Question: Is using dip a good way to quit smoking? I know that cancer organizations can’t exactly recommend this method but is it at all a practical way to go? The gum doesn’t really work for me because I always still want a smoke after but dipping gives me even more of a buzz than smoking a cigarette does. I don’t really enjoy a dip though because I find it kind of gross and I am not very good at spitting and aiming. The idea is to break the smoking habit by switching to dip for a few weeks and then gradually weaning myself off the dip. It’s the habit that I have the most trouble with,,,smoking on coffee breaks and with morning coffee etc ect.

Donna Hunter Says...:

Personally, I would not recommend it. It is just another way to inject nicotine. It is sitting directly on your mucous membrane and that could be why you feel the "buzz" Your are basically trading one addictive habit for another. Try changing what you do on your break. go for a walk, play something on your phone. Don't head to the smokers area.

I have had great success using EMDR with smokers who want to quit. you can find an EMDR therapist by going to emdria.org If you can find someone who works with addiction or has experience using Miller's protocol that would be helpful.

Question: If a friend says she only uses meth on weekends but she has lost a lot of weight is it likely that she is actually lying to me and she is actually using it everyday and is addicted to it. She is 5 foot 6 and she used to weigh about 140 pounds. I do not know what she weighs now but I think she has probably lost 20 pounds or more over the last 3 or 4 months.

Donna Hunter Says...:

I am not sure what your question is on your friend's meth use. Using meth at all is a problem. It is highly addictive and highly toxic. I have had several clients who spend years dealing with the after effects of meth use. I have seen individuals who have difficulty controlling their aggression towards themselves and others. The craving for meth after exposure can last for many years.

Have you talked to your friend about your concerns for her? Sometimes we need to confront the denial an addict demonstrates to us. You see that she has lost a great deal of weight and relate that to meth use. Have you confronted her on her physical changes?

Question: I am 28 and I am 7 months clean. I go to AA and NA at least once a day and I am starting to take on jobs at meetings. I am not sure if I am ready to have kids or not but I am starting to consider it and I am so blessed to even be in this spot right now considering the trainwreck my life was not so long ago. There is no family history of addiction in my family other than my own. I did all drugs but I was mostly into crack and crystal. What I want to know is now that I am not using any more are any kids that I might have at an increased risk to have birth defects or behavioral problems or anything like that? I have heard people say that meth can cause DNA damage and mess up your chromosomes and stuff but I am not sure if this is true or not? The guy who told me this was a pretty smart guy who had a masters degree. But he was also a junkie.

Donna Hunter Says...:

I have to say that the jury is out on the effects of meth and birth outcomes. 20 years ago we believed that children born to crack/cocaine addicted mothers would have horrific outcomes. That is not being seen on the longitudinal studies. When you look at children who are addicted at birth, they do go through detox and have longer hospital stays due to the addiction, low birth weights and premature birth. I am not aware of any conclusive studies on a woman who is clean prior to getting pregnant and birth outcomes. However over the long term, children who are then raised in healthy, stable homes do well while children raised in poverty and neglect have poorer outcomes overall. It is the issue of nature vs. nurture.

I would highly suggest consulting with a ob/gyn or even a pediatrician with experience working with children of addicted parents to discuss the medical outcomes.

Question: I want to try to detox off norcos at home. My doctor prescribed to me but I have been supplementing without his knowledge. From everyone I have talked to getting some valium really helps for the withdrawal symptoms. I wasn’t to ask him for some valium but I am scared to admit that I have been abusing the opiates he has been prescribing. If I tell him this will I get put on some sort of list for people who doctor shop or are addicted to opiates or anything? I am very worried about how this might affect my health insurance because I have secondary conditions that require a lot of expensive treatment and I cannot afford to risk my insurance.

Donna Hunter Says...:

Detoxing can be dangerous and should not be a do it yourself process. Your physician knows your medical history. He or she should be made aware of what you have been doing and what you want to do. He or she may recommend a detox program or treatment center.

