Halfway houses are like “assisted living” facilities for addicts and alcoholics in recovery. Halfway houses facilities vary, but are most often a group of housing units (such as a group of apartments, condos, or multiple bedrooms within the same house) managed by an individual or company that recovering addicts and alcoholics rent. The management SHOULD provide tenants with support and help in recovery. Some do. Some don’t. But most people would agree that the purpose of a halfway house is to provide a safe and supportive environment for people in early sobriety who are not quite ready to live completely on their own.
Why stay in a halfway or 3/4 house?
Sometimes a person in early recovery needs extra help to get back on their feet, or it is not good to return “home” where friends or family are still using. Other people spend the first months of sobriety in a halfway house because they have been recommeded transitional housing by a treatment center or drug court. Either way, THE MAIN IDEA is that by sticking with other newly clean and sober people and by following management suggestions, recovery is easier than on your own. So what should every sober living facility have?
5 things every sober living facility should have
1. Structure – Halfway houses need guidelines and rules so that everyone living in the community agrees to certain expectations as a condition for continued rental. If rules are not in place, move on and find another housing alternative. Some things that help addicts and alcoholics in early recovery include:
bans on alcohol or drugs
bans on overnight guests
cleaning standards
evening curfews
shared responsibilities
wake up times
2. Safety – Any half way or 3/4 way house needs to be safe. Housing capacity should not exceed local jurisdiction law. Neighborhood safety should not worry you. Fire alarms and electrical outlets should be up to standards. And physical threats from other residents should not be an issue. Be sure that the halfway house that you are considering feels and seems safe before entering into a contractual agreement.
3. Drug testing – Halfway houses need to identify drug users from people in recovery and should actively use drug testing to protect its sober community. If the halfway house that you have chosen does not implement regular drug tests, or random drug tests, or drug tests when residents leave the facility overnight…keep looking.
4. Support staff – Sometimes, half way houses are operated by people who mean well, but who don’t quite know what they’re doing. Opt for a halfway house that hires full time manager(s) to handle day-to-day business, and to keep the community accountable. If youfind a halfway house that is run by an owner who lives out of town…look for another or ask a local treatment center for a referral to halfway houses with a good reputation. You want an active and helpful staff that can implement the structure and safety that you need.
5. Personal accountability – The best halfway houses look to support you in your recovery by requiring certain actions. These actions are not only healthy for you, but they are required in real life. Look for a halfway house that requires the following actions and keeps the community accountable to them:
attendance at daily 12 step meetings
attendance at halfway house meetings
part time work (at least)
volunteer work (if you’re retired)
working with a 12 step sponsor
If you have something to add to this list, please do so at the bottom! Or if you are thinking about going to a halfway or 3/4 way house, and wonder what it will be like, or just want to ask a question…comment here. We answer all comments and feedback personally!
Ritalin (main ingeredient methylphenidate) is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant drug that has become the primary drug of choice in treating ADHD or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in children and adults. But, some people tend to abuse this medication either recreationally or for study purposes. So…when does dosing become dangerous?
First question: can you overdose on Ritalin? YES! When do users risk OD-ing on Ritalin? How much of the medication is enough to cause toxic and even fatal levels in your system? We review safety guidelines for Ritalin use and dosage safety in the article below. Then, we invite your questions in the designated section at the bottom of the page. We try to respond to all questions personally…or we’ll refer you to someone who can help.
Ritalin strengths
Ritalin tablets are available in three strengths as immediate release tablets including chewable tablets for oral administration:
5 mg
10 mg
20 mg
But, Ritalin’s main ingredient – methylphenidate – is also available as sustained release tablets (Ritalin SR), extended release capsules, extended release oral suspension, extended release capsules (Ritalin LA), and as transdermal patches.
Immediate release Ritalin doses are usually be split into 2-3 doses to be taken throughout the day. Ritalin SR tablets have a duration of action of approximately 8 hours; while Ritalin LA are usually taken orally once daily in the morning.
How much Ritalin is safe?
Depending on your age, weight, and other factors, you might be prescribed anywhere from 10-60 mg of Ritalin a day. Dosage is individualized according to the needs and responses of each patient, so a safe dose of Ritalin for someone else may not be safe for you.
Basically, the safe dosage, frequency, and duration of treatment is suggested by your doctor and you should not take more Ritalin, more often, or in a different way than prescribed.
How much Ritalin can you take at once?
While the dosage range varies for children, the average daily dose of methylphenidate for adults is 20 to 30 mg/day. Most texts on the matter recommend that the daily dose should not exceed 60 mg, although some individuals may require higher doses.
How much Ritalin to overdose?
Ritalin overdose is possible at doses that are significantly higher than what you are usually used to. So, if you don’t have a tolerance to Ritalin and you are a recreational or first time user, overdose may happen as a consequence of taking more than your body can handle to process. But if you are dosing regularly, Ritlalin levels that provoke an OD will generally tend to be higher.
Acute toxicity due to Ritalin overdose results in symptoms similar to those of an acute amphetamine overdose. Physical and behavioral symptoms of Ritalin overdose may include:
agitation
cardiac arrhythmias
confusion
convulsions (may be followed by coma)
delirium
dryness of mucous membranes
euphoria
flushing
hallucinations
headache
hyperpyrexia
hyperreflexia
hypertension
muscle twitching
mydriasis
palpitations
sweating
tachycardia
tremors
vomiting
IMPORTANT: If you or someone you know has taken too much Ritalin and shows signs of overdose, CALL your local Poison Control Center at 1-800-222-1222. If the victim has collapsed or is not breathing, call local emergency services at 911.
