This treatment option is the equivalent of holding a little surprise party for the substance abuser, which is orchestrated by the hands of a therapist or professional interventionist. Information is compiled weeks prior to the surprise, and each family member is instructed to confront the habitual behaviorist in a speech littered with shame and guilt! All taking place while the white treatment center van is parked outside, motor running ready to whisk the person off to therapy, after they break down into a sobbing mess!
Many proponents describe family intervention as an open, respectful process that is highly effective in motivating the chemically dependent person to seek help and is a wonderful first step in healing the family. Well, let’s think about this for a minute! We know that the root cause of addiction stems from emotional issues caused by none other than Family dysfunction. So, the intervention allows some of the very perpetrators to lambaste the substance abuser with a barrage of guilt and shame! So, in what way is the intervention respectful? Is it in fact respectful for the addicted person who has a battered self-esteem and has allowed his or her family to strip them of their self-respect and personal power? Common sense would dictate that this treatment option only exacerbates the emotional scars that are at the root of the addiction, and in many cases will worsen the addictive behavior. Addiction by nature is a self-esteem issue, so why would you blast the addicted person with additional shame and guilt? Addiction recovery requires liberation and empowerment not powerlessness and self-incrimination. Therefore, in my opinion, family intervention is not only counterproductive, but it is also dangerous! Furthermore, even if the person agrees to treatment following the intervention, the likelihood of permanent success is slim since the root cause still remains and has not been dealt with in the appropriate manner.
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I am a first generation immigrant and have no experience or any idea of how to get help for my 21 year old son’s drug and alcohol addiction. 3 months ago he came to me confessing everything: he had been abusing drugs for the past 3 and 1/2 years and that this past school year was the worst. Since then he’s given up everything and been sober. He had been using marijuana, cocaine, mdma, painkillers, alcohol, and cigarettes. Now he is very afraid of them and will never use them again. As much as I’m very glad he’s been sober and is willing to recover and go back to school, he has told me that he’s very scared that it might be too late. He’s been dealing with depression, insomnia, loss of concentration, memory problems (can’t read a book or watch a movie and remember the story days later), inability to communicate clearly what he wants to say in his mind, among other things. I have scheduled a meeting with a psychiatrist for him this week. He insists on getting a pet scan, but feels too anxious and guilty to get one from a neurologist at a regular hospital for he fears they will be judgmental. Is there anywhere to bring him to get a pet scan from a neurologist that understands what recovering “addicts” are going through and is able to tell us how much damage has been done and if there’s anything we can do to recover lost brain activity? Or do most neurologists that give pet scans for cancer treatments and other natural illnesses also deal with drug abusers? Or should we go to a drug addiction specialist and he refers us to a proper neurologist? I will ask the psychiatrist this as well, but just wanted to shoot my question on here for any additional advice. Thank you so much for answering and I very much appreciate it.
Drug and alcohol cravings will occur even when working a solid addiction recovery program, sure as the sun will rise tomorrow.
Having stopped drug and alcohol use, the frequency, intensity and duration of cravings differ from person to person. The bad news is they occur; the good news is that over time they generally lessen in frequency and duration. The trick is to stay safe while riding out the wave. One way to view abstinence and sobriety is simply preparing for that moment when a craving occurs, nobody is watching, and nobody would know if you used, except you. What do you do? That is the moment of truth. What follows are some tips and tools that may get you through that moment of danger. Not all tips work for all people, the trick is to find one that will work for you. That being said, here are the tips to fight craving:
1. Buy yourself some time, distract yourself, with exercise, work or cleaning, get busy. Put yourself in a safe place where drugs and alcohol are not available. Cravings pass with time.
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When Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith founded Alcoholics Anonymous in 1935, they changed the approach to dealing addictions forever. They did it some forty years before the term “substance abuse” was even coined, and they did it in the firm belief that those suffering from addiction cannot recover on their own. Drug addiction recovery, in their philosophy, demands that a very personal, painful failing cannot be eradicated until it has been brought into public view.
The Twelve Step Program which is the foundation of AA has now become the foundation of thousands of drug addiction recovery programs which treat dependency on every sort of drug, from prescription medications to speed, heroin, nicotine, and cocaine.
