Grief

Grief is a natural response to loss and losing something or someone you love can be very difficult and painful. When you experience a loss, you may feel a variety of emotions that range from anger to sadness, and many others in-between. Sometimes it feels like the hardship will never end, but the good news is that with time, the feelings of grief seem to lessen.

Elizabeth Kubler-Ross developed a theory based on the way that people grieve. She found that people generally go through 5 various stages:
1.DENIAL: “This can’t be happening to me.”
2.ANGER: “Whose fault is this and why is it happening?”
3.BARGAINING: “If I do this, then can I get that..?”
4.DEPRESSION: “I’m too sad to do anything.”
5.ACCEPTANCE: “I’m at peace with what happened.”
*They may or may not occur in this order and some stages may never be reached at all.

Grief does not only occur when a loved one dies. Losing a relationship, a job, your health, your financial stability, your pet, or your feelings of safety can all cause grief as well. However, there is not one right way to grieve; everyone does it their own way. The pain does not go away faster if it is ignored and it is important to go through it the way that best suits the individual.

Therapists and counselors can be very helpful when someone is dealing with a loss. It can be helpful for them to talk to someone about the pain they are feeling. It is possible that the pain of grief will never disappear in its entirety, but it definitely can get better.

For more information visit: www.alliedtrades-online.com

SOURCES:
Coping with Grief and Loss
How to Deal with Grief 0104/default.asp>
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Prescription Drug Abuse

Adequate pain treatment has always been a struggle in our society. Frequently, doctors prescribe medication to their patients in hopes that the patient’s symptoms will be minimized. However, recently many people have started abusing these prescription drugs. Unfortunately, these drugs are easily obtained through multiple doctor shopping, over prescribing by physicians, use of someone else’s medication, forgery of prescriptions, and/or from illegal online pharmacies. It is important to recognize that both the physician and the patient are at fault here, as doctors should more closely monitor their patients and as patients should not abuse the system.

The most commonly abused prescription drugs are:
1.Opioids: usually prescribed for pain
2.Central Nervous System Depressants: usually for sleep disorders or anxiety
3.Stimulants: usually to treat ADHD, obesity, and narcolepsy

Statistics:
•At least half of all Americans take at least one prescription drug.
•In a 2006 survey of teenagers, 62% said it was easy to get prescription pain relievers from their parent’s home.
•19.5 million Americans (8.2% of population) age 12 and over currently use illicit drugs. Of this total, 6.3 million abuse prescription drugs (2.7% of population).
•Admissions to federally supported treatment programs for prescription opioid about increased 342% from 1996 to 2006.

Almost all of the states in the U.S. have made an attempt to battle this epidemic by keeping electronic files on patients and attempting to monitor their usage. Consumers can help by acknowledging the issue and taking extra steps to make sure their prescriptions are securely locked up. Both the DEA and the FDA have been working together to battle these issues and are striving to press criminal charges against anyone involved in the misuse of prescription drugs. The battle is far from over, but it is important to recognize how serious of an issue it has become and to take steps to prevent it from getting any worse.

For more information visit: www.alliedtrades-online.com

SOURCES:
Fear of Prescription Drug Abuse Affects Pain Management (2010)
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/175137.php
Prescription Drug Abuse (2005)
http://www.ncsl.org/default.aspx?tabid=14428
Prescription Drug Addiction, Abuse, and Treatment (2007)
http://www.addictionsearch.com/treatment_articles/article/prescription-drug-addiction-abuse-and-treatment_32.html
Prescription Drug Abuse (2009)
http://kidshealth.org/teen/drug_alcohol/drugs/prescription_drug_abuse.html#
Almost Half of Americans Take at Least One Prescription Drug (2010)
http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/healthcare/a/usmedicated.htm
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