Drug Rehab

Christian Drug Treatment

2012-01-25T02:44:00.000-08:00

Programs at a Christian Drug Treatment Center

The decision to inscribe one self at a Christian drug treatment center is certainly a positive step towards leading a normal life and retrieving normalcy. With the mushrooming of several drug treatment institutions all over the world, it has become quite easy to access useful information pertaining to the several kinds of programs run by these institutions. In present times this has become singularly important because decent information about the programs run at the different rehabilitation centers helps in making a well modified decision.

Drug addiction is a psychological disorder that can occur at any age. It is not simply a state of physical decadence but also gradual mental loss. It is mostly accompanied by stress, anxiety, depression and fatigue. The addict becomes so heavily determined by the substance that he withdraws himself completely from the external world. His extreme dependence on the drug makes it nearly inconceivable for him to stay away from it for a long duration. As a result, his life slowly gets out of control and the addict finds himself in a state of perpetual disaster.

Considering the psychological aspect of this kind of addiction, the first and frontmost step involved in any form of medication has to be encouraging the lost self confidence. It should be remembered that a drug addict is always in a weak situation where he does not even realize the monolithic harm he is causing to himself and to those close to him. He begins believing that he will not be able to survive without drugs. This is a mythos that needs to be tattered to make the addict believe that it is indeed possible to avoid drugs forever. More importantly, this logical thinking cannot be done in a manner that appears to force the addict into believing this. Instead the explanation has to be in an insouciant and friendly tone. At the drug rehab centers, skilled doctors, physicians and counselors are skilled at this. These professionals have several years of experience in dealing with such patients. Therefore, they are equipped with several tried and tested programs that fetch contiguous results.

At any prestigious Christian drug treatment center, various programs are broached and implemented to verify each program’s effectiveness in meeting the necessities of individual drug addict. At the core of all programs is the objective to enable a recovering drug addict to control his advocate and be able to lead a normal life.

There are a number of treatment programs and ideals that are commonly used at most drug rehab centers. Some of the most prevalent forms of drug treatment programs are counseling, therapies and medication.

The most important form of program which has been in practice for several years now is behavior therapy. A number of psychological proficiency such as support groups, counseling and family therapy are included in this form of treatment. However, for the success of this kind of treatment it must be noted that this treatment has to be rigorous and stringent. This means that the patient has to be on an adherence treatment module to be able to benefit from it.

In addition to the behavior therapy which is basically a psychological reaching out of the recovering drug addict, many drug rehab centers also lay equal emphasis on providing medicinal assistance to the patients. For this, it needs to be mentioned that the success and effectiveness of the treatment depends on the duration of the treatment. In most cases, it has been found that those patients who put up at the rehab for a longer duration of time recover faster than those who stay there for a brief period. In all cases the doctors at the rehab centers provide limpidity on the expected duration of the treatment after reviewing the medical history of the patient. So, a patient with a severe drug problem is usually recommended to put up at the center for a longer period of time in equivalence to someone who has become an addict recently.

Some of the programs offered at the drug rehab centers require the patient to come for regular or quotidian checkups while in some other cases the patients are asked to reside within the premises of the center to get medical attention. There are therapeutic communities where the patients are put up in groups and offered medical facilities. These programs are meant purely for those who have a long history of drug addiction and have been unsuccessful in getting rid of this addiction.

To cater to the individual necessities of each drug addict, many well known drug rehab centers have modified their treatment programs in recent times. They have been focusing on imposing modern methods of treatment to provide permanent solution to the drug problem. Yoga instructions and meditation have been some of the most efficacious ways to curb the urge to do drugs again.

Expectations at a Christian Drug Treatment Center

What makes a Christian drug treatment center different from a non-faith-based drug rehabilitation approach? The truth is that Christian drug treatment programs and profane drug treatment programs have quite a lot in common:

Christian Drug Treatment Center Bids Individual Counseling

In both a Christian drug treatment center and a center in which faith is not integrated drug addicts will work one on one with a professionally aimed addiction counselor. Together the addict and her counselor will work to identify how her addiction took hold and the activates that kept it going. During individual counseling sessions, the addict will work through psychological issues and work to develop skills to cope with the enticements and struggles that the addict will face when she finishes her drug addiction treatment program.

Christian Drug Treatment Center Extends Group Therapy

Group therapy sessions are jussive mood to both Christian drug treatment center programs and non-faith based drug treatment programs. In group therapy addicts will work together with a counselor to learn how to communicate effectively and how to face their addictions in a social setting. Group therapy sessions are beneficial because it allows addicts to talk about their addictions in a safe environment with others who understand what it is to have an addiction that cannot be controlled.

Christian Drug Treatment Center Bids Education

In order for someone addicted to drugs or alcohol to recover from his addiction, it is important that he understands the science behind his addiction. All good drug treatment centers work to educate their patients on their drugs of choice and the effects those drugs have on the body and mind. These classes also help addicts understand how addiction works and will teach simple methods the addict can use to protest the temptations in the outside world.

Christian drug treatment centers integrate all of these elements while offering drug and alcohol addicts something extra.

Christian Drug Treatment Center Extends Twelve Steps

The twelve steps that everyone has heard about (that were developed by Alcoholics Anonymous) are put to work in all Christian drug treatment centers. At Transformations Treatment Center, the twelve steps are used as a road map for the drug addict’s recovery and future sobriety. The twelve steps are used in conjunction with the teachings of Christ to help addicts figure out how to lead a Christian lifestyle as they work to stay sober.

Christian Drug Treatment Center Provides Bible Study and Church

Attendance

Bible study and regular Church attendance are an integral part to any Christian drug treatment center. Drug and alcohol addicts learn how to look to the Bible and the sermons offered in Church for inspiration and guidance. The Bible is an excellent source for advice on staying vigilant and resisting temptation and addicts will learn which passages provide the most information and how to find inspiration throughout the rest of the verses as well. Regular church attendance helps recovering drug and alcohol addicts begin to create a regular schedule and the sermons can offer addicts some guidance to help an addict stay vigilant during the week.

Christian Drug Treatment Center Offers Pastoral Counseling

Pastoral Counseling is offered at Transformations Treatment Center as well as at other Christian Drug Treatment Centers all over the country. Pastoral counseling is a lot like individual therapy that is infused with Christian teachings and guidance. You will work with a pastor to find strength in your faith. You will also learn how to pray for strength and guidance as you work to stay sober and resist the temptations of the world outside of rehab.

Christian Drug Treatment Center Offers Faith

Some people think that choosing a Christian drug treatment center is only an option for people who subscribe to the Christian faith. The truth is that Christian drug addiction recovery programs are open to people of all faiths as well as to those who do not subscribe to any particular faith. The Christian drug treatment center at Transformations Treatment Center welcomes anyone who wants to overcome a drug or alcohol addiction. Many people who choose to take part in Christian drug treatment center programs are surprised to find just how inclusive these drug rehab programs can be.

The truth is that a Christian drug treatment program can offer a drug addict something that other, secular, types of programs cannot. It is hard to define what this something is. Some people call it faith. Other people call it comfort. Still others have no word for that certain something that helped them stay sober after leaving their Christian drug treatment program even after their previous attempts at addiction recovery had failed.

Christian Drug Treatment: What it Provides That Secular Drug Treatment Does Not

There are many ways that people can get help to overcome their drug and alcohol addictions. Some people choose to quit their drug of choice cold turkey. Others use medication to help wean them off of the drug they are addicted to. Some people check themselves into an intensive in patient drug addiction treatment facility. Still other addicts choose to participate in outpatient drug treatment programs and groups like Alcoholics or Narcotics Anonymous. One of the most popular and successful methods of treating drug and alcohol addictions is Christian drug treatment.

The truth is that Christian drug treatment has a very high rate of success when helping people to overcome drug and alcohol addictions. People who go through a Christian drug treatment program are less likely to relapse than people who choose a secular program or try to do their drug rehabilitation and overcome their drug and alcohol addictions on their own. Why is this? Why is the Christian drug treatment program’s approach so much more successful than other programs? There are several theories as to why Christian drug treatment works so well.

Christian Drug Treatment: Community and Family Strength

The Christian community is a very supportive community-- even to those who do not subscribe to the Christian faith. This community feels like a large and sprawling extended family whose members all place high priority in helping each other stay strong and achieve whatever goals they set out to achieve. When someone is suffering from a drug or alcohol addiction, a Christian drug treatment program introduces the addict to the Christian community. The addict will be welcomed “into the fold” of people who will all support the addict as he or she works to overcome his (or her) addiction to drugs and/or alcohol. This community can help the addict find safe shelter, gainful employment and provide a social network that the addict can lean on as he tries to stay sober.

Another bonus to finding his or her place in the Christian community is the support that the Christian community offers to the families and friends of people who suffer from drug and alcohol addictions. Christian drug treatment can help an addict re-strengthen the bonds he had with his family and friends. This supportive community prides itself on helping its members build strong families and friendship networks.

Christian Drug Treatment: Managements and Church Attendance

One of the cornerstones of Christian drug treatment is regular church attendance. Many addicts find that regular church attendance is helpful on many fronts. While it helps them find inspiration in the divine and strength in a higher power, the regularly scheduled services give the recovering addict something to do and to look forward to. Instead of trying to figure out how to fill up the months and years of a sober life, the addict only has to focus on getting through a few days before he can get his “regularly scheduled dose of faith.” What’s more, many churches have activities that take place between the regular Sunday services. Some churches have services during the week. Some churches have support group meetings, bible study lessons or volunteer opportunities that members of the church attend regularly. These activities can help a recovering drug addict or alcoholic fill up his days and evenings.

A full schedule is important for people who are trying to recover from a drug or alcohol addiction. Christian drug treatment helps addicts understand that by taking part in an active church, they will have less time to worry about the drugs and alcohol that they are not consuming. A full schedule can help distract the addict from his or her addiction. What’s more, by staying active within the church, the addict will strengthen his ties to the Christian community and a strong social network is incredibly important to preventing an addiction relapse.

