Category Archives: Alcohol Abuse

Hangover Movie: Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle

Posted on by
Reply

Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle

Hangover Movie: Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle

Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle is a classic hangover movie that every college kid and stoner has seen. It is very much a remake on the very classic Cheech and Chong movies with its ridiculous antics, drug use, sex, and drinking.

Harold Lee and Kumar Patel play the parts of two stoners who end up getting the munchies and decide they want to go to White Castle. Harold is the more introverted awkward character and Kumar is the more outgoing and spontaneous one setting this hangover movie up for some interesting situations. Harold and Kumar’s journey to find a White Castle because of the relocation of the old one; turns into an entire movie.

Harold and Kumar set out to get White Castle and in the process of trying to get some delicious hamburgers to satisfy their munchies, Harold gets bitten by an animal and ends up in the hospital. After getting out of the hospital Harold and Kumar continue their hunt for White Castle and then the car breaks down. After their car breaks down they meet a nice man named Randy who takes them with him to his house to fix their car. At Randy’s house, Randy offers to let Harold and Kumar sleep with his beautiful wife Liane. After this debacle, Harold and Kumar end up picking up a hitch-hiker, who when they stop at a gas station steals their car. So now Harold and Kumar are walking and end up jay walking. After jay walking they get stopped by a police officer who just likes to pick on minorities and ends up arresting Harold and holding him in a cell. Harold and Kumar escape and both run to hid in the bush and come face to face with a cheetah. And the antics go on and on.

Eventually Harold and Kumar find themselves at a raging party that they stop by for a minute and they also in the end make it to White Castle after being up all night losing their car, walking, hitting a party and going through everything they have to get it. While at White Castle the hitchhiker returns the car. And while Harold and Kumar are eating the White Castle it is an epic moment for them because what was supposed to be a quick trip to White Castle had turned into an all-night debacle of sex, drugs, music, and drinking. The classic hangover movie: Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle.

If you need help with your addiction give us a call now at 1-800-984-4003.

Hangover Movie: Old School

Posted on by
Reply

Hangover Movie - Will Ferrell

Hangover Movie: Old School

Parties, drinking, and college life is the back drop for the Hangover Movie, “Old School”. Only difference between this college life and reality is that the main characters are well out of college and much older. Old school stars Luke Wilson as Mitch Martin, Juliette Lewis as Heidi, Vince Vaughn as Bernard and Will Ferrell as Franks.

The movie begins with Mitch, Luke Wilson, breaking up with his girlfriend. In the midst of this breakup he goes house hunting and finds a house located near the campus of the fictional school Harrison University. The first big party of scene of this hangover movie is thrown by Mitch’s friends Bernard and Frank (Vince Vaughn and Will Ferrell). Frank ends up streaking through the neighborhood and Mitch ends up making a fool of himself in front of an old friend Nicole (Ellen Pompeo).

When Mitch wakes up from this party he realizes that he slept with an underage girl who is played by Elisha Cuthbert. Soon after Mitch gets himself together he meets the dean of students at the college who is onto Mitch and his friend’s antics. So Mitch makes the house he is living in a fraternity for the college. From this point forward it is just a mess of drunken parties, failing marriages, and hilarious jokes. Eventually the dean tries to revoke the fraternity’s charter. Towards the end of the movie the dean’s attempt to get rid of Mitch and his friends fails because he ends up getting fired due to a bribery scandal.

In the end everything works out and Mitch ends up with the girl from the very beginning, Nicole. Mitch and Bernard leave the fraternity they started and Frank who has now lost his marriage due to his incessant drinking decides to stay on as an authority figure for the fraternity.

College is the place for parties and this is one of the classic stories of college binge drinking. It is almost socially acceptable to be binge drinking in college and this is a perfect example of it. Except the men in this movie are older, are married, and have kids. It shows the consequences due to drinking but it also is one of the slapstick funny comedies that only Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughan, and Luke Wilson could do. This is the perfect example of drunken nights, crazy antics, and their consequences.

If you need help with your addiction give us a call now at 1-800-984-4003.

Alcohol Abuse Among The Elderly

Posted on by
Reply

Alcohol Abuse Among The Elderly

Alcohol Abuse Among The Elderly

Alcohol related problems put elderly people in the hospital more often than heart attacks. But alcohol abuse among the elderly is more hidden that in any other age group because of social isolation, loneliness and depression. Often the signs of alcohol abuse among the elderly mimic other signs of aging, so doctors misread the signs.

