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Alcohol Abuse and Use During Pregnancy

Hey, expecting moms! Let’s chat about a topic that’s super important: drinking alcohol during pregnancy.

We get it, it can be really tough to give up your favorite drinks for nine whole months. But trust us, it’s really important to do so.

Here’s the thing: drinking alcohol while you’re pregnant can seriously harm your baby. When you drink alcohol, it passes through the placenta and enters your baby’s bloodstream. This can cause a condition called Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD), which can lead to all sorts of problems. Babies with FASD can have learning disabilities, trouble with vision and hearing, and even problems with the heart and kidneys.

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The dangers of Ativan and alcohol

Lorazepam (Avitan) is an extremely powerful sedative/hypnotic drug.

It is often prescribed to people who suffer from severe anxiety or panic attacks. It is also used to help patients sleep through surgery.

It works by suppressing your central nervous system enough to make you feel relaxed. In other words, it slows down your body’s functions so that you can sleep better. Side effects include dizziness, drowsiness, disorientation, and feeling sleepy. Alcohol affects the same neurotransmitters as Ativan does, including GABA.

This rapid onset of effect is due to Ativan’s short half-life. It’s metabolized by the body quickly and achieves peak blood level within an hour. Therefore, it is one of the fastest acting oral benzodiazepines around and arguably more addictive than other benzodiazepines.
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Xanax and addiction

Alprazolam (Xanax) is a benzodiazepine tranquilizer drug, which is used to treat generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and panic attacks.

This sedative medication helps people suffering from severe anxiety in specific situations, such as public speaking, driving, flying, or any situation where they feel extremely stressed out.

Withdrawal from Xanax can take weeks, months, or longer. Symptoms vary by person and depend on how much was taken, how often, and how long ago. Some people experience no symptoms; others may feel sick, anxious, depressed, irritable, restless, weak, or shaky. Sometimes, people who stop taking Xanax suddenly develop physical reactions such as sweating, shaking, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, insomnia, muscle aches, cramps, headaches, dizziness, confusion, hallucinations, seizures, heart palpitations, high blood pressure, breathing problems, and fainting spells. These reactions are called acute withdrawal symptoms. Longer-term withdrawal symptoms include depression, anxiety, restlessness, fatigue, weight gain, trouble sleeping, memory loss, decreased appetite, and difficulty concentrating.
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Benzos and being cautious

Benzodiazepines can relieve anxiety and sleep disorders. But they are powerful and must be used carefully to avoid addiction.

They may also increase tolerance to opiates and cause dependence. When mixed with alcohol or illicit substances, these medications can be highly dangerous because they slow breathing and reduce alertness. In overdose situations, people often experience seizures, coma, and death.

Benzodiazepines have a high potential for abuse and dependence. They may produce severe physical and psychological dependence if used regularly. Physical signs include muscle stiffness, slurred speech, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, insomnia, and excessive sweating. Psychological signs include irritability, aggression, agitation, panic attacks, paranoia, depression, suicidal thoughts, and psychosis.
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Vivitrol and addiction recovery

For those suffering from substance abuse, the road to recovery may be full of challenges.

However, one treatment option that works is MAT with Vivitrol. With Vivitrol, you get a monthly injection that helps reduce cravings and prevents relapse. You also get support through counseling and group therapy sessions.

Before beginning addiction treatment with Vivitrol, you should undergo medical detoxification to eliminate any alcohol or opiate substances from your body. Because Vivitrol may trigger severe withdrawal symptoms, it’s essential to be drug-free for at least seven to fourteen days prior to beginning therapy.
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The truth about Suboxone for opiate addiction

Suboxone, an oral drug used to treat opioid dependence, contains both buprenorphine (a partial agonist) and naloxone (an antagonist).

Buprenorphine binds to mu receptors, causing euphoria and sedation; however, it does not bind to kappa receptors, which cause hallucinations. Naloxone blocks the effects of opioids, including those caused by buprenorphine. Thus, if someone takes suboxone and then ingests heroin, the heroin will not produce any effect because naloxone will block it. However, if someone who is already high on heroin consumes suboxone, they may experience withdrawal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, muscle aches, fever, chills, sweating, goose bumps, yawning, shivering, malaise, headache, dizziness, drowsiness, lightheadedness, weakness, fatigue, insomnia, restlessness, irritability, anxiety, nervousness, tremor, tachycardia, palpitations, shortness of breath, increased blood pressure, blurred vision, confusion, delirium, seizures, coma, respiratory depression, bradycardia, or even cardiac arrest.
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Does Medication Assisted Treatment work?

Combining MAT with psychotherapy, education and medication, MAT is a proven treatment for people who struggle with substance abuse.

Specifically, MAT is used to treat opioid use disorder. However, it can also help individuals suffering from alcoholism. When someone participates in MAT, certain medications are administered to them so that their brains function normally again. These medications prevent the release of dopamine into the brain, meaning that if someone were to consume substances while under the influence of these drugs, they wouldn’t experience the same feelings of pleasure that they do when consuming substances.
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Gambling Addiction

Gambling addiction is a serious illness that affects millions of people

Sometimes, it can feel hard to evaluate your own behavior (or someone else’s). Here are some questions to ask yourself about your gambling habits.

Signs to watch out for

You are preoccupied by constant thoughts about gambling. If you find yourself constantly thinking about gambling, either about the last time you gambled, when you plan to gamble next, or how you can acquire more money to gamble with; it might be a sign of an unhealthy relationship with the activity. Thinking about it occasionally, or once in awhile, is one thing, but if it begins to cloud your vision and consume your mind, you may have a problem with gambling.
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Substance abuse in men

Substance abuse can affect anyone, regardless of gender.

However, men face unique challenges when it comes to drug and alcohol addiction. Some of these challenges stem from cultural norms or stereotypes about masculinity. Others stem from biological differences between genders. Regardless of why they may be more susceptible to substance abuse, men are just as likely to suffer consequences if they do not seek treatment.
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