Archive for the ‘Recovery’ Category
Stressors that Trigger Relapse
Relapse often occurs to those in recovery, but it is not automatic – and it is preventable. In fact, relapse prevention training is generally included in the final phase of active treatment before the client is released from the program. But, just because you may have had relapse prevention modules doesn’t mean that you have absorbed all you need to in order to ward off relapse. Just as each addict has a unique set of circumstances leading to his or her addiction, and treatment is tailored to best match the individual’s wants and needs, each person in recovery will face numerous stressors, pressures, cravings and cues, that may trigger relapse.
Some stressors, while they may be experienced to a different degree, are somewhat universal. To the extent that the recovering addict falls prey to the stressors and slips into relapse very much depends on how well prepared he or she is to handle the challenges and obstacles that occur – especially in early recovery.
What are some of the most common stressors and, beyond merely identifying them, what can be done about them? Read on.
Unemployment
Once an addict completes treatment and attempts to resume a normal life, one of the first stressors likely to be encountered is job-related. If the individual goes from treatment directly to a sober living home or halfway house, there may be assistance available to help the person transition from active treatment phase to resumption of normal living. A strong component of the transition phase is training in communication skills, how to present oneself for an employment interview, filling out a job application, writing a resume, and, possibly training to open up new employment opportunities.
Some recovering addicts do not go to a halfway house but return directly home. They attempt to pick up where they left off in their job, if they still have one. For some, their job is no longer there, or they were fired or quit as a result of their addiction. Being unemployed is a huge blow to the recovering addict, who now has to face the prospect of finding new employment while trying to negotiate a mountain of accumulated past-due bills, medical expenses, family obligations, and the like.
Add to the pressure the fact that the person may have been the family’s sole provider, and unemployment may become a primary trigger that results in relapse.
If you are a recovering addict and have no job, seek help in getting back into the work world. Use the resources available to you in your 12-step groups such as job fairs, job training, communications training, and financial aid to go back to school, and the like. Your 12-step sponsor and other group members may also be able to recommend programs in the local community that can help. Many alumni members have strong ties to such programs and are more than willing to help out fellow members get back on their feet.
Ask for help – and be willing to accept it. After all, your support system is going to be bedrock of your ongoing recovery. And everyone needs to have gainful employment in order to secure a satisfying and rewarding future.
The Enablers: Family, Friends and Co-Workers
If the family members have not also participated in treatment – such as family treatment programs – the individual in recovery is returning to the same environment he or she left prior to treatment. Family members may become enablers to the person in recovery. They help the addict avoid the consequences of his or her addiction, or they make it easier for the recovering addict to pick up their addictive behaviors that they thought they had left behind.
The same enabling stressors can occur with close friends and co-workers, people with whom the recovering addict spent time engaged in unhealthy and addictive behaviors.
Not everyone in the family will have the same reaction to attending family treatment – if they even went. They may mean well – enablers usually do – but they inadvertently spark or trigger stress that results in the recovering addict’s resumption of the addiction.
How can you help prevent the enabling of family, friends and co-workers? Start by listing ways to avoid relapsing that may be triggered by the actions of these people. You can’t prepare a coping strategy if you don’t have options available to you. Again, don’t try to figure this out on your own. Talk it over with your 12-step sponsor, fellow group members, your therapist or counselor in continuing care or aftercare (if these are part of your overall treatment plan), or an independent therapist trained in recovery strategies.
Source: Drug Addiction Treatment
After Treatment What if a Relapse Happens?
Even effectively treated people with addictions will confront unexpected situations after they leave a treatment program and return to their home environment. These situations may produce intense periods of craving to re-use alcohol and other drugs. Lapse, defined as re-use of alcohol or drugs at least once following treatment, occurs in at least 50% of those who complete treatment. The most dangerous period for lapse is the first 3-6 months after completion of formal treatment. Relapse, defined as return to excessive or problematic use, is less common, occurring in approximately 20-30% of those who complete formal care in the prior year.
It is critical that patients, their families and friends prepare for the possibility of lapse and relapse. The preparation should include early detection of a lapse and establishment of steps to keep that problem from becoming a full-blown relapse. Two sets of activities can reduce the likelihood of relapse and reduce the severity if it does occur.
Treatment-Related Preparation
A good addiction treatment program prepares patients to:
- recognize they have a problem that will require continued management and monitoring
- learn and practice some of the fundamental skills needed to recognize and overcome the urge to use or drink when these situations emerge
- be engaged in a continuing care program such as AA and receive regular monitoring of substance use through urine screening or breathalyzer
- receive periodic phone calls or in-home visits following care to monitor their recovery
These generic elements of effective planning during treatment are among the best clinical practices available to forestall lapse. This planning should involve families so they can better understand the treatment issues, be prepared to support the recovery plan and be aware of signs of lapse.
Post-Treatment Preparation
To prevent and contain relapse the family should agree to fully participate in planned continuing care activities. Families and all concerned others can take five helpful steps:
- Have copies of the continuing care plan prominently displayed to reduce ambiguity and promote full communication and response.
- Early in formal treatment, ask the family member in treatment to describe in writing some of the very early signs and behaviors that may lead to his/her lapse and relapse. For example, he/she might write something like “I will begin hanging out with my friend Jimmy,” “I will not do my homework” or “I will stop attending AA meetings.” As the family member undergoes continuing care, regularly refer to these written descriptions to monitor the recovery process.