Christian Drug Treatment: Strength in the Divine

Another important tenet of Christian drug treatment is teaching the recovering addict how to find strength and inspiration in a higher power. Many people suffering from drug and alcohol addiction feel that they are all alone in the universe. This loneliness fuels their addictions and can make staying sober incredibly difficult outside of drug rehab. When a person enters a Christian drug treatment program they are taught that there is always someone looking out for them. The addicts are taught how to seek God and how to find inspiration in the teachings of Jesus Christ. What is more important is that they are taught that God and Jesus are always with them and that they are not alone. Understanding that they are part of a larger design helps many addicts feel more connected to their communities and the world around them. These connections help them stay sober once they have left the drug rehab center.

While it is certainly true that there are non-Christian drug treatment programs out there that have high rates of success, the fact is that Christian drug treatment works even after other types of addiction recovery treatment have failed. Faith based programs provide recovering addicts with something that other types of drug and alcohol addiction rehabilitation do not. This is not something that can be easily explained and, more often than not, has to be experienced to be understood.

Transformations Treatment Center offers drug and alcohol addicts Christian drug treatment that will help them stay sober long after they have left drug rehab. The program centers around regular church activities, prayer, bible study and lessons on the teachings of Jesus Christ. Previous Christian affiliation is not necessary for admission into the program. In fact, the staff at Transformations Treatment Center welcomes people of all faiths and walks of life to participate in their drug and alcohol addiction treatment program.

Christian Drug Rehab

2012-01-25T02:14:00.000-08:00

Lets Take a Step in The Spiritual Aspect!

Christian rehab centers have metamorphosed the lives of thousands of individuals who were one under the regulation of drugs or alcohol. These rehab centers help patients get over addiction by inspiring them to gain strength from having faith in God. The addict surrenders to God’s will and realizes his mistake through spiritual counseling sessions. The focus is on spirituality while inspiring and encouraging the patients to leave their addiction for drugs and liquor. These alcoholism treatment centers give the patients the courage to fight through the hard time and conflicts that come in the way of their lives. The addicts are told about the love God has for them and that He is always there for counsel.

Doctors and counselors at the Christian rehab centers impart the belief in the patients that Jesus is there to help them come out of the awful situation that they are in. The scriptures taught by them reflect that people are not perfect in all ways. Addicts are asked to build their faith in God, forgive themselves for their sins and move towards a new life of temperance.

Through the teachings of The Bible, the patients are able to rekindle their faith in God and move away from sinfulness and move close to the Savior Jesus Christ. This advocates the patients and makes them understand that substance abuse is something which will leave them in darkness making their lives deplorable. These rehab centers result in a complete transmutation in the addicts through spiritual practices like reading scriptures, attending church, being part of religious seminars and so on.

They actually impart a hope for good future in the patients which further help them to defeat all the troubles that might come in their life and lead a happy life after leaving the rehab center. The patients are treated with enthusiastic compassion and care and privacy is maintained. Traditional way of treatment that includes detoxification and medication are also part of Christian treatment.

One more way in which these centers demonstrate to be helpful is by making the patients believe in beauty of life. They help the patients to discern the beautiful creation of nature and that one must enjoy life. Some rehab centers are situated near the water body or mountains and there they put the patient close to the nature and provide great chances to regenerate and appreciate the beauty around.

The programs that are included in Christian rehab centers mainly constitutes of bible study, counseling by Christian therapist and group therapy with prayers. These programs also include family meetings. These meetings mainly aim at building a strong adherence between the patient and God and also with family members.

In case one searches for Christian rehab centers he will come across many organizations as well as churches that provide drug treatments and affirm for the patients the spiritual way. These treatment centers have proved to be of great help to many. Since the addict understands from within that he was on the wrong path, backsliding is greatly reduced once they become sober.

Get Aid You Can Believe In: Christian Drug Rehab

If you’re a Christian, you know that using drugs is not the life God intended for you. Knowing that you should stop and being able to stop are two different things, though. Christian drug rehab allows you to call on both the power of man and the power of God for strength to help you domesticate your life.

The power of man is reflected in two ways. First, the staff at a Christian drug rehab facility will bring the power of medical knowledge to bear in order to help you through the asperities of detoxification. Once you’ve been through back-down and the drug is no longer flowing through your body, the power of man will be apparent in the fellowship and guidance you will receive to help you protest the lure of using again.

Variable Types of Christian Drug Rehab

Treatment established on the twelve-step model of AA is NA are basically a faith-based approach, since the steps necessitate the addict to call on the strength of God for help in fighting the addiction. However, the twelve-step access is not Christian, in that it makes no mention of Jesus, and God is often adverted to as a “Higher Power.”

For those who want a more religious and more Christian approach, there are other options. Some treatment centers are a specifically Christian ministry. Other, more generalized adeptness’s often have a Christian program as one of their options. By using the Google Search under the heading “Special Focus Programs,” you can find a selection of facilities that will help you devolve to the right path.

Why The Need Go To a Christian Drug Rehab Center Over Self Recovery Programs?

Drug addiction or drug abuse is not a new phenomenon. It has subsisted for several decades and its ill-famed history has a special mention of the United States of America where millions of drug addicts have lost their lives to this deadly and self annihilating addiction. There is no way we can keep denying the preponderance of this addiction which already has several millions of people under its clings to.

Drug addiction is mostly assorted with some kind of personal failure, loss or imbalance in personal life. Although it is true that drug addiction is most common among teenagers and under age people, it is not very rare in others either. It can surface at any age and in anybody who is in a weak mental state.

In the early stages, a drug addict does not even realize that his life is slowly going out of control and that he is gradually becoming convincible to drug abuse. By the time, the person realizes that his life is in great danger it already gets too late. To avoid this type of situation, family members and friends need to be extremely conservative and alert. They need to look for behavioral changes in the drug addict and help him to get out of this embroilment as soon as possible.

Please note that any form of medication or medical aid will fail if the drug addict himself does not realize the need to go for a certain therapy. This is eventually a psychological cark that needs special care and attention. The first step that should be given maximum accent is making the drug addict realize that needs to visit the Christian drug treatment center without making further delay. It is important to keep in mind that making a drug addict understand the importance of seeking medical help to get rid of an addiction is grueling task that may not be as simple as one might think. It is extremely important to convince the addict to go for an addiction program before it is too late.

There are cornucopias of options when it comes to getting rid of drug addiction. Two of the most common types of programs are the self recovery programs and the addiction programs of the drug rehabilitation centers.

You might have read about the self recovery programs that are easily available on the net at a much cheaper price. While you might be tempted to try one of these programs out because it would not only fall within your budget but also be a preferred choice for the addict, you should know why these programs are not as effective as the programs offered by drug rehabs.

The self recovery programs available on the net are developed mostly in several faculties, each designed to help an addict come out of his addiction. These modules are designed to be in simple tone and language. However, it would be wrong to assume that a drug addict with a severe drug problem will automatically stop taking drugs by going through these modules. Nobody can deny that the physical presence of an instructor and expert team of physician is far more effective than a mere video featuring some ex addicts and their experiences.

Please remember that a drug addict is in a very vulnerable situation which calls for immediate help. On most occasions, it has been found that in spite of keeping away from drugs for a few days, drug addicts have gone back to their addiction exacerbating the problems to a great extent. There is therefore a great need to find a comprehensive solution that can provide a permanent solution to the problem of drug abuse.

This is where the drug rehab center seems to be the best option available. At a Christian drug treatment center, the patient is not treated merely as a patient but as someone who needs to be given proper care and attention. By using a series of comprehensive treatment programs, the drug addicts are helped to regain their normality and lead a clean social life. Instead of focusing solely on the medication aspect, expert doctors and counselors at these rehab centers proficient alter the lifestyle pattern of the drug addicts admitted at these centers.

The treatment programs at these centers are mostly two fold. In the first phase, attention is paid on identifying and addressing individual areas of concern that require special attention. In the next level, the patients are clubbed in various groups and through series of discussions, counseling and meditative procedures they are made to see the potential amends that they could be causing to themselves by taking drugs. In extreme cases, patients are kept for a longer duration and provided assistance in the form of counseling as well as medication. This is therefore a far more holistic approach which is significantly effective than the self recovery programs.

Rare Programs at a Christian Drug Treatment Center

The decision to enroll one self at a Christian drug treatment center is undoubtedly a positive step towards leading a normal life and regaining normalcy. With the mushrooming of several drug treatment institutions all over the world, it has become quite easy to access useful information pertaining to the various kinds of programs run by these institutions. In present times this has become singularly important because adequate information about the programs run at the different rehabilitation centers helps in making a well informed decision.

Drug addiction is a psychological disorder that can occur at any age. It is not merely a state of physical degeneration but also gradual mental loss. It is mostly accompanied by stress, anxiety, depression and fatigue. The addict becomes so heavily influenced by the substance that he withdraws himself completely from the outer world. His extreme dependence on the drug makes it nearly impossible for him to stay away from it for a long duration. As a result, his life slowly gets out of control and the addict finds himself in a state of perpetual disaster.

Considering the psychological aspect of this kind of addiction, the first and foremost step involved in any form of medication has to be boosting the lost self confidence. It should be remembered that a drug addict is always in a vulnerable situation where he does not even realize the massive harm he is causing to himself and to those close to him. He begins believing that he will not be able to survive without drugs. This is a myth that needs to be shattered to make the addict believe that it is indeed possible to avoid drugs forever. More importantly, this reasoning cannot be done in a manner that appears to force the addict into believing this. Instead the explanation has to be in a casual and friendly tone. At the drug rehab centers, skilled doctors, physicians and counselors are skilled at this. These professionals have several years of experience in dealing with such patients. Therefore, they are equipped with several tried and tested programs that fetch immediate results.

At any reputable Christian drug treatment center, various programs are initiated and implemented to verify each program’s effectiveness in meeting the requirements of individual drug addict. At the core of all programs is the objective to enable a recovering drug addict to control his urge and be able to lead a normal life.

There are a number of treatment programs and methodologies that are commonly used at most drug rehab centers. Some of the most prevalent forms of drug treatment programs are counseling, therapies and medication.

The most important form of program which has been in practice for several years now is behavior therapy. A number of psychological proficiencies such as support groups, counseling and family therapy are included in this form of treatment. However, for the success of this kind of treatment it must be noted that this treatment has to be rigorous and stringent. This means that the patient has to be on a comprehensive treatment module to be able to welfare from it.

