How to Protect Yourself, Your Family and Friends from Hepatitis C Regardless if you're recovering addict like me, or if you're still using, you've got a good chance of having, getting and spreading Hepatitis C to your loved ones.
Statistics show that drug users are more likely to have Hepatitis C than people who don't use drugs. Since Hepatitis C is a virus that's spread through blood contact, such as IV drug use, sex and/or blood transfusions just like HIV, even drug users who don't use drugs intravenously are more likely to have Hepatitis C, considering they are more likely to be involved in risky and/or unprotected sexual behavior.
No matter if you have it or if you don't know if you have it, until you are 100% certain that you do NOT have it, you should be extra careful that you don't spread it to your family, friends, coworkers or people in general. Even if you're in treatment for Hepatitis with Interferon, you can still pass on Hepatitis C to others.
About 75% of people have no symptoms when they first acquire HCV infection. The remaining 25% may complain of fatigue, loss of appetite, muscle aches or fever. Yellowing of the skin or eyes (jaundice) is rare at this early stage of infection.
Over time, the liver in people with chronic infection may begin to experience the effects of the persistent inflammation caused by the immune reaction to the virus. Blood tests may show elevated levels of liver enzymes, a sign of liver damage, which is often the first suggestion that the infection may be present. Patients may become easily fatigued or complain of nonspecific symptoms.
Symptoms may increase with time, regardless if liver damage has or hasn't occurred and can include:
weakness
loss of appetite
weight loss
breast enlargement in men,
a rash on the palms, body, lips and/or genitals
difficulty with the clotting of blood and
spider-like blood vessels on the skin
If left untreated, hepatitis C can cause life-threatening complications, including liver cancer.
In patients with advanced cirrhosis, the liver begins to fail. This is a life-threatening problem. Confusion and even coma may result from the inability of the liver to process certain toxic substances.
Increased pressure in the blood vessels of the liver may cause fluid to build up in the abdominal cavity and result in engorged veins in the swallowing tube that tear easily and can bleed suddenly and massively. Portal hypertension also can cause kidney failure or an enlarged spleen resulting in a decrease of blood cells and the development of anemia, increased risk of infection and bleeding.
In advanced cirrhosis, liver failure causes decreased production of clotting factors. Patients with advanced cirrhosis often develop jaundice because the damaged liver is unable to eliminate a yellow compound, called bilirubin that is formed from the hemoglobin of old red blood cells.
What Is Hepatitis?
Hepatitis is a general term that means inflammation of the liver. It can be acute or chronic and has a number of different causes. It can be caused by a group of viruses known as the hepatitis viruses, including A, B, C, D and E. Other viruses may also be the culprit, such as those that cause mononucleosis (the Epstein-Barr virus) or chickenpox (the varicella virus).
Hepatitis also applies to inflammation of the liver caused by drugs and alcohol abuse or toxins in the environment. In addition, people also can develop hepatitis from other factors, such as fat accumulation in the liver (called fatty liver disease), trauma or an autoimmune process in which a person's body makes antibodies that attack the liver.
Viral hepatitis is common. Thousands of cases are reported to the CDC each year, but researchers estimate that the true number of people in the United States who have the disease (acute and chronic) is much higher than the number reported.
Many hepatitis cases go undiagnosed because they are mistaken for the flu. Hepatitis can be serious because it interferes with the liver's many functions. Among other things, the liver produces bile to aid digestion, regulates the chemical composition of the blood, and screens potentially harmful substances from the bloodstream.
The five hepatitis viruses can be transmitted in different ways, but they all have one thing in common: They infect the liver and cause it to become inflamed. Generally, the acute phase of the disease lasts from two to three weeks; complete recovery takes about nine weeks. Many patients recover with a lifelong immunity to the disease, but a few hepatitis victims (less than 1%) die in the acute phase.
Hepatitis B and C may progress to chronic hepatitis, in which the liver remains inflamed for more than six months. This condition can lead to cirrhosis and possibly death.
Hepatitis C may also lead people to suffer from sexual dysfunction and moderate to severe Psoriasis on the hands, body and genitals.
How Hepatitis C is NOT Spread
Hepatitis C is spread only through exposure to an infected person's blood. It cannot be spread through:
Coughing
Sneezing
Hugging
Kissing
Breastfeeding (unless nipples are cracked or bleeding)
Sharing utensils or glasses
Casual contact
Shared food and water
As you can see, everyday contact is not risky. "The transmission rate between people in a household is probably just a little above zero," says Howard J. Worman, MD, associate professor of medicine at Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York.
Hepatitis C is usually spread through contact with blood or contaminated needles -- including tattoo needles. Although hepatitis C may cause only mild symptoms or none at all, approximately 20% of those infected develop cirrhosis within 20 years. The disease can be passed on through blood transfusions, but screening, which started in the early '90s, has greatly reduced the number of such cases. In a third of all hepatitis C cases, the source of the disease is unknown.
How Hepatitis C is Spread
Hepatitis C is spread through blood, so follow these common sense precautions:
If you're using injected street drugs, get into a treatment program. At the very least, don't share needles or equipment with anyone else.
Don't donate blood, organs, tissue, or semen.
Don't share razors, toothbrushes, nail clippers, or anything else that could have your blood on it. Cover any open wounds or sores with bandages.
Carefully dispose of tampons, sanitary napkins, tissues, used bandages, and anything else that might have your blood on it.
Be wary of tattoos, since tattoo needles not properly disinfected can hide trace amounts of infected blood.
What About Sex With Hepatitis C?
Hepatitis C can spread through sexual intercourse, but it's rare. And it's extremely rare among monogamous couples. In fact, the CDC considers the risk of sexual transmission between monogamous couples so low that it doesn't even recommend using condoms. There's no evidence that hepatitis C is spread by oral sex.
However, if you have multiple partners you should take precautions. Using condoms will not only protect your partners from hepatitis C, but they will also protect you from other dangerous diseases, such as HIV and hepatitis B.
Can I Pass Hepatitis C to My Baby?
