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Stepworks Connect

Apr 07
Love1

Have an Addicted Loved One? Here Are 3 Reasons Why You Can Help

By Stepworks Connect

Finding out that a loved one might be struggling with a drug or alcohol addiction sometimes creates a difficult situation. Family members or close friends of an addicted loved one can be concerned about their welfare but also unsure what to do about it. Doubts about intervening might cause family members or friends to put off any conversations about drug use, and as time goes on, their addicted loved one continues to use, falling deeper into addiction.

It’s an understandable reluctance. I know I should say something, but what if they don’t take it well? How can I help if they shut me out of their life? Is it really any of my business? It isn’t uncommon to have thoughts like that, but we should look at a few reasons why it’s important to push through the doubts and talk to your addicted loved one about their problem. These three reasons to talk to your addicted loved one show that the benefits of helping your loved one far outweigh the costs of letting an addiction continue without speaking up.

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Mar 31
Love1

Prioritizing Treatment Still the Best Response to Heroin Epidemic

By Stepworks Connect

In 2017 it’s nearly impossible to be ignorant of the levels of drug addiction ravaging communities in the United States. Stories of heroin overdose epidemics or community harm reduction efforts have become a daily feature of news and social media. Just this week The Guardian reported on a study of the heroin epidemic that found that heroin use in the U.S. is about five times greater today than it was a decade ago. Some demographics studied saw an even greater jump in heroin use. What’s being done to stem the rise in addiction?

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Mar 24
Love1

News Roundup: Will healthcare bill roll back addiction treatment?

By Addiction News, Stepworks Connect

U.S. House mulls deal to repeal addiction coverage guarantee

Republican congressional leaders proposed a change to their health care replacement bill that would remove the requirement for insurance companies to provide coverage for mental health and substance use treatment. The lawmakers are considering scrapping the “ten essential health benefits” in effort to garner more votes for the American Health Care Act, which would repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.

The change would affect individual market plans, but the AHCA in its current form had already done away with the essential health benefits protection for Medicaid plans. The law would also gradually roll back the Medicaid expansion through which many have been able to access addiction treatment services. One recent report by the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky found that Kentuckians newly covered by the Medicaid expansion saw a 740 percent increase in substance use treatment services.

A vote on the health care bill is expected to take place today, with the outcome uncertain. Lawmakers have faced criticism for how the bill would roll back addiction coverage and access to addiction services during the ongoing epidemic of opioid abuse and overdose.

Spring breakers at risk of encountering $5 overdose pill

Officials in Pinellas County, Florida, have issued a warning about pills that look like Xanax but contain the highly potent fentanyl. Users could be completely unaware that the pills contain the potentially fatal substance, and officials have linked the pills to nine deaths in recent weeks. They say the pills are so potent that a single pill could induce a fatal overdose. The officials noted that the situation is especially dangerous given how cheaply the pills can be obtained. One pill is said to cost just five dollars. Those going on spring break in the region should be wary of taking any pills recreationally, as well as knowing the risks of mixing opioids with other substances.

medication disposal, harm reduction, addiction treatment

Kentucky doubles down on drug harm reduction services

While increasing access to addiction treatment is essential to countering the opioid epidemic, harm reduction services are also a vitally important aspect to fixing the country’s serious drug problems. New services in two Kentucky regions aim to enhance Kentucky’s harm reduction abilities. In Northern Kentucky, community leaders are looking at a convenient medication disposal service as a way of intervening before some addictions get started. Because many have become addicted first by using medications that were legally prescribed, easy disposal of excess medications could stop them getting into the wrong hands and leading to new addictions. The disposal pouches destroy the drugs placed inside them and can be thrown away by the consumer. Officials hope that distributing the pouches for free across Northern Kentucky will lead to a reduction in addiction sufferers.

In Madison County, Kentucky, the health department announced plans to introduce a mobile needle exchange program. The service will build on Kentucky’s growing resource of needle exchanges, with at least 15 other such programs operating in the state. These programs are effective at harm reduction, reducing the number of needles that could be infected with a diseases like the hepatitis virus or bacteria that lead to dangerous infections. In addition, the clean needles that will be distributed will be one-time use only, discouraging the dangerous practices of sharing or reusing needles. Needle exchange programs are often beneficial not only for harm reduction, but also for creating points of contact for drug users to receive encouragement to seek treatment.

Want more addiction-related stories? Subscribe to the Stepworks Connect Newsletter to receive the latest articles on addiction and recovery!

Stepworks Connect Newsletter

Header image by Gage Skidmore is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
The above image is owned by Trainer Academy

Mar 09
Love1

Injection Drug Use: How Risky Is It?

