Ketamine Abuse and Treatment

Ketamine is usually used medically as an animal tranquilizer. In the early 70’s, it was approved by the FDA for human use and was used as a general anesthetic. However, it was abused so commonly that in the 90’s it became strictly regulated for human use, and is now mainly used on animals. Usually used with other “club drugs”, ketamine has the PCP-like effect of distorting the user’s sense of sight and sound. It causes the user to feel separate to the environment around them and makes them feel detached from themselves. Street names for ketamine include: Special k, special la coke, cat, cat valium, jet, super c, super acid, green, cat killer, ket, and kit kat. Using ketamine is sometimes called “kitty flipping”, and achieving an out of body or near death experience with ketamine is called a “k-hole”.

Abuse

Users abuse ketamine in several different ways. The most common are:

• Injection
• Mixed with alcohol
• Snorted
• Laced into tobacco or marijuana cigarettes

By popping pills Because ketamine doesn’t usually come in a powder or pill form, drug dealers who steal this drug from vet clinics or buy it from other sources have to process it further to make it into a powder. Ketamine is usually taken in a club or rave setting. Other drugs that ravers often abuse are: GHB, ecstasy, MDMA, cocaine, ephedrine, methcathinone, LSD, methamphetamine, and magic mushrooms. Many abusers of these drugs are working to achieve a change in their personal perceptions. Ketamine is sometimes used as a date-rape drug, because it can cause a user to feel like they can’t move. Other effects of ketamine are: 

• Feeling like you are out of your own body
• Thinking you are dead
• Change in perceptions
• Hallucinations
• Feeling detached from the environment around you
• Nausea
• Unusual thoughts
• Paranoia
• Severe Confusion
• Slowed heart rate
• Slowed breathing
• Convulsions
• Insomnia

Death from overdose Frequent or long-term use can also cause permanent brain damage, flashbacks, impaired motor functions, and can cause ulcers to form in the bladder. The Drug Enforcement Agency categorizes ketamine as a Schedule III drug. This means that use of ketamine can cause physical or psychological dependence. So, abusers of ketamine can become addicted and feel the need to use this drug even beyond the party scene.

Treatment

The most common place where ketamine is abused is at a rave or club. This means that prevention is a viable option. There are groups who put on “clean” raves or dances. This is a place where the kids can become involved in dancing and expressing themselves without drugs or alcohol. Additionally, drug education is always an effective means of prevention. The more you know about drugs, the more likely you are to make an educated decision. Finally, treating addiction to ketamine is best done in an inpatient rehab program. The withdrawal symptoms can include: 

• Erratic behavior
• Double vision
• Hearing loss
• Rapid breathing
• Depression
• Insomnia
• Nightmares
• Chills
• Sweating
• Exhaustion
• Irregular heartbeat
• Decreased appetite
• Loss of motor control

Craving for the drug Because of the physical and mental withdrawal symptoms, it’s better to withdraw from this drug under the supervision of a caring and competent rehab. At A Forever Recover, we use holistic methods of withdrawal. We also utilize therapy methods which help the individual find the deep-rooted reason behind their drug abuse and addiction. 

Sources: 

www.cesar.umd.edu

www.drugabuse.gov

www.nlm.nih.gov

Is Alcoholism Hereditary?

Topping the list of most commonly abused drugs in the US is alcohol. This is likely because it is so easy to obtain; it’s not illegal after the age of 21 and there is no prescription needed to obtain it. Additionally, alcoholic beverages have been around for literally thousands of years.

People have been drinking alcohol since at least 7000 B.C. Evidence of the fermented beverages has been found in ancient Chinese and Egyptian civilizations. The Babylonians worshiped a wine goddess. The ancient Greeks wrote against excessive drinking. Native Americans developed fermented drinks from grapes, corn, and apples.

With such an ancient and wide-spread drug, it’s easy to see why so many people use it now.

What is Alcoholism?

“Alcoholism” is defined by the dictionary as: “A disorder characterized by the excessive consumption of and dependence on alcoholic beverages, leading to physical and psychological harm and impaired social and vocational functioning.”

Generally speaking, when a person is an alcoholic they actually depend upon alcohol to function in everyday life. Additionally, if they stop drinking alcohol “cold turkey” or even reduce the amount of alcohol they drink daily, they will begin to experience withdrawal symptoms.

Some of these symptoms are:

• Fever
• Delirium Tremens (uncontrollable shaking and hallucinations)
• Insomnia
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Craving for alcohol
• Anxiety
• Sweating
• Convulsions

Just the Facts

• Alcohol kills more teenagers than all other drugs combined.
• 32% of underage drinking-related deaths are due to drunk driving.
• The younger you begin drinking alcohol – the more likely you are to become an alcoholic.
• According to statistics, youth who drink are 50 times more likely to use cocaine than those that never drink.
• The body takes about 30 minutes to begin to feel the effects of alcohol.
• Alcohol – like any other drug – is a poison. Overdose (alcohol poisoning) can result in impaired judgment, vomiting, loss of consciousness, coma, and even death.
• Binge drinking or getting “black-out drunk” can lead to permanent brain damage, coma, and death.
• Up to two thirds of date rape cases involve alcohol.
• The ability to make responsible decisions is adversely affected by alcohol abuse. This includes the ability to be an effective and caring parent.
• Children with parents who speak with them about alcohol and drugs are less likely to take them than children with parents who do not talk with them about these subjects.
• The minimum drinking age of 21 years old was actually based on research which shows that young people react differently to alcohol. For example: Teens get drunk twice as fast as adults and tend to have more trouble knowing when to stop.
• There are 1.4 million drunk driving arrests in the US every year.
• As many as 40% of all violent crimes occur under the influence of alcohol.

