http://www.innerzine.com/feed/ http://www.innerzine.com/ Daily articles, free tips and advice on motivation, self improvement and success. Mon, 20 Jul 2009 09:50:28 +0200 Mon, 20 Jul 2009 09:50:28 +0200 http://www.innerzine.com/addictions/attention-addicts http://www.innerzine.com/addictions/attention-addicts Have you known some people who are always being recognized? Not that they are popular but they are noticeable. They always want to be on the spotlight. They seem to love the limelight to get recognition they want but what are the things that are noticeable to them? Do you know that there’s a reason behind this for they might have an addiction to attention? Of course, most of us want to be noticed by others but not to some extent. People who are attention addicts are usually those that have not received any care from their family and outside when they are still a child. Every one of us needs a dose of care mainly from our parents. This is for our emotional growth. In case that you don’t know, whether we like it or not, the experiences that we get and received from others take part in our personality. This explains why some individuals are attention addicts to which can be related to some of us. As a child, I was never given full notice by others. I feel like I am nonexistent. I was just the plain Jane whom everybody doesn’t seem to notice. Others used to call me nerd when I was in college because of my eyeglasses that adds more to my shyness but I’m not one of those attention addicts who crave for an extra care. It cause me to have low self-esteem and I have a hard time having new friends in the class but my long association to my classmates, let me discover that there are people whom I can relate with. Before graduation, I was able to form my own circle of friends. I was not the Miss Popular in school but I was one of the top in class to which I could be proud of. This part of me served as my backbone to face life in a more positive way that separated me to be one of those attention addicts. My experiences lead me to be the one that I am today. I only have with me my own self, embracing my nakedness. I remember one point in my life that I went through a period of weakness but there are help available. Since I was shy, I learned to be on my own. Instead of asking help from others, I independently gathered some facts to help myself overcome inner conflicts that I’m constantly sharing with you. Currently, I’m receiving some recognition from my clients that I have helped to which some are also attention addicts. About the author. Amy Twain is a successful Self Improvement Coach who has been helping and coaching individuals for many years. Amy now decided to share her knowledge through this site, Innerzine.com. You can sign up for her free weekly newsletter and learn how to become more self confident and successful. Fri, 26 Jun 2009 03:55:07 +0200 http://www.innerzine.com/addictions/addiction-to-prescription-painkillers http://www.innerzine.com/addictions/addiction-to-prescription-painkillers My long lost friend Rosanna has arrived and we really missed each other. She called me to fetch her up to the airport. I was not able to distinguish her from the crowd for she has changed a lot but my only distinction is the way she walks that is so distinct in her. Her skinny frame developed a flesh that added appeal to her look. She is now a successful nurse that has traveled around the world and her experiences has influenced her and I could see that by simply looking on her face. She looks very happy and oh, I really missed the sister that I have in her. We hugged tight and cried. I can’t help being emotional sometimes especially to those persons I’m so attached with. We directly went to her house and I saw again her husband who has a weird addiction to painkillers. His dependence on the drug started when he experienced chronic pain. He then used to take the pill every time he is going through pain even without the prescription of a doctor and his addiction to prescription painkillers come to the extent that he sometimes purchased it over-the-counter. Rosanna has told me about this a couple of times because she is worried too. This is sometimes the cause of their argument when she warns her husband on having an addiction to painkillers because it damages the kidney. She keeps on reminding it to her husband but to no avail. She once had a patient who had kidney dialysis by taking analgesic painkillers that was bought over-the-counter and lately has a kidney transplant but just this recently, that patient died due to kidney damage which is also caused by addiction to painkillers. She said painkillers such as aspirin, Advil and Tylenol have deadly effects on kidney when left untreated. There are people who fears pain and they can’t avoid having an addiction to painkillers unaware of its side effect. I also advised her not to nag or yell to fully communicate with her husband about the issue for her patience will be rewarded. Men remember positive things and are motivated by the soothing words they hear from their woman so if you feel like confronting your man on having an addiction to painkillers it would be best to tell him in a mild tone and not so offensive words. Although they are tough outside, they expect a loving support from their wife to make uplift their mental state that has overworked on some matters that stresses them from their jobs, parents, relatives, friends, kids and with you. They need some positive source to energize and keep them going. Rosanna now understands these because she just let her husband realize the aftereffect of his addiction to painkillers without scathing words coming from her. I am pleased to know that she followed my advice. We then went upstairs after she unpacked her baggage and kissed her husband hello to which I noticed that is looking a lot better than before. He looks healthy and fine and smiled back at me after I greeted hi. His addiction to painkillers seems cured. I asked Rosanna about this and she confirmed it with a big YES and I’m happy to hear about it and I just left the lovely couple after seeing them being passionate with each other to give them their special moment. About the author. Amy Twain is a successful Self Improvement Coach who has been helping and coaching individuals for many years. Amy now decided to share her knowledge through this site, Innerzine.com. You can sign up for her free weekly newsletter and learn how to become more self confident and