A drug and alcohol intervention is a process of overcoming the barriers, getting across to the addicts and making them realize where they stand and what can be done to come out of the spell of substance addiction.
Intervention for drug abuse is a wake up call for someone who is going off the deep end. It is an attempt to put a safety net under the person whose life is spiraling downwards out of control. Successful interventions are behavioral interrupters. They address the problem, set boundaries, and offer solutions. They penetrate the addict’s denial system and are a turning point their life and ideally result in the individual going into a drug and alcohol rehab program.
A drug and alcohol intervention is an honest, heartfelt, communication. Intervention is an opportunity for family, friends and co-workers to say, “Hey, we’re watching you die, Man. It’s tearing our hearts out. What you do effects us too! We want you to get some help!“ An intervention of truth, piercing the protective armor of denial, is an incredible gift of love. It is opportunity of hope for a new life, for both the addict and his family.
Recovery does not have to be a painful process. Life is painful enough. Recovery should feel good. New alternative treatments that are holistic in nature are having remarkable results. In the past, addicts have resisted treatment, because it seemed more painful and difficult, than their active addiction. Thankfully, times have changed. Alternative treatment modalities have come a long way from the old days “break them down, let them suffer and feel the pain so they don’t do this again“ mentality. Today we know there is a lot more to recovery than shoving the twelve steps down someone’s throat.
Healthy treatment does not just give you a time out, put a band-aid on a wound the size of a decubicus ulcer, and send you on your way. Healthy treatment does not shame or degrade a human being, instead it heals low self esteem and empowers the individual to reach new heights. Healthy treatment gives you what you need to feel good physically, emotionally and spiritually. Healthy treatment reignites the spirit and restores the joy of living. Healthy treatment is holistic treatment of mind, body and spirit.
Recently the Art & Entertainment Network‘s show INTERVENTION, introduced America to a heroin addict using in her bathroom. We witnessed her progress while in treatment at North Miami’s G&G Holistic Addiction Treatment Program, better known as THE HOLISTIC CENTER. A sober year later, this woman is now working for the treatment center which helped her on her path to recovery. The before and after pictures are astonishing. We see two different people: 1) a heroin addict standing in a six hour long vegetative state in front of her bathroom mirror, nodding off after shooting up, and 2) a bright eyed, confident, joyful woman who is an inspiration to others, and who is self-supporting financially and emotionally. Her intervention was the bridge that transported her from the dead zone and gave her the opportunity to recover.
Think of an intervention as a cargo ship that transports the addict from active addiction to a destination, which is the protection of a addiction treatment facility. The captain is the facilitator. The crew is made of up of trusted family, friends, and co-workers. You have done your research and have a timetable and destination in mind.
Your cargo is your loved one and his emotional baggage. As Captain, you must steer the ship. Each crew member takes a turn at the helm, speaking his truth in love, chipping away at the addict’s anchor of denial. By the time, each person has shared their truth, feelings, needs, fears, and hope, the family will have traveled a great distance from denial into truth, and thoroughly defined the problem. It is now time to offer a solution.
Holistic Treatment is a solution, a blessing. Imagine treatment as a well of healing waters, not a prison from which you need to escape. It is imperative that the addict understand that they are receiving a gift, not punishment. Regardless of the mask’s of arrogance and defiance, the core of every addict is shame, guilt, self-hatred and fear. Love motivates and empowers. Acceptance waters the soul and facilitates healing and spiritual wellness.
In this day and age, when addiction recovery treatment is a billion dollar industry with pitiful success ratios, it is imperative to know that there is HOLISTIC TREATMENT that works, addressing the mind, body, and soul. Holistic treatment not only has the highest recovery rates, individuals seem to thrive, find genuine happiness, joy for living, and peace of mind.
