The effects of taking Alcohol while on medication with even the smallest of amounts can lead to aggravating the condition. There are up to 150 different medicaments which will worsen a health condition when taken under the effects of alcohol. One example is antihistamine, whereby the consumption of alcohol will increase the sedative effect hindering the ability to drive or handle machinery.

If alcohol is consumed while on painkillers such as Tylenol, you could end up damaging your liver. Those of us who tend to self-medicate drugs and take them indiscriminately with alcohol are opening themselves up to a whole range of health problems. You should always consult your doctor about the possibility of drinking alcohol with any prescribed drug.

Alcohol addiction can create both legal and social problems and especially for the heavier drinkers. It could lead to disputes in the work place, on the domestic front, possibly with your closest of friends and even with complete strangers. Alcoholics tend to oversleep due to hangovers resulting in arriving late for work or sometimes not even getting there at all. Their work effectiveness is greatly reduced leading to a possible job loss.

Pregnant women who consume alcohol are risking their baby's' health as they may contract a whole number of congenital defects. Alcoholic mothers' children are prone to both behavioural problems and learning difficulties. They might even suffer from fatal alcohol syndrome (FAS), which can produce critical mental and physical conditions.

Drinking alcohol can also lead to serious long-term health problems such as liver or heart disease and some types of cancer. These conditions are not immediately noticeable but will come to light after a long time of consuming alcohol. Women are actually more likely to suffer from alcohol related diseases even by drinking less than men.

Millions of people round the world suffer from serious liver complaints such as hepatitis or inflammation due to alcoholic drinks which can in certain cases through complication lead to death. On average around 15% of heavy drinkers will develop alcoholic cirrhosis or scarring of liver hepatitis C virus-HCV-infection who may then require a liver transplant. Alcoholism can also lead to getting hepatitis C virus-HCV-infection resulting

