It is important when dissecting a problem to ensure that the various factors of it are isolated and a plan worked out to resolve each one of them. For example, the problem of renovating a house is worked on in sections, for example the wiring, the plumbing, moving walls, or the like. Each part of the problem must be worked out and orchestrated or else only a pile of rubble and an uninhabitable house will result.
It is similar in handling a person with a drug or alcohol problem. First of all, no two people are exactly alike. And certainly their histories are different, their patterns may be similar in some ways, and wildly different in others. Therefore, an assessment of all the factors that add up to the problem of drug or alcohol abuse can be helpful in undoing each of the difficulties connected to a persons situation.
One area that is sometimes overlooked is that of physical illness and how it relates to the substance abuse. It may be too obvious to point out, but nonetheless, a person in physical pain is often using pain pills or alcohol to numb the condition and make their condition more bearable. Therefore, in planning a recovery strategy for anyone, it is wise to discover either through interview, or medical check, whether any physical illness or condition is also present, which may need to be resolved. In resolving the cause of the physical discomfort, the need for the drug or alcohol will automatically reduce. In certain cases, this has been all that was needed to bring about the end of the substance abuse.
However, in the main, where a physical cause for pain or discomfort is discovered, it must be fully addressed either before or simultaneously with tackling the dependence upon pain pills or other substances.
Especially in cases where there is no real history of abuse prior to an injury, or prior to a certain period of time, physical illness should be suspected. The word “holistic” is used often these days to describe a method where all the dysfunctional areas of a person’s life must be brought into view and improved. This is a good and practical way to view recovery from addiction as well as general health.
Wherever possible, seek a good medical check up when embarking on or helping another to embark on a recovery program. If no condition is found then you know the bulk of the recovery program can be focussing on addiction issues alone. But where an injury has failed to properly heal, or a compromised liver is present, or perhaps a person’s unresolved headaches for instance are discovered to be a great problem to the person, a great deal of positive ground can be reached if these things can be treated at the outset of recovery or in tandem with a rehab program.
Physical illness can get in the way of an otherwise effective rehab program. Just one thing to consider in preparing for a recovery program for you or a loved one.
There is a phenomenon that if not understood well can make the difference between a successful drug or alcohol recovery and a disastrous continuance and even worsening of the person’s condition. Drugs and alcohol can induce behaviours that resemble what in psychiatric terms is called “psychosis”. Psychosis is a condition where normal perceptions are replaced by delusional thinking, delusional perceptions, and accompanying fear, panic or dread.
If psychiatrists were experts in the field of drug or alcohol addiction, this point would not be so important to clarify. A common scenario is a person with a drug or alcohol problem develops voices in the head, sleepless or nightmarish nights, even hallucinations. Extremely agitated behaviour is common. Depression is too. As the nutritional needs of a person abusing drugs or alcohol continues over months or years, anxiety and depression are extremely common as the body breaks down and each system in the body deteriorates to an unhealthy state. A doctor who is not well versed in addiction and its results can mistakenly label these things as schizophrenia, bipolar or the like. Unfortunately the mainstream treatment for the person so labelled is to select from a menu of mind altering and internal chemistry skewing medications, such as benzos, or other highly addictive medications which do not answer or resolve the cause for these symptoms.
After all, if the cause of these things is nutritional deficiencies and important hormonal dysfunction and even dehydration, etc, then to just pump more drugs into the body is NOT going to resolve these problems. If a car has a funny noise happenning under the hood, putting earplugs in the ears may make the noise less bothersome, but it is still there, and the cause of it is still unchecked and will ultimately result in a total and complete breakdown of the machine. It is the same with a body which is suffering from ingesting too many poisonous and toxic substances.
If a person has been abusing drugs or alcohol for some time, the nutritional deficits in the body can be numerous and severe. That is why the recommended protocols for such a deteriorated condition must include high doses of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and those substances which will promote the production of serotonin and other important naturally occurring chemicals in the body. If the stomach lining or digestive system has become compromised, these nutrients can still be delivered by intravenous drip as needed.