It is possible for a pregnant mother to spread the virus to her baby, but the risk is low. The CDC believes the transmission rate from mother to child is about 5%. The virus is spread at birth, and there's no way to reduce the risk.
There is no evidence that normal breastfeeding poses a risk. However, if a mother's nipples are cracked or bleeding, her child could conceivably become infected from her blood.
Encouraging Others to Get Tested for Hepatitis C
While the odds of passing on the hepatitis C virus are low, you should still tell anyone at risk that you have Hepatitis C. You should tell sexual partners, spouses, and family members. Your infection may be difficult to discuss, but anyone at potential risk must know. That way, they can get tested and treated if needed.
Quaid became addicted to cocaine as early as the 1970s and 80s
The 57-year-old actor first started experimenting with the drug when he moved to Hollywood to try and make it as an actor in the early 1970s and, after becoming dependent on it, continued to use cocaine until the late ‘80s.
Now, decades later, he realises his behaviour was stupid and attributes his substance abuse with the massive changes that were happening in his life.
In an essay he wrote for Newsweek magazine, he revealed: “My greatest mistake was being addicted to cocaine. I started after I left college and came to Los Angeles in 1974. It was very casual at first. That's what people were doing when they were at parties … Coming from where I came from - from Houston into Hollywood - and all of a sudden this success starts happening to you, I just didn't know how to handle that. Doing blow just contributed to me not being able to handle the fame.”
Dennis claims by the time he filmed 1987 movie ‘The Big Easy’ he was so hooked on cocaine he was getting “an hour of sleep a night” and admits it started to “affect” his acting.
The ‘Soul Surfer’ star – who was married to actress Meg Ryan while he was battling with his addiction - realised he had to get clean after his band The Eclectics split up following a concert at the China Club in Los Angeles.
He stated: “I had one of those white-light experiences that night where I kind of realised I was going to be dead in five years if I didn't change my ways."
Dennis – who fell off the wagon after his 1990 film ‘Wilder Napalm’ flopped at the box office – now believes his addiction has made him a better person.
The actor – who raises three-year-old twins, Thomas and Zoe, with his wife Kimberly – insisted: “That time in my life actually chiselled me into a person. It gave me the resolve and a resilience to persevere in life. If I hadn’t gone through that period, I don’t know if I'd still be acting. In the end, it taught me humility. I really learned to appreciate what I have in this life." Many people like Dennis, seek treatment from drug rehabilitation programs to help overcome their addiction.
There are plenty of Reasons why Parents should support the Legalization of Marijuana in America.
It is important to me as a father, grandfather and a concerned citizen, but particularly as a recovering drug addict, that my children grow up in a country that rejects both the ineffective and damaging policy of marijuana prohibition and a deadly War on Drugs that cannot be won.
Legalization of Marijuana is Better and Safer for Our Children
I would like to believe my kids won’t ever head down the same road of destruction I was on, but whatever happens, I know that prohibition does not stop kids from using marijuana.
As someone who's been there, done that and regrets doing that, I am still of the persuasion that my marijuana use had nothing to do with my trying and becoming addicted to amphetamines, cocaine or heroin. As with most drug users and addicts, I too had a curious nature that got me to try pot, then all the other drugs as well. I would have tried each and every other drug even without having been exposed to marijuana.
There are those however, that stop with marijuana, not feeling the urge or need to continue experimenting. It is these people who risk being exposed to other drugs because the person selling them the pot also sells cocaine and heroin. These harmless pot smokers would never even come in contact with harder drugs if marijuana were legal.
Kids are Exposed to Marijuana before Algebra
My kids and grand kids will be exposed to marijuana along with other risky behaviors. After all, about a third of high school seniors have used marijuana within the last year, a figure that has been relatively stable over decades across the country and has not been affected by variations in laws and enforcement. Moreover, it has long been easier for kids to get marijuana than it is for them to get alcohol. The plain fact is drug dealers don’t require ID, and legitimate businesses do. By taking marijuana out of the black market and placing it within the confines of safe, regulated, and licensed businesses that only sell to those 21 and over, Proposition 19 would actually reduce underage access to marijuana.
Kids Who get Caught Trying Marijuana will have a Record
While we don’t want our kids to try marijuana, much less use it regularly, but as it stands now, if they do it can lead to very harsh consequences if they are caught, even for actions that are not harmful to others. And this next part is really scary: when a person is convicted of a marijuana offense, he or she is precluded from receiving federal student loans, will forever have a drug record that diminishes job prospects, and is precluded from many other benefits, not to mention being arrested, possibly serving time, and other harsh and harrowing outcomes. We don’t prevent even violent criminals from getting student loans. Or underage drinkers, for that matter. I don’t want people to have their lives derailed for a youthful indiscretion. Do you?
In the Name of Public Safety we should Control and Tax Marijuana
To truly serve public safety, we should control and tax marijuana, since under present policies, thousands of violent crimes go unsolved, while police spend valuable and scarce resources targeting thousands of non-violent adult marijuana users. Arrests for simple possession of marijuana have tripled over the last two decades. The $300 million California spends each year on marijuana enforcement would better serve our communities spent on solving and preventing violent crimes. Any new tax revenues would better serve our children if spent on drug education, drug rehabilitation, and of course shoring up our crumbling public education system.
Children and Teens are Going to Decide for Themselves
We know our children are going to make decisions for themselves, probably at an age we think is too young. Laws are not going to be nearly as effective in guiding those choices as the messages we send to them as parents and in our public education efforts. We need to help kids navigate into adulthood with the judgment to moderate their intake of so many substances capable of abuse, from sugar to caffeine, to alcohol, to prescription drugs, and of course, marijuana. Not to mention making good decisions about sex, Internet usage, driving, studying, and extracurricular activities. As a father, grandfather, uncle and just plain caring person, thinking through the list I am not most terrified by the choices they might make regarding marijuana. How about you? So let’s treat marijuana like alcohol, explain to our kids why they should avoid both, at least while they are young, and teach them how to be responsible about various choices in life.
