How To Quit Smoking Fast

By Tony Sanger



To make sure that a quit

attempt is successful, you have

to be fully aware of what you

are doing and why. Motivation is

going to be one of the strongest

tools you will have in your

arsenal for this fight therefore it

is essential that you take the

time to write a list of why you

are quitting smoking. Whenever

the withdrawal symptoms are at

their peak or that you feel yourself crumbling you are

able to refer to this list for motivation.



Whilst the cold turkey method works best for many

people, these are generally in the minority. Simply giving

up smoking and dealing with all the physical and mental

withdrawals which follow will tax even the strongest-

willed of people. This is a rare person that can overcome

this without any kind of help. However, for other people,

it appears that quitting cold turkey is the preferred

method because it is the quickest way to get all the

nicotine out of their system. Only you can determine if

this is actually the best method for you personally.

If you are serious about quitting cigarettes once and for

all then a consultation with your local doctor is advisable.



They are capable of giving you some prescribed

alternatives to help you with your quit which are not

easily available over the counter at the pharmacy. There

are various medications that help your mind and body

functions through the quit, which could make it easier for

you to keep on track during those difficult quit moments.

When it is time to quit you need to inform all of those

around you family, friends and work mates of your plans

to quit smoking. Not only will they be ready to provide

vital support when you need it the most, such as the

times when you are feeling your resolve crumbling, but

they also need to be mindful that you might be feeling

just a little fragile and emotional for the first few weeks of

your efforts.



While this sort of feeling are completely

normal, it may be distressing for your family and friends

to see you being affected by your feelings without

understanding why you are feeling this way.

Should you fall off the wagon and have a cigarette or two

do not automatically assume it is all over and begin

smoking full on again. Write it off as being a bad day or

even a bad hour and double your efforts and resolve to

quit. You can easily use this as being an excuse to

abandon the quit so remind yourself by looking at your

motivation list if you have done one your reasons for

achieving this in the first place.



Whichever method you choose to adopt when it is time

for you to give up the cigarettes, so long as you are

100% determined and consistent in your methods then

success is going to be yours. Your overall health, wallet,

family and friends will appreciate all your effort once you

are smoke-free forever. Put the information in this short

article to good use and start a healthier, happier and

longer cigarette-free life!

Tips To Conducting An Effective Drug Testing Programme

By Robin Leonado



For effective implementation of this

program, there are certain aspects to be taken care of.

Here are a few tips that enable effective implementation

of the program.



Explain the importance:

Teachers, parents, employers or any other personnel

conducting the drug testing program should make it clear

to the suspects that the purpose of the program is to

ensure better and healthy living of the individual. It is

their duty to explain the benefits of detecting and

preventing the drug abusing habit. By doing so, the

individuals will be encouraged to take the test without

any inhibitions.



Determine the best method:

Drug testing methods are classified into different types

depending on the sample used - hair, saliva, urine and

blood. Of these methods, choose a method that is

convenient. The convenience of the test should be

judged in terms of ease of conducting and effectiveness

in giving reliable results.



Be aware of drug detection windows:

Knowing drug detection windows is important for

effective implementation of the program because, the

drug detection periods vary from sample to sample and

from drug to drug. For example, in case of

amphetamines the drug detection period is 1 to 3 days in

urine, 24 hours in blood, 90 days in hair and 0-24 hours

in saliva.



Implement preventive methods to avoid sample

alteration:

There is a probability that the suspects adulterate or

manipulate (alter) test samples. Hence, make sure that

the testing area/room does not contain any kind of

materials/solvents which can be used to adulterate the

test sample. It is also important that while collecting test

samples, the donors should be monitored.



Use reliable test kits:

The effectiveness of the program is also dependent on

the effectiveness of the equipment. Since testing at

schools or workplaces requires on-site testing tools, drug

test kits are recommended. These kits can also be used

for home drug testing as they ensure privacy of results.



These kits are cost effective, fast, safe, accurate and

reliable. They are of different types based on the

specimen used (saliva, urine, hair, etc.) and the design of

kits (cups or strips). FDA approved kits give accurate

results as they abide by the SAMHSA cut-off levels.

An effectively implemented drug testing program not only

fetches accurate results but also plays a vital role in

eliminating the habit of drug abuse.

Importance of Alcohol Rehabilitation

By Michael King Valentine





Do you know that the last hope

of alcohol addicts lies in

rehabilitation centers? Alcohol

rehabilitation is a recovery

process that helps drug addicts

return to their normal self and

get incorporated into their

families and the society.

The recovery process may at

times be a painful one to both

the patient and the relatives.

This is why you need professional touch experts.



