Category: Understanding Addiction

When a friend or a friend is in need, for most people, first course of action is to help and support them. It’s an unwritten law – friends and family stand by each other through thick and thin. Finding out that a friend or a loved one is suffering from addiction is as thin as it gets.

A well-known fact is that addiction is a tough guest to deal with. No one disputes it, even if they themselves have never had the misfortune to be addicted themselves or even been in contact with someone who has. We all know its hard, it’s taxing, its draining and very depressing. So we try to help. We do everything, to the best of our abilities to help the addict deal with his daily struggles fighting an addiction. Yet we should weigh both positives and negatives when it comes to helping someone with an addiction. Too many people enable addicts to continue their unhealthy fixation on their drug of choice, sometimes perpetuating the addiction itself. They mean the best for the addict, always with an intent to help, but there are a few things that people help addicts with, that actually contribute to the addiction and are extremely detrimental to a full recovery.

Elephant in the room

Often people will try to avoid topics that mention or contribute to addiction or drug use when an addict is present. Even if the addict is at risk at losing his cool and becoming angry during a conversation about addiction, simply ignoring the fact is not going to make it go away. Walking on eggshells when an addict is around will just make him feel like he has some contagious disease and often results in self-pity and continued drug use.

Claiming addiction is just a phase

That is the general approach to a great many parents when they find out their teenage son or daughter is using and abusing drugs. An addiction is not something a person can “grow out of” or “get over”. Addiction does not simply go away after a certain milestone is reached, don’t fool yourselves.

Covering for the addict

A severely hung-over addict that is going through withdrawal symptoms may not be able to go to work or school, so the first thing most loved ones do is cover for them. Calling in work or school to cover for them may save them from flunking their subject or getting fired in the short run, but it is very counter-productive for the addict. Facing hard truths and realities is a lesson that is much more important at that point in time than a satisfactory grade at school or a happy boss.

Financing their lifestyle

When an addict approaches their friends or family for a hand-out or a loan, odds are that money will never go towards groceries, education, gas or whatever else reason was cited during their plea. It goes straight to their dealer, who is more than happy to take that money from you. Addicts will do most anything to chase their next high. Bad, immoral and illegal things. Lying about where that money will go is definitely on the tame side of this spectrum.

Catering for their mess

Dirty laundry, broken needles and empty dime bags in every corner. A typical scene for an addict, one that is hard to stomach for moms, dads and friends everywhere. Cleaning an addicts mess may help him cheer up, but it does nothing to further their path to sobriety. An addict has an addictive personality, so when all their mess is cleaned up for them, after a while it becomes a norm and they begin to rely on that. The addict needs to face the consequences of their addiction.

Tough love

Being a close friend to an addict or even a family member, it is important to remember that addict became an addict because he had little self-control and became dependent on one substance or another. Likewise, good deeds and a helping hand can enable the addict to stay in the ditch, instead of pulling him out. Appealing to a basic human decency does not work when it comes to addiction, and that should not be held against the addict either. The craving and voices that go through an addicts head is beyond that, it transcends social norms and established truths. When an addict needs, he needs, no matter what. A bit of tough love can go a long way.

An addict will gamble, sell and trade everything they have to get their next hit – their dignity, their wealth, their community, their job, their friends and anything in between. It’s a deep fall from being sober to a full blown addiction. It happens very quickly, but along the way it’s easy to lose everything, most of all – perspective. Most addicts will tell you, it’s not the lost cars or houses that keep them up at night. It’s the lost opportunities, friendships, relationships. The hardest part of any addicts recovery is stepping up and admitting their flaws and mistakes to the people they care for the most. A big majority of addicts began using just to avoid these kind of confrontations and emotional pain in the first place. To become a functional member of our society an addict must learn ways to communicate with their peers and loved ones alike.

Communication skills

Effective recovery process can go only so far with physical and mental self-conditioning. An addict will almost never reach sobriety again without support and care from people around them. It doesn’t even have to be friends or loved ones, not at first anyway, that part comes later. First things first, as they say, so learning how to convey and communicate a thought, an emotion or a feeling is very important.

