Tag Archives: addiction rehab

Drug and Alcohol Addiction, spiritual

Seeking Serenity through Al-Anon in British Columbia

At Al-Anon group meetings in Vancouver , family members, close relatives and friends of addicts come with each other to share their knowledge, understanding, experience, strength and hope. Al-Anon’s philosophy is that men and women cannot control or stop another person’s alcohol addiction. In the same way addicts who acknowledge and accept Step One of Alcoholics Anonymous declare that they are powerless over alcohol and drugs, Al-Anon members teach and educate powerlessness over loved ones and family member addictions.

However Al-Anon’s companion philosophy is that an individual is entitled to have a serene life even if a loved one chooses to keep on living in active addiction. By joining hand-in-hand and working together to share experiences and knowledge, members in Al-Anon learn and understand tools and skills for living decently, honestly and serenely whether a loved one is actively using or is within recovery. In Al-Anon, members “take what they should like and leave the rest.” What this means is that in almost every group meeting or assembly, members hear something that gives them understanding of their own behavior and attitudes.

Many people embark on Al-Anon using the outlook, expectation or hope that they will learn and understand the strategies for curing and healing a loved one’s drug or alcohol addiction. People may be disappointed and frustrated to understand and fully grasp that no such secret and technique exist. Nevertheless, a lot of people find that by gaining strength and acquiring serenity, and showing their loved ones that they trust and have confidence in them to make their very own decisions and choices, their family members often gain strength too. Whenever people become less preoccupied with a loved one’s drug addiction or dependency , addiction seems to lose its power of them. It can also be not unusual to discover that once people change their need to control and discover how to create boundaries and look after themselves, the addict also begins to change and transform and sometimes seeks help in drug and alcohol treatment centers to recover from their addictions.

There are numerous slogans people learn in Al-Anon which help them practice Al-Anon principles and guidelines in their daily lives. One favorite and preferred is “don’t just do something, sit there.” So frequently, people who worry about their addicts’ lives want to leap in and “solve” their problems. However in Al-Anon they learn to hold back before acting to make sure that what they THINK they must do is really the correct action. For instance, whenever a father or mother receives a phone call from an addicted child seeking money, shelter or some other favor, the normal reaction is to want to help or assist right away. But in Al-Anon, people learn how to sit still and think first. People learn to “give an addict the dignity of making his or her own mistakes,” for that is how addicts may become decent and responsible persons. This may be difficult, but as people share their experiences in Al-Anon they learn that “taking contrary action” is often the best help they can give their addicted family members.

Another helpful slogan is “zip your lip.” Often, an individual’s natural tendency is to provide advice, tell the addict how to proceed and how to get it done. But unless an opinion or advice is sought, they learn to simply listen and say things to the addict such as “I understand you will figure this out” or “that is very interesting.” The addict doesn’t want to be threatened, cajoled or see someone’s anger. If they know they could be listened to without being judged, communication and conversation with them remain open and, hopefully, the addict will at some point realize and recognize they CAN go to the loved one or family member for help and assistance in healing and recovery and also be accepted for who they are. As a result of Al-Anon people learn that often, the fewer questions they will ask, the greater details and selective information an addict gives them.

Al-Anon has helped many people find solutions that lead to serenity. Regardless of what an individual’s religious beliefs are or even if them lack them entirely, people are sure to find help in Al-Anon. Encircled by caring and compassionate people whose struggles are similar to others battling with addiction problems, they will learn tools and skills for taking care of themselves, setting boundaries, and achieving serenity. Just for today, decide to walk one’s own path towards serenity so that the addict can walk theirs.

Drug and Alcohol Addiction

Questions to Ask Prior to Entering a Drug Rehabilitation Center in BC

Prior to entering a drug rehabilitation program in British Columbia, it is good to look into the rehab facility ahead of time and find what their drug treatment program is all about. What exactly are their (12 steps) principles? What kinds of drug treatments will they offer? These types of things do really make a difference because everything a person learns while in the drug rehab program will affect their process of recovery.

Here are some of the questions an individual should ask before entering the drug rehabilitation program in British Columbia:

Are the drug treatments offered, backed by (scientific, spiritual) any evidence?

The vast majority of successful substance abuse treatment programs utilize behavioral medication and therapy. Or, a mix of both. A person might be squandering their money and time if an individual purchases and enters into a drug rehabilitation program that uses methods that are not shown to be successful.

Following are the type of therapies that good drug rehabs include in their programs:

a) Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: This kind of therapy will show an individual how they can identify the situations that are likely to trigger their drug cravings. In addition, it will help a person find ways to avoid and cope with these situations.

b) Motivational Interviewing: Proven strategies are used to encourage an individual to modify their behavior and enter the treatment program.

c) Motivational Incentives: Positive reinforcement is the key to success for any drug rehabilitation program. Patients are rewarded for keeping themselves drug-free and for being regular in their therapy sessions and a number of other activities that help them in reaching their goal of sobriety.

d) Group Therapy: This is a very effective type of therapy that puts an individual with other patients undergoing the treatment. People involved in the group therapy motivate each other to remain neat and help each other to recognize the patterns in their drug addiction.

