“Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.” – Sun Tzu, ancient Chinese general, military strategist, philosopher, author of he Art of War (born c. 500 B.C.)

Many of us view addiction as the enemy, and our struggles against addiction amount to nothing less than all-out war. In a way, this isn’t a bad way to look at addiction, since it can occur to anyone at any time without discrimination and can be so devastating to the individual as well as to others in close contact with the person such as family and friends. Addiction, like war, can lay waste to a person’s health, family and other relationships, finances, social stature, mental health and more.

If addiction is something to fight against, how can we win the war against it? Taking a cue from the philosophy of Sun Tzu is wholly appropriate here. A masterful strategist in the military arena, Sun Tzu knew that soldiers who marched off into battle completely unprepared but hoping to win were doomed to defeat. He also taught that the belief that one can win is critical to actually winning – before going into battle.

We can use the same principle when we view our efforts to overcome addiction. While it’s true that we need to understand the disease process of addiction and learn how to recognize triggers and cravings and build up a toolkit of strategies to employ to keep ourselves from falling back into our addictive behaviors, we will be more likely to succeed if we tell ourselves – and believe it – that we can, indeed, win the war against addiction.

No, we won’t ever be cured. There is no cure for addiction. But this doesn’t mean that we will lose the war against addiction. On the contrary, as long as we continue to do the work that’s required for effective recovery, we have already won. But we must keep on doing the work in order for our victorious efforts to continue.

How does believing that we’ll win the fight against our addiction help in our daily struggles to overcome the disease? It’s a simple matter, really. Envisioning success in our goal of abstinence is the key to actually being able to achieve sobriety milestones – and long-lasting, effective recovery. It isn’t wishing makes it so but working to make it so. That’s the bottom line.

Why, then, do so many of us have such a hard time believing what others tell us that we can overcome our addiction, that we have it within our power to do so? It all stems from a core of diminished self-beliefs that we’ve likely carried with us for some time, or have begun to believe over the course of our addictive past. It doesn’t however, mean that, lacking the belief that we can win the war against our addiction that we can’t learn how to believe in our strengths and ability to do so. We can. We learn this by talking things over with our counselor, with our sponsor, with our fellow 12-step group members, and by enlisting the support of our loved ones and friends.

We do need to give ourselves time to start believing in ourselves again. But every day that we work our recovery with all that we have, is another day that we move just that much closer to realizing that we are winners – we can win the war against our addiction.

Opioids, and painkillers in particular, are widely abused in the United States. Some drugs, like heroin, are illicit substances that have been outlawed and can only be obtained on the black market via drug dealers. Others, like OxyContin, are available via doctor’s prescription and, up until very recently, used to be available at the corner pharmacy (OxyContin robberies have reduced the number of US pharmacies willing to stock the drug).

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People who use methamphetamines may have a 76 percent higher likelihood of developing Parkinson’s disease, according to a recent study.

Researchers at Toronto’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health say the connection may lie in the way methamphetamines, or meth, harm the neurons related to dopamine. Parkinson’s disease is a disorder of the central nervous system that kills the cells located in the midbrain region that contains dopamine, although researchers do not know exactly what causes these cells to cease.

Over time, methamphetamine has been shown in brain imaging studies to change the way the dopamine system functions and to cause problems with motor skills and the ability to retain verbal information. Serious structural damage has also been noted in the brain areas linked with the ability to remember information and to manage emotions.

Methamphetamines, part of the stimulant class of drugs, belong to one of the most commonly used illegal categories of drugs across the globe. Because of its high potential for abuse, methamphetamine is a Schedule II drug and is available to patients only by a prescription and in limited quantities.

Researchers also stated in an article on CBC News that the higher risk of Parkinson’s disease is not applicable to patients taking amphetamines for conditions like ADHD or medicinal purposes, because they use much smaller, medically approved dosages. The research study results are included in the Drug and Alcohol Dependence journal.

During the study, researchers looked at the medical reports for 40,000 California patients who had been hospitalized for methamphetamine use over a 15-year period. They also examined thousands more records for patients admitted for cocaine and appendicitis. They compared this data to records of Parkinson’s disease found on death records or hospital records, determining a link between methamphetamine use and the presence of Parkinson’s disease.

Did you know that some of our most respected figures in history were addicts of some kind? Not only were Sigmund Freud and Winston Churchill addicts in their day, but perhaps the most recent known successful addict in today’s times is the founder of the multi-billion dollar company, Broadcom, Mr. Henry T. Nicholas III.

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Given the option to receive one dollar today or 10 dollars next week, most of us would choose to wait for the larger sum. People addicted to stimulants, however, tend toward instant gratification and would likely take the dollar today rather than wait for 10. This inability to appreciate value in the future is called delay discounting, and it presents challenges to those treating addicts.