Tampilkan postingan dengan label substance abuse. Tampilkan semua postingan
Tampilkan postingan dengan label substance abuse. Tampilkan semua postingan
Rabu, 14 Juli 2010
Jumat, 15 Januari 2010
A New Definition Of Drug And Alcohol Addiction And Treatment - Substance Abuse Has No Societal Boundaries
An addict is not considered an addict just because he drinks and drugs too much, nor because his life spirals downwards because of drugs. These are just predictable symptoms of the progressive disease. Perhaps if we had a new definition for addiction, it would not be so difficult to accept that individuals may be suffering from a disease that will eventually destroy their lives.
We have all heard that addiction is a disease, but how do we truly feel about this issue? When ...
An addict is not considered an addict just because he drinks and drugs too much, nor because his life spirals downwards because of drugs. These are just predictable symptoms of the progressive disease. Perhaps if we had a new definition for addiction, it would not be so difficult to accept that individuals may be suffering from a disease that will eventually destroy their lives.
We have all heard that addiction is a disease, but how do we truly feel about this issue? When you hear the word "addict", do you think of a junkie, crack addict, prostitute, or a homeless person who begs for money on a street corner? When you here the word addict, do you think of a lowlife, who has unacceptable behaviors, and lower morals? Do you somehow believe that their life circumstance is their fault and that they could, "just say no?"
A successful CEO, attorney, doctor, or professional with a substance abuse problem, would not fall into the category of addict according to the stereotypical definition. Perhaps, this is one of the reasons why a professional with a drug problem, alcohol included, does not easily consider himself to be addicted and readily seek addiction treatment . Success in other venues tends to convince the professional that he can also handle this problem as well, especially when he compares himself to addicts who have bottomed out and not entered a drug rehab. If the addicted professional is still semi-functioning and has not yet lost their job, house or family, his denial system will still be relatively intact.
Perhaps if we had a new definition for addiction, it would not be so difficult to accept that individuals may be suffering from a disease that will eventually destroy their lives. According to the American Medical Association, in order for a illness to be classified as a disease, it must meet one of the following criteria. It must be either progressive, predictable or terminal. Addiction qualifies as a disease by meeting not just one, but all three criteria. An addict is not considered an addict just because he drinks and drugs too much, nor because his life spirals downwards because of drugs. These are just predictable symptoms of the progressive disease.
Everyone knows that there are blood and urine tests to determine if drugs or alcohol are present in the body. Few of us are aware that there is now a test which determines whether someone has the DNA for the addiction. There is a “Y” factor in the genetic coding of alcoholics and addicts. This genetic makeup determines how the body processes, and breaks down alcohol or drugs in the system. This “Y” factor distinguishes the addict from the drug abuser.
An addict born with the DNA coding, or Y factor, is similar to the person who is born with the predisposition for cancer, diabetes, or lupus. As with cancer, when certain favorable conditions exist the diseases will activate and progress. For those with the addictive gene, once addictive chemicals are introduced into the body, the disease activates. It does not matter whether the addictive drugs are prescribed by a doctor or bought illegally.
There are exceptions to this genetic predisposition guideline. While the children of addicts will almost certainly have the addictive gene, in some instances, it may skip a generation. However, some who do not have the genetic coding for addiction, will also become addicted. Why? Drugs like crack cocaine have been designed in laboratories to intentionally cross over this genetic line, and become instantly addictive. Have you ever heard of a social crack cocaine smoker? This drug causes someone to bottom out at a much faster pace.
Drugs change the brain’s receptors sites. Enough drug usage can permanently alter the brain, and its ability to absorb vital nutrients. Our receptor sites are similar to loading docks in the brain, sending and receiving messages continually. These messages are sent through chemicals which are moved about though electrical surges. Not only do drugs alter the chemical balance in the brain, they eschew the pattern of energy pulses. But the most damaging effect of drug usage is permanent change in the cell walls, upon which other cells dock, much like how a key fits into a lock. If the lock is changed then the key won’t fit.
