National program to fight against the abuse of alcohol and drugs in Aboriginal

The National Program to Fight against the abuse of alcohol and drugs among Aboriginal (NNADAP) is an example of Health Canada program which is managed largely by communities and First Nations agencies. Its goal is the one who had presided over its creation in the 70s, namely to help Inuit communities and First Nations to develop and offer programs to reduce high rates of alcohol abuse, drugs and solvents among residents of reserves.

NNADAP supports a national network of 52 treatment centers inpatient totaling approximately 700 beds. It contains background information on these centers as well as those funded by the National Program against solvent abuse among young people (PNLASJ) by consulting the directory of treatment centers, established and maintained in these programs.

NNADAP was introduced in the mid-1970s, as part of a pilot project to fight against the abuse of alcohol and drugs. We made it a permanent program in 1982, saw “the urgency of the problem manifest abuse of alcohol and drug use among First Nations and Inuit (trans. free). This stability has fostered better coordination with other programs promoting health and sobriety in the community.

NNADAP has more than 550 prevention programs and more than 700 workers – almost all employed by the Inuit and First Nations. Activities vary depending on the number of inhabitants and the needs of each community and the availability of skilled workers, but they can be divided into three main categories

Postobservation activities, aimed at preventing the recurrence of problems with alcohol and drugs:

* Counseling
* Circles sharing
* Support Groups
* Crisis Intervention
* Support visits
* Visits awareness
* Referral to treatment
* Referral to a detoxification service
* Referrals to social services
* Referrals to medical services
* Referrals to services offered by the band.

The American Medical Association recognizes alcoholism as a disease that can be stopped, but that does not heal. One of the symptoms is an uncontrollable urge to drink. Alcoholism is a progressive disease. While alcoholics continue to drink, the urge to drink greater. If the disease is not stopped, they may end in madness or death. The only way to stop alcoholism is abstinence.

Alcoholic one for life. Most experts agree that alcoholics, even after years of sobriety, never can control their drinking when they start drinking again. Currently, there are many treatments for alcoholics with probability of success. The “Alcoholics Anonymous” are by far the best known and most effective. Alcoholism is no longer a hopeless condition, provided that those recognized and treated.

Alcoholics found in all walks of life … Only three to five percent of alcoholics are vagrants or troublemakers. The others have family, friends and work and lead a fairly normal life. However, their drinking affects a part of their lives. Their family life, their social lives or their work may suffer, perhaps all three. An alcoholic is someone who is drinking a constant and growing problem in every aspect of his / her life.

Alcoholics drink because they think they should drink. They use alcohol as an aid and as a means of escape. They suffer emotionally and use alcohol to suppress that pain. It is even possible to be so dependent on alcohol that they convince themselves not to be without. That is obsession.

Once some alcoholics trying to make it without alcohol, withdrawal symptoms are sometimes so overwhelming that they begin drinking again. This seems to them the only way to be rid of the torment. This is addiction. Most would prefer social drinkers are alcoholics. They spend much time and effort in trying to keep their drinking under control, as for others to drink. They try eg only on weekends to drink or to take a drink to keep. They never have the certainty to make it here, even if they want it. Eventually they are drunk, despite the intention is not to be. This is compulsion.

One of the characteristics of this disease is that patients do not believe that they are ill. There is hope of recovery when they are able to accept that they need help, they want to stop drinking and that they are willing to acknowledge the problem alone.

One might think that the concept of addiction is as old as time. Not so: the idea is relatively recent – and those who have defended always were driven by political or moral. The modern version of the concept was invented in the eighteenth by the physician Benjamin Rush, with his friends in the anti-alcohol, he had the addiction as the cause of (and argument against) the dangers of demon alcohol. Alcoholic beverages were then accused of causing a “disease control”.

Later, the theory of “degeneration” would make its way into the medical field, it was thought that mental disorders could be hereditary; this heredity condemning its victims to the mental and social failure. In the nineteenth in the Colonies, alcohol was rampant among the natives, deemed “inferior” the psychiatrists concluded that the two states – Alcoholism and degeneration – went together. The addiction as such was less attributable to the harmfulness of drugs, it is then attributed to the physiological weakness of the victims. He was complaining addicts, not condemn them.