- During formal treatment, as the individual thinks about relapse scenarios, ask what s/he thinks should be done when early relapse signs emerge. Use these words to develop a contract that includes an action plan the family will follow when any of these signs surface. For example, s/he might write “take my cash and credit cards,” or “increase the urine screens.” Be prepared – before the relapse happens – to take the type of actions contracted.
- Receive and display the results of post-treatment urine screens. Discuss any positive results openly and honestly.
- Monitor and support changes that are consistent with a drug-free lifestyle. In other words “catch him doing something good” and then support it appropriately.
Even effectively treated people with addictions will confront unexpected situations after they leave a treatment program and return to their home environment. These situations may produce intense periods of craving to re-use alcohol and other drugs. Lapse, defined as re-use of alcohol or drugs at least once following treatment, occurs in at least 50% of those who complete treatment. The most dangerous period for lapse is the first 3-6 months after completion of formal treatment. Relapse, defined as return to excessive or problematic use, is less common, occurring in approximately 20-30% of those who complete formal care in the prior year.
It is critical that patients, their families and friends prepare for the possibility of lapse and relapse. The preparation should include early detection of a lapse and establishment of steps to keep that problem from becoming a full-blown relapse. Two sets of activities can reduce the likelihood of relapse and reduce the severity if it does occur.
Treatment-Related Preparation
A good addiction treatment program prepares patients to:
- recognize they have a problem that will require continued management and monitoring
- learn and practice some of the fundamental skills needed to recognize and overcome the urge to use or drink when these situations emerge
- be engaged in a continuing care program such as AA and receive regular monitoring of substance use through urine screening or breathalyzer
- receive periodic phone calls or in-home visits following care to monitor their recovery
These generic elements of effective planning during treatment are among the best clinical practices available to forestall lapse. This planning should involve families so they can better understand the treatment issues, be prepared to support the recovery plan and be aware of signs of lapse.
Post-Treatment Preparation
To prevent and contain relapse the family should agree to fully participate in planned continuing care activities. Families and all concerned others can take five helpful steps:
- Have copies of the continuing care plan prominently displayed to reduce ambiguity and promote full communication and response.
- Early in formal treatment, ask the family member in treatment to describe in writing some of the very early signs and behaviors that may lead to his/her lapse and relapse. For example, he/she might write something like “I will begin hanging out with my friend Jimmy,” “I will not do my homework” or “I will stop attending AA meetings.” As the family member undergoes continuing care, regularly refer to these written descriptions to monitor the recovery process.
- During formal treatment, as the individual thinks about relapse scenarios, ask what s/he thinks should be done when early relapse signs emerge. Use these words to develop a contract that includes an action plan the family will follow when any of these signs surface. For example, s/he might write “take my cash and credit cards,” or “increase the urine screens.” Be prepared – before the relapse happens – to take the type of actions contracted.
- Receive and display the results of post-treatment urine screens. Discuss any positive results openly and honestly.
- Monitor and support changes that are consistent with a drug-free lifestyle. In other words “catch him doing something good” and then support it appropriately.
By: Thomas McLellan PHD
Drug Addiction and Denial
One of the most dangerous effects of drug abuse and addiction is denial. The urge to use is so strong that the mind finds many ways to rationalize the addiction. You may drastically underestimate the quantity of drugs you’re taking, how much it impacts your life, and the level of control you have over your drug use.
Denial is an unconscious defense mechanism. Minimizing and rationalizing the addiction is less scary than admitting that your drug use is dangerously out of control. But the cost of denial can be extremely high—including the loss of important relationships, your job, financial security, and your physical and mental health.
Do you have a substance abuse problem?
- Do you feel like you can’t stop, even if you wanted to?
- Do you ever feel bad or guilty about your drug use?
- Do you need to use drugs to relax or feel better?
- Do your friends or family members complain or worry about your drug use?
- Do you hide or lie about your drug use?
- Have you ever done anything illegal in order to obtain drugs?
- Do you spend money on drugs that you really can’t afford?
- Do you ever use more than one recreational drug at a time?
If you answered “yes” to one or more of the questions, you may have a drug problem.
Getting help for drug abuse and drug addiction
Finding help and support for drug addiction
- Visit Narcotics Anonymous to find a meeting in your area.
If you’re ready to admit you have a drug problem, congratulations! Recognizing that you have a problem is the first step on the road to recovery, one that takes tremendous courage and strength.
Facing your addiction without minimizing the problem or making excuses can feel frightening and overwhelming, but recovery is within reach. If you’re ready to make a change and willing to seek help, you can overcome your addiction and build a satisfying, drug-free life for yourself.
Support is essential to addiction recovery
Don’t try to go it alone; it’s all too easy to get discouraged and rationalize “just one more” hit or pill. Whether you choose to go to rehab, rely on self-help programs, get therapy, or take a self-directed treatment approach, support is essential. Recovering from drug addiction is much easier when you have people you can lean on for encouragement, comfort, and guidance.
Support can come from:
- family members
- close friends
- therapists or counselors
- other recovering addicts
- healthcare providers
- people from your faith community
Recovering from drug addiction
Addiction is a complex problem that affects every aspect of your life. Overcoming it requires making major changes to the way you live, deal with problems, and relate to others. It’s not just a matter of willpower or simply wanting to quit. Getting off drugs for good is difficult without treatment and ongoing support. The good news is that there are many tools that can help you on your journey to sobriety.
When a loved one has a drug problem
If you suspect that a friend or family member has a drug problem, here are a few things you can do:
- Speak up. Talk to the person about your concerns, and offer your help and support. The earlier addiction is treated, the better. Don’t wait for your loved one to hit bottom! Be prepared for excuses and denial with specific examples of behavior that has you worried.
