LifeStyle

 

“I’m not faking being sick. I’m actually faking being well.”

– Anon

If you showed an 8-year-old kid a couple of photos of adults and asked them, “Who’s the meth addict?”, it’s pretty certain they’ll be able to answer correctly. The physical damage done by substance abuse and later by drug addiction is clear for the vast majority to see. They just look ill. Having once been addicted to meth myself, amongst other things, I should have a fair idea about the devastating effect it can have on your appearance.

However, drug abuse and addiction, while having an obvious effect on the way you look, brings other dangers – ones you are not going to see. You’re never going to know the physical damage done internally to an abuser until the symptoms become too hard to ignore. The question is this. Do you really understand what’s going in the brain of someone who is seriously abusing drugs?

My name is Andy, I’m a 30-something year old business entrepreneur, and, as you can imagine, a recovering addict – a recovery that has lasted for over 9 years now. As clean and sober as the day I left the drug and alcohol rehab center where my parents had once delivered me (they just left me on the steps, as far as I recall, my place there already booked). Only a professional, medically-supervised detox and rehab could have saved me back then.

Meth and alcohol were my drugs of choice, and my addiction to both of them was complete by the time I was about 18. Through them, I lost all the friends I ever cared about, I lost good jobs, and, as you can also imagine, my education was somewhat flawed. College always lost out to getting high. I even spent nearly 2 years in the state’s concrete hotel for drug possession.

Recovery, however, has been the best education I ever had, from the mandatory classes in rehab, to the experience and knowledge living my life as a recovering addict has brought me. In fact, it’s the only real education for someone like me.

Drug addiction resulted in an array of mental health issues for me, which, thankfully, I no longer experience the symptoms of, thanks to counseling, supportive family and friends, and simply getting clean. This is what I want to tell you about.

Here are your “4 Frightening Substance-Induced Mental Disorders Caused by Drug Abuse.” If that isn’t enough, let me assure you it’s even more frightening when you experience the places these disorders can take you to.

Substance-Induced Mood Disorder

One of the main mental disorders that can be incurred by the abuse of drugs is depression. This particular mood disorder is evident in around one third of alcohol and/or drug users nationwide. The main symptoms of depression can include intolerable sadness, a loss of appetite, changes in weight, and difficulty concentrating, among others.

Certain drugs, such as cocaine, are associated with a general uplifting feeling and more social interaction, and those who use cocaine are even more likely to be depressed. Alcohol, on the other hand, is a well-known depressant, often inducing feelings of sadness and despair.

A common indicator of depression is that the individual has to use more and more of the substance to achieve the same high, and this leads to abuse and, if not recognized accordingly, addiction. Another indicator is the need to use and abuse substances over important things such as study, work or other activities.

Substance-Induced Anxiety

Having anxiety is a common human reaction to certain situations or events in a person’s life. However, the disorder of anxiety is far more debilitating, and the episodes experienced are often prolonged and can incur in a series of unmanageable bursts.

Anxiety will make you restless, full on constant tension, and you’ll also suffer with fatigue and general irritability. At worst, you will have terrible and frightening panic attacks that feel like they will never end. Anxiety such as this can be induced by substance abuse, especially prolonged binge drinking.

Substance-Induced Psychotic Disorder

When we use drugs or alcohol, we are inviting a whole range of toxins into our bodies, essentially poisoning ourselves. Our brains also have to deal with the presence of these toxins. It’s the reason that a psychotic disorder can manifest itself, particularly in people who use and abuse alcohol and other drugs like cocaine, weed, and LSD.

A psychosis disorder can result in feeling disoriented, hallucinating, and simply having difficulty in distinguishing what is actually real. Alcohol has been proven to profoundly increase the risk of psychotic disorder. As a male alcohol abuser or alcoholic, you are 8 times more likely to experience psychotic episodes.

