If you are concerned that a person has an addiction to any drug please take him/her to a doctor immediately for a medical evaluation.
Recovery: The term recovery has a complex meaning and is often misunderstood by the people not involved in the addiction field. What is recovery? - Betty Ford Institute.
MY OWN THOUGHTS: The first question on your mind may be “What is a facilities rate of success?” Facilities often seem vague when attempting to answer this question or may state something outrageous such as 99%. The reality is that many people struggle with addiction for the rest of his/her lives but they still lead productive lives... most of the time. Recovery questions may include: How many clients are clean six months after leaving the facility, one year, two years, five years?, How many clients are returning clients?, What is the follow-up program after a client completes residential treatment or out-patient treatment?...If a person is in residential treatment for a year then relapses a few weeks after “completing” the program and leaving the facility. Was this a successful program?
Essential elements of programs that offer the best rate of success should included:
1. A highly structured daily activities schedule - meetings and often assigned job tasks at the facility or partnerships with local shops/companies
2. A formal transition program - i.e., residential to intense outpatient then tapering down to less intense outpatient program. This is often part of a relapse prevention program or recovery enhancement program helping a person with transitioning their newly acquired skills and strategies into their personal environment. Is there an alumni program?
3. FAMILY program - if the family is not involved in the recovery process, they certainly will be a part of the relapse process!
4. Spirituality in program- Recovery involves the mind, body and spirit. Spirituality help a person find a purpose in life and renew a sense of hope.
Completing a treatment program does not equate to being recovered. Participating in treatment is the first step in the recovery process. Recovery is the process of making permanent healthy lifestyle changes.
An excellent nightly radio show for everyone- free downloads RECOVERY COAST TO COAST
Should you Talk to Someone About a Drug, Alcohol, or Mental Health Problem?
Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment-research based guide NIDA excellent information
What is substance abuse treatment? A booklet for families
National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment
The Developmental Process of Recovery- T. Gorski (Recovery is not instantaneous but a process.)
Do I have a problem with drugs or alcohol? self-tests
Abstinence vs. Recovery
What is detox?
How to pick a facility and/or outpatient program
What makes an effective drug addiction treatment
What to expect from substance abuse treatment
Why do I need seek professional help?
What are essential components in a good recovery program?
Why should an addict avoid all mind- altering chemicals (alcohol, drugs, even limiting caffeine and sugar?
Anyone who has injected drugs or engaged in risky behavior should be tested for Hep C.
Helpful Recovery Links
Developing a personal/family plan (best if implemented in conjunction with professional help)
THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ABSTINENCE AND RECOVERY. Abstinence is the first step in recovery from drug abuse or addiction.. Then address the physical and psychological damages the body and mind have undergone. At a minimum begin attending support group meetings (AA, AA...others) while looking for a good counselor or psychologist that will work with the family. It is extremely beneficial to seek the help of a profession to begin retraining the brain to function without the use of artificial stimulation. Physically the person most likely has neglected food and exercise and would rather drink or use than do anything else. The lack have food and exercise may have made the body and mind weak. When a person first stops using he/she may suffering from withdrawal symptoms (often flu-like symptoms) and may not want to eat. Strongly encourage them to eat well-balanced meals. Begin walking everyday then gradually begin to increase exercising. A person may crave sugar products/drinks while in the beginning stages of recovery.
12-Step Support Groups- Encouraging the attendance of 12-step programs can be good, supplemental support for both recovery addicts and recovering families. I have read over a dozen books, all recommend attending meeting and getting involved with a sponsor. “90 meetings in 90 days.” If you can’t afford professional therapy at least utilize the support offered from 12-step programs. I am truly convinced that this program works for people who are willing to work it. Remember relapsing isn’t failing it is often part of recovering.
AA /NA (for the person in recovery) and Al-Anon/Naracon (for families) meetings.
Parents, spouse, or close friends may want to attend Al-Anon for siblings or children of someone struggling with addiction) meetings for support. These meetings are extremely helpful for building a support group. You may feel like your other friends or family members just don’t understand or worse they may blame you for the addict’s behavior or make you feel guilty about something you can’t change.
Statistically the recovery rate for those people who attend programs voluntarily vs. those people who are forced into recovery are the same. Most people suffering with an addiction are not capable of making good decisions (if he/she were able to make a healthy & rational decision surely he/she would decide to stop using and seek help).
Don’t confuse cost of a program with the quality of a program. The more you pay doesn’t equate to a superior program. Some of the best programs are run by non-profit organizations particularly those run by churches. Often 30-day programs are a little more than a glorified detox. If you think you need to go to a residential program and can only afford it for 30-days then look for a program that has a good outpatient (follow-up) program. It make take 2-3 years to relearn how to make healthy, rational decisions and to build confidence in your new lifestyle.
