Gateway Drugs Lead To More Dangerous Opioid Abuse

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Gateway drugs come in all shapes, sizes and names. They are hard to combat because the drugs most commonly used as a gateway to addiction change with availability and trends in culture. One of the most popular – and therefore most dangerous – gateway drugs in our current world is the opioid Codeine.

Codeine is a mild opioid that is used to treat mild to moderately severe pain. While it is used for mild pain in its original form, this is a drug that has been seen to be easy to become addicted to and that is a drug that leads to abusing other – more dangerous – opiates.

Codeine comes in tablet form, but the most common gateway use of the drug is via prescription grade cough syrup and cough suppressants. It works as a gateway drug because people see Codeine as less dangerous than something like morphine because how dangerous can cough syrup really be? The answer is very dangerous.  Large doses of Codeine has the same effect on the body as low doses of morphine in the system. This is typical gateway drug patterning.

Problems develop because Codeine tolerance is fast in its development. This means that users quickly need more of the drug – or a different drug of a higher strength – to get their fix. This is true both of abusers who use the drug recreationally, and for those who are using Codeine in a legitimate way to treat their pain, be that pain occasional, chronic, or emotional.

While people think of Codeine as a mild drug compared to scary names like heroin and Oxy, high enough doses of Codeine can lead to a coma and death. This is especially true when Codeine is taken recreationally on the street as it is often mixed with other drugs to create an artificially high.

Codeine is a dangerous drug. Users will eventually not get their high from Codeine and move on to other opiates. You may also see users mixing Codeine abuse with alcohol abuse to get the fix that they need before moving on to yet more dangerous substances. If you have a friend or family member who you are worried is developing a Codeine addiction then know you need to act and help them before that addiction transitions from Codeine down a path that is even more difficult to recover from.

Article by Vital Guidance

Gateway Drugs Lead To More Dangerous Opioid Abuse

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Gateway drugs come in all shapes, sizes and names. They are hard to combat because the drugs most commonly used as a gateway to addiction change with availability and trends in culture. One of the most popular – and therefore most dangerous – gateway drugs in our current world is the opioid Codeine.

Codeine is a mild opioid that is used to treat mild to moderately severe pain. While it is used for mild pain in its original form, this is a drug that has been seen to be easy to become addicted to and that is a drug that leads to abusing other – more dangerous – opiates.

Codeine comes in tablet form, but the most common gateway use of the drug is via prescription grade cough syrup and cough suppressants. It works as a gateway drug because people see Codeine as less dangerous than something like morphine because how dangerous can cough syrup really be? The answer is very dangerous.  Large doses of Codeine has the same effect on the body as low doses of morphine in the system. This is typical gateway drug patterning.

Problems develop because Codeine tolerance is fast in its development. This means that users quickly need more of the drug – or a different drug of a higher strength – to get their fix. This is true both of abusers who use the drug recreationally, and for those who are using Codeine in a legitimate way to treat their pain, be that pain occasional, chronic, or emotional.

While people think of Codeine as a mild drug compared to scary names like heroin and Oxy, high enough doses of Codeine can lead to a coma and death. This is especially true when Codeine is taken recreationally on the street as it is often mixed with other drugs to create an artificially high.

Codeine is a dangerous drug. Users will eventually not get their high from Codeine and move on to other opiates. You may also see users mixing Codeine abuse with alcohol abuse to get the fix that they need before moving on to yet more dangerous substances. If you have a friend or family member who you are worried is developing a Codeine addiction then know you need to act and help them before that addiction transitions from Codeine down a path that is even more difficult to recover from.

Article by Vital Guidance

Ways To Know When Your Friend Is Addicted To Opiates

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If you are going to help a friend with an addiction, it’s vital you’re aware of what’s going on around you. Opiate addiction is a growing problem worldwide, especially here in the United States, and it’s not always easy to spot.