Substance-Induced Aggression

Abuse and addiction can lead to desperation, the screaming need for the next fix, and that, in turn, can lead to aggression, even in people who are usually calm and considerate. When someone has to rely on a drug or alcohol to keep themselves just feeling normal, they can easily become aggressive if this is denied them.

More common in addiction rather than abuse, drugs such as cocaine, opiates, hallucinogens and alcohol will alter the physical chemistry in your brain. Due to irregular and abnormal changes in dopamine and serotonin levels, an addict is far more likely to experience violent episodes when getting high.

A Higher Level of Abuse

These 4 substance-induced mental disorders – depression, anxiety, psychosis and aggression – may well come and pay a visit to you if you are abusing drugs or alcohol on a regular basis. What is worse is that they’ll make you move to a higher level of abuse, and possibly addiction, as you attempt to self-medicate their symptoms away.

Has this article actually changed your mind about substance experimentation? Are you concerned about the amount that you’re drinking? Is this substance abuse now impacting on your life and the lives of those around you? Please share any experiences with a comment below, all of which are gratefully received.

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The idea of meditation is exciting for some people. They find it relaxing and refreshing. They do not mind spending a few minutes each day meditating at home. However, you will find people who have opposing views. They do not see the value of meditation. They would rather do other physical activities than meditate. If you are among these people, you need to identify the source of your hesitation. You might change your mind if you address those issues.

Meditation is just a fad

Some people think that there are many meditation sessions today because it is a fad. Everyone seems to be doing it, including social media influencers. The truth is that this idea has been around for a long time. It is only recently that it has become a part of mainstream culture, especially among young people. You can find your reason to meditate even if it is not popular anymore.

It is a fancy name for sleeping

It might sound funny, but many people think of meditation this way. When you are asleep, you are not conscious at all. It is the exact opposite of meditation. In the process, you become aware of yourself and your surroundings. You pay attention to your breathing. You use your senses to feel your environment. You need to be mindful of what is going on around you and use it to relax.

It is hard

This idea might be somewhat true for a lot of people. No one expects you to become an expert in meditation overnight though. You use it to calm yourself down and relax. Avoid setting high expectations since you will end up getting frustrated. You should think of it as an enjoyable process where you finally have the opportunity to be in touch with yourself. Changing your attitude could lead to success when you meditate.

You cannot see the effects quickly

Some people have a false notion that there are no health benefits related to meditation. They need to practise for years before they can receive any benefit. The truth is that it only takes eight weeks of daily meditation practice to feel the effects. You will have peace of mind and a balanced state of life. Perhaps, the best benefit is that you can be in solitude for a few minutes. You forget work, family and other problems.

Meditation takes time

Another excuse some people make is that meditation is time-consuming and they have no time for it. Before you reject the idea of meditation, you need to understand that you are spending more hours doing other useless things like watching TV or surfing the net for memes. Meditation does not have to take hours. If you only have a short time to meditate, you can stick with that time frame.

Do not make excuses

Instead of making excuses, you might want to try a meditation session. See how it feels before you conclude that it is not perfect for you. Eventually, you might opt for opening a meditation business because you succeeded in meditating and you want to be an inspiration to others to do the same.

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Every home is a place where each member of the family needs to feel safe and secure at all times. Some people say that accidents and injuries are unpredictable and tend to happen all the time. But the truth is that you can do something to prevent these unfortunate things from happening to your family. As a homeowner, it is your primary responsibility to look after the welfare of your loved ones. At the same time, you also have to make sure that your house is safe, especially if there are kids and older folks living with you. Now, here are some essential tips that you can apply to ensure that your home will always be safe.

Prevent injuries and falls by adding barriers

If you happen to have a porch or a balcony in your home, make sure that nobody will get into accidents or experience a bad fall by installing high-quality garden railings. These railings are essential for kids and elderly people that experience difficulty in climbing up and down the stairs. If you happen to have, existing railings make sure that they remain secure to prevent accidental falls.

