Category: Treatment

Recovering from addiction

Widening Your Circle Of Sober Friends

Australia, International, Malaysia, Treatment, Understanding Addiction, United Kingdom, United States

Recovering from addiction – Anyone currently going through recovery from drug or alcohol addiction should consider ways of widening their circle of sober friends.

Why are friends needed?

Recovering from addiction is not easy. It will have been drilled into you during rehab just how trying this process can be and that many challenges need to be faced.

Trying to do this alone, or relying on just one or two people to help you through tough times is limiting your ability in terms of advice and encouragement.

Having a healthy cross-section of friends to rely on will give different viewpoints on specific issues. It will also give much needed encouragement that can be the difference between progression, stalling progress, or even relapsing.

Resist the lure:

It is highly likely that friends from your ‘old’ life will include a large percentage of those who either use drugs on a regular basis or drink more than is good for them.

Loneliness can be a huge negative for those going through recovery, but it is important that a person does not allow this fact or the temptation of things ‘familiar’ to lure them back into those circles.

By re-establishing such contacts, a person going through recovery is surely leading themselves towards the temptations of re-starting drug use or drinking again in double-quick time.

Ways to meet new, sober friends:

Here are 3 ways that should be considered when it comes to widening your circle of sober friends.

Join a support group:

By being part of a Recovering from addiction support group, you will quickly understand that you are not alone in your quest to maintain sobriety and improve your all-round well-being.

It will also be clear that the challenges continued recovery bring are felt by others. Honesty in terms of how you and others feel will also be clearly expressed without feelings of embarrassment.

Support groups can also offer solid guidance from others who understand the issues you will face as your recovery progresses.

Volunteer:

Volunteering is an excellent way to make new friends. It will also make you feel far better in yourself by the fact that you are giving something back.

Another big plus is that being part of a volunteer project will keep you busy. A busy and active mind does wonders to keep any negative thoughts and feelings at bay.

Stay balanced:

Self-development is absolutely crucial during recovery from addiction. The more you can nurture and develop all aspects of your personal being, the greater the chance of maintaining a healthy, positive balance. This will include aspects such as:

  • Physical health
  • Mental health
  • Emotional status
  • Spiritual feelings

The issue is that you must not allow this self-focus and development to completely overshadow other aspects of your life. You need to work on family life, your employment situation and social responsibilities. By doing so you will continue to feel better all-round while meeting others from all walks of life.

Keeping a proper balance is certainly a challenge, but achieving one is often regarded as the best predictor for long-term sobriety.

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Social Circle - Addiction Recovery Group

Why a social circle is so valuable during recovery? – DaraRehab

Articles, Australia, Education, International, Malaysia, Treatment, United Kingdom, United States

Life can be tough once you have completed rehab. There will be days when things go swimmingly, others will feel as if you are drowning.

The importance of staying strong:

Resilience is a key word for those progressing through recovery. There will be knocks and setbacks littering the way. Some may be half-expected, others will jump right out in front of you. This is why it is so important to stay strong and determined as you heal.

Things will get easier as time elapses, but the ups and downs can be far smoother and that much more manageable if you have a varied social circle.

An invaluable part of your support system:

Navigating recovery is a tricky business and there is little doubting that having a healthy social circle will do you the power of good. Friends from a variety of backgrounds, and with differing social skills can do wonders as part of your support system.

It will give options in terms of where to turn if a particular issue arises. Some of the circle will be better at addressing certain things than others. This means you have an all-important tool in your recovery locker: Choice.

You will be able to lean on those who can effectively keep you away from temptation, others to calm you, and those that are effective when reminders of your strengths are needed. This last point is very important when that necessary self-confidence goes missing.

Less time spent thinking about your own concerns:

It is vital that you are mindful and aware of the stresses and challenges that will be encountered throughout recovery, but dwelling on them for too long is not healthy.

By spending time with different sets of friends you will widen your view on things. Topics will be discussed that interest and invigorate.

Feeling far less alone:

During those drink or drug-fuelled days you will have had company all the hours god sends.

Making your way along the path of sobriety can leave you quite lonely. Loneliness is a major reason for relapse and relapse is not something to encourage.

A varied circle of social friends that are dedicated to sobriety can be very inclusive. You will feel part of the group you are with. This togetherness should also put you far more at ease.

Your outlook will improve no end:

Increasing your circle of friends with people who care, who have similar interests and who offer sound camaraderie will do your confidence and outlook on the future the power of good.

Feeling happy is an excellent tonic for strengthening your recovery determination. It should also help increase contentment with the way your progress is going.

