SelfGrowth.com articles for Substance Abuse

Alcoholism and Drug Addiction: A Disease or Not?

cplehmann@gmail.com — Fri, 9 Jul 2010 1:19:55 pm

Alcoholism and drug addiction are two maladies that have severely afflicted scores of people across the globe. Now, whether these two should be categorized under diseases like cancer or heart disease is a debate that seems to rage on and create great controversy. The medical community today ...

Addiction Recovery Worksheet For Identifying Healthy Replacements for the Alcohol and Drugs

peggyferguson@hotmail.com — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 12:00:00 am

One of the most important tasks of early recovery from alcohol and other drug addiction is learning to replace the chemical with health living skills. When you have taken the chemical out of your life, it leaves a big gaping hole, where something of substance was. Alcohol or other drugs have ...

Oprah, Women, Food, and God and Skinny Thinking

Laura@skinnythinking.com — Thu, 3 Jun 2010 12:00:00 am

I just watched Oprah interview Geneen Roth about her new book, Women, Food, and God (written for men as well as women). Oprah experienced many breakthroughs reading the book and is recommending it to anyone who has ever struggled with weight. It seems that however Oprah goes, so goes the ...

Addiction and Recovery: Who Will Enable Your Addicted Loved One When You Quit?

peggyferguson@hotmail.com — Thu, 3 Jun 2010 12:11:50 pm

"Enabling" can be described as a behavior pattern of the significant people in the life on an addict or alcoholic. "Enabling" involves rescuing the alcoholic/addict from the negative consequences of his or her behavior. When the addict has those negative consequences of his/her addiction ...

Addiction and Recovery: "Treatment" and "Recovery" Are Not The Same Thing.

peggyferguson@hotmail.com — Thu, 3 Jun 2010 12:11:50 pm

"My spouse went to recovery. Now they tell me that he needs to go on to additional counseling. What is that all about?" "Recovery" and "treatment" are not the same thing. Inpatient treatment, detox, or outpatient treatment, in and of itself, is not "recovery". Recovery is generally a ...

Staying Sober After In-Patient Treatment: Ten Reasons To Follow Through With Continuing Care Even If You Don't Want To

peggyferguson@hotmail.com — Wed, 2 Jun 2010 12:00:00 am

The majority of patients who successfully complete inpatient and have the desire to stay clean and sober relapse in the first year after acute care treatment. Anyone who has been to inpatient treatment has noticed that the among the other patients around them, that there is a large percentage ...

Quit Smoking - Don't Let this Myth Sabotage You!

selfgrowth-expert@smokefreenow.ca — Sun, 2 May 2010 12:00:00 am

It is a common belief that nicotine addiction is the reason it’s hard to quit smoking. However, talk to any smoker who has tried to quit using the patch or gum (maybe you’re one of them), and most will tell you they still want to smoke. So why would do you still want to smoke when you are ...

Healing from Addictions

michael@ah-man.com — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 2:32:23 pm

What are addictions? The Merriam Webster dictionary explanation is: 1: the quality or state of being addicted 2: compulsive need for and use of a habit-forming substance (as heroin, nicotine, or alcohol) characterized by tolerance and by well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal; ...

A Nasty Wound

timothy_sinn@charter.net — Tue, 9 Mar 2010 8:42:00 am

Serving Your Country Most people believe you must be in the military or be voted in to serve a community, state, or country. Such as a Mayor, Congressman, or Judge someone that the people approve to be a servant of the people. We serve our families, neighborhood's, communities on up, in a ...

How "Community" Can Play A Staring Role In Drug Treatment And Recovery

web@cnsproductions.com — Sun, 7 Mar 2010 2:58:50 pm

The success of community based substance abuse treatment programs is based, according to Dr. Darryl Inaba, on the fact that they are uniquely able to provide care and support that is sensitive to culture, gender and place. As one of the original founders of San Francisco’s Haight Ashbury Free ...

Addiction and Recovery: Don't Let Grief Over the Loss of Alcohol Derail Your Transition Into Recovery

peggyferguson@hotmail.com — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 9:09:21 am

One of the common experiences of the earliest efforts toward quitting drinking and becoming sober, is grief over the loss of the chemical. For many people with an alcohol or other drug problem, the chemical, (whether it is alcohol or oxycodone) has become the addict's best friend and constant ...

Are you addicted to Facebook (or Twitter, JDate, or Internet)?

patri.frost@gmail.com — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 10:07:01 pm

The "social media" fad has convinced us that it is a good time investment to spend hours in front of the computer, post every step we walk, twit every time we go to the bathroom, and become part of this culture of peeping Tom's and exhibitionists. We've been told it's "good for networking". Our ...

