Drug Treatment Programs and Solutions

Drug abuse is one of the leading problems

affecting society today and despite the

campaign against it, there is

still a great deal of individuals

affected by it. Taking a look at drug treatment programs

available, and providing

support for recovery are

therefore some of the big

steps you can take to reverse its effect on your life, or that of an affected loved one.

... ...

Cocaine, Death Squads, and the War on Terror: U.S. Imperialism and Class Struggle in Colombia

 

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2011
Since the late 1990s, the United States has funneled billions of dollars in aid to Colombia, ostensibly to combat the illicit drug trade and State Department-designated terrorist groups. The result has been a spiral of violence that continues to take lives and destabilize Colombian society. This book asks an obvious question: are the official reasons given for the wars on drugs and terror in Colombia plausible, or are there other, deeper factors at work? Scholars Villar and Cottle suggest that the answers lie in a close examination of the cocaine trade, particularly its class dimensions. Their analysis reveals that this trade has fueled extensive economic growth and led to the development of a "narco-state" under the control of a "narco-bourgeoisie" which is not interested in eradicating cocaine but in gaining a monopoly over its production. The principal target of this effort is the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), who challenge that monopoly as well as the very existence of the Colombian state. Meanwhile, U.S. business interests likewise gain from the cocaine trade and seek to maintain a dominant, imperialist relationship with their most important client state in Latin America. Suffering the brutal consequences, as always, are the peasants and workers of Colombia. This revelatory book punctures the official propaganda and shows the class war underpinning the politics of the Colombian cocaine trade.


Cocaine, Death Squads, and the War on Terror: U.S. Imperialism and Class Struggle in Colombia (Paperback) I just had the pleasure of reading an important new book entitled, Cocaine, Death Squads and the War on Terror (U.S. Imperialism and Class Struggle in Colombia). This book, which was ten years in the making, is written by Oliver Villar & Drew Cottle and published by Monthly Review. The premise of the book is that, despite the U.S. claims that it is engaged in a war against drugs in Colombia, it is in fact engaged in an anti-insurgency war against the left-wing FARC guerillas - a war which does not seek to eradicate coca growing and cocaine production in Colombia at all. Rather, the U.S. war effort (which has cost U.S. taxpayers over $7 billion since 2000) is designed to ensure that the allies of the U.S. in Colombia -- that is, the Colombian state, paramilitaries and wealthy elite who are favorable to U.S. business interests and to the U.S.'s desire for exploitation of Colombia's vast resources -- are themselves able to monopolize the drug trade so critical to their survival.

And, the cost to human life as the result of this U.S. policy is staggering. The book, citing Colombian investigative journalist Azalea Robles, claims that 250,000 Colombian civilians have been "disappeared" in the last two decades in Colombia, dwarfing the "disappearances" carried out (also with U.S. support by the way) by the fascist juntas of Argentina, Chile and Uruguay in the 1970's. According to Robles, these numbers have been "systematically reduced" (that is, hidden) by mass graves, like the one discovered in Meta in 2009, and even crematory ovens. The murder and "disappearance" of such vast numbers of people is part and parcel of the U.S.'s policy -- used most famously by the U.S. in Vietnam, El Salvador and Guatemala - to "drain the sea [the civilian population] to kill the fish [the insurgents]" which represent a continued impediment to the U.S.'s designs of super-exploitation of Colombia's vast natural resources. And, the U.S. view is that, if this policy also forces us to collaborate and even protect forces which are deeply involved in the drug trade, then that is acceptable as well.

Meanwhile, the U.S. continues to carry out such a duplicitous policy in the interest of a "war on drugs and a war on terror." As the book properly concludes, this war is, in fact, "a war for drugs and of terror."

Fundamental Principles and Practice of Anaesthesia

Fundamental Principles and Practice of Anaesthesia

 

The four sections of this book correspond closely with the four-year training program set out by the American Board of Anesthesiology for candidates studying for the Diploma in Anesthesiology and with the new FRCA primary examination. The first three sections provide an integrated core text, exploring material that every trainee needs to know and understand, while the fourth section is a multi-author review of more specialized topics. Experts from around the world contribute their knowledge, and so the reader gains the best of current opinion and practice. High-quality illustrations provide concise information on key topics. Students of anesthesiology will find this text indispensable.

Drug Treatment Medications

Drug Treatment Medications
The use of medications as part of your drug abuse treatment is often used as complementary medicine. The aim behind intake medication is to help the patient cope with withdrawal symptoms and other entailing conditions expected to arise during treatment process. Some of the medications prescribed by medical professionals are intended for specific types of substance abuse. You can currently find medications that will treat drug abuse for the following substances: alcohol, cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana, heroin, nicotine, and morphine. When the properties from these medications enter your body, it restores normal brain function while preventing relapse and eliminating cravings for these addictive substances.

