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People in their teens and early 20s who smoke pot are at a greater risk for psychosis such as schizophrenia and hallucinations.

Many proponents of marijuana use claim that the health risks associated with smoking pot are no worse than legal substances like tobacco. However, there is a mountain of evidence which suggests otherwise. On its own, marijuana is very addictive and can require treatment in a drug rehab center in order to kick the habit. In addition, pot has been shown to be a “gateway” drug which can lead people to hard drugs, increased alcohol use and prescription drug abuse.

Marijuana is an addictive drug which requires treatment in an addiction program. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, quitting marijuana can have short-term and long-term withdrawal symptoms which can last for days or even weeks.

New research from Australia gives even more indication about the potential harm caused by marijuana. A study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry suggests a link between teens and young adults with a drug addiction to marijuana and increased rates of psychosis. Researchers asked more than 3,000 people in their teens and early 20s about their marijuana use along with their history of psychosis such as schizophrenia and hallucinations.

Reviewing the research gave scientists a clear indication that marijuana use was linked to increased levels of psychosis. In addition, there appears to be a correlation between the amount of pot abuse and the potential risk of psychosis — people who smoked more marijuana for longer periods of time were most likely to have psychotic episodes. This signals a need for teens who smoke pot to get into drug treatment before long term effects can be seen.

The relationship between marijuana use and psychosis is complex, according to researchers. While a link can be seen between prolonged marijuana use left untreated by a drug and alcohol addiction program and psychosis, it also appears that people who have experienced psychotic episodes in the past are more likely to turn to marijuana abuse later in life than people who have not had prior mental illnesses.

Genetics play a major role in determining a person’s predisposition to addiction, but it is only one factor. Environmental factors and mental health issues can also play a critical role.

There is no one “reason” why some people are more susceptible to drug and alcohol addiction than others. The nature of addiction is complex and has its roots in many different factors. These can range from the co-existence of other mental health issues like depression or bi-polar disorder or environmental factors like early childhood trauma or coming from an unstable family background.

While the various reasons for a person’s predisposition to addiction makes the “nurture vs. nature” argument meaningless, there is little doubt that a person’s genetic makeup can play a significant role in the likelihood that a person will fall victim to addictive traits and perhaps even end up in drug rehab. Many studies have shown that a person with a history of drug or alcohol abuse in their family is more likely to also abuse drugs or alcohol than someone without that past history.

Some of this evidence is slanted: a person with parents who struggled with alcohol or drug addiction is also more likely to have come from a broken home or dealt with abuse as a child — factors which can make them more prone to addiction by themselves. But there is also compelling research to suggest that addiction is as much of a genetic disease as anything else.

A person’s genetic makeup can impact their reaction to drugs and alcohol in a variety of ways. Genetics can alter how a person reacts to the stimulation provided by drugs and alcohol, making it more likely that they will develop abusive patterns quickly after their first time engaging in casual use. Genetics can also intensify the withdrawal symptoms that a person goes through during drug treatment.

Unfortunately, there is no one “addiction gene” which can predict whether a person is genetically predisposed to suffer from drug or alcohol problems or wind up in an addiction program. Scientists have determined that a variety of genetic traits determine a person’s potential for addiction. Many of these genetic traits involve how so-called “pleasure receptors” inside the brain react to stimulation from chemical reactions which produce dopamine and other neurotransmitters.

While it’s a good idea for anyone to avoid drug use and be careful of their alcohol intake, people with a history of family members in addiction treatment should be especially wary. The only guarantee about avoiding drug or alcohol addiction is to not use drugs or alcohol in the first place — regardless of your family history with addiction.

Recent research shows that almost 10 percent of all drug-related ER visits by teens in the United States are suicide attempts. Learn more about how to deal with the aftermath of such a shocking event.

Drug addiction among teens is on the rise, and the issues related to it can be staggering. Along with putting teens at risk of drug overdoses and other severe physical health issues, drug addiction can also have a severe impact on a teen’s mental health. This is especially true because there is a direct correlation between drug use in teens and other, existing mental health conditions such as depression or bi-polar disorder. This is why a rehab program will provide comprehensive care for teens dealing with drug and alcohol problems and not just deal with their addiction.

In some cases, a teen with a drug or alcohol addiction can be in such mental pain and anguish that it seems impossible to escape. The fact that their addiction widens the gap between their support network of friends and family only makes things worse. This is reflected in some recent data from the Drug Abuse Warning Network, which monitors emergency department visits in the United States. In 2008, 8.8 percent of all drug-related ER visits in the United States made by teenagers were suicide attempts.

