Monthly Archives: October 2018

Drug Addiction, Holistic Health, Mental Health, Women's Health

Drug Cravings and Opioid Withdrawal

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Opioid withdrawal and dealing with drug cravings can be extremely difficult for anyone. No matter how tough or determined a person who is addiction to painkillers is, the intense withdrawal symptoms that they experience can seriously demotivate their efforts to get sober. Opioids are designed as a class of drugs working in the brain to relieve pain or discomfort. They are often found in popular prescription medications like painkillers or even heroin. Opioids function by blocking certain receptors between the brain and the rest of the body so a patient doesn’t have to feel intense feelings of pain.

In addition to blocking certain receptors in the brain, opioids also are commonly known to make some people feel relaxed or very happy in a “high” that becomes addictive. It’s incredibly important for a person prescribed to opioids or currently taking other forms of the drug to understand the physical risks from its side effects and how to get over acute withdrawal.

With the current opioid overdose epidemic taking the United States by storm, make sure that you don’t fall victim to the clutch of its effect. Let’s break down how opioid and heroin withdrawal occurs along with what you can do to protect yourself in the long run.

Drug interventions can prevent further damage to an addict's life.
Drug cravings can be hard to deal with without support.

What Are Withdrawal Symptoms? 

Some of the most popular prescribed opioids are oxycodone, morphine, fentanyl, tramadol, and methadone. These might sound familiar if you’ve ever taken a trip to the doctor for an injury or were recovering from a surgery. These opioids allshare the main symptomsof passing euphoria, chronic drowsiness or lethargy, and easily build tolerance in one’s body to high doses.

Once a person wants to takes a break from using the drug for a few days to even a couple hours, they can easily experience other withdrawal symptoms that are unwanted. These include uneasy feelings like dry mouth, dizziness, trouble breathing, abnormal weight loss, headaches, random shaking or sweating, and even hallucinations in some people.

With those effects in mind, it becomes easier to understand why some people don’t want to fight the physical and mental struggle of becoming sober. In some circumstances with people who avidly use the drug, psychological symptoms that include drug cravings can go on for much longer than a week and go past the traditional opioid withdrawal timelinefor the drug. Someone who takes notice of its persistence should seek medically supervised detox services as soon as possible so they can work on their variety of symptoms.

Treating Opioid Withdrawal

While there is no magic fix for someone going through opioid withdrawal symptoms, there are three main components to successfully maintain a sober mind and body. If you’re currently suffering from acute opioid withdrawal and don’t know what to do first, pay attention.

With the help of a detox facility, a person can learn much more about their health and organize a battle plan for getting over symptoms that may arise in the future. The first pillar of reaching sustainable health is receiving thorough education about an opioid addiction. It is important that every patient understands that it is okay to not feeling completely healthy and recovered during the beginning of a sobriety process. Good things take time, and when it comes to safely easing your body off a powerful drug you need as much patience as possible. This is especially crucial for opioid addiction because quitting cold-turkey could be lethal. Learning about all the symptoms of protracted withdrawal can also help you create your own realistic views of the healing process overall. Once you can identify what the common symptoms in your body are, you will be more confident to know what to watch out for and manage with appropriate support.

The second pillar to successful detox from opioid withdrawal includes receiving enough encouragement throughout the entire process. If you are hooked on to having a dose nearly every day and are suddenly tapering your use, you might be experiencing difficult memory and concentration difficulties. However, with enough support from mental health professionals you can learn how to deal with feelings of demotivation when uncomfortable symptoms or a risk of relapse arise. No matter how different our bodies are, we all can benefit from consistent encouragement from professionals and our loved ones. Knowing you have a team to back you up and keep you accountable is key to stay on track.

The third pillar is ensuring the body gets enough rest to recover from withdrawal effects. Many detox professionals can help you identify whether your current sleep issues are due to acute withdrawal or are a result of other causes in your life. Throughout the process you can also gain education about the benefits of keeping great sleeping habits, setting up an environment for consistent sleep, and tapering the use of substances like caffeine that may interfere with sound rest. Believe it or not, our body works hard to repair our cells and repair muscles while we sleep every night. Make sure you get enough quality shut eye to feel your best the next day!

It’s Never Too Late

Even if starting the process of opioid detox sounds too frustrating and drawn out, think of the long term benefits your body, mind, and spirit will gain. Would you rather stay reliant on using an opioid for years or spend a few months with some discomfort to come out stronger, more confident, and more independent than before?

