Effective Drug Treatment

Whether you elected to enter drug rehab voluntarily, because of an ultimatum presented through an intervention, or as a requirement from the courts in lieu of time served, successful drug and alcohol treatment starts with productive therapies: group therapy, one-on-one therapy sessions and alternative therapeutic options.

Therapy involves much more than just showing up and going through the motions. The Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology has identified four determining factors essential for eliciting positive change from the therapy you receive at drug and alcohol rehab.

1) Clearly established goals, responsibilities, and length of time in drug and alcohol treatment.

You can have as many chances as you need to complete drug and alcohol rehab and get clean, but if you don’t really want to stay sober, you won’t. You need to know what it is you want from therapy in order to establish a way to measure your success. Most often, the goal of rehab is long-term sobriety through 100 percent abstinence. Once you and your therapist have identified your goals, you can break it down into logical, manageable steps that will automatically lead you to your desired destination. Knowing when to be ready for your debut into the real world gives you an opportunity to practice dealing with anxiety and personal triggers in healthy ways.

2) Skill sets that provide immediate relief and self control over impulses.

The hints and tricks your therapist offers may seem trivial and ineffective at first, but when put into practice can help anchor you to more productive ways of managing stress. Few things in life are more stressful than trying to kick an addiction, and as silly as some ideas for distraction may appear, they are practical manifestations of hope that are easy to do anytime, anywhere, whenever you begin to feel overwhelmed.

3) Engaging in competent mastery of skills independent of the therapist’s suggestion.

The point for therapy is to help you gain control of yourself in a respectful, dignified way that increases self confidence and builds self esteem. Eventually, the crutch of therapy won’t be needed anymore because you’ll be ready to venture out on your own and test the waters using what you’ve learned.

4) Understanding that your behaviors are directly tied to the choices you make, not to the actions of others.

Progress in drug and alcohol treatment therapy is yours and yours alone. Your therapist cannot make you participate or open yourself to the vulnerability of change. Your fondness for drugs or alcohol might never change, but you do have a choice in how you want to live your life. Drug and alcohol addictions can be conquered, and you don’t have to do it alone. But it’s you that has to do it.

Tell Us: What are some tips and tricks that have worked for you to turn your focus away from drugs and alcohol and on to more positive choices?

Drug Addiction Treatment

For the first time, researchers have isolated a specific chemical that inhibits proteins necessary in the formation and recall of memories. It’s great news for the millions of people trying to get their lives back under control after struggling with an addiction to cocaine.

The Research on Reducing Drug Addiction with Medication

Extensive models with rats utilized cocaine as a reward for certain behaviors. When the rats pushed down on a lever, a small amount of the drug was dispensed. The more they pushed, the more the drug was given. After a few weeks of withdrawal (simulating detox and rehab), some of the rats were injected with the medication. Out of curiosity, they continued to push on the lever, but when nothing came out, they eventually lost interest. The rats who had not been given the medication continued to push the lever seeking the same reward stimulus as they did before withdrawal.

Exciting Breakthrough for Drug Assisted Therapies

While there are drugs available that perform somewhat similarly, there are no FDA approved drugs for the treatment of cocaine addiction. Clients must undergo an intense period of detox supervised by a medical professional then immersion in residential treatment with a focus on cognitive-behavioral therapies and desensitization to personal triggers. Not surprisingly, relapse is relatively common with a drug as addictive as cocaine. It’s a tough road to try to think yourself well.

The Future of Drug Assisted Cocaine Rehab

Perhaps someday soon, your family doctor or psychiatrist will be able to write a prescription that helps erase the stimulus circuits carved out by drug addiction. While it’s not a cure, it’s certainly an added advantage. Drug therapies shouldn’t be a replacement for counseling, though, because it’s important to understand the underlying reasons for your addiction so you can take control of your actions rather than allowing your actions to control you. It’s also possible that without psychotherapy you might find yourself following the same road with other, more dangerous substances.

What’s worked best so far for you – rehab, medication, a combination or something else entirely?

