Category: United States

Stress and Recovery

Stress and Recovery

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

Recovery can be an amazing experience, but it can also be a stressful experience. Whether you are trying to decide to enter recovery or have been in recovery for quite a while, stress will arise. Life events that are difficult are inevitable. Stress does not care if you are going through withdrawal or if life is going great. Whether your stress is related to family issues, financial issues, or relationships, anxiety can wreak havoc on the body and mind. Don’t lose hope; there are ways to deal with this stress and still stay in recovery. Below we will explore some basic ways to deal with the stress that life brings.

Some basic ways to deal with stress include mindful meditation, makes time to relax and spend time with healthy and supportive friends, laughing, exercise or yoga. These are all pretty simple and straightforward.

Mindful meditation means focusing on yourself and your body. One form of mindful meditation involves relaxing one muscle or body part at a time. Many people work from the bottom of the feet up or from the head down, consciously relaxing each part as stress slowly fades from the body. Yoga and exercise can have the same effect as getting active can help you relieve stress by detoxing the body. Just getting the extra energy out can be highly beneficial. Even something as simple as taking time to relax alone or with sober friends can help eliminate stress. While this may not be an option if the stress is caused by work that needs done. It can help to take a little time to unwind before buckling down and getting to work.

If you are in recovery make sure you are spending time with friends in a safe environment that will not tempt you into a  relapse. A final suggestion, which may seem silly, is to laugh. Read some jokes, watch a funny movie, or simply have a fun conversation with a friend. Laughter really is the best medicine when it comes to stress. Spend time laughing until you cry and you will automatically feel more relaxed and able to face whatever is happening.

While some stress can be a motivator to work hard and get ahead, too much stress can be bad for your mental and physical health. So we must identify the source of the stress and find a way to fix the problems that can be fixed. If a problem has no solution, then you must learn to move on. Remember that in recovery and in life you control your feelings and emotions.

Stress is simply a chemical reaction. If you do not allow yourself to be overwhelmed by stress then it will no longer be a problem. What are you willing to do to limit your stress while staying in recovery? There are always answers other than your addiction of choice. Just be willing to be honest with yourself when you are feeling stressed out and deal with it in an appropriate manner. You are strong enough if you choose to be.

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Values in Recovery

Values in Recovery

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

Values are something you hear about often but not something that many people truly think about in life. If someone asked you right now what you valued in life you could probably think of a few quick answered but they would probably be superficial. However, if someone asked you what your values were in life it may take longer to form an answer. We all have values in life. Values are universal, though what they are is very specific to each person. There are some values that the majority of people have, those of self-respect, identity, health, love, and integrity. This means that most people expect and offer these things to others.

Your personal values are intended to help you lay a solid foundation for permanent change. In fact, your values are the principles in life that you use to find meaning and fulfillment.  They form the foundation for your identity and if consistent, your identity will reflect this consistency. This means you need to construct a foundation of practical values from which you will manage the most important aspects of your life.  In a healthy person, values provide the motivation that drives behavior, the impetus for decision making and the foundation for feelings and emotions. In active addiction we tend to forget our values as everything revolves around and is focused on the addiction. Values are put on the back burner and the addiction is the only concern and focus. For recovery to take place and to make the transition to health, you have to evolve practical values.

So now you have to determine what values you will choose to embrace in your life. These may change and vary over time, but most should be things you stick with throughout recovery and in life. Choose to be honest at all times, even when it is tough. Choose to have enough self-respect to make your life worth living in spite of the ups and downs. Also, choose to create an identity you can be proud of for the rest of your life. The great thing about values is that we choose them and we can set boundaries so others respect them.

Like of values like this: .Values are like the engine in your car, you can survive without them, but it is easier to have it available. Would you like to have a car that didn’t have an engine? Probably not. So why live a life without a system that can make that life more useful? The choice is yours, whether you are in recovery, thinking about it, or just want to improve your personal value system. You can change your life and choose the values you want when you are ready. It really is all about you and what you want for your life. So what is your decision? Will you create a value system to bolster your life or will you choose to live aimlessly? Only you can decide. Be willing to change your life.