- Take care of yourself. Don’t get so caught up in someone else’s drug problem that you neglect your own needs. Make sure you have people you can talk to and lean on for support. And stay safe. Don’t put yourself in dangerous situations.
- Don’t cover for the drug user. Don’t make excuses or try to hide the problem. It’s natural to want to help a loved one in need, but protecting them from the negative consequences of their choices may keep them from getting the help they need.
- Avoid self-blame. You can support a person with a substance abuse problem and encourage treatment, but you can’t force an addict to change. You can’t control your loved one’s decisions. Let the person accept responsibility for his or her actions, an essential step along the way to recovery for drug addiction.
Source: Helpguide.org
Alone and Miserable – Fighting the Urge to Use
Are you up all night, tossing and turning, unable to sleep because of drug cravings? Or does that gnawing, incessant urge to drink torture your every waking moment – no matter how hard you try to ignore it? Is there no one who can help you through this? If you answer yes to any of these questions, you’re among the many addicts who are alone and miserable – and fighting the urge to use.
There is a way out of this situation. But – and there’s always a disclaimer, isn’t there? – it won’t be easy and it will take time. Of course, there’s no guarantee the urges and cravings won’t come back, but when and if they do, you’ll be in a much better position to cope with them.
Cravings and Urges – What Are They?
You certainly know what you feel, but what are cravings and urges, really? What is the physical and/or psychological basis for them? Do they happen to every addict? How can they appear months and years after you’re clean and sober? Will they ever go away for good? These are excellent questions that frequently come up during treatment for addiction.
Cravings and urges are best described as strong memories that are linked to the effect of drugs (alcohol, cocaine, marijuana, methamphetamine, prescription drugs used for nonmedical purposes, etc.) or addictive behavior (such as compulsive gambling, spending, or sexual behavior) on the neurochemistry of the brain.
Using brain imagery techniques, researchers have been able to pinpoint intense brain activity when addicts are shown pictures of crack pipes, alcoholic drinks or other visual images of addictive substances or behavior. Research shows that these images or cues can be as brief as 33 milliseconds before they activate the brain’s “go” circuit – even before the person is even aware of it happening.
What actually happens is this: The brain remembers the intense relief or pleasure of the previous drug experience or addictive behavior. It is a kind of programmed response to past association with drug use that activates the cortical areas of the brain by just the sight, sound, smell or thought of the drug itself. You don’t have to be using the drug to experience the craving or urge. Simply seeing or hearing or smelling a trigger – a beer commercial, the sound of ice tinkling in a glass, the sweet aroma of marijuana – makes you relive the experience and produces a strong emotional reaction. This is the craving or urge that you feel.
Tied to memories of such intense pleasure and relief, cravings and urges are both very powerful and tough to ignore. As to whether all addicts have them, the consensus is that they do, although how they react to them is very much individualized.
Some addicts can have the urge and not act on it. Maybe their addiction wasn’t as deep-seated, or they didn’t have any genetic predisposition to addiction (family history of alcoholism, for example). Their addiction may have been more of an environmental and social nature than a hard-core, chronic manifestation of the disease.
Even so, there are many hard-core addicts who successfully overcome their addiction – and are able to combat cravings and
urges effectively. That is not to say that the ability to cope with cravings comes easy or that it doesn’t require conscious effort – especially in early recovery when the memories are the most vivid and insistent.
What Happens in a Craving?
You know you’re experiencing a craving when you start to feel a tingle of anticipation. You hear, see, or smell the trigger and your thoughts center on the memories of using. You can’t get it out of your head.
Cravings aren’t something that you can schedule around, since you never know when they are going to occur. You can get a craving just by watching television or going to the beach, while you are trying to work or go to sleep. All you know is that your body is telling you how much better you’d feel if only you took that drink, smoked that joint, used that drug, went to the casino – you get the picture. Actually, that’s the point: You do get the picture and now you need to know what to do about it.
Source: Drug Addiction Treatment
Meditation, Spirituality and Recovery
Photos by Leslie Ellen Ray
The Internet Yogi (theinternetyogi.com)
This web site was developed by David Shannahoff-Khalsa, a research scientist at the University of California, San Diego who specializes in treating psychiatric disorders with Kundalini Yoga. He has developed a protocol using Kundalini Yoga meditation to treat obsessive compulsive disorders and addiction. These techniques can also help improve mental concentration and mental stability, reduce anxiety and depression, and promote a deep sense of inner peace. The protocol uses unique intense active meditative breathing, chanting, and movement techniques (all while sitting in a chair), and is available for purchase on videotape on his web site.
In addition, Dr. Shannahoff-Khalsa has written an article describing a specific Kundalini Yoga meditation technique for treating addictive disorders that is available full text online.
Shannahoff-Khalsa DS. “An introduction to Kundalini yoga meditation techniques that are specific for the treatment of psychiatric disorders.” The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. Volume 10, Number 1, 2004, pp. 91-101.
For more information on addiction, recovery and treatment for substance abuse visit www.sunrisedetox.com .
Walking Away Isn’t Quitting
Recovering addicts know that the days, weeks and months following treatment can be rough on the family. In many cases, familial relationships have already been so fractured they are almost beyond repair. For others in recovery, the very occurrence of a setback, however small, is enough to send the family into turmoil and threaten the sobriety of the newly-clean addict. So it is that recovery, which should be a joyous time, a time of hope and renewal, can just as quickly turn into a phase of desperation, failure and relapse. For the recovering addict and his or her spouse/significant other or family, sometimes the only option that makes sense is to walk away.