Relapse is a trying time for anyone afflicted with addiction. Feelings of failure, low self worth, and hopelessness can certainly overcome a person who realizes they’ve taken a step backwards. However, it really helps to take a look at relapse as a part of a bigger picture. Relapse prevention is best done with a wide angle lens.

Dual Diagnosis Treatment

Some conditions can be cured with the right treatment. Got strep throat? Get some penicillin. Got tonsillitis? Take your tonsils out. Some health problems cannot be cured at this moment in time. We all hope that some day diseases like diabetes, asthma, and cancer can be cured forever once they are found inside a person.

Unfortunately, that is not reality for any human being. Cancer can come out of remission. Asthma problems can come and go. Diabetes needs careful daily monitoring. This is much the same for addiction. Unlike cancer, asthma, and diabetes, drug and alcohol addiction involves voluntary actions and consumption of toxins. Even so, addiction has the potential to do as much damage as any other chronic health problem.

Relapse Is Part of Addiction

Relapse is a natural normal part of addiction. Of course, no one looks forward to it and many people do whatever they can to avoid it. However, addiction has such a profound and long-lasting effect on the mind and body. It is hard to completely erase any chance of relapse, even after years of sobriety.

In fact, the attitude that you have addiction for life could help you stave off relapse. If you get into the “I’ve totally got this thing licked” mode, you may set yourself up to be blindsided by relapse triggers. Acknowledging that you may continue to have various triggers through your whole life can help you understand the possibilities.

Self Discovery Helps Relapse Prevention

Making new discoveries about yourself keeps your brain “tickled” about who you are at the moment. From moment to moment, who you are continues to develop. You don’t just sit still in time, you change and evolve to account for the changes around you and personal changes inside you. Or, you don’t make good adjustments, you stay focused on some kind of past moment for too long, and you lose sight of what really matters now.

The things that are important in your twenties aren’t usually the same as when you are in your thirties or forties. This progression continues upward as you age and see your environment change and grow. The “aha” moments you have along the way are often unexpected – they are usually quiet moments of realizing and embracing a new thought, a new feeling, the truth that has been there all along.

If all goes well, you will continue to evolve as you grow older. You keep the good stuff and throw out the bad stuff along the way. So of course, being in a constant state of self-awareness and renewal is a great way to keep yourself from getting stale and too far from reality. And denying reality is what addiction does best. Lies lies and more lies – before you know it, you are caught up in old beliefs, old patterns, and old problems.

Relapse Prevention at Drug Rehab Help People With Dual Diagnosis

If you have struggled with addiction relapse too many times, you may need a different rehab experience. Perhaps your untreated dual diagnosis is preventing you from having a long lasting period of sobriety. Sound like you? Don’t wait to get help – learn more about The Canyon dual diagnosis drug rehab.

Time for Alcohol Rehab

Not to be confused with a sneezy rhinoceros, allergic rhinitis is inflammation of the nasal passages. That stuffy, itching, sneezing, burning feeling in your eyes, nose, ears, throat, and sinuses that usually happens in response to pollen, mold, or animal dander. Some people just call it allergies, or hay fever.

An estimated 40 percent of the world’s population suffers with this upper respiratory infection, with rates continuing to climb in first world, westernized nations. Usual treatments range from nasal sprays, to decongestants/antihistamines, to weekly allergy shots, which can all help clear up the infection. If the stimulus is still in your environment, however, symptoms will return after treatment ends.

What the Research Says About Alcohol Abuse and Rhinitis

So what does all this have to do with drinking too much alcohol? Plenty, according to a new study published in the Clinical and Experimental Allergy journal. Danish researchers monitored 5,870 women who were symptom-free at the start of the study. After nearly a decade, 1,354 had developed respiratory infections such as rhinitis and hayfever. They also found that the risk for developing the infections increased around 3 percent for every alcoholic drink consumed during a week.