Sudden death has been reported in association with CNS stimulant treatment at usual doses in children and adolescents with structural cardiac abnormalities or other serious heart problems. Ritalin and other stimulant products should not be used in children or adolescents with known serious structural cardiac abnormalities, cardiomyopathy, serious heart rhythm abnormalities, or other serious cardiac problems.
Adults taking stimulant drugs at usual doses for ADHD have suffered from sudden death, stroke, and myocardial infarction. Adults have a greater likelihood than children of having serious structural cardiac abnormalities, cardiomyopathy, serious heart rhythm abnormalities, coronary artery disease, or other serious cardiac problems. Individuals with such abnormalities should generally not be treated with stimulant drugs like Ritalin.
How much Ritalin should I take?
It really depends on your condition, physical health, age, body mass, and other factors. People are usually prescribed Ritalin tablets at the following rates:
Ritalin doses for adults
Tablets should be taken in divided doses 2-3 times daily, preferably 30 to 45 minutes before meals. Average doses are in the range of 20 mg to 30 mg daily. But some patients may require 40 to 60 mg a day. In others, however, a dosage of 10 mg to 15 mg daily will be adequate.
Ritalin SR (sustained release tablets) have a duration of action of approximately 8 hours. Therefore, Ritalin-SR tablets may be used in place of Ritalin tablets when the 8 hour dosage of Ritalin-SR corresponds to the titrated 8-hour dosage of Ritalin.
Ritalin doses for children (6+ years)
Ritalin should be initiated in small doses, with gradual weekly increments. Tablet doses should start at 5 mg twice daily (before breakfast and lunch) with gradual increments of 5 to 10 mg weekly. Daily dosage above 60 mg is not recommended.
If improvement is not observed after appropriate dosage adjustment over a 1 month period, Ritalin should be discontinued.
ARTICLE OVERVIEW:Been caught with drugs in the state of Mississippi? Not certain how the legal proceedings will go? We review laws, penalties, and basics for alternate sentencing like drug court and voluntary rehab.
Like much of the south, Mississippi has zero tolerance when it comes to their drug possession laws. Therefore, a drug possession charge is taken very seriously. Strong penalties go with convictions. Penalties for holding controlled substances depends on the amount you have on you. In Mississippi, possession charges are put into one of two categories. These include:
Personal Amount. Depending on the drug, you can only have so much on you for it to be considered a personal amount. For example, a personal amount of cocaine is considered less than one-tenth of a gram, or one dosage unit. In terms of Scheduled I and II CDS, once you possess more than one-tenth of a gram, you risk being charged with…
Sales of Controlled Substances in Mississippi. This is when authorities believe you’re either distributing or trafficking drugs. These penalties are always much more intense than that of a personal amount (see below for details).
Specific Laws and Schedules
There are two specific laws in Mississippi that cover the charges for drug possession and distribution: Ms. Code Ann. § 41-29-113: House Bill 1031, and Ms. Code Ann. § 41-29-115: Senate Bill 2379. [1] [2]
In Mississippi, a drug is referred to as a “controlled dangerous substance,” or CDS. Like other states, Mississippi classifies each drug according to a schedule. These are defined under MS. Code Ann. § 41-29-113 [3]. CDS Schedule I are considered to be the most dangerous drugs. So, getting caught in possession of these kinds of drugs will result in harsher penalties.
Opioid pain medications like codeine, fentanyl, and hydrocodone
Schedule III Substances
Anabolic steroids
Ketamine
Nalorphine
Stimulants
Schedule IV Substances
Certain depressants such as alfaxalone, barbital
Certain stimulants such as cathine, phentermine
Schedule V Substances
Certain prescription depressants
Certain prescription stimulants
The Legal Process in Mississippi
Within the state of Mississippi, the stages of a criminal case work in 9 distinct steps. [4]. These The rules of criminal procedure in cases of drug possession are as follows.
1. Investigation
If police are suspicious of a crime, they’ll collect all the evidence they can on the crime scene. They’ll also interview witnesses. The length of investigations varies depending on the circumstance of the crime. However, most drug possession crimes don’t require much of an investigation considering the drug itself is all the evidence a police officer needs.
2. Arrest, Initial Appearance, and Bond Setting
Upon arrest, you’ll be taken to your town or city’s police headquarters. From there, you’ll immediately be placed before a judge to make an initial appearance. During this time, a bond will be set for your release.
3. Preliminary Hearing
If you aren’t able to pay the bond, then you’ll be entitled to a preliminary hearing. This might be referred to as a probable cause hearing. Through this, the court system will decide whether or not enough probable causes exists to convict you of a crime.
4. Indictment
Your case will then be brought before a grand jury. It should be noted, all that will be shown to this jury is the evidence the prosecutor chooses to present. During this time, you will not be able to defend yourself.
5. Arraignment
Not too long afterward, the Court will give your case an arraignment. During this time, you’ll be told your official charges and given the opportunity to inquire as to whether or not you need an attorney. From there, you’ll be asked to submit a plea to the charges and then the court will set an initial trial date.
