Casual marijuana comes with side effects

FoxNews, on its website, recently posted some alarming news for those who think of marijuana as a fun, safe, non-hazardous drug. Their article reads as follows:

Casual marijuana use may come with some not-so-casual side effects.

            For the first time, researchers at Northwestern University have analyzed the relationship between casual use of marijuana and brain changes – and found that young adults who used cannabis just once or twice a week showed significant abnormalities in two important brain structures.

            The study’s findings, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, are similar to those of past research linking chronic, long-term marijuana use with mental illness and changes in brain development.

             Dr. Hans Breiter, co-senior study author, said he was inspired to look at the effects of casual marijuana use after previous work in his lab found that heavy cannabis use caused similar brain abnormalities to those seen in patients with schizophrenia.

           “There were abnormalities in their working memory, which is fundamental to everything you do,” Breiter, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, told FoxNews.com.  “When you make judgments or decisions, plan things, do mathematics – anything you do always involves working memory.  It’s one of the core fundamental aspects of our brains that we use every day.  So given those findings, we decided we need to look at casual, recreational use.”

            For their most recent study, Breiter and his team analyzed a very small sample of patients between the ages of 18 and 25: 20 marijuana users and 20 well-matched control subjects.  The marijuana users had a wide range of usage routines, with some using the drug just once or twice a week and others using it every single day.

            Utilizing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the researchers analyzed the participants’ brains, focusing on the nucleus accumbens (NAC) and the amygdala – two key brain regions responsible for processing emotions, making decisions and motivation.  They looked at these brain structures in three different ways, measuring their density, volume and shape.

            According to Breiter, all three were abnormal in the casual marijuana users.

“For the NAC, all three measures were abnormal, and they were abnormal in a dose-dependent way, meaning the changes were greater with the amount of marijuana used,” Breiter said.  “The amygdala had abnormalities for shape and density, and only volume correlated with use.  But if you looked at all three types of measures, it showed the relationships between them were quite abnormal in the marijuana users, compared to the normal controls.”

            Because these brain regions are central for motivation, the findings from Northwestern help support the well-known theory that marijuana use leads to a condition called amotivation. Also called amotivational syndrome, this psychological condition causes people to become less oriented toward their goals and purposes in life, as well as [to] seem less focused in general.

            Given these eye-opening results,  Breiter said that more research is needed to look into marijuana’s effects on the brain – even in those who use the drug only once or twice a month.

            “We need to see what happens longitudinally,” Breiter said. “What happens as you follow people over time?  What happens if they stop using – do these bad effects continue? What happens if you can intervene early?...My worry is we haven’t studied this compound and here we are looking to change legislation on it.”

            Although Breiter’s team members did not examine the patients’ cognitive symptoms, they do believe that the brain abnormalities seen in their study could lead to substantial effects on brain development and behavior, especially given the young ages of the participants.  Breiter also acknowledged the problems of analyzing a very small study sample – but said that their findings should still serve as a wake-up call to others.

            “This study is just a beginning pilot study, but at the same time, the results that came out are the same as a canary in a coal mine,” Breiter said.  “...The interaction of marijuana with brain development could be a significant problem.”

While the sampling is admittedly small, the implications are alarming. If you’re a cannabis user, are you going to keep toking till the inarguable smoking gun is on display for everyone to see? Don’t wait! You could be seriously, permanently harming your brain function!

            Need help quitting? That’s what we’re here for: Help with all substance issues, whether concerning drugs or alcohol. Call Rise Up Recovery at 866-411-7953. http://riseuprecovery.com/

Inhalant Addiction Treatment in Florida

Inhalant abuse, is the intentional inhalation of chemical vapors. An individual will inhale, or “huff,” as it is more commonly known, in order to achieve an altered mental or physical state. This altered state is usually euphoric. As many as one thousand common household products can be inhaled, or “huffed.” These chemicals fall into a few general categories: Volatile solvents, gases, nitrites, and aerosols.

