by roottn | Jun 30, 2023 | Sober living
You may not need to completely reinvent your life to quit drinking, but making a few changes in your surroundings to help avoid alcohol triggers can make a big difference. It’s possible to develop a better relationship with alcohol and make more mindful, informed choices about drinking without total sobriety. Don’t bring up the subject when they’re already drinking or hungover. If they’re intoxicated, they might be more likely to misunderstand you, lash out, or forget the details of the conversations. Wait until you’re both able to have a clear, unrushed, and uninterrupted conversation. Setting Healthy Boundaries in Relationships The physical reactions of binge drinking can then lead to other incidents like driving accidents, physical violence, and problems with friends, family, and colleagues. If someone is trying to coerce you to have another beer, be polite but firm in saying no. Your life doesn’t have to stop while you make progress. Learn more about the health effects of drinking alcohol here. You have a hard time cutting yourself off once you start drinking. Perhaps you frequently get caught up in the feeling of euphoria that comes with being intoxicated. You feel compelled to keep drinking to maintain that high. Limit Number of Drinks Per Week Beyond that, take time to examine the feelings or routines that drive you to drink in the first place. Mindfulness is a good place to start for this, but you can try any activity that helps you reflect and relax. And don’t be afraid to reach out to friends and get some fresh air if being stuck at home feels triggering at times. Millions...
by roottn | Feb 27, 2023 | Sober living
Opioids are safest when used for three or fewer days to manage serious pain, such as pain that follows surgery or a bone fracture. If you need opioids for severe pain, work with your healthcare signs of opioid addiction professional to take the lowest dose possible, for the shortest time needed, exactly as prescribed. Also, be sure to ask if drugs other than opioids are available or if other types of treatment can be used instead. YOUR TREATMENT MAY BE COVERED! When using opioids, there is also a risk of opioid use disorder (OUD). Opioid withdrawal symptoms can be very uncomfortable but are not typically considered life-threatening. Hospitalization typically is needed for severe withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal symptoms after stopping shorter-acting opioids—such as heroin—begin within hours of the last dose. Recovery Advocacy According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there were nearly 645,000 fatal overdoses involving opioids from 1999 to 2021. There is not a single approach that works well for everyone, and a person may try several therapies before finding the ones that support lasting recovery. Your doctor may prescribe certain medicines to help relieve your withdrawal symptoms and control your drug cravings. Opioids are narcotic, painkilling drugs produced from opium or made synthetically. This creates tension on both sides, and often leads to serious family and relationship problems. One thing you can do for your loved one is to try and get them help, rather than dismiss or ignore their problem. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) provides information for a number of treatment programs and resources. It may also be a...
by roottn | Dec 12, 2022 | Sober living
The hope is that mechanistic insights will help bring forward new treatments, by identifying candidate targets for them, by pointing to treatment-responsive biomarkers, or both 52. Developing innovative treatments is essential to address unmet treatment needs, in particular in stimulant and cannabis addiction, where no approved medications are currently available. Although the task to develop novel treatments is challenging, promising candidates await evaluation 53. A particular opportunity for imaging-based research is related to the complex and heterogeneous nature of addictive disorders. Imaging-based biomarkers hold the promise of allowing this complexity to be deconstructed into specific functional domains, as proposed by the RDoC initiative 54 and its application to addiction 55, 56. Surely, if overcoming addiction were as easy as simply choosing to stop, the problem of addiction would be much easier to address and relapse would not be as common. Addiction is not best understood as a brain disease, though it certainly involves pathological neuropsychological dysfunction. At the severe end of the spectrum, these domains converge (heavy consumption, numerous symptoms, the unambiguous presence of addiction), but at low severity, the overlap is more modest. The push to regard addiction as a disease is well-intentioned—driven by a desire to lessen stigma—but fails to account for the many facets and facts of the condition. My claim is that addiction is not a brain disease like the other conditions Leshner cites; it has crucial features that make it different from stroke, schizophrenia, and Alzheimer’s. Are addictions diseases or choices? Hence, the BDM holds the view that self-control is impaired, which is a reasonable conclusion. However, BDM scholars also tend to state that...
