addictions
Nutrition and alcohol
ALCOHOL Alcohol is an anti-nutrient. It is well proven to deplete almost every vitamin (A, B1, B2, B6, folic acid, B2, C, D and E),minerals (calcium, magnesium, potassium, zinc, selenium), amino acids, essential fat (omega 3 and omega 6) an...read more
Options for reducing drug use
Managing your drug use may be a big step. If you reduce your drug use you may still crave for them for sometime after. Try not to be too hard on yourself if you don't reach your immediate goal. Having to try several times may be part of reducing your use and it is important ...read more
Physiological effects of high alcohol intake
The risks to an individual who binge drinks only once in their lifetime, suffering from immediate short-term effects and more immediate behavioural costs is quite distinct from an individual who binge drinks regularly and therefore have both episodic very high levels of alcohol with the asso...read more
Protect your children: keep playing areas smoke free
Smoking is the greatest single cause of ill health and premature death in England.Tobacco smoke contains over 4000 different chemicals, many of which are harmful. The three main components are nicotine, carbon monoxide and tar which all aff...read more
Safer drinking
If you are drinking alcohol it is a good idea to know its effects and how to use it responsibly. Some things you may consider to help make alcohol use safer include: Do not mix alcohol and other drugs Eat food prior to a...read more
Sex addiction
Sex is a powerful driving force, and for some people it becomes an all pervading preoccupation which can lead to dangerous behaviours and life threatening habits. Like any source of pleasure, sex can become addictive, in which case it becomes distorted and is used as a means...read more
Shopping addiction
People use what is called retail therapy as a way of enjoying themselves. The normally buy items for which they have a need or have developed a desire for. Compulsive or addictive shopping is not like that, it is a form of behaviour designed to avoid unpleas...read more
Smoking and breastfeeding
Breastfeeding has important health benefits for both infant and mother. Mothers who smoke are less likely to start breastfeeding their babies than non-smoking mothers,109 and tend to breastfeed for a shorter time. The more cigarettes smoked, the sooner the baby is weaned. Th...read more
Smoking and fertility
It is estimated that around one in six couples in the UK experiences problems in conceiving at some time. Several types of study provide information on the effects of smoking on fertility. Semen analysis can reveal abnormalities. Surveys of pregnant women ca...read more
Smoking cessation
Non-nicotine Products Zyban Zyban (bupropion hydrochloride) tablets address the biology of the addiction and help reduce intense withdrawal symptoms from nicotine. Nortriptyline Nortriptyline has been shown to be effective in the treatm...read more
Smoking facts
Smoking is one of the worst things you can do to your body. Yet every single day around 450 young people, in the UK, between the ages 12 and 17 start smoking. Crazy huh? especially when you read these statistics: Smoking just 3 to 6 cigarettes a day doubles your chanc...read more
Some facts about poppers
Poppers is a powerful drug that can give you an almighty burst of dizzy energy for a couple of minutes.The rush kicks in immediately, and for a few moments you'll feel a thumping in your head.Generally coming in small glass bottles, amyl nitrate is normally snorted out of t...read more
Some information about binge drinking
Alcohol is the most widely used recreational drug in Australia. We have a culture of socially accepting the drinking of alcohol, with many Australians drinking after work, at barbeques, on the weekend, and at sporting events amongst other things. What is binge drinking?read more
Some information about internet addiction
The internet appears to have become an ever-increasing part of many people’s day-to-day life and there have been reports in the press in recent years about ‘internet addiction’. For many people, the concept and definitions of internet addic...read more
Someone spiked my drink
What is drink spiking? Drink spiking is when alcohol or another drug is added to your drink without you knowing. This results in you becoming drunk or drug affected unexpectedly. Both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks can be spiked, and it...read more
Statistics of alcohol addiction
Drinking statistics for Great Britain 1 in 25 people in Britain are dependent on alcohol – twice as many as are dependent on drugs. 1.4 million men (6%), and half a million women (2%) are drinking at very risky levels (over 50 units a week ...read more
Statistics of drugs misuse
Drug misuse and young people aged under 25 years in 1998 In 1998, 11% of 11-15 year olds in England had used drugs in the last year. The prevalence of drug use increased sharply with age: only 1% of 11 year olds had used drugs in the last year compared with over a quarter (...read more
Taking care of yourself
The tips below will help you to look after yourself while you are drinking. When you’re out, why not pace yourself by alternating between soft and alcoholic drinks? A plain tonic looks the same as a G&T, ditto cola without the rum. You’ll stay ...read more
Talking to teenagers about alcohol
Young people have access to alcohol - drinking at parties, friends houses, in the park - quite often drinking to get drunk. The number of teenagers trying drink in their early teens is growing, often influenced by peer pressure and the media. The worry for parents is that it...read more
Talking to your teens about smoking
Try to gauge their opinion by using prompts such as the soap story lines – you may be surprised at their take on smoking - take the opportunity to give them your honest opinion. Gem up on the facts and talk openly about what you see as theread more
Teens and drugs
Research seems to show that a significant number of young people have access to, experiment with or misuse drugs of some sort, at some time in, particularly, the teenage years. Parents want to talk with their children about substance abuse and need the skill...read more
The benefits of quitting
Compared to smokers, your… Stroke risk is reduced to that of a person who never smoked after 5 to 15 years of not smoking Cancers of the mouth, throat, and esophagus risks are halved 5 years after quitting Cancer of the larynx risk is reduce...read more
The Definitive Health Advice
Living a Life of Balance is the order of the day. We are urged to live in harmony with Nature, in harmony with ourselves, and not only spiritual arguments but now even Western science is proving the point of this vital piece of advice. Illness occurs when th...read more
The effects of cannabis on the brain and respiratory system
Long term effects on the brain Recent research indicates that in common with other addictive drugs such as heroin, nicotine and amphetamines, cannabis activates the release of dopamine in the brain. Dopamine release forms part of the brain's reward mechanism, which is invol...read more
The effects of smoking
Smoking affects everybody differently. The number of cigarettes smoked per day and the age at which you start smoking are some of the things that may influence what affect smoking has on you. Research has shown that the younger a person is when they start to smokeread more
