Life After Rehab

June 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment
lonely boy 01 

Image by zoomyboy.com via Flickr

The rehabilitation of an addict can be a long a painful process. One of the hardest areas, for a recovered addict to deal with, is facing the world after rehab.

How does one ever become “normal”?

No matter how much an addict has had family love and support through treatment and on the painful road to recovery, there is no way that they will ever understand what addiction is and what you have been through, unless they have experienced it themselves.

So, where do you go to find support and understanding with companions that will not drag you down to the bottom again? The recovered addict knows that loneliness can be a mighty force to help drive them back into a world where addiction will again consume them.

The best thing is to find a local support group that can always be accessed.

One of the most successful support groups in the world is Narcotics Anonymous (NA). With 60,000 meetings going on at any one time, NA has attracted former drug users that are all ages and from all stations of life. Everyone in NA understands the problem and has “been there, done that”.

Narcotics Anonymous is a 12 Step Program, designed to for all creeds and cultures, that has a high success rate in helping addicts. They keep no records and have no expectations for their members and yet, year after year, they succeed in helping addicts attain a normal and happy life.

Perhaps NA is not for you; if so, make sure to seek out local support groups that can assist you in a full recovery.

You don’t have to do this alone.

Filed Under: Rehab Tagged With: , ,

Loving an Addict into Treatment

June 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment
18 FDG/PET images showing brain function in a ... 

Image via Wikipedia

Suffering from an addiction can be a very painful experience; life can seem hopeless. The sufferer can feel worthless and ashamed. Sometimes it can be extremely difficult to convince an addict that there are solutions to their addiction and that life can become better.

As the path to addiction didn’t happen in a day, the cure isn’t going to be a quick fix, either. Many addicts can become overwhelmed with the idea of a long process that will seemingly have no end.

If you have a loved one that is suffering from addiction, whether it be alcohol or drugs, it is in their best interest for you to do all you can to help them get into treatment.

Sometimes one might have a tendency to think that an addict can’t be helped until they’ve reached rock bottom, but this is not necessarily true. As a friend or relative of an addict you have a responsibility to help them understand that there is help out there, as well as hope.

Realize that although most addicts start on the path of addiction voluntarily, once there is sufficient substance abuse, the addict is no longer in a place of reason.  Prolonged drug abuse alters the brain and makes it impossible for a user to overcome a serious addiction by themselves.

Your job is to help them seek help as quickly as possible. Your job is also to do this without exhibiting any judgment or disgust. One of the factors that can lead an addict to seeking help, is to for them feel the unconditional love of family and friends.

It can save their life.

 

Filed Under: Addiction, Rehab Tagged With: , ,

Non-Traditional Drug Rehab Using Art

May 25, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Theresien-Haus ( 

Image via Wikipedia

Researchers are always looking for new ways to help addicts overcome their addictions in rehabilitation facilities, and a new one, called RADE, or Rehabilitation through Art, Drama, and Education, is seeing if using the arts will help addicts find the strength to succeed.

This facility has been open for six years and during that time, many lives have been transformed — including those whose families had given up on.

Part of the therapy is about changing the label that has been placed on you by society. If you’re only ever seen as a drug addict, as if you can never be anything else, then that’s all you’ll ever be. By changing the label you place on yourself, you’re able to change how those around you view you.

Those in the facility spend their time in activities that include creative writing, art, drama, and film making in addition to working with therapists in traditional counseling sessions.

One great example is Jenna, who before starting the RADE program had been addicted to heroin. Through the program, she learned that she loves acting and is even in a course at the Gaiety School of Acting in addition to the acting she does at RADE. She’s learning that through art, she’s able to express emotions that she used to bottle up inside. It’s crucial to her recovery, she believes.

It’s not surprising that they’re finding success through the arts. Arts have long been used for therapy and it’s been found that the arts help children gain creativity and help kids in rough neighborhoods find a reason to avoid gangs and do well in school.

Filed Under: Drug Addiction, Recovering, Rehab Tagged With: , ,

Staying Clean after Rehab

May 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment

So you’ve put in the hard work at rehab and feel you’re ready to go home, but what can you do to stay clean now that you won’t have assistance every hour of the day? Here are some tips:

Get Steady Support

The number one thing that you can do to help you stay clean is get steady support. Surround yourself with people who want the best for you and want you to succeed and most importantly, do not hang out with those who are still using. They may say they want to support you, but when you see them using your addiction of choice, it will be hard not to fall back into old habits.

Make sure you find a sponsor. Call him or her each and every day when you first get home and tell him or her how you’re doing. In addition to that, go to meetings every day when you first return. You’re going to need as much support as you can and by having your sponsor and the others at the meetings to help you, you’ll be able to stay strong. And if you need it, go to more than one meeting a day.

Take the Advice Given

Before you leave your rehab facility, you’ll receive some advice on what you should do when you get home from your doctors and other care takers there. You may think that you don’t need it and you’ll do fine without it, but to be sure, they know what they’re talking about after having hundreds of patients, so listen to their advice and try to follow it as closely as possible.

