What is Recovery?

What is Recovery?

Guideline for long lasting recovery from drugs and alcohol

The first step in recovery is learning and deciding that there is a need for a change.

• Learn what treatment options are available
• Find help and support.
• Make your sobriety last by building a purposeful life
• Never loose hope
• If you fall back pick yourself up and start again

To find long lasting recovery it takes a few steps to maintain sobriety 

First you have to realize that there is a problem that needs to change. Are you ready to start your recovery? If you are ready give us a call toll free 1800-513-5423 for immediate help in finding a drug rehab or treatment center for you or a loved one. 

Deciding that addiction recovery is needed and you want to make a change is the crucial step in recovery. No matter what brought you to the decision that you need make a change for the better, making the decision for change is the only thing that really matters. For some of us, it takes us landing in some sort of rock bottom that we feel that is as low as we will allow ourselves to get, in order to feel the need for changing our alcohol or drug habits.

Making lifestyle changes and breaking behavioral habits
Changing your habits can be a lot harder that it seems, we are creatures of habit and making habitual changes has to start with changing the way we think and how we act on the thoughts that we cannot control. Simple changes that you can implement to help your recovery.

Find ways to help you manage stress

Change your friends to those who support your newly found sobriety.

Rediscover what you like to do for fun 

Change how you view yourself

Finding treatment options and support 

Some people will make the decision to enter into treatment for their addictions themselves. There are a few different options available for  the treatment for addictions. Choosing to get help to handle an addiction to drugs or alcohol can be a critical second step in the recovery process.
 

Inpatient treatment centers: This style of treatment can include long term programs,short term programs and many different specialized treatment options. Receiving treatment at an inpatient treatment center allows the individual to recover in a loving and caring environment while receiving treatment for their addictions. 

Outpatient treatment programs: This style of rehabilitation sets treatment scheduled on a regular basis from daily meetings and therapy to once a month depending on the level of care you choose. Some of the other types of outpatient treatment include partial hospitalization programs and intensive outpatient treatment, which is mainly used for people that need medical care and psychiatric treatment while undergoing a substance abuse treatment program. These types of programs are heavily monitored and often times, accompanied by sober living arrangements to offer a better level of support than a traditional outpatient program.

Dual diagnosis Treatment programs: Most dual diagnosis treatment centers are inpatient treatment with a heavy focus on mental health and underlying mental health problems that have not been previously addressed. Treatment at these centers are usually longer than the typical 28 day treatment center. 

Many of the programs that help people recover from drugs or alcohol will incorporate the 12 steps to recovery. Twelve step programs help people who are struggling with addictive behaviors. Twelve step programs like AA, NA, CA  offer support for the individual in the form of meetings and fellowship with people striving to remain drug or alcohol free.

It doesn’t matter what program you choose for you treatment; you are gonna need help in recovery to avoid common pitfalls in early recovery. This is the important third step in recovery; talking to your friends and family about your intentions to change your life. Trying to hide your recovery can make things more difficult for you, your friends, and your family.

It may encourage you to know that people will support you and you should welcome the help in your time of need. You need to take charge of your recovery and be very proud of the fact that you are changing your lifestyle habits for the better. 

Find recovery groups

There may be cases when the family or friends contributed to your addiction problem either directly or even indirectly (enabling you to be addicted). In these cases it is extremely important to find like minded people to help with support and introduce you to new social outlets that support recovery.

Make your sobriety last

 

Getting free from drugs or alcohol through a drug rehabilitation program is a great first step in recovery, but managing your recovery can take planning and execution of the aftercare program you have set up for your return home.

Know your triggers and learn to manage cravings.

One of the biggest parts in early recovery is learning to manage cravings and the thoughts of using again. Being able to identify triggers, environments, and staying away from people that are using drugs or alcohol will help you stay on your path of recovery. 

Make sure to avoid places where drug or alcohol are present.

Avoid people that you used to drink or use drugs with.

Enroll and follow through with your aftercare program. After care programs can include some or all of following groups or programs.

• Support groups

• Halfway or sober-living houses

• 12 step recovery programs

• Continued outpatient care

• Find activities and hobbies that you enjoy and give you a sense of well being.

The final step in recovery is the rebuilding of a new life without the need for drugs,alcohol or any addictive behaviors. This is not a simple as it seems. We are habitual beings that can fall back to what we feel is a safe place. Some people feel the need to give back and volunteer in their community and others take up hobbies and activities for their fulfillment.

