Addiction Relapse After Treatment

 

Addiction relapse is chronic and there is always the likelihood of relapse even after successful treatment. The substance involved significantly contributes to the rate of relapse.  For example, alcoholics can relapse at a rate that ranges between 30 and 70 percent.  A number of addicted individuals have fundamental psychological issues that could contribute to relapses.

Contributing factors to addiction relapse could include:

1. Easily accessible addictive substances
2. Social pressures
3. Family or job-related stress

Ways to Handle a Relapse

A relapse is not an indication that the initial recovery failed.  It simply means recovery is incomplete.  It is normal to feel ashamed after relapse; however, this should not stop you from seeking further treatment.

Re-admittance is not always a requirement for relapse.  However, the treatment typically includes a complete evaluation to establish what triggered the relapse.  The following steps should be taken if you relapse:

Get In Touch With Your Sponsor

Reach out to your sponsor via their contact information.  This individual should be able to assist you in deciding the next steps you should take.

Change Your Focus

Breathe, relax and refocus.  If your recovery involves keeping a journal, use this time to express your frustrations and thoughts while you regroup.

Begin Again

There are cases in which the initial program did not work out because it was not structured based on the needs of the addict.  Therefore, think about enrolling into another inpatient program that is more specifically geared towards your needs.

Reflect and Gain Knowledge

You have already gone through treatment and as such, you are knowledgeable about relapse triggers.  Be completely honest and find out what possibly contributed to the setback.

Seek Reassurance

If a relapse occurs, family and friends can be a great source of support and comfort.  However, if they cannot provide reassurance, encourage yourself into realizing that a setback is different from failure.

If you go back to an inpatient facility after relapsing, you will not be judged.  Relapse is not a unique phenomenon and it happens to many individuals who are recovering from drug and alcohol abuse. Successfully managing your addiction is the key to preventing a relapse.

Can Legalized Marijuana Reduce Prescription Painkillers And Deaths?

The use of legalized marijuana to manage chronic pain seems to work for some people compared to most opioid painkillers such as OxyContin, Vicodin, and Percocet. This realization, and the ensuing legalization of prescription marijuana for medical use has, as reported by some researchers, reduced the deaths and overdoses that result from opioid painkillers ingestion. Whereas the reduction of prescription painkiller overdoses and deaths have reduced in States that have legalized medical marijuana, it is still not yet clear whether or not marijuana legalization is the sole reason.

Reasons adopted by the proponents of marijuana legalization being the sole reason for reduced painkillers overdoses and deaths

Manages pain better than opioid painkillers

Medical marijuana, where legalized, can be used as an effective pain management medication. People who suffer from chronic pain can, therefore, stop taking potent and addictive opioid painkillers; reducing the risk of developing an addiction for the same. A decreased risk of developing addiction reduces the risk of overdosing or even dying from prescription painkillers.

Less habit forming than opioid painkillers

Legalized marijuana used for managing chronic pain is less addictive compared to other types of marijuana and compared to Vicodin and Oxycontin among other habit-forming painkillers. The legalization of medical marijuana, therefore, reduces people's risk of accessing the harmful forms of marijuana, thereby increasing user safety. Additionally, the use of marijuana to manage pain erases the need for people to ingest increasing dosages of the already potent opioid painkiller; reducing the risk of overdosing and dying from lethal amounts of opioid painkillers.

Skeptics of the legalization of marijuana as reducing prescription painkiller overdoses

Some people feel that the legalization of medical marijuana is not the sole reason opioid painkillers overdoses and deaths have decreased. These people attribute the increased painkiller risks awareness as the reason for the decreased overdoses and deaths. Whereas they do not dispute the role of the legalization of medical marijuana in the reduction of opioid painkillers overdoses and death, they do not credit it entirely.

Some American States have recognized the medical benefits of one type of Marijuana. This recognition has been followed by the legalization of medical marijuana for pain management, which has been attributed to a reduction in overdoses and deaths that result from opioid painkillers use. The debate of whether or not legalized marijuana directly contributes to a reduction of prescription painkiller overdoses and deaths is still rife.

The Different Types Of Motivations For Seeking Recovery

 

It is truly awful to see someone you care about suffer from addiction problems. The worst aspect is half expecting a call to inform you that the worst has happened to your addicted loved one. Some people will tell you that you ought to walk away from the addict in your life, because you are not going to change them. However, if you walk away from that person without even trying and the worst then happens to them, you are going to have to live with that. In fact, some addicts do get well again, therefore addiction recovery is possible.

There are three main types of motivations to addiction recovery. The first is self-motivation. If the addicted person in your life should say they are determined to overcome their problem, your best bet is to keep an open mind. Do not expect miracles from the addict, because they are less likely to succeed than they would be with other motivations for addiction recovery. At the same time, do not be dismissive either, because that really won't be helpful to the addict in any way.

