No One Needs To Hit Rock Bottom... Early Intervention and Treatment Saves Lives Read more: No One Needs To Hit Rock Bottom... Early Intervention and Treatment Saves Lives

by ChooseHelp -

© Rogatien

An addiction to drugs or alcohol can fragment previously happy families, derail promising careers, and seriously damage health and well being; and left unchecked, addictions inevitably run their full course of destruction. There's a truism that people need to hit rock bottom before they can really see what a mess they've made of things, and really get motivated to seek and benefit from needed drug or alcohol treatment.

Unfortunately, what's perceived to be true and necessary is not so, and people can benefit from intervention and therapy at any stage in the progression of addiction, and generally, the earlier drug treatment is sought, the easier the transition back to sobriety, and the better the ultimate prognosis of recovery.

People do not need to admit to a problem to benefit from therapies and treatment, and if you can ever convince someone needing help to get it, their wall of denial may come crashing down under during the scrutiny of individual and peer group therapies.

The best time to initiate an intervention is as soon as substance use threatens to become abuse, and well before an addition has taken hold. People should express their concerns or arrange informal and brief professional interventions as early as possible, using abuse prevention as a much easier and preferable way to manage substance use and abuse behaviors, before the problem becomes too severe.

If you hold concerns about the use behaviors of a loved one…those concerns are very likely justified. Not everyone one who flirts with heavy use and abuse consumptions will become dependent, and some may simply walk away unharmed from the abyss of dependency; but because so many unwittingly slide into addiction and heartache, early intervention is the best kind of kindness, and whether ultimately needed or not, can do no harm and may do a world of good.

Sometimes a 20 minute conversation of concern can spark a needed change in behavior, and new and not yet severe dependencies may respond well to minimally intrusive outpatient therapies, avoiding the expense and disruption of residential care.

No one needs to suffer the pains of hitting rock bottom, and to watch someone proceed through destruction without intervening certainly does nothing to assist them in their battles.

The earlier the better…drug treatment and intervention before the inevitable heartbreak of addiction.

Read more: No One Needs To Hit Rock Bottom... Early Intervention and Treatment Saves Lives 

How the Family Can Support a Recovering Addict

by ChooseHelp -

Getting a family member or friend the treatment they need is a huge and important step, but family assistance and support should never stop with the end of rehab, and when the addict is reintegrated into the home and into the community after a treatment period, family help and support can be important factors in the ultimate ability of the recovering addict to maintain sobriety.

Ultimately, the decision to stay sober must come from the recovering addict, but there are some things that the family can do to decrease the probability of relapse; and convincing an addict to get the help they need is a great first step to recovery, but recovery doesn't end with rehab.

Get educated and get involved

Firstly, the family should be involved in the rehab process, and the family of the recovering addict needs to learn how best to support the addict once home, just as the addict needs to learn how to stay sober. Most recovery and rehab programs will include a family component, and caring family members should make every effort to attend and get the most out of this available resource.

Stay sober with the recovering addict

Secondly, the family needs to make it as easy as possible for the addict to transition back into the home environment and newly sober living. The family should provide a sober and alcohol and drug free environment for the addict, and the house should ideally be emptied of all possible intoxicating substances. A recovering addict can always get drugs or alcohol if they truly want to, but sometimes if it is too readily available, the temptation to use can be overwhelming.

Help to reduce stress in the recovering addict's life

Thirdly, support the addict in all areas of their life. Many recovering addicts relapse in response to stress and due to poor problem solving and coping skills. The recovering addict needs to take responsibility for their life, and this in fact a part of the healing process; but family members should be available to assist in any area that threatens to overwhelm the recovering addict during their first months of recovery. Whether it's helping with the kids, helping with the bills, or just being their for companionship; family should make these first months as stress free as possible, so the recovering addict can concentrate all of their energy on staying sober.

Don't let a relapse happen

Lastly, the family needs to take action if they suspect a relapse is imminent. There is no need to wait until after a relapse to act, and if you think that the recovering addict is in danger of using, you need to make sure they get into a safe environment. Sometimes all it takes is a visit and some companionship to get the addict back on the right track.

The family needs to care of itself as it takes care of the addict

You can't do it for them, but by offering educated support you increase the probability of long term sobriety and an ultimately happy outcome for everyone. Addiction often causes pain throughout the family, and the effects of addiction can ripple through the family for a long while even after sobriety is achieved. The family may also need to heal itself, and sometimes professional family counseling, or family addiction peer group support services are very beneficial in this healing process.

Recovery is ongoing, and although it tends to get easier with time, the family will need to be there for a while; doing everything they can to help the recovering addict stay sober.

Read more: How the Family Can Support a Recovering Addict 

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

You don't have a drug problem,  you have a heart problem.  Think about that statement for a moment and you will know exactly what I am talking about. That's why working the 12 steps works, because it brings to the surface the reasons why we self medicate.  It does not matter who you are or where your at in the world if your heart is broken then your thinking is not right.  Fix the heart and the head will follow.

