The injury was enough to warrant a subscription.  You were in a car crash, suffered a fall during your softball game or just came home from surgery.  Your doctor prescribed you a painkiller. Probably an opiate like OxyContin (codeine) or Vicodin.  Either way, the purpose was to treat the pain.  The relief was just a pill away.  After a while, the body needed more.  You needed more.  You developed a tolerance and now you are upping the doses to get the same relief.  You are now abusing the drug just to feel normal again.

Besides the higher doses, you’re probably taking them more frequent.  Instead of the suggested tablet(s) with a glass of water, you’re crushing it up and chewing them or snorting it.  YES, snorting the crushed up pill now in powder form through your nostrils.  Forget about the warnings on the label, you need this stuff.  You are now showing the signs of addiction as you crave more.

Unfortunately, that abuse has accelerated to addiction and now you can’t stop. It’s getting worse.  You start setting appointments with several different doctors to keep the supply flowing and the doctors questions to a minimum.  The body is dependent on the drug.  As you struggle to hide this addiction from loved ones, you become desperate to maintain the relief or fix by adding other medications or even alcohol to the mix.  By now, there is no hiding the addiction as you seek that “high” as often as you can. Eventually, you’ll try harder substances to feel the same effects.

The good news is there are indicators to show you, there is a problem.  A few signs to look for would be:

- your body needs the drug to function normally

- your tolerance increases over time

- withdraw symptoms surface when you try and stop

- you are using despite possible health risks

- you become defensive and/or deny there is an addiction

- withdraw from friends and family or daily  activities

- your behavior exhibits drug-seeking patterns

The first thing you need to do is except and recognize there is a problem and then seek help.

You’ve acknowledged the reality that you are addicted to painkillers.  You’ve accepted it’s now time to get help.  How do you begin?  There are several approaches to battle this addiction depending on where you are with it. Unfortunately will power alone won’t get the job done.

If you are physically dependent on the painkillers, and decide to stop cold turkey, your body may still crave the drug due to the symptoms of withdrawal.  Withdrawal is when the body has gotten used to the external supply of medicine and the brain has released receptors to allow the drug to work, causing nerve cells in the brain to stop working normally.  Reducing or stopping the drug causes the body to go through physical changes or a chemical imbalance if you will, resulting in painful side effects known as withdrawal symptoms.

Withdrawal symptoms may include include:

- craving for the drug(s)

- Diarrhea

- Nausea and vomiting

- Mood swings

- Cold sweats

- Restlessness

Withdrawal usually lasts between 6 hours and a few weeks.  If you think you are going through withdrawal, you should consider some sort of detoxification program right away.

Detox is where you physically cleanse your body of the harmful drugs you put into it.  Usually done through a medical facility or hospital, detox is done by administering (of all things) drugs to control your withdrawal symptoms while cleaning you out. Basically, by blocking the receptors that allow the painkillers to have any effect on the brain. You may still have the psychological craving, but your body’s tolerance is greatly reduced.

Other methods of treating your addiction include individual and group therapy and residential treatment where you enter a clinic to avoid those outside influences.  If you are not feeling the symptoms of withdrawal, you should consider one of the later options.  Successful recovery

This small black and purple berry about the size of a grape is from the Brazilian rain forest.  Acai (pronounced “ah-sigh-ee”) has been used by ancient inhabitants for centuries utilizing the berry’s health promoting properties as their source of wellbeing and vitality.

Grown in rich fertile soil in clusters of palm trees standing nearly 100 feet, this “super fruit” surely packs a punch with its list of nutrients.  Polyphenols, which has antioxidant properties that may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer.    Phytosterols, which are known to lower cholesterol.  Omega 3 fatty acids which are known to prevent cardiovascular disease, cancer and assist in the function of the immune system and brain.  Antioxidants, known to defend the body against free radicals and vitamins and minerals.

Scientists refer to Acai as one of the most nutritious and powerful foods in the world, as they continue to study and document the berry.  It didn’t take long before the berry was sharing its beneficial properties worldwide with everyone serious about their health.