Alcohol Abuse Among The Elderly: Causes

Alcohol abuse among the elderly sometimes starts with the life changes that can accompany aging. Many older Americans develop drinking problems due to depression, illness, or death of a loved one.  The death of a spouse can set off a cycle of depression, poor nutrition, alcohol abuse, and abusing medications. The incentives for a younger person to seek help are often not there for an older person. They don’t have the same motivation to recover.

Alcohol Abuse Among The Elderly: A hidden problem

Anyone at any age can have a drinking problem. Sometimes, alcohol abuse among the elderly goes unnoticed because the person has been drinking moderately their whole life, and their family does not notice when their drinking suddenly increases. Forgetfulness, loss of balance, and mood swings that may indicate alcohol abuse among the elderly can be chalked up to old age or other health problems.

Alcohol Abuse Among The Elderly: Why it is dangerous?

Alcohol abuse among the elderly deserves particular attention because the aging process affects how the body handles alcohol. The same amount of drinks can have a greater effect as a person gets older. Also, many older Americans take prescription medications on a regular basis. Their medication can interact with the alcohol and cause dangerous, even deadly, side effects. Some medical conditions that are common among older people, such as high blood pressure, ulcers, and diabetes, can get worse with alcohol use.

Even drinking a small amount of alcohol can impair judgment and reaction time leading to an increase in accidents and falls. Accidents and falls in elderly people can be particularly dangerous since their bones are often more prone to break and they don’t recover as quickly from injuries. Alcohol abuse among the elderly can also cause cancer, liver cirrhosis, and brain damage. Alcohol also affects blood sugar levels in elderly people with diabetes.

Alcohol Abuse Among The Elderly: Getting help

Doctors may be hesitant to confront an elderly person about alcohol abuse. Many of them consider it to be a sensitive issue. Elderly people are also less likely to disclose alcohol abuse to their doctor. Also, there are far fewer treatment programs for elderly people with alcoholism, so doctors may not know where to send patients for help. An elderly person may have a hard time at a traditional treatment program since many of the clients are much younger. A 75 year old alcohol abuser may have a hard time relating to a 20 year old cocaine addict.

However, if they do seek help, elderly people often do very well in treatment. The hard part is long term recovery once they are home and alone again.

If you need help with your addiction give us a call now at 1-800-984-4003.

Drinking to Cope

Posted on by
Reply

Drinking to Cope

Drinking to Cope

Many studies into drinking alcohol have indicated that multiple that do drink alcoholic beverages, do so as a means to cope with life and its stress. There are so many stresses in life too, for which drinking can be a simple solution. For instance, you can drink to cope with economic stress, job stress, marital problems, and family problems etc. Drinking to cope could mean drinking due to anxiety, fear, sadness, and anger too. Today’s society is so fast paced and there is little support and this could be why some people find themselves drinking to cope.

Do you drink to cope?

When it comes to drinking in order to cope it is not so much the alcohol that is the problem but poor coping skills within the individual. Even though this is quite apparent, a lot of people try to cope with stress by using alcohol and this is actually counterintuitive. Drinking to cope doesn’t actually deal with the problem it just masks the stress. Then people end up having to drink more and more alcohol to gain the same amount of relief from drinking. This is how drinking to cope can easily lead to alcohol abuse and then to alcoholism. Drinking to cope can lead to physical, psychological, health, and social problems. In fact drinking to cope can actually reduce an individual’s ability to cope with stress.

Drinking to cope doesn’t solve anything all it does is create more problems for the individual trying to deal with whatever is going on. Drinking to cope is the equivalent of pouring gasoline on a fire in order to put it out. This may sound extreme but it is true. Drinking to cope will only make things worse especially for the individual who is drinking to excess. An individual who hasn’t reached the point of alcohol abuse doesn’t have to totally abstain from alcohol, but they should cut back from drinking alcohol or try not drinking to cope because it is absolutely vital to their wellbeing to not drink too much. Drinking too much in order to cope with problems is when many people  fall into the grips of alcoholism and once a person has reached that point, there is no coming back. Alcoholism is a lifelong issue and can be really hard to overcome for the person who has drank to the point of changing their brain chemistry.