In addition to the behavior therapy which is basically a psychological mapping of the recovering drug addict, many drug rehab centers also lay equal emphasis on providing medicinal assistance to the patients. For this, it needs to be mentioned that the success and effectiveness of the treatment depends on the duration of the treatment. In most cases, it has been found that those patients who put up at the rehab for a longer duration of time recover faster than those who stay there for a brief period. In all cases the doctors at the rehab centers provide clarity on the expected duration of the treatment after reviewing the medical history of the patient. So, a patient with a severe drug problem is usually recommended to put up at the center for a longer period of time in comparison to someone who has become an addict recently.

Some of the programs offered at the drug rehab centers require the patient to come for regular or routine checkups while in some other cases the patients are asked to reside within the premises of the center to get medical attention. There are therapeutic communities where the patients are put up in groups and offered medical facilities. These programs are meant exclusively for those who have a long history of drug addiction and have been unsuccessful in getting disembarrass of this addiction.

To cater to the individual requirements of each drug addict, many well known drug rehab centers have modified their treatment programs in recent times. They have been focusing on implementing modern methods of treatment to provide permanent solution to the drug problem. Yoga instructions and meditation have been some of the most effective ways to inhibit the urge to do drugs again.

Christian Drug Rehab? Is Right For You!

Christian drug rehab has worked for people all over the world. Christian drug addiction treatment has a higher rate of success than other types of rehab. Some equate this higher success rate to the inherent sense of community that is involved in Christian drug rehab. Others insist that it is faith itself that keeps addicts from relapsing. The truth is that whatever the reason, people who enter a Christian based drug addiction rehabilitation program are more likely to stay sober once they leave rehab and go back to “regular” life.

Transformations Treatment Center offers its clients a Christian drug rehab that welcomes people of all faiths (or people who do not claim any faith at all) and helps them work through their addictions to drugs or alcohol and then go on to lead sober lifestyles. The patients who work with Transformations Treatment Center assert that it was the Christian-based approach to drug and alcohol rehabilitation that helped them get sober and that the Christian-centric coping proficiencies they learned are what have helped them stay sober once they left rehab.

Christian Drug Rehab Provides Social Support

One thing that any drug addiction rehabilitation expert will tell you is that a strong system of social support is imperative for a real recovery from a drug or alcohol addiction. During your search for the right addiction rehabilitation program you were probably told over and over again that the type of addiction recovery program you need will depend intemperately on the system of social support that you have already in place. People who have a strong sociable support system can often find success in outpatient drug addiction rehab centers while people with dilapidated social networks are better off checking in to an inpatient treatment center.

Christian drug rehab offers drug and alcohol addicts a built in center of social support. The sense of community that is fostered within a Christian drug rehab facility is easily re-created in the “regular” world. Often the same people an addict works with in rehab will come together outside of rehab to help each other work through the addiction enticements that exist in the world outside the walls of rehab. Even if you live far away from your rehab-mates, you can still easily recreate that supportive community by joining a church in your local area.

Christian Drug Rehab and Positive Concerns

The system of social support fostered in a Christian drug rehab program is called “positive pressure.” This means that, instead of simply hoping that you will not relapse, the people in your social circle will push you to stay sober. Your peers will encourage you to “just say no” and to push past the temptations that exist in the world outside of rehab. What’s more, these peers are often available to talk you through the temptations and pressures that would commonly send you flying toward your old dealer.

Transformations Treatment Center helps further a social setting in which positive pressure can be learned and become inherent. Clients of Transformations Treatment Center take part in group therapy séances in which a trained counselor will instruct the group how to communicate in a positive and effective way. The set up is similar to the setting a client will find in his local church community.

Another part of the Christian drug rehab program at Transformations Treatment Center is regular church presence. This is a regular docket that can easily be emboldened once a client has graduated from rehab. There are plenty of churches that an addict can join to get his regular source of inspiration for the week. What’s more, the bible study classes and lessons in the teachings of Jesus Christ are also usually offered by most community churches.

Positive pressure and a strong system of social support are incredibly important in the world of drug addiction recovery. The chances of relapse increase exponentially if the recovering drug addict or alcoholic does not have a system of friends and family to rely on when he or she is feeling vulnerable. Christian drug rehab programs teach convalescent addicts how to foster this sense of support in an already existing circle of support. It also teaches people whose social networks have been damaged how to rebuild their social circles.

When you seek treatment for a drug or alcohol addiction, learning how to communicate and ask for help is going to be part of whatever program you choose. When you choose the Christian drug rehab program at Transformations Treatment Center, you will learn how to communicate, be supportive of others and how to seek out that positive pressure. The community fostered at Transformations Treatment Center extends beyond the boundaries of the treatment facility. It is this constant source of support that will help you stay solemn and avoid relapsing.

Drug

2012-01-18T03:22:00.000-08:00

The Time Has Come for a Drug Intercession

When someone close to you is caught in the downwardly spiral of addiction, it may be very difficult for that person to distinguish exactly what is happening to his or her life. People with substance abuse problems are living in abnegation, making promises to themselves and others that they can’t keep. When heart-to-heart talks haven’t helped, a formal drug intervention may be necessitated.

Preparation is the key to a productive drug intervention. Use the imaginations available on the internet to find an intervention specialist. You will then gather together a group of people who care profoundly about the addict. You will practice the intervention process at least once, making sure that everyone knows how to proceed.

Appropriate things to say during an intercession are:

How you feel about what’s happening to the addict.
How his or her actions are affecting you.
A clear affirmation that you will not tolerate drug use any longer.
An explanation of the effects for continued use.

The intervention advocate will help you distinguish objections the addict might make, and help you learn how to respond to them.

The Goal of a Drug Intervention Is Contiguous Treatment

When confronted, the addict may make devout promises to stop using, but this cannot be accepted as an outcome. The goal of intervention is to get the addict into treatment without detain. Therefore, you must have made formulations before beginning the intervention. The treatment center will be expecting him or her, payment placements have been made, transportation prepared, and even a suitcase packed.

A drug intervention is a difficult and painful process both for the addict and for those who participate in the brush. However, that excruciation is well worth it if the result is a person you love finally freed from addiction.

Information about Alcohol and Drug Addiction

Alcohol and drug addiction are very serious illnesses. Whether you have an addiction to alcohol, drugs, or both, you need to seek treatment to avoid the kismet crash your life will take. These drugs take over your mind, and you are no longer the same person you were before you started using. People will do anything to feed their addiction. Many people who are addicts can lose their jobs over their addiction. They will appeal to stealing and other law-breaking activities to get their fix. Drugs and alcohol will kill you if treatment isn’t started soon.

The main point of treating alcohol and drug addiction is to rid the person of the chemical dependency they have on whichever substance they abuse. This is called detoxification, or detox. Treatment programs work with users to deal with the emotional and physical pain involved in ridding the body of destructive chemicals. Once the drugs are out of the system, you can finally start the healing process.

Seeking Treatment for Alcohol and Drug Addiction

Achieving dispassion is a long road. It takes determination and a solid support system. Understanding your specific addiction will help you to resolve which treatment plan is the best for you. You can start by asking your family doctor about treatment programs or you can get onto the internet and start searching for facilities that can assist you. Many hospitals offer programs, and if you can’t find a free-standing clinic in your area, the local hospital may be a great option to contact. Whichever you chose, seeking treatment for alcohol and drug addiction is a brave step to take, and the sooner you’ve admitted that you have a problem, the sooner you can start to recover.

Brief on hallucinogens, stimulants and narcotics

During the late 1990s, the anticipated 3% of pregnant ladies used unauthorized drugs in early gestation, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Pregnancy complications and poor fetal outcomes are common in these women. However, drug abuse may not be exclusively responsible for these adverse outcomes; other contributing factors in this population include a lack of prenatal care, violence, and sexually transmitted diseases. Breast-feeding is advised with all of the following agents: Marijuana

This drug disrupts neurodevelopment, but there is no evidence that it is a structural teratogen. Exposure in utero can cause fetal growth subnormality and subtle, long-lasting neurobehavioral abnormalities related to effects in the prefrontal cortical regions of the brain. Marijuana also has been linked to ephemeral irritability, tremors, and an exaggerated startle reflex in neonates, but after this early period, there is little evidence of adverse neuro behavior in children followed up to age three years. In studies of older children up to twelve years of age, however, exposure in utero, especially if heavy and/or long term, is associated with inattention, hyperactivity, increased capricious and delinquency, and deficits in short-term memory tasks and problem resolution.

Cocaine

Cocaine is a human teratogen that causes anomalies of the genitourinary tract, heart, limbs, face, and bowel. The toxicity of cocaine in the mother and fetus is associated to the dose taken and duration of use. Toxicities result from the drug’s sympathomimetic properties, which lead to hypertension and vasoconstriction, causing diminished uterine blood flow and fetal hypoxia.

Maternal toxicities include oral abortions, premature labor and delivery, premature rupture of membranes, placenta previa, and abruptio placentae. Fetal and neonatal toxicities can result from maternal use at any point during gestation and include growth retardation, fetal distress, in utero cerebrovascular accidents, and unnatural neonatal neurobehavior.

Amphetamines

This group of drugs includes amphetamine, dextroamphetamine, methamphetamine, Ecstasy (MDMA), and the structurally related agents mescaline (from peyote) and STP (4-methyl-2,5-dimethoxyamphetamine, or DOM). Amphetamine-induced deformities have been observed in some animals (pregnancy category C), but only at eminent doses. Various birth defects, such as oral clefts, cardiac defects, and biliary atresia, have been noted in the progeny of women taking amphetamines for therapeutic reasons or recreational use. A actuating association has not been based, but the risk, even if it is eventually proved, appears to be low Mild neonatal withdrawal has also been observed. There is practically no information on the use of peyote during pregnancy, but it is teratogenic in one animal species. On the other hand, there is ample evidence that recreational use can present significant risks, including intrauterine growth retardation, decreased head circumference, premature delivery, and increased maternal, fetal, and neonatal morbidity. Amphetamine abuse during pregnancy, which is often combined with alcohol consumption, use of other drugs, and smoking, may cause altered growth and neuro behavior that are still apparent after puberty.

LSD

LSD is a potent hallucinogen, but there is no published evidence that the pure chemical causes chromosomal abnormalities, spontaneous abortions, or major inborn malformations. Reports of adverse pregnancy consequences in women using LSD were probably related to simultaneous ingestion of other drugs of abuse, selective reporting, and other elements not related to drug abuse.