People become addicted to opiates for various reasons.  They are used to treat pain and sometimes give people a feeling that the pain isn’t there, and their life is in a good place.  Hydrocodone is a drug often used recreationally, while drugs such as codeine and morphine have been problematic for authorities and healthcare professionals for years because of their ease of acquisition and their addictive nature.

The most obvious sign of an opiate addiction is a sudden change in behavior.  You know how your friend generally acts, so if suddenly something changes without an obvious outside stressor then you should be on alert.  It’s expected that a change in behavior could occur after a death, but extreme alterations in mood are a sure sign of an opiate addiction, especially when combined with other signs such as frequent bouts of anger and hostility.

Another big – and related sign – is that the person with an opiate addiction will start isolating themselves from family and friends. Social engagements will be skipped and your friend will either fall into a loner status or start hanging out with a new crowd of people. Also look for a dramatic dip in performance in school, work, or sporting achievements as an opiate user will care nothing about things that used to matter in order to work on getting their fix.

Signs related to this also include a sudden neglecting of personal hygiene and clothing. Maybe the person you are worried about used to be in fashion and now wears the same clothes for days. This is a sign of addiction. They may also suddenly have a habit of zoning out or completely falling asleep in inappropriate situations because they no longer have full control over their sleep/wake cycle.

Hopefully, your relationship allows you to read these signs and help your friend seek treatment. If the addiction is caught early then the odds are much better that it can be treated and that your friend can return to a normal and drug free-life.

Article by Vital Guidance

Ways To Know When Your Friend Is Addicted To Opiates

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If you are going to help a friend with an addiction, it’s vital you’re aware of what’s going on around you. Opiate addiction is a growing problem worldwide, especially here in the United States, and it’s not always easy to spot.

People become addicted to opiates for various reasons.  They are used to treat pain and sometimes give people a feeling that the pain isn’t there, and their life is in a good place.  Hydrocodone is a drug often used recreationally, while drugs such as codeine and morphine have been problematic for authorities and healthcare professionals for years because of their ease of acquisition and their addictive nature.

The most obvious sign of an opiate addiction is a sudden change in behavior.  You know how your friend generally acts, so if suddenly something changes without an obvious outside stressor then you should be on alert.  It’s expected that a change in behavior could occur after a death, but extreme alterations in mood are a sure sign of an opiate addiction, especially when combined with other signs such as frequent bouts of anger and hostility.

Another big – and related sign – is that the person with an opiate addiction will start isolating themselves from family and friends. Social engagements will be skipped and your friend will either fall into a loner status or start hanging out with a new crowd of people. Also look for a dramatic dip in performance in school, work, or sporting achievements as an opiate user will care nothing about things that used to matter in order to work on getting their fix.

Signs related to this also include a sudden neglecting of personal hygiene and clothing. Maybe the person you are worried about used to be in fashion and now wears the same clothes for days. This is a sign of addiction. They may also suddenly have a habit of zoning out or completely falling asleep in inappropriate situations because they no longer have full control over their sleep/wake cycle.

Hopefully, your relationship allows you to read these signs and help your friend seek treatment. If the addiction is caught early then the odds are much better that it can be treated and that your friend can return to a normal and drug free-life.

Article by Vital Guidance

Opioid Abuse Leads To Harmful Consequences

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Taking prescription opioids to manage pain is part of everyday life for millions of people.  As a mentor presenting vital guidance to your friends and loved ones it is important that you know how to spot problems and behaviors that are associated with opioid abuse, opioid dependency, and an opioid overdose.

The first sign of dependency is a fairly obvious one. Prescription medication comes with detailed information on when and how much medication should be taken. If you notice someone taking their meds more than instructed – or at a higher dose than instructed – then there is already a problem. This is because they need to increase their exposure to the drug in order to find relief that was manageable before, but might be quickly spinning out of control.