successful. Mon, 20 Apr 2009 10:14:45 +0200 http://www.innerzine.com/addictions/love-addiction-recovery http://www.innerzine.com/addictions/love-addiction-recovery We are passionate about love because it makes us happy. It is an exhilarating feeling that even a person with a stoned face and a hard heart became sweet and romantic. An individual who is well-loved by his or her parents appears to be confident and happy that creates a fulfilling and healthy relationship with others. It is a positive emotion with a “feel good” feeling that will make you addicted to affection. So here comes the love addiction. Everybody gives and receives it in return. Some are able to give it for they have received it. People who know how to care usually came from a loving family. You are able to do something if you have a pattern where you could imitate from while some can’t because they haven’t received the affection they need. Some people don’t know how to care because they don’t know what this feeling is about. It was not shown to them to where they could copy the act of loving. This triggers a need for love addiction. Do you cling to most of your relationships such as friendship and intimacy? Do you have this possessive tendency with your partner that is hard for you to manage? This leads to being needy to the extent of being obsessed which is already a love addiction. Maybe you have these habits that you are not aware of. This attitude will suffocate those persons which are close to you. It will damage your relationships. What triggers this attitude? The early relationship of a person with his or her parents accounts to this. This attitude stems from the person’s experiences that they were not loved as a child. They were not nurtured the tender and loving care by their parents that made their childhood an unhappy one. So as they grow, they long for affection and look for it to all the persons they encounter. This need is manifested as a form of love addiction and obsession. The person with a love addiction becomes so intense to be a part of a relationship. They will do anything just to have someone to fall for and will also fall for them. Their affection is too much in a sense that they become over possessive, clingy and controlling on their partner. This causes their partner to be out of the relationship. If this happens, the person’s sense of self will be threatened together with his or her self-esteem. The abandonment of their partner made them feel again the very familiar pain of not being loved. It’s another rejection on their part. The abandonment aggravated more emotional scar on the love addict. It adds another burden on the issues that the person is trying to manage all throughout their lives. The person might have a violent reaction regarding on the separation and will not agree with the idea of breaking up. They come into panic when their partner is leaving them. But how could this be stopped to straighten the life of a person with love addiction? The only way to a Love addiction recovery is to let the person heal the scar themselves. About the author. Amy Twain is a successful Self Improvement Coach who has been helping and coaching individuals for many years. Amy now decided to share her knowledge through this site, Innerzine.com. You can sign up for her free weekly newsletter and learn how to become more self confident and successful. Tue, 31 Mar 2009 07:10:06 +0200 http://www.innerzine.com/addictions/drug-rehab-programs http://www.innerzine.com/addictions/drug-rehab-programs Overall, Drug Rehab should intend to reconstruct an addict’s life. And this is doable only by letting the addict and his family be educated via psychotherapy. Via several Drug Rehab programs customized to their particular needs, the drug abusers could still learn how take control of themselves and still lead and live normal and useful lives. But first and foremost, some terms to define. A drug is a substance which is taken to restrain any unwanted condition or situation. Drug abuse is the improper use of drugs. It is also similar to excessively unending or regular use of those substances aside from a medically required function, to cause some alterations on our body and mind. Including illegal drugs such as heroin and cocaine, off-the-shelf drugs like cough mixtures and prescription medicines like pain relievers and tranquilizers, all types of drugs could be abused. There are several illegal drugs circulating in the market and they can be categorized into depressants, sedatives, stimulants, steroids and narcotics; they could be prospective causes for addiction. Occasionally, Drug Rehab is part of the criminal justice system. Rather than being sent to jail or prisons, individuals convicted of some minor drug offenses are at times sent to Drug Rehab programs. Drug Rehab is the term given to the method of psychotherapeutic and medical healing for both prescription and illegal abusers. Most Drug Rehab centers advised their patients to keep away from the company and influence of other substance abusers and addicts. They train their patients to interrelate and mingle with an atmosphere devoid of drugs. The therapy program is comprised of diverse techniques and processes tailored depending on the varying needs of diverse patients. The primary step is the Detoxification—where the person is methodically detached from the habit-forming drugs, he/she is then watched over by a physician who handles the physiological results. Then after this, there’s a selection of an assortment of programs in accordance to the intensity or cruelty of the problem. The addiction treatment has two chief aspects and they are the medical and behavioral therapies. The medical therapy is overseeing particular drugs to work against withdrawal symptoms. And on the other hand, behavioral therapy consists of family support and counseling. An outpatient drug-free therapy program doesn’t include medication and only comprised of group and individual counseling. There are even residential programs (these are usually short-term which may be similar to the 12-step program of groups such as the Narcotics Anonymous) and they have their own 3-6 weeks of inpatient program. And after this step, the person can now attend a self-help group or an outpatient program. There are in fact some maintenance programs for specified drugs such as heroin to end cravings and withdrawal symptoms, and make use of alternate drug treatment. There are also treatment communities which offer their 24-hour