Addiction & Mental Health News– August 1 Week

1.Mother, 52, reveals how she overcame a 25 year addiction to prescription painkillers

A mother has revealed how she overcame an addiction to painkillers that spanned a quarter of a century.(sports.yahoo.com)

2.New West group launches online addiction recovery program for seniors

A New Westminster-based addiction recovery group is finding new ways to support seniors in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.(princegeorgecitizen.com)

3.Mindleap Health™ Expands its Digital Mental Health Programs for Addiction, Psychedelic Integration and Holistic Wellness

Mydecine Innovations Group™ (CSE: MYCO) (OTC: NLBIF) (FSE:0NF) (“Mydecine”), is pleased to announce that its subsidiary, Mindleap Health™ (“Mindleap” or the “Company”) based in Vancouver, British Columbia, is expanding it’s digital therapeutic offerings by adding three additional programs to its platform.(globenewswire.com)

4.Commodore Builders, Herren Project launch first-of-its-kind addiction recovery program

One of Boston’s largest construction companies is expanding its partnership with a substance abuse program — the only one of its kind in the industry — to make counseling and support services available for free to employees, subcontractors and trades people at all of its job sites.(bostonherald.com)

5.Using telemedicine to treat opioid addiction

Getting medication long meant seeing a licensed provider. Now a strategy for evading Covid-19 makes treatment available via the web.(wausaupilotandreview.com)

Addiction Recovery Weekly Roundup – July 5 Week

1.The New Fight to Hold Purdue Pharma and the Sacklers Accountable for the Opioid Crisis

Victim advocates fear that bankruptcy will shield the drug maker from justice, but they’re not giving up.(theintercept.com)

2.Long Island Officials Lobby Congress For Funding To Help Recovering Addicts

Long Island elected officials were in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday to advocate for federal help in the opioid and alcohol addiction crisis.(wcbs880.radio.com)

3.What the heroin industry can teach us about solar power

If you have ever doubted whether solar power can be a transformative technology, read on.According to the UN body responsible for tracking and tackling illegal drug production, the UNODC, almost 80% of all Afghan opium now comes from the south-west of the country, including Helmand.(bbc.com)

4.Bucks expands program training police to connect people to drug treatment

Bucks County is expanding a program designed to quickly get people suffering from addiction connected with treatment by enlisting police departments.(whyy.org)

5.Michael Phelps: ‘I Can’t See Any More Suicides’

In the documentary “The Weight of Gold,” Phelps presents a stark picture of the mental wear and tear Olympians endure.(nytimes.com)

Addiction Recovery Weekly Roundup – July 4 Week

1.Traditional PTSD therapy doesn’t trigger drug relapse        People with addiction aren’t getting effective treatment for   PTSD due to incorrect presumptions

Researchers have now demonstrated that behavior therapy that exposes people to memories of their trauma doesn’t cause relapses of opioid or other drug use, and that PTSD severity and emotional problems have decreased after the first therapy session.(https://www.sciencedaily.com)

2.Social and behavioral factors most closely associated with dying

Smoking, divorce and alcohol abuse have the closest connection to death out of 57 social and behavioural factors analyzed in this study. The researchers analyzed data collected from 13,611 adults in the U.S. between 1992 and 2008, and identified which factors applied to those who died between 2008 and 2014. They intentionally excluded biological and medical factors.(https://www.sciencedaily.com)

3.Legal marijuana may be slowing reductions in teen marijuana use

A longitudinal study of more than 230 teens and young adults in Washington state finds that teens may be more likely to use marijuana following legalization – with the proliferation of stores and increasing adult use of the drug — than they otherwise would have been.(https://www.sciencedaily.com/)

4.In Faridabad, Teen Age Police unit to protect youngsters against bullying, trafficking

According to police officials, the TAP unit, which will cater to boys and girls between the ages of 13 and 19, will be led by an ACP-ranking officer who will closely coordinate with school authorities, parents’ associations, and non-governmental organisations working in areas of teenage problems.(https://indianexpress.com/)

5.Inside Kanye West’s bipolar disorder and Twitter rants

Kanye West’s troubled mental state has been on full view over the last few days.A series of concerning tweets and public appearances have likely been the result of the 43-year-old rapper’s bipolarism, his wife Kim Kardashian said.(https://nypost.com/)

Commonly Abused Drugs in Florida

Making the decision to enter into a Florida drug rehab is definitely not an easy one, but it is nonetheless an important decision that will end up affecting the rest of your life. Especially here at Treatment Alternatives, you will only receive the best possible care for your substance abuse addiction, and will be set up with  an aftercare program that will ensure your continued sobriety throughout the rest of your life.