Addiction and Recovery: The Cross Addiction Worksheet

peggyferguson@hotmail.com — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 7:47:00 pm

Many recovering people who begin the process of becoming clean and sober, harbor the notion that they can continue to hang on to some remnants of an old drinking/using lifestyle. They often initially believe that specific drugs are The Problem. Initially alcoholics/addicts may not consider use ...

Bipolar Disorder, Manic Depression: Understanding the Disease

Jim@AdvancedRelationshipTraining.com — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 12:28:56 am

What is Bipolar Disorder? Bipolar is a disease state where the client moves back and forth from depression to mania. Depression is characterized by loss of interest in things that they used to find pleasure in, loss or gain of appetite, typically not wanting to get out of bed for prolonged ...

Heartbreak

margaret@innerbonding.com — Mon, 1 Feb 2010 11:12:00 pm

Celine, an only child, was 7 years old, her mother died tragically in a car accident. She and her father were devastated. However, unlike so many of my clients who lost parents and no one was there for them, Celine's father was completely there for her, even while dealing with his own grief and ...

Women and alcohol blackouts

staff@womenstherapyservices.com — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 6:01:00 pm

More and more high school and college age women are experiencing blackouts. Blackouts occur when you drink a lot of alcohol in a short amount of time, and an empty stomach or being tired increase the risks of a blackout happening. The drama unfolds in your brain, where memory receptors get ...

Why Home Drug Testing Can Help Solve the Prescription Drug Abuse Problem

blog@homehealthtesting.com — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 1:19:00 pm

Prescription drug abuse is extremely common in the Unites States with a large number of younger school children resorting to such medicines to obtain their highs. It is the second most commonly abused category of drugs after marijuana as estimated by the Office of National Drug Control Policy. ...

Natural Highs – 12 Ways to Get Them

bradpaul@propelpublications.com — Sun, 3 Jan 2010 9:19:29 am

Natural highs are the only true highs. If you want a pure and lasting feeling of euphoria, find ways to achieve highs on your own with out putting unhealthy substances into your body. We look to outside sources to give us the high, the courage, and the inspiration we desire. To get these ...

Family Dynamics of Addiction Exposed: Identifying The "Real Problem" and What To Do About It

peggyferguson@hotmail.com — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:39:00 pm

Many non-addicted spouses complain about how their addicted significant other is driving them crazy, making them depressed, or leading them toward suicide or homicide. These comments only illustrate the destructive nature of the family dynamics of addiction. The addicted and non-addicted ...

One More Essential Tool For Preventing Relapse in Early Addiction Recovery

peggyferguson@hotmail.com — Sun, 8 Nov 2009 5:46:09 pm

Most non-addicted people have routines and organizing structures in their lives that help provide stability. An addict's lifestyle is often one of chaotic instability and disorganization. A general lack of structure and routine contributes to this disorganization and chaos. An addicted ...

Addiction and Recovery: Do You Need Detox After Relapse?

peggyferguson@hotmail.com — Sat, 7 Nov 2009 4:40:53 pm

While most people realize that relapse is a common experience for addicts in recovery, they often do not know how to get back on track after relapsing on alcohol or other mood altering drugs. Although relapse is commonplace, it is predictable, and thus preventable. For many recovering ...

Siblings - The Forgotten Ones - How Siblings Get Hurt

jherzanek@gmail.com — Sat, 7 Nov 2009 1:39:00 pm

The Parable of the Prodigal Son While he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with compassion the father ran to the son, threw his arms around him and said, "Welcome home." His son had come to his senses. "Let's have a party!" His brother refused to ...

Tips to Stop Enabling

bglazer@sympatico.ca — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 12:41:38 pm

There are very fuzzy boundaries between helping and enabling. If you’re enabling, you think that you’re helping, but what you’re doing is anything but helpful. Here's some information so that you don't confuse the two. Helping When you help someone you are doing something that they ...

Don't Eat Crap and Die (The Sobering Facts about Street Drugs)

junewrogers@comcast.net — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 9:14:12 am

If you looked at a product label and it included ingredients like feces, or poison would you readily ingest it? Well, if you decide to use illegal drugs like cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine or even marijuana some nasty and toxic stuff can get into your body. Unlike the FDA approved products ...

Addiction and Recovery: The Emotional Highs and Lows of Early Recovery

peggyferguson@hotmail.com — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 9:19:34 pm

When someone makes a decision to get the help that they need to quit drinking and using other drugs, everything begins to change. As an addict’s body begins to detox and as she is consciously trying to interrupt the momentum of addicted use of a chemical (including alcohol), she goes through ...