There are multiple alternative to handling stress other than drinking to cope. For instance many people use yoga to distress. There are also tons of other holistic coping skills and therapies to help with building healthy coping skills. Drinking to cope isn’t the only option.

Here are some healthier alternative other than drinking to cope:

  • Individual therapy
  • Yoga
  • Massage therapy
  • Exercise
  • Meditation
  • Acupuncture
  • Breathing exercises
  • Long walks
  • Cleaning
  • Talking to someone

No one has to drink to cope. Drinking to cope is a choice that can be changed. The consequences of drinking to cope can be very grave and those consequences don’t have to be felt if other coping strategies can be implemented. Healthy coping skills are a tool that an individual can keep with them forever too in order to instill a permanent sense of wellbeing within them. This is much better in comparison to drinking to cope and just compounding the problems.

Sources:

http://stresscourse.tripod.com/id86.html

http://psychcentral.com/lib/2006/stress-and-drinking/

 

If you need help with your addiction give us a call now at 1-800-984-4003.

Jamaican Ginger aka “Jake”

Posted on by
Reply

Jake Leg

Jamaican Ginger aka “Jake”

Jamaican Ginger aka “Jake” was a medication available in the 19th century. During prohibition, Jamaican Ginger aka “Jake” became a convenient way to get around laws preventing the sale of alcohol because it contains 70-80 % ethanol by volume.

Jamaican Ginger aka “Jake”: History

During the 1920’s and 1930’s, many pharmacies provided Jamaican Ginger aka “Jake.” The medicine came with claims of treating minor colds, headaches, menstrual cramps, and digestive problems. After the stock market collapse of 1929, Jamaican Ginger aka “Jake” became increasingly popular as a low-cost alternative to buying expensive bootlegged liquor.

Jamaican Ginger aka “Jake”: Jake Leg

By early 1930, a confusing new illness began spreading across the country. It was characterized by aching calf muscles, numbness in the legs and eventual loss of sensation. The disease progressed into muscle weakness and paralysis which was sometimes irreversible. Over the first six months of 1930, more than 600 cases were reported throughout the United States. Doctors were perplexed. What was causing this bizarre sudden paralysis?

The culprit, it turned out, was Jamaican Ginger aka “Jake.” This was considered odd at first because Jamaican Ginger aka “Jake” had been sold for decades and there had never been any reported problems. The condition became known as “jake leg.”

Jamaican Ginger aka “Jake”: Mystery Solved

Authorities had long been suspicious that people would use products like Jamaican Ginger aka “Jake” to circumvent prohibition. In an effort to avoid that, the U.S. Treasury Department required formulations of Jamaican Ginger aka “Jake to contain a certain amount of ginger solids per cubic centimeter of alcohol. The increased ginger content made it very bitter and difficult to drink. They figured people would be less inclined to abuse it.

Regulators tested Jamaican Ginger aka “Jake” by boiling it down and measuring the amount of solids left over. But some clever manufacturers figured out ways to fool the government tests. They would add castor oil or molasses to replace the ginger solids. Their formulations only contained a small amount of ginger, so they were easy to drink.

Then a Harry Gross and Max Reisman came along. They wanted to find another substance that would fool the government’s boiling tests but also provide a “kick” to the alcohol content. They decided on tri-orthocresal phosphate (TOCP), an industrial plasticizer. TOCP was originally thought to be non-toxic, but later it was shown to have a neurotoxic effect in humans and animals.

Gross and Reisman went into mass production of Jamaican Ginger aka “Jake” in 1930. They made thousands of bottles. Due to investigations of cases of “jake leg,” the bootleggers were indicted in December of that same year. Gross served a two year sentence while Reisman avoided serving any jail time.

Sadly, many of the victims of jake leg were people with very little political influence like immigrants, migrants, or itinerants, so they never received any kind of compensation for their injuries. The company that manufactured the Jamaican Ginger aka Jake was bankrupt, and attempts to petition Congress for financial support failed. The epidemic was especially common among lower-class African-American men, many of whom were not allowed in hospitals where they might have sought treatment. There was an extreme amount of stigma attached to sufferers of jake leg.

If you need help with your addiction give us a call now at 1-800-984-4003.

