The Jellinek Curve, a graphic representation of the downward trajectory that befalls addictions of all types.
Addiction and Recovery Curve, version of the Jellinek chart showing the valley curve of alcoholism.
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Japanese society and culture is quite different. The Japanese continue to treasure and value once broken things, repaired and restored to a new level of beauty. The essence of this philosophy is called Wabi Sabi.
Let’s relate these concepts to people. People rise to great heights, emotionally, spiritually, mentally and physically. In both their professional and personal lives, people excel, they prosper and achieve great success. But at times, people “fall of their shelf” like a piece of beautiful pottery, and break. They can be dropped like we would drop a treasured ceramic serving bowl, no longer able to serve the original purpose, becoming pieces of brokenness and shame. They are shunned, snubbed, discarded.
We do know it is true that some people will never repair and restore. They will remain broken and flawed, mostly due to a self-imposed sense of shame and lack of self-esteem. They will forever be relegated to the landfills of life, never to be valued again. But many can and will regain their beauty and value. And again I submit to you that they are worthy of our admiration and re-acceptance. Here are 4 reasons why:
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For many people struggling with addiction, the biggest and toughest step toward recovery is the very first one: deciding to make a change. Change is never easy—and committing to sobriety involves changing many things.
Recovering from addiction is a long process, one that requires time, commitment, motivation, and support. As you contemplate your situation, the following tips can help you make the decision.
Don’t try to go it alone. Whatever treatment approach you choose, having a solid support system is essential. The more positive influences you have in your life, the better your chances for recovery. Recovering from drug addiction isn’t easy, but with people you can turn to for encouragement, guidance, and a listening ear, it’s a little less tough.
Even once you’ve recovered from drug addiction, you’ll still have to face the problems that led to your drug problems in the first place. Did you start using drugs to numb painful emotions, calm yourself down after an argument, unwind after a bad day, or forget about your problems? After you become sober, the negative feelings that you used to dampen with drugs will resurface. For treatment to be successful, and to remain sober in the long term, you’ll need to resolve these underlying issues as well.
Conditions such as stress, loneliness, frustration, anger, shame, anxiety, and hopelessness will remain in your life even when you’re no longer using drugs to cover them up. But you will be in a healthier position to finally address them and seek the help you need.
Drug abuse often stems from misguided attempts to manage stress. Many people turn to alcohol or recreational drugs to unwind and relax after a stressful day or to cover up painful memories and emotions that cause us to feel stressed and out of balance. But there are healthier ways to keep your stress level in check, including exercising, meditating, using sensory strategies to relax, practicing simple breathing exercises, and challenging self-defeating thoughts.
You may feel like doing drugs is the only way to handle unpleasant feelings, but it’s not. You can learn to get through difficulties without falling back on your addiction. Different quick stress relief strategies work better for some people than others. The key is to find the one that works best for you and helps you calm down when you’re feeling stressed and overwhelmed. When you’re confident in your ability to quickly de-stress, facing strong feelings isn’t as intimidating or overwhelming.
While getting sober from drugs is an important first step, it’s only the beginning of the recovery process. Once sober, the brain needs time to recover and rebuild connections that have changed while addicted. During this time, drug cravings can be intense. You can support your continued sobriety by making a conscious effort to avoid people, places, and situations that trigger the urge to use:
You can support your drug treatment and protect yourself from relapse by having activities and interests that provide meaning to your life. It’s important to be involved in things that you enjoy and make you feel needed. When your life is filled with rewarding activities and a sense of purpose, your addiction will lose its appeal.
Relapse is a common part of the recovery process from drug addiction. While relapse is understandably frustrating and discouraging, it can also be an opportunity to learn from your mistakes and correct your treatment course.
Various “triggers” can put people at risk of relapsing into old patterns of substance use. Causes of relapse can differ for each person. Some common ones include:
Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment: A Research-Based Guide – In-depth guide to the effective treatment of substance abuse and addiction. (National Institute on Drug Abuse)
3 Types of Craving: How to Cope with Each Type – Learn three mental self-help strategies for reducing the urgency of drug cravings. (Selfhelp Magazine)
Urge Surfing: Relapse Prevention – Guide to urge surfing, a powerful relapse prevention strategy for people recovering from alcohol and drug addiction. (Dr. Chris Walsh)
Recovery Strategies and Coping Skills – Self-help tips for avoiding high-risk situations, learning to relax, and changing your life. (Addictions and Recovery)
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When evaluating the many types of substance abuse treatment programs, remember that everyone’s needs are different. In general, the longer and more intense the drug use, the longer and more intense the treatment you may need. Focus on what is truly important: appropriate licensing, quality of care during the program, follow-up services, and staff credentials.
Things to check include:
Types of Drug Treatment Programs
Residential treatment – Residential treatment involves living at a treatment facility while undergoing intensive treatment during the day. Residential treatment normally lasts from 30-90 days.
Partial hospitalization – Partial hospitalization is for people who require ongoing medical monitoring but have a stable living situation. These treatment programs usually meet at the hospital for 3-5 days a week, 4-6 hours per day.
Intensive outpatient program (IOP) – Intensive outpatient programs usually meet at least 3 days a week for 2-4 hours a day or more. The major focus is relapse prevention. These outpatient programs are often scheduled around work or school.
Counseling (Individual, Group, or Family) – Works best in conjunction with other types of treatment or as follow-up support. Therapy can help you identify the root causes of your drug use, repair your relationships, and learn healthier coping skills.