Self-motivation usually occurs when the addict has hit rock bottom and been given a clear choice between their addiction and something else which is important to them such as keeping a job or not losing custody of a child. However, it often takes more than honest will to overcome an addiction.

The second path to addiction recovery is leverage. Leverage describes what happens when someone else provides the motivation by warning the addict what they stand to lose if they do not. Thus the addict hits rock bottom, but the circumstance is created by a second individual. For example, the addict's employer might threaten to fire them if they do not clean up their act. The person issuing the ultimatum needs to make the choice clear to the addict, and outline the consequences in detail. They must also be prepared to carry out those consequences, as empty threats will be of no use at all.

The third tool of motivation for addiction recovery is commonly referred to as seduction. This method of motivation is best left for when the person is not self-motivated to quit using drugs or alcohol, and you have no leverage to use. The seduction method comprises telling the addict in your life that you can see they are unwilling to change their habit, and you are going to stay out of their life until they do. Let them know they can contact you again if they change their mind about recovery. Do not stick around to see what happens next. This method sometimes works because the need for love and human contact is very strong. It is almost as strong as the addiction itself.

If you have tried all of the motivations for seeking recovery with the addict in your life and nothing has helped, you only have one choice left. You must walk away and let the chips fall where they may, even though it hurts.

The Numerous Benefits Of Prozac And Zoloft

Both Zoloft and Prozac are selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors. The generic Prozac is fluoxetine, and the generic for Zoloft is sertraline. Serotonin produces a feeling of tranquility, and general well-being. Serotonin has a calming effect for most patients. Neither drug is sedating, they will not make a patient drowsy. Both Prozac and Zoloft are the most commonly prescribed medications to treat depression. The SSRI's selective (serotonin re-uptake inhibitors), relieve the symptoms of depression in about 70 % of patients coping with depression.

Both Prozac and Zoloft are powerful medications. Both medications are prescribed by a physician. Only a physician can decide which medication is best for the patient. Typically the physician will start with the lowest positive dosage of the medication. The prescription may be adjusted, depending on how the dosage affects the patient. Never abruptly discontinue the medication, as this can produce undesirable symptoms. It may take up to five weeks for either mediation to manage the symptoms of depression.

Prozac is often used to treat the symptoms of: bulimia, panic disorder, major depression and obsessive compulsive disorder.  Prozac is the only medication approved by the FDA to treat children starting as young as eight years old. Prozac is used to treat obsessive compulsive disorder in children as young as seven years old.

Zoloft is also used to treat major depression.  Zoloft is used to treat other disorders such as: panic disorder, PTSD, (post-traumatic stress disorder), social anxiety and debilitating premenstrual disorder.  Zoloft may be used in children as young as six years old, to treat OCD.

Both medications balance the chemicals in the brain. Zoloft and Prozac can dramatically impact the quality of life for each patient.  Both medications may increase energy and uplift the patients outlook on life.  Both drugs dramatically improve the quality of life, for individuals suffering from depression.

The side effects are the main difference between Zoloft and Prozac. Prozac can often cause irritability, and anxiety in some patients. Zoloft typically produces a calming effect, which often reduces feelings of anxiety. The most noticeable side effect from Zoloft is diarrhea. Weight gain is a common side effect of both Zoloft and Prozac.

You'll Die In Your Sleep: Xanax Overdoses

 

Imagine falling asleep in your bed at night and never waking up again. For some at the end of their lives, this would be a blessing and a peaceful way to die. For many others -- especially young people today -- it is a tragic end to a young life that could have been avoided.

Xanax Abuse

Xanax is a prescription medication that is often prescribed to treat anxiety and panic attacks, as well as sleeplessness and various other ailments. It is also one of the most widely abused prescription drugs on the market today, with teens and younger adults abusing it at frightening rates! What's worse is that many young adults today mix this drug with other drugs such as heroin, cocaine, alcohol, and others. While the drug is mostly safe when used as directed, it has a nasty side effect of suppressed breathing. This side effect is what most often kills abusers of the drug. While it is possible to overdose on just the Xanax alone, most of the deaths from supressed breathing function is related to mixing it with alcohol and other drugs.

Suppressed Breathing

The suppressed breathing side effect is the real killer with this medication. In low doses, the suppressed breathing can help you to relax -- the main purpose of the drug's use. This suppression is usually very mild, and won't complicate one's health, but when breathing is suppressed too much, the weight of the ribcage is too heavy for the suppressed lungs and the breathing gets shallower and shallower until the individual simply stops breathing completely and slips away.

