Dealing with Addiction: Tips on Safely Getting Sober

Addiction is a difficult disease to treat because it takes over every habit that you have, but with the right information it can be overcome. Addictions turn a healthy lifestyle upside down, and recovering from that addiction means turning your life back around heading in the right direction.

 

Every recovering addict has to accept the fact that they were “hooked” on their drug of choice and that it had taken control of their lives, and there has to be an honest effort to stay away from that substance and to change everything. Removing drugs and alcohol out of the body is the easy part, or so it is said. Typically, it takes four days for alcohol to be eliminated, 28 days for marijuana and other varying lengths of time for other drugs. After that, the one addicted has to start changing their lifestyle, and avoiding things that will trigger them back into their addictive behaviors.

 

Visit the Hospital

If someone’s addiction to a drug is serious enough, you may need to take them to the hospital to help get the drug out of their system. If they are experiencing signs of withdrawals such as shaking, sweating, or vomiting, there are things that can be done to make them more comfortable. A doctor may be able to prescribe a medication to help ease the symptoms until their body gets used to not relying on their addictive substance.

 

Start with a Successful Rehab

If someone is serious about staying sober, it is best to go to a rehab center with a good reputation. A rehab center will separate the addict from their environment, so they can concentrate on staying sober. Sober programs are often directed toward specific addictions like those for alcohol or a womens heroin rehab center that specializes in heroin addiction. This is beneficial because patients can relate to similar addictions and share their stories. Often gaining strengths from other participants to stay strong.

 

Not only will a rehabilitation center separate an addict from their drug, but they also offer valuable mental health resources. Addicts can talk to counselors or therapists and try to find the root cause of their problems or why they resort to certain behaviors. They can also work on finding alternative methods of stress relief.

 

Rehab is Not the End

After rehab, an addict is not cured. Most people will live with their addiction for the rest of their life. After successfully completing rehab, many patients will participate in an out-patient program, where they come back to the center to meet with their counselors or therapists. This will help them feel comfortable and stay strong as they get used to living out in the real world again.

 

It’s easy to revert back to addictive behaviors, especially if you have been living with the addiction for many years. This means that addicts need to keep themselves out of situations that could potentially trigger their addictions. If that means moving, getting new friends, or even getting a new job, that is what needs to be done. Getting a sponsor and participating in AA or NA meetings is also a great way to build a support system. Staying sober takes effort and you need to be ready and willing to make positive changes in your life in order to recover.

 

After a life of addiction, a positive, successful lifestyle must be re-learned. In order to get your life back and make positive changes, it’s often easiest to start with rehab. Once you have successfully completed rehab, just remember that it isn’t the end. You will need to build a strong support system and continually work to stay sober. There is hope and you can get your life back.

Categories: addiction, addictive behaviors, Habits, life, nbsp, Rehab, rehab center, sober, stay strong, staying sober

5 Reasons Rehab Is The Best Place To Get Rid Of Your Addiction

If you’ve been struggling with addiction,it’s a slippery slope. Each time that you try to make it to the top of the mountain and leave substance abuse behind you, something makes you fall down again. Addiction is too big of a problem to handle by yourself. You need to get help and rehab is the answer. Consider five reasons rehab is the best place to get rid of your addiction.

 

You Can Concentrate on Yourself

There will be no other distractions or obligations when you enter a first rate rehabilitation facility. This is the time to leave all outside problems behind. You won’t have to worry about taking care of anyone else. It’s time to make a commitment to taking care of yourself.

 

Avoid Temptation

Stay in your own environment and it will be too easy to fall back into bad habits. When you enter a Utah drug rehab center, you will no longer have access to the source of your addiction. You will be able to avoid any negative influences as well, such as people who would encourage you to continue using drugs or alcohol.

 

Have Medical Assistance

Detox and withdrawal are major obstacles that are extremely difficult to overcome by yourself. As the toxins leave your body, you will have miserable side effects and feel truly ill. On your own, you would do anything to make the pain stop and return to your addiction. In a rehab center, trained professionals will be with you every step of the way. They will do their best to keep you comfortable and hold your hand as your body struggles. You will not be alone.

