A&E’s Intervention Explores the Dark Reality of Substance Abuse

The cable channel A&E has documented the trials and tribulations of many different types of drug addicts on the show, Intervention. This program has shown some of the most extreme cases of addiction in people of every age, gender and walk of life. While many people on the show appear to be far too gone for help, the families and interventionist often times will succeed in convincing the addict to seek help by their own choice. The program is not always successful but has helped to give many people a second chance at life.

The pain-staking journey through addiction is documented by a few cameramen who follow the individual around their daily routine, often times filled with non-stop drug use. You can watch how the addict’s life is spiraling out of control and how it effects their family and friends, who are interviewed throughout the documentary. While it can be hard to watch someone destroying their life, you know that there will be an intervention at the end where the addict is given a chance to go to rehab.

During the intervention, the friends and family are joined by a professional interventionist to try and convince the addict to save their own life. If simple pleading is not enough, they step it up a notch. The addict is given consequences for continuing their ways, such as not being allowed to see their children or going to prison for using illegal drugs. Most addicts end up deciding to go to rehab. Some people complete it and embrace their new lifestyle, but some relapse and go back to the path they were on. Either way, the show is very compelling and gives viewers a look at the dark side of life.

Intervention can be disturbing and graphic at times but has a powerful message of hope. Substance abuse is on display and the grim consequences of it are fully explored. Whether you know anyone with an addiction or not, the show will entertain you as well as educate you about life.

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Recognizing the Signs of an Addictive Personality

Substance abuse is a very difficult problem to deal with, whether you are the one who is addicted or someone you care about is suffering from it. One way to try to curb this problem before it takes over someone’s life is to recognize the signs of a person with an addictive personality. These are patterns or behaviors that a person demonstrates in their regular life, usually from a young age, that can lead to life threatening addictions.

One of the most prevalent signs of an addictive personality is when an individual is easily frustrated by a stressful situations of any level. When exposed to any amount of stress they tend to lack the coping skills that regular people would have. These individual will often times have little of no self-esteem. You may notice that they become obsessed with less harmful activities like exercise, coffee drinking or collecting things. These activities, in excess, could be an early sign that someone is prone to addiction.

Other signs of this disorder are sudden mood swings and avoidance of social situations. Individuals effected by this often try to hide their behavior and alienate themselves from people who may judge their actions. They will then begin filling the void, where personal relationships would be, with drugs, alcohol and other harmful addictions. Not having other people to interact with will almost defintely lead to depression and a worsening addiction. The sooner the behaviors are noticed, the better chance the individual has of stopping the downward spiral.

Having an addictive personality does not mean that someone is doomed to a life of substance abuse. The key is recognizing that the disorder exists and seeking out help to overcome it. There are many types of counselors, groups and therapists available for someone who wants to understand what is happening to them. Looking for signs early in life is important for helping someone stop the problem before it starts.

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What to do when a Loved One is a Drug Addict

Dealing with a loved one who has a drug addiction can be very difficult. The addict is not acting under their own control and are obsessed with feeding their addiction. It is hard to deny them their drug of choice, which appears to be giving them happiness. In reality, a person who enables an addict to continue down the path they are going down will ultimately be doing more harm to them than good.

When dealing with a drug addict, you have to understand that they will do almost anything to get the drugs that they want. If you really love the person, you will be able to see how their short term want is really going to lead to long term problems. It is easy to tell them how bad the drug or drugs are for them but then give them money or a place to live. You will probably feel like you are keeping them safe and actually helping them. This is very far from the truth and you are merely making their addiction easier for them.

The best thing you can do for someone that you care about is try to convince them to get help by any means necessary. You need to stop allowing them to take advantage of you and your love for them. Drug addicts are in a state of mind where they see anyone who denies them their drug, as being mean and uncaring. They will often try to guilt their loved ones into helping them continue the lifestyle they are used to and any denial of that means that the person no longer loves them.

Simply put, when someone is addicted to drugs they are not the person that they used to be. Helping that person get off drugs is the best way to show them that you care. An addict will take advantage of anyone to get what they want. It is extremely important that if you care about that person, you will see how helping them get off drugs is the best thing that you can do for them.

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Legal Drugs can be Harmful

It is easy to justify staying away from illegal drugs, like marijuana, cocaine and heroin. Many people understand that the addictive nature and damaging effects of these narcotics. So, legal and prescription drugs, like painkillers, are often viewed as being a safe and acceptable alternative. This is wrong. Just because something is legal does not mean that it can’t be just as harmful, if abused.

