LooksAndSees: Drug Addiction and Recovery Help

Moderation and routine are key! Being healthy on a daily basis

2010-06-01T17:55:00.000-04:00

I would often notice that a day in the life of my parents would seem like a repeat of other day in their lives. A basic breakdown of a typical day goes something like this:

Wake up and slowly ease into consciousness
Eat a sensible breakfast
Get a shower, complete other daily morning hygienic tasks
Get dressed and evaluate what is needed for the workday
Go to work
Eat a sensible lunch (about 5 hours after breakfast)
Return to work
At about 5 pm return home from work
Change into comfortable clothes and attend to duties around the living area
Eat a sensible dinner (about 5 hours after lunch)
Go for a walk
Have some tea or a healthy dessert
Preform nightly hygienics
Read or partake in another activity conducive to winding down for the day
Fall asleep

This may seem monotonous, but it actually provides a template that sustains life. Your always on top of your game mentally because your well nourished. Never going 6 hours or more without eating helps keep your metabolism high. This also produces good sleeping patterns. Staying up all night some nights and sleeping all day may seem exciting in your youth, but it is not healthy to constantly teeter totter with over-sleeping and sleep deprivation.

There isn't one correct routine. There are many ways to create a routine to maximize effectiveness for your life. It may be difficult for people with obligations that fluctuate often like a doctor on call, or a split shift food server. But you can apply basic routines to where they can fit with your schedule.

If you are in recovery you stand to gain the most from routines. As an addict you've probably spent days at a time as a slave to your substance of choice. Not going to bed until you run out, or not resting until you find more. Often times drug addicts don't realize the mental strain they put themselves through just to maintain their addiction, not to mention the physical problems that may be being caused. A routine can help restore mental equilibrium, and you could enjoy waking up with the sun for a change instead of going to bed then, or dreading the suns rise.

I admire this ability my parents have acquired. Their routines are basically small steps that combine to achieve a larger goal of stability and over-all health. Everyday is never exactly the same for my parents, and unforeseen health problems or obligations can interfere with different steps in their routine. This isn't just true for them, but is a challenge to anyone and their new or existing routine. Working around your routine the best you can with the obligations your given is the trick to having success. My parents stick to theirs the best they can, and there is a sense of comfort that comes with the familiarity of their routines. I am lucky to have such intelligent people as role models, but anyone can have success with this.

Being able to depend on what happens next in life can be very satisfying. With drugs you are never guaranteed an enjoyable next step. You always incur risk with a drug lifestyle. Start standing a chance to gain something and apply a simple step of a new routine in your life and stick to it! Slowly build your routine up until you find what suits you best. Good luck!

Relapse, an un-avoidable part of recovery?

2010-05-30T22:34:00.000-04:00

It is probably safe to assume that 90% of addicts will relapse in either their early or late stages of recovery. I'm not sure exactly what the statistics are, but i am sure a relapse should not discourage a person in recovery. Having the attitude that your hard recovery work is lost after a relapse will only return you to addiction equal to or worse then it used to be. Although you have lost to addiction that day, each day following that is another opportunity to regain sobriety.
Even though you should be able to accept and push past a relapse, it should not be used as an excuse to use drugs.

Think about relapsing as being very bad, and make it a big deal to not do it, however if you do relapse than you need to be able to put it behind you rather than letting it become a big downer that enables you to continue using.

Another good idea after a relapse would be to tell somebody about it. There are obviously better people to talk to than others. Talking to a counselor, sponsor, or someone else you can trust in recovery will allow you to be open and honest without having to worry about covering up the issue.

Surround yourself with family members and friends who love you, and try to stay away from the people, places, or things that caused you to have a relapse. Break your relapse down. Try to pin-point where or what led to you letting your guard down. Recognizing what allowed you to let your guard down will let you avoid situations similar to that in the future. If a relapse helps you realize how not to relapse again, then you stand to benefit at least in some way from a bad occurrence.

When you think you might be about to let yourself relapse then ask for help. It probably took help to keep you clean up until relapse, and you will most likely need help to keep it that way.

Benefits of excercise in early and late stage recovery

2010-05-26T18:41:00.000-04:00

If you agree that exercising is good for the body, then also agree that exercise can play quite an important roll during recovery. Exercising will help your body preform it's functions smoothly. When you feel that cruddy and cloudy mental fog during early recovery, that is the perfect time to exercise. The more intense you work out, the more endorphins your body pumps out. The more endorphins you produce, the better you feel. It is as simple as that.

