Why Pharmacokinetics matters.

Posted on February 7, 2018 by David Joel Miller

By David Joel Miller, MS, Licensed Therapist & Licensed Counselor.

Why Pharmacokinetics matters.
Drugs affect the body.
Photo courtesy of Pixabay.com

What is pharmacokinetics and why does it matter?

Drugs are everywhere in our society. Not just Street drugs, or the legal drugs such as tobacco and alcohol. Most of us are exposed to drugs all day, every day. Even the people who say they “don’t do drugs” should be concerned about drugs and pharmacokinetics. When we hear about drugs, most of us think illegal drugs. It’s easy to overlook the long-term effects of use and abuse of prescription medication, over-the-counter medication, and the vitamins and herbal remedies all around us every day.

Pharmacokinetics deals with how drugs enter the body, how they get absorbed, how they get transported and delivered throughout the body, and ultimately how are drugs eliminated from the body. In a past post, we talked about routes of administration; the way drugs get into the body.

How much of that drug did you take?

For most drugs the more you take, the stronger the effect. Let’s take a simple, common drug, alcohol to illustrate this principle. If someone drinks a twelve-ounce beer, they consume about half an ounce of pure alcohol. Drinking twelve ounces of whiskey will result in the consumption of about six ounces of alcohol. With whiskey, you drink the same amount of liquid, but because the whiskey is more concentrated, you received a much higher dose of Alcohol than the beer drinker does. Measurement of alcohol consumption requires the use of an idea called the standard drink.

Drug dose is computed based on body weight.

A three-hundred-pound man will need to take a higher dose of medicine than a twenty-pound child. Heavier people contain more volume of liquids, so any chemical they take into their system becomes more dilute. For most medications, your doctor will want to know your body weight, so they know how much medication to give you.

When it comes to Street drugs or even alcohol, most people don’t consider the effect that body weight has on the drug-using experience. Thin people will get higher blood concentrations of the drug even when they take the same amount. Recently we have seen many people who had weight loss surgery, lost a large amount of weight, and developed a significant problem when they consume alcohol or other drugs.

Drug absorption matters.

Some drugs are readily absorbed into the bloodstream. When you consume liquid drugs or very soluble ones, they readily pass through the stomach, into the intestine, and are absorbed into the bloodstream. Solid drugs vary a great deal in their bioavailability, which is the part of the drug that becomes absorbed into the bloodstream and reaches the site of action.

An example of the problem of bioavailability involves pregnant women. Calcium is often added to the diet of a pregnant woman to help the fetus develop strong bones. Limestone is high in calcium, but no matter how much you grind it up, most of the limestone will pass through the body undigested. How much of the calcium in your vitamin supplement will be absorbed into your bloodstream, it’s bioavailability, matters.

Drug distribution varies from drug to drug.

Drugs that are highly water-soluble travel readily throughout the body. Blood nourishes all the cells in the body, and the parts of the body that received the most blood also received the largest doses of drugs. Drugs tend to accumulate in the heart, brain, kidney, and liver. Parts of the body that get little blood flow, the muscles and fat, received little of the active drug. Can you see why taking an oral supplement to “melt away fat” is unlikely to work?

A few drugs, such as THC in marijuana, are fat-soluble. These drugs will tend to accumulate in the parts of the body which have the largest fat content.

Drug elimination – how the drug leaves the body.

Eventually, any drugs that go into your body will get broken down and eliminated. Many drugs are metabolized by enzymes produced in the liver. These drugs are especially hard on the liver when taken in excessive quantities. This process is the reason heavy alcohol consumption increases the risk of four separate types of liver disease.

Some drugs are metabolized in the kidneys or the G.I. tract. Regardless of where the metabolism takes place, the majority of all drugs are removed from the body by the kidney. Some drugs, especially in large quantities, can be very hard on the kidneys. Drug abuse can result in impaired kidney function resulting in the need for kidney dialysis.

Drug metabolism is a sequential process.

Many drugs are broken down in stages. The first breakdown product is then metabolized into a second breakdown product and so on. These breakdown products or metabolic byproducts may also be psychoactive. When both cocaine and alcohol are present in the system, they and their metabolic byproducts can combine to produce Cocaethylene which is even longer lasting than the original cocaine and alcohol.

For more on this topic see – Drug Use, Abuse, and Addiction and Recovery

David Joel Miller MS is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC.) Mr. Miller provides supervision for beginning counselors and therapists and teaches at the local college in the Substance Abuse Counseling program.

Staying connected with David Joel Miller

Seven David Joel Miller Books are available now!