Addiction and Recovery: How to Catapult Your Recovery to the Next Level by Using A Problems Checklist to Drive Skill Developmen

peggyferguson@hotmail.com — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 5:30:00 pm

Early recovery is a time of self-assessment and problem identification. You have to know what is not working in order to begin to fix it. One of the first tasks, right after learning basic craving management techniques is spending the time and energy to identify the roles that chemicals have ...

Sex, Drugs, CNN & You - A Blueprint to Eliminate World Poverty

hub@ordinarywords.com — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 4:08:08 pm

Hi there everyone!! You've heard of living in the moment and the Power of Now, right? Does it make sense to live life that way 100% of the time? It actually wouldn't work. There are times when we want to contextualize the past, anticipate the future, and be conscious of impact that we ...

Addiction, Self-Harm, and Eating Disorders from a Metaphysical Perspective

kristen@kristenfinlayson.com — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 6:36:06 pm

As a licensed therapist I worked with many individuals who presented with significant self-destructive behaviors. In therapy, depending on the presenting difficulty, we addressed the reasons why the client engaged in those behaviors. Taking uppers for Depression, downers for Anxiety, cutting to ...

Marijuana Addiction Symptoms and Signs

crystalsmithes@gmail.com — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 6:00:00 am

Perhaps no drug has invited as much heated debate and ferocious argument as marijuana. Marijuana has been a source of fierce pro and against positions mainly because it is considered by many to be the least harmful of drugs; and whether or not marijuana addiction is an actual threat is debated ...

Addiction and Recovery: Plan Your Vacation, Not Your Relapse!

peggyferguson@hotmail.com — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 10:52:00 am

When facing the loss of most of one’s structure in situations like vacation or business trips, relapsive thinking can return, even in established, stable recovery. The relapse thoughts can include some of the below, but this is not an all inclusive lists. When planning a vacation or business ...

Alcohol Addiction Symptoms and Signs

richhenrys@gmail.com — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 10:47:00 am

Alcohol is a word that appears so much in our daily lives and culture that it is difficult for a non-alcoholic to imagine a life of alcohol addiction. Yet, no matter how much one may despise the term and the addiction, psychiatrists describe an alcoholic as one who exhibits any or all of these ...

Extra, Extra, Read All About It! Ten Million Children on Drugs!

murphyfour77@hotmail.com — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 3:31:00 pm

Although this headline will not appear in The New York Times or The Wall Street Journal maybe it should. The chances of a child being addicted to drugs to alter their moods in adulthood increase exponentially if they are prescribed medication by a psychiatrist or doctor at an early age. Parents ...

Children Of Meth

chris@methkills.org — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 8:55:07 am

A child living at a meth lab is exposed to many dangers and to the ongoing effects of chemical contamination. The chemicals used to cook meth produce toxic fumes, vapors, and spills. A child living at a meth lab may inhale or swallow toxic substances or inhale the secondhand smoke of adults who ...

Opiate Addiction Symptoms and Signs

crystalsmithes@gmail.com — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 6:27:00 am

Opiate addiction is an insidious problem that has plagued society for centuries, but perhaps never more so than today. A two-edged sword, opiates can heal or destroy. An opiate is any drug derived from the opium poppy plant. The main opiates are morphine, heroin, and codeine. Thebaine and ...

Best-Selling Self Help Book Uncovers Factors Prompting Drug Abuse

leahita@sbcglobal.net — Fri, 21 May 2010 2:15:11 am

Abuse of Street drugs and powerful prescription drugs has been all over headlines, reportedly creating mental and physical repercussions which millions around the world have discovered can be avoided through the principles contained in L. Ron Hubbard’s best-selling self-help book ...

Addiction As Disease Does Not Equal "Get Out of Jail Free"

peggyferguson@hotmail.com — Tue, 4 Aug 2009 9:55:30 pm

Sometimes family members have a hard time with the idea that addiction is a disease. When this is the case, it often has to do with the issue of responsibility. Sometimes family members believe that "disease" is equated with a "get out of jail free card" or not being held responsible. This is ...

Addiction Recovery: 12 Do's and Don'ts For the Family While the Alcoholic is in Rehab

peggyferguson@hotmail.com — Tue, 4 Aug 2009 9:50:00 pm

Your significant other finally went to rehab. With all the events leading up to his agreeing to go to treatment, it may feel like a let-down. You may have breathed a big sigh of relief as you drove away from the airport or the treatment center after dropping him or her off. You may feel hope. ...

Addiction and Recovery: Drinking or Using Dreams as a Normal Part of Recovery

peggyferguson@hotmail.com — Tue, 4 Aug 2009 9:46:56 pm

When you have a drinking or using dream, you may wake up not really knowing if it actually happened. Many people in early recovery find it disturbing and frightening when they experience a "using" dream. Drinking and using dreams are those dreams where the central theme or experience is about ...