6. Discovery
During this part of the legal process, you’ll now have the ability to file a motion for discovery. In order to do so, the State will produce all evidence to you. In turn, you’ll also be allowed to present evidence in your favor to the State.
7. Plea Negotiations
You may want to make a deal with the State and resolve the case before having to go to trial. Most people go through with a plea negotiation when they’re trying to reduce their punishment. There are many plea negotiations the state of Mississippi has to offer (see below). You’ll want to talk to your lawyer about the matter.
8. Trial
If there is no agreement made based on your plea, then you must go to trial. A trial usually begins with an opening statement by the prosecutor and attorney defending you. From there, the State will present its case by calling witnesses and introducing the evidence taken against you.
Then, you will have your opportunity to present your witnesses and evidence, proving your innocence. After your presentation, the State will go again against you. They bring back evidence they had shown prior. From there, the judge will tell the jury of all the laws applicable to your case. Then you’ll be offered a closing argument along with the prosecutor. And the case is finally submitted. The jury will come to its decision and you will receive …
9. Sentencing, if applicable
If you’re found guilty of a drug possession crime in the State of Mississippi, then you’ll receive a sentence. This is usually a separate hearing in which both you and the prosecutor will be allowed to present your evidence again. Furthermore, the Court may ask for a pre-sentence investigation, or PSI, which would be managed by a probation officer. This investigation will look into your background and determine whether or not the sentence is appropriate for your circumstances.
Burden of Proof
Under Mississippi law, the prosecutor must demonstrate specific elements in order to properly convict you. These elements include:
1. LEGALITY. The evidence that you were in possession of a controlled dangerous substance when you were arrested.
2. KNOWLEDGE. The evidence that you knew of the illegal nature of this controlled dangerous substance and you knew it was present at the time of your arrest.
3. CONTROL. The evidence that you had control over both the presence and location of the controlled dangerous substance.
Sentencing
Drug sentencing will entirely depend on your case. As mentioned earlier, Mississippi considers the schedule of the drug and how much of it was in your possession in order to determine your sentence. The higher the schedule and the more of a drug, the higher your penalization.
Still, the purpose of a trial is to figure out all the details surrounding the charges. A trial will paint a picture of the circumstances and, in turn, the idea is that you will be penalized accordingly. In order learn more about potential sentences, you’ll want to talk to a lawyer. Also, you may qualify for alternative sentencing (see below).
Misdemeanor Possession
When you’re charged with a misdemeanor, your punishment is taken less seriously than that of a felony. However, in the state of Mississippi, very few drug possession crimes are considered a misdemeanor. Typical misdemeanor penalties include:
A fine of up to $1,000.
Jail time between 6 months and 1 year.
What might be considered misdemeanor drug possession in Mississippi? If you have less than 30 grams of marijuana, then you’ll probably be charged with a misdemeanor. This is because marijuana has recently been removed from the list of Schedule I drugs in Mississippi. Also, if you’re caught solely with drug paraphernalia, you’ll also only be charged a misdemeanor. With any other drug possession crime, you’ll be charged with a felony.
Felony Possession
In the state of Mississippi, most cases of drug possession result in a felony charge. Levels of severity in the charge depend on your circumstances. People in possession of a Schedule I drug will end up with a more severe penalty than someone in possession of a Schedule V drug. Still, even just a personal amount of a top schedule controlled dangerous substance will land you a felony.
Typical punishments for a felony charge include:
A fine of up to $10,000
Prison time between 1 to 4 years.
Other Penalties
Often, you’ll find yourself facing other penalties due to your drug possession crime. The state of Mississippi decides on these crimes on a case to case basis. Due to this, it’s not entirely certain which penalties you’ll face for your crime. In order to get a better sense, you’ll want to talk to your lawyer. Other penalties for possession of a controlled dangerous substance include:
Ineligibility to obtain certain employment.
Ineligibility to obtain certain types of government employment.
Ineligibility to qualify for certain types of college scholarship or financial aid.
Ineligibility to qualify for public housing.
Ineligibility to receive a state license or certification.
Potential community service.
Potential enrollment in drug treatment programs.
Probation.
Suspension of your driver’s license.
Alternative Sentencing
In Mississippi, you do have the opportunity to face alternative sentences [5]. It’s difficult for people with drug possession crimes to qualify for these considering Mississippi’s zero tolerance policy on controlled dangerous substances. Still, if you’re looking to reduce jail time and other punishments, it’s in your best interest to take a look at these.
In order to get a real sense of which alternative sentences you apply for, you’ll want to talk the matter over with your lawyer. Some options include:
1. Drug Court.
These specialized courts are used solely for drug offenders and their purpose is to reduce crime on the streets. [6] The idea is drug abusers will benefit more from rehabilitation rather than traditional punishments. Rehabilitation often includes supervised drug testing and treatment services. You’ll receive counseling, incentives, and must make consistent court appearances. If you successfully complete your drug treatment, then your charges will be dropped.
2. Non-adjudicated Probation
If you enter as a guilty plea, you might be offered non-adjudicated probation. This works like probation in the sense that you’ll need to pay fines and court costs, report to a supervising officer, and take regular drug tests. However, if you complete it all successfully, you’ll be discharged.
