Sunday, April 26, 2015

Are You a Pill Popper? How Many Pills Do You Take?


Pill Addiction
Our culture has instilled in most of us a need to take pills for anything and everything. Things like preventative cold medicine, vitamins, pain relievers, psychotropic drugs and everything in between have become the way of life. There’s a pill for everything. Most of us probably don’t even pay attention to the amount of pills we take in a month, or even in a week. 

Do you take vitamins or preventive cold and flu pills? Do you take something when you get a headache? How many prescriptions do you fill in a year? Do you know the side effects of all the pills you’re taking or which ones have been recalled? Probably not, right? Well don’t feel bad neither did I. It’s just how things are. We take pills not only when we don’t feel well but we even take them to prevent feeling unwell.

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Why Are People Trading Coke for Speed


I haven't been in the drug scene for a long time but even I've noticed speed pills growing popularity in my community. People seem to be ditching coke for amphetamines claiming it's cheaper and it last longer. Another major contributing factor to this trend was the bad coke that was being passed around. People eventually got fed up and looked for their high elsewhere.  They believe they know what they're getting when buying a pill because it can't be tampered with as easily as a powdered drug. That kind of thinking is dangerous. 

You can never really know all the ingredients in a pill sold on the streets but some people still believe this type of drug to be safer. If only they knew how similar amphetamine is to crystal meth maybe they wouldn't be so quick to deem it safer than cocaine. The more potent crystal meth breaks down into amphetamine once it gets metabolized in the body. The side effects of using either one of the drugs are dry mouth, dizziness, shakiness, insomnia, rapid heartbeat and can eventually cause mental psychosis.


Despite being less potent, amphetamines still have severe side effects such as becoming hostile, violent, and paranoid. They can also experience fevers, sweating, headaches, blurred vision, chest pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Not to mention amphetamine psychosis which I've recently seen in more than one of my old high school friends. I often wonder if they would have fared better if they would have just stayed with doing coke instead of switching to amphetamines. 

The symptoms of amphetamine psychosis can include hallucinations, paranoia, and bizarre and violent behavior. These symptoms are thought to go away once the person stops using the drug but sadly that isn't always the case. My old high school friends who did quit still experiences the paranoia and the bizarre behavior. Reality seems to be a little blurred for them.

I think it's important to get the severity of these symptoms out there with this growing speed trend things can only get worst. I hope I can share this information with as many people as possible and hopefully raise awareness of the dangers in using speed pills. I've seen the long term effect first hand and they aren't pleasant. Even when they reach sobriety their perceptions are altered and their relationships suffer. 

Let me know in the comments if you've also noticed a rise in amphetamine use or if you know anyone who's suffered long term effects from it.

You can also check out the very personal article I wrote on how I was able to escape addiction even though it runs in my family @ http://www.floridabeachrehab.com/breaking-the-family-cycle-of-addiction#  

Thanks
Charmed

Sunday, April 19, 2015

Where to Turn for Support When A Loved One is Addicted

Author: Alyssa Craig

When it comes to addiction, there is of course a large focus on the addict and helping them to overcome this painful and difficult trial. But you are not the addict. You are their spouse, their partner, their sibling, their parent, or their friend. This addiction has weighed on you heavily since the beginning and has only continued to cause you stress and heartache. Whether or not your loved one is ready to take on the next step of recovery, you can start receiving the help and support you need to persevere. Here are some ways you can attend to your own needs during this turbulent time.

Sunday, April 12, 2015

My Body Wasn't This Messed Up When I Was Doing Drugs

I just had a baby (l know, I know its been 4 months) and my body is falling apart. Besides the few stretch marks on my belly that decided to only appear once I had my baby boy, I'm losing my hair in chunks (you should see the size of the balls of hair blowing around my place), I've lost both pinky toenails and I'm getting cavity after cavity among other health problems. Oh and did I forget to mention I've only lost 8 pounds since having my baby 4 months ago. I know, I know it's my fault. I went on a cookie binge after having the little one which was promptly followed by a cashew binge. Haaa you see I told you, totally my fault I'm not losing the weight. Once an addict always an addict. Well for me anyways, I have an addictive personality and I have a difficult time with moderation when I love something. Although if I put my mind to it kicking my problem with food isn't as bad as it could be. 

Sunday, April 05, 2015

Recovering Addict Mantra: Getting Back up & Chasing the Dream


When you find something that motivates you, grab on to it and don't let it go. It's incredible when life presents us with clear signs to remind us and to set us back on the right path. I feel like the universe is telling me to kick it up a notch.