 

Find a New Direction in Life

Once you have overcome detox, your mind will be clear and you will be able to focus on your recovery. Caring staff members will assist you in every way possible. You’ll have nourishment for your body, soul, and mind. You’ll learn new coping skills when it comes to dealing with life’s problems. You will discover your trigger factors and be able to avoid them.

 

Learn to Live without Addiction

You will steer a new course in your life when you complete drug rehab. You’ll make healthy choices for yourself. Exercise, eat well, and find new interests while addiction no longer consumes you.

 

Recovery and long-term sobriety can be yours. Rehabilitation is the key to escaping addiction. The choice is yours.

Categories: addiction, Assistance, avoid, drug rehab, life, nbsp, reasons rehab, Rehab, rehab center

Addiction:Four Ways To Help Your Family Member Right Now

When a family member is suffering from addiction, it is often hard to determine what is helping them, what is enabling them and what is alienating them from you. It is a struggle for all parties involved, but it is a struggle that can be fought and won. The trick is to take things one step at a time and defer to professionals wherever necessary. Remember, in the end, you are not there to cure, you are there to love, support and guide however you can.

 

Promote Quality Time Together and Make It Happen

Addicts who do not want their family members to know they are using will look for ways to avoid spending time together. Come up with fun and appealing things to do as often as possible. Do not spend the whole time talking about addiction. Make this time quality time to show your loved one the benefits of being clean, not a time to bully him or her about addiction.

 

Talk About Rehab

If things have gotten to the point where your loved one needs immediate help, it might be time to bring up rehab. This can scare off some people with addictions because the nature of addiction is to reject anything that will separate the addict from his or her preferred substance. Try to wait until your loved one brings up getting clean and then be careful about how you mention rehab. Try to bring up positive things about rehab centers in Arizona, like not having to stress about work, family and chores while seeking sobriety. Sell rehab instead of trying to scare an addict into going.

 

Get Involved and Stay Involved

It is fine to show up for one group or one meeting that your addicted family member asks you to go to, but addiction is not a short-term struggle. It is for life, so show up, get involved and stay involved. Relapses are just relapses, so do not let it discourage you from showing up again when it is time to go again, should that happen. Family members expect people suffering from addiction to keep up the struggle, so it is imperative to show them that everyone else is keeping it up too.

 

Find the Right Professionals for the Situation

When it comes to addiction, there may be many things going on. Target all the mental health and physical health issues that are happening with professionals who specialize in those areas. Your loved one may be malnourished, have diseases related to substance abuse and have mental illnesses that are triggering abuse. Quitting is about overall healing, so find the right people to make that happen.

 

Sometimes, when all is said and done, what you can do for your family member right now is be there. You cannot make quitting easy. However, you can make it more comfortable, more promising and less bleak.

Categories: addiction, Rehab, substance abuse

So Your Loved One’s Coming Home from Rehab — Now What?

Someone you love has been struggling with chemical dependency and has been receiving treatment at a drug or alcohol rehab center. But now the course of treatment is ending and it’s almost time for him or her to come home. While it may seem as though the worst is over, the first weeks after rehab can be some of the hardest for many recovering addicts and alcoholics.

 

When your loved one comes home from rehab, he or she will have completed a period of sobriety in a supportive, substance-free environment. Treatment will have involved working on uncovering the roots of the substance problem and teaching your loved one how to cope and resist the temptation which will now be all around. The trials and tribulations of the real world will be more real than ever for this person since he or she will have to face them without the comfort of drugs and alcohol for the first time in what may be many years.

 

How can you support your loved one to continue in recovery after rehab ends? You’ll need to be able to communicate openly, and you may need to cope with your loved one’s mood swings and emotional outbursts for a while. The two of you should make a recovery plan, and you should both seek the help of a support group or counsellor. Finally, you should encourage your loved one to find new activities, hobbies and supportive friends.
Outline Your Communication Strategies

The best way to know how to support your loved one when he or she comes home from rehab is to come right out and ask. Talk about what things your loved one is and isn’t prepared to discuss, regarding the experience in rehab or struggles with addiction, and how you will proceed should these feelings change. You should also outline how you will communicate with one another if things get emotionally difficult between you.

Ask whether your loved one needs some emotional space or whether they want closeness. Talk about how your loved one can communicate these needs.

