Addiction

An intimate relationship is a constant interplay of fulfillment and responsibility. Both members of a romantic bond must be able to contribute to the relationship and each other. When substance use is added into the equation, this exchange can quickly become unbalanced. As a relationship with drugs or alcohol begins to invade a person’s priorities, interpersonal relations are undoubtedly strained. What experts say In her 2004 essay, “Disorders of desire: addiction and problems of intimacy,” Helen Keane, Ph.D., proposed that to better understand how addictive disorders relate to interpersonal instability, people need to view problematic substance use in different light. Keane explained, “It is not the objects of addiction that determine the condition, but a particularly intense and rigid relationship between the addict and her substance or activity of choice.” In his 2013 article entitled, “When Substance Abuse and Intimacy Issues Are Linked,” Robert Weiss, LCSW, recounted relying on his experience in the field due a lack of research on addiction and intimacy. From his years of seeing patients, Weiss has noticed the undeniable prevalence of co-occurrence between substance and relationship-based problems. In further, he recommended that treatment providers address these comorbid conditions simultaneously to ensure the best recovery outcomes. According to Psychiatrist David Sack, M.D., an addict’s significant other cannot magically solve dependency issues, but he or she can ignite the desire to change. Sack stated, “You don’t have control over the addict, but you do have influence. It is often an intervention, an ultimatum or a refusal to enable that leads addicts to take the first step into recovery.” Warning signs of a loved one dealing with addiction William Fals-Stewart, Ph.D., of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) outlined the warning signs of addiction within a relationship:

Although the industry of addiction treatment and recovery has made progressive leaps and bounds over the past few decades, the field still faces a large hurdle of outdated ideologies that prevent innovative and evidence-based practices from being implemented. This restrictive force is known as stigma, and it is continually strengthened by how everyday people are presented information about substance abuse and dependency. The major culprits of misinformation include the Internet, television, and other sources of media.

A person’s teenage years are a primetime of potential influences. A supportive teacher can inspire students to achieve their dreams. Participating in a sport or extracurricular program can foster a needed sense of teamwork. A life-changing experience could occur at any moment. Unfortunately, this significant situation could be the invitation to experiment with drinking or using drugs.

When addictions become too severe and ingrained within people’s lives, professionals often have to wean patients off their dependencies through the use of clinical medication. A number of different treatments are utilized depending on the type of substance use disorder. While some like Suboxone have been criticized for their regulation and potential for abuse, others like naloxone have saved countless lives from overdose.

Although mental health and addiction both require recovery, their attitudes toward using medication are strictly distinct. While addressing addiction calls for an element of abstinence, more severe psychological conditions require pharmaceutical practices in order to ensure stability. However, if people struggling with mental illness become too reliant on their prescription use, treating their disorder can unintentionally lead to a substance use disorder.

Heroin today is regarded as a deadly drug which is contributing to the growing number of opioid overdose deaths happening every day in Canada, the US, and other countries around the world. Most people understand that heroin is an illegal drug bought on the black market and primarily comes from either China or Mexico. However, few are aware of the curious history of heroin, like when it was an over the counter drug.

So many things happen on New Year’s Eve. Parties, dancing, food, music, games – you name it. While New Year’s Eve can be a wonderful time to spend with friends and family, there are many things that can set you up for failure both psychologically and physically that night. Taking care of both your physical and mental health can ensure that you will have a safe and successful evening with those you love. Implement the following things on NYE to optimize your mental and physical health:

With more than 3 million people using the internet, finding the information you need is more accessible than ever. This instant gratification of retrieving information and connecting with others instantaneously has certainly caused us to utilize technology more than ever before. While the internet has provided us with many conveniences and benefits, it can, just like anything else, become addictive and can cause distress in various aspects of your life. Michelle Roses, MS Substance Abuse and Addiction Counseling told Quora, a website where people can find information, that all process/behavioral addictions change the brain. Specifically, the internet creates new neural pathways in the brain that replace other, healthier neural pathways or completely blocks the formation of healthy neural pathways altogether. Internet addiction impacts all senses, which makes the addiction so strong. As you utilize the internet, your brain creates new ways of doing things and soon enough it associates the behavior with pleasure; this means that it is affecting the neurotransmitter called dopamine in the brain. There are several signs of internet addiction:

Many people feel pressured to drink on NYE, but there are many ways to combat this. Making the decision to remain sober on New Year’s is a smart choice, because it allows you to stay more alert, aware, and present in conversations that you have with others. Much of New Year’s drinking can lead to arguments, fist fights, and reckless decisions that produce harsh consequences both physically, mentally, and legally. Here are some sample phrases that you can use this New Year’s if you are asked to drink:

Addiction affects every aspect of one’s life – work duties, home responsibilities, parenting, romantic relationships, family matters, health, finances – it’s all impacted. Too often we see a loved one or friend with an addiction, and they maybe don’t discuss personal matters as much as they used to. They may keep to themselves, and may seem sad with their life overall. We wish that we could do something to help them, but they seem to perpetuate a negative cycle of loneliness and isolation. A question we may ask ourselves is this: why are doing this? When it comes to addiction, the answer may be simpler than you think. Addiction has a social component to it, and if a person already feels as though nobody cares about them or nobody can do anything to help them, the addiction is perpetuated. Thus, isolation can be a precursor for addiction in the future just as it can be a component of addiction that continues replenishing itself of drugs or substances. Isolation can be both a before and a during. The topic of isolation and social connections is warranted because many people utilize addiction to cope with the unwanted feelings of loneliness, lack of love, feelings of unworthiness, and more. In 1970, Vancouver professor Bruce Alexander conducted a revised version of his original study known as “Rat Park”. With this experiment, Bruce created a magnificent, beautiful rat park for rats to play in and socialize with one another. He provided levers that would dispense drugs such as heroin, morphine, amphetamine, cocaine, etc. He found that the rats had very little interest in the drugs, compared to his previous experiment where rats were provided with drug access and were isolated; they were excessively consuming drugs. This experiment raises an important hypothesis: isolation leads to more drug use were as connection leads to less drug use. In truth, addiction lends damaging effects to itself in all ways. People focus on addiction to cover up their unwanted feelings, and in turn, become even more entrenched in their unwanted feelings because addiction causes them to behave in ways that perpetuate those feelings. Many treatment centers place emphasis on group therapy and group support, because social connection is a basic human need.

As stated in a book titled: Beyond Addiction: How Science and Kindness Help People Change, written by Jeffrey Foote, Carrie Wilkens, and Nicole Kosanke with Stephanie Higgs, “Recognizing that for most people change is more like learning to read than getting hit on the head with an apple, you’ll be less likely to blame a loved one for being ‘bad at it’ in the beginning or despair when he has bad days later on…. Change isn’t magic. It does not take a miracle. Change takes thought, planning, and work, and reasons to do something different. You can help make it worth it for your loved one, by helping to create an environment in which positive behavior is rewarded by your affection, presence, collaboration, and other forms of reinforcement, while negative behavior is shut out in the cold.” Living with someone who has an addiction can be challenging, especially if we do not know what to expect or how to handle the situation. Doing research and seeking help are important to do both before your loved one moves in and after they’ve moved in. Candance Plattor, registered clinical counselor who has recovered from addiction to opioids, marijuana, and alcohol, notes 5 key things that need to happen to love yourself and the person with the addiction:

Amidst the opioid crisis in the United States, it may feel as though our country needs quite a bit of reshaping. Even in tough times it’s important to remain positive towards those that are working hard to promote recovery. The Addiction and Recovery Awareness Music Fest in Westminster, Maryland “gathered music fans, treatment advocates and professionals, supportive friends and family members, and those in recovery at the event located in the Carroll County Agricultural Center”, according to reporter Brittany Britto of The Baltimore Sun. Jesse Tomlin and Kyle Leonard created the event. According to the Carroll County Times, Tomlin stated, “I said let’s go above and beyond with it. I want to reach a lot of people, not just his followers. Let’s do something that’ll reach the whole community.” Rising Above Addiction, a non-profit organization that hosted the event, sold over 500 tickets and raised over $6,000 to go towards addiction treatment and recovery.  The event was held on July 15th, 2017, and began at 4 p.m. Entry was $10, and the event featured rap artists Rem One, Ridge Long, The Signifiers, Prospekt, and more. These artists were all featured because they are also going through recovery. The main goal of the event was to promote the message that sobriety is obtainable. Featured speaker Bryan Novak, skateboarder from the MTV franchise Jackass, spoke about sobriety by stating, “This isn’t an epidemic…it’s a pandemic. I don’t know exactly how I can change the War on Drugs…but I let people know that recovery is possible. I want people to know there is a solution…there are resources available and most importantly if you’re breathing, it’s never too late”. According to The Fix, over 2,000 people died from drugs in Maryland last year, which was a 66% increase from 2015. The music festival helped not only to inspire others, but to encourage people to support one another. It also attempted to prove the point that addiction does not discriminate – there is no one “type” of person or circumstance that can be pulled in by addiction. It can happen to anyone, and we all must come together to help each other get through it.