3. House Arrest – Intensive Supervision Program
Under very certain circumstances, people can avoid incarceration through house arrest. You must be screened and approved in order to qualify. If you are approved, you’ll have to wear an electronic monitor which checks to make sure you’re always in agreement with your curfew requirements. A house arrest will allow you to work, go to church and receive both medical attention and drug treatment. If you break your house arrest circumstances, you will be charged with further penalties.
4. Pre-trial Diversion
If you’re a first offender of a non-violent crime who wasn’t charged with drug sales or possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute, you can qualify for a pre-trial diversion in Mississippi. Through this type of sentence, you’ll be placed on special probation where you must attend court on a regular basis. It should be noted, rules for pre-trial diversion vary from court to court.
5. Recidivism Reduction Program
Also known as RRP, this program aims to rehabilitate drug-offenders rather than incarcerate them. You can expect to be placed into a rigorous drug treatment program and receive important therapy.
6. Restitution Center
If you owe a good amount of fines, you might be sentenced to a restitution center while you’re on probation. This is where you’ll be educated of your crimes and the criminal system. You will also be monitored and aided in finding work.
When to Contact a Lawyer
Immediately upon your arrest, you should consider finding yourself a lawyer. Part of the reason is drug possession charges in Mississippi are taken very seriously and almost always have strong consequence. However, due to the fact that penalties vary from case to case, a lawyer will be able to figure out the best possible solution for YOU.
Can’t afford a lawyer?
Then the State will provide you with one as long as you qualify. If you do qualify, it’s important to take as much advice from this lawyer as possible for the sake of your trial. In order to get a real sense of which lawyers in Mississippi are best for your case, you should check out the Mississippi Bar Association and their member directory. [7]
Your Questions
Have more questions about drug possession laws in Mississippi?
Feel free to ask them in the comments below. If you have more information to share pertaining to these laws or advice about Mississippi’s legal system, we’d also love to hear from you. We try to get back to everyone in a prompt and personal manner.
Buprenorphine can be a useful drug prescribed to treat opiate addiction. Because it is a partial agonist, buprenorphine (used in brand name medications such as Suboxone and Subutex) results in a milder degree of physical dependence and is associated with milder withdrawal syndrome following cessation. But what kind of timeline can you expect during buprenorphine withdrawal? And do people taking buprenorphine for opioid dependence experience less severe withdrawal than those who abuse buprenorphine to get high?
More here on how long it takes to withdraw from buprenorphine and what symptoms you can expect in the course of the first month after you stop taking it. Then, we invite your questions about buprenorphine withdrawal at the end.
Generally, it is recommended that you gradually reduce your doses of buprenorphine over the period of 2-3 weeks before complete cessation so that the withdrawal symptoms are not as severe. Although the physical withdrawal symptoms resolve after a period of 7-10 days, the psychological withdrawal symptoms can last for months or longer. Symptoms of benprenorphine withdrawal include leg restlessness, nausea, and sweating, yawning, pain, anxiety, irritability, insomnia and cold or flu-like symptoms.
Buprenorphine withdrawal timeline
24 – 72 hours: Buprenorphine withdrawal will usually peak in severity and intensity 72 hours after your last dose and gradually become less intense. During this period, it is common to experience diarrhea, sweating, nausea, dilated pupils, watery eyes and restlessness.
Week 1: In the first week after stopping buprenorphine, week you will probably continue to to feel aches and cramps within the stomach area and in your joints. You may be uncomfortable during this time period and have difficulty sleeping. Mood swings are also common, with bouts of anxiety or depression.
Week 2: After two weeks of buprenoprhine withdrawal, the pain and discomfort of acute withdrawal may not be as severe but you still experience aches. Depression can starts to set in, as well, and you may notice an extreme loss of motivation.
Week 3-4: After three to four week mark, most of the physical withdrawal symptoms will be gone, however you will intense drug cravings may be present for those addicted to buprenorphine. Depression is also common. This time is very important, as you will be very vulnerable to relapse.
How long do buprenorphine withdrawal symptoms last?
Buprenorphine withdrawal symptoms last longer for those who use buprenorphine for longer periods of time or at higher doses. Additionally, those who use buprenorphine other than prescribed (snort, inject, chew) may experience more severe symptoms than someone taking buprenorphine as prescribed. In these cases, physical buprenorphine withdrawal symptoms can last weeks after stopping.
However, psychological withdrawal symptoms can last for many months after cessation. It is recommended that you join a support group or see a psychologist who can help see you through the protracted or post acute withdrawal symptoms (PAWS). Many heavy buprenorphine users experience PAWS. With continued use of buprenorphine, there comes a point where the brain produces in an inadequate amount of neurotransmitters in the body. People going through buprenorphine PAWS manifest long lasting changes in the brain as a result of long term use. These changes are slower to reverse and can persist for many months, depending on the frequency and amount of past dosing.
Buprenorphine withdrawal: How long?
How long buprenorphine withdrawal lasts varies depending on how frequently you used the drug and how large the doses were. If you were a heavy user, burprenorphine withdrawal may be more intense and last longer than someone using buprenorphine for a few months. It is also crucial that your family understands your situation so that they know why you are acting the way you do and can better handle it.
Buprenorphine withdrawal duration questions
If you have further questions about how long burprenorphine withdrawal lasts, please ask them in the comments section below. We will try to respond to you personally and promptly.