My newest book is now available. It was my opportunity to try on a new genre. I’ve been working on this book for several years, but now seem like the right time to publish it.

Story Bureau.

Story Bureau is a thrilling Dystopian Post-Apocalyptic adventure in the Surviving the Apocalypse series.

Baldwin struggles to survive life in a post-apocalyptic world where the government controls everything.

As society collapses and his family gets plunged into poverty, Baldwin takes a job in the capital city, working for a government agency called the Story Bureau. He discovers the Story Bureau is not a benign news outlet but a sinister government plot to manipulate society.

Bumps on the Road of Life. Whether you struggle with anxiety, depression, low motivation, or addiction, you can recover. Bumps on the Road of Life is the story of how people get off track and how to get your life out of the ditch.

Dark Family Secrets: Doris wants to get her life back, but small-town prejudice could shatter her dreams.

Casino Robbery Arthur Mitchell escapes the trauma of watching his girlfriend die. But the killers know he’s a witness and want him dead.

Planned Accidents The second Arthur Mitchell and Plutus mystery.

Letters from the Dead: The third in the Arthur Mitchell mystery series.

What would you do if you found a letter to a detective describing a crime and you knew the writer and detective were dead, and you could be next?

Sasquatch. Three things about us, you should know. One, we have seen the past. Two, we’re trapped there. Three, I don’t know if we’ll ever get back to our own time.

For these and my upcoming books; please visit my Author Page – David Joel Miller

Want the latest blog posts as they publish? Subscribe to this blog.

For videos, see: Counselorssoapbox YouTube Video Channel

Delusion or reality?

Posted on February 6, 2018 by David Joel Miller

By David Joel Miller, MS, Licensed Therapist & Licensed Counselor.

Delusions.
Photo courtesy of Pixabay.com

Sometimes delusions get people into trouble.

One problem area for mental health is distinguishing between delusions and reality. If

something is highly unlikely and yet despite mounds of evidence that can’t be true, that someone still firmly believes in its truth, it’s likely to be a delusion. Unfortunately, one person’s belief may be another person’s delusion. Disagreements about the truth often result in violence. After there’s been a violent incident, the question often arises why hadn’t someone spotted that person who was likely to become violent?

Identifying when someone is delusional is the first step. Figuring out when that delusion will lead that person to violence is a much more difficult task.

Defining delusions.

The technical definition of delusions is fixed beliefs which people are unwilling to change even when presented with evidence to the contrary. The harder it is to tell what is truth and what is delusion, the more likely it is to result in violence. Religion and politics are two areas particularly prone to disagreements that lead to violence.

Here’s a list of the recognized themes of delusions.

Someone’s out to get me, technically called persecutory delusions.
Grandiose delusions, the person believes they are special and have exceptional abilities.
Love and sex delusions are technically called erotomanic delusions, during which the delusional person believes someone is in love with them or wants them sexually.
Nihilistic delusions involve the fixed belief that a major disaster will occur.
Delusions regarding health and body functioning are called somatic delusions.

Is that delusion bizarre?

When other people in your culture don’t believe, something could happen, it would not be a normal experience for them. Common examples of beliefs that would be considered bizarre delusions include the idea that someone is beaming thoughts into your head or removing your thoughts. Some people also believe that an outside force is controlling them.

The problem with diagnosing delusions.

Delusions can occur in the course of several mental illnesses. There is also one specific category titled Delusional Disorder (F-22) which is a catchall for several distinct kinds of delusions which occur outside the course of another mental illness.

One type of delusion which results in a lot of problematic behavior is the delusional form of jealousy. Jealousy is a complicated topic; not all jealousy is delusional. But delusional jealousy, sometimes described as morbid or pathological jealousy, can result in stalking and interpersonal violence.

In upcoming blog posts, we will look at delusional disorder and then some of the varieties of jealous behavior, when is jealousy good for relationships, as well as how and when jealousy becomes dangerous.

Staying connected with David Joel Miller

Seven David Joel Miller Books are available now!

My newest book is now available. It was my opportunity to try on a new genre. I’ve been working on this book for several years, but now seem like the right time to publish it.

Story Bureau.

Story Bureau is a thrilling Dystopian Post-Apocalyptic adventure in the Surviving the Apocalypse series.

Baldwin struggles to survive life in a post-apocalyptic world where the government controls everything.

Dark Family Secrets: Doris wants to get her life back, but small-town prejudice could shatter her dreams.

Casino Robbery Arthur Mitchell escapes the trauma of watching his girlfriend die. But the killers know he’s a witness and want him dead.

