Where is the Sobriety?

Recovery is starting to make an appearance in mainstream media. Netflix series like Flaked and Love feature characters who attend twelve step meetings. ABC Family, now called Free Form, has a series called Recovery Road which features a high school aged teen put into sober living and forced to reconcile her alcoholism. The TV Show Mom highlights the ups and downs of recovery between a sober mother and daughter. Mom star Alison Janney is an advocate for addiction treatment and the fight against opiates.

Though recovery is starting to become “cool”, the mainstream media has always loved alcoholism more. Whether it’s a college party movie, a bachelor weekend movie, or a girls night out movie, mainstream media loves to binge drink. It isn’t just the movies either- books are equally to blame. Memoirs about alcoholism are usually much more about the sensationalization of drunken episodes than the encouraging and inspiring journeys of sobriety. For many, simply hearing one got sober and has stayed sober for X amount of years is inspiring enough. The spiritual program of the twelve steps is too touchy for many, especially because of the use of the word “God”. Communicating the “experience” of alcoholism is easy. The “strength” and the “hope” of recovery is an ongoing life experience, one that is often hard to put into words. That stuff, however, is the good stuff and the stuff that needs to be heard by people who are dying.

Blogger Heather Mallick writes that it’s strange that recovering authors don’t write about sobriety. She notes that “the reason nobody talks about sobriety is that it has no narrative, in the sense that one unmedicated event happens after another, which is just life but with your protective skin removed.”

Indeed, sobriety is less than thrilling compared to the often extreme adventure of active addiction. However, it is those small victories of daily life, the adventures which are made in sobriety, that are also in need of being expressed. Grocery shopping alone without having a panic attack for the first time is a tremendous accomplishment. Making amends and healing hurt relationships, going years on end without a drink…these are things that are hard to express and are only understood by others in recovery.

“Don’t leave before the miracle happens” is an infamous recovery quip. If those miracles could be written about more articulately, maybe more people would be interested in getting sober.

Two Easy Ways to Reduce Negative Emotions

One of the most challenging and unattractive parts of recovery to many people is feelings. Feeling feelings is difficult for the first time when drugs and alcohol aren’t present. Some feelings are associated with traumas and stories of a painful past which hasn’t been reckoned with. Learning to manage negative emotions is a necessary survival skill for lifelong sobriety. Here are two methods which are proven on a neurological scale to help.

Gratitude

We hear a lot about gratitude in early recovery. As if it is the new drug du jour, people are always talking about gratitude lists, gratitude journals, and being grateful all the time. It is the “attitude of gratitude” as it is commonly said, which keeps people sober. In terms of recovery and the spiritual solution provided by the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, this makes sense. Resentments, as highlighted in the fourth step inventory, are, as The Big Book authors and AA founders put it “fatal” to the alcoholic. Essentially, it is impossible to be in a resentment and be in gratitude at the same time.

According to neuroscientific research, gratitude increases levels of dopamine production as well as activates dopamine circuits involved with social activity. So not only does dopamine makes us feel better in general, but practicing gratitude toward others increases our happiness toward others.

Emotional Literacy

Most people who have been to treatment for recovery from drug and alcohol addiction are familiar with a famous chart. This chart has rows upon rows of “emoji” faces expressing different emotions. Under each emotion is the label for what that feeling is. Drug and alcohol addiction stunt developmental growth, especially in emotional maturation. Not only do emotions not mature, the literacy required for adequately articulating those emotions also gets stunted. What “feels bad” to someone could really mean a range of feelings from sad to angry to hurt. Without knowledge of these labels, it is hard to identify them; without identifying them, it is hard to work through them and let them go.

Emotional literacy and being able to label feelings actually reduces the chaos and discomfort many recovering addicts and alcoholics experience when dealing with emotions for the first time. With just one or two words to associate with an emotional experience, the prefrontal cortex gets activated, thereby reducing activity in the limbic system which results in that discomfort.