SHOCKING REPORT!
Below are excerpts from a recent CASA (National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse) report. The facts speak for themselves. NEW CASA REPORT FINDS HALF OF COLLEGE STUDENTS BINGE DRINK, ABUSE PRESCRIPTION AND ILLEGAL DRUGS NEARLY ONE IN FOUR MEET MEDICAL CRITERIA FOR ALCOHOL, DRUG ABUSE AND DEPENDENCE WASHINGTON, D. C., March 15, 2007 – Forty-nine percent (3.8 million) of full time college students binge drink and/or abuse prescription and illegal drugs, according to Wasting the Best and the Brightest: Substance Abuse at America’s Colleges and Universities, a new report by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University. “It’s time to get the ‘high’ out of higher education,” said Joseph A. Califano, Jr., CASA’s chairman and president and former U.S. Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare. “Under any circumstances acceptance by administrators, trustees, professors and parents of this college culture of alcohol and other drug abuse is inexcusable. In this world of fierce global competition, we are losing thousands of our nation’s best and brightest to alcohol and drugs, and in the process robbing them and our nation of their promising futures.” Between 1993 and 2005 the proportion of students abusing prescription drugs increased: 343 percent for opioids like Percocet, Vicodin and OxyContin 93 percent for abuse of stimulants like Ritalin and Adderall 450 percent for tranquilizers like Xanax and Valium 225 percent for sedatives like Nembutal and Seconal Between 1993 and 2005, the proportion of students who: Use marijuana daily more than doubled to 310,000 Use cocaine, heroin, and other illegal drugs (except marijuana) is up 52 percent to 636,000. In this age where popping a pill is seen as the solution to so many problems, both physical and mental, what will it take to get college students to say no to drug abuse--all drug abuse?We at Narconon International know that the best solution for the problem is effective drug education done early and done well! And that's why Narconon® drug education--booklets, videos, live presenters--continues in heavy demand worldwide. Want to help? Do the Drug Prevention Specialist Course at the International Training Center in McAlester, Oklahoma!
The First Step Program
• The person tries to escape some physical or emotional pain by taking drugs.• The person finds that drugs offer temporary relief so continues to use them.• Cells in the body become accustomed to large amounts of drug metabolites (a broken down form of the drug).• When one tries to quit, cells in the body that have become accustomed to such large amounts of metabolites are now forced to deal with much decreased amounts.• The body perceives that it needs the drug to function and demands the drug through physical cravings.• With continued use of the drug, the body's inability to completely eliminate all traces of the drug metabolites diminishes. The metabolites that remain are stored in the fatty tissues and these, released, cause cravings.• Cravings become so severe that the addict will do almost anything (in many cases abandoning all previous moral teachings) to get more of the drug.• The addict commits misdeeds against family, friends and self to satisfy these unrelenting cravings.• Because of these misdeeds, the addicts cannot face themselves and dive deeper into drugs.• They are now entrapped in full blown addiction, with two aspects of the condition. The biophysical condition and the biochemical personality. NARCONON addresses The Biochemical Side and the reasons why a person became addicted in the first place.Handling The Biochemical Side Of Addiction
The First Step Program Book
For a person addicted to drugs, be it alcohol, street drugs or prescription medications of some sort, the pains and discomforts of withdrawal are often too much to bear and prevent the person from quitting the drug. The NARCONON® First Step program has the only technology that can help to ease the withdrawal symptoms and pain experienced in coming off drugs without the use of drugs themselves. The Narconon First Step Program Book entitled An Effective Method for Drug Free Withdrawal is intended for use in real life and is being offered at the low price of $19.95. Order your copy of The First Step Program from Narconon Arrowhead, Call 800-468-6933 or e-mail info@stopaddiction.com (mailto:info@stopaddiction.com).$19.95 US (104pp.) ©2006 Narconon of Oklahoma, Inc. All Rights Reserved. NARCONON and the Narconon logo are registered trademarks and service marks owned by Association for Better Living and Education International and are used with its permission.©1990 BRIDGE PUBLICATIONS INCORPORATEDALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Printed in USA.
A New Life to be Thankful for
Just over six years ago a young man, whose family had high hopes for him and confidence in his abilities, returned from rehab in an attempt to clean up his act. Stan, as we'll call him, was just about to turn 21 and entered the treatment facility to escape charges of drunk driving. The problem was that he was doing it for reasons other than for himself.It didn't take long at all for his addiction to kick back in, in fact the flight attendant on the way home offered him a beer despite telling her that he had no money, was underage and just got out of rehab. Then, back at home his friends threw him a welcome back party where he proceeded to get drunk. I just thought I was doing what college-aged guys were supposed to do, recalled Stan of his rocky past, I didn't realize at the time how destructive my behavior was to myself and others. The next month or so Stan struggled with a meager attempt to stay clean, justifying the times he went out drinking and continuing the lie to himself that he didn't have a problem.When Thanksgiving arrived, Stan was working his first week at yet another job. Two nights before, he had taken ecstasy for the first time and was still reeling from the effects of the highly dangerous drug. He sat quietly at the table full of guilt as he made up one lie after the other to his family about how he was doing. I felt horrible, says Stan, I couldn't even look my parents in the eye and told them that I thought somebody slipped something in my drink the other night. After Thanksgiving, I drifted even further away from my family and slipped into full-blown drug and alcohol use again. This type of behavior and the consequences are typical around the Holiday Season, but it doesn't have to be. There are effective solutions available to ensure that loved ones are safe during the Holidays, getting the help they need.
I was convinced I was doomed...