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addiction and recovery

Self-Deception in Addiction and Recovery

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

We are all human and at times we will lie to ourselves and others. While this does not excuse the behavior, it is a reality of life. Unfortunately, we also tend to lie to ourselves, especially in addiction and in early recovery. Some of the lies and self-deceptions are obvious, some are not. One of the most common self-deceptions in recovery is that the addict has trust issues. While this may be true in some part, it is most likely that the one in recovery has issues trusting themselves and their own judgment. This means that those in recovery have to work on learning to trust themselves and understand that trusting others will come in time. There are ways to build trust, but first we must understand how we fool ourselves and develop self-deception.

Those in active addiction and typically in the beginning stages of recovery use rationalization, justification, and minimization to deal with what is happening. These may be used to make sense of addiction. Saying things like I only use because of my past or because my parents were addicts or even because I am in pain are all excuses. Even if there is truth in the statement, these are not reasons to stay with an addiction.

One must learn that though self-deception is not usually a conscious effort it can be changed. One way to remember self-deception is with the acronym DENIAL. DENIAL stands for Don’t Even Know I’m Always Lying (to myself). When we make the conscious effort to change it is as simple as paying attention to our thoughts and statements. In fact, saying things out loud can often force us to realize how little the things we are thinking making sense. Candor is key to success in recovery. This is not just for yourself but also candor and rigorous honesty with others. Addiction is wrought with lies and half-truths, recovery is a chance to come clean and start over. Learning to be candid and practice honesty in all situations is tough at first, but it does get easier.

As you grow in recovery you can pay it forward and help others, this will help you become even stronger. In the early stages of recovery it may be hard to be honest with yourself and others. But it is very important. This is not to hurt you or others. But to help you live your life out loud and keep you honest in recovery. In active addiction we are surrounded and hidden in lies. Many deny having a problem but most also lie to obtain money, drugs, or alcohol to keep the habit fed. This all has to stop in recovery.

Also during recovery we can take the opportunity to come clean with others so life can move forward without the lies and secrets that kept the habit going. There is a chance that people in your life will not accept the truth well, but this journey is about you, not others. Learn to be true to yourself and honest with others, it will increase your chances of staying in recovery long term. Are you willing to be honest to start your life over?

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opioid addictions

What are Opioids

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

Opioid addictions – We hear about and read about the opioid drug crisis all the time. The problems of addiction and overdose are in the headlines around the world. Many countries like the U.S., the U.K. Australia, and Southeast Asia are gripped by an opioid addiction crisis that is often described as an epidemic. What exactly are these drugs, and how do they effect the body and Mind?

Opioids are a broad class of drugs which include chemicals derived from the opium poppy such as heroin, morphine, and codeine. Opioids also include synthetic chemicals such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, and fentanyl.

These drugs work by attaching to opioid receptors in the nervous system. This blocks pain and releases chemicals in the brain which can lead to feelings of euphoria and general ease. These two combined effects are the reasons why these drugs are both effective and dangerous.

When taken correctly for acute and chronic pain, legal opioids are highly effective for controlling pain. Drugs like fentanyl are used almost exclusively for extreme pain in circumstances such as cancer and other extreme illnesses. Heroin is not legal and is not used for any medical purpose.

All opioids are highly addictive. Because opioids work by suppressing pain receptors in the nervous system, the body will respond by re-awakening these receptors. Over time, this can lead to feelings of discomfort and even illness when people stop using the drugs. As a result, people are apt to keep taking the drugs. In this way people become addicted even to prescription opioids.

Codeine was once given as a cough suppressant. In fact, it was once considered the primary drug to be used as a cough suppressant. Recent research has shown that the use of codeine for this purpose may not be effective at all. Codeine did not show any marked difference from placebos in some studies.

Oxycodone and hydrocodone were widely prescribed for a vast array of medical issues. From sports injuries to general chronic pain, these drugs were dispensed by physicians with little restraint. As a result there has been a drastic increase in people becoming addicted to these drugs. Oxycodone and hydrocodone operate exactly like heroin and morphine. They perform the same chemical processes in the nervous system and create the same dangers for people who use them.