Planned Accidents The second Arthur Mitchell and Plutus mystery.

Letters from the Dead: The third in the Arthur Mitchell mystery series.

What would you do if you found a letter to a detective describing a crime and you knew the writer and detective were dead, and you could be next?

Sasquatch. Three things about us, you should know. One, we have seen the past. Two, we’re trapped there. Three, I don’t know if we’ll ever get back to our own time.

For these and my upcoming books; please visit my Author Page – David Joel Miller

Want the latest blog posts as they publish? Subscribe to this blog.

For videos, see: Counselorssoapbox YouTube Video Channel

Relationships suffer when you don’t like you.

Posted on February 5, 2018 by David Joel Miller

By David Joel Miller, MS, Licensed Therapist & Licensed Counselor.

Low Self-esteem.
Photo courtesy of Pixabay.com

Low self-esteem poisons your other relationships.

In the aftermath of a failed relationship, many people come to counseling. One common theme is that they have low self-esteem. It’s a human tendency to try to use our relationship to boost our self-esteem and self-confidence.

People with low self-esteem are often like a leaky bucket. No matter how much love and affection their family or partner pours into them, they still feel empty. If you feel that something is lacking in your relationships, start by looking at yourself. People who are emotionally unwell tend to attract sick people into their lives.

Recovering people often find that as they become healthier, they develop more self-esteem. When you feel better about yourself, an unhealthy, dysfunctional relationship, will no longer be acceptable. Healthy people tend to attract other healthy people into their lives. Here are some ways that your low self-esteem may be damaging your relationships.

Low self-esteem makes you needy and dependent.

People who don’t feel good about themselves, don’t like or love themselves, are constantly hungry for approval from others. They seek out strong partners or friends to bolster their egos. That strong in control person you were dating can become that insufferable, controlling person. Extremely needy people drive other people away.

You may become pathologically jealous.

If you don’t feel good about yourself, you may doubt why your partner is staying with you. People who believe their mate has lots of options, while if they lose this partner, they are doomed to be alone, can become pathologically jealous.

When you don’t feel good about your self-worth you may begin to spy on your partner, follow them around, and endlessly question their behavior. If you’re becoming jealous ask yourself is this because you see real signs your partner is cheating on you? Or is this fear because you don’t understand why your partner is staying with you?

You become irritable and fight more.

People who don’t feel well, either physically or emotionally, become irritable and try to push others away. If you don’t like yourself, you may begin to doubt your partner. If you think your partner is likely to cheat on you and then leave you there is a risk you will begin to provoke fights, trying to make, the inevitable happened.

You are lonely even when you’re around others.

Loneliness is a powerful emotional complex. It drives people to associate with other people. If when you are alone, you feel frantic to be around others the problem may be that you don’t like yourself. People with low self-esteem don’t lose that lonely feeling even when they are in a crowd. How can you feel happy and connected when you expect others to dislike you, in the same manner, you just like yourself?

You attract negative people.

People with low self-esteem are hard to be around. They tend to drive away emotionally healthy people. When you’re feeling down, depressed, anxious, and unworthy, you become a magnet for other people with low self-esteem. People who are short on self-love are easy prey for narcissists, psychopaths, and other needy people who are out to use them.

Want healthy relationships?

Begin by improving your relationship with you. You feel better about yourself you will begin to view your relationships with others in a more realistic way. If you like yourself, you will begin to demand that others treat you well. Emotionally healthy people cut the harmful, toxic people out of their lives. As you become mentally healthy, feel better about yourself, you will either find your relationships improving or find it easier to let go of the unhealthy relationships in your life.

Staying connected with David Joel Miller

Seven David Joel Miller Books are available now!

My newest book is now available. It was my opportunity to try on a new genre. I’ve been working on this book for several years, but now seem like the right time to publish it.

Story Bureau.

Story Bureau is a thrilling Dystopian Post-Apocalyptic adventure in the Surviving the Apocalypse series.

Baldwin struggles to survive life in a post-apocalyptic world where the government controls everything.

Dark Family Secrets: Doris wants to get her life back, but small-town prejudice could shatter her dreams.

Casino Robbery Arthur Mitchell escapes the trauma of watching his girlfriend die. But the killers know he’s a witness and want him dead.

Planned Accidents The second Arthur Mitchell and Plutus mystery.

Letters from the Dead: The third in the Arthur Mitchell mystery series.

What would you do if you found a letter to a detective describing a crime and you knew the writer and detective were dead, and you could be next?

