A Teenager Needs Help For Drug And Alcohol Problems

There are times when the curve balls of life are a little more than we can handle on our own. The good news is, you are not alone and healing and treatment opportunities are readily at your disposal. Drug and alcohol addiction can creep up on the best of us, and the slavery that follows can be a period of time where darkness just seems to envelope everything around us. There is light at the end of the tunnel.

Addiction treatment can be successful when paired with love, education, diligence, community, motivation and recovery. There are a plethora of counseling agencies, therapeutic communities, specialized drug treatment programs and drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers available that offer hope, freedom and resurgence. Determination and support amongst family members is a vital component of helping addicted youths overcome dependence.

Seeking out educational, reliable information is a good first step. Gaining a better understanding of addiction and the symptoms it brings can help parents and other family members communicate more effectively and convey their love, concern and support. The first step is to get professional help; help that can offer trustworthy, unswerving guidance and therapy, both to teens and their families.

There are many options available for families who have a teen that is involved with substance and or alcohol abuse. Residential facility care is one such option which involves edification, medical care and localized treatment methods. Most programs are founded on the twelve step model, and group meetings are a central component of treatment. Many residential programs are substantially controlled in order to give residents the best possible opportunity for success and triumph over their specific addiction.

Infiltrating free time with structured events, activities, therapy sessions and group meetings allows little opportunity for addictive stumbling blocks. Teens can receive encouraging support and will have time to express themselves freely to trained, licensed professionals. In many cases, these sessions open doors of communication between youths and their family members bridging the painful gap that addiction can cause in meaningful, loving relationships.

Outpatient programs can offer success to those whose schedules and addiction may not require in-house rehabilitation, or who have already completed a more stringent residential program. Outpatient treatment offers a variety of key tools that can help families and those suffering from addiction find confidence, hope and autonomy through sober living. Outpatient services can include drug and alcohol assessments, both group and individual therapy sessions, and specialized counseling for family members. Enlightening and instructive courses on drug and alcohol addiction and methods are used to combat and treat addictions, including drug screening, and medical treatments, if necessary.

The ability to combat and find freedom against addiction and enjoy the wonder and beauty of a sober life is within reach for anyone who desires to make a change. Family members and their teens are not alone and there are facilities, professionals and treatment options that can and will bring additional support and encouragement and create a foundation of healing, not only for the addict, but to the relationships that have been damaged by the dependence. Liberty from addiction is one phone call away and the choice to restore sobriety and renew life is available to everyone. The choice and the opportunity are yours! Success awaits you!

7 Warning Signs Someone is Heading For an Addiction Relapse

The sad truth is that most people who try to recover from addiction to alcohol or drugs do not stay in recovery. Relapse is commonplace. Rarely does a relapse occur without warning; there are usually significant warning signs that can signal that the recovering person is at high risk for relapse. It is critical for anyone in recovery to understand these warning signs.

First it is important to understand triggers. Triggers are things that tend to lead addicts back to their drug of choice. A trigger can be a person, a place, certain types of events, or strong feelings such as depression or anxiety. When a person undergoes addiction treatment, their therapist will help them understand those things that could trigger them to relapse. The most common triggers are old friends who still abuse substances and significant stress, such as job or relationship problems. For alcoholics, a trigger might be a bar they used to drink at. Some people in recovery will try to revisit their old haunts without the conscious intention of drinking or using drugs; they will claim they just miss their old friends. This is rarely a good idea in recovery.

Here are seven warning signs that you might be heading toward a relapse.

1. You Stop Doing What You Need to Do to Stay Abstinent

The most common thing is for the recovering addict or alcoholic to stop going to 12-step meetings. They will make excuses: they don't like the fact people pray or everyone talks too much about their past substance abuse. Most people who stay in recovery maintain some sort of connection to the 12-step programs, even if it's only a weekly meeting. This allows them to continually be reminded of who they are and what is at stake.

The recovering addict might stop therapy because they find it too uncomfortable. They might stop exercising or doing any other positive behavior that has helped them stay comfortable in sobriety.

2. You Start Romanticizing the Days When You Were Abusing Substances

This might take the form of remembering only the good times when you were drinking or experimenting with drugs. Most addicts had a time during which they had few consequences for substance abuse. They may even have had fun. However, those times were long gone by the time you got clean. At some point they became dependent on the drug and consequences piled up. If you find yourself smiling about the "good times," and conveniently forgetting the misery of your later drug or alcohol use, this is a strong warning sign.

3. You Start Acting the Way You Did When Using: Selfish and Moody

Sometimes this is called a "dry drunk." You act like you did when drinking, even without the drink. In recovery, addicts attempt to change their attitudes. They learn that they have a tendency to personalize things and overreact. They discover that they have a low tolerance for frustration, and can get rather ornery if they don't get what they want, when they want it. They are the focus of everything. If someone doesn't smile at them, they take it personally. If someone else gets a promotion, it says something bad about their work.