Research has shown that it takes several weeks for full

recuperation from alcohol addiction. This period ranges

between eight weeks to six months. However, the length

of time it takes an individual to get healed depends on

the gravity of addiction. In essence, when someone

indulges in such drugs like as marijuana, cocaine,

morphine, and even heroine, such a person will likely

suffer the consequence.



Addiction is like a disease which inflicts more injury to

the patient and refuses to go except it receives the

desired treatment from alcohol rehabilitation

professionals. For instance, drug causes the addict more

hunger for the substance and at the same time induces

abnormal behavior in the person.

Such behavior may include shop-lifting, arrest and

detention of the culprit. When someone drives under the

influence of alcohol, there is a high chance of fatal

accident with resultant death.



Have you taken time to consider the impact of addiction

on children? The behaviors of children who are trained

by drug-addicted parents are violent and chaotic. Their

lives too are known to be very unproductive, insecure

and unpredictable.



The ultimate alternative is for those who have alcohol

addiction to seek alcohol rehabilitation centers where

proper care will be ensured.

In these rehabilitation centers, there are several

professionals who manage and care for patients. Here,

the mental and other health complications of addiction

are treated.



Several alcohol rehabilitation programs abound. These

programs are capable of restoring the mental normalcy

of the patient. In the rehabilitation centers, there are in-

and out-patient sections. In the out-patient section, the

patient only visits the doctor for attention usually in the

morning and leaves for his home at a later part of the

day. This type of program has been adjudged to be the

best as it allows the patient and his relatives enough time

and opportunity for other activities such as work while

keeping time for his treatment.



On the other hand, the residential alcohol rehabilitation is

basically for patients with serious case. This is a situation

where patients are kept in-house with doctors.

Treatments are given at all times to monitor

improvement. Often, it is advised that people in such

category should seek immediate help.

How To Stop Cigarette For Good

By Nick Terrone



The word 'decide' is a powerful

word. It comes from that group of

words like homicide, pesticide,

suicide. It means to 'kill', to 'kill

off'. When you DECIDE to quit

cigarettes, you're essentially

'killing off', the option of ever

entertaining the idea of having

one ever again.



Let me share with you why this is SUCH an important

concept. What I have found in the years and hundreds of

clients that I've seen up to now, for the ones who do

need to come back for that second session, I always

notice a common theme. When I ask them if they had a

huge overwhelming craving for a cigarette in that

moment that they had one, almost always they'll say

"well, not really, BUT... " and they'll go onto describe

either one of two scenarios.



1) Alcohol was involved. This is very common amongst

the few that need the second session. They'll be out and

about, having a few drinks, socialising and they'll say..

"hmmm... I'm OK, it's been a while, I'm in control, maybe

I can have just one sneaky little puff" and then BOOM!

They are back on them before they know it! What I say to

everyone is that once you have done the session and

feel great, you have to treat it like a recovering alcoholic.

They can't just have a nip, or a little. It's all or none, and

quitting cigarettes is the exact same thing.



As much as some smokers would like to wish there was

some treatment out there that will make a full time

smoker a part time, social smoker, there just isn't. What

you'll find with social smokers is that they have ALWAYS

BEEN SOCIAL SMOKERS! I haven't met a social

smoker yet that used to smoke a pack a day but now

smokes just a few here and here. Once you've jumped

over that side of the fence, you have to make the

decision whether you're ready to quit completely or not.

We all know what alcohol does, it reduces your decision

making ability. So people might be inclined to do

something, like have a cigarette, when they otherwise

wouldn't have.



2) Some emotional moment, often an emotional low.

This is the second most common scenario that brings

about the need for a second session. This is where some

unexpected or lingering moment of an emotional low was

present, and the person said to themselves something

like "bugger this, I'm just going to smoke", or, "to hell with

this, give me a fag".



You see sometimes we experience certain unwanted

situations and emotions where we are feeling so bad,

that we'll do anything at all to bring us to some better

feeling place, like smoke a cigarette. Even though, they

might not have had a craving for a cigarette, they just

wanted to feel something else in that moment and

somehow they thought a cigarette was going to bring

them to that better feeling place.

Getting back to the importance of decision, in both cases

mentioned above, the person didn't have a craving for a

cigarette, but they just DECIDED to have one. They were

basically in a situation where they could have gone

without, but they had one anyway.



The important thing to reiterate here is that no quit

smoking treatment will ever stop you from deciding to

have a cigarette, obviously. There's just too much free

will involved. The basic fundamental aim of ALL quit

smoking treatments is to give you a sense of control, no

matter what situation you're in, to decide not to smoke.



That treatment has really done its job to the degree that

you feel this control. That's all it really comes down to.

This is what hypnosis does in a nut shell. It leaves you

with a sense of control, a sense of empowerment that

makes it easy to decide not to have one, even though

you might be in a situation where having one might seem

totally justified

.