The “degeneration” and eugenics eventually disappear in the 1950s – a death-deserved and well overdue. One idea, however, survived these concepts: the claim that addiction is caused by vulnerability to be a susceptibility which existed even before the person came into contact with drugs. This line of thought seems to have peaked in 2004: a report from the World Health said while substance dependence was “a mental disorder, as well as the neurological or psychiatric illness.

The problem of alcoholism is a major psychiatric problem, because the effects alcohol has on the brain, either of acute or chronic, and therefore the effects on the individual.

Also important are the psychosocial reasons that lead individuals to drink, they can be certain moods such as depression or anxiety, and toxics trends. We must also take into account the alcohol tolerance of each person, because each has a different one.

It is a serious problem for several circumstances: 1 .- As the most common drug that gives more problems, with worse consequences and that more spending gives the Administration. 2 .- Increase the frequency of both men and women, also lowers the age of onset for drinking alcohol (about 12 years). 3 .- The alcohol increases the number of other polydrug use, since it is rare that when you use other drugs not consumed alcohol. 4 .- often is associated to consumption of certain drugs, particularly psychotropic drugs, stimulants and tranquilizers. 5 .- propaganda is also involved, which enhances its value.

Personality of the alcoholic. It talks of a personality prealcoholica, but today is not much used term, even if it is true that provision is more neurotic features of alcoholism.

Apetencia: throughout history has always shown a taste for alcoholic beverages have been preferred before other types of drinks (water or milk). This is because alcohol has an anxiolytic effect, to the point that anxiolytic substance is the best there is for a time of emergency, also because the offer is open 24 hours and is cheaper than there are anxiolytic. Also has a tonic and euphoric effects, also has a liberating effect of the repressed breaks down inhibitions. Also alcohol has always existed and is associated with a set of events and social rituals, such as mass political ceremonies. It has become alcohol in a social environment very important because drinking together in society is a sign of unity and solidarity. Dynamogenous physiological properties: the more degrees you have more properties and alcohol has more calories. It gives strength, virility, but this lasts a short time and then the fall is worse. Also comforts and restores.

Moreover, it appears that there is also some social obligation for the individual to drink, because otherwise this is like apart from the group.

Tolerance is the relationship between blood alcohol concentration and the degree of intoxication. Varies by many things: age, sex, eating habits, alcohol consumption time, and so on. the problems of alcoholism is more serious because it has more tolerance.

Custom: This closely related to tolerance for individuals who have a good tolerance comes a habituation to alcohol, while alcohol is for them as a food they need daily and residual also necessary to maintain the balance of metabolism. So if deleted for a while there is withdrawal.

There are several measures of harmful drinking. The different sizes as there are different ways research is done and looks to alcohol. A hard line between harmful and non-harmful drinking does not exist.

Most of the Dutch drinking alcohol

The majority (81%) of the Dutch population drinks alcohol (2007). Approximately one fifth (19%) of the population drink alcohol. For young people (pupils from 12 to 18 year secondary education) is that about half the alcohol consumed last month: 51% in 2007.

Approximately 10% of the population has drinking problem

Approximately 10% of the Dutch has an alcohol that meets the criteria for problem drinking. There are many underlying differences between groups in the population. Harmful drinking in young adult men is the most common example.

More educated women have less harmful alcohol

Harmful alcohol use is more common in men with lower education. Among women, this association is less clear. There are far fewer drinkers among Moroccans and Turks than among native Dutch.

After years of increase, since 2003 the percentage take 12 – and 13-year olds to drink alcohol off

Since 2003 has been a decline in the percentage of youth 12 and 13 years ever drank alcohol. This decrease occurred in both boys and girls. In the older age groups is no visible reduction in the number of students ever drank alcohol. Since the early nineties, there was an increase in the proportion of young people who drank alcohol, particularly in young girls.

Alcohol consumption in the Netherlands is low compared to rest of Europe

The alcohol in the Netherlands is low compared to the rest of Europe. Dutch youth score high contrast when it comes to drinking and often a lot of time drinking.