Things You Need to Know About Treatment

It Isn’t Jail

Treatment might feel like a punishment, but it isn’t. For some, attending treatment or “rehab” for a drug or alcohol addiction might come as a court order or mandated by an employer. Treating addiction and the addicts who are suffering from it is never about the dichotomy between “bad” and “good”. Though many addicts have a criminal record, they are not criminals. They are neither immoral, lost, nor inherently wrong in any way. Addicts are sick people who need to get well. It may be difficult to come to terms with the fact that you or a loved one is sick with a peculiar disease. Treatment is a time to get well and learn how to live in wellness for the rest of your life.

There Are Rules

Despite what many think, treatment isn’t a time to luxuriate and miraculously get sober. Of course, there are many luxurious amenities that come with treatment and some facilities even advertise themselves as being luxury. Treatment will come with rules, schedules, and structure. Some of the most basic rules are going to include: no doing drugs and no drinking alcohol. Depending on the type of treatment and the type of facility there will be unique and specific rules as well. Generally, there will be a lights out curfew, a wake up time, needing to take medication every day, and most likely, no fraternizing with patients of the opposite sex (or same sex).

Everything is For Your Benefit

When you are working through therapy modalities which may seem awkward you might find yourself asking how this is supposed to help. Most treatment facilities base their programs off of proven methods of therapy and evidence-based treatment modalities. That means every single part of your daily programming in treatment has a purpose. As time goes on you will start to recognize the lessons in every day activities.

You’re Going to Feel Better

You may think that 28-30 days isn’t going to make a difference. Truth be told, in the long scheme of things, 30 days is just the beginning stage of a lifelong process in recovery. However, within those first thirty days, you will start to see some pretty big transformations. You will start to regain mental clarity and as you absorb more and more therapeutic information, you will crave substances less. Your body will stop hurting, your brain will stop hurting, and you’ll start feeling better. At the end of 30 days, you’ll be craving more recovery, rather than more drugs and alcohol.

The Cost of Opioid Addiction

Cost to Insurers

Insurance companies pay around $3500 on average for a regular patient. For opioid addicts specifically, insurers are cost upwards of $19,000 comparatively. Spending on healthcare and treatment for opioid addiction costs $28 billion. That $28 billion contributes to a larger $75 billion sum which is the cost of overdose, abuse, and dependence on opiates.

Cost to America

Opioid addiction costs the United States just under $80 billion per year. Opioid addiction, or the overuse, abuse, and misuse of opioids all have a devastating affect. When someone is addicted to or misusing opiate drugs, they are usually unproductive. Additionally, their priorities get rewired, making them care less about important things. Some of that cost is in care, loss of productivity at work, and the cost of processing opioid addicts through the criminal system. Overdoses are costly as well. Fatal overdoses cost over $20 billion. Non-fatal overdoses cost the same.

Cost to Family

2 million people could be diagnosed with opioid use disorder, which would indicate the presence of opioid abuse or opioid dependency. Over 15,000 deaths each year are connected to opioid overdose. An estimated 40 people or more die every day from fatal overdose on prescription opioids. The number is higher when including opioids found on the street, like heroin.

Addiction is a disease that effects the whole family. When 40 people die every day, they are leaving behind 40 families who have to grapple with the loss of a loved one. Families try to get their loved ones into treatment and help them in any way they can. Addiction is taxing on everyone involved. The emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual cost of having a loved one who is in active addiction is high.

Cost to Ourselves

When we become chemically dependent upon the presence of substances like opiates, we cost ourselves years of our lives. Those years could have been spent happy and healthy, making positive choices for our lives as well as having a positive impact in others. We might cost ourselves financial stability by spending any all money on drugs or alcohol. We might cost ourselves our health as we deplete our immune system and mental health with every hit. We cost ourselves the spiritual growth, serenity, and peace we could be experiencing. Years of our lives spent in addiction can never be recovered- but we can.

People are Spending More on Treatment

The opioid crisis being faced around the world and in America is having a giant ripple effect. From the addicts themselves to their families, to treatment centers to the government, and to insurance companies. New studies find that the economic ripple effect is as dramatic as the familial ripple effect. Not only is the opioid epidemic costing America tens of thousands of lives and counting, it is costing insurance companies hundreds of millions of dollars and rising.

Compensating for the sudden surge in need for addiction treatment has been difficult for insurance companies. The Mental Health Parity Act sought to treat addiction as a mental health disorder no different from anything else, forcing insurance companies to pay up. Pay up, they have. New reports reveal that within the last four years insurance companies have spent thirteen times the amount of money on diagnoses of opioid dependence and abuse.