The widespread use of oxycodone and hydrocodone contributed to the opioid addiction crisis around the globe. In addition to the obvious danger of becoming addicted to these drugs, the addiction can lead to using other opioids like heroin. Once addicted, people seek the drugs and find that the prescription drugs they are used to are expensive and difficult to obtain. Heroin is a relatively inexpensive street drug and it is easily available.

Heroin has been cut with fentanyl in recent years leading to an even more deadly form of illegal street drug. Fentanyl is vastly more potent that heroin and can lead to fatal overdoses even in small concentrations. All of this has contributed to the opioid addiction crisis around the world.

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The Process of Learning to Love Yourself

The Process of Learning to Love Yourself – Part Three

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

In part-one of this series, we told you it is important to learn to love yourself in recovery. In  part-two, we outlined the process of practicing self-love and explained that love is an action. Now, we’ll give you some actions you can take for how you can actually learn to love yourself.

#1 Continue To Stay In Recovery – One Day At A Time

As you grow in recovery, so will the love you have for yourself. Every day that you stay sober or refrain from unhealthy sex, you are acting in self-love. Engaging in addiction is engaging in self-hatred and self-destruction. Make the commitment every day that you are going to work on your recovery and you are already halfway there.

#2 Change The Way You Talk To Yourself

Changing the way you talk to yourself has to be deliberate and intention. It won’t come easy at first. You are going to have to be vigilant in paying attention to your thought life and replacing self-defeating thoughts with loving, empowering ones.

For example, when you look in the mirror and think, “I’m so ugly!” change that thought immediately to “I am so beautiful. Look at my eyes!” If you think “I am such a loser,” replace that thought with “I am so proud of myself that I am working on self-improvement!”

This will feel strange at first. You won’t believe the new thoughts you are thinking. But, before long, you will start noticing how uncomfortable it is to talk down to yourself. Your awareness will shift and you will start filling your own head with positive affirmations. It really works!

#3 Become Aware Of Behaviors That Harm You And Commit To Changing Them

Notice what kind of things you are doing to yourself that are unhealthy. Do you smoke cigarettes? Do you cut yourself? Do you hit yourself? Do you destroy your own property? When you do things that hurt you, you are not being loving towards yourself. Remember, recovery is about more than just ceasing addictive behaviors. It is about an active change in other behaviors as well.

Don’t feel overwhelmed. We are not asking you to give up your other coping skills until you are ready. We are simply asking you to become aware of your negative coping skills and encouraging you to make the commitment to change them – one day, when the time is right. Just by doing this, you will be amazed at how quickly your desire to be more loving to yourself will begin to take hold. Suddenly, those old behaviors won’t feel so good.  

 #4 Stay Away From Negative People

One of the most unloving things you can do for yourself is to keep company with toxic people. If you are in relationships with people who make you feel bad about yourself, stay away from those people. Surround yourself with people who build you up and empower you. It is better to be alone than in bad company. When you love yourself, you only associate with people who love and cherish you in return. By cutting out negative people and replacing them will supportive ones, you are expressing a great deal of self-love.  

#5 Be Kind To Yourself And Treat Yourself Well

When you love yourself, you take care of yourself. You eat healthy and you get exercise. You get plenty of sleep. You tend to your physical and mental well-being. You do things that make you feel good about you. This may include buying yourself nice clothes or taking yourself out for a nice meal. It might mean taking a hot bubble bath. It could mean painting yourself a picture or writing yourself a poem.

Find out what you can do for yourself that makes you feel loved and do it!

Remember, Learning To Love Yourself Is A Process

After years of abusing yourself in your addiction, learning to love yourself will take time. That’s okay! Give time time. Don’t fall into the trap of beating yourself up because you aren’t loving yourself. This isn’t loving!

The more you practice self-love, the more comfortable it will feel and the more you will want to do it. Just remember: stay in recovery (one day at a time), change the way you talk to yourself, become aware of behaviors that harm you and commit to changing them (one day!), stay away from negative people, and be kind to yourself. Soon, loving yourself will become a natural state of being.  

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