No matter how subtle or intense your symptoms are, it’s always a good idea to swallow your pride and see a detox specialist in your local area who can hear out your experiences. After gaining more knowledge about your drug use history and lifestyle, they can form a pinpointed plan to get your body on the right track to sobriety. Don’t be afraid to reach out!

 

 

Car Cleaning

Car Cleaning Hacks

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After spending thousands of dollars on the car of your dreams, it’s safe to say that keeping it clean and perfect is highly important so it lasts as long as possible. While some people swear by taking their prized vehicle to a local car wash service, the cost can quickly add up.

There are also more aspects to keeping the value of your car up besides maintaining the exterior look of it. No matter what model you have, always follow your car’s maintenance schedule and never ignore an issue so your car is always up to speed with its best performance.

Preventive maintenance is the best thing an owner can do since you’ll save money on costly repairs in the long run. Even if you don’t want to spend extra now, preparing it for harsh weather and road conditions is the best thing to do. Let’s walk through the best car maintenance tips to keep the professional detailing of your ride safe and sound.

Knowing car cleaning hacks is critical!
Knowing car cleaning hacks is critical!

Car Maintenance Tips

Here are my top tips for taking care of your car, no matter what model! Some of these fixes can be easily done by yourself if you watch a YouTube video online or look up do it yourself articles.

  1. Check out your air filter. Many long term car problems can be prevented if your faulty air filters are fixed in advance. You should be getting your filters changed at least every year or after about 12000 miles driven on the road. Whichever comes first! If you choose to ignore your filter, your air conditioner, heating, and overall air quality won’t be up to par. What’s good to know is that filters are extremely easy to fix too since it takes a professional mechanic as little as ten minutes from start to finish. However, you can also do it yourself and save some money by following a comprehensive guide for free online!
  2. Keep up with the pressure. Make sure your tire pressure and fluids are working well, even if you don’t think the car has a huge problem. This is so important as tires are the main components of your car and are constantly being worn down every time you take it out to drive.  It takes as little as ten minutes to check your tires as you only need to cool your car down, open up the engine, and detach the oil dipstick. Clean it as best as you can and fasten it back. If you notice a lot of oil stuck to it, you’ll know it’s time to change the engine oil as well.  For your tires, you can check the pressure by using an appropriate gauge on all wheels. If you can, try to do this at least one to two times a month so your tires are in top shape!
  3. Make sure you have battery. This can be overlooked but your life will depend on it! We all faced the dire situation where we are left stranded in a parking lot or worse, a crowded highway with no battery left in our car. To prevent this from happening again, never ignore your low battery sign and always get it checked at the mechanic.  They can look for any signs of leakage or crusty mineral build up in it which will affect its performance. It’s much better to be safe than sorry.
  4. Make sure your tires are rotated! This is the easiest thing to do in terms of taking care of your car well. Making sure they are placed correctly will not only make them last longer but keep your ride as smooth as possible. You only need to rotate your tires every once in a while and most shops will provide this service for free if you visited them before. This allows the wear and tire on each tire to be more equal and will give you peace of mind.
  5. Make sure your windshield is clean. This seems like a no brainer, but you’d be surprised how many people choose to ignore this step and live with dirty windows throughout each drive. The dirty windshield can prove to be a lot of hassle if they are not cleaned enough each month and can cause terrible accidents if the timing is right. It is very important for you as a driver to get the clearest view of the road while you’re going out and about. Over time, windshields that aren’t cleaned can decrease in quality if enough dirt and grime starts accumulating. There’s a very easy way to clean the windshields and exteriorof your car without having to go to the car wash. If the weather in the area you drive in the most is rainy or foggy, check your wipers and get them replaced if you need to as well. Never use wipers that aren’t in top condition since it can scratch the glass and harm your view overall.
  6. Take care of your brakes. This is probably the only prevention device you have when you’re driving if someone or something comes in your way. There is a very easy way to check your brake fluidyourself and doing so will help you ensure that your car’s system is working properly. If the color of your brakes looks a little darker than usual, you might want to take it to the shop so it’s replaced.  Displaying a dark black color indicates that the fluid in your brakes is filled with rubber and need attention as soon as possible. Aim to replace your brakes every two years so you know you’re safe at all times.

Car Maintenance Is A Habit

I hope these tips gave you more insight into how to take care of your car. You want your vehicle to run a long lasting and quality life while you have it, so make sure everything works properly! You’ll save lots of headache and costly repairs in the future by being more mindful about its features.