Included in insurance company payments for opioid addiction treatment are: hospitals, treatment centers, laboratories, and medical providers which might include therapists. The number raised from just $32 million to $446 million.

Caring for mental health is expensive when accounting for various doctors, routine visits, holistic health care appointments (often paid for by insurance) and medications. An average person costs just under $3500 a year. An average person diagnosed with opioid dependence or opioid abuse costs just under $20,000 a year. That cost is due to the insurers.

Though the rise in cost and expenditure is taxing on insurance companies it is of great benefit to the addicts they are ensuring. A drastic rise in spending on treatment on behalf of insurance companies means more people are going to treatment. Thankfully, the opioid epidemic has been receiving a wealth of media attention. At the same time, treatment centers are making money and are able to spend more money on marketing and advertising. As a result, more people are making their way into recovery via treatment.

Opiates and Anxiety Meds are Deadly

400 is a big number. 400 is an especially big number when it is a percentage. Anything that is increasing or decreasing by 400 hundred percent is usually something of concern. Over the course of  fifteen years, between 1999 and 2014, opiate overdose deaths in middle aged white women rose 400 percent. Opiates are not the only cause of this concerning number. Anxiety medications like benzodiazepines accounted for a dramatic share of the deaths- almost a third.

Common Opiates

Opiates can range from street drugs to prescription drugs. Prescription opiates are painkillers, prescribed to treat trauma, injruy, surgery recovery, or chronic pain. Opiates are used as painkillers because of their morphine content. Morphine is an analgesic which the body naturally produces when it ingests opium. All opiate medications derive from the opium plant. Common prescription opiate painkillers include: Hydrocodone, Oxyncontin, Oxycodone, Zohydro, Norco, Codeine, and Percocet. Recently, “designer drugs” or synthetic drugs have been opiate imitators. Drugs like Fentanyl, Carfentanil, W-18 and U-4770 are synthetic opiate drugs. Morphine is also produced when the body ingests heroin, which is a street version of opium. Heroin can range in its potency and purity making it an unpredictable drug.

Common Benzodiazepines

Benzodiazepines are prescribed primarily to treat anxiety. While benzodiazepines are not meant, or indicated by doctors, to be habit forming, many find they become dependent on the drug. Without their regular dose of anti-anxiety medication people experience the same symptoms of withdrawal addicts do despite not even abusing the medication. Benzodiazepines work in a similar manner to opiates by slowing down the central nervous system and causing a feeling of calm and painlessness. Common Benzodiazepines include: Xanax, Valium, Klonopin, and Atavan. Xanax is a popularly abused drug. Cases of fentanyl, the strong synthetic opiate, being disguised as Xanax, have surfaced in southern and east coast areas.

The Washington Post reports that caucasian women are five times more likely than caucasian men to be given a dual prescription of both opiate painkillers and anti-anxiety benzodiazepines. Thankfully, the government is taking action to prevent any more increase in female drug related deaths. The CDC, the center for disease control, released a guideline encouraging doctors to educate patients on the risk of taking opioids and benzodiazepines together. The FDA, the food and drug administration, is now requiring a warning label on both medications, advising about the overdose risk for taking both medications.

Asia’s Growing Drug Crisis

Drug addicts face a difficult world. In America, they are shamed, stigmatized, labeled, and judged  for suffering from a chronic mental health disorder. Addiction is treated differently than their mental health counterparts such as depression or physical health counterparts like diabetes. Whereas other disorders which are relapsing and remitting see sympathy and compassion upon a relapse, drug addicts see punishment, judgment and exclusion. Additionally, addicts are assigned the roles of being liars, thieves, criminals, heathens, and generally immoral people. They face jail time, criminal records, difficulty getting health insurance, and more.

One thing addicts living in America do not face is execution. Sadly, many addicts die on the streets each day due to a lack of access to treatment or the desire to get sober. However, in countries like the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand and Myanmar, addicts are facing execution and lifelong jail sentences. In the Philippines, for example, 2400 people have died in the last two months. Indonesia has begun executing convicted drug felons. Other countries experiencing an epidemic of drugs include Japan, South Korea and Laos.