Narcotics

These agents, which cross the placenta quickly, do not cause structural defects, but neonatal withdrawal may occur at birth if the mother is addicted. Among newborns whose mothers have been on methadone, the incidence and asperity of withdrawal were related to the dose. Lowering the maternal dose of methadone to less than 20 mg/day significantly reduced neonatal backdown and length of hospital stay.

Phencyclidine (PCP)

In animals, PCP causes both structural defects and neurobehavioral effects. Congenital defects have been described in children of women who used PCP while pregnant, but a causative association has not been proved, largely because PCP, a hallucinogen, is seldom used alone. Neonatal neurobehavioral dysfunction (irritability, jitteriness, depression, hypotonia, poor feeding, and poor sucking reflex) may be a effects of abuse during pregnancy, but these poor effects have not been observed at age 2 years in children disclosed in utero.

Creating a drug-free office

Productivity, safety, absenteeism and medical expense are some of the problems that require correction. Workers who experienced drugs and alcohol are 25% less productive than those who abstain. They also threaten the safety of fellow employees and the general public and can run up enormous medical and rehabilitation disbursals for their employers.

Drug use causes fatigue, paranoia, difficulty in concentrating, impaired judgment, slowed reaction time, poor coordination, and disarray. Alcohol abusers have high absenteeism, frequently arrive late and leave early, display verbal and physical hostility, often sleep on the job, and are a drag on productivity and character.

As a result, accidents are three to five times more likely among alcohol and drug users, and when accidents do occur, druggies and alcoholics are five times more likely to file Workers’ Comp claims. Drug and alcohol abuse is the basic cause of 47% of industrial injuries and deaths.

The problem is not obscure among a few bad apples. Studies have shown that 85 million Americans have experimented with illegal drugs. Seventy percent of outlaw drug users are employed, as are 85% to 90% of alcohol users. In a typical work force, 80% of the employees know someone who drinks, or buys or sells drugs at work.

Why workers turn to drugs and alcohol

If you understand the reasons why workers turn to drugs and alcohol, you stand a much better chance of changing attitudes and altering habits through health promotion programs.

Essentially, people take drugs because of low job satisfaction, job insecurity, dangerous working conditions, job stress, and isolation from friends and family, and to try to stay awake while performing boring and repetitious jobs. Alcoholics, on the other hand, drink because they have low job autonomy and lack control over work conditions and products, are bored, stressed out and sexually harassed, and frequently have to put up with verbal and physical aggression from fellow employees or management. Many also are in insurrection against workplace alcohol policies.

Researchers have begun to look not just at the effectiveness of workplace alcohol programs in intervening in drinking problems, but also at the culture of the workplace itself as a causal factor in both drinking and non-drinking behavior of employees.

While alcohol testing is able to immediately measure the level of worker intoxication at the time of testing, drug testing does not measure impairment, and there is usually detain of several days in getting a laboratory report. Drug testing also does not determine the quantity of the drug consumed, or when it was depleted.

Although alcohol programs in the workplace are now the rule rather than the exception, creating a drug-free workplace seems to take priority over establishing a workplace free from both drugs and alcohol. The main reason is that the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1998 requires mandatory testing of federal employees and requires that all federal contractors must provide a drug-free workplace as a presumption of receiving contracts or grants. Also, in 1995-96, the federal Department of Transportation broached alcohol and drug testing and requires annual random testing of all commercial drivers.

There is no corresponding law for alcohol abuse, and historically most male-dominated workplace cultures accept the use of alcohol. Many even encourage drinking as a way to build solidarity and show abidance to the group. As a result, most firms are “tough” on illicit drugs but “soft” on alcohol, and it is common knowledge among workers that anti-drinking indemnities are rarely enforced.

Even if a firm is not dependent on government contracts, it still makes sense to establish a policy on drugs and alcohol. The reason: failure to do so could constitute a breach of the Occupational Safety & Health Administration’s General Duty clause requirement to maintain a safe workplace. Establishing a substance abuse program also demonstrates an employer’s commitment to maintaining a safe workplace and high product quality. And, finally, lost productivity related to alcohol alone has been estimated to cost industry $70 billion to $120 billion a year.

To formulate and implement a drug free job environment, an employer should establish a representative group of employees to develop a policy. The policy should include provisions to provide assistance for rehabilitation and counseling, even though only 27% of small businesses currently offer employee assistance programs. Confidentiality also should be a major concern.

Employee assistance programs (EAP’s) work better if they are conducted at the work site rather than someplace else. Employees are more likely to take advantage of an internal EAP rather than an external one.

Drugs to be covered by the policy should include cannabis (marijuana and hashish), heroin, cocaine, MDMA (Ecstasy), opium, amphetamine morphine, and hallucinogens (LSD and PCP).

A sample drug-free workplace policy that also covers alcohol can be found on the Web and is a good starting point. The prototype policy was prepared by the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse. Substance abuse policies should include education, training, and healthy lifestyle programs, as these can have a positive effect on a person’s behavior. But they also must clearly state that anyone reporting to work under the influence of alcohol or other unauthorized drugs may be released without any caution.

General information on Lidocaine Injection

LIDOCAINE USES

Lidocaine is a useful drug which can be injected to numb your area before surgery or any another medical treatment. Its brand name is Xylocaine.

HOW TO USE LIDOCAINE

This medication is injected into the body (e.g., into a muscle or under the skin) as directed by your doctor. The dosage and location of the injection depends on your condition and response to the drug. Before using, check this product visually for particles or stain. If either is present, do not use the liquid. Learn all formulation and usage instructions in the product package. If any of the information is unclear, consult your doctor or pharmacist. Learn how to store and discard needles and medical supplies safely. Consult your pharmacist.

LIDOCAINE SIDE EFFECTS

Nausea may occur. If this effect persists or worsens, contact your doctor or pharmacist promptly. Tell your doctor immediately if any of these unlikely but serious side effects occur: drowsiness, mental/mood changes, ringing in the ears, dizziness, vision changes, tremors, numbness, headache, and backache. Tell your doctor immediately if any of these highly unlikely but very serious side effects occur: fever, unusually fast or slow pulse, trouble breathing, seizures, and chest pain. An allergic reaction to this drug is unlikely, but seeks immediate medical attention if it occurs. Symptoms of an allergic reaction include: rash, itching, swelling, dizziness, trouble breathing. If you notice other effects not listed above, contact your doctor or pharmacist.

LIDOCAINE PRECAUTIONS

Tell your doctor your medical history, especially: heart problems (e.g., heart block, heart failure), high or low blood pressure, liver problems, kidney problems, any allergies. This medication is not recommended for use if you have the following medical conditions: nerve disease, spine problems. This drug may make you dizzy or drowsy; use caution engaging in activities requiring alertness such as driving or using machinery. Avoid alcoholic beverages. Depending on how and where this drug is interposed into the body, you may experience temporary weakness. To minimize dizziness and lightheadedness, get up slowly when rising from a seated or lying position. Notify your doctor if weakness or problems with muscle control persist. Caution is advised when using this drug in the elderly because they may be more medium to the effects of the drug. Caution is advised when using this drug in children because they may be more sensitive to the effects the drug. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant before using this medication. This medication passes into breast milk. Consult your doctor before breast-feeding.

LIDOCAINE DRUG INTERACTIONS

This drug is not advocated for use with: dofetilide, arbutamine, pimozide, halofantrine. Tell your doctor or pharmacist of all ethical drug and nonprescription drugs you may use, especially: other anesthetics (e.g., bupivacaine), procainamide, tocainide, cimetidine, beta- blockers (e.g. propranolol, atenolol, metoprolol), amiodarone, mexilitine, succinylcholine, vasopressor drugs (e.g., dobutamine), ergot-type oxytocic (e.g. ergonovine). Tell your doctor if you take drugs that cause drowsiness such as: medicine for sleep, sedatives, tranquilizers, anti-anxiety drugs (e.g. diazepam), narcotic pain relievers (e.g., codeine), psychiatric medicines (e.g., phenothiazines or tricyclics), anti- seizure drugs (e.g., carbamazepine), muscle relaxants, antihistamines that cause drowsiness (e.g., diphenhydramine). Check the tags on all your medicines (e.g., cough-and-cold products) because they may contain drowsiness-causing components. Ask your pharmacist about the safe use of those products. This product can interpose with certain lab tests. Inform laboratory personnel that you are using this medication. Do not start or stop any medicine without doctor or pharmacist commendation.

LIDOCAINE OVERDOSE

If overdose is distrusted, contact your local poison control center or emergency room or any other medical expert directly. Symptoms of overdose may include restlessness, anxiety, ringing in the ears, blurred vision, tremors; or severe dizziness or drowsiness.

NOTES

Do not contribute this medication with others. Laboratory and/or medical tests would be conducted to monitor for side effects and response to treatment.

MISSED DOSE

If the dose is disrupted, contact your medical professional or pharmacist immediately to establish new dosing.

LIDOCAINE STORAGE

Store at room temperature between 59o and 77o F (15 to 25o C) away from sun light and moisture.

Alcohol and Drug Treatment

2012-01-16T02:34:00.000-08:00

Treat the Addiction Disease

Substance abuse can be caused by different factors. Some people buckle under out of curiosity, social credence, depression or self-destruction. It also takes many different forms. One can be addicted to Nicotine, Cocaine, and Heroin, Marijuana or many other substances.

Whatever reason, when drug addicts first ventured into the dangerous world of addictive drugs, none had a clear view of the things they were getting themselves into – particularly the torment and despair that takes over their lives. Even if they were trying to destroy themselves, they never realized the pit they’ve entered until they are already trapped and powerless. Before they know it, their life is a batch and drug rehab is severely needed.

It’s sad that many drug users commit crimes such as theft, prostitution or selling drugs in order to support their uncontrollable needs. While intoxicated, some become crimson and inflict harm on them just to have a closer feel of reality. Even worse, sometimes they harm other s.

Aside from the physical damages substance abuse brings, its effects on the person’s emotional and spiritual well-being is more devastating. Families are torn apart, friendships are shattered and their souls left empty. More heart-breaking is that our society often presents the evils these abusers are committing, but they fail to expose the other side of the story. People don’t want to be around intoxicated people for fear of being harmed. They are left to rot alone in their own misery thus causing them to seek more refuge in drugs to cover up the pain.

