By: Rhea Rosier | Published on: 23rd May, 2013.
Some studies have shown that in general, 31 percent of percent of men experience erectile dysfunction (ED). That number rises to over 50 percent for men over the age of 40, making ED a relatively common problem. Adding addiction into the equation increasing the likelihood of sexual dsyfunction in men. Sexual dyfunction is especially prevalent in men who abuse alcohol and cocaine.
Sexual problems can begin fairly early in a person’s life or they may develop after an individual has previously had enjoyable and satisfying sex. Sexual dysfunction can develop gradually over time or it can occur suddenly as a total or partial inability to participate in one or more stages of the sexual actions.
What is sexual dysfunction?
Sexual dysfunction or sexual malfunction refers to a difficulty experienced by an individual or a couple during any stage of normal sexual activity, including desire, arousal or orgasm. Some symptoms of sexual dysfunction include:
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Decreased sexual desire —persistent or recurrent deficiency or absence of desire for sexual activity giving rise to marked distress and interpersonal difficulty;
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Sexual aversion disorder —persistent or recurrent aversion and avoidance of all genital sexual contact leading to marked distress and interpersonal difficulty;
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Difficulty in erection —recurrent or persistent, partial or complete failure to attain or maintain an erection until the completion of the sex act;
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Difficulty in achieving orgasm —persistent or recurrent delay in or absence of orgasm, following a normal sexual excitement phase;
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Premature ejaculation —persistent or recurrent ejaculation with minimal sexual stimulation, before, on or shortly after penetration and before the person wishes it, which causes marked distress
Causes of sexual dysfunction
There are many causes of sexual dysfunction. The causes of sexual dysfunction can be physical, psychological or both. Emotions play a factor in sexual dysfunction too. Emotional factors would be interpersonal problems and psychological problems within the individual. Interpersonal problems are such as marital problems or relationship problems, lack of trust and open communication between partners etc. Personal psychological problems include depression, sexual fears or guilt, or even past sexual trauma. Physical factors that can cause sexual dysfunction are:
- Drugs such as alcohol, nicotine, narcotics, stimulants, blood pressure medications, antihistamines and some psychotherapeutic drugs.
- Injuries to the back
- An enlarged prostate gland
- Problems with blood supply
- Nerve damage
- Disease
- Failure of various organs
- Endocrine disorders
- Hormone deficiencies
- Some birth defects
Sexual dysfunction can be caused by addiction and is common in people who abuse alcohol and drugs. Addiction can cause sexual dysfunction through the substance abuse itself and the emotional and interpersonal problems addicts experience. For instance someone who is in their addiction usually has a lot of guilt, shame, fear and anxiety. This part of addiction can cause sexual dysfunction.
Sexual dysfunction is especially common among people who have anxiety disorders. Ordinary anxiousness can obviously cause sexual dysfunction in men without psychiatric problems, but clinically diagnosable disorders such as panic disorder commonly cause avoidance of intercourse and premature ejaculation. Many people with addictions believe that taking drugs or alcohol will help to relieve some of the anxiety that can cause sexual dysfunction but they are making it worse. Here is a list of drugs that can cause sexual dysfunction. Recreational drugs and drugs of abuse that cause sexual dysfunction include:
- Alcohol
- Amphetamines such as Dexedrine (dextroamphetamine)
- Barbiturates such as Phenobarbital
- Cocaine
- Marijuana
- Methadone
- Nicotine from smoking and smokeless tobacco
- Opiates such as heroin and OxyContin
Addicts with can overcome their sexual dysfunction once they quit abusing drugs and focus on their recovery plan. If they’re having trouble overcoming their sexual dsyfunction then they can see a Sex Therapist who can help them.
If you or your loved one is in need of treatment for alcohol or drug addiction please give us a call at 800-821-9584.
Source:
http://drugs.about.com/od/medicationabcs/a/ED_and_Drugs.htm
http://psychcentral.com/ask-the-therapist/2012/02/26/addiction-has-led-to-sexual-dysfunction/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2917074/
By: Jenny Hunt | Published on: 22nd May, 2013.
The Social Drinker vs. The Alcoholic
One of the most common questions people who try to quit drinking ask is whether they really have to stop forever. Can’t they learn how to drink in moderation? Can they become social drinkers? Is it true that they can never have another drink?
For true alcoholics, returning to moderate drinking doesn’t work. Many have tried and failed. There are some people who quit drinking for a period of time, or even joined Alcoholics Anonymous, who later found that they could return to moderate drinking, but it’s likely that these drinkers were not alcoholics in the first place, but merely heavy drinkers.
The Social Drinker vs. The Alcoholic: What is a social drinker?
The social drinker is also called a low-risk drinker. They rarely, if ever, experience negative consequences of drinking. The amount of alcohol that it takes to cause problems varies from person to person. Because of body mass and metabolism differences, women feel the effects of alcohol far more quickly than do men, and they are more at risk for developing alcohol-related problems with less alcohol consumption. However, in general, social drinking or low-risk drinking is defined as having no more than one drink per day for women and two for men.