Asian countries are dealing with a surge in drug addiction similar to what America is experiencing. Whereas America is seeing a rise of epidemic proportion in opioid addiction, Asian countries are seeing a rise in addiction to methamphetamines. Methamphetamines, commonly known as meth or crystal meth, are highly addictive and incredibly destructive. In just three years, the amount of meth being found and seized by government officials has nearly quadrupled. 2009 saw 11 tons of methamphetamines; 2013 saw 42.

Coincidentally, most of North America’s supply of synthetic drugs like crystal meth come from China or neighboring Asian countries. Producing meth is cheap. Meth is also sold for low cost, but the quantity adds up in cost and revenue for manufacturers. As a business, the UNODC predicted Meth was worth $15 billion dollars in Southeast Asia.

The term “everything under the kitchen sink” applies to meth- it can be made from chemicals ranging between drain cleaner to gasoline. Consequently, the high produced by abusing meth is wild, erratic, and volatile, which leads to the rapid development of addiction. Treating meth addiction in Asia is difficult due to a severe lack in affordable treatment centers. Ironically, the area is littered with exclusive luxury rehabs for Westerners.

Pornography Addiction

Sexual compulsion is not regarded as a mental illness by many. Shamed and stigmatized by mass culture, sexual addictions are swept under the rug and made a joke of. For someone suffering from an addiction to sex, sexual activity, or pornography, their illness is no laughing matter. Money, relationships, careers, and even physical health, are compromised by a compulsive need for sex.

Pornography Addiction

Pornography addiction is categorized as a process addiction. Process addictions do not necessarily include an end result, as opposed to getting high or drunk on drugs and alcohol. Instead, they involve the compulsivity and impulsivity of an entire process, like watching pornography. Process addictions can cause equal damage to one’s life as drug and alcohol abuse can. Most affected is the individual themselves and their mental health.

Obsessive and impulsive behavior surrounding pornography causes a disruption in the mental health of the individual as well as their family. Recently, celebrity Teri Crews disclosed his addiction to pornography. In multiple interviews, he explained that hours upon hours of his daily life was being lost to compulsively watching pornographic videos, viewing pictures, and more.

Pornography addiction can include chat rooms, forums, “sexting”, and webcam viewing. Because of the sexual nature of pornography addiction it is often confused with sex addiction. As a result, many assumptions are made about the details. Pornography addiction does not necessarily include any actual sexual acts. For example, someone addicted to pornography is not necessarily addicted to masturbation, which commonly accompanies pornography watching.

Where it is involved, however, the pleasure affiliated with viewing pornography gets hardwired. When it comes to real life affection, intimacy, and sexual relation, someone addicted to pornography feels that it falls short. The brain has programmed itself to be turned on by the extremes and detached reality of pornography.

Human relationships suffer. Feeling isolated, ashamed, and alone, someone might go deeper into their pornography addiction looking for solace. Online subscriptions and memberships can cost a lot of money, bringing on financial strain.

Recovering from pornography addiction is possible with treatment and therapy. Discovering the underlying causes for the compulsion to watch pornography usually reveals unresolved issues. Assessing those issues and working through them therapeutically, along with creating a program of recovery, helps to relieve the obsession to engage in pornography.

Enlightened Solutions treats dual-diagnosis patients of substance abuse and mental disorders. If you or a loved one are suffering from mental illness and are seeking treatment call us today 844-234-LIVE.

An Eating Disorder at the Dinner Table

Eating disorders are not always obvious. On the other hand, eating disorders are not always hidden as well. Many wrongly assume that an eating disorder is most strongly evidenced by how thin someone is. Mostly that is because people wrongly assume eating disorders are about eating. Just like alcohol and drugs are really symptoms of the mental illness that is addiction and alcoholism, food, weight, and eating, are just symptoms of eating disorders.

Having an unhealthy obsession over food consumption, weight, body image, and body mass index is indication of a problematic way of thinking. That unhealthy obsession can be displayed in numerous ways. Similar to the way an addict or alcoholic goes to great lengths of dishonesty to protect their addiction, someone with an eating disorder will protect their illness. Binging and purging are easily hidden. When weight loss, or weight gain, or not noticeable, these harmful and potentially fatal practices can carry on under the radar.