                          

Volatile solvents are liquids that will vaporize at room temperature if they are left in unsealed containers. Gasoline, nail polish, paint thinners, nail polish remover, and certain glues, contain volatile solvents.  Aerosols are sprays that contain propellants and solvents. Toluene is one of the most common solvents found in aerosols.  Examples of aerosols used for inhaling include, hair products, cooking products, deodorant, and paint, especially gold and silver. Gases are substances that lack definite shape or volume. “Huffers” will often inhale gases from cigarette lighters, propane tanks, and refrigerants. Medical anesthetics such as chloroform, ether, and nitrous oxide are also abused. Nitrous oxide, or “laughing gas” is the most frequently abused. This gas can be obtained from cans of whipped cream. Balloons are another source. Drug paraphernalia stores and raves sell sealed vials of nitrous oxide called “whippets.”  Nitrites, are mainly used to enhance sexual experiences rather than to achieve a euphoric effect.  Nitrates can be found in room deodorizers, and one nitrate, amyl nitrate, is sold in small mesh-covered sealed capsules. The capsules are snapped, or popped to release the vapors, hence the street names, “poppers,” or “snappers.”

Inhalant addiction symptoms include excitement, euphoria, inhibition, hallucinations, and delusion. Negative side effects include, nausea, diarrhea, bad breath, bloodshot and glazed eyes and nosebleeds.  Inhalants are highly addictive and cause irreversible damage to the brain, liver, kidneys, and central nervous system. Frequent users will experience breathing problems, memory loss, cognitive declines and confusion.

Inhalant addiction treatment and drug counseling in Stuart, Florida, approaches the addict by first trying to have them understand why they chose to get high and then teaching them how to manage their addiction, usually on an inpatient basis.

Drug Abuse Treatment Stuart: Mental Health Groups

Many people today suffer from a mental health disease diagnosis. This type of disease is associated with many different symptoms and types. We help people in all types of mental diseases including:

·        Anxiety

·        Depression

·        Bipolar Disorder

·        Schizophrenia

·        PTSD

·        OCD

·        Eating Disorders

·        And more

Anxiety can come off as nervousness and frustration.  Sometimes, even anger can be shown when a person is suffering from anxiety. At Oasis Treatment Center, we stand by our members suffering from anxiety and give them a shoulder to lean on. Sometimes a person suffering from anxiety just needs someone to hear them and stand by them. Depression is a disease that can be very dangerous.  Many times, people suffering from depression can initiate self-inflicted pain and sometimes even suicide. We have 24-hour support and watch all members to keep them safe from others and themselves.

Bipolar Disorder is a disease that is often misunderstood. A person with bipolar disorder can have symptoms of other diseases as well. Depression and extreme fits of happiness and anger are spontaneous. We offer help with all situations and counseling to learn to control symptoms.Schizophrenia is a disease where people cannot determine what is real and fake.  They mostly assume everything is real. They do not have normal associations and reactions to things socially and emotionally. There can be a lot of stress with schizophrenia, not only for the member but family and friends as well.  Our family therapy is a lasting way to help all those that are involved in this sort of diagnosis. PTSD is also known as post-traumatic stress disorder. It is a form of anxiety and depression that has risen because of an event. Our expert advisors and trained staff will help members walk through and solve the things that are associated with PTSD.

OCD is also known as obsessive compulsive disorder. It is a disorder that is a form of anxiety. Like anxiety disorders, many times they need someone to talk to. They also may need emotional support, as well as therapy to overcome their urges.  We are here to walk members through every step of the process.There are many people today that suffer from an eating disorder of some kind.  Whether it is anorexia, binge dieting, or stress eating, our experts know how to help to overcome the causes for the eating disorder. There are many other mental diseases that we at Treatment Center in Stuart help with as well. We have state of the art equipment and staff with experience to help you achieve on the road to your recovery.