By Stepworks Connect

Out of all the ways that addictive drugs are used, using needles to inject drugs into the bloodstream can carry the greatest risks to one’s health. While it’s pretty widely known that injecting drugs is associated with hard drug use and high risk for overdose, many people aren’t aware of the range of harmful consequences that can come from just one use of a needle.

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Mar 01
Love0

Stepworks Video: Connecting Family & Care

By Stepworks Connect

Stepworks Recovery Centers sets out to create a place where we would feel confident sending our own loved ones for addiction care.

Did you know that addiction is a chronic, lifelong disease that can have irreparable consequences if not treated properly? Our team at Stepworks is dedicated to helping people prevent the devastating outcomes of drug and alcohol abuse through education, therapy, and recovery practices that can serve you long after completing treatment. The paramount focus of our treatment is to help your loved one rediscover life without substance use and begin the journey to a fulfilling life in recovery.

If your family member or loved one is struggling with a substance use problem, take some time to browse our website and learn how Stepworks can help. Need help figuring out how to start a conversation about substance use and treatment with your loved one? Check out our post, “12 Tips for Helping Kids Understand Addiction,” for some ideas (most of these tips can be used to talk with adults as well as kids).

Stepworks is just one step in the process of recovering from an addiction. Help your loved one find their footing by sharing Stepworks’ compassionate model of treatment.

If you or someone you know is in need of addiction treatment, please fill out the form below or call us at (800) 545-9031.

Personal Form

Contact form for those who think that they may have an addiction.

Feb 24
Love2

I Might Have an Addiction. Now What?

By Stepworks Connect

No one wants to be addicted to drugs or alcohol, and it can be difficult to accept that you might have an addiction. You’ve probably heard that only 10–11 percent of people who need substance use treatment are getting it. There are different reasons for that treatment gap, not all of them personal. But there are many people who don’t get the help they need because they either don’t know if they have an addiction, or they don’t know what to do about it.

For those who haven’t had any experience in the addiction treatment community, the range of providers and services can be daunting. It’s easy to put off getting help if the next step isn’t clear to you. What should you do if you think you might have a substance use problem?

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Feb 07
Love2

11 Tips for Staying Motivated in Recovery

By Stepworks Connect

Motivation is a crucial component to recovery because it defines the reasons why we act or behave in a particular way. Often in early recovery, motivation levels are high and there are plans and ideas in place to remain sober. However, as time passes, our motivation to remain sober can begin to decrease for various reasons. Perhaps life has become stressful, work is overwhelming, and life doesn’t seem as fun sober. When recovery fatigue strikes, relapse becomes a concern. So what are some ways to ensure you’re staying motivated in recovery? These tips can help:

Connect with the recovery community

In today’s world there are more and more opportunities to connect and interact with recovery communities. Of course, there are the traditional AA/ NA and Celebrate Recovery meetings, but there are also several other options. Many online social media communities allow you to connect and interact with other recovering addicts from all over the world. Additionally, there are online meetings and interactive chat sessions one can participate in to stay connected. And staying connected is a sure-fire way of staying motivated as you set out on a lifelong recovery journey.

staying motivated, addiction treatment, addiction recovery, relapse prevention, recovery goals, addiction treatment goals

Set achievable goals

A great way to stay motivated is to set both short-term and long-term goals. Setting goals and having “checkpoints” can keep you on track and give you rewarding feelings of accomplishment and progress toward a goal. Make sure goals are measurable (How do you know how close you are to achieving it?) and specific (Can you clearly define when your goal will be met?).

Create a gratitude list

Recovery is not a smooth journey—there will be both good times and difficult times. Being able to find something to be grateful for, in both the good and the difficult times, can keep you on the path to recovery. Get in the habit of making daily lists, and remember—there is always something to be grateful for in recovery!

Keep a recovery journal, blog, or videos

As time passes, it can be easy to forget our beginning struggles and the reasons we had for wanting to get sober. We might become complacent if we feel we haven’t made progress. By keeping a journal, blog, or video-blog, you can more easily see the progress and growth of your journey, making staying motivated an easier task. You might even have a desire to share your writings or videos with others who are struggling (—which would be service work!).

staying motivated, recovery planning, living sober, addiction recovery tips

Create structure

Chaos can be overwhelming. By having a structured schedule of healthy and positive activities from day to day,  you can create a sense of order in your life. This is also a great way to improve your goal-setting and goal-reaching work.

Work a 12-step program

Working the 12 steps with a sponsor can help guide you and keep you motivated to continue the progress in your journey of recovery. These programs provide a reliable resource for accountability, fellowship, and spirituality.