Learn to listen

An addict has probably heard extremely “useful tips” from people around them for years. Do this, do that. Just stop. Just don’t. Nothing annoys and pushes away a highly depressed addict more than some happy-go-lucky chump to tell them “Just stop using and cheer up!”. Learning to phase out this “white noise” is the very first thing they learn to do, since according to an addict, he is not addicted so all these nonsense recommendations are unwarranted and unnecessary. Until they are.Being able to step back and actually listen to what a person has to say can be very difficult for an addict. Years of practice ignoring people can be a hard habit to break.

Take yourself out of the equation

Chasing the high can take a lot of things out of perspective. When the craving sets in and the addict begins to come down, nothing but the hunt remains. They need it, and they need it now. Their entire focus turns to themselves and their personal needs and gains. Addicts are selfish beings, the very nature of addiction ensures that. For an addict, the world revolves around them and their next hit. This is not true, however, the world does not care for an addicts struggle and continues spinning regardless. It can be very daunting and troubling experience to re-learn the basics of living in a community, learning how to be a part of something more than a sum of its components. Empathy and care for other people and their opinions are very necessary skills to learn when returning to the sober world.

Meet them halfway

Working in a team, rather than a single unit. That is something new to most addicts. Being able to meet people half-way and compromise on difficult topics is essential for successful re-integration into society and building normal relationships. Most addicts have understood that not everything goes the way they want a long time ago. Being beaten into the mud by their addiction, again and again, has a very humbling effect, so when an addict doesn’t particularly care about feelings and needs of people around them it’s not done out of malice or deliberate hate. They are just used to the idea that no one gets what they want, life is unfair and there is nothing that can be done about it. Teaching an addict that by simple acts of kindness and self-sacrifice a group of people can prosper and flourish much faster than a lone-wolf approach to life.

Restore your core values

Addicts rarely have the luxuries of silk sheets and gourmet chefs cooking for them. They lack most of basic needs that we consider necessities. A shelter and a hot meal often take a back-seat to an opportunity to get high. Addicts will do a long list of self-compromising and downright degrading things just to get their drug of choice, a good meal or a comfortable nights sleep. Prostitution, lying, stealing and cheating to name a few. A recovering addict needs to re-establish boundaries that will never be crossed again. A pillar of core beliefs that are honorable and just, standing for something that provides character integrity is an important step to recovery and rebuilding your relationships with friends and loved ones.

Communicating with your addiction

These skills will be a cornerstone in a recovering addicts life to come. They will ensure that rehabilitation process is carried out without blockers, smooth and as quickly and efficiently as possible. The very same communication skills will also allow them to be honest with themselves and people around them. These skills will allow them to say no to drugs, alcohol, and other addictive behaviors.

Being an individual is important. Being an individual that is able to co-exist and cooperate with other individuals is paramount. To break out of this self-imposed prison, communication is key.

Almost everyone imagines a drug addict as a homeless, dirty bum tweaking and shivering under a bridge somewhere. That could not be further from the truth.

Addiction, whatever the substance, does not separate us in genders, income brackets, nationalities or age groups. Addiction is a very real issue for everyone, regardless of your place of location, a mansion in Beverly Hills or under a storm drain bridge. Financially comfortable people are affected by drug-related issues just as much, if not more. Wealthy individuals encounter stress, genetic predisposition to addiction and mental illness just as much as anyone else. That said, there are a few things that make them more prone to drug abuse than your average homeless person.

Money to waste

The most obvious reason is the ready access to large amounts of money. Drugs are not cheap, neither is an addiction to them, so having a six digit bank account can help a desperate addict fuel their cravings that much more. Where a poor addict might be forced to resort to crime or other embarrassing and frowned upon activities like prostitution just to score the next hit, a wealthy person can buy all the coke, heroin or any other drug in bulk if he wanted to. This ease of access makes it very easy to go off rails and straight into the abyss. Any addict out there will tell you, having an unlimited supply of their choice of drug would lead them to the grave sooner than later. Being wealthy opens a lot of doors, even those that should remain closed.

Self-imposed guilt

Feeling guilty about their wealth is a common occurrence. Especially for those who are born in wealthy families, all that money just given to them. They feel guilty that they have this fancy and privileged life, while there are countless people struggling to feed their families and keep their heads above water. Many will dispute the validity of such guilt, but the fact of the matter is that it does not matter what is a person guilty of, what matters is, that the guilt is there and it can manifest from any number of reasons. A person feeling guilty, regardless of reasons, can be very susceptible to depression and self-harm. Anything that makes them feel better is welcomed, and in combination with the aforementioned expendable income, it’s a fast-lane to addiction.

