Effects of Drugs & Alcohol

FEELINGS

* We are human beings and we are alive to the extent we are capable of experiencing
variety of feelings.
* All feelings are natural and neutral.
* There is nothing good or bad about them.
* They can be pleasant or unpleasant.

Self Awareness and Human development

Self Awareness is a very vital life awareness skill. It is intended to give participants am opportunity to explore and discover more of who and what they are. Exploring ones personality or character with the view to understanding one's strength and weakness.

MEANING OF SELF AWARENESS.
- Knowledge and understanding of oneself. (Strengths and weakness).
- Insight into one's character and personality traits.
- Examination of how one's character affects others.

Knowledge about what is going on around your space ( , , , , and ) can help you navigate your way around issues that affect the way you think, believe and behave.
- If we are aware of pain, then we want to do something because it's physical and emotional.
- helps us to be drivers of our lives, rather than a passenger.
- If we are aware of how we feel, we can deal with these feelings rather than suppress them and then let those feelings unknown to us, drive us to some actions which are either not acceptable to us or others.

Signs and Symptoms of AIDS - The World Health Organisation has produced a clinical AIDS defintion for Africa. In adults it is defined by the existence of two major signs and one minor sign in the absense of other known causes of immune suppression.

Major Symptoms

- loss of 10% of body weight with a short period.
- chronic diarrhea persisting for more than a month.
- chronic fever persisting for more than a month.

Minor Signs

- Persistent cough for more than a month.
- generalized itchy lesion (dermatitis).
- Recurrent herpes zoster (shingles) commonly known as "mulilo wa nyambe", "vipyazimu" or "umulilo wakwa lesa".
- oral candidiasis (thrush)
-Generalized lymphadenopthy.

ANTIRETROVIRAL DRUGS (ARVS)

These are drugs that are used to treat AIDS symptoms. When properly used, they improve the quality of an HIV infected person's life thereby enabling the person to become healthy and productive. Antiretroviral drugs should be taken for life following the clinicians instructions. They have side effects but these do not last for a very long time and easily be dealt with if one follows instructions on how to deal with them.

HOW DO ARVS WORK?

1. Reduce viral load; (stop HIV from invading immune cells, slow down the viral replication in the infected immune cells).
2. They improve the immune functioning.
3. They reduce the occurrences of opportunistic infections.
4. They increase vitality.
5. They improve the general health status of an individual.

Gifts-In-Kind brings relief to people living with disabilities in Nyimba District Being a husband and father is a big responsibility for any man, but it becomes added responsibility and more like a burden if he has to take care of his physically challenged wife and son. This is the case for 53-year-old Davison Phiri of Edward Village of Nyimba in Zambia’s Eastern Province.

HIS WIFE DIED IN LABOUR TOGETHER WITH HIS BABY UPON DELIVERY, AFTER 5 YEARS OF A CHILDLESS MARRIAGE. THIS WAS THE BEGINNING OF MISERY, ALCOHOL AND DRUG ABUSE.

Before I got to know more about the Great North Road Rehab Centre, I was pushed away by its name, I thought it was a place of high profiled people like the name sounds ” GREAT” but it’s actually about the life-changing work they do and so far they are the best and most affordable Rehabilitation Centre in Zambia.

It was so painful on my part watching my young brother die slowly because of drugs and alcohol. I wasted a lot of time talking to him about the dangers of drugs and alcohol and how they destroyed his body. I invited elders of my family, his friends and also church members to talk to him, but all our efforts proved futile. I took him to the hospital and other health mental facilities to seek medical attention, but he was still going back to his behaviour. Yes, all my effort were in vain.

I don’t blame him for anything (May his soul rest in peace). I learnt it was hard for him to accept the occurrence. He started abusing drugs and alcohol after his wife died during labour together with his beautiful baby. It was heartbreaking, after staying for 5 years in marriage without a child and all he got was unbelievable heart wrecking news. He became so weak, and all his strength was taken to drugs and alcohol.

Six months after the death of his wife and a baby. I could not recognize my brother anymore, it worried me. I saw him wasting his precious life to nothing. I was not ready for his death, especially when he was diagnosed with lung failure, his kidneys were completely worn out and his liver was inflamed, worse still he became a real junk, at the same time, we were mourning our parents who died in a car accident two months before the death of his wife and a baby. Their absence was still hurting and his drinking habit was getting worse. He kept hallucinating over his wife and the baby and this began to affect his mental health. Abusing drugs using injections became a daily habit.

The day I took a step to go to the Rehab Center and inquire about what they were all about, I was shocked that it was the easiest thing ever to do, till this day I blamed myself for not knowing about the Centre when my brother was still alive.

This is my appeal to those who have family members, friends or neighbors who abuse drugs and alcohol. Take a step of faith now and help save a life that you will regret losing because of delaying to take a responsible step and that step is coming to seek help at the Great North Road Rehab Centre. To this day, I am still regretting the death of my only brother. R.I.P Joseph.
CALL US: 0970129411 / 0968503538

Picture used for illustration purposes only!

Stimulant drugs:

can be -

1. ***ne.
2. ****ne.
3. .
4. .
5. **A.
6. .
7. .

