Posted by: Recovery Now
on Mar 29, 2011
Most cities, towns, and metropolitan areas have at least a few alcohol rehabs, but choosing the right one for you can be a challenge. Some alcohol rehabs are expensive, some may not be covered by your insurance, and some may not offer the level of care that you need. But do not let the difficulty of sorting through these options discourage you. Instead, take a methodical approach, and go through each of these steps until you find the best treatment center for you.
1. Ask your insurance company: Your insurance company may not be able to tell you which alcohol rehabs in your area offer the strongest programs or the best care, but they will give you a list of programs to work with.
2. Ask your doctor: If you have a regular doctor, set up an appointment for a check-up, and ask your doctor if he or she knows of any good programs in the area.
3. Ask your friends: If you do not know anyone who has successfully gone through alcohol recovery, ask around. Chances are that someone will know someone who has overcome this problem and can recommend a good treatment center. If you are reluctant to bring this up to some of your friends, do not worry about it. There are other ways to find good alcohol rehabs.
4. Attend a support group: Most recovering alcoholism addicts enter rehab prior to attending support group meetings, but there is no reason why the process cannot be the other way around. If you are serious about seeking treatment, start attending your meetings now, and ask other attendees if they have any alcohol rehabs they can recommend.
5. Use the web: If all other options turn up nothing, consult online resources to find some good alcohol rehabs in your area. Some websites may not offer much good information, but if you dig a little deeper into directories, local web forums, and review sites, you should be able to find some clear, unbiased opinions about the alcohol rehabs in your area.
Posted by: Recovery Now
on Mar 26, 2011
The old cliché about addiction recovery is that an addict must accept that they have a problem before they can successfully get sober, and this adage has mostly stood the test of time. If the addict is not personally convinced that there is a serious problem and that treatment is necessary, any efforts to get sober will likely be short-lived and shallow.
If your spouse refuses to accept that addiction recovery is a necessary step, you may be feeling worn out and hopeless. But do not give up; there are things you can do to make your spouse see the light.
· Change your tone: When your efforts to get your spouse to enter addiction recovery are continuously rebuffed, it may be tempting to take an increasingly pushy tone. Instead, back off a little and recommit yourself to the effort in a more loving and caring vein. Try to understand where your spouse is coming from, and address the issue from a sympathetic perspective.
· Withdraw from enabling: Identify any habits that may enable your partner's addiction, and cut them out entirely. You do not even have to express your intention verbally. Use your actions to express that you will no longer accept the status quo.
· Encourage general self-improvement: If the addiction has become a sore spot in the household, perhaps you can approach the problem in an indirect way. For example, is your spouse's addiction related to depression or stress? If so, encourage him or her to get help for this problem, and addiction recovery will likely follow naturally.
· Plan an intervention: Interventions are often used as a last-resort effort to get an addict to seek treatment after all other methods have failed. If you have been the primary person trying to get your spouse into rehab, then you might want to get someone else—a close family member or friend of the addict—to take charge of the intervention. Plan with care, as these events must be handled perfectly.
Posted by: Recovery Now
on Feb 14, 2011
Most of the talk about the early stages of alcohol recovery, including the detoxification stage, focuses on how difficult and painful rehab can be. There are many uncomfortable symptoms associated with alcohol withdrawal, and of course most recovering addicts go through many moments of psychological and emotional vulnerability. But it’s not all bad. In fact, for anyone who has been drinking for years, those early weeks of alcohol recovery can be exhilarating due to all the positive changes that take place.
Reclaiming your health
Many long-time alcoholics just don’t realize how profoundly alcohol affects their systems on a daily basis. The effects are so deep and widespread that there is practically no part of the body that is unaffected. For one thing, alcohol interferes with sleep, so that many alcoholics forget what it’s like to wake up in the morning feeling rested and refreshed. You may experience insomnia during the detoxification stage, but after that you’ll likely sleep better than you have in years.
You’ll soon begin to feel more energetic, and this will affect all aspects of life. After detoxification you’ll be more willing to exercise, and you’ll feel clear-headed and confident. And let’s not forget the fact that regular alcohol use can add quite a bit of extra girth to the waistline. After a few weeks without alcohol, not only will you feel more energetic, but your improving body will give you a healthy dose of confidence.
Clear skies
And while you experience all those physical benefits, you’ll also notice positive changes in your intellectual and emotional life. You’ll be able to think with a level of clarity that you haven’t known in a long time. This results partially from a lack of alcohol-induced impairment and partially from better sleep. After just a few weeks, the effects will be huge.