concern and care in a non-hospital environment. The patients continue for 6-12 months in a greatly ordered and controlled plan. They’re more often than not long-term addicts with exceedingly damaged social dealings. About the author. Amy Twain is a successful Self Improvement Coach who has been helping and coaching individuals for many years. Amy now decided to share her knowledge through this site, Innerzine.com. You can sign up for her free weekly newsletter and learn how to become more self confident and successful. Wed, 4 Mar 2009 04:27:23 +0100 http://www.innerzine.com/addictions/drug-abuse-facts http://www.innerzine.com/addictions/drug-abuse-facts In this article I will discuss about the drug abuse facts that you need to know. First and foremost, the definitions: drug habituation refers to the psychological dependence on certain drugs. In other words, it is a state of an individual who is physically dependent on the drugs yet not addicted to it. Drug addiction is the habitual use of a particular drug, getting hold of it and making it on one’s top priority over other things. Drug abuse means the use of illegal drugs or the abuse of prescription or over-the-counter drugs in quantities or amounts other than indicated therein and for reasons or manner other than those for which they’re directed. If we have drug abuse problems pervading in our midst, what could be the root cause of this? Actually, the root cause/s of the problem are too diverse, ranging from teens belonging in a single parent family, some persons with dysfunctional families, teens with a record of drug abuse running in their families, even youngsters of Latin origin, and especially those economically deprived kids. Furthermore, according to the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA), they run a survey which is researching and analyzing the trends since several years and it demonstrates that there’s actually a considerable diminished use of all kinds or types of drugs excluding those inhalants. Certainly, there’s been a declining drift, however, not really satisfying since there’s still a vast percentage of teens and youngsters who still get themselves involved into all this. And do you know that the problems which beset with these kinds of drugs could be both indirect and direct effects? The direct outcome of these kinds of drugs can be the following: insomnia, addiction, heightened reaction time, hyper somnolence (excessive sleepiness—like falling asleep unintentionally) and etc. Nevertheless, the indirect ones are also as in the same way as hazardous and treacherous. For example, they can be easy victims to Hepatitis B and C, AIDS, and other transmittable and communicable illnesses. So how to go about identifying and diagnosing drug abuse? Even though the diagnosis of the drug abuse is not really tough at a fully developed phase, yet the essential parts at an early phase are: the youngster is having a strange sleep pattern, becoming less and less social, weakness, anorexia, and inferior or disappointing performance at school. Okay now, let’s go to the different types of drug abuse. 1. LSD-causes insomnia and hypertension. 2. Steroids-causes particular feminine transformations in men and vice versa. 3. Cocaine-harmful effects on cerebrovascular and cardiovascular systems. 4. Marijuana-causes learning and memory impairments. 5. Nicotine (in cigarettes)-widely known to be connected to cause skin, ovarian and most especially lung cancer. Harms not just the immune system and the lungs but also the entire human body. It is by far the most destructive and the most heavily used among the other drugs. 6. Methamphetamine-its chief side effects are anorexia, being hyperactive, psychosis and insomnia. To solve the problem of drug abuse, it needs both social and medical treatment as well. About the author. Amy Twain is a successful Self Improvement Coach who has been helping and coaching individuals for many years. Amy now decided to share her knowledge through this site, Innerzine.com. You can sign up for her free weekly newsletter and learn how to become more self confident and successful. Tue, 3 Feb 2009 06:23:26 +0100 http://www.innerzine.com/addictions/how-to-quit-smoking-pot http://www.innerzine.com/addictions/how-to-quit-smoking-pot Compared to most hard drugs out there, (such as heroin, cocaine, etc.) weed can only be considered as a “soft drug” but could still be as addicting and harmful, nonetheless. But let me tell you this—if you want to know how to quit smoking pot once and for all, it’s good to know that weed is not chemically addicting! The main addiction to marijuana is a psychological than a physical one. Picture this: it is only your mere recollection of your feelings or mesmeric thoughts of being “high” and it always comes back to you again and again. So eventually, you want to return to that feeling again notwithstanding the quantity or frequency of weed you use just to go on with your addiction. Therefore in the end, you already become too immune or resistant to its damaging effects. In essence, smoking pot is different from using cigarettes or cocaine in as much as you don’t crave physically for them like taking drugs or cigarettes. Smoking pot really takes in from an enjoyable act that later transforms into a habit. As compared to taking hard drugs, marijuana doesn’t have an effect on the brain’s receptors and the effects aren’t as clear as in those drugs, so it becomes not really a big deal to most individuals to try smoking pot. Only to realize later that they become hooked on this, hence, it’s tough for them to detach themselves to it. It becomes more of a social stuff since buddies of pot smokers also try this habit and also their friends and so on. Then it becomes like all within the circle of friends are already involved in it. After knowing all these about smoking pot, the next step now is how to quit smoking pot. In reality, you’re actually combating a psychological need rather than a chemical or physical need and it could be conquered with our strong strength of will and self-control. Quitting this harmful habit once and for all could be go with depression and feelings of anxiety as you begin to learn to live and lead a new life devoid of your regular smoking rituals; since smoking pot has been ingrained in your system for a long time and it was once your means of comfort or release. Hmmm…it is easier said than done, you think? And especially for those who have been smoking weed for years—this