Browse Addiction and Recovery

Why is change so difficult? Maybe we believe it has already cost us a lot to get this far so why risk everything. We are also creatures of habit. We form our habits, then our habits form us. Change also makes us feel insecure. We feel that maybe we don't have what it takes to succeed. But change is here to stay! We could argue that when we stop changing, we stop growing. In 1982 James Prochaska and Carlo DiClemente developed a useful model describing how people change. The mo

People use drugs for various reasons. Essentially, though, drugs give us a desired effect producing a feeling of euphoria that makes us feel better - at least temporarily. This is where the thought process gets a little skewed. People begin to crave the feeling of euphoria that they get when they use drugs and that's when it becomes a problem. It can be a vicious cycle. You feel you can't live without the feelings that drugs give you and that you just won't be able to cope wi

Giving hope to someone who needs it, whether their situation be a desperate one or simply a need for inspiration is perhaps the most important gift one can give, as well as in many ways being the most difficult thing to help instigate. It is often easier to give a false sense of hope than a real sense of hope, and this is often done as a reaction to a difficult situation that people find it difficult to cope with.

Seduction And Romantic Love We are seduced into relationships for many reasons, for support and approval, to overcome our feelings of loneliness, fear and insecurity, to explore our passion and sexuality, to feel power and control, to be needed, to have fun, to love and be loved, to have ...

The sexually addicted person doesn't use sex just to escape reality. He also uses sex as a shallow, fantasy based substitute for genuine intimacy. It is what I call, "the flight from intimacy." The flight from intimacy is more difficult to deal with – and must be addressed first – because it causes the emotional attachment to sex addiction. Most people who stop on their own, or through conventional, licensed therapy, or the 12-setp program return to sex addiction. One reaso

Getting up early, going to bed late, playing coach, cook, housemaid, financial expert, chauffer, grocery shopper, appointment keeper, bath giver, homework helper, and nurse is just what moms are expected to do. These are mom’s roles and these don’t have any relation to what she does at work, her role as a wife, daughter, sister, and friend. Time for her is seems to always fall short. She has a lot of duties and there just are not enough hours in the day.

“Everybody must get stoned” – Bob Dylan, Rainy Day Women # 12 & 35 Bob Dylan is one of the most popular Western musicians of the 1960s, and has been a songwriter and performer for more tha 50 years. He has more than thirty studio albums and 50 singles to his name, among them Blowin' in the Wind and The Times They Are a-Changin'. Even though his popularity in modern times is not at the same level as it was earlier, he has recently published an album and given a live performan

A.A.-Step 10: Teachings of Dr. Bob's Wife Anne Smith Dick B., © 2010 Anonymous. All rights reserved We have recently covered Steps One through Nine of the Alcoholics Anonymous suggested steps for recovery. We did so by pointing out the applicable remarks on those topics by Anne Ripley Smith, wife of A.A. cofounder Dr. Bob, "Mother of A.A." as Bill Wilson called her, and one of the founders of Akron Number One--the first Alcoholics Anonymous group. The primary source for th

Despite recent progress in the medical understanding of addictive disease, the amateur self-help group known as Alcoholics Anonymous, and its affiliate, Narcotics Anonymous, are still regarded by many as the most effective mode of treatment for the ex-addict who is serious about keeping his or ...

Crack is a designer drug. It was designed to be extremely addictive and it is. While it's certainly possible to recover from a crack habit, know that it'll be a major challenge and that you'll need all the help and support you can get. It won't happen overnight. Recovery from crack is a lifelong process. But those who have done it all agree that it's worth the effort. You'll probably need inpatient treatment of some kind in order to detox from crack and to withstand the withd

I am going to share 4 defense mechanisms that are frequently used by people in addiction to justify or substantiate their drug or alcohol use. I’m sure you have heard of some of these—you might have even heard of all of them. I hope to share some insights you may not have considered before.

What is a dry drunk, and the 'dry drunk syndrome', as it is sometimes called? It can best be described as someone who fits one of two conditions. The first is someone who has given up drinking and drugging and not made any internal or emotional changes, they stay the same but the substance use ...

