What is the difference between drinking and binge drinking

In the s, Shah Muhammad Reza Pahlavi reached an accommodation with Baluchi clan leaders whereby they would abandon drug smuggling in exchange for government cash benefits. But in the post-revolutionary period, this arrangement broke down amid a general deterioration of the relationship between Tehran and Baluchi clans. Opiates smuggling in Sistan va Baluchistan has lately coincided with an escalation of violence there.

Ethnic and religious minorities form part of the drug trafficking picture in other peripheral regions of Iran as well. Khorasan province, for example, hosts a large number of Afghan refugees. Drug traffickers along the Northern line, usually organized in smaller groups of up to 10 people, are mainly Afghans.

At the same time, opiates abuse has skyrocketed in Afghanistan, with some reports stating that many addicts are returning refugees who had developed their drug habits while residing in Iran. Approximately 35 per cent of male and 25 per cent of female drug abusers in Afghanistan first abused opium as refugees outside of Afghanistan, particularly in the Islamic Republic of Iran and in refugee camps in the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan.

The Board also notes that evidence suggests a high risk of transmission of HIV among persons who abuse drugs by injection in Afghanistan, particularly among refugees returning from the Islamic Republic of Iran who abuse drugs by injection. The weakening of border controls and the breakdown of the security infrastructure of Iraq following the removal of Saddam Hussein from power in created a fertile environment for smuggling. The influx of drugs into Iraq has contributed to a rising incidence of addiction among Iraqis and has opened up an additional pathway to the European market.

Sometimes disguised as pilgrims, they have set up operations in the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala, smuggling opiates into and through Jordan.

As mentioned earlier, Iran is a major destination, not just a corridor for illicit opiates. Though estimates of drug abuse and addiction in Iran vary, the statistics most often cited are nonetheless stunning. A Rapid Situation Assessment RSA of 10 urban centers conducted in reported a sharp increase in the availability of heroin, in heroin dependency, and in injecting drug use. Studies describing HIV risk in Iran, though relatively few in number, all point to injecting drug use as the main transmission mode for contracting the disease; moreover, they indicate that the number of injecting drug users appears to be climbing.

Emran Razzighi et al. Criminal violence e. In the first nine months of Iranian officials made public the dubious accomplishment of , drug-related arrests. Narcotics-related arrests in Iran during the first nine months of were running at an annual rate of almost ,, which is a typical level for the last several years.

Twice as many drug abusers were detained as drug traffickers. Iran has executed more than 10, narcotics traffickers in the last two decades. Iran has been at the forefront of efforts by the international community to combat the Afghan drug trade. In , the United States removed Iran from its list of drug-producing countries. As Iran strives to achieve this goal, it certainly also prevents drugs from reaching markets in the West.

At the national level, the main policymaking body responsible for planning and monitoring different aspects of the counter-narcotics campaign is the Drug Control Headquarters DCH , which was established in The DCH coordinates the drug-related activities of the police the leading enforcement unit in terms of drug seizures , the customs officers, the IRGC contingent, and the Ministries of Intelligence, Security, Islamic Guidance and Education, and Health.

Iran has also put in place a rudimentary counter-drug institutional network at the provincial and local levels. In , acting on an order by the Expediency Council, the Mohammad Rasulollah Central Headquarters and three tactical headquarters of Salman, Meqdad, and Abuzar were established in the eastern part of the country. As previously mentioned, upon taking power, the revolutionary leadership declared the use of all intoxicants to be illegal.

In keeping with the anti-Western tenor of the revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini declared that the distribution of heroin was a US-inspired conspiracy. But, as will be shown, both the interpretation and the application of drug-related laws in Iran have changed. Over the years, Iran has taken a number of steps to staunch the inflow of drugs from the east. The Iranian government has deployed more firepower to the periphery in order to reinforce local and provincial law enforcement officers.

Beginning in the mids, Iranian security forces stationed an estimated 30, men along the eastern border. In , Iran also created village-level Basij units, whose activities since then have broadened from defending villages to conducting offensive counter-narcotics operations. According to Iranian officials, security forces confiscated nearly tons of drugs and arrested more than traffickers between March and March Over the past decade, a paradigm shift in Iranian counter-drug policies has been under way, marked by greater official acceptance of, and support for, demand and harm reduction interventions.