If you have ever heard of, or felt a runners-high then you probably should know that it is addicting like anything else that's enjoyable, and can be overdone. Moderating time spent to about an hour a day should produce desired effects, without a high risk of injury. Exercise can also be a God-send when it comes to addiction to opiate based drugs. When you are addicted to pain medications or illegal narcotics like heroin then all your body cells have gotten used to being saturated with the drug.

Cells in our bodies are constantly being generated. If you use these drugs for about 2 weeks or more on a daily or regular basis, then cells become dependent on being saturated with that substance. When you discontinue using for any reason the cells begin reproducing without the presence of the drug they were used to regenerating with. The lack of the drugs presence causes the cells to reproduce slightly differently and cause irregular function through-out the entire body. As you might imagine, this is extremely unpleasant and uncomfortable.

Exercising helps the body reproduce cells and do other bodily functions more efficiently. Therefore, exercise is beneficial in helping cells begin to reproduce properly after it's dependency. To put it simply you are dependent because the most small, basic part of your body , your cells are. This is essentially the same way alcohol dependence works. That is why exercise is good in early recovery and can be used throughout recovery to maintain that healthy status.

Oxycontin and heroin withdrawal

2010-05-26T18:40:00.000-04:00

Withdrawal. To many people, this word means nothing. To those who have experienced it, or to those who spend each waking moment trying to avoid it, it means so much more. The most terrible physical withdrawals come from narcotic pain killers, alcohol, and benzodiazepines, like alprazolam(xanax) or Valium. Physical withdrawals are much worse than any mental withdrawal or craving can be.

There is something called post acute withdrawal, that most cocaine users experience in recovery. Something similar happens to long term methamphetamine users as well. During this time addicts feel a general lack of energy, ability to participate in daily activities, or even just get out of bed. There is a also less of a neurotransmitter dopamine in the brain, Even when they are not on drugs for a while it keeps users from feeling any sense of well being from a situation that otherwise would cause a good feeling. This is by no means easy to deal with, but it is no doubt that mental dependencies are a walk in the park compared to physical ones.

During physical withdrawal you are not only not functioning in society, you are just plain not functioning. Your digestive system will not function properly and you lose any desire to eat. Not eating results in further decline in your physical health. You will lose sleep, further hindering your ability to recover. You will lose all drive and desire to even breath. Everything counter acts recovery because addicts know they can buy a day or so, and feel better by just grabbing some dope.

Fortunately people can be scared straight. Finding out you have no life expectancy as an addict can often scare long time users straight, if falling apart health wise hasn't yet. With help from family, friends, and addiction recovery counselors people do stand a chance against what seems unbeatable. Being positive normally yields positive results. After you are in a good place in life you thank yourself for the hard work you put in during recovery.

Oxycodone: A prescription for pain in the suburbs and beyond

2010-05-26T18:39:00.000-04:00

If your going to have minor surgery or major dental work chances are you will be given a prescription for a mild narcotic such as hydrocodone or oxycodone. These pills contain only trace amounts of these drugs because they are so powerful. The opiate pain killer is typically coupled with a non-narcotic over the counter Nsaid pain reliever such as acetaminophen or Ibuprofen to reduce abuse potential and increase pain relief without having to load up the body with too many opiates. These lower risk narcotics are abused widely across the nation, but there is an even more dangerous pharmaceutical narcotic danger prevalent.

People with severe chronic pain need higher amounts of these drugs because of the tolerance they have developed over time. For these situations much stronger medication is needed. For these situations there are drugs like Oxycontin which is the registered brand name of a pill containing only large amounts of the powerful synthetic opioid analgesic oxycodone. Drugs such as Oxycontin sometimes have 10 or 20 times the narcotic as their mild versions without the abuse limiting over the counter medicine being coupled with it. This creates a drug with high abuse potential.

Although there are efforts being made to create anti-abuse strong pain meds, there already are so many pills that have been directed away from the pharmacies and into the black market. People literally have stock piles of them and make tens of thousands of dollars. Pills typically sell for up to a dollar a milligram, and when pills can be up to 80 milligrams then imagine the profits. Because of the demand, there is extra incentive to provide this illegal service.

