Wednesday, September 8, 2010
addicted to it...
You hear it all the time, that it just takes a few drinks – maybe even just one – to change your life, to have an addiction and become an alcoholic. It’s the same with drugs. One day you’re smoking weed and the next thing you know you’re taking your chances with speed. How does addiction happen? And why is it that some people get addicted so fast, while others don’t get addicted to drugs even though they abuse them all the time?
Addiction, like so many things in life, is complicated. It takes its toll on a person both physically and mentally. In a TIME magazine article, Dr. Nora Volkow (Director of the National Institute of Drug Abuse) explained, “Some people have a genetic predisposition to addiction, but because it involves these basic brain functions, everyone will become an addict if sufficiently exposed to drugs or alcohol.” This explains why sometimes addiction seems to set in really quickly for some people. If a predisposition to addiction is a part of your genetic code, then you are naturally likely to become addicted. As the article further explains, for someone who is inclined to become addicted, that person isn’t just more likely to develop an addiction to illegal drugs or alcohol. An addiction can be defined as any behavior a person feels compelled to conduct and cannot discontinue without traumatic effects. It’s possible for someone to become addicted to their work, to cleaning, to gambling or eating – anything, really. Any addiction is unhealthy, and is truly a disease, but the danger level is significantly higher when someone is addicted to substance abuse, because it can kill them.
Of course, sometimes the drug is to blame for causing addiction to set in quickly. Different drugs affect people differently, but there are some drugs – like heroin – that are extremely addictive for just about everyone. Breaking the physical addiction that comes along with those drugs makes detox and rehab very challenging for both the doctors and the addict.
Genetics and drug strength aren’t the only reasons why people become addicted to drugs. Studies show that people with psychological disorders or some form of mental illness are more likely to suffer from drug addiction. New studies are showing that people who start abusing drugs at an early age or as a teenager are more likely to trigger an addiction that can last a lifetime.
Finally, perhaps one of the most prevalent reasons why people get addicted to drugs, and why they start abusing drugs in the first place, is due to social acceptance. It’s all about “the company you keep.” If you hang out with people who enjoy smoking pot, drinking beers, or shooting heroin, then you’re more likely to start using drugs or drinking alcohol because of that environment.
Knowing and understanding why addiction happens can help someone understand their own struggle with addiction. What is even better is that by learning about the triggers of addiction, it can increase a person’s awareness of what addiction is and help prevent it altogether.
Addiction, like so many things in life, is complicated. It takes its toll on a person both physically and mentally. In a TIME magazine article, Dr. Nora Volkow (Director of the National Institute of Drug Abuse) explained, “Some people have a genetic predisposition to addiction, but because it involves these basic brain functions, everyone will become an addict if sufficiently exposed to drugs or alcohol.” This explains why sometimes addiction seems to set in really quickly for some people. If a predisposition to addiction is a part of your genetic code, then you are naturally likely to become addicted. As the article further explains, for someone who is inclined to become addicted, that person isn’t just more likely to develop an addiction to illegal drugs or alcohol. An addiction can be defined as any behavior a person feels compelled to conduct and cannot discontinue without traumatic effects. It’s possible for someone to become addicted to their work, to cleaning, to gambling or eating – anything, really. Any addiction is unhealthy, and is truly a disease, but the danger level is significantly higher when someone is addicted to substance abuse, because it can kill them.
Of course, sometimes the drug is to blame for causing addiction to set in quickly. Different drugs affect people differently, but there are some drugs – like heroin – that are extremely addictive for just about everyone. Breaking the physical addiction that comes along with those drugs makes detox and rehab very challenging for both the doctors and the addict.
Genetics and drug strength aren’t the only reasons why people become addicted to drugs. Studies show that people with psychological disorders or some form of mental illness are more likely to suffer from drug addiction. New studies are showing that people who start abusing drugs at an early age or as a teenager are more likely to trigger an addiction that can last a lifetime.
Finally, perhaps one of the most prevalent reasons why people get addicted to drugs, and why they start abusing drugs in the first place, is due to social acceptance. It’s all about “the company you keep.” If you hang out with people who enjoy smoking pot, drinking beers, or shooting heroin, then you’re more likely to start using drugs or drinking alcohol because of that environment.
Knowing and understanding why addiction happens can help someone understand their own struggle with addiction. What is even better is that by learning about the triggers of addiction, it can increase a person’s awareness of what addiction is and help prevent it altogether.
