by sbrockmanmore

Question by Sandy Denny: Is a heavy smoker a “drug addict”?
I called a very heavy smoker a drug addict and they were offended. What do you think?

Best answer:

Answer by C Stevens
Technically, you are correct, since they are addicted to nicotine. But since smoking is legal, most people do not think of themselves as “drug addicts,” which is usually reserved those who are abusing illegal drugs, or who are addicted to legal drugs, such as narcotics and other painkillers, available via prescription.

Answer by Joseph the Second
-Pretty much… The SAME thing goes for People who Drink “too regularly”- Also. 🙁 People tend to think that if a Substance is accepted as “Legal”- that They can’t be “Addicted” to it. But ANYthing that can alter Ones Behavior- IS a “Drug…” And if you can’t stop Yourself from “Using” it, you ARE “Addicted” !! 😮

Hooked on hope: Market Street Mission celebrates 150 years in Morristown
Located in Morristown's original saloon district, the facility is a source for emergency food and shelter as well as a residential substance abuse recovery program. Morristown, NJ. Feb. 20, 2014. Special to … Morristown's Market Street Mission …
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Reparations flow the wrong way: What the right doesn't understand about slavery
He wrote up his findings — which included a discussion of the disease's symptoms, the manner in which it spread, and best treatment options — and published them in Bibliothèque Ophtalmologique, which was then cited in other medical journals as well …
Read more on Salon

Foreign pastor recognized for helping drug addicts
24 (CNA) An Italian-American pastor who founded the Agape House Christian Counseling Center in Hualien County, eastern Taiwan, has been awarded a Presidential Citation in recognition of his decades-long efforts to help drug addicts in Taiwan. Frank …
Read more on Focus Taiwan News Channel

Program's end reopens debate on clean needles for drug users
Each day, dozens of drug addicts file into New Leaf Treatment Center hoping for a respite from their cravings. Gantt Galloway hopes to buy time for their recovery. A pharmacist and noted researcher, Galloway founded a drug treatment center in Lafayette.
Read more on San Francisco Chronicle

Car hits Rochester boy on snowmobile
… State Patrol. Kenneth Mark was not hurt and his car was undamaged, but Petit was transported to Mayo Clinic Health System, Saint Marys for treatment of non-life threatening injuries. … Thank you for reading 7 free articles on our site. You can …
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Question by tangerine: drug and addictions therapist?
I am considering going into a career as a drug and addictions therapist. What kind of schooling/degrees is required?

Best answer:

Answer by Bella Boo
this doesn’t answer your question but, i think the best therapists are the ones who know exactly what their clients are going through by experience, etc.

Answer by Megumi D
Having worked as a licensed clinician in the mental health field for several years (first licensed in 1992), and having specialized for a number of those years in addiction disorders, I honestly think that the best training for someone who wants to work with addictive disorders is to first get a Masters (MA or MS) in psychology, and then a doctorate–preferably a PsyD–in clinical psych. During the practicum phase of education and in your pre-licensure internship hours, one would do best to work with a variety of mental health issues but to focus on addictive disorders. Most important though is to get a solid background in clinical training and then branch out to addictive disorders. It truly helps to be able to recognize when a person with drug/addiction disorders also has “co-morbid” psychological disorders–depression, personality d/os, etc. that are complicating the picture, and one will be able to treat those as well.

The poorest training is those who only work towards a certificate as an “addictions counselor” or certificate in alcoholism and drug dependency counseling, because such people do not have the training to recognize the complicating factors of co-existing disorders and tend to only see one facet of the person’s disorders.

It does not matter, contrary to popular opinion, whether someone has been an alcoholic or addict oneself. In fact, that can make it more difficult because such counselors are often too close to their own issues to be able to deal with the problems of someone else. Or, they often tend to focus on “what worked” for them, not realizing that different approaches are necessary for treating different people. After all, you wouldn’t necessarily think that a doctor who him/herself had cancer would make the best oncologist, would you?

I designed and started a “dual diagnosis” (substance-abusing chronically mentally ill) treatment program in So Calif, and was the clinical supervisor of another program that treated pregnant and parenting women. I worked in the field with SAMHSA, NIMH, and other federal agencies as well, and have a great deal of experience supervising and providing treatment for drug and alcohol issues. The best clinicians are those who are truly empathetic, caring people who also have excellent clinical skills in a broad range of mental health treatment modalities, not just as drug and alcohol counselors.

Latonia Williams: Onetime addict builds promising future
Often, the only roof over her head was jail – San Francisco, San Jose or Vallejo – where she did time for possessing drugs, stealing, turning tricks or missing court. By 32, Williams was the shadowy figure you'd see passed out in the back seat of an …
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Former Clallam firefighter/paramedic steeped in treatment, counseling in wake …
Rynearson is one of hundreds of Clallam County residents who have gone through to Drug Court, a diversion program started in 1999 and aimed at curbing recidivism by helping non-violent offenders break the cycle of addiction. Proponents say the program …
Read more on Peninsula Daily

Gambling addiction nothing to play around with
They go through a radical withdrawal process, to help them change their behavior and abstain from gambling. Like drug addicts, they suffer mood swings, insomnia and intense cravings. An in-patient treatment lasts two months, therapy for an out patient …
Read more on Deutsche Welle

Alcoholism Treatment –

Drug addicts should be treated, not quarantined
I'm a recovered alcoholic/ heroin addict who has been lucky enough to have his disease successfully treated in one of our state's few, stressed, state-funded addiction treatment centers. I've since become a clean, sober, reliable and taxpaying worker, …
Read more on Foster’s Daily Democrat

Corrie star Johnny Briggs' drug addict daughter AND granddaughter both jailed …
The drug-dependent daughter of Coronation Street star Johnny Briggs has been jailed and his heroin addict granddaughter remanded in custody after both admitted shoplifting. Karen Briggs and her daughter Emma Beach – who are both drug addicts and have …
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A source said: 'Imagine an officer causes an accident, test would come back …
French police have confiscated and stored such a large quantity of cannabis that the smell is causing officers to fail drug tests. There is … The smell prompted a meeting between officials last week, but so far they have not found a way to eradicate …
Read more on Daily Mail