This month, my 19 year old bought himself a sports car. He goes fast, and has a lot of confidence. I breathe a sigh of relief when he checks as she pulls out of the driveway. And I hope that he will learn to internalize that check against his daredevil tendencies. I will do my part, and I don’t want the state hovering over my shoulder, reflexively criminalizing behaviors that happen to make mothers gasp. As parents, we know that education is often more effective than punishment, and in some cases punishment is not effective at all.
Parents alone have The Power to Legalize Marijuana
Women were instrumental in bringing about repeal of prohibition in 1933, and you can be again when it comes to determining when marijuana prohibition is reversed. In my view, Proposition 19 is the right choice, not just for true law and order, but for our kids.
Amongst other things, regulations could include “age restrictions, restricting driving or operating machinery while intoxicated, limiting hours of sale and outlet density, restricting bulk sales and limiting potency of legal cannabis.”
Boiled down, this is the same message that MPP and others have advocated for years: marijuana regulation is a far superior policy alternative to the chaotic and ineffective nature of prohibition.
Gallup Poll: 46% of Americans Support Legal Marijuana
A new Gallup poll released recently shows that a record number of Americans believe marijuana should be made legal, while support for keeping it illegal continues to decline steadily.
These numbers are evidence that Americans are rejecting that otherwise law-abiding adults should be criminalized for using a substance less harmful than alcohol.
According to Gallup’s most recent polling average, 44 percent of Americans currently approve of President Obama’s job performance. More Americans now support legalizing marijuana than approve of President Obama’s job performance!
Gallup found that support for making marijuana legal was highest among liberals (72%), 18- to 29-year-olds (61%) and people living in the West (58%). Majority support also exists among Democrats, independents, men, and moderates.
No matter what happens on Election Day next week, these numbers show that nationally, support for ending prohibition continues to trend in the right direction. “If the trend of the past decade continues at a similar pace, majority support could be a reality within the next few years,” according to Gallup
Marijuana Statistics
The annual overall budget for the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy increased by more than 600%; growing from approximately $1.5 billion in 1981 to more than $18 billion in 2002 (the last year reliable figures were available).
Between 1990 and 2006, marijuana-related arrests increased by 150%, while marijuana seizures increased by more than 400%.
The estimated retail cost of marijuana decreased from $37 per gram in 1990 to $15 per gram in 2007.
Marijuana has remained almost “universally available” to American youth during the last 30 years of prohibition.
Today, over 100 million Americans admit to having tried marijuana, and 14.5 million say they have used it in the past month.1 A study released in December 2006 found that marijuana is now the leading cash crop in the U.S., exceeding the value of corn and wheat combined.2 According to government-funded researchers, high school seniors consistently report that marijuana
is easily available, despite decades of a nationwide drug war. With little variation, every year about 85% consider marijuana "fairly easy" or "very easy" to obtain.3 There have been almost 9.5 million marijuana arrests in the United States since 1995, including 872,720
arrests in 2007 – more than for all violent crimes combined, and an all-time record. One person is arrested for marijuana every 36 seconds. About 89% of all marijuana arrests are for possession – not manufacture or distribution.4 Every comprehensive, objective government commission that has examined the marijuana phenomenon
throughout the past 100 years has recommended that adults should not be criminalized for using marijuana.5Cultivation of even one marijuana plant is a federal felony.• Lengthy mandatory minimum sentences apply to myriad offenses. For example, a person must serve a
five-year mandatory minimum sentence if federally convicted of cultivating 100 marijuana plants — including seedlings or bug-infested, sickly plants. This is longer than the average sentences for auto theft and manslaughter!6 A one-year minimum prison sentence is mandated for "distributing" or "manufacturing" controlled
substances within 1,000 feet of any school, university, or playground. Most areas in a city fall within these "drug-free zones." An adult who lives three blocks from a university is subject to a one-year mandatory minimum sentence for selling an ounce of marijuana to another adult — or even growing one marijuana plant in his or her basement.7 Federal government figures indicate there are more than 41,000 Americans in state or federal prison
on marijuana charges right now, not including those in county jails.8 That’s more than the number imprisoned on all charges combined in eight individual European Union countries. A recent study of prisons in four Midwestern states found that approximately one in ten male inmates reported that they had been raped while in prison.9 Rates of rape and sexual assault against women prisoners, who are most likely to be abused by male staff members, have been reported to be as high as 27 percent in some institutions.10 Civil forfeiture laws allow police to seize the money and property of suspected marijuana offenders
charges need not even be filed. The claim is against the property, not the defendant. The owner must then prove that the property is "innocent." Enforcement abuses stemming from forfeiture laws abound.11 According to estimates by Harvard University economist Jeffrey Miron, replacing marijuana prohibition
with a system of taxation and regulation would save between $10 billion and $14 billion per year in reduced government spending and increased tax revenues.12 Another researcher recently estimated that the revenue lost from our failure to tax the marijuana industry could be as high as $31 billion!13
As a parent, if you're not sure what to believe about marijuana, how will you handle the subject with your child? Maybe you smoked pot as a teen, or you use marijuana today. Maybe you never tried pot, or you don't even know what it looks like. Maybe you're simply confused over conflicting claims about the drug whether it's addictive, how harmful it is, why some think it should be legalized. The best way for you to help your teen make healthy choices is to be informed. This much-needed book about America's most widely used illegal drug helps parents sort through the latest facts, the known risks, and the divergent perspectives on pot. The basic message? For teens, marijuana use equals risk. Your basic message? That's up to you.
Nobody can guarantee you a clean drug test, but this article will much improve your chances!
If you know that you are going to be drug tested for your job, school, sports, accidents, the military, probation or parole, then the first tip you should keep in mind if you want to pass the test, is to avoid taking drugs until after the test, or stop using them altogether, duhh.
However, because this is easier said than done, and because I believe nobody has the right to dictate what a person puts in his or her body, I have have put together an impartial, unbiased article, so that you can honestly evaluate your chances of passing any kind of drug test they throw at you.
