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.
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.
Contact form for those who think that they may have