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

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

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

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 sunrisedetox.com .

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.

Detox at an addiction center can take days or even weeks, depending on what the person was abusing, how much they were using and for how long. However, just because a person has completed medical detox doesn’t mean that they are through with their rehab program. In fact, detox is just one small step in the larger process of freedom from drug and alcohol dependency.

When a person becomes addicted to drugs or alcohol, they aren’t just addicted to the substance they are abusing – they become addicted to the flood of pleasurable stimuli that the substance provides to them. No drug rehab program can be successful without changing the mindset of a person and helping them to understand how their addiction has changed them and what they need to do to move forward.

In addition to the lessons about moving forward that are taught at a rehab center, addicts also must address the root causes of their addiction. The majority of addicts start abusing drugs or alcohol because of other factors such as genetics, unhappy childhoods or unstable current lives. Without addressing these underlying factors, most people will eventually fall right back into their patterns of addiction and dependence.

For all of these reasons, it’s important to do more than just “get dry” when trying to quit drinking. Long-term abstinence requires a total rehab program that addresses every aspect of the drug or alcohol addiction.

By Sarah Michaels

What Causes an Oxycodone Addiction? The main cause of an oxycodone addiction is abuse. When a person who is prescribed this drug takes more than prescribed or a person who is not prescribed this drug takes it, they put themselves at risk for addiction. In some cases, a person who takes this drug as prescribed for a prolonged period of time may become addicted to oxycodone. Peer pressure and mental illness can also increase a person’s chance of becoming addicted to oxycodone because it may make them more vulnerable to abusing this drug. Having a family history of drug abuse, specifically oxycodone abuse, can make a person more vulnerable to addiction. Patients who experience chronic pain may be more vulnerable to oxycodone addiction because they may take more than prescribed in an effort to try and decrease their pain.

Signs and Symptoms of Oxycodone Addiction- When a person becomes addicted to oxycodone they may present with certain abnormal behaviors. This drug often causes a euphoric effect so those who are addicted may seem abnormally happy and carefree often. They may also take more risks and seem to not care about consequences. They may also present drug-seeking behavior when they need more oxycodone. When an oxycodone addict does not have the drug they will most likely experience withdrawal symptoms. Oxycodone withdrawal symptoms can include diarrhea, rapid breathing, abdominal cramps, crying, loss of appetite, runny nose, muscle aches, hyperactivity, cold and hot flashes, agitation, tremors, dilated pupils, fever and increased heart rate.

Dangers and complications of oxycodone addiction- Oxycodone can be a dangerous drug when abused. Abuse leads to addiction, which can cause a variety of complications including death. If a person takes too much of the drug they may fall into a coma, suffer heart failure, respiratory failure, kidney failure or if taking a form of oxycodone that is combined with acetaminophen, liver failure or liver toxicity.

Coping with and overcoming an oxycodone addiction- most people suffering from an oxycodone addiction will not be able to stop by themselves. They will need help from their friends and families. If a person is prescribed oxycodone and has become addicted to it, they need to talk to the doctor who prescribed them the medication. Their doctor can then help wean them off the oxycodone and switch them to a medication they will not become addicted to. If the person was not prescribed oxycodone or if they are heavily addicted they will most likely need to go to rehab. Some people will benefit from outpatient rehab, but most may need inpatient rehab so that they can be monitored and treated 24 hours a day. Many addicts will relapse a time or two so it is important that they continue to get help even after they complete a rehab program. After-rehab programs, such as narcotics anonymous, can help addicts remain clean as well as help anyone who relapses quickly recover from their relapse.

by Lisa Simmons

By http://www.clearbrookinc.com