Most of the people reading this article are either having the test in just a couple of days, or they don't have the self-discipline to stay away from drugs. The good news is, there are ways to pass a drug test, even if you're not "clean." So don't be so scared that the test will reveal your recent drug use that you blow it, rather read on to find out how to pass...
Every Problem has a Solution
All drugs are different. They all have a different half-life. In other words, every different drug has a different amount of time it takes to dissipate from your body. No matter if it is a blood test, saliva, urine or hair follicle test, every drug has a different time span in which it can be detected. It also depends on the amount of the drug taken and when it was taken relative to the time of the test. Every different type of test has a different time span in which it can detect dug use.
Every drug has a different time span it takes to come out clean, from when you stopped using to when you are tested.
Keep in mind that there is no 100% hard and fast rule for how long a drug will be in one's system. However, there are "educated guesses" which can narrow down the window. To estimate how long you have to be clean to pass a drug test, use the chart bellow. Just remember, these times are only approximatecalculations, not absolutes and should not be relied upon blindly. Use these figures to make an educatedguess about how long it would take you to come up clean, nothing more.
Drug Detection Timetable
Drug Detection Timetable
To start with, try to find out as much information as you can about the test and the testing facility beforehand.
First of all, do you even know what kind of test its going to be? Do you know for sure if it is going to be a urine test, or is it possible that the particular clinic in question requires a blood test, saliva test, or hair follicle test?
Although, unless it is for employment, it will most likely be a urine test, even hair follicle tests are becoming more and more popular, don't assume or speculate; find out for sure.
How to Pass a Urine Drug Test (Piss Test)
Since urine tests are still overwhelmingly the favorite means of testing by the courts and law enforcement, I will cover this type of test first and foremost.
What should you expect? How should you prepare to pass your piss test? First of all, you will need to go to the testing facility prepared. Find out when your testing date is, and prepare prior to the test.
In this test, the testers will collect a urine sample from you and test it for certain chemicals. Now if you want to know how to pass a drug test like this, then you should keep in mind some tips.
If marijuana is your drug of choice, remember that THC is fat soluble, and it gets stored in your fat cells. Cleaning it out of your lipid tissue is very difficult. Many herbal products claim to clean out your system, yet they do nothing to remove THC byproducts from fat cells. A study was done in Germany in 1993 on 50 of the most common herbs used by people trying to pass the test. All 50 herbs failed to cause a negative. Unfortunately, this rumor will not die. Goldenseal (plant) is useless; yet it's still the most common thing people to use. Fortunately, some promising new detox products have emerged since them, though most have not been studied thoroughly enough for me to recomend them.
Beware the Haters
Beware, most testing facilities have caught on to many of the modern ways of people trying to manipulate drug tests and have implemented ways to catch those trying to cheat. For example, many facilities make you change into a very revealing and space-limited hospital gown so that you cannot bring anything into the bathroom with you. Some don’t have a sink so you cannot dilute your piss. Some (probation and parole) even have someone watching you take a piss!
How to give a Clean Sample
Don't give urine from your first urination of the day. It's the dirtiest, and can be heavily filled with metabolites. Urinate a couple of times before giving a test sample. Also, don't give the beginning or end of the stream. Piss in the toilet, then quickly stop and go in the cup. Stop, and shift back to the toilet for the last portion. Only give a midstream sample. Just be sure to give 60 cc's.
Detox Method
As the urine-test industry has matured, so has the urine-test-solutions industry, which now offers a variety of approaches to beating drug tests.
Unfortunately, there is little if any unbiased data on the effectiveness of detox products on the market today. This is do in part, because most detox products rely on herbal or natural ingredients, which are usually not tested by either the pharmaceutical industry or the FDA, so testing is done solely by the manufacturer. There are most likely some good products out there, but there is just insufficient data for me to judge them, much less recommend them. You will have to make up your own mind if you want to take the chance on them or not.
Water and Dilution
Drinking certain liquids like soy milk, pomegranate, water and cranberry juice can actually lower the chemical levels in your bloodstream. People who have been using this method as a way on how to pass a drug test have found pomegranate to work the best.
Hyper saturating your body with fluids will dilute metabolites possibly below the 50 ng/mL threshold, depending on your metabolism. Be aware that creatinine levels are often tested, and will show that the sample has been diluted. Diluting your sample will also produce clear urine, with virtually no yellow color. They will assume that you've diluted your sample, and they may reject your sample on the basis of color alone. It's only necessary to start drinking just before the test. Those who drown themselves in fluid days before a test are only causing unnecessary discomfort. Those who stay up all night drinking don't have any better chance than one who drinks heavily first thing in the morning. Get up early if the test is early, but don't lose sleep over a test that's given in the daytime.
Drink at least eight hefty glasses of fluid (preferably water) just prior to the test. Many people start drinking water several days before the test; which is useless. Water does *not* clean any THC metabolites out of your system because THC is not water soluble. Water only dilutes urine temporarily.
Color your sample yellow by taking 50 to 100 milligrams of vitamin B. Many vitamins will work, but B-2 or B-12 (found in B-complex vitamins) are the most effective, though some will argue that vitamin C is better. This does not guarantee that dilution will work. Diluted samples have been red-flagged when specific gravity and creatinine levels are tested and below normal. If you're taking vitamins at the last minute, check to see if they're time release. If so, crush it up and consume the powder. Coloring your urine isn't all that important because it's normal for people to have clear urine even when they don't consume much fluid.
Diuretics make people urinate frequently. Coffee, cranberry juice, beer, iced tea, herbal tea, and cola are all good diuretics. Grapes are also known to be very good diuretics. Diuretics with caffeine seem to work better though there is no scientific evidence to support this that I know of. Diuretics with alcohol seem to work well also, however they can have negative side effects, particularly if the drug testing facility is checking for alcohol. Cranberry juice is also the cheapest. Avoid salts. Herbal diuretics do better than home remedies like juices.