Because there are no violent convulsions or signs that the breathing is stopping, most overdoses are not discovered until long after the victim has expired. In many cases, those that overdosed and died were sleeping right next to their significant other who had no idea the person was dying right next to them.

How to Avoid Xanax Overdoses

The easiest way to make sure that you do not die in this fashion from a Xanax overdose, is to simply not take Xanax. If you need to take this medication for a legitimate medical reason, consider asking your doctor if there are safer alternatives, and make sure to keep the doses low.

Again, the main reason that people die when taking Xanax is from mixing it with other drugs or alcohol. If you feel that you have taken to much of Xanax or have mixed it with alcohol, treat the situation like a concussion. The worst thing you can do is to lay down and go to sleep. Try and keep yourself awake, or have someone you trust check your breathing regularly. If you do stop breathing, you have a limited amount of time to start breathing again before the heart completely stops, then you have a limited amount of time until the lack of oxygen causes brain damage and death.

Always be careful when using prescription medications.

Learn More About Benzodiazapine and Xanax Abuse and Withdrawals:

Benzodiazepines - Uses And Threats

Bipolar disorder is a mental disorder wherein a patient suffers from elevated periods of depression and periods of mood. A person suffering from this disorder would be abnormally happy and energetic at sometimes while depressed and avoiding eye contact at the others. Benzodiazepines are used to provide relief to the patients suffering from bipolar disorders. This class of drug helps curb anxiety and insomnia.

Use of Benzodiazepines

This drug is used as a sleep aid for the patient. However, the use of this drug is always made under a fixed schedule and limited quantity so as to avoid any addiction of it.

How it works?

It acts by slowing the nervous system down. It helps ease the feelings of nervousness and anxiousness. When consumed, this drug slows down the nervous system and it acts quickly, providing immediate relief. The neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutryic acid in the brain is affected by this drug and is released more due to the activity of this drug.

Who can use it?

It is used in limited doses as any overdose may prove fatal. Moreover, pregnant women should avoid its use because it may cause birth defects in the offspring.

Side effects of Benzodiazepines

It is given in a limited dose to avoid addiction as regular and prolonged use can cause amnesia and sleepiness. Over dosage can cause adverse effect on the nervous system. Alcohol and other substance that inhibit the nervous system should not be consumed by the patient while undergoing this therapy.

This drug is administered to give relief to the patient in extreme conditions of mood swings. With the aid of this drug, the patient is able to calm down and behave properly. Moreover, the patient should also be treated by a psychiatrist so as to improve his condition.

Its available types
•  Ativan (lorazepam)
•  Valium (diazepam)
•  Librium (chlordiazepoxide)
•  Xanax (alprazolam)

Conclusion

Drugs like these are to be used cautiously and sparingly under medical supervision. The patient should also be warned of the effects of its over dosage. However, it is a bitter truth that so many people lose their lives because of excessive dose of this drug.

Frequent Use Of Molly Can Lead To Physical And Psychological Dependence

When using drugs such as MDMA, which is commonly called Molly, the risk of addiction is always present. Many people become addicted because Molly offers enhanced mental alertness and it increases sensations such as intimacy. The altered perceptions felt while on Molly enables users to enjoy and experience things on an entirely different level.

Being a derivative of methamphetamine, Molly acts as a both a stimulant and a psychedelic. It is the combination of these affects that lures so many people into using Molly. Sadly, like any other drug, this drug poses huge problems if addiction sets in.

Many people are asking the question, Is Molly Addictive? The answer is yes, the risk of addiction is high, especially if this drug is used on a regular basis. Typically, most people do not develop a chemical dependence on Molly. However, the risk for developing a severe psychological addiction to Molly is extremely high.

Molly alters the chemical responses of neurotransmitters, which is why the brain experiences altered affects that enhance the users sensations to stimuli such as intimacy. When Molly is used frequently it begins to totally alter the brains chemistry.

After a period of time, the user will become dependent upon Molly to experience normal cognitive behavior. This is the point when a user becomes physically addicted to Molly. The risks of developing a physical addiction to this drug are higher in users that have a family history of drug or alcohol dependency.

Due to the fact that Molly use is not regulated, many people do not know the dosage it takes to become addicted. Because Molly use is unregulated, it is very difficult to determine how much is needed, or how fast a user can become addicted to Molly. Additionally, each person reacts to Molly differently so it is nearly impossible to develop a regime for relieving withdrawal symptoms to MDMA.

The chemical dependence to MDMA and Molly addiction are similar, however they are clinically different. Some of the signs of Molly addiction are: use of Molly to maintain normal functioning, putting a lot of effort into seeking the drug regardless of how it disrupts the users life, intense craving for the drug, and rationalizing the use of Molly. The best way to overcome Molly addiction is to seek professional help immediately.