Month: March 2007

Corn and Ethanol: The Pros and Cons

For many years, US politicians have subsidized corn production and its conversion to ethanol so that it may be added to petrol as a fuel in itself as well as help to burn petrol more efficiently as well as cleanly. The hope is that ethanol will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and also help reduce America s dependence on Middle East oil. It is estimated that as many as ten million acres of land are needed to grow corn and make ethanol.

With most ethanol that is produced in the U.S being made from corn this has provided an economic stimulus to U.S. agriculture and has created a new market for corn and by expanding the production in the ethanol industry it may be a means of increasing farm income as well as reducing farm program payments and also lessen the dependence on imported fuels. Furthermore, there is more energy efficiency achieved through use of corn and ethanol and it also achieves a net gain in a better form of energy since converting corn and ethanol means using abundant domestic supplies of coal and natural gas and at the same time replaces petroleum imports.

Negative Aspects and Problems Concerning Usage of Corn and Ethanol

There are certain problems with using corn and ethanol since it requires fuel to make the corn in the first place and it has been found that an acre of U.S. corn can be used to make 328 gallons of ethanol which is fine but the planting as well as growing and harvesting of that amount of corn will need 140 gallons of fossil fuels that in itself amounts to $347 per acre which translates to $1.05 per gallon of ethanol being spent even before the corn leaves the farm. This may be further compounded by the crushing and fermentation of corn at processing plants, all of which consumes energy. The resultant end cost of producing ethanol and using corn works out to be more expensive than that of petrol.

Even then, there are many that argue that corn and ethanol are energy efficient and in fact, it gives up a third or slightly more percentage energy than it does to make it in the first place. Studies have even shown that the net energy value or NEV of corn and ethanol is rising with the passage of time and this may be due to advances in technology relating to converting ethanol as well as for better production of corn.

Drug Rehabilitation Program Can Remove Physical Need

Persons requiring certain drugs in ever increasing amounts to function normally, may be in need of a drug rehabilitation program. They may have grown dependent on a certain drug while in physical therapy following an accident or illness and will now need help in removing that dependency.

When a person ingests certain drugs or chemicals, their brain adapts to their presence in the system and slowly accepts them as part of their everyday makeup. As a result, when taking the drug normal body functions return and it will require more of that drug for the physical difference is noticed. A drug rehabilitation program can help remove the dependency through physical and mental adjustments.

Complete and sudden cessation of the drug to which a person is addicted can cause the body to undergo severe withdrawal adjustments. It is commonly noted that addiction did not happen in one day and it will take more than one day for that addiction to go away. A drug rehabilitation program helps to remove the physical as well as emotional reliance on the drug through mental therapy and possibly drug substitution therapy in a controlled environment.

Emotion And Physical Needs Addressed

When entering a drug rehabilitation program center, a person s needs are evaluated and how long it takes will depend on numerous factors, not the least of which is the amount of the drug the person is taking on a daily basis. It will also hinge on the psychological dependency on the drug the person is under.

Many times a person becomes addicted to the medication prescribed for certain ailments, among them pain killers, and the effect can be minimized by slowly reducing the dosage taken on a daily basis until the need is completely diminished. Other times some sort of drug rehabilitation program may be needed to help remove the mental dependency on the drug. Especially if the person believes they will suffer the pain if they do not take the the drug. This mental dependency often takes longer to overcome than the physical addiction.

A drug rehabilitation program will not only address the physical needs but also the mental and psychological needs and when a drug rehabilitation program is focused on one drug, it usually includes others that may lead to a different dependency, such as pain relief drug rehab would also include any potential mental alcohol dependency. By attacking physical and mental needs, the patient has a better chance of a complete recovery.