Often what society loses sight of is that the addict is a victim as well— a victim of losing control of their actions and the desire to bear on themselves. We can’t always focus on the harm they bring others but need to consider the harm they bring to themselves as well… especially if these are people we love and care for. They need our help.

Will you condemn a cancer patient for being sick? Obviously not. The best course of action is to take him to the hospital and have him treated. Will you blame a dead person for not being able to rise up? The same goes for drug abusers. Why bury them in shame and isolation when there’s still hope to get their lives back? Wouldn’t it be better if that cancer patient gets well and starts again with new strength to enjoy life and make up for lost time with his loved ones? Of course.

Drug addiction should be treated the same way—as a disease. It can be cured if proper medication and attention is given. Fortunately, there are many drug rehab facilities out there dedicated to restore people’s lives.

Time spent in these drug rehab institutions or homes can help them overcome their addiction and come out physically, emotionally and most importantly spiritually healed. The approaches taken by treatment centers may differ but they are all headed toward one goal – curing and healing the addict.

If you have a loved one suffering from drug addiction, the best way to show your love and concern is to encourage them to redeem themselves. This can be achieved in several ways and rehabilitation houses are definitely worth considering. Find a place that cares not only for their bodies but for their souls. It’s never too late to make things better. Even in movies, happy endings are usually depicted by scenes of families being reunited, lessons being learned and second chances being given. This, too, can happen in real life.

Learn more about the benefits a trusted drug rehab program can offer.

Affordable Alcohol and Drug Addiction Treatment

It’s an unfortunate fact that alcohol and drug addiction treatment is often needed most by those who can least afford to pay for it. It can be a vicious circle: unemployment, for example, can lead to drug or alcohol abuse, but the unemployed are likely to have no health insurance and no disposable income with which to seek help. If you have a dependency problem, though, don’t despair. There are options for affordable alcohol and drug addiction treatment.

If you are employed or have health insurance through a spouse or parent, your first step should be to see whether treatment for addiction is covered, and if so, whether the policy covers inpatient or outpatient treatment and the length of time or number of appointments that will be covered. Many facilities will accept insurance, but you should contact the treatment center of your choice to inquire.

If you don’t have insurance, but may be able to pay for your treatment over time, use the filter on our home page to find treatment centers that will set up a financing plan for you. Many treatment centers are willing to work with you to aid in your recovery.

Resources for Low-Cost Alcohol and Drug Addiction Treatment

Those with poor or no credit, or who don’t realistically have the option to finance their treatment, should investigate non-profit and publicly funded treatment. Here at Sober Recovery, we have compiled a listing of such resources for you.

To find facilities in your area, use the filters on our home page. Let’s say, for instance, that you live in or near Toledo, Ohio. Under “States & Regions,” click on “by Individual States,” then click “Ohio programs.” On the left side of your screen, there will be a drop-down menu of Ohio cities. Click on “Toledo,” and you’ll find a menu listing a variety of resources that are available to you in that region, many of which can accommodate low-income clients.

Alcohol and Drug Treatment for Specific Populations

It is generally acknowledged that alcohol and drug treatment is more effective when the client works on recovery in the association of peers, who are more likely to understand the underlying emotional issues that lead to addiction. Adolescents, for example, are dealing with social pressures and identity issues that differ from those of a surgeon or a CEO. Alcohol has a different effect on females than it does on males. Veterans understand each other in ways that those of us who have never been in combat cannot.

For this reason, there are a great many alcohol and drug treatment programs that specialize in helping a particular clientele, including specific cultural, ethnic and age groups. For instance, AAIR (Access to American Indian Recovery) is a program developed to serve the recovery needs of Native Americans and Alaskan Natives. AAIR uses tribal, cultural and spiritual traditions such as drum circles, storytelling and sweat lodges to aid in the recovery of native peoples.

Alcohol and Drug Treatment for the GLBT Community

Members of the GLBT community have a relatively high risk of addictive behaviors. This is largely due to the stressors involved in coming to terms with sexual identity and dealing with the reactions others have to that identity. A club culture that encourages alcoholic consumption and the use of “party drugs” is also a factor.

There are many treatment facilities that either work with a GLBT clientele exclusively or have a GLBT track within a larger community. Recovery is a difficult process under any circumstances, but it can be made easier when you are working with people who need no explanation about basic issues you all have in common. You can use the link on our home page under “Programs by Client Type” to find gay-friendly facilities.

Treatment Centers for Dual Diagnosis

The term “dual diagnosis” is used when a patient exhibits both an addiction, such as alcoholism, and a mental illness, such as depression, anxiety attacks, or post-traumatic stress syndrome. There are a great many variations within this spectrum. Psychological disorders might be caused, wholly or in part, by substance abuse (the rage experienced by steroid users, for example) or by withdrawal symptoms (hallucinations and psychosis caused by heroin withdrawal). It is often difficult for a layman to differentiate. A true mental disorder such as clinical depression may seem similar to physical issues that result from the addiction, such as hangovers or the crash following the euphoria produced by many drugs.

Which problem came first varies from case to case. Often, substance abuse arises from the patient’s attempt to self-medicate for psychiatric disorders, as when a depressed person turns to alcohol or cocaine to feel livelier or an anxiety-ridden person uses tranquilizers and sedatives to calm down. For adolescents, the opposite is often true: they use the drugs or alcohol and then develop a dependency, which leads to mental disorders.

Dual diagnosis can be difficult to recognize, even for medical professionals. Often, the patient must undergo detox at a treatment center in order for a doctor to know whether there is a mental issue or a substance issue or both.

How Does a Dual Diagnosis Treatment Center Work?

The treatment for substance abuse and for some mental issues overlap in talk therapy. Individual, group and family counseling sessions can help the patient learn the underlying causes of both disorders and work on both simultaneously. However, it is best to choose a facility that specializes in working with dual diagnosis patients. You can find a listing of such treatment centers by using the filter under “Special Focus Programs” on our home page.

Treatment Centers

Making the Transition: Outpatient Treatment Centers

Residential treatment centers are the all-important first step toward recovery from an alcohol or drug addiction. During your time in residence, you are supervised 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Almost all of your time is scheduled. There are individual, group and family counseling sessions. There are probably twelve-step meetings to attend daily. There may be physical activities to help your body back to health. All of this supervision and scheduling not only helps in your recovery per se, but also makes you feel secure so that you can focus your attention on breaking your addiction.

Once the residential program is over, however, you may feel apprehensive about your ability to maintain sobriety without all that help. If you feel that it’s too soon for you to be thrown back into your everyday environment, with all its stresses, temptations and challenges, you might want to consider going to one of the many residential outpatient treatment centers that exist to help you make that transition.

Find Outpatient Treatment Centers to Help You Adjust

Outpatient facilities run the gamut from bare-bones dormitory style to luxury accommodations. What they all have in common is that they provide a place where you can make the transition to living on your own, yet have help available to it when you need it. Outpatient facilities have resident staff available, and generally provide transportation to AA or NA meetings. You share the facility with others who are also making the transition to sober living, and can find support from each other. Depending on how upscale the facility is, you may also find holistic treatments available, such as yoga, Pilate’s, gym equipment, nutritional counseling or massage.

Drug Addiction

2012-01-13T09:28:00.000-08:00

DRUG ADDICTION

Drug addiction is a dangerous disease. It can strike anyone, regardless of age, race, culture, background or socioeconomic status. You’re never too young, too old, too rich, too broke or even too religious to struggle with drug addiction. At any point in time you may find that you’ve intersected the line from drug experimentation to drug addiction.

Is it drug addiction or drug abuse?

The difference between drug addiction and drug abuse tends to be situational. People who abuse drugs may do so during periods of high stress or trauma. This could be a major life transition or transformation such as divorce, death or being diagnosed with a life-threatening illness or disease. In circumstances like this, people are looking for ways to cope with overwhelming feelings of grief and despair. Alcohol or drug abuse can occur as a result of people assaying to cope with these feelings. Generally as the situation improves or these people seek outside help, the alcohol abuse or drug abuse abates and they are able to return to a fairly level normal of functioning without crossing the line into alcoholism or drug addiction.

There are people who are more allergic to alcoholism and drug addiction based on their genetic make-up. For these people, turning to alcohol or drugs to cope during a bad time can spiral straight into alcohol or drug addiction. Even when the situation has passed and things have balanced out, these individuals continue to abuse alcohol or drugs because they enjoy the effects and aren’t ready to quit. If they don’t recognize the problem and get help, a trip to alcohol rehab or drug rehab is inevitable.

Are you struggling with drug abuse or drug addiction?

In order to determine if you are struggling with drug abuse or drug addiction, there are a few questions you have to ask yourself. How often do you drink or take drugs? Do you take just enough to get by or do you get loaded every time? Is work or school attendance or performance sliding because of your alcohol or drug usage? Have you changed the people you hang out with? Do you isolate more? Have friends and family members expressed concern about your alcohol or drug use? Do you have withdrawal symptoms (headache, nausea, anxiety, body aches) when you quit drinking or using drugs? If you honestly answer these questions, you’ll have a better understanding of how serious your drug use is.

Whether you are dealing with drug and alcohol abuse or drug addiction, most people need professional help to quit drugs and alcohol. The level of care you need depends on the type of drug, how much you take and how long you’ve been taking it. While physical addiction is discerped generally within a week, psychological addiction can take months and even years to break. If you suspect that you or a loved one is either struggling with drug abuse or drug addiction, don’t wait any longer. Seek professional help today.

Alcohol and Drugs

What are alcohol and drugs doing to you? You had a big test but were too hangover to think clearly. You were supposed to meet a friend for dinner but had a few too many cocktails and were too drunk to drive. You find that you can’t function the morning after you tied one on unless you take something – another drink, a pill, a line. You’re canceling plans more and more with friends or business associates with explicates when the truth is you want to drink, use or you’re too sick from drinking or using.

How Essential is Your Alcohol or Drug Use?