Although Acai is quickly making a name worldwide, be careful when purchasing the product.  Most products claiming to have Acai don’t have enough of the Acai ingredient to really work.  A couple of things to watch out for when shopping around.  First, stay away from products that offer free trials.  They usually get you when you pay for shipping and handling by sending you more every month unless you know to cancel.  Second, make sure you read the label for “berry skin and pulp” and that it’s been freeze dried to lock in all the nutrients with 1000mg doses.  That is the required amount per day to reap the benefits.  Third, stay away from extracts and blends.  Many companies blend the Acai with other ingredients to mask the fact that Acai does cost and they want to skim on the ingredients to offset the costs.

Like any new products on the market, make sure to do your own homework and research to see if Acai will benefit you.

Pot shops, cannabis clubs, quick clinics, they all mean the same thing…  Medical Marijuana.  They seem to be popping up everywhere.  It’s funny that in Denver, there seems to be more pot shops than Starbucks.  That’s pretty bad when you consider these shops started off with the intent to treat those suffering from cancer and nausea-related symptoms. It seems just about anyone used to be able to show an I.D. card and it was off to market.  Now, it’s not that easy and you better have a serious medical condition to prove it.

In a 2002 medical review, cannabis (the active ingredient in marijuana) was shown to treat nausea and vomiting due to chemotherapy from various cancers as well as treating eye pressure associated with glaucoma.  Other remedies included loss of appetite and unintentional weight loss. The argument is that there are identified health risks with marijuana use with regards to the smoke inhalation.  The tar and other components that get inhaled along with the complaint that you can’t be sure of the dose you are getting nor the type or strength of the marijuana.  Consistent marijuana use can affect your short-term memory, impair your ability to function and lead to depression and/or anxiety.  According to the FDA, “marijuana has a high potential for abuse, has no current accepted medical use in treatment in the U.S. and has a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision.”

Cannabis has been legalized for medicinal purposes in Canada, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Israel, Italy, Finland and Portugal.  Here in the U.S., Federal Law forbids cannabis use, but each state is able to regulate use for medical purposes.  Repeat, medical purposes.  If you have a condition that may warrant medical marijuana use, please check with your physician about the benefits versus the potential problems.

Addiction is completely democratic.  It does not discriminate by age group, sexual identity, race, creed, culture or economic status. An addict can be the teenager doing bongs in the backyard, the wino sleeping under the railroad tracks, or the nice little old lady scamming doctors for pills. It can be a lawyer, a mom or a professional athlete. Addiction effects every area of our society.

The good news is, recovery is also democratic. It is available for the teenager, the wino, the little old lady and the rest. Today there are highly successful Twelve Step recovery programs for alcoholics, drug addicts, and all sorts of other addictions–sex, gambling, shopping, you name it.

The first of these programs was Alcoholics Anonymous, and it was founded in 1935 by two drunks–a doctor and a businessman– who discovered that they could stay sober if they shared honestly about their problems, called on a Power greater than themselves to help them, and reached out to other suffering alcoholics.

Through trial and error, they set down guidelines for recovery which seemed to work for everyone who sincerely applied them. These became  the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, and versions of the same are used in many Anonymous programs. The steps involve much more than abstinence from drinking. They are a method of character development which involves making peace with one’s past, and living for a cause greater than yourself, one day at a time.

After decades of failure by science and medicine to find a cure for alcoholism, it turned out that one drunk talking to another drunk was ultimately the most effective key to changing problem behavior. From these humble beginnings, there are now millions of members of Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in over 60 countries worldwide. The sister programs, Narcotics Anonymous, Gamblers Anonymous, etc., are also growing rapidly and bringing hope to people everywhere, because they no longer have to face their problems alone.

It’s official: America is obsessed with reality TV. And, in many cases, the grittier, and more “real” the reality the better. Many of the most popular reality TV shows chronicle people going through incredibly personal moments or spans of time in their lives, moments that traditionally have only happened behind closed doors or within the presence of a select group of family and friends. Now, some of these moments are captured on film and broadcast for the entire world of television owners to see.

Some of the most popular reality television shows follow people who are addicted to drugs, alcohol, sex, adrenaline, or a constellation of dangerous substances or practices. While the people on these shows are aware that they are participating in a documentary about addiction, they are sometimes surprised when the tables are turned and, instead of telling their story, their friends and families step in to try and get them to go to rehab.

Some critics assert that, whether or not the people in these shows are willing to go on camera, and even if they know that rehab, therapy, or detox is part of the agreement, that the practice of filming these moments of their lives is exploitative. These critics often assert that the simple act of chronicling suffering and distributing it for the purposes of entertainment is an act of exploitation.

