February 23, 2012

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How Does Alcoholics Anonymous Work?

If you or a loved one is faced with a drinking problem you may have heard of Alcoholics Anonymous. There are many different programs available in our society to deal with addiction. One of the most commonly recognized programs for dealing with drinking is Alcoholics Anonymous, but how does it work?

First of all Alcoholics Anonymous is a free program. Meetings are run by donation only to cover expenses. No one is turned away due to money. For people with limited income or no insurance this may be the only way to seek treatment.

AA Big Book

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Meetings are relatively easy to find. There are no minimum or maximum meetings to attend. Attendees can attend as few as one a month or as many as four a week depending where you live. There are AA chapters located in virtually every locale, city or rural.

AA is based on a 12 step program to achieving and maintaining sobriety. The meetings are usually facilitated by someone who has been through AA and has been sober for a long period of time. Participants do the 12 step program one step at a time to work toward and maintain sobriety.

Participants also usually have a “sponsor”. A sponsor is a person who has been through AA and has maintained sobriety for a lengthy period of time. A sponsor is someone who can help the alcoholic learn how to complete the 12 steps and can be called on for help day or night.

AA is one of oldest and most respected alcohol rehabilitation programs available to treat alcohol addiction.

 

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Drug Law reform in New York State

Back in 1973, the Rockefeller administration in New York State enacted laws that ordered long and severe prison terms for the sale or possession of amounts of drugs that were relatively small in size.  The target of these laws was the drug kingpins but most arrested by these laws were those involved in low-level, nonviolent offenses. As a result, there were thousands of people in New York in prisons that suffered from drug abuse problems, or problems related to mental illness, being homeless, or not having a job

The New York Civil Liberties Union as well as criminal justice advocates and medical experts have endeavored to convince judges that addiction should be treated as a public health matter. These non-violent drug offenders sentenced to prison is an ineffective means of treatment and only serves to highlight racial disparities. The ones who get incarcerated are primarily blacks and Hispanics although whites are the ones who mostly use illegal drugs.

In 2009, the governor of the state of New York along with the senate and the assembly passed laws to reform the Rockefeller drug laws. This represented a great shift in policy as well as a new approach to dealing with drug offenses. Instead of locking people up and leaving them to suffer with their drug problems, this new agreement promised to eliminate mandatory minimum sentences and to enable judges to send drug offenders to rehabilitation programs instead of to jail. In addition, the sentencing was made retroactive so that more than 1,000 convicts who were in jail were allowed to apply to the court for a resentence and possible release from jail.

Despite these new reforms, there continue to be wide arrests in New York City for the possession of marijuana. Although simple possession has been decriminalized, police continue to arrest people who possess the drug in public view. The New York Civil Liberties Union criticized such practices claiming police coerced simple possession into an offense which could cause arrest.

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Drug Addiction

When a drug is needed so that a person can perform normal functions, this is known as drug dependence. Withdrawal symptoms result if the drug is stopped abruptly. Compulsive use of a drug, despite the consequences which can be dangerous or negative to the body is known as drug addiction.

There can be a physical dependence on a drug and yet a person may not be addicted to it. For example, someone taking blood pressure medication may develop a physical dependence on the drug yet not be addicted to it. Addiction would occur when there may be no physical dependence. Other signs of addiction include the need to take a higher dose of the drug in order to achieve the same effects.

The precise causes of drug abuse and addiction remain unknown. Some factors that are considered when a person becomes addicted to drugs include their genes, the effects of the drug on that person, peer pressure, anxiety, emotional distress, anxiety, stress and depression. Although peer pressure can play a major role in leading to drug abuse, typically those who become addicted suffer from some kind of mental health problem. Children who grow up in an environment where there is parental use of drugs may be exposed to a higher risk for developing a drug addiction later in life.

There are certain tendencies in people that become dependent on drugs and are likely to abuse them. These include people who have easy access to drugs, have emotional problems which may involve low self-esteem or problems with relationships, live a style of life that that is stressful, economically, socially or emotionally, live in an environment where the social use of drugs is highly accepted, or have such mental health problems as schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, depression and bipolar disorder. The treatment of these factors once recognized can help to lead to the prevention of drug abuse and addiction.

