Detox off Drugs

Posts Tagged ‘narcotics’

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.

Getting help for drug abuse and drug addiction

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:

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

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. 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.