by roottn | Nov 7, 2022 | Sober living
Substance abuse group therapy can facilitate healthy discussions about relatable topics in recovery. Additionally, you can use substance abuse group therapy activities for teens if you are working with a younger population. This gives the Counselor leading the group an opportunity to tailor the group activities to the current concerns of the group members. Structured activities within these groups are highly effective in promoting personal growth, enhancing self-awareness, and building strong community bonds that can bolster resilience. Lastly, substance abuse group activities can provide group leaders with an opportunity to provide psychoeducation in an interactive way that members respond to. Cognitive Restructuring Activity As therapists, we know loneliness can sometimes be a trigger for our clients. Another option for your substance abuse group activities, have the clients discuss being alone. Recognizing addiction as a chronic condition akin to other enduring health issues is essential. Consequently, relapse, or a return to drug and alcohol use, can be an inherent part of the recovery process. However, it’s crucial to understand that relapse should not be viewed as a treatment failure. In this activity, members create individualized relapse prevention plans, identify their specific warning signs, and develop strategies to seek support before a potential relapse. This topic encourages members to create a new, healthy identity, emphasizing positive traits, values, and goals to build a fulfilling life without substances. Effective group leaders can help create an environment where members can challenge each other in a productive manner while practicing these life skills. Understanding the Impact of Substance Use on Health Process groups are mostly unstructured with no singular topic of discussion. Theme groups...
by roottn | Oct 26, 2022 | Sober living
When ingested, they can cause sedation, memory loss, and muscle relaxation, rendering the victim vulnerable to exploitation. Roofie refers to a class of drugs that are commonly used to facilitate sexual assault or robbery. The most notorious of these drugs is Rohypnol, a sedative-hypnotic medication. However, other substances like GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyrate) and Ketamine are also used for similar purposes. They may conduct a urine or blood test to detect the presence of drugs or substances in your system. We provide reliable, fact-based content about behavioral health conditions, treatment options, and what to expect during the recovery process. ‘Being roofied’ is a phrase meaning someone unknowingly took drugs before being sexually assaulted or raped. From physical effects to emotional trauma, this guide addresses all aspects of recovery after being roofied, offering support and resources for survivors. Second, addiction treatment gives people back control over their life, enabling them to make wise decisions and mend any relationships that may have become damaged due to addiction. They may interact badly with other drugs already in the person’s system, such as heroin and alcohol, or the dosage may have been high enough to cause an overdose. If you want to get tested after a suspected incident, it’s important that you do so as soon as possible. All BU students can receive urine and blood drug testing at Student Health Services (SHS) through its on-site lab. You can also purchase products, like test strips and stickers, that detect the presence of certain roofying drugs. Always keep an eye on your drink, whether you’re taking alcoholic beverages at home or a party, bar or club....
by roottn | Feb 11, 2022 | Sober living
Content Delay Drinking Is a Person Born with Alcoholism? Risk of Developing Addiction via Genetics Environmental Influencers and Impact Need help getting addiction treatment? While heredity and genetics are closely linked words, they can mean different things from a medical perspective. With hereditary diseases, the illness stems from the parents’ DNA. Genetic diseases, on the other hand, are illnesses that are caused by mutations in the person’s DNA. Several notable studies have been conducted to answer this question. At Family First Intervention, we have worked hard to educate families on alcoholism and recovery from alcohol addiction. We have decades of experience in helping families take the difficult yet necessary first steps toward alcohol recovery. Any use of alcohol is not recommended if an underlying mental health condition is present, and overuse of alcohol should be considered a huge warning flag for the development of progressive alcoholism. Delay Drinking The School of Medicine is a leader in medical research, teaching and patient care, ranking among the top 10 medical schools in the nation by U.S. Through its affiliations with Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children’s hospitals, the School of Medicine is linked to BJC HealthCare. The sensitive mice tend to lose their inhibitions and pass out rather quickly, earning them the nickname “long sleepers.” “Short sleepers” are mice that are genetically less sensitive to alcohol. They seem to lose fewer inhibitions and tolerate alcohol for longer before they pass out. If you or someone you know is currently struggling with alcohol problems, contact us right away for professional support and assistance to get you onto a healthier path. Genes can also...
