Posted August 12th, 2009 — Filed under
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This is a question many facing drug addiction and alcoholism try to figure out on their own. But every individual is different and may need to be assessed with a treatment counselor to assess their current situation and whether they need to be in a residential rehab setting.
Scientific research since the mid–1970s shows that treatment can help patients addicted to drugs and alcohol to stop using and drinking to avoid relapse, and successfully recover their lives. Based research, key principles have emerged that form the basis of effective treatment programs:
• Addiction is a complex but treatable disease that affects brain function and behavior.
• No single treatment is appropriate for everyone.
• Treatment needs to be readily available.
• Effective treatment attends to multiple needs of the individual, not just his or her drug abuse.
• Remaining in treatment for an adequate period of time is critical.
• Counseling—individual and/or group—and other behavioral therapies are the most commonly used forms of drug abuse treatment.
• Medications are an important element of treatment for many patients, especially when combined with counseling and other behavioral therapies.
• An individual’s treatment and services plan must be assessed continually and modified as necessary to ensure that it meets his or her changing needs.
• Many drug–addicted individuals also have other mental disorders.
• Medically assisted detoxification is only the first stage of addiction treatment and by itself does little to change long–term drug abuse.
• Treatment does not need to be voluntary to be effective.
• Drug use during treatment must be monitored continuously, as lapses during treatment do occur.
Residential treatment programs can also be very effective, especially for those with more severe problems. For example, residential facilities are highly structured programs in which patients remain at a residence, typically for 30 days to 12 months. Treatment centers differ from other treatment approaches principally in their use of the community—treatment staff and those in recovery—as a key agent of change to influence patient attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors associated with drug use. The focus of rehab is on the re-socialization of the patient to a drug-free, crime–free lifestyle. Please call today to discuss your needs for treatment.
Researchers have found that kids who engage in heavy drinking will more than likely also engage in heavy smoking, and that educators can help combat the trend by addressing both topics as one health risk.
“These are important findings because they emphasize the need for education and intervention programs that target the co-occurrence of these two health risks,” said Brian Daly, assistant professor of public health in the College of Health Professions and Social Work at Temple University.
Science Daily reports that Daly and colleagues determined rates of smoking and binge drinking through anonymous survey data from 2,450 African-American, Hispanic, and Caucasian students in grades 9-12 at public high schools in Philadelphia. Students’ responses were compiled from the 2007 Philadelphia Youth Behavioral Risk Survey.
Students were asked how many cigarettes they’d had per day over 30 days, and how many days over a 30-day period they’d had 5 or more drinks in one sitting. Data was broken down by race/ethnicity and gender.
Researchers found that while Caucasian teens were more likely than African-Americans to either binge drink or smoke, both groups were equally likely to engage in both activities at the same time.
“In the past 30 years or so, African Americans have traditionally had the lowest instance of smoking and binge drinking,” said Daly. “Those low numbers resulted in very few studies which looked at both smoking and binge drinking in a diverse sample; most focused only on instances of these in Caucasian or Hispanic adolescents.”
Daly said that the equal instances of smoking and binge drinking among both groups highlights the need for a multi-pronged approach to education and intervention.
“We can’t just focus on educating adolescents about the dangers of just smoking or drinking,” he said. “We need to address both as one health risk, and we need to do that for all adolescents, not just one particular group.”
He said that when health education teachers talk about the dangers of smoking, they should also touch on the dangers of binge drinking too, illustrating the connection.
The next phase of Daly’s research will break down these rates by grade level to determine exactly when binge drinking and smoking start.
“The difference in the mindset of a 9th grader versus a 12th grader is pretty vast,” he said. “And if we can determine when kids start this behavior—whether it’s the summer after 8th grade, or when they’re a sophomore or a senior—it can help us tailor education and treatment plans even more.”
Well basically what happens is that you take the alcoholic and put them under medical supervision for a few days while giving them medications. The medication you give to them is used to prevent seizures and shaking while they are going through alcohol withdrawal. There are actually a number of different medications that can be used for this and there are some advantages and disadvantages to each one. For example, in some cases, addictive medications are used to detox alcoholics, but in other cases a rehab center might use non-addictive medication instead. It really is up to the doctor who oversees the facility, and of course there are different theories and opinions regarding which is the best route to go.
