Top 5 Addictive Substances On Earth

Addictive drugs often cause a rise in dopamine in the brain's reward centre

Many of us have fallen into the trap of having a glass of wine on an evening or a social cigarette on a night out.

In 2007, David Nutt and his colleagues asked addiction experts to rank top addictive substances- Their findings might interest u:  

NICOTINE 

Nicotine is the main addictive ingredient of tobacco. 

When somebody smokes a cigarette, nicotine is rapidly absorbed by the lungs and delivered to the brain. 

While Nutt et al’s expert panels rated nicotine (tobacco) as only the 12th most addictive substance, there are reasons to believe that nicotine is a very powerful addictive drug.

Tobacco will kill eight million people a year by 2030 so why do so many of us still smoke? Nicotine causes dopamine levels in the brain’s reward system to rise

More than two-thirds of Americans who tried smoking reported becoming dependent during their life. 

In 2002 the WHO estimated there were more than 1 billion smokers and it has been estimated that tobacco will kill more than 8m people annually by 2030. 

Laboratory animals have the good sense not to smoke. 

However, rats will press a button to receive nicotine directly into their bloodstream – and this causes dopamine levels in the brain’s reward system to rise by about 25-40 per cent.

COCAINE 

Cocaine directly interferes with the brain’s use of dopamine to convey messages from one neuron to another. 

In essence, cocaine prevents neurons from turning the dopamine signal off, resulting in an abnormal activation of the brain’s reward pathways. 

In experiments on animals, cocaine caused dopamine levels to rise more than three times the normal level. 

Cocaine caused dopamine levels to rise more than three times the normal levels, resulting in an abnormal activation of the brain’s reward pathways, tests found

It is estimated that between 14-20m people worldwide use cocaine and that in 2009 the cocaine market was worth about $75 billion.

Crack cocaine has been ranked by experts as being the third most damaging drug and powdered cocaine, which causes a milder high, as the fifth most damaging. 

About 21 per cent of people who try cocaine will become dependent on it at sometime in their life. 

Cocaine is similar to other addictive stimulants, such as methamphetamine – which is becoming more of a problem as it becomes more widely available – and amphetamine.

ALCOHOL

Although legal in the US and UK, alcohol was rated as the second most addictive substance by Nutt et al.’s experts (scoring 2.2 out of a maximum of 3). 

Alcohol has many effects on the brain, but in laboratory experiments on animals it increased dopamine levels in the brain’s reward system by 40-360 per cent – and the more the animals drank the more dopamine levels increased.

More than a fifth of people who have taken a drink will develop dependence on alcohol, despite its damaging effects on health, researchers have found

Some 22 per cent of people who have taken a drink will develop dependence on alcohol at some point during their life. 

The WHO has estimated that 2 billion people used alcohol in 2002 and more than 3m people died in 2012 due to damage to the body caused by drinking. 

Heroin is both addictive and dangerous as a lethal dose is only five times more than a dose for a high

Alcohol has been ranked as the most damaging drug by other experts, too.

HEROIN 

Nutt et al.’s experts ranked heroin as the most addictive drug, giving it a score of 2.5 out of a maximum score of 3. 

Heroin is an opiate that causes the level of dopamine in the brain’s reward system to increase by up to 200 per cent in experimental animals. 

In addition to being arguably the most addictive drug, heroin is dangerous, too, because the dose that can cause death is only five times greater than the dose required for a high.

Heroin also has been rated as the second most harmful drug in terms of damage to both users and to society. 

The market for illegal opiates, including heroin, was estimated to be $68 billion worldwide in 2009.

BARBITURATES (SEDATIVES)

Barbiturates – also known as blue bullets, gorillas, nembies, barbs and pink ladies – are a class of drugs that were initially used to treat anxiety and to induce sleep.

They interfere with chemical signalling in the brain, the effect of which is to shut down various brain regions. 

At low doses, barbiturates cause euphoria, but at higher doses they can be lethal because they suppress breathing. 