 

Make a Recovery Plan and Stick to It

After all the hard work your loved one has done in rehab, you shouldn’t leave ongoing recovery up to chance. Make a recovery plan that will lay out what’s expected of your loved one (staying clean and sober after rehab), how to accomplish this (going to counselling, 12-step groups, etc.), and what the consequences will be in case of a relapse (return to treatment).

Talk about this with your loved one as soon as he or she comes home or before, if possible. Writing it down might be helpful. The most important part of the recovery plan may be the consequences for relapse; it’s important that you stick to your guns if your loved one falls off the wagon, because if you don’t, there may be no incentive to return to treatment and try again.

 

Join Support Groups

Your loved one can benefit greatly from joining a recovery support group after leaving rehab. A recovery support group will help your loved one make new social connections, learn new coping strategies from others who’ve had similar experiences and overcome the feelings of isolation that can come in early recovery. Support groups have helped thousands of addicts and alcoholics turn their lives around.

You can also benefit from joining a support group for the loved ones of addicts or alcoholics for many of the same reasons. A support group will help you share your experiences, receive advice from others and break down the walls between yourself and the outside world.

 

Encourage Your Loved One’s Personal Growth

When your loved one comes home from rehab, he or she will likely still be struggling to fill the void that was once filled with drugs and alcohol. Hobbies, activities, new friends and other forms of personal growth can help take your loved one’s mind off of substances and provide something to feel passionate about. This way, relapse becomes less of a possibility.

Encourage your loved one to try new things, or support him or her in returning to hobbies and activities that were a part of life before addiction took over. Sports and other forms of exercise can be especially helpful for people in recovery. Artistic pursuits, like music, painting, drawing or writing can be cathartic and help in expressing difficult emotions they may be feeling.

Support your loved one in forming new friendships with positive people who will support a recovery lifestyle. Be a good listener and try not to criticize. A life free of addictive substances is a challenge in itself for your newly clean and sober loved one, and your support and stability will be much appreciated.

If your loved one is coming home from rehab, remember that the next few weeks and months will be difficult. Though going to rehab is an important step in the right direction, you should be prepared to support your loved one in making many more necessary changes once he or she comes home.

 

About the Author:

Contributing blogger Nancy Benet is a certified addiction counselor. She has worked in inpatient facilities for more than 15 years.

Categories: recovery plan, Rehab, support group

Not Alone: Understanding Mental Health Problems in Recovery

When you’re in recovery, it’s typical to experience frequent knocks to your mental wellbeing. If you suffer from substance abuse as well as a mental health disorder, this is known as a dual diagnosis disorder, and wellness problems often arise from this can include feelings of depression and anxiety before, during and after rehab. If you have a dual diagnosis disorder, you can also struggle with bipolar disorder, panic disorder, schizophrenia and other personality disorders, but whilst this can be unnerving or even scary, the important thing to remember is that you’re not alone.

Self-medication for major behavioural health disorders often leads to addiction, as drinking or taking drugs can help you to cope with or calm uncomfortable or alarming symptoms, such as voices, hallucinations or delusions, especially in people who have bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or other personality disorders. It is actually quite common for people to be diagnosed with mental health problems when they are in recovery for substance abuse.

If you do have a dual diagnosis, recovery for you can be more challenging than most. Luckily, qualified behavioural health professionals can help you better understand your illness and learn healthy coping mechanism that can reduce symptoms. Therefore, it is vital for you to remain in treatment and build a strong relapse prevention plan and support group.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the more common mental health problems. Whether you’re in recovery or not, depression is a very common condition that can arise when you need to make big lifestyle changes. It is characterised by feeling down or hopeless, changes in sleeping or eating and a feeling of not wanting to participate in hobbies or previously enjoyable activities.

Anxiety is a feeling of anxiousness or agitation, that affects your behaviour, decisions and choices. It can cause you to become easily annoyed or angry and have difficulty sleeping or concentrating. When you experience a craving or trigger, you may feel an increase in anxiety because you are all too aware of the temptation to relapse. With both of these conditions, some people have found that exercise, journal writing and group meetings help them alleviate the symptoms, but if you are depressed, anxious or are struggling with substance abuse and a co-occurring mental health disorder, it is important to seek treatment from a medical health professional.

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Not Alone: Understanding Mental Health Problems in Recovery

Categories: depression, Personality Disorders, Rehab