5 Best Hangover Songs

Posted on by
Reply

margaritaville jimmy buffet

5 Best Hangover Songs

Music comes in all different forms and talk about all kinds of topics. It isn’t unusual to hear songs about drinking, using drugs and partying either because many musicians are living that kind of lifestyle. A hangover is almost universally relatable because almost everyone has had a drink and nearly every high school student, college student or adult has had a moment where they drank way too much.

That is why we made the 5 best hangover songs that include some of our favorite songs of all time. Who doesn’t like a song that reminds them of that crazy night with their friends? Okay maybe not all of us remember but we do like to relate. Hangovers bring all drinkers together in a common bond of headaches, puking and forgetting what they did the night before. The famous are not immune to it either. Check out our 5 best hangover songs and see if you can understand what they are talking about, if you have ever drank too much we are sure you can.

1. “Me and My Wine” – Def Leppard. Ah, the 80s metal bands sure knew a lot about drinking and partying and an equal amount as much about hangovers. It seems a lot of you can identify with lyrics like “Lying half dead on the floor, I don’t remember anything. What happened the night before?”  We’d like to thank the British beer swigging musicians for giving us our first best hangover song of all time.

2. “Rude Awakenings” – Dropkick Murphy.  Everyone has had a morning like this: “With equal surprise she opened her eyes, sat up and shouted ‘for Christ’s sakes who the hell are you?'” Not much more to say than this is one of the best hangover songs about one of the worst hangover situations.

3. “What Happened” – Sublime. “There’s no recollection of the evil things I’ve done. My head feels like I musta’ had some fun.” Sound familiar? Yep, that’s why Sublime’s “What Happened” is the third best hangover song of all time.

4. “My Own Worst Enemy” – Lit. Any song that starts (and ends) with, “Can we forget about the things I said when I was drunk? I didn’t mean to call you that. I can’t remember what was said or what you threw at me. Please tell me,” is incapable of eluding a best hangover songs list! Not surprisingly it’s in the top 5 at least.

5. “Margaritaville” – Jimmy Buffet. This is our best hangover song ever because anyone who’s ever had a hangover can identify with the great Jimmy Buffet when he sings, “But I know it’s my own damn fault.”

Doesn’t matter if its rock and roll, country, or reggae all musicians speak the universal hangover language. The 5 best hangover songs are also some of the greatest and most well-known songs in the world. Coincidence we think not. Drinking is a social and relatable experience. Just makes sure to take it easy. Maybe we should start taking these songs as a warning not a push to try to experience the songs ourselves.

If you need help with your addiction give us a call now at 1-800-984-4003.

The Spiritual Malady of Alcoholism

Posted on by
Reply

The Spiritual Malady of Alcoholism

The Spiritual Malady of Alcoholism

The Spiritual Malady of Alcoholism

The spiritual malady of alcoholism comes in different forms depending on the person. The spiritual malady of alcoholism is not unique to just alcoholics it is actually something that most people suffer from. The reason the spiritual malady of alcoholism is different than the spiritual malady for someone who isn’t an alcoholic, is that the alcoholic uses the drink or drug to deal with their spiritual malady in some way.

The definition of a spiritual malady is:

Malady means disconnect or separation. So therefore a spiritual malady is a separation or disconnect from spiritual things. This can mean a separation or disconnect from other human beings, spiritual principles, a spiritual higher power etc. Spiritual things are not merely religion but are defined by each individual uniquely as the guiding force in their lives-something that is greater than them or principles they live by.

So as you can clearly see not just alcoholics can have a spiritual disconnect or separation from things spiritual. All people can. It is merely how each person deals with that disconnect that determines whether they are alcoholic or not. For instance, the spiritual malady of alcoholism will drive a person to drink to the point of no return. It will drive an individual to drink regardless if they want to drink or not. This is the physical allergy of alcoholism and it is what causes alcoholics to drink regardless of consequences and regardless of whether they want to stop. Whether or not they were aware of it they most likely started drinking because of their spiritual malady. Kind of self-medication if you will for the pain they felt inside.

