Avoiding Risky Behavior
Fragrance and Aging
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admin 1 November, 2008
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If you want to do everything you can to age gracefully, you should avoid anything that has the perfumes or lotions of coconut oil and orange. The reason is that these fragrances contain a substance called psoralen, which is known to speed up the aging process.
Categories : Avoiding Risky Behavior, Children's Health, Health, Men's Health, Tips and Advices, Women's Health
Addictive Gambling
Posted by
admin 11 August, 2008
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Compulsive gambling is an addiction, like alcohol dependence or other drug addiction. Because no physical substance is ingested, gambling has been called the purest form of addiction. Although it is strictly psychological, the uncontrollable impulse to gamble can become overwhelming and eventually cause major disruption in a person’s life—including loss of job, financial ruin, a broken home, criminal activity, and loss of self-respect and the respect of others. Many people have the potential to become addicted to gambling.
The term “problem gambling” includes but is not limited to the condition known as compulsive gambling. Gambling, like other addictions, is a progressive illness that cannot be cured, only kept under control. The growth and popularity of state lotteries, as well as gambling casinos on America’s rivers and lakes (and land-based casinos in some states), has made gambling easily available. Horse racing, dog racing, and private illegal gambling operations attract many additional gamblers.
You may be addicted to gambling if five (or more) of the following factors apply to you:
• being preoccupied with gambling (such as reliving past gambling experiences, planning the next gambling venture, thinking of ways to get money for gambling, or fantasizing about how to spend the money once you win)
• wanting to gamble with increasing amounts of money to achieve the desired level of excitement
• trying repeatedly, but unsuccessfully, to control, cut back on, or stop gambling
• being restless or irritable when attempting to cut down on or stop gambling
• using gambling as a way of escaping problems or of relieving feelings of helplessness, guilt, anxiety, or depression
• returning another day to get even after losing money gambling
• lying to family members, a therapist, or others to conceal the extent of your involvement with gambling
• committing illegal acts such as forgery, fraud, theft, or embezzlement to finance your gambling
• losing a significant relationship, job, or educational or career opportunity because of gambling
• relying on others to provide money to relieve a desperate financial situation caused by gambling
Many addicted gamblers have the following personality traits:
• An inability or an unwillingness to accept reality. This attitude can lead them to escape into the world of gambling.
• Emotional insecurity. A compulsive gambler finds that he or she is most emotionally comfortable when gambling.
• Immaturity. Many gamblers seem to have a hard time accepting responsibility. They want to have all the good things in life without any great effort on their part.
If you think you may have a problem with gambling, talk to your doctor. He or she may be able to refer you to a mental health professional who can help you overcome your addiction. For more information, contact the National Council on Problem Gambling, Inc. (800-522-4700) or Gamblers Anonymous (213-386-8789) or consult your local telephone directory.
Categories : Avoiding Risky Behavior
Road Rage
Posted by
admin 11 August, 2008
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Another type of risky behavior that has emerged in recent years is known as “road rage.” It is estimated that as many as 1,500 people are killed or injured on American highways each year as a result of aggressive driving. No single profile fits all aggressive drivers, but they are three times more likely to be male than female, generally between ages 18 and 26, and usually have no record of crime, violence, or illegal drug use.
Although the risks of becoming a victim of road rage are small, if you encounter a threatening driver, the most important thing you can do is defuse the situation by not reacting. Staying safe on the road is a two-part process. Avoid behaviors that could be interpreted as confrontational, such as:
• sudden acceleration
• blocking the passing lane
• tailgating
• braking or swerving, which could cause you to lose control of your car
• cutting off another driver or failing to signal when changing lanes
• making obscene gestures
• failing to dim high beams for oncoming traffic
• taking up multiple parking spaces or damaging another vehicle while parking
All drivers need to control their stress to avoid situations in which they become angry with discourteous or aggressive drivers. A few simple changes in the way you approach driving can significantly reduce stress, including:
• altering your schedule to avoid congestion
• improving the comfort of your vehicle
• concentrating on being relaxed (but not to the point of being distracted)
• not driving when you are angry, upset, or overtired
As a driver, you cannot control traffic, only your reaction to it. Give the other driver the benefit of the doubt. Assume that other drivers’ mistakes are not intentional or aimed at you personally.