I was convinced I was doomed... Before coming to Narconon Arrowhead I was convinced I was doomed to a life stuck in the vicious cycle of relapse. I couldn't accept the fact that not only could I not stop using drugs but also that other treatments just didn't work. After a short stint in in-patient treatment (approximately 21 days), followed by outpatient group counseling and the usual meetings I was still stuck in a terrible place. I was somehow able to stop for awhile but each relapse was worse than the time before. It became apparent I was either going to live or DIE. I was in a place I never thought I'd be and I was engaging in the immoral and unethical behavior consistent with addiction. I was a liar and a thief and on my way to dying.We found the Narconon Arrowhead website and after reading about the sauna program I felt something for the first time in a long time-HOPE. I knew my body was working against me, I just didn't know how to fix it. My best friend was desperate to save my life and shared the details of this program with my parents.
I'm starting to give back
I began seriously using drugs in my early to mid thirties. At this time I had a successful business and two beautiful children. By the time I was 35 the business was closed and I was using equipment to buy drugs and alcohol. I lost my two children. Luckily, they were able to be raised by their grandparents.The cycle began again in my early forties. Again I had a successful business a beautiful wife, a great new son, and another on the way. I couldn't let what happened before occur all over again.I found Narconon® and after graduating in November 2004, I am a father, husband, friend, son, and leader. I can walk tall for my family.I am starting to give back now with my first $500.00 donation to Narconon. I plan on giving a lot more.I use the technology everyday and my life couldn't be better.Best of luck to Narconon with your expansion project. You can count on me anytime!C.B.November 2004 Narconon Arrowhead Graduate
I'm Happy To Be Alive
When I came to Narconon Arrowhead I was a broken man who didn't care about life or whether I lived anymore. This program has changed my way of thinking and my life today. Today I am so happy about the way I feel and have a very positive outlook on life. I am happy to be alive and look forward to spreading this to others. J.S. – Narconon Arrowhead
Started using drugs and alcohol at 13 years of age
I started using drugs and alcohol at 13 years of age. I can clearly remember the first time that I drank alcohol. I had run away from home with a good friend of mine thinking that my home life was horrible and that running away would be a quick solution to my problems. On the way out the door my friend and I grabbed several bottles of liquor from my parents liquor cabinet and out the door we went. We stayed the night in some woods near the house in my little pop up two man tent and proceeded to think that we were grown man drinking it up and making it on our own. Well quickly within two days we decided that the home life wasn't really as bad as we thought, it sure did beat living in a tent and eating cold canned soup all day, and we quickly returned home to our parents. That night began a ten-year struggle of finding myself and drug addiction. You see I always wanted to be the popular guy in school, the captain of the football team, king of the prom and dating the head cheerleader. You know the picture perfect teen life that we all see on TV on a daily basis. I started using drugs and alcohol on a regular basis because it gave me a COOL group to be a part of and I truly thought that I had the popularity that I was looking for.
David's Story
The Narconon program helped me in many ways. The most important being that I got my life back!!! I now have respect and trust back from my family. I have things now that I never had before. I am so happy to be sober and I didn't think that I would ever be able to go with out drugs or alcohol. I now have the confidence in myself and for once in my life I can live happily without the constant use of drugs or alcohol to make me feel good. I am now working to become a counselor for Narconon Arrowhead and I truly enjoy what I am doing. I am so happy to be able to help other people who are suffering like I did. The Narconon program has given me my life back. D.S. – Narconon Graduate
Don't let another holiday be ruined by a drugs or alcohol
Family holidays can be especially difficult when a member of the family is battling with an all consuming addiction. Many of you have been through this.Chances are, a drug abuser won't even show up for Thanksgiving dinner and if they do, the visit will be uncomfortable. Students who have completed the Narconon program have told me that one of the things they feel the worst about is all the times they ruined the holidays for their families. A survey of Narconon graduates (now clean and sober) reveals the following about past holiday experiences: If they did make it to the family holiday gathering they were so much under the influence of drugs or alcohol that they were really not present and could not remember all that had happened. Other graduates have reported that if they were not high, they were uncomfortable and spent time trying to figure out how to make the visit short to get that next fix. Some describe being embarrassingly drunk and ruining the event for everyone. THIS YEAR ENJOY THE HOLIDAYSGet your family member into the Narconon program and celebrate another year of life for that person and years of happy holidays to come.The future is bright for Narconon graduates because the Narconon program works!

in a higher chance of contracting cancer of the liver.

Heavy alcohol consumption can also have a serious impact on the nervous system by depressing the central nervous system. Having initially stimulated the mind, alcohol will turn to causing sedation with continual consumption. Alcohol can also diminish the immunity system and will also produce changes in our logical way of thinking, emotional behaviour and judgment. It can also lead to speech difficulties and problems with muscle coordination. All this and more could lead to an alcoholic eventually falling into a coma.

Alcohol consumption is a serious risk for diabetics; as alcohol prevents glucose being released from the liver, increasing the risk of getting hypoglycaemia which caused by a low blood sugar count. This can be life threatening when combined with the intake of insulin, used in regulating the blood sugar level.

The pancreas is also at high risk from alcohol consumption as it produces insulin for regulating the blood sugar level. The alcohol can also effect the production of very important hormones used in controlling the metabolism. The pancreas also produces very important enzymes vital for the digestion of proteins and carbohydrates. Long term drinking will cause pancreatitis and an acute pancreatitis can cause severe abdominal pain, diarrhoea and weight loss which could be fatal. So quit drinking alcohol now.

For more important advice from Ed you should take a look at http://www.stopdrinkingadvice.org