*** A Story of Hope

cdoutreach@gmail.com — Tue, 4 Aug 2009 3:59:26 pm

“Before I came to Amistad, nobody ever took time to teach me how to do something. I just had to figure it out on my own. Now I have mentors who are like me. They have been drug addicts and they have been incarcerated but they are doing something different with their life today. I could ...

*** Amity Foundation’s Annual Acknowledgement Ceremony

cdoutreach@gmail.com — Tue, 4 Aug 2009 3:53:00 pm

We need to send a message to the world. Let it be known that the people in our penal institutions are not invisible; they are not to be thrown away. There is redemption that can be had in the lives of every human being. We stand here in solidarity today with Amity Foundation to say that we ...

The "Rock Bottom" Myth - Learn How to Raise the Bottom

whydonttheyjustquit@gmail.com — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 11:07:58 pm

Yeah, when he hits bottom he'll be ready. A user has to hit bottom before he will change. Sooner or later she will hit bottom. Then she'll be ready to get some help. Raise the Bottom. This whole idea of "hitting bottom" is out of date. Some people will wait years-even decades-for their ...

Addiction and Recovery: Prevent Relapse By Making Good Choices

peggyferguson@hotmail.com — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 2:38:00 pm

Relapse is a process that occurs over time, in the context of significant decisions. Many people who relapse say that drinking or using was the furthest thing from their mind just before they consumed the chemical. In reality, most of the time, relapse was in process some time before the ...

Guide to Eliminating Deception and Dishonesty - How to Get Real in Addiction Recovery

peggyferguson@hotmail.com — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 2:35:00 pm

Many people, while active in addiction, engage in deceptive, dishonest behavior, and diversionary tactics. These are part and parcel of addiction and the need to keep the extent of their problem hidden. It is difficult to juggle all the demands of being addicted with all the "normal" demands of ...

Addiction and Recovery: Cross Addiction and Relapse: 5 Cross Addiction Relapse Prevent Tips

peggyferguson@hotmail.com — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 2:31:00 pm

Although definitions of "Addiction" seem to be continuing to evolve, addiction is still "a primary, chronic, progressive, and relapsing disease". The last decade of research has led to a refined definition of addiction as a "brain disease which is manifested by compulsive behavior". Cross ...

Cross Addiction and Relapse - Examples and Relationships

peggyferguson@hotmail.com — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 2:28:00 pm

Cross addiction is one of the leading causes of relapse in early recovery. Cross-addiction involves being addicted to all mood altering drugs. The following are illustrations of cross addiction. 1. Some people become cross-addicted in their efforts to camouflage their addiction. ...

Addiction and Recovery: Understanding The Nature of Addiction to Understand Cross Addiction

peggyferguson@hotmail.com — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 2:25:00 pm

Early addiction recovery is a fragile thing. One of the most frequent contributing factors in relapse is something we call "cross-addiction". Essentially what cross-addiction means, is that if you are alcoholic or addicted to other mood altering drugs, you a potentially addicted to all mood ...

Addiction and Recovery: Ten Common Myths about Alcohol and Drug Addiction

peggyferguson@hotmail.com — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 3:17:21 am

People who don't know much about alcohol and other drug addiction, often buy into common myths and stereotypes about addiction and addicts. It is important to replace mistaken assumptions and judgments about addiction, so that you can approach those afflicted with the illness, with compassion ...

Addiction and Recovery: Do You Really Have to Hit Bottom to Recover?

peggyferguson@hotmail.com — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 3:12:59 am

There is a generally misguided notion that you have to "hit bottom" to be able to get sober and stay sober. "Hitting bottom" is usually seen as the loss of the things that you value in your life. It is an individually defined event and the concept has probably hindered the recovery efforts of a ...

A Relapse Prevention Tool - Emotional Cues for Cravings in Relapse Worksheet

peggyferguson@hotmail.com — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 3:07:20 am

We experience sensory, emotional/psychological, cognitive, environmental, and physical cues on a daily basis in early recovery. These cues or triggers, if left unchecked can turn into powerful cravings for the chemical. Cravings can lead to relapse. In order to avoid relapse it is crucial that ...

Addiction and Recovery: The Social and Environmental Triggers Worksheet

peggyferguson@hotmail.com — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 3:02:56 am

Associations between particular feelings, people, places, and events becomes intertwined with the alcoholic or addicts drinking and drugging behavior. When alcoholics and addicts find their way to recovery, the old associations between the drinking and drugging and the old feeling, people, ...