Other signs of dependency are what you would expect from a category of drugs – including the lines of morphine, oxycodone, and fentanyl – that have the ability to take over a person’s life. Increased tolerance begets persistent use of the drug despite obviously harmful consequences. A person will lose interest in their normal activities, obligations, and routines as they fall victim to the drug, becoming ever more dependent and moving one step closer to a life threatening – and often life taking – overdose.

The signs of an overdose are terrifying, but if you know anyone who is on opioids – be it for a legitimate reason or not – then it is important to recognize them instantly. The difference between an overdose and a very strong high are not always that obvious, making it even harder to tell if a person is in serious danger.

Overdose symptoms include:

  • Labored, slow, or even zero breathing
  • Limp body
  • Pin-point pupils
  • Pale, cold or blue skin
  • Choking and/or gurgling sounds
  • Unresponsive to anything you do

Overdoses are killers, and you must react in a rapid and calm way to find help quickly. As dependency often falls along multiple lines, be aware the chances of overdose has vastly increased when opioids are mixed with sedatives and/or alcohol.

Prevention is always going to be the first choice when dealing with opioid abuse, doing whatever it takes to help someone get away from the drugs that are hurting them. Sometimes – even with the best will in the world – this isn’t possible and in those situations knowing if it is an opioid overdose or a strong high can be the difference between life and death.

“It is important that we change the viewpoint that our nation and the medical community currently has about opioid addiction,” says Dr. Andre Waisman, founder of The ANR Clinic which educates and treats opioid addictions around the world.  “Rather than treating it as a chronic relapsing illness, doctors should approach it from the angle of a disease for treatment of the root cause rather than only it’s symptoms. By doing so we can move forward towards an age where treatment is no longer the same unsuccessful methods from 30 years ago but rather a more beneficial and humane treatment for patients of opioid addiction.”

For more information or for treatment of opioid addictions, call The ANR Clinic in Tampa, FL at (813) 750-7470.

Article by Vital Guidance

Opioid Abuse Leads To Harmful Consequences

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Taking prescription opioids to manage pain is part of everyday life for millions of people.  As a mentor presenting vital guidance to your friends and loved ones it is important that you know how to spot problems and behaviors that are associated with opioid abuse, opioid dependency, and an opioid overdose.

The first sign of dependency is a fairly obvious one. Prescription medication comes with detailed information on when and how much medication should be taken. If you notice someone taking their meds more than instructed – or at a higher dose than instructed – then there is already a problem. This is because they need to increase their exposure to the drug in order to find relief that was manageable before, but might be quickly spinning out of control.

Other signs of dependency are what you would expect from a category of drugs – including the lines of morphine, oxycodone, and fentanyl – that have the ability to take over a person’s life. Increased tolerance begets persistent use of the drug despite obviously harmful consequences. A person will lose interest in their normal activities, obligations, and routines as they fall victim to the drug, becoming ever more dependent and moving one step closer to a life threatening – and often life taking – overdose.

The signs of an overdose are terrifying, but if you know anyone who is on opioids – be it for a legitimate reason or not – then it is important to recognize them instantly. The difference between an overdose and a very strong high are not always that obvious, making it even harder to tell if a person is in serious danger.

Overdose symptoms include:

  • Labored, slow, or even zero breathing
  • Limp body
  • Pin-point pupils
  • Pale, cold or blue skin
  • Choking and/or gurgling sounds
  • Unresponsive to anything you do

Overdoses are killers, and you must react in a rapid and calm way to find help quickly. As dependency often falls along multiple lines, be aware the chances of overdose has vastly increased when opioids are mixed with sedatives and/or alcohol.

Prevention is always going to be the first choice when dealing with opioid abuse, doing whatever it takes to help someone get away from the drugs that are hurting them. Sometimes – even with the best will in the world – this isn’t possible and in those situations knowing if it is an opioid overdose or a strong high can be the difference between life and death.

