You May Be Alcoholic If…

No matter how much you deny that you are an alcoholic, if your body and behavior towards alcohol say so, then you might really be one.

Alcoholism refers to a psychological and physiological dependence on alcohol, resulting in chronic disease and disruption of interpersonal, family, and work relationships. When a person is under the serious influence of alcohol, his brain, central nervous system, liver, and heart are affected.

Alcoholism occurs four times more often in males then females as the former are more exposed to alcohol drinking and gets more easily influenced by the media and other people than the latter. It may develop at any age after adolescence, when drinking begins.

A person’s decision to engage in grave alcohol drinking is not completely understood, even by expert psychologists. However, possible causes may include personality factors such as dependency, anger, mania, depression, or introversion; family influences where one or both of the parents are alcoholic; social and cultural pressure; and body-chemistry disturbances.

According to a substance abuse California company, you can identify if you are already an alcoholic through the following signs and symptoms.

• You have a low tolerance for anxiety.
• You feel the need of alcohol first thing in the morning and during stressful events.
• You are insomniac; and when you finally fall asleep, you experience nightmares.
• You are suffering from habitual hangovers, causing absences in school or work.
• You are preoccupied with obtaining alcohol and hiding drinking from family and friends.
• You feel guilt and irritability when other people suggest that your drinking is becoming excessive.

On the later stage of your condition, the following occurs:

• You suffer from frequent blackouts and memory loss.
• You suffer from delirium tremens including hallucinations, tremors, confusion, sweating, and rapid heartbeat.
• You get infected with other diseases such as liver disorders, bloating, internal bleeding, and jaundice.
• You suffer from neurological impairment and feel numbness in the hands, tingling in the feet, declining of sexual interest, potency, and even coma.
• You suffer from congestive heart failure including shortness of breath and sweating of feet.

Hence, even if you constantly deny that you are not under the influence of alcohol, your body and behavior will tell the truth. For more information about substance abuse California, visit http://www.paxhouse.org.

Avoiding Drug Abuse and Addiction

Whether there is an outside influence to use and abuse drugs or none, it is still the individual’s full responsibility when he accepts to do so. To prevent being trapped by the harmful effects of drug abuse and addiction, it is your obligation then to say “NO” to drugs at all cost. Otherwise, you may end up in a Los Angeles rehabilitation center, hospital, or worse, in a funeral home.

Here are simple ways on how to say “NO” to drugs and avoid substance abuse and addiction.

1. Don’t give in to peer pressure. Just because your friends are doing drugs, doesn’t mean you have to take it, as well. Remember that there are far more important things you can do with your time rather than waste it consuming drugs that are bad for your body and health.

2. Do not accept anything from strangers, especially food and drinks. Bars and parties are popular venues for drug use. If someone hands you a brownie, for example, just politely refuse and move along. Even if it is a plain gesture of welcoming you to the event, It is better to be safe than sorry.

3. Avoid people who use drugs and places they hang out in. If you continue spending time with them, no matter how strong your self-control is, chances are you will still eventually be persuaded to use drugs. It is best to simply avoid them.

4. Keep smoking and drinking alcohol in moderation. Too much of something is bad for the health, including smoking and drinking alcohol. Remember that cigarettes contain nicotine which is a form of drugs. Make sure to keep these habits at bay, so quitting won’t be too hard.

5. When stressed, depressed, or problematic, talk your worries out to a friend, family member, or someone you trust. You can even resort to blogging, shopping, or even spiritual healing. But never attempt to use drugs thinking that it will solve your problems. No, they won’t and will never do. If anything, drugs will even make your life more complicated.

Follow these guidelines in avoiding drug abuse and addiction so you won’t end up in a Los Angeles rehabilitation center. For more information, visit http://www.paxhouse.org/Los_Angeles_Rehab.html.

Alcoholism: Dispelling Myths from Facts

A California rehabilitation center dispels these myths about alcoholism. Go find out!

Surely we’ve been told time and again that alcohol destroys our brain cells, but it would be more apt to state that moderate consumption of alcohol will not destroy brain cells. On the contrary, when taken in the right amount, it is known to improve cognitive functioning. 

Some of us also are of the belief that drinking white wine would enable one to cheat breathalyzer. The fact really is that a glass of white wine, a bottle of beer, and a shot of whiskey are all of the same amounts to a breathalyzer. 

Most of us believe that a “beer belly” is a product of beer drinking. Actually, it is not so because what we label as ‘beer belly’ is actually caused by excessive eating.  

Similarly, most drinkers would tell you to avoid mixing your drinks to contain your intoxication, but in reality switching from one type to another would be immaterial. What is at work though is the level of blood alcohol content in your system. 

Others, in an attempt to force them to sober up, would instantaneously ingest coffee. Actually, only the lapse of time can cure alcohol intoxication and not cold showers nor black coffee. 

How about the myth that if one would drink long enough, he will become alcoholic? What is the truth value of this? Studies have shown that on the contrary there simply are not existing factual and scientific basis for this.  

Moreover, some are of the actual belief that drinking and weight gain are inevitable cause and effect. However, studies have shown that drinking does not cause weight gain. In fact, it has been discovered to be corollary to some instances of weight loss in women. 

Finally, the prohibitory myth that states that drinking alcohol will in effect cause retardation and stunting of the growth of children has no proven evidence yet. Scientific and medical researches simply did not yield results of this kind. 

For more information about substance abuse, consult with the experts at Pax House California rehabilitation center. Visit its official website at http://www.paxhouse.org/CA_Drug_Treatment.html.

Second-Hand Smoke Kills: Learn the Harmful Effects

If you think that you’re safe just because you’re not smoking, think again. Do you know that second-hand smoke also kills? Learn about the harmful effects of second-hand smoke as explained by a California drug treatment facility.

Smoking kills.

And we get information on the harmful effects of smoking everywhere – from television to wall posters to cigarette packages. But non-smokers should also be forewarned because they may be inhaling as much nicotine and tar as a smoker does.

Second-hand smoke has a string of adverse effects for both the young and old. Young children are especially vulnerable because they breathe more air relative to body weight. They are also less able to complain because of their age when they feel limited and ignored. Their immune systems are also relatively less protective. For children under 18, the following are just few of the adverse health effects that second-hand smoke brings:

• Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)

• Additional episodes of asthma

• Decreased lung function

• Meningococcal infections

• More fluid in the middle ear

• Upper respiratory tract irritation

• Lower respiratory tract infections

• Severe asthmatic symptoms

• Minimized flow of oxygen to tissues

• Tonsillectomy

• Cancers and leukemia

• Slower growth

• Upper respiratory tract infections

• Adverse neurobehavioral effects

• Higher cholesterol levels and heart disease

Pregnant women should not only quit smoking, but also avoid inhaling second-hand smoke. Second-hand smoke has different adverse effects on pregnant women, especially to the fetus. It deprives the fetus of vital nutrients and oxygen, which could lead to the following conditions:

• Intrauterine growth retardation or low birth weight

• Behavioral problems

• Deficient intellectual ability

• Miscarriage

• Stillbirth

• Reduced lung function

• Pregnancy complications

So, the next time the person next to you lights a cigarette, always politely assert your right to clean and fresh air. Stay away from smoking areas. Keep in mind that you have every right to protect your health in as much as they have their right to destroy their health.

For more information about curing and preventing substance abuse, seek for the advice of professionals at Pax House or visit their official website at http://www.paxhouse.org/CA_Drug_Treatment.html.