Ten Addictions to Keep in Check

They say there is nothing worse than getting feelings of withdrawal when you stop having something to which you are addicted. Chemical drugs are the worst. Withdrawal can literally kill you. The only way out is to take substitute drugs and gradually wean off the culprit, sometimes under medical supervision. Yet there are more than just chemical drugs. Here is a list of ten addictions.

1)    Heroine

This is a very powerful “hard drug”. It must give you an enormous high. Enough for addicts to inject themselves. Urgh. To get off it the most common way is to go on a “Methadone” programme where you take a substitute substance to counter those horrible withdrawal symptoms. Don’t go there!

2)    Cigarettes and Soft Drugs  

As the name suggests, weed and the like aren’t as bad as heroine. Yet on our British “Jeremy Kyle Show” they keep on saying that Cannabis causes psychological dependency and paranoia. You may feel peaceful for a while but when you stop… I like the idea of having Cannabis cake, but mostly we are talking smoking I’m afraid. Jeremy Kyle himself was more into gambling actually, another contender for this list. Someone once said though that smoking tobacco, which of course contains Nicotine, is more “bad” for you than weed as such. Nicotine is very addictive, as you can tell when you see smokers standing outside in a blizzard!

3)    Prescription Drugs

Sedatives, tranquilisers and the like are the main culprits here. Along with anti-depressants and to a lesser extent painkillers. Sedatives etc. I call “Relaxant Drugs”. They do a fine job short-term, but if you stay on them for over a fortnight then watch out. Worst of these I had was one called “Ativan”. They say the withdrawal from Ativan is worse than that of Heroine. I recall getting panic attacks, emotional outbursts and vertigo whilst on these. All relaxants should be taken short-term only, under strict medical supervision.

4)    Booze

Beers, spirits, wines etc., they can all give you a buzz. They are what I call “more-ish” too. And addictive. Withdrawal can be fierce. In the UK our government recommends men keep down to 21 units per week, and women 14. A unit is half a pint of normal strength beer, one whisky or one small glass of wine. Keeping down to 21 units is the least you should do. I keep a record of my intake, to make sure.