When alcohol and drugs become more important than family, friends or work it can be said you are in the grips of alcoholism or drug addiction. There are people who use alcohol and drugs periodically but still manage the day to day events of their lives without allowing alcohol or drug use to interfere. Then there are people who cannot live life without their alcohol or drug use – it becomes consuming. Their lives revolve around when they can get it, when they can deplete it and when they can get more. A person whose alcohol or drug use has escalated to this level is in the grips of alcoholism or drug addiction.

What Is Your Alcohol or Drug Apply Costing You?

The cost of alcohol and drugs is immeasurable, not only financially but in terms of relationships, work and opportunities. Your girlfriend or spouse leaves you, your children are taken away, you lose your job, you get passed over for the advancement, you miss out on high school graduation, you flunk the class you needed to qualify for graduate school, you end up in jail with a DUI and now you can’t pursue your dream of becoming a pilot. Any one of these scenarios and thousands more are lived out on a daily basis by people in the grips of alcoholism and drug addiction.

If you or a friend thinks you need help before your use of alcohol and drugs gets worse, call a drug rehab center today. Most centers have professionals on staff who can help you determine if you need help for alcoholism or drug addiction and the steps you have to take next. They’ll walk you through the whole process. Don’t let alcohol and drugs waste one more minute of your life.

Accrediting Alcoholism and Drug Addiction

It’s not always easy to recognize alcoholism and drug addiction. For some people the slide toward bottom happens very quickly and it’s easily detected. Someone in the grip of addiction is typically so consumed with alcohol or drugs that little else matters. Personal appearance, responsibilities, normal activities, relationships, sleep and eating patterns all deteriorate. Others are high-functioning and can hide their alcoholism and drug addiction for long periods of time before it begins to interfere with their life.

Recognizing Alcoholism and Drug Addiction: Conventions

Someone who is struggling with alcoholism and drug addiction will typically have certain patterns of usage. For example, the must-have nightly cocktails, always having alcohol available in the house or at social functions, mood swings that could indicate someone is high or coming down off of a high, unusual sleeping patterns, isolating, leaving the house at odd hours, frequent visits to the doctor complaining of symptoms that require pain medication – these are patterns to watch.

If alcohol or drug usage is not interfering with an individual’s ability to manage life or relationships, then it’s not yet at a problem level. Some people can use alcohol and drugs for recreational purposes while others get hooked immediately. The best indication is the manageability of a person’s life.

Recognizing Alcoholism and Drug Addiction: Appearance/Outlook

Generally a person’s appearance and their surroundings are indicative of what’s going on inside of them. If someone is consumed in their alcoholism and drug addiction, it can’t help but affect what’s going on around them. Their personal relationships, extracurricular activities, school or work attendance and performance will all suffer. Usually family members will be the first to recognize the signs of alcoholism and drug addiction.

Recognizing Alcoholism and Drug Addiction: What to Do?

If you recognize these behaviors in yourself or a loved one, seek professional advice. Drug rehab centers typically have professionals responding the phones who are former addicts and alcoholics – they can detect the severity of alcoholism and drug addiction through the patterns you describe and advise you on the best level of care. There are inpatient and outpatient programs depending upon how much alcohol and drug usage is interfering with your life or that of a loved one. It doesn’t cost anything to make a few phone calls and find out how to arrest alcoholism and drug addiction before it’s too late.

Drug Abuse

Many people use drug abuse interchangeably with drug dependency and drug addiction. There are minor distinctions between these terms, but generally one leads to another.
Nobody sets out to get addicted to drugs or alcohol. Usually it starts off casually, as an offer from a friend, a desire to belong or just the desire to examine and see what it’s like. This can lead to more recreational use until before you know it, you’re reaching for the alcohol or drug to relax, to relieve stress, to reward yourself or to handle difficult situations. Once drug use reaches this stage, it can quickly become abuse. It’s no longer “just for fun” but to handle life.
Some people abuse drugs for a short period of time but can recognize their behavior isn’t healthy, and stop. Others don’t have the desire or the ability to stop. Their drug abuse spirals into drug dependency and from there, it’s an invisible line into drug addiction.

When Drug Abuse Starts

Most drug abuse starts in the teenage years when curiosity, peer pressure and the awkwardness of adolescence is high. Statistics show that the younger someone is when they start using, the more likely he or she will struggle with drug abuse or addiction later in life. The most notable signs that someone is slipping into drug use is a change in personality and usual behavior patterns. A teenager who is normally very active and social may suddenly become more reclusive and spend more time alone. They start to lose interest in activities and hobbies they’ve always been engaged in. Friends and associates may change along with school performance.
Drug abuse can also happen later in life in response to traumatic life situations. The loss of a loved one, experiencing physical or emotional abuse or a life-threatening situation can result in an individual turning to drugs to cope. In this instance, drug abuse is a form of self-medicating. Friends or family members who witness a change in behavior that lends toward depression or isolation can recognize some of these symptoms of drug abuse. It generally takes professional help to overcome.

When Drug Abuse Becomes Drug Addiction

Drug abuse becomes drug addiction when the individual can’t stop taking drugs in spite of negative and often severe consequences. When the drug becomes more important than school, relationships, family, work, health or a combination thereof, an individual is in the grip of drug addiction. The drug has become the most important thing in his or her life.
Drug addiction is both physical and psychological. The physical addiction results in withdrawal symptoms when the drug is removed. This can also happen with drug abuse and drug dependency, although the symptoms may not be as severe because usage may not be as heavy or prolonged. Physical addiction is generally severed within a few weeks. However, drug addiction carries the psychological reliance which is far more difficult to sever. Breaking the psychological reliance of drug addiction requires professional help in order for the individual to experience long-term sobriety.
People underestimate the power of drug addiction. Drug addiction and even drug abuse go far beyond will power. Once an individual becomes reliant on a drug, it can be nearly impossible to quit. This is why getting professional help at a drug rehab center is so important. Professional care can help interrupt the cycle. If you or a loved one is abusing drugs, call a drug rehab center immediately for professional help, before it’s too late.

Family and Drug Rehab

It is typically family members that help loved ones into drug rehab. This is primarily because the family can see what the alcoholic or drug addict cannot and also is directly affected by his or her destructive behavior. The person in the grip of alcoholism or drug addiction may be aware there’s a problem, but unwilling to do what it takes to overcome it or simply not know how.
Helping family members into drug rehab is not always easy. Generally by the time someone in the family needs drug rehab they are well into their alcoholism or drug addiction and it has become such a part of their life that they can’t imagine living without it. At this level, they are likely to resist giving up something that has become more important to them than anything, even family.

Professional Intervention for Helping Family into Drug Rehab

Family members need to realize that when someone is in the grips of addiction, it takes on a life of its own. Addiction is described as an obsession of the mind and an allergy of the body – when the drug is removed the person craves it and the cravings can be intense as can the withdrawal symptoms. This can lead to all sorts of behavior such as guilt, manipulation, dickering and anger when you try to help family into drug rehab.
Professional intervention can be very successful in helping family into drug rehab. Interventionists act as mediators between the addicted person and family members. The scenario is rehearsed beforehand and family members are advocated to share their feelings as well as set consequences in place should he or she refuses drug rehab. An interventionist can help take the pressure off the family and coax a reluctant loved one to get help.

Signs a Family Member demands Drug Rehab

The family is usually the first to notice personality and behavior changes. Change in hobbies, falling off in school or work performance, poor attendance, poor personal hygiene, sleeping more or sleeping less, lack of appetite, isolating at home more or not coming home at all. If you suspect someone in your family needs drug rehab, don’t wait until it’s too late. Research drug rehab centers and call to find out what you can do to help a family member into drug rehab. Find out if there is a professional interventionist on faculty you can talk to. It doesn’t cost anything to find out how to go about saving a family member’s life.

Alcohol Detox

2012-01-13T08:03:00.000-08:00

ALCOHOL DETOX

Managing Financial Facets of Alcohol Detox in California

A medically managed detox program is not inexpensive. In addition to the usual expenses that autumn in a residential treatment center, such as room and board, the costs of detox will include round-the-clock medical superintendence and any drugs that might be administered to ease withdrawal.

Facilities that furnish alcohol detox in California vary widely. Because of California’s high percentage of renowns, athletes and top executives, and because of the high price of beachside property, many treatment centers are definitely upscale. If you’re not a member of the confluent community, though, there are still many ways that you can manage to get the help you need.

Low-priced Alcohol Detox in California

The first step you should take is to check whether your health indemnity might cover any of the expenses involved in the detox process. Many insurance policies do have such provisions, recognizing that contiguous and successful treatment will pay off down the road in reduced medical expenses.

Unfortunately, there are far too many of us today minus any kind of health insurance to fall back on. If this is the case for you, there are other alternatives. Those with fantabulous credit and high limits can use credit cards to pay for treatment. If you have a firm income, but can’t manage the credit card approach, investigate whether the facility you’re concerned in will set up a financing plan for you. Many, if not most, of the centers that provide alcohol detox in California accredit the need and offer financing.

If you don’t have a steady income that would allow funding, look into public and non-profit treatment centers. There are many centers funded by bases, religious organizations or other forms of assistance that will help you get the treatment you need even if you don’t have the financial imaginations to pay for it.

Alcohol Detox for Adolescents and Young Adults

In years past, it was comparatively uncommon that a young person would have to go through alcohol detox. The detoxification process is made requirement when there has been a prolonged build-up of alcohol in the body, so that when the addict stops drinking, withdrawal symptoms result. This is usually ensue of years of heavy drinking.

Unfortunately, there has been a branded increase in binge drinking among adolescents and young adults. An apart instance of binge drinking, such as the 21st birthday, when the celebrator is urged to consume 21 shots, is extremely dangerous, with a high risk of alcohol poisoning. However, repeated binge drinking, such as the nearly weekly parties on college campuses, can result in a young person having the same need for alcohol detox as someone who has been a corroborated alcoholic for decades.

Young people think they’re defendable, and a binge drinker who has become addicted at an early age might well be in denial about the need for treatment. In such a case, an intercession might be appropriate.

Staging an Intercession to Get Someone into Alcohol Detox

Getting the alcoholic into treatment is the exclusive purpose of an intervention. Promises to stop drinking won’t do. It’s jussive mood that the person staging the intervention meet first with an intervention expert. This adept will help everyone involved understand what their roles are, and will probably rehearse the intervention with you. You will also need to have made all transcriptions for the alcoholic’s immediate entry into treatment, so finances and transportation need to be worked out in advance.

