Category: United States

Preventing Suicide in Addicts

Preventing Suicide – What You Should Know

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

This is Part Two of a two-part series on Preventing Suicide

Suicide is Shrouded in Mystery

People end their lives for many different reasons. It may be because of financial stress, difficulties at work, a break-up or divorce, the loss of a child, chronic depression, a mental health disorder, an addiction, or simply because they feel they do not have the necessary tools required to navigate this thing called life.

Many people contemplate suicide for years before they ever go through with it. They may have tried all sorts of different things to ease their own pain but were unsuccessful. Rather than make another attempt at finding happiness, their pain becomes too great and they end their own life. Others commit suicide impulsively because of some life circumstance that seems too overwhelming to overcome.

Whatever the reason someone may have for taking their own life, the truth is we really don’t know what goes through someone’s mind right before they commit suicide. Some people choose to leave a note to explain to the world why they have chosen to leave their life behind. But, even then, their death is still shrouded in mystery. Perhaps if we knew for sure what someone was thinking or feeling before killing themselves, we could put an end to this horrific act once and for all.  

Warning Signs To Look For That May Prevent Suicide 

Preventing Suicide in Addicts

While we still have a lot to learn about the final act of suicide, there are some things we do know. Mental health professionals around the world have created a go-to list as a guide for looking for suicide warning signs. These are not only warning signs you should look out for when you are dealing with other people, you should beware if you start to manifest any of these symptoms.  

Here they are:

  • Extreme, ongoing depression
  • Unexplained and chronic sadness
  • Withdrawal from important supportive relationships
  • No longer caring about things that used to matter
  • No motivation to perform daily tasks
  • The end of self-care (this includes eating and taking a shower)
  • Giving away possessions of value
  • Thinking about suicide
  • Thinking that death is a viable solution to pain
  • No longer paying bills even when the money is available
  • Watching movies or listening to music about suicide
  • Writing goodbye letters

A Step in the Right Direction for Preventing Suicide

When someone is thinking about killing themselves, what they need more than anything else is hope. They need someone to tell them everything is going to be okay. Even when it seems like it is not going to be. They need to be given a reason to live. They need to be told that things will change. (As the old saying goes, “This too shall pass. All things do.”) They also need someone to help them get help because they will not be motivated to get help for themselves. Someone who is thinking about suicide may need professional help or even medication.

If you are thinking about harming yourself – or you know someone who is – contact us at DARA Thailand. We can help.

suicide prevention

Suicide Prevention – What You Should Know

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

This is part-one of a two-part series on Suicide Prevention.

Two Recent Suicides Have the World Talking  

Recently, the world said goodbye to international icons Anthony Bourdain (one of the most beloved chefs in the world) and Kate Spade (a dearly loved fashion designer). Both Bourdain and Spade committed suicide within days of each other. When suicide happens to people who have had such a profound global impact, the world sits up and takes notice.

However; it is a least a little bit disappointing that the human race only seems to collectively discuss suicide when famous people end their own lives. Somehow, the world seems to process their deaths differently than they do when they hear about strangers committing killing themselves. Nevertheless, it is important to recognize that suicide is a leading cause of death around the world. Would you be surprised to learn that about one million people kill themselves every year on planet Earth?

Suicide happens in every country across the globe. It does not discriminate. Men and women of all ages, races, cultures, nationalities, social groups, and economic backgrounds kill themselves in overwhelming numbers every single day that this little rock spins around the sun.

It’s something we need to talk about. “We” being the human race.

Suicide is Difficult to Talk About

Let’s be real. No one really wants to talk about suicide until after it happens. While some mental health professionals dedicate their lives to suicide prevention, generally most people don’t give it a second thought until someone famous kills themselves or someone they love commits suicide. This is unfortunate. Suicide affects us all. Chances are, you know someone who has ended their own life or you know someone who has.

Of course, it is understandable that people want to discuss the topic of suicide. It doesn’t make for proper dinner conversation and it sure doesn’t liven up a party! But, it is an important subject nonetheless. It is important because when someone is thinking of talking their own life, they don’t want to talk about it with anyone because nobody wants to talk about it!

We Must Talk About Suicide – Even If We Don’t Want To

suicide prevention The reason why it is so important to talk about suicide is because it is 100 percent preventable. There are actions we can take individually to keep us healthy so that we don’t ever seriously consider ending our own lives. Also, we need to be prepared in case someone we care about ever confronts a darkness so dense they think about killing themselves. We need to know how to handle it.