Addiction Journal- Parent’s blogging about their own person experience.
Detox is not treatment; it’s the first phase of getting stable so a person can connect to the right level of care. Journey Magazine, #6, pg 17. Victor Cappoccia
Medical Detoxification is a process whereby individuals are systematically withdrawn from addicting drugs in an inpatient or outpatient setting, typically under the care of a physician. Detoxification is sometimes called a distinct treatment modality but is more appropriately considered a precursor of treatment, because it is designed to treat the acute physiological effects of stopping drug use. Medications are available for detoxification from opiates, nicotine, benzodiazepines, alcohol, barbiturates, and other sedatives. In some cases, particularly for the last three types of drugs, detoxification may be a medical necessity, and untreated withdrawal may be medically dangerous or even fatal.
Detoxification is a precursor of treatment. National Institute On Drug Abuse
Detox Facility: Take the person to an emergency room if you can’t find a facility or have any reason to believe the situation is life threatening... particularly if drugs and/or alcohol have been mixed... don’t hesitate to take the person to an emergency room Search the internet for local detox centers.
How to pick out a facility: Drug and Alcohol Services Information System (DASIS)- Fact Sheets, Statistics, Facility locator...
Do your research...
1. Have an independent doctor, psychiatrist or counselor do an assessment to make recommendations for treatment and to determine physical & mental health.
2. If resident or outpatient treatment is best call various treatment centers for the best fit. (You should get recommendations from the experts you consult.) For example, some programs offer only outpatient services, some follow the 12-step program theory, ...
See list of questions to ask when calling recovery facilities
3. If outpatient counseling is the treatment similar questions (see above) can be asked. The counselor should emphasize balance in lifestyle to include a spiritual element to instill hope.
4. Begin random drug testing.
5. Begin to study the disease of addiction...educate yourself. The more you learn the better you will understand what is essential on the road to recovery. link to literature
“Due to adaptation and compensation over time, a person changes his entire lifestyle and the entire spectrum of human actions on physical, psychological, behavioral and social levels. When the physical aspect of disease is treated (i.e. an addict stops using) without treating other aspects, the untreated levels induce relapse to the previous disease state. A total recovery program is essential- physical, psychological, and spiritual. If a person recovers physically but fails to recover psychologically, behaviorally, and socially, his illness will continue to limit him. Physical recovery alone is only partial recovery. Recovery is dependent upon a change of lifestyle.” **1
When to seek medical advice: Addiction is a chronic relapsing disorder, meaning you tend to fall back into old addictive behaviors, including drug use, even after treatment. The sooner you seek help, the greater your chances are for a long-term recovery. If you're initially reluctant to approach a doctor, help lines or hot lines may be a good place to start to learn about treatment.
Because denial is often a characteristic of addiction, many people who are addicted to or who abuse drugs won't seek medical treatment on their own. Family members, friends or co-workers may need to persuade the user to undergo screening for drug addiction. Breaking a drug addiction may involve counseling, an outpatient treatment program or residential treatment. Mayo clinic
Oxycodone will eventually change the brain in such a way that users cannot quit on their own. (CESAR- Center for Substance Abuse Research)
•Recovery is a process far more complicated and complex than just ending the use of chemical substances.
•Dr. Childress- “So the hope of the future is medications and behavioral treatments that can combine to literally reset the brain.” Rehabilitation will teach people what they must be prepared to do in order to manage and contain their addiction- in the same way individuals with diabetes must learn to manage their lives and control their illness
Recovery: How should I live my life? Live life with honesty, live life with gratitude and live life as part of a team. “ **2
It is important to remember that 96% of opiate addicts relapse after their first detox/recovery attempt. Coping skills- Mayo clinic
Follow-up Care is Crucial to a Successful Recovery Programce abuse treatment? A booklet for families.
Expectations of treatment: Chart is from the article linked below.
“What can we expect from substance abuse treatment?”
Dept of Health and Human Service 
The Role of Social Supports, Spirituality, Religiousness, Life Meaning, and affiliation with 12-Step programs in Quality of Life... NIH public access- click on PDF for printable download
Why do I need to seek professional help?
A professional therapist, psychologist, counselor, psychiatrist or medical doctor offers a client the skills, academic knowledge, experience , access to valid tools of each profession, knowledge of additional references and objectivity that a family member or friend cannot provide.