Many prescription drugs, like painkillers, can be highly addictive if taken in excessive and over a long period of time. Pills, like Vicodin, Percocet or Oxycontin are often prescribed when someone suffers an injury or has surgery. These pills are not designed to be taken for extended periods of time, but patients will often become immune to their effects at lower doses and will increase their intake. This can quickly lead to addiction, due to their euphoric effects, even after the pain begins to subside.

Since these types of drugs are legal and not too difficult to get, many people do not see themselves as addicts. It is almost impossible to measure the amount of pain that someone is feeling, so doctors will often over-prescribe painkillers and patients will exhaust their supply before they are allowed to get a refill. This is an early sign of addiction. Patients are so used to the numb feeling associated with the pills that any amount of pain will cause them to take a pill. Most painkillers are supposed to be taken at lower doses as time goes on, but often time patients will do the opposite and increase their dosage.

The legal status of a drug does not determine how dangerous it can be. It is just as easy to harm yourself or become addicted to a legal drug, like painkillers, as it is with illegal drugs. Doctors prescribe painkillers for limited use for most patients, but the addictive nature of the pills can quickly become a problem if someone is not careful.

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There Is An Addiction In The Family

When addiction hits a family, it effects everyone in the family.  The addict may be the one poisoning their body, but the lives of their loved ones are all poisoned as well.  Living with an addict is a daily battle, an emotional struggle that drains everything the family has.  Their entire focus is on the addict, there is very little left for anyone else.  Everyone else in the family need not be addicted to anything, but they will feel the addiction as if they have the same monkey on their back.  They have to watch their loved one give in day after day to an addiction that is killing them.

We all know the addict is sick.  The addict has a true physical and emotional problem.  They can’t stop even though they may want to.  They need help.  They refuse to get it.  The family lays down boundaries, the addict crosses them.  The family cannot stand to see their loved one in this condition, but it continues, and so on, and so on.  It is a vicious cycle.  The addict is in control of everyone but himself.  The addiction controls the family.  It feeds on the sympathies of those who want nothing more than to help the addict.  The addict will use these sympathies to get money, a place to stay, a sympathetic ear, anything he or she has to stay addicted.

If the addict will not get help, and many addicts will not until the family cuts them off entirely, the family can get help.  The addict will continually drain the family, one by one, until there is very little left.  The only way this family knows how to function is with addiction.  The family of an addict can get help, even if the addict won’t.  It may be the most important thing you can do for the addict.  You can retrain yourself to take back your own, non-addicted life.

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Making Detox Work

An addict who is willing to admit he or she has a problem, an addiction, is the first huge step on the road to sobriety.  Once an addict has taken that all important step, it is very important to detox from the chemicals that have been poisoning his or her body for months, maybe even years.  Due to the epidemic of addiction currently in the United States, there are detox centers in every state in the United States.  While the addict may have to go to one particular detox due to court ordered detox or insurance availability, the courts and the insurance companies choose their facilities very carefully.

Whatever the program, 30 days, 90 days, however long it takes to be free of the drug in your system, the addict needs to commit to that amount of time.  However, the amount of time needed to stay free of an addiction is simply a lifetime.  It will take a lifelong commitment to stay free from whatever substance the addict was addicted to.  During the intensive treatment in a detox center, the addict will be sick, hallucinate, want to get his or her hands on whatever substance it was that addicted them in the first place.  There are round the clock nurses and doctors watching out for the addict.  There are people to talk to whenever the urge strikes.  Once the detox has occurred, the actual ridding the body of the substance, the real work begins.

Detox works when the addict works hard at it.  Making sure before he or she leaves the treatment center that a strict, well thought out plan is in place so that he or she can stay sober, with a clear head.  Making sure he or she has contact names and numbers is vital in staying with the program.  Use the program, work the program, and live a better life.

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Quit Smoking the Easy Way

One of the most difficult things for smokers to overcome when attempting to kick their habit is the routine. Taking a smoke break is a way to break up the day at work, and it is a social ritual that friends and co-workers perform together. One way to maintain the routine without suffering the negative effects of smoking is to switch to the electric cigarette. The electric cigarette is a battery-powered device that provides users with vapor. The vapor can be infused with nicotine to help to wean smokers off of cigarettes.

Rather than quitting cold turkey, a gradual reduction of nicotine intake can provide smokers with an easier path to quitting. Nicotine is a physical addiction that causes changes in the brain, making users want it more. Symptoms of nicotine withdrawal include increased appetite, depression and a decrease in heart rate. Nicotine remains in the body for about two hours with every dose. Smoking cigarettes usually means taking multiple does of nicotine, which means that the drug usually stays in the body for hours after taking a smoke break.

