Forming a Plan For a Recovering Drug Addict

Any recovering drug addict needs a plan. Without one, you're going to be extremely vulnerable to relapse. What makes up a good recovery plan? Let's take a look:

1. Getting through stage one

First, you need a plan to get you through stage one recovery. This is the initial stage in recovery when you are detoxing from the drugs themselves and are looking to string together a few weeks of sobriety. You are transitioning from a life of drug and alcohol addiction into the shock of living without self medicating all of a sudden.

Some people need more help than others with this initial phase. Many will have to go to a medical facility to help them detox from the drugs or alcohol. Others will also need short term residential treatment in order to establish a firm footing in sobriety. This stage is not about living the rest of your life in sobriety. It's just about getting clean and sober and getting your bearings so that you can start thinking clearly again.

Many people struggle to get clean and sober and never find successful footing in this early stage of recovery. The solution for this is to step up your efforts and attack the problem with increasing force. This eventually means living in a long term treatment facility if nothing else will work.

2. Formulating a strategy

In this case, strategy means the same thing as philosophy. The AA philosophy can be summarized from the 12 steps as: "Find God, clean house, and help others." There are other philosophies out there that can guide people to success in recovery. The creative theory of recovery has 3 strategies that are quite powerful in their simplicity: "Caring for self, networking with others, and personal growth."

Each of these 3 strategies are broad and universal in that they can be applied to our day-to-day decisions. Caring for ourselves is important from a holistic standpoint in both short and long term sobriety. Networking with others can be especially critical for support in early recovery. And the push for personal growth is needed for a sense of accomplishment and the building of valuable self esteem that can be an insurance against relapse.

3. Transitioning to holistic living

In stage one recovery, the goal is only to string together a sufficient period of sobriety so that we can get our bearings, start thinking clearly, and start to work on transitioning to a holistic approach to recovery.

This holistic approach to recovery is about much more than just spiritual growth. Instead, it is a strategy of treating the whole person when considering addiction, and striving to make progress in a number of different areas, including physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual areas.

This becomes increasingly important as we progress in our recovery and accumulate more and more clean time. Tactics for staying clean become routine and automatic and the real enemy becomes complacency and a lack of holistic growth. That's when you know you need to push yourself to grow in new areas and start thinking outside of the traditional "recovery box." Exercise, quitting smoking, meditation, emotional balance, and educational pursuits can all be examples of holistic growth in recovery.

To the newcomer, these things might not seem to be relevant to staying off of the drugs and alcohol. But in long term sobriety, we can see clearly that a lack of growth in these and other areas can eventually lead to relapse.

Yes It Is Possible To Beat And Defeat The Curse Of Alcohol Or Drug Abuse And Addiction

We, in Scotland, are battling against the enormous influences and powers of alcohol. I am sure it is similar wherever you are reading this article. Our newspaper headline this morning reads, "Highland fury as pub chain plans New Year drinks sale"!

I serve as Chaplain at Inverness Prison, and sit on the Children's Panel, which is the 'children's court' in Scotland - an excellent system by the way - and so often in the various reports I have to read are these words - "fuelled by alcohol".

Let me illustrate how a man's life can be transformed in this area alone by recounting what happened to a highly regarded and much respected Bible teacher, who died a few years ago. I have studied his teaching in depth and I know this man was for real!

A glass of whisky around six in the evening had become a habit for philosopher Derek Prince, while teaching at Cambridge University. This continued during his early army days.

Following a dramatic unexpected encounter with the risen Jesus in an army barrack room, circumstances suddenly changed. I have written about this elsewhere on Ezine. His biography is worth reading too.

Derek had no scruples about drinking whisky, but that next evening, after experiencing the living Christ, as he made his way towards the bar, his legs locked.

He suddenly realised that he had no interest whatsoever in approaching the counter for his whisky. Another thought struck him.

He had gone through that particular day, amongst a band of soldiers, without blaspheming.