Global Warning...
Global warming is the increase in the average temperature of Earth's near-surface air and oceans since the mid-20th century and its projected continuation. According to the 2007 Fourth Assessment Report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), global surface temperature increased 0.74 ± 0.18 °C (1.33 ± 0.32 °F) during the 20th century.[2][A] Most of the observed temperature increase since the middle of the 20th century has been caused by increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases, which result from human activity such as the burning of fossil fuel and deforestation.[3] Global dimming, a result of increasing concentrations of atmospheric aerosols that block sunlight from reaching the surface, has partially countered the effects of warming induced by greenhouse gases.
Climate model projections summarized in the latest IPCC report indicate that the global surface temperature is likely to rise a further 1.1 to 6.4 °C (2.0 to 11.5 °F) during the 21st century.[2] The uncertainty in this estimate arises from the use of models with differing sensitivity to greenhouse gas concentrations and the use of differing estimates of future greenhouse gas emissions. An increase in global temperature will cause sea levels to rise and will change the amount and pattern of precipitation, probably including expansion of subtropical deserts.[4] Warming is expected to be strongest in the Arctic and would be associated with continuing retreat of glaciers, permafrost and sea ice. Other likely effects include changes in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, species extinctions, and changes in agricultural yields. Warming and related changes will vary from region to region around the globe, though the nature of these regional variations is uncertain.[5] Another major[6][7] worldwide concomitant of global warming, and one which is presently happening as well as being predicted to continue, is ocean acidification, which is likewise a result of contemporary increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide.
The scientific consensus is that anthropogenic global warming is occurring.[8][9][10][B] Nevertheless, political and public debate continues. The Kyoto Protocol is aimed at stabilizing greenhouse gas concentration to prevent a "dangerous anthropogenic interference".[11] As of November 2009, 187 states had signed and ratified the protocol
Climate model projections summarized in the latest IPCC report indicate that the global surface temperature is likely to rise a further 1.1 to 6.4 °C (2.0 to 11.5 °F) during the 21st century.[2] The uncertainty in this estimate arises from the use of models with differing sensitivity to greenhouse gas concentrations and the use of differing estimates of future greenhouse gas emissions. An increase in global temperature will cause sea levels to rise and will change the amount and pattern of precipitation, probably including expansion of subtropical deserts.[4] Warming is expected to be strongest in the Arctic and would be associated with continuing retreat of glaciers, permafrost and sea ice. Other likely effects include changes in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, species extinctions, and changes in agricultural yields. Warming and related changes will vary from region to region around the globe, though the nature of these regional variations is uncertain.[5] Another major[6][7] worldwide concomitant of global warming, and one which is presently happening as well as being predicted to continue, is ocean acidification, which is likewise a result of contemporary increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide.
The scientific consensus is that anthropogenic global warming is occurring.[8][9][10][B] Nevertheless, political and public debate continues. The Kyoto Protocol is aimed at stabilizing greenhouse gas concentration to prevent a "dangerous anthropogenic interference".[11] As of November 2009, 187 states had signed and ratified the protocol
Noo... to Drugs......
A drug, broadly speaking, is any substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function.[3] There is no single, precise definition, as there are different meanings in drug control law, government regulations, medicine, and colloquial usage.[4]
In pharmacology, a drug is "a chemical substance used in the treatment, cure, prevention, or diagnosis of disease or used to otherwise enhance physical or mental well-being."[4] Drugs may be prescribed for a limited duration, or on a regular basis for chronic disorders.[5]
Recreational drugs are chemical substances that affect the central nervous system, such as opioids or hallucinogens.[5] They may be used for perceived beneficial effects on perception, consciousness, personality, and behavior.[5][6] Some drugs can cause addiction and habituation.[6]
Drugs are usually distinguished from endogenous biochemicals by being introduced from outside the organism.[citation needed] For example, insulin is a hormone that is synthesized in the body; it is called a hormone when it is synthesized by the pancreas inside the body, but if it is introduced into the body from outside, it is called a drug.[citation needed]
Many natural substances such as beers, wines, and some mushrooms, blur the line between food and drugs, as when ingested they affect the functioning of both mind and body.
A medication or medicine is a drug taken to cure and/or ameliorate any symptoms of an illness or medical condition, or may be used as preventive medicine that has future benefits but does not treat any existing or pre-existing diseases or symptoms.
