Category: Understanding Addiction

Finding Independence in Recovery

Finding Independence in Recovery

Articles, Alternative Treatment, Australia, Education, International, LGBTQ, Malaysia, Treatment, Understanding Addiction, United Kingdom, United States

Recovery can begin in a number of manners. Some may be forced into rehab through legal matters, some may go to rehab willingly, a few may decide to quit cold turkey, and even fewer still may have the help of family and friends to quit using without outside help. No matter how your journey begins, if it is still going than you are probably thinking about how much you want to change your life or even how much it needs to change. Taking the first step of admitting you have an issue and seeking help is definitely the first step to independence, but there is much more to come as you move forward in your journey. Read on to learn about some of the common obstacles to independence that are faced by addicts.

There are many obstacles that are common to a large number of addicts. The three biggest are lack of good employment, lack of safe housing, and usually lack of a license. When you are willing to start working toward independence it is often like having to grow up again. You must learn to be an adult with all the related responsibilities. Those with severe addictions have often forgotten or ignored these responsibilities for a length of time. Finding employment or better employment can be a strong first step to independence. This will mean taking time to clean yourself up, create a resume, and put in applications. It may take a week or even a month to find employment, but you should keep trying.

Do not be afraid to take something temporarily if completely unemployed. This will allow you to start making money toward independence and serve the dual purpose of keeping your mind and hands busy so the focus is no longer on what you have given up.

Often as part of employment you will need a form of transportation, for many this means earning back a license. You may need to save up to pay fines, study to renew an expired license, or deal with classes to remove points from a license. This may seem impossible but it is a huge step forward in independence. Another huge step is to find appropriate and safe housing. You may currently be without a home or living in a less than desirable situation, as you gain independence and time in recovery you can work toward safe and affordable housing. Search for a place away from those who will feed your addiction as long term recovery is the goal.

These are just a few big ways to find independence in recovery and each will take time and work. There are often community resources that can help short term if needed. The end game is to create an addiction free life for yourself that you can be proud of in life. This will be different for everyone and will require different steps. Don’t put it off any longer, write out what you need to be independent and start setting goals. The time to start is now.

CLICK HERE to get a Free Confidential Addiction Rehabilitation Assessment.

Accountability in Recovery

Accountability in Recovery

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

Being accountable to someone or something is difficult. Accountability requires honesty and an openness that is often foreign to addicts. Accountability also requires you to trust someone or a group of people enough that you can be open and take reprimands or suggestions when they are necessary. The positive side is that accountability also means that others are available to celebrate your victories. Now that you understand what accountability is, why is it important for recovery?

Accountability can be a huge help in the recovery process, not just in the beginning, but throughout. While the people you choose to hold you accountable over time may change, the premise remains the same. These people are your way of staying on track. These are individuals who will tell you when things seem to be going off track and congratulate you when you are working toward your goals in a healthy manner.

Accountability to yourself and others can be a true challenge, but one you must take as part of recovery. In fact, accountability holds you to a higher standard for both honesty and your path to long term recovery. You have to answer for failures and get to share victories. If you do have a failure, and it is likely you will at some point, then those keeping you accountable can offer support as you get back on track. Additionally, accountability to others helps grow your support system over time.

As we go through recovery, and life in general, we must face many decisions and doors. Some of the doors will be readily opened while others will remain closed and unknown. How do we know if we are making the right decisions? We don’t unless we allow ourselves to live life in a purposeful manner. There are three principles to help with this type of living, one of which is accountability. The first step is to generate answers, do not wait for answers to come, make your own in life. Next set and work toward goals. You will not get anywhere in life without having goals. Finally, be accountable. Setting goals is nothing without discipline and accountability.

Accountability offers the necessary pressure to get things completed and move forward. In the realm of recovery this means you need to chart your plan and work toward goals without stopping. If you happen to fail it can be used as a learning experience and if you succeed you can set new goals. Your progress can be shared and monitored by others.

So what are you being held accountable for as part of your life and recovery? What are you willing to put out for others to hold you accountable? Are you willing to use this accountability to better your life? The choices are yours. No one can say that accountability will be easy and you must carefully choose those who are willing to be brutally honest and supportive for you. The risk will be worth it if you take advantage of the opportunity.

