Posts Tagged ‘alcohol recovery’

Drunk Driving

Tuesday, December 6th, 2011

Theglobeandmail.com is reporting today that “Drunk-Driving ruling will limit holiday checks.”  This court ruling took apart a portion of the province’s tough new drunk-driving law and it means fewer police officers will be available to run the high profile roadblocks launched for the holiday season by Solicitor General Shirley Bond.  The B.C. Supreme Court judgment was issued this past Wednesday and is has forced police to revert to the former law for dealing with drivers who fail a roadside sobriety test.  Before the police were equipped with immediate roadside penalties and they reduced the number of time- consuming Criminal code cases by almost 75 %.  The chief said immediate roadside penalties took about one hour for an officer to process, while under the old provisions that are back in place, they can spend up to nine hours dealing with each case.  All of this does not mean that people in the province can get away with drunk driving.

With the holidays upon us we can be sure that drunk driving will be on the increase.  Drivers with alcohol in their blood are seven times more likely to cause a fatal crash; legally drunk drivers pose a risk 13 times greater than sober drivers.  These stats come from a report done by attorneys from prestigious universities.  They noted that motor vehicle crashes claim over 40,000 lives in a year in the US  and that is just about the same number of Americans killed over the course of either the Korean or Vietnam wars.  The death toll in cars accidents equals the combined number of suicides and homicides.  Car accidents are 30 times as frequent as accidental deaths due to firearms.  Well with all that we can observe that it is a leading cause of death to Americans and most of them are because of drunk driving.  Enough with all the facts and figures, although we need those to back up what we are saying.  What this reporter knows to be true is that alcohol abuse is a serious problem in this country.  When the holidays are here the abuser can get more depressed as people do during this time of year.  This causes more drinking and ultimately more driving while under the influence.  The holidays have a rosy colored perception that all families are together and having a wonderful time.  That is not always the case.  Some people have no family so to speak and so they think they are not as good as their friends or maybe they are reminded of all the things they did to hurt their families and now miss them horribly.  So the dinking increases.  If you know of a friend who has no family to hang out with this holiday season invite them over to your family and give them a share in the responsibility in getting the event together.  That will help them with their self esteem.  Have a great holiday and keep it safe on the road.  If you or someone you love needs help from a drug treatment facility, or with alcohol recovery, we can help.  Contact our hotline at 1-877-340-3602.

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Alcohol Abuse in Louisiana

Monday, December 5th, 2011

How much does alcohol abuse affect the state of Louisiana?  We can pull some facts and discuss this.  Alcohol is the leading cause of death for Louisiana Youth.  That right there is a startling fact.  When we look at highway fatalaties we find that alcohol is the second highest rate in the nation.  Hopenetworks.org reports that 50% of all homicides, suicides ad fatal traffic crashes in Louisiana there was alcohol involved.  So we could safely say that alcohol is affecting the state.  There are those that would like very much to help persons who are an alcohol abuser.  We live in a state where alcohol is pretty much accepted and the behavior is also.  Let’s take into account that Louisiana has the lowest alcohol taxes in Southeast and lowest wine tax in the country.  The alcohol taxes on beer and wine in Louisiana are about three pennies a drink.  When we look at the excise tax on alcohol we find that it has not been increased since 1948.  So where can all the monies come from so we can help many of the person who are abusing alcohol.  There will be a certain percentage of them that will need state funds to get treatment.  So we know that there is a problem with the monies to help cover the cost of alcohol problems in Louisiana.  It was noted by Joseph Califana, Jr. that there is a direct correlation between the state ability to curb spending on social problems and offering treatment for addictive disorders.  Mr. Califano also noted there are other returns besides reducing state spending.  One of the most important returns we get when we help get treatment is that we get a reduction in crime and human suffering for the addict and also for the parents, children classmates of the abuser.  It can be looked at as a positive economic benefit to states from productive law abiding taxpaying residents.  We can say there is problem in Louisiana when it comes to alcohol abuse.

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Alcohol Abuse and its Effects

Tuesday, November 29th, 2011

There is a great deal of attention on drug abuse in this country.  Rightly so because it is getting very dominant.  One thing that is not mentioned very often is alcohol abuse.  There was a report in the Lancet that rated alcohol as the most harmful of all drugs.  How did they get to that conclusion?  They assessed 20 different drugs and they looked at the harm each one does to the individual themselves and to others who are affected.  At the end of their assessment they found alcohol to be the most harmful drug of all.  Right after alcohol Crack cocaine and heroin followed.

