“There are differences in treatment outcomes for people with addictions who experience stress-induced drug cravings and those whose cravings are induced by drug cues,” says Marc Potenza, professor of psychiatry, child study, and neurobiology at Yale University and first author of the study. “It is important to understand the biologic mechanisms that underlie these cravings.”

The researchers conducted functional magnetic resonance imaging scans of 30 cocaine-dependent individuals and 36 control subjects who were recreational drinkers. While undergoing brain scans, researchers then presented subjects with personalized cues (situations or events) the participants had indicated were personally stressful and other cues involving cocaine or alcohol.

As expected, cocaine-dependent individuals showed greater activation in broad regions of the brain linked to addiction and motivation than the control subjects. Patterns of activation between the groups, however, differed markedly in men and women when presented with stress or drug cues.

The findings suggest that women with cocaine dependence might benefit from stress-reduction therapies that specifically target these cravings. Men, on the other hand, might derive more benefit from elements of cognitive behavioral therapy or 12-step programs based on the principles of Alcoholics Anonymous.

The study was supported by the Yale Stress Center, Women’s Health Research at Yale, the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, and grants from the National Institutes of Health and its Office of Research on Women’s Health.

Source:  http://www.futurity.org/health-medicine/triggers-differ-for-addicted-men-women

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(WMC-TV) – A Memphis mother appeared in drug court Wednesday morning on charges she delivered a baby with cocaine in her system.

Ora Boler is charged with reckless endangerment. According to an affidavit of complaint, Boler is a known crack cocaine user.

The affidavit said that on November 14, Boler’s daughter was born at the Regional Medical Center with cocaine in her system. Boler has six children in all, and that are reports that her daughter is Boler’s fourth child that was born at the hospital and tested positive for cocaine.

During court proceedings, Judge Tim Dwyer arranged for Boler to undergo mental and physical screenings for a new drug court program for mothers who deliver babies that have cocaine in their system.

The program is aimed at rehabilitation. If Boler passes the screening, she will be enrolled in the program. For 18 months, she will receive intensive drug treatment, counseling and supervision.

Just how much treatment Boler receives will depend on what court officials find out when she goes through her screenings scheduled for Friday.

Since August, there have been six other mothers enrolled in the program.

If Boler is accepted into the program and completes it successfully, her charges could get dismissed. If she fails to complete the program, she will be back in court to face felony reckless endangerment charges and the jail time that goes with it.

Boler’s infant daughter is in state custody, but it is now clear where her other children are.

Court officials said there are no guarantees that mothers who complete the program will get their children back, but completing the program successfully could help.

Copyright 2012 WMC-TV. All rights reserved.

Source: http://www.wmctv.com/story/16600322/woman-faces-judge-after-daughter-tests-positive-for-cocaine

Prolonged usage, or excessive use of cocaine, or can cause hallucinations and paranoid delusions. It can also cause strokes, memory loss, learning disabilities and attention deficit problems, just to name a few. Every time a person uses cocaine they suffer some degree of brain damage, and by changing the dopamine neurons through use, a tolerance is built leaving the user feeling unfulfilled. Therefore, higher levels of cocaine are needed to achieve the “high” that the user is accustomed to experiencing. This leads to even more brain damage and further increases the possibility of developing one of the many conditions associated with continued cocaine usage as already mentioned.

There are also several physical side effects that a user can expect to experience with prolonged cocaine usage. By snorting cocaine, one can expect to eventually do permanent damage to their nasal passage, called cocaine nose, which degrades the nasal cartilage until a hole is burned through to the outside of the nose. One can also experience severe lung trauma from smoking cocaine. Tooth decay and loss of enamel is also often associated with cocaine use. Naturally there is always a chance of overdose when using cocaine, which can exhibit many outcomes from debilitation to coma or even death.

When one is trying to get treatment for a cocaine addiction, there are a variety of side effects which will happen in varying degrees. The user may experience increased appetite, unpleasant dreams, insomnia, and agitation. Though it is always advised that cocaine usage be stopped immediately, these withdrawal side effects are minimal in comparison to the cocaine brain damage which the user can potentially inflict upon himself or herself with further cocaine addiction.

It’s common knowledge that the continued use of cocaine has detrimental effects on the human body. It always alters the user’s mood, can cause a variety of long term health effects, and will often ruin the users personal relationships and professional opportunities.

Brain damage from cocaine use is probably the most alarming of its negative aspects, as it can lead to devastating results and irreversible consequences.