Filed Under: Addiction, Rehab Tagged With: , ,

A Look at Health Insurance Providers Covering Treatment Centers

March 24, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Many substance abusers are unable to seek treatment due to the high cost of drug and alcohol treatment. It is estimated that drug and alcohol treatment centers can cost anywhere from $5000 all the way up to $23,000 a month. Most people do not have this type of money and cannot afford to pay for their treatment. This is why many substance abusers will try to see if their health insurance will cover the substance abuse treatment center.

Many health insurance providers offer very limited coverage for drug and alcohol treatment centers. There are strict rules and guidelines that outline how the health insurance provider will cover the drug and alcohol treatment centers. Here’s a look at some of the examples of how health insurance providers have covered drug and alcohol treatment centers.

Medical Costs Only. Some health insurance providers will only cover any related medical costs that might be incurred during the day at the drug and alcohol treatment center. This means that all drugs and possibly alternative medicine therapies are cover. The detox process is also covered as it is considered a medical necessity. However, the actual stay at the treatment center as well as the therapy sessions is not covered.

Limited Time Treatment. Some health insurance providers will offer full coverage or percentage off of specific drug and alcohol treatment centers. However, this day must be at a health insurance providers recommended drug and alcohol treatment center, for a specified amount of time, doctor ordered and not within a certain time frame. Generally health-insurance providers will cover a 30 day stay at a drug and alcohol treatment center one every 3 to 5 years.

Every health-insurance provider has their own rules and regulations regarding what type of drug and alcohol treatment centers they will provide for. Some health insurance providers will not cover drug and alcohol treatment centers at all, will others offer limited time coverage for those that are suffering from substance abuse problem. Check with your health insurance provider to see what coverage they may offer.

Filed Under: Recovering, Rehab Tagged With: , ,

What Happens After Rehab?

October 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment

If you have a substance abuse problem, then you may have been to rehab to fix the addiction. Rehab can be quite a difficult experience, especially if you had bad withdrawal symptoms while inside. Once you get through the withdrawal symptoms, you then have to fight the emotional symptoms. Getting over an addiction can be hard, but once you do, you will have won a hard battle.

However, many people wonder what happens after rehab. Rehab won’t magically cure your addiction because recovery from alcohol is a lifelong process. Rehab will only teach you how to handle yourself and make correct choices. The rest is up to you once you leave the facility. Only you can control what happens to you once you are out of rehab.

If you are a recovering alcoholic, you may want to join a support group such as Alcoholics Anonymous. AA has regular meetings that you can attend where you will be surrounded with people that are just like you – people that need help for their addictions. At AA you will sit in a group and listen to people’s stories, and also share your own if you wish. There will also be group speakers that can help motivate you to get through another day.

You will also want to remove your alcohol triggers, and this includes people you know that may bring you back to that lifestyle. For awhile at least, you will need to sever relationships with people that can draw you back in. Let them know that while it’s not permanent, you need to become stronger first before you can be their friend. If they are truly your friend, they will understand and wait to hear from you while you heal yourself and get rid of your addiction. You want to make sure you take care of yourself first before anyone else.

Filed Under: Recovering, Rehab Tagged With:

Health Issues Arise as Baby Boomers Continue to Use Drugs

October 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Substance Abuse
Image by kevinliuzzo via Flickr

Pot smoking hippies from the 1960’s have grown into middle-aged Americans across our country, and unfortunately older people between 50 and 59 are continuing to use drugs in the 2000’s.

A survey conducted by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services determined that 8 percent of people between the ages of 50 and 59 used an illicit drug of some sort. The survey said most of them used marijuana, but many use prescription drugs, pain medications, ant-anxiety pills, and sleeping pills. Between 2002 and 2008, the percentage of potheads and pill users in their 50’s grew by over 50 percent.

Rightfully so, researchers are very worried that lifetime drug use by baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) is on the rise, and will complicate the lives and health of many aging Americans. Peter Delaney, Director of the Office of Applied Studies, mentioned that there are so many people in the 50 to 59 age bracket needing substance abuse help that the number of treatment facilities needs to double in the near future.

Delaney said the problem with older users is that drugs cause greater impairment, as people get older. As physiology slows down with age, it takes a lot longer to process drugs through the body. In other words, drugs like marijuana stay in the body’s system for longer periods of time. Also, a mix of marijuana and prescribed pills that lower blood pressure can produce lethal side effects. Unknowing drug users in their 50’s can easily land themselves and extended stay in the hospital for mixing marijuana and pain pills.

The substance abuse administration also queried over 20,000 adults over 50 and found that 5.2 percent of adults in the 50 to 59 age group used marijuana between 2006 and 2008. In addition, 2.9 percent of them took prescription drugs illegally. Lastly, 7.9 percent of these adults said they had taken some type of illicit drug as well.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug Addiction, Rehab, Substance Abuse Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

The Negative Effects of Methamphetamine

October 12, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Meth powder hexagon
Image via Wikipedia

Methamphetamine is a man-made chemical with properties that are very similar to adrenaline. Methamphetamine (commonly referred to as meth) affects the nervous system with a highly addictive stimulant. The common street names for meth are crank, crystal, speed, ice, and glass. For over three decades, meth has been the mostly widely produced controlled substance in the U.S. Unfortunately, many young people in the U.S. are meth users, and the numbers continue to rise. Meth can be manufactured secretly in meth labs throughout the country. Many of these so-called meth labs are found in people’s homes. The fact that it can be made so easily means that it is also easily sold and distributed. Aside from heroin and cocaine, meth is the most dangerous and lethal drug available in our society.