Invest in several anti-slip floor mats

Mats are very useful in maintaining cleanliness inside the house. There are times that floors become slippery and cause very painful accidents. It is better to buy mats that have good grips especially if they are to be used either in the kitchen or bathroom.

Unplug all appliances when not in use

For safety purposes, it is highly recommended to unplug all household appliances when not in use, to prevent electrical induced short circuits that can cause accidental fires and can result in damage to property. In the worst-case scenario, a residential fire can cause extensive burns and even death.

Keep everyone away from boiling water

One of the most common household accidents nowadays is burns. Make sure that hot water and liquids at home are kept out of reach from elderly people and kids at all times. If you are using a bathroom heater, it is best to regulate the temperature to make sure that people do not get burnt.

Keep your doors and gates locked

Small kids can escape out of the house and get lost if left unattended even for a couple of minutes. The same thing can happen to an elderly person who suffers from dementia. To make sure that these things do not occur, you have to make sure to keep all entry and exit points locked.

Keep cleaning agents and chemicals away from children

Avoid accidental poisoning by making sure that your kids never get their hands on laundry detergents, stain removers, disinfectants and other harmful chemicals and substances that they can accidentally ingest. Place them in areas that are not accessible to everyone.

Knowing that our family members are safe in the comfort of our own home will give us peace of mind. Aside from the safety tips discussed above, it is best to have someone supervise small kids and elderly individuals at all times.

 

Imagine a space on the Internet where stores of all kinds are concentrated, in which they get, from a minimum accessory, from spare parts for your car, appliances and even sports accessories, to household items and many others, and where you can make your purchases from anywhere and at the time you want.

This is what Buyviu offers users in the UK where they recently launched an excellent and local website, which when accessing it is endless with very interesting options.

A shopping platform where you get a large number of items

This is an important advance for this company that works to bring even more a wide range of products of good quality and at excellent prices, to thousands of other people who have been demanding it for a while.

Buyviu UK is the platform that serves as a huge shopping center, where thousands of shops of all possible sectors coexist and make available to a large number of users in the UK, products and services like nowhere else would it be possible.

We know that there are products of prestigious brands, others of unparalleled quality or that they are 100% original, so buying them in a physical store is hardly possible when we speak of somewhat adjusted budgets.

If we talk about shopping on a website like this, the possibilities of buying more than one product is more than possible.

What things can you buy in a shopping center like this?

Exclusive products of specific brands whose lines cover several sections, such as home, office supplies, toys or electronics, for example.

If you like that in each article you find exclusivity and innovation, rest assured that you will get a lot of variety.

To supply your home with everything you need, just go to the section dedicated to this topic where you can find at least 20 categories to make your search experience an adventure.

Each category supports the application of a series of filters which makes your search much more accurate. Among the categories of home you can find nordic, haberdashery, furniture, decoration and bedding among other options.

Women cannot miss the section related to lingerie, swimwear, panties or bras, as they will have the most famous and prestigious brands in terms of intimate garments.

And if you apply the filters by price ranges, you will be able to choose what you need by spending only what is necessary.

One of the biggest attractions when buying online is the possibility of opting for really affordable prices while you acquire quality and in this case up to exclusivity.

All thanks to buying through this way you can save the intermediaries. Also, they are businesses that do not need to have a stock of merchandise in physical form.

Advantages of buying through this platform

If we focus on the advantages of launching a dedicated website exclusively for UK users, we can say that it is a way of approaching and attending a more effective and personalized way to a target audience, with a culture of products and specific services.

At the same time, it is about offering a unique shopping experience, based on very complete catalogs, alliances with the preferred brands of UK users, but also with others with international prestige.

This is an intuitive web page, easy to use and perfectly designed so that anyone can navigate in it, making their purchases without setbacks.

We cannot fail to mention one of the most successful sections of this huge platform dedicated to online shopping.

This is the Outlet products, where you will only get products with succulent discounts and really incredible rebates, where many products exceed 60%, which is too tempting even for those who are not precisely bargain hunters.