life-defining change may take a lot of effort, energy and definitely self-discipline. But if a person is always willing to change, anything’s possible, right? For willing people wanting to quit, the best advice here is to substitute that addiction with another activity that is fun, enjoyable and fulfilling—and certainly far and different from yet another addiction or destructive habit. Look for something worthwhile activity which you’re truly passionate about, that makes you forget about your addiction for good. Bear in mind that you do NOT crave pot/marijuana but you only want it—now that’s a big difference. If you become accustomed to your lifestyle without it, you realize that you can enjoy life pot-free! About the author. Amy Twain is a successful Self Improvement Coach who has been helping and coaching individuals for many years. Amy now decided to share her knowledge through this site, Innerzine.com. You can sign up for her free weekly newsletter and learn how to become more self confident and successful. Mon, 12 Jan 2009 05:22:57 +0100 http://www.innerzine.com/addictions/drug-addiction-recovery http://www.innerzine.com/addictions/drug-addiction-recovery Even before the term “substance abuse” was even made up, the founders of Alcoholic Anonymous (AA) in 1935, —Dr. Bob Smith and Bill Wilson changed the concept on how to deal and handle addictions perpetually. In their own personal viewpoint, drug addiction recovery commands that a very agonizing and individual fault can’t be fully exterminated till it’s been conveyed into public knowledge. And part of their action is their unyielding principle that those sufferers can’t totally recover on their own. The drug addiction recovery and the Alcoholics Anonymous program was established on it, necessitates that sufferers/addicts come clean to their defenselessness and vulnerability in the face of their dependence or addictions, and that there’s still an greater power on which, or whom they can have confidence to assist them fight versus their addiction and forgive themselves for all the damage it caused them. The basis of Alcoholics Anonymous which is the 12 Step Program has currently become the groundwork of numerous of drug addiction recovery courses that treat addiction on each kind of drug, from prescribed medicines to nicotine, heroin, cocaine and amphetamine. The 12 Step Program—another mode carried out by some drug addiction recovery therapies is to take their patients thru a cycle of exhaustive and concentrated therapy and counseling, to the perception that becoming addicted still in no way devaluates their worth as a individual. The process of behavior modification is also a huge contributor in several drug addiction recovery programs. This course of action enables the addicts to learn that their drug use was forged by a deeper emotional hurt before it advanced to physical addiction. That’s why behavior modification makes the patients understand that their dependencies was not just in a physical sense, but also emotional. However, for those addicted persons who have little or no spiritual sentiment at all, this approach to drug addiction recovery course could be dispiriting. Why---well, there are some addicts out there who think that spiritual intervention does not really count so they only believe that an emotional and physical intervention is needed for their emotional and physical addictions. This technique would work just as long as the addicts have their friends and families to welcome and accept them all over again when they are done with their process of drug addiction recovery, and also to provide them with all the loving support they need to reconstruct their lives again and aid them to stay away from drugs—for good. It even necessitates the patients to say goodbye to negative and damaging friends who introduced and initiated them into the world of addiction, and getting to that extreme state could be the scariest part of the whole process. Nevertheless, being able to stay away from bad relationships and connections based exclusively on shared substance abuse is significant if ever they choose to keep off drugs—permanently. Addicted individuals must understand that their dependence is embedded deeply in one’s thoughts and feelings and that the road to their drug addiction recovery is the first step you got to take to build your life in normalcy all over again. About the author. Amy Twain is a successful Self Improvement Coach who has been helping and coaching individuals for many years. Amy now decided to share her knowledge through this site, Innerzine.com. You can sign up for her free weekly newsletter and learn how to become more self confident and successful. Wed, 3 Dec 2008 03:38:31 +0100 http://www.innerzine.com/addictions/workaholic http://www.innerzine.com/addictions/workaholic How long have you gone out of your working environment? And when was your last vacation? Aside from the money you earned from your hard work and efforts, what did you get out of it? Well, I am afraid that you would be alarmed after reading through the succeeding paragraphs and suddenly take some time out rather than keep trying to impress your boss or supervisors. So what do we call that person---a workaholic, that is. The truth is, no matter how old or young you are, where you are or whoever you think you are, you are considered a workaholic if you’re already working more than 12 hours per day. For instance, do you want to look like you are already 50 years old when you are actually still in you 40s? I am not exaggerating—in fact, the workplace itself does not give birth to the workaholics in us, yet it can initiate it. Workaholic families most likely neglect their kids because they’re seldom able to squeeze in some free and quality bonding time with them. They do not even have the extra energy to talk with their kids, what about educating them with love, care and attention? And all they have left after returning from work are body aches and pains and negative moods. According to some studies, workaholic parents are most likely to make their marriage end in separation or divorce as compared to the non-workaholic couples. This is certainly bad news for the kids and their overall development. Not including the time you utilize for sleeping, taking a bath, eating your meals, and running some errands, there’s no more free time or space left for your friends and family. The worst thing is, you’re threatening yourself! As what we all know, engaging oneself in