Alcohol abuse is one of this country’s biggest problems. And, often, the problem starts when we’re young. In fact, those who drink while in their teens have a much greater chance of becoming alcoholics than others. Nevertheless, there are parents all over America who let their kids drink – thinking it’s harmless as long as they’re not out driving or doing something else that’s risky. But, really, you’re setting your kid up for brain damage.

A study on the effects of alcohol on the brain showed that after drinking the equivalent of just three beers, the brain starts to work differently. They put the people in this study in an MRI to scan their brain while they were drinking – and they saw it happen.

Okay – so once isn’t going to kill you. If you’re young and relatively healthy, the brain’s functioning normally again the next day. But what happens when you drink over and over again? You wind up with the “permanent brain damage that is known to occur in alcoholics.”  And that’s quote from the doctors who conducted the tests.

Just a couple more beers – i.e. five for a guy, four for a girl – actually impairs critical thinking for a month! That’s pretty serious. But we do it all the time, and let our kids do it.

Makes me wonder how much of our problems are really from brain damage.

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Great – now we’ve got drugs that cause addictive behavior. And I’m not talking about an inherently addictive drug like OxyContin or Xanax. The specific drug in question here is Mirapex, used to treat Parkinson’s Disease, and it can cause addictive behaviors like gambling and compulsive eating.

It’s true, a lot of drugs save lives. But there are so many successful methods, other than drugs, for dealing with many of our problems. Pain can be addressed with certain nutrients and natural analgesics (and if you have to get into drugs you can certainly find some a lot less dangerous than things like OxyContin – OxyContin abuse has probably put more people into a drug treatment center than heroin (of course, OxyContin IS heroin, so what can we expect?)

And you can also get physical therapy, chiropractic, or acupuncture – which I understand does wonders for pain. My father got over debilitating hip pain in just two acupunture sessions. And it’s never come back!

There are also nutrients and natural remedies to address depression, anxiety, sleeplessness, and any number of things. These three can often even be addressed by just doing some exercise. But, instead, we put up with drugs, their outrageous side effects, and the possibility of drug overdoses, interactions, reactions, and so on.

What a mess.

A large percentage of people going into a drug treatment center program these days have a problem with prescription drugs – and they often started out by being prescribed the drugs by their doctors.

In some European countries, where people are much healthier than Americans, there is far more emphasis on natural remedies and prevention. Hopefully, Obama’s new health care plan will address some of these issues.

In the meantime … if you’re having trouble coming off a drug like painkillers, anti-anxiety or depression meds and would like to see if you can resolve your problems without them, contact us to find out if there’s a drug treatment center that can help you.

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I read a news article today about a woman who recovered from a crack cocaine abuse and addiction habit after 23 years. The thing I found most interesting was that the woman said she had been looking online for a drug treatment center while she was high. And she didn’t just do it once, she did it over and over again. She carried the phone number of one drug treatment center in her wallet for a year. When she finally reached her breaking point, she called. And they helped her get into the program. 

This is quite unusual – a good 80% of drug addicts wind up in a drug treatment center because a family member got them to go there.  She got there on her own steam.

Family members probably expect that to happen more often – which is why they don’t always take the initiative to make sure people get help.  But it’s really not a chance you want to take. This girl got there on her own, true, but it took her 23 years. Can you imagine the hell she, and her family and friends, went through during that 23 years?! She’s a mom, by the way, and had long since lost her kids. And her husband, and every successive boyfriend. She was living in her car when she finally called the rehab center.

Drug Rehab Referral helps people find a suitable drug treatment program. There are literally thousands of them, and choosing the right one is imperative. Drug Rehab Referral staff have the experience needed to advise you.

As a matter of fact, I know that one of the programs they refer to is the one this woman used. Call them at 1-877-211-7428 if you or a family member has a drug problem.

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