Making sure to set reasonable goals and following through until they are completed to your satisfaction fuel us for the next goal and it’s challenges. Life takes a lifetime to complete so do not rush into anything to fast take your time and make sure that the decisions is the best for you and not the best for right now. 
What to do if you relapse after going to treatment 

Relapse can be a part of some peoples recovery but it is not always the case. If you find that you have fallen back to you addictive behaviors you know what to do to pick yourself back up. You have all the tools that you need to get yourself back on the track of recovery. 

Relapse can be caused by many things but the most common cause that we have noticed is boredom. Being an addict can have a great impact on your social life and in some cases, need as much time as a full time job. That is a lot of time to fill, so getting into aftercare and managing your time in order to include some activities that you enjoy on a daily basis, will help you stay the course of recovery. 

If you are ready to start your recovery program give us a call 1-800-513-5423 to find the substance abuse program that is right for your needs while enrolled in a drug rehabilitation program.

Long Term Effects of Xanax Addiction

The long term use of Xanax or any opioid can have very dangerous results. Read more about Opioid abuse here. 

Hard Truths about your Old Friends 

RE BUZZ

The first step is complete. You have chosen to get help for your addiction and the recovery process has started. It’s common to think back to your old life and friends during recovery. You may reminisce about some of the great times you had together and even look forward to seeing them after your recovery program has ended. However, the problem with your “old friends” is that they may not be a good influence on you and could even lead to relapse. Accepting the hard truths when it comes to your previous social life may help you stay sober for the long term.

Hard Truth #1- You shouldn’t hang out with them

The truth is that some of your old pals won’t be ready to give up addiction like you are. It’s extremely unlikely that you will hear them admit that or the fact that they are a bad influence on you that could lead to your own relapse. If you continue hanging out with them you are going to put yourself directly in the path of temptation and your sobriety is too important to let this situation ruin it.

Hard Truth #2- Your life was a mess when you were using drugs

Your “old” friends aren’t going to tell you about how horrible your life was when you were using because they are still trapped in that world. While you chose to overcome addiction and better your life because you knew it was problem, they just aren’t there. Many of those friends will try to tell you stories of the “good old days” when you were using and the amazing times you had with them. The stories could make you want to use, and again, your sobriety is too important.

Hard Truth #3- Your friends stole from you

Now, while this can’t be said of every “old” friend you may have had, many of them would be guilty of this. If you roomed with another addict or even dated another addict, chances are they stole money from you when they needed a fix. If you look back and remember what it was like to “jones” for more drugs, you can probably also remember how tempting it was to steal items of value or money from anyone around in order to pay for more drugs.

Hard Truth #4- Your friends lied to you about their lives

When you were addicted and you had to talk about your current situation to family or friends that didn’t know about your addiction, you lied. Your friends that are still using are still lying. It’s possible that they will say things like, “It’s not that bad,” “I can quit anytime,” or “My life is great. I’m so happy.” You know from experience that it is that bad, that if they wanted to quit they would, and most likely they are miserable. Sobriety is a long, complicated road with twists, turns, and bumps. Accepting the hard truths about your friends is a part of that journey. You have chosen to get clean and change your life, so don’t let the pressure you may feel from those still using deter you from your path. You can overcome addiction, one step at a time.

SOURCE

Intervention

Intervention 

What pressures does the addict feel now?

 The addict doesn’t necessarily have the same reality about their addiction that non-addicts might. For instance, he/she may have semi serious health problems/no friends and no job or income but feel like they are “doing ok”. Many addicts have actually overdosed on drugs coming very close to death and are right back using drugs the very next day. This may appear crazy, but in fact this is only part of the pain for the addict. With this in mind, the addict from time to time will encounter added pressure, which forces them to make an actual decision about whether to seek help or continue to use. Pending legal charges that could easily lead to jail time, threat of losing spouse, pending loss of job, all are possible situations where a person has enough pressure to fight the addiction and seek help. Although any one in particular may not work in your situation, there are pressures that can come to bear which will help prod the addict into a decision to seek help. It is easy to assume the addict is “only seeking help to avoid jail” or some other evaluation which in many cases is true. The fact remains that an addict will only seek help when some one or some thing pushes him out of his “ addiction comfort zone” and forces him into a decision. Very few addicts with access to money, a place to live, people who agree with his usage and no legal issues seek help. They “don’t have a problem”. This is very important to understand and will be crucial in any attempt at
intervention

What is the ruin of the addict ?