highly intensive work load might lead you to stress, depression, anxiety, and anger than your non-workaholic work mates. Whenever you’re making your way to impress your boss just to get that promotion, then, you’re in fact exciting your blood pressure to rise up very high, similar to getting your turn to the hospital. Stroke, heart attack and heart disease are the repercussions of high blood pressure. Not just high blood pressure, tension and stress would absolutely make one’s body more prone to other health issues. Whenever you push yourself to your tasks, meetings, deadlines, assignments and projects, you would fail to realize that how time flies. You could not care less about the time, you missed your meals and you forgot to take a rest. Well, your tummy would more or less remind you of that soon! Do you oftentimes wake up in the middle of the night in pain? Do you also vomit blood or undigested food? If these things are happening to you, then you might be suffering from stomach ulcers. This can occur from abnormal eating habits like fast food habit, skipping one’s meals, eating too fast and too much caffeine intake. Therefore, it’s high time to get that much needed vacation and enjoy life to the fullest. About the author. Amy Twain is a successful Self Improvement Coach who has been helping and coaching individuals for many years. Amy now decided to share her knowledge through this site, Innerzine.com. You can sign up for her free weekly newsletter and learn how to become more self confident and successful. Fri, 21 Nov 2008 08:07:37 +0100 http://www.innerzine.com/addictions/food-addiction1 http://www.innerzine.com/addictions/food-addiction1 Food addiction is a very serious topic that requires discussion in its own right. It’s a problem which affects not just the individual suffering from it, but also their family and close friends. In essence, this condition is one which mingles a craving for food with a food allergy. If an individual possesses this kind of condition, they are attached to a particular food and when they are not able to have it, they face and experience signs and symptoms which are not unlike withdrawal. Whenever things like health and food addiction are talked about, most persons merely work with ideas and concepts such as regular exercise and healthy eating habits, yet oftentimes, it goes beyond that. Food addiction could be signifying a number of various things. And one of the most remarkable symptoms of having an addiction to particular foods is having a consistent craving for a specific kind of food and no matter how frequent or how often it is eaten, yet always wanting more. While cravings are the primary signs that this disorder might be occurring, there are still other numerous clues that this illness might be at work. A food addiction left untreated could have several various consequences, and none of them positive. This ailment is affecting one-third of the Americans, and is coming to be viewed as a prevalent, detrimental, not to mention serious issue that it is. Whether the food is ice cream or pancakes, addiction to certain foods arises in a craving which can turn out to be damaging. Since this compulsion could give way to uncontrolled indulgence on certain foods, it could also possibly lead to obesity. And because nutrition closely affects the activities of our brains, there are a series of problems and disorders—from mood swings to schizophrenia. Signs and symptoms of addiction to foods involve fatigue, migraines, arthritis and several mental issues. Aside from experiencing the health issues mentioned above, people who having this condition usually feel ashamed and/or guilty about their food addiction. Most often, they feel as if they should have better control of themselves and their well being and that surrendering to something they think of as just an impulse, they’re proving themselves fragile. Furthermore, there are the effects which addiction to particular foods could have on the family or friends of the sufferer. Since these sufferers may also be suffering with allergies, and also subjected to things such as migraines and mood swings, living with them might prove difficult and challenging. Moreover, society has several misconceptions and built-in stereotypes regarding the obese individuals, stereotypes which food addiction patients may buy into; they might feel lazy, clumsy and not dedicated at all, and not aware that there is a chemical, physical element to something that they quickly assume as a psychological weakness. Another thing to keep in mind is that this kind of addiction could have a genetic aspect. If ever you have this condition, there is a chance which you may pass it on to your kids, either in terms of behaviors you fall into, or in terms of the cravings you feel and experienced. About the author. Amy Twain is a successful Self Improvement Coach who has been helping and coaching individuals for many years. Amy now decided to share her knowledge through this site, Innerzine.com. You can sign up for her free weekly newsletter and learn how to become more self confident and successful. Tue, 11 Nov 2008 04:01:33 +0100 http://www.innerzine.com/addictions/marijuana-addiction http://www.innerzine.com/addictions/marijuana-addiction Today’s marijuana is up to 10 times much stronger and potent than the marijuana of the past decades and with advanced efficacy, relates advanced addictive properties. Much of the social understanding regarding this drug where formed in those times when it was quite difficult to get addicted to what was a somewhat mild drug; but those times are gone now, and detox and marijuana addiction are very real. Any individual who says that this drug is not at all addicting has apparently never spent a sleepless night shattered with anxiety, struggling incredible strong desire to use. Marijuana is not meth, but the detoxification is real, and it is difficult to keep several individuals using for a lot longer than they will like to. Marijuana Addiction: Are You Addicted? The following 7 questions are based and established upon the American Psychological Association’s clinical diagnosis test of marijuana addiction, and if you could truthfully answer Yes to 3 or more of the following questions regarding your behavior for over the last year, then indeed, you’re addicted. 1. Have you tried in the past to at least cut down on your smoking or totally quit, but failed? 2. Could you use more and more of this drug than you used to be able to? Do you need more to get high or just to feel or experience similar effects? 