If you’ve found this article, you might be searching for ways to repair a “broken relationship”. But the truth is, you’ve got to fix…you! Here, we’ll take a brief look at root causes for loving an addict. What gets you to this desperate place to begin with?
Then, we’ll challenge you to take action. If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments section at the end. In fact, we try to respond to all real life questions personally and promptly.
Getting to the Root of Co-Addiction
If you find yourself in the situation where you love an addict and you cannot let them go, then you need to get down to the root of your issues, not theirs. If you have found that you meet the criteria of a co-addict; it is time to look at how this situation developed.
Codependent and Co-addictive behaviors may have roots that date back to childhood. The behavior may be so severely suppressed that the co-addict does not even relate to or remember when they lost their sense of self. For example, if a young child faces:
sexual abuse
emotional abuse
verbal abuse
psychological abuse
neglect or abandonment by a parent
…they may have tried to resist. In this resistance they find that the abuser only becomes more irate. Their response to fight for their well-being gets them nowhere. Over time, the child may learn that their feelings are less important and become submissive to that person, parent and/or abuser.
Are You Becoming More Submissive?
The abuse or act of submissive behavior may even be mild; a controlling parent, a self-absorbed parent or a caregiver who abandons a child. Even if these roles are not as pronounced as what we think of as outright abuse, the child is still learning that their voice only angers this person and they develop a passive, submissive disposition.
More specifically, with a co-addict, the development of submissive behavior might be a result of a childhood relationship with an addict. For example, if a child’s parent/s or caregivers are addicts then the child may learn early on that they must put their parent and their addiction first. They are naturally going to come second to a parent’s addiction so they lose their voice, their sense of self and learn to grow up taking care of an addict parent or family member. This behavior can become something that is ingrained and will be carried out into all other areas and relationships in their life.
Do You Value the Addict More Than Yourself?
It is also possible that the adult co-addict or codependent is aware of the abusive relationship they endured which imprinted their lack of sense of self. In either case, the adult codependent is a person who puts more value on the person they love then on their own welfare. A co-addict or codependent may lose their identity. The only identity they create is through the person they are codependent on.
Addict and Co-addict: A Perfect Match
Don’t you find it strange that most addicts marry codependents or co-addicts who end up putting their addiction and problems above their own?
This relationship is actually a pretty natural one. Co-addicts need to hide behind others and be submissive and addicts need someone to take care of them and put up with their behaviors. An addict is naturally attracted to a codependent or co-addict. In fact, being in any type of relationship with one is how most addicts survive and continue their addiction as long as they do.
The Challenge: Are You Ready to Look at Yourself?
If you can look at your past trauma, childhood relationships and experiences, you may start to uncover why you chose an addict as a partner. Being with an addict or a person whose needs are put above yours may be comfortable for you, familiar, and feel like second nature. If you can understand why you are in this type of relationship and unravel the life events which helped you get here; then you can start to work on your part which contributes to this troubling relationship dynamic.
How can you fix the relationship and the dynamics of it if you do not understand why it happened in the first place? You cannot and that is why a co-addict must get down to the root of their problems and stop deflecting them with the addict’s problems. That is the only way for a co-addict to sort out and then make changes in their life.
No. Wellbutrin won’t show up on a standard urine screen, such as a DOT 5 panel screen, that are used by many employers.
Why? Because most medical professionals agree that you cannot get high on or addicted to antidepressants, so the abuse potential for Wellbutrin is low. However, Wellbutrin will show up on special blood tests which look specifically for prescription drugs. More here on drug testing for Wellbutrin. We invite your questions about Wellbutrin use and testing at the end.
Why order a drug test for Wellbutrin?
Can I get high on Wellbutrin? No. For most of the population, Wellbutrin is not a drug that can get you high, but it does cause a physical dependence with long-term use. Therefore, Wellbutrin drug testing may be ordered for medical reasons on occasion. While Wellbutrin abuse isn’t a huge problem, isolated cases exist of people attempting to get high on Wellbutrin by crushing and snorting pills. This can be dangerous, as snorting Wellbutrin or smoking Wellbutrin leads to emergency room visits for seizures.
Be cautious! Abusing Wellbutrin recreationally or in doses/ways other than prescribed can lead to addiction. Learn more about Antidepressant Addiction Treatment Programs and Help to get ready to find the best recovery options for you.
Types of Wellbutrin tests
Wellbutrin will show up on a blood toxicology screen specifically ordered for Wellbutrin. Blood testing for Wellbutrin shows the amount of Wellbutrin in your system, so doctors will be able to tell if it’s consistent with normal prescription use or not.
Wellbutrin detection
Blood toxicology screens for Wellbutrin measure the amount of prescription drugs in blood serum. The testing isn’t meant to screen for intermittent use of illicit drugs, since those often fall beneath the threshold required for a positive result. Instead, the test that doctors order for Wellbutrin is looking for medications which could be the cause of someone’s symptoms. Additionally, blood tests for Wellbutrin are used to monitor Wellbutrin use in people with prescription drug dependence.
Wellbutrin cutoff levels
Typical therapeutic use of Wellbutrin results in blood plasma concentrations of 10-100 ng/mL. Higher concentrations due to Wellbutrin abuse or overdose can cause health complications, or increased adverse effects from the medication.