The United Kingdom undoubtedly welcomes one of the largest online shopping centers in the world.

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To be a great attorney you must master the art of persuasion and know how best to win an argument. After all at the very heart of a court case is two men or women, battling it out to prove that they are right and that the other is wrong. One person who I seen do this better than anyone else is Eric Wetlaufer, an attorney here in Wesson and a master of persuasion. I first saw Eric in action during a trial for Fidelity investments and he had the entire courtroom dancing to the tune which he was playing, such was the strength of his argument. From that moment on I have always been excited when I receive the email to say I’ll be working with Eric again and over the years I have watched the way in which he brings people over to his side. The art of debate is something which has declined greatly and that is why we can all learn more from people like Eric.

Relatable

Eric is always able to make an argument relative to the people who he is trying to convince and in doing that he is able to make things a little more personal, which can help to convince people of what he wants. For example in the Fidelity case we were talking about huge monetary figures which of course the average person cannot really comprehend, instead Eric started talking about personal finance which the jurors could relate to, in order to make a wider point.

Allowing The Win

Another great attribute which Eric has when he is arguing against someone is the ability to allow them to believe that they are winning. Very often when people think that they are going to win early, they can get a bit complacent with arguments, perhaps missing a point or two or declining the chance of a rebuttal, Eric will allow this to happen and then bring the big guns out and completely destroy the argument that is being made by the opposition. I have seen Eric do this a few times and he really does give the opposition the feeling that they are going to be victorious, before pulling the rug from underneath them.

All Angles

I would say that the reason as to why Eric is so successful in persuading people and winning arguments is because he is able to see all sides of an argument, and then use that to better prepare his own. When he knows what the opposition is going to say, he is then able to very easily lay traps, defend and attack at the right times. In most cases I believe that Eric could quite easily argue on either side of the debate, and still end up winning.

The key to winning debates is about having confidence, knowing all angles of the argument and having the right tactics to be victorious.

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Here in Boston,MA traffic is an absolute nightmare because of the number of cars that are on the road. As much as I would love to use public transport instead of driving every day, I am very often in and out of the office for meetings which is why I need my car. The problem that I often encounter therefore is being able to find a great parking garage. After trying and failing many times, I eventually found the Dock Square parking garage which gives me everything that I need here in Boston, MA. Whether you live in Boston or not, these are the minimum expectations which you should have when trying to find a parking garage.

Security

When you place your car in the car of someone else the least that you should expect is to arrive back to see your car in one piece and with no damage. Thankfully this has never happened to me but I have many friends and colleagues here in Boston, MA who have left their cars in parking garages only to find that they have either been vandalized, broken in to and on one occasion the car was stolen!

Prices

When you take your car into a parking garage you should expect pay a reasonable amount and the garage should have their prices at a competitive rate. Unfortunately in many places, especially cities like Boston, MA, the garages are so far apart that they can charge whatever they want, often astronomically so. The parking garage which I have recently found has great rates and I love the fact that they also offer a little incentive to anyone who parks long term, with short term stays costing a little bit extra.

Space

Unfortunately something that many of these big city parking garages will do is to try and cram in as many vehicles as they possibly can into their lots, often making driving in and around the garage an absolute nightmare. The place that I used before I found Dock Square was very much like this and I was lucky that my car was never damaged as a result of the skinny lanes and tiny spaces. The very least you should expect is space to maneuver and park your car safely.

Extras

Perhaps not the least that you should expect but it is nice to have some extras which you can count on with a parking garage. The garage which I have found here in Boston, MA offers a cleaning service which is very good and they also have a membership program which helps you to save if you go there often. I like these additional perks and more garages should do them in truth.

Beyond the extras, the very least that you should expect from a parking garage is space, reasonable prices and security, if you don’t get it, find it somewhere else.

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If you own a business then intellectual property rights are something that you should most certainly know about. The law in relation to these rights can actually be very complex indeed and you are never going to need to learn about every aspect of them. With this being said it will be very important that you have a basic understanding of what these rights are, and how you can avoid infringing them. To give us a brief overview of the four main cornerstones of intellectual property rights, we caught up with industry professionals MEM Concessions LLC.