Walking Away Isn’t Quitting
When you walk away from your family, it should never be as a result of the desire to quit. Whether you are the recovering addict or the spouse of the newly-sober individual, your reasons for leaving must be based on the best interests of all concerned. The decision should come after all other options have been thoroughly explored, and/or you’ve come to the realization that by staying, you’re doing more harm than good – harm to you, your spouse and your family.
Let’s take an example. Jennifer, mid-30s, is the live-in partner of Woody, 40. They have no children but prior to Woody’s stay in rehab for cocaine and alcohol addiction, they’d talked about getting married and starting a family. Jennifer is an artist who works from home, an only child whose parents are deceased. Woody’s mother is an alcoholic and his father a compulsive gambler. His two younger brothers, Alex and Tim, early 30s, are heavily into street drugs. Money has always been an issue in Woody’s family and he witnessed many explosive arguments at home growing up. Jennifer worships Woody, but doesn’t know how to relate to him now that he’s home from addiction treatment. He’s often silent, not the talkative person she so enjoyed, and he doesn’t want to socialize anymore. Her own work is suffering, since she feels compelled to watch over Woody all the time, afraid that he might slip. They haven’t had sex since before he went into rehab and Woody says he no longer wants children. In fact, Woody’s so different now that Jennifer feels trapped in a relationship she doesn’t want.
Clearly these two individuals are experiencing a great deal of difficulty adjusting to Woody’s new sobriety. The couple isn’t married, so there would not be any legal issues to untangle should they decide to split. Woody and Jennifer may benefit from continued counseling, if they’d go. It appears, however, that their finances are constrained, so professional couple’s therapy probably isn’t in the cards. Woody needs to resume attendance at his 12-step meetings (Alcoholics Anonymous and Cocaine Anonymous) – even though he says he doesn’t like the people there and it’s not helping him. Jennifer could find help through Al-Anon or Nar-Anon, but she seems unlikely to go.
Perhaps in this instance, Jennifer and Woody should part ways – at least until Woody is more firmly rooted in his sobriety and has a solid game-plan for his future. Staying together now could mean the relationship continues to disintegrate to the point of irreconcilable differences. For his part, Woody should attempt to see things from Jennifer’s perspective. If she truly means anything to him, he will put aside his own concerns and resolve to set her free. He needs to heal himself before he can open up to Jennifer or any other woman. Jennifer, on the other hand, needs to let go of her guilt and have the courage to stand up to Woody. She needs to be free of Woody’s needfulness.
Display Respect and Love
It’s not as easy as that, however. Walking away involves striving to achieve a delicate balance of resolve and independence, and needs to be accomplished with a display of respect and love.
In other words, you don’t need to have a shouting match to get your point across. Two people should be able to sit down together, or with a counselor present, and discuss their wants and needs in a civil manner. No matter how rough things have been, or how many hopes and dreams have been shattered, the decision to split can be amicable. Sometimes, however, the hurt has been so profound that one partner is unable to see anything good in the other. In such instances, the split should occur as quickly and with as much dignity as possible.
Let’s take another example. Bradley, 58, is married to Lynnette, 43. The couple have three young children, two girls, ages 11 and 15, and one boy, 17. Bradley has been doing his best to take care of the children while his wife was in treatment for compulsive sexual behavior, alcoholism and prescription drug addiction. This was Lynnette’s third time at rehab. Bradley has a good job, is a loving father, but has been repeatedly hurt by Lynnette’s affairs and blatant refusal to be a mother. In fact, she’s often been verbally and physically abusive to the children while she’s drunk and high – most often when she returns from one of her sexual liaisons. Bradley’s at the end of his patience. Lynnette refuses to change, and has stated on more than one occasion that she wants out.
Bradley’s most important consideration is the welfare of his children. While he believes in marriage for life, in this case, he has come to realize that Lynnette is not the partner for him. He and Lynnette should work out the details for her departure, making sure that the children are not negatively affected by the discussions and arrangements. Bradley’s best bet is to remain as respectful of Lynnette as possible, and show her cordiality, if not love, as she leaves the family.
Source: Drug Addiction Treatment
Mom Hits Bottom After Years of Drinking
At the end of a country road, inside the walls of a quaint and calm Hattiesburg, Miss., home, a family was in crisis.
Lynn Wardlow, a 50-year-old wife and mother of three, had been a drinker for more than 20 years. All the while, though, she ran a family business and raised her children.
In January, “20/20? visited Wardlow. It was the day before she’d planned to give up alcohol for good.
“My hands are shaking,” said Wardlow as she packed her bags. “God, I hope I remembered to bring underwear.”
Watch the full story Friday on “20/20? at 10 p.m. ET
Click HERE for further “20/20? coverage of mothers and alcoholism.
In the morning, Wardlow would travel from the Gulf Coast to Palm Beach, Fla., check herself into a medical facility for detox and then enter a 30-day rehab program for her alcohol addiction.
Meanwhile, Wardlow planned one last hurrah. She took a bottle from a cabinet in her bedroom.
“Would this be my best choice for my last bottle of wine?” she asked.
The last year in the Wardlow home had been particularly difficult, especially for the children — Bo, 21; Jessy, 20; and Marina, 17.
“She’s been drinking every night for as far back as I don’t even know,” said Bo. “The last year there’s been a lot of drama, and it’d be nice if things were just normal for even just a little while.”
Wardlow poured herself some wine. “My kids want me to just stop, stop, stop, but I like, I don’t think I can just stop,” she said.