As nutritional deficiencies and toxic residual load can mimic symptoms generally regarded as “mental illness”, it is wise to address these deficiencies as part of any recovery program.
For recommendations for treatment facilities which understand and treat all of these things, do not hesitate to speak to one of our counselors on the addicted.org website.
On my mind today are two very important but easy to implement factors that can be turned into valuable tools in “relapse prevention”.
The first is “BOREDOM”. Boredom can be a dangerous trigger to risk taking behaviour. It may seem like “so much common sense”, however when one’s life has been ripped apart by drugs or alcohol, common sense is a very valued and sometimes elusive commodity and warrants revisiting from time to time. Boredom is one of those invisible demons that can silently encroach into your space and from that point you either ACT POSITIVELY or ACT NEGATIVELY. So this is no preaching sermon about what a person “should” or “shouldn’t” do. This is just a reminder to be that much more acutely aware of when this little demon approaches, and when you spot it, you won’t be caught off guard. Keep an arsenal of ideas written down if you have to, that you can go look at and pick something that you absolutely KNOW will get you INTO ACTION. When you are bored, things are moving slowly. You want to speed up at that point. It’s hard to be unhappy, listless, or bored if you are moving fast. That’s a little experiment you can try sometime.
Which leads to the second thing that was on my mind concerning relapse prevention. One of the easiest ways to speed things up is to get out and run or excercise, or grab your kid and throw the ball around. This action has a side benefit which is very valuable to know about. Excercise releases hormones called ENDORPHINS which feel GOOD and make a person feel relieved, happy, content. So this is an incredibly useful tool that is immediately available any time of the day or night, which is a 5 star method when it comes to relapse prevention.
So in summary, STAY AWARE of encroaching boredom, and GET MOVING FASTER when it creeps up on you.
Hope you found this helpful. For more helpful advice whether for you or a loved one, don’t hesitate to contact one of our friendly counselors at addicted.org. Kind regards, Diane
Klonopin is a drug classified as a benzodiazepine. It is also called “Clonazepam”. The drug is often prescribed to alleviate or prevent seizures in persons with epilepsy. More often though, it is also prescribed for general anxiety, or for its sedating effect. After as short a time as 2 – 3 weeks, not only psychological dependence can develop, but also physical dependence. More about this is below under the sub heading of “Klonopin Withdrawal”.
After taking klonopin, it is not uncommon for the person to experience allergic reactions, such as the throat swelling up where you think you can’t breathe, rashes, hives, sores in the mouth and throat, yellowed skin or eyes, hearing blank-outs, suicidal thoughts, depression, a feeling of worthlessness, and even hallucinations can result. A very common result of taking klonopin is the heavy sedated feeling, where a person feels “zombie-like”. Some people experience seizures after starting Klonopin.
Klonopin Withdrawls: After even a short time on klonopin, a sudden cessation can result in some very grave problems. Anxiety and racing heart, tremors, and whether or not epilepsy was in your original diagnosis, it is common for seizures to occur. Suicidal thoughts and depression can worsen to dangerous extremes. For these reasons, it is advisable to only begin a gradual tapering program (similar to detox, but slower and of longer duration usually) with medical supervision.
A type of pattern can occur with klonopin (as with all other drugs) where a person skips a dose, or decides to quit, and then suffers a very difficult series of withdrawl symptoms, such as are outlined above. When the person takes another pill, these symptoms seem to be instantly relieved. So it is possible to believe that these symptoms are “your mental illness coming back”. This is not borne out in fact, as most often, these withdrawal symptoms were not present before one began to take the drug.
If you are considering starting to take Klonopin, or any other prescription drug to alleviate mental or emotional stress, or for whatever reason, take the time to research other possible solutions to the problem. If you are overly anxious, before starting a prescription of dangerous and unpredictable medication, why not try signing up for yoga classes, or mineral baths, or other holistic treatment options. Mineral baths are an ancient remedy and because they allow absorption of minerals into your system, this can have a soothing and calming effect. There are no dangerous side effects using these mineral salts, called “epsom salts”. They are easily obtained in almost every grocery store or pharmacy outlet. This treatment can help alleviate such varied symptoms as anxiety, insomnia, racing heart, and so on.