Cocaine brain damage is a life changing and devastating side effect of drug usage. Unchecked cocaine usage will alter the way its users interact with others and their ability to lead a long and productive life. Given the fact that over 2 million Americans are cocaine addicts, extreme measures must be taken to stop the harm that cocaine continues to inflict.

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Both brothers had been taken into custody on suspicion of having drugs in their car. Deangelo Mitchell who convinced his brother to eat the cocaine, and had bonded out before his brother died, is now facing charges of involuntary manslaughter.

Also arrested was Jason Barrington, 30, who also was with the child during the cocaine binge. According to the arrest affidavit, June 9th the 10 week old baby was taken to All Childrens Hospital and diagnosed with cocaine in his system.

Evidently family members called authorities, saying they hadn’t seen Johnson for a while, and when police arrived at the family’s home, Johnson showed up with the child.

Johnson and Barrington both admitted using crack while the infant was in their care, the affidavit said.

Source: Tampa Boy Online

Editors note:

We put this into the dumb cocaine stories because it stresses the depth of a cocaine habit and the consequences that happen when you loose control over your common sense.

Florence Co. Sheriff’s Office Capt Brett Camp said Michelle Ann Byrd of Scranton was arrested after a positive cocaine test.

At this time the young mother is out on bond and Department of Social Services is also involved in the investigation.

You can read more at http://www.wmbfnews.com/story/14456262/fcso-mother-newborn-test-positive-for-cocaine

_______________________________

The reality of cocaine is that the addiction is so strong that it overrides all common sense and evidently motherly instinct to protect the unborn. And even in some cases to protect their born children.  Cases even show up with children accidentally taking drugs left laying around by addicted parents.  Not just mothers, but fathers and sperm doners which are addicted lack the responsibility for their actions.

Cocaine addicts often show lack of responsibility not only towards others but towards themselves.  The lack of parental responsibility is one of the key symptoms of cocaine use, along with meeting regular responsibilities.

Previous research has shown that the ventral tegmental area (VTA) is a brain region that is activated when cocaine users experience a craving for cocaine after being exposed to cocaine-associated cues. The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), which receives input from the VTA via circuits that use the “reward” neurotransmitter dopamine, has also been implicated in drug craving after cocaine withdrawal. Further, increases in the level of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) have been observed in the VTA and mPFC in rats after withdrawal from repeated cocaine exposure.

“BDNF plays a key role in modulating the structure and function of synapses, the sites of communication between neurons. Therefore, increased BDNF after cocaine withdrawal may drive synaptic changes that contribute to compulsive drug seeking behavior,” explains senior author, Dr. Mu-ming Poo from the University of California, Berkeley. “It has been shown that increased BDNF in the VTA after cocaine withdrawal in rats promotes the drug-dependent motivational state. However, nothing is known about the potential BDNF effect on synaptic function and plasticity in mPFC neurons after cocaine withdrawal.”

Dr. Poo and colleagues designed a study to examine how BDNF and the mPFC might contribute to relapse after cocaine addiction. The researchers found that the gradual increase in BDNF expression in the rat mPFC after terminating repeated cocaine exposure significantly enhanced the activity-induced potentiation of specific synapses. Dr. Poo’s group went on to uncover the specific cellular mechanism linking increased BDNF with enhanced synaptic plasticity and demonstrated that interference with the key molecule in the BDNF signaling process reduced behavioral sensitivity after cocaine withdrawal in rats.

“In short, our results demonstrate that elevated BDNF expression after cocaine withdrawal sensitizes the excitatory synapses in the mPFC to undergo activity-induced persistent potentiation that may contribute to cue-induced drug cravings and drug-seeking behavior,” concludes Dr. Poo. Although a clear correlation between rat and human behaviors of cocaine craving and relapse remains to be established, the cellular mechanism uncovered in this study does appear to have behavioral relevance and may represent a direct brain sensitization that is involved in triggering relapse.

The researchers include Hui Lu, Pei-lin Cheng, Byung Kook Lim, Nina Khoshnevisrad, and Mu-ming Poo, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA.

Story Source: The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by Cell Press, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Cell Press. “Brain mechanism linked to relapse after cocaine withdrawal.” ScienceDaily 11 September 2010. 20 March 2011 .

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“Subconscious in addition to bodily dependence upon a element or perhaps physical action” – will be the medical meaning of the expression addiction. Any addiction is an uncontrollable powerful wanting for something – a powerful unnatural perverted attraction pertaining to things. A individual with an addiction is referred to as an addict.