“And if I did, I don’t know if I would feel very good, or if we might have to go to the hospital, because I just stopped after I’ve been going, go, go, go for so long.”
Wardlow’s children have witnessed things no child should ever see: their mother passed out in her closet, in a drunken rage at a bookstore, in a car attempting to drive after an alcohol-infused fight.
“It’s hard to see someone you love have to be addicted to something in order to feel better,” said Marina.
“It makes you feel like you’ve done something wrong,” said Jessy.
Drunken Moms: ‘When She Gets Like That’
The kids say their mother’s drinking had reached a critical point. Last April, Wardlow was diagnosed with hepatitis C, unrelated to her alcoholism. Unless she quit drinking, she could die.
But even the threat of losing her life, the family said, hadn’t stopped Wardlow from consuming alcohol.
“I want my mom to get better and not just for our sake but for her sake for her health,” said Jessy.
Wardlow’s last night at home was tense. The alcohol fueled her anxiety of what was to come.
“I think after two drinks, I’m like, you know what, these people aggravate me,” said Wardlow, who ran the family’s ceiling construction business. “And they aggravate me during the course of the day, and at the end of the day, I have a couple of drinks.”
The kids knew better than to stick around once Lynn started drinking. Wardlow’s husband, Bob, soon became a target.
“If you want to spend more time with Bill O’Reilly and your computer then go ahead,” Wardlow cracked.
“When she gets like that, conversations can turn to arguments,” said Bob.
“Or being an a**hole can turn to arguments,” said Wardlow. “Maybe I’m just able to say, you know what, [I've] had it up to here!”
The next morning, her head a little clearer, Wardlow acknowledged that rehab may be her last chance.
“I’ve affected my children. … Our relationships would be different if alcohol wasn’t a part of my life,” she said.
But just before she walked out the door, the leftover wine from the night before called to her.
“I’m not going to drink that,” Wardlow said, wavering before she gave in and took a sip.
Wardlow’s family walked her down the steps. She gave them kisses. She grew emotional.
“I’m not the only person who needs to be healed,” said Wardlow. “I’m not the only person who has been affected by this.
“It’s gonna be good,” she assured her famliy. “I’m going to get better.”
Two planes, three bloody mary’s and two beers later, Wardlow landed in Florida.
She was greeted by Loren Seaman from the Orchid Recovery Center, where Wardlow would surrender herself for treatment.
“Did you drink?” Seaman asked.
“Well, hell yeah,” Wardlow said.
Wardlow and Seaman had been talking for weeks on the phone to prepare for her arrival.
But before her bags had even make it downstairs, a shoeless Wardlow headed off for one more drink.
“We’re going to make a new martini,” Wardlow said. “It’s called the Lynn’s-quitting-drinking-and-going-to-rehab martini. Ready?
Drunken Moms: Tough Recovery Odds
Finally, it was time for Seaman to sign Wardlow into the center.
“Have you ever been to detox?” Seaman asked. The answer was no.
“It’s OK, I’m good,” said Wardlow, laughing. “I’m drunk, so right now I ain’t scared. Give me a day or two, and I’m probably going to be frightened out of my wits.”
Over a million people submit to detox and rehab programs for alcohol addiction every year in this country. The odds going into rehab were against Wardlow. Studies show that 90 percent of people in recovery relapse.
Wardlow had a session with Linda Burns, head of nursing at Sunrise Detox.
“How much are you drinking a day, about?” Linda asked.
“Four, five, six …” replied Wardlow.
According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse, one third of alcoholics in the United States are women.
Staff at both the Orchid and Sunrise Detox Center told “20/20? that about 95 percent of the women they pick up at the airport are intoxicated upon arrival. Wardlow was no exception.
A Sunrise Detox tech measured Wardlow’s blood alcohol content upon admission.
“You’re not too bad — .106,” the tech said.
“What does that mean?” said Wardlow. “Would I be arrested?”
“Oh, definitely, yeah.”
“I would be arrested.”
“Yeah.”
“Point-zero-8 is the limit, and I’m at point 1-plus over. I’m over the limit to drive a vehicle.”
“Yes, you would be wearing nice bracelets.”
For the next five days — standard for alcohol addiction — Wardlow remained at Sunrise. She was medicated with a drug called librium to eliminate the side effects of withdrawal, which can range from tremors and insomnia to delirium or even seizures.
From day one, Wardlow was restless.
“If you reached in your pocket right now and pulled out a beer, it would be really hard for me not to drink it,” she told “20/20.” “Quite honestly, it would.”
By day four, her impatience and boredom reached all-time highs.
“I have not had a good morning,” she said, talking to a portable camera “20/20? gave her to document her journey. “I have cried on more than one occasion today. I have come to the realization that this is the closest thing to a jail that I have ever been in.”
But it was only the beginning of a long and difficult journey.
The next step for Wardlow was the Orchid Recovery Center, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center designed specifically to treat women.
“We’re just glad you’re here, Lynn,” said an Orchid staff member who welcomed her.
“Thank you,” said Wardlow. “I’m glad I’m here too.”
Drunken Moms: From Detox to Rehab
Normally, TV cameras are not permitted to see inside the walls of a rehab facility. But with Wardlow’s permission, the Orchid Recovery Center allowed “20/20? unprecedented access to their treatment process.
“You don’t know Lynn clean and sober,” Mindy Appel, Wardlow’s therapist at the Orchid, told her. “You don’t know that woman.”
Unlike at detox, Wardlow’s days at rehab would be packed, from six in the morning until nine at night. She would have individual and group therapy sessions mixed with yoga, meditation, accupuncture and art.