If you have been working on this behavior then start to see it reappear, this is a warning sign.

4. You Start Thinking that Maybe Just a One Drink Won't Hurt

It you find you are talking yourself into "just one," this is one of the most obvious signs of an impending relapse. Those in recovery know full well the consequences of substance use, so the first step in using again is to somehow convince themselves that it wasn't that bad, or that they have "changed" and won't have the same issues this time around. The rule of thumb is that those who relapse pick up right where they left off. It might take a few days or weeks, but you will rapidly be in the same place you were when you last quit drinking or using drugs.

5. You Seek Out Old Friends from Your Substance-Abusing Days

You might excuse this as just trying to find out how old friends are doing, but if you start seeking out old drinking buddies or people who shared your interest in using drugs, you are heading into dangerous territory.

6. You Slowly but Surely Remove all Elements from Your Life that Keep You Anchored and Balanced

Maybe you stop keeping your journal, stop calling healthy friends, and quit that daily walk that always helped you clear your head. You probably already stopped doing the things that are important for sobriety, but now you are removing things that keep you calm and centered. You might say you are getting lazy, and your life is likely getting more chaotic and stressful. You are not taking care of your emotional, spiritual, and physical health.

7. You Are Extremely Defensive If Anyone Mentions Your Changes in Behavior

This feeling will be familiar: it's the same feeling you had when you first were encouraged to get sober and wanted everyone to mind their own business. It is denial crossed with an unhealthy self-righteous attitude. It's very uncomfortable when others begin to notice our movement back toward a way of living that made us and most people around us miserable. Why? Because you are now in the place of moving with purpose back toward drinking and using, and the addict in you is determined to get that drink or drug. For some, this can be the ultimate point of no return: you either wake up and change direction, or end up taking that inevitable first drink or drug.

Stress and Drugs

When you get stressed out, what is one of the first things that you typically do? How do you deal with unexpected things that happen in your life such as loss of work, deaths in the family or fights with loved ones? For some people, the answer is temporarily found in drugs and/or alcohol. But is this always the right answer?

There are many who would speculate that drugs and alcohol is most often (if not always) the result of some sort of trauma or stress-related incident. The truth of the matter is that drugs and alcohol seldom solve anything. In fact, drug and alcohol abuse does more to break up families, and cause all sorts of problems on top of whatever stress you may be feeling. The next time you are feeling stressed out, try to get to the root of what is bothering you. Figure out possible solutions to your problem on your own. The same money that you would spend on alcohol or drugs, take it and use it towards seeing a psychologist or psychiatrist. These people are skilled in being able to help those who are struggling with internal issues. Additionally, it is important to remember not to isolate yourself. Do you have any friends that you can call on for help?

Often times, when we are struggling or stressed out- or if we have drug problems, it can often be difficult to reach out to others who are there to help us. Little do we know that there are plenty of people out there who care about us and want to see us do well. It takes a lot of courage and honesty to admit that you have a problem- especially when the admittance is to a close friend or a family member. We are often afraid that we will be judged or somehow rejected. Therefore, as a result, many people keep their problems to themselves. There are also those who struggle with denial. They don't want to (and haven't) admit to themselves that there is a serious problem going on. Therefore, why would they need the help if there's nothing wrong.

It is so incredibly important that we don't isolate ourselves from other people- especially those that we love. In a lot of cases, you need to stop and remind yourself that no matter how bad your situation is, there is ALWAYS someone out there who is worse off than you. This isn't meant to be a selfish thing, but rather, it is meant to teach you to appreciate all that you have and to always think of others. In fact, many therapists would suggest that those who are easily stressed get volunteer jobs because when you're volunteering to help someone else, you are too busy to worry about things. You will ultimately feel better about your overall situation if you can find other more creative ways to give back to others who are worse off than you. This isn't to say that your problems aren't important. You still need to deal with your problems without the use of drugs and alcohol. It's just that by helping others, you will help yourself.

Alcohol Tester - Related Hint For Alcoholic Drink Recipes

An alcohol addiction treatment programme consists of 3 general alcoholism treatment option steps. These three steps are intervention, detoxification and re-habitation. Many persons with a drinking problem do not see or acknowledge that they have got an issue with alcohol abuse.

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Some familiar symptoms of alcoholism include continuous itching for alcohol, physical dependence on others, loss of memory, loss of appetite and numbness in body parts. This is an accepted fact about alcohol that if once you get into the grip of alcoholism, then in spite of strong urge to keep yourself away from it, it is tricky to do it.Most of the people who use alcohol have more than they can manage. This is seen in alcohol drinkers who lose control over their senses when they have one drink too many. Such an overstepping of boundaries is named as booze abuse. Folks who abuse alcohol are having more alcohol than their body allows them, but they haven't yet come absolutely under the control over their alcohol habit.

