Drug Addiction Treatment and Drugs
By Stacy Barnes | May 6, 2010
Drug addiction treatments include structured, supportive inpatient or outpatient treatment programs, counseling and attending self-help groups to help you resist using the addictive drug again. Depending on your level of addiction, you may need steps to help you withdraw from using the drug (detoxification).
Therapies such as counseling, addiction treatment programs and self-help group meetings can help you overcome an addiction and stay sober.
- Treatment programs. Drug treatment programs generally include educational and therapy sessions focused on getting sober and preventing relapse. This may be accomplished in individual, group or family sessions. These programs are available in various settings from outpatient to residential and inpatient programs.
- Counseling. Individual or family counseling with a psychologist, psychiatrist or addiction counselor may help you resist the temptation to resume using addicting drugs. Behavior therapies can help you develop ways to cope with your drug cravings, suggest strategies to avoid drugs and prevent relapse, and offer suggestions on how to deal with a relapse if it occurs. Counseling with family members can help them to better understand the disease of addiction, improve communication skills and to be more supportive.
- Self-help groups. Many, though not all, of these groups tend to use the 12-step model first developed by Alcoholics Anonymous. Self-help groups, such as Narcotics Anonymous, exist for people addicted to drugs, such as cocaine, sedatives and narcotics. The message is that addiction is a chronic disorder with a danger of relapse and that ongoing maintenance treatment – which may include medications, counseling and attending self-help group meetings – is necessary to prevent a relapse.
Detoxification
The goal of drug detoxification (withdrawl therapy) is for you to stop taking the addicting drug as quickly, safely and comfortably as possible. Detoxification may involve gradually reducing the dose of the drug or temporarily substituting other substances, such as methadone, that have less severe side effects. For some people, it may be safe to undergo withdrawal therapy on an outpatient basis; others may require admission to a hospital or a residential treatment center.
Withdrawal from different categories of drugs produces different side effects and requires different approaches.
- Depressants (includes barbiturates, benzodiazepines and others). Minor side effects of withdrawal may include restlessness, anxiety, sleep problems and sweating. More-serious signs and symptoms also could include hallucinations, whole-body tremors, seizures, and increased blood pressure, heart rate and body temperature. The most serious stage of withdrawal may include delirium, which is potentially life-threatening. Detoxification may involve gradually scaling back the amount of the drug, adding another medication to help stabilize the nerve cells during detoxification, or both.
- Stimulants (includes amphetamines, methamphetamine, cocaine, Ritalin and others). Side effects of withdrawal typically include depression, fatigue, anxiety and intense cravings. In some cases, signs and symptoms may include suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts, paranoia and impaired contact with reality (acute psychosis). Treatment during withdrawal is usually limited to emotional support from your family, friends and doctor. Your doctor may recommend medications to treat paranoid psychosis or depression.
- Opioids (heroin, morphine, codeine, OxyContin and others). Withdrawal side effects of opioids can range from relatively minor to severe. On the minor end, they may include runny nose, sweating, yawning, feeling anxiety and craving the drug. Severe reactions can include sleeplessness, depression, dilated pupils, rapid pulse, rapid breathing, high blood pressure, abdominal cramps, tremors, bone and muscle pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. Doctors may substitute an artificial opiate, such as methadone, or buprenorphine (Subutex, others) to reduce the craving for heroin during recovery.
For further information regarding drug addiction treatment please visit Unity Recovery Center.
Topics: News | Comments Off
Dr. Oz’s Addiction Breaker
By Stacy Barnes | April 30, 2010
Bradd Lamm, author of the book, How to Change Someone You Love, takes issue with the confrontational style of interventions. He prefers a kinder, gentler approach that focuses on family, friends and love. Brad Lamm is known as “Dr. Oz’s interventionist” for his regular appearances on the Dr. Oz TV show. Lamm believes love is the best motivator of all.
Lamm on Oxycodone Addiction:
- Gather the people important to the addict – from family to fellow users.
- Rehearse a ‘change message’. Such as, “We love you, we’ve seen you struggle with this for a long time, but you’re not alone”.
- No blame or guilt trips.
- Offer first-person accounts of how oxycodone has changed the addict’s life.
- Have a rehab bed ready.“We did this to my 24-year-old nephew, who was oxy-addicted,” said Lamm. It worked, although he relapsed twice. Now, he’s been sober for a year.”