“Weight loss,” chief executive of the National Eating Disorders Association Claire Mysko explains, “is not necessarily associated with a lot of eating disorders. Certainly with some- and with anorexia- that is a sign. But for most people who struggle with eating disorders, you wouldn’t necessarily know it from looking at them.”

Anorexia is a prevailing eating disorder that can affect men and women of all demographics, cultures, and appearances. Since anorexia mostly involves restricting a diet, commonly to the point of starvation, weight loss is a regular symptom. However, not all eating disorders are about restriction. In fact, most eating disorders include the practice of binging and purging. Binging is eating a copious amount of food to the point of feeling sick. Purging means using a method like vomiting, abusing laxatives, or excessive exercise, to get rid of that feeling. These practices can cause subtle fluctuations in weight, but no drastic weight loss.

The pervasive stereotype of what an eating disorder “should” look like prevents thousands from seeking treatment for their harmful habits. Eating disorders can cause heart failure, stroke, intestinal problems, and weight problems.

If you are concerned you or a loved one might be experiencing an unhealthy relationship with food, exercise, or body image, call Enlightened Solutions today. We offer care for dual-diagnosis issues. Eating disorders are commonly accompanied by substance abuse of drugs and alcohol. For more information call 844-234-LIVE.

How to Talk About A Loved One’s Addiction With Them

“I’m a drug addict and I need help” is a shocking statement to hear from a loved one. We may have known for years that our loved one suffered from substance abuse and addiction. Finally hearing them admit that their lives have become completely unmanageable due to their powerlessness over drugs and alcohol is often a relief. For many families, however, the news comes as a total surprise. There is a sort of loss. How do we comprehend learning that someone we know and love, who we thought we knew so well, suffers from something fatal? Overtime we learn the details of the depths of their addiction. We find ourselves at a loss for words.

Addiction can render anyone speechless. Astonishing is the word for describing the lengths and addict or alcoholic will go to in order to ensure their next intoxication.  Bewildered and taken aback, we might struggle to find the right thing to say. We know that they need all of our love and support during such a challenging time as getting sober. What to say?

How to Talk About A Loved One’s Addiction With Them

First, it is important to understand that saying something is better than saying nothing. Coming from a place of fear in communication is always the wrong first step. Cutting off communication due to fear of saying the wrong thing is harmful. It prevents necessary human to human understanding, empathy, and compassion. Even if what you say is not the “right” thing, by vulnerably opening up out of your own discomfort, you immediately help the other person. That ease can begin with simply letting them know you don’t know what to say.

“There’s nothing I can say that will make recovery easier for you. I am not sure what to say about the information you’ve just given me. I am here to support you and I am proud you are making the decision to receive help.”

Make sure to keep your focus on the other person. Though the news is shocking to you, your loved one is the person fighting a potentially life-threatening disease. Take time to listen to what they have to tell you. If you are unclear what it is they need or want to get help, ask them to clarify. Rather than just asking, “what can I do to help?”, ask specifically what they need you to support them in. When they begin to talk, really listen. Put aside your own thoughts, feelings, judgments, opinions, and fears. Listen to what they have to tell you and they will likely give you all the additional information you need.

Recovery starts with You. Start your recovery with Us. Enlightened Solutions is waiting to answer your questions about your or your loved one’s decision to seek recovery from addiction. We offer spiritually and 12 step based treatment programs to men and women. For more information call 844-234-LIVE today.

Coffee and Caffeine in Recovery

Coffee and early recovery from drug and alcohol addiction seem to go hand in hand. Indeed, almost every gathering for a 12 step fellowship meeting includes the presence of coffee. If there is not a cup of coffee in hand, there is a caffeinated energy drink. Acting as a natural stimulant, coffee helps recovering addicts and alcoholics cope with the absence of other powerful stimuli. For some, however, coffee can be equally as triggering. Those who have abused stimulants in their past are at risk for becoming overly dependent on caffeine, experiencing euphoric recall.

While coffee has many positive benefits, such as being one of the most potent natural antioxidants, it can create adverse effects as well.

