Fear and Sobriety (Part 2)

Many of us experience fear around many different things. It can either be healthy or unhealthy. Healthy fear is when it’s used as a defense mechanism occurring in response to a specific stimulus such as pain or the threat of danger. There are also common fears such as fear of death, the unknown, and fears in cultures. Alcoholics can also add fear of failure and fear of success to this list. Unhealthy fear is when it is not based in reality and keeps you from living life. For us alcoholics especially in the grips of our disease we can find the fear paralyzing. Not knowing what is going to happen, or fear of not being able to get sober often times stops us from getting alcohol addiction help. When we overcome those fears and decide to get sober we are faced with new fears such as can I do this on my own? Is there an affordable rehab I can go to? or would a 30 day rehab and drug addiction detox program be best for me? Once we make that choice then the life fears along with reality start to set in. How do we live life? Will we ever be happy again? What do I do with myself? Who am I? Etc. The great fact for us is that through getting sober and working the steps we find a higher power of our own understanding and while there is fear from time to time it’s never paralyzing like it was when we were using because we have faith and are taken care of.

Fear and Sobriety (Part 1)

“Driven by a hundred forms of fear, self-delusion, self seeking, and self-pity”-pg 62 How it works from the big book of alcoholics anonymous

“The greatest enemies of us alcoholics are resentments, jealousy, envy, frustration, and fear.” -pg 145 to employers

It is natural to have fear around the unknown as well as seeking out alcohol addiction help and getting sober. It is a huge life change and we are asked to give up the only life we know and have faith in something we have very little or no experience with. Sometimes we have to give up the things we have that are no longer working for us just for the hope of something better. If we are having trouble with overcoming our fear a 30 day rehab can help. Though the recovery process might still seem difficult through the help of a drug addiction detox your goal of getting/staying sober will feel more attainable. Once we are sober and see these new tools working for us we can begin to have more faith and a new found ability to walk through fear, regardless of what our fear is based off of. Many alcoholics live in constant fear when we get sober. It s an emotion that is familiar to us. While fear is something that will inevitably pop up at one point or another in our lives, regardless of being sober or not it no longer has to be debilitating and run our lives/actions. The more we walk through fear the less fear we will have. We can then begin to decide what we do with it. Do we let it hold us back from living life and miss out on amazing opportunities, or do we power through and prove to ourselves that we are taken care of no matter what and see what we are capable of? The choice is ours!

More on the Alcoholic and Acceptance

“AA and acceptance has taught be there is a bit of good in the worst of us and a bit of bad in the best of us, that we are children of god, and we each have a right to be here. When I complain about me or about you, I am complaining about god’s handy work. I am saying that I know better than god. For years I was sure the worst thing that could happen to a nice guy like me would be I would turn out to be an alcoholic. Today I find it’s the best thing that has ever happened to me. This proves I don’t know what’s good. And if I don’t know what’s good for me then I don’t know what’s good for or bad for you or for anyone… before AA I judged myself by my intentions, while the world was judging me by my actions.” Acceptance Was the Answer pg. 418 from the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous

Leave it to alcoholics to always think we know best. What’s best for us, what’s best for others, what are the best choices for god to make for us? We are always trying to control everything, always trying to manipulate our environment to fit our expectations. It isn’t until we let go, fully surrender, and receive alcohol addiction help that we start to realize we don’t know what is best for us or our loved ones. We learn in places such as, a 30 day rehab, AA, or an affordable rehab how to get to the place where we can turn it over and realize that there are bigger and better things planned for us then our small plans we have for ourselves.

Alcoholics and Resentment

“Resentment is the number one offender. It destroys more alcoholics than anything else. From it stems all forms of spiritual disease for we have been spiritually sick. When the spiritually malady is overcome we straighten out mentally and physically.” – How It Works pg. 64 from The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous.

Resentments are bitter indignation’s at having been treated unfairly. Resentments can either be real or imagined, for example it can be based off of an event that actually happened, or it can be based off of thoughts that we have involving other people’s actions and our interpretation of their actions which may or may not be accurate. Both situations can lead us to the boiling point if we hang onto the anger, fear, and hurt or if we don’t change our behavior or do inventory around it. An affordable rehab, AA, and a 30 day rehab can help with giving you the tools you need to deal with resentment as well as alcohol addiction help. There are negative and positive resentments the above mentioned are examples of negative resentments. Examples of resentments being a positive thing are when they motivate us to make positive changes or when they keep us sober because of pride/ego this is not necessarily a healthy place to stay in and there is still work/inventory to be done; nevertheless, it can be beneficial. Resentments have the power to destroy alcoholics or to force them into making good/healthy life changing decisions. At the end of the day it is our choice what we do with them.