What Causes Male Impotence And What You Can Do About It?

Men of all races face the curse of impotence, more so in today's context than ever before. Male impotence is tied deeply with our self-esteem and psychological well being. This makes it a key part of the overall good functioning of men.
Most men are forced to face a challenge of their fitness as males at least once in their lives. It is very hard for men suffering from erectile dysfunctions(or ED) to admit their problems and seek professional help. An estimated 150 million men worldwide suffer from this problem called impotence but what's worse is less than 10% of these men seek treatment.
But what causes impotence in men?

The three major causes of male impotence are :
1. physical
2. psychological
3. lifestyle
The physical causes of impotence in men are often related to damages to nerve impulses in the brain, spine and penis, among other things. Diseases like diabetes and kidney failure can also cause male impotence although they are by no means exhaustive. Consult your doctor if you think your problem is physical related.
The psychological factors affecting male impotence often include financial worries, work pressures, fear of aging, or relationship problems. You can usually treat these with proper counselling and guidance.
While the physical and psychological factors are responsible for most cases of impotence, few people know that ED can be caused or worsened by certain lifestyle choices as well. In this respect, it is important to know that there are instances when making certain positive changes in lifestyles can help a man overcome impotence.
The biggest lifestyle-related causes of impotence are :

1. smoking
2. excessive consumption of alcohol
3. drug abuse (especially cocaine, heroine, marijuana and steroids)
4. extreme obesity and a sedentary lifestyle

It is no coincidence that a decrease in the consumption of alcohol, cigarettes and drugs can improve your sexual performances. In addition, regular exercising and diets are another great way of improving the sex life of overweight men. This will also boost their confidence by stimulating the production of testosterone.
What can you do to treat your impotence problem or improve your sexual prowess?
Besides avoiding the above lifestyle hazards, you can also take herbal supplements to treat your ED problems. These herbal solutions are different from prescription drugs in that they are more of a long term solution rather than a quick fix one.
While ED drugs like Viagra give you instant results, they do come with a hefty price tag and serious negative side effects. And they are just short term, temporary solutions.
On the other hand, herbal pills help nourish your sexual system, raises your testosterone levels and improve blood flow to your penis tissues for a more sustainable long term effect. Just don't expect the instant results you get from prescription ED drugs.

Drug Treatment Programs and Solutions

Drug abuse is one of the leading problems affecting society today and despite the campaign against it, there is still a great deal of individuals affected by it. Taking a look at drug treatment programs available, and providing support for recovery are therefore some of the big steps you can take to reverse its effect on your life, or that of an affected loved one.

Principles Behind Drug Abuse Treatment
When health experts treat drug addicts, they understand that this condition does not just affect them physically. It targets their brain such that the patient's behavioral patterns and function are altered. Thus, the sooner one is able to find treatment, the earlier you can stop any brain structure damage that might take place with persistent use of abusive drugs. Upon embarking on a drug treatment, patients and family members must realize that a single treatment approach is often not enough. You need to match treatments and enroll them into drug intervention programs that will regain one's productive function in the society, workplace, or home. In some cases, the drug abuse problem is not the only thing being treated with patients. They have multiple needs that has to be addressed as well, thus a holistic approach treatment might be necessary. Another crucial factor aside from choosing the right type of treatment is time. Learning about how all of these factors affect the patient is important in the success of the drug abuse treatment procedure.

Drug Rehab
Drug addiction is no joke. Thus, patients are often required to enter into drug rehab for full monitoring and assessment of the patient's response to the treatment being given. This is an important first step to also avoid the possibility of going back to using these addictive substances. During rehab, the patient undergoes extensive therapy wherein the patient can make good use of the therapist's expertise in finding resourceful information to help in their treatment. In addition, peer support is provided as part of the drug rehabilitation such that you can share experiences with others who have gone through the struggles of drug addiction as you have. Throughout your entire stay at the rehabilitation center, medical professionals will be closely monitoring your progress and to safely assess how you are coping with the treatment given.

Drug Detox
Drug detox refers to that initial stage of drug addiction treatment wherein your body is internally cleansed any drug residues. This would normally cover between 3 to 14 days but it greatly varies with the type of drug used and how one's body reacts to the presence of these substances. Thus, it varies whether the drug detox is done in a hospital setting wherein one can have medical supervision or right at your own home.
Behavioral Treatments
Behavioral treatment approach for drug abuse patients are far more structured. The aim with this type of treatment is to alter or modify behavior patterns in patients and restore normal function, which is done on either outpatient or inpatient basis. The most basic of this type of treatment is the Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy. The objective of this therapy is to help the patient recognize situations that will invoke them to return to their abusive behavioral patterns. Next is the Multidimensional Family Therapy, which enters not only the patient, but also their families into the therapy treatment for a more efficient treatment approach. Motivational Interviewing is also done to encourage patients who are willing to fully let go of their drug addiction problems.