Detoxification Products
Many people use detoxification products as a means of how to pass a drug test. If you are going to use detoxification products that take up to a week to take effect, you must make sure you order the products in enough time to fully cleanse your system. If a week is too long for you to abstain, find products that work in one hour, and leave a window of time during which your system will test clean. This is due to special “masking” ingredients that temporarily hide drug metabolites in your system. If that's not an option, then a substitution or spike is needed. A substitution is just what the name implies: clean urine substituted for its tainted counterpart.
There are quite a few detox products available that seem promising, but although most of them come with a money back guarantee and with plenty of happy customer testimonials, they have little if any impartial, unbiased research to back them up, hwever since they are herbal supplements, they are not subject to FDA approval.
When buying or ordering any of these products, I suggest you include a home drug test kit (available at the Addicts Not Anonymous Store for under $10) and test yourself after you detox and again before you go to take the "official" test. If you test yourself after you detox, it will give you enough time to detox again, or try something else before the "official" test.
Fiber
A high fiber diet will help by redirecting fat soluble metabolites to the colon rather than bladder. "THC is eliminated primarily in the stool via bile acids. Both EMIT and RIA detect a secondary metabolite which is reabsorbed from the intestines. Thus a person with a high fiber diet will excrete a majority of THC [metabolites] in the stool" (anon1). A fiber-based laxative will also help by binding bile-acids. Use caution. Fiber laxatives can alter one's bowel schedule and lead to dependency.
Vitamin lecithin
A recent method that's still under development is to take vitamin lecithin. This vitamin breaks down your stored fat and disperses it into your blood stream, to help clean out drugs that store themselves in lipid tissue, such as THC. NORML recommends taking Lecithin right up to the day of the test. To me it sounds as though this would work against you because by putting THC back in your blood stream, you are increasing metabolites in the urine. Someone has suggested that you take vitamin lecithin on a regular basis to clean lipids of THC metabolites. Then quit before the test, which seems to make more sense. It MAY be useless to take lecithin supplements orally. I've been told that the digestive system breaks it down too much before entering the blood stream. Most aren't willing to take vitamins intravenously. (If you do decide to take lecithin, you might as well take B5 with it. B5 aids in the process of turning lecithin into acetylcholine.) Another solution is to take nutrients which help the body manufacture lecithin. Lipotrophics cause the liver to produce lecithin.
Exercise
When talking about marijuana, or THC, athletes have a big advantage over normal civilians. When fat is burned, THC byproducts are released into the blood. This is the only way to get THC metabolites out of lipid tissue. Normal living will burn them slowly, as your fat reserves get turned over. Due to an athletes high metabolic rate, THC moves through an athletes system significantly faster. Exercising between drug tests will clean THC metabolites from the system at a faster rate, thus lowering the detection period. It is important to stop burning fat cells near test time. On test day, it doesn't matter what's in your lipid tissue. What's in your blood and urine does matter. Exercise increases the amount of THC metabolites in the urine; so quit exercising a week before the test. Be lazy, and eat big. This will put the body in an anabolic fat-storing stage. At this point, the "buried" THC metabolites won't escape and go the the urine. There are drugs that will increase metabolism the way exercise does, but these are the same drugs that they are usually testing for. Exercise should only be considered when the subject knows that he or she will not be given a pop quiz in the near future.
What doesn't Work
Vinegar
There is a myth that drinking vinegar will mask drugs; it won't. However, vinegar lowers the pH of urine. Amphetamines are excreted up to 3 times as fast when urine is acidified. So vinegar could reduce the detection time period for amphetamines. The effects on detection time are generally insignificant, and it in my opinion it really wouldn't be worth it to drink vinegar. If you do decide to drink vinegar, I hear it's easiest to get a shot glass and do it in shots. It will cause diarrhea.
Dexatrim
There is a myth that taking phenylpropanolamine (Dexatrim's active ingredient) will work. It won't. In fact, Dexatrim is a false positive, and may work against you. The myth may have originated because Dexatrim was claimed to speed metabolism. However, the fact that Dextrim causes a positive makes it useless.
Goldenseal
Goldenseal is a plant and you can get either the root or the leaves in pill form. It's also a liquid or tea. The liquid is rumored to absorb slower than the capsules. Goldenseal is a diuretic, but works no better than other diuretics. Furthermore, NORML reports that Goldenseal is now being tested for. Taking Goldenseal is a foolish waste.
Substitution Method
Although incredibly risky, the substitution method can work. You simply give the lab clean urine that does not belong to you. This can work very well if you are not supervised, however if you are being tested by order of the court, both probation and parole testing is done under strict, watchful supervision as the urine flows from source to destination. Author of "Stealing This Urine Test," Abbie Hoffman, suggested going as far as leaving a few drops of urine on the seat or on your shoe for "an added measure of authenticity."
The most common way to sneak in urine is in a concealed container, of course.
First, you should not mask your urine sample in any way through using different chemicals. This can be easily detected by the testers and they will give you a failed drug test.
Different Substitution Types
One way to pass a drug test like this is through diluting the sample. You can do this through adding warm water or through drinking lots of water before the test. Of course, do not drink too much or the testers may run your sample at a lower confirmation level.
A spike, on the other hand, is a small vial of chemicals covertly added to your specimen that adulterates the results. Spikes are available from several drug-detox companies.
Another option of how to pass a piss test is to simply get your hands on some else's urine. If you choose this method, make sure the person supplying you with the urine is not someone doing drugs themselves! Always ask your urine donor (hopefully a friend you can trust) what drugs they've taken in the last month. The examiner will likely watch you closely. If the urine ages beyond 18 hours, deterioration becomes noticeable and the lab will likely suspect tampering.
To make sure this doesn't happen, you could buy some synthetic urine. These products are carefully pre-mixed in a laboratory, and contain features that are the same as natural urine, such as specific gravity level and ph balance.
Taking into account all the available, credible studies, the only bran I could recommend with good conscience would be the Bc Entities Synthetic Urine Field Kit (updated 2-15-2012).