Barbiturates of sedatives interfere with chemical signalling in the brain, shutting down various regions. Dependence became common when they were readily available but declines as other drugs replaced them

Barbiturate dependence was common when the drugs were easily available by prescription, but this has declined dramatically as other drugs have replaced them. 

This highlights the role that the context plays in addiction: if an addictive drug is not widely available, it can do little harm. 

Nutt et al’s expert panels rated barbiturates as the fourth most addictive substance.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3474571/The-five-addictive-substances-Earth-brain.html?

Use And Abuse Of Tramadol in Nigeria

Tramadol is an opiod pain medication used to treat moderate to moderately severe pain. When taken as an immediate-release oral formulation, the onset of pain relief usually occurs within about an hour. Tramadol is a type of strong opiod that works on the nervous system and brain to reduce the feel of pain. There are many different forms, strengths and brands of tramadol. Some forms and brands start working quickly to ease the pain, while others release the tramadol they contain more slowly, over several hours, to provide a constant and more even pain control. These are called ”modified-release” and often have ‘XL’ ‘SR’ or ’24hr’ in front of the brand name.

Why is tramadol abused?

Apart from its pain relieving effects, tramadol has been discovered to give a feeling of euphoric high when taken in large quantity. When opiods like tramadol are mixed with alcohol, it increases the effects of the alcohol.

Toyosi Ogunjobi, a 19-year-old public secondary school student in Lagos, who is into the abuse of the drug told The Nation that he mixes tramadol with alcohol when he wants to engage in manual labour. He claims it allows him to work harder and longer but that if he takes the mixture without working, it weakens him.

Gabriel Oladoye, a 21 year-old undergraduate of the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta also admits to abusing tramadol. To him, tramadol serves as an aphrodisiac. He says he normally takes the drug few minutes before sex and it enables him last longer and perform better in bed.

Bode, a 27 year-old liquor seller says mixing tramadol with Bullet alcohol drink helps him last longer during intercourse, since he normally suffers from premature ejaculation. He shared an experience in which he engaged in intercourse all night with a commercial sex worker after taking tramadol with ‘Bullet’. He said they had marathon sex all night, but confessed that he had to visit the clinic during the day, when he began experiencing pains on his manhood. The doctor, after checking him up for infections, warned him to desist from such medications and marathon sex, as he was lucky not to have ruptured his tissues.

Effects of tramadol abuse

Although tramadol is an over-the-counter medication, its abuse can cause some undesirable effects similar to those of other opiates, such as dizziness, weakness, sleepiness, insomnia, headache, shaking, heartburn, panic attacks, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation, itching, sweating and dry mouth.

According to Adekunle Adeseye of Ariset Medical Hospital, tramadol belongs to a family of analgesic and it is actually a synthetic opiod. He said it can lead to addiction like other opiods such as morphine, cocaine and the rest. Some of its other side-effects include light-headedness, serious vomiting and even sedation, as it is narcotic in nature.

Dr. Jude Okonkwo, a medical practitioner at Medicare Hospital Ota, added that overdosing on the drugs can make some people experience difficulty in breathing; and that once addicted to the drugs, abusers won’t be able to function well without the drug, as it has neurological side-effects.

Asked to confirm the claims that the drug has aphrodasic effects and also gives extra strength, Dr. Okonkwo said “Those claims could be true, as it is a narcotic. It heightens the senses, but its effects vary from persons to persons. Abusing the drug has more” negative effects than any perceived positive.

He advised that abusers-turned addicts should stop and youths who take it for recreation because of its euphoric effect should stop as well; as drugs should only be taken on doctor’s prescription.

When asked how the increase in tramadol abuse can be curbed, he advised that parents and guardians should tutor their wards more on the hazards of drug abuse. He also wants the government to place serious sanctions and restrictions on the use of the medication.

Www.thenationonlineng.net/the-use-and-abuse-of-tramadol/

3 Ways To Negotiate Condom Use With Your Partner

 
Gold circle Flex is a new ribbed and flavored condom brand marketed by Society for Family Health (SFH).
The Gold Circle Flex team have some facts about sex and condom use that they will share in a series of articles in the next few weeks. You can visit the Gold Circle Flex Facebook Page and tweet at @goldcircleflex for more information. Or send any requests or inquiries to goldcircleflex@sfhnigeria.org.
We have available in this generation, more avenues and gadgets with which to communicate than ever before. But studies have shown that; in families, the work place, communities and at virtually every level we are interacting and communicating less and less.

