Craving

Is it craving or is it just thinking? Both are common. They are different, even if they may sometimes feel the same. Having a thought about drinking or using is not the same as believing you can actually taste or feel the effect of the substance. We are not talking about euphoric recall. But, euphoric recall can lead to craving.

Imagine someone mentions that getting a pizza right now would be really cool. Pizza is one of your favorite things to eat, even if it is not all that good for you. You tend to overdo it. So, when the subject is brought up, you think, "Wow, a pizza would be good right now". But you have work to do and dismiss the idea until lunch, or until you get home from work. That was not a craving. That was a thought about eating a pizza. One the other hand, when that someone mentioned getting a pizza, you not only thought about it, you could imagine feeling the heat coming from the box, could smell the aroma of a freshly baked pizza, and could almost taste that favorite ingredient, or feel the cheese sticking to your lips… then felt compelled to get up from work, head to the pizza parlor, or call for delivery, that is craving. The scholars tell us that a crave will only last 2 or 3 minutes. So, if you put your mind on other things and get busy doing other things the craving will pass.

For recovery to be successful, it must be active. So, the majority of how to cope with craving is not addressing the point in time when the craving occurs. It begins with preparation, and not with a halfhearted attempt to comply with the wishes of others in your life. So…

  1. Get physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually healthy. Eat right, get some exercise, do yoga, meditation, Tai chi, church, NA/AA, massage, reading, etcetera to enhance your ability to stay balanced.
  2. Make a commitment to a life style change, which includes a lifetime of treatment, support, and/or regularly interacting with those who are good for you, encourage you, and may sometimes push you toward greater heights. When you are having a bad day… be with those people. When you are having a good day… be with those people.
  3. Believe in yourself. To prepare for a "bad" day, write yourself a letter with some good advice in it and some encouraging thoughts; keep it handy for that rainy day.
  4. Avoid overt and obvious triggers.

-- Rick B.




False Positive Drug Screens

During this time of year, there is a higher incidence of Amphetamine positive drug screens. There are times when this is due to a cross-reaction of the Ephedra source drugs with the Amphetamine class test. If your drug screen results are positive for amphetamines, and you have not been abusing an amphetamine, the way to protect your rights is to request a confirmation test to verify that you are not using methamphetamine. Those tests are called TLC, or Thin Layer Chromatography and GCMS, or Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrum. If you have been using methamphetamine, these tests will confirm that you have been using. Also, some folks may not be using methampheteamine, but they are over using either a prescribed medication or an over-the-counter medication that can screen as an amphetamine. Abuse is abuse, whether it is the abuse of a prescribed drug, an illicit drug, or an over-the counter drug.

-- Rick B.




New hepatitis Drug Approved

Incivek is a new hepatitis drug approved by FDA. This medication is added to the current treatments for hepatitis C. The trials have shown adding it to the protocols increases effective treatment by 20%-40%. The use of the medication has also lowered the incidence of bad side effects during treatment.

-- WebMD





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Dr. Candace McDaniel
8021 East Thornton Fwy, Suite A
Dallas, Texas 75228

Call (214) 328-4848 or 

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