“It is important that we change the viewpoint that our nation and the medical community currently has about opioid addiction,” says Dr. Andre Waisman, founder of The ANR Clinic which educates and treats opioid addictions around the world.  “Rather than treating it as a chronic relapsing illness, doctors should approach it from the angle of a disease for treatment of the root cause rather than only it’s symptoms. By doing so we can move forward towards an age where treatment is no longer the same unsuccessful methods from 30 years ago but rather a more beneficial and humane treatment for patients of opioid addiction.”

For more information or for treatment of opioid addictions, call The ANR Clinic in Tampa, FL at (813) 750-7470.

Article by Vital Guidance

ANR Clinic Treats Opioid Addictions At A Different Level

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For decades the narrative on opioids has been that it is a mental health problem that people fall victim to who are weak minded. Maybe at first this made sense. Maybe back in the early stages of the opioid epidemic it was easy to turn the other cheek when seeing people fall victim to addiction and just say “That would never happen to me”.

Those days are gone.

We are living in a country in the middle of a crisis because of how opioid issues have been treated from the beginning. This is not a disease that only affects junkies, it is something that anyone in any walk of life can fall victim to.  All it takes it one accident that requires painkillers for the cycle to start. A car collision, an injury on the job site, simply stepping wrong while walking and hurting an ankle, these can all be the first step towards an addiction that will change everything about you as a person.

Rehab centers are not the only answer, and may not even be the best answer. Sure, the vital guidance they give is helpful to some, but the number of people seeking treatment four or five times over tells you everything you need to know about their effectiveness to the masses. One reason they don’t work is because the treatment – be it mental health work or replacing one opioid with another to wean someone off of a drug – is summarily ineffective and inefficient.

This is not a mental health problem at its core. If it was then the government wouldn’t have to spend almost $2 billion a year to combat what has become a national epidemic.  Synthetic opioids have become an even bigger problem. In 2017, almost 60% of opioid deaths were chalked up to synthetic products. Many times these are coming from illicit manufacturers with no skin in the game other than to get their product out and make money for what has become a lucrative criminal enterprise product.

According to Dr. Andre Waismann of the ANR Clinic, the problem instead should be focused on the physical. Opioid use has been proven to alter brain structures. The receptors in the brain are altered and the dependency takes hold. From there, it doesn’t matter what guidance are given by mental health professionals, the damage has been done and the need for further drug use is now built in.  To cure this epidemic it is the physical side we need to concentrate on, he says.

In 1998, after successfully treating thousands of patients, including a 6-year old child that became opioid-dependent after a brain tumor operation, Dr. Waismann shared his findings around the efficacy and safety of his method at the International Congress of Anesthesia at Frankfurt.  In 2019, he established the first US ANR Clinic in Tampa, FL as the international headquarters for education, treatment, and further academic efforts for opioid addiction.

For more information or for treatment, call the ANR Clinic in Tampa, FL at (813) 750-7470.

Article by Vital Guidance

Two Can Become One While Being Ourselves

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Being in a relationship and maintaining your independence are two concepts that may sound counter intuitive. The truth, though, is that becoming co-dependent in a relationship to the point that you lose your independence is very unhealthy. Instead, you want to be two people who share their lives, their experiences, and their goals together while still maintaining independence in the right areas.

Here are some tips on how to keep your independence while also keeping that vital relationship in your life alive and kicking:

Do something on your own

This can be as simple or as extravagant as you like. If you are feeling like you are penned in as part of your relationship then start by doing something simple on your own. Maybe this is refocusing on an old hobby or starting a new one. Fitness classes and sports are excellent examples as well as they will get you out of your house independently of your spouse. For those already in that area, consider a trip to a new city alone where you can spend a couple of days doing everything that you want to do – food, activities, etc. – without having to please anyone else.

Maintain old friendships

In a marital relationship it is only natural that you and your significant other see your circles merge. This is fine, and healthy, as couples friends are an important part of life. One thing to remember though is that you had a life before you met your partner, one that included a friend group that was all of your own. While hanging out as a couple with those friends can still be fun, plan nights to hang out with just your own friends and go out separately. That way you will have more stuff to talk about the next day!