Perhaps part of the reason why Treatment Alternatives has such a long history of continued success when it comes to helping people get (and stay) sober is due to over three decades of providing people with care along every step of the recovery journey. Specifically, Florida provides the perfect place to focus on recovery, and to find people who need help as well. SAMHSA reported that 79,322 people were admitted to Florida drug rehab centers over the past year, with admissions into treatment centers increasing from 21% in 1992 to 46% in 2006.

Due to Florida’s location, it is no surprise that it serves as a main international drug trafficking site. In fact, Florida recently became the leading Pill Mill state in the country. Because of this, it is important to know which the most commonly abused drugs in Florida are, and what to look out for.

Some of the most commonly abused drugs in Florida include:

– Prescription drugs. Due to the “unprecedented levels of abuse” of prescription drugs, 12,756 people were admitted for opiate addiction (excluding heroin) in 2009. In fact, 777,000 citizens in Florida reported using prescription drugs for non-medical use.

– Cocaine. This is the most widely abused drug throughout the entire state, with 11,516 people admitted into Florida treatment centers in 2009 for cocaine abuse. That same year, 390,000 Floridians reported abusing cocaine. As a result, numerous people have entered into drug rehab for cocaine abuse.

– Heroin. While heroin does enter into Florida from international drug markets, it for the most part gets moved outside the state. However, that does not mean that many people still need to the help of Florida treatment centers for heroin addiction. In 2009 alone, 1,721 people entered into treatment for heroin addiction.

– Marijuana. This is also one of the most abused substances in Florida, with 24,812 Florida residents entering into a Florida drug rehab in order to get help for their problem.

If you or a loved one are in need of a quality drug rehab for prescription drug, cocaine, heroin, marijuana, or any other addiction to substances.

Recovery Coach Helpline

• Get drugs and alcohol out of your home so you’re not tempted. That includes prescription medicines no longer used.Lock up medicines you need to keep them safely stored.
• Fentanyl is here. If you’re using heroin, cocaine or even pills, carry naloxone, go slow, and never use alone.
  

  WHO RUNS THIS HELPLINE?

  Safe Communities is a nonprofit coalition of over 350 organizations working together to save lives, prevent injury and make Dane County safer. Funding is provided by federal, local and foundation grants, project sponsors, memberships and individual donors.

Top Things You Neglect Until You Choose Recovery

For those who have been in recovery at you can most likely attest to the fact that your life used to revolve around using and where your next fix was going to come from. When dealing with a drug dependency for so many years, making the choice to get Florida addiction treatment and sober up can seem like one of the most terrifying decisions in the world.

While making the decision to enter into recovery may seem terrifying at first, the positive effects will soon outweigh all of the negative choices that used to take precedence in your decision making. In order to put things into perspective for you, here is a list of the top things you neglect until you choose a recovery center in Florida.

Fitness. When you were constantly dealing with hangovers and comedowns, it is easy to skip the gym. After all, substance abuse can suck out all of your motivation to be active and to take care of yourself. Until you enter into a Boca Raton drug rehab, most of your focus is on figuring out where you are going to get your next fix from. Once you get the help that you need, you will find that there is a whole world out there filled with plenty of other exciting hobbies to get wrapped up in.

Relationships. More often than not, users are unable to maintain relationships with anyone other than other users. Once you enter into recovery at a Florida drug rehab, the people that are in your life will have to change, as more positive influences will be more necessary. As a result, maintaining healthy relationships are most certainly one of the top thing you neglect until you choose recovery. Once you finally get sober, you will have plenty of time to focus on not only taking care of yourself, but for taking care of someone else.