CLICK HERE to get a Free Confidential Addiction Rehabilitation Assessment.

Three Common Myths About Recovery

Three Common Myths About Recovery

Articles, Australia, Celebrity Rehab, Education, International, LGBTQ, Malaysia, Testimonials, Treatment, Understanding Addiction, United Kingdom, United States

False Beliefs Can Steer People Away From Recovery

Many people who are addicted to drugs, alcohol, and unhealthy behaviors have certain preconceived notions about getting into recovery. They believe the many myths out there about what will happen if they stop abusing substances or give up gambling, shopping, or sex. These beliefs keep them stuck in the addictive cycle, continually repeating the same mistakes over and over again.

When it comes to addiction, the brain works in mysterious ways. It will tell you every lie you can think of so that you will continue to engage in your addictive behavior. It will justify and rationalize the addiction. This is because part of your brain doesn’t want you to get into recovery. It knows that if you do, you will stop getting drunk, watching pornography, or doing whatever it is that gives you the feeling of being high. The brain likes the way it feels when you engage in these activities and it wants more.

In order to find the freedom that recovery has to offer, you have to change the way you think about recovery. You have to stop believing the justifications that your brain has to offer you about continuing in your addiction. We want to help you do that. In this article, we will dispel three myths you might believe about recovery.

Debunking Three Common Myths About Recovery

MYTH # 1: Recovery is boring. Once I give up my addiction, I will never have fun again.  

TRUTH: Recovery is exciting. Not only does recovery offer you an opportunity to explore yourself through a beautiful process of self-discovery, you also get to experience life again. There is so much adventure to be had in recovery as you find new activities that bring you fulfillment and a sense of purpose. You will learn how to have REAL fun that doesn’t leave you full of regret, remorse, and guilt.

MYTH # 2: I won’t have any friends if I get into recovery.

TRUTH: You might have people you get drunk or high with or go gambling with, but chances are these people aren’t true friends. You can’t count on them to be there for you when you really need them and they probably don’t care about your well-being. Most relationships that are centered around addiction are not healthy and quite toxic. There are many authentic people in the world who have a lot to offer you and they aren’t addicted. When you get into recovery, you will forge healthy, fulfilling relationships with people who genuinely care about your highest good.

MYTH # 3: I can’t face the things I have done in my addiction. I can’t live with the guilt.

TRUTH: Many people continue to stay loaded or go forward with their addictive behavior because they are afraid if they stop, their shame and guilt will overpower them. It is true that you will have to take responsibility for the harm you may have caused in your addiction. However; this will ultimately give you freedom from your guilt and allow you to make peace with the past. As long as you engage in your addiction, you will cause more harm and the cycle will continue.

Don’t Let Your False Beliefs Keep You From Recovery

Recovery has so many amazing things to offer you, but you have to experience these things for yourself. The only way to do that is to make the brave decision that you are going to get into recovery and stop the addictive cycle. Addiction promises only devastation and destruction. Don’t let your fears and false beliefs keeping you from getting your life back. Give recovery a try. You have everything to gain and nothing to lose.     

CLICK HERE to get a Free Confidential Addiction Rehabilitation Assessment.

Meth Addiction Continues To Take Over The World

Meth Addiction Continues To Take Over The World

Articles, Australia, Celebrity Rehab, Education, International, Malaysia, Understanding Addiction, United Kingdom, United States

Meth Addiction Is A Worldwide Phenomenon

Meth addiction is causing destruction to individuals and their families across the globe. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime estimates that the worldwide production of amphetamine stimulants, including crystal meth, is an astonishing 500 metric tons a year. Furthermore, there are about 24.7 million addicts internationally. This means that crystal meth is now the most popular hard drug on the planet. 

Methamphetamines have taken over beautiful places like Australia, New Zealand, The United States, and Russia. The drug has devastated entire communities; leaving behind many hopeless addicts and their families. Meth addiction causes increased crime and higher numbers of incarceration because of drug possession. It also results in a loss of productivity, homelessness, mental health issues, and the spread of deadly diseases like HIV.

Law Enforcement Agencies Continue To Fight The Spread of Meth Addiction

Some countries have very strict laws when it comes to the possession and distribution of methamphetamines. Dubai, for example, threatens its citizens with a minimum two-year sentence for anyone who is caught with even the smallest amount of meth.

