Author: Christy Weeks

Alcohol Impacts Women Differently

Posted on by Christy Weeks

The gap between the number of male alcoholics and female alcoholics is closing quickly. Of the estimated 15 million Americans that abuse alcohol, around 1/3 of these individuals are women and this number is quickly rising.

Alcohol affects women differently than their male counterparts. Alcohol is more soluble in water than it is in fat. A woman’s body contains more fatty tissue than a male of the same size. Women also tend to have less muscle than men. Muscle contains more water than fat, and therefore men tend to have more water in their bodies than a woman of the same size. Finally, women produce less of the liver enzyme that breaks down alcohol than men.

All of these aspects of the biological makeup of women contribute to alcohol being more potent to woman than it is to men. Since less of the alcohol is absorbed or broken down in a woman’s body, more of that alcohol reaches the brain. If a man and woman of the same size drink the same amount, the woman will feel stronger effects than the man. This can lead to women developing dependence to alcohol faster than men. It also can result in negative physical, mental, and emotional consequences being experienced at a quicker rate in women than in men.

Adding to this is the fact that women have death rates 50-100% higher than men, with many women dying from alcohol related suicides, accidents, and circulatory disorders. And studies have revealed that even when women don’t drink as much or for as long as men, they have the same amount of damage.

Overall, alcohol abuse can be much different experiences for women and men and often the path leading to addiction is different. Therefore, treatment for women should be different. Unfortunately, there are few women’s programs that are geared towards recovery for women. Being a gender specific program is typically not sufficient.

That is why Harmony Foundation’s Colorado alcohol rehab offers an individualized treatment program for women. The program is not only gender specific, but specific to each woman. We believe that treating addiction in men and women requires a very different approach in each case. Learn more about our individualized addiction treatment program for women here.

Staying Sober During the Holidays – For the Newly Sober

Posted on by Christy Weeks

In our previous blog post we wrote about how the holiday season can be stressful for those in active addiction who may isolate from family or, alternatively, may regret their actions during family get togethers while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

This time of year can also bring extra stresses for those in early recovery. Examples of this stress include being emotionally triggered from unresolved family issues or from the presence of alcohol at holiday parties. Family members and closed loved ones elicit deep emotions, which are likely to come out during the holidays because of the frequency or duration of family time. These emotions can become further complicated when experienced in the presence of alcohol. Holidays often provide the first big test to those in recovery- testing their resolve to stay sober while experiencing strong emotions. This becomes an even bigger test when access to alcohol is thrown into the mix.

Another stress faced by those in early recovery are the expectations that abound, beginning with self-imposed expectations. Some may experience negative emotions and may get into their character defects when with family. This may be a departure from their normal sense of elation and being on the “pink cloud” of early recovery, so they may feel they have failed somewhat in their recovery process.

There are also the expectations of close family members and friends. Those newly sober feel that their parents or spouses expect them to be healed after addiction treatment and they grow worrisome at any sign of imperfection, like being in a bad mood. Their auto response is often concern that the recovering addict may be using again. Others may expect those in early recovery to apologize for their past actions because they have seen on TV, for example, that amends is part of recovery, even if the person is not ready to do the 9th step.

These are all variations on the same theme, that holidays provide challenges for those in early recovery in many forms. The positive element is that they are healthy challenges and getting through them sober strengthens one’s recovery and faith in the recovery process.

This is where true recovery begins, and the newly sober need to harness the tools they learned in treatment, including relapse prevention techniques and 12 step principals and fellowship to face their emotions and situations in stride with grace – realizing that is it progress, not perfection.

Addiction During the Holiday Season

Posted on by Christy Weeks
Happy Holidays?

The Holidays are a joyful time for most people. It means time off work and time spent with loved ones. For those struggling with addiction, the holidays can be a very stressful time.

Those in active addiction face many obstacles during the holidays. Holidays bring family members together to see each other and check in on how everyone’s life is going. If addiction has taken a toll on an individual in recent months, the holidays make it clear that something is going on. The addict in active addiction may have lost weight or appear more isolative and withdrawn compared to the year before. This can be stressful as family members may worry and ask what exactly is going on with them.