Also check for;

( , )

Depressant drugs:

can be -

1. .
2. .
3. (low doses).
4. .
5. .
6. .

Also check for;
( , )

Effects of drug and alcohol;

The following effects may occur when (substance abuse) is dis-continued.

1. .
2. and attention deficits.
3. .
4. problems.
5. .
6. .
7. .

What is Addiction?

Addiction is a brian disease that is chronic and relapsing in nature. After repeated "deciding" to use is no longer voluntary because dependancy sets in.

Principles of Effective Treatment for Addiction.

1. No single treatment is appropriate for all.
2. Treatment needs to be readily available.
3. Remaining in treatment for an adequate period of time is critical for treatment effectiveness.
4. Counselling and behavioral therapy is critical.
5. Detoxification is only the first stage of addiction treatment nd by itself does little in changing long term drug use.
6. Treatment does not need to be voluntary to be effective.
7. Monitor infectious diseases nd HIV/AIDS.
8. Medication is always important element in treatment.
9. Recovering from addiction is a long term process nd requires multiple episodes of treatment.
10. Effective treatment attends to multiple needs not just drug use problems.

Alcohol or drug abuse has been documented to be one of the leading causes of social, emotional, economic and physical maladies in humans.

Abuse of alcohol nd hard drugs has also been cited as precursor to relationship problems including . Substance abuse has been known to reduce a man's s*xual potency leading to including the birth of low weight babies.

Dear frriends be alert to how your mind is set. until it is aligned to a positive goal, relapse is inevitable.

What is wisdom if the fate of the foolish is mate by the wise?

- A fool dies nd so does the wise.
- A fool goes hungry n thirsty nd so does the wise.

Wat then is if the wise are mate with the same as the foolish?

Alcohol nd drugs may make u think u r wise but the effects will be the same.

dont think u r wise be responsible

:

The following symptoms may occur when drug/alcohol use is reduced or discontinued;

-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-

:

Tolerance is a state in which a person no longer respond to a drug as they did before, and a higher dosage is required to achieve the same effect.

:

Its a strong desire or urge to use drugs. Cravings are most apparent during

Long term :

1. Relationship problems.
2. Financial difficulties.
3. Sexual difficuties.
4. Unemployment.
5. Mental health n behavior problem.
6. aging.
7.

:

1. Uncontrollable desire to take morning stabilizer.
2. Failure to recngnise the problem.
3. Ignoring the problem (denial).
4. Preoccupation with finding drugs.
5. Deviating money from intended use to purchase drugs.
6. Ignoring advice from concerned friends nd families.
7. Aggresive reaction to advise.
8. Incurring unexplained debts.
9. Employment problems.
10. Relationship problems.
11. Marriage/family problems.
12. Tremors of hands.
13. Personal neglect.
14. Absentism from work.
15. Selling off personal effects

I hear u not because i waited for you to be an addict so i can study you and counsel you.

But because i too is a former addict to the said vices nd the challenge is just getting tougher. But thats the reality of this journey to soberiety.

Prevention Challenges
A number of behavioral, structural, and environmental factors make it difficult to control the spread of HIV among people who use or misuse substances:

Complex health and social needs. People who are alcohol dependent or use drugs often have other complex health and social needs. Research shows that people who use substances are more likely to be homeless, face unemployment, live in poverty, and experience multiple forms of violence, creating challenges for HIV prevention efforts.
Stigma and discrimination associated with substance use. Often, illicit drug use is viewed as a criminal activity rather than a medical issue that requires counseling and rehabilitation. Fear of arrest, stigma, feelings of guilt, and low self-esteem may prevent people who use illicit drugs from seeking treatment services, which places them at greater risk for HIV.
Lack of access to the health care system. Since HIV testing often involves questioning about substance use histories, those who use substances may feel uncomfortable getting tested. As a result, it may be harder to reach people who use substances with HIV prevention services.
Poor adherence to HIV treatment. People living with HIV who use substances are less likely to take antiretroviral therapy (ART) as prescribed due to side effects from drug interaction. Not taking ART as prescribed can worsen the effects of HIV and increase the likelihood of spreading HIV to s*x and drug-sharing partners.

Commonly Used Substances and HIV Risk
Alcohol. Excessive alcohol consumption, notably binge drinking, can be an important risk factor for HIV because it is linked to risky s*xual behaviors and, among people living with HIV, can hurt treatment outcomes.
Opioids. Opioids, a class of drugs that reduce pain, include both prescription drugs and he**in. They are associated with HIV risk behaviors such as needle sharing when infected and risky s*x, and have been linked to a recent HIV outbreak.
Methamphetamine. “Meth” is linked to risky s*xual behavior that places people at greater HIV risk. It can be injected, which also increases HIV risk if people share needles and other injection equipment.
Crack co***ne. Crack co***ne is a stimulant that can create a cycle in which people quickly exhaust their resources and turn to other ways to get the drug, including trading s*x for drugs or money, which increases HIV risk.
Inhalants. Use of amyl nitrite (“poppers”) has long been linked to risky s*xual behaviors, illegal drug use, and s*xually transmitted diseases among gay and bis*xual men.