Cannabis and psychosis
Cannabis or marijuana use becomes addiction when the person cannot stop using the drug even though it interferes with many aspects of his or her life. Cannabis is abused in various forms; bhang, charas, hashish and is usually smoked or inhaled in cigarette/ cigar/ hookah or joint and may also be ingested in food and drinks. Acute effect of cannabis, if smoked is euphoric (called high) and leads to panic anxiety. Persons who use cannabis frequently report irritability, mood and sleep difficulties, decreased appetite, cravings, restlessness, and/or various forms of physical discomfort. Its high doses result effects like unawareness of surrounding and disorientation, altered body image, auditory or visual illusions, pseudo hallucinations, and ataxia, and neglect of self and nutrition. So, it is misleading and dangerous, to our youth in particular, to consider Cannabis as “soft” drug. In fact, there are serious adverse effects of Cannabis – dependence, adolescent developmental problems, permanent cognitive impairment, dissociative states such as perceiving body arts and environment as different and psychosis in some patients. Patients are left with the well-recognised symptoms of memory loss, apathy, loss of motivation and, paranoid ideation. The patients shows lack of interest in everything and lethargic pattern without and purposeful activity which together is known as “the Amotivational Syndrome” which becomes more or less a permanent feature. Chronic cannabis abuse can lead to the major mental illness or lead to danger of enhancing symptoms or recurrence of a pre-existing illness.
Tobacco epidemic:
A major health challenge in India, the prevalence of smoking among men is 19.0%, while among women the figure is 2.0% and second-hand smoking is gradually becoming a major cause of concern in India. Tobacco killed more than 1 million people in 2018 in India (WHO) as compared to estimated about 930,000 adult deaths in 2010. Out of the three general groups of tobacco products in India: bidis, smokeless tobacco products, and conventional cigarettes, biris are inexpensive. Small, hand-rolled cigarettes are equally harmful as cigarettes. Another common form of tobacco use is khaini which is cheap and easily available with liberal socio-cultural perspective towards it. Smokeless products like gutkha and paan masala, have been banned in 24 states and 3 union territories, yet they are abused. Most of its abusers are unaware of its harmful consequences. Tobacco contains more than 7,000 chemicals including carcinogenic compounds and 400 other toxins. Most of the toxins are inhaled by people in one puff of smoke they inhale. It is a leading cause of premature, non-communicable diseases associated with mortality and morbidity which is one of the important public health challenge. While many people are aware that tobacco use increases the risk of cancer, there are alarming gaps in knowledge of the cardiovascular risks of tobacco use which includes stroke. ADDAC, Baru Sahib is the right platform for quitting tobacco of any form.
Drug withdrawal
Withdrawal symptoms are a group of symptoms of variable clustering and degree of severity which occur on cessation or reduction of use of a psychoactive substance that has been taken repeatedly, usually for a prolonged period and/ or in high doses these signs and symptoms are physically and psychologically painful or sometimes fatal. Common symptoms may include headache, sleep problems and changes to mood. The onset and course of the withdrawal syndrome are time-limited and are related to the type of substance and dose being taken immediately before cessation or reduction of use. After 6-48 hours of alcohol cessation, within 2-5 days unconscious fits/ seizures can occur and may progress to delirium tremens in which the person is confused, disoriented, agitated, has visual hallucination and abnormal in behavior. Sedatives withdrawal may include muscle aches and twitches, perceptual distortions, and distortions of body image. Opioid withdrawal is accompanied by rhinorrhoea (running nose), lacrimation (excessive tear formation), aching muscles, and chills. It is better to face withdrawals than to face a big disaster. Let’s talk about it with ADDAC, Baru Sahib and get smooth treatment for not only withdrawal symptoms but also for complete recovery.
Music therapy influences drug addicts in multiple ways. People, in general, use music for entertainment and relaxation to decrease their anxiety and stress. Many people use music as a means of motivating themselves to reach goals or perform daily activities. Music benefits people in multiple ways- relaxes, improves attention, memory, increases motivation and self-awareness, and promotes positive social interactions and healthy self-image. It can decrease anxiety and depression. Combined music therapy with other treatment approaches can be of immense help in recovery of the individual drug abusers. In drug addicts, it can be of immense benefits diverting the persons from disturbed life, craving to realization of reality and spirituality. Improvement of emotional states works as a basic condition for further improvement in various aspects of drug abusers. Music as therapeutic means leads to serve as a means of healing or integrative function for a person. In sum, music can be tailored to meet a variety of the patient’s needs, from reducing anxiety to creating a deeper sense of self-understanding what are essential for recovery.
Cocaine
Cocaine, a highly addictive stimulant that abnormally speeds up brain function is extracted from coca bush and is also known as coke, flake, snow, crack, liquid lady and speed ball. It is usually snorted (through nose, smoked or ingested (rubbed on gums or taken in food items and drinks) but now a days also taken in injectable form. It gives happy and alertness feeling temporarily after taking cocaine, but then effect is too adverse. Cocaine abuse can lead to heart attack, stroke, cardiac arrest or respiratory arrest which may result in sudden death. Other symptoms of cocaine overdose include difficulty breathing, high blood pressure, high body temperature, hallucinations, and extreme agitation or anxiety. Most of cocaine abusers are paranoid, experiencing agitation, hallucinations, unpredictable or violent behavior (criminal behavior). Long-term abuse can result in symptoms like depression, exhaustion, delusions and sleep problems. People addicted to drugs may also have other mental disorders and vice versa. Getting rid of cocaine addiction is challenging as withdrawal without treatment is highly distressing and intolerable ( can lead to suicide /death). So it’s necessary to hospitalise as early as possible. Our ADDAC provides strategies to address the neuromedical-psycho-social and spiritual aspects of this addiction to recovery and successful life.