Sasquatch. Three things about us, you should know. One, we have seen the past. Two, we’re trapped there. Three, I don’t know if we’ll ever get back to our own time.

For these and my upcoming books; please visit my Author Page – David Joel Miller

Want the latest blog posts as they publish? Subscribe to this blog.

For videos, see: Counselorssoapbox YouTube Video Channel

Is job burnout inevitable?

Posted on January 31, 2018 by David Joel Miller

By David Joel Miller, MS, Licensed Therapist & Licensed Counselor.

Burnout.
Photo courtesy of Pixabay.com

Are you destined for job burnout?

Job burnout is taking a huge toll. Despite not being a recognized mental illness, work-related burnout is a major reason people go out on disability. We tried various approaches to this problem. Sometimes we blame the employer, too much work, too much stress, not enough staff to meet the challenges. Other times we blame the employee. If you have worked anywhere with a significant number of employees, you know there are people who arrive at work already stressed out before the workday begins. Maybe they have relationship problems, sick children, or financial stress, whatever the reason some people arrive at work already stressed out.

At some work sites, everyone is stressed out.

In some occupations, people are burning out faster than new employees can be hired. Some interesting research has been done recently in China. As they moved to modernize their economy burnout has been a significant issue. In the aftermath of the financial crisis of 2008, bank workers were under significant work stress. It’s not customary to think of bank employees as likely to burn out, but in 2008 the burnout rate among Chinese bank employees reach seventy percent.

Repeatedly studies of social workers have reported burnout rates of more than fifty percent. One of the consequences of employee burnout is that the social worker becomes emotionally exhausted and tries to protect themselves by withdrawing emotionally from their clients. As the number of burned out employees increase, client satisfaction declines. One consequence of so many burned out human service employees is poor recovery rates among the clients they serve.

Why burnout doesn’t always result in high employee turnover.

Many of the professions with high burnout rates are highly paid but require advanced education. Doctors go through an incredible ordeal and accumulate a large amount of student loan debt. Social workers, counselors, and therapists, often have master’s degrees are Ph.D.’s. The process of continuing in school for six or eight years past high school can result in large student loan debt.

Careers that require long training periods and a large financial investment can trap burned out employees who must work for years to pay off financial debt. They may also be unable to move to a new occupation without taking a huge pay, resulting in additional financial and family stress. Burned-out workers will feel trapped and unable to change their employment become less productive, less cooperative with other staff, and are more likely to become detached from, and cynical about, the clients they work with.

High burnout rates may result in everyone being inexperienced.

In some occupations burnout results in higher than normal turn over. One survey of drug and alcohol counselors revealed more than half of the counselors had been on the job for less than a year. Many public mental health facilities have a high number of recently graduated clinicians compared to the number of senior staff available to oversee their work.

Many clients experience multiple changes in the person providing their service. It’s hard to develop a good relationship between therapist and client when the therapist keeps changing.

Don’t let yourself become a victim of burnout.

High systemic rates of burnout suggest that there is not much an employer can do to prevent burnout among employees. Certainly, anything the employer can do to reduce employee burnout will benefit that employer. Employee assistance programs can be very helpful in letting employees resolve stressful issues. But keeping yourself from burning out is something everyone needs to make a priority for themselves. Don’t make the mistake of pushing so hard in the early stages of your career, that you burn out and don’t have a career.

In future posts let’s explore some ways you can prevent burnout from taking control of your life.

How drugs change your feelings.

Posted on January 30, 2018 by David Joel Miller

By David Joel Miller, MS, Licensed Therapist & Licensed Counselor.

Brain.
Photo courtesy of Pixabay.com

Drugs of abuse alter the chemical balance in your brain.

The human brain is a very complex organ. Everything you think, feel, experience, or do is the result of brain activity. Drugs, especially drugs of abuse, can alter the chemical balance in your brain either temporary or sometimes permanently.

The brain is made up of millions of tiny nerve cells called neurons. These nerve cells connect to each other through billions of tiny nerve endings. In the early days of physiological psychology, this all seemed so simple.

Electricity moves information within a nerve cell.

Early on, we discovered that a nerve cell can develop an electrical charge and when this charge moved down the nerve cell, it transmitted information. Electrically stimulating a rat’s brain might cause him to move the leg.

Electrical stimulation doesn’t explain everything. Between one nerve cell and the next, there are infinitesimal, small gaps. Scientists refer to those gaps as synaptic gaps, or sometimes they speak of the connections between cells as synapses. It turns out that electricity doesn’t flow very well from one brain cell to another through the brain fluid.