3. Have you ceased doing things which you used to enjoy just because of your smoking habit? 4. Did you ever spent a lot of your time on getting high, working to acquire cash to get high or merely thinking about getting high? 5. Have you ever smoked more than you had planned on smoking? For instance, do you ever have a joint, a few hours or minutes before work, and rather of stopping at one, find yourself very high a few hours later as you begin your work? 6. Do you still continue to use even after you begin to feel and experience unfavorable and detrimental social and health effects? You still continue to use at the similar level or extent even as you notice or observe that the drug is already affecting your capacity to think and focus, or is having a negative effect on your school grades or work performance. 7. Did you ever begin to feel anxious or apprehensive if you cannot get any of this drug? And have you ever take another drug instead when there’s no marijuana around? So, what’s your real score? So if you answered Yes to 3 or more questions, you are addicted to it, and would likely require a to spend a few days in withdrawal if you try or attempt to break free from your harmful habit. Marijuana detoxification pains are very real and they are not comfortable, yet most individuals can with willpower, determination and support to make it through, and begin to enjoy a better life away from an addiction to use. However, if you tried to quit on your own but was not successful, you have to consider getting professional help for your marijuana addiction. About the author. Amy Twain is a successful Self Improvement Coach who has been helping and coaching individuals for many years. Amy now decided to share her knowledge through this site, Innerzine.com. You can sign up for her free weekly newsletter and learn how to become more self confident and successful. Fri, 31 Oct 2008 03:31:54 +0100 http://www.innerzine.com/addictions/alcohol-detoxification http://www.innerzine.com/addictions/alcohol-detoxification Alcohol detoxification is defined as eliminating alcohol from the human body and giving medical relief and assistance for the withdrawal symptoms which accompany this process. The withdrawal symptoms may range from distressing to fatal, and it depends on the harshness and severity of the addiction, and alcohol detoxification could absolutely help in this process. So if you love and care for a person who is an alcoholic, or you might be struggling with your own alcohol problems, chances are, you might be interested in the process of alcohol detoxification. The treatment would normally last about one week. Without proper treatment, an alcoholic who abruptly ceases the consumption of alcohol could feel and experience some mild signs and symptoms such as trembling, shaking, sweating and strong cravings for alcohol. More harsh withdrawal symptoms could consist of hallucinations, delirium tremens, and in extreme cases, convulsions in some small percentage of sufferers and patients. The drugs for detoxification aid the body in getting rid of alcohol and minimize these uncomfy and sometimes hazardous symptoms. And that is why medical professionals and practitioners would mainly prescribe a limited term of treatment, with one of the many drugs promoted for this purpose. The most conventional is called Chlordiazepoxide. While there are some people who do not like the use of drugs in many cases, some may still concede, that in particular instances, like this one, they could be extra helpful and effective in trying to assist an individual to recover from an adverse addiction. Usually, the dosage is highest on its first day, with lessening amounts on its succeeding days. This would let the highest dosage to be utilized at the time when the effects of withdrawal are at its strongest. Close supervision by a medical expert is normally required, and the patient should agree and accept to break off all use and consumption of alcohol during the entire duration of the treatment. With the use of drugs such as Chlordiazepoxide, withdrawal is less hazardous than usual, and more convenient than it will be sans medication. Yet most users still go through irritability, nervousness, and trouble sleeping, though. Most contest that the alcohol cravings, both physiological and physical, would still remain long after it will be out of the system. Detoxification just applies to the physical issues of alcoholism, though, and several professionals advocate a joined therapy which involves counseling or a 12-step program in order to follow and adhere the whole process of detox. Moreover, aside from support and counseling, there are numerous drugs which can be prescribed to help prevent a relapse and enable the recovery faster and easier. For instance, Disulfiram would make the user ill if they drink alcohol. Meanwhile, Acamprosate helps lessen the cravings. Continued therapy and counseling is needed in order to help and support the patient resist returning to their alcohol consumption and to change their attitudes. Recovery from alcoholism is oftentimes a tough road; take full advantage of the assistance accessible to you. So ask your health care practitioners and experts regarding detox programs today. About the author. Amy Twain is a successful Self Improvement Coach who has been helping and coaching individuals for many years. Amy now decided to share her knowledge through this site, Innerzine.com. You can sign up for her free weekly newsletter and learn how to become more self confident and successful. Wed, 22 Oct 2008 05:17:53 +0200 http://www.innerzine.com/addictions/food-cravings http://www.innerzine.com/addictions/food-cravings It is a fact of life that we all have food cravings in general—and it’s called hunger. There are actually all kinds of cravings of certain foods which could be caused by a nutritional deficiency, a habit, or can even be caused by our emotions. Some people would crave food when they lack particular nutrients. If for instance, you do not have adequate iron, then you might find yourself craving for red meat. You might also crave something to eat for self medication whenever you feel terribly lonely, sad or just feel bad for example. Eating a lots of snacks, most especially the sugary sweet ones causes the blood to rush to your stomach, and release serotonin, to make us feel better, even though at least temporarily. There are times that we