The Significance of the Relationship Between Alcohol Abuse and Rhinitis

Individuals with eczema and asthma typically have more frequent bouts with rhinitis, and those who suffer from hives can find themselves with frequent outbreaks relating to alcohol use. While alcohol has long been recognized as a trigger for hypersensitive reactions, previous studies indicated suppressed immune responses leading to serious bacterial infections. Rhinitis, on the other hand, is thought to be a response from the body’s overactive immune system, stimulating it to act on everyday intruders as if they were life threatening.

The Symptoms of Alcohol Abuse-Related Rhinitis

Symptoms of rhinitis often include runny nose (rhinorrhea), frequent sneezing, post-nasal drip, congestion, coughing, wheezing, headache, and fatigue. While it won’t kill you, it certainly makes life miserable for a while and it’s yet another way that alcohol can mess with your life, mess up your head and just make you feel terrible in general.

Is it worth it? Are you ready to stop? Are you stopping because of the negative physical health effects? Tell us about it: what made you face your battle with alcoholism and get treatment at an alcohol rehab center and how you are staying clean and sober every day.

Alcohol Addiction

Most of the time, when we talk about the effects of alcohol, we tend to focus on the emotional and biological responses of the addict. But for every person addicted to alcohol, there are countless more who have been directly harmed by the user while under the influence.

Excuses, Excuses

When someone you love starts acting strange, it’s normal to try and find a plausible reason for their behavior. “He had a bad day.” “She really took it hard after the divorce.” “Grandpa’s just been so lonely since Grandma died.” You hope it will pass, and you try to get on with the day, not realizing that you’re actually contributing to the problem. In time, the alcoholic comes to rely on these supportive statements and may become defensive or hostile when your approval is withheld.

Men Versus Women and Alcohol Abuse

Managing emotions is a different game for different genders. The depressant effects of alcohol typically elicit physical, confrontational reactions in men, and emotional, provocative responses in women. In other words: men, because of their higher testosterone levels, tend to act out while women, because of their higher estrogen levels, tend to cry out.

Both become rooted in maladaptive patterns and relationships where men are predominantly the abusers and women are the proverbial victims, and it doesn’t seem to matter who is actually struggling with the alcohol addiction.

Startling Statistics on Alcohol Addiction

Close to half of all violent crimes are committed while the attacker is intoxicated:

* 37 percent of assaults
* 57 percent of domestic violence incidents
* 60 percent of sexual crimes
* 86 percent of murders

The law doesn’t make excuses for inebriated acts, and neither should you. Places like Al Anon can help you learn strategies for a good offense, and connect to other people who have loved ones that are either active or recovering alcoholics. Many groups now have online chat rooms and meetings if there aren’t any local services in your area. Learn how to stand up for yourself and step out of the abusive cycle with the dignity you deserve.

Does This Sound Like You?

Or someone you know? Have you found that you are more violent when you drink rather than sedated, like you may have hoped? The number of problematic scenarios that become possible when you drink to excess are too many to count. Violent behavior is just one of them. Get help at an alcohol rehab before it’s too late.

Drug Addiction

No doubt you’ve seen, heard, or know someone personally who’s tried to quit smoking and ends up gaining weight. Or the pot head who eases up for a while, only to find he’s going through cigarettes faster than weed. Maybe you’ve sworn off cocaine and discovered crystal meth, traded shopping sprees for sex, gambling instead of drinking. Whatever your poison, if you rely on it to help you feel better and you just can’t stop yourself, it’s an addiction and addictions are chronic medical issues that require medical treatment.

Legal vs. Illegal Drugs

Narcotics that have been found to be easily addictive are placed on the DEA’s controlled substances list, but the legality of a substance doesn’t mean you can’t be addicted to it. Caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol are the most commonly available drugs, found in nearly every type of grocery and convenience store, and soda can still be found in most school vending machines. An estimated 8 million men, women, and teenagers have an eating disorder, 17 million Americans are compulsive shoppers, and countless millions struggle with obsessive-compulsive sexual urges.