Meth is a powerful stimulant, and it can keep awake for hours at a time. It also decreases the user’s appetite, and increases his/her activity. The effects of meth are much the same as methadrine (or speed), a popular drug of the 1960’s. Younger adults took speed so that they could stay up all night studying for exams in college. Users say that meth gives you a brief, intense sensation when snorted or injected.

When a user does meth, a neurotransmitter called dopamine is released to the pleasure areas of the brain, and he/she experiences an immediate adrenaline rush or feeling of euphoria, as users typically describe it. People who take the drug also say they feel a sense of well being. Just like any other drug, the user needs to take larger doses of it in order to obtain the same high as before. Increased doses and prolonged use of meth produces feelings of irritability, depression, anger, and paranoia. Users also experience delusional thinking and visual impairment. Some even have visual or auditory hallucinations.

Most meth users go without food or sleep for days, injecting meth into their systems every two or three hours in order to stay high. This type of binging occurs until the user runs out of meth, overdoes, or becomes too delirious to continue taking the drug.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug Addiction, Rehab, Substance Abuse Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Seeking Help for Teenage Substance Abusers

October 8, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Source: A Public Health Approach to Drug Contr...
Image via Wikipedia

If you feel that your teenager may be involved with drugs, there are few behavioral changes to look for.

1. Friendship changes.
2. Increased hostility, irritability, defensiveness, and evasiveness.
3. Changes in appearance.
4. Skipping school and avoiding school activities.

If your loved one shows any of the above behaviors, chances are he/she has a substance abuse problem. You shouldn’t be alarmed, but keep in mind that early detection is the key to helping your teen with substance abuse problems. It’s important for you to get help as soon as you can.

Since drugs provide an alternative way to assimilate with the rest of the crowd, teens aren’t necessarily motivated to stop using them. It may sound trite or oversimplified, but once teens start using drugs, it’s very hard for them to stop. Teens don’t feel that drugs pose a problem because they feel invincible, especially when they ingest drugs into their system.

In order to get help for your teen, it’s essential that you get involved and encouraging them to get help as soon as possible. Without support, it is unlikely that teens will do it on their own.

Seeking Help

There are many drug treatment programs for adolescents in your community. The following are a few options to consider:

Teens who need safe and supervised relief from withdrawal systems can enter Detoxification centers anywhere in the country. These centers are available for teens and others who need abstain from drugs and receive medical attention.

Rehabilitation is also available within the teen’s residence or home. This type of treatment helps teens that need constant supervision (24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week). The types of teens seeking constant supervision simply cannot quit independently. They continue to use drugs and don’t care about the risks involved. These individuals may have attempted to stop using before, but have failed in those attempts.

All of the above programs offer therapy, twelve-step programs, relapse prevention, and more.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug Addiction, Rehab, Substance Abuse Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Warning Signs For Teenage Substance Abuse

October 7, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Norwegian warning signs.
Image via Wikipedia

Being a teenager in today’s society is a lot more stressful than days past. Expectations are very high for adolescents. They’re expected to have excellent grades and keep up with the other kids in sports, school clubs, and other social events. Sometimes the stress becomes unbearable, and teenagers turn to drugs to help deal with it. If you’re concerned that your teen might be using drugs, there are several warning signs to look for in your adolescent’s behavior that could be indicators.

The following are some of the warning signs or indications of substance abuse:

Evidence of drugs or paraphernalia. Teens often feel you’re invading their privacy when you search through their personal belongings, but it never hurts to look for blatant physical signs of drugs or paraphernalia around the house. For example, marijuana smoke has a very strong and distinct odor. It doesn’t smell anything like cigarette smoke at all. If your teen comes home wreaking of marijuana smoke, don’t be afraid to confront him/her with some questions about what they’ve been doing that evening.

Behavioral problems. If your teen suddenly seems disinterested in school and other activities like sports and social events, ask them about it. A major deterrent from drug use of any kind is simple, honest communication with your teen. We’re not recommending that you become nosey or intrusive, but it’s always a good idea to take a genuine interest in your teen’s welfare. Let him/her know that you care about their well-being. A simple question like, “How is school going,” is always a good opening to a good conversation with your son or daughter.

Emotional distance, depression, or fatigue. Young teenagers should be full of vitality and energy. They really shouldn’t act listless or apathetic in any way. After all, they’re young, and have a whole life ahead of them. If your teenage suddenly seems disinterested or depressed, ask them about it. Again, you don’t want to appear nosey, but a little bit of care and interest will go a long way. Sometimes teens just need a little push to get them going in the right direction.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug Addiction, Rehab, Substance Abuse Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
« Older Posts