Adverse Effects of Coffee

●     Addictive

●     Stimulant

●     Causes exhaustion

●     Fatigue, Adrenal Fatigue

●     Heart palpitations

●     Dehydrating

●     Interfere with mood

●     Withdrawal Symptoms

●     Dependency

●     Hormone Imbalance

Generally, for recovery, coffee is not frowned upon. However, many residential inpatient treatment facilities will prohibit energy drinks and may even only offer decaf coffee- with or without the availability of sugar. During the first 30 days of recovery from drug and alcohol addiction, the brain is at it’s most vulnerable for experiencing cravings and withdrawal. Caffeine can exacerbate this process. Additionally, being reliant upon coffee can prolong the process of being dependent upon external substances for mood, focus, and coping.

Coming Off Coffee

Regular coffee drinkers who are in “need” of that first cup (and afternoon cup) will require a tapering off process to eliminate coffee from their diet. Attempting to remove coffee and quit “cold turkey” can result in symptoms of withdrawal. Withdrawal symptoms from coffee can include: headache, anxiety, cravings for coffee, erratic emotions, confused appetite. Begin by limiting the amount of coffee consumed each day. Gradually, replace coffee with herbal teas like green or black tea. If the goal is to remove the caffeine entirely, switch to non-caffeinated teas or hot water with lemon and honey. Drinking adequate water is critical, helping the body to sustain the ‘detox’ and hydrate it after dehydration. Though the mind might be resting, plan to incorporate extra rest for at least a week. Also include exercise and mindfulness based practices like meditation or yoga. Holistic and alternative therapies such as massage and acupuncture can help open the natural energy channels in the body to aid in the flow of caffeine detox.

Enlightened Solutions offers a program based in holistic healing as a mind, body, and spiritual approach to treating drug addiction and alcoholism. Recovery is about freeing yourself from all aspects of suffering in your life. Find hope and a solution for the problem of addiction with us. For more information call 844-234-LIVE.

Commonly Abused Substances

Synthetics

Synthetic drugs are the most difficult to regulate by law enforcement officials, medical doctors, and psychologists. Synthetic drugs are not traceable to a plant or particular chemical like many other drugs. Instead, synthetic drugs or “designer” drugs are made, quite literally, with everything under the kitchen sink. As a result, determining how the drug will effect the brain and body is unpredictable. Synthetic drugs are powerful stimulants, creating a fast and furious high and almost instantaneous dependency. Generally the effects and symptoms of Synthetic drug abuse include:

●     Paranoia

●     Rapid heart rate

●     Overheating

●     Slurred speech

●     Irrational thoughts

●     Fear of being chased by evil forces

●     “Superhuman” strength

Methamphetamines

Crystal Meth is a highly abused stimulant and synthetic drug. Also known as “ice” or “glass” the crystal like shards are smoked or injected. Meth is abused for its stimulant properties, causing people to stay awake for as long as ten days. Effects and symptoms of meth abuse include:

●     Dilated pupil

●     Suppressed appetite

●     Erratic behavior

●     Insomnia

●     Focus on picking the skin

●     Paranoia

●     Rapid weight loss

Alcohol

Alcohol is the most commonly abused substance, contributing to high numbers of death and alcohol-related injury each year. Binge drinking is defined as four or more drinks per sitting, which is about two hours. Drinking abusively can impair basic cognitive and motor functions, judgment, and thinking. Alcohol damages the liver, brain, and body. Effects and symptoms of alcohol abuse include:

●     Incoherence

●     Blackout

●     Slurred Speech

●     Poor Judgment

●     Vomiting

●     Imbalance, or stumbling

●     Needing more alcohol or not knowing one’s limits

Stimulants

Cocaine is the most popularly abused stimulant drug. Crack and other amphetamine drugs like Adderall and drugs used for studying are popular as well. Stimulant drugs work with the central nervous system, quickly accessing the brain and putting into hyper speed mode. Cocaine can cause in overdose with just one hit while other amphetamines taken in large quantities can cause heart complications. Effects and symptoms of stimulant abuse include:

