Education is the key to reducing drug abuse among young and old alike. Only education
in our schools, churches, the media and the Web can bring to potential users and parents
concerned for their young concrete information on consequences, detection, traffic,
treatment and other aspects of the drug problem. Absolute honesty is necessary. Our
kids are smart and recognize when they are being manipulated; information presented to
influence behavior is readily discernible and just as readily dismissed.
Begun in October 2000 by Ken Wear.
Completeness and accuracy will require extended time, research, and cooperation of others
possessing information. I solicit your help. To reach me,
click here for e-mail form.
For indications a person may be addicted, click here.
How to use:
Search for the topic or name of the substance of interest and then use the link (if any).
To return to the point of linking, use the BACK button on your monitor screen.
For help with addiction and treatment click here
To help reorder your life or locate a support group click
here
The Web has grown tremendously since I undertook this page; it is invaluable, but start here.
For notes on the politics of drug abuse, click here; on
drugs and life's game, click here; on delivery of educational
information click here.
USE OF COLOR: Red for the greatest harm or more
dangerous, blue for definitions, green for street names of drugs and violet
for proper names of drugs and for headers.
A high may be characterized
as a brief euphoric relaxing of inhibitions, as well as reduction of mental awareness
and physical control; in moderation said to encourage social intercourse; often reduces
libido. For a discussion, click here.
Absinthe: a strong alcoholic
liqueur, green in color and very bitter is taste. Diluted with cold water poured over
a spoonful of sugar into a shot of absinthe; solution turns opaque white as the
essential oils precipitate out. Some ascribe aphrodisiac and narcotic properties.
Illegal in the U.S. because most brands contain artemisia absinthium.
Acid: LSD
Actiq: an opioid, (registered)
trade name for fentanyl
Addiction: the condition of
having given oneself over to some strong habit. For a discussion, including signs to look
for and dealing with addicts, click here. (Also defined as an
uncontrollable craving, seeking or continued use)
Alcohol:
Potable alcohol is ethyl alcohol; methyl alcohol is poisonous. ‘Moonshine’ (private
distillation, illegal when unregulated, untaxed and sold for profit) often has
ingredients added to provide ‘kick’ and that may be medically dangerous.
Ethyl alcohol and beverages containing it are regulated, sold and taxed as recreational
drugs; regulations differ in various states and communities.
Some individuals have a genetic predisposition to alcohol abuse -- it runs in families;
for them it is wise to avoid alcohol altogether.
For more information, click here.
Alcoholic beverages:
For a partial list (no recipes) click here.
Alcoholism: Addiction to
alcohol. For a discussion, click here.
Amphetamine:
(C10H15N). Colorless, volatile liquid
(C9H13N
in sulfate or phosphate form).
Stimulates central nervous system; used to enhance performance. Induces feeling of
high energy and loss of appetite. Became popular in U.S. in 1930s when Cocaine was
illegal and amphetamines plentiful, legal and inexpensive. See methamphetamine.
Angel dust: PCP
Ativan: Trade name for benzodiazepine
Barbiturates: Class of drugs
(salt or ester of barbituric acid C4H4
Addiction: All
addictive drugs have two things in common: they produce an initial pleasurable
effect followed by a rebound unpleasant effect. There appears to be a genetic
base for at least some addictions; for instance, alcoholism often 'runs in
families.'
Drug abuse is not a matter of moral weakness or faulty willpower. It is a vicious cycle
that causes changes in the brain. Your most effective tool in protecting your loved ones
is to know them well, their habits, their friends, their activities. Signs to watch for:
I have in hand a 1997 discussion by Dr. David Deans, Northridge campus of California
State University ("Drug Addiction," http://www.csun.edu/~vcpsy00h/students/drugs.htm)
suggesting that government and religious perceptions are incorrect, regarding addiction as
criminal or sinful, when in fact there are emotional and motivational factors that usually
lie below the conscious mind in the subconscious. As 12-step programs for alcohol and
drug addicts have learned, addictive behavior follows a downward spiral until the victim
experiences a "moment of clarity" strong enough to change his conscious orientation.
Effective treatment programs must deal with these subconscious drives, which are often
peculiar to the physiology of the addictive drug. He also suggests a strong connection
between mother-infant bonding and a propensity for drug addiction. Dr. Deans also cites
research on hormonal balance and discusses families of drugs in terms of the nature of
their physiological and psychological effect.
While it would be immensely helpful in dealing with addictions if various drugs were rated
by some index that could be used to measure the propensity to induce addiction, I am
unaware of studies leading in that direction. Since there is a genetic base for some
addictions it would also be valuable to have an index that rated a person's susceptibility
to addiction; I am unaware of studies here also. It seems likely (and my knowledge here
is entirely lacking) that there will prove to be a genetic variation in susceptibility to one
drug or another; i.e., one person may be more susceptible to one family of drugs but
more resistant to others. I would welcome specific information and will include on these
pages information on addictions along with drug descriptions.
