Recovery

Journalist, playwright, novelist, philosophical essayist and Nobel laureate Albert Camus once said, “In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer. And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger — something better, pushing right back.” Whether you’re seeking treatment for addiction or a mental illness, it’s important to get you in a state of calm and clarity to start off your journey to recovery. Stabilization means reaching a point to where you feel secure about what you need to do to move forward with your life. For addiction, that’s likely going to first involve detoxification; for a mental illness, this may entail hospitalization. Once you have reached a place where you can adequately think, your healthcare team will work with you to really solidify that stabilization so that you can move forward in the recovery process. Detoxification occurs either naturally or assisted with medication – your body will dispel of the toxins it acquired through active addiction. You may experience withdrawal symptoms, but your healthcare team will be there to support you and/or provide you with non-addictive medication to help ease any pain or discomfort. If you use hospitalization, you will typically have 3, 5, or 7 days to obtain medication and speak with a healthcare team about what you’re going through – with either scenario, you can then move forward with a treatment program. Treatment programs often provide you with the tools and resources you need to get to where you want – and need – to be in order to live a happier, healthier life. This may be either inpatient or outpatient treatment; inpatient is longer and involves you staying, eating, and receiving treatment at a reputable treatment center, while outpatient is often shorter and involves you going home at the end of each day. No matter which option you choose, you always want to make sure that you’ve selected an accredited, reputable treatment center with a proven track record of excellence. If you haven’t already, speak with a professional from a reputable treatment center today. It’s never too late to seek the help you need.

Whether you consider yourself the next Adele or you prefer to belt out tunes in the shower, music therapy is a wonderful way to relieve some stress. Previous studies have shown that music therapy – such as lyrical analysis, instrumental playing, music writing, and more – can reduce anxiety, improve healing, improve self-expression and communication, reduce depression, and much more. Symptoms of a mental illness can be very distressing at times, affecting nearly aspect of life. By partaking in music therapy, you’re widening the horizons to learn more about yourself and boost your creativity while also working through difficult emotions that may be hard to face on the surface. A doctoral study completed in 2016 sought to explore the role of group singing in recovery; adults aged 18 to 72 years old participated in a 10-week community group singing program, with the researcher then assessing individual outcomes before, during, and after the program. Results from the study showed that participants found group singing to be beneficial to their recovery in a number of ways:

Recovery, whether from mental illness or addiction, is challenging. You’re letting go of everything you thought you knew about your life and embracing the change that is necessary to become a better version of yourself. There are many factors that can add benefit to one’s recovery: social support, engagement in treatment, utilization of tools learned in therapy, and more. Positive empathy, also known as the ability to share, celebrate, and enjoy others’ positive emotions, is a phenomenon that has been shown to bolster individual well-being. By engaging in positive empathy, you not only strengthen your relationships with others, but you feel more positive and hopeful for yourself.

According to a study supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), 30%-40% of men and 27%-34% of women who have perpetrated violence against their partners were drinking at the time of the event. The World Health Organization (WHO) refers to intimate partner violence (IPV) as, “any behavior in an intimate relationship that causes physical, psychological, or sexual harm to those in that relationship.” Physical aggression may involve slapping, hitting, kicking, and beating. Psychological harm may involve intimidation, humiliation, isolation, and more, and sexual harm includes forced sexual intercourse or other controlling behaviors. When alcohol is involved to intimate partner violence, the risks of physical, mental, and emotional issues become even more elevated. Excessive alcohol consumption serves as a major contributor to IPV, as alcohol directly affects cognitive and physical functioning, reduces self-control, and makes individuals less capable of settling disputes with others in a safe and reasonable way. There are many indirect consequences of alcoholism as well, including: financial hardships, marital problems, job performance issues, family concerns, health issues and more. Children who witness alcoholism and IPV are prone to experience more depression, anxiety, aggression, and higher risk of substance abuse problems later than children who do not. There are a variety of factors that can influence alcohol-IPV situations:

Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) involves an over-inflated sense of self, a lack of empathy for other people, and a general sense of self-importance. There are two branches that have been accepted with NPD: grandiose and vulnerable. Grandiose NPD is the most commonly known type and involves having a very high sense of self-esteem with a demand for respect and adoration. Many people with NPD are viewed as being “cold”, with a barrier placed around them from others. One less known type of NPD, vulnerable NPD, is a little less known but is still as important. Vulnerable NPD often goes undiscussed because it is the more “quiet” of the two; people with this disorder are unlike their grandiose counterparts as they may come off as shyer or more reserved. Individuals with vulnerable NPD are often highly sensitive to others’ criticisms and emotional reactions but may be burdened by persistent feelings of loneliness. If you have vulnerable NPD, you may tend to act disinterested, bored, condescending, or judgmental around others to get them to engage with you without you having to speak with them directly. While you may have an inflated sense of self-importance, this high self-esteem can easily come crashing down in moments where you experience the loss of a job, a poor performance evaluation at work, etc. Social media is often a big platform for those with this type of disorder, as they display their lives through tools such as Facebook or Instagram. Those with vulnerable NPD often behave as though they’re underappreciated or underrated, despite their achievements and recognitions. In addition, passive aggressiveness is common in those with vulnerable NPD, as they may ignore a person as a form of punishment for not doing what they wanted that person to do. If you’ve been diagnosed with vulnerable NPD, you may blame others’ shortcomings, justify your actions even if others view them as disconcerting, and distance yourself from others based on the belief that they are not good enough. Treatment for vulnerable NPD is available, and may include medication and psychotherapy, also known as “talk therapy”. If you relate to the above symptoms, speak with a licensed professional today to potentially obtain a diagnosis.

Painting. Singing. Drawing. Writing. Decorating. Composing. Playing. Dancing. Designing. No matter which form of creativity you’re interested in, all of these activities and more can have a profound, positive influence on your mental illness recovery. How so? Being creative means that you get to express yourself in a whole new dimension – there are no right or wrongs, no criticisms, no limits, and no audiences (if you don’t want there to be). Even if you don’t consider yourself a creativity person, engaging in creativity can help you spark more ideas, thus leading you to further insights and solutions to issues you may not even have considered. If creative activities (such as acting) are done in a group setting, this could also be a great way for you to connect with others and build your social support network. A study published in the American Journal of Public Health emphasized a few (but not all) benefits of various creative activities:

Recovery is a time to focus on your self-care and well-being, but that doesn’t mean that you must neglect your significant other and/or family. While it’s best for people to take some much-needed time to focus on themselves, the health of your romantic relationship depends on whether your partner is supportive of your recovery, if they are focused on their health and well-being too, if they are a great partner to you, and more. Some people find that their romantic partner isn’t the best fit for them when they’re in recovery, mainly because they aren’t supportive or because they pose a risk to the person’s mental and/or physical health. If you want to maintain a healthy relationship with your significant other while you’re focused on your recovery, there are a several things that will need to take place:

Racing thoughts, dizziness, increased heart rate, excessive worry and other symptoms of anxiety don’t just affect people at home; anxiety can affect nearly every aspect of a person’s life. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), 72% of people who have daily stress and anxiety state that it interferes with their lives at least moderately, with approximately 56% saying their anxiety most often impacts their work performance. Work-related anxiety may be caused by a demanding boss, a toxic workplace environment, heavy deadlines, or something else. No matter the cause, anxiety can certainly cause people to not only become less productive at work but can cause them to despise showing up for work altogether. A 2017 study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health emphasized that employees with anxiety experience lower employment rates, long-term unemployment, increased risk of exposure to inequalities at work such as lower salaries or discrimination, decreased participation, increased absenteeism, and more compared to those without anxiety. If you have experienced these outcomes of work-related anxiety, it’s important that you seek help today. What are some ways that you can better manage your anxiety at work? There are a few things that you can do to potentially help your work situation:

If you’ve been struggling with a mental illness, you may not consider yourself to be happy at times. Dealing with the symptoms of a mental illness can be challenging and can even take away some of the things you used to love about life, causing disconnection and further distress. One hopeful outcome of treatment is that you will become much happier as you regain control back over your life. It may take some time for you to feel comfortable utilizing the skills you’re learning in treatment, but there are some activities that you can start doing today to boost your happiness in recovery. A 2014 study published in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology sought to explore diverse types of positive activities and how they can benefit a person’s well-being and overall recovery. Positive activities were defined as acts that promote well-being and protect a person from mental health conditions. Activities listed in the study were: thinking gratefully, acting pro-socially, thinking optimistically, savoring positive experiences, doing kind acts for others, counting one’s blessings, using one’s strengths in new ways, affirming one’s most important values, meditating on positive feelings towards oneself and others, visualizing one’s best possible self, and more. The study emphasized that these positive activities can easily become reflective in many areas of life; for example, building on one’s strengths and doing kind things for others could lead a person to take on new opportunities they wouldn’t have before, or may lead them to a new friendship they otherwise wouldn’t have been led to. As individuals build compassion and love for themselves and others through positive activities, they improve their well-being and chances for success in recovery. If you are currently in recovery, consider the activities mentioned above and reflect on these questions:

