How Drugs and Alcohol Really Affect Your Body: Insights from a Canadian Addiction Expert

In this powerful episode of Ponete Vivo, host Armando Charisma sits down with Isa Americano, an active nurse who has spent over 15 years treating addiction in Canada. Isa, the daughter of Portuguese immigrants, shares her professional insights into the front lines of the fight against alcohol and substance use disorders.

This conversation is a crucial guide to empowerment and hope for those navigating battles with addiction.

The Deadly Truth About Alcohol and Benzo Withdrawal:

• Mirror Addictions: Isa explains that drinking alcohol is the same as taking a benzodiazepine (Benzo), emphasizing that they mirror each other in the addiction process and activate the same reward center in your brain.
• Risk of Death: Learn why alcohol and benzo withdrawal are among the most dangerous in the world, as sudden cessation can result in seizures and death. Symptoms like the shakes, hallucinations, or feeling bugs on the skin are often precursors to a seizure. In contrast, opiate withdrawal is generally survivable, causing intense sickness but rarely death.
• Weaning off Alcohol: Withdrawal can take up to two weeks. Treatment must be supervised by a doctor and may involve weaning the patient off alcohol slowly, or using benzos (with the risk of creating a second addiction). Alternative medications like Naltrexone can be prescribed to make the patient not enjoy drinking.

The Link Between Neurodivergence and Addiction:

• 100% More Susceptible: Neurodivergent individuals, including those with ADHD and autism, are 100% more susceptible to developing addictions.
• Seeking Normalcy: For neurodivergent individuals, internal mental processes are often "upsetting" and "frustrating". Substances like cocaine or crystal meth (which are amphetamines) act to stop all the noise and provide focus, making the user feel "normal" and productive.
• Boredom and Habits: Boredom is a detrimental factor leading to substance use. Everything an ADHD person does, including hobbies like knitting or crocheting, can become a "little addiction" in the search for a dopamine reward.

Gateways to Addiction and Treatment in Canada:

• Gateway Factors: While trauma is a strong base for escapism, addiction is also caused by chronic pain, pharmaceutical dependence (like being addicted to opiates during hospitalization), and social environment. Familial history increases the likelihood of a "familial enjoyment of drugs" or developing an addictive personality.
• Fast Opiate Treatment: Opiate addiction is often easier to treat than alcoholism. Full treatment can be started in one day using medications like Suboxone, which contains Narcan to prevent the high from other opiates. Newer injections like Sublocade provide weeks of overdose protection by filling the opiate receptors.
• Confidential Canadian Care: Canadian healthcare is based on care, not profit. Treatment is confidential, and individuals, even immigrants without full health coverage can access help at Rapid Access Addiction Medicine (RAM) clinics or through their general practitioner. Isa emphasizes that we are stronger than we realize and that having conversations about addiction is the first step toward finding help and community.

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