Port St. Lucie Drug Rehab Uses Motivational Interviewing Techniques

Motivational Interviewing is technique employed by psychiatrists and counselors to, firstly, assess how a client’s mind is involved in his or her treatment.  During the initial sessions, it may come to light that some clients may have been thinking about changing their lives but don’t know where to begin.  Some clients haven’t decided that they want to change at all.  And still others, have been trying to change for years but have been wholly unsuccessful. 

 

Port St. Lucie Drug Rehab’s Motivational Interviewers are able to ask open ended questions that allow clients to come to their own positive conclusions.  Motivational Interviewing specialists often practice reflective listening techniques.  Reflective listening is when a listener rephrases and repeats the ideas originally presented by the client.  Reflective listening shows a level of engagement not always present in traditional counseling and allows the client an opportunity to listen to what he or she has just said.  This also allows the client to take responsibility for their words and make good on any promises talked about. 

 

Interviewers of this type focus on a variety of topics when leading clients toward positive affirmations.  Different sessions can have different focused topics such as:

• Looking back at the past and planning for the future – Clients explore what has happened and focus on making peace with the past while moving toward the future in a positive way.
• Typical days – Clients create scenes about what they would like their days to look like when they are successfully finished with the treatment program.
• The importance of change – Interviewers and clients talk about why making these positive changes is important and why achieving goals and making amends is the right course of action.  Also discussed is having confidence about the changes being made and ways to deal with shaky situations that will arise.

 

The main goal is to lead a client toward positive change.  Motivational Interviewing is meant to illicit responses and change the mindset of the client so that he or she comes to realize that leading a different life is possible and that change can happen.  The client will ultimately realize that he or she wants to change and now has a goal to work toward.

 

Become part of the Port St. Lucie Drug Rehab community and get help now by calling 1-800-411-9200

Visit www.aroadtorecoveryrehab.com for more information.

Environmental Factors are the Leading Cause of Drug Abuse

The leading cause of drug abuse according to the most current popular studies is environment.  Environment can cover all manner of factors.  Environment can incorporate family life, living situation, neighborhood, socio-economic status, friend groups, school districts, and so much more.  The leading environmental factors that contribute to the causes of drug abuse are:

• Peer Pressure
• Anxiety, Depression, or Other Psychological Problems
• Family History of Addiction
• And Lack of Family Involvement

 Recent studies have concluded that these environmental factors combined may contribute more to the causes of drug abuse than genetics alone.

 How do all of these environmental factors combine to be the cause of drug abuse?

 Peer Pressure

Particularly important with young people, peer pressure is a huge environmental factor of causing drug abuse.  What their friends are doing is generally what they are going to be doing.  Many children have a friend with easy access to drugs or alcohol.  It may not even be the friend you may think it would be.  Children can be cruel to each other about every little perceived difference.  And the pressure of being different and the serious need to conform often makes young people more likely to try drugs and alcohol.  Even if they have a very bad first experience, if their friends keep asking they will keep participating just to be able to keep up with the crowd.

 Anxiety, Depression, or Other Psychological Problems

On many occasions, people will begin taking prescription medication to deal with anxiety, depression, or other psychological factors.  And sometimes these prescription medications work for a while, but then decrease in effectiveness over time.  The options at that point are to increase the dosage which is sometimes an option or to seek alternative means of combatting the psychological difficulty.  These alternate means could be in the form of alternative prescription drugs administered by different doctors from different networks.  These alternative means could also be in the form of illegal drug use.  Both are dangerous and both can lead to addiction and dependence.

 Family History of Addiction

Children of parents with a drug or alcohol addiction problem are much more likely to become addicted to drugs or alcohol themselves.  A predisposition to addiction is in the genes of many addicted people, and they can pass that along to their children.  Availability of drugs and alcohol is also a factor when speaking about families with addiction problems.  If drugs are available and children observe their caregivers engaging in these behaviors, these children will likely not know that what they are seeing and then, consequently engaging in, is not a good behavior model until it’s too late.

 Lack of Family Involvement

Children who brought themselves home from school and were alone until their parents came home from work used to be called “Latch Key Kids”.  Now with the ways in which households are constructed, this kind of behavior has become very common.  Children are left alone often.  Parents are focused on work and making ends meet which, these days, is very difficult even for two parent households.  Families are spread all over the country without relatives close by.  Many children grow up without knowing what it is like to be responsible to others and having any one depend upon them or having anyone to depend upon.  With this lack of engagement between the generations, people are more likely to deal with their difficulties by seeking external stimulation.  This is the perfect breeding ground for budding drug addiction.

 Call 1-800-411-9200 now to get started on your journey to health and well-being.

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Substance Abuse Assessment: A First Step in Treating Drug Addiction

Many people wonder if they are truly addicted to drugs and alcohol. Taking a substance abuse assessment can give you the validation you need to seek professional drug and alcohol treatment.