Not only had God touched his heart, but God had touched his lips. God had transformed some lifetime's habits - the words which flowed from his mouth, and also what went into his mouth.

The previous night he had not known how to pray. The next day he could hardly stop praying, even when going about his military duties.

God explains all this by telling us that when a man is born again, and when he is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has gone. The new has come.

The transformation can be sudden. A man's situation can change almost immediately, without his even having to think about what is happening.

God rescues you from what He does not want you to have. He saves you from what will do you no good, setting your feet upon a new road, and even giving you a fresh vocabulary, in more ways than one.

Jesus does not want you to soil your lips and pollute the atmosphere.

When a man meets the living God, old desires are deleted and new abilities appear.

This is the true account of how one man beat and defeated the curse of alcohol. The adverts never show us that side of imbibing which leads to fights, feuds, family rumpuses, children being removed from the home, or prison.

There is an answer and if you think this may help you, or a friend who is battling with alcohol, do forward it as soon as is convenient.

Sandy Shaw

Interview of a Recovering Drug Addict

Why did you end up at a drug treatment center?

I ended up in a drug treatment center because I had been drinking on a daily basis. I started getting arrested. I got in a physical altercation with my father and as a result of that social services stepped in and required that I go to an impatient drug treatment center.

So it was not your idea to go to a drug treatment center?

No.

How long was your stay at the drug treatment center?

I was there 5 ½ months.

What kinds of things did the drug treatment center address during your 5 ½ month stay?

We had both family and group counseling as well as 1 on 1 counseling with certified drug and alcohol counselors. Family counseling created a safe environment for me and my family to express our feelings about life situations. The drug treatment center provided a safe environment for me to detach myself from the chaotic environment I had been living in. The most important thing the drug treatment center did for me is introduce me a twelve step program.

Looking back on it now, do you regret going to the drug treatment center?

No, not at all! The treatment center introduced me to Alcoholics Anonymous which is what ultimately saved my life.

Based on your experience, what would you suggest to someone who thinks they might have a drug or alcohol problem?

I would suggest that if you think you have a drug and/or alcohol problem that you search fro help. An impatient drug treatment center would allow you the opportunity to separate yourself from the addiction you are living in and build a foundation for a sober and drug free life.

Alright, well thank you for your time here Jay!

No problem! Any time!

Some Questions About Alcohol Or Drug Addiction And Some Answers

Alcohol or drug addiction affect more than just the person suffering the addiction. The situation also harms the people who care for the addicted person, such as family, friends... even coworkers are affected. In this article, we hope to offer some helpful information concerning drug addiction through common questions and answers so that you will be informed and able to approach situations in your own life with both sensitivity and realism.

What is drug addiction?

Drug addiction is a physical and mental condition characterized by habitual and uncontrollable drug intake, involving craving and seeking, even despite the negative consequences associated with drug use.

Alcohol or drug addiction is different from alcohol or drug dependence, though. For example, a person who is taking a drug to treat a disease or illness may have trouble functioning without the drug, but the person may see an improvement in the medical condition while taking the drug. They are only dependent, however, because they are not taking the drug compulsively. Persons addicted to a drug or alcohol exhibit compulsive behavior towards the drug, and unlike the medically dependent drug or alcohol user, they are unable to quit the use once the drug or alcohol has performed its intended effect.

What are the most common forms of drug addiction?

Interestingly enough, the most common addictions are to legally available substances.

Alcohol - also known as ethanol - can become addictive, and it is a depressant. The most common forms of alcohol for consumption are beer, wine, and liquor. Most countries have laws regarding the legal consumption of alcohol, such as a minimum age requirement and maximum blood-alcohol level to operate a vehicle.

Nicotine, most often in the form of tobacco in cigarettes and chewing tobacco, is another legal drug. Nicotine is a stimulant and highly addictive. It is also a very difficult substance to stop using once addicted.