Categories : Avoiding Risky Behavior
Safety with Seat Belts
Posted by
admin 11 August, 2008
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Every motor vehicle crash has two collisions. The first is a collision of the car with another object. But the second is more important in terms of life and death. That’s when the driver or passenger collides with the vehicle’s interior or is thrown out of the vehicle to collide with the ground, another car, or an object such as a wall.
Ejection from a vehicle occurs 10 times more often to occupants who are not wearing seat belts. The best protection for people in a collision is to use lap belts and shoulder restraints. In a head-on collision, these safety restraints can dramatically reduce the chance of injury to the head or the face and cut in half the risk of serious or fatal injury. Every person in the car must wear a seat belt. It’s the law, and it can save your life.
If you transport small children (age 6 and under), be sure your car is equipped with a child safety seat for each child. Be sure the child safety seat is installed and secured to the vehicle’s backseat the way the manufacturer recommends. Children always must ride in the backseat. Children who are too large for a child safety seat must wear a seat belt. Children who are not protected by safety restraints face increased risk of serious injury. (Traffic injuries are a leading cause of death for children.) During a crash, an unrestrained child becomes an uncontrolled missile that can crash through a windshield or careen into any object or person in the vehicle.
Do not consider air bags a substitute for safety belts. Air bags are designed to inflate only during head-on collisions and are useful only as supplements for seat belts. Also, air bags offer no protection during multiple crashes, rollovers, or side collisions. Air bags have been the cause of a number of serious injuries to children and several deaths. They are one of many reasons that children always should ride in back.
Categories : Avoiding Risky Behavior
Unsafe Sex
Posted by
admin 11 August, 2008
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Unsafe sexual practices are the primary means for spreading sexually transmitted diseases. Practicing safer sex not only protects your health but also the health of your partner (or future partners), as well as the health of any children you may have in the future (some STDs can be passed from a woman to a fetus and cause birth defects).
Condom use by American teenagers appears to be decreasing. For many adolescent males, as their sexual activity increases with age, their condom use decreases. This decrease in condom use may reflect one or both of the partners’ primary concern with avoiding pregnancy rather than preventing the spread of STDs. As these males age, they tend to switch from reliance on condoms to use of female contraceptive methods, especially oral contraceptives (the pill). And because their level of sexual activity increases at the same time, they run a much greater risk of contracting HIV and other STDs. The young man may have one steady girlfriend who takes the pill, but he also may have sex with other partners. Unmarried males of all ages are much more likely than females to have multiple sexual partners and therefore are more likely to be exposed to STDs.
Safer sex requires taking precautions. The only guarantee against STDs is to refrain from sexual contact. If you are planning to have sexual intercourse, discuss safer sex practices with your partner—well in advance, if possible. Although you may feel uncomfortable talking about such issues with a potential sexual partner, don’t let embarrassment stand in the way of your health and safety.
Categories : Avoiding Risky Behavior
LSD
Posted by
admin 11 August, 2008
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Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is a powerful hallucinogen that induces a wide range of psychological effects, which can be enjoyable, terrifying, or both. “Bad trips” can cause paranoia and panic, but even ordinary episodes of LSD use can involve:
• depressed appetite
• loss of sexual desire
• distorted perceptions
• difficulty communicating
• feelings of paralysis
• hyperactivity
• dilated pupils
• increased heart rate and blood pressure
• sleeplessness
• tremors
In whatever form it is taken (blotter paper, sugar cubes, gelatin squares, or small tablets) the effects of LSD are unpredictable, in part because it is impossible to know the exact dose you are getting and in part because the effects are influenced by the user’s personality and mood. A single dose of LSD can last for 12 to 18 hours, and many users experience flashbacks—recurring memories of some aspects of their experiences using the drug—for up to a year.
LSD is not considered to be addictive but, like addictive drugs, LSD can produce tolerance, which causes people who use the drug regularly to take increasingly higher doses to get the same effects. In susceptible people, LSD use may contribute to the development of mental disorders such as schizophrenia and severe depression.
Categories : Avoiding Risky Behavior
Marijuana
Posted by
admin 11 August, 2008
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The most widely used illegal drug is marijuana, made from the leaves of the hemp plant. The drug is typically smoked in joints (cigarettes). People use marijuana to feel good and to relax. The drug can cause a distorted sense of time and a reduced ability to think and communicate clearly. Other side effects can include problems with depth perception and short-term memory, impaired motor abilities, bloodshot eyes, dry mouth, and—with chronic use— paranoia, panic, and hallucinations.
