Addiction

Control is something that so many of us struggle with on a daily basis, and it makes sense - the tragic and upsetting events of our lives can sometimes feel so out of grasp, that we’ll hold onto anything to try and feel like we have some firm grounding. For many people, alcohol is viewed as a way to control situations - or, rather, to drown out painful feelings associated with not having any control over what’s going on around us. It’s these instances that we must learn that we can’t always control what happens to us - all that we have control over is how we choose to react to it.  A few years ago, writer Raven Ishak shared with Bustle Magazine her own insecurities with wanting control: “I tend to be a victim of my own insecurities, which often holds me back from fully living a happy, carefree life. I worry about the what-ifs instead of focusing on the present. But forcing situations to happen because you believe they should happen exactly the way you want them to is just not healthy.” When we’re feeling the urge to get angry or to feel like a victim because life doesn’t go the way we planned for it to, there are a number of steps we can take to keep that desire of control “under control”:

One of the worst feelings is not being able to sleep at night. You start tossing and turning, you can’t get your mind to “shut off”, you awaken easily, or you’re just too tense with too many things to do to actually get to sleep. For many Americans today, this sleeping problem is quite common. We become stressed out, or overly worked, or simply have health issues that translate into difficulty relaxing and staying asleep.  At the beginning, it may even feel like a few minor changes will fix it - we try going to bed earlier, taking some Tylenol, or even talking to a close friend or family member about our stressors to try and ease some of the discomfort. When these minor solutions don’t work in the long-run, however, it becomes easier to rely on what we feel must work - in many cases, sleeping pills. Even adults who reach out to their family doctor may find that they’re being prescribed sleeping pills as a way to relax - and, if taken exactly as recommended, along with trying holistic practices alongside it, can work well - but if medication is abused, the potential for addiction becomes very apparent.

Summertime is a major season for traveling, whether it be for work, vacation or to visit family. While this would be considered a “normal” excursion for some people, there are some additional concerns for those in addiction recovery - because traveling and vacations are often associated with drinking or drug use. If you are a bit worried about an upcoming trip, know that not only are you not alone - but there are also steps you can take to ensure that you enjoy sobriety without feeling pressured to abuse substances.  Last year, writer Holly Glenn Whitaker shared her experience with traveling and being tempted with drinking. She stated: “...Italy felt impossible. I’d never in my adult life vacationed without drinking and it was unfathomable to me. I was terrified that something would snap in me while I was there...I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to enjoy myself…”

There’s been much debate lately over the influence of cannabis and the development of psychosis and disorders such as schizophrenia; many people believe that since cannabis is a natural substance, that it’s harmless. It’s important to remember, however, that any substance that can alter the mind and body can potentially yield negative results, and writer Benedict Carey stated for the New York Times earlier this year that an overuse of cannabis - along with an overuse of caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, stimulants, and hallucinogens can cause psychosis symptoms. While scientists may differ on all the causes of psychosis and their relation to cannabis use, one thing is for certain: if a person is already susceptible to developing a disorder like schizophrenia, their chances for experiencing psychosis from cannabis use increases. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) notes that in addition to this, it’s about how much cannabis (or other substance, for example) is used along with the age of the person and the first time they used the substance.  Professor Marcus Munafo, a researcher who participated in a study related to cannabis and schizophrenia, stated: “There is growing concern that cannabis use might increase the risk of developing schizophrenia. Our results support this, but also suggest that those at increased risk of schizophrenia may be more likely to try cannabis in the first place.” The information presented regarding the link between cannabis use and psychosis is meant to serve as a cautionary message - because not only can excessive use of substances lead to dependence and, later addiction - but it can also cause a person to produce side effects that may be quite discomforting. If you’ve been abusing substances, including cannabis, and you’re ready to seek treatment, speak with a professional from Avalon Malibu today.

Sleep quality and quantity are incredibly important to living a happier, healthier life, but unfortunately, too many of us miss out on this more than once a week. Addiction recovery comes equipped with many ups and downs, especially as we’re trying to navigate what works for our mental/physical/spiritual health versus what doesn’t. Earlier this year, Tuck, a website that is dedicated to promoting research on better sleeping habits, explained that those who struggle with addiction are 5 to 10 times more likely to have a comorbid sleeping disorder. Naturally, this may lead one to contemplate what exactly contributes to this albeit discomforting experience? There are several reasons why a person in addiction recovery may be sleep-deprived, with one being that substances like drugs and alcohol can yield significant effects on the brain’s structure and functioning - which, of course, includes sleep. In February of this year, a study conducted by Massachusetts General Hospital found that vivid dreams regarding relapse are more common for those in addiction recovery; Dr. John Kelly, the author of the study, stated, “Given that these dreams can be deeply unnerving, more information could help treatment providers, those in recovery and their families know what to expect moving forward.” Therefore, it’s not uncommon for a person in recovery to experience disrupted sleep for several months up to a year upon entering treatment - and while this may seem disappointing to know, there are several steps that a person can take to help their mind, body, and spirit get back on track with sleep.

