“Cocaine heart” Explained

Saturday, April 5, 2008

Cocaine Heart and Overdose…What You Need to know

by John Carcerano (drawing courtesy of u of m hospital studies)

There are a few common used treatments for heart attacks that can be deadly to those who use cocaine:
Drugs for clot busting can have a large risk of bleading in the brain by patients who have high blood pressure due to the use of cocaine.
Beta blockers which can lower blood pressure without constricting the arteries in a normal heart attack patient could have the opposite effect on those who use cocaine. Where as they can cause the blood pressure to increase and the arteries to narrow even more.

The reason for cocaine heart symptoms is caused by the drug constricting the arteries more narrow during cocaine use. (see diagram)

Nearly 1/4 of all heart attacks in those aged 18-46 comes from cocaine use. The problem that’s occurring with these cocaine heart attacks is that the sufferers are not telling the emergency room physicians that they use cocaine. They fear the embarrasment and possible legal consequences. But there are in reality no legal consequences for admitting drug or cocaine use to a treating physician. This information is kept confidential. The care givers job is to make you well and save your life, not judge you.
If you have blocking of your arteries then you are at an extreme risk for a cocaine triggered heart attack. Cocaine use raises your blood pressure, and it does this by constricting your arteries. An artery that is already partially blocked will only block further and trigger a heart attack. Those who have not used cocaine in several years and then go back to using are at a very great risk of cocaine heart related problems due to the fact that thier arteries may have become partially blocked from heart disease and they are unaware of this.

A Story of a “Cocaine Heart” Sufferer

I was In the hospital visiting a client who was rushed to the emergency room due to cocaine related heart problems. She basically was on the verge of a heart attack. It happened after she had a slip, she was virtually cocaine free for almost 3 years when this drama occurred. She was rushed by ambulence because she was having a hard time breathing, pains in her leg chest and upper right arm. She was very close to suffering a heart attack. I remember putting several blankets on her in the emergency room and she kept complaining to me to find more blankets because she was freezing. Not a pleasant sight, nor was it easy for her to experience this pain and trauma. All brought on by what the attending physician simply described as a “cocaine heart”. If you use cocaine you always think it will happen to someone else. At some point, if you continue using cocaine, you will be that somebody else. http://www.newjourneyrecovery.com/

http://www.cleanyourrugs.com/

Stop Smoking Therapy

Stop smoking therapies

Nicotine Replacement Therapy works by replacing the way nicotine is administered in your body. NRT does not contain all the harmful chemicals that a cigarette contains so they are safe for you to take while you are weaning yourself off of cigarettes.
Stop Smoking Aids

*Nicotine gum works by delivering a small amount of nictine through your mouth everytime you chew a tablet of nicotine gum.:
Nicotine patches are to be worn for 16 hours or 24 hours depending on the type of patch duration you buy. They work by delivering a steady dose of nicotine through your skin and into your system.
*Small Microtabs
When you take these small tablets you place them under your tongue and they will dissolve rather quickly as the deliver a small dose of nicotine.

*Mouth Lozenges are sucked on slowly and as they dissolve they release a slow but steady amount of nicotine:
*Inhalator instead of the constant routine of putting a cigarette to your mouth, you put the inhalator to your nose each time you crave a nicotine cigareete. Nothing is perfect but this product is one of several to help you tolerate no longer engaging in the habit of physically smoking a cigarette.
*Nasal spray with nicotine
This works just like a normal nasal spry you may take for colds except there is a dose of nicotine in every spray. This will help to diminish your nicotine withdrawl symptoms.

*Zyban(Bupropion Hydrochloride)
Zyban can be a very effective treatment which helps change the way your body will respond to nicotine. It is recomended that you start taking Zyban a few weeks before you quit smoking, and then continue taking it for several months after you have quit smoking. Zyban will help dimish the nicotine cravings.It’s only available on prescription and is not available if you are pregnant.

*Champix(Varenicline)
Champix will assist you in reducing the cravings for a cigarette by reducing the effects a cigarette has on you. Again it is recomended that you begin taking Champix a few weeks before you actually quit smoking, and continue with Champix for 3 to four months after you have quit.
note: as with all medications please read the directions and side effects.

 www.newjourneyrecovery.com

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anti-social personality disorder

anti-social personality disoder

anti social personality
by john carceranoA person with an Antisocial Personality diagnosis will exhibit several if not all of the following traits:Symptoms:Common characteristics of people with antisocial personality disorder include:Persistent lying or stealingConstant difficulties with the lawOften violating the rights of others.Drug or alcohol addictionViolent and aggressive behavoirAgitated depressed feelingsConnot tolerate being bored,always restless and unsettled feelingsHas no regard for the safety of himself or othersAlways getting in trouble as a childThey show no remorse for their hurtful actionsCharmerImpulsivenessThey have a feeling of entitlementRarely makes or keep friendsShows no feelings of guiltPeople with Antisocial personality do not like or respect authority figures.MY EXPERIENCES WITH AN ANTISOCIAL PATIENT AND ASSOCIATEI knew a guy with antisocial personality and he was always very difficult to deal with. I also knew him when he was 9 months dedicated to sobriety and he was a very different and easier person to deal with. His name was Tom. Tom was always fast talking and conning his way through life. He was also an alcoholic and cocaine addict when he could afford it, preferably crack cocaine. But as he entered his late 40’s he was broke and so he drifted away from cocaine. He still drank cheap straight vodka very heavily. About a half a quart to a quart a day. He was an inconsistent worker and he could never make ends meet. Because he was an unstable worker he would also have to rely on handouts to help him get by every month. Up until the age of 49 he had been arrested at least 10 times that I knew about. Everything from 4 dui’s to car theft and drug possession. He always had run ins with the law and was in and out of the legal system all of his life. Often he would con his way to receive probation for his many arrests. He did serve 4 or 5 sentences of a year or so each. He was an extremely difficult person to be around. He told me that he had started drinking and drugging at the age of 14 and that his father was a heavy drinker. I saw photos of his father and he looks just like him, so it’s apparent that he received most of his inheritance from his father. His father died when Tom was still in his teens. What you mostly find in people who have an antisocial personality disorder is that they usually come from a semi dysfunctional background and their is almost always one parent that was addicted to drugs or alcohol. Now Toms father was an alcoholic but his mother was not. His father was a very intelligent and successful lawyer. Toms mother was a heavy smoker though, and she died of emphysema. And according to Tom, he was sneaking his mother cigarettes in the hospital on her death bed. So there was a very strong addictive tendency in his family. Toms brother had succeeded at beating alcoholism and was put on SSRI medication for a psychological disorder.Tom fit the pattern well for those with antisocial personality. They start using drugs and alcohol in their early teens and begin getting into trouble with the law early in life. Tom would also tell me that he often could not sit still and relax and that his mind would race.Treatment:A successful outcome for psychotherapy alone is very limited for this disorder. Intense psychoanalytic therapy has also not proven to be very successful.The therapeutic relationship, therefore, can be one of the first ones. Antisocial diagnosed individuals have been found to be lacking in a life where there has not been much emotional rewards. A good and trusting rapport with the client is the only way that there can be a successful treatment outcome.Medication Antisocial patients respond best to SSRI’s such as Zoloft or Paxil. These antidepressants often help to reduce aggressiveness, anxiety and depression. These patients often only receive treatment when they are forced to through the criminal justice system. They not only need help from a substance abuse counselor and a psychiatrist but also close support from family or friends if it is available. They have often made a lot of enemies with their agressivly conning and unlawful behavior. Breaking ground with treatment often takes some time.   www.newjourneyrecovery.com