Meanwhile, alcohol is also a depressant, and with long-term use it can lead to or exacerbate depression and anxiety disorders. Along with all the other physical and mental benefits of alcohol detoxification, you’ll also be in a better mood. Sure, there will be times when life’s hardships and the temptation to drink may put you in dark moods, but for the most part you’ll feel happier than you have in a long time.
Posted by: Recovery Now
on Oct 18, 2010
Many people who are tempted to try an illegal drug go into it thinking that using the drug once or twice won’t hurt anything. This can be especially true with younger people, who still tend to think that they are invincible. They figure that getting high with their friends isn’t that much different from drinking a few beers. However, when the drug of choice is crystal meth, stop and think twice before trying it even one time.
Methamphetamine, and particularly the more potent
crystal meth, is highly addictive. It is believed that a user can become addicted to meth within a very short period of time. Attracted by the feelings associated with using meth, like high energy, increased activity levels, and a lack of appetite, some people think they can use it once in awhile as a pick-me-up. In low doses, using the legal form of methamphetamine, this could be true, but most users of
illegal meth are not using the medically therapeutic dosage.
Crystal meth works on the central nervous system of the user’s brain. The amount of drug that enters the brain is higher with meth than with other illegal drugs, as is the length of time that it stays in the brain. These factors contribute to the danger of meth use and what it can do to your brain. Methamphetamines cause the release of high levels of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that affects motivation, motor function, and the pleasurable feelings that can come with drug use. These high levels of dopamine and meth combined can contribute to destructive effects on the nerve terminals in the brain that can have long term negative effects on how your brain functions.
In the short term, use of meth on a regular basis can cause increased blood pressure, weight loss, insomnia, agitation and irritability, confusion, increased or irregular heart rate, as well as increased body temperatures to the point of danger. There are many other possible side effects of meth use that can vary depending on the age and weight of the user, what form of meth they are using, and how it is ingested, meaning whether it is snorted, smoked, injected or swallowed.
With longer term use, it takes an increasingly more frequent and larger amount of crystal meth in order to achieve the same high. The body builds a tolerance to meth in a reasonably short period of time, causing the user to crave the drug. That is another reason why crystal meth is so highly addictive. Where chronic abuse is concerned, users can develop feelings of depression, paranoia, and hallucinations to the point where the user may think and feel as if there are bugs crawling all over his or her body. There is an increased risk of stroke due to the impact on the blood vessels in the brain. And if you have ever seen a photo of a heavy crystal meth user, you have seen that it can destroy the teeth; this is called “meth mouth”.
Clearly, the toll that meth can take on the body is rather alarming. First of all, this drug will prematurely age the body, and make a person look far older in just a short period of time. Further, chronic usage of this drug can cause psychotic behavior and sometimes even death. Over time, meth will change the brain chemistry and make it difficult for a person to experience pleasure. Often these pleasure centers cannot be regrown. The bottom line is that crystal meth is a drug that can destroy the body and the mind as well.
Posted by: Recovery Now
on Oct 15, 2010
If someone you know or love is using methamphetamine, the way that you react to this person can make a huge difference in whether or not he or she will seek or accept treatment. Because meth is so highly addictive, it can be more challenging to treat a meth user than an abuser of just about any other type of drug. Most experts share this point of view. However, the first step in helping a meth user is recognizing the signs of drug abuse. If your loved one has changed his or her behavior significantly, appears to always be happy and talkative, is continuously active, has lost his appetite, or exhibits signs of nervousness and rapid eye movement, you might be observing a meth user. While it is generally agreed that early intervention has the best odds of success when treating a crystal meth abuser, you should never attempt to intervene or confront a user while he is high. However, if you can talk to your loved one when he or she is not high, your support can be invaluable in helping this user recognize that he or she has a drug problem. This can be the first step to getting your loved one into a drug treatment program.
When it comes to crystal meth abuse, a person is rarely able to stop using on his or her own. No level of willpower seems to be sufficient to fight the highly addictive nature of methamphetamine. For this reason, it is important that you be persistent in your efforts to get your loved one into a treatment program. Family member support is considered a very important component to successful drug treatment.
You have made a great deal of progress in treating meth addiction if you can get your loved one to not only recognize that he or she has a drug problem but also to accept treatment. The next step is to detoxify the user. This is the process of eliminating the drug from his system. This stage of treatment can take longer with meth than with other drugs because of the staying power of meth. Additionally, more of the drug gets into the user’s brain than with other drugs. The detox process should take place under medical care to ensure safety. This step is critical, because as long as there is meth in the user’s system, he will be craving the drug. This is the primary reason that most users are unable to quit on their own.