The language we use in our daily lives involves more than simply exchanging conversation; it’s a symbolic interpretation of what different things mean to us as individuals and as a society, and certain words that are used can have the power to change an entire nation’s point of view on a particular subject. Unfortunately, when it comes to the world of addiction recovery, there are a number of words that are used that only perpetuate negative views of others - and, in turn, further promote discrimination of people who’ve battled addiction but who are trying to improve their lives in the best ways possible.

Addiction is a complex brain disease, and neuroscience can open up many pathways for understanding as we dive further into it. Last year, Medical News Today, a website that publishes information related to various health conditions, explained that neuroscientists “focus on the brain and its impact on behavior and cognitive functions, or how people think.” There are a wide range of research interests within neuroscience, such as: mathematics, science, chemistry, philosophy, psychology and medicine. With neuroscience, a number of aspects of nervous system are explored:

Opioid addiction takes the lives of nearly 130 people each and every day within the United States; it’s a serious national crisis that has destroyed families, costed companies nearly $80 billion dollars a year, and has holistically left serious social and economic consequences. In an attempt to combat these harsh effects of the opioid epidemic, researchers have been challenging themselves to find preventative measures; tools and resources to help those in our communities seek help before the addiction becomes more severe, or greater support and outlets once people need treatment.  Earlier this year, Georgia Tech published an article that covered a study conducted by researchers – this study sought to assess 1.44 million comments from Reddit, a popular posting platform, to explore some potential risk factors that give insight into opioid addiction itself. The researchers found 3 particular opioids that were “most commonly used”, including:

A few years ago, a woman shared with Marie Claire, a website that publishes stories related to fashion, beauty, politics and more, her story of living with methamphetamine addiction. She explained that there was one point in time when she found herself waiting for an ambulance because she’d overdosed and couldn’t feel her legs or arms. Just a few short days later, she overdosed again; she stated: “When I tried meth for the first time, I knew the nature of my disease. I knew that the minute I put the drugs into my body my brain would respond with uncontrollable obsession. I knew that the meth would hijack my frontal lobe…getting more drugs would become my one and only concern.”  It’s been estimated that around 1.6 million people have used methamphetamine within the past year; the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) explains that an estimated 964,000 people had a methamphetamine use disorder in 2017, and more and more lives are being put at risk with this in mind. Addiction is an obvious long-term risk for those who experience methamphetamine abuse, but there are many other repercussions as well. For example, functional and molecular changes in the brain can lead to anxiety, confusion, mood disturbances, violent behavior or psychosis.

Our lives are entirely complex, filled with thousands of thoughts, feelings, moments and more. All of these impact us not only on a daily basis, but also in the long-run – in the grand scheme of our lives. True health and well-being is based in three primary areas that tend to cover nearly every aspect of living: mind, body and spirit. Part of addiction recovery is working on emphasizing these three areas of life – because addiction in and of itself can take away from these areas more than we realize.

Methamphetamine (also known as meth) is an incredibly scary drug to consider if you’re loved one is struggling with an addiction. Approximately 1.2 million people report using meth each year, and while meth use has seen a decrease over the years, it’s still a major topic of concern. One of the most challenging situations we could ever experience is to discover that our sibling, friend, coworker, spouse or other family member has been dabbling in substance abuse – and illict drugs like methamphetamine can bring about terrifying thoughts and fears for our loved one’s safety. If your loved one has decided to seek treatment, it’s important to note that there is still hope for them to recover. It will be a long road – but it’s worth it.

We’ve heard this term a lot growing up, but it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what a “gateway drug” is. Throughout our high school years is typically when we talk about this term, but did you know that adults can deal with gateway drugs, too? Cambridge dictionary defines a gateway drug as, “A drug whose use may make it more likely that someone uses other, more dangerous drugs.” Despite the fact that this term is associated mostly with younger populations, the opioid epidemic has shown loads of gateway drug access for individuals moving from prescription medications to drugs like heroin, which is now at an all time high with over 948,000 reporting using it. Cases like these show us that illicit drug use can make its way into a person’s life even a person would never have originally contemplated it. In fact, a government study that assessed substance rates from 2002 to 2012 found that heroin initiation was 19 times higher for those who’d previously reported nonmedical pain reliever use than those who didn’t; how do instances like these arise? Well, it’s due to a few reasons, such as: