Drug Addiction Information:

Drug addiction is a complex brain disease. It is characterized by compulsive, at times uncontrollable, drug craving, seeking, and use that persist even in the face of extremely negative consequences. Drug seeking becomes compulsive, in large part as a result of the effects of prolonged drug use on brain functioning and, thus, on behavior. For many people, drug addiction becomes chronic, with relapses possible even after long periods of abstinence.

Drug Intervention:
- when a group of loved ones and/or a trained counselor meets with the person in need of help for the purpose of breaking down their denial circuit and motivating them to immediately seek drug treatment.

Steps of Intervention:
1. Stop all "rescue missions."

• family members often try to protect an abuser from the results of their behavior by making excuses to others about their abuse problem and by getting them out of drug-related jams.
  
• it is important to stop all such rescue attempts immediately, so that the addict will fully experience the harmful effects of his or her use and thereby become more motivated to stop.

2. Don't enable them.

• sometimes family members feel sorry for the addict or tend to avoid the abuser; let them come and go as they please.
  
• This comes across to the abuser as a reward-after all, all he or she wants is to be left alone.
  
• Be careful not to reward by paying his or her bills, bailing him or her out of jail, letting him or her stay for free, etc.
  
• This kind of reward creates out exchange and criminal behavior.
  

3. Time you intervention.

• if possible, plan to talk with the addict when he or she is straight.
  
• choose a time when all of you are in calm frame of mind and when you can speak privately.

4. Be specific. Tell the family member that you are concerned about his drug or alcohol abuse and want to be supportive in getting help.

• back up your concern with examples of the ways in which their drug abuse has caused problems for you, including any recent incidents.

5. State the consequences.

• Tell the family member that until he gets help, you will carry out consequences-not to punish the him or her, but to protect yourself from the harmful effects of the abuse.
  
• These may range from refusing to be with the person when they are under the influence, to having them move out of the house.
• DO NOT make any threats you are not prepared to carry out.
  
• the basic intention is to make the abuser's life more uncomfortable if he or she continues using drugs than it would be for him or her to get help.

6. Find strength in numbers with the help of family members, relatives and friends to confront the abuser as a group.

• however, you want to choose one person to be the initial spokesperson.
  
• It will be much more effective for the others to simply be there nodding their heads, than it would be for everyone to talk at once and "gang up on him or her."
  
• Remember the idea is to make it safe for him or her to come clean and seek help.

7. Listen. If during the intervention the addict begins asking questions like; Where would I have to go? For how long? This is a sign that he is reaching for help.

• Support him or her. Don't wait. Once you've gotten his or her agreement, get him or her admitted immediately.
  
• Therefore, you should have a bag packed for him or her, any travel arrangements made, and prior acceptance into a program.

NOTE: if possible, it is wise to employ an intervention professional. Interventions conducted by an expert have a 96% chance that the addict will enter a treatment program. If you need an intervention professional call 1-800-405-8409

Signs of Drug Abuse:

• an abrupt change in the individual's work or school attendance, the quality of their work, how much work they produce now compared their past production.
  
• unusual outbreaks of temper, sudden changes in their mood (verbally and physically abusive)
  
• acting paranoid or confused
  
• not taking responsibility for their actions
  
• a general, overall change in their attitude
  
• Withdrawing from family and friends
  
• drastic change in their physical appearance and grooming habits
  
• Associating themselves with known drug users
  
• Frequent/ unusual borrowing of money or always seeming to have a lot of money
  
• Acting secretive about their actions and possessions
  

Signs of Drug Use:

• Alcohol odor on the individual's breath or person
  
• Intoxication (drunk)
  
• The individual has a hard time focusing and has a glazed look
  
• Either uncharacteristically passive behavior or combative and argumentative behavior
  
• Deterioration in the individual's personal hygiene
  
• Becoming dysfunctional, especially with it comes to their job performance or academics
  
• Absenteeism (especially on Mondays)
  
• Blackouts, loss of memory
  
• Their attention is fixated on drinking at social or professional occasions
  
• Trouble with their interpersonal relationships such as marriage, family, friends
  
• Clumsiness
  
• Difficulty walking

Signs of Drug Use:

• depressants (Methaqualone, Valium, Phenobarbital, Xanax
  
• keep in mind, there are few easy to spot signs of depressant use.
  
• often times use might be detected by frequent trips to the doctor for "nervousness", "anxiety", "stress", etc.
  
• Acting drunk with no smell of alcohol on the individual's breath or clothing
  
• Limited or no facial expression or animation
  
• their personality is "flat"
  
• Their appearance is flaccid
  
• Their slur their speech when they talk

Signs of Drug Use: Hallucinogens (LSD, Peyote, Psilocybin, Mushrooms, PCP)

• Pupils are extremely dilated
  
• Users skin is warm
  
• Heavy perspiration and body odor
  
• Distortion of sight, sound, touch
  
• Hallucinations
  
• Detachment from people
  
• Absorption with self or other objects
  
• Slurred speech
  
• Confusion
  
• Distorted view of themselves
  
• Distorted view of time
  
• Changes in mood and behavior

Signs of Drug Use: Marijuana:

• often it can be difficult to recognize the signs of marijuana use because most of the signs take place while the individual is under the influence.
  