I understand the concern about your insurance. The following is just my opinion. HIPAA was put forth as a way to protect our privacy. I do not believe that it does. Your medical information passes through many hands as claims are processed. I would talk to your doctor directly about your privacy concerns as it is related to your health insurance. In processing a claim they must disclose to the insurance company a service code ( why you were there) a diagnosis , date of service and your demographics.

Question: I have a problem with crack. I have been trying to quit using but every time my payday comes along I just can’t resist the temptation of that cash in my pocket and I don’t stop until the whole thing is gone. I have tried having my work do a direct deposit into my girlfriends account but I would always end on the phone screaming at my girlfriend to give up my money. Eventually she’d fold and give it up. Who wants an angry crack head calling you at work screaming for money? Anyway, having someone else hold onto the money doesn’t seem to really help me. She isn’t my girlfriend any more but I have learned that if I have money having someone else hold onto it for me doesn’t really work because when I know I’ve got it I just crave so hard and I won’t stop until I get it. So what do I do? I’m a pretty good bodywork guy so I’ve been keeping this job for the last 6 months and I am really trying to get my shit together but every two weeks like clock work I just go on this bender and even though I swear it won’t happen again it just does, every time. I try the NA thing but it’s no good against the feelings I get on those Friday afternoons when I know I’ve got money to burn.

Donna Hunter Says...:

It is pretty clear that having money or knowing you have it is a trigger. You have tried to eliminate the trigger but your addiction beats your girlfriend and others down. You can't expect other people to be responsible for youR addiction. Eliminating triggers is a good thing, but it is not the only thing you need to break your addiction. Your triggers are yours and putting them in the hands of others is not only unfair, but useless.

If you really want to get your life together, it sounds like you need professional help - a treatment center or daily attendance at NA. IT is only with support and a program of living that you can tame this gremlin.

Question: How dangerous are bath salts? I read in the paper that a woman lost her arm and half her chest from a flesh eating bacteria she got from shooting bath salts. My friend is using bath salts regularly to get high and I am worried about her. I showed her the article about the flesh eating bacteria but she says that it’s only a problem if you inject. She only snorts. Is she in danger?

Donna Hunter Says...:

There is not a great deal of information available.  But the science behind the chemicals present in bath salts is clear.  They are very dangerous to ingest in any way.   Please take a look at: http://www.drugabuse.gov/about-nida/directors-page/messages-director/2011/02/bath-salts-emerging-dangerous-products

http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/features/bath-salts-drug-dangers

Obviously bath salts are synthetic materials not meant for human consumption.  Unfortunately with most addictive substances the long term effects will not be known until too many people are negatively affected.

Question: Can I be addicted to alcohol if I only drink on weekends? I thought alcoholics needed to drink every day or they’d get the shakes or something. I never drink during the week but I always drink on the weekends. I drink a lot on the weekends and I can’t seem to stop myself even though I know I need to slow down? So can a person by a weekend only alcoholic or is that impossible?

Donna Hunter Says...:

Even though you only drink on weekends you can be an alcoholic.  Addiction is defined by specific characteristics one that you mentioned:  "I can't seem to stop myself even though I know I need to slow down".  Some of the other characteristics that an addict may or may not have is an increased tolerance to the substance ( needing more to get the same high) or a sudden drop in tolerance.  A person can have withdrawal symptoms.  Overall if  a person has difficulty stopping, has difficulty in their personal or  occupational life because of drinking or using drugs they are likely addicted.  If all you are experiencing is difficulty stopping use, then you are on the slippery slope heading towards alcoholism.  I would strongly suggest you find a therapist, counselor or AA meeting to help you find better ways to cope with life.