Once detoxified, the real drug treatment can begin. For best success, it is recommended that the drug abuser enter a residential rehab facility for several weeks in order to have the structure and support that will be necessary to escape the clutches of meth. Current research indicates that the most effective treatments for addiction to methamphetamine include behavior modification therapy to help the patient modify thinking, expectations, and coping skills for dealing with the stresses of daily life. There is no doubt that recovering from meth addiction is challenging, but it is not impossible.
Posted by: Recovery Now
on Oct 12, 2010
Let’s say that you have accepted the fact that your husband has an alcohol problem, and now recognize that you must do something to make him realize that fact as well. He is in denial, which is not at all uncommon when someone is a substance abuser. However, his alcoholism has begun to have an impact on the entire family, as well as his ability to perform at work. As a result you have determined that your best course of action is an alcohol intervention. You have already selected the people who love and care about your husband to participate with you in this intervention. It is important to have people who your husband respects as part of the team in order to penetrate the denial and barriers that he is likely to put up. If his alcohol use has indeed impacted his ability to work, you might consider asking someone he respects at work to be part of the alcoholism intervention team.
After research and careful planning, you are preparing for the event with the assistance of an interventionist who has told you that the most successful interventions are the ones that are well planned, tightly controlled, and rehearsed. The interventionist has also stressed the importance of the intervention letter that each participant is to write. These letters become the script for alcohol interventions.
Each participant should prepare their own intervention letter. The process of writing these letters can be very difficult, but at the same time they give each person a voice at the intervention. It is important that the letters not be judgmental, derogatory, or place blame. At the same time, they should be personal and as specific as possible. For example, you should not generalize and say “You are always passed out on the sofa when I come to visit”, but rather be specific and say something like “When I came to visit you last Tuesday, you had passed out and I couldn’t wake you.”
Each author reads his or her letter aloud during an alcoholism intervention. The close of each letter should emphasize how much you love and care about this person and how concerned you are about his health and wellbeing. You then request that the alcoholic agree to accept the help that is being offered to him that day in the form of treatment for his drinking problem. The objective is to get them to enter treatment immediately. If the intervention letters are compelling enough, your script will have a happy ending when your husband enters a treatment facility.
Posted by: Recovery Now
on Oct 07, 2010
There is no doubt that making the decision to hold a drug intervention for a loved one can be difficult. Of course, nothing is more difficult than watching someone you love ruin their life because of an addiction. Choosing to hold an intervention is a major step in the process of helping your loved one towards recovery. Now you must do the planning to ensure that the day is as successful as possible. It is highly recommended to engage a professional to assist you.
While there are many people you could call upon to assist you with the drug intervention, it can be difficult to select just the right professional for your situation. It is also important that you find a professional who is highly experienced in dealing with interventions and substance abusers. There are many counselors who work with drug abusers and alcoholics on a regular basis, and one of them might be a good fit for your situation. There is also a fairly new type of counselor called aninterventionist, who specializes in this very type of treatment. You should do some research to see if there are any interventionists in your area. Once you have located these professionals, you can consult with them over the phone or in person to find one with whom you feel comfortable. A professional interventionist will assist you in planning and organizing an intervention in a way that will help increase your odds of success. For example, a qualified interventionist will have experience in preparing the participants so that the addict sees that the intervention is being done out of love and concern for his or her wellbeing. This helps keep the intervention on track and under control, so that it does not become a confrontation that will ultimately lead to failure.
While no one ever wishes to hire an interventionist, if you are looking to get your loved one into professional treatment for his or her addiction, there may be no better option available. With careful planning and the right professional, you can conduct an intervention that has high odds of success. Through these means, it is very possible to achieve your goal of getting proper treatment for your loved one and reclaiming the person that you used to know.