The Vicious Cycle of Denial

As someone who has abused drugs and alcohol in the past, I can say that the worst aspect of addiction is the denial. For years, I would not admit or accept that I had a problem with drugs and alcohol. Even when my close friends and family members voiced their concern about my drinking and drug use, I would not listen. I actually used their concern as fuel for my drug and alcohol use. Blaming them for my problems or convincing myself that they had a problem, not me, only increased the huge amount of shame in my life that pushed me toward drugs and alcohol.

It’s very easy as an addict to justify your drug and alcohol abuse by blaming other people for your problems. Denial is a powerful and vicious force that allows people to be blind to their own faults. In reality, this is addiction: continuously abusing substances regardless of the negative consequences that they cause in your life.

An Eye Opening Experience

I was about seven years deep in my addiction and it was only getting worse and more dangerous. I had troubles with the law directly related to my drug use; additionally, I was pushing those close to me further and further away; tearing my family apart. I remember the morning my Mother showed up at my house all by herself with something in her hand. I didn’t let her in, but she slid the single sheet of paper under my door and left. I noticed that she was sobbing heavily as she left. In my mind, I knew what it was. I knew I didn’t want to look at it, and I didn’t for days. I was holed up in my house with a bunch of drugs and a bunch of booze; that’s all I needed.

The time came when the stash went dry and I had to leave the house to find more. On my way out the door, I stepped on the sheet of paper and remembered that my Mother had slid it under the door days earlier. I was strung out, but semi-sober due to the fact that I had run out of drugs and booze, so I picked it up and read it. It changed my life forever. What my Mom had slid under the door was a substance abuse assessment. I know it sounds cheesy, but what I read really hit me hard. The moment I got done answering “yes” to every single question on that damn piece of paper, something clicked inside of me, and I committed myself to never touching drugs or alcohol ever again.

I can’t say that this is how it will happen for you. But, I am saying that at some point, you will commit to quit. It has to happen. Every addict knows that they can’t continue to abuse drugs and alcohol their entire lives, because it will kill you. Open up your eyes and look at your life from a third-party perspective. What you see will scare the hell out of you. Realize the pain and suffering that you are dealing with and understand that the people who love you feel that tenfold. Denial is vicious; don’t let it win.

If you are ready to get affordable and supportive treatment for your drug and alcohol addiction, call 800-411-9200 today.

The Confessions of a College Graduate seeking Alcoholic Help

I’m a 35 year old business professional with a penchant for drinking strong bourbon and good beer. I never got into heavier drugs really other than smoking the occasional joint or two (or 12), but boy did I love my booze. It all started in college. I went to a major university in the state of Florida where alcohol was everywhere. I never really thought I drank much more than the average peer of mine. I’d go out 3-5 times a week and get drunk every night. I thought that this is what college was about. Although I managed to keep great grades, I found my social life and family connections fading about halfway through my four year stay at school. I didn’t realize that I needed alcoholic help then, but in hindsight, that was the first sign. People would tell me that I acted funny when I was drunk or that I drank too often, but I didn’t care what they had to say, because “I was in college” and “I was having a good time.”

I graduate and went on to get a typical job. I got paid decently and I continued my drinking ways. There came a time in my mid-twenties that I realized I needed alcohol help and I needed it bad, but I didn’t know where to turn or who to talk to about finding it. Honestly, I didn’t even know how they would fix it, because to me, there was no way to stop my urge for boozing. It had become a normal part of my life. I would go to work from about 8am-5pm and then I’d go straight to a local bar or straight home and begin to drink. This was my routine during the work week, but on the weekends; forget about it. I would get tore-up drunk; with no thought of the consequences.

Alcoholic Help Was Never Even a Consideration

It wasn’t until I got my third DUI that I finally sought professional alcoholic help. I was 28 years old. It saddens me a bit to think about the 10 years I wasted drinking alcohol. Although I graduated college, held a decent job and had a few good relationships along the way; I can’t help but wonder how much better things could have been had I not drank at all. Alcoholic help is something that I now speak to college-aged kids about on a regular basis (even though none of them care).

If you or someone you know is young and starts to display some of the signs of alcoholism at an early age; seek out professional alcoholic help immediately. The sooner, the better. Alcohol may be legal, but its’ effects are tremendous if you develop an addiction to it.

To learn more about the signs of alcoholism or to find quality alcoholic help, call 1-800-411-9200  today.

Visit http://www.aroadtorecoveryrehab.com/get-long-term-recovery-support-with-our-alcohol-treatment-programs-in-jupiter-florida.html for more information.

