Anxiety disorders are very common amongst individuals with substance abuse issues.  Often times, an individual with an anxiety disorder begins abusing drugs or alcohol in an attempt to self-medicate their unpleasant symptoms. 

The most commonly abused substances by people with anxiety disorders are alcohol and various benzodiazepines.  For those with anxiety or panic disorders, drugs like Ativan can provide temporary relief from symptoms on a short-term or episodic basis.

However, especially in comparison with other benzodiazepines, Ativan carries a high potential for abuse and addiction. With continued or excessive use, Ativan can trigger chemical dependency, with side effects such as dizziness, muscular weakness, memory loss, sexual dysfunction, and constipation. In serious cases of Ativan addiction, side effects can even include severe depression, suicidal thoughts, allergic reactions, respiratory difficulties, hallucinations and hostility.  If you or someone you know is suffering from an anxiety disorder or substance abuse, Passages can help.

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Demerol is an opiate prescription pain reliever with an extremely powerful strength, similar to morphine. Often used in relation to surgery or childbirth, Demerol is an analgesic (pain reliever) that works in the body within 20 minutes of ingestion. Generally available in tablet or syrup form, Demerol has incredibly high addiction potential, due to its euphoric, relaxing effects.

Recently, Demerol has become available in patches that can be applied directly to the body, releasing the drug through the skin, much like nicotine patches.  This is becoming very dangerous and a common way for addicts to abuse they drug; they get access to patches and place them all over the body. 

Recovering from Demerol addiction can be exhausting, as the drug and its withdrawal symptoms take a toll on the user psychologically and physically.  Those withdrawing from Demerol addiction can encounter a host of harrowing side effects, including severe diarrhea, heart palpitations, racing heart, profuse sweating and muscle pains.

At Passages, we offer managed withdrawal care that compassionately leads patients through the Demerol withdrawal experience, so they know what to expect and find alleviation of mental and physical side effects in a safe, medically supervised environment.

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Heroin addiction develops rapidly, often within two to three weeks of first use. As the body becomes heroin dependent, users commonly feel the need to use heroin upon waking in addition to several times throughout the day. While many users seek the euphoria associated with heroin use, the forces of withdrawal symptoms help create fast-developing addiction to heroin. Painful withdrawal symptoms accompany abstinence from heroin use, with heightened and severe heroin withdrawal symptoms setting in 18 to 24 hours after cessation. Heroin withdrawal symptoms can vary, but often include hot and cold flashes, excessive abdominal cramps, diarrhea, profuse sweating, mental disturbances such as anxiety, depression and psychosis, intense muscle and deep bone aches, nausea and vomiting and lethargy. These withdrawal symptoms can be so severe, and the complications associated with overdose and withdrawal so serious, that virtually every heroin addicted individual requires professional detoxification and rehabilitation in order to overcome their addictions.  At Passages, we provide a full heroin detox and top of the line heroin treatment program, customized to fit each client’s particular needs.

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According to recent report released by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, cocaine is currently the most abused major stimulant in America and it has recently become the drug most frequently involved in emergency room visits, and it’s abuse is rapidly increasing amongst all demographics in the United States.  Cocaine abuse is a complex problem because it actually causes biological changes in the brain, and recent research has uncovered a process in the brain that more thoroughly explains addiction to cocaine.

In addition to the amount of people using cocaine, an enormous increase has occurred in the number of people going into treatment for cocaine addiction during the last several years.  This widespread abuse of cocaine has been a catalyst for many treatment centers to develop new programs specifically customized for individuals addicted to cocaine. Treatment of cocaine or crack dependency is complex and is most effective when it involves a number of different and diverse treatment methods, such as individual psychotherapy, group therapy, marriage and family therapy, and so on.  Passages Malibu’s treatment program is tailored to treat the physical, emotional, and psychological damage caused by cocaine.

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Over the years, new scientific evidence has come to light regarding the effects of drug and alcohol abuse on the body and brain.  Although researchers have always been aware that drugs and alcohol have a detrimental effect on the brain, it has not been until recently that they were actually aware of what specific damage they cause. 

According to a new research study, drug abuse, regardless of the substance abused, causes manipulations in the brain that impairs an individual’s ability to recognize certain facial expressions and also causes other psychological damage. The findings also show that failure to seek substance abuse help or failure to attend an inpatient drug rehab center may result in serious long-term neurological damage. 