Suicide is a lot more common than you might think. The reason why people are so shocked when people like Anthony Bourdain or Kate Spade end their own lives is because we don’t talk about it enough. If we talked about it more often, we might see less and less people committing suicide.

Suicide is not an act of cowardice. It happens when someone’s pain becomes so great or their stress level gets so high, they don’t know how to cope. They take their own life simply because they are looking for an absence of pain.

Suicide Prevention

In Part Two of this series, we will tell you the warning signs of suicide. And we will give you some mental health tips to help you manage depression and life events that may cause you to contemplate killing yourself. 

CLICK HERE to get a Free Confidential Addiction Rehabilitation Assessment.

The Myth of the High-functioning Alcoholic

The Myth of the High-functioning Alcoholic

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

We hear people talk about being a high-functioning alcoholic all the time. Some people even identify as being a high-functioning alcoholic. It is this idea that there are those who seem to able to drink excessively while maintaining a pretty manageable life, complete with achievement and successful family lives. I used to see myself this way and I even boasted about it once upon a time.

For many years I enjoyed multiple cocktails at happy hour, wine with dinner, and then book-ended the evening with a few whiskey drinks. Almost every Sunday began with a Bloody Mary or three. And anytime was a good time for beer. During this, I excelled professionally. I had two children. I even managed to take up a running a marathon training schedule. Nothing could stop me, and if anyone ever said anything about my drinking, I just pointed to all the success and achievement as proof that I was better than fine.

However, during all of these years, I knew something was wrong. I knew that I could not imagine going to bed sober, and I knew that was simply not healthy. Every morning of my life was an exercise in clearing the fog from the previous day’s alcohol. And even on those days when I swore I would take a day off from booze, I knew I could not do it. I was controlled by the alcohol and I knew it.

Eventually, my so-called high-functioning abilities began to unravel. I found there were an increasing number of mornings when I could not shake the effects of alcohol and I needed to stay in bed. This cost me time at work. It eventually cost me my job. I started to display the tell-tale signs of tremors in my hands which everyone noticed. Moreover, I just started feeling ill.

Alcohol And Drug Treatment I finally topped from my high-functioning perch and when I did, I fell hard. I landed in long-term alcohol treatment. This was one of the best things that ever happened to me, but it came at a tremendous personal cost.

The idea that someone is high-functioning while being completely driven by the need to drink or use drugs is a dangerous myth. That an individual had not experienced serious consequences as the result of their addiction is not a sign that they are healthy. It simply means that serious consequences have not happened YET. One of the main symptoms of a substance abuse disorder is the inability to control your use of a substance. When I was “high-functioning,” I had no control over my alcohol use at all. I was not high-functioning; I just had not run into serious problems yet.

It would seem that the idea or myth of the high-functioning alcoholic is one we could do without. Those who seek treatment and get into recovery prior to suffering serious consequences are fortunate people. We should be putting more emphasis on these kinds of stories rather than touting the alcoholic who is simply “getting away with it,” because the latter will eventually suffer. It is not a useful myth to propagate.   

CLICK HERE to get a Free Confidential Addiction Rehabilitation Assessment.

Lifestyle Balance in Recovery

Lifestyle Balance in Recovery

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

Lifestyle Balance in Recovery – There are many things which seem obvious in life but are in fact deadly serious in recovery. Finding a balance in all things in our lifestyle is essential to continues recovery. For people who have not had problems with substance abuse, the “luxury” of over-doing it in one aspect of life or another results in a bad mood, a sore back, or a day of being tired. For those of us in recovery, over-doing it can mean compromising our recovery and potentially relapsing. It is essential that we find a balance in all things.

This idea is an old one. It dates as far back to the Greeks who held the idea of balance to be something of a philosophical ideal. One of things of first importance to me was the balance between social activities and time alone. Especially coming out inpatient treatment where I was surrounded by other people, I really needed to make certain I did not begin isolating myself. We need to remember that isolation is a symptom of addiction. Spending time alone, doing things like meditating or simply being quiet is a healthy way of re-charging our batteries. And we need to socially interact with others. It is the healthy give and take with other people which keeps shaping our ideas and mental health.

Striking A Lifestyle Balance in Recovery

Striking a balance between work and relaxation is also important. If you are lucky enough to derive real satisfaction from your work, this is fantastic. But you still need to take time to relax. Over-working ourselves leads to mental, emotional, and physical exhaustion and these are dangers to sobriety and recovery.