Other locales are more sympathetic to the problem of addiction. Australia, for instance, is rather lenient when it comes to punishing meth addicts. They prefer to offer addiction treatment to those with a substance abuse problem so they can get the help they need, although the drug is still illegal.

The United States stands somewhere in the middle. The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world. The U.S. offers stiff penalties for those who are caught buying, selling, or possessing methamphetamines. However; the U.S. is continually moving toward options that will offer addiction treatment for those who are struggling with an addiction to meth.

Nevertheless, it is important to recognize that methamphetamines are illegal worldwide. Because of the devastating effects of crystal meth, governments across the globe have done what they can to rid their communities of the drug. They have done this by arresting addicts and putting them in jail to punish them for being addicted.  

We Treat Meth Addiction At DARA Thailand

At DARA Thailand, we don’t believe in punishing addicts. We believe people who are addicted to crystal meth deserve compassionate care.

People come to DARA Thailand from all over the world to benefit from our quality addiction treatment services. We are not a 12-Step rehabilitation facility. Instead, we implement evidence-based therapeutic models that teach addicted people the coping skills they need to sustain long-term recovery.

DARA Thailand is proud of our average completion rate of 92 percent, ranking us among the best rehabilitation centers in the world. The average rehabilitation completion rate is under 50 percent.

We are an affordable luxury treatment center situated in a resort-style facility that offers five-star amenities to our clients. If you have an addiction to crystal meth, we can help. Contact us today so that we can perform a free, confidential assessment over the phone. We can tell you what your treatment options are and explain the process involved in coming for a stay at a facility.   

Surrender To Win

Surrender To Win

Articles, Alternative Treatment, Australia, Education, International, LGBTQ, Malaysia, Treatment, Understanding Addiction, United Kingdom, United States

When You Are Addicted, You Are At War With Yourself

When you are struggling with an addiction – no matter what it is – you are constantly at war with yourself. You don’t want to be addicted to drugs, alcohol, sex, or gambling, yet you are addicted anyway.

An addicts will tell themselves that they are going to stop, but they can’t. They convince themselves that they will moderate, but they find themselves going on binges in spite of their best intentions. They promise themselves that they won’t devote any more time or money on their habit. Only to empty their bank account in pursuit of the next fix. When you are hooked, no matter what you say to yourself, you will always end up engaging in addictive behavior. This ultimately leads to remorse and regret afterwards.

It is important to recognize that addiction is a powerful force that drives people to do the things they don’t want to do. Addiction has a way of hijacking your brain and taking on a life of its own. Though you want to control it – and try to – it will always lead you down dark roads and leave you feeling completely powerless. 

Most people who are addicted to drugs, alcohol, or other behaviors stay in their addiction for a considerable amount of time before they come to terms with it. This is what denial is all about. Denial tells you that you don’t have a problem, that you can control it, or that next time will be different. As long as you continue to lie to yourself about your condition, you can not recover from it. And – the war will wage on. You will continually be stuck in the cycle of battling yourself.

Ready To Win The War? Surrender Is The Answer

The only way to win the war against yourself and your addiction is to surrender. Surrender is what happens when you stop fighting and give up completely. This may sound like a foreign concept. It’s certainly a difficult one to wrap your mind around. Most people resist the idea of surrender because they have been taught that giving up is a sign of weakness – but this is not the case.

It takes incredible courage to surrender. By relinquishing your illusion of control, you open yourself up to receive the help that you need to overcome your addiction. The truth is, you are NOT controlling your addiction – it is controlling you. You are running around trying to fix everything and hold on to everything because you are afraid that if you stop doing that. You will drown in the sea of your own consequences. The truth is, when you admit that you can’t manage your own life as a result of your addiction, you finally find the strength to recover from it. 

Surrender To Win

There is an old saying in recovery: “Surrender to win”. This is a paradox indeed, but one that offers you a way out of your addiction. When you surrender, you stop fighting yourself. You admit defeat. You accept the fact that your addiction is killing you and ruining your life. Although you wish you could overcome it with your own willpower, you can’t – and you know it. Only when you come to the end of yourself and surrender do you open yourself to victory.

CLICK HERE to get a Free Confidential Addiction Rehabilitation Assessment.