For a long time have been taken as irrefutable truths myths associated with alcohol consumption. Many people have believed and still believe, that alcohol is a stimulant, but it is not. Alcohol, by contrast, is a depressant. While initially people may notice an improvement in their mood, the reality is that their use inevitably leads to depression.

The other big myth is that “alcohol enhances sexual activity.” Here something similar happens in the previous misconception. Although you may feel a greater sexual arousal, the truth is that the indiscriminate consumption of alcoholic drinks ends up causing problems with impotence and even lack of orgasms.

Treatments available for those addicted to alcohol

Certainly, the vast majority of alcohol addicts do not recognize to be, nor do they seek professional help. However, those who receive medical care fail to control the disease greatly. The key is intervention (medical and family support), detoxification (withdrawal monitored and supervised by specialists) and rehabilitation (education about alcohol and its effects to prevent relapse).

In the interest of avoiding such a decline, sometimes prescribed medications such as Acamprosate, which decreases relapse rates, the Antabuse, which produces unpleasant side effects if the person returns to drinking and naltrexone, which reduces the uncontrollable desire for alcohol.

Generally, alcohol addictions begin safely. There are people for whom life becomes boring and not find a way to cheer for a natural way. Likewise, those who suffer from antisocial personality disorder are more likely to move from being simply drinkers become alcoholics. That is, take refuge in drink as a way to escape reality.

And although most people achieve a better life through intellectual stimulation, to converse with others, reading, listening to music or go to the movies or the theater, unfortunately, a certain percentage are looking to improve their lives, wrongly through alcohol or other drugs.

In general in our society it is customary to identify alcohol with fun and thought that a party is not fun if you do not drink much, an idea that the media is responsible for promoting a continuous parade of pleasure provided by the alcohol. And so, the success of any event is inconceivable without wine. However, we must never forget that alcohol is a drug and is toxic until proven otherwise.

However, the good news is that the human body is better able to enjoy life without taking any type of drug. We have an almost unlimited range of activities that can have fun and be happy, but healthy.

Alcohol can be one source of pleasure, but consumed in excess have devastating effects.

Drinking alcohol in moderate amounts can promote relaxation, reduce anxiety and inhibitions, and even increase confidence in ourselves. That is, its effects seem to us to overcome many problems. Therefore, is very present at the time of social relations.

But if alcohol consumption is excessive, also paid an important bill: the hangover is the result of an agency that has been seriously damaged and, if repeated often, the damage will be irreversible. For example, in sexual terms, although the alcohol increases the desire, is an inhibitor of sexual response, altering their normal functioning.

How excess alcohol affects men
Alcohol tends to inhibit erections. Many young people have their first sexual intercourse after drinking a large amount of alcohol, which normally produce them with erection problems and they create enormous suffering, to attribute failure to their own personal characteristics rather than the effects of drink. The result is often a psychological erectile dysfunction by the fear of further failures.

According Walji and Kingston, has shown that even not too high quantities of alcohol, but continuously ingested, can affect the reproductive system, as the male hormone testosterone is eliminated more rapidly and occurs in smaller quantities, so the drinker will therefore diminished sex drive as the production of sperm.

Hypogonadism and feminization
For his part, Dr. David Van Thiel, demonstrated more than thirty years ago, in those alcoholics who have a significant liver damage arises a process of feminization that is manifested in the reduction of body hair, as well as development own bodily habits of women, because, in these cases, call hypertension portal vein becomes estrogens (female hormones), many of steroids absorbed by the liver.

And, secondly, Dr. Van Thiel experimentally found that excessive alcohol also produces a deterioration of the gonads known as hypogonadism, which is testicular atrophy, decreased level of testosterone, infertility and impotence.

How excess alcohol affects women
Women who drink too much alcohol may be suffering irregularities in their menstrual cycles, breast reduction and a propensity to develop cancer.

Furthermore, in our society have always seen worse abuse of the drink by the woman by man. And this is not a mere prejudice, but it has a reason: women have a smaller liver, which means we can absorb less alcohol, so that any woman should try to match or beat a man in the consumption of alcoholic beverages.

Nor should we forget the serious dangers of alcohol consumption during pregnancy represents, since the alcohol passes to the fetus through the umbilical cord, causing mental and physical damage in newborns.