The holidays can also be stressful for those in active addiction because drinking is a central theme at many holiday get-togethers. When an addict or alcoholic takes a drink, they seldom stop at one or two and never know where the drink will take them. More often than not drinking results in some form of drama from being too drunk, such as being emotional, insulting others, physically assaulting others or other regrettable behaviors. Many addicts can recall a painful memory of the holidays, either with family or purposefully isolated from family.

Another stress can be the financial stress that is brought on by the holidays. No matter what holiday you celebrate, the vast majority of them involve buying things for others. Many in addiction have no money at all. Any funds they do have usually go directly to fueling their habit. To avoid the discomfort of not bearing gifts they may make up excuses or not show up at all.

It is because of these stresses that many addicts have sobriety dates around this time of year. Many hit their bottoms during the holiday season because of what their addiction represented during this iconic time of year. Instead of being grateful they felt hopeless. Instead of feeling joyful they felt ashamed. Instead of feeling full of love they self loathed. After entering treatment and being in recovery they began to appreciate these stresses because the unbearable weight of holiday stress ultimately lead them to seek treatment.

If this holiday season you or a loved one is struggling with an addiction too big to endure, our addiction treatment program can help. We are open on Christmas, Chanukah, New Years Eve, New Years Day and every day to help those who need our detox and drug and alcohol rehab services.

 

The Thankful Addict

Posted on by Christy Weeks

To those who have been in the trenches of addiction, recovery frequently provides opportunities to be thankful. Recovery gave them their life back. Though it was certainly earned, the work and efforts put forth in the recovery process, resulting in an improved quality of life, is something to be grateful for. Many recovering addicts are even feel thankful for the addiction they endured, as it made them stronger and gave them a better life than they ever had before they ever took the first drink or drug.

Recovery requires work and personal insight. The gift of recovery, and the personal traits it equips its receivers with, is something very few people ever get to experience. Those in recovery strive for constant improvement in knowledge of themselves, improvement in relationships, and strive to find a meaning and purpose to life. They take pride in helping others, and try to improve the lives of everyone they meet. This is certainly something to be thankful for. Many float through life without ever taking a good look in the mirror. The continued self-awareness, desire for self-improvement and perseverance those in recovery have is a trait that’s shared by few.

Although they may not be aware of this, those in active addiction have much to be thankful for as well. They are actively involved with a very deadly disease, and remain alive. They are also blessed with the reality that, if they wish, they never have to use again. The qualities of those in recovery mentioned above are attainable starting right now. It isn’t easy to achieve, but a life of recovery is worth it.

Though recovery is obtainable, it can’t be done alone. Getting help at a reputable addiction treatment facility like ours is the first step to a better life. If a better life, a sober life and all that comes with it, is something you are interested in, Harmony Foundation can help you achieve it. Recovery is just a phone call away.

The Importance of Exercise in Addiction Recovery

Posted on by Christy Weeks

When a person exercises they experience positive physical, mental, and emotional results. Exercising is a key component to a healthy lifestyle. For this reason, exercising in recovery from drug or alcohol addiction is generally encouraged. The simple things like a well balanced diet and exercise can go a long way in helping one stay sober. It helps in early recovery by speeding up the process of getting healthy. It also helps with long term recovery by maintaining one’s overall health and establishing healthy relationships and routines through exercising or going to the gym.

A recent study has found that exercise reduces the risk of relapse during early recovery. Interestingly, there was correlation between exercise and relapse rate or urges, but no correlation between the actual length of the workout and relapse rates. Simply put, being involved in physical fitness, on any level, was enough to reduce the cravings and help prevent relapse. Even a 20-minute workout can go a long way. The study also found that even during active addiction, exercising resulted in the addicts not needing as much of their drug of choice to be satisfied.

Exercise, like drugs and alcohol, activate the brain’s reward system. Runners have often referred to the rewarding feeling they obtain while running as “runner’s high”. The “feel good” chemicals that exercise brings on can show a person that there are other ways of becoming elated besides using drugs. 

