Needing More And More? Is Your Body Developing A Tolerance To Drugs, Alcohol Or Medications?

A tolerance to a substance occurs when the body gets used to a substance (drugs, alcohol or medication) so that more of the same substance is needed to give the desired effect that was once received initially from smaller amounts.

There are several mechanisms behind tolerance, including changes in the metabolism of a drug, cellular changes or behavioural/psychological effects. Tolerance is not always negative, and people may develop a tolerance to the side effects of a drug over time as well.

We look at these issues and many others in this article. This is one not to miss if you think that you or someone else you know may have developed a tolerance to medications or substances.

What Children Learn When They Grow Up With Drug Or Alcohol Addicts As Parents

Studies tell us that the children of alcohol addicts and drug users are eight times more likely to become addicts than the children of clean and sober parents.

So why do the sons and daughters of addicts experience a significantly higher likelihood of developing their own addiction later on in life?

One could argue that close proximity to substance use throughout the child’s childhood gives them the idea that experimenting with using or drinking, relying upon substances to manage stress or negative feelings or using/drinking to satisfy a physical and mental dependency is “okay” or “normal”.

We discuss this issue in more detail, along with ways to help manage and overcome this issue. This article is part of our mini-series, looking at the effects substance use and addiction play in educating our children to reduce the amount of people who develop addictions and avoid recreationally using drugs and binge drinking later on in life.

Don’t Go Chasing Waterfalls – Seeing Your Addiction And Recovery Journey From A Different Perspective

Using rivers and waterfalls as analogies for addiction and recovery have a lot more in common than you may realise at first, especially helping us to see those “Aha” moments.

The “aha’s” come when we realise that we don’t tend to blame people for drowning or for just treading water. We understand that sometimes people jump in over their heads, get caught in the current or get swept away by forces stronger than themselves.

If we find ourselves in this swiftly moving river, we recognise that we need more than human willpower to get back out. Much more. This is where we can find some compassion, which can be a life raft we offer to ourselves and others who are in recovery.

Addiction is a chronic relapsing brain disease and its rapids are fast and deep. Some of us dive in and never make it back to the surface. Others fight the current for many years. Most of us need help to make our way to shore and keep from falling in again. It takes a lot of practice to become a strong swimmer.

You can find helpful exercises and information to benefit you, no matter whether you’re still actively using or drinking, in recovery already or wish to help a friend or loved one who’s afflicted by an addiction.

7 Things People in Active Addiction Or Recovery Wish You Knew

For many people, a substance addiction aka substance use disorder (SUD) or alcohol use disorder (AUD) was like a living organism that started with the seeds of addiction being planted in our minds. They then slowly grow and grow, constantly stretching its tentacles out of our minds and across our bodies whilst constantly taking a stronger and tighter grip on our body, mind and soul until it reaches the point at which we are completely encased in a thick, black unbreakable case, stronger than platinum or bullet proof glass.

In this article we look at some of the most common misconceptions, lies and myths when it comes to the general public or those who have little to no experience with addictions.
Information gets passed down from parents to children, hence why all of this information is still swimming around out there.

But if we share what we learn with others, challenge wrong information and correct it where you can, the lives of addicts will be much better off. Not only for accessing treatment and therapies, but just to simply tell families and loved ones that they have an addiction without fear of being judged, shamed or even exiled from their families, job and friends just to list a few!…