This fact is most obvious in romantic relationships. Men and women just do not appear to be talking to each other especially about important relationship issues. Communication, especially about sex and sexual health, can be understandably awkward and difficult. Discussing and practicing safe health however, is integral to any relationship both for birth control purposes and also for protection from Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs).

Condoms are still the most popular and easily available means for practicing safe sex. They are; an effective barrier with 98% effectiveness in preventing unplanned pregnancies and STIs, the most easily reversible method of birth control and have no hormonal side effects. A number of people are however reluctant to use condoms. Some common excuses to avoid using condoms are; I don’t have any infections, you do not trust me, it spoils the mood, we already use another type of contraceptive, If you love me you wouldn’t insist on a condom.

Encouraging your partner to use a condom can appear daunting.
Negotiating condom use in a relationship, for both men and women, is one of those areas where it is often not so much about the idea but more about how you present the idea. In negotiating condom use, there are several strategies that could be used;

• Benefits: This strategy involves explaining the benefits of using condoms to your partner. While this is a logical approach, it has had low success rates in most cases. Perhaps because sex is mostly a spontaneous, emotional exchange not particularly susceptible to logic.

• Eroticism: For this approach condoms are incorporated into sex as an erotic and exciting activity.

• Refusal: One partner simply refuses to have sex if a condom is not used. This strategy can often create resentment from the partner who is being refused sex on the basis of condom use.

Some General Misconceptions/myths about condom Use.

A condom is a mechanical barrier that prevents sexually transmitted infections(such as HIV) and pregnancy by stopping the exchange of body fluids during sexual intercourse.

Condoms have been around for thousands of years – early Egyptians, Greeks and Romans used condoms to prevent pregnancy, using animal intestine or bladder. And modern condoms have been available for more than 100 years.

Despite the widely known uses of condoms and its benefits, Their still exist some general misconceptions/myths about condom use.

Some of the myths and facts about condom use can be seen below:

MYTH: It’s safer if you use two condoms.
FACT: No it isn’t. Using two condoms at once is a really bad idea, whether it’s two male condoms or a male and female condom. the chances of them It increases tearing apart. Only use one condom at a time.

MYTH: Condoms break easily.
FACT: No they don’t. To avoid a condom breaking, you need to put it on carefully, ensuring there’s no air bubble at the end. Be careful of sharp fingernails, jewelry, or teeth. If the condom won’t roll down, it’s on the wrong way. Throw this condom away and start again with a new one, as there could be semen on the tip of the previous condom.

If a condom breaks and you’re not using any other contraception, go to a clinic, pharmacist or doctor as soon as possible and ask about emergency contraception. You’ll also need to get tested for sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

MYTH: You need extra lube. Vaseline is good.
FACT: No it’s not. A bit of extra lubrication is good but don’t use anything with oil in it as it can dissolve the condom – that includes baby oil, Vaseline and hand cream. If you must use additional lubricant Use a water-based lubricant like “Lubrica” or silicone based lubrication. Most  condoms are pre-lubricated for enhanced pleasure.

MYTH:Lubricated(Oiled ) Condoms gives infections.

FACT:The oil(Lubricant) found in most condoms functions to reduce  friction during sex and helps avoid condom breakages.

MYTH: Condom can be washed and Re-Used

FACT:Not True, both male and female condoms can only be used once, washing of condoms will lead to wear and tear, which will compromise the intergrity of the condom rendering them less effective in preventing STIs/HIV and pregnancy. “SINGLE USE ONLY”

MYTH: Sex with Condoms is less Enjoyed
FACT: Using a condom doesn’t have to spoil the moment. Condom use can make some men last longer before they come, which is good news for both of you. Condom use also makes sexual intercourse more enjoyable for both partners because of less fear of contacting STIs, HIV and unplanned Pregnancy.