Lifestyle Balance in Recovery

Maintaining a healthy balance between what we should be doing and what we want to be doing is also essential. I have known plenty of people who let themselves get caught up in the “should” to the exclusion of what they want. At the same time, overly indulging what we want can be just as bad. When we become absorbed in what we think we should be doing, we are letting others rule our lives. When life becomes all about what we want, we are heading for disappointment (or indolence at the least). This is really just a good balance of making good on our obligations and indulging ourselves when we deserve some fun or something we want. Just paying attention to where your energy is invested will guide you in this.

Since both exercise and relaxation are powerful tools for recovery, striking a balance with these things is crucial. No one is going to tell you exercise is not a good. It just is, and what is more, it can be a social activity as well. But it is important to balance this with some healthy rest. Obviously, exercise to the point of injury is a bad idea. I have friends who are runners and they are constantly hurting themselves by pushing things too far. They are also not in recovery. They can afford to deal with these problems. Those of us in recovery need to guard against over-doing exercise. Rest is just as important. Taking time to be still, to take a nap, or to go on easy walks is an essential part of exercise and recovery.

DARA Rehab Can Help In Your Recovery

Much of this appears as common sense, but in our zeal to return to a “normal” life, it is easy to lose sight of the simple idea of balance. As I said, this was a philosophical and spiritual ideal, once upon a time. We can value balance now as much as the ancients once did. Our continued recovery may depend on it.  

CLICK HERE to get a Free Confidential Addiction Rehabilitation Assessment.

Gabapentin – A New Drug of Abuse

Gabapentin – A New Drug of Abuse

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

Have You Ever Heard of Gabapentin?

Most people are at least somewhat familiar with addictive prescription medications like opioids (Hydrocodone, Morphine, Oxycodone, Fentanyl, Codeine) and anti-anxiety meds (Valium, Xanax, and Klonopin). Have you ever heard of Gabapentin?

Locales around the world – including the United States, Australia, and Asia – have reported that prescription drug abuse is on the rise. Millions of people across the globe are addicted to narcotic prescription drugs and suffering because of it. Opioids and anti-anxiety medications (also known as sedatives and tranquilizers) are extremely dangerous and can lead to an overdose death.

While you may be aware of the dangers involved with these specific types of prescription drugs, you may not have a lot of information about a popular medication called Gabapentin. (Brand name Neurontin). Abuse of this drug is on the rise globally – and it is not without its consequences.

What Is Gabapentin?

Gabapentin – known also as “gabby” or “gabbies” – was initially created by chemists looking to treat neuropathic pain (also known as nerve pain). It is also approved to treat epilepsy. However; many doctors prescribe it for “off-label” uses like anxiety, depression, body aches and pains, and other health conditions.

Gabapentin works by regulating electrical nerve activity in the brain and nervous system – specifically, it affects neurotransmitters called GABA and glutamate. GABA calms neural activity and glutamate excites it. Although researchers are still learning how Gabapentin works, it is believed to increase GABA and reduce glutamate.

Why Are People Abusing Gabapentin?

Gabapentin – A New Drug of Abuse Many people are taking this drug in high doses because they say it gives them a similar feeling to that of marijuana or tranquilizers. Because of its calming effect, those who abuse Gabby say it makes them feel warm, peaceful, and relaxed.

Also, Gabapentin is easy to get in most places. Doctors prescribe it freely because the side effects are minimal and it isn’t as dangerous as opioids or sedatives. (It is the third most commonly prescribed medication in the United States). It is also very inexpensive. Nevertheless; those who take this drug should be warned – it can cause addiction.

Gabapentin Can Cause Withdrawal and Overdose

Most people who abuse Gabapentin have a prescription of their own or they use someone else’s prescribed medication. However; many buy this drug on the black market, although they have a low street value.

It can be easy to justify taking Gabby because you think of it as being relatively safe. You know that it is not as strong as opioids or tranquilizers, so you might think it’s okay to take high quantities of this drug. That is not the case. Gabby is addictive and can be detrimental to your health.

If you become dependent on gabbies, you will feel as though you need it to function. If you don’t take it, you will experience anxiety, depression, body aches and pains, insomnia and sweats for up to three weeks. Withdrawal is very uncomfortable. Also, you CAN overdose on Gabapentin. If you take too much, your breathing can stop or you could go into cardiac arrest.

For these reasons, if you are abusing Gabapentin, you should get help right away. We can offer you effective treatment services at DARA Thailand so you can kick your gabby habit. Contact us today for a free consultation.