Alcohol Detox Centers Provide Treatment for Withdrawal Symptoms

When a habitually heavy drinker stops depleting alcohol suddenly, he or she is subject to uncomfortable and even life-threatening withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal occurs because habitual use of alcohol conquers brain activity. When alcohol is suddenly removed and brain activity resumes, stress hormones are overproduced and the patient’s central nervous system becomes overexcited. Aggressive behavior, tremors, changes in heartbeat and blood pressure, and a host of other symptoms result. Seizures and delirium tremens are among the most ominous effects.

At alcohol detox centers, treatment for severe back-down symptoms usually includes anti-anxiety drugs known as benzodiazepines. These drugs inhibit nerve-cell irritability in the brain and reduce the risk of seizures. The patient must be carefully supervised and dosage adjusted according to need, in order to prevent a secondary addiction to the drug. Anti-seizure medications and beta blockers (to slow the heart rate) are sometimes used in alignment with anti-anxiety medications.

Drugs are generally dished out intravenously, so that they can take effect quickly and in appropriate dosages. Injections of vitamin B1 are often administered as well, to prevent Kosakoff’s psychosis, a common withdrawal symptom specified by hallucinations and highly aggressive behavior.

Get Actuate Treatment for Withdrawal at Alcohol Detox Centers

Whenever symptoms of withdrawal from alcohol appear, they must be treated promptly. Left untreated, the asperity is likely to increase, resulting in serious medical conditions and even death. Delirium tremens has a human death rate as high as 20 percent without prompt medical intervention. If you or someone you love demonstrates signs of withdrawal, get to a hospital or alcohol detox center at once. Use our listings to ascertain a treatment center near you.

Take Action: Locate an Alcohol Detox Center

According to the twelve-step mannikin used by Alcoholics Anonymous, the first step alcoholics must take on the road to recuperation is to admit that they can no longer control their drinking. This is true no matter what type of treatment model you choose. Once you have come to that actualization, it’s time to take action and find an alcohol detox center. Alcoholism has both physical and psychological aspects, and it is usually necessary to get the alcohol out of your bloodstream and get over the short-run physical issues before psychological elements can be accosted.

Alcohol withdrawal results when a habitual drinker stops drinking suddenly. Symptoms increase in severity with the amount of alcohol consumed, but withdrawal can take place no matter how much you habitually drink. Symptoms include microseisms, anxiety attacks, fatigue, headache, excessive sweating, rapid heart rate, nausea, fever, delirium and paroxysms. Liver failure, dehydration and internal bleeding are expressions that can be fatal. Withdrawal usually starts from 5 to 10 hours after the last drink, but may occur as much as a week to 10 days later.

At an alcohol detox center, the patient will be kept under constant notice, and usually will be given fluids intravenously. If symptoms are severe, the patient may be kept under drugging until the worst of the withdrawal has passed. The patient will be tested for medical problems related to alcoholism, such as liver disease, deficiency disease, heart disorders, brain disorders, blood clotting disorders and nerve damage, and treated as necessary.

Alcohol Abuse Treatment

Do you have a drinking trouble? Do you marvel if you need alcohol abuse treatment?

That you even asked the question of yourself is a good place to bug out. There’s an old saw that if you wonder if you’re an alcoholic, you believably are. However, the answer is a bit less dim-witted than that. Here’s a series of questions to ask yourself:

• Do you lose time from work, school or other allegiances because of drinking?
• Do drink to make yourself more decompressed in social situations?
• Is drinking effectuating the way people are talking about you?
• Do you feel hangdog for how much you drink?
• Is drinking inducing money problems?
• Does drinking make you less careful about your loved ones?
• Does drinking make you less aspiration?
• Do you want a drink in the morning?
• Does drinking interpose with your sleep?
• Do you drink to blank out about trouble?

If you’ve answered yes to one or more of these questions, you are at risk for being an alcoholic and may want to look into an alcohol abuse treatment curriculum.

What to Expect From an Alcohol Abuse Treatment Program

Depending on how intemperately you had been drinking these programs can range from counseling and group therapy to a full, in-patient detox. While it might be abashing to discuss these problems with your physician, when you’re getting help it’s important to be dependable with your physician about exactly how much you drink. Detox is no joke and you may need grievous treatment, even if you think your problem hasn’t gotten that bad yet. If you think you might need help, don’t balk. Talk to your doctor. An alcohol abuse treatment program might be incisively what you need to get your life on track.

Alcohol Dependency

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ALCOHOL DEPENDENCY

Alcohol is a socially satisfactory drug found at featuring events and celebrations all over the world. Regrettably, it’s also found in the majority of traffic accidents and inland violence incidents. Alcohol passes through life for better or worse but for the person who is in the clenches of alcoholism, it will only get worse.

Alcohol use can turbinate into alcohol abuse, alcohol habituation and alcoholism. These are all labels with varying degrees of outcomes. Someone may initially start drinking for fun and then find they start drinking to deal with life’s difficulties – a divorce, a death, a job loss or any other major conversion. These life-changing events can be the arbalest to alcohol abuse. Once alcohol becomes a way to cope, it’s a slippery slope that can head straight into alcoholism. People who reckon on alcohol soon become physically and psychologically hooked. They may have the best intentions to quit but the submerging desire for alcohol soon overpowers their good objectives and they drink again. This is why it generally takes professional help at an alcohol rehab in order to halt alcoholism.

Many people conflict with the idea of being an alcoholic and this mark alone can keep them from getting the help they need. It doesn’t matter whether you want to label it alcohol abuse, alcohol dependency or alcoholism, confide on alcohol to cope with life is a problem that only gets sorrier. While these various labels can be baffling for someone who is attempting to appoint whether they or a loved one needs help, the bottom line remains unaltered – If alcohol is causing problems with your health, relationships, work, school or any other major obligations that affect your ability to live a healthy, functional life then it’s time to conceive alcohol treatment.

The good news is that alcoholism can be treated for those bequeathing to get help and there are hundreds of resources practicable on this website that offers it. If you or a loved on are caught in the grips of alcoholism, don’t get desperate. Alcohol treatment is available all over the nation. Many people have defeated their alcohol abuse and you can too.

The terms alcoholism and alcohol habituation are often used interchangeably. While both indicate a physical reliance upon alcohol, alcohol dependency is specified by a dependence upon alcohol that results in physical detachment symptoms while alcoholism is an addiction to alcohol characterized by marked behavioral problems due to prolonged and inordinate harmful use.

This may seem like bursting hairs and it’s likely only a trained professional could be able to distinguish between alcohol dependency and alcoholism. While the marked difference is characterized by behavioral and personality patterns, in all likelihood alcohol dependency is merely a forerunner to alcoholism. No one can tell when the inconspicuous line will be crossed.

Someone going through alcohol dependency can be said to be physically dependent upon alcohol and will endure withdrawal symptoms when alcohol leaves their system. These symptoms can range from mild to severe, ensuing in headache, nausea, tremors, biliousness, insomnia and anxiety. A higher level of dependency will outcome in more severe withdrawal symptoms, such as night sweats, night terrors, delusions, delirium tremens (DTs) and seizures.

It’s significant to not get too caught up in the differences between alcohol dependency and alcoholism. The best estimate is not a professional but your own experience. If you are suffering serious consequences from your alcohol use that is threatening your health, relationships, work, school, responsibilities, chances or the ability to live a happy and operable life, it’s time to ask for help. Alcohol dependency, alcoholism and addiction in general carry the major symptom of abnegation. When faced with their alcohol or drug usage, most people in the grip of addiction will deny there is a problem. It usually takes friends and family members to advocate those in the grips of alcohol dependency or alcoholism to get help.

If you or a loved one is clambering with alcohol, don’t wait. Talking to a professional can help you make the conclusion necessary to save your life.

Alcohol Aid

When you discern that you have an addiction to alcohol and you need help, where do you go? Many of us who are combating alcoholism find that we can confide in close friends and family members. These people are willing to find ways to make you improve. Alcoholism is a malady with very negative consequences. It’s so important that proper attention is paid to this addiction because it can toll lives. Alcohol may not seem like an addiction drug to many people, even those who blackguard it, but don’t be fooled. It’s a baneful disease that can cost a person everything.

There are professional rehab clinics and programs uncommitted for people who want to battle their addiction to alcohol. Some of these clinics offer inpatient and outpatient care, and professionals will decide the best course of treatment. There are also programs like AA, which people can attend, but must have the willpower to live in their current environment and fight the temptation to drink. Both have high success rates, but only if the person going through the programs want to be treated.

Alcohol Help is Available for Those Who Necessitate It

If you know you have a problem, then you shouldn’t feel discredited to ask for help. Getting help with alcohol addiction means getting your life back on course. Alcohol help is there if you need it. There are phone help lines you can call if you want to remain anon. while you find the best course of treatment. You have every available option to battle your addiction if you’re ready to accept the dispute of recovery.

Handling Alcohol Dependency as a Disease

People have been depleting alcohol for centuries, but few really understand the health dangers associated with the drug. Someone who suffers from alcohol dependency can abridge their life by a decade if they don’t stop. Besides the damage drinking can do to your liver, a user can also suffer impotency, lung disease and heart failure. If you or someone you care about is enduring from an addiction to alcohol, it is so important to make an effort to beat the addiction. Alcohol abuse can end in premature death.

Addictions

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ADDICTIONS

Alcoholism and Drug Addiction Problems:

Financially;

Addiction is a financial burden or constrain. The person who is in the grips of alcoholism and drug addiction may spend all his or her income on drugs and start selling items in order to feed their drug habit. Someone who is at this level of severity for drug usage may end up losing their job, their car, their home and anything else dear to them.
This also affects loved ones who feel obligated to help. Oftentimes family members are the ones who end up paying for their loved one’s drug usage, not necessarily by buying the drugs but by offering a place to live or financial assistance until they can get on their feet. Unfortunately, providing this level of support often enables people to keep using alcohol and drugs.

Emotional;

If you have a family member who is struggling with alcoholism or drug addiction, it is likely causing emotional problems within the family as well. Addiction is a family disease. Alcoholics and addicts are master manipulators and may use guilt and manipulative tactics to persuade family members to continue enabling them in their behavior. They may say they’re going to stop, this is the last time, I’ll be home right after work but when the drink or the drug calls all bets are off. This leads to frustration, worry, anger, co-dependency, sleepless nights, and all manner of toxic behaviors in attempting to deal with alcoholism and drug addiction problems.