In this study, the researchers observed groups of people with a history of drug and alcohol abuse and found that 70 percent of the drug users showed signs of neurological damage. The individuals showed signs of impaired working memory, fluency, mental flexibility and multitasking ability, and many of the participants were unable to recognize negative facial emotions, including fear, wrath, disgust and sadness. They also studied non-drug users, who had a much lower instance of showing any of these symptoms.  If you or someone you know has a drug problem, Passages can help.

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Recently, there has been an increase in people using household items as a way to get high.  One of the most commonly abused of these times is chemically altered bath salts, which are growing in popularity among individuals who are looking for a legal and cheap way to become intoxicated. These substances are sold as an ingredient to add to baths and are available at most stores, making them easily accessible for people of all ages.

Many new reports have found that children, teenagers and adults alike are snorting them to get high.  Bath salts contain added engineered molecules and that is similar to controlled substances and amphetamines, but is still legal and not intended for ingestion.  Bath salts can cause powerful highs, but statistics show that many users are ending up in hospital emergency rooms after abusing them.

Individuals who have abused chemically altered bath salts may experience paranoia, agitation, hallucinations, chest pain, hypertension and headaches.  These products pose a particular problem to kids and teenagers, who have little experience with drugs and could unintentionally, ingest a detrimental amount.  These household drugs can also lead to full blown addiction.

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Percocet addiction is very common, especially among people who suffer from an injury or chronic pain issues.  Percocet is a drug that runs a high risk of dependency, and many individuals with underlying issues end up over-medicating themselves or abusing the medication. Addiction to Percocet will generally not occur if you follow the instructions and dosage directions; however, it is important to be aware of the risks the drug includes.  When you are injured, the pain in your body is sending alarm signals of discomfort into your brain repeatedly. 

Drugs such as Percocet, that are opiate-based, don’t actually reduce the pain or actually lessen the pain signals in any way.  They actually numb and alter the brain to the point that it does not recognize or care about the pain signals any more.  Essentially, Percocet does not heal the pain you are experiencing, but it rather alters and distorts the mind, numbs the pain and covering it up.  Because Percocet is an opiate, it is incredibly addictive and risky for an individual to take who is already dealing with underlying issues that may lead to an addiction.  Individuals also build up a tolerance to Percocet rather quickly, and have to end up taking more and more of the drug to get the same desired effects.  If you or someone you know is dealing with an addiction to Percocet, Passages can help.

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Many individuals frequently drink and abuse drugs and believe that it is not affecting their career.  This group of people is often times referred to as “high functioning” alcoholics or addicts.  Many individuals do not realize the effect that substance abuse is having on their career performance, especially if the difference is only slight. 

For individuals who frequently use drugs or alcohol, studies have shown that there is a significant increase in instances of on-the-job injuries, lower rates of productivity, absences, tardiness, and mistakes made in the workplace that could otherwise have been easily avoided.  Late nights out, hangovers, or drug withdrawals often cause individuals to sleep in late or to have irrational mood swings and appear to be unapproachable or irritable. These will increase the affect on their co-workers or job performance. 

In the United States alone, there are millions and millions of people who are dependent on drugs and alcohol, and abuse dangerous substances daily either the night before work or secretly during the day at work.  Unfortunately, not nearly enough of these people seek treatment, and many of them continue this destructive pattern of abusing substances and sabotaging their career potential.  If you or someone you know has an issue with drugs or alcohol and is letting is affect their career, Passages can help.

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Several studies have shown that people who are dependent on alcohol and drugs are also more likely to smoke cigarettes than the general population. However, once many people get sober and clean from drugs or alcohol, they continue to smoke. 

Although it is clear that getting clean from drugs and alcohol should be an addicted individual’s first priority, cigarettes are also very damaging to health and sobriety, and have actually been shown in some cases to lead back into addictive behaviors.  Clearly, everyone is aware that cigarettes are unhealthy and addictive.  However, many people do not realize that many experts believe that it’s important to counsel alcohol or drug-dependent individuals to give up smoking as well as drinking and using, not just to improve their health, but also to increase their chances of staying sober. 

Cigarette smoking is an addictive behavior and repeated ritual, and many professionals in the addiction field believe that in order to ensure complete and total sobriety, you are better off restricting all addictive substances, not just alcohol and drugs.  There are many ways that an individual can give up smoking, whether through hypnosis, acupuncture, or filling their time with new hobbies or exercising.

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