Personal experiences from alcoholics will tell you that the spiritual malady of alcoholism is the driving force in their lives. It creates bedevilments such as, fear, emotional insecurity and instability, trouble in personal relationships, an inability to manage life, misery and pain. It’s the gut feeling in someone that the world is no good and may even be out to get them. It’s the sick feeling in the pit of someone’s stomach when they think about their life. Its fear of what people think. Its feeling like no matter what they are not like everyone else and don’t fit in. Its residing in a family and not feeling a part of that family. These are all common descriptions of the spiritual malady of alcoholism. These are all common descriptions of the spiritual malady for anyone actually. The thing is though that when an alcoholic drinks they don’t feel those things anymore. They literally take liquor or “Spirits” if you will, into their body and all the fear, disconnect, pain, and misery goes away. The effects caused by alcohol are beyond pleasant to them. Actually the effects of alcohol are spiritual experience that allows them to be connected to the world. This creates a want and need to drink.

The spiritual malady of alcoholism is what resides even an alcoholic gets sober too. Just because an alcoholic stops drinking doesn’t mean their spiritual malady goes away. Because as we have already described alcohol was the solution to the spiritual malady not the cause of it, so when you take alcohol away from an alcoholic they are still left with all the bedevilments. That’s why many alcoholics will relapse because they don’t want to feel their spiritual malady and that’s why most alcoholics need a spiritual solution not just meetings or treatment centers.. They don’t need something to help them stop drinking they need something that is going to spiritually fulfill them and then there won’t be a need or want to drink anymore. Something that can spiritually fulfill an alcoholic is getting a relationship with a higher power or living by spiritual principles.

Once the spiritual malady of alcoholism has a solution other than alcohol such as spiritual principles etc., there will be no need to drink anymore.

Make sense? Good.

 

If you need help with your addiction give us a call now at 1-800-984-4003.

Rohypnol – Date Rape Drug

Posted on by
1

Rohypnol is one of the most well-known “date rape drugs.” Street names for the drug include rophies, roofies, R2, roofenol, Roche, roach-2, roaches, la rocha, rop, roopies, ropies, rib, circles, Mexican valium, the forget Pill, trip-and-fall, and mind-erasers. Rohypnol is the brand name of the drug flunitrazepam (a benzodiazepine). Benzodiazepines are a class of drug which is commonly used in a number of medical settings. Most commonly used as anti-anxiety medications, they are also used as sedatives, as anticonvulsant medications, and as muscle relaxants.

Benzodiazepines like Rohypnol are used as date rape drugs because they can markedly impair functions that normally allow a person to resist sexual aggression or assault. Also, Rohypnol commonly causes drug induced short term amnesia, especially when mixed with alcohol. These properties make Rohypol effective in drug-facilitated sexual assaults. Victims are unable to ward off an attack, and they are also unable to remember the date rape or the rapist. Rohypnol also rose to prominence as an ideal date rape drug because it is colorless, odorless, tasteless, and easily dissolved. It causes sedation within 20 to 30 minutes. After the reports of Rohypnol being used as a date rape drug began flooding in, the manufacturer added elements that make it less easy to dissolve and added a blue coloring to the drug.

It’s difficult to estimate how often Rohypnol has been used as a date rape drug, because by the time biological fluids are tested for the substance, there are only residual traces of the drug in the system.  Most standard drug tests are not sensitive enough register the presence of the date rape drug in the system. Usually, the bodily fluids must be tested within 72 hours to reveal the presence of the date rape drug. The problem is compounded because date rape victims often have a difficult time remembering the circumstances surrounding the rape. The uncertainty may cause a delay in the reporting the rape.

Often, in cases of date rape, Rohypnol is dissolved in a glass of alcohol, unbeknownst to the victim. Alcohol intensifies the effects of the date rape drug, because they act on the same receptors in the brain. Benzodiazepines like Rohypnol work by enhancing the effect of the neurotransmitter GABA in the brain. The enhancement is responsible for producing the therapeutic effects of Rohypnol s and for facilitating many of the side effects as well as dependence and withdrawal from these drugs. Other sedative-hypnotics, such as alcohol and barbiturates, have a similar enhancing effect on GABA. This is why benzodiazepines are often used to treat alcohol withdrawal. It is also the reason that mixing Rohypnol with alcohol or barbiturates intensifies the hypnotic and amnesia-causing effect of the date rape drug and can even be deadly.

Rohypnol is not available in the United States legally.  It has not been approved by the DEA for sale with a prescription. In Europe and South America, it is a prescription drug used as a preanesthetic agent and as a potent sedative. Rohypnol is still available in the United States illicitly. It is imported from countries where it is still available with a prescription.

If you need help with your addiction give us a call now at 1-800-984-4003.