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Drug Law Reform

The American Civil Liberties Union has a special division known as the Drug Law Reform Project. The goal of the project is to stop the passing of drug laws that punish people and cause constitutional and human rights to be violated on a widespread basis. This also applies to laws that cause high levels of imprisonment.

The Drug Law Reform Project was founded in 1998 as a means to raise attention to lawsuits that have a long term effect on the public understanding and government response to drug use and drug policies. Legal strategies of the project aim to fight for civil rights and not just persuade judges. The Project’s goal is to change the minds and hearts of communities that have the greatest issues with drugs and drug laws by combining legal action with public education campaigns that are innovative and to assist in developing tools for these communities so that justice can be served.

The Project has an excellent track record, having won cases in which racial profiling in drug law enforcement was involved and in which medical marijuana users and their doctors were protected from prosecution. Other cases which the Project has been successful litigating is one where a particular religious group used a hallucinogenic substance in their rituals and the Court issued an injunction against the Government which was unable to demonstrate a compelling reason why the group could not use the drug for sacramental purposes. In another case, the Project helped to argue against a school’s drug-testing policy for students participating in extra-curricular activities. The Project claimed that students should not have to undergo such testing for after school activities and the Court upheld the drug testing.

The Project hopes to continue its success in working through the courts, through education and the community at large to make sure that sensible and humane drug policies are enforced that respect basic human rights and liberties that have been granted by the United States Constitution.

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What Can Cialis Do For You?

Cialis, also known as tadalafil, is a treatment for erectile dysfunction (ED). This medication treats pulmonary arterial hypertension, which reduces a man’s ability to have or maintain an erection. In order to buy Cialis, individuals need to seek doctor’s advice to determine if this medication can be an effective treatment for the underlying cause of the patient’s erectile dysfunction.

How Cialis Works

Cialis works by delaying the action of a group of enzymes called phosphodiesterase. In some people, these enzymes work too quickly. The delay of the effect of these enzymes allows blood flow to remain in the penis for a longer period of time. This allows the man to maintain an erection longer.

Potential Side Effects of Cialis

Like many medications, Cialis is chemical-based and can cause side effects in some patients. The following are some of the most common side effects patients may deal with when taking Cialis, especially for the first time.

  • Indigestion
  • Headaches – severe to mild
  • Back pain
  • Flushing
  • Congestion and mucus development
  • Some experience changes in vision, especially in the blue tint vision.

In some cases, a man may experience prolonged erections, called priapism. When this prolonged erection lasts longer than four hours, the individual should seek medical attention immediately.

Discuss Cialis with Your Doctor

Before taking Cialis, it is critical to meet with and discuss your physical health with your doctor. Those who are taking other medications may not be able to take this medication as well. In addition, those men who are taking medication to reduce high blood pressure may have an adverse reaction to this medication.

Talk to your doctor about your condition. Inquire about the cause of your erectile dysfunction. If your doctor recommends taking Cialis, follow the doctor’s suggested dosage. For many men, the use of this medication can boost sexual performance and self-confidence. It can be an effective treatment for many men, so talk to your doctor about its potential benefit to you.

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Things You Can do to Relieve Stress

Most of us are under a lot of stress these days and we are always looking for ways to relieve our stress. Here are some of the best ways that you can reduce the amount of stress in your life.

  • Make a schedule
  • Never procrastinate
  • Make sure you take breaks
  • Go on vacation
  • Talk to people you work with
  • Take deep breaths
  • Take a nice walk
  • Go out for a jog
  • Do some aerobics
  • Take a nice, long hot bath
  • Do something for yourself each day
  • Laugh
  • Smile
  • Tell jokes
  • Call one of your friends
  • Go out to dinner with a friend
  • Accept help from people
  • Learn the word no and make it part of your vocabulary
  • Get therapy
  • Write in a journal
  • Create some goals
  • Do some planning
  • Do yoga
  • Meditate
  • Dance
  • Sing
  • Play with kids or pets
  • Learn to play some kind of instrument
  • Draw
  • Cry
  • Vent
  • Get some sleep
  • Get a nice massage
  • Eat well
  • Read a fun book
  • Do something for someone else
  • Listen to some music
  • Light some aromatherapy candles
  • Take a nap
  • Make love
  • Buy essential oils created to relieve stress
  • Play something like tennis, basketball, or football
  • Take up a hobby

These are just some of the things that you can do in order to relieve some of the stress that is in your life. Stress makes you tense and makes it hard to function. So you want to get your mind off of your troubles and just relax. These things are going to help you to relax and help you feel a lot better. Whether it’s your home life, your work, or something else that is making you stressed out, you should figure out what it is and see what you can do about making it better.