Intervention – Step By Step

Once friends and family members have exhausted their energy, efforts and resources on a struggling addict, an intervention is often the best and last available hope. When it comes to locating the best intervention help Los Angeles has to offer, Above It All is the name to trust. If you are considering an intervention for a friend or loved one, the following entry will provide you with an idea of what to expect when hiring Above It All’s team of intervention specialists.

Once you’ve made the decision to seek out professional help, it only takes a quick phone call to our substance abuse rehabilitation facility set the plan in motion. You will be promptly connected with a professional intervention specialist who can answer your questions and schedule a time to meet with you and your family.

During your initial meeting, your invention specialist will walk you and the other participants through the process involved in staging an intervention. Participants will be afforded the opportunity to ask questions, pose concerns and communicate exactly how the addict has impacted their life in a negative fashion. Participants will also be encouraged to write letters to the individual in question, which will be read during the actual intervention. With everything in place, there’s nothing left but to hope for a positive outcome.

Intervention participants will meet up at a neutral location alongside the intervention specialist. In addition to planning and organizing the intervention, your specialist will also serve as a moderator during the actual intervention.

When the subject arrives at the intervention, participants are encouraged to receive them with positive embrace. Though centered around a somewhat negative focus, a negative attitude will do little to aid the process.

If and when a “yes” answer is uttered, your intervention specialist will place the individual on a plane or drive them personally to our beautiful California mountain facility to begin immediate treatment.

How Family Counseling Aids In Addiction Recovery

By the time an addict has reached our drug rehab center in LA, the families are typically through with the heartache and drama that’s been caused. Though the family still loves and supports the addict, it’s not uncommon for members to feel as though their attempts to help the individual only serve in making the situation worse. Why would a stay at Above It All be any different.

Support for family of addicts is one of the main focuses at Above It All. Here, friends and relatives of the addict are invited to take part in the recovery process with the aid of a licensed addiction specialist. In this way, family members are better able to understand what their loved one is going through, and the efforts being made to combat the addiction as a whole. Counseling can take place either in person or over the phone, and can take place as often as 1x per week.

Truth be told, the single greatest thing you can do to help your loved one succeed in their recovery is making a commitment to attend Al-Anon meetings. These environments provide participants with the knowledge and support they need to fully recognize their own involvement in the addiction. As the old saying goes, “your only as good as the company you keep”. By making a concerted effort to better yourself, you will in effect be doing your part to aid the individual in question. Addiction is never a solo journey… and the same rules should apply to recovery.

Even with family counseling and Al-Anon meetings, it’s important to know that there are no guarantees for complete recovery. In some cases, it may even take years for the addict to truly commit to the recovery process.  Make a point to keep tabs on the addict’s attendance in regard to 12 step meetings once they have completed their treatment. A willingness to continue maintaining their sobriety through counseling and support groups is a good sign that the individual is invested in a positive change.

If you’re considering your rehabilitation options, take a moment to contact one of our licensed addiction counselors. He or she will be best able to assess the situation at hand and provide you with available options in addressing the addiction.

Deep breaths… Positive thoughts… Love & Compassion… We’ll get through this yet!

The Alcoholic Addict and Dealing with Other Addictions in Sobriety

As alcoholics in recovery we may or may not encounter other forms of addiction that can pop up throughout our sobriety. There are some alcoholics that only need alcohol addiction help or some addicts that only need a 30 day rehab, AA, or a Los Angeles rehab because they don’t experience the addictive behavior with things other than alcohol or drugs. Then there is the other type who after getting sober realizes that  either they’ve replaced their main addiction with  something else or have  began to see that they have had problems in other areas all along but weren’t aware of them until now. For this kind of alcoholic it seems sometimes more difficult to address these situations then it was to address our alcoholism partially because the devastation and wreckage from alcoholism was perhaps more noticeable then these other addictions. Addictions can begin to surface in areas least expected such as food, men, women, shopping, excersising etc. Though not necessarily shocking. After all we as alcoholics are constantly seeking elevated moods. Whatever it is we pray and work the steps around it the way we do with alcohol. We begin to realize that if we have faith and do the work the battle with any addiction can be won. We begin to get more connected to our truest , and purest selves and start to see that if we love ourselves then we don’t need to constantly try to fill the hole with people, places, and things  that not only hurt us but also never really fix us either.