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Today, bath salts are no longer being used as a way to relax and moisturize your skin, instead they are being abused and used as a drug. This new addiction, derived as a stimulant, is raising a lot of concern within medical circles.

This new trend in drug addictions is somewhat different than others, in the sense that bath salt is being used as a recreational drug. Bath salts can come as either a powder or crystal, and they are used for snorting, injecting or smoking. In the months from January to June, poison control centers located across the country have received approximately 3,470 calls related to the bath salt drug.

Rather than a calm high, bath salts are leaving their addicts violent, outraged and psychotic. They are becoming so demented that sedatives are failing to work, and a team of doctors is being required to hold down and treat the addicts.

Since bath salts have become such a dangerous drug, many states are beginning the banning process, in hope to get rid of the drug all together. So far, 28 states have banned bath salts, most including states in the south and Midwest. Northern states such as Maine, New Jersey and New York are also jumping on the bandwagon.

A special task force in New York took matters into their own hands last month. The drug agency sent undercover agents to bath stores to buy the bath salts from distributors in the Manhattan and Brooklyn areas. What they found was that the clerks were even advertising how to ingest the drug and even made comments about how it would not show up on a drug test.

What exactly is it that makes bath salts dangerously addictive? Bath salts are compromised of multiple chemicals that are manufactured, such as mephedrone and methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV). Both of these are related to the drug khat, which is an illegal stimulant, found in East African countries and Arab. These drugs also distinguish characteristics that are found in synthetic marijuana, which is also a dangerous drug looking to be banned.

While steps are being taken to prevent the abuse of bath salts, the issue isn’t going to fade anytime soon. Bath salts are still easily for sale and can be bought at any age. The average price is $20-$50 depending on the amount in the container. This means even a 12 year-old has the ability to buy this drug and get a high off of it. This is a bigger problem than many people are willing to believe and fortunately, the matter is not being ignored.

There has long been debate as to whether alcoholism is chiefly a mental or physical ailment, today the conversation is broadening to include all sorts of addictions.

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We all know that the first step in recovering from drug abuse or alcoholism is admitting that you have a problem; the rest is supposed to follow from there. However, the logistical problems surrounding how you will actually participate in treatment can seem insurmountable. Parents with small children, for instance, are faced with finding appropriate long-term child care, which can be incredibly expensive.

For others, the main issue will be how to survive financially while out of work. Faced with the need to attend drug addiction treatment, either as a resident or on an outpatient basis, most people will be unable to continue working in the interim. How to maintain a job during alcohol or drug rehab is a major factor for many Americans. In almost all cases, however, deciding that keeping a job is more important than treatment will eventually backfire – untreated addicts inevitably bring their problems to work and end up either getting fired anyway or at the very least compromise the trajectory of their career.

Difficulties in Taking Time off Work for Substance Abuse Rehab

For those fortunate enough to have ample sick time or vacation hours saved up or be covered by a short-term disability policy, time away from work may not be a financial disaster. Others, however, may have to rely on the generosity of family or friends to fill in the gaps left by missing paychecks.

However, not all employers will look favorably upon an alcoholic or a drug-addicted employee. Thus, many employees who decide to go to drug or alcohol rehab will be faced with the question of whether or not their jobs will be waiting for them when they get out.

Legalities of Firing an Employee Who is in Rehab

Can an employer really fire you while you are away getting treatment?

The answer depends on who the employer is, along with the particular situation faced by the employee. In all cases, active drug use can often be a valid reason for firing an employee. For example, if an employee misses work for several days as a result of addiction, the job would not be protected. Nor would it be protected if he showed up high or drunk. However, what if you are not actively using?

Many employers will either have favorable policies with regard to employee retention after substance abuse treatment, or will be under union contract to treat the employee in a certain way. For those without clear guidelines, the Family and Medical Leave Act can often fill in the gaps.

According to the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), an employee can get up to 12 weeks of leave (either paid or unpaid) every 12 months in order to handle a serious health condition that prohibits him from working. This includes entering rehab, as long as there are no independent reasons for firing the individual (such as poor performance due to active addiction or alcoholism).

The Chances of Keeping Your Job While in Rehab

Once an employee is granted a leave of absence, the employer must protect the position until the authorized period of leave expires. More importantly, however, the employer must maintain the employee’s health insurance coverage (albeit at the employee’s expense). The problem with the FMLA is that it applies only to companies that employ fifty people or more. The rules surrounding the implementation of a FMLA-based leave are also complicated and can cause a person to lose coverage if details get missed. If you are considering entering drug rehab during a leave of absence from work, consult with an employment lawyer in your state in order to maximize your chances of keeping your job.