Imagine this: You’ve been in recovery for about a month, and you’re feeling great. You’ve been working hard in individual and group therapy, and you finally feel as though your life is back on track. You think to yourself, “Finally, everything is just as it should be. I’m on TOP of the world!” Recovery consists of highs and lows – much like life – and when things are going well, it can be an amazing feeling. While you should embrace and appreciate these moments, you don’t want to allow yourself to feel invincible. Over-confidence can be just as much as predictor of relapse as feelings of helplessness can; just because everything seems to be going right, doesn’t mean your work in recovery is over. A 2016 study published in Substance Abuse Prevention, Treatment, and Policy, involved interviews of 36 participants regarding their history of drug use and rehabilitation, their self-evaluation of addiction, their motivations to abstain, their plans for the future and their attitudes towards rehabilitation. The researchers found that over-confident participants under-estimated their levels of addiction, over-estimated their self-control, and held external motivations and attributions. What does this mean for you? See if you can recognize these statements:

Recovery can be challenging because it involves building a new lifestyle for a better future. If you’ve recently begun a treatment program, you may feel apprehensive about your capabilities; many people who begin recovery have identified with a label – “addict”, for example – that holds them back from their true potential. Motivational enhancement therapy (MET), may help you discover the self-confidence that you need to push through the barriers that addiction tries to enforce on you. MET is designed to help people find new labels of their lives – ones that incorporate happiness, health, recovery, and much more. In the first session, your therapist will conduct an initial assessment to learn more about your history with substance abuse and your thoughts on recovery. Your therapist may work with you to come up with an action plan, as well as discuss with you some useful coping strategies that could help you in times of need. MET therapists are trained to listen to you rather than tell you what to do – this places the decision-making process in your hands. Your therapist won’t argue with you regarding any thoughts or decisions you plan to make about recovery; rather, they will explore with you all of the possibilities that you could take and help you make an informed decision. Ambivalence is completely normal when considering a major change. Often a key method for deciding if treatment would be best is to conduct a cost/benefit analysis; talk to your therapist about the benefits of attending treatment and what it could do for your life, as well as some potential challenges you may run into and some hesitancies you are having. On some occasions, addressing these issues may allow you to reconsider if the risks are all that bad – or more, what you may do in situations where these risks arise. If you’re unsure of whether treatment is the best option with you, schedule an appointment with a professional at a reputable treatment center. Get more information and speak with a therapist regarding your thoughts. Sometimes all it takes is talking to another person out loud so that you can process everything in front of someone who truly cares about your happiness and health.

In 2015, poet Sue Wallingford wrote a poem titled, “Life Goes On”. She wrote it as a form of art therapy, in remembrance of her addiction, as she was in recovery. Here is a small excerpt from her poem: “Your power to make me feel stronger slipped away gradually, almost Without notice. But in your wake you left your mark of betrayal and heartache. You tried to take everything away. But life goes on you see, New generations are on the horizon, And we’ll be ok.” Recovery means leaving behind destructive patterns of the past. It means growing, changing, and transforming into a better version of yourself; a version that places health, self-care, vitality and life fulfillment at the top of the priority list. Of course, necessary changes take lots of time and dedication. As humans, we’re not always excited about these steps because, well, it’s change – and change can be quite devastating. If you’re at a moment in your journey to recovery where you’re really missing aspects of your addiction, it’s okay to mourn this loss. Doing so can help you move on and embrace this journey that’s for the better. A 2017 study published by The American Academy of Psychoanalysis and Dynamic Psychiatry emphasized that addiction has many overlapping qualities to falling in love; both entail arousal, euphoria, and increasing preoccupation with the person or drug. When these have progressed into more serious stages, “leaving” the person or drug can lead to a sense of loss, dysphoria, changes in sleep and eating patterns, and more. Additionally, as with falling in love, addiction can involve social attachment, as many people who abuse substances due so around others. Recovery essentially involves not only quitting the object of your addiction but cutting out those in your life whom you have used with as well. Allow yourself to genuinely feel the pain of letting your past go. Utilize your tools from therapy and acknowledge the pain it’s caused you in life. Once you’ve allowed yourself to grieve you can begin focusing on building a social support network in your treatment program; over time, you will develop a new social circle, new ways of living – and you will be much happier and healthier.