12 Steps Programs

by ChooseHelp -

With more than 75 years of history and tens of millions of alcoholics and addicts helped, 12 steps programs display some pretty impressive statistics of recovery.

The overwhelming majority of drug and alcohol rehabs in America use 12 steps group meetings as a part of their recovery programming. They use them because they work, because nothing else has helped as many people, and because studies show that people who stick with a 12 steps program for the first years after rehab have a far better than average chance at staying free from addiction.

The Basic Principles of 12 Steps Based Recovery

The 12 steps don’t work unless you believe in them, work them honestly and work them with commitment. You can’t fake it, and if they don’t work for you or if you can’t believe what they’re telling you, don’t waste your time trying, the 12 steps are not going to help you.

• You are an addict or an alcoholic for life. You can get into recovery, you never have to drink or use again, but nothing will change what you are, and you will never be able to use with moderation again.
• You can’t do it on your own. 12 steps based recovery methods are fundamentally spiritual in nature. They may be non denominational, but to work the 12 steps you must believe in some form of higher power, must pray to this higher power to remove your weaknesses and pray for strength and guidance down the road of recovery. You don’t have to believe in a traditional "God" but you have to believe in something greater than yourself.
• You have to make amends for your past. To work the steps you have to admit to the harms of the past, and try to make things right. No one but you will know if you do this completely, but lingering guilt and shame over past wrongs pull you back into abuse, and unless you do all in your power to make amends, the 12 steps are not going to work for you.
• You have to believe it, and you have to spread the word. A big part of 12 steps recovery is helping others achieve sobriety after you have. You may want to become a sponsor, or you may want to help in other ways, but to work the last of the 12 steps you need to give for the rest of your life at helping others to see the light of sobriety.

12 Steps are not for Everyone

A lot of people can’t get past the spiritual tones of the message, some people find the organization vaguely cultish, and others resent being told that they are an addict or an alcoholic, and that they lack the power to control their actions for all time.

There is no point in beating a dead horse, and if it's not working for you, try something else. There are alternatives, and you have to find something that works, that resonates, and that will keep you sober when nothing else will.

But because the 12 steps of programs like AA and NA have helped so many, because they have been successful for so long and because studies show that people that get actively involved in 12 steps groups have a far better chance of long term sobriety, 12 steps recovery methods are very worth a try.

Get out to a meeting, they're free, they're everywhere and all are welcome. If you don’t like it, there is nothing forcing you to continue, but you might just find that the strength and solace of the 12 steps that have helped so many millions before you, gives you what you need to stay sober.

One day at a time, you can do it.

Read more: 12 Steps Programs 

In recovery? Eat your spinach!

by ChooseHelp -

Vitamin deficiencies have been conclusively linked to certain cancers, pancreas and liver disease and even brain damage. If you are a recovering alcoholic, you need to pay close attention to your nutrition, and should consider adding vitamin and mineral supplements to compensate for any period of abuse.

Many of us who ultimately enter rehab do so in less than ideal health, and as a result, one important part of the rehab experience is getting good nutrition and exercise. Alcoholics especially can be prone to certain nutritional deficiencies as a consequence of their abuse, and can benefit greatly from good nutrition and the use of vitamin and mineral supplements.

Problem drinking is not only socially problematic; it also devastates whole body health and wellness. Alcohol interferes with our body's processing, absorption, and even consumption of vitamins and nutrients, and too often alcoholics show vitamin deficiencies, and may ultimately suffer serious health consequences from these deficiencies.

Read more: In recovery? Eat your spinach! 

Don't Let A Slip Become A Relapse

by ChooseHelp -

If you slip, it does not mean that you are a failure, and it does not mean that you need to start using again. Get immediate help from your support network, and start living one day at a time once again. The road to full recovery never ends, and a few bumps in the road are to be expected. Have the courage and the strength to get help when you need it, and never think that because you've slipped, you have to go back to abuse.

Most addicts that have successfully beaten their dependency have slipped or even relapsed once or more. Recovery is a journey, and there is no overnight cure. You should take steps to minimize the likelihood of a slip or relapse, and you do need to take responsibility for your actions and even your thoughts, but if a slip occurs, you also need to deal with it, and not use it as an excuse to throw away all of your hard work and fall back into your old ways.

The best way to maintain long term sobriety is to minimize the temptation to abuse, maintain appropriate family, peer and professional aftercare support, and live one day at a time with the goal of a day of sobriety above all else. The urge to use lessens with time, but you never know when that urge can come back with a vengeance, and often it’s after we think that the real danger has passed, that we are most vulnerable to a slip.

The two periods that are most dangerous are the period immediately after rehab, and the period a few months later, when our confidence increases to the point that we may let our guard down.

Read more: Don't Let A Slip Become A Relapse