In more than 95 percent of these cases, pharmaceuticals (such as sleeping pills or an overdose or painkillers) were the drug used by teens in their suicide attempts. This also reflects the growing trend in teens to abuse prescription pills, believing that they are not as “addictive” as “hard” drugs. The fact that drug treatment facilities throughout the country are seeing an increase in treatment of teens with prescription drug problems reinforces that this is just a myth.

After a teen is treated for the physical impact of their suicide attempt, the most likely next step will be sending them to an addiction treatment clinic for detoxification and the first steps of treatment. It’s also an opportunity for parents to evaluate recent changes in their son or daughter’s life. Have they been increasingly distant, struggling at school or abandoned their old friends? These are all warning signs that parents need to be aware of and a sign that parents need to more closely monitor the types of drugs that their child has access to.

Many teens will be embarrassed and guilty about their suicide attempt once they reach a drug rehabilitation center. It’s important for them to understand that this is an opportunity to confront the reasons why they began using drugs or alcohol in the first place and to deal with the underlying mental health problems that led to their suicide attempt. While it’s a horrible and painful situation and one that no parent wants to experience, many teens fully recover and are able to turn their lives around after a drug-related suicide attempt.

One of the more important steps in creating new alcohol and drug addiction treatments that work is to learn more about how addiction affects the human body. Physical dependence is a main player in substance addiction, and dealing with the withdrawal symptoms is something that a drug rehab program must cope with on a regular basis. Learning more about the medical basis for these symptoms allows for more effective treatments to be developed and utilized at your local rehab center.

Withdrawal from alcohol has a number of symptoms, including anxiety, agitation, tremors, and even seizures for some people. While these symptoms can be alleviated to an extent with additional small doses of alcohol, this only perpetuates the dependency that the patient has joined the addiction treatment program to break away from. Because the alcohol works to relieve the symptoms, researchers see the situation as one of “alcohol-induced adaptation” within the brain itself.

To learn more about this effect on the brain, neuroscientists from the University of Southampton performed a study using a specific type of worm, Caenorhabditis elegans. Believe it or not, the brain of this worm has a similar reaction to alcohol as a human brain does. The aim of the scientists was to study how alcohol affected the nerve circuits and thus the behavior in the worms.

The study did show that small doses of alcohol relieved the deep body bends the worms suffered from during withdrawal. More importantly, a certain mutant worm that lacked specific neuropeptides (eg1-3) had a notable resistance to the withdrawal symptoms. Mammals also have neuropeptides, and this study further supports the idea that these are tied to the body’s response to alcohol.

Obviously, this research is still a long way off from making a major impact in an addiction program. More advances are being made all the time, and the fact of the matter is that the addiction treatments of the future may bear little resemblance to the drug and alcohol rehab facilities of today. However, that doesn’t mean that today’s treatments can’t help you face your addiction demons right now if needed.

A recent study in Utah highlights the need for parents to restrict access to dangerous prescription drugs like Oxycontin from teenagers.

A report by the Utah Department of Health says that the vast majority of teens and adults who abuse opioid painkillers like Oxycontin or Vicodin receive their drugs from friends and family members who have legitimate prescriptions. According to the report, 97 percent of people with a prescription drug addiction had received drugs from friends and family, and in most cases the drugs were given to the person willingly.

An estimated five million Americans use pain medication for reasons other than pain relief, and drug and alcohol addiction centers are seeing an increasing number of patients who are checking in for help with prescription drug addiction. The results of the research by the Utah Department of Health, published in the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, highlight this: almost two percent of the more than 5,300 Utah adults surveyed in 2008 said they had taken an opioid pain medicine not prescribed to them over the past year.

Drug treatment for prescription drug problems is hampered by the ease with which a person can gain access to medication. Researchers found that one in five Utah residents had a prescription for at least one prescription painkiller, and most had “leftover” medicine that they kept and were happy to share with friends.

In most cases, the person giving the prescription drugs does not realize that they are contributing to a person’s addiction and possible need for time in a rehab center; they believe they are just helping someone by giving them medicine to ease their pain. But many people who end up in an addiction program will exaggerate or invent medical problems in order to obtain access to prescription-strength pain medication.