For treatment centers for addicts or for support groups for the reformed addict, use
your BACK button to return to the top of this page, or scroll up.
In our schools I recognize three methods available to propagate information:
I discovered long ago that church members will attend educational series of studies or
presentations where there is either value to them or intense curiosity. We had in our
church what we called 'study courses' with a series of meetings, perhaps one weekly for
several weeks or perhaps each evening for a week or two, and books containing the
information to be presented so participants could prepare their questions and discussions
in private study in preparation for a meeting.
Public lectures may have value in reaching others not having any connection with schools,
such as police, parents of pre-school children, social welfare workers, politically
active adults, and the curious.
Alcohol is an addictive depressant; it
produces the sought-after effect by partially paralyzing the nerves that produce
restraint.
Alcoholic Beverages
: (190 proof ethyl alcohol on market)
Withdrawal symptoms (depending on drug) can include shakes, chills, severe aches and
pains, difficulty sleeping, agitation, depression, even hallucinations or psychosis.
Avoiding withdrawal adds to the urgency of keeping up abuse and dependence.
You cannot force someone you love to stop abusing drugs; the final choice is up to
them. But your support is immensely valuable, even crucial.
Education on drugs, alcohol, and other 'mind trashers':
Society has two organizations that hold the possibility of educating youngsters and the
mature alike, churches and schools. While the presentation of information and the manner
of presentation is peculiar to the structure of each, I have been out of the loop so long I
know little of current practice. When my children were in school I wanted to organize
presentations for auditorium presentation but time did not permit.
(1) snippets of information inserted in classes dealing with health or in home rooms,
(2) school-wide meetings of students in the auditorium or gymnasium, and
(3) Lectures for parents and other adults.
There are today many organizations interested in curbing the drug culture; hopefully (2)
and (3) are commonly available today. I feel (1) is likely the most effective so long as
it is a paragraph here and a paragraph there; a text or course dedicated to drugs would
be a weak substitute because of lack of student interest.
If you used the link to reach this discussion, you may return
by using your BACK button.
Legally drunk: 0.10% blood alcohol (some states 0.08, some 0.12; federal
legislation .08); 0.35 has proved fatal; 0.45 is expected to be fatal.
Recovery: Healthy liver and kidneys can metabolize and excrete less than
one ounce per hour of 40% (80 proof) alcohol.
Proof: 100% ethyl alcohol is 200 proof; distillation produces at most some
190 proof; higher proof leaves toxic residue.
Denatured alcohol may be ethyl alcohol which has been deliberately altered
to make it undesirable to deadly to drink, or it may be another, perhaps deadly,
alcohol.
Hangover results from consumption of excessive (for some, moderate) amount
of alcoholic beverage; many 'pet' remedies are suggested by various drinkers, but
sustained physical exertion seems most likely to be successful
Taxes: The higher the proof the heavier the tax.
In chemistry, (generic) an alcohol is any of a grouping of chemicals formed with
a hydroxyl (OH) radical and reacted with an organic acid to produce an ester.
If you used the link to reach this discussion, you may return
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Absinthe: a strong liqueur, mostly illegal in U.S.; see entry.
Beer: Home production for private consumption is widely practiced.
Bourbon: a whiskey
Gin: typically 80 proof
Martini: a cocktail consisting of gin plus flavoring (or using vodka)
Screwdriver: a cocktail consisting of vodka and orange juice
Rum: typically 75-95 proof (150 proof on market)
Scotch: a whiskey
Vermouth: a wine used in mixing cocktails
Vodka: typically 80 proof (90 & 100 proof on market)
Whiskey: typically 80-90 proof, distilled from the fermented mash of grain
(rye, wheat, corn, barley)
Wine: produced by fermentation of fruit or plant sugars, typically 8-15%
alcohol. Home production for private consumption is widely practiced.
Wine cooler: mixture of wine and juices (usually fruit)
If you used the link to reach this discussion, you may return
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Kits are available for home use with saliva or urine to detect cocaine usage. If you know
the user well enough before he samples cocaine, you may be able to observe changes (in
behanior, habits or friends) that arouse suspicion. Know your loved ones well!
If you used the link to reach this discussion, you may return
by using your BACK button.
Crack (Cocaine)
Ecstasy
GHB
Quickly and
extremely addictive. Crack cocaine delivers an intensity of pleasure completely
outside the normal range of human experience; it offers the most wonderful state
of consciousness and the most intense sense of well-being the user will ever enjoy.