In most cases there will not be any problems while detoxing someone from alcohol and things will go smoothly. But in rare cases people who are severely addicted to alcohol will have a violent withdrawal in which their body shakes uncontrollably and they start hallucinating. At this point they are also at a high risk for seizures so many times the doctors watching over them will order more medications to try and prevent this from happening. In extreme cases people who go through alcohol withdrawal have died from it.
Most drunk people do not realize the danger of going without alcohol when their body is seriously addicted to it, so it is important to encourage treatment if someone is thinking about quitting drinking. Medical supervision is almost always the best idea because there is this danger of complications during the withdrawal. The majority of people will not have these problems but those who do will require serious medical attention. Alcohol withdrawal is a life threatening condition so be sure to take it seriously if someone is shaking due to a lack of alcohol in their system.
Posted July 20th, 2009 — Filed under
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Yoga is an ideal recreational activity for those recovering from alcoholism, drug addiction, and other addictions. Yoga conditions the body, mind and soul. Recovering from an addiction takes physical, mental and spiritual strength, which can be developed by practicing yoga. Recreational activities are an essential part of recovery for residents at long-term alcohol and drug rehab centers. Although therapy, counseling, and 12-step meetings are tremendously effective, people in recovery still want to have fun – and it is crucial they learn to enjoy themselves without substance abuse. Many treatment centers offer yoga as a therapeutic tool which can have a dramatic impact on a person’s life.
Strengthening a Recovering Body
The practice of Yoga comes from India and the word can mean “union” or “control”. People must unify their body with their mind and spirit to successfully control their whole self if they are to master yoga techniques. The beauty of yoga is that you do not need a very strong body to begin learning it. Practicing yoga consistently will help a person to develop their core muscles and improve their balance and posture. Perhaps the greatest benefit is that each person learns about their body and increases their control over it. Building a physically strong body can help combat the physical dependencies that come with alcoholism or drug addictions.
Yoga and the Mind
When it comes to addictions, psychological dependencies are very common. Young adults may be in the habit of giving up or giving in mentally to their addiction. It takes time and perseverance to train the mind to become strong enough to change that behavior. Yoga helps improve mental concentration through various methods. Take deep breathing exercises as an example. In yoga, deep breathing is conducted slowly and consciously. There should be no day dreaming but instead a profound, internal attention on the quality of breathing. Not only does this practice assist in clearing the mind, but it also improves the mind’s ability to focus. After improving one’s mental abilities through yoga, it should be easier for the person to clearly make decisions that will lead to positive outcomes.
Developing the Spirit to Stop Substance Abuse
Unlike other physical activities and sports, yoga is performed slowly and quietly with a great peacefulness. The practice of yoga can even be said to resemble a kind of meditation and its effects can be described as spiritual. Since yoga is not a religious practice attributed to any one religion, people of any belief system can enjoy it.
The poses and techniques found in yoga vary in their degree of difficulty. Continuously working to improve and accepting the challenge to learn the more difficult poses takes a lot of determination, but the process fosters a resilient heart. A strong spirit is needed to successfully complete drug and alcohol abuse treatment. Deciding to stop making poor choices that are self-damaging can be a challenge, and a strong resolve to change is what will prevent relapse in the future.
Posted July 19th, 2009 — Filed under
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Research published in 1999 by Bennett Fletcher, a senior research psychologist at the National Institute on Drug Abuse, has shown that though 90 days isn’t a magic number, anything less than that tends to increase the chances of relapse. One study, of 1,605 cocaine users, looked at weekly cocaine use in the year after treatment. It found that 35% of people who were in treatment for 90 days or fewer reported drug use the following year compared with 17% of people who were in treatment for 90 days or longer. The study was published in the Archives of General Psychiatry.
Another study, part of a NIDA-funded project called Drug Abuse Treatment Outcome Studies, followed 549 patients who had several problems in addition to their drug use and who entered a long-term residential program. Clients who dropped out of treatment before 90 days had relapse rates similar to those who stayed in treatment only a day or two, after 90 days relapse rates dropped steadily the longer a person stayed in treatment. Following up residential Treatment with a form of outpatient treatment or an extended care program is much more beneficial for long term sobriety. At Recovery Hub our intake coordinators will discuss all the options available for you our your loved one, all you have to do is call.