Positive drug testing for Wellbutrin
If you have a prescription for Wellbutrin, there likely won’t be any questions if you test in the normal range. In fact, a positive blood test for Wellbutrin is unlikely to impact your employment or cause legal trouble due to the low abuse potential of this drug. However, Wellbutrin drug testing may be ordered to determine if your dosage needs to be changed, or to determine how to proceed if your doctor is slowly tapering your use of the drug.
Wellbutrin drug test questions
Do you still have questions about drug testing for Wellbutrin? Please leave your questions or comment here and we will do our best to answer you with a personal and prompt response. If we don’t know the answer, we will try to refer you to medical authorities who do.
“The Eskimos had fifty-two names for snow because it was important to them: there ought to be as many for love.” Margaret Atwood
There seems to be a cliche in our culture that every sex addict is a cold-hearted sociopath devoid of caring. The truth is that sex addicts report a wide range of complex emotions, but typically haven’t learned a healthy relational model for appropriately expressing and regulating their emotions.
As it is, love is a most mysterious feeling. It is often interchanged with more technically specific feelings of longing, preoccupation, attraction, affinity, appreciation, validation, comfort, commitment, and security. When we speak of love, it is very easy to get lost among assumptions and projections. This is because, perhaps more than any other emotion, love means something different to everyone. Love will even mean something different to the same person at different times.
Even non-addicts may occasionally find themselves questioning the nature, reality, and consequence of love in their lives. Such confusion might be traced to conflicting information that is perpetuated about sex and love around the world. We don’t have to look very far to find strange and distorted concepts about the true nature of sex and love in any culture.
Sex addicts and expressions of love
Often sex addicts first get into treatment to save a relationship (sex addiction and marriage are rarely compatible). In treatment, sex addicts who relate with any of the 10 types of sex addiction do report feelings of love. While it might seem that the reasons for cheating are to get out of a relationship, most sex addicts I’ve met do not want to get out of their primary relationship. They express genuine love for their partner, whatever that looks like.
At the same time, sex addicts will sometimes express momentary feelings of love for prostitutes and other acting out partners. Contrary to all these feelings, there can be a complete avoidance of love in any relationship. This raises many questions, with no easy answers. How can the sex addict feel love and yet show such lack of caring through their actions? Are sex addicts deceptive or truthful when they say they love?
A sex addict typically sexualizes situations and tries to manipulate outcomes. The sex addict brain will use people, places and things to escape reality. This is not an honest and transparent way to interact. Some addicts might even think they’re being honest, might think they love, but they might be in denial and might not actually know that they’re being deceptive. Others might experience a clear awareness that they are being deceptive when proclaiming their love, but they too might be in denial and might be avoiding true feelings of love.
An addict is emotionally unavailable
If there is one trait that applies to all sex addicts, and all types of addicts, it is emotional unavailability. What does this mean?
All addictions serve to numb overwhelming feelings of stress and trauma through substance abuse. In the case of sex addiction, addicts will compulsively substitute pornography, prostitutes, binge sex, stalking, obsessing for appropriate feeling and relating. Feeling and relating are two aspects of intimacy. In fact, sex addiction is often referred to as an intimacy disorder. Intimacy is related to the verb “to intimate”: to make known. Sex addicts are usually incapable of making themselves truly known as they often lack the tools for healthy self-knowledge.
Why?
Most addicts have suffered trauma – either in childhood through early neglect or abuse, or later on in life through a pivotal traumatic event. When such events have not healed, we refer to this as unprocessed trauma. It’s possible that the love experienced between an addict and co-addict might more aptly be described as a form of trauma bonding.
Early childhood attachment patterns
There are four basic attachment patterns that are imprinted during infancy. These are secure, insecure-ambivalent, insecure-avoidant and disorganized/disoriented. Secure attachment is established when the primary caretaker is able to relate appropriately with the child by sharing love and affection, responding to the child’s needs in a timely manner, setting healthy boundaries that support the psychological growth of the child, and repairing any disruptions to these interactions. Repairing is one of the most important stages for secure attachment and will impart a healthy model for how to repair difficulties in any relationship with tools for handling stress and trauma.
Without a significant psychological event establishing a new pattern, these four infancy attachment patterns will develop into the following four adult attachment patterns:
Secure Attachment – A relational pattern typified by the capacity for healthy intimacy.
Anxious-Preoccupied Attachment – A relational pattern typified by a general need for enmeshment at the expense of intimacy.
Dismissive-Avoidant Attachment – A relational pattern typified by a general need for independence at the expense of intimacy.
Fearful-Avoidant Attachment – A relational pattern typified by a general need for self-protection at the expense of intimacy.
Secure attachment and intimacy is possible
Through therapeutic treatment and/or recovery in support groups and 12-Step programs, sex addicts learn new patterns of secure attachment implicitly modeled for them by therapists, support groups, and sponsors. In therapy, this is called Empathic Attunement, the capacity to connect, resonate and calibrate with a client’s state of being for the purpose of developing relational intimacy as a continuous and dynamic process.
Creating secure patterns of attachment is a slow process that actually changes the neural pathways of the sex addict’s brain that were established over a lifetime. To use a simile, it is like re-routing a nation’s transport infrastructure to reach a remote island – and the remote island is healthy love. Healthy love is a place that is not accessible to the sex addict, but it resides inside all of us. With the help of a higher power (higher than the sex addict’s own overpowering addiction – be it therapist, support group, or sponsor,) the sex addict can develop reliable tools to locate and develop true healthy love.
