How I Self-Medicated My Depression For Years

My 30s are a blur. For over ten years, from the time I was 29 years old until I reached the age of 40, I drank alcoholically. Back during the late 70s and the 1980s, AA was just coming into vogue. Treatment centers were opening up around the country and most emphasized the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous as the only way to recover.

Many of the recovering alcoholics you met at AA meetings back then had achieved their sobriety the "hard way." That is to say they didn't have the luxury of a treatment center. Many of them dried out in sanitariums; others received electrical shock treatments.  Many simply shook it out among fellow AA members. Only one in ten people actually achieved sobriety back then.

It is little wonder that the AA members who achieved sobriety in the 50s and 60s spoke against using any type of medication in the recovery process. Perhaps that is why, even when doctors prescribed medications to help me, I turned them down. I wanted to get sober  -- without drugs.

Unfortunately never worked for me. After more than ten years of alcoholic drinking that hurt my family and caused me to lose job after job, I finally sought out a counselor named Betty, a recovering alcoholic who got sober in the 1960s. After gaining sobriety Betty went to college and earned her Master's degree in psychology and counseling.

After several sessions Betty referred me to a psychiatrist who prescribed Prozac. When I balked, Betty assured me she would not recommend anything unless she believed it would help me.
At the end of my rope, I agreed to take it.

I kept going back to Betty each week. And gradually each week things got a little better. One day Betty said to me:  you seem to be feeling pretty good these days. "Yes, I guess I do," I replied.  That is when Betty turned to me and said two words I will never, ever forget:  "Welcome back."

She explained that for ten years I had been self-medicating my depression with alcohol. The reason why, she said, is because depression is simply too painful to tolerate.

The Cough Syrup High: The Dangers Of Robotripping

Over-the-counter cough and cold medications are rapidly becoming a favorite way for teenagers to get high. In order to "robotrip" the cough syrup is chugged in massive quantities to get the user high. Even though the active ingredient DMX is combined with acetaminophen to discourage recreational use, it is gaining in popularity.

This drug is especially dangerous since it requires no prescription to purchase, it is readily available, and it can be obtained legally. Teenagers who are participating in this alarming new drug fad are taking twenty-five to fifty times the recommended dose and mixing the substance with alcohol for a concentrated high. Since there is no risk associated with the acquisition of this over-the-counter medication, DMX in the form of cough and cold medication is becoming a stepping stone drug that can push teenagers toward more dangerous drug use in the future.

Unfortunately, most parents are unable to recognize the symptoms of addiction within their children. Most parents assume that their children will dabble with alcohol and other drugs and do not act quickly enough to intervene. This lack of parental intervention and the ready availability of this drugs may contribute to their child's rapid downward spiral.

There are alarming statistics indicating that one in ten teenagers in the U.S. have experimented with robotripping at parties and get-togethers. They are naive and easily convinced that an over-the-counter drug syrup freely sold in every pharmacy cannot cause harm. But this simplistic conclusion is far from the truth. Not only is DMX, or Tussin, addictive when used repeatedly, it can also be fatal when it is combined with alcohol, sleeping medications, or commonly prescribed anti-anxiety medications.

Side effects reported when large amounts of DMX are ingested may rival the hallucinogenic results reported by LSD or ecstasy users, The possible physical effects are even more frightening. Excessive amounts may cause cardiac arrhythmia, blood clots in the brain, seizures, coma, and even death.

In order to protect your teen from the dangers of robotripping, you must first educate yourself and then sit down to educate your teen. Teach them that their body is a delicate organism and that the medications contained within cold and cough syrups are only safe in moderate amounts. Your children need to be prepared with the facts to withstand peer pressure and sidestep dangerous drug use.

The Dangers of Mixing Prescriptions and Alcohol

There are many hidden dangers to mixing prescription medications with other substances.  You do not just have to be worried with interactions between other prescriptions, but with interactions between other non-prescription products.  This also includes any vitamins or supplements you might be taking.  One of the biggest hidden dangers is between mixing your prescription medications with alcohol.

Alcohol can have dangerous interactions with many medications, both prescription and non-prescription.  These interactions can include intensified alcohol symptoms, such as drowsiness and loss of coordination.  Other possible symptoms include nausea and vomiting and headaches.  Women and the elderly are more prone to intensified reactions, but men can also be affected.

Another possible problem with mixing prescription medication and alcohol is that the combination may affect the absorption of your medication.  This means not only in your body as it is being absorbed, but could also affect how much medicine you receive if you vomit.  You will be unable to know for sure if you vomited before or after the medicine had been fully absorbed.

Many prescription cough medicines already contain a small percentage of alcohol in them.  If you are unaware of this, then even drinking a small amount of alcohol could make you seem “drunk.”  These possible effects could be:  sleepiness or drowsiness, poor coordination and feeling lightheaded.

It is important to read the drug interaction labels on any medication that you might take, both prescription and over the counter.  Not only could the medications interact with each other, but there could be dangerous interactions with alcohol.  It is especially important to not drive until you know the full effects of your medication on your body.  Even if you have taken the prescription medication before, your body could respond differently this time.  Never take the chance without another responsible adult around to help.

Treatment Of Addiction To Opioids

Opioid is a psychoactive chemical resembling morphine. It is usually administered to reduce pain, increase tolerance to pain and reduce the perception of pain. This drug may be prescribed by a doctor to reduce the pain one may be feeling. Abusing pain medications can lead to a person depending too much on the drug to reduce pain.

Morphine reduces pain however, if a person takes the drug for a long time, they become addicted to the drug. Addiction to any Opioid is dangerous as it may have other effects. These effects include depression, respiratory problems, brain damage and even death.

There are two main ways of treating Opioid addiction. The first common method that has been in existence for a very long time is detoxification. This treatment method however is not useful alone as statistics indicate that most people relapse after detoxification if there is no effective program to enable them to get over the addiction.

The other effective method for treating Opioid addiction is by use of Opioid agonists, partial opioid agonists and Opioid antagonists. Methadone an Opioid agonist has been the most effective method of treating Opioid abuse. This drug is taken orally so that it may reach the brain slowly reducing the induced effect of a drug that may occur when someone administers the drug in different ways thus preventing withdrawal symptoms.

Opioids are suitable since they are administered to relieve pain. Despite their positive effects, too much consumption of the drugs can lead to overdependence which may lead to addiction. To prevent this from happening it is important that you use the prescribed medication as per the instructions of the doctor. If you do not follow the doctor’s instructions, you can easily be addicted to these drugs thus presenting a big problem.