People who demand these drugs are dependent on their effects just to function. Without opiates in their system, extreme withdrawal symptoms create depression, fatigue, and an overall uncomfortable genuinely bad feeling. Just the idea of experiencing withdrawal symptoms terrifies most addicts. This is why they are willing to pay such high prices. Oxycontin is kind of like the pharmaceutical equivalent to heroin. Heroin users generally consider Oxycontin the best substitute when their drug of choice is hard to find. Oxycontin addiction occurs more commonly in suburban areas rather than areas of poverty where heroin dictates more of the narcotic addiction.

The beginning of the road to recovering

2010-05-26T17:55:00.000-04:00

At the beginning of the road to recovering you will probably feel like the end of that road is so far away. Although the journey getting there can seem a bit daunting to say the least, you can take some comfort in knowing that it is not a feat too large for the human spirit. In fact just believing in yourself can help give your the edge you need to push through some of the darkness.

Think of each day as being a small but important achievement that keeps you in the right direction leading to the accomplishment of your goals. Drive and determination are keys to success in all of life's endeavours, and acquiring sober life is no exception. Take comfort in knowing that your struggles are no different from many many others who are currently in, or were in your shoes at some point in their lives.

When you think you can't make it through the day without using you are wrong. I am not saying it is going to be easy, but believe me when I say it is more productive to lay on the bathroom floor all day in agony with intentions of pushing through your addiction, than it is to use your substance of choice and accomplish small tasks in your personal life while maintaining your addiction.

Tell people that you are trying to get clean, this will increase your chances of success. The more support you have the more determination you can apply to your cause. The first week, and especially the first few days of recovery are the worst and hardest things. Looking back on your recovery, it seems more worth it and rewarding than you could have ever imagined. A sustainable and healthy lifestyle is a priceless acquisition. Stay strong, and don't give up! In life, fortune favors the brave...

Recognizing an addictive personality

2010-05-26T16:39:00.000-04:00

Most people know that they have an addictive personality if they have a tendency to take comfort from over-indulging in things like eating, exercising, television, the internet, sex, or any other enjoyable human activity that everyone does. So, I am not saying if you get comfort in curling up with a snack and watching television that you have an addictive personality. What I am saying, however, is that it is the moderation and control in these common activities that set people apart. Once you become used to abusing the regular comforts of life, that is when people tend to shift towards other ways to satisfy their compulsive behaviors.

When I was 13 I was a chubby kid who used food to create a level of comfort for myself. Thirteen is when I also began smoking cigarettes regularly. I don’t know why or what made me seek out and take that first puff, but what I do know is two things hit me the instant I did. The first is that I loved cigarettes. I loved everything about them, how they made me feel, look, and the calming effect it had on my nerves. The second is that I had realized that I had an increasing dependence on things that people over-do. Cigarettes would soon lead me directly to drug use.

I didn’t care that drugs were bad, I just wanted to feel something other than the awkwardness of being a young teen. I thought “well I will just use this for these temporary feelings,” and so I thought I would have a temporary habit. When you use substances as a crutch to cope with life, love, or the problems that come with them, than you directly put off developing the healthy normal coping mechanisms someone without drugs would create. I believe that time spent in addiction stops emotional growth, or at least slows it down tremendously.

I was nineteen when I stopped using. I felt as if I were still only fourteen emotionally. I could not deal with the problems of life. Drugs caused large problems in my personal life right before I got clean, and ironically left me without the emotional tools to deal with them. If your reading this and are in early recovery, I’m telling you I know how hard it is to realize that and still stop using. You feel as if you got yourself into a pickle that’s spiraling out of your hands, and now you’re destined to rely on drugs forever. This is severely not true, it just takes having faith in yourself and getting to a point where you can actually realize it.

Please tell someone if you recognize that you have had or do have issues controlling yourself with certain behaviors or substances. If you realize that you are being controlled by a behavior or substance than you have already begun the road to resolution. See it through to the end!

How to be a man ( or woman ) and get yourself back up on your feet

2010-05-26T09:06:00.000-04:00

As a 23 year-old, I do not come close to knowing the ins and outs of man-hood. However, know a little something about being a man for my family and especially myself. If you find yourself reading this and asking how to get out of your drug addiction then ask for help. Asking for help in this situation is not a compromise of manliness (or personal integrity), rather the contrary actually. By asking for help you have completed the first step in recovering your spirit and soul.
The help that so many people are more than willing to give will help let you rely on yourself so that others can rely on you too.

When you hear the small voice inside you begging for some resolution to your pain then please, if you are male or not, please man up and take that first step. Do it for you and whoever else needs you or might need you in the future.