It may seem like a simple task, but exercising can ripple into other aspects of recovery as well. Many who start exercising, even in small amounts, will start to incorporate other healthy aspects into their lives naturally. They may be more inclined to eat healthy to hold onto feeling well or dress nicer because their overall confidence has improved. Exercising can start small, and snowball into a very healthy lifestyle.

Exercise is a key component to our men’s residential treatment program, women’s rehab and our young adult addiction treatment program. This, coupled with our nutritional program, helps clients get physically healthy along with the spiritual and mental health that comes with getting sober.

A Click Away: Drugs on The Deep Web

Posted on by Christy Weeks
buying drugs on the deep web

The Internet is involved in nearly every aspect of American’s lives these days. Banking, communication, research, and navigation are all done primarily on the Internet. With the popularity of the World Wide Web growing, it was only a matter of time before it started to leak into the world of drug addiction.

Buying prescription drugs on the Internet is hardly a new thing. Individuals have bought painkillers and other drugs from shady pharmacies online for years. After several crackdowns on online pharmacies, dealers have needed to find new means of getting substances to addicts online.

The vast majority of the illegal drug trading online today is done on what is known as the Deep Web. This is the portion of the Internet that is not discoverable by search engines. The Surface web refers to  the Internet that the majority of people use. Search engines index the Surface web, and these websites are discoverable using search engines like Google or Bing. The Deep Web has been estimated to be 4,000-5,000 times larger than the Surface Web. It is here where addicts meet a dealer and order their drug of choice. Chinese criminals seem to be at the forefront, or at least heavily involved with the illegal Internet drug trade, using bit coins as currency to facilitate the trading, and operate from both Mainland China and Hong Kong.

While in active addiction, addicts became masterminds in the art of procuring their drugs of choice. It used to be that the best way to get someone clean was to keep them contained – in a lockdown facility to prevent them from drug seeking behavior. Addicts are told to stay away from people, places and things related to their addiction.

Since drugs are accessible everywhere now, including the web, recovery has to be all encompassing. It may have been an addict’s thought that changing locations and “starting fresh” would be sufficient to beat addiction. Running away from addiction is no longer an option. Availability and therefore temptation is stronger than ever, and addicts need to have the tools necessary to face these temptations.

The recovery program at Harmony Foundation provides the tools to combat these inevitable temptations – including group and individual counseling, 12 step support meetings, aftercare, alumni support and highly credentialed addiction therapists to help addicts sobriety have staying power, even when faced with explicit opportunities to fall prey to temptations.

The Addiction Carousel: Substituting Addictions

Posted on by Christy Weeks

Many people in early recovery are warned about substituting addictions. Substituting an addiction is defined as replacing an old addiction with a new addiction that the individual didn’t have previously. However, a case where someone has a co-occurring disorder, and one of those disorders or addictions grows after another is eliminated, wouldn’t be labeled as a substitution.

Substituting addictions in recovery is a common occurrence, and most people battling addictions have seen this take place within themselves or someone else. Someone who had a heroin addiction gets sober and starts drinking more. An alcoholic who quits drinking and starts binge eating. Substitutions of this nature are common.

So how many categories of addictions are there? According to Dr. Steven Sussman, there are 11. Dr. Sussman co-authored a paper in which he categorizes 11 “relatively common behaviors” as addictions. These common behaviors are: tobacco use, alcohol use, illicit drug use, binge eating, gambling, internet use, love, sex, exercise, work, and shopping. Any of these behaviors can count as addictions. If any are incorporated into a person’s life after giving up an addiction, and they culminate into a new addiction, that constitutes an addiction substitution.

Addiction substitutions are dangerous for those in recovery. Even if the substitution is a “safer” addiction, like going from heroin addiction to a work addiction, having an addiction at all is obviously negative. Any of the above mentioned addictions pose a threat to a person’s quality of life. A recovering addict should be mindful of other potential addictions, and make sure they stay off of the addiction carousel.

The Link Between Child Abuse, Substance Abuse and Relapse

Posted on by Christy Weeks

It is well known that relapse is common for those in early recovery from addiction. Also well known is that those with a history of child abuse are more likely to abuse substances in adulthood. A recent study now links the two – showing that those with history of substance abuse who are in early recovery have a higher propensity for relapse.

