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Written by Marcel Gemme C.C.D.C

Strokes and Drug and Alcohol Addiction

A stroke is an attack upon the brain. It can be a full fledged major stroke or a mini stroke or somewhere in between. It can have even up to three days of warning signs or can happen so suddenly a person is in total surprise. Knowing the symptoms and when to get help can make a difference between long-term damage and even death.

Three years ago, this writer had a stroke: "There were a couple of early-warning signs a day or two prior but being a healthy, active person, I put it down to the summer heat and the stress of getting teenagers ready for school to start, not to mention the daily stresses of everyday life and job as well as dealing with a teenage son recently hurt in a combat zone. Still, my entire family was shocked that Thursday evening when I started having stroke symptoms. My mother guessed right away what was going on and immediately took me to the hospital. By the time we arrived, I could not walk or talk. The emergency-room team immediately took me back, and I was given a CT scan, which showed I was indeed having a stroke.

I was given a medication within what is called a “window” and my chances of recovering improved greatly due to the professionalism of the staff involved. As I became coherent again, my family breathed a sigh of relief. I was taken to the stroke unit where I stayed for several days. Following my stay I was put in physical therapy as an outpatient at a local rehabilitation center. Within weeks, I was off the walker but I never forgot mine or my family's experience of having a stroke victim in the family."

While it is true that some drugs once they enter the bloodstream and alter the brain can cause a stroke, so can other things in life. Some people, this writer included, believe natural remedies are best, just living right and getting plenty of exercise such as walking. Knowing that a stroke can happen to even the healthiest person solidifies the fact that a person should not knowingly take risks such as illicit drug use that can and will harm the brain.