Addiction is actually a hydra-headed notion possessing diverse facets. Professional medical researches and studies have in fact declared that just about every man or women to some extent comes with an addiction. People who may have an unprecedented need or fixation for nearly anything, are generally in truth addicted. Medical studies have additionally exposed other kinds of dependency other than alcohol, smoking as well as harmful drugs.

In accordance with the medical community, normally there tend to be 2 styles of addiction. To begin with there is the bodily addiction, or maybe actual physical dependency and also mental addiction. The second kind is referred to as pseudo-addiction.

Bodily dependence: Any addiction in which the addict gets to be physically dependent on intoxicating drinks and also drugs. Men and women dependent upon using tobacco or maybe smoking experience nicotine addiction. Dipsomaniac persons experience alcohol addiction.

Abusing drugs literally suggests dependence on specific drugs. A drug dependency is undoubtedly an extreme state of addiction caused by drug use. Drug abuse is a very common practice where by hard drugs are generally mistreated – by way of example cocaine, amphetamines, methamphetamine, opiates (heroin, morphine and codeine) and also laxatives – drugs produced from narcotics. You will find there’s controversy over the concept that readily marketed things for example alcohol and nicotine really should be labeled as hard drugs, simply because they both are associated with higher fatality rates.

Psychological addiction: The phrase actually suggests finding one’s self mentally dependent on certain items or routines. Occasionally you can find people who are hugely obsessed with practices such as casino, foods, sexual activity, pornography, computer, work, purchasing and so on. As a result as absurd as this may appear, these people really do actually experience addiction. Men and women addicted to food consumption are very preoccupied by unnecessary eating this is a food addiction.

Pseudo-addiction is definitely the state where a person exhibits drug seeking behavior much like psychological addiction; even so, the affected person goes through genuine discomfort or even some other signs and symptoms. Standard conduct is resumed right after the suffering has subsided.

The particular physical reliance upon a substance for example abusing drugs, smoking obsession as well as alcohol addiction can easily, unfortunately come with fatal outcomes.

Any addiction in any form will be the signal involving an abnormality that will need instant treatment. Any addiction is actually a problem, but it is treatable. There are numerous dependency support clinics or treatment centers offering addiction treatment, across the world. Normal drug addiction treatment may include behavior therapy, medicine treatment, or even a combination of each.

Individuals encountering just about any signs and symptoms of addiction should opt for a treatment solution before their particular addiction results in being significantly advanced.

If you would like to read more about food addiction and recovery, you should stop by our website at: Addiction.

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A Christian Drug Treatment Center perhaps be the best place to recuperate from substance abuse for lots of people. Why should you choose this kind of facility though?

1 factor is that based on the statistics a Christian drug treatment center generally provides a better rate of success than the usual rehab which would not handle the spiritual part of drug abuse and compulsion. Government run services and public treatment centers have got a low success rate, plus a high incidence of relapse after clientele leave these programs. This is simply not the situation using a Christian drug treatment center, and the relapse rates are incredibly low because most people have a full and long-lasting recovery.

With a Christian drug treatment center you’re encouraged to work with any kind of spiritual injuries which are leading to your substance abuse, along with the mental ones. The emphasis on the spiritual aspect with a Christian drug treatment center can considerably improve the therapy results. Many people believe in a higher or divine power, and this can be utilized to help you to get a whole recovery and heal fully. Rehabs which are not a Christian drug treatment center do not supply any spiritual counselling, which can cause you to get away from treatment without being completely recovered.

Valiant Recovery can be described as Christian drug treatment center that can help you take your health back from drug abuse, and set you back on the right track to success in your life and your career. Our program contains a variety of elements which aren’t evident in many programs. And also being a Christian drug rehab center we’re also one of the few programs for drug abuse therapy that offers private counselling. This is part of every personalized plan for treatment, and entails at least four hours per week in this intense therapy.

There are many reasons why a Christian drug treatment center may be the most suitable choice for you. If you have Christian beliefs you then want a substance abuse program that appreciates these beliefs, with a staff that shares them. Therapy for spiritual injuries is a crucial stage towards a long-lasting recovery, and this is one thing you could solely receive with a Christian drug treatment center like Valiant Recovery. If you are seriously interested in wiping out drugs and alcohol from your daily life for good you should give serious thought to the correct type of treatment center for your rehab requirements.