Physical;

Dealing with alcoholism and drug addiction problems can also lead to physical issues. This could be coping with anything from stress-related illnesses to injuries sustained while under the influence to violence and withdrawal symptoms. Family members are often pulled into the drama of an addict’s life and feel compelled to help, especially when health is threatened.

Getting Help;

If any of these alcoholism or drug addiction problems relate to you, it’s time to seek professional help. There are hundreds of resources in your area and thousands of drug rehab centers across the nation. The best approach is to call and speak to the professionals at a drug rehab center and find out your options. There are professional intervention services available as well as a variety of options for inpatient or outpatient. Alcoholism and drug addiction problems don’t go away on their own. Get help before it’s too late.

Discussion of Automatic Thoughts and Strategies for Coping

The counselor describes situations that may trigger automatic thoughts or thoughts that could lead to a lapse:

Nostalgia: Some people who subsequently used marijuana remember using nostalgically substance, as if marijuana were formerly a friend.

Testing control: After a certain period of abstinence, people in a recovery process may become overconfident and confiding.

Crisis: Normally a person may respond to stress or trauma by saying, I could handle this only if I’m high --which usually denote getting the drug addicted to.

Feeling irritable when abstinent. Some people find new problems arise after they become abstinent and think using will solve these problems. For example, “I’m short-tempered and irritable around my family—maybe it’s more important for me to be a good-natured parent and spouse than it is to stop using right now” or “I’m no fun to be around when I’m not using; I don’t think I should stop because if I do, people won’t like me as much.”

Escape. Individuals want to avoid unpleasant situations, conflicts, or memories. Failure, rejection, disappointment, hurt, humiliation, embarrassment, and sadness tend to demand relief. People get tired of feeling hassled, upset, and lousy. They want to get away from it all and from themselves. They seek numbness and the perceived absence of problems.

Relaxation. Thoughts of wanting to unwind are normal, but sometimes people look for a shortcut, trying to unwind without doing something relaxing. The individual may choose the more immediate route through marijuana.

Socialization. This overlaps with relaxation but is confined to social situations. Individuals who are shy or uncomfortable in social settings may feel they need a social lubricant to decrease awkwardness and inhibitions.

Improved self-image. This situation involves a pervasive negative view of oneself and associated low self-esteem. When individuals become unhappy with themselves, feel inferior to others, regard themselves as lacking essential qualities, feel unattractive or deficient, or doubt their ability to succeed, they begin to think of using marijuana again because using previously may have provided immediate, but temporary, relief from these painful feelings.

To-hell-with-it thinking. During the weeks and months of trying to be abstinent, a person may become discouraged and think to hell with it. Thinking this way might result from a disappointing experience, feeling tired from coping with temptations, or other difficult situations.

No control. The attitude of being unable to control cravings ensures relapse. Individuals give up the fight, conceding defeat before attempting to resist marijuana use; they may feel out of control in other aspects of their lives as well. Marijuana is considered a viable option. This attitude differs from the to-hell-with-it attitude in which individuals do not necessarily feel powerless; they just don’t want to continue abstaining.

Explore Conceptual Difficulties

A client may have difficulty understanding the concepts of cognitive analysis and restructuring. If a concept is not understood, then the benefits of cognitive coping skills are lost. The counselor probes for the client’s understanding before moving on to the next concept. Using illustrations and examples helps convey the basic principles.

Initially a client may be unaware of the thoughts and feelings that precede decisions to use marijuana. He or she may be unaware of triggers and state, I just start using, that’s all. The client may admit that usually some external force occurs immediately before use but cannot remember what it is. The client denies personal responsibility for actions and attributes behavior to forces beyond his or her control, making it difficult for the client to initiate appropriate coping skills.

To help the client grasp cognitive concepts, the idea of “slowing down the action” (as in an instant replay or a slow-motion film sequence) of the thought process is useful. The counselor assists the client in breaking down the sequence of thoughts and feelings that lead to particular actions. He or she learns to observe, for example, that a tense interaction with a colleague may lead to feelings of frustration and to thoughts about not being good enough (e.g., smart, competent, or skilled enough), which lead to thoughts about wanting to use marijuana. Once the client can analyze the series of thoughts that might have led to a previous relapse, the notions of self-motivating (or self-awareness) and of modifying one’s thoughts (cognitive restructuring) can be introduced. The goal is to make the client aware of his or her thought processes and enable the client to replace using thoughts with coping thoughts that enhance abstinence:

Dealing With Cravings and Urges

• Urges are common in the recovery process. Do not regard them as signs of failure. Instead, use your urges to help you understand what triggers your cravings.

• Urges are like ocean waves. They get stronger only to a point; then they start to subside.

• You win every time you defeat an urge to use. Urges get stronger the next time if you give in and “feed” them. However, if you don’t feed it, an urge eventually will weaken and die.

Practice Exercise

For the next week, make a daily record of urges to use drugs, the intensity of those urges, and the coping behaviors you used.

Fill out the Daily Record of Urges To Use Marijuana (form 5C):

• Date.

• Situation: Include anything about the situation and your thoughts or feelings that seemed to trigger the urge to use.

• Intensity of cravings: Rate your craving—1=none at all, 100=worst ever.

• Coping behaviors used: Note how you attempted to cope with the urge to use marijuana. If it helps, note the effectiveness of your coping technique.

URGE SURFING

Many people try to cope with their urges by gritting their teeth and toughing it out. Some urges, especially when you first return to your old using environment, are too strong to ignore. When this happens, it can be useful to stay with your urge to use until it passes. This technique is called urge surfing.

Urges are like ocean waves. They are small when they start, grow in size, and then break up and dissipate. You can imagine yourself as a surfer who will ride the wave, staying on top of it until it crests, breaks, and turns into less powerful, foamy surf. The basis of urge surfing is similar to that of many martial arts. In judo, one overpowers an opponent by first going with the force of the attack. By joining with the opponent’s force, one can take control of it and redirect it to one’s advantage. This type of technique of gaining control by first going with the opponent allows one to take control while expending a minimum of energy. Urge surfing is similar. You can join with an urge (rather than meet it with a strong opposing force) as a way of taking control of your urge to use. After you have read and become familiar with the instructions for urge surfing, you may find this a useful technique when you have a strong urge to use.

Urge surfing has three basic steps:

1. Take an inventory of how you experience the craving. Do this by sitting in a comfortable chair with your feet flat on the floor and your hands in a comfortable position. Take a few deep breaths and focus inward. Allow your attention to wander through your body. Notice where in your body you experience the craving and what the sensations are like. Notice each area where you experience the urge and tell yourself what you are experiencing. For example, “Let me see—my craving is in my mouth and nose and in my stomach.”

2. Focus on one area where you are experiencing the urge. Notice the exact sensations in that area. For example, do you feel hot, cold, tingly, or numb? Are your muscles tense or relaxed? How large an area is involved? Notice the sensations and describe them to yourself. Notice the changes that occur in the sensation. “Well, my mouth feels dry and parched. There is tension in my lips and tongue. I keep swallowing. As I exhale, I can imagine the smell and taste of marijuana.”

3. Refocus on each part of your body that experiences the craving. Pay attention to and describe to yourself the changes that occur in the sensations. Notice how the urge comes and goes

Many people notice that after a few minutes of urge surfing the craving vanishes. The purpose of this exercise, however, is not to make the craving go away but to experience the craving in a new way. If you practice urge surfing, you will become familiar with your cravings and learn how to ride them out until they go away easily.

Expect Nothing but Addiction Rehab Can Help You Live a Better Life

The last thing anyone wants to cope with is an addiction. Addiction rehab becomes an attractive proposition when you’ve hit rock bottom and feel like your life it totally out of control. The thing is, some people look at rehab as kind of scary. What will they do to you in rehab? Will you come out a different person? Will what you value still remain? Am I going to be deprogrammed?

You don’t need to be scared of addiction rehab! The fact that you’re considering it means that you’re valuing something more important than your addiction –your life! That’s a good thing, so hold on to it while you’re thinking about getting into rehab. The people who run rehab programs want you to get control of your life as well.

You’ll find that when you check into addiction rehab that there is some procedure you’ll need to follow. The health professionals will do a thorough check on your medical history, your present medical condition and your present state of mind. Many addictions have physical side effects that require caring medical supervision during the withdrawal period, so getting into rehab if you’re considering going cold turkey is a good idea. You’ll need the help they can give.

Caring Is All About You in Addiction Rehab

After you’ve gone through the process of breaking the physical addiction in rehab, you’ll go on to a treatment program designed to help you abstain from using the substances that formerly had such a hold on you. You’ll learn coping skills for avoiding re-addiction. You’ll learn about the addiction process and how to move on with a much better and drug-free life.

What to Expect in Addiction Treatment Centers

You’ve decided you’ve had enough and are tired of living a life of substance abuse and addiction. You want to learn how to break free and want to get yourself some good addiction treatment. But you’re nervous because you don’t know what to expect.

It’s okay to be nervous when you’re considering addiction treatment. It’s new and you’re embarking on what could be a great life adventure. I know, that sounds goofy, but it’s true. If you’ve been addicted for a long time, maybe you’ve forgotten what an addiction-free life feels like. Choosing a quality addiction treatment center will definitely be a new and exciting adventure.

Expectations in rehab:

It does depend on the program. Most addiction treatment programs like to work in conjunction with a medical doctor to monitor your health. Many addictions have withdrawal side effects and there are medicines to help you get through it without damaging yourself, or that can minimize the withdrawal discomfort. After that, you can expect to receive counseling – both individual and in groups. While you may find that you prefer one form of therapy over another, don’t neglect trying them both. Individual therapy can help with your and your unique issues. But group therapy is great to keep you from feeling so alone as you battle your addiction – and win.

People Could be of Help in Your Addiction Treatment Program

If you’re offered the chance to have a sponsor to talk to, take it! You’ll find the support system goes a long way to help you not only break your addiction but develop the healthy habits that will keep you sober. It helps if you can talk to someone who has been through it, and in group therapy, and other forms of addiction treatment, you’ll find the support you need from the people who have been there.