Is Alcoholism Caused by Genes?

There is a commonly held belief that alcoholism is caused by a person’s genes. While there have been studies into this, and many scientists believe it may be true, they have yet to discover whether or not alcoholism is hereditary.

However, it is true that people who grew up with alcoholic parents are more likely to become alcoholics themselves. Considerable evidence exists that familial and environmental factors play a large part in the case histories of alcoholics. Children with alcoholic parents tend to feel like alcohol is a valid solution for their problems (their parents used it – why shouldn’t they use it as well?)

Solutions to Alcoholism

There are two solutions for this common issue.

The first solution is education. The more children and teens are educated about alcoholism, the dangers of alcohol abuse, and the realities of what alcohol actually does to you, the less likely they are to abuse alcohol. Additionally, if adults and parents are educated on how to speak with kids about these topics, they can help educate the children in their lives.

The second solution is drug rehabilitation. At Best Drug Rehab, we offer a tailored, holistic drug rehabilitation program. Each program is specifically created for each individual coming through our doors. At the end of our program, our graduates have achieved complete sobriety and have undergone counseling and education on the exact factors that caused them to take drugs or abuse alcohol in the first place. Our job is to help a person get sober and stay sober for the rest of their life.

Sources

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

National Institute on Drug Abuse

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Foundation for a Drug-Free World

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (madd)

Top 3 reasons people relapse back to addiction

The factors associated with relapse are of utmost concern in the field of drug and alcohol rehabilitation. Because of this, the focus of federal and state organizations that help fund rehab centers has turned to “evidence-based treatment.” This means treatment programs that have been proven effective by successful graduates.

With the number of people in the US who need rehab (23.5 million in 2009 alone), the rise in prescription drug abuse, and the latest scourge of synthetic drugs, the need for positive results in drug rehab becomes increasingly urgent.

What is relapse?

The dictionary defines relapse in three ways:

1. To fall or slide back into a former state.
2. To regress after partial recovery from an illness.
3. To slip back into bad ways; backslide.

Let’s look into this further. Drug rehabilitation centers want to help a person stop taking a drug – but also stop feeling the need to take drugs again. This means that we not only have to detox a person to get them off the drug, but the best type of drug rehab would be one that also addresses the reason the person started to take the drug. This would be the best way to prevent drug relapse.

Relapse Reasons

1. Unrealistic expectations

A person who has gone through a rehab program justifiably expects a better life when they complete the program. However, a better life doesn’t just “happen” – especially after you have broken your ties with the people who might normally help you. A former addict has to work to reestablish those ties and regain the trust of those who they may have betrayed while addicted. This is hard work.

Example: A former opiate addict gets clean and sober. He feels great, like he can conquer the world. He leaves rehab, where everyone has been supportive and helpful. He assumes that now he is off heroin, everything will be fine. But it’s not. He still needs to fix his broken relationships, or find a new job. Life is tough. Instead of using the tools he learned in rehab, or utilizing the rehab facility as a basis for support, he feels ashamed of his failures and turns back to drugs to “deal” with the situation. This would constitute an unrealistic expectation of life after rehab. 

2. Lying

Rehab is hard work. Getting completely clean and sober – then addressing the problems that made a person turn to drugs or alcohol can be something a person is unwilling to do. If they lie throughout their rehab program and don’t find the true reason behind their addiction, they will not be getting everything they can out of it.

Example: An alcoholic gets sober. She blames her alcoholism on her ex-husband or some other easy target. She in turn does not delve deep and discover that she been suffering from depression since high school, or she doesn’t know how to talk to people without alcohol, or she could never really stably hold a job. When she leaves rehab, these problems persist and she relapses. 

3. Taking Recovery for Granted

Effective drug rehabilitation means that one has not only gotten off drugs, but has isolated the root causes behind their addiction, and has learned how to deal with life’s problems without resorting to drug use. When life is going better after rehab, a former addict or alcoholic may start thinking that they exaggerated their condition in the first place. They may decide that one more drink, or pill, or snort – for old time’s sake – won’t hurt them. They may take the drug again and go back down the rabbit hole of addiction. One thing that anyone considering rehab needs to understand is that drugs are both physically and mentally addictive. You may be much better mentally, but the physical addiction can still rear up and put you right back where you started: addicted.

Solutions

The need for effective rehabilitation is now more evident than ever. At Best Drug Rehabilitation, the overall approach is holistic. This means drug-free detoxification; education in life skills; faith-based programs in a multi-denominational setting; counseling to get to the heart of the problem; as well as other integrated methodologies. Before completion of the program, a thorough relapse prevention plan is detailed by addiction specialists – a plan which the recovering addict has considerable input in, since he or she would have first-hand knowledge of their specific potential relapse triggers. Recovery is a life-long goal, and holistic rehabilitation will help the former addict achieve this.

Sources

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Prescription Drug Abuse