The Alcoholic and Watching Others Recover in Alcohol Rehab

Life will take on new meaning .To watch people recover, to see them help others, to watch loneliness vanish, to see a fellowship grow up about you. To have a host of friends- this is an experience you must not miss. We know you will not want to miss it. Frequent contact with new comers and with each other is the bright spot of our lives.- Working with others pg 89 big book of AA.

There is nothing quite like seeing the light come on for others, and knowing the amazing life they are about to live. Often times when it comes to alcoholism it can be difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Many might wonder how it would be possible that something so amazing could come from such a devastating disease. When we get sober most of us are hoping for manageability and a solution to our drinking problem, at best. As it describes in the excerpt from working with others we get so much more than that. We begin to be able to cherish our relationships with others. We are whole where we were once empty. We know a new freedom and a new happiness. We are complete as well as content with our lives, ourselves, and others. We begin to have a purpose and we can find joy and paying it forward. How does this happen? In many ways. Perhaps we decide to get sober, find a 30 day rehab program, and get to work on cleaning our lives up. We may reach out to loves ones for alcohol addiction help, or we might end up in an addiction program in Los Angeles. Regardless of how we start our sobriety we can all end up with the life previously described. We can start cleaning up our side of the street and helping others do the same by showing them exactly how we recovered.

Life After Drug Addiction Detox

Many individuals suffering from drug and alcohol addiction have a desire to complete a drug addiction detox without rehabilitation treatment following it. While many people confuse the two processes, the difference between them is actually rather great.

The majority of medical detox programs take between 3 – 10 days depending on the type of drug, use history physician recommendations. The purpose of this process is to work the body through the initial withdrawal symptoms in a safe and healthy manner.

Individual who complete a medical detox program are not cured of their addictions, and are likely unable to deal with the underlying issues that have caused them. Though some patients would like to believe that a successful recovery is possible directly following detox, the evidence proves otherwise… countless have tried; most have failed.

Choosing to enter a 30 or 90 day rehab program following detoxification is key to ensuring a happy, long-lasting recovery. Unlike some diseases, addiction has no cure-all treatment, as many patients struggle for years to maintain their sobriety. Rather than cure the addiction, detox works as a foundation from which to build a recovery. By clearing the addict of the addictive substances, they will be best able to absorb, learn and move forward with their lives following treatment.

Once a patient has enrolled in a rehabilitation program, a team of counselors, therapists and addiction specialists will work with the patient through individual and group therapy sessions. These sessions will allow the addict to share their experiences with others, while confronting their issues in a safe and healthy manner. Patients are often encouraged to keep a daily journal to better track their emotions, by which they can reflect on down the road.

Addiction can only occur in instances where the individual was unable to notice the trap. By making the effort to educate oneself, an individual will be better prepared to recognize and avoid similar traps down the road. Life is full of mistakes – Learning from these mistakes is what makes the journey worth while.

Rehabilitation procedures and treatments vary depending on the type of facility selected. Different programs commonly cater towards patients with different issues. As such, it is important for patients to locate a treatment facility that is able to properly assess and address their needs and behaviors to ensure the best possible results.

Those who are truly intent on a drug-free existence must make a true commitment in order to achieve the desired results. Without the tools and resources provided within an addiction program, many addicts place themselves at high risk for failure and relapse within the addiction cycle. Help and happiness is available to those who seek them. Make a choice and make it count!

The Alcoholics Prayer

For normal folks drinking means companionship and colorful imagination. It means release from care boredom and worry. It is joyous and intimacy with friends and a feeling that life is good, but not so feeling that life is good but not so with us in those last says of heavy drinking – pg 151 “A Vision for You” from the big book of Alcoholics Anonymous

When we first start drinking most of us find what we’ve been searching for for years. A sense of ease and comfort. We feel smarter, stronger, carefree, and find the relief most of us have been craving our whole lives. We become masters of fun and partying. Over time whether it be months or years that feeling usually fades. We are no longer able to escape and the consequences begin. Some of us lose our family, jobs, and houses while others get DUI’s, lose friends or have a string of nights that went just a little too far. Whatever bottom it is that we hit there is no such thing as a bottom that is too high or too low. We hit our bottom when we stop digging. It can always get worse. We find ourselves going to any lengths to defend our right to drink and use to the death until we can’t lie to ourselves and others anymore or until we stop pretending it’s still working for us .When we realize we no longer have it in us to continue living like this we say what is known in A.A. as the alcoholic prayer –PLEASE HELP ME!

If you are tired, rundown, or if this thing has you licked and you don’t know how to stop drinking here are a few options you can check out…30 day rehab programs, California rehab centers, AA, and rehab programs in California.