Creative Solutions for Drug Abuse after Treatment

At the end of the day, we as addicts can only live a clean and sober life when we are darn well ready to do so. At the peak of our addiction, if you would have asked anyone who has severely abused drugs or alcohol if we thought that there were solutions to drug abuse, we would’ve responded with something completely ridiculous like “I don’t have a problem so that doesn’t concern me,” or “yea, use more!”.

It’s almost laughable when I look back at the way I thought about drugs before I went through rehab. Having a sense of humor about my past is the best way I’ve found to cope with all the pain I and those who love me endured because of my addiction. I can’t change what has already happened, but I can continue to come up with creative solutions for drug abuse to help myself and others deal with the beast that is addiction. Here are a few post-treatment solutions for drug abuse that I’ve come up with that work for me:

• Arts & Crafts. Seriously. If you would have asked me to sit down and play with a hot glue gun 10 years ago while I was still abusing drugs, I probably would’ve said “sure” and then tried to figure out a way to get high off the glue. It really works! I really enjoy spending time creating trinkets and crafts whenever I feel one of those moments of “man, if I only had some weed. Just a little weed” coming on. Keep your hands busy creating and you won’t have such a desire to use. I swear it works.
• Exercise. Now that I’ve been living a clean and sober life for over 9 years, I find that sweating is my drug of choice. Physical activity is probably one of the most fulfilling solutions for drug abuse over a lifetime. Go out and get a nice lather on your body and you’ll be surprised at how satisfied you feel afterwards. It has a very calming effect. You don’t have to go nuts and climb a mountain, just run around the block or go for a swim or shoot some hoops. Sweating feels good and it keeps your mind and body busy.
• Cooking. I know, I know… cooking right after exercise? Yup. I did it. Getting in the kitchen truly makes me feel at peace. It might work for you as well. It’s one of the best solutions for drug abuse after my treatment that I have found. It keeps my mind busy all day thinking of the possibilities that I can conjure up in the kitchen; additionally, cooking keeps my body busy after the meal when I feel the need to do something with all the excess calories I consumed.

There Are Different Solutions for Drug Abuse for Everybody

These are just a few creative solutions for drug abuse that have worked for me and allowed me to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle post drug treatment. If you are beginning the journey to leading a righteous life without drugs or alcohol, give these activities a try and see if they help. I hope they do.

To learn about more traditional solutions for drug abuse, call 1-800-411-9200 to speak with a drug treatment professional.

Solutions for Drug Abuse after Treatment

There is a plethora of information available on the internet about solutions for drug abuse, addiction, recovery and alcoholism. It can be very difficult to sift through the advertising, false reports and press releases on the matter of solutions for drug abuse. Once you do find a program that offer solutions for drug abuse that works for you, extremely demanding times are thrown upon you and recovery begins. It’s about making that choice. If you have begun the road to living a better life and figured out your solutions for drug abuse, I applaud you; however, the truly hardest part begins as soon as your initial treatment ends. Ironic, eh?

Making a Plan and Sticking to It: Long-Term Solutions for Drug Abuse

Everyone travels a different journey when it comes to recovery of drug or alcohol abuse. Some people are lucky and can decide on and adhere to ultimate solutions for drug abuse that allow them to remain clean and sober for a lifetime. Most of us; however, go through every option possible and to hell and back before something clicks and we are able to stick to life-long solutions for drug abuse that work for us. It’s beautiful really; everyone’s plan unique to themselves and what works for one person may not work for the next. Five thoughts to consider if you have gone through drug and alcohol treatment and are striving to maintain a righteous way of life:

ü  Definitely, definitely, definitely do not use. No matter what, the most important facet of a long term solution for drug abuse is to never touch whatever it is that brought your life turmoil in the first place. Duh.

ü  Attend meetings regularly. No one can understand how difficult a journey recovery can be as well as someone traveling that same path. It’s so important to have contact with other folks going through recovery in order to stay in tune with your treatment for a lifetime.

ü  Constantly obtain knowledge. One can never acquire enough knowledge on the subject of recovery. In fact, in my opinion, no one can ever obtain enough knowledge on any subject. Grab something and hold onto it for dear life. Knowledge is power and will always keep me on track as a lifelong solution to drug abuse.

ü  Keep the ones you love in your thoughts at all times. Most importantly, yourself. It works for me. Anytime I’m feeling down and I want to go back to my old ways, I think of how much it would tear me up inside and how it would affect the ones who love and care about me so much. Don’t let yourself or them down. Ever.

ü  Stay as busy as possible. This kind of goes along with obtaining knowledge, but it’s different. So often, it’s in times of “boredom” or despair that we go back to using. Allow your solution for drug abuse to work by keeping as busy as possible with something healthy and productive in your life on a daily basis.

For community support and other solutions for drug abuse, call 1-800-411-9200 or visit our website at

http://www.aroadtorecoveryrehab.com/drug-treatment-and-rehab