Archive for the ‘Addiction and Recovery’ Category
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Drug use is a very common reality in all cultures worldwide. Rave parties, dinner parties, birthdays, New Year, office parties: often we celebrate these occasions with social drug use and alcohol abuse. Many people use drugs such as cocaine and marijuana without considering that they could become addicted.
It is true that not everyone who uses drugs is an addict or will progress to horrendous levels of dependence on narcotics. Popular belief has labelled an addict as a heroin or crack addicted junkie, lying in a bare room with a needle stuck in their arm, stealing car radios to fund their habit. However, drug counsellors and other professionals now view drug addiction in a different way.
“Detox” is the beginning of the process of recovery. Most people need some kind of help getting through detox. Some people need medical help or additional structure and support. The kinds of difficulties that an alcoholic or addict will have with detox depend on a number of variables, including, personal characteristics, the specific types of drug(s), combination of drugs, length of use, amount of use, and last use.
Early addiction recovery is a fragile thing. One of the most frequent contributing factors in relapse is something we call “cross-addiction”. Essentially what cross-addiction means, is that if you are alcoholic or addicted to other mood altering drugs, you a potentially addicted to all mood altering drugs.
To truly understand cross-addiction, you must appreciate the character of addiction and the nature of mood/mind altering drugs.
Family Dynamics of Addiction and Recovery - How Can I Tell If My Partner Is Serious About Recovery?
Author: admin
Most spouses of alcoholics or addicts have been down this road before. Something has happened. Some crisis has gotten the attention of the alcoholic/addict and now he is motivated to get clean and sober. This time he is going to AA/NA and going to counseling. Promises made by the addict to stop the addictive behavior have gone unfulfilled in the past. Yet most of the time, when an addict is making those promises, he intends to keep them. This time is different. They mean it when they say it. That does not mean that what was stated as fact, is indeed, fact.
alcoholics/addicts do not normally live in a circle made up exclusively of alcoholics and addicts. Most people suffering from addictions have a multitude of people in their lives who are affected by the addiction. Even alcoholics and addicts that are estranged from their significant others, whether spouses or parents, or siblings, of their children, impact the lives of those who love them. When there is addiction in your family, it is vital to get help, even if you are not the addict.