HOW TO USE FEMALE CONDOMS

Reports from the national  Demographic health survey (NDHS) indicates that only about 28.6 % of Nigerian women know about female condoms while less than  0.5 % Nigerian women actually use female condoms.

As a peer educator with Society for Family Health(SFH) and currently  a community facilitator in implementing the USAIDs sponsored Strengthening HIV Prevention Services for Most-at-Risk Population(SHiPS for MARPs) project in Nigeria , I have noticed more worrisome the high Percentage of Female sex workers (FSWs) without adequate knowledge of Female Condoms.

When more women have proper information on female condoms they stand a better chance of making healthy sexual decisions, preventing unwanted pregnancies, HIV and STIs.

Below are steps on how to use female condoms & benefits of female condom use.

Steps on How to use Female Condoms.

1.    Before opening your FEMALE CONDOM:’

• Check the expiry date which is stamped on the front or on the side of the FEMALE CONDOM packet.

• Spread the lubrication inside around by rubbing the packet with your hands

         

2.    To open the packet, tear straight down from the arrow at the top and remove the condom.

• Do not use scissors, a knife or your teeth to open the packet

.

3.    hold the inner ring between your thumb and forefinger. Then squeeze the sides of the inner ring together to form a point.

4.    You can insert FEMALE CONDOM in lots of different ways. Find a position that is comfortable. This may be standing, sitting, squatting or lying down.

5.    Feel for the outer lips of your vagina and spread them.

6.    Use the squeezed inner ring to push FEMALE CONDOM into your vagina. Slide your index finger or middle finger inside the condom and push it in your vagina as far as possible, using the inner ring. Make sure the condom is not twisted and lies smoothly against your vaginal wall.

7.    A small part of the condom, including the outer ring, stays outside your body and lies over the lips of your vagina, partially protecting your external sex organs and covering the base of your partner’s penis.

8.     FEMALE CONDOM lines the inside of your vagina and covers your cervix. The opening of your cervix is so small that it is impossible for FEMALE CONDOM to pass through this space.

9.     Hold the outer ring in place as your partner guides his penis inside the condom. Once his penis is inside the condom, you do not have to continue holding the outer ring. For extra pleasure you may ant to add more lubricant either on the inside or outside of FEMALE CONDOM or directly onto your partner’s penis once the condom is inserted.

10.                       N/B: Your partner needs to immediately withdraw his penis if:• His penis enters between the condom and the vagina wall. In this case you should put the outer ring back in position before he slides his penis back inside the condom.• The outer ring has been pushed into your vagina. In this case you should use a new FEMALE CONDOM.

11.                       To take FEMALE CONDOM out, hold the outer ring and twist it to keep the semen inside. It’s best to do this before standing up. Gently pull the condom out, wrap it in a tissue or the empty packet, and throw it in a rubbish bin.

https://youtu.be/rpIHygztRZE

Video illustration on female condom use

ADVANTAGES OF FEMALE CONDOM

THREE CORE ESSENTIAL PUBLIC HEALTH FUNCTIONS

Assessment

•  Monitor health status to identify community health problems 
•  Diagnose and investigate health problems and health hazards in the community 
•  Evaluate effectiveness, accessibility, and quality of personal and population-based health services

Policy Development 

•   Develop policies and plans that support individual and community health efforts 
•  Enforce laws and regulations that protect health and ensure safety. 
•  Research for new insights and innovative solutions to health problems

Assurance

•  Link people to needed personal health services and assure the provision of health care when otherwise unavailable 
•  Assure a competent public health and personal health care workforce 
• Inform, educate, and empower people about health issues 
• Mobilize community partnerships to identify and solve health problems

WHAT IS PUBLIC HEALTH?

   “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity"

WHO Definition of Health

Public Health is the science and art of protecting and improving the health of families and communities through promotion of healthy lifestyles, research for disease and injury prevention, detection and control of infectious disease.

Public Health is generally concerned with promoting & Protecting the health of entire populations, not on individual patients or diseases.