Mountain Dew and Creatinine
Creatinine is a substance produced by vertebrates, and it shows up in urine. If someone substitutes their urine with something other than urine, like Mountain Dew, they will test negative for drugs. The testee will most likely not get away with it because Mountain Dew contains zero creatinine, and labs test creatinine levels to ensure that the sample is valid. Creatinine levels drop below normal when people dilute their urine. This tests to ensure that the subject didn't drink unusual amounts of water. An *accurate* creatinine "clearance" test would require a urine and blood test 24 hours before the drug test to determine the normal creatinine level for that individual. This is almost never done.
You should still be cautious because they do often use the inaccurate method of comparing your creatinine level during the drug test to an average. Eating foods rich in protein like red meat will slightly increase creatinine levels. If you eat a lot of red meat for the 3 days prior to the test, your creatinine level will be normal, and the lab won't know that you've diluted your urine sample.
There is no significant variation between vegetarians and armavors, so the effect protein has is little. Sexual activity also raises creatinine levels. I doubt sexual activity influences creatinine level with much significance. However, a vegetarian that doesn't have much sex should be concerned. People who are drug-free sometimes lose their jobs for having too low of a creatinine level.
Temperature of Sample
No matter if you're using someone else's urine, synthetic urine, Mountain Dew or a spike, be sure to keep the sample between 91 and 97 degrees (some fake urine packages include a temperature strip allowing you to use your body warmth to heat the specimen to the correct temperature). Don't get too cocky, because although you could walk into your testing facility high and only you would know, make sure you don't get caught trying to make the switch. So be discreet and conceal the urine on your person. The first time you are alone with the container they give you, dump in your concealed urine. Be sure you can quietly open the container, as the lab personnel may be just outside the door listening. You may be required to change into a gown. If so, a condom or douche bag holding the sample and taped around the thigh can be concealed under the gown.
Both probation and parole testing is done under the watchful supervision. So you could run a plastic line from a flexible container and tape it to your urination equipment (to be gender neutral), and even urinate under supervision. Females have been known to keep a condom with the urine sample in their vagina, and prick it with a sharp fingernail to piss under supervision.
For those of you hard-core enough to go to any lengths to pass a urine test, there are prosthetic penises on the market, made solely for this purpose. The most famous fake dick is the Whizzinator, which takes cheating on a piss test to a whole other level. It may take a steady hand and nerves of steel to whip out a prosthetic pecker as the tester observes from over your shoulder, but thousands have aced their drug tests with the help of this infamous device.
Although these are all successful methods of how to pass a urine test, there are still precautions that you must take in order to guarantee your passing score. First of all, if you are going to use your own urine, you may want to get a home-testing kit so you can take a “practice test” at home to ensure that your urine is drug free (I've got a great deal on home drug, HIV and pregnancy tests in my Addicts Not Anonymous Store, of which all proceeds go into this site).
How to Pass a Hair Follicle Drug Test
Hair testing as a means to pass a drug test has also attracted several law suits as it has been observed that different ethnic groups have different hair structures some of which have tested positive even if the individuals were not drug users. People of African origin, Pacific Islanders and certain Orientals are more likely to test positive for marijuana because of their skin type.
If you want to know how to pass a drug test like this, then you should learn more about hair detoxification. A lot of agencies have been using this test because it can track the levels of intoxication in your bloodstream which therefore translates to your hair. But with a good toxin removal product or laboratory technician, you can change your hair structure.
Conclusion
Contrary to what some people say, other than abstinence, there is no foolproof way to pass a drug test. Regardless if you're detoxing or substituting, something can always go wrong. So I'm sorry if I had you believing you WILL pass a drug test.
Fortunately, if you use the advice from this article, the odds are in your favor. As you have hopefully discovered reading this article, there are many thing you can do to increase your chances. Even increase them enough so that your odds are pretty good. But there are no guarantees. I will repeat myself and suggest again that you get a home testing kit and test yourself at home before you go in for the "official" test. Do it early enough to give yourself some time and some options should you fail.
If you know you're going to fail the drug test, for whatever reason, I suggest you do whatever it takes to postpone it. If it's important enough, like if it's for probation or parole, get sick and go to the hospital if you have to! If it means the difference of going to jail or staying free, I'm sure you can get sick real quick! Even if you have to spend 24 hours in an emergency room (and by god, many community hospital emergency rooms take that long to see patients these days) it will be that many hours towards you being clean. Maybe, afterwards it will take another few days to reschedule the drug test.
Although I am being as neutral, impartial and informative as possible, by providing the most accurate drug testing information I could find, not to mention the fact that I have been drug tested many times myself, if you are in need of any drug detox products or home testing kits, I provided both at the Addicts Not Anonymous Store for your convenience. Please be aware that I am not vouching for any of these products, I am just making them readily available to my readers. Note, any proceeds resulting from sales go back into Addicts Not Anonymous.
Please let my readers and I know what you think about drug testing. Do you believe drug testing is morally wrong? Better yet, do you believe cheating on a drug test is morally wrong? Do you believe it is anybody elses's business what drugs you do or do not use? Have you ever been drug tested, and if so, did you pass? Did you cheat? What did or did not work for you?
Addicts Not Anonymous readers and I want to know your opinion, so please lease leave your answers to the above questions in the form of a comment, bellow.
Well, that's pretty much the A through Z of drug testing. I believe this to be the best, most thorough article on the subject anywhere. Not because I wrote it, but because I researched it, I've been drug tested and I have passed drug tests. Because I know what I put into this article, as well as what I continue to put into this article, and because I will develop it regularly and indefinitely, as long as changes and improvements come along, such as new testing procedures, new ways to pass a drug test and new effective detox products, I will be updating this blog.
Kids will test your patience, your knowledge and your trust when it comes to drugs.
If your kid is not being honest with you, there's a good chance he or she is either doing drugs, having sex (most parents only worry about this if the child is a girl), stealing or skipping school.