Alcoholism is also qualified by some other expressions. They include use, misuse, heavy use, abuse and dependence. Use is a term which simply refers to someone who drinks any alcoholic products. Misuse and heavy use do not have any standard definitions.

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Another key side of recovery is a healthy body. Proper diet and routine exercising is essential to a recovering alcoholic's well being. After a number of years of stupendously unhealthy habits and brutal treatment of their bodies, an alcoholic will feel great enhancements in mood and overall well being.Although piss alcohol testing will indicate the presence of alcohol of an individual it won't indicate the present condition of the individual person. Once consumed, alcohol enters the blood through the stomach inside 15 mins, causing fast impairment. It is then metabolized by the body and, after 1 to 2 hours, will begin to turn up in the pee.

Alcoholism and alcohol abuse can become life threatening if not dealt with. It is never too far gone to begin the process of intervention, detoxification and rehabilitation to help a problem drinker retake control of their health and their lives.Perhaps the key in all this is the following: most, or even all instances of alcohol addiction gets their start from booze abuse. Stated an alternate way, it is highly unlikely a non-drinker will become alcohol dependent simply by having one drink or that a non-drinker will become an alcoholic by getting drunk once. Indeed, alcoholism doesn't result from infrequent and infrequent drinking but instead from continuous, unwarranted, and repeated drinking.

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Like other illnesses, alcoholism can be overcome with correct treatment, prevention, and more research. Educating the general public about the disease of alcoholism is the 1st line of defense. Acute awareness and understanding of the early indications of problem drinking is essential. Spotting that alcohol is a drug and it use or abuse includes certain hazards are crucial to private prevention.

Alcoholism Treatment is an Option

There has always been much confusion about alcoholism treatment. One of the most common questions that alcoholics are asking is: Does alcoholism treatment work?

Throughout the history of the world, there are documented cases of alcohol use and, in many instances, documented cases of sheer abuse, which can easily be transported back to modern times and in our daily lives right now.

Alcohol - A Force That Does NOT Play Favorites!

While alcohol can be a pleasant social stimulant, it can also be a hideous and destructive force that does not play favorites. So, if this drug has been causing so much havoc over such a long period in our history, why are we still using it? In true fashion, human beings are an interesting mixture of self-preservation and self-destruction, dosed with a healthy amount of denial when necessary, which means that when it comes to alcohol - we just don't get it.

While it is, of course, true that not every person who drinks is an alcoholic, it is also true that there has never been a true medical or other type of legitimate reason for "needing" a drink- except to feel more "mellow and relaxed" or to "escape" and, in fact, alcohol has gained huge approval socially - which has seriously removed its taboo factor. Having said this, alcohol seems to be here to stay and it is up to all of us to deal with this fact AND the fallout that is associated with having booze so readily available to everyone.

The CDC estimates that currently 50% of adults in the US are regular drinkers with 14% of adults being infrequent drinkers - this means that 64% of the population has at least 1 drink per year and while the CDC does not offer statistics on the number of alcoholics, it would appear that approximately 10% of adults in the US are alcoholics.

Suffering Pain Through Alcoholism

While to some, these may simply be numbers, to others, these numbers actually have faces and names - they are mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, sons and daughters and sisters and brothers. Being an alcoholic is not a solitary affair - not only do you hurt yourself, but you also hurt everyone around you who loves you. So, really, that number of 10% should be multiplied to reflect the true pain alcoholism causes families and loved ones.

Unfortunately, alcoholism cannot be cured, however, alcoholism treatment is possible and for many, that option is scarier than having that next drink. Indeed, recovery and alcoholism treatment from alcohol addiction, or any type of addiction, requires courage and a strong, strong support system. People in treatment are very, very brave because to them, living without their drug of choice now has to face all the pain and fear that drove them to drink in the first place - but it is very possible!

Treatment Is Truly An Option

Thankfully, there are many alcoholism treatment options available which have proven to arrest the disease. If you or someone you know is struggling with alcohol, you are encouraged to get help - for them and for yourself. All of these options for alcoholism treatment is confidential and/or anonymous. Remember that many people have been where you are and have survived to tell about it. Never despair.

Denial - Why Alcoholics and Drug Addicts Think It's OK to Drink and Use Drugs

Denial is a defense mechanism that allows a person - despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary - to deny that something is true, when in fact, it is true. It is one of the most powerful and difficult problems that Alcoholics and Drug Addicts face before, during, and after treatment, because it is always the thinking that precedes the act of picking up a drink or a drug.