Addiction is a disease that affects spouses and children as dramatically as addicts themselves. When people get sober, they often set out to right the wrongs they’ve done to their children. And though children of addicts are at greater risk for emotional problems and addiction than other children, there are steps parents in recovery can take to minimize these risks. Through education and a conscious effort to develop the tools for positive parenting, we can become the parents we want to be rather than the parents we had.

Being convicted of driving under the influence can completely derail your life. Not only could you have to empty your bank account to cover court fees, fines, legal representation and other costs, but in many states, that DUI may be a black mark on your driving record forever. It may be more difficult to get affordable insurance, good housing and even a job. Really, a DUI may feel like the transition from a good life into a miserable one. But it doesn’t have to. There’s no

Sometimes emotions make the life difficult even make it unbearable for some people. On the other hand, the life without emotions is tasteless, because, emotions give us experience of pleasure.

Quote “ Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city." - George Burns ? Holiday stress, is difficult enough, but if you have dysfunctional family members, the daily ‘holiday reminders’ can really be upsetting. We’re bombarded with images and songs that tell us that the holidays, should be peaceful and happy – everyone gathered around the dinner table – filled with love and good cheer. If you come from a family like that you’re lucky, but most of us do not.

Do you want to stop smoking marijuana forever? Are you tired of having no energy or initiative simply because you smoke weed? You may have desired to quit, as well as tried before, nevertheless , you usually seem to end up obtaining high once more it doesn't matter what your intentions were. Relapses really are a frequent occurrence with individuals who try to stop smoking marijuana, but there are methods that you can prevent this from occurring if you're using the correct pr

Voting the Lord’s Prayer Out of A.A. Dick B. © 2011 Anonymous. All rights reserved More and more efforts are being expended by a few members of the A.A. fellowship to move Almighty God out of the A.A. and other 12-Step and "anonymous" meetings. A Common technique is to call for a "group conscience" vote on elimination of the Lord's Prayer. Doing so, they almost invariably ignore the modern tradition that a "group conscience" was intended first to seek the guidance of "a lovi

When I first decided to write an article about relapse prevention, I felt anxious about what to include or exclude. I initially thought about all the material I have on relapse prevention, and how I could integrate it into one article. The truth is, I consider everything I do in treatment as ...

Silkworth: The Little Doctor Who Loved Drunks A Contemporary Perspective Dick B. © 2011 Anonymous. All rights reserved An Introductory Look at Silkworth as One of A.A.’s “Co-founders” William Duncan Silkworth, Jr., was born in Brooklyn on July 22, 1873. His family remembers him as a deeply spiritual man, not interested in any particular denomination. But he was, they said, a devout Christian. For many years, he attended Shoemaker’s Calvary Episcopal Church in New York. He

Relapse prevention is an ongoing requirement to maintain recovery. Some will say that you will get to a place in recovery where you don’t need to “work at it” anymore—that it becomes automatic. I have known a few people who seemed to put down their drug or behavior of choice—what they were addicted to and they didn’t appear to struggle with addiction again. But, that is not my experience with addiction. I have worked with hundreds of alcoholics and addicts over the years who also were not able to “put it down” so easily.

People really don’t know what A Day in the Life of an SEO Pro really consists of. Well, I’m here to tell you. This is how it starts: 5:30am Get up and turn on the computer. Grab a cup of joe while it downloads my emails. A SEO business is never closed, even though I checked my email last night at 2:00am, there are still over 30 new ones (not including spam!) – mostly from customers. So I spend the next hour replying to emails and deleting spam.

“We admitted we were powerless to overcome our weaknesses—that our lives had become unmanageable.” —The First Stepnn“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” —The Serenity Prayernn“Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that th

Is an Addiction a Safety Risk in the Workplace? I was talking to a human resource manager a few weeks ago about an employee who worked in his company. This employee was driving a company car and there had been numerous complaints from other employees that this man had alcohol on his breath at ...