Lamm debunks what he says are the myths that an addict has to reach bottom before being helped or that they need to want to be helped. He also takes issue with the method of confrontational intervention, often shown on TV shows such as Intervention. Compassion and loving concern, he said, are often more successful at getting addicts into treatment than dire consequences such as divorce, repudiation of job loss.
Source: www.palmbeachpost.com/news/bradd-lamm-believes-we-have-the-power-to-632762.html
Topics: Drug Addiction, Family Problem, Interventions, Oxycodone Addiction | Comments Off
Decide to Make a Change
By Stacy Barnes | April 29, 2010
Admitting that you have a drug problem isn’t easy. It takes courage and strength to face up to addiction. When you’re bogged down in drug abuse and drug addiction, sobriety may seem like an impossible goal. But recovery is not out of reach.
For many people struggling with addiction, the biggest and toughest step toward recovery is the very first one: deciding to make a change. It’s normal to feel conflicted about giving up your drug of choice, even when you realize it’s causing problems in your life. Change is never easy—and committing to sobriety involves changing many things, including:
- the way you deal with stress
- who you allow in your life
- what you do in your free time
- how you think about yourself
You may wonder if you’re really ready for all that change or if you have what it takes to quit. It’s okay if you’re torn. Recovering from addiction is a long process, one that requires time, commitment, motivation, and support. As you contemplate your situation, the following tips can help you make the decision.
Thinking about change
- Keep track of your drug use, including when and how much you use. This will give you a better sense of the role the addiction is playing in your life.
- List the pros and cons of quitting, as well as the costs and benefits of continuing your drug abuse.
- Consider the things that are important to you, such as your partner, your kids, your career, or your health. How does your drug use affect those things?
- Talk it over with someone you trust. Ask the person how he or she feels about your drug use.
- Ask yourself if there’s anything preventing you from changing? What are some things that could help you make the change?
Preparing for change: 5 key steps to addiction recovery
- Remind yourself of the reasons you want to change.
- Think about your past attempts at quitting, if any. What worked? What didn’t?
- Set specific, measurable goals, such as a quit date or limits on your drug use.
- Remove reminders of your addiction from your home and workplace.
- Tell friends and family that you’re quitting and ask for their support.
Topics: Addiction is a Chronic Disease, Addictive Behavior, Alcohol Addiction, Detox, Drug Addiction, Drug and Alcohol Abuse, Relapse Prevention, choosing a rehab | Comments Off
Relapse is Never an Accident
By admin | January 6, 2010
Relapse is a sign that we have a reservation in our program.” Narcotics Anonymous, Basic Text, p. 76
A reservation is something we set aside for future use.
In our case, a reservation is the expectation that, if such-and-such happens, we will surely relapse.
What event do we expect will be too painful to bear?
Maybe we think that if a spouse or lover leaves us, we will have to get high.
If we lose our job, surely, we think, we will use.
Or maybe it’s the death of a loved one that we expect to be unbearable.
In any case, the reservations we harbour gives us permission to use when they come true – as they often do.
We can prepare ourselves for success instead of relapse by examining our expectations and altering them where we can.
Most of us carry within us a catalogue of anticipated misery closely related to our fears. We can learn how to survive pain by watching other members live through similar pain.
We can apply their lessons to our own expectations. Instead of telling ourselves we will have to get high if this happens, we can quietly reassure ourselves that we, too, can stay clean through whatever life brings us today.
Just for today: I will check for any reservations that may endanger my recovery and share them with another addict.
http://recoveryissexy.com
Topics: Addiction is a Chronic Disease, Relapse Prevention | Comments Off
Burt Reynolds & Painkiller Addiction
By admin | September 25, 2009
Accidental addicts. That is term I have heard for those individuals who have used pain medication as prescribed and end with and physical and mental addiction. Unfortunately, many of these addicts believe the only treatment necessary for them is to detox. If they avoid extended treatment, more often than not they relapse. There is much to learn about addiction to pain meds, for example how the body’s own response to pain is essentially shut down due to the continued use of opiates. A recent Palm Beach Post article was written about Burt Reynold’s experience after back surgery, his addiction to pain medication and his inpatient treatment at the Hanley Center in West Palm Beach. He checked himself in to “regain control over his life” He hopes that his story will help others. He was released after a few days. Hmmm Wonder how its going for Burt.
Topics: Celebrity Rehab, Detox, Drug Addiction | Comments Off