Whatever route you decide to take may you find recovery and life you seek and may you be surrounded by love and success on this new path

Changing the Alcoholic Double Life in a 30 Day Rehab Program

“More than most people, the alcoholic leads a double life. He is very much the actor.” page 73 the big book of Alcoholics Anonymous

If you are at a point in your life where you are deciding or have decided that you are an alcoholic or an addict this quote might hit home for you. By the time we hit our bottoms there has often been many years of living two different lives just to be able to maintain our habits. Like a chameleon an addicted person will change in every situation as a means to protect themselves from losing things that they consider important to them i.e. family, jobs, ability to drink the way they want, houses etc this all stems from fear…fear of not getting what they want, losing what they have, or not getting what they “deserve”. This can continue on into sobriety if one does not have tools to cope or if they are doing it alone,  many people refer to this as “white knuckling it”. It’s not a pleasant or necessary experience there is plenty of help available that can be found in places such as 30 day rehab programs, drug addiction detox, and dual diagnosis recovery center Los Angeles. Whatever the path one may choose there is no wrong way as long as the destination is the same. Once we get sober we can stop living like actors, chameleons, or addicts and start living healthy, honest, and open lives. We can begin to allow people and ourselves to see who we truly are as well as opening ourselves up to be loved.

Alcohol Drug Rehab Before a Holiday?

With St Patrick’s Day right around the corner getting sober might seem like a lost cause. There are so many times when someone thinks about getting sober yet that thought is followed by a million reasons why the timing just isn’t right….thoughts such as “I’ll get sober  tomorrow,”  “I’m just so stressed out right now maybe when things calm down a bit,”  “I’m dealing with x y and z I just can’t deal with all of that and get sober,” or what seems to be the most common justification of all  “(insert holiday here) is coming up and its unrealistic to think that I can stay sober through it and I want to have fun so I’ll get sober after (insert holiday here)…”

Regardless of the date or the circumstances anyone can attain sobriety at anytime. Here are a few suggestions and places available to you …

1. Check out rehabs that take insurance

2. Check out some local drug rehab blogs .they are here to provide information on rehab programs in California.

3. For alcohol addiction help you can check out California rehab centers or perhaps a 12 step centered recovery house

There is all sorts of information available via internet. Getting sober isn’t easy but well worth it. If you decide to get help you don’t need to go through anything alone ever again. It doesn’t matter if it’s just another day or your favorite holiday today can be the first day of the rest of your sober life…may it be full of joy and peace!

 

Dual Diagnosis Treatment Centers in California : What is it, and what makes it Beneficial?

Dual diagnosis is the process by which a treatment center finds 2 of the following: drug addiction problems, alcoholism, and mental illness. Up to 70% of drug and alcohol addicts are estimated to suffer from an undiagnosed and untreated secondary condition.  Because symptoms of drug abuse and mental illness are similar, diagnosis can be easily confused.  Drug treatment facilities are often ill-equip to deal with mental illness and visa versa. Luckily, Above It All treatment center is equipped for such a problem.

With any type of addiction problem there is often a dual diagnosis with depression; so even after the treatment for addiction the depression will remain. Without treatment for depression as well as the addiction the likelihood of relapse increases tenfold.  Several other mental illnesses are often self-medicated with drug and alcohol addictions, like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Most of these problems can be managed with therapy and prescriptions thereby ensuring a mostly normal life, as opposed to having a higher propensity towards suicide. Alcoholics are about 7 times more likely to commit suicide even after treatment without proper therapy.  50 % of all people who commit suicide were not in therapy beforehand. Having a drug and alcohol treatment center that can support a dual diagnosis paradigm is very beneficial to sober living for the rest of your life.

There are three main benefits of dual diagnosis: you get two treatments at the same time, you learn coping skills, and you are able to plan to try for the future. Dual treatment ensures that both would be far more successful than either would be alone. With the coping skills, you no longer become a slave to your addiction and psychological issues.  And by planning for the future, it becomes possible to do stuff that an addiction makes impossible. A certified drug rehab center, such as Above It All treatment center is such a place where treatment such as dual diagnosis is possible.

Learning in Early Recovery: H.A.L.T.

H.A.L.T.

HungryAngryLonelyTired

When getting sober, you may hear the staff at this California alcohol and drug rehabilitation center talk about recognizing what it means to H.A.L.T.  This concept is best served by putting this acronym into action.

What happens when we are hungry?  Perhaps we become easy to irritate, edgy, unable to concentrate, and with our single-purpose focus on that gnawing feeling in our stomach, we may yet be somewhat befogged by the lack of fuel for our bodies.  With all of that, the propensities toward additional misunderstandings leave others, and we may include ourselves in this, prone to unnecessary tension.

How many of us lash out when we are angry?  The bile of fury rises in our throats and we spit fire, with the potential to incite riotous feelings within whomever we come in contact.  Perhaps it inflates our sense of entitlement, fanning the flames of our arrogance which in turn causes us to treat others as less than.  Maybe we become short, curt, and terse coupled with a sharp tone when communicating; we burn people with whom we’ve come in contact with the hot iron of our ire.

Lonely; the word itself may immediately create an idea of a cry for attention.  When we are lonely we may be inclined to seek company that is less than beneficial to our well being.  We may indulge in self-pity, believing we are worthless, never to feel connected in the world.  This encompassing feeling of aloneness shadows our relationships.  Perhaps we fail to be even willing to connect, leaving us reveling in our own pit of despair blindfolded to the truth while thinking only of ourselves.