Users sometimes speak of the rush in terms of whole body orgasms. A drug that
induces a secular parody of Heaven commonly leads into a biological counterpart
of Hell.
A short-lived euphoria is followed by a crash that involves anxiety,
depression, irritability, extreme fatigue, paranoia and an intense craving for more.
Its use cannot be rationally justified.
If you used the link to reach this discussion, you may return
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Alternately called 'love drug' because it engenders feelings of warmth and heightened
sexuality. Makes user feel elated and packed with pep; user may dance so hard as to
need extra water to avoid dehydration. Increases heart rate, blood pressure, and sense
of alertness; body temperature can rise to 107 (leading to convulsions); stimulates
production of serotonin by the brain. Some users put pacifier in mouth to prevent the
typical grinding of teeth (which may leave gums sore); glow sticks may increase
stimulation. Typical side effects include depression, memory loss and insomnia for
days after a party. Eating oranges may help next day comedown and depression.
Heavy use may cause memory problems. Long term medical effects unknown
(some evidence of liver damage) altho emergency room admissions have skyrocketed.
(Jan '04: Evidence of memory impairment has been noted.)
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A club drug, illegal in the US but used in Europe as a general anesthetic, a treatment for insomnia, for narcolepsy,
increasing the strength of child-bearing contractions, and a treatment for alcoholism.
In the last few years it has gained popularity as a recreational drug offering a
pleasant alcohol-like hangover-free high. Most users find HGB induces a pleasant
state of relaxation and tranquility. Frequent effects are placidity, sensuality, mild
euphoria and tendency to verbalize. Anxiety and inhibitions tend to dissolve into a
feeling of emotional warmth, well-being and pleasant drowsiness.
GHB can no
longer be detected in urine 4-5 hours after taking.
Aphrodisiac or prosexual
properties: reduces inhibitions, heightens the sense of touch, enhances
male erective capacity and increases the intensity of orgasm; in women it may make
orgasm more difficult or time-consuming to achieve.
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| Stays awake for long periods of time, | Sleeps for extended periods, |
| Talkative and may be twitchy, | Dilated pupils, |
| Exaggerated ideas of what he/she can do, | Irritability or aggressiveness, |
| Grinding his/her teeth, | Paranoia or delusions, |
| Constant scratching, | |
| Loss of appetite with resulting reduction in body weight, | |
| Constant sniffing, even if he/she does not have a cold, | |
| If the user is injecting, he/she may well keep | his/her arms covered, even in summer. |
"How to cure an addict:
In the above description, note "sudden changes:" you must know the user well before he
commences use. Know your teen-ager's life style, habits and friends and be observant.
Also, note "local addiction group;" you may need to exercise initiative to find a group.
Considering the difficulty of cure, how much better to avoid addiction in the first place.
Tobacco
I smoked a pipe and then, in the Air Force, found it inconvenient to carry pouch and pipe
and so switched to cigarettes. About one carton per week. After some 17 years I quit
"cold turkey," but that was after trying for three or four years to reduce smoking to a few
-- at one time one -- a day. I have wondered since how my wife endured the stench in my
clothing, in the house and on my breath. Little wonder she did not care for love making.
But I had damaged my lungs to the extent that an hour in a smoke-filled room sets my lungs
to burning, and it takes hours of clean air for that stinging sensation to disappear -- which,
luckily, it does. I have no doubt that, had I not quit when I did, within five years I would
have been planted -- not from cancer but from inability to breathe. It was already affecting
my eye-sight with "floaters" that blocked out parts of my field of view. Quitting was one
of the most difficult things I have ever done. No question I was addicted. (The method I
used in quitting cigarettes is described at http://www.rationallink.org/pers/mybody.htm in
a note added 1-14-08.)
For affirmations of beauty and personal control, which may be framed and mounted on the
wall click here. For affirmations to remind you of
personal qualities in a loving relationship, which may also be framed,
click here. Printed on simulated parchment for permanence,
contact me by clicking here.
A number of organizations offer a variety of support groups. The list below may help;
searchng the Web is invaluable for specifics. Search "support groups alcohol" but
substitute your personal demon for 'alcohol.'
The first step is to get the user to admit they have a problem for without this there can
be no cure. It is not helpful to be judgemental or make the user feel guilty. When you
commit to help, you have to be prepared to see it through to the end as stopping half way
may put the addict back into his addiction. Do some research before talking to the addict,
get advice from a local addiction group, that way when the drug user does admit they have
a problem, you can get him signed up right away. Also, depending on the amount and length
of time of the abuse, you may want to get a doctor to give them a health check in case of
any physical damage. Do not attempt to talk to the addict when they are still high as they
can be excitable, the best time is probably after they have crashed and slept. Then talk to
them before they have had the chance to use the drug again. When the user first gives up
there is usually no great physical craving, except they will feel very down and may want to
use again or turn to alcohol or other drugs just to get rid of the feeling. They must be
discouraged from this as replacing one addiction with another is not helpful. The really
strong craving may not surface until 30-60 days or even longer when the addict may become
depressed, suicidal or even violent. It means that the care giver must be on their guard for
any relapse even though the user has been clean for over a month."