Caffeine is also an addictive drug. It too is a stimulant, offering the user a temporary increase in energy. Once addicted to caffeine, however, the caffeine addict must continually consume caffeine, usually from a beverage like coffee, tea, or a caffeinated soda or soft drink, in order to maintain their level of energy. Stopping the use of caffeine may cause the coffee drinker to go through withdrawal, causing headaches or fatigue.

What are some other viewpoints concerning the reason for drug addiction?

More are beginning to think that drug addiction is a form of dysfunctional learning. Much of what people do is based on motivation and reward. Abused drugs or alcohol take over the parts of the brain that are involved in motivation and reward. The drug user is re-educated, erroneously, motivation stimuli and the associated rewards. Drug-associated cues will in it's turn cause the desire to use to flare up in the addicted person. This will lead to unconscious and/or compulsive drug-seeking behavior as well, for example lying, stealing, and even physical violence. The addicted drug user will lose the sense of voluntary control over the use of the drug. The continued use of drugs strengthens the neurological pathways in the brain, and their activation quickens with each use. The quicker the "high" is achieved, the stronger the dysfunctional learning.

Why is drug addiction so difficult to overcome?

The more a person uses an addictive drug, the more difficult it becomes for the person to stop use. Their learning process is problematically reshaped. Drugs also physically change a person, transforming the neuro-chemical makeup in a person's brain. This leads some of us to view addiction as a disease. However, the model that sees drug addiction as a matter of dysfunctional learning helps to explain how learned behaviors can be unlearned. Certainly the more addicted a person is, the more difficult it will be for them to unlearn their addicted behaviors. Abused drugs can change long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD) in neuronal circuits involved in the addiction, also adding to the difficulty of overcoming drug addiction. Properly assessing the development of an addicted person's affected learning would increase the potential of more effectively treating the addiction.

What are the some of the chemicals involved in drug addiction?

The CREB protein, a transcription factor activated by cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) immediately after a high, triggers genes that produce proteins such as dynorphin, which cuts off dopamine release and temporarily inhibits the reward circuit. In chronic drug users, a sustained activation of CREB leaves the user feeling depressed and dissatisfied, unable to find pleasure in previously enjoyable activities, often leading to a return to the drug for an additional "fix". It also leads to a short-term tolerance of the substance, necessitating that a greater amount be taken in order to reach the same high. Another transcription factor called delta FosB, is thought to activate genes that evidently counter to the effects of CREB, actually increase the user's sensitivity to the effects of the drug or substance.

What addiction?

People do not become addicted. It's like going to the gym, body health and fitness to promote change. It's not like people cracking in the first place because it is really the best way to think of a better life. They believe that their effect. You Want to Get High. The problem is that the galleries above.

Although the dependence is not always an alternative to experience life as it is. Users want to feel goodget high. Some people want to escape the realities of life so that they receive. E 'numb the pain. In any case, something is missing. There's a hole in his heart, and try to fill them.

Our life experience is the key to understanding what is missing. Spend a lifetime collecting information and stores it in memory. The information we collect when we put our minds and our interpretation of the event filter in the event itself. It's our way of interpretingEvent that positively or negatively the experience. For example, do not know, a test at school. I interpret this as an opportunity to improve and do better next time, otherwise you may decide to remain in bankruptcy and perhaps even a crisis. Dans les deux cas, mon interprétation est maintenant largement déterminé par notre passé.

Seek medical intervention is necessary for the disease, but also a spiritual component, and offers spiritual componentdirectly related to the interpretation of events in life. The need to use can be locked into a distant memory or an event, a series of memories. This is where you enter into psychotherapy like peeling an onion, the task is to find the original memory. In his book "When the emotion Do not Come Easy", therapists, Craig A. Miller speaks of the need for people to find their feelings and express these feelings. As an adult, you can look back to a childhood event and experience the emotions of the event, andReliving the event to learn how to interpret it as an adult. The apostle Paul said that when he was young, I thought like a child. As an adult, think like an adult. When reliving the events that people can find the truth about these events and to receive the healing of wounds.

