Feeling Good is an Inside Job

So, you’re clean and sober and your body begins the process by detoxing. Our bodies are ultra-efficient machines when they are working at their optimum potential. However, when we’re getting high and drinking, our bodies have been working overtime to filter out all the chemicals we’ve been abusing. Our liver is tired! Our lungs, exhausted! And our brains… worn out. Our bodies have been overworked and it, too, needs to recover.

Taking Medication and Staying Clean

To just about any addict, the phrase, “Take as prescribed” is considered as a suggestion. Instead of one every four hours, they take 4, every hour. To recovering addicts, this is a joke. To others that think they don’t have a problem, this may be a warning sign.

Talk to Your Doctor, Sponsor and Friends

An addict’s body doesn’t know the difference between prescribed drugs and street drugs. A drug, is a drug, is a drug. So, when we go to the doctor for anything we explain that we are recovering addicts and ultra-sensitive to any mood or mind-altering drugs. We take a sponsor or another recovering addict with us to our appointment. We talk to our doctor about any alternative treatments that may be available. We find out if we can take a smaller dose. We can go to meetings and share about our upcoming surgery or let our support group know we’ve been suffering, and been in pain. The best policy is always honesty.

Striving for Perfection

In our minds, we all have an idea of what life is supposed to be like. These ideals can extend into various aspects of our lives – from our relationships to our families, to our children, our work and more. Striving for perfection is a noble endeavor, but only if we are also able to understand and accept our limitations, which we all have; otherwise, we set ourselves up for constant disappointment. Life rarely goes according to plan, and those who expect things to be perfect are going to be regularly disappointed.

The same is true for substance abusers who enter recovery with high expectations of themselves; they develop an all-or-nothing approach to sobriety that sets them up for disappointment and threatens their chances for an enduring recovery.

No doubt, if you have a loved one who is are abusing drugs or alcohol you’ve probably heard all the excuses in the book. And if you are abusing, you’ve probably used them all too. Here are some common myths addicts convince themselves are true, but are not.

I can stop anytime I want

For an addict, using alcohol or drugs make them feel in control of their lives. Many addicts convince themselves that they only use by choice -- that they can stop anytime they want. But in reality, it is just the opposite. Drug and alcohol addiction controls the lives of the addict so much, they harm themselves and the ones that they love. Addicts cannot stop themselves, they need help from a treatment facility or program.

Emotional and Physical Disease

Addiction is both an emotional and physical disease. Many are surprised to learn that drugs not only damage the mind, but also the body, and physical activity is as important as counseling in helping an addict recover.

12 Palms recovery Center offers a large air-conditioned private gym, where clients have access to a personal trainer to help heal the body while counseling sessions work on the soul. In addition, daily activities that prepare the patients for life after treatment are also slowly incorporated. These activities include everything from basic everyday tasks to life skills one can use to strengthen sobriety.

Addiction is a disease, right?

In today’s “now” society, many of us are looking for a quick solution to a problem. Addiction is a disease, right? Isn’t there a medication that can cure it?

While it is true that medication during treatment can help reduce cravings and withdrawal, addiction recovery requires the rewiring of the brain and medication alone is not enough. Addiction is more than just physical dependence. Even after detox and physical dependence is cured, addicts are at high risk for relapse. Psychological and social factors are often powerful factors which can trigger relapse. Things such as the following can create ongoing urges to use drugs or alcohol:

An intervention can be a powerful tool a family can use to encourage someone who is abusing drugs or alcohol to seek the treatment they need. However, a poorly executed intervention can actually make matters worse. Here are 5 things not to do during an intervention.

Handling Emotions

Even without the problems that substance abuse brings, life can be a real struggle for an individual that is unable to handle their emotions. Without emotional maturity, it is virtually impossible to find real happiness. Adults who don’t mature emotionally are also more likely to engage in substance abuse. They turn to chemicals as a means to escape the pain caused by their emotions. It becomes a catch-22 situation, because addiction arrests further emotional development, and they become stuck.

When an addict decides to enter rehab facility and finally gives up alcohol or drug use, they will need to once again focus on their emotional development. If they fail to do so, they will struggle to build a comfortable life away from their addiction.

You often hear that the first step to recovery is recognizing that you have a problem, and need help. But what if your loved one is resistant to drug treatment? What should you do?

The answer, unfortunately, is complicated. Family and loved ones typically advocate seeking help faster than a drug or alcohol addict. While this situation is normal, it is no less frustrating. Professionals call this stage “resistance” and admit that it is one of the most difficult and complicated situations to treat.

If you’re a recovered alcoholic or substance abuser, you know that escaping your addiction through rehab and recovery gave you a second chance at life. It’s a cause for celebration, after struggling through addiction and completing a rehab program successfully. You deserve to be acknowledged for your success!

However, it’s also important to remember that there can be dangers associated with the good times, as well as the bad times. It is therefore vital that people in recovery learn to enjoy their success without putting their sobriety in danger.