In the 1880's before the Merck and Park, Davis drug companies figured out how to synthesize pure cocaine from coca leaves and hired the likes of Sigmund Freud and pioneering ophthalmologist Karl Koller to promote the wonders of pure cocaine to the medical community and the world at large, the man that was most often associated with coca was Angelo Mariani.  In addition to being a second rate

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  In a recent report from the Drug Enforcement Administration of the United States, cocaine has been labeled the greatest drug threat to the United States. In their annual National Drug Threat Assessment, the DEA stated that "national law enforcement and drug use surveys show that the adverse impact to the nation's communities, families, and individuals caused by the distribution and abuse of

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A recent study conducted by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University shows that of the $373.9 billion spent annually to fight the nation's drug problem, less than 2% actually goes toward drug treatment and prevention.  The remainder of this staggering amount of money (paid out by both federal and state government) is going to handle the societal consequences of

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There are different methods utilized in substance abuse counseling to bring about positive moral change in an addict. Probably one of the most commonly used is the Twelve Step approach practiced by the Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous groups.

In this method, steps 4 and 5 and steps 8 and 9 deal with life inventory of the wrong deeds done and who was affected by them. In addition to

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                              "Guilt": The Third Barrier to Successful Recovery

The third and final barrier to recovery from addiction is guilt. Guilt acts as another strap in the harness that keeps the addict trapped in his addiction.

An addict is filled with guilt. He feels guilty because he has lost his integrity; he has become a dishonest person and consequently loses his self-esteem. For any

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                         The Life Cycle and Mechanics of Addiction

"Depression": The Second Barrier to Successful Recover        

Depression is another factor that keeps an addict harnessed in his addiction Depression is the source of a constant and significant amount of discomfort that prompts continued use. It is also the second major barrier to successful recovery for those seeking help

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                       The Life Cycle and Mechanics of Addiction

"Cravings": The First Barrier to Successful Recovery

The first challenge for any addict wishing to kick his addiction is overcoming the mental and physical cravings for drugs or alcohol. Cravings are strong, uncontrollable urges to use drugs or alcohol that drive the addict to once again use addictive substances.

To get an idea of what

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The Life Cycle and Mechanics of Addiction

                                             What is Addiction Really

Whether a person is genetically or bio-chemically predisposed to addiction or alcoholism is a controversy that has been debated for years within the scientific, medical and chemical dependency communities. One school of thought advocates the "disease concept" which embraces the notion

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                                    WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE

Unhappily, the second half of the Twentieth Century proved to be a pivotal pointin America's war on drugs. New drugs, new high levels of users and addicts, newtrafficking channels - it's been an all-out assault that shows no signs of relief.

In the late 1960s, an entirely new drug consciousness arose, particularly among young- Caucasian

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                                      LSD AWAKENS A SLEEPING GIANT

America's first War on Drugs was launched in 1920 with the enactment of the Dangerous Drug Act by Congress. Laws to ban over-the-counter sales of narcotics and cocaine were slammed into effect across the country. A special federal commission was sent to Hollywood to clean up the drug use and promiscuity that had been favorably

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