Unlock the value of therapy for the feelings is enormous. As a pastor and chaplain, I believe in a Christian approach to treatment, welcome to the theories and psychotherapeutic techniques. I also sawmany religious charlatans who throws a faith toxic to repair the damage more results. Remember that we are body, mind and soul, and as professionals in every field are best placed to help people connect with their memories and feelings that accompany them.

Detoxification May for the soldiers, "Solution antidepressants army Survive" required "

According to army estimates, some 20,000 or more troops in the Middle East - nearly 30 percent of the total - are taking antidepressants or prescription sleeping pills so that "end" and the pressures of combat. An important side effect of antidepressant drugs - increased risk of suicide - Why can not commit suicide twice more troops before the war. And for those who can survive the war and the adverse effects of drugs, detoxification must first stopwhen they return home.

The FDA has officially warnings on antidepressant labels about the increased risk of suicide among children, young people have had together, and adults aged 18 to 24 years - the age group that constitutes the bulk of our forces in Middle East, and more likely to prescribe selective inhibitors of serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as Prozac and Zoloft. These antidepressants often lead to addiction and increase the need for drug treatment, whichsure.

A recent article in Time magazine in May suggested that there is a link between increased use of antidepressants and suicide increase troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. At the end of 2007, the army of suicide had reached 164, twice in 2001. The article says that at least 115 soldiers killed themselves last year, including 36 in Iraq and Afghanistan - the highest suicide rate since the start of his record in 1980. And they were prescribed for almost 40% of suicides in the Army in 2006 and 2007Psychotropic drugs.

Iraq veteran told Time, "is that you continue to receive medications consistently." He said that the fight against drugs, combined with the stress of soldiers inappropriate ... If there were more confused than just a train going in general. "

Antidepressants have created almost as many problems that had to solve, and not all scientists agree on its use. For example, a British study has confirmed that the new generation of SSRIs have not found significant improvementssomewhat 'more effective than no drugs at all. Scientists in Britain and the United States wondered whether patients with mild to moderate depression - one of the soldiers would be more - when prescribing these drugs.

Not only antidepressants that cause addiction and the need for drug treatment, which is characterized by severe and dangerous side effects - which are hundreds of suicides and violent attacks of various kinds have been involved. This has led toan increasing number of users of antidepressant medications for detoxification, the derivatives of the drug and seek safer forms of therapy.

Meanwhile, some 20,000 soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq are against the prescription for stress, according to the article in Time. The army believes that the drug has allowed divided equally between troops taking antidepressants and sleeping pills like Valium prescribed.

But doctors have doubtsAbout this practice. Dr. Frank Ochberg of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies question: "Are we trying to bandage, which is essentially a lack of control of violence?" And Dr. Joseph Glenmullen, Harvard Medical School, sees a link between suicide in the army and the use of antidepressants. "Concerns the high percentage of U.S. soldiers attempting suicide after taking SSRIs should be serious," he said.

For the soldiers in the Middle East, an antidepressant may feelfirst as a welcome relief. But, like a sniper gun hidden can get the fatal damage of antidepressant medications with you when you least expect it, and with results that may be the same - the sudden violence, rage, or suicide. But, unlike the sniper, there is a side Up: While you're still alive, a detoxification program can help the safety of medicines.

Addiction in Utah

The dependence has cost many lives and continues to make complaints more if you take the necessary steps to remedy before it is too late. "Drug addiction, which has already been hailed as a moral failure in the past and has remained in remand, the prayer of the Church does not think so, and send drug users in psychiatric hospitals were the most common forms of treatment then. But times have changed and the public perception of drug addicts and Patients who need immediate care, and moral support. This is a type of illness, are long-lasting changes in the brain and therefore needs urgent treatment for addicts to resume a normal life. Treatment in the rehabilitation center in Utah, are adequate to adapt to all conditions of dependency and are often a combination of behavioral therapy and medication to get rid of the addiction completely. The treatment is of vital importance for drug abusers who come to their aid> Addiction and more receptive to treatment. Moreover, the drugs may prevent relapses, reduces the sensation and reduce withdrawal symptoms.