Learn to love yourself

Loving your partner can often be easier than loving yourself. Both aspects of this are vital for a healthy relationship. We are not talking narcissistic love, just a fundamental appreciation of who you are and what you bring to the table for your relationship. Taking care of yourself and your own needs is vital, but if you don’t love and respect yourself then it is easy to fall into a co-dependent trap where nothing you want is ever put first.

Article by Vital Guidance

Safe Driving Can Lower Car Insurance Premiums By 50 Percent

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The modern world has thrown up a myriad of new insurance product options to consider when you are looking for a policy to cover your auto insurance. One of the newer offerings on the market is usage-based car insurance, a product offered by many of the major companies that ties your insurance premium to the amount of time you use your car and how good of a driver you are.

This is not a good insurance product option for everybody as there are many more variables in play than you would find in a regular policy. These policies use technology – usually a smartphone app along with a tag or dongle – to monitor your driving and calculate a score. This score is based not only on the amount of time you use your car – and the amount of miles you drive – but also on how safely you drive. This means it will track aspects of your driving like acceleration, phone use, speed, and breaking to algorithmically judge how good of a driver you are.

If you score well – meaning that you are classed as a low risk driver – then the savings are significant. Some studies have shown that the lowest risk drivers could be saving anything from 50% to 60% of their premium by using this insurance product option. One major issue is that this type of policy is very strict and rigid. Some companies consider low risk driving to be less than 7,500 miles in a year, ideal for those in the city that use public transport to get around, but perhaps less practical in the Midwest where driving to work – and to other cities that are spread far apart – is an established way of life.

The other issue is certain to be one based on a lack of privacy. These policies have to track you and see what you are doing in order to make them viable. If you are in a car accident there is a worry that the information that has been gathered could be used by the police to some end. Also, risky driving could actually increase your premium on the flip side of saving you money.

As a result this is very much an insurance product option where (ironically) your mileage will vary. If you think you are a safe driver and you drive minimal miles in a year then be sure to check out a usage-based policy to see if you can save some money.

 

Article by Vital Guidance

Many Ways For Seniors To Qualify For A Home Financing

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When you are mortgage planning in your 30s and 40s you are doing so with the expectation of paying off the 15- or 30-year loan term before you die. It may come as a shock then to learn that there is actually no upper limit on when you can qualify for a mortgage and that the Equal Credit Opportunity Act actually prevents discrimination against mortgage applicants based on their age.

The market of borrowers looking for a mortgage aged 65 or older makes up around 10% of all mortgages originated in the US on a yearly basis. There are other rules that disqualify some potential senior borrowers – like no longer working full time – but even a lack of steady work (due to retirement) can be offset. If a senior has dividends, stock options, or even if their pensions and social security benefits are strong enough, then a mortgage opportunity is out there for those looking for late-life mortgage planning.

While not discriminating based on age is only fair, it can also throw up some ridiculous stories. One example of this comes out of Trinity, FL. Here, a 97 –year-old woman came in to enquire about a mortgage. She qualified for the loan and it is noted that older borrowers can qualify for money that will expire up to their 130th birthday.

Mortgage planning is usually stressful for the borrower. In these cases though, it would seem that the mortgage would be much more stressful for the bank and whoever is insuring the loan. Another story is of a jumbo mortgage that was given to a qualifying 83-year-old man in Manhattan, NY. This mortgage was for an astonishing $1 million over 10 years, a much shorter loan period but still one that assumes the borrower lives to be 93 years of age.

The takeaway here is that you are never too old to buy a house and qualify for a mortgage if your financial status is positive. While buying a new house as a senior is never going to be the right move for everyone, there are people who are looking for that last move in life. If that is the case with you then go about your mortgage planning and speak with an advisor to see if you could start fresh one more time.

Article by Vital Guidance