Furthermore, on this topic of decision, I'd like to add one

last point. It amuses me when I hear about or see

articles, scientific journals or studies that are comparing

the 'Long-term effectiveness of this quit treatment over

that treatment over that treatment etc'.

We have already established that smoking is more of a

powerful habit, rather than a drug addiction. Science has

shown that it takes exactly 21 days to break a habit.



Basically, if you have gone for this long without doing a

particular habitual action, you have broken that habit. I

know FOR A FACT, that if anyone has gone for more

than 21 days without smoking a cigarette but they started

up again, it wasn't because they had a craving for a

cigarette, it's because they decided to have one. Have

you gone for more than 21 days? If so, think back to the

situation where you started again? Could you have gone

without in the moment? It makes no difference

whatsoever what method got you to 21 days, what got

you there pretty much 'worked'. Treatments and methods

for quitting don't vary from one to another in terms of

reducing or increasing one's ability to exercise their free

will to pick up a cigarette at all. It's up to the individual's

commitment to decide not to pick one up, not on what

they used to quit. Hypnosis can make that 21 days just

seem so much easier than the rest.



Sometimes I get clients who say, "I tried hypnosis and it

was great, it lasted 6 months", or a year, or two years

etc. I say to them. Hypnosis isn't necessarily 'working' on

you for that amount of time, it basically 'worked' from the

moment you opened your eyes and no longer felt like a

cigarette. You were just committed to your decision NOT

to smoke for 3 months, or a year or 2 years etc. I'm sure

this is making a lot of sense to you.

Types of Drug Detox

By James F Davis



There are 4 primary types of drug

detox available for addicts and

alcoholics to achieve the initial

stages of sobriety. This includes

the cold turkey method,

specialised detox centres,

medical detox facilities and rapid

detox centres. Each type of drug

detox has its own benefits and

pitfalls that people seeking to recover from addiction

should understand before they decide which treatment

option is right for them.



Cold Turkey Drug Detox



This type of detox is also called "natural detox" and

essentially consists of an addict or alcohol undergoing

the stages of acute withdrawal in a private setting with

little or no assistance or care. Unfortunately, the chances

of successfully breaking the initial stages of acute

withdrawal syndrome are small with this method, and

most addicts will return to their drug of choice before they

have reached a critical mass in their recovery efforts.



Despite its propensity for failure, quitting cold turkey isn't

dangerous if the substance in question is fairly benign

such as marijuana or mild opiates addiction. However,

some substance addictions can lead to life-threatening

symptoms of AWS in the event of sudden cessation. The

three most dangerous of these substances are alcohol,

barbiturates and benzodiazepines; all of which can lead

to seizures, respiratory and/or cardiac arrest, coma and

in rare cases, death.



Regardless of the substance of abuse, most experts do

not recommend natural detox as the chances for success

are significantly impaired.



Specialised Drug Detox Centres



Specialized detox centers provide inpatient style

treatment for up to 2 weeks. Patients receive an initial

evaluation which will be used to develop an

individualized treatment plan for the duration of their

stay. Because of the individual nature of these plans,

some detox patients will undergo treatment in just a few

days, while others will require a week or two. In many

cases these types of detox facilities work in conjunction

with longer-term treatment centers that patients can

automatically transfer to once they are past the acute

stages of withdrawal.



Specialized detox centers work because of the therapies

employed - such as individual and group counseling -

and because they effectively isolate the addict or alcohol

from people, places and things that could be triggers for

them to relapse.



Medical Detox



Medical detox is similar to a specialized detox center but

with a distinctly medical component. This can consist of

an on-site nurse or doctor, 24 hour monitoring and other

types of medically-oriented benefits. A medical detox

center can also help addicts to step-down their drug

usage in an effort to maintain medical safety and reduce

or eliminate symptoms of acute withdrawal.

Medical detox is often required by addicts that have

relapsed repeatedly, as subsequent attempts to get

clean result in more severe withdrawal symptoms that

last for a longer period of time. This is referred to as the

Kindling Effect and is a very real phenomenon that can

make it extremely difficult for people to get clean and

stay clean. A medical detox center can address these

issues expertly in a safe, relaxed and non-judgmental

environment.



Rapid Detox



Rapid detox refers to a type of medical-detox procedure

whereby the patient undergoes most of the symptoms of

withdrawal while unconscious. This is accomplished by

placing the patient into a medically-induced coma, then

administering a series of drugs that facilitates and

hastens the process of acute withdrawal. This spares

most patients the worst of the symptoms and allows

them to begin their treatment without the pain and

discomfort of a long period of withdrawal.