 www.chicagocarpetcleaners60614.com

miracles do happen…meet tonia dunbar and her lttle boy tommy

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

meet tonia dunbar….miracles do happen

Miracles Do Happen……Meet Tonia Dunbar And Her Little Boy Tommyby john carcerano11 years ago when i was still new in my recovery from alcoholism i happened upon a woman whom had the nicest smile and such a warm personality. she seemed good hearted. but what became clear about her quickly was that she was an addict. her name is Tonia Dunbar. she had an addiction to crack cocaine that destroyed her stable life and caused her to abandon the two children she loved, who were in the custody of Tonia’s mom. thank goodness for the children. she was lost, and the only thing that kept her mind from focusing on her problems was crack cocaine. from 1995 until 2005 she was a hardcore street addict. if you had an encounter with her while she was using, however brief, you came away with the impression that she was a guenuinely good person, but one with deep troubleing issues. the first 6 months i knew her, our encounters were brief. i would often see her on the streets of Evanston Illinois, and she would sometimes ask me for $5 or $6 dollars. i never asked her what she needed it for, but she seemed down and out, and all she really wanted was a little help. so i helped her once in a while and would give her a few bucs. she told me she lived in the neighborhood.as I’ve said, i’d known her 6 months and only saw her sometimes. then one evening in the middle of a cold chicago winter where the temperture was -20 degrees, i went to my car to go somewhere. when i got to my car i soon realized that i had left the doors open. and inside was a person sleeping without any blankets. it was Tonia. i felt so bad to see her there cold and it quickly dawned on me that she was homeless. i lived in a little studio apartment in the house of my elderly landlord. i worried about bringing her to my home for fear my landlord would get the wrong impression. i spent my last $50.00 to get tonia a hotel room so she could spend a warm quiet night. i picked up some grapefruits and other snacks and food for her to eat because i was sure she was hungry. Tonia had a size 26 to 27 waist. i knew this because i gave her a clean pair of my good jeans which were size 28, and they kept falling off of her so i also gave her my only belt. i remember the look on her face when we first walked into that warm hotel room. she quickly took off her old gym shoes and excitedly ran to the bed and got under the warm covers. she fell right to sleep. i would wake her periodically to feed her. and she would eat a little bit then quickly doze off again. she often would fall asleep with food still in her mouth. i had to wake her to tell her to swallow her food so she would’nt choke. if ever i would leave her for even a half hour , i’d check on her and would always have to wake her to tell her to swallow her food. i felt like i was her father or something. but i also felt happy that someone could be there for her, to comfort her. it was obvious she was hurting. i had a lot of issues going on in my own life about the time i happened apon Tonia, but i just seemed so focused in wanting to help her become stable again and for her to quit using crack cocaine. it was a stormy 10 years of up and down crisises working with Tonia, a story which i will detail briefly as part of several stories which are included in my upcoming book titled “A NEW JOURNEY” RECOVERY FROM ALCOHOL AND DRUG ADDICTION. i will tell you the steps Tonia took to quit her ravaging addiction to crack cocaine.By 2005 Tonia did give up her crack cocaine addiction, and it was motivated by her love of a child she would go on to have while she was addicted. rather than give up the child to the state, the love for that child was a key factor in her getting clean. and the fact that Tonia gave up her hardcore addiction to crack, for the love of her newly born child just attests to the kind and wonderful person that Tonia really is. she has had 3 brief slips while in recovery for the during the past 3 years, but thank GOD that none of those slips led to full blown relapse. I remember when the state was about to take her child, she was crying and very distraught. she told me with such beautiful force and conviction “I don’t care what I gotta do, I am going to do it. they are not gonna take Tommy! i will jump through every hoop they (the state) ask me to, but i’m gonna keep Tommy. whatever they tell me to do, I’m just ganna do it”it was so wonderful seeing Tonia make that decision, and I am so proud of how far Tonia has come. she has even found herself a wonderful boyfriend who is also far in his recovery, and at this writing they are engaged. the ups and downs of Tonia’s recovery were not easy for her, or those around her. but somehow everyone in Tonia’s life helped Tonia pull herself together and find a new life in recovery for her and her beautiful little boy Tommy. there were two times that had i not interveined, Tommy surely could have wound up in a foster home. but knowing Tonia’s conviction, i am sure that had that happened, she would have prevailed and ultimately be where she is today, and thats together with her little boy. her family, especially her daughter also played a key role during some turbulent times in order for Tommy to remain with his family and with Tonia. so addiction recovery is something no-one can do alone. support from family and freinds is critical, along with the desire of the person addicted to make a hard decision and then look for the grace to follow through and make the neccesary changes. you are not alone when you decide to get help to quit an addiction. there are wonderful people and support groups to help guide you. if you are suffering from an addiction you too can be a beautiful success story like Tonia’s. and you don’t have to do it alone.the last time i went to visit Tommy was a few months ago. i was going to bring him his McDonalds happy meal. he did’nt even know that i was going to bring him McDonalds. he was on his front porch with his relatives (Tonia is still in long term treatment) and when he had seen me, his face lit up and he came running yelling “johnny johnny” and he jumped up and gave me such a strong hard hug. you cannot put a price on moments like that. it semed all the continuing effort was well worth this little boys happiness and stability. thank GOD for everybody who playing a role in the outcome of this beautiful story. and thank GOD for the conviction of Tonia to make the decision to make all of this happen. by john carcerano http://www.newjourneyrecovery.com/