Drug Treatment Medications
The use of medications as part of your drug abuse treatment is often used as complementary medicine. The aim behind intake medication is to help the patient cope with withdrawal symptoms and other entailing conditions expected to arise during treatment process. Some of the medications prescribed by medical professionals are intended for specific types of substance abuse. You can currently find medications that will treat drug abuse for the following substances: alcohol, cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana, heroin, nicotine, and morphine. When the properties from these medications enter your body, it restores normal brain function while preventing relapse and eliminating cravings for these addictive substances.

Cocaine Rehab-Making a Humanitarian Statement

Cocaine rehab has become a humanitarian statement according to Shared Responsibility. Shared Responsibility is a Colombia-led initiative for illicit-drug producing and consuming countries to work on shared solutions to the threat that cocaine production, trafficking and abuse poses to the world. By informing the public about the social and environmental effects of cocaine, it may give impetus to those who want to quit cocaine and to those who are thinking of trying it. While the majority of cocaine is shipped to the US, the European market is expanding. That is why Shared Responsibility has brought its message to Europe.
Cocaine rehab treatment services unfortunately, are poorly developed across Europe. While in the US where cocaine rehab treatment is easily available, the number of admissions to treatment has gone down. In 1994 treatment admissions for cocaine addiction was 297,408 when the population was 262 million, and in 2004, treatment admissions went down to 256,387 and the population expanded to 293 million. Between October 1, 2004 and September 30, 2005, the US Federal Government sentenced 10,838 for cocaine-related charges of which 97% involved trafficking.
Enhanced treatment programs and curbing cocaine trafficking are really helping. However, we can hope that informing the public about the people that are hurt throughout the process of cocaine production, trafficking and abuse and the consequences of the environmental devastation will also bring down cocaine use, especially now that information is more readily available with today's technology.
What kind of information would be able to dissuade someone from using cocaine? As we have heard in the past, the very personal complications are usually the first ones thrown at us. We usually hear about the people who use cocaine will talk a lot, become restless, have irritability, their heart rate and blood pressure increase, and they have delusions and antisocial behavior. They become nervous, fearful, and paranoid. Their central nervous system becomes depressed, and they experience nausea, fatigue, depression and insomnia. To some people this would be enough information to stay away. Another aspect would be the financial future of such an under taking. The problem with this is that people really don't think that they would throw their money away that should be spent on normal things until it's pointed out to them and by that time it's to late. Hey, what is $50 a day, or $100 a day, or $500 for the weekend. Six months later, they cannot even tally up what was spent. Chilling. The other part of the financial discussion that is never broached due to etiquette has to do with all of the cocaine/crack users and dealers that end up resorting to crime. Some of the common ones are assault and robbery, theft, home invasions, auto theft, domestic violence and prostitution. Now if you would have told any of these addicts prior to them ever getting high that if they ever tried cocaine even once, they would end up stealing, threatening or even hurting and killing somebody. Well they would have looked at you and said, "Are you mad! I would never ever do any thing criminal to someone else. That's just sick!" Ah, life before cocaine, it made sense.
Maybe you just have to catch the right person, with the right piece of info, at just the right time. If someone is repulsed by war for any reason then you could inform him or her that for each dollar of cocaine sold in the streets of the world, 10 to 15 cents end up in the hands of Columbia's armed groups to continue financing the war. Moreover, in the last 4 years 3,400 assassinations occurred in Columbia by terrorist groups financed by drug trafficking. If you know someone that is, environmentally concerned for the future of our planet you could say that in order to produce 2.2 pounds of cocaine you need to use 440 pounds of environmentally harmful chemicals. In addition, in the last three years 429,954 acres of forest have been burned and logged in order to grow coca. When your friend, who cares so much about the rights of children, thinks about going to try something new to unwind, you can explain how seven thousand children have been recruited by force by groups financed by trafficking. Moreover, that in Columbia accidents by land mines are taking place at a rate of four a day and that 65% of them are children, of course, the reason for the landmines is to protect the coca plants and the armed groups.
For those that need to have it served up large you can tell them that in Columbia, due to the criminal activity of the cocaine trade, two million people have been forced to leave their homes, these rural poor have fled to urban areas where the murder count in 2003 was 30,000. In addition, several Indian tribes are now close to extinction.