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Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura

A rare blood disorder that a lot of people are unfamiliar with is Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura.  It’s a blood disease that destroys the patient’s red blood cells and their platelets and is often deadly.

There are three common things that are used in the treatment of Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura, or TTP as it is called.

  • Plasmapheresis – This is a process which is similar to dialysis, during which the patient’s blood is run through a machine and fresh frozen plasma is spun into the blood and then transferred back to the patient.  It can cause high or low blood pressure in the patient receiving the treatment.
  • Chemotherapy – Another treatment which is used for TTP is chemotherapy. Although it often destroys blood cells, it’s been found to be helpful in the treatment of TTP and can often put a patient into remission.
  • Steroids – The third kind of treatment that doctors use for TTP is steroids. This treatment has been found to be most helpful in treating patients with this rare disease and helping with their recovery.

Some of the symptoms of TTP are the following:

  • Unexplained bruising
  • Fatigue
  • Flu-like symptoms

Low platelets are often found through a complete blood count and the hematologist may order a bone marrow aspiration to ensure that the patient is not suffering from leukemia.

If the other types of treatment are not working, the patient who has TTP may have their spleen removed, but this is usually done only when the conventional therapies for TTP have not worked.

TTP is something that has become more common with the introduction of Plavix over the recent years, but before then there weren’t a lot of known cases.  It’s an illness which is quite serious and which can kill the patient if it’s left untreated.

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Different Drug Laws in the United States and Canada

Whether you are suffering from hair loss, erectile dysfunction, anxiety, high cholesterol or any other disease that can be treated with approved drugs, you will need to purchase them somewhere.  Some people choose to purchase from a local pharmacy and some buy their pills online at reputable websites.  The choice for which you do can often be because of convenience but it can also be because of cost.  In most countries the laws pertaining to legal drugs are vastly different.  Even countries like the United States and Canada, which border one another, have different drug laws.

In the United States, medical prescriptions are very expensive.  One of the reasons for this is that the United States controls its drug prices.  There is not competition for price so costs stay high.  If you do not have insurance to help, then you will pay very high fees for medications.  A customer in the United States who needs to order Viagra will also be required to have a prescription from a medical doctor.  This can also be an expensive proposition for those who do not have insurance.

In Canada things are a bit different.  This is why many U.S. residents cross the border for their treatments if they are not ordering them online.  Canada has many regulations that do the opposite of what goes in the United States regarding price.  They do their best to keep prices inexpensive.  In fact, they offer generic drug makers ten year exclusivity for their new patented drugs.  United States citizens can purchase drugs in Canada and are allowed to cross the border with a small amount.

When you need prescription drugs, make sure to look at all your options.  What you might find in your local pharmacy, might also be found online at up to eighty percent less.  Do your research and just make sure to get the treatment you need.

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Getting the Right Prescription Drugs for You

When it comes to medications that you might need for a particular disease or condition – or to ward off a problem or stop it from getting worse – prescription drugs are the choice of most doctors and patients. Do you really need them, though, and are you getting the right ones for your specific situation? You shouldn’t just stop taking something without checking with your doctor, but don’t feel as though you can’t ask questions. It’s very important to be an informed patient, and that means paying close attention to what goes into your body as well as the changes that are taking place with it.

Medications, whether they are prescription or over the counter, are designed for certain ailments, but there are many people who take them when they really don’t need them. Some people also sell their prescription medications to other people for money. It’s very dangerous to take medications that belong to someone else, but it happens a lot and many people don’t see it as a problem. Any time prescription medications are offered to you, it’s better to avoid them if they haven’t been specifically prescribed for you – and that’s true even if you have the same medical condition as the person who was given the prescription.

Whether you call them drugs or medications, they can be very dangerous or very helpful, depending on how they are taken and the person who takes them. Some people are very sensitive to medications, and they can’t take them for some conditions, even if they need them. The side effects of the drugs are too great for these people to tolerate them. Modern medicine is always trying to create new and better medications for these people, so they will be able to find relief from the conditions that plague them.

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