According the U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, long term alcohol abuse has serious harmful effects and they are mostly on the body’s organs.  Heavy drinking for a long time can cause sickness and death from liver disease.  It can damage the immune system.  People who use alcohol for a long period of time can have cardiovascular diseases, high blood pressure and stroke.  These people also get an increased risk of bone fracture.  They are absolutely damaging their health and shortening their lives.

When the assessment was made it was found that alcohol was by far the most harmful drug to society according the Lancet Report.  It was found that injury to others was increased like domestic violence and traffic accidents.  Crime was increased by those who had drunk alcohol.  There is family breakdown with alcohol abuse, as well as economic loss.  Emotional well being is chipped away at and child neglect is high with someone who abuses alcohol.  There are health care issues that increase and services by the community are included in this increase like police work and social services.  Because of this one person who abuses alcohol there is a loss of social cohesion and a decline in reputation of community.

In the U.S. it is reported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism approximately one in 12 adults abuse alcohol or is alcohol dependent.  Alcohol has dreadful medical harms to alcoholics and it has tragic and costly consequences to others and to society it is safe to say that alcohol deserves its nomination as the most harmful of all drugs.  For their own good we should intervene in and change the destructive behavior of alcoholics.

Get more information about alcohol abuse rehabilitation by calling 1-877-340-3602 for immediate assistance

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The Withdrawals of it All

Thursday, October 27th, 2011

As abusers, you all know that your worst part of getting off the drug of your choice is the withdrawals.  Alcohol withdrawal is actually one of the most dangerous forms of withdrawal.  It can be and is very serious.  If it is not done correctly and with the right help it can actually be the end of you.  Narconon Louisiana Riverbend Retreat has a drug free withdrawal that will help a student overcome the immediate drug cravings and withdrawals.  The staff does that with you and you don’t experience the usual agony of withdrawing.  Before you get into the drug withdrawal part of their program you get a medical qualification over the phone and it is determined if you need medical detox.  The Narconon program is 100% drug-free and does not replace one drug with another.  There are trained staff members who are with you 24/7 and they will deliver several techniques which relieve most withdrawal symptoms.  That sounds good to this reporter.  Since withdrawals are one of the most fearful parts of getting clean then this program sounds like it would be a good answer to help.  Another technique is getting supplements like calcium and magnesium to you.  This is special formula for muscle and bone aches.  This is taken with other vitamin supplements.  Now after the withdrawals are done you can receive another part of the program that helps you to improve your ability to face problems and communicate better in life.  After all that is why all have started using in the first place.  You had problems and didn’t know how to solve them.  So getting a skill to handle all of these past problems and the ones that in the future is very important.  This is the part of the program that you will be in a course room with a Narconon course Room Supervisor who will guide you every step of the way. If you or someone you love needs help from a drug treatment facility.  We can help.  Contact our hotline at 1-877-340-3602.  NARCONON Riverbend retreat is a non-profit drug rehab facility that helps you withdraw and detox from drugs in a safe and natural way.  Counselors are there 24/7 to assist you with alcohol recovery.

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Do you Drink and Drive?

Sunday, September 11th, 2011

In the US alone in 2007 the death toll from teenagers who were just out for the night and were drunk-driving got into accidents and they killed themselves or other passengers.  Survey says the total was 1393 for that year alone.  Four deaths every day of the year.

Did you know that motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of deaths among teenagers in the US?  That is right it is responsible for more than one in three deaths of American teenagers.  Do you ever think of that when you let your teenager go out for the evening?  What will they be doing?  We looked at survey from 2006 and we found that of the teen drivers killed on the road 31% had been drinking.

You want to know what the risks are?  When you are driving under the influence of Alcohol you are at least 11 times more likely to be killed than if you drive without alcohol.  Even “Buzz” driving as we call it can be Very dangerous.

We all know instinctively what alcohol does to us and to our children.  We see bill boards on the side of the street at many intersections to remind us who got killed and what family is suffering because of this accident with drunk drivers.  But it doesn’t stop.  Why?  Because we are not so educated about what it can actually do to us.  We are not communicating with our children.

If you or a loved one needs help getting off alcohol contact our alcohol treatment and recovery program hotline at 1-877-340-3602.

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What is Alcohol?

