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by Joseph Califano, Jr.
Joseph Califano, Jr. describes his new book, High Society: How Substance Abuse Ravages America and What to Do About It, as a "call to arms". Califano, Chairman and President of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University, presents in devastating detail the many ways in which substance abuse infects all aspects of American society. Many of the statistics he weaves into his argument are familiar. In their entirety, however, they paint the portrait of a nation drenched in alcohol and substance abuse.
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Index of Articles Drugs, Alcohol, and Tobacco
An online medical dictionary defines alcohol as organic chemical in which one or more hydroxyl (OH) groups are attached to carbon (C) atoms in place of hydrogen (H) atoms. Well known alcohol includes ethyl... Alcohol abuse is a very common type of abuse that we often overlook. This abuse can take control of our lives and jeopardize the things that are the most important to us, like our families, friends, and... Those who suppose drug screens and drug tests are one and the same thing suppose wrong. These are both ways to detect drug abuse and have got similar procedures. Still, they are different in the peculiarities... Many people do not understand the facts about alcoholism. Knowing the facts may lead to a person being ready to stop drinking.What is alcoholism? When is it time to consider the choice to stop drinking?... Young people generally want to fit in to their various social groups so peer approval is a significant driver for their behaviour. For a young person resisting peer influence can mean isolation or instant... It's the standard at every weekend party: a case of beer, a keg, many hard liquor bottles and mixed drinks. Alcohol is everywhere these days, and teens (as well as adults) can't keep their hands off it.... Although past research suggests that drinking a glass or two of wine a day may have some heart benefits, new findings suggest that those studies were flawed.Risks Outweigh the BenefitsThere is some evidence... |
How To Cope With Cravings For Alcohol
If you stop drinking for any length of time, your body is going through some changes, both physically and emotionally.
Since alcohol is a powerfully addictive drug that is toxic, your body had to make some physical changes to keep you from being poisoned. Your body's chemistry, especially that of your liver, had to change to keep you alive while you were drinking. However, once your body chemistry changed to accommodate the presence of alcohol, it cannot be un-changed. This is why you are experiencing physical cravings for alcohol; your body wants it back! These cravings are most intense in the first six months of abstinence from alcohol. Thus, this is when most relapses occur. Here's how you can beat alcohol cravings today, right now:
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Cravings occur on a Bell curve: they start out mild, grow in intensity until they peak, and then gradually they return to the "baseline" of no cravings. When you feel craving begin, now you know what's going to happen - you're ahead of the game right there! As your craving peaks in about 30 minutes, do something else. Anything; exercise, go to your recovery group's web site and talk through your craving, call a friend, read your email, go to a movie, read a book, watch TV, just get your mind onto something else. The craving will begin to recede slowly, and soon it will be gone altogether. This process takes about an hour. Keep telling yourself "I won't give in. This is going to pass." And it will! Your self-confidence will be raised significantly as you enjoy this success.
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If you continue to feel intense cravings and are afraid you will relapse, ask your physician to prescribe a drug called Campral for you. This medication greatly reduces, or completely eliminates, alcohol cravings. If Campral isn't available where you live, you can find it easily in a mail-order pharmacy.
What about your psychological craving for alcohol? This type of craving occurs because when you were drinking, you had an established routine for when, where, and with whom you drank. Now that you are not doing this daily routine, your emotions are confused. We do many things on "autopilot" and never realize it! When we stop or alter our routine, we feel a psychological need to go back to that routine where we were comfortable. Here's how you can defeat psychological cravings today, right now: Understand what you're dealing with. It is not the alcohol that you're craving, it's the habit and routine that you built around alcohol use that is causing the craving. The obvious solution to this type of craving is to make a new routine that does not involve drinking. The fancy psychological term for this process is that first you must use "pattern interruption," which simply means that you stop drinking. However, you must have another behavior to do instead of drinking; this is called "pattern development." You can't just leave a big hole in your life without filling it with something else; this is a sure-fire relapse trigger. There's an old saying in recovery: "If you hang around a barber shop long enough, sooner or later you're going to end up getting a haircut." To beat psychological cravings now, stay away from the people, places or situations that were part of your drinking routine. Stay out of bars and clubs. Don't hang out with your former drinking buddies; make some new friends and develop new interests. If you are stressed or angry, and accustomed to drinking in these situations, read a book or complete a workbook on anger and stress management. Just fill the hole where drinking used to be! These techniques won't work for you unless you put them into action. Change doesn't happen by itself; you are fully in charge of the changes in your non-drinking life. Use your power now and defeat physical and psychological cravings. Goto www.alcoholfreesociallife.com for more information and your free 5 part course on taking control of alcohol Rahul Nag is the 31 year old London, England former problem drinker who was drinking too much but gave up and now found he has an even better time than before. He has designed a course on how others can either cut down or give up drinking alcohol without ruining their social life. To get your free 5 part course, please visit www.alcoholfreesociallife.com
This Program was developed by the Just Wait Foundation a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit corporation to prevent drug, alcohol, and tobacco problems among teenagers. The Foundation provides one-year scholarships (two semesters) at a Community College or $1000 award to teens that completes the 4 year Just Wait Teen™ Positive Youth Development Program, obtains a GED, or graduates from high school - alcohol, tobacco, and drug free. The Just Wait Foundation has arranged to use of 80 acres to raise fruit and vegetables to finance the scholarships
We offer free training for any person or group that wants to start this program in their community.
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Index of More Articles about Drug, Alcohol, and Tobacco
More Authors Opinions about Drugs, Alcohol, and Tobacco
Substance Abuse Prevention: Saving Lives in Your Community
by Carmellita M. Brown
Want to know what you can do about drug abuse or drug related crimes in your community? The answer may be here on the internet.Over the past 15 years, we have watched illicit drug use and abuse destroy... When it comes to talking about serious subjects like alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs, an overwhelming 70 percent of teens are more at ease when talking with their moms. In contrast, 12 percent of the... While there are many issues with teenagers that strike fear in the heart of a parent, teen drug use is the prime one. But you can't let your fear force you to ignore drug concerns in your child's life.... Many schools are using student drug testing as part of their regular activities. According to Ring Walt survey May 2008, a 16.5% of U.S. school districts have adopted/implemented student random illicit... For people who want to have a loved one undergo drug testing or for anyone who just wants to go through a drug testing,. Here are some highly important points to take note of when it comes to drug testing... Prevention is better than cure- a phrase known to all. But what will happen if prevention is not available; cure will be the last option available to anyone. This happens in drug or alcohol addiction;... Choosing the right drug detox can mean the difference between success and failure. When looking for help for themselves or a loved one with a prescription drug problem, people are often unsure which detox... Some of the long term effects of cigarette smoking include: cancer, cardiovascular disease, lung disease, ulcers, damage to the fetus and low sperm count.CancerIt's no secret that smoking can cause cancer.... |