Although a variety of drugs such as cocaine and heroin abuse in Utah, the biggest concern, however, remains to methods of production and abuse. Running against Utah the most important challenge in control and, therefore, the judges of the drug for several candidates for the fight against drug abuseeffective. Club drugs are also used by young people who have been severely abused and became the second biggest threat to the state of the drug ecstasy methamphetamine. The creation of these courts of Utah shows a strong determination to reduce the growing number of drug offenses in the state. The record, although the number of arrests for drug offenses have skyrocketed, radical and has more than doubled, and the amazing fact is thatthe same people appear in court again and again, a new drug-related crime. This suggests that traditional methods, such as weak and ineffective for the treatment of drug addiction! to treat addiction, the state decided to methods more cautious and replace traditional, like the "shake test" or "mandatory detention" and prefer to provide inpatient and outpatient treatment. The courts need to develop drugs arose from confusionStatistics on rates of drug crime in relation to the rights related to the state of Utah. For example, between 1989 and 1998, the sale of drugs and arrests of production by 263 percent while the number of arrests for drug offenses by 335 percent shows the strong influence of narcotics has increased crime.

E 'was observed that treatment of drug courts are used with high efficiency and a large number of addicts who were treated in this way havemanaged to maintain its dependence on the sidelines. This was a major boost for both the state and drug addicts as well. After his disappearance, the chances of a return to crime, drug users are very low.

The Dangers of Anabolic Steroids

With all the accusations floating in the air recently about the use of steroids by highly-paid, and highly-respected, professional athletes, many people have become more aware of these drugs. Unfortunately, not so many realize the danger inherent in using anabolic steroids to increase strength and power.

First of all, anabolic steroids are prescription drugs.

Think about it!

Things that are usually only available through a prescription are only available through a prescription because they are potentially dangerous in some way.

To understand the dangers of anabolic steroids, we should first understand what they are, as well as what they do.

Anabolic steroids are simply a synthetic reproduction of testosterone, the basic male hormone. Testosterone is, among other things, responsible for the physical strength and power, and muscle size, which tend to be more possible in the male than the female.

They are legitimately used by doctors to treat such diverse conditions as kidney disease, muscle diseases, breast cancer, burns, and certain rare types of anemia. However, competent doctors use them cautiously and in minimal doses because of their potentially dangerous side effects. The list of side effects is a long one, and I will not reproduce it here, but they range from the inconvenient to the very dangerous. Most doctors will not prescribe them for bodybuilders and other athletes, and non-athletes, who simply want to increase their performance, and/or physique.

Those who wish to use anabolic steroids for such purposes will generally have to obtain them from a black market source or with the aid of unethical physicians. Even though this is a conscious choice on the part of the parties involved to break the law and endanger their health and the safety of others around them, one estimate made a couple of years ago put the number of people illegally using steroids at about two million!

In normal use, steroids may be taken orally or injected in small, relatively safe, doses. When used illegally by bodybuilders and other athletes, and even some police officers and criminals, they are generally taken in massive doses far above the normal dosage used for therapeutic purposes.

When such huge doses are combined with resistance training programs, they generally DO increase strength and muscle mass. However, research and reality have both demonstrated that the adverse side effects, and just plain danger inherent in their use, vastly outweighs the desired benefits.

While men are the primary users of anabolic steroids, some women choose to use them as well. While men are susceptible to many side effects of anabolic steroids, in women, some of these effects may be irreversible. Fortunately, from the perspective of health at least, most of the irreversible effects are primarily cosmetic, such as a deeper voice, the appearance of dark facial hair, and a loss of scalp hair.

If cosmetic effects were the only problem, the illegal use of anabolic steroids might be a simple knot to unravel. However, many results, both direct and indirect, range from just not worth it to downright dangerous. The murder/suicide case of pro wrestler Chris Benoit, and
the tumultuous events in the life of professional foot ball player Lyle Alzado are just two instances of the destructive potential of the side effects of anabolic steroids use.