Sober living – Normally follows intensive treatment like residential treatment. You live with other recovering addicts in a supportive drug-free environment. Sober living facilities are useful if you have nowhere to go or you’re worried that returning home too soon will lead to relapse.
Brief intervention – Only appropriate for those at risk for drug abuse or drug addiction, not those who have already developed a serious problem.
To find drug addiction treatment programs and addiction specialists in your area:
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I was in the full flock as it was my first day in the new campus. Luckily I got upperclassman dorm so that these students who were more “of age” to find liquor, and have “healthier” connections to drug sources would be a little bit more tolerable.
I walked in and met the Resident Assistant who only lived two doors down from me. She was just 19 and supposed to watch over young adults older than her. My parents had already moved all my stuff in and I was looking forward to the first night. The dorm room was with three other guys, I had already met two of the guys, and we contacted the third but no answer.
On the first weekend, we went to the main street There were strobes and open doors, open cans, and open legs. It was a complete catastrophe of humanity compiled all onto the main gateway street. It was like it was the main gateway drug for many new young souls to succumb to alcoholism or addictions.
You could walk down any side of the street and be offered a beer or a cup full of alcohol. I was carrying a bottle of water the whole night was not telling them what was in it. This was just to cover up that I was completely sober.
In the following article writer explained in detail don’t be afraid to ask for help, never take anything from a stranger, and always when going out to go with a friend.
My First Day Sober on a Drunken Campus
The first weekend was always meant to be a bash at any college but was never meant to be burning cars in the streets—literally. We go to “Main Street” where the Greek housing was held (Greek=Fraternity/Sorority Row).
You could see it in bright, bold lights as if I was about to have a damn epileptic seizure. There were strobes and open doors, open cans, and open legs. It was a complete catastrophe of humanity compiled all onto the main gateway street. It was like it was the main gateway drug for many new young souls to succumb to alcoholism or addictions. See Full Post here: http://ift.tt/1TEa2RG
Last Year, the number of people died from drug overdose in the US deaths surpassed the number of those killed in motor-vehicle crashes. As the number of drug-related deaths hits record levels, questions are mounting about the cost of addiction treatment and who should pay for it.
It is a public health crisis and efforts have been made to better address the problem focused on medication-assisted treatment, or MAT, which use the drugs methadone and buprenorphine in conjunction with patient counseling.
In the following article by Steven Ross Johnson he explained in detail how Medication-assisted addiction treatment faces cost and payment concerns.
Medication-assisted addiction treatment faces cost and payment concerns
While insurers are required to cover addiction treatment as one of 10 essential health benefits under the Affordable Care Act, recent proposed rules looking to expand that coverage have been met with opposition by insurers, who have said that losing the right to select what therapies they cover would result in higher drug costs.
A long-acting chemical treatment for cocaine addiction has been discovered, scientists revealed.
A team at the University of Kentucky have developed a chemical compound that blocks the high triggered by cocaine.
It works by preventing the physiological and toxic effects of cocaine – without affecting normal brain functions.
The enzyme – called cocaine hydrolases – has long-term effects and can thus be used as a therapy for cocaine addiction.
The discovery paves the way for other long-term cocaine treatment options, scientists said.
The US Food and Drug Administration has approved long-term therapies to treat addictions to most illegal drugs – except for cocaine. But, scientists have discovered a compound that they say can block the high from cocaine and prevent relapse as a long-term treatment
The US Food and Drug Administration has approved therapies to treat addiction to other illegal drugs, including heroin.
However, federal regulators have yet to approve a therapy for cocaine use.
The study said: ‘An ideal anti-cocaine medication would accelerate cocaine metabolism, producing biologically inactive metabolites by administration of an efficient cocaine-specific exogenous enzyme.’
The scientists sought to find a ‘truly effective’ addiction medication that could block cocaine’s physiological effects without inhibiting brain function or other critical organs, such as the heart.
They also wanted to develop a long-term treatment that would prevent a relapse of cocaine addiction.
The study said: ‘Most popularly used pharmacological approaches to addiction treatment, including all currently available addiction therapies, either affect normal functions of brain receptors/transporters or are unable to prevent relapse.’
The scientists discovered the ‘desirable, highly efficient’ cocaine hydrolases that can ‘efficiently detoxify and inactivate cocaine without affecting normal functions’ of the central nervous system.
Both clinical and preclinical data showed that the medication is safe for use in humans – and can accelerate cocaine metabolism.
But, the scientists found that the actual therapeutic use of a cocaine hydrolases in addiction treatment was limited by its short biological half-life – which was eight hours or shorter in rats.
That meant the compound didn’t stay in the body long enough to have the desired effects.
However, the scientists adopted a ‘novel approach’ to add human immunoglobulin G antibodies to the compound to make it more efficient.
Scientists developed a chemical compound that prevents the physiological and toxic effects of cocaine. In tests on rats, it was found to last up to 20 days
The new compound ‘not only has a high catalytic efficiency against cocaine, but like an antibody, has a considerably longer biological half-life’ of up to 107 hours in rats.
The scientists found that the new form of the compound was able to accelerate cocaine metabolism in rats even after 20 days.
Thus, they determined the new compound could block cocaine-induced hyperactivity and toxicity for a longer period.
The biological half-life of a protein drug is significantly longer in humans than rats.
As a result, humans could receive one dose every two to four weeks for treatment of cocaine addiction, the scientists said.
The study said: ‘New insights obtained in this study also may be valuable in guiding development of other therapeutic proteins.’
The study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