Our instincts are typically correct, and when too much is too much we all need to stand up and do something about it. We only live once and time is fleeting. When you break far enough away from an addiction it's like being reborn, and each breath can be sensational. Each time you think about using or have a craving to use you need to put those dreams of having a good life in the front of your mind, and remember the reasons why you were determined to stop in the first place.

Whats up with suburban drug use

2010-05-26T08:08:00.000-04:00

Whats up with the kids of today?! Assuming your young twenties is still considered being a kid (and i would like to think it is,) then us kids is gettin' stupider by the day. Millions of kids are starving and have large problems to confront and overcome in less fortunate areas of the world, and kids and young adults are abusing the quality of life they have become accustomed to. In reaction to this displaced mind-set of lowering the health of your life because of the high quality of life, I must say I am not surprised. When you don't have to walk 15 miles in the snow just to get to school and back like grampa did, then kids get complacent, and when the video games aren't fun anymore, your sick of street hockey, and mom and dad have become trusting of your good-nature ( to some degree at least ) then suddenly smokin' a pipe full of illegally enticing whacko tabacco sounds like a fun adventure.

Speaking of tobacco: a lot of people talk about marijuana being a gateway drug. I think that tabacco is a bigger gateway drug than marijuana ever was, or nicotine to be specific. That first rush of nicotine after inhaling a puff is basically the first time an addict gets high. Then comes the marijuana, then comes the speed, then comes the booze, cocaine, heroin, and meth. I have seen first hand how, what was generally considered an overall "good kid" can go from that good kid into one of the trouble makers in a flash. Now I know some young adults can get away with just "expirementing," but when this happens to these kids with addictive behaviors it seems like it is almost irreversible! Like some sort of super mutant breed of obsessed drug using trouble makers. But seriously, can you tell the difference between a child experimenting, or an addict thats gone too far before it is too late? From a parents perspective you need to know that children have to learn to not only just say no, but why that decision to say no can save them so many headaches, and that the overall sense of well-being you get in the beginning stages of use is actually a shroud for the misery they will cause. The false sense of drugs being "good" can lure you in far enough until before long, they are in control of an un-managable lifestyle.

Drug use in suburbs not just a kids issue..

2010-05-26T07:28:00.000-04:00

I lived in a quiet suburb just outside of a troubled city. Other kids and I who stuck our faces in the wrong places ended up meeting the wrong people (who would have thought). Some of these people were well on their way to being adults, and some were even parents of classmates of mine.

If you are determined enough, you can find drugs anywhere in the US and maybe the world. Adults with disposable incomes, resources (cars, money in the bank, homes), and are active drug users, add to the supply of drugs that can some way or another land into a teens hands. Strong drugs like cocaine, and narcotics like heroin and oxycontin are simply too strong and dangerous for young developing minds and bodies. When mice are given the opportunity to self-administer doses of cocaine they dose themselves to death. If a full grown, well adjusted adult is not equipped with the tools they need to control themselves on cocaine, then imagine what could happen to a young mind on such a strong substance.

The reality that someone can spiral out of control on these drugs is not so hard to believe. We are all programmed to seek comfort from disturbances in life. What happens when life without drugs becomes what disturbs us? That is a large task to handle for a young mind already in a large challenge to adjust to becoming a functional human in society. With all the distractions on the path to becoming an adult, drug addiction diminishes your probability of accomplishing goals and dreams.

So for parents, you need to respect the sanctity of youth and watch for signs of straying from the path. Adults that havn't managed to get rid of the demons from their past shouldn't darken the skies of kids future's.

Here is a toast to the first post!

2010-05-25T20:17:00.000-04:00

If you are reading this then congratulations you are one of the first people to my blog which will continue to grow into a woven community built to assist eachother through the tough times ( which i swear will get better given the right confidence and attitude ). Today i am thinking about new beginnings and i want to get some opinions. If you ever have had the feeling like one day you woke up and were reborn, or if you want or need to feel that in your life right now then please share your stories/comments. Please e-mail me anything you would like to share with someone who you think may benefit. Anything i get now or later i ask you give permission to put on my page...thank you. The inspiration one receives can reflect an egual or greater inspiration on others in need. Sometimes anything can help someone who feels like they have run out of reasons to fight the demons in their life. And spreading tales of being fortunate has good healing potenial. You can fight back, and you can succeed! I myself would hope to share some inspirational stories at some point that got me through the fog.