 The addict has things in his/her past or present that seems like a devastating event and which has something to do with drugs. One example is a person that has lost his best friends due to his addiction. Another example is a person losing his wife and child over drug abuse. A family member can look at an addict’s life and see hundreds of reasons he/she should quit using but unfortunately these reasons are not REAL to the addict. There are, however, problems the addict encounters that are real or significant in the addicts life, which he/she sees as a reason to quit using drugs. These are important to identify because they can be used during the intervention to
remind the addict why he/she must seek help.

Who should be there?

 One of the major considerations involving intervention is selecting who will be there. This matter should be well thought out before hand. The number of people there is less important than who is there. If at all possible, the person in the family whom the addict respects the most should be there. This person is an opinion leader to the addict and needs to be there fully supportive of getting the person help and informed
well about the actual agenda. As many family members as possible should be there as long as each and every one are completely in agreement about the fact that the person needs help and supportive of the general agenda. If someone in the family is antagonistic against the addict and is not capable of restraining themselves from arguments and blame then you might consider leaving them out. Usually, the addict has many enemies and has done wrong to most of the family but arguments and in turbulation will not benefit the cause of getting the addict to seek treatment and in fact will usually result in stopping this from happening because the focus of attention gets placed on the argument and not on the matters at hand. Many people hire professional intervention counselors to run the intervention. This is advisable in many situations but not a necessity in most. This depends largely on individual circumstances. For instance, does the person have pending legal issues, external pressures etc. or does the person deny completely any drug usage. These type factors need to be considered intensely before bringing in an outside person. You may want to seek help in establishing who should be present at the intervention because it is a crucial factor

When is the appropriate time?

 When does the intervention take place? Ideally, this has less to do with the family schedule and more to do with what’s going on in the addict’s life. The optimum time for an intervention is just after a major event. Such an event would be if they arrested, or when he/she has wronged (lied, stolen, cheated etc.) a family member and shows remorse or guilt. Another would be spouse leaving. Yet another would be after an overdose. Although you obviously don’t want to risk the addict’s life by postponing forever, an intervention will be exponentially more effective after such events when the addict is down and feels like his/her world is coming to an end. Even in the absence of these situations, an intervention can be successful especially if the family is close to the addict daily so that every little situation is known. An addict’s life is a major roller coaster and the only way an addict can deny their problem is to successfully hide these problems from those who love him. A major consideration should be when the addict is sober. In the case of cocaine, meth- amphetamine etc. this should be in the morning after the addict has slept. In the case of heroin or methadone or opiate type drugs, it will be when they are withdrawing and not high. In either case attempting an intervention while a person is extremely high will usually not be productive because the addict can not see many of their problems and their attention will fixed elsewhere. In general, the timing of the intervention is crucial and needs planning but
at the same time an addict’s life is very unstable so opportunities present themselves reasonably frequently

What is the general language or message ?

 The tone should be concern. The intention should be clear. It should be unwavering. “ We love you, we’ve always loved you, we’ll never stop loving you but we’re not willing to watch you kill yourself with drugs”. The family should definitely express concern but not sympathize with the addict. Sympathy is a form of agreement and can back fire by justifying the addiction. Without any anger or fear, the addict should “get” from every one present that the situation is known and that he/she needs treatment. Don’t allow stories of family problems and life’s troubles sway the attention off the point that the addict has a problem and needs to seek help fixing it. This  is where the family’s preparation pays off.

What is Plan B ?

 An intervention with proper planning and carried out correctly will result many times in an addict agreeing to receive help. But you must accept the fact that ultimately the addict may for whatever reason say “NO”. This scenario needs to be thought out in advance so that the family consistently moves to the proverbial –plan B. If for what ever reason the intervention fails, the addict is still an addict and statistically the situation will likely get worse not better, so what is the action taken by the family at this point? The family knows the
person is addicted and the addict has been confronted with this fact so whatever message the family gives the addict at this point is critical. By refusing to seek treatment the addict in general is saying to the family “ I want to continue to use drugs. I want to continue the families suffering. I want to control my own life. ”The family will in turn answer with every word and action taken. If the
family says " I understand. Please leave and don't expect any money or support in any way unless you decide to get help." then the addict is left to run his/her life which they generally do not have the ability to do, and before long you have a person who "DECIDES" that treatment is the best thing and calls saying just that. If on the other hand the family sort of acts disappointed and carries on as usual, then the addict gets the message that it is OK to continue this life style and will put up even more resistance to intervention in the future having bested the intervention team previously. Obviously, there are certain risks involved with either approach and should be evaluated clearly before hand. One thing is certain, as long as the addict continues to use, they risk the only one thing they have; their life. The bottom line is that an addict needs to decide, for whatever reason, that they need help. Most " locked down " approaches fail because the addict is
not part of the recovery. The only way an addict can usually fight against the addiction is when enough external pressure is applied to cause them to decide to quit. Many call this "the bottom". However, there can be many bottoms. Obviously some are lower than others, but each can make a person quit drugs. It just depends on what happens when the person is there. For instance a person is facing serious charges and is very scared. The person will either have an intervention and go to treatment or will get through this situation and be back out using. In the final analysis, it is often the family who both spots the incident and uses it to achieve treatment, or misses and waits.
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Drug addiction signs