Due to the symptoms that nicotine causes and the amount of tar in cigarettes, many smokers struggle to kick their habit. Electronic cigarettes offers the twin advantages of replicating the action of smoking and allowing the smoker to gradually reduce their nicotine intake.

The electric cigarette is abut the size of a ballpoint pen. Even though they mimic the actions of smoked tobacco, there is no actual smoke or combustion. Users can load in flavors to turn the device into a miniature hookah. Even though it looks and acts like a cigarette, the electric cigarette is both a conversation starter and an effective way to kick a smoking habit. If other methods have failed, picking up an electric cigarette is a healthy and effective way to quit smoking.

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Never Forget Where You Came From

You have been sober for years.  Congratulations.  You have taken on the challenge of helping others get to the place you are now.  You have decided to join the ranks of counselor for a detox program.  This is a rewarding career.  You get to help people go from desolate drug addicts who feel they have nowhere to turn, nowhere to go, no use for living, to fully functioning healthy sober individuals, with a new lease on life.  That is an amazing way to spend your work days.  While there is training  that you will undergo, you have already conquered the most important part of the training, you have been there.  There is nothing more valuable in a teaching or counseling position than to be able to say, “I know exactly what you are feeling, I have been there.”

For the addict who desperately wants sobriety, it may take just knowing that someone else has actually survived the detox, has come through it and has been able to get up and function again.  This may be the turning point for them.  There is a lot of despair in detox.  It took a long time to become an addict, becoming a sober person is not going to happen overnight.  But for the desperate addict, sick and questioning whether this sobriety is such a good idea, your presence is extremely important.  You know what is going to happen next, you know this road, and you can walk along with someone to help smooth out the bumps.

You are also keenly aware that by doing this, you are aiding in your own sobriety.  Watching other people struggle with addiction may be just what you need to see day after day to keep you from slipping, keep you working your sobriety.  Never forget where you came from, it has everything to do with where you are going.

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Curb the Possibility of Addiction

If you come from a family where addiction is common, you know your children have a high probability of developing a problem of their own. Even if this isn’t the case, you may have already noticed that your child appears to have an addictive personality. In either situation, it’s important to take early steps to prevent addiction before it happens. One of the best ways to do this is to stress the importance of a good education. Let’s take a closer look at education for your child.

Education as Prevention

Not only does working hard at school exercise your brain and expand your mind, it also gives your child a wonderful goal to work towards. Having a target in mind is a great way to help them resist peer pressure and stay on the right track. Exercising your brain also helps maintain or improve your mental health. Because mental illness is a leading predictor of future drug abuse, this benefit shouldn’t be overlooked.

The Statistics Will Be on Their Side

Because college graduates are statistically less likely to suffer from a life-changing addiction, a degree is just one more weapon in your child’s arsenal of preventative measures. It means they will earn more money, have less stress in their lives, and be less likely to come across tempting situations. Although it’s not an absolute guarantee, it definitely helps! If you’re worried that you can’t afford to send your child to college, there are affordable options. Take a look at earnmydegree.com to find a good online university that fits your budget! In addition to the low tuition rates, an online education will mean your child can avoid many of the college parties and other situations where someone might try to tempt them with drugs or alcohol.

An education can help protect your child’s bright future!

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Substance Abuse

Your commitment to your loved one is the most important thing in your life. There is nothing that is more important than making sure they are happy and healthy. When you find out that the person you love is being overcome by drugs and alcohol, it can be a very difficult experience. The effects of their addiction can not only damage their own life, but rattle your world.

It’s important to let them know you are aware of the problem. Many times an addict will live in his own world and convince himself he is alone with his disease. It’s important that you let him know just how much you care and that you are willing to do whatever it takes in order to see him get the help he needs. The most important thing you can help an addict do is help himself. Finding treatment for addicts will be the best way to end their struggles with substance abuse. If the addict is a dependent, like a child or a spouse, then help may be easy to find.

Contact your insurance company. In most cases the insurance will be for both in-patient and out-patient counseling. There are rehab facilities that they can connect you with. In many cases, insurances have an out-of-pocket maximum. This means they will cover up to a certain daily allotment. If you are without insurance, take the time to get the insurance you need. There are plenty of companies out there. It would be best to compare the different online insurance quote prices you get and find out which one fits best within your budget. The cost of going out of pocket to treat addiction can be incredible. Make your best effort to obtain insurance before resorting to that measure, even if it is necessary. Substance abuse is no laughing matter, and treating it immediately is vital to beating the disease.

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