Once an Addict, Always an Addict

New research comes out all time about certain genes being linked to certain types of addictions, but what’s important to note is the effect on the brain’s operating circuits when addiction kicks in. Chemical messengers (known as neurotransmitters) are damaged when consistent levels of drugs or alcohol interrupt the flow of information. Your body begins to rely on the chemical reaction produced by the addictive substance and is unable to recreate that response sufficiently to justify being without the drug. (For non-drug addictions, the activity itself elicits heightened pleasurable responses in much the same way as drugs or alcohol.)

Some drugs are so similar in their effects that your body may not notice there has been a change. Other times, a substitute drug might fill the void temporarily if you’re unable to find your favorite for a while, but the end result is still the same.

Take Back the Power of Choice

Addressing the underlying addictive personality and learning how to take control before cravings commit you to another binge is the only way out of the cycle. Recovery is a long, difficult journey, and you’ll need as much support as you can get. Start with a comprehensive drug addiction treatment program to give you a solid foundation in recovery and go from there. Realizing you don’t have to tackle it all at once may bring some relief – the only day you need to work on being sober is today. Say that to yourself every day and little by little it will get easier.

Sean Rosenthal may or may not be someone you have even heard of until this week of the Beijing Olympics. That is, unless, you are a fan of the competitive beach volleyball scene. As usual, NBC tells the background stories of each Olympic athlete they feature. Sean Rosenthal is not only a tremendously gifted athlete, he also endured difficult times as a child and teen because his parents had addiction problems. Sometimes kids can emerge from the most dire situations with impressive resiliency.

Tough Times With Drug Addiction At Home

Sean grew up in a home with six other children with multiple fathers. His father was alcoholic and has died according to the NBC Olympics site. His mother apparently struggled with methamphetamine addiction and struggled to keep jobs. They lived on welfare and had a hard time making ends meet. One website indicates that his mom was a former meth addict, but it is unclear how much of role she had with his upbringing. His grandmother took him in, but he still didn’t do well in school.

Sean had great athletic talent, but couldn’t keep up his grades to qualify for any sports teams. He even woke extra early doing some kind of electronic cable installation work before school to help pay bills. The details of his childhood aren’t much deeper than that from online sources. But they certainly paint a troubling picture with seemingly little hope for a good life.

Sean Rosenthal Discovers Volleyball and Rises Above Difficult Childhood

Now here is the point where nearly anything could have happened. His mom’s hooked on meth, his dad is an alcoholic (or has already died – the sources weren’t clear on this). It would have been pretty easy to just jump on the same track as mom and dad, drowning his sorrows in alcohol and drugs. He wasn’t making it in school, lots of chaos at home, and had few material splurges compared to others his age.

Instead of succombing to a drug addiction, he found an outlet that highlighted his natural gifts. He played beach volleyball and other sports as much as possible, and eventually became skilled enough to join the professional ranks as a teenager. Here’s the key – it’s not just that Sean was highly gifted as an athlete. He could have been an amazing mathmatician, or an artist, or a writer, or great with little kids.

Kids With Addiction in Family Need Encouragement

The point is somehow he had enough positive influence and mentoring to find his gifts and act on them. It’s hard to know how much support he got from his mom or dad. Most likely, he got this from his grandmother, perhaps coworkers, perhaps friends he met on the beach, or in other sports. Maybe even a coach somewhere.

Finding out how kids come out of highly addictive households to do exceptionally positive things with their lives is something that certainly needs more research. What encouraged Sean to do sports instead of drugs? I don’t know him personally, so I can only speculate. If she was a former meth addict, perhaps she spent some time in drug treatment – who knows? Regardless, it is inspiring and encouraging to know that even as a mother’s drug addiction or father’s alcoholism takes center stage in a family, some kids can come out shining.

Hope Lives For Kids Growing Up With Addiction

Will Sean ever have problems with addiction in his own life? It’s hard to say, but probably something he should keep in the back of his mind with his family history. If he remembers the lessons he’s learned from finding and using his natural gifts, chances are good he will keep on shining.