Whether or not these critics are right, many shows on addiction get good ratings and film season after season of episodes. In fact, there have now been many cases in which the people suffering from addiction are also people who have watched past episodes of the show. The morality, or questionably morality of these shows is a point of contention for some people, but one thing is certain: the television watching public is more aware of addiction and intervention, and perhaps more informed than before.

Overcoming addiction is an incredibly difficult process because it can tax one’s emotions and mental health just as much as it can tax one’s physical body. Although addiction is an altogether unfortunate state of affairs, some of the most fortunate addicts are people who have friends and family who love them and are willing to stand by them in their struggle to get clean. One of the most difficult state of affairs is when an addict has very close friends or family members who are also addicted to drugs.

It can be nearly impossible, for example, for a person to get clean if their husband or wife is also addicted and is not as dedicated to becoming sober. Staying drug free is not only a process of choosing not to do drugs, but it is also a process of not exposing oneself to drugs. As such, it is very difficult for a person in recovery to succeed in their sobriety if they are living in a home where there are drugs, especially if those are the same drugs to which the person in recovery has been addicted.

Unfortunately, people who are dedicated to sobriety must sometimes sever ties with friends, family members, and sometimes even spouses who are addicted to drugs and have not yet decided to go to rehab or get clean. This can be an incredibly hard part of the process and is often a part of the process for which the person requires the greatest amount of support from friends and family who are drug free. The best case scenario is a scenario in which couples decide to go to rehab together and are mutually supportive in their efforts to get clean and stay clean. One of the dangers, however, may be that if one member of the couple relapses, the other member may be more likely to follow suit.

Although addiction itself is often shrouded in secrecy and deeply protected by those who are suffering from addiction, as a topic, it is becoming part of modern conversation. There are shows dedicated to various forms of addiction, intervention, and treatment. Newspapers, magazines, websites, and tabloids splash headlines about celebrities who are suffering from addictions of many kinds and chronicle every piece of information that can possibly be found out about celebrities who have gone into rehab or detox.

Also, addiction has become a very popular topic in memoir and nonfiction writing. There was, for example, the controversial A Million Little Pieces by James Frey which, it was later revealed, may or may not have been based on fact. A Million Little Pieces chronicled, in excruciating detail, the experiences of an addict in rehab including a scene in a dentist’s office that leave most readers chilled and disgusted for days.

Other popular addiction memoirs include Portrait of an Addict as a Young Man by Bill Clegg and Dry by Augusten Burroughs. But these two titles are just the very tip of the iceberg. There are addiction memoirs about drinking, about taking pills, about crack, about cocaine, heroin, meth, you name it. There are memoirs about multiple family members who were addicted at the same time, to the same drugs or same group of drugs. There are memoirs written from the perspective of a sober writer reflecting on the addiction of a friend, child, parent, or spouse. It goes on and on.

So while addiction may be something to be protected, hidden, secreted away from light, it seems that in the process of recovery, the lines of communication become totally open. Although the recovery may be painful, may be just completely awful, it seems that people are willing to talk about it, they are willing to talk about every terrible second.

One of the most important things for people to deal with after gaining sobriety is what their lives will be like going forward. In many cases, people who have been involved with drugs return to sobriety to find that their finances are in shambles, their career is either over or in serious trouble and, in some cases, there are serious legal issues to face. Depending on the length of time that a person has abused drugs and the intensity of their drug use, a return to sobriety could mean facing a mountain of debt. They may also be in serious trouble with the law.

This is just one of the many reasons that people who decide to get past an addiction need as much emotional and moral support as possible. Facing jail time and finding a way to climb out of a hole of debt that may be tens of thousands of dollars deep is very scary. In fact, these are factors that might cause someone to use again.

Going to rehab certainly doesn’t mean that all of one’s problems will go away. In fact, it is likely that sobriety will just bring all of one’s problems into sharp focus. However, with the right kind of support and a plan of action to deal with all of the implications of months or years of drug use, it is possible to stay on the right track.

Anyone who is trying to support a friend, family member, or spouse who is overcoming addiction might actually want to seek counseling of their own, or the advice of an expert in how to best help their loved one through one of the most difficult parts of getting sober: facing the music. In fact, in many cases, people who have abused drugs and alcohol may find a lifetime of sobriety much scarier and uncomfortable than withdrawal itself.