Patent

A patent can be applied for by anyone who has invented something and once it is granted nobody else will be able to copy, recreate or use the invention unless the patent owner gives their permission first. A patent protects inventions, ideas and processes and when it comes to inventions the patent can be given for an entire product or perhaps solely for a mechanism within the product.

Trademark

Trademarks refer to logos, symbols or signs that a business uses in order to identify themselves. A perfect example of this would be the roaring lion at the beginning of any movie made by MGM, this is something that they have created and it cannot be used by another business. Trademarks can cover words, smells, sounds, phrases and even color schemes.

Copyright

Copyright is the phrasing that is used when we describe the way in which an idea is expressed, rather than the idea itself. Within this it includes any work such as music, architectural drawings, scripts, poetry or even written code for software. The copyright will ensure that the creator of the work has absolute control over the rights of it, and how it is then distributed, used or reproduced.

Trade Secrets

Businesses are protected when it comes to any strategies, formulas, processes, procedures or devices from being used by another business if this information is gained illegally. The responsibility will always be on the shoulders of the business to make sure that such information is protected of course but were their ideas to be stolen, they can count on this aspect of intellectual property law to protect them from another business benefiting.

Additional Acts 

There are some important aspects beyond these key 4 areas of intellectual property law which you should also be aware of.

Moral Rights – This is used to speak about the rights that the owner of a copyright has over their material.

Unfair Competition – An act that prevents a business gaining an unfair advantage through the use of trade infringement, trade defamation, false advertising or the misappropriation of a name or a likeness.

Publicity Rights – Often called personality rights, this act was put in place to protect people against their image or personality being used for commercial gain.

Remember that if you have any doubts at all, you should speak with a legal professional.

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Being a creator of any type of media is often about the bigger picture. Understanding how everything works so that you could potentially make a living out of it. This is where Best Version Media comes in. In this digital era it is said that creating and publishing magazines is a dead art. That couldn’t be further from the truth, and here’s why.

Amazing culture

Practically all Best Version Media reviews agree on one thing. That working with BVM is like working with family. Being part of an incredible company culture is always great, which is why all of Best Version Media’s employees and publishers are so satisfied. It’s no wonder that every time there is a job opening in the company they immediately see a lot of application. Simply put, the company is filled with amazing and careful people.

Incredible growth

Best Version Media is one of the fastest growing companies in the USA. That means that it not only compares to digital-only publishers, but it outpaces them. The key to this is a unique approach to growth, and constant readapting to external factors and situation. Because of this, Best Version Media is able to reach an international audience, despite already having a very firm foothold in the US.

Micro-targeted audience

While digital content is often consumed the most and the easiest, BVM’s magazines have a read percentage of 89. That’s a difficult number to reach, even for digital content. That’s achieved with careful planning, and with the usage of modern and contemporary targeting methods. Micro-targeted in this case means understanding and knowing exactly who the audience is, down to personal specifics and individuals. Because of that, you’ll practically never miss your intended audience.

Rave reviews

Virtually all of Best Version Media reviews highlight how efficient working with them is. Just take a look at Glassdoor and Indeed. While any type of business and entrepreneurship has its own difficulties, and that’s certainly true about working with BVM, you’ll start to see tangible profits after that initial bump. However, one thing is certain. Its methods are working, and they’re very efficient. Which is why all of its reviews point out just how streamlined the process is.

It’s entirely up to you

While you’re working with BVM, you’re actually working for yourself. And as always, the rate of how much effort you’re willing to put down is entirely up to you. You’re the one that makes the decisions for yourself, but you won’t be in the dark at all. You can undergo personal 1on1 training, attend seminars, and learn entire courses, all just to guide you in the right direction. It’s a process that requires careful consideration, true, but once you’re in the zone you’ll always see growth and improvement.