• in addition, casual marijuana users may not show any of the signs listed below.
• in the early stages of intoxication the user may talk rapidly and/or loud and have fits of laughter
  
• in the later stages of intoxication, the user may appear sleepy or in a stupor
  
• forgetfulness
  
• eyes are very bloodshot
  
• glassy eyes
  
• strong odor of marijuana on their clothing or breath
  
• often they will drive very slowly- below the speed limit
  
• their sense of time is distorted. They tend to overestimate time intervals
  
• possession of marijuana paraphernalia rolling papers, pipes, and bongs
• Weight loss or weight gain

Signs of Drug Use: Narcotics (Opium, Heroin, Dilaudid, Methadone)

• acting lethargic or drowsy
  
• constricted pupils that do not respond to changes in light
  
• if using heroin in powder form, then redness and raw nostrils from inhalation
  
• track marks on their arms (scars) or other parts of the body indicating injection use
  
• slurred speech
  
• frequent trips to doctors for pain medication
  
• increase in the frequency and amount of prescribed pain medication without doctors consent
  
• if using heroin sweating, vomiting, coughing, and sniffling; twitching, loss of appetite
  

Signs of Drug Use: Stimulants (crack cocaine, cocaine, methamphetamine, crystal meth)

• dilated pupils
  
• dry mouth
  
• drug nose
  
• runny nose
  
• sinus/nasal problems
  
• nose bleeds
  
• bad breath
  
• frequent lip licking
  
• fidgeting, has a hard time sitting still
  
• no interest in food
  
• no interest in sleep
  
• feelings of irritability
  
• acting argumentative
  
• acting nervous
  
• very talkative but the conversation often lacks continuity; changes subjects rapidly
  
• hyperactivity
  
• Euphoria
  
  Alcohol Recovery:
• the goal of all alcohol recovery programs is to educate the alcohol user to the facts about chemical dependency and the changes needed to live an alcohol-free lifestyle.
  
• most alcohol rehabs provide counseling, behavioral therapy, lectures, group therapy, discussion groups, and other types of services to persons with alcohol use disorders.
  
• In alcohol recovery, individuals are taught new ways of acting and thinking that will help them stay sober.
  
• For example, patients in alcohol recovery are urged to avoid situations that lead to alcohol abuse and to practice alcohol refusal skills.
  
• the approximate duration for an individual in alcohol recovery depends on his or her problems and needs.
  
• Research indicates that for most individuals, the threshold of significant improvement is reached at about 3 months in treatment.
  
• After this threshold is reached, additional alcoholism treatment can produce further progress toward recovery.
  
• Because people tend to leave treatment prematurely, programs should include strategies to engage and keep patients in treatment.
  
• There are no quick fixes for alcoholism.
  
• The success rate of alcohol recovery is a difficult thing to measure.
  
• Outcome studies seem to indicate an individual's success will be determined primarily by their willingness to incorporate new concepts and ideas into their lives.
• Their acceptance to changes in their reactions to life, patterns of behavior, and thinking habits is also a factor.

Drug Rehabilitation:

• The goal of Drug Rehabilitation programs is to educate the drug user to the facts about chemical dependency and the changes needed to live a drug free lifestyle.
• A variety of therapy can be included in any given drug rehab setting.
  
• Most drug rehabs provide counseling, behavioral therapy, lectures, group therapy, discussion groups, and other types of services to persons with drug use disorders.
  
• There are different types of drug rehabilitation programs depending upon the severity and nature of the individual's drug addiction.
  
• In all cases though, detoxification is only the initial step towards recovery.
  
• Detoxification safely manages the acute physical symptoms of withdrawal associated with discontinuing the use of drugs.
  
• One frequently used drug rehab treatment is cognitive behavioral and relapse prevention.
  
• In drug rehab, patients are taught new ways of acting and thinking that will help them stay off drugs.
  
• For example, patients in drug rehab are urged to avoid situations that lead to drug abuse and to practice drug refusal skills.
  
• In drug rehab. they are taught to think of a relapse as a "slip" rather than as a failure.
  
• Cognitive behavioral and relapse prevention has proven to be a useful and lasting therapy in drug rehabilitation.
  
• The success rate of a drug rehab is difficult to measure but outcome studies seem to indicate an individual's success will be determined primarily by their willingness to incorporate new concepts and ideas into their lives.
  
• the appropriate duration for an individual in drug rehabilitation treatment depends on his or her problems and needs.
• research indicates that for most patients, the threshold of significant improvement is reached at about 3 months in treatment.
  
• After this threshold, additional drug addiction treatment can produce further progress toward recovery.

Drugs and Alcohol:

• substances which alter perceptions of the user
  
• addiction is where the individual depends on these substances to feel good or get through their day.
  
• early warning signs that a person may have problems with drugs or alcohol are: (1) relying on drugs and alcohol to have fun, (2) forget problems or to relax, (3) having blackouts (when a person can't remember what happened when drunk or high), (4) taking drugs and alcohol by their self withdrawing or keeping secrets from friends or family, (5) performing differently in school ( such as grades dropping and frequent absences), (5) building an increased tolerance to drugs and alcohol-gradually needing more and more of the substance to get the same feeling
  
• misunderstandings occur when we get lost in quibbling over "how much" and "how many times" we take drugs and alcohol
  
• many of us have cultural, religious, and social baggage about the use of drugs and alcohol.
  
• a more useful way to decide if a person is chemically dependent is to consider whether an "impairment" or "negative consequence" occurs as a result of use.
  
• This can happen in their physical, emotional, and/or social functioning.
  
• sometimes they notice the effects of drugs and alcohol on their lives, sometimes others have to point it out to them
  
• the range of use includes: (1) Experimentation: use a few times to discover the effect, (2) Regular or Social Use: use without impairment or negative consequences, (3) Problem Use: impairment in one area of functioning, (4) Addiction: the inability to stop using or to stay stopped despite negative consequences in one or more areas of one's life.
  
• This includes compulsive use and the loss of control over use.
  
• The best thing for an individual who has problems with drugs and alcohol is to talk to someone they trust, preferably someone who can support them emotionally.
  
• This way they don't have to deal with their problems alone
  
• There are also lots of resources for people who have problems with drugs and alcohol.