An all-female facility, the Orchid is run almost exclusively by women, many of whom have been through some type of addiction recovery of their own.
The Orchid places enormous weight on the honing of life skills, encouraging women to shop and cook for themselves — all of the things they’ll have to do back home. But sometimes, even a simple trip to the grocery store can spell trouble. Once a woman from the center drank vanilla extract from the store. It’s 24 percent alcohol. The woman drank five or six big bottles, staff said — and came back reeking of alcohol and walking funny.
For recovering alcoholics, triggers to resume drinking can be anything from beer commercials on TV to the wine store they used to frequent — anything that reminds them of drinking, said Orchid staff.
Wardlow’s heavy lifting for the next 30 days would happen inside the office of Appel, her therapist.
“We want to stay really focused, and I’m going to keep you on task here,” Appel told her.
During her first session, Wardlow confessed her reasons for drinking went back to her relationship with her father.
“So what was growing up like for you?” asked Appel.
“I had times of sadness,” said Wardlow. “My father was an alcoholic… When I was 15 he decided it was time to go … so he died.”
Genetics may also have had a role in Wardlow’s addiction. Studies show that children of alcoholics are four times more likely to develop the problem.
A week into her treatment, “20/20? co-anchor Elizabeth Vargas paid a visit to Wardlow at Orchid. She appeared more calm and focused but still struggled with her addiction.
Vargas asked her if it was hard.
“It’s really hard,” she said. “It is hard and it’s, and it’s hurtful, and you realize how many people that you’ve hurt. And my children are amazing. I mean, I look at them, and I know I’ve not been a bad mother. I’m like, I know I’m a good mother. I’ve mothered them well — but how much better could it have been if these past 10 years, I hadn’t been living in the bottom, in the bottom of a bottle?”
Wardlow described the cycle of her drinking.
“I wake up the next morning, you feel horrible, and you say, ‘I’m gonna do better. I’m gonna do better. I’m gonna do better. So, but I don’t feel very good today. So this afternoon, I’m just gonna have a beer.’” Which turns into “three or four or five or six.”
Are Mothers Drinking More?
The team of therapists at the Orchid said regrets and expectations about being the perfect mother are often what push a woman deeper into her addiction.
“There’s so many women that are so sophisticated at covering up and being, you know, the PTA mom and being the soccer mom and doing all things for everyone,” said Appel.
But are women, particularly mothers, drinking more — or are we just finding out about it more?
“I think we’re finding out about it more,” said Mindy Agler, another therapist on the Orchid team. “[It's] just not something you talk about. … If a man walks away from a family because he needs to focus on his recovery, everybody says OK, so he needs to do that. But if a woman leaves her family to go get treatment and then decides ‘You know what, I’m not ready, I got to go to a halfway house before I go back to my kids,’ everybody goes, ‘Oh my God.’”
That double standard and the stigma of alcoholism can keep a woman’s disease under wraps. But past traumas, the therapists say, can also play a role.
In her short time at the Orchid, Wardlow opened up about not only her alcoholic father but other traumatic experiences: an abortion at 17, and a horrific gang-rape on her 18th birthday.
“She identifies, from 15 to 18, these were horrible years for her,” said Appel. “That she’s never, never dealt with.”
The entire time, a question hung in the background: Would Wardlow make it through treatment, and would she be able to stay away from alcohol once she was back home?
“I’ll be honest with you, I’m scared as hell,” she said. “I’m scared, I’m scared to go home.
Wardlow left the Orchid with 30 days clean and a lifetime of hurdles in front of her. We visited Wardlow in Hattiesburg after her release. She was ready to add another day to her sobriety.
“This is my little tablet,” she said, indicating a pad of paper. “And I wad up yesterday and I write today down, put my little tablet back up there, and if I drink, I have to put that tablet on zero — and I don’t want to have to do that.”
The time back home had not always been easy.
“We had to relearn how to live with one another,” said Wardlow. “The first week or two was pretty volatile. Not in a physical way, but there was lots of screaming and gnashing of teeth.”
But there are signs of healing.
“We’re all really proud of her,” said Marina. “I know if she sets her mind to anything, that’s what she’s going to do. I’m just glad that she finally set her mind to it.”
“I think she’s trying to be more aware, and I think she’s trying to make up for, in some aspects, everything that’s happened and stuff,” said Jessy. “But I think she’s working on it. … I think she’ll do it. I believe in her.”
Wardlow had followed her care plan closely. She had daily phone calls with her sponsor and attended support group meetings regularly.
To stay with the recovery program, Wardlow can never consume a drop of alcohol — or take any habit-forming medication — again.
“No mood-altering drugs, as far as any type of benzos or opiates or whatever,” she said. “I was on tremizal for joint pain. Also I was taking lunesta to sleep, and I’m not taking that any more either.”
Wardlow left one support meeting with a chip marking how long it had been since she’d stopped drinking.
“Ninety days! 90 Days,” she said. “Big three months. Three months sober.”
By SEAN DOOLEY and SHANA DRUCKERMAN
Pain Management & Chemical Dependency
Ideally, treatment should consist of chemical dependency and pain management. This could be accomplished at a treatment center equipped to handle both afflictions, or at a chemical dependency center that consults with a pain management program. The most effective treatment for chemical dependency and chronic pain is long-term, anywhere from three to six months. This time is needed for our bodies to fully adjust, once they are off mood-altering medications. As soon as we become abstinent, our brains begin to adjust the levels of neurotransmitters that were lacking during our usage, which will help the body fight chronic pain in a natural way. We also need to learn about pain management and building twelve-step support systems. Many of us live alone and tend to overexert ourselves just by doing daily chores or working. The treatment environment can keep us safe from worsening or reinjuring the affected pain area.