are more likely to get in a habit of thinking that we really need particular kinds of foodstuff. For instance, if you frequently eat popcorn whilst watching a film, then, sooner or later you would crave it as soon as you try watching another movie. So, Is Food Truly Addicting or Dangerous? Absolutely, food in general is not dangerous or addictive. It is in fact necessary for human beings to eat each and every single day. Nevertheless, it could become obsessive and addicting whenever we already become very emotionally attached to it, or be gluttonous because of addiction to it. Food cravings could also induce us to make some unhealthy food choices. Unhealthy food choices, like so many sweet, sugary and fatty foods could result to certain heart problems, diabetes, obesity and many other health problems. And this is why it is very significant to take control of your food cravings as soon as you can. And What Can I Do To Control My Food Cravings? Recognizing the emotional bond is the initial step in ending your emotional eating. An effective succeeding step will be to handle the feeling rather than medicating it with foodstuff. The most effective and the best way is by making sure that you eat a healthy and balanced diet and give your body all the nutrients it requires. So let’s say whenever you experienced a craving for a chocolate, for example, try asking yourself first... “Why am I yearning for this chocolate bar? Is it just because I feel lonely or depressed? Therefore, if you are an emotional eater, you also have to make a conscious effort of not letting your emotions to take over your eating habits and end emotional eating for good. Try eating 5-6 small meals per day and incorporate some protein in every meal. This would help stabilize your blood sugar and give you the energy to keep going throughout the day. Whole food vitamins are highly suggested. Take some kind of daily vitamin supplements. Zero in for a balanced diet with tons of vegetables and fresh fruits in it. This would definitely give you several benefits of the vitamins and minerals that your body needs. Don’t worry, you can take it just one step at a time and take control over your food cravings. About the author. Amy Twain is a successful Self Improvement Coach who has been helping and coaching individuals for many years. Amy now decided to share her knowledge through this site, Innerzine.com. You can sign up for her free weekly newsletter and learn how to become more self confident and successful. Thu, 9 Oct 2008 06:28:39 +0200 http://www.innerzine.com/addictions/pornography-addiction http://www.innerzine.com/addictions/pornography-addiction Pornography is a very controversial subject or topic to deal with and there’s been much study and analysis from both sides. So it is highly significant to equip and support ourselves with knowledge and information to decipher those untruths versus the facts regarding how pornography addiction destroy our lives. From this study or research and those making and earning money from this industry there are so many myths sailing around our society. And the problem or trouble with these untruths is that they are passed on to our youth and in several instances adults also fall for the same myths. Myth 1. Pornographic pleasure is the only pleasure an individual needs. The entire sexual experience must be made up of loving feelings and excitement for one’s partner. With the numbness and considerable desensitization that come with pornography addiction several people find that their sexual pleasure decreases significantly. Myth 2. Viewing pornography is harmless-- this is where the different sides of of the controversy truly disagree. The majority of the study has discovered that looking at porn is really harmful in a particular number of areas of a person’s life. So is it alright to view at photos or videos of other couples having sex sometimes? The answer to this is one should be answered by the person and his or her significant other or partner. Many individuals are not well aware of the real and existing conditions of the porn industry and the treatment of various diseases passed on in their choice of careers. First and foremost, although pornography had no detrimental consequences to the one viewing, there still exist real and several adverse effects to the actors or performers. Some of the diseases and the degradation of the actors influence and affect society as a whole. Sexually transmitted diseases or infections are already at an all-time high (and still continues to rapidly increase) and with the continuance of pornography it is even getting worse. Secondly, pornography could be addicting and the person risks their family, social life and their general emotional state when they become full-blown addicted. Being addicted to porn can be very real and could ruin many lives and relationships in the process. Myth 3. Pornography does not hurt anyone. In the majority of instances a one-time look at pornography may be harmless, yet what about those cases of rape, child porn and sexual abuse? It’s already estimated that well over 100,000 children are at risk for human trafficking each year. Men and women alike are led into a drug addiction and then forced to sell their bodies just to feed their habit. Human trafficking is a reality and not just in third world countries, either. There are also numerous abuses which occurs in United States of America each year. Most pornographic performers or actors admit to physical, verbal and sexual abuse as a child, so somebody is suffering. People need affection, love and a healthy sex life, which cannot be attained through pornography and pornography addiction. About the author. Amy Twain is a successful Self Improvement Coach who has been helping and coaching individuals for many years. Amy now decided to share her knowledge through this site, Innerzine.com. You can sign up for her free weekly newsletter and learn how to become more self confident and successful. Tue, 30 Sep 2008 05:21:05 +0200 http://www.innerzine.com/addictions/sobriety http://www.innerzine.com/addictions/sobriety For numerous ladies, hearing that she is constantly in charge of herself and also of her own life is a brand-new concept. Women For Sobriety trains ladies that they do not need to feel like victims, or they are helpless beings, but that instead, they are strong, and capable human beings! The major focus of the program Women For Sobriety is known as the “New Life” program. This involves 13 