Information moves from one nerve cell to another chemically.

The human nervous system manufacturers a large number of chemicals, some of which are called neurotransmitters. When I first studied the subject in the 1960s, we study two neurotransmitters. Today hundreds of neurotransmitters have been identified and studied. The more research I read, the more newly identified neurotransmitters I encounter.

Drugs of abuse alter the way information moves between cells chemically.

For a drug of abuse to affect the way you think, feel, or behave, it needs to do two things. First, it needs to get into your brain. The brain contains a large amount of fluid. Protecting that fluid from contamination is the blood-brain barrier. This membrane is designed to keep undesirable material out of your brain. All drugs of abuse must have molecules that can get through this blood-brain barrier.

Each neurotransmitter has a shape which fits a receptor in the next cell.

You hear a gun go off and your nervous system produces a stimulant chemical that gets your heart pounding and prepares you for action. That stimulant chemical is sometimes called adrenaline. A similar chemical is found in the nervous system. We, here in the US, call that chemical norepinephrine, in some other countries it is called noradrenaline. This chemical fits into receptors on other cells and causes them to act.

One of the explanations for how drugs of abuse affect your nervous system is called the “lock and key theory.” Each naturally occurring neurotransmitter has a shape, and other cells have a receptor designed to accept that shape. So, when your nervous system sends out norepinephrine, it fits into receptors throughout your nervous system to prepare you to take immediate action.

Drugs of abuse mimic the shapes of naturally occurring neurotransmitter.

Stimulant drugs, such as cocaine or methamphetamine, are shaped in a way that is similar to norepinephrine. Because they mimic a natural neurotransmitter’s shape, they can make all the circuits in your nervous system fire.

Drugs of abuse not only activate a few cells, but they can activate many cells in far more emphatic ways than your naturally occurring neurotransmitters do. Because of this, drugs of abuse can feel very pleasurable, but only for brief periods of time. Each time you use a drug, it changes the chemical balance in your brain. Over time it changes the balance so much, you are unable to feel the things you used to feel unless the drug is present in your system.

Of course, the process in the brain is far more complicated than this simple description. Many other things are taking place every time you think a thought or the chemistry in your brain changes. Understanding how drugs of abuse mess with the way your nervous system works helps to explain a large part of how those drugs can lead to abuse, dependence, addiction, and a whole range of disorders we call substance use disorders.

For more on this topic see – Drug Use, Abuse, and Addiction and Recovery

Staying connected with David Joel Miller

Seven David Joel Miller Books are available now!

My newest book is now available. It was my opportunity to try on a new genre. I’ve been working on this book for several years, but now seem like the right time to publish it.

Story Bureau.

Story Bureau is a thrilling Dystopian Post-Apocalyptic adventure in the Surviving the Apocalypse series.

Baldwin struggles to survive life in a post-apocalyptic world where the government controls everything.

Dark Family Secrets: Doris wants to get her life back, but small-town prejudice could shatter her dreams.

Casino Robbery Arthur Mitchell escapes the trauma of watching his girlfriend die. But the killers know he’s a witness and want him dead.

Planned Accidents The second Arthur Mitchell and Plutus mystery.

Letters from the Dead: The third in the Arthur Mitchell mystery series.

What would you do if you found a letter to a detective describing a crime and you knew the writer and detective were dead, and you could be next?

Sasquatch. Three things about us, you should know. One, we have seen the past. Two, we’re trapped there. Three, I don’t know if we’ll ever get back to our own time.

For these and my upcoming books; please visit my Author Page – David Joel Miller

Want the latest blog posts as they publish? Subscribe to this blog.

For videos, see: Counselorssoapbox YouTube Video Channel

Could your thinking problems be job burnout?

Posted on January 29, 2018 by David Joel Miller

By David Joel Miller, MS, Licensed Therapist & Licensed Counselor.

Burnout.
Photo courtesy of Pixabay.com

Burnout damages your thinking abilities.

One symptom of burnout is slow thinking.

As job burnout becomes worse, specific thinking problems develop. If you notice that you’re having trouble with thinking, you may be developing job burnout.

People suffering from burnout make a great many more errors.

Burnout can also reduce your ability to make any kind of decision.

Burnout leaves you too tired to pay attention.

In the early stages of job burnout, people become emotionally and physically exhausted. A key element of burnout is this overwhelming emotional exhaustion. As the job burnout progresses people find you’re unable to relax and rest in their time away from work. If you spend your weekends worrying about what waits for you when you return to work, you’re never out from under that work stress.