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Without question one of the more successful treatment models has been the 12 step program, which originated with Alcoholics anonymous. In the past several years the program has suffered a great deal of scrutiny in regards to its religious formatting, and even though it has desperately attempted to escape this labeling, for all intent and purposes that’s what it is! However, the religious aspect is not what makes successful, and in fact I believe it to be a detriment to the program. So, what has made this program more successful than most of the other treatment options? I believe that the success of this program is largely due to the spiritual aspect. In many regards the choice of addictive behavior is a falling from spirit, in the sense that addictive behavior is of a self centered, self serving attitude, whereas spirituality encourages a sense of connectedness and being of service to others. Most individuals that have chosen to partake in addictive behavior do so at the expense of others, and they do it with one thing and only one thing in mind; the need to mask the pain of their emotional issues. Making a connection with spirit allows the addicted person to view things in a greater perspective and allows them to understand that one person’s actions affect the many. Therefore, I do view spirituality as being an important component to recovery, but spirituality is very difficult to pursue if you have not uncovered and confronted the root cause of the addiction.
The practice of spirituality encompasses a great deal of self reflection and mindfulness, which ultimately leads to a more symbolic view of the world as a whole. Remember, the individual suffering from addiction only views one world, their own! When it comes to approaching spirituality from the perspective of prayer, consider the fact that traditional prayer will not accomplish this goal. Going through the motions of reciting traditional prayer without changing your deeply engrained, self- limiting, subconscious beliefs will result in failure. What is engrained in your subconscious mind is much more powerful than the words you speak! In order to gain the understanding of the world as a whole, you must achieve self reflection and inner peace by quieting the mind.
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There are a number of myths that pervade our social consciousness pertaining to addiction, and these myths are almost universally unhelpful to addicts afflicted with the disease of addiction, and contribute greatly to the stigma that even recovering alcoholics and drug addicts must endure.
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There are many professionally organized drug rehabs centers with years of experience in changing drug and alcohol addicts to healthy individuals. These drug rehabs follow a structured approach through out their treatment which makes drug addicts to understand the nature of the treatment and the use of the treatment. Generally some people might think that they can overcome drug addiction by themselves but it is an addiction, so it takes strong measuring steps to overcome it and there is a possibility that anyone might increase their addiction by not able to control to drug or alcohol addiction.
People should spend some time while choosing a reputed drug rehab center because time is more important in curing addiction, if we choose a drug rehab which has less experience and no quality staff then there is of no use in choosing the drug rehab and it effects the addicts and might cause in serious addiction problems. Here, we need to control the drug or alcohol addictions as soon as possible with any the methods which ultimately make the person come out of the addictions.
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Step twelve in the 12 Step Program is the culmination of a series of actions in which the addict has experienced a revolutionary change in the way he thinks about himself, others, and the world around him.
Step 12 asks that the addict take this newfound knowledge to help other addicts in recovery. The addict in recovery We do this at work, while shopping, and while socializing.
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Drug rehabilitation centers offer various rehab programs that are person specific in nature. The treatment method chosen depends upon the following:
The frequency and amount of drug or alcohol individual takes. The severity of the problems of the individual The psychiatric history and other medication problems the patient might be going through Health problems: It is a serious problem because the health of a person largely decides the rehab program for the individual. Previous addiction recovery programs: This is yet another factor that assists physicians to decide the specific treatment program for the individual.
However, the problem is – the physicians of all drug rehabilitation centers do not thoroughly check up the individual’s problems (mentioned above) and they start a general treatment for all. Consequently, individuals suffer many other mental and physical problems. The recovery program is the commencement of the treatment that secures the foundation of individual’s recovery. Secondly, without assuring these points if someone provides addiction recovery program then it also leads to relapse. Relapse is a big threat for the individuals because the consequences are very painful and at times it can be life-threatening.
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If you are worried about your drinking or a friend’s drinking, tell them – they need to make changes as soon as possible. It is much easier to cut back before drinking problems damage your health than it is once they are out of hand.
First steps: Keep a diary of your drinking – you may be surprised by how much you really do drink, and this can give you the motivation to cut down. It helps if you can talk your plans over with a friend or relative. Do not be ashamed to tell someone. Most real friends will be pleased to help – you may find they have been worried about you for some time.
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