I would like you imagine you have arrived to very beautiful pool in the middle of the forest. Maybe when you are next to the pool, it’s morning, or afte oon and or evening. If at any time, you look at very nice flowers next to the pool. I would like you focus your attention on a shrub red roses. When you look carefully at these roses, you see the red color of each rose is different from another. As you are walking alongside the pool you see different flowers. With seeing each flower, the pool and flowers are becoming clearer…and clearer…r

Back in 2011, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) declared an opioid epidemic in the United States. However, that does not mean that the United States is the only place in the world that is grappling with an opioid epidemic, as many other countries are as well. Sadly, the abuse of these substances has occurred to the extent that it has because prescription drugs are readily available either by prescription from a medical professional or illegally from dealers

Here are some qualities to look for in a sponsor. I have set the standard high since this is a very important relationship for you and your recovery. You may not be able to find someone with all the qualities I suggest due to many factors including the size of your town, number of people who attend your meetings and others. So, like I said I am setting the standard high due to the importance of a sponsor—you want the best person to help you, don’t you? But, you may not be able to find someone exactly fitting my suggestions. Don’t worry too much about that.

A.A. History Brief: Oxford Group Principles By Dick B. © 2011 Anonymous. All rights reserved What the Oxford Group Principles Were Many within and without the Oxford Group have endeavored to describe the principles of the Oxford Group. One Australian Oxford Group writer spoke of eight principles of the Group. Bill Wilson sometimes spoke of six “Steps” of the Oxford Group. But the idea that the Oxford Group had any “Steps”—let alone six—was dispelled by Oxford Group histori

Whether you’re stuck in alcoholism or drug addiction, there is a way to permanently overcome your addiction. I know you’ve tried and tried to stop, but end up relapsing again and again. What will it take to finally get you over your addiction and into the abundant life? Here are three biblical principles to help you get out of whatever personal problems you’re going through and on the road to achieving the life of your dreams. Have you noticed that almost all of our problem

I once chaired a discussion group that comprised a relatively large number of people who were heavy, hard-core addicts. All were heavily involved in the use of either cocaine or heroin. All of them were also in the very early stages of recovery, about one to two weeks of clean time after a period of withdrawal management. They all confessed that they were addicts. So, I proposed the challenge, “Will all addicts please stand up.” They all stood up. Then I asked, “Will all huma

Is there really such a thing as computer addiction? With most of our jobs these days which require the use of computers and anybody can enjoy the internet, can one become really addicted? But how can you differentiate from simply using or enjoying the computer as opposed to becoming full blown addicted? It depends on the purpose and effect on the user. This kind of condition can affect people regardless of age, race and social status. Those who pretend to be somebody else or

There was a certain merchant who has a parrot in a cage. He was going to travel to India for business, he said to his servants, bondwomen, and parrot,” what things do you want I bring to you from India?” Everyone ordered something, but the parrot said,” when you see the parrots in India, say them, that parrot is eager to be you, is in my prison now, what message do you have for him?” When the merchant was saying the parrot’s message to a flock of parrots in India, suddenly one of the parrots fell out and dead.

It is estimated that about three-quarters of the population drink alcohol. Of this number, about 10% will find that their alcohol consumption leads to serious problems involving their health, work, finances, and relationships with family and friends. When a person uses alcohol despite apparent harm to their health and well-being, it is called alcohol abuse (or dependence), or alcoholism. Men are five times more likely than women to develop alcoholism. However, the incidence of alcoholism among women has increased in the past 30 years. Causes of Alcoholism In Men

Alcoholics Anonymous & “The Mother of A.A.” Anne Ripley Smith, Wife of Dr. Bob Dick B. © 2010 Anonymous. All rights reserved Part Three: Key Teachings in “Anne Smith’s journal” on Steps 5 – 9 Materials Sources The best source of information about Anne Ripley Smith, wife of Alcoholics Anonymous Cofounder Dr. Bob can be found in Dick B. Anne Smith’s journal 1933-1939: A.A.’s Principles of Success, 3rd ed. (Kihei, HI: Paradise Research Publications, Inc., 1998); ISBN 1-88580

Addiction is a dark and lonely place and the barriers that hinder it are plentiful. It is easy to fall prey to it but you play hell trying to get out. Overcoming an addiction is never going to be anything short of difficult because it grabs ahold of people when they are weak and broken and it lies to them, promising everything will be just fine. The process is swift and before long life is fast forwarded to an ugly quest for survival.

