Addiction
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- What is Addiction
What is Addiction?
Addiction is the leading cause of death in young men and women. Drug addiction is genetic and an environmental created disease that doesn’t discriminate against anyone. Addiction is a treatable, chronic medical disease causing one to keep using drugs or alcohol without having the power to stop on their own. This disease affects a person’s brain and behavior and leads to an inability to control the use of a legal or illegal drug or alcohol.
- Heroin Addiction
- Opioid Addiction
- Alcohol Addiction
- Crack/Cocaine Addiction
- Prescription drug Addiction
- Meth Addiction
- Benzo Addiction
- Suboxone Addiction
- Methadone Addiction
Can You Fully Recover From Addiction?
One is never fully “recovered” from addiction. Yes, your body will be free of alcohol or drugs but the ongoing treatment is mental and spiritual. Having to go through life on life’s terms without covering up one’s emotions and feelings with drugs or alcohol is an everyday ongoing battle that becomes easier with time. After going through detox and treatment and stepping back into your everyday life we need to remember that one is not cured. Continuing therapy, group meetings, group sessions, alumni meetings/events, healthy routines/activities are all crucial when it comes to maintaining long-term sobriety. Over time of continuous growth and work the cravings will be withered and life starts to get easier with less temptations
Signs of Addiction
There are behavioral and physical signs when it comes to addiction. The behavioral signs are first to come, addiction doesn’t discriminate. Behavioral signs such as obsessive thoughts and actions, disregard of harms caused, loss of control and denial of addiction or drug use are portrayed when one is in active addiction. The physicality of addiction is more easy to notice in one but this is usually when it’s been going on for months or even years. Enlarged or small pupils, weight loss or gain, bloodshot eyes, unusual body odors, poor physical coordination, looking unkempt or slurred speech are just some of the signs when it comes to addiction.
How to Prevent a Relapse
Preventing a relapse all starts in detox and treatment. Kandela offers sessions learning one’s triggers and how to cope with them so you will never have to “pick up”. Eventually you are going to have a temptation or something trigger you to use, it is bound to happen so we prepare you for the fight. Triggers happen when one is angry, stressed, bored, has relationship issues, financial problems, certain sights/smells, certain people/places and falling back into old habits.
We prevent these relapses happening from:
- Self Care
- HALTing (Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired)
- Mindfulness Meditation
- KNOWING your triggers
- Support Groups
- Sponsor
- Deep Breathing
- Grounding Techniques
- Contact List (immediately call someone)
- “Play the tape through”