Self-entitlement

The complete polar opposite of feeling guilt, there are many out there that feel entitled and better than the rest of us. Being rich it’s easy to fall into this way of thinking. Often children grow up being always told that they are better than everyone else because they have opportunities, fortune and connections that most people don’t. Never experiencing the need to work a day in their lives, they grow up feeling like they don’t need to earn their money and others do it for them, that the world and other people “below” their standard, owes them something. This sense of entitlement is oddly enough, not exclusive to wealthy individuals. There are people who live all their lives on welfare and social support, therefore never needing to work hard for their rewards. Therefore both rich and poor can fall for this self-entitlement and are just as prone to addiction as each other.

Get out of jail free card

There is an untold number of wealthy people who believe that the laws are not written for them. That they are somehow above the law. Plenty of disposable income for bribes and influential connections that life in luxury provides makes them feel that whatever they do, it’s not wrong because they can afford it. Being able to afford an expensive lawyer in case of being caught red-handed or being able to pay bail whatever the amount, means they can do whatever they want. The law is also regrettably very biased. Being pulled over for a routine check-up, a person in an Italian sports car is less likely to be searched and bothered with questions than a regular Joe driving a van from his 9-5 workplace. It’s sad, unfair and, unfortunately, very true. Having this proverbial “get out of jail free card” in their pocket, wealthy individuals feel like they are less likely to be charged for engaging in criminal activities.

Addiction does not discriminate. People of all walks of life have been affected by addiction, regardless of their income or socioeconomic status. Many heroin addicts today attribute their fall into addiction to prescription medication. Why you may ask? They say it’s because it was so easy to get their drugs, they just had to go to a pharmacy and get a refill. Being wealthy and with virtually unlimited funds to spend, is like having a prescription for any drug at any time. In the end of the day, both rich and poor find themselves at the same place. A place and time in their lives where they need to make a decision – continue down the path of certain death or seek professional help and turn their lives around in a rehabilitation center.

Young people are rebels, it’s a well-known fact. They love to “stand up to the system” and try new things or blatantly disregard others. Teenagers rarely have the finances and connections required to actively produce and/or use a hard drug. So it’s no wonder that Marijuana has been the choice of drug for most of them as it is considered to be the lightest and least damaging of all openly illegal drugs today. However, the path of least resistance will always be the most traveled. As such, a rise in legal highs has spread across the world. Favored by aforementioned young adults and teenagers, these drugs took off at an exponential rate. It was not long until people woke up to the fact that synthetic marijuana, also known as “spice” was indeed highly addictive, unhealthy and equally destructive on both mind and the body.

Introducing “Kratom”. What is it? And why should you care? Kratom is extracted from a plant native to South East Asia, specifically Thailand as its country of origin.  It’s called mitragyna speciosa and comes from rubiaceae plant family, same as the coffee bean tree. Thai people have been using this plant and its strange contradicting properties in folk medicine for hundreds of years. Why contradicting? In small doses, kratom acts as a stimulant, much like coffee – a distant cousin of kratom plant. It was first used by farmers and laborers as they believed it gave them energy and vigor necessary to perform hard manual activities. In larger doses, the very same plant has the opposite effect. It becomes a relaxant and induces euphoria, calmness and a general feeling of being high, not that much different from the high achieved from other relaxant drugs like marijuana, for example.

Is kratom Illegal?

Oddly, it is not. Anyone in most countries of the world can legally purchase and use it as a recreational drug. Its legality is the main reason why it is sweeping over the world as the new choice of drug. It’s legal, it’s cheap, it’s effective. Note that it is legal in most countries, but not all. Rather fitting, that the first country to outlaw this drug was the very origin country kratom plant – Thailand. In 1943 a Kratom Act was set in motion that outlawed the use, growth and sale of this drug. Slowly nearby countries joined this legislation and Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and some European countries began their movement towards controlling or making the drug illegal outright. Denmark, Latvia, Romania, Sweden, Lithuania and Poland passed kratom as a controlled drug at 2011. The United States are in process in joining this way of thinking, but for the time being, it is very much legal to buy and consume kratom for both medical and recreational purposes.