Physical Components of Denial

Over the course of time, drinking and using drugs can cause changes in the brain that affect thought processes and emotions. For example, when the hippocampus, which controls memory and judgment, is damaged, the Alcoholic or Addict has great difficulty remembering the bad things that happen when they drink or use. This coupled with impaired judgment allows them to actually believe that drinking or using drugs is ok.

Poor judgment is further compounded by the over stimulation or inhibition of two important neurotransmitters: Serotonin and Dopamine. Serotonin affects thinking and emotions, while Dopamine affects the pleasure and reward center of the brain. When a person drinks or uses drugs excessively, these neurotransmitters are over stimulated, and the body develops a tolerance to them. This causes the individual to need more and more of the substance while they get less and less of an effect.

Non-addicted people find it very difficult to understand the actions and thinking of the addict or alcoholic. They just don't "get it" because their brains have not been damaged so their thinking is not organically impaired and they have the capacity to differentiate between truth and falsehood.

Thought Patterns of Denial

The essential and most basic of all Denial thinking is this: "I don't have a problem with alcohol or drugs, and the things that are wrong in my life don't have anything to do with my drinking or using." This erroneous belief gives rise to all sorts of strange twists and turns of thought that are common in Addicts and Alcoholics.

Substance Abusers blame others for the negative things that happen in their lives and lie about where they have been and what they have been doing. They live in a fantasy world where they have convinced themselves that their lives are "not so bad" despite the loss of jobs, marriages, family and friends. They say that if only they had more money or if the people in their lives would understand them, that everything would be ok.

They do not acknowledge, nor do they connect the fact that drinking and using drugs have become the root cause of their current problems; this is Denial.

Behavior Patterns of Denial

Family, friends and employers notice changes in the behavior of an alcoholic or addict long before the person with the disease does. This is the first indicator that someone is in denial about their disease. Tragically, as it progresses, the individual barely notices the changes and deterioration because they happen gradually, day after day and seem normal to the sufferer.

Typical behaviors include, but are not limited to: being late to work, inability to hold a job, getting arrested, ending relationships when people criticize their drinking or using, spending rent money on drugs or alcohol, not keeping commitments, driving under the influence, poor personal hygiene, frequenting dangerous neighborhoods, and living on the street.

Again, the alcoholic or addict does not notice or pretends not to notice that these behaviors are related to their substance abuse, when clearly they are.

Summary

Denial is one of the biggest roadblocks to recovery. It is an elusive and dangerous pattern of thinking that is extremely difficult to break because it has so many different causes and manifestations. The first clue that someone is in denial is that their behavior and dialog changes dramatically and they develop a litany of excuses for this that do not include drinking or using drugs.

This is further compounded by physical damage to the brain and its chemistry, which exacerbates poor judgment, increases tolerance, and enhances denial. The fundamental problem of denial is that the alcoholic/addict actually sees their substance abuse as the cure, not the cause.

It is only when a person has a moment of clarity; where they see through the fog of denial and connect their problems to their drinking or using drugs that they will seek help. When this happens, recovery is possible.

What Are the Options for Alcohol Addiction Recovery?

You have many options available to you on your path to alcohol addiction recovery. There are traditional treatment programs and aftercare services. However, there are also less known alternative recovery options that can help you maintain sobriety.

Traditional programs include treatment centers. Residential treatment centers are perfect for teenagers. Adults who do not have a support system can benefit froma residential treatment center. Other inpatient programs can help alcohol dependent individuals, particularly hospital-based services. If you have to go through detox, a hospital inpatient program is ideal because medical professionals are on hand to help you through the physical symptoms of withdrawal.

Outpatient programs may be more suitable if you have a job or other daily responsibilities. Outpatient programs help you maintain sobriety through individual and group counseling. The program is your life line to recovery. It helps you deal with problems on a daily or weekly basis as you rebuild your relationships.

Outdoor therapy programs are available for teenagers and adults. These programs integrate outdoor physical activities in the recovery process. You learn to appreciate nature while developing team building skills. You begin to take responsibility for your actions and learn how your actions impact others. This helps you understand the impact of alcohol abuse on your relationships. Your self-esteem improves through achievement of physical challenges.

You have your choice of religious-based and secular programs. If it is important for you to reaffirm your faith or to establish a relationship with a higher power, religious-based programs may be the best option for you. Secular programs allow you to heal yourself before you start contemplating your spirituality.

A new trend in alcohol addiction recovery is online counseling and social networks. Most web sites dedicated to recovery communities usually charge a membership fee to join. Others require payment if you want to ask a specific question. Some sites are more of a social network for support while others actually create treatment plans for members. These sites are great for ongoing distance support. If you decide to use this option, be sure the site is managed by a certified addiction counselor.

Twelve-step programs such as AA remain popular options for alcohol addiction recovery. These are community-based groups that provide ongoing support to members. Regardless of the option you choose, by participating in a treatment or support program, you have a better chance of achieving recovery and maintaining sobriety.