Children’s lies may be completely innocent and a phase they’ll outgrow, but it’s probably not a skill you want them to get good at or get away with. Worse, it may be the tell-tale sign that he or she has become involved with drugs.
10 Tell-Tale Signs that Your Kid is Lying
One way to curb this potentially bad habit is to spot the signs of lying, have your kid come clean and teach them why lying is wrong. Kids can be good liars and sneaky as ever, but it’s nothing that a mom or dad can’t fix. Here are the top 10 signs your kid is lying:
Limited or No Eye Contact When kids get caught in a lie, they often look away, make little eye contact, or gaze into the distance to avoid smiling or messing up their story that’s too good to be true.
Excessive Blinking Blinking too much can indicate a child is lying. They may excessively blink from nerves.
Licking or Biting Lips In an effort not to say too much or blow their cover, kids may lick or bite their lips while talking to you.
Wringing Hands Being fidgety, wringing hands or hiding their hands behind their back may indicate that your child is lying. This motion is said to express guilt and concern, which makes sense if they are guilty of lying and concerned about their punishment.
Scratching Ear Scratching the ear when answering questions is a sign that your child may be lying.
Touching Head In an effort to look anything but guilty, kids may touch their head and mess with their hair when they are lying. Thinking they’ll look confused or innocent by scratching their heads, in reality it’s usually a nervous, involuntary action.
Repetition Kids often repeat themselves several times so you’ll believe them. Their pleas can be convincing, but they may be lying. Sometimes kids will mimic you or repeat what you said, so they can come up with a response during this time.
Talking too Much Kids are naturally energetic, talkative beings, but when caught in a lie, they may act unusually excited and talk too much. In an effort to come up with something believable, you child may ramble on and tell a far fetched, detailed story that just doesn’t make sense.
Changing Tone of Voice When kids are told to spill the truth, they often speak slowly and quietly while lying. A change in tone or speed of their speech may give them away when they’re lying to you.
Body Position The way kids position their bodies can give away their lies. They may cross their arms, sit up straight while talking, or suddenly switch gestures when they get nervous and are lying through their teeth.
If you can find out if your kid is telling you the truth or not, your battle is halfway won. If you are sure your child is being honest with you, don't tip-toe around, come straight out and ask if he or she is doing drugs. If they try to avoid giving you a straight answer, something is wrong for sure. And since your question was about drugs, more than likely your child is either using drugs, covering for someone who is using drugs, or even selling drugs.
Other Signs that your Kid is Involved with Drugs
Some of the other signs of your kid being involved with drugs are any one or more of the following:
A drop in school grades
A reduction in extracurricular activities (such as an unexplained dropping-out of sport or other activities of interest)
Bloodshot or glassy eyes
Lethargy and loss of motivation
An unexplained change of friends
Unusual or irregular behaviour
Mood swings
Minimal interaction with the family
Valuable items or money missing (or, if he or she is selling, having lots of unexplainable money)
Changes in eating patterns
Agitation, anxiety, jitteriness
Sleeping problems
Aggression
If you discover any one or more of the above signs that your kid is iinvolved with drugs, it is important that you discuss the issue with your child.
Let your child know that you are concerned and that you believe they might be using drugs. This will not be easy easily, but don't give up.
Your child may start of lying, as discussed above, but if you discover any one or more of the above signs that your kid is lying, it is important that you let him or her know that you don't believe what they are saying.
Be open with them so that they are encouraged to be open with you. Tell them that they aren't in trouble, but (again) that you are concerned and that you believe they might be using drugs. Again, this will not be easy easily, but don't give up. Otherwise, you won't get the full story of what is going on in their life. Discuss with them what they consider to be the benefits and consequences of using drugs. This may provide the opportunity to give them new information about the risks of drug use.
Where to go for help
It is important that you are not afraid to ask for help. There is a wide range of support and services is available to help both the person using drugs and their family and friends. Remember that you don't need to handle a drug problem on your own. There are many places in your community that can provide support.
There is also plenty of support available online, though I warn that this type of help should only be used if you caught it in time. In other words, if the problem hasn't mushroomed out of control. Online support works better for mature adults with at least some self-control.
You will find a list of organisations that can help on my Links Directory page. Also, stay tuned to Addicts Not Anonymous, as I will be touching base with more articles on this issue.
Every Day we hear terrible Stories of Doom, Gloom, Death and Distruction
Every day financial experts remind us that we are in a recession or a depression, with the danger of a total worldwide economic collapse. Doctors tell us how unhealthy we live, politicians conspire to control us while scientist discover antibiotic resistant superbugs that could wipe us out.
I'm struck by the level of fear, despair and unhappiness I sense in people.
I too have good and legitimate reasons to whine! As a recovering drug addict diagnosed with bi-polar depression, I lost everything, including my family and homeland to drugs.
Now that I'm clean, I have been doing everything I can think of and then some, trying to help others who have lost their way, while getting back little if anything in return. It's been to the point, that I've asked myself why I do it. So I think I'll just pout some more and wait for at least a little bit of recognition.
It is pretty disheartening! But whining, complaining, talking or even writing about it rarely helps a situation!
Several years ago during a previous recession, a friend wrote that he'd decided "not to participate" in that recession. What a great line! At any given moment we have the power to choose our own attitudes and I'm about ready to take charge of mine! I'm just about frustrated enough and angry enough and annoyed enough to get off my a$$ and take charge of my own life! How about you?
It's About Attitude!
I believe that to a huge degree, each of us creates the world in which we live. Our actions and our focus, combined with our beliefs, experiences and attitudes, work to create a world of joy or fear within which we must live. Obviously the world "out there", of other people and statistics and economics, plays a role. But to a large degree, in the privacy of our own lives, hearts, minds and actions, we pretty much create our own lives.
I know I can't change Washington or the housing market or unemployment on a national scale. But in my own life, with my own business and with my time and attitude, with my friends and family and colleagues, it's time for some FUN!