Burnout destroys your concentration.

One of the first on the job symptoms of job burnout is a reduced ability to concentrate and pay attention. Any time you’re exhausted, it becomes more difficult to pay attention. If you find you are having trouble paying attention at work, forgetting important job duties, arriving home so tired you fall into bed, the cause may be that you are developing job burnout. Many people who were diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome also show the symptoms of job burnout. That does not mean that chronic fatigue syndrome is all in your head, but rather than high levels of stress hormones can cause impairment to your nervous system.

Burnout interferes with making good decisions.

Burnout has been linked to declines in executive function, the part of the brain that decides what to do and when to do it. As burnout progresses, as you become more and more emotionally exhausted, decisions will become harder and harder to make.

People with burnout can’t remember things.

Memory is impaired as the burnout progresses. As you become too tired to function, your brain becomes too tired to store and process memories. Because burnout is a response to stress more and more of your brain’s capacity is used just to get through the day, leaving less and less memory capacity for storing important information. Memories are consolidated, saved for future use, during sleep. If the stress you have been under is keeping you from sleeping, or causing fragmented sleep, your memory systems will be impaired.

Burnout destroys your objectivity.

People suffering from burnout notice only the negative. At the end of the workday, they will have noticed fewer positive events. As burnout becomes worse, you will become more biased towards negative, pessimistic thoughts. The constant focus on what’s wrong will reduce your level of happiness. This loss of the ability to feel pleasure is one of the key overlaps between work burnout and developing a long-term major depressive disorder.

Burnout damages your ability to sleep.

The stress component of burnout leaves you tired but unable to sleep. Any night you are unable to get at least six hours of sleep you will be highly impaired the following day. If you find yourself repeatedly sleeping less than six hours you may be headed for an episode of major depressive disorder or another serious mental illness.

Free Kindle book last chance.

Posted on January 28, 2018 by David Joel Miller

By David Joel Miller.

David Joel Miller Books

Casino Robbery, Kindle edition, will be free for the next five days.

Casino Robbery.
David Joel Miller

Today is the last day.

My first novel, Casino Robbery, Kindle edition, will be available for free for five days starting January twenty-fourth and ending January twenty-eighth. I decided to make this available for free for a brief time to celebrate some changes in my life. In the future, I plan to spend a lot more time writing. You can expect to see several more of my books published during 2018. Please tell anyone you know who might be interested in this book about this free promotion. If you downloaded casino robbery, read the book, and enjoy it, please leave a review on Amazon.

If you don’t have the Kindle, there is a free app that will let you read Kindle books on your computer or smartphone available on the Amazon website.

Casino Robbery.

The robbers wanted more than money; they planned to kill Arthur’s fiancé and her boss.

Arthur Mitchell was trying to start his life over with a fiancé and a new job. That all ends when the casino robbers shoot Arthur, kill his fiancée, and her boss. Arthur would like to forget that horrible day, but the traumatic nightmares and constant reminders won’t let him, and someone is still out to get him. When he tries to start over by running a rural thrift store, someone knocks him unconscious, vandalize the store, and finally tries to kill him. His only chance to find peace is to figure out what the killers want from him and why.

Casino Robbery is a novel that explores the world of a man with PTSD who has to cope with his symptoms to solve the mystery and create a new life. Casino Robbery is available now in both Kindle and paperback editions.

My nonfiction book bumps on the road of life is also available from Amazon. The Kindle edition is $4.99 in the US and similarly priced in other markets.

Bumps on the Road of Life.

Bumps on the Road of Life.
David Joel Miller.

Your cruising along the road of life and then wham, something knocks you in the ditch.

Sometimes you get your life going again quickly. Other times you may stay off track and in the ditch for a considerable time. If you have gone through a divorce, break up or lost a job you may have found your life off track. Professionals call those problems caused by life-altering events “Adjustment Disorders.” Bumps on the Road of Life is the story of Adjustment Disorders, how they get people off track, and how to get your life out of the ditch. Bumps on the Road of Life is now available in both Kindle and paperback format.

Other books are due out soon; please visit my Amazon Author Page – David Joel Miller

Free Kindle book day four.

Posted on January 27, 2018 by David Joel Miller

By David Joel Miller.

David Joel Miller Books

Casino Robbery, Kindle edition, will be free for the next five days.

Casino Robbery.
David Joel Miller

If you don’t have the Kindle, there is a free app that will let you read Kindle books on your computer or smartphone available on the Amazon website.

Other books are due out soon; please visit my Amazon Author Page – David Joel Miller

Free Kindle book day three.