Whether you know of someone who has been through a rehab program for pain medicine addiction or not, it’s a good idea to dispose of your opioid medication as soon as you are done with it rather than hanging on to it. U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends flushing unused prescription drugs, while some states like Utah have prescription drug drop-off programs at local police stations.

Addiction treatment involves more than physical detoxification from drugs or alcohol.  The addiction recovery process should include therapy and healing for the body, mind and spirit. Unfortunately, many people fail to address the spiritual aspect of recovery.

The famous Twelve Step Program, designed for the Alcoholics Anonymous program and that is still being used by rehab centers around the world, is all about spiritual recovery. The purpose of the program is to inspire a spiritual awakening that will help the recovering addict maintain sobriety for the rest of their lives.

Every rehab center and addiction treatment program should encourage spiritual change. Although this process is a personal one and not necessarily a religious experience, the right concepts and teachings can help revive the human spirit and bring about true spiritual change.

Only a true spiritual awakening or change of mind can bring healing that will manifest into other areas of your life. Make sure that you select a professional drug and alcohol addiction recovery center that offers sprit-focused activities and exercises. Whether you experience a spiritual awakening on the first day of rehab or after many years of sobriety, it will be a day you will never forget.

Please contact Cirque Lodge for more information.

Even in troubled economic times, there are certain areas that Americans refuse to skim on, and according to a recent survey by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentists one of those elements is on trips to the cosmetic dentist.

The survey showed that Americans spend roughly $2.75 billion each year on services provided by cosmetic dentists. This includes procedures to correct crooked or missing teeth such as braces or veneers along with less pressing treatments such as teeth whitening.

So why are people so concerned about the state of their smile? One reason is the correlation that people make between their smile and their chances for financial success. The survey showed that 74 percent of respondents believed that having an ugly smile could adversely impact a person’s chances at getting a job or being successful in their career. Discount dental plans can help people pay for treatment who otherwise would not be able to afford procedures like whitening or porcelain veneers.

How do the top celebrities you see in movies and on television get their picture-perfect, gleaming smiles? It’s more than just genetics - the secret lies with their cosmetic dentists, who can provide them with the help they need to get a Hollywood smile.

Many of the same procedures available to top Hollywood stars are also available to the average person. For a few thousand dollars, a person can get porcelain veneers to straighten their teeth and make their teeth bright and white. For many people, this is a way to regain self-confidence after years of being afraid to smile because of cracked, chipped or discolored teeth.

However, what looks great on film might be overwhelming in real life. It’s important to work with your cosmetic dentist to create a game plan for your teeth that leaves them looking beautiful without being distracting. A good set of teeth should look natural and not “whiter than white.” After all, you don’t want people reaching for their sunglasses every time you smile.

If you have teeth that have been damaged or are worn down before their time, composite or porcelain veneers might be just what you need to feel good about your smile again. Dental veneers are used to protect teeth that have experienced trauma or simply to improve their appearance. Veneers are placed directly over the surface of the tooth and give you and your cosmetic dentist additional options beyond crowns.

Veneers are generally fabricated from one of two different types of materials: porcelain or composite. A veneer made of porcelain must be created in a lab by an experienced dental technician and then applied to the tooth by the patient’s dentist. On the other hand, cosmetic dentists can directly place a composite veneer in the patient’s mouth by building it up on the tooth’s surface. However, some believe composite veneers are less durable and more prone to stains than porcelain.

Explanations for this aggravating but difficult to control phenomenon are as varied as the suggestions for how to stop snoring. It seems that everyone’s got a different theory on what leads to snoring; thus, everyone’s also got a different snoring cure.

Here’s what most medical professionals seem to agree causes snoring, however: when we sleep, the muscles in our breathing passages relax and become narrower, making it difficult for air to pass through like it does when we are awake and our muscles are engaged. However, we still require the same amount of air, even when we’re sleeping, so to compensate, air intake speed increases. This puts pressure on the throat and vibrates the respiratory structure. The vibration noise is what is known as snoring, and it can range from mild to as loud as a jackhammer.

Certain factors can cause blocked airways. Obesity and an unhealthy lifestyle can produce snoring, as excess weight can hinder breathing. Alcohol consumption just before bed may also be a culprit because the muscles become extremely relaxed. Some people, however, are just prone to snoring because of the way their uvula and soft palate are naturally shaped.

To combat the problem, a variety of snoring remedies have emerged over the years. They differ in terms of technology and application, but almost all remedies are designed to remove blockage of the breathing passage.