It's time to take some risks
It's time for optimism and some wild, crazy and "unreasonable" expectations! It's time for adventure and daring. It's time to take some risks, try some stuff, pull out the stops and make things happen! It's time for optimism, energy and laughter! It's time to "kill some dragons" and build some castles and make life a heck of a lot better, richer and more fun! This moping and whining through a recession, in the rain, in winter, just isn't working for me.
Even during the Great Depression, some people did well and a few did very well indeed! Even during the "gloomy season" of winter, some people are having a good time, making music and making love. They're laughing, throwing parties and starting new business ventures. Sure, credit is tight so they're starting small. Sure, sales are down so they've adjusted. Sure, the politicians are probably going to keep right on squabbling like spoiled brats, but what has that got to do with me, my family and my future? Nothing!
Whether you're in the U.S. or someplace else on this small planet, here's my challenge: Take charge! Be the boss of your own life. Nothing in the economy prevents you from taking control of your health, or your happiness. The politicians cannot stop a determined individual from having fun, from being a loving, enthusiastic parent, a good spouse or a good neighbor. And nothing "out there" can prevent the human spirit from celebrating life!
All it will take is determination. Determination is the requirement of success. It was my determination to get clean that enabled me to quit using drugs. It was my determination to succeed in life that drove me to become an entrepreneur and launch a number of websites and blogs.
With enough Determination you can do Anything
If you are determined enough to do something you will do it, come hell or high water! When you were determined to get high, didn't you score your drugs? Didn't you always find a way to get the money no matter how bad the situation looked at the time? It was because you were determined, willing to do almost anything to reach your goal, even if that goal was to score some dope. With enough determination you can do and achieve anything!
The economists, the politicians, the news, even your current situation all have little to do with your ability to survive, thrive, make a life and live well. So I encourage you to dream, set some goals, make some plans, then with determination make it all happen.
With determination and confidence, love, joy and happiness can be found in abundance, everywhere.
When you finally reach your goals, finding the love, joy, happiness and abundance you deserve, don't forget to pass it along. Passing it on will not only help others, it will multiply your own happiness.Check out my ActionActivist.comblog, which will show you ways of of giving back, as well as the tools and resources you'll need to do it well.
Written By: Tom Retterbush
Please help circulate this article... maybe even spread some love and happiness!
Please click ff Like and (more importantly) .+1. bellow!
Recovery is not easy, but it's possible, and it's worth it!
Being new in recovery is not easy. Everything about recovery seems to take forever. We often wonder if we're ever going to make it. The steps I have listed bellow, if completed, will really help out and increase your chances for success. They helped me with several addictions, including a 20 year heroin addiction, meth addiction, cocaine and a crack cocaine addiction, sometimes all of the above at once.
Here are the 10 steps that saved my life:
1. Determination; Finding the determination within myself to get clean no matter what it took, was for me by far the most important part of my recovery. Even after 35 years of drugs, 20 of which were heroin addiction, I told myself that I was not going to get high come hell or high water no matter what, and did it. Of course it wasn't as easy as it sounds, but together with the other 9 steps bellow, I managed to get and stay clean. I've been drug-free for almost 3 years now. I couldn't be happier.
2. Staying away from Using Friends; Perhaps the second most important factor for me staying clean was to distance myself from my using "buddies". I figured, if they were real friends, they wouldn't have been using with me anyway. They would have asked me to ask for help and get clean. Check out one of my most popular articles I ever wrote, The Fastest Way to Succeed in Life is to Change Who You Hang With, you may not only discover something about your friends, but about yourself as well.
3. Detox; If you are addicted to anything physically addictive, particularly alcohol and heroin, you may need to enter a detox clinic for the duration your body is still physically addicted and going through withdrawal symptoms.
4. Keep yourself Occupied; Many recovering addicts often find it
hard not to go back to their old lifestyles, but the one thing that can
help greatly is to keep yourself productively occupied. Get new
interests, find new friends who are happy and pleasant, avoid boredom
and isolation may prevent you from re-engaging in destructive behavior.
5. Find New Behaviors; This is something that many addiction
counselors will focus on, but what are you going to do when it should
have been the time for your daily dose of alcohol, heroin, cocaine, even
marijuana, or some other drug? If you can find different things to do
with that time of day, it will be better for you in the long run. Think about the things you used to enjoy. Do you think you could still enjoy them now? Or do you have any new interests you could follow? How about playing chess, baseball or an instrument? Maybe you could learn something new, like the computer or marketing. The possibilities are endless. Just make sure its something you will enjoy, because you know where doing something you hate might lead you!
6. Remember Time; After you have gotten out of the addiction and recovery center you may be frustrated with the thoughts of alcohol or drugs that are plaguing your mind. However, you must remember that recovery is a process that takes time and there is nothing you can do to speed up the process of time, no matter how dismal or depressing that thought seems.
7. Take One Day at a Time; If you are becoming so frustrated that you're feeling like you just want to have some more alcohol or that one last taste of drugs, stop before you get there! Take a deep breath and realize that your recovery will only go one day at a time! Sometimes day by day is tough, we have to take it minute by minute or hour by hour.
8. Let your Family Know; Difficult as it may be, your family should be the first to know. They will give you emotional support and help you stay steady and focused!
9. Get Counseling; For some, counseling may be required. If you find yourself thinking about going back to using, your counselor may be the only one to keep you right on track!
10. Never Give Up!; This concept is as old as the hills but it has been proved to work! A recovering addict is an individual who cannot afford to give up. The substances that you quit will show up to tempt you, just remember never to give in.
Remembering all of these 10 steps for drug addiction recovery is crucial to getting past the first days, weeks, and months following your decision to stop the substance abuse in your life. By following all of these steps and surrounding yourself with positive influences will help you now and in the future when you absolutely need it.
If you have any advice that you feel should belong in this article, please submit it as a comment bellow, I'm sure Addicts Not Anonymous readers would much appreciate it. Who knows, maybe your tips could even save a life!
Written By: Tom Retterbush
Please use social sharing options bellow to help circulate this article... it may help someone!
(available at the 