The Social Drinker vs. The Alcoholic: CAGE
One quick way to gauge whether or not you are moving from the social drinker to the alcoholic is to use the CAGE criteria. The questions on this test are: Have you ever felt the need to cut down on your drinking? Have people ever annoyed you by criticism of your drinking? Have you ever felt Guilty about your drinking? Have you ever taken a morning Eye-opener drink to steady your nerves or get rid of a hangover?
The Social Drinker vs. The Alcoholic: Other Warning Signs
Some other warning signs that differentiate between the social drinker vs. the alcoholic include:
- inability to control alcohol intake after starting to drink
- obsessing about alcohol (thinking about the next time they will be able to drink, who they will drink with, what they will drink, and/or how they will get alcohol)
- behaving in ways, while drunk, that are uncharacteristic of their sober personality or values
- repeated unwanted drinking patterns
- increasing sense of denial that their drinking is a problem
- setting drinking limits and being unable to stick to them
- driving drunk or engaging in other risk taking behaviors while intoxicated
- not being able to imagine life without alcohol
- using alcohol as a reward
- using alcohol to change a negative feeling or enhance a positive one
- drinking daily
- binge drinking (more than four drinks in a sitting for women, and five for men)
- having chronic blackouts (memory lapses due to heavy drinking)
- feeling guilt and shame about drinking or about drinking behavior
- having other people express concern about drinking behavior
The Social Drinker vs. The Alcoholic: Help is available
If you are not a social drinker that does not necessarily mean you are an alcoholic. You may be a problem drinker. Whether you are a problem drinker or an alcoholic, however, you should seek professional help.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-high-functioning-alcoholic/200904/social-drinkers-problem-drinkers-and-high-functioning-alc
http://www.drug-rehabs.com/SocialDrinkingorAddiction.htm
If you or your loved one is in need of treatment for alcohol or drug addiction please give us a call at 800-821-9584.
By: Rhea Rosier | Published on: 21st May, 2013.
Prescription drug abuse is defined as the use of any medication in a manner other than the way in which it was prescribed, without a prescription, or for the experience (“high”) the medication provides. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse the most commonly abused prescription drugs are pain relievers, sleeping pills, and benzodiazepines. Stimulants are also commonly abused.
When it comes to prescription drug abuse, it may not always be apparent that there is a problem. This is because many times someone who is abusing prescription drugs simply began with legitimate health problem for which they needed the medication. Regardless of how the prescription drug abuse developed it is important to be able to spot the signs of prescription drug abuse in the first step to deciding whether not to go to inpatient or outpatient treatment for yourself or your loved one. More often than not someone who is abusing prescription drugs will with prescription drug withdrawal at some point or another which is the time to go to treatment.
Here are some signs you or a loved one may need treatment for prescription drug abuse:
- Anxiety
- Tremors
- Difficulty sleeping
- Nausea or vomiting
So what now?
Do you or a loved need inpatient or outpatient treatment for prescription drug abuse?
Well, when choosing a prescription drug rehabilitation program it is important to keep in mind that the quality of the program is more important than any other aspect. In many cases with prescription drug abuse it is necessary to detox off the medications with the help of a physician or inpatient medical detox. If you are experiencing withdrawal symptoms from prescription drug abuse seek out a health professional or inpatient medical detox as soon as possible. An experienced physician or inpatient medical detox can reduce the dosage of your medication over time. Really the way to choose whether or not you need inpatient or outpatient treatment for prescription drug abuse is to decide whether or not you feel like you would be able to stay sober without going to a drug and alcohol rehab. Most of the times a person knows the truth of their situation and whether or not they would be capable of staying sober without the help of an inpatient treatment for prescription drug abuse.
Regardless, even if you think you can do without inpatient treatment for prescription drug abuse and can just utilized outpatient treatment for prescription drug abuse; you will give yourself a better shot at staying sober if you go to an inpatient drug and alcohol treatment center. The reason for this is because outpatient treatment allows more freedom and is merely groups during the week. This means that during outpatient treatment if any whim hits you to go get high again then you can easily act on it because you are still at home. Outpatient treatment leaves a lot of room for relapse in prescription drug users. Inpatient treatment for prescription drug abuse has the major benefit of offering as safe place where the risk of relapse is significantly lower in comparison to outpatient. In inpatient treatment for prescription drug abuse you are safe and taken care of in a comforting, drug-free environment.
Ultimately whether or not you need outpatient or inpatient treatment for prescription drug abuse is up to you the point is that you go to treatment period especially if you are suffering from addiction or alcoholism.
Source: http://www.drug-rehabilitation.com/prescription_drugs.htm
If you or your loved one is in need of treatment for alcohol or drug addiction please give us a call at 800-821-9584.