Posted by: KYNDAL
on Jun 11, 2010
I'm fine as long as I'm not at work, not in a grocery store, not passing a liquor store, not sitting in a bar or restaurant that serves beer, wine, liquor. What the hell man. I work in a bar. Liquor and beer stare me in the face on a daily basis. I don't think anyone around me knows just how hard it is to stay on this sober streak or whatever you want to call it. It sucks, it's hard and I don't want to do it. But, I'm doing it. I think I'm doing it more for everybody else right now instead of me. If it weren't for everybody else, I'd probably be really lost and lonely and drunk! Is that enough for me to stop? Why is this so difficult? How can drinking a certain beverage make you,er, me so different? If I could just be different when I drank.... I've tried and tried and tried. I've tried not to drink too much, not to drink liquor, not to do shots, to drink to a minimum...it doesn't work and it ends up bad for me and everyone around me. I still don't know why my husband decided to marry me after all the hell I put him through by my drinking. The embarrassment, the fights, the belittling, the screaming, the hitting, the suicidal tendencies. I just don't know why someone would put themselves in a position to have to put up with that forever. But he did and he's sticking by my side. I still don't think he knows how hard this really is for me, I've tried to tell him and I just don't think he gets it. It wasn't hard for him to stop so why is it so hard for me? I guess I have a problem and he doesn't or didn't. I don't know. I'm just bored, I'm always bored. I want to be entertained all the time. I think this is part of my depression as well, but it seems I'm always trying to come up with ways to maybe, maybe try to pull "it" off. I never go through with it because I don't want to let my husband, my daughter, my mom, my sister...you name it, down. Like I said, I think I'm doing this for everyone else right now. I want to do it for me, but I just don't have that desire for myself. I think, it'll be easier if I drink it away, it will be more fun if I drink, it'll make me feel better. I know all these things are just ways I'm trying to cope with quitting but it's always there, in the back of my mind. I hate feeling this way. When is it going to get easier?
Posted by: KYNDAL
on Jun 03, 2010
So my original "sober date" was May 15, 2010...well I had to change it back to May 23, 2010. No one knows this but me and that's how it will probably stay. It's embarrassing to show your weaknesses to the people that love you, so it's my little secret. I guess that's not how I should look at it, but that's how I'm dealing with it for now.
The past couple of weeks have been kind of easy actually. Sunday is always the hardest day for me, because it's an easy day at work with people easily giving out liquor and doing it along with you. Last Sunday I was too sick to go to work, so it was easy passing this week...but what about this weekend? Will I be able to stay away from it and not get caught up in the game of "How much can we get away with today?" I hope so. I have to keep telling myself, this is for me. This is not for anybody else but me. If I don't stop drinking, it's going to ruin my health, make it harder to maintain my health, ruin or end my marriage and also ruin the relationships I have with my friends and family. I have to do this because of me...for me. It seems so easy to "quit", when you're still drinking and no one else knows. It's like being two-faced or something. As long as I don't get too smashed and no one can tell or smell it on me, then I didn't do it! What a crazy way to think, eh? I'm sure I'm not the only one that feels this way or has done this on the side as well. Do I want to keep drinking? Sure, who doesn't. It seems so much easier to get through anything; work, stress, money problems, hanging out with friends...then I drink and it's no longer fun...for me or anybody else. I am an emotional drinker, the more I drink the more emotion comes out...good or bad. And usually it's bad. If I could only be one of those happy drinkers. Not possible in my scenario. So it's lead me to this, not drinking anymore. I have a very hard time calling myself an alcoholic, I guess I'm not there yet. I have to go through the stage of denial first, right?
So, this is me sharing what's in my mind and heart with complete strangers and my inner self. It feels good to get out emotions and feelings that no one really understands, until it happens to them as well. If you do read this blog, thanks for sharing a little piece of me and being there to write to and be able to get it all out and out of the mind. Thank you!
Posted by: Tony
on Dec 26, 2009
Sobriety
The biggest misconception in recovery is that just quitting drugs and alcohol means instant sobriety. This isn’t the true meaning of the word. We have all had periods in our drinking and using careers where we, through sheer will power have stopped using for a short period of time. We often experience that feeling of restlessness, irritability and discontent. The urge to drink becomes so overwhelming that we can no longer resist the urge to pick up the bottle. Are these brief moments of not drinking considered sobriety, certainly not?
Sobriety is general defined as the “state of being sober and not under the influence”; I have to disagree. Sobriety is only achieved when we can finally live life without the urge to drink while maintaining a sense of serenity. Although our lives may experience the emotional ups and downs of everyday life, we still maintain the emotional balance we only achieve by working a spiritual program. We are selfish and egotistical people by nature. When we finally accept defeat and are willing to place our lives in the hands of something greater than ourselves do we begin to build on true sobriety. We let go of the human idea that sobriety can be achieved by will power alone.
The Dry Drunk
We have all seen him. The epitome of uneasiness. He is the man that has overcome the physical addiction but struggles daily with the mental obsession to drink. About 15 years ago, I tried this method believing that abstinence alone will deliver me to true sobriety. I still maintained that I was the one in control and that I alone determined my own destiny. Little did I realize that I was emotionally unable to handle life on life’s terms when a situation that was out of my control would arise? I was destined to drink again. The dry drunk is a danger to himself, the temporarily bought of abstinence later followed by relapse can often discourage him in the future for seeking a true solution.