Tired can cause an inability to think clearly and while markedly impairing our immediate judgment; it may also sharpen our tongue propelling us to quickly lash out at others.  We could, potentially, be unable to focus, our concentration eclipsed leaving us inclined to be unable to complete a task that is required by work or needed by family or an ear for friends.  Maybe we decide we’ll get behind the wheel and in doing that we put others and ourselves at great risk, similar to driving while under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol.  Falling asleep at the wheel can kill.

We are guided by the alcohol and drug rehab staff to check in with ourselves, noting where we are at, being mindful of our responses to others, and, when we find we are feeling one or more of these, we immediately stop and address the issue(s) at hand.  The resolution of any one of them can open us back up to being available to others.  Our self-care directly contributes to our ability to be present and, when we are present, without the anvil of H.A.L.T. weighing us down, we are serving our most important purpose; being of service to others.

Support for Parents of Addicts: Tips for supporting your Children Through a Difficult Time

During and after rehabilitation, it is not just the patients that need support, the family needs support as well.  There are many ways to get this support, one of which is Family Counseling.   Another way to support the family is to have everyone on board with treatment and the changes that will have to be implemented into their lives.  Here are some tips on supporting each other, and the patient in question:

Stress management through social interaction: Many of the effects of stress can be reduced by social support; that is support from family and friends. So go out into the world, do something fun with friends and family; Picnic, Adventure Park, hike, etc.

Family Counseling: sometimes having therapy for individuals isn’t enough. The individual may need help voicing concerns over what you think of them now, and you may need help expressing your concerns. This kind of therapy gives you a space to talk safely with a referee present.

Understand that occasional relapses happen: when this occurs it is important to get them the treatment they need in a rehab program without being judgmental and offering support.

Help practice social and coping skills: go with them into a no-threatening social situation and help them interact with others in a kindly way.

Help them create a contingency contract: create a plan that outlines the psychological and financial consequences of relapse. This can help motivate them knowing that they have people who care reminding them of what’s at stake: their life.

Just be there: listen, talk, and love each other. It will all be ok in the end.

Remember that there are generally two different windows of vulnerability for drug and alcohol abuse, the first of which is between the ages of 12 and 21, and is more of a chemical vulnerability. The second window is later in life and dependency usually comes from a desire to cope with stressful situations. Social support from family and friends, particularly the effects of a confidante, can help prevent relapse as well as help everyone through the difficult life changes ah

The Benefits of Relaxation During Alcohol and Drug Detox

Unsurprisingly there are a lot of benefits from relaxation during alcohol and drug detox.  “The adrenal hormones, glucocorticoids, which increase the sensitivity of mesencephalic dopaminergic neurones to drugs, seem to be one of the biological substrates of the effects of stress on the propensity to develop drug intake (Piazza and Moal, 1998)”. “The cyclical nature of chronic drug use, involving periods of drug abstinence and subsequent relapse, highlights the presence of this disease throughout the lifetime of an individual” (Hyman , Malenka -2001).

In terms of economic and health care costs, drug abuse is among the top three health problems.  “The stress response is mediated by a highly complex, integrated network that involves the central nervous system, the adrenal system, the immune system, and the cardiovascular system. Stress activates adaptive responses. It releases the neurotransmitter norephinephrine, which is involved with memory. This may be why people remember stressful events more clearly than they do non-stressful situations. Stress also increases the production of a hormone in the body known as corticotropin releasing factor (CRF). CRF is found throughout the brain and initiates our biological response to stressors. During all negative experiences, certain regions of the brain show increased levels of CRF. Interestingly, almost all drugs of abuse have also been found to increase a CRF level, which suggests a neurobiological connection between stress and drug abuse” (Hanson-2009).

All this jargon means that when you are stressed out your mind craves something to help relax you. For some people this can take the form of getting more sleep or finding time to exercise, and sometimes this thing can take the form of drugs and alcohol. So finding a residential treatment center in California that chooses relaxation as one of the key components of rehabilitation is essential. Through this period, one can learn how to incorporate time for the self in their future sober living.

 

Finding Affordable Rehab and Getting Sober

When one first starts to think about getting sober it can often be a scary and confusing time. Many questions might come up such as where can I go for help? Where should I go for help? What would be the best or most affordable rehab? What is the process? And am I going to be able to stay sober?

A couple of good suggestions for finding the answers you are looking for are to search for drug rehab blogs or FAQs about rehab and recovery in Los Angeles.

The last thing someone wants or needs when getting sober is to feel alone or uninformed. Obtaining as much information through research as possible is not only a great way to provide support, find support, and find a place/way to recover that works for you but also a great way to get informed and potentially inform your loved ones of the recovery process .There are many ways to find the answers you or your loved ones are searching for. Familial support, and support from peers plays such an important role in the quality of sobriety and the life that results from it.

While the recovery process is a very personalized and an individualized thing it doesn’t need to be done alone .nor should it be.

The disease of alcoholism doesn’t just affect one person but several people from loved ones to co workers. Therefore the gifts of recovery should not just be bestowed upon the recovering alcoholic/addict but the people that play a big role in their lives as well. May you and your family find the quality of sobriety, life, and relationships you are looking for as you start this amazing journey!