Drug addiction signs

• Increase or decrease in appetite; changes in eating habits, unexplained weight loss or gain.
•   Smell of substance on breath, body or clothes.
•   Extreme hyperactivity; excessive talkativeness.
•  Needle marks or bruises on lower arm, legs or bottom of feet.
•   Change in overall attitude / personality with no other identifiable cause.
•   Changes in friends: new hang-outs, avoidance of old crowd, new friends are drug users.
•   Change in activities; loss of interest in things that were important before.
•   Drop in school or work performance; skips or is late to school or work.
•   Changes in habits at home; loss of interest in family and family activities.
•   Difficulty in paying attention; forgetfulness.
•   Lack of motivation, energy, self-esteem, discipline. Bored, "I don't care" attitude.
•   Defensiveness, temper tantrums, resentful behavior (everything's a hassle).
•   Unexplained moodiness, irritability, or nervousness.
•   Violent temper or bizarre behavior.
•  Unexplained silliness or giddiness.
•   Paranoia -- suspiciousness.
•   Excessive need for privacy; keeps door locked or closed, won't let people in.
•   Secretive or suspicious behavior.
•   Car accidents, fender benders, household accidents.
•   Chronic dishonesty; trouble with police.
•   Unexplained need for money; can't explain where money goes; stealing.
•   Unusual effort to cover arms, legs.
•   Change in personal grooming habits. 
•   Possession of drug paraphernalia.

Free "Am I an Addict?" Questionnaire. HERE

If you or someone you love has an issue with drugs or alcoholism and needs help, call us at 1-800-513-5423 today and we can help. 

Rehab for Teen girls Help Line -Teen Substance Abuse Treatment Options

Rehab for Teen girls Help Line -Teen Substance Abuse Treatment Options  

     Free My Addiction teen rehab, specializes in gender specific treatment options for teen girls with drug abuse and behavioral problems, and therapy in a caring environment. Freemyaddiction’s programs for teen girls with addictions, behavioral issues, and drug or alcohol problems, provide a gender specific  treatment options. This allows girls to open up in groups without judgment or apprehension, creating  a better treatment experience.  Teenage girls can deal with much different issues relating to addiction than teen boys. Studies have shown that teen girls are more susceptible to drug addiction issues, than teen boys are for drug abuse and addiction.

 

     Allowing young women to focus on treatment and studies without the distraction from boys enables them to devote more time and energy not only on their school work but their treatment as well. When girls recover in a gender specific treatment program for teens, they tend to not focus on their outer beauty and focus on inner healing while in treatment. Most programs limit the time and activities with male clients if they have a co-ed facility. It can be important for teenage girls to interact with boys in an appropriate manor, limited to structured and heavily supervised activities.

 

      Getting your daughter into a program that has tutoring options, can aid the student that is showing the signs of struggle. Freemyaddiction’s programs also can offer SAT preparation through online courses and even offer early college courses for the students who qualify for these programs.

 Teen Girls More Vulnerable to Alcohol and Drug Use  

      Teenage girls are perceiving the benefits of drug and alcohol abuse as a positive change that can allow for the perception of beauty that is portrayed in the media. The pressure to stay thin and look the best they can has some adverse effects that can lead them down the path of addiction. Data provided is from a survey sponsored by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America® and the Met-life Foundation.

 

 

Research

Analysis of a 2009 Partnership Attitude Tracking Study indicated the following:

Teen girls are more likely to perceive “self-medicating” benefits with drinking and getting high.

More than two-thirds of teen girls responded positively to the question “using drugs helps kids deal with problems at home” (an 11 percent increase, up from 61 percent in 2008 to 68 percent in 2009).

More than half reported that drugs help teens forget their troubles (a 10 percent increase, up from 48 percent in 2008 to 53 percent in 2009).

 

(This article contains information from the Partnership for a Drug-Free America®, www.drugfree.org  )

 

If you feel that your daughter, or someone you love, is in need of treatment for an addiction to drugs or alcohol, or has behavioral issues that need correcting please give us a call we are here to help.