Service Work

A well-known quote in Alcoholics Anonymous is, “To keep it, you must give it away.” Helping others who are struggling can give people hope and strength to continue with their own recovery. It allows people to recognize where they are and how far they have come in their journey. Service work can look different for everyone. It could be as little as offering a ride to a meeting or setting up chairs and making coffee, or it could be as much as becoming a sponsor or acting as a guest speaker at a local event.

staying motivated, recovery health, addiction treatment help, drug recovery tips, addiction therapy

Practice self-care

Make sure you try to take at least 20 to 30 minutes a day doing something you enjoy for yourself. It is easy to get caught up in the busy routines of life: work, relationships, meetings, obligations—the list goes on. If we don’t balance our lives and do things we enjoy, we might become overwhelmed and stressed. Take the time to read, journal, meditate, pray, exercise, practice a hobby, or listen to music.

Connect spiritually to a higher power

One can find meaning in spirituality through organized religions, AA/ NA groups, nature, music, groups of people, or an understanding of a higher power. Spirituality can change, evolve, and grow over time. Feeling connected to something bigger than yourself can help keep you motivated and accountable to continue your recovery journey.

Maintain healthy sleep, eating, and exercise habits

Addiction can wreak havoc on our bodies. Sticking to healthy habits can help alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety and decrease bad moods. Getting enough sleep, exercise, and water and fueling our bodies with healthy foods can help us feel good both physically and mentally.

staying motivated, eating healthy in recovery, addiction recovery diet, relapse prevention, sober diet, healthy in recovery, recovery motivation

Seek help if you are struggling

Recovery is a journey, and that means there will be bumps along the way. It’s about progress, not perfection. Everyone struggles during their journey, and being honest about our struggles allows us to reach out to those who are supportive and willing to help. Build a support system, and use it, too! The people you reach out to might be able to help re-spark your motivation, but they’ll never be able to help if you don’t speak up when you’re in need.

— Ashley M. Stuck, MSSW, CSW

Feb 03
Love0

5 Reasons to Practice Hobbies in Recovery

By Stepworks Connect

How important is it to practice hobbies in recovery from addiction? You might be surprised to learn that this is a crucial part of many addiction treatment programs. People who have made the positive life decision to break from habitual drug or alcohol use look forward to a big change in lifestyle. But what will that lifestyle look like? That’s a question that can make some people feel nervous about living in recovery. Thinking about practicing old hobbies or developing new ones is a great way to remove some of the uncertainty and fear about living a sober lifestyle. In fact, there are quite a few reasons why having hobbies in recovery can make anyone’s lifelong commitment to sobriety more successful and enriching. Let’s consider five of those reasons in this post:

hobbies in recovery, addiction recovery activities, stepworks recovery centers

Hobbies in recovery help prevent boredom

Who doesn’t like having free time? The truth is, too much free time in recovery from addiction can lead to a common relapse trigger: boredom! During active drug or alcohol addiction, substance use might have been one’s normal reaction to feelings of boredom or unrest. On top of that, those who have completed a program of residential addiction treatment are exiting from a highly structured lifestyle of planned groups and activities. Transitioning back into a lifestyle in which you have to create your own routines and activities can be tough, and having too much undirected free time is a recipe for falling back into old habits. Taking up new hobbies is a healthy, proactive way to have a solution to boredom that doesn’t involve thinking about drug or alcohol use.

Hobbies in recovery help with addictive thinking

Feelings of boredom go hand in hand with many kinds of addictive thinking that can lead to relapse. Being aware of the kinds of thoughts we have is crucial to relapse prevention. Thinking about and working on hobbies helps in this area in two ways: it helps keep our thoughts directed towards definite objects and goals, and it minimizes the amount of time that our minds are left to wander. If left to yourself, without anything to work on, it’s easy to fall into the traps of negative thinking, obsessing over things you can’t change, feelings of frustration or dissatisfaction, and other kinds of addictive thoughts. Learning a new skill, making arts or crafts, or participating in group activities are all useful tools for learning to keep your thoughts positive and productive.

hobbies in recovery, relapse prevention, substance use treatment, addiction recovery techniques

Hobbies in recovery keep your brain’s reward system healthy

Another important aspect of recovering from a substance use disorder is promoting a healthy reward system. (Looking for info about addiction and the brain’s reward system? See our previous post.) In early recovery, the brain’s reward system is usually still damaged from the effects of addiction. That means it’s difficult to find a feeling of satisfaction in things that aren’t related to addiction. However, the reward system can heal. Actively practicing hobbies while in recovery helps people to reach the goal of rediscovering what it feels like to have a healthy, functioning reward system. It’s also important to understand that you might not see immediate results. Being proactive about practicing a craft or sport, for example, can go a long way toward helping your brain begin to provide that feel-good dopamine release that is supposed to accompany fun and productive activities.