Sunday, September 4th, 2011

Whether we want to face it or not Alcohol is a drug.  It will slow down vital functions in your body so it is classified as a depressant.  So what do you get when you slow down functions in your body?  You get slurred speech, unsteady movement, disturbed perceptics and an inability to react quickly.

When we relate it to what it does to the mine it is best understood as a drug that reduces a person’s ability to thing rationally and distorts his or her judgment.

Most people drink it for the stimulant effect, so they get a beer or a glass of wine to “loosen up”.  So even though it is classified as a depressant the amount we take in determines the type of effect.  If a person drinks more than what the body can absorb they then experience alcohol’s depressant effect.  They will start to feel stupid or lose coordination and control.

We all have had a few drinks and feel good and then we don’t stop and they next thing you know we are out of it.  Alcohol overuse causes even more severe depressant effect.  You will get the inability to feel pain, you will start to vomit the poisons and then you will be unconscious or worse you may get into a coma or die.  Whoa!  Who would have thought you could get that kind of affect from alcohol.

There are different kinds of alcohol.  Ethyl alcohol, it is the only alcohol used in beverages.  This alcohol is produced by the fermentation of grains and fruits.  Fermenting is a chemical process whereby yeast acts upon certain ingredients in the food so that is how we get alcohol.

If you or someone you love needs help with alcohol treatment and recovery, call our hotline now at 1-877-340-3602.

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Alcohol and Ecstasy: A Dangerous Combination for Your Child

Sunday, August 28th, 2011

Let’s imagine your 15 year old son is getting ready to go out on a Friday night.  You assume he is going to a football game and then out with his friends.  But do you really know where he is going?

Our children leave the house each weekend and they are probably going out to get drugs and use them.  Education at this point would be important because many parents don’t know the truth about drugs and their children are certainly not going to tell them.  For the most part our children think we are not hip or if we did find out we would try to stop them and their friends would think they were square.  I wonder do they even use that word “square” anymore?

Here is some information for you; when your son or daughter takes Ecstasy and mixes it with alcohol it can be extremely dangerous and in fact be deadly.  Emergency room incidents have sky rocked more than 1,200% since Ecstasy became the “club drug” of choice at all-night “rave” parties and dance clubs.

One child, let’s call her Sarah, went to a rave party.  She had many problems and wanted to just get away from it all.  Her friends talked her into partying all night.  One of them had a bottle of Ecstasy in his car so all the friends decided to take some Ecstasy.  Later after the drug took over Sarah danced and danced and danced.  She went well beyond her limit.  Sarah wasn’t feeling anything.  The next morning Sarah was dead.  The cause: drug (Ecstasy) poisoning.

Most of our children think “but that won’t happen to me,” We can’t take that chance we need to educate ourselves and our children about the harmful effects of this street drug when mixed with alcohol.

Need help with alcohol treatment and recovery?  Call now to 1-877-340-3602.

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Supervised Teen Drinking Doesn’t Help

Sunday, May 1st, 2011

A new research study shows that a zero-tolerance alcohol policy works best for parents in trying to prevent alcohol abuse.

While such a policy – no alcohol while under aged – is typical in the United States, in other countries such as Australia, supervised drinking takes precedent. In other words, parents believe that supervised drinking in small quantities is okay and may actually prevent the child from going overboard.

Statistics, however, do not bear this out in actual fact.

The study was conducted on almost two thousand middle schoolers from Washington State and Australia. They surveyed the children for two years.

By eighth grade, two-thirds of the Australians had consumed alcohol in the presence of an adult, while only one third of the American group had done so.

A year later, more than a third of the Australians experienced bad alcohol consequences, such as the effects of binge drinking, fighting, or blackouts. Only one fifth of Americans experienced the same.

Alcohol abuse is a major problem in the United States. Over 2.5 million people seek alcohol abuse treatment every year. This accounts for nearly two thirds of all substance abuse treatment annually.

What is more, over 90% of all alcohol consumed by underage drinkers is through “binge drinking”. In binge drinking, where the alcohol abuser consumes more than four to five drinks in one setting, is responsible for most of the alcohol-related emergency room visits that happen. The reason for this is that the body is unable to metabolize all of the alcohol that has overwhelmed its systems, and so shuts down. Binge drinking can cause the person to go into a coma or even die of alcohol poisoning.

Their findings were published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. For more information on alcohol recovery, call 1-877-340-3602.

We can help you find an alcohol treatment program for your loved one.

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