concepts which are truly significant for the ladies who are dealing with a tough problem. These concepts or ideas are mainly concentrated on women’s need for self esteem, self empowerment and self acceptance. In helping and assisting women to develop a sense of self empowerment, Women For Sobriety promotes the chance and opportunity for strong independence that most adult females have never had before. While this program has some components in common with the more popular 12-Step Programs like the Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous, this program also has some really essential differences. While concepts or teachings like “I am in charge of my own life now” and “the past is over now” might seem quite more than just basic common sense to most individuals, yet for adult females who have endlessly battled drug-addiction, alcoholism or other life-surrounding problems and circumstances, those are the realities of life that should be learned all over again. Aside from the significance of these concepts or ideas, the way or manner these are presented is also of equal importance. Unlike some of its more widely well known counterparts that grant a most considerable part of an individual’s capacity to “heal” or “cure”, Women For Sobriety’s New Life program encourages its members in taking on that role and responsibility themselves. Women For Sobriety is a nice venue for ladies out there especially the ones who are struggling with drug dependencies or alcohol issues or some other related problems. Though other members in the program are there present for each other, the point is that every person’s skill or capacity to “cure” and recover is within herself, instead of having the program, individuals or group, become yet a dissimilar dependency. As most individuals who let go of their alcohol or drug dependencies behind, yet only to replace dependency on their program, it is easy to see why Women For Sobriety has a far more better approach. As numerous addicts and alcoholics may find it very easy to exchange one dependency for another, search for others in providing such an extent of support and input in their daily lives that they are not in the position of trying to learn how to stand on their own, and usually become pretty skilled at making use of their pasts as their alibi for their present situations, Women For Sobriety targets to help more women avert from such negative systems and accomplish real independence. In this program, a woman would learn that when she has done so, the question she must then ask herself is “This is your life now: what do you really want to do with it?” About the author. Amy Twain is a successful Self Improvement Coach who has been helping and coaching individuals for many years. Amy now decided to share her knowledge through this site, Innerzine.com. You can sign up for her free weekly newsletter and learn how to become more self confident and successful. Fri, 19 Sep 2008 05:11:24 +0200 http://www.innerzine.com/addictions/internet-pornography http://www.innerzine.com/addictions/internet-pornography As a parent, it’s very significant to know how to keep your children from finding Internet Pornography as they surf the Net. But how do you do that—the first thing that you should bear in mind is that you probably cannot keep your kids from finding internet pornography one hundred percent all the time. Chances are, that you just can’t sit around and watch your kid each and every time they use the computer. Though that would have been the most effective tactic, still it is not very practical. Most often, search engine results and some e-mail attachments could mislead children into clicking on the wrong thing; chances are, they are just going to stumble accidentally upon it at some point. So the question now is how to limit their exposure to internet pornography. There are actually numerous alternatives accessible to you. Limiting exposure to the World Wide Web could help the youngsters from finding pornography, but the sad truth is that the Internet can be used everywhere around the world. It is widely used in offices, schools, at home or in friends’ houses and not to mention in other public places and other cyber cafes. However, if you like to keep your children from repeatedly finding pornography, tell and train them how to handle the situation if ever they stumble accidentally upon it. Let them know what kind of materials are not proper for their age and explain that if ever they discover any materials like those, they must close the e-mail or website immediately. They could immediately report to you of the problem, and hopefully, not be emotionally shocked by it or become enslaved by it. In addition, you could also preview some of your kids’ activities. For instance, if they hear of a new website, try to visit it yourself first. In that way, you could be sure that the website’s content has nothing obscene in it and appropriate for them to be viewed. Another effective thing to keep your children away from from the Net entirely is by installing website content filtering software on your PCs. This software could help minors from stumbling upon internet pornography, and also other undesirable and unwanted content unintentionally, while they are doing their assignments or browsing for other unrelated stuff, like certain information regarding their favorite celebrities or rock bands. This website content filtering program is created for filtering off some particularly offensive website content. Nevertheless, should you get this software, be ready for it to filter out other stuff, too and not only pornography. Most filtering programs filter out things such as alcohol and drug related materials and gambling websites, for example. Whilst these programs are constantly improving, they might also filter some content that you do not want to be filtered, so be prepared for some occasional filtering glitch. Yet they can be a great option to watch over your kids’ online activity, though. So teach and talk to your children well. You cannot keep them from finding online pornography at all times, but you could provide them the tools how to deal with it, if ever they come across it. About the author. Amy Twain is a successful Self Improvement Coach who has been helping and coaching individuals for many years. Amy now decided to share her knowledge through this site, Innerzine.com. You can sign up for her free weekly newsletter and learn how to become more self confident and successful.