Our Prescription Drug Treatment Programs

Our prescription drug treatment program has been carried out on many patients throughout the years. A number of factors dictate the type of treatment required for a successful recovery; the most important of these being the type of drug on which the individual is dependent. The number of prescription medications known to result in addiction is vast, and includes sedatives, stimulants, and painkillers.

Each medication possesses a specific set of effects and side effects. With this in mind, it’s important to note that treatment must be specific to the type of drug addiction being combated. Patients who have built up an addiction to these types of substances must first be carefully evaluated and examined prior to fully committing to a long term drug rehabilitation plan.

In many ways, prescription drug treatment is quite similar to treatments used to combat other types of addiction. A large sum of the techniques used throughout our prescription program are found to be just as helpful as those utilized in heroin and oxycontin rehab plans. In most of our rehabilitation programs, the best treatment in weaning patients from prescription drug medications comes in the form of a combination of several treatment options. However, before a proper treatment plan can be determined, a proper detoxification program must be implemented

Detox is used as a way to help counter the withdrawal symptoms commonly experienced once drug consumption is halted. Different symptoms are associated with different medications, and vary in severity and intensity depending on the use history and amounts.

Additional methods used during treatment include addiction counseling and cognitive behavioral therapy. Both methods serve in altering exactly how the individual approaches drug issues and daily life.

Truth be told, there is only one sure-fire way to achieve a complete and successful recovery: A commitment to oneself to address the situation head on. Counselors and addiction specialists can attempt to educate patients regarding the dangers associated with their addictions, but without the proper drive and push, the risk of relapse is almost inevitable.

The Alcoholic Addict and Step 12

“Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principals in all of our affairs.”

“Practical experience shows that nothing will so much insure immunity from drinking as intensive work with other alcoholics. It works when other activities fail. This is our 12th suggestion: carry this message to other alcoholics! You can help when no one else can. You can secure their confidence when others fail. Remember they are very ill. 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.” pg 89 working with others from the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous

Our primary purpose is to stay sober and to help another alcoholic achieve sobriety and that is exactly what step 12 is all about. Whether we went through a 30 day rehab program, other facilities, or did it without the help of treatment, once we seek alcohol addiction help, work the steps, and recover as a result it is then time for us to pay it forward. We give back what was freely given to us, so that others may have a shot at sobriety. There is great joy in knowing that we have recovered from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body and an even greater joy in giving that gift to someone else. It’s how we stay sober. Newcomers are our lifelines. Just like we went to any lengths to recover, we’d go to any lengths to help the newcomer. Perhaps it’s a matter of reaching our hand out, talking, meeting up with them, or maybe it’s a matter of speaking whether it be in a meeting or places such as a California alcohol rehab we make sure that we are the best example we can be and that we carry the message of recovery. Through sobriety we get to live such a blessed and amazing life. Let’s stick around and do the work, so that others may get this opportunity as well.

The Alcoholic Addict and Step Ten

“Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.”

“This brings us to step 10, which suggests we continue to take personal inventory and continue to right any new mistakes as we go along. We vigorously commenced this way of living as we cleaned up the past. We have entered the world of the spirit. Our next function is to grow in understanding and effectiveness. This is not an overnight matter. It should continue for our lifetime.” – Into action pg 84 from the Big book of Alcoholics Anonymous

In step ten we continue to watch for selfishness, dishonesty, resentment, and fear. When they crop up we ask God at once to remove them. Step 10 is a maintenance step. We review our fears, resentments, and parts on paper. We then look at where we had been selfish, self seeking, and dishonest. We ask ourselves where had we been dishonest? Did we arouse jealousy? Whom had we hurt? If anyone was harmed we immediately make it right. We admit our faults and amend our behavior. When we sought alcohol addiction help we agreed to go to any lengths to stay sober. Cleaning our wreckage up is a small price to pay as well as a rewarding experience. Through places like drug addiction detox, 12 step programs, or perhaps a drug addiction facility in LA we are taught how to work the steps, and adapt to this new way of living. Those of us in recovery are given an amazing life beyond our wildest dreams. All we have to do is ask for help and be willing to do the footwork.