Like cigarette smoke, marijuana smoke impairs the lung’s defenses against infection and can lead to bronchitis and emphysema. Smoking marijuana may pose even more of a cancer danger than cigarettes because marijuana smoke contains more of a potent cancer-causing substance than tobacco smoke and because people who smoke marijuana inhale the smoke more deeply into their lungs.
Heavy, long-term use of marijuana can cause a psychological addiction that can lead to loss of energy, ambition, and drive. People who are psychologically addicted to marijuana tend to have difficulty dealing with normal, everyday stress.
Categories : Avoiding Risky Behavior
Heroin
Posted by
admin 11 August, 2008
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Heroin is an opiate, which means it comes from the opium poppy. Like other opiates, it can be eaten, inhaled, smoked, or injected. Because the body quickly builds up a tolerance to heroin, users can become addicted rapidly. The euphoric and tranquilizing effects of heroin come at a high price: regular use can lead to kidney dysfunction, pneumonia, lung abscesses, and brain disorders, depending on how the drug is taken. Those who inject the drug also risk skin abscesses, phlebitis (inflammation of a vein, often accompanied by formation of a blood clot), scarring, hepatitis, and HIV infection.
The drug methadone, itself addictive but much less so than heroin, is often used to treat heroin addiction; the person may need to take it for the rest of his or her life. Methadone treatment is usually given on an outpatient basis under a physician’s supervision.
Categories : Avoiding Risky Behavior
Club Drugs
Posted by
admin 11 August, 2008
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So-called club drugs such as ecstasy, rohypnol, GHB, and ketamine are synthetic drugs made in illegal production facilities. These drugs are being used increasingly by teens and young adults as part of a nightlife scene at nightclubs, bars, and “raves.” Many young people experiment with a variety of these drugs together. Combining any of these drugs with alcohol can lead to severe reactions and death.
Ecstasy comes in pill form and also can be inhaled or injected. The effects of ecstasy are similar to those of amphetamines and cocaine. Psychological effects include confusion, depression, sleep problems, severe anxiety, and paranoia. Physical effects include muscle tension, involuntary teeth clenching, nausea, blurred vision, faintness, and chills or sweating. Use of the drug is associated with increases in heart rate and blood pressure. Ecstacy also has been linked to long-term damage to those parts of the brain that are critical to thought, memory, and pleasure.
Rohypnol, GHB, and ketamine depress the central nervous system, inducing a state of dazed relaxation. They have been implicated in cases of date rape; because they are often colorless, tasteless, and odorless, they can be slipped easily into an unsuspecting victim’s drink. Rohypnol can be fatal when mixed with alcohol or other depressants. Abuse of GHB can produce withdrawal effects such as insomnia, anxiety, tremors, and sweating, and can cause coma and seizures, especially when combined with ecstacy. Sometimes ketamine is used as an alternative to cocaine and usually is snorted.
Categories : Avoiding Risky Behavior
Cocaine
Posted by
admin 11 August, 2008
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Whether sniffed as a powder, injected as a liquid, or smoked (freebasing), cocaine acts as both a stimulant and a local anesthetic, producing a rush of euphoria and energy. Its effects wear off quickly, often leading users to take another dose in a short time. Cocaine is derived from the leaves of the South American coca bush. Crack cocaine, the purest form of the substance, is especially lethal because its effects are more intense and can lead to cardiac arrest.
The euphoria caused by cocaine use is intense but short-lived and usually followed by depression as the drug wears off. The drug causes the coronary arteries to constrict, boosting blood pressure and, with it, the risk of heart attack, stroke, and seizures. Regular use of cocaine often causes nervousness, insomnia, inability to concentrate, fatigue, depression, or anxiety; some people become aggressive, violent, or paranoid. Side effects include nausea and vomiting, bleeding of mucous membranes, and cold sweats. Cocaine also can cause hallucinations, abnormal heart rhythm, coma, and death.
A very ill person who is dependent on cocaine may need to be hospitalized. All people who are addicted to cocaine should seek counseling and rehabilitation to overcome their addiction.
Categories : Avoiding Risky Behavior
