Drugs get everyone in trouble, no matter what. Just ask the newly anointed king of pop music Justin Bieber. The 19 year old singing sensation was on tour in Sweden the other day when Swedish police discovered an old smell coming from his bus. The proper Swedish authorities, who are less than tolerate when it comes to drugs, took it upon themselves to search the bus. Their search yielded a small bag of what was reportedly marijuana on the floor of the bus. The bus was parked outside of the hotel where Bieber was staying and was empty at the time of the search. Luckily for Bieber, since numerous people had access to the bus, there was no way to pinpoint a perpetrator so no arrests were made. Sweden has a zero tolerance policy when it comes to drugs, which includes marijuana. The law is equally harsh for those selling drugs as well as those using them. Justin Bieber was lucky he was not on the bus at the time, or he could have faced some serious penalties. Although to be realistic, someone probably would have taken the fall for him.Regardless of who the pot actually belonged too, it is concerning that such a successful 19 year old would risk all of his success just to get high. The fame and fortune that comes with being so famous should be deterrent enough to dissuade someone from making such a dumb decision. Marijuana is generally viewed as one of the more harmless drugs, yet that doesn̢۪t constitute an excuse. Marijuana is a gateway drug, meaning that it causes users to experiment with other, more dangerous drugs in search of a better high. Alcohol is often categorized in this way as well. Those who find themselves using marijuana are generally more open to trying other drugs and that can be a slippery slope to addiction. People who are addicted to drugs like cocaine and heroin are setting themselves up for not only health problems but a much better chance of premature death. Drugs are really bad for your mental and physical health, so those with substance abuse issues should seek help from an addiction treatment center like the Christian Alcoholism Helpline in Mesa, AZ as soon as possible. The trained addiction treatment counselors are on hand 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to help people kick their addiction and regain control of their lives. Beating addiction is not easy, but a rehab facility can be an enormous asset for someone looking to get clean. ...read more

A recent United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study shows that drug overdose deaths are up again for the 11 straight year. People think of drug overdosing and they tend to think of celebrities embroiled in the party hard lifestyle. All kinds of celebrities, from “Saturday Night Live” comedians John Belushi and Chris Farley to musicians like Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin have all overdosed on drugs and it cost them much more than just their careers. Many of the famous celebrity overdose deaths over the years have been at the hands of drugs such as heroin or cocaine. In many cases it was a mixture of the two, known as speedballing. The recent rise in deaths are not due to illegal drugs purchased on the street however, rather it is pharmaceuticals which dominate the list of overdose victims. The year 2010 saw 38, 329 overdose deaths, 60% of them were the result of prescription drugs such as painkillers and anti-anxiety medication.Prescription pain killers like oxycodone and Vicodin are by far the most dangerous. These pills were designed by specialists in a pharmaceutical laboratory in order for them to be as potent as possible. Yes they do work wonders when it comes to relieving temporary pain, but it’s ridiculously easy to become addicted to the pills. When a person takes an opiate for a long period of time, such as when recovering from surgery or a major injury, their body eventually gets used to having the medicine in its system. Dopamine receptors in the brain are thrown all out of whack, so a person needs to continually up their dosage in order to feel the effects. At a certain point, overdosing in inevitable. Doctors don’t seem all that concerned either, as they are paid by the pharmaceutical company for every prescription they give out. The demand for pharmaceuticals is also going through the roof, with single pills selling for as much as $100.With such a lucrative opportunity in high demand, it’s no surprise crime rates involving prescription drugs are through the roof. People are robbing friends, family and strangers in order to fund their habit. Some go right to the source and target victims who are prescribed the pills. The rest are stealing and selling goods in order to buy the pills from dealers. It’s a serious epidemic that is just now coming to the forefront in the ongoing dialogue surrounding drugs in this country. If doctors continue to over prescribe patients then the problem is just going to persist. If you know somebody who struggles with an addiction to drugs and alcohol, then contact Drug Rehab Help in Mesa, TX right away. ...read more

On a Friday or a Saturday night, it’s common to see people out on the town having a good time with friends. People often choose to drink alcohol when they go out as it is an acceptable social activity. There are literally hundreds of different types of drinks with all sorts of different alcohols. Some people prefer to drink beer while others like their spirits mixed or straight. With the recent diet craze going on in America, many people are looking for ways to cut out the excess calories when they drink. One way to do that is to choose mixers very carefully. Fruit juices are very popular with alcohol like vodka and gin. The upside to juice is that it complements the taste of the alcohol very nicely. The downside of using juice as a mixer is that fruit has a lot of natural sugar. Juices such as orange, cranberry and pineapple are popular mixers, but they have a lot of excess calories thanks to their high sugar content. Excess sugar also contributes to a more severe hangover the next day.Soda is another popular mixer. Some of the most commonly ordered drinks are rum and cola, lemon-lime sodas and vodka, or even gin and ginger ale. Many people, women in particular, turn to diet soda when looking to cut the calorie count. Diet soda has artificial sweetener as opposed to real sugar so the calorie count is less. However, recent studies have shown that mixing alcohol with diet soda will make a person more drunk than if they mixed with regular soda. Why is that the case? The stomach has an easier time breaking down real sugar than fake sugar. When someone drinks a real soda with alcohol in it, the body breaks down the sugar before the alcohol. With diet soda, the body digests the alcohol first because it does not know what to do with the fake sugar. Since the alcohol is digested first, it gets into the bloodstream faster. The danger is that people cannot usually feel the difference and can end up drinking more than they want. The best low-calorie sugar free mixer is tonic or soda water, which contains zero calories and zero sugar. However, some don’t like mixing with soda or tonic because of the flavor.Its fine to go out to a bar with your friends, but remember that being responsible should be your number one priority. Staying away from drinks with a lot of calories is a good idea, but be careful because some of those drinks can make you more drunk than you intended. If you or someone you know is struggling with an addiction to drugs or alcohol, contact Christian Alcoholism Helpline in Mesa, AZ right away. The experienced addiction specialists can help get your life back on the right track. ...read more