Questions about sex addiction and love
Do you have questions about sex addiction and love? Do you want to bring some light to your own personal experience as a sex addict? Please leave your questions, comments and feedback here. We do our best to respond to all comments with a personal and prompt reply ASAP.
Since my son’s birth, one and a half years ago, I have not had one decent night’s sleep. He wakes three to four times a night, screaming. Regardless of what time he goes to bed, he wakes at five am. I am a morning person. When my daughter was small, I used to wake an hour before her, so I could have time to myself, organize, and start my day. This small routine is what helped be more productive. With my son, this has been impossible, and almost every day has been a challenge. I go to sleep with him, exhausted, and wake long before I even want to, to him jumping on top of me. I am tired more, finding the mental focus to work has been difficult, and time alone has been almost impossible.
By the grace of God, two nights in a row my son slept through the night. The second day, I woke up before him, went downstairs and got everything ready before he awoke. I settled into my home office to check some work emails and when I turned around he was happily running into towards me smiling and saying, “Momma.” After the warmest hug, he sat still at breakfast with his sister and fed himself! Later, when I took him to the store, something I usually tried to avoid, he fell asleep I was able to shop in peace. While I was waiting on line, the man behind me struck up a conversation about all the organic and healthy food he saw in my cart. He turned out to be an extremely generous man who owned an entire ranch helping families in crisis, housing more than forty troubled children. He actually lived around the corner from me and I didn’t know it. What an inspirational conversation we had. The rest of the day was more of the same.
Then I realized something. If every night was difficult and sleep was sparse, it was going to affect my health, my mood, my behavior, my outlook, and my ability to be productive. Somehow I made it work, knowing it was a temporary situation and because of the love I have for my child.
Negativity precipitates negativity
I mentally pressed rewind and went back four years. At that time, I was not sleeping because I was up worried most nights when my husband would not come home. You see, codependency and control issues are often difficult to distinguish. I was taking care of a little girl on my own, my husband was bringing drugs into my home, and we were slowly going into financial ruin.
Every time I would try to be positive, something bad would happen. I was in a vicious cycle but I did not know it. Negativity precipitates negativity. The more negative thoughts, behavior,and events that entered my life, the more negativity I attracted. If there was positive in my life, I could not see it or attract it.
Getting ready for change
When I had my moment of clarity and I realized I was sick of my life the way it was, I made a change. Letting go of my addict husband was a process that helped me. I started going to meetings for families like mine, I sought a therapist, I mentally left my husband, and then shortly after, physically.
I started to let a little positive in each day. I made myself read positive affirmations daily. I interviewed for a job opportunity I really wanted and got the job. My father happened to be retiring the same time. I had to work again full time to be the sole supporter of my daughter, and he offered to take on a bigger role and help take care of my child. I reconnected with friends I had lost touch with who helped nurse me back to life. Everything started to come together in a way that forced, even the once skeptical me, to believe was some divine synchronicity.
How to live with an addict: change the focus
When you are caught in the cycle of addiction, life may seem hopeless. If you decide to stop talking to the addict, or stay in their life, either way, you can still make a choice to silence the negative and accentuate the positive. Once you start looking for the positive things about you, and your life, you will start to find them. Once you find them, more will become attracted to you. Eventually you will be taking the emphasis off of the negativity of the addict’s behavior and focus on what is positive within you.
Living with an addict questions
Do you still have questions or want to share your situation with us? Please leave us a message in the comments section below. We do our best to respond to all questions personally and promptly.
Watching a child lose themselves in alcohol addiction can make parents feel helpless. If you suspect, “My child is an addict!”, there is no magic bullet or good advice that can stop an addiction and so when most people see their son or daughter slipping into alcoholism, they simply do not know how to stop it. Here, we review some practical suggestions in addressing a suspected alcohol problem within your family. We invite your questions about treatment or family therapies for addiction in the comments section at the end.
STEP 1: The Old Ways May Not Be The Best
Many parents, upon discovering their children have an alcohol problem, resort to traditional parenting reactions. They attempt to punish their child. This could be cutting them off from “bad friends”, Sending them to their room, Taking away privileges or even just getting angry and yelling. These methods may have worked in the past, but chances are, they will not work to treat an addiction. The two reasons for this are that, 1) if they are old enough to get alcohol, they are probably old enough to have some independence which means traditional punishments are harder to enforce. 2) Punishing an addict does nothing to fight the addiction. So, your first step is to recognize that what you used to do…is broken, and that you need to seek alternative ways of coping.
STEP 2: Talk To Them
People with an alcohol problem do not respond to anger, they respond to empathy. Someone who is drinking too much may already feel depressed or isolated, punishing them further really only serves to increase their urge to drink. The best way to approach an alcohol addiction is to talk to the person. Do not do this when they are drunk, wait until they are sober, and maybe even a bit hung over. Tell the person that you are worried about them, that you care for them and that you just want to help.
Also remember to go to them with evidence and ideas. What this means is, before you speak to anyone about an alcohol addiction, it is important to gather evidence to prove they have a problem. No evidence means they can just deny everything. Once you have the evidence, the ideas come into play. Find a list of treatment options so you can have them ready for the talk. Ideas of the treatments available will show the addict that there is a way out. It is like offering a ray of hope.