Individual therapy: Psychologist/counselor/therapist- Try to interview the therapist to determine if it is a good fit. . Even if the person does not want to get help remind him/her the need: to develop good, positive decisions making skills, to learn what their personal triggers are and how to avoid them and thus avoid relapsing, and how to set new realistic goals. I would recommend a behavior/cognitive therapist. Their focus is on changing behaviors and reprogramming how the mind thinks. It is often most helpful to see a therapist weekly for 3 months. A more intense program of twice a week for the first two months may be necessary and would help toward building a good, trusting relationship. The real question to ask is, “Do you want to be struggling with these same problems year after year?
Psychiatrist- Suboxone may be a good additional to therapeutic treatment. I thought the hospital would prescribe suboxone for at least a few days to make transitioning home easier but it wasn’t prescribed. Find a doctor who prescribed this medication. Taking suboxone truly helps a person stay focused on recovery and healing without the physcial and mental distraction of craving the drug . During the second month my son forgot to take his medicine and said it felt like a machine gun was going off in his brain telling him to use. Pretty powerful statement.
Out-patient therapy: Utilizing a program that offers group therapy and random testing may also be an additional useful tool for recovery.
Essential Components to look for in a recovery program
Treatment programs- I hesitate to recommend any programs. Below are some facilities that seem to have total wellness as a major goal for the individual in treatment and family. Remember just because it costs a lot doesn’t mean the treatment is better and/or that recovery is guaranteed. Refer to questions section for treatment centers. Key elements include: intense/formal follow-up programs, highly structured program, family counseling sessions and spirituality components.
*Be sure to have your child/adult child sign a consent form for any doctor, councilor, or program you all choose for help. This is consent for you to ask a few questions and work with the professional not for the doctor to divulge personal, private information.
Spirituality has a personal meaning for every individual but most importantly it will offer a person a since of hope and meaning. Spirituality is “an inner sense of something greater than oneself. Recognition of a meaning to existence that transcends one's immediate circumstances.” (Nature.com) Spirituality is distinct from religion. The AA/NA programs works on developing the spiritual side to life and a successful recovery. In my opinion, it is moving from the self-centered life of an addict to a compassionate, self-giving life of a caring, person working on recovering.
Exercise- A KEY to recovery especially for opiate addicts. See Exercise If a full exercise program is too difficult begin with walking daily adding some distance weekly, eventually toning muscles and exercising the heart & lungs with a cardiac workout. Exercise improves sleep.
Eating Habits- In the beginning it is not uncommon for a person to crave sweets. sweet addiction. Drugs often become more important than eating hence the person may have lost their appetite for food.
Sleep- Developing good sleeping habits is essential in recovery.
Why should an addict avoid all mind- altering chemicals (alcohol, drugs, even limiting caffeine and sugar)? Sweet Addiction Stress and Addiction Sugar Addictions and Dangers
“Cross-addiction going from one drug to another, i.e. alcohol to marijuana, heroin to cocaine, etc., etc. the underlying reason is that the addict’s body chemistry is addictive, therefore, hyper-sensitive to all addictive substances, even if the effects of the substance are different. Thus the brain remains in addictive mode, even if the original drug is not taken.” Journey Magazine #6
Helpful links for additional recovery information:
Recovery Community Service Program- SAMHSA
Partners for Recovery- SAMHSA
Addiction Treatments Present and Past
See support groups
12-step programs and other support groups are wonderful for building a finding hope and building new friendships. But don’t confuse support groups with group therapy. Group therapy is a form of therapy that will allow an individual learn strategies for avoiding triggers that may lead to relapse, learn how to socialize in a healthy & safe environment, provides an atmosphere for healing. Both programs are excellent for aiding in recovery but support groups should not be a substitute for group therapy or individual therapy.
Group therapy and support groups have different purposes.
Substance Abuse Treatment: Group Therapy
Locate programs in the United States: SAMHSA Substance Abuse & Mental Health Service Administration
Locate psychiatrist treatment for Suboxone (Buprenorphine)
Recovery Facilities: Please research all your options. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee with any recovery program. It is how the person chooses to accept their disease and work the program that will determine which program is the best fit and most successful.
Archway Recovery Centers seems to be an excellent intense out-patient program. You may want to contact them and/or see if there is a similar program in your area.
Memorial Hermann appears to be another program that may be good reference and useful comparison tool.
The Gift of Recovery- Mission to offer families hope.
Mayo Clinic: Adult HealthFacts on Taps for College and High School parents, students, and professionals
Additional Info:Center for Substance Abuse Treatment
National Alcohol & Drug Addiction..U.S. Dept. of Health
Involuntary Treatment Voluntary Treatment - Florida
Google your State to see if it offers any programs
As you may have gathered abstinence from one’s substance of choice is really only the first step to a success recovery. The body , mind and soul have to change from artificial substances controlling their lives to living in the real world, making good decisions and beginning to enjoy life drug-free.
Click here for more information about getting organized and how to begin to develop your family’s plan.
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