 www.chicagocarpetcleaners60614.com    

thanklful for the love of others, so pass it on (reflections in recovery)

Sunday, December 16, 2007

goodness and the joy it brings

Today I have to be thankful for the many people I have met in my recovery who have been there for me whenever I have been in need. I thank my higher power for bringing them into my life. They unselfishly listen to me when I am scared and fearful of a relapse. Then before I know it hours have passed and they are still talking and listening to me until I realize that my need to relapse has passed, I’ve grown tired, and I have gotten through another day. So many wonderful people, most of them mere strangers have extended a glorious lifeline to me and have asked for nothing in return. I know that when another troubled stranger comes up to me and is in need of my support, I too will unselfishly be there for them, to share the love that was so gracefully shared with me. I want to share my recovery with others who are suffering, and share all glory with them, through the love that I’ve been shown.

(these “reflections in recovery” are written in conjunction with the upcoming book “A NEW JOURNEY” RECOVERY FROM ALCOHOL AND DRUG ADDICTION by john carcerano)

wesite www.newjourneyrecovery.com

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growing (reflections in recovery)

Thursday, December 6, 2007

growing

there is a road to happiness

and also there’s a fee

you are but a seedling

sprouting to a tree

at times you will get crapped on

the growing will be hard

people they will hurt you

and also leave you scarred

you’ll need water when your dry

and sunshine when in gloom

you’ll need a lot of thoughtful care

if you ever are to bloom

the years will show you lots of falls

and your colors sometimes fade

but you will always spring back up

cause you are what God made

you’ll need willingness and strength

to give your shape a form

and keep within a constant battle

so you’ll get through the storm.

john carcerano 84

this blog is written for you, in conjunction with the upcoming book “A NEW JOURNEY” RECOVERY FROM ALCOHOL AND DRUG ADDICTION

www.newjourneyrecovery.com

strength in my recovery (reflections in recovery)

Monday, December 10, 2007

strength in my recovery

today i have to be thankful for the many people i have met in my recovery who have been there for me whenever i have been in need. i thank my higher power for bringing them into my life. they unselfishly listen to me whenever i am scared and fearful of a relapse. then before i know it hours have passed and they are still talking and listening to me, until i realize that my need to relapse has passed. I’ve grown tired and have gotten through another day, sober. so many wonderful people, most of them were only strangers a few months ago. but now they’re there for me. they have extended a glorious lifeline to me and have asked for nothing in return. whenever they are down and out, and need a listening ear, i am all too happy to be there for them, like they were for me. sobriety is wonderful, I’m so happy that it now includes me. whenever a troubled stranger may come up to me, in need of my support, i want to unselfishly be there for them, to share the love that’s always been there for me. i want to share my recovery with others who are suffering, because in my heart i know, that when another who is suffering comes up to them, they too will pass it on.