An athlete can become more prone to certain injuries and may actually experience decreased performance in some areas. For example, while muscles become stronger, tendons and ligaments do not. Not only does this make the athlete more prone to injury when the muscle exerts more force than the tendons and ligaments can withstand, but also, another side effect of steroid use is a slowing of the healing process.

Yet another problem is that the growing muscle must have somewhere to grow. When muscles increase vastly in size, they many actually grow around bones and joints, subjecting them to stresses which may cause bone to break more easily or joints to become damaged...perhaps permanently.

All of this may pale beside the serious injuries and even death which sometimes occur as a result of the illegal use of anabolic steroids. The violent behavior sometimes referred to as "roid rage" has resulted in injury and even death for friends, family members, teammates, opponents, and innocent bystanders. Many users have died from cancers, tumors, heart disease, and other conditions attributed to illegal steroid use.

Non-athletes will often turn to anabolic steroids in hopes of becoming physically fit. While muscles may grow larger and strength may increase, overall fitness of the individual is dependent on the regular performance of a regular exercise program which does more than simply make big muscles. Cardiovascular function, for example, which is an incredibly important part of health is usually not directly affected by the type of training that generally accompanies the illegal use of anabolic steroids, and the steroids may actually adversely affect the cardiovascular capabilities of the individual.

Considering the dangers and illegality of the use of steroids for fitness and performance, whether by a professional athlete in pursuit of a trophy, fame, or more money; or by an individual seeking better health and a higher level of fitness, using anabolic steroids is something to be avoided.

A Drug Addict's Tribute to His Parents

It's been five long years since my youngest son died of the disease of addiction. It's taken me this long to go through his belongings without collapsing into a blubbering heap on the floor. I found the following article he had written tucked away with all of his treasured mementos. Tears of happiness and pride, along with great sadness streamed down my face while reading his accounting of his life.

I'd like to share this with others because it is a legacy from my son, which reminds me of, and reinforces, the goodness that was him. A legacy which shows that he did indeed listen to virtually all of our teachings and examples of how to live a good life as demonstrated to him by my husband and myself.

The one lecture that went in one ear and out the other was the admonition to never do drugs, to never take that first hit. But as science is showing, kids who turn to drugs already have a problem. It isn't the drugs that cause their problems. It is their personal problems that turn them to drugs.

Outwardly, our son had it all. He had his youth, incredibly good looks, a high (150) IQ, multiple musical talents, enough charisma to charm the entire world, an affinity for writing, actually being paid to write newspaper columns for our local paper. He was an avid reader and an outstanding Paramedic and RN. All the girls loved him and life was just great for him...until he turned 17 and was given his first hit of cocaine by a fellow bandmate.

It was all downhill from there. There was no turning back. Cocaine was the oil that fueled his body now, it was the reason to live. He told me in one of our many conversations about drugs, that doing cocaine made him feel like what he perceived "normal" people felt like. He never felt quite normal. He, (as so many addicted people) suffered from a lack of self-esteem. With all that he had going for him and for all of our loving, nurturing ways, he still lacked this important element in his life. We'll never know why but according to Dr. Neil Beck, author of the book Beating Heroin, people who turn to drugs already have a problem; it isn't the drugs that cause the problem. Their genetic makeup is responsible for their addiction.

It stands to reason then, that no one should take a chance with drugs, because no one knows if they are predisposed to addiction. There is only one way to find out and that is akin to closing the barn door after the horse has gotten out. Too late!

Here then, is my son's accounting of his life, how he saw the world and how he viewed his parents and society. The sadness I feel sometimes about his addiction is over-ridden by the joy I feel in having had him as my son for 31 years 4 months and 3 days.

In Scott's words: "Think about it." Those were the words I heard often as a small child growing up in North Carolina. This was the answer my father would give me as I asked him the myriad questions about life that all youngsters do. I knew that my questions would usually lead to a dialogue that would invariably lead to even more questions, and it was during these formative years that I began to develop critical thinking skills, enjoying the thrill of investigating scientific truth through philosophical inquiry.

Throughout my childhood I was taught to not take anything at face value, to be a skeptic. At the dinner table, debate was encouraged. Always seeking to get to the bottom of a matter and to view an idea from all angles, to detect bias in claims and to discuss how culture, politics, religion and money for example may skew the interpretation of reality. Logic and reason were weaved through my childhood and blanketed me with trust in the scientific method. Along with this came a teaching of the preciousness of life. While others dreamed of lives past and a life in the hereafter, my family put their bets on this being the only life known of, and to enjoy it fully.

Mine was a wonderful and magical childhood, barefoot and free-spirited in the woods, as much like Huck Finn as my father was when he was a boy. And my mother, the artist, a smart and loving hippie who taught me, along with my father, the principles of humanity, civility and freedom.

Stray cats were taken in and fed, along with any other homeless domesticated life form that happened upon us. I learned to love and to be kind to animals. I learned about the sanctity of life, and I was taught to never harm another living creature, unless for survival. There was no humane society where we lived so my parents founded one through persistence and patience. I was taught that the right thing to do was the humane thing to do. I learned about the cruelty of man in his treatment of animals, zoos, circuses, hunting, fishing and any other enterprise where animals were either mistreated or exploited for the profit or amusement of man. Logic and humanity ruled.

I learned a lot about our system of justice growing up, and was taught that justice truly is not blind, and that often, there is none. I learned about racism, religion, dogma, money and poverty and how they were all related to each other in our cultural context.

I was encouraged to seriously think about the origins of the universe and not to ever accept a ready made explanation just because some things were as yet unanswered. After all, broad-minded men have been discovering answers about the world in which we lilve since the beginning of recorded history.

I learned that the concept of God or a high power evolved through a cultural natural selection process to explain the inexplicable and to cohese and organize society, that it was man who created God, and not the other way around. And finally, that it was all too often rife with hypocrisy and used to oppress and control the masses, that spiritualism was just a word to describe a conscious thought process and that cognition itself arose from the complex physiological process of electrochemical transfer along millions of synapses, governed by the laws of physics and giving rise to awareness.

I was raised to look up to people or ideas that were civilized and who used their minds. Thinkers, not thugs. Philosophers, pioneers. To value an Archimedes or an Aristotle over an athlete any day. The idea that my body belonged to me was taught throughout my life, that it is not our government's job to determine how I treat it, indeed that the government in these matters should only be concerned with how I would treat another, i.e., keep your laws off my body, and as Kurt Vonnegut said, 'Stay out of my body bag.'

I was taught to answer to a higher law, the laws of reason, that just because something is against the law does not make it wrong. I was not taught to simply "obey the law."

My parents are both atheists and anarchists who raised me to see how truly uncivilized we are as a society, that one day laws will not be needed, that we will not have to live in fear of Big Brother and our own neighbors, that men will govern themselves according to laws of reason, but that we are not there yet, and to try and live my life as civily and humanely as possible.

Boxing, football, and any other "sport" that encouraged violence were examined by my family and discussed in light of civility. Ultimately, any form of violence was dissuaded. And finally, good old-fashioned manners were instilled in me. To say Please and Thank You and May I Please Be Excused. And to be polite and well-behaved.

I was also strongly encouraged to read, and my literary influences were Kurt Vonnegut, John Steinbeck, Henry David Thoreau, Sallinger, Mark Twain and the Bronte' sisters. The common thread most of these authors had, with the exception of the Brontes', was that they satired man's ridiculous beliefs on behaviors, and stripped their protagonists of wealth and influence, only to reveal the nuts and bolts of the human experience, survival and character.

So in all, logic, reason, kindness, freedom, civility, humanity and manners were the foundations of my upbringing and I am thankful to my two loving parents, who did their best and always went out of their way to do the right thing.

Now how did these values impact my adult life? Well I guess the main negative impact it had was that I grew up in the minority. This always made me feel different and you know kids just want to be like everyone else. This caused me to have feelings of insecurity as I grew up being made fun of because I spoke and thought so differently from my peers.

Another negative impact was that, though I was taught to play the game, the reality of the game as so illustrated to me was that I overlooked playing it and as a result I bucked the system. And you know what happens when you fight the power; the power wins. Every time.

I think that these two things contributed to my using, to mask my feelings of inadequacy. As far as the positive results go, well I am proud that I am a rational human being and have the ability to see things for how they are. I also am a friend to animals everywhere and I am proud that my money does not support cruel enterprises. All in all - I am a good person.

Another positive impact is that I had a happy childhood and despite how I ruined my life as an adult, I will always have that. And I've never struggled with faith, I've never found the word logical unless applied to one's self. And I have great inner peace about my values, for I believe them to be gentle and kind.

Also, I have the critical thinking skills necessary to get into and successfully pass law school, and when I become an attorney, I will have the opportunity to advance and promote the ideas of skepticism, logic, humanity, civility, and justice that I think are quintessential to the intellectual evolution of mankind.

In summation, I learned to be a maverick. But for me today, I know that I have to be a sober maverick, to influence society in a positive way, and to find serenity within myself."

So spake Scott. His words both comfort and sadden me. Were we, his parents, truly responsible for his drug addiction? In one way we were, but not deliberately so; we passed on to him some bad genes. Knowing that he felt ostracized by his peers because he dared to think differently, as we taught him, did that turn him to drugs? I don't think so, for two reasons: One is because it would be too hurtful for me to think that we may have harmed our son by our teachings. The other reason I don't believe that we were responsible is because we raised his older brother exactly the same, with the same values and beliefs and he did not turn to drugs. I truly believe there was something inherent in Scott's genetic makeup, as espoused by Dr. Beck, that led him down this path.

Scott wrote his tribute to us and now I lovingly turn it over to the world as a tribute to my son. It was my honor and privilege to have him as a son, along with his brother. In the words of William Wordsworth - I loved the boy with the utmost love of which my soul is capable of and he is taken from me - yet in the agony of my spirit in surrendering such a treasure, I feel a thousand times richer than if I had never possessed it.

An accurate representation of the dependence

There are many myths related to substance abuse, including two that are adding is easy to see and can run only if the person goes into rehab. Those who have been around an addict, but he knows that these assumptions are far from the truth. Many have their own ideas about the mentality of an addict, and the role of facilitator of the family, but if you put in this situation is hard to understand this complex diseaseinfects all evils.

If I ever become dependent on it has been around a long time and has a very precise reality of addiction. But if they take a moment to imagine their loved ones - is a person in your region year. But over time, there was a change. We can not determine, but we know that is a change of attitude. He or she began to lie like a pro. And then as objects of valuemissing. You want to believe things that I think, but it is all too evident. When you start looking at the speed of change has taken place, each one of you may wonder why this happens?

Because drug addiction is an unpredictable disease, which has slipped to all interested parties before they noticed. Many families accidental drug operation in May, completely forgetting the subtle differences in behavior. And above all,exacerbated by the desire to radically change their behavior because the drug has become more important than his personal life and relationships.

Unfortunately, most have been marginalized, when the drug addict "- especially if the addict is a close relative of an important person - the emotional investment of the family is too deep to let go, which means it will do anything to" solve "the problem and put the pieces together. Then theThe family is a drug addict in a rehabilitation program, not to understand that failure to address the problems of life, the cause of addiction is not the drug itself. Go As a consequence many addicts into rehab, came off the drug, and fell back into society is essentially the same problems. And despite the addict is best viewed in front of the family he or she still has a long struggle.

Considering all these factors into consideration, it is clear thatDrug addiction is not so easy with a simple push of a rehabilitation program. This is a complex problem that tons of research, professionalism and understanding counselor and a high degree of patience, compassion and strength, because this is not a solution "and move" describing the problem. Indeed, the emotional investment and financial dependency may be one of the years or decades.