No matter what type of dependence you may have – alcohol, cocaine, methamphetamines, or other drugs – knowledge can be a powerful tool to help restore balance to your life. Unfortunately, real understanding can be hard to come by. Glamorized in movies and in music – and demonized in the press and in politics – drugs are often portrayed as if they had a will of their own and could force people to become addicted.
When you understand your dependence for what it is, without blame or excuses, you will see it as a condition for which you deserve treatment. The specific type of dependence that affects you, and the drug or drugs that you have chosen, will seem less important than a basic fact: your brain has become dependent on a substance that is harming your brain, your body, and your life.
Alcohol Dependence
Whether you choose to label yourself as an alcoholic or not, the signs of alcohol dependence can include frequent hangovers, feelings of guilt or defensiveness about drinking, drinking alone or in secret, and continued drinking despite negative impacts on your health, relationships, finances, or livelihood.
Derived from the leaves of the coca plant, cocaine is available as a powder or as crystals ("crack"). Use of cocaine, in any form, can quickly lead to dependence in susceptible individuals. Signs of cocaine dependence can include using more than you had planned, feeling remorseful or guilty after using, and using cocaine despite legal problems or negative impacts to your health, relationships, finances, or livelihood.
Methamphetamines are chemicals similar to adrenaline, a powerful central nervous system stimulant. While often used initially as a party drug or performance enhancer, signs of dependence include using more than you had planned, feeling remorseful or guilty after using, and using methamphetamine despite legal problems or negative impacts to your health, relationships, finances, or livelihood.
* Clinical studies are under way to evaluate the PROMETA® Treatment Program and to confirm reports from physicians using the PROMETA Treatment Program in their practices. Only a physician licensed to treat with the PROMETA Treatment Program can determine if they are appropriate for any individual patient. The medications used in the PROMETA Treatment Program are Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved for uses other than treating dependence on alcohol, cocaine or methamphetamine. Therefore, the risks and benefits of using these medications to treat dependence on these substances have not been evaluated by the FDA.
The information provided herein is for general education purposes only and is not medical advice. Hythiam does not provide treatment or make treatment recommendations. Hythiam does not practice medicine or provide medical care to patients.