A.A., the “Higher Powers,” and the New Thought Compromise Dick B. © 2011 Anonymous. All rights reserved My Search for the Curious Nonsense “gods” Floating Around Recovery Talk As many know by now, my searches for the history of A.A. began when a young man told me when I was three years sober that A.A. had come from the Bible. I told him I had never heard such a thing in the thousand or more meetings I had attended, but he told me to read A.A.’s own DR. BOB and the Good Old

n Inhalants are well recognized as being one of the most used and destructive drugs amongst children, teens, incarcerated people, and institutionalized people. An inhalant can be a gas, aerosol, or solvent, which is breathed and absorbed through the lungs. Most commonly used inhalants, which are used as recreational drugs are:nn Household products/organic solvantsn *Cleaning products, fast drying glues, nail polish removers n Fuelsn *Gasoline (petrol), Kerosene n Propellant g

Giving care to others can be stressful, professional caregivers have to strike the balance between good self care and professional care giving to others. Helping professionals need to ensure that they are robust and emotionally well in order to be able to care for others. This can be challenging in the workplace, they may have demanding case loads, little time to reflect on practise and difficulties with managing a good life/work balance. This makes helping professionals at risk of both burnout out and compassion fatigue. Understanding burnout and compassion fatigue

What comes to your mind when you think of an alcoholic and drug addict? Do you immediately envision a person on the side of the street, begging for change and holding a bottle wrapped in a brown paper bag? Do you envision a person in a crack house shooting up drugs and sleeping under a bridge? If these are the images that first pop in your head, then you have been watching far too much television. There are over 21 million people in the United States who have alcohol and/or drug addictions.

People addicted to alcohol drink compulsively and often claim to have an addictive personality. It is a convenient myth. I heard of a dentist who approached his dental work with compulsive attention to detail. His crowns had to fit perfectly. He was fanatical about bite adjustment and his workspace cleanliness was impeccable--all things I like to see in a dentist, because I do not like pain . . . or recalls.

There are 3 levels of agreement. The first level is the lightest and most casual which we will call an agreement. An agreement is a simple commitment between two people, such as making an appointment to go to lunch next Friday at a certain restaurant. The next level of agreement is a Contract. This type of agreement has some legal ramifications, and is often done in the form of writing. This type of agreement carries more responsibility, and more consequences if it is broken. An example is a contract to borrow money from a bank to purchase a house.

Drugs are presented to every teenager at one point or another. No matter what the discussions at home have been, no matter what a “good boy or girl” that your kid really is, the curiosity of what drugs are about will likely grab him or her at some point in time because here is what the trend today is:

What is relapse? Addiction relapse is generally considered to be the return to addictive behavior that person use it after a period of abstinence. To prevent relapse is a key factor of a treatment program. A relapse prevention plan plays a vital part in the addiction treatment, because, the relapse can be extremely frustrating for people who have addictive behavior and for families. The relapse means treatment failure for some people. I think the value of a program or a rehab center is based on its relapse prevention plan.

Inspired by the popularity of the movies, ‘The Secret’ and What The Bleep,’ which reveal the Laws of the Universe to the adult within you - Cathryn Taylor invites you to take this process one step further. She encourages you to share this ancient wisdom with your Divine Inner ...

Why Use a Breathalyzer? If an officer suspects that the driver operating a motor vehicle is driving under the influence of alcohol, the officer may ask the driver of the vehicle to submit to a Breathalyzer Test. Submission to a Breathalyzer Test is voluntary, but the legal consequences for refusing the test may be very costly. The Breathalyzer Test measures blood alcohol content (BAC) as based upon the amount of alcohol detected on the breath. A simple, easy-to-use device is

When a person decides to get sober the idea of staying sober can be overwhelming. The fear of relapse looms large. A quick review of the literature suggests that the success rate is relatively small when compared to the number of people who attempt to find sobriety. According to a 2003 study, the Caron Foundation documented that nearly 50-90% of people relapse within the first year after treatment or involvement in a 12-step program. Precursors to relapse can include anger, f

The most widely used and statistically proven treatments for drug addiction are called “evidence-based” therapies because of their rigorous testing and government approval. These therapies include one-on-one counseling sessions, peer-group discussions, and family therapy. However, there are other highly successful drug addiction treatments which rehab clinicians across the country use every day to treat their patients. One of these methods is known as reality-based therap