STEP 3: Take Action
Once you have spoken to your child about a possible addiction to alcohol, it is time to take action. If you can, go with them to speak to a doctor about the condition, Speak to a counsellor or look at a treatment centre. All of these options can be effective in getting treatment but it may be hard to get your son or daughter to embrace them.
If you are having trouble, speak to a doctor, counselor or treatment centre yourself. They can offer advice and some comfort. It is also a good idea to look into some family support groups. There are organisations out there that are designed to support the families of alcoholics. They are full of people just like you that have gone through it all before and may be able to help.
You Can Only Do So Much
Addiction is often called a family disease because it affects everyone around it, but when it comes to treating addiction, The Addict has to make the first move. If you have Offered help and provide your son or daughter with treatment options, there is not a lot more you can do. Most addicts that actually kick their habit do so because they decide to.
If someone does not want to quit, there is very little that can be done to treat them. A good example of this is people in prison treatment programs. These people do not have access to drugs or alcohol for years at a time but once they get out many go right back to using. This is because they were forced to stop rather than choosing to stop themselves. Until someone decides they want to get better, they will not respond well to treatment. If your son or daughter is refusing treatment, attend family support meetings and get yourself some help and support. The only other thing you can do is keep encouraging the addict to go to treatment.
The road is not easy
This may not seem like an easy road or the answer most people want to hear but it is the truth. Having a child with an alcohol addiction is never easy but with help love and support, most people can get better. We invite your questions or comments in the section below and will try to respond to you personally and promptly.
Alcohol alters your brain and has many effects on your body. But how exactly does alcohol affect the body and brain? Does alcohol have the same effects for everyone, especially as relates to how alcohol makes you drunk? And who gets addicted to alcohol? We’ll explore these questions and more in this article. And we invite your questions about how alcohol works at the end.
How does alcohol affect the brain and nervous system?
Alcohol works as a depressant on the brain. Alcohol can also affect the inhibition of neurotransmitters, thus making you sluggish and slow to respond when drinking. Alcohol also directly interacts with the serotonin and dopamine receptors in the brain. This is what accounts for the feel good sensations in the body and good moods you feel when you’re drunk. When you drink too much, serotonin and dopamine carried by alcohol flood the brain and create this reaction. Over time, if you drink too much you can slowly kill brain cells which control memory and cognition.
How does alcohol work in the body?
Alcohol affects everyone differently based on your weight, age, and gender. But alcohol is process the same for everyone. Once you drink alcohol, it slowly moves through the body and absorbs into the blood stream. Most of the alcohol gets absorbed through the stomach and small intestine. Once in the bloodstream, alcohol can cross the blood-brain barrier and affect the brain. The liver then breaks down the alcohol and metabolizes, or processes, alcohol to pass through the system. Alcohol in system for how long? Alcohol can linger in the body some two odd hours after drinking.
When alcohol starts to affect the body, your limbs feel a little numb and you lose control of motor functions. Your body responses are slower and your sense of touch decreases. If you drink too much all of the time, you begin to affect your liver and heart. Over time, alcohol weakens the liver’s ability to process alcohol and can actually cause disease in the liver. When you are drunk, accident likelihood increases and the potential for body harm can occur.
How fast or quickly does alcohol work?
How fast alcohol works involves a great many factors. Factors that contribute to the speed of intoxication include:
Food in the stomach
Gender
Genetic factors of dependence
Height
Other substances and drugs in the system
Tolerance
Weight
How long does alcohol work?
Alcohol generally stays in the body for about 2 hours. You may feel the various effects of alcohol within about this time frame. In general, you can feel the effects of alcohol about 30 minutes after it enters the system. The effects might last for awhile afterward, depending on how much you continue to drink. Still, keep in mind that how long alcohol works varies by type of alcohol and type of physical body as well as the environmental and genetic factors which predispose drinking. People with a higher tolerance for alcohol may be intoxicated for shorter periods while those with low tolerance may be drunk for longer amounts of time.
Alcohol work better
Alcohol has a stronger effect on people with lower tolerance. The concept of the “light weight” actually means that alcohol works better on people with a lower tolerance for alcohol. Additionally, different strengths of alcohol content will work better on some people. Drinking on an empty stomach will get you drunker faster than if you had food in the body.
Also, some people take many different types of drugs both illegal and prescribed while they drink. Other times people purposefully use drugs and drink. Don’t do this! If you are on medications and drink, pharmaceutical drugs can interact with alcohol in negative ways. In these cases, drugs increase the absorption rate of the alcohol into the system. The end result might be faster intoxication, but you can also overdose or experience alcohol poisoning. Likewise, alcohol increases the effects of drugs in the system making the high stronger, as well as increasing the danger of all the substances in the body. Consult your labels.
Does alcohol work for everyone?
Yes. Alcohol works on almost everyone. Because there are so many different forms of alcohol, it really is a matter of finding what works for you. Some people do have a very high tolerance to alcohol and it may take many drinks or high alcohol content start to feel the effect of alcohol and to alter mood and perceptions in the way the body and mind reacts to everything.
How alcohol works questions
There are so many different types of alcohol. Wine, beer, and hard liquor, to name a few. But drinking alcohol is not always bad for you if you drink responsibly. Do you still have questions about how alcohol works? Please leave your questions here. We will try our best to answer you personally and promptly. And if we don’t know the answer to your questions, we’ll refer you to someone who does.