New York University School of Medicine and Yale University School of Medicine researchers published their recent findings in the American Medical Association journal, JAMA Psychiatry, showing the link between the two and highlighting the potential difficulty of treating adult addicts with a history of abuse. The researchers used MRI scans to look at the brains of 79 people in substance abuse treatment, some with a history of child abuse and others without. The researchers looked for changes in the brain previously associated with an increased risk for substance abuse relapse. They found these changes to be more prevalent among those who had a history of child abuse. The research showed that the increased risk of relapse pertained to all addictive substances. The study also noted that as many as 5 out of 10 people who experience neglect or childhood abuse will develop substance abuse problems and will have a high rate of relapse.

The findings also discussed the challenge of having effective treatment for those with child abuse in their history because the relapse potential is so high. However, addiction treatment centers like Harmony Foundation already consider abuse history when crafting treatment plans for new clients and programs for those who had relapsed. Because the rate of relapse is high for those in early recovery in general let alone those with a history of abuse, offering relapse prevention groups and therapeutic opportunities to recognize and face triggers is essential in addiction treatment.

Risk of Opiates Outweigh Benefits

Posted on by Christy Weeks

 

Photo Via www.neurology.org

 

The painkiller epidemic that has swept across the U.S. in the last decade is common knowledge these days. Many people have developed addictions, and many have died, from taking prescription opiates. Those in recovery are made aware of the fact that any mind altering substance will have devastating effects on their lives. While someone new to recovery may still struggle with reservations about the dangers of prescriptions, they are increasingly thought of as being as dangerous as it gets in the recovery community.

It should come as no surprise that prescription opiates pose a danger to everyone, not just addicts. In fact, the American Academy of Neurology published a position statement in their latest medical journal stating that the dangers and risks associated with taking prescription opiate drugs outweigh the benefits. This statement wasn’t referencing addiction or addicts, but everyone in general. It asserted that with the exception of cancer patients, the risk of overdose and other health problems associated with opiates outweighs the benefit of pain relief. For a person with chronic headaches or back pain for example, even the relief they may get from taking opiates isn’t enough to outweigh the associated dangers – the most glaring dangers being the propensity for addiction and accidental overdose.

With the well-respected American Academy of Neurology publishing statements on how opiates are dangerous for everyone, it underscores how particularly hazardous they are to addicts or those in recovery. In short, if they are too dangerous for the average Joe, imagine how deadly they are to addicts or alcoholics. Alternative pain management practices like acupuncture and other holistic therapies may pave they way for the future of pain management to mitigate the public risk of these dangerous drugs.

The Dangers of Molly (MDMA)

Posted on by Christy Weeks
Molly Abuse and Overdoses on the Rise at Music Festivals

 

Drugs have developed a reputation in modern society. Alcohol use is thought of as normal, while heroin is generally associated with an addict on the street. While there is some truth to stereotypes surrounding specific drugs, many are false. Molly, or MDMA, has developed a reputation among young adults as a “fun” drug. It is generally typecast as a drug young people do when at a club or music festival. It’s reputation as “fun” is dangerous.

Two young individuals overdosed on Molly earlier this year at the Electric Zoo concert in New York and earlier this month a 21 year old died after ingesting a lethal dose of Molly at the Austin City Limits Music Festival. Molly or MDMA related deaths are becoming a regular occurrence, with young adults overdosing at several festivals over the last few years. These tragedies are, in part, attributable to the general reputation of the drug – thought of as fun, and by association, safe. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Anything from gasoline to baby powder has been found to be an ingredient in Molly.

When drugs have reputations as being fun or safe it is dangerous for everyone, but especially threatening for recovering addicts. The idea that a drug, any drug, is ok in sobriety can be devastating. Some in recovery may feel that if a drug wasn’t their drug of choice, they can take it and not endure the same wrath as they did in active addiction. The age old tale of the addict who thought alcohol was ok to consume after becoming clean off of drugs is an example of this. A positive reputation being associated with a drug is menacing, especially when that drug is killing people. It’s of monumental importance is sobriety to remember, a drug is a drug is a drug – no matter its reputation.