john carcerano , author of the soon to be released book “A NEW JOURNEY” RECOVERY FROM ALCOHOL AND DRUG ADDICTION www.newjourneyrecovery.com

continuing on with glory (reflections in recovery)

Sunday, December 16, 2007

continuing on, with glory

photograph by john carcerano

As I journey through my day and hit some rough spots where I may find aggravation or if things just don’t seem to go my way I will still be joyous because I know that I am living a clean crisp life. Had I still been using, I know my bad days would have snow balled and been much worse because I would run from problems and allow things to really eat me up inside. For i also know that there are many others struggling who really do not have a single clue how to change things. I feel good physically and mentally, no more hangovers or rotten comedowns. I love that I can have challenges and deal with them no matter what they may be. I know that I can always take a 15 minute break from life by going for a little walk to reflect on things with my clear crisp mind, or look forward to a tea break with my favorite cookies and ice cream. I know that I can always call one of my new close friends who are also in recovery. Or go to a group meeting and vent my frustrations with others who want to see me get through another day. Soon the night will come and so will my bedtime as I cuddle up and thank my higher power that he got me through another day. I am truly wonderful! I really do have a lot to celebrate.

(“reflections in recovery” are written in conjunction with the upcoming book “A NEW JOURNEY” RECOVERY FROM ALCOHOL AND DRUG ADDICTION, by john carcerano)

website address: www.newjourneyrecovery.com

the cure of time (reflections in recovery)

the cure of time

As each new day passes in my recovery i will realize that my goal of staying clean and sober from drugs and alcohol will get easier and easier. It’s the same as if I was driving near the California mountains, the further I drive away from the huge scene of mountains, the smaller the mountains will appear. And as I keep driving away from them, finally I can no longer see the mountains at all. It’s the same with the addiction that I am overcoming. The more time that passes, the less vulnerable to my demons I become. The things that once triggered my mind to use drugs and alcohol are having less and less impact on me as I continue my new thinking of how and why to stay in recovery. Before long I will be having many anniversaries in my new life. First it will be 30 days clean, then comes 60, 90, 180, and without realizing I will find that I have gone a year clean and I will continue to feel like a new and better person. As I stay on this course, those that love me will be so proud, as I am proud of myself too.

(“reflections in recovery” are in conjunction with ‘A NEW JOURNEY’ RECOVERY FROM ALCOHOL AND DRUG ADDICTION, by john carcerano

WEBSITE http://www.newjourneyrecovery.com/

making a difference in my own little way (reflections in recovery)

today, i am making a difference in my own little way

I’m going to realize my schedule and recovery strategies today. i know that I’ve been keeping my days busy so that I don’t have open time where I’m bored. I’m going to find newer and exciting activities that are different. Maybe a visit to the zoo with a friends child. So i can see the intrigue and excitement that I can bring to another human being, yeah, something along those lines. Or even help out at a food pantry and bring a cheerful smile to a distraught and lonely life. there are so many ways that I can do something different and wonderful on this day. Even if i just go and pick up some pastries to bring to tonight’s group meeting. Everyone there would really enjoy and be appreciative of those . By going a little out of the way and trying something different it would be a great change of scenery for me too. It’s really amazing the effects one person can have on another. Like Bill Wilson for example, that man has touched so many lives by his unselfish actions to bring the message of hope and sobriety to others. There are so many ways to do something different and wonderful, and it would sure be nice to do something like that today.

this blog is written for you, in conjunction with “A NEW JOURNEY” RECOVERY FROM ALCOHOL AND DRUG ADDICTION by john carcerano

website www.newjourneyrecovery.com