Unfortunately, rapid detox is a relatively new practice and

it's not well understood yet how successful it is from a

long-term treatment standpoint. Addicts considering this

method should consult with their primary physician prior

to speaking with a detox specialist.



Going through detox in a specialized or medical facility is

the best option for most addicts and alcoholics; not only

from a safety standpoint, but also because sequestering

an addict away from potential exposure to drugs or drug-

abuse triggers provides the best chance for lasting

recovery.

The Evils of Addiction

By Adam Stevert

In a recent survey it was found that most cocaine addicts

are working with reputed organizations at a fine post.

Statistics also reveal that employees working in MNCs

are more likely to try drugs like cocaine and heroin some

time in their career as compared to students and

professionals working in smaller offices. Most MNCs

have therefore come up with their own drug and alcohol

testing policies as per the OHS system.

Not only does this policy help in identifying drug abusers

in the organization but also helps in keeping the

employees away from drugs. The mere fear of being

caught can cause an employee to steer clear of drugs

like heroin and cocaine. 10 panel drug tests in

workplaces has also helped a lot of people to get rid of

their addiction problem. A workplace drug testing

program helps the employers to understand the

loopholes in the organization as well. The employee is of

course sent to a rehab or a detox center in order to get

proper treatment.

The Evils of Drugs

Excessive intake of drugs or frequent drug abuse can

lead to addiction and once a person is hooked to a

certain drug, he can cause some serious troubles for

himself and the people around him. As far as the official

point of view is concerned, a drug addict is no asset to

the company because of the following reasons:

1. A drug addict is extremely careless with his work and

is less likely to do it right

2. An employee hooked to drugs would have trouble

taking quick decisions

3. A drug addict experiences severe drops in

concentration levels

4. Shift in focus and craving for the drug at work can also

lead to poor efficiency

5. If an employee comes to the office stoned, his

behavior would not be proper to his colleagues and

fellow employees

6. Some one who is addicted to drugs does not go

unnoticed and can end up spoiling the name of the

organization as a whole

7. An addict can cause people around him to fall into the

world of addiction as well

There are a number of health related risks related to drug

abuse as well. A drug like cocaine can destroy almost

every organ in the human body and an overdose can

even lead to death. Psychological problems like nervous

breakdowns and extreme depression are common

among drug addicts.

The worst part about drug addiction is that even when an

addict knows that he is as depressed as he can ever be,

he shows no intents of coming out of his addiction. Drugs

have a firm grip on addicts and therefore treating a drug

addict is a lengthy and tough task.

In MNCs and various other companies, drug and alcohol

testing is a monthly affair. Drug and alcohol testing is

also important in order for the employers to make sure

that they are offering a safe and healthy work

environment to the employees. In most offices a 10 panel

drug test is conducted in order to make sure that the

employees are not on drugs.

There Is Support To Help You Beat That Addiction

By Andrea Avery



No one ever said trying to come clean and overcome your addiction

would be easy. In fact,

it is one of the biggest obstacles

you will face on a daily basis in

order for you to remain sane and

normal. Even though you may

have felt alone while you were

going through the addiction

phase, there is help and support available during your

recovery. That is why you should take advantage of the

services that are offered at a rehabilitation center.

There is so much at stake when you make the decision

to become sober and take back control of your life. Even

though this situation will make you one of the strongest

people in the world, it will also make you the most

vulnerable. You are going to need more than the love

and support of your friends and family to rise to this

challenge. You will need the skill, expertise and

professional services of the staff at a rehabilitation

center.

Keep in mind that the path to overcoming addictions is

not completely the same for all substances that are

abused. In addition to needing counseling, you can also

benefit from group therapy sessions with your peers that

are going through the same thing that you are. It is

important for you to know that you are not alone and no

matter what stage you are at in the process, there is help

and support available.

Don't make the mistake of assuming that you don't need

help or can get through this trying time in your life alone.

No matter how you got into this situation, you will need

some type of assistance getting out of it. Beating an

addiction is not something that once you stop taking the

substance you are cured. It is a continuous and daily

struggle that you will have to fight for the rest of your life.

It is important for you to learn more about what caused

you to resort to abusing. This means that you will need to

get more in tune with yourself. You will need to get help

so you can become healthy mentally and physically.

When it comes to choosing a rehabilitation center, you

have two choices. You can choose to enroll in a day

center or a residential center. If you have allowed your

addiction to make you lose control of your life and you

can barely make it through the day without thinking about

your indulging in your addiction, then you may need to be

under constant supervision. A residential rehabilitation

center may be best for you. If you are currently struggling

with an addiction, but are still able to maintain to work or

handle some of your obligations, a day center may be

what you need. No matter what type of rehabilitation you

choose to got, you will receive the help and support you

need to regain control over your life and fight your

addiction.