SUBSTANCE USE VS. ABUSE

The effectiveness of narcotics, alcohol, marijuana, cocaine and other drugs are hard to beat for making you feel better fast.

Add to that, the peer pressure and society’s expectations of having unlimited energy for doing more and more, people can easily fall victim unintentionally. 

With the general acceptance of ‘popping a pill’ whenever one feels ‘off’, or can not sleep, or feels anxious or depressed, a person now can easily  find they are trapped in a downward spiral that they alone cannot simply stop and
“pull-in the reins” to regain control.

As the laws surrounding marijuana use relax legally, we actually are not certain how many people might mis-use this drug.

Dr. Marc can help you discreetly, to better manage your situation, and achieve more independence from the following addictive substances:

    Cocaine

    Prescription medications

    Marijuana

    Heroin

    Alcohol

    Over-the-counter medications

    Methamphetamine

    Ecstasy

    Caffeine

    Cigarettes

    Energy drinks

     

IS IT FUN OR ADDICTION?

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When having fun turns into destructive behavior, it may be time to take a personal assessment before it's too late.

Altering one’s consciousness is a normal part of growing up. It always starts innocently - and often is first seen as playful fun, like young children spinning on the little merry-go-rounds in parks, spinning until they fall down. Later in life, it can manifest as the thrills for adults who enjoy the wildest roller coasters in an amusement park.  Just like spinning or thrill rides, other normal behaviors can become an obsession accidentally, without the individual ever anticipating the long-term effects.

Much like chemical drugs, many common behaviors can alter consciousness. If these behaviors are practiced enough, actual changes in the brain occur. Some behaviors which alter consciousness do an excellent job at making one ‘feel better fast’.  The newest brain-scan imaging techniques are revealing that there are very strong similarities in the brain to the over-involvement with certain behaviors, just as there is to certain drugs, virtually a parallel process.
 
Since habits are normal behaviors which are essential for the routines of everyday life, it is an invisible line between engaging in a healthy habit or participating in a self-destructive compulsion. The thresholds between healthy and unhealthy behavioral habits are always crossed accidentally, and without malice.

Remember that addiction does not occur from a single event, but rather operates more like a learned skill that continues to get reinforced over time.  And the more you practice the behavior or activity, the stronger it gets.

Dr. Marc can help you discreetly, to better manage your situation, and achieve more independence from the following addictive behaviors:

Sex 

Pornography

Love

Internet

Gambling

Relationships

Spending

Exercising

Television

Computer/Video Gaming

 

PARTYING OR ADDICTIVE BEHAVIOR?

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There is a fine line between 'partying' and being ‘addicted’. No one ever starts out wanting to become addicted.

Addiction is always an accidental unintended by-product of having what appears to be a healthy expression of “Living and enjoying life to its fullest!”. Partying is often an expression of breaking the chains of social conventions, testing your limits as an adult who can hold their own and win out against the competition. A sign that you have achieved a level of wealth and leisure time, and a willingness to push the limits and disregard the rules.

When is all this fun not really an expression of joy but rather an expression of being controlled by a substance?

Drinking, drugging and partying are a very common part of contemporary American life. This behavior typically begins in mid to late teen years and escalates during college, and often continues well into adult years.

In the media “partying” is typically portrayed as a sign of freedom, affluence, sexuality and maturity. It is generally seen as harmless and often a well-deserved ‘right of passage’ for college students. Or glamorized as a “last fling” before marriage.

But where do we draw the line between “Just Having a Well Deserved Good Time” and “Really Having an Addiction?" This can be difficult to distinguish because they may look the same from the outside, but in reality these two behaviors are very different.

So the problem becomes when is all this fun not really an expression of joy but rather an expression of being controlled by a substance?

Ultimately, it becomes evident that you are the only one who thinks that your habitual addictive behavior is a secret. It's not. Others have noticed the negative changes in your behavior and personality. Soon you start to isolate and hide your use, convincing yourself that nobody loves you, that you don't fit in, and that your friends have abandoned you.

When an addiction has taken over, life has changed - and not for the better.

You know that it's really time to seek help with your addictive behavior.