●     Hyper focus

●     Ability to stay up all night

●     Maximized productivity

●     Jittery behavior

●     Suppressed appetite

●     Irritability

●     Aggression

Opioids

In 2014 approximately 28,000 Americans died from overdose on opioids including heroin and prescription painkillers. Opioid overdose is caused by respiratory depression, the slowing of the heart until it stops. Opioids are highly addicting, but through subtle means like chronic pain treatment. Opioids create euphoric sensation through muscle relaxation and feelings of warmness. Dependency on opioids result in brutal withdrawal symptoms, causing a need to continue using the drugs just to avoid the withdrawal. Effects and Symptoms of opioid abuse include:

●     “Nodding out” or falling asleep frequently

●     Slowed movement, or doing nothing at all

●     Rapid weight loss

●     Change in skin pigment and elasticity

●     Irritability when not on the drug

●     Constipation

●     “Pinholed” pupils

●     Severe symptoms of withdrawal

Benzodiazepines

Introduced in the 1950’s as “mommy’s little helper” benzodiazepines became famous for “taking the edge off”. Famous brands like Valium and Xanax are prescribed to help cope with anxiety. Though marketed as non-dependency forming, regular users of these drugs experience immediate symptoms of withdrawal when they miss a dose. Abusing Xanax can result in euphoric sensation similar to opioids. Effects and symptoms of benzodiazepine abuse includes:

●     Slow movements

●     Shallow breathing

●     Loss of judgment for physical pain

Enlightened Solutions offers hope and healing for recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. Our doors are open to men and women seeking holistic, 12 step based treatment. If you are concerned you or a loved one are suffering from problems with drugs or alcohol, call us today. We have a solution. 844-234-LIVE.

The Story of an Opioid Addiction

Our story starts with pain. Everybody experiences pain. Truthfully, everybody runs from pain. Basic Buddhist principle teaches us that much of life is pain, mostly due to our deep clinging attachment to things we desire. Primarily, in fact, primitively, we desire to not be in pain. Yet the more we run from it, the more we cause it. Such is the cycle of opioid addiction.

The Story of an Opioid Addiction

Typically, the source of pain resembles an injury, accident, or surgery. To treat the pain, doctors prescribe opioid painkillers. Obligingly, the patient follows doctor's orders. The secret snare of opioid addiction lives somewhere between the start and end of a prescription. Perhaps since the pain has been reduced, a patient decides to skip a dose. Not having once taken more than prescribed the patient is horrified to discover the instant appearance of withdrawal symptoms. Back in severe pain, they continue taking the drug as prescribed. The patient notices that the drugs aren’t treating the pain as well as they used to. Also noticeable is how difficult it is to get through the day without the painkillers. Opioid addiction doesn’t have to start with abuse. Stemming from the necessity of relieving pain, however, it often does.

In 2012, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 10 million adults abused prescription painkillers. Drugs like Oxycontin, Hydrocodone and Vicodin are opiate drugs. Each contains a synthetic version of morphine which is derived from the opium plant. Opiate drugs stimulate naturally occurring opioid receptors in the brain. Our brain’s opioid system works to inhibit pain. When we experience pain, our brain blocks the opioid receptors. As a result, our heart rates decrease which then signals the nervous system to help muscles relax. Prescription painkillers magnify this effect in regular doses. Consuming prescription painkillers in high doses enhances this process to a greater degree, causing euphoric sensations.

Unfortunately, the more we take opiate drugs, the more our brain becomes dependent on them. Eventually, our brain is unable to fight pain on it’s own. Consequently, we feel more pain, we are in more pain, and we face painful symptoms of withdrawal. Simultaneously, opiate drugs cause us and relieve us from pain. With every dose, we perpetuate the cycle.

Enlightened Solutions understands the challenge in breaking free from the cycle of opioid addiction. You do not have to suffer any longer. We have a solution. It starts with hope. Start your journey to recovery with us. For more information on our treatment programs for men and women call 844-234-LIVE

Understanding Addiction in the Brain: Pleasure

Addiction is a deeply misunderstood occurrence in the mind. Societal norms and cultural standards sadly contribute to the prevalence of stigma and shame surrounding addiction. Until recent years, addiction has been viewed through a lens of immorality. Addicts are people who have lost their way due to the consequence of their own choices. Partially, this is true. However, the progression and development of addiction in the brain is largely the consequence of neurobiology. Understanding how addiction works in the brain through the scope of neuroscience can help us to put aside our manufactured beliefs and open our hearts. Addiction is, if nothing else, and experience of suffering. Though largely based in pleasure, addiction is a carousel ride of up’s and down’s, that never stops spinning.