If you would like to gain more information on programs that help people to safely come off Klonopin or other prescription medication, please call one of our friendly and helpful counselors. We are here to help you and advise you so you can avoid unnecessary difficulty with prescription medications.
Many of the clients that I help to get into drug rehab are entering a brand new phase of taking responsibility for their health and well being. Over the time spent using and abusing the majority of folks I talk with have slipped into some very bad habits concerning basic nutrition and sleep patterns. It may take a while to resume a healthy lifestyle even after the addiction itself has been arrested.
There are three important areas of corrective nutrition that can be quite easily be brought into the daily regimen.
First is the water one drinks. Cells in the body need fresh pure uncontaminated water to keep the body functioning well. It is said that a body can last weeks without “food” but only days without water. This shows the vital importance of this element. The type of water you put in your body is also important. Cell walls are designed to “breathe” efficiently in an alkaline (low acid) setting. Drugs and alcohol create a high acidic internal environment. Think of heartburn, queasiness, tiredness, rotten taste in the mouth. These are signs of an acidic body. The easiest way to provide and alkaline internal setting is to drink alkaline water and eat foods which help the body maintain an alkaline quality. A few drops of lemon juice in water produces alkaline water. Yes the lemon juice is acidic but once metabolized, leaves an alkaline result in the body. You can purchase an alkalizer which turns acidic or neutral water alkaline. Foods which create an alkaline internal environment are raw and some cooked vegetables and fruits. Volume of water is I think best left to personal discretion. Some sources say 8 – 12 glasses a day, or even more, however some sources say with equal conviction that this much water will flush out too many nutrients. That is why I will leave it to your personal choice as on this point, I think we all have an inner “water-meter” that tells us by our thirst alone, or dryness of mouth, whether we are topped up or not. A fitnesss trainer uses the “sock lines” as an index. If she sees indents under the elastic top of her socks, she knows she is needing to hydrate. I believe each of us can monitor this well.
The next area is foods to choose and foods to avoid. Because sugar and refined carbs (white breads, donuts, candy bars etc) will make the blood sugar spike (quickly rise) these foods have the added effect of causing a crash after a short period of time. The blood sugar crash can turn on drug and alcohol cravings. At AA meetings, there are often snack tables full of such treats. Nothing against treats, or meetings, but realize that these types of snacks can have a devastating effect on the body, and can invite relapse because of it. Stick to the raw veggies, fruits without extra syrup or sugar, use low glycemic natural sweeteners such as xylitol, agave syrup, stevia, coconut sugar. These are a little harder to find but they provide the sweetness you enjoy, without the downside. Until you feel leveled out on your cravings etc, try a protein snack (ie hard boiled egg, sliced ham, slice of cheese, etc) every 2 hours. This will give a continuous source of steady energy to the body. Will keep your mind clear, and sharp. This is a good thing.
Sleep is the third area which is commonly out of whack during and after drug and alcohol abuse. To help the body re-naturalize it’s sleep patterns, highly recommended natural supplements you can use are melatonin, GABA, or 5HTP all of which can be found at your local Walmart or health food store. Other tips are get out and excercise daily, get sun on your skin, breathe in the oxygen out there. All these things help the body produce the endorphins at a regulated and adequate level. This is going to help your body get its natural rhythms restored and sleep will be deeper, longer, less interrupted.
If while you are getting these things together, things go a little sideways now and then, don’t despair. When you wake up at 3 am, don’t toss and turn, get up out of bed and make yourself a cup of chamomile or peppermint tea. Know that change is occuring in your body, and this is a good thing. Be patient with your body as it catches up to this new level of health as it corrects itself.
You are on the good path, keep going, and god bless.