The behavioral therapy ultimately aims at keeping an individual motivated, make them learn the skills that help them to stay clean, enhance their problem solving skills, assist a person to build better relationships and replace their drug use with rewarding and productive activities.

Along with behavioral therapy, most programs also use medications. The type of medication used depends mostly on the substance they were hooked on. Different medications can be used at different stages of treatment.

Is the program personalized for their treatment needs?

The best drug rehab treatment programs are tailored to the requirements of an individual. Every individual is different and no two circumstances are alike.

The drug treatment program should, therefore, be unique too. Their ethnicity, cultural background, person’s age, their gender and level and seriousness of their drug addiction should be taken into consideration. Also, there may be other health issues or problems that interferes with the drug treatment and they will need to be addressed before and during the drug treatment program.

How long does the program last?

Additionally, it is important that the program provides a sufficient length of time for the treatment. An Individual stands a larger possibility of relapsing in the event they go back to day to day living too early or without the proper tools.

To be able to stop drug use, research indicates that drug addicts generally have to spend a minimum of 3 months in drug treatment programs. The more time the therapy takes, the greater are the chances of success in the program. Effective drug treatment programs keep an eye on the patient’s progress and help create plans for the maintenance of recovery.

Other important questions a person should ask :

1) Are there drug and alcohol addiction nurses, therapists and physicians available all the time?
2) Does this drug treatment program provide a twenty-four hour nursing staff?
3) Is the drug treatment facility made to treat adults or adolescents?
4) Does this drug treatment program have all the necessary BC licenses?
5) Is there a medicine management program offered?
6) Are the medical doctors full time employees at the rehab? Or, could they be just the consultants?
7) What is the ratio of staff to patients at the drug rehab clinic?
8) What kind of living arrangements is available in the program?
9) Are drug relapse prevention groups available?
10) Will each patient be assigned his or her own case manager at the drug clinic?
11) Is personalized aftercare planning available at the drug treatment clinic?
12) Does this drug rehab program accept insurance or will an individual need to shell money out of their pocket?
13) Is it a government-owned or private drug rehab facility in BC?

Drug and Alcohol Addiction

Avoiding Relapse after A 30 Day Drug Rehab Treatment Program in BC

An individual is on the right path if they have checked them-self in to an alcohol rehab in BC and have went through the required treatment. Now that they have recovered and have made a comeback to the outside world, they might be tempted to slip back into their previous drug path again. If a person possess a sufficient amount of will power to continue being sober and drug-free by them-self or with their family, they need to know that being tempted to go back to drinking alcohol and using drugs again is typical behavior. However, they can battle relapse and continue being sober when they try these steps.

a) Choose the people they hang out with. Minimize the time that they spend with those who are still fighting dependency. Hanging out with them usually leads them to slip back and they will be back in alcohol rehab or drug rehab in BC immediately. If at all possible, try to avoid them entirely.

b) If an individual is taking medications for their therapy, take it as prescribed. If an individual is going through therapy or counseling classes, do not miss one meeting.

c) Establish a support group. This group can be their close friends, family members, or former alcoholics or drug users. These friends can even be people that they have met in the drug rehab or alcohol rehab in BC, and who share precisely the same struggle with them. Their company will prevent them from reaching for that bottle of alcohol or their drug of choice once more. Just make sure that the support group does not take drugs or consume alcohol, themselves.

d) Recovery is not that easy so do not be too hard on oneself. They may fall into relapse days or even a few months after an individual is cleared, but it does not mean that they cannot combat it. Just continue practicing recovery and take it one day at a time.

e) Steer clear of addiction triggers which will cause a person to abuse drugs or drink alcohol again; a number of places just like bars or sporting events that use alcohol as part of the entertainment. Some events may also trigger a relapse, just like parties and even casual gatherings where alcohol is served.

f) Instead of working on their old patterns to avoid falling back to their old ways, begin a new hobby or interest. This can take their mind off the issue and it can also provide them with a new direction. Do whatever they can to change, so long as it will not cause themselves or other people any harm. Play sports activities, learn how to paint, be involved in a nonprofit organization, or carry out some new hobby like gardening. They can even return to school if they want and get a college degree, or even a masters degree with a new outlook on a positive life. An individual can even be a business owner and start their own small enterprise. Just be sure that their enterprise will never involve any drugs or alcohol.

g) Relapses are common. Doctors and counselors understand how hard it is and that falling back to the drug addiction is the norm instead of the exception. Be kind to ones-self. However, it does not mean that they should not try harder next time or abandon their sobriety plan altogether.

During their treatment, being tempted to go back to using drugs or drinking alcohol is normal. However, there are plenty of things that they can do to avoid relapsing and start all over again inside a drug rehab or alcohol rehab center in BC.