Yes, of course there will be bad days, but with good friends on hand the problems or issues you face can be worked out to a positive end.

A solid circle of friends will help you, you will be keen to help them, and it is these partnerships that can form trusted, long lasting bonds that will make recovery that much more manageable.

Drug Withdrawal Management

Why Drug Withdrawal May Need To Be Managed

Articles, Australia, Education, International, Malaysia, Treatment, United Kingdom, United States

Withdrawal from your substance of choice is not a pleasant experience, but it is something that must be experienced if you are to free yourself from addiction.

How difficult is drug withdrawal?

There is no straightforward set of answers to this one. It depends upon many factors that include:

  • The type of substance a person is addicted to
  • The length of time consistent use has been present
  • The amount of the drug being used daily
  • How rapidly this use is increasing
  • The physical health of the person concerned
  • The mental health of the person concerned

Symptoms to be expected during drug withdrawal:

Ceasing drug use after a sustained period means that the body will react in a negative fashion. These effects will be felt in many parts of the body, particularly the nervous and hormonal systems.

This is why those suddenly ceasing heavy drug use feel:

  • Physical pain – aches and pains throughout the body are common.
  • Blood pressure – Rises in blood pressure or unstable blood pressure levels will occur.
  • Profuse sweating – A person will feel uncomfortably hot, even in rooms that are cool and well ventilated.
  • Severe nausea – Feelings of sickness are often accompanied by the person being physically sick.

If you have decided to go through drug withdrawal without professional help then these are symptoms that must be recognized. If any of these symptoms, a rapidly increasing heartbeat or breathing problems occur then professional help must be sought immediately.

Detoxification should be considered:

This point is particularly relevant for those users that have a long-term history of abuse. Professionally monitored detox can help to ease symptoms and ensure that withdrawal does not cause life-threatening issues.

Detox offers a set of medically supervised interventions that help manage acute intoxication and withdrawal. A successful detox will help to clear the substance from a person’s body while minimizing any physical harm.

Unique plans but 3 constant elements:

Dependent upon which treatment centre a person chooses for detox will depend upon the exact type of procedures involved, but there are 3 major elements all establishments will address. These are:

  • Evaluation: Your detox professional will test for drugs present in the user’s system. They should also establish any co-occurring physical or psychological conditions. This evaluation is important for withdrawal, but will also serve to define the type of treatment a user receives once withdrawal is complete.
  • Stabilisation: This is the core of the detox procedure. It involves the user being assisted to help overcome the various withdrawal symptoms. This can be achieved either by intensive counselling or through the use of medical therapy and medication. Another key factor here is making it clear to the user what their role and responsibilities are during detox, ongoing treatment and recovery.
  • On-going treatment: It needs to be made very clear that detox alone will not ensure a user remains drug free in the long-term. To achieve this recovery, they need to accept and embrace rehabilitation treatment. There are many different types of treatment available and decisions need to be made on which is most suitable for the individual.
OTC drug addiction

More People Getting Addicted to OTC Drugs Than Heroin

Articles, Education, International, Treatment, Understanding Addiction, United Kingdom

OTC Drug Addiction. Data from treatment centres in the United Kingdom has shown that rehab admissions for pain killer abuse has risen by over 17 per cent in just 2 years.

New research coming out of the UK has revealed that over-the-counter medicine use and addiction has become much more prevalent. Admissions to one of the top rehab centres in the UK, UK Addiction Treatment, (UKAT) for OTC’s and prescription medication has increased by 22%. They claim that this is because people are unaware of what the warning signs are.

Data released by UKAT shows that over the last 2 years across their 6 treatment centres, admissions for prescribed benzo’s and painkillers has increased by 17%. At this current rate it is likely that admissions for drug abuse and alcohol will be overtaken.

Therapists at the centre have been calling on the government to better implement education systems that explain the dangers that over-the-counter and prescription medication abuse. They have warned that people are unaware of the risks of OTC Drug Addiction and that situation at large is very real.

In just the last 6 months, 48 people have been admitted to UKAT centres for the treatment of Codeine and Benzodiazepine addiction. This is compared to only 26 people being admitted for cannabis abuse and 17 people for gambling addictions.

Cross-addiction like cocaine and alcohol abuse represents 64% of all addictions to the centres.

So out of a total of 140 people that UKAT admits each month, 6% of these are admitted for prescription or OTC addiction.

When receiving treatment, it can often take an addict of pharmaceutical drugs around 4-6 weeks to get clean. This is generally a longer time than it takes for most heroin addicts to come clean when at rehab. This is due to the fact that there are often horrible side effects that need to be contended with.