Demand reduction encompasses a variety of measures that range from advocating the non-use of drugs, to treating individuals with problematic drug use and facilitating their reintegration in the community. By the late s, Iranian authorities had begun to recognize the gravity of the HIV threat to the country.

Springing from this realization were efforts, relatively uncoordinated at first, to raise public awareness about HIV. Importantly, the members of these bodies encompassed official and non-governmental organizations — ranging from the Ministry of Health, the Drug Control Headquarters, the national police, Iranian television, and the prison and welfare authorities to the research and academic institutions. Paimaneh Hastaei declared:. In an attempt to strike a balance between prevention, treatment and law enforcement activities, the Islamic Republic of Iran has assumed that demand reduction is as important as supply reduction; special attention is paid to the creation of effective prevention programs targeted at youth and high-risk groups.

Support for demand and harm reduction interventions among senior Iranian officials has been building, albeit very gradually. Beginning in the early s, Iranian authorities introduced treatment regimes that range from abstinence-only to detoxification. In , medical intervention for drug abuse became legal and explicit. Opioid agonists 53 were used furtively in private clinics at first, and made officially available for detoxification programs only in Subsequent attempts have been made to improve pharmacological treatment and to introduce psychotherapeutic interventions for drug dependent persons.

The rise in the HIV infection rate, especially among intravenous drug users, catalyzed the shift in official attitudes towards a more favorable view of demand and harm reduction approaches. Razzaghi et al. Iran is one of just 22 countries that provide harm reduction services to incarcerated drug injection users DIUs. The government sponsors peer counseling, the dissemination of information to and hotlines for prisoners.

Bleach is made available to them for disinfecting needles. Inmates receiving methadone maintenance treatment MMT or ARV care are referred upon release to needle exchange programs and other health services. In , the government passed a law stipulating that a drug user who voluntarily seeks treatment will be exempted from punishment.

The ascendancy of the reformists in Iranian politics thus fostered a climate conducive to generating progressive ideas regarding drug use.

The work of Iranian non-governmental organizations NGOs , the close cooperation of the Ministry of Health and other stakeholders in the government, and informed advocacy among senior policymakers converted this new thinking into concrete action.

Some analysts suggest that since the election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to office in August , there has been a return to a primarily supply-side approach. Kamin Mohammadi, for example, reports that, as of mid, there were 51 government facilities, private outpatient centers and an additional 26 transition centers.

In early , the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran announced an emergency plan to provide 3, people abusing drugs by injection in Tehran with a three-month treatment course. On the surface, binge drinking and alcoholism appear very similar because they both involve excessive drinking and a lack of control. But the habits, methods, and underlying conditions that feed each pattern of drinking are quite different.

Here are a few distinctions which behavioral health experts recognize between binge drinking and alcoholism. Our expert staff members strive to provide you with compassionate yet comprehensive and effective care.

Contact us today at if you or a loved one are looking for a rehab center that truly cares about getting you on the path to long-term recovery. Call now: What is Binge Drinking? What is Alcoholism? Binge Drinking vs Alcoholism: Key Differences On the surface, binge drinking and alcoholism appear very similar because they both involve excessive drinking and a lack of control.

Physical Dependence Binge drinkers are not physically dependent on alcohol. In fact, some binge drinkers can go without alcohol for days, weeks, or even months. Alcoholics cannot. People who struggle with alcoholism are physically dependent on alcohol. They feel ongoing, intense cravings to drink all the time. A lot of binge drinkers have big gaps between their binges.

Of course, binge drinking can lead to alcoholism, but it can also lead to a number of other issues such as:. Alcohol impairs your judgement and can lead you to make a number of poor decisions, which can also lead to other problems.

Excessive drinking, especially in the long term, damages the brain. Studies have shown that chronic alcohol abuse can lead to brain shrinkage, cell death, early-onset dementia, liver failure, and can be fatal. Brain damage can also aggravate already-present mental health issues , such as depression. Heavy drinking damages other parts of the body as well. Some of the problems associated with long-term alcohol use include liver damage, diabetes and cardiovascular issues.

At some point, a binge may lead to a blackout, and if alcohol blood levels rise high enough, an overdose. An alcohol overdose may cause a person to fall into a coma or stop their heart altogether. While these signs do not mean you are an alcoholic, they do show that you have a problem that needs to be addressed.

If you are concerned about your drinking or how it is affecting you, you should take a step back and assess your drinking. Taking an alcohol assessment test can be a good start. Schedule one here. For the treatment of alcoholism and drug addiction.