Hobbies in recovery help you make new connections

Relapse prevention is largely about avoiding personal triggers for substance use. Triggers are the people, places, or things that are closely connected with one’s old habits of using drugs or alcohol. They’re called triggers because they “trigger” memories, feelings, and thoughts about using an addictive substance. Naturally, people who seek education and treatment for addiction learn that they need to be able to recognize and avoid their personal triggers. But it’s easier said than done, and people triggers can be the hardest to change.

That’s where the importance of hobbies in recovery comes in again. There are a lot of hobbies out there that help people connect to new social groups—think community sports leagues, book clubs, volunteering opportunities, or mutual interest groups. Connecting with new people gets us out of our heads and our old friend groups—reducing the chances of isolating behavior or falling back into old patterns of addictive behavior.

hobbies in recovery, stepworks recovery centers, relapse prevention, lifelong recovery, staying sober

Hobbies in recovery help rebuild self-worth

It’s extremely common for one’s sense of self-worth to have hit a low point during an active addiction or in the early stages of seeking help. Addiction is often a continuing series of negative consequences that can have a debilitating effect on our self-esteem and general mental health. Recovering from addiction means not only acknowledging a brain disorder and mistakes made—it also means relearning how to have a sense of self-worth.

Practicing hobbies is a really effective way to rebuild this vital aspect of one’s life. Whether you’re finishing reading a book, putting the finishing touches on a craft project, or participating in a team sport, any of these kinds of activities can provide a feeling of accomplishment that makes life in recovery internally satisfying and full.

Opportunities to feel accomplished are like landmarks in a lifelong journey of recovery from addiction. It might be a challenging road, but practicing hobbies and pursuing new activities helps you to not feel lost.

Jan 20
Love4

National Drug & Alcohol Facts Week!

By Stepworks Connect

Today kicks off National Drug & Alcohol Facts Week. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) created this health observance back in 2010 to help educate teens about about addiction. It aims to counteract the various rumors or myths about substance use that young people may have been exposed to in their lives. As you might expect, Stepworks fully supports this endeavor! We also believe that during this week of education, we should be sharing helpful info with adults, too. In an opioid epidemic that doesn’t discriminate between young and old, we want everyone to have access to the best information available to make the best choices possible. It’s certainly important to get this information to kids and teens; however, an alarming number of adult men and women still fall prey to misinformation about drug use as well. Stepworks is proud to be able to help fight back against addiction stigma and myths!

This week (January 23-29), students nationwide will be treated to various addiction education events in their communities, where they can meet and speak with scientists from  NIDA and other professionals in the field. One of these events is National Drug & Alcohol Facts Chat Day. Those interested will be able to log into a live online chat with NIDA!

Parents, community leaders, and teachers might be looking to incorporate a teaching event or activity to coincide with National Drug & Alcohol Facts Week.

For those brainstorming addiction learning opportunities, here are a few ideas!

Create your own National Drug & Alcohol Facts Week activity!

  • Invite experts from healthcare, addiction treatment, and law enforcement fields to share what they know
  • Involve students in creating anti-drug art projects
  • Develop games such as bingo or a scavenger hunt with facts about drugs and alcohol prevention/ awareness
  • Have a town hall meeting to address addiction in the community
  • Have students research the facts and report what they find out
  • Partner with other local organizations to sponsor a race against drug and alcohol abuse
  • Have a local fair where businesses and people associated with addiction treatment can provide information about drug and alcohol abuse
  • Just have a conversation with your children/ family. (For help, read our article on how to talk your children about addiction)

There are endless avenues to help bring awareness about drug use and addiction to your family or community. Sometimes, just bringing up the subject of addiction can be the first step to motivating someone to find help or treatment.

For more information, resources, and materials about this initiative and how to create events around this week, visit their website.

Our blog is full of useful expert content intended to help any- and everyone! One good place to start is our post explaining how addiction is a brain disease. Please take the time to go through our articles and share any that you feel could help even just one person!

To join in on National Drug & Alcohol Facts Week, we’ll be posting a fact a day on our social media platforms. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram!

 

Like the slogan says, let’s “Shatter the Myths” about addiction!

If you’d like to stay up to date with more articles like those referenced in this post: Sign up for our Newsletter!

Stepworks Connect Newsletter


 

 

Images courtesy of drugfactsweek.gov

Dec 22
Love0

First Steps to Good Nutrition in Recovery

By Stepworks Connect

Nutrition plays an important role in recovery from substance abuse. The food and beverages one chooses to eat and drink has an impact on overall health. When someone enters into recovery, they are often malnourished and broken, due to the inadequacy of the food they might have been eating—and often the lack of money to buy good food. The depth of this problem can be overlooked because the deficiencies are not always easily visible and recognized by others. Most individuals are lacking in micro- and macronutrients. The complexity of these concerns varies between individuals depending on the substances the person has used.

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