Finance. Think about it, for those who are abusing alcohol, how much money is wasted on going out and buying booze? Or on buying silly purchases that you don’t need, but simply buy when you are not thinking clearly? Without the constant strain of having to refill your fix, then think about all of the freed-up finances that you will have. Not only that, but managing your finances will become easier than it has ever been before.

Career. For those who are in recovery at you know that substance abuse is a full time job. While some people are successful functioning alcoholics that does not mean that years of substance abuse does not eventually catch up with them. After all, who knows how many times their actions have caused them to be skipped over for a promotion? Do yourself a favor and cut out the substance abuse in order to fully focus on your career.

If you or a loved one are in need of a quality Florida drug rehab

Teen Addiction

Did you know that nine out of ten people with addiction began using these substances before they were 18? Or that people who began using addictive substances before the age of 15 are seven times more likely to become addicted than those who do not try drugs until they are 21 Teen Addiction

years of age or older?

While addiction has proven harmful in any regard, teen addiction can prove to have more detrimental short-term and long-term effects on the brain. Teenage brains are more susceptible to addiction and stress, as opposed to the adult brain.

Researcher at the University of Pittsburgh, Bita Moghaddam, explains that this is because, “the brain region that is very critical in planning your actions and in habit formation is directly tapped by reward in adolescents, which means the reward could have a stronger influence in their decision-making…as well as forming habits in adolescents.”

This proves even more harmful, due to the fact that the brain is still developing well into your twenties; therefore, any drug abuse not only stops the teenage brain from fully developing, but also makes them more vulnerable to addiction. Moghaddam further elaborates that the adolescent brain is, “more vulnerable to what goes on around them in the environment, to things that are expected to be rewarding, and could make the brain more vulnerable to addiction. Events or things in the environment could influence your next action more strongly in adolescents than in adults.”

Common red flags for teen addiction include:

• Changes in dress or grooming
• Changes in choice of friends
• Changes in eating or sleeping patterns
• Depressed mood or talk about depression or suicide
• Frequent arguments, sudden mood changes and unexplained violent actions
• Loss of interest in usual activities or hobbies
• Obvious intoxication, dizziness or other bizarre behavior
• Runaway or delinquent behavior
• School problems such as falling grades, poor attendance and recent discipline problems
• Sudden weight gain or loss
• Trauma or frequent injuries

If a loved one is suffering from teen addiction, call Treatment Alternatives today for a quality substance abuse treatment

Four Best Ways to Stay Sober After Treatment

There’s no doubt about it, making the decision to enter into a Florida drug rehab in order to begin your recovery journey is one of the most important decisions you will ever make. On top of that, the day that you complete substance abuse treatment will be one of the greatest achievements that you will ever make.

However, the recovery journey does not stop there. On the contrary, this will begin a long life of important decision making that will prove invaluable to the success of maintaining your sobriety. When you first leave your Boca Raton drug rehab, chances are that you will find this to be one of the most challenging aspects of the whole recovery process. In order to ensure the continued success of your sobriety, take note of some of the four best ways to stay sober after treatment from Treatment Alternatives. After all, they have three decades worth of experience to share.

1. Stick to the recovery plan. Even though you may feel like you have your whole like under control, make sure to stick the recovery plan. This feeling just proves that your recovery plan is working, and the last thing you want to do is mess what’s responsible for your success in sobriety so far.

2. Put yourself first. Take care of your mind and body so that you do not put yourself in a position in which you want to make yourself feel better – and potentially relapse. Devote some extra time to yourself, considering how much your substance abuse put your mind and body through before.

3. Surround yourself with good people. A strong support system is one of the most effective ways to stay sober after treatment. Whether it is family, friends, or other people in recovery, make sure you surround yourself with good people who support your recovery.

4. Make sure you talk it out. One of the reasons why surrounding yourself with good people is so important is because you need people that you can talk to who will actually be able to help you. If you feel a potential relapse coming on, then it is vital that you talk it out with your support system. Your support system can include anyone from the friends you made at your Florida drug rehab, your therapist, your family, or anyone else that you trust to have your best interests at heart.