OTC Drug Addiction.

Often, when a doctor stops prescribing these medications, an addict will try any means necessary to get their next hit. Most often these types of medications can be easily bought on the web.
The price is also a big factor in the reason people are becoming addicted to prescription and OTC medications. The street price of a Valium tablet is less than £1, yet a 0.1g bag of the much harder drug, heroin, can cost 10x that at £10 per hit.

However, due to the strength of Valium and other prescribed drugs, people’s tolerance can increase much faster than those who take hard drugs and this can result in OTC Drug Addiction and overuse.

Many people consider that they are not an addict if the drug has been prescribed or they can purchase at their local pharmacy. UKAT claims that people are often admitted to their centres without even realizing that they are an addict.

Most addicts are forced into continuing to take these medications purely to cope with the side-effects that occur when stopping suddenly or going cold turkey.

Eytan Alexander, founder of UK Addiction Treatment Centres stated “It’s currently a hugely vicious cycle but, with support from the newly-elected Government, one that we can break with better education, advice and support.”

xanax treatment

Rehab Treatment for Xanax – What to Expect

Articles, Alternative Treatment, Education, Treatment, Understanding Addiction, United States

Xanax Treatment – Xanax is another name given for the prescription medication alprazolam which is a benzodiazepine used in the treatment of panic disorders and anxiety. It may also be prescribed to people who suffer from insomnia. Whilst short term use may not have any side effects, prolonged use may lead to addiction. In fact, the medication is not supposed to be prescribed for longer than 6 weeks.

People who do become addicted to Xanax will often have to enter rehab to beat their addiction. Physical addiction and prolonged use can lead to a number of health problems so medical supervision is always advised during the Xanax Treatment and withdrawal process.

So who needs to receive help in the first place?

Characteristics of Xanax Addiction

Not everyone who takes Xanax is going to end up getting hooked on it. If fact, tolerance or physical dependency on the drug alone are not enough to be diagnosed as an addict. This could just be the result of taking it for too long.

Instead, addiction is often characterised by the following:

  • Taking more than is prescribed or in other ways than prescribed
  • Continuation of use even despite negative side effects
  • Cravings or compulsion to use

What Would Happen in Rehab

Admitting yourself into rehab can help to address the real reasons why you are seeking help for Xanax withdrawal. It can help to uncover the emotional and physiological issues at the core of the addiction.

Below are the stages and services that you can typically expect when entering rehab.

  • Drug screening and assessment
  • Removal of the drug from the system
  • Behavioural therapy and Psychotherapy
  • Education
  • Aftercare and follow ups

Keep it in mind that while many rehabs are inpatient based, you may not necessarily need to sign up to a full 28 to 90 day rehab. An outpatient rehab can also help you beat your addiction whilst also costing less and allowing you to continue with your normal activities.

Stages of Rehab – Xanax Treatment.

Step 1: Drug Screening and Assessment

An initial assessment and drug screening will be completed on arrival when a person enters Xanax rehabilitation. This initial stage of treatment is used to determine the extent of someone’s addiction and to put a plan of action into place. This stage will usually include interviews, questionnaires and standard drug testing.

Step 2: Removal of the Drug from the System

Withdrawing from Xanax can be a rough ride and symptoms that appear can include depression, anxiety and insomnia. Rehab programs that specialize in withdrawal from Xanax help a person to taper of the drug and minimize any withdrawal symptoms.

Step 3: Behavioural Therapy and Psychotherapy

The cornerstone of treatment for Xanax addiction is psychological treatment this will often include individual behavioural sessions combined with group sessions. Special treatment will be given for anxiety and depression when necessary as they often become present during treatment. Sometimes family is involved in sessions so that the family system and dynamics can be addressed together.

Step 4: Education

The more someone learns about their addiction and the way that treatment works, the better prepared they will be to beat their addiction. This is why people entering rehab for Xanax addiction will often have to attend education sessions and workshops during their xanax treatment.

Step 5: Aftercare and Follow ups

At the end of your rehab sessions an addiction specialist will help a person to create an exit plan. This written plan will help people to continue their progress and better understand what to expect. It will also include goals to reach.

Aftercare in the form of outpatient therapy and counselling sessions can be expected in the following months. Attending these sessions will help a person keep on track and learn how to cope with any withdrawal symptoms and stress.

If you feel that you have an addiction to Xanax or know someone who has and are worried about them, please feel free to talk to one of Dara’s professional advisors about the possibility of rehab at our luxury resorts in Thailand.