What’s the big deal?

Kratom has many different forms of product. It can be dried, crushed and consumed in capsules or pills. It can be chewed raw both fresh and dried, much like the Thai field workers did back in the day. It can also be made into a tea, by boiling the leaves and pulp of the kratom plant. Whichever way one consumes it, the results are always the same, albeit with varying forms of potency. Many claim it is not addictive, but the ever-rising popularity of this old but rediscovered drug points to the contrary. Regular and chronic consumption of kratom have adverse side-effects and repercussions. They include but are not limited to:

• Anxiety
• Constipation
• Stomach cramps
• Psychotic outbursts
• Respiratory complications
• Loss of appetite
• Delusions
• Nausea and vomiting
• Heightened aggression
• Skin rashes

There is help

For those who believe their kratom use has gone from a novelty into a problem that is affecting you both socially and physically, an inpatient rehabilitation program is the help you need. Open legality of this dangerous drug makes it very easy and the general population of the world very susceptible to its side-effects. Inpatient programs ensure that an addict has no access to the drug. If you or anyone you know is suffering from kratom addiction or experiencing two or more side-effects listed above, please seek professional help as soon as possible as these side effects have a long lasting impact on the addict’s life.

The first step to sobriety. It may be just the first step, but it is also one of the most important ones. What to expect? What is detox? Why is it necessary?

When an addict is admitted to a rehabilitation center, he will have to go through a period of detoxification. It is imperative for the addict’s well-being and ensures a much smoother overall experience in the rehab once detox is over. During detox, be it drug or alcohol related, patients are assisted through the first few days of withdrawal. These first days many rehab graduates remember as their most important part, as it marked their first step. A step that was the most dangerous and most painful of their recovery.

A common misconception is that a patient is essentially thrown in a padded cell with a vomit bucket and left there for a few days. Simply cutting off the supply of drugs or as it is commonly referred to – “going cold turkey”. This, however, cannot be further from the truth. First days of withdrawal, after prolonged use of addictive substances is extremely taxing on the human body, both physically and mentally. Simply stopping the use of some drugs is not only life-threatening, it’s also inhumane and prone to create deep-seated mental complications down the road.

The first order of detox process is a careful and thorough examination and risk assessment. A specialist will speak with the addict at length and with deep intimacy, honesty and hard truths are of utmost importance at this stage. Once a profile is established a detox plan is prepared and the patient begins it. No two detox procedures and plans are the same. Human beings are very different from one another, both mentally and physically. Such is the case with the detox plans as well. A heroin user and alcohol user will have drastically different approaches to detox.

There are a couple of addiction types that are potentially life-threatening. One of them is alcohol, the oldest drug in the world. It is considered a central nervous system depressant and once the supply of it is cut off, a possibility of delirium tremens to set in is very high. Another type of addiction that should never be kicked with a cold turkey approach is an addiction to benzodiazepines, most commonly in Valium and Xanax. These drugs also impair the normal function of nervous system and once suddenly removed can lead to a respiratory or cardiac arrest.

Most other substance addictions detoxification is not as life threatening, while still being extremely uncomfortable and often even painful. A sudden change in blood pressure, cold sweats, vomiting and tremors are common occurrences. The body is re-learning crash course on how to self-manage again, without external input and stimulus from various substances. It is not a pleasant process so the rehabilitation specialists and caretakers ensure the addict is safe, as comfortable as possible and mentally engaged.

Depending on each individual addiction profile, patients are sometimes prescribed medication to alleviate the withdrawal symptoms. Alcoholics are usually prescribed Ativan while Methadone is the choice of medication for meth addicts. People who are addicted to prescription drugs like OxyContin and Lortab are often prescribed Suboxone. These medications are prescribed with utmost care and very strict dosage and for a very brief period of time. They are meant to alleviate the withdrawal and detox process, not to replace one addiction with another.

When the detox procedure is deemed finished by the rehab specialists and the first nights of cold sweat and nausea have been endured,  the patient is placed in the regular inpatient facilities and begins their regular rehabilitation program.

Different drugs have different withdrawal symptoms. Some can be very dangerous and the “cold turkey” method should never be attempted without proper care and supervision.