Posted on January 26, 2018 by David Joel Miller

By David Joel Miller.

David Joel Miller Books

Casino Robbery, Kindle edition, will be free for the next five days.

Casino Robbery.
David Joel Miller

If you don’t have the Kindle, there is a free app that will let you read Kindle books on your computer or smartphone available on the Amazon website.

Casino Robbery.

The robbers wanted more than money; they planned to kill Arthur’s fiancé and her boss.

My nonfiction book bumps on the road of life is also available from Amazon. The Kindle edition is $4.99 in the US and similarly priced in other markets.

Bumps on the Road of Life.

Bumps on the Road of Life.
David Joel Miller.

Your cruising along the road of life and then wham, something knocks you in the ditch.

Sometimes you get your life going again quickly. Other times you may stay off track and in the ditch for a considerable time. If you have gone through a divorce, break up, or lost a job you may have found your life off track. Professionals call those problems caused by life-altering events “Adjustment Disorders.” Bumps on the Road of Life is the story of Adjustment Disorders, how they get people off track, and how to get your life out of the ditch. Bumps on the Road of Life is now available in both Kindle and paperback format.

Other books are due out soon; please visit my Amazon Author Page – David Joel Miller

Schedules of Controlled Substances.

Posted on January 25, 2018 by David Joel Miller

By David Joel Miller, MS, Licensed Therapist & Licensed Counselor.

Drugs.
Photo courtesy of Pixabay.

How drugs are classified for legal purposes.

The Controlled Substances Act of 1970 created another way to classify drugs. In another post, I talked about some of the ways drugs can be classified, by their origin, by their medical effect, or by the experience the user has. For legal purposes, some drugs are scheduled on one of five separate schedules of controlled substances.

The criteria for placing drugs on a particular schedule include whether they have an accepted medical use, their potential to be abused, and the likelihood they will produce dependence. Many people refer to drugs with a high abuse potential as narcotics. Narcotics technically are drugs that will put you to sleep, knock you out, and may potentially cause death. Many of the scheduled drugs are stimulants or Hallucinogens. When talking about the legal regulation of drugs, it is important to know that the correct term is, controlled substances.

Here’s a brief description of the five drug schedules and some examples of drugs on each schedule.

Schedule I drugs.

These drugs have an extremely high abuse potential. They are likely to cause dependence, have withdrawal effects, and produce cravings. They are not currently accepted for medical use in the United States. These drugs are not believed to be safe even when used under medical supervision.

An example of the need for scheduling some drugs on schedule one is illustrated by the drug thalidomide. This drug was approved and widely used in Europe, where it was often prescribed to women for the treatment of morning sickness. There was a good deal of pressure for it to be approved in the United States. One doctor at the FDA resisted the pressure to approve the drug for use in the US because of safety concerns.

After this drug was used in Europe for some time, it was discovered that the drug would produce serious birth defects when women who were pregnant were exposed to the drug. Even handling the medication could produce birth defects. Today this drug is used for treating cancers, but it continues to carry warnings that women who may become pregnant should not come in contact with this drug.

Some examples of drugs currently on schedule I include, heroin, peyote, psilocybin, ecstasy, LSD, methcathinone, marijuana, and most other products containing THC.

Schedules II drugs.

These drugs have a high abuse potential. They must have a recognized medical use, though it may require severe restrictions. Abuse of these drugs can result in either physical or psychological dependency. To prescribe these drugs, doctors must have a DEA number and use a triplicate prescription pad. One copy of each prescription stays with the doctor; one is given to the patient who must take it to the pharmacy, the third copy is sent to the DEA.

Examples of schedule two drugs include morphine, codeine, methadone, other opiates, Ritalin, methamphetamine, cocaine, PCP, and many other similar drugs.

Schedule III drugs.

Drugs on this schedule are more widely used for medical purposes. There are less likely to be abused than drugs on schedule II. These drugs can still be abused and may produce a mild to moderate substance use disorder.

Examples of schedule III drugs include Vicodin, Tylenol with codeine, Marinol a synthetic capsule containing THC, Ketamine, anabolic steroids, and similar drugs.

Schedule IV drugs.

These drugs have wide medical applications in the US. They have a low potential for abuse when compared to drugs on schedules I, II, or III. People may build up some tolerance to these drugs and experience withdrawal, resulting in physical or psychological dependence, but these drugs are less likely to produce cravings than the drugs on the earlier schedules.

Examples of schedule IV drugs are Darvon, Valium, Librium, Ativan, Xanax, and similar drugs.