Question: I am a 15 year old competitive downhill skier and I am aiming to be on the junior nation team by next year. I train really hard and I also have school responsibilities and sometimes I find that it gets to be a bit heavy and hard to manage. I find that smoking a little joint most nights helps me to feel a lot more relaxed about things and it gives me a little break to look forward to at the end of the long day. One of the junior coaches caught me toking last weekend at a training camp and he asked me how often I smoked and he freaked on me when I told him I smoked most nights and he threatened to tell the head coaches unless I agreed to stop. I said I would, but I am not sure I really want to give up the only thing that keeps me from losing my mind. I guess I understand how smoking even a small amount every night could hurt my lung capacity and my performance , but what if I switched to eating pot brownies? Would that have any impact on my performance? If I ate a pot brownie most nights but made sure to stop for a couple days before races, how could that hurt me at all?

Donna Hunter Says...:

Yes, smoking anything can effect lung capacity- but you are ingesting a chemical that is classed as a sedative/hypnotic.

To get more details go to:http://drugabuse.gov/ResearchReports/Marijuana/marijuana3.html

Suffice it to say long term use of pot, yes even a small amount daily over a period of time is considered chronic/long term use negatively effects memory and the ability to learn new things.  It effects motivation.  The chemical in Pot THC stays in the body for 4-6 weeks.

Additionally, long term users experience even more anxiety between use.  There are so many healthier ways to deal with anxiety and feelings of being overwhelmed.  Do not let Pot fool you it is addictive.  you are using a chemical to mask feelings instead of dealing with what is going on in your life.  Seeing a therapist about your life stress may be helpful in your future success.

Question: I caught my business partner using cocaine at work. He laughed it off as something he never does but it shocked me totally to see it and now that I think back it would explain some of the erratic behavior and poor work performance I’ve observed over the last couple of months. I thought he was just having a hard time with the separation he’s going through with his wife. I respect him as a person and I care for him, but we have always had a very professional only working relationship, whereby our personal lives were our own business and not very relevant to the workings of the company. However, our financial fates are very intertwined and though he is a very skilled architect if he fails to live up to his potential or his promises then I could be in very deep trouble. I don’t want to make more of this than I should. I have never done drugs, but I get it that not everyone who does cocaine is a drug addict. But how can I tell if he has a drug problem? I need to know if it’s a recreational thing for him or if it’s more, and knowing him I am not going to be able to ask and get a straight answer. So what are the signs I should be looking for?

Donna Hunter Says...:

The initial red flag I see is that he is using at work.  Even if you put aside the legalities of cocaine, when someone starts using at work, it is a bad sign.  It is an indication of poor judgment at best, addiction at worst.

Addiction is when the use of a substance or behavior negatively effects physical health, occupational performance, social relationships etc.  It sounds as though you have noticed signs- "erratic behavior and poor work performance".  You attributed it to his separation.  While that may be true, you may not know whether or not his cocaine use attributed to his separation.

Not everyone who uses is a drug addict.  That is true.  But when someone 's functioning is being effected, addict or not action needs to be taken.  This person's behavior affects you personally.  You have a vested interest in his behavior.  By not doing something you are putting yourself at risk and enabling continued bad behavior.  Think of the consequence should a client or staff member see him doing coke.  Would everyone keep the secret or would someone call the police?  I am sure in your company there are drug free environment regulations, work safety issues.  As an architect, does he ever go out to a building site?  If there is an accident and he is drug tested, what would the consequences be for all of you?

At this point it does not sound like it maters if he considers his use as recreational.  He is involved with criminal activity.  i know that is sounds like an extreme statement, but he is purchasing, in possession of and using an illegal substance.  Now he is bringing that substance into the work place.

Knowing that you will not get a straight answer from him leads you to confront him with the facts that you know.  What specifically do you consider his erratic behavior.  What specifically has been his poor work performance- changes  from past functioning.  He will likely blame it on his separation. The final part of the confrontation is the poor judgment bringing in and using drugs in the office.  It is a big deal.  It is not acceptable and it puts everyone at risk.  He will likely try to rationalize and minimize.  You may need to put in a consequence of some sort; telling HR about it, having him drug tested etc.  It would all depend on your position within the company.  This may escalate over time, so you need to be clear on what is important to you.