It starts with a substance. Drugs are chemicals that interact and interfere with the brain’s normal functions, which is largely run on certain chemicals. Specifically, the brain works off of neurons and neurotransmitters, as well as receptors and synapses. Drugs create chemical reactions in the brain that stimulate the production of certain neurotransmitters, block receptors, and change what is communicated between synapses. Primarily, it is the message of pleasure that throws the system off balance.

Pleasure and Addiction in the Brain

Pleasure is the primary purpose of the neurotransmitter dopamine. Dopamine lives in the reward center of the brain. The reward center is a small circuit that communicates what feels good, motivation,  to the rest of the brain. When drugs in the bloodstream reach the brain, they produce a copious amount of dopamine, overwhelming the reward center. Too much dopamine creates a mega-pleasure: euphoria. Euphoria feels extremely good to the brain, motivating it to feel euphoria again and again. Associating the action of taking drugs with euphoric sensations, the brain records this event for future reference. Each time the brain finds itself needing to be motivated, it is going to think about drugs.

This is where the ride stops being fun. Pleasure from drugs only lasts so long. The brain quickly develops tolerance. It needs more of the drug to feel as euphoric as it did before. More drugs creates more memories of euphoria. As the brain learns to associate euphoria and motivation, it becomes the only motivation. Eventually, the drugs hardly work, but the brain is convinced of their necessity. Trapped in a cycle of demand, the body fails to sustain the brain’s demands, resulting in symptoms of withdrawal.

Enlightened Solutions understands the struggle in breaking free from the endless cycle of suffering in drug addiction and alcoholism. We offer a program rooted in twelve step philosophy and holistic healing as a solution for mind, body, and spirit.

For more information please call us today at 844-234-LIVE.

ACOA Traits by Geoff Flower

This week our Enlightened Solutions partial care group were educated on Adult Children Of Alcoholics (ACOA) traits.  We have found that many of our clients have grown up in families in which substance abuse has been present.  Addiction is a family disease and it affects all members of the family.  According to 'Adult Children of Alcoholics - The Expanded Edition’ by Janet G. Woititz, Ed.D the typical characteristics of alcoholic families include;

    1. Adult children of alcoholics guess at what normal behavior is.

    2. Adult children of alcoholics have difficulty following a project through from beginning to end.

    3. Adult children of alcoholics lie when it would be just as easy to tell the truth.

    4. Adult children of alcoholics judge themselves without mercy.

    5. Adult children of alcoholics have difficulty having fun.

    6. Adult children of alcoholics take themselves very seriously.

    7. Adult children of alcoholics have difficulty with intimate relationships.

    8. Adult children of alcoholics overreact to changes over which they have no control.

    9. Adult children of alcoholics constantly seek approval and affirmation.

    10. Adult children of alcoholics usually feel that they are different from other people.

    11. Adult children of alcoholics are super responsible or super irresponsible.

    12. Adult children of alcoholics are extremely loyal, even in the face of evidence that the             loyalty is undeserved.

    13. Adult children of alcoholics are impulsive. They tend to lock themselves into a course of action without giving serious consideration to alternative behaviors or possible consequences. This impulsively leads to confusion, self-loathing and loss of control over their environment. In addition, they spend an excessive amount of energy cleaning up the mess. 

We worked collaboratively on identifying and processing how these characteristics have contributed to their own addictive behaviors thus influencing their past and current interpersonal relationships. The group engaged in different psychodramas depicting the distorted communication pattens within the family.  Client’s were given the opportunity to practice healthier interactions in order establish more adaptive ways of being able to communicate needs for support within their recovery.

Breaking these patterns that have been engrained over a period of time is not easily done. The intention behind providing ACOA themed groups is to assist our clients in normalizing these dysfunctional pattens of behavior in order to bring about the beginnings of necessary changes.  This is integral to the ability of our clients to move forward and build healthy meaningful relationships to aid in their recovery from addiction.