5 Signs of Prescription Drug Addiction

By Tony Bylsma

Social Withdrawal

Persons abusing and becoming addicted to prescription drugs have a need to conceal what is happening. Increased contact with others simply increases the chance of discovery, and so is avoided. As the need to conceal what is happening gets stronger, so does the need to withdraw. Functions they normally attend are skipped and activities which require social interaction are more and more neglected.

Increased Usage

When dealing with the pain of an injury, dependence on an opiate pain killer such as OxyContin or Vicodin can result. One strong indication is increased usage of the medication. During the healing process, pain should subside over time unless the injury is not healing which should be obvious. If it appears to be improving but the use of pain killers is remaining the same or increasing, it is time to become suspicious. Dependency on the drug could be developing and rehab needed.

Attitude Changes

Hypersensitivity to criticism, especially where the drugs are concerned is a strong indication of developing problems. If the whole subject is completely untouchable, it is likely time to seek help.

Increased Efforts to Obtain Prescriptions

As use increases beyond normal limits, it becomes necessary for the addict to get more creative in obtaining the drug. Going to pharmacies further away from home, visiting new doctors and having new "pains" are just a few of the signs of a budding drug abuse problem. Most doctors will cut the prescriptions off or at least cut the amounts and strengths down when they suspect addiction setting in.

This makes it necessary for the user to go the extra mile.

Personal Appearance and Hygiene Changes

Very common signs of increasing prescription drug addiction are changes in normal everyday functions such as personal hygiene and care of personal appearance. These functions become less of a priority when the obtaining of and use of the addictive substance becomes more encompassing.

These factors can be signals of other problems too, but when two or more of them are becoming obvious, it is definitely time to look for a substance abuse problem and seek prescription drug addiction treatment.

For advice regarding addiction or help finding the best treatment, visit the link above or visit Tony's blog at http://www.detoxrehab.org.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tony_Bylsma

Family Dental Plans - What You Need to Know

By Linda D. Perry

Being single means that you only have to fend for yourself; but even so, the task is still not an easy one. On the other hand, having to fend for a family is extremely difficult. With the many financial obligations that parents have to fulfill, getting a dental plan for all of them can be an arduous task. Many people overlook the dental health of their families and only go to the dentists when their children are afflicted with a toothache or other serious dental problems. However, negligence can have dire consequences, and you may find that foregoing routine check-ups can leave you with a major dental problem and at an expensive price too. Fortunately, many insurance providers offer family dental plans to cater for the dental needs of the average family.

Family dental plans usually cover for routine maintenance and check-ups such as prophylaxis, dental fillings, and oral exams. In you want surgical procedures to be covered as well, it is best to speak with the insurance provider to determine which plan covers them. Aside from the wide range of dental services that can be availed, another advantage of this type of plan is the discounts that can be enjoyed. Many of them offer up to 60% discount on dental services which can save families a lot of money. Compared to individual dental plans, the family plans are easier to process which means that in about day or two, the policy goes into effect and family members can already avail of the services.

In order to find the best family dental plans to suit your needs, there are several things that you have to keep in mind. Firstly, it is of utmost importance to research about the different family plans there is. Find out which of them covers a wide range of dental services at a monthly fee that is easy on your family's budget. It is also advisable to call various insurance companies so you can ask as many questions about their plans as possible. It is important to be thorough so that you won't have to deal with issues later that may arise as a result of confusion.

If your family already has a dentist in mind, you should ask whether he is a member of the family dental plans that you have your eye on. It is not easy to have to change dentists especially if your family was comfortable with the previous one. A dentist who is also familiar with your family's dental history is an added advantage because you are assured that he will be able to provide the dental care that your family needs.

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Network Administrator - Duties and Functions

By Derek Rogers

Many organisations use a three tier support staff solution, with tier one (help desk) personnel handling the initial calls, tier 2 (technicians and PC support analysts) and tier three (network administrators). Most of those organisations follow a fixed staffing ratio, and being a network administrator is either the top job, or next to top job, within the technical support department.

Network administrators are responsible for making sure computer hardware and the network infrastructure itself is maintained properly for an IT organisation. They are deeply involved in the procurement of new hardware (does it meet existing standardisation requirements? Does it do the job required?) rolling out new software installs, maintaining the disk images for new computer installs (usually by having a standardised OS and application install), making sure that licenses are paid for and up to date for software that need it, maintaining the standards for server installations and applications, and monitoring the performance of the network, checking for security breaches, poor data management practices and more.

Most network administrator positions require a breadth of technical knowledge and the ability to learn the ins and outs of new networking and server software packages quickly. While designing and architecting a network is usually the job of a network engineer, many organisations roll that function into a network administrator position as well; day to day and month to month"Is it up?" jobs fall on the shoulders of the network administrators.

One of the chief jobs of a network administrator is connectivity; the cry "The networks down" usually means the network admin has to be hip deep in something fixing it and post haste. They are in charge of making sure connectivity works for all users in their organisation, and making sure data security is handled properly for connections to the outside internet. (For network administrators doing security aspects, this can be a full time job in and of itself.)

Trouble tickets work their way through the help desk, then through analyst level support, before hitting the network administrator level; as a result, in their day-to-day operations, they should not be dealing directly with end users as a routine function. Most of their jobs should be on scheduling and implementing routine maintenance tasks, updating disaster prevention programs, making sure that network backups are run and doing test restores to make sure that those restores are sound.

Other jobs that fall on the network administrator's tasks include fighting for the IT budget and setting standardised installs packages up so that all end user desktops are identical. While the network administrator probably isn't doing the installs on new computers, he is likely to be the one in charge of setting up what gets installed, and setting user access policies, as well as evaluating the purchase of new equipment to replace older gear that has been deployed. Similar decisions are made regarding software packages (both for end user support and server levels) and networking hardware.

Network administrators are jokingly referred to as the highest level of techie you get before you get turned into a pointy haired boss and made into management.

Derek Rogers is a freelance writer who writes for a number of UK businesses. For information on Network Support, he recommends Network 24, a leading UK network support services provider. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Derek_Rogers