Schedule V drugs.

These drugs have many accepted medical uses in the US. They have the lowest abuse potential of all the scheduled drugs. Abuse of the drug may lead to some types of dependency. Some drugs on schedule V are available in both prescription strength and an over-the-counter version. For example, some pain relievers are available over-the-counter in two hundred milligrams strengths, the stronger six hundred and eight hundred milligrams versions require a prescription.

Just because drugs are on schedule V does not mean they are totally safe. Many people abuse over-the-counter pain relievers. Taking too many of these medications can result in permanent damage to either the liver or the kidney.

Some problems with drug schedules.

Despite the movement towards legalizing marijuana for medical and recreational use, the federal government continues to keep it on schedule I. This creates conflict between the federal government and state or local governments. Doctors who prescribe medical marijuana are likely to lose their DEA numbers. Doctors who work in hospitals or chronic pain clinics are unable to prescribe marijuana without losing their ability to prescribe stronger opiate pain medications.

Heroin continues to be a schedule I drug. This has prevented doctors from prescribing heroin to people who are addicted to opiates. In other countries, addicts, can receive their drugs by prescription and can administer them in safe injection sites where the used needles are properly disposed of. Because heroin stays on schedule I, addicts are prescribed methadone a drug which is even harder to withdraw from than heroin.

For more on this topic see – Drug Use, Abuse, and Addiction and Recovery

Staying connected with David Joel Miller

Seven David Joel Miller Books are available now!

My newest book is now available. It was my opportunity to try on a new genre. I’ve been working on this book for several years, but now seem like the right time to publish it.

Story Bureau.

Story Bureau is a thrilling Dystopian Post-Apocalyptic adventure in the Surviving the Apocalypse series.

Baldwin struggles to survive life in a post-apocalyptic world where the government controls everything.

Dark Family Secrets: Doris wants to get her life back, but small-town prejudice could shatter her dreams.

Casino Robbery Arthur Mitchell escapes the trauma of watching his girlfriend die. But the killers know he’s a witness and want him dead.

Planned Accidents The second Arthur Mitchell and Plutus mystery.

Letters from the Dead: The third in the Arthur Mitchell mystery series.

What would you do if you found a letter to a detective describing a crime and you knew the writer and detective were dead, and you could be next?

Sasquatch. Three things about us, you should know. One, we have seen the past. Two, we’re trapped there. Three, I don’t know if we’ll ever get back to our own time.

For these and my upcoming books; please visit my Author Page – David Joel Miller

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For videos, see: Counselorssoapbox YouTube Video Channel

What is pharmacokinetics and why does it matter?

How much of that drug did you take?

Drug dose is computed based on body weight.

Drug absorption matters.

Drug distribution varies from drug to drug.

Drug elimination – how the drug leaves the body.

Drug metabolism is a sequential process.

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Sometimes delusions get people into trouble.

Defining delusions.

Is that delusion bizarre?

The problem with diagnosing delusions.

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Low self-esteem poisons your other relationships.

Low self-esteem makes you needy and dependent.

You may become pathologically jealous.

You become irritable and fight more.

You are lonely even when you’re around others.

You attract negative people.

Want healthy relationships?

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Are you destined for job burnout?

At some work sites, everyone is stressed out.

Why burnout doesn’t always result in high employee turnover.

High burnout rates may result in everyone being inexperienced.

Don’t let yourself become a victim of burnout.

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Drugs of abuse alter the chemical balance in your brain.

Electricity moves information within a nerve cell.

Information moves from one nerve cell to another chemically.

Drugs of abuse alter the way information moves between cells chemically.

Each neurotransmitter has a shape which fits a receptor in the next cell.

Drugs of abuse mimic the shapes of naturally occurring neurotransmitter.

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Burnout damages your thinking abilities.

Burnout leaves you too tired to pay attention.

Burnout destroys your concentration.

Burnout interferes with making good decisions.

People with burnout can’t remember things.

Burnout destroys your objectivity.

Burnout damages your ability to sleep.

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Casino Robbery, Kindle edition, will be free for the next five days.

Casino Robbery.

Bumps on the Road of Life.

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Casino Robbery, Kindle edition, will be free for the next five days.

Share this:

Casino Robbery, Kindle edition, will be free for the next five days.

Casino Robbery.

Bumps on the Road of Life.

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How drugs are classified for legal purposes.

Schedule I drugs.

Schedules II drugs.

Schedule III drugs.

Schedule IV drugs.

Schedule V drugs.

Some problems with drug schedules.

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