If you knew that you have the genetic coding for a disease, wouldn’t you do everything in your power to keep the disease from activating before the need for a drug rehab program? If you understood that your disease was actively progressing, wouldn’t you seek drug treatment? How can you help someone who does not yet realize that they need help? Family, friends, and co-workers are in a position to see the effects of drugs, long before the addicted has a clue.
We have all heard that addiction is a disease, but how do we truly feel about this issue? When ...
An addict is not considered an addict just because he drinks and drugs too much, nor because his life spirals downwards because of drugs. These are just predictable symptoms of the progressive disease. Perhaps if we had a new definition for addiction, it would not be so difficult to accept that individuals may be suffering from a disease that will eventually destroy their lives.
We have all heard that addiction is a disease, but how do we truly feel about this issue? When you hear the word "addict", do you think of a junkie, crack addict, prostitute, or a homeless person who begs for money on a street corner? When you here the word addict, do you think of a lowlife, who has unacceptable behaviors, and lower morals? Do you somehow believe that their life circumstance is their fault and that they could, "just say no?"
A successful CEO, attorney, doctor, or professional with a substance abuse problem, would not fall into the category of addict according to the stereotypical definition. Perhaps, this is one of the reasons why a professional with a drug problem, alcohol included, does not easily consider himself to be addicted and readily seek addiction treatment . Success in other venues tends to convince the professional that he can also handle this problem as well, especially when he compares himself to addicts who have bottomed out and not entered a drug rehab. If the addicted professional is still semi-functioning and has not yet lost their job, house or family, his denial system will still be relatively intact.
Perhaps if we had a new definition for addiction, it would not be so difficult to accept that individuals may be suffering from a disease that will eventually destroy their lives. According to the American Medical Association, in order for a illness to be classified as a disease, it must meet one of the following criteria. It must be either progressive, predictable or terminal. Addiction qualifies as a disease by meeting not just one, but all three criteria. An addict is not considered an addict just because he drinks and drugs too much, nor because his life spirals downwards because of drugs. These are just predictable symptoms of the progressive disease.
Everyone knows that there are blood and urine tests to determine if drugs or alcohol are present in the body. Few of us are aware that there is now a test which determines whether someone has the DNA for the addiction. There is a “Y” factor in the genetic coding of alcoholics and addicts. This genetic makeup determines how the body processes, and breaks down alcohol or drugs in the system. This “Y” factor distinguishes the addict from the drug abuser.
An addict born with the DNA coding, or Y factor, is similar to the person who is born with the predisposition for cancer, diabetes, or lupus. As with cancer, when certain favorable conditions exist the diseases will activate and progress. For those with the addictive gene, once addictive chemicals are introduced into the body, the disease activates. It does not matter whether the addictive drugs are prescribed by a doctor or bought illegally.
There are exceptions to this genetic predisposition guideline. While the children of addicts will almost certainly have the addictive gene, in some instances, it may skip a generation. However, some who do not have the genetic coding for addiction, will also become addicted. Why? Drugs like crack cocaine have been designed in laboratories to intentionally cross over this genetic line, and become instantly addictive. Have you ever heard of a social crack cocaine smoker? This drug causes someone to bottom out at a much faster pace.
Drugs change the brain’s receptors sites. Enough drug usage can permanently alter the brain, and its ability to absorb vital nutrients. Our receptor sites are similar to loading docks in the brain, sending and receiving messages continually. These messages are sent through chemicals which are moved about though electrical surges. Not only do drugs alter the chemical balance in the brain, they eschew the pattern of energy pulses. But the most damaging effect of drug usage is permanent change in the cell walls, upon which other cells dock, much like how a key fits into a lock. If the lock is changed then the key won’t fit.
If you knew that you have the genetic coding for a disease, wouldn’t you do everything in your power to keep the disease from activating before the need for a drug rehab program? If you understood that your disease was actively progressing, wouldn’t you seek drug treatment? How can you help someone who does not yet realize that they need help? Family, friends, and co-workers are in a position to see the effects of drugs, long before the addicted has a clue.
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