Dispensing of medication is often regulated by governments into three categories—over-the-counter (OTC) medications, which are available in pharmacies and supermarkets without special restrictions, behind-the-counter (BTC), which are dispensed by a pharmacist without needing a doctor's prescription, and Prescription only medicines (POM), which must be prescribed by a licensed medical professional, usually a physician.[citation needed]
In the United Kingdom, BTC medicines are called pharmacy medicines which can only be sold in registered pharmacies, by or under the supervision of a pharmacist. These medications are designated by the letter P on the label.[8] The range of medicines available without a prescription varies from country to country.
Medications are typically produced by pharmaceutical companies and are often patented to give the developer exclusive rights to produce them, but they can also be derived from naturally occurring substance in plants called herbal medicine.[citation needed] Those that are not patented (or with expired patents) are called generic drugs since they can be produced by other companies without restrictions or licenses from the patent holder.
Drugs, both medicinal and recreational, can be administered in a number of ways:
Bolus, a substance into the stomach to dissolve slowly.
Inhaled, (breathed into the lungs), as an aerosol or dry powder.
Injected as a solution, suspension or emulsion either: intramuscular, intravenous, intraperitoneal, intraosseous.
Insufflation, or snorted into the nose.
Orally, as a liquid or solid, that is absorbed through the intestines.
Rectally as a suppository, that is absorbed by the rectum or colon.
Sublingually, diffusing into the blood through tissues under the tongue.
Topically, usually as a cream or ointment. A drug administered in this manner may be given to act locally or systemically.[9]
Vaginally as a suppository, primarily to treat vaginal infections.
Many drugs can be administered in a variety of ways.
In pharmacology, a drug is "a chemical substance used in the treatment, cure, prevention, or diagnosis of disease or used to otherwise enhance physical or mental well-being."[4] Drugs may be prescribed for a limited duration, or on a regular basis for chronic disorders.[5]
Recreational drugs are chemical substances that affect the central nervous system, such as opioids or hallucinogens.[5] They may be used for perceived beneficial effects on perception, consciousness, personality, and behavior.[5][6] Some drugs can cause addiction and habituation.[6]
Drugs are usually distinguished from endogenous biochemicals by being introduced from outside the organism.[citation needed] For example, insulin is a hormone that is synthesized in the body; it is called a hormone when it is synthesized by the pancreas inside the body, but if it is introduced into the body from outside, it is called a drug.[citation needed]
Many natural substances such as beers, wines, and some mushrooms, blur the line between food and drugs, as when ingested they affect the functioning of both mind and body.
A medication or medicine is a drug taken to cure and/or ameliorate any symptoms of an illness or medical condition, or may be used as preventive medicine that has future benefits but does not treat any existing or pre-existing diseases or symptoms.
Dispensing of medication is often regulated by governments into three categories—over-the-counter (OTC) medications, which are available in pharmacies and supermarkets without special restrictions, behind-the-counter (BTC), which are dispensed by a pharmacist without needing a doctor's prescription, and Prescription only medicines (POM), which must be prescribed by a licensed medical professional, usually a physician.[citation needed]
In the United Kingdom, BTC medicines are called pharmacy medicines which can only be sold in registered pharmacies, by or under the supervision of a pharmacist. These medications are designated by the letter P on the label.[8] The range of medicines available without a prescription varies from country to country.
Medications are typically produced by pharmaceutical companies and are often patented to give the developer exclusive rights to produce them, but they can also be derived from naturally occurring substance in plants called herbal medicine.[citation needed] Those that are not patented (or with expired patents) are called generic drugs since they can be produced by other companies without restrictions or licenses from the patent holder.
Drugs, both medicinal and recreational, can be administered in a number of ways:
Bolus, a substance into the stomach to dissolve slowly.
Inhaled, (breathed into the lungs), as an aerosol or dry powder.
Injected as a solution, suspension or emulsion either: intramuscular, intravenous, intraperitoneal, intraosseous.
Insufflation, or snorted into the nose.
Orally, as a liquid or solid, that is absorbed through the intestines.
Rectally as a suppository, that is absorbed by the rectum or colon.
Sublingually, diffusing into the blood through tissues under the tongue.
Topically, usually as a cream or ointment. A drug administered in this manner may be given to act locally or systemically.[9]
Vaginally as a suppository, primarily to treat vaginal infections.
Many drugs can be administered in a variety of ways.
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