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Anyone with ears half open has heard about the deleterious effects of smoking on health, so
I need say little about that. There can be no question that it has a damaging effect. All a
smoker has to do is listen to his own cough and note the disagreeable taste and blackened
phlegm and mucous.
If you used the link to reach this discussion, you may return
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HELP in RORDERING A LIFE or
My book, Loving the Live and Living to Love: Making Longevity Worthwhile, will
help you remedy the personal problems and attitudes that boosted you toward addiction in
the first place. Its thrust is dealing with the stresses of life, so you will not be
repeatedly reminded of your former addiction. Chapters deal with personal and intimate
relationships and with other elements of a healthy life style. For information, you may
e-mail orders@llumina.com or enter the URL www.llumina.com/store/lovetolive.htm. Or
visit my web page by clicking here or a less detailed description
by clicking here.
LOCATING a SUPPORT GROUP for recovered (or recovering) addictsAlcohol
'dir.yahoo.com/health/diseases_and_conditions/alcoholism/support_groups' lists a number
of assists
Alcoholics Anonymous is a worldwide fellowship of men and women who help each
other stay sober. To locate a meeting, search "Alcoholics Anonymous" and link from there.
(www.aa.org)
Rational Recovery is an abstinence-based approach to recovery that is the
proclaimed "antithesis and irreconcilable arch-rival of Alcoholics Anonymous."
Smart Recovery is an alternate self-help program for recovery from alcohol or
drug abuse.
Moderation Management
Women for Sobriety: For information, search "Women for Sobriety, Inc." and
e-mail from there.
Al-Anon is a support group for spouses and others concerned for an
alcoholic.
Alateen is a support group for children of alcoholics
Drugs
Narconon
Narcotics Anonymous: Search title, then locate state or local organization in list. (www.na.org)
Cocaine Anonymous: Search title, then locate local organization in list. 12-step program.
Crystal meth Anonymous: Search title, then follow your intuition. 12-step program.
Marijuana: www.marijuana-anonymous.org
Tobacco
nicotine-anonymous.org
groups.yahoo.com
If you used the link to reach this list, you may return
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ADDICTION TREATMENT and THERAPY
For help in spotting an addiction, click here.
For help in working with an addict in your family, click here.
(Information on support groups for mutual help in remaining clean, and information on
reordering the problems and traits that led to addiction, will be found under the heading
just above this one.)
If you are a user: If you are abusing drugs, even admitting you may have a problem is a huge step. It takes tremendous strength and courage to admit you are having trouble. However much you wish, don't try to quit alone. Recovery is possible with the right medical help and social support. Without the right support, it is very easy to rationalize just one more hit or pill, and withdrawal symptoms can test your resolve. The road to sobriety is rewarding but challenging. If you take the time to build a support network and learn your triggers for use, you will reduce the risk of relapse.
NIDA (National Institute on Drug Abuse) has information on abuse and treatment; SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) maintains a comprehensive list of treatment facilities -- overwhelming if you seek therapy. addictionsearch.com and recoveryconnection.org also maintain listings. Listings below are selected for alcohol and drug rehabilitation.
In most major cities in the U.S.
you can find a
drug addiction treatment center established for substance dependent addicts. Click underscore.
California:
Malibu: Passages Malibu
Newport Beach: Sober Living by the Sea<-!--2811 Vella Way-->
Rafael: Bayside Marin
Riverside: Sunrise Recovery Ranch
Scotts Valley: Camp Recovery Center, The
Sebastolpol: Azure Acres Recovery Center
Florida:
Boca Raton: Wellness Resources Center
Navarre: 12 Oaks Alcohol & Drug Treatment Center
New Mexico:
Santa Fe: Life Heating Center of Santa Fe
North Carolina: Wilmington: Wilmington Treatment Center
Oregon:
Bend: North Star Center
Pennsylvania:
Allenwood: White Deer Run
Kennett Sq: Bowling Green Brandywine
South Dakota:
Canton: Keystone Treatment Center
Tennessee:
Burns: New Life Lodge
Texas:
Center Point: Starlite Recovery Center
Utah:
Loa: Passages to Recovery
St. George: Sun Hawk Academy
Virginia:
Galax: Life Center of Galax