Christian Drug Treatment Center

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How long effective psychotherapy will take depends on numerous factors and the length of treatment from one person to the next may vary considerably.

Different Issues, Treatments, and Payment Conditions

If you are seeking counseling or psychotherapy in order to resolve a relatively straightforward issue, psychotherapy may be successfully concluded in as few as 5-20, one-hour sessions. However, if you’re suffering from numerous or extremely complex, long-standing issues, psychotherapy can easily take a year or more to be effective.

In addition to the types of difficulties you’re looking to address, different therapy treatments will take varying lengths of time to achieve their objectives. Solution-focused counseling may help you to overcome some problems in a matter of weeks. Psychodynamic therapies may require years in order to help you move beyond embedded personality issues that are negatively impacting your personal and professional relationships and your day-to-day ability to function effectively.

Practically speaking, the number of sessions you attend may be limited by your health insurance provider or your ability to pay for these services out of your own pocket.

Why Does Therapy Sometimes Take So Long?

It is important to discuss the expected length of your treatment with any prospective therapist prior to beginning therapy. Doing so will help you prioritize your goals and frame your expectations accordingly. We are all unique and complicated beings. It is not uncommon for therapy to be undertaken to address one or two problems only to have other issues rise to the surface once the work has begun.

Less Time

Some problems — such as stress due to a temporary situation, adjusting to a career transition, phobias, and social and sexual anxieties — lend themselves to short-term work and can often be addressed successfully in 10-15 sessions (one session per week for 10-15 weeks). While 10-15 weeks may seem like a long time — especially if compared to a 15-minute appointment with your physician — when looked at on an hourly basis it’s about equivalent to a weekend seminar… A rather small investment to make considering the positive change you can create in your life during that time!

More Time

If you’re experiencing ongoing or recurring relationship difficulties, low self-esteem, difficulty trusting others, or you have a history of anxiety or depression you’re more likely to benefit from in-depth psychotherapy. This is also true if you have issues related to growing up in a dysfunctional family or experienced trauma, abuse, or neglect in childhood. In these circumstances, it is more likely that the coping strategies you developed as a child will have become embedded parts of your personality that affect your thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and behaviors.

If this is the case, you will not only need some time to develop a working relationship and a sense of trust with your therapist, you will also need time to explore your current life experiences, what’s working and what’s not working, and develop new coping strategies in order to create the changes you desire. What cannot be rushed is the developing trust between you and your therapist.

Evaluating Your Progress

Psychotherapy is an ongoing process that requires your commitment, determination, and hard work to be effective. In effective treatment you will notice incremental learning and progress throughout the course of therapy as opposed to achieving goals in a target number of sessions. While you may be able to overcome some problems relatively quickly, other issues that seemed relatively straightforward may turn out to be much more complex than you imagined.

When something does seem to be more complex, it’s good to discuss with your therapist how revising your goals will likely affect the length of your treatment.

How Will You Know If Therapy Is Working?

Positive Feelings:

In the first 10-20 sessions you can expect to see positive changes. When evaluating your therapy, look for movement towards your goals and positive patterns of growth and change, even little things that can be signs of profound changes. If you don’t see some signs, you may want to consider another therapist or alternate treatments.

Still, creating lasting change isn’t an easy process, and it is not realistic to expect to be a new person overnight. The first step is building a working relationship with your therapist. This working relationship is central to your ability to get through the painful memories, frustrating experiences, or disturbing feelings that may need to be worked through. When you can pass through these experiences together, without losing the connection between you, and find the meaning in them, you will know that your therapy is working. If so, you’ll likely feel more connected to other people, better able to handle a crisis that would have overwhelmed you in the past, or you may find yourself enjoying a more positive outlook on life.

“Negative” Feelings:

The uncomfortable feelings you may experience in therapy can test your ability to trust the therapist. This is often what takes so much time. This is a normal part of therapy. During these sometimes very trying times, do make every effort to communicate how you’re feeling about your therapist to her or him. You need to have confidence that your therapist will take your feelings seriously and not merely get defensive. The therapist’s job is to try to understand what your negative feelings might mean for you.

If therapy results in a greater capacity for tolerating “negative” feelings about life’s slings and arrows, therapy is working. Greater tolerance for the negative also means richer experiences of positive feelings. Therapy is working when you experience yourself as a fuller, deeper, more stable person.

Sidney Mullen is a therapist in Berkeley, where she specializes in providing Jungian psychotherapy.

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