If you or a loved one are in need of quality Florida treatment for substance abuse,

Treatment Center Must Haves

When taking the first steps needed for getting help for a substance abuse problem, you need to make sure that you find the right addiction treatment center that can help you get back on the right track.

But what do you need to look for in a quality Boca Raton drug rehab, anyways? Some of the main substance abuse treatment center must haves include:

Customized programs. Since not everyone has had the same journey, not every treatment program should be the same. Treatment centers with customized programs and a wide variety of treatment options available will help ensure that you are receiving the proper alcohol abuse treatment necessary to regain your life and sobriety.

Licensing. In order for Boca Raton addiction treatment center to be one you should consider, it needs to be certified and accredited by the state it’s in. For bonus points, the facility should also be certified by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO). If an addiction treatment center has been certified by the JCAHO, it means that they have been inspected and approved the facility as established and trustworthy, and meets a certain set of standards regarding treatment quality, patient safety, human resources management, and more.

Aftercare management. Whichever addiction treatment center you choose, it should have aftercare management with recovery resources to help keep their post-treatment schedule on track. Patients also need to be able to communicate with their therapists during times when they feel especially vulnerable. The facility should also have group therapy sessions available, where those in recovery can come and get support from other people going through the same situation they are. An added bonus: a treatment center that has an alumni group which allows those who have completed treatment to stay involved with the facility.

Getting family involved. For most who have suffered with a substance abuse problem, problems with family members have also come as a result. Because continued problems with family members can hinder the recovery process, making sure that the family is involved in the recovery process will enable the patient to reconnect with them and lean on them for support. This helps create a foundation with plenty of support to help continue healthy family relationships and prevent relapse.

Accurate medical record keeping. Treatment centers that keep accurate medical records is vital to the success of treatment. All addiction treatment centers should have full documentation of any examinations, diagnosis, and treatment done on a patient. This way, if documents are needed for disciplinary or peer review matters, medical records can prove the need for substance abuse treatment.

How to Tell if You Are in a Codependent Relationship

More often than not, the loved ones of those struggling with drug abuse will do anything to help them. However, there is a fine line between helping and enabling. Those who constantly make excuses for the addict’s behavior end up codependent, ultimately preventing their loved one from seeking help at a Boca Raton drug rehab.

What exactly is codependency, anyways? Codependent relationships are a type of dysfunctional relationship where one person supports or enables another person’s addiction, poor mental health, immaturity, or under-achievement. Usually, the codependent has the expectation that their help will be recognized and that the substance abuse related behavior of their loved one will change.

While the codependent may have the best intentions in mind, this eventually does more harm than good. By constantly being available and always wanting to please their addicted loved one, the codependent becomes the accidental enabler. This worsens the substance abuse problem by making it easier for the addict to control and manipulate the codependent, further allowing them to continue to not seek substance abuse treatment.

How do you know if you are codependent? If you feel like you rely so much on the feeling you get from helping a loved one who is suffering with an addiction problem, then you may be codependent. This type of attachment is its own form of addiction; by feeling like they are fixing things, their dopamine, also known as the reward center of the brain, gets stimulated. This may make the codependent feel less anxious, cover up underlying issues, and feel more secure. As a result, an attachment turns into codependency.

Unsure of whether or not you may be a codependent and preventing your loved one from getting help at a Boca Raton drug rehab? One surefire sign includes accepting full responsibility for other’s actions. By doing this, you allow the addict to not take responsibility for their drug abuse, further keeping him from getting help from one of the many treatment centers in South Florida. Other signs that you are codependent include: ‘people pleasing’ without considering your own needs, having an extreme fear of abandonment, and neglecting your own needs or responsibilities to help others.

By constantly being there to bail your loved one out of trouble due to their drug abuse, you prevent the addict from taking responsibility for their own actions. If they never have to take responsibility for their actions, then they can never recognize the true effects of their substance abuse problem, and they will never seek help from treatment centers in South Florida.

For those who think they may be codependent or enabling an addict, call Boca Raton’s leading drug rehab center Treatment Alternatives today, for quality Florida treatment.