If you choose to work with Best Version Media you’ll be part of some of the world’s greatest company cultures. If the reviews are anything to go by, then you’re bound to have a great time working with BVM.

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I first met Andrew Curran Wesleyan professor on my first day of university, at that point I wasn’t aware he was going to be my professor but we were both from nearby New Haven, Hartford and that was what began the conversation. I would later find out that he was my professor in law and it was thanks to his teaching that I was able to get through university with the success that I did. In my first couple of months at university there was a lot of complaint about the teaching methods if Andrew Curran but for me it was absolutely perfect and I got the absolute most out of it.

Motivational

The first thing that struck was the professor’s way of motivating people, very different with each individual person but equally as effective. For some people he would put his arm over their shoulder and encourage, others he would seek to challenge them to get them going and some he would speak terribly to in order to see some kind of positive retaliation from them. This worked more times than not and it was incredible that he was able to read someone’s character so quickly and then manipulate them to be better.

Role Play

During the lectures when Andrew Curran Wesleyan professor would get us all up on our feet and involved in a mock trial or a lawsuit or some other role play, many would complain that they weren’t learning. In spite of this however I still retain almost all of the information which I learned during those role plays, and precisely because of them. This was a creative way of teaching us what we needed to know and those lessons have stayed with me ever since.

Caring

For Andrew Curran Wesleyan students were never just a number to him, he was genuinely interested in seeing us all succeed and even now I get the odd email from him to see how I am getting on. This is something which many people lose out on with their university professors and there is often a complaint laid towards them that they do not care enough about their students but rather their own results. In the case of Andrew Curran this was simply not true and he cared greatly about how well we all did.

Relative

Law can often be boring when you are stuck with your heads in the books learning about the intricacies of a case but Mr. Curran was able to turn that situation into one which becomes infinitely more interesting because he would make it relative to you and your life. What I hadn’t realized at the time was that he wasn’t just being helpful here in making it relative, he was also bringing empathy out of us, a key ingredient for any law student.

The world needs far more professors like Andrew Curran.

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Having a long weekend is a luxury that a lot of people want to experience. When given a chance to have a day or two extra to your regular weekend, you might want to do something memorable. You can have more time to spend with your family and do something exciting.

Play games

You can try exciting games in your backyard if you have enough space. You can even come up with some exciting physical activities for your children to try. At night, you can try charades, board games and card games. You will be having fun with your kids, but they will also be learning at the same time.

Listen to podcasts

If you have growing kids or teenagers, you might want to pick their brain by discussing a social issue that you heard on a podcast. It is also a way of encouraging them to speak their minds when they have something relevant to say about a topic. Don’t judge them for their opinions, but you can tell them if they believe something that is insensitive or irrational.

Cook with your kids

You don’t get the chance to cook meals for your family because you are always in a hurry to go to work. Since you have enough time during a long weekend, you can use it to cook with your kids. You can teach them some essential cooking skills, but also allow them to taste a great meal cooked by you.

Go to a zoo

Kids love animals, and it is exciting for them to have the chance to see them in a zoo. It is an educational trip too. You need to determine though if the zoo opens during the long weekend in question. Instead of seeing the images of these animals in books, your kids will have the chance to look at the animals in person.

Go to a spa

Everyone loves to relax and spend the weekend in a quiet environment. You can invite your kids to come with you and get a massage too. You can also find a spa with a hot tub or a infrared sauna Sydney if your kids want to try something new. When you are too busy with work, you don’t have time to do these relaxing activities.

Rent a large house

If you want to move out of your home for a while, you can find big houses for rent. It is your chance to see something different instead of the same place each day. You can also do a lot of activities depending on your chosen house. You can find one with a swimming pool, entertainment room, and a library. Everyone in the family will have something interesting to do when you are in such a large house, even only for a night. You might need to rush and make a reservation though, since many other families might also be planning to do the same during the long weekend.

Given these exciting activities, you will be making the most of the long weekend.