Managing the pain
There are many techniques for pain management that are very effective, both while we are in treatment and afterwards, if we just give them the chance to do so. Listed below are just some of the many useful and effective tools. A qualified physician should approve all techniques before you attempt them:
- Physical Therapy: This is the most effective treatment of all. Most of us have been through many forms of physical therapy before, but chances are good we were abusing chemicals at the same time, nullifying or weakening the therapy. The form of treatment can also strengthen other parts of our bodies that can be used to physically support the pain area, such as back, leg and stomach muscles. Posture exercises are essential in chronic pain therapy.
- Heat or Ice Therapy: I have two reusable ice packs in the freezer at all times. Ice is fast acting and very effective. Heat is very soothing to sore muscles. Always follow the suggestions of a physician, to be sure this type of therapy will help you and is safe.
- Relaxation Techniques: Stress causes pain and pain causes stress. Relaxation helps reduce stress while helping reduce muscle spasms. There are various methods of relaxation, and some are more effective than others, depending upon the source of the pain. Deep breathing exercises can work wonders, since deep breathing is the body’s natural way to relax.
- Biofeedback: This is a specialized form of relaxation that can help you relax the area that is the source of pain. This is taught by pain management programs or professionals in private practice.
- Massage Therapy: This works well when used alone or combined with other pain management techniques. The majority of us suffer from muscle pain even though our injury sites may be elsewhere. It is usually the responding muscles that hurt the most.
- Alternative Medicine: Many of us receive relief from alternative sources such as chiropractic adjustments, acupuncture, reflexology and other forms of alternative medicine. This type of treatment is usually done when in-patient treatment is complete, however your particular program may make exceptions.
- Proper Diet: Depending upon the person, a nutritionist can be consulted for healthy eating habits. If we are overweight, chances are we are making the pain worse by putting extra strain on the body.
- Psychological and Psychiatric Support: Any program specializing in addiction and chronic pain will have appropriate counselors and psychiatrists to aid in pain management. Counselors and psychologists give emotional and spiritual guidance. They can also provide healthy support in therapeutic activities such as group therapy. Psychiatrists can prescribe antidepressants that can relieve depression and contribute to pain relief.
- Medications: All treatment programs of this nature have staff physicians than can provide pain relief by prescribing appropriate non-mood-altering medications that are just as good as, if not better than narcotics and benzodiazepines. It may take some trial and error before the best overall medication is found for each individual. Just remember, mood-altering medications are not effective once tolerance builds, and chances are the medications you abused stopped providing physical relief.
- Occupational Therapy and Vocational Guidance: Many of us are distressed because we can no longer function at work. Some of us must make occupational changes because of our chronic pain. Pain management treatment should include services that can help you return to work, or guide you toward new trades. Occupational therapy may be required if you intend to eventually return to your line of work. This involves training your muscles so they can cope with the stress of a particular job. Vocational counseling can help you change careers. These counselors specialize in this form of therapy, which includes a variety of testing and guidance.
- Setting Goals: Once we have arrived at a level of acceptance of our pain, it is imperative that we begin setting specific goals that, once we reach, gives us hope and raises our self-esteem. Setting specific goals is a major function of treatment planning. Your counselor will provide guidance and help you set these goals.
- Family Therapy: This is an essential part of treatment because the family plays such an important role in addiction and chronic pain. This form of therapy will help the family work through fears, and help them understand how they enable destructive behaviors in both areas.
Symptoms of Prescription Abuse
Most drug addictions start with casual or social use of a drug. For some people, this is as far as it goes. For other people, using the drug becomes a habit and use becomes more and more frequent. As time passes, you may need larger doses of the drug to get high. Soon you may need the drug just to feel good. As your drug use increases, you may find that it becomes increasingly difficult to go without the drug. Stopping may cause intense cravings and make you feel physically ill (withdrawal symptoms).
Drug addiction symptoms or behaviors include:
- Feeling that you have to use the drug regularly — this can be daily or even several times a day
- Failing in your attempts to stop using the drug
- Making certain that you maintain a supply of the drug
- Spending money on the drug even though you can’t afford it
- Doing things to obtain the drug that you normally wouldn’t do, such as stealing
- Feeling that you need the drug to deal with your problems
- Driving or doing other risky activities when you’re under the influence of the drug
- Focusing more and more time and energy on getting and using the drug
Narcotic painkillers
Opioids are narcotic, painkilling drugs produced naturally from opium or made synthetically. This class of drugs includes heroin, morphine, codeine, methadone and oxycodone (OxyContin).
Signs of narcotic use and dependence can include:
- Reduced sense of pain
- Sedation
- Depression
- Confusion
- Constipation
- Slowed breathing
- Needle marks (if injecting drugs)
Recognizing drug abuse in teenagers
Possible indications that your teenager is using drugs include:
- Problems at school. Frequently missing classes or missing school, a sudden disinterest in school or school activities, and a drop in grades may be indicators of drug use.
- Physical health issues. Lack of energy and motivation may indicate your child is using certain drugs.
- Neglected appearance. Adolescents are generally concerned about how they look. A lack of interest in clothing, grooming or looks may be a warning sign of drug use.
- Changes in behavior. Teenagers enjoy privacy, but exaggerated efforts to bar family members from entering their rooms or knowing where they go with their friends might indicate drug use. Also, drastic changes in behavior and in relationships with family and friends may be linked to drug use.
- Spending money. Sudden requests for money without a reasonable explanation for its use may be a sign of drug use. You may also discover money stolen from previously safe places at home. Items may disappear from your home because they’re being sold to support a drug habit.
Source: The Mayo Clinic
Am I an Addict?
Am I an Addict?
This is NA Fellowship-approved literature.
Copyright © 1983, 1988 by
Narcotics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
Only you can answer this question.
This may not be an easy thing to do. All through our usage, we told ourselves, “I can handle
it.” Even if this was true in the beginning, it is not so now. The drugs handled us. We lived to
use and used to live. Very simply, an addict is a person whose life is controlled by drugs.
Perhaps you admit you have a problem with drugs, but you don’t consider yourself an addict.
All of us have preconceived ideas about what an addict is. There is nothing shameful about being
an addict once you begin to take positive action. If you can identify with our problems, you may
be able to identify with our solution. The following questions were written by recovering addicts
in Narcotics Anonymous. If you have doubts about whether or not you’re an addict, take a few
moments to read the questions below and answer them as honestly as you can.
1. Do you ever use alone? Yes ? No ?
2. Have you ever substituted one drug for another, thinking that
one particular drug was the problem? Yes ? No ?
3. Have you ever manipulated or lied to a doctor
to obtain prescription drugs? Yes ? No ?
4. Have you ever stolen drugs or stolen to obtain drugs? Yes ? No ?
5. Do you regularly use a drug when you wake up or when you go to bed? Yes ? No ?
6. Have you ever taken one drug to overcome the effects of another? Yes ? No ?
7. Do you avoid people or places that do not approve of you using drugs? Yes ? No ?
8. Have you ever used a drug without knowing what it was?
or what it would do to you? Yes ? No ?
9. Has your job or school performance ever suffered
from the effects of your drug use? Yes ? No ?
10. Have you ever been arrested as a result of using drugs? Yes ? No ?
11. Have you ever lied about what or how much you use? Yes ? No ?
12. Do you put the purchase of drugs ahead of
your financial responsibilities? Yes ? No ?
13. Have you ever tried to stop or control your using? Yes ? No ?
14. Have you ever been in a jail, hospital,
or drug rehabilitation center because of your using? Yes ? No ?
15. Does using interfere with your sleeping or eating? Yes ? No ?
16. Does the thought of running out of drugs terrify you? Yes ? No ?
17. Do you feel it is impossible for you to live without drugs? Yes ? No ?
18. Do you ever question your own sanity? Yes ? No ?
19. Is your drug use making life at home unhappy? Yes ? No ?
20. Have you ever thought you couldn’t fit in or have a good time
without drugs? Yes ? No ?
21. Have you ever felt defensive, guilty, or ashamed about your using? Yes ? No ?
22. Do you think a lot about drugs? Yes ? No ?
23. Have you had irrational or indefinable fears? Yes ? No ?
24. Has using affected your sexual relationships? Yes ? No ?
25. Have you ever taken drugs you didn’t prefer? Yes ? No ?
26. Have you ever used drugs because of emotional pain or stress? Yes ? No?
27. Have you ever overdosed on any drugs? Yes ? No ?
28. Do you continue to use despite negative consequences? Yes ? No ?
29. Do you think you might have a drug problem? Yes ? No ?
“Am I an addict?” This is a question only you can answer. We found that we all answered
different numbers of these questions “Yes.” The actual number of “Yes” responses wasn’t as
important as how we felt inside and how addiction had affected our lives.
Some of these questions don’t even mention drugs. This is because addiction is an insidious
disease that affects all areas of our lives—even those areas which seem at first to have little to do
with drugs. The different drugs we used were not as important as why we used them and what
they did to us.
When we first read these questions, it was frightening for us to think we might be addicts.
Some of us tried to dismiss these thoughts by saying:
“Oh, those questions don’t make sense;”
Or,
“I’m different. I know I take drugs, but I’m not an addict. I have real emotional/family/job
problems;”
Or,
“I’m just having a tough time getting it together right now;”
Or,
“I’ll be able to stop when I find the right person/get the right job, etc.”
If you are an addict, you must first admit that you have a problem with drugs before any
progress can be made toward recovery. These questions, when honestly approached, may help
to show you how using drugs has made your life unmanageable. Addiction is a disease which,
without recovery, ends in jails, institutions, and death. Many of us came to Narcotics
Anonymous because drugs had stopped doing what we needed them to do. Addiction takes
our pride, self-esteem, family, loved ones, and even our desire to live. If you have not reached
this point in your addiction, you don’t have to. We have found that our own private hell was
within us. If you want help, you can find it in the Fellowship of Narcotics Anonymous.
“We were searching for an answer when we reached out and found Narcotics Anonymous.
We came to our first NA meeting in defeat and didn’t know what to expect. After sitting in a
meeting, or several meetings, we began to feel that people cared and were willing to help.
Although our minds told us that we would never make it, the people in the fellowship gave us
hope by insisting that we could recover. […] Surrounded by fellow addicts, we realized that we
were not alone anymore. Recovery is what happens in our meetings. Our lives are at stake. We
found that by putting recovery first, the program works. We faced three disturbing realizations:
1. We are powerless over addiction and our lives are unmanageable;
2. Although we are not responsible for our disease, we are responsible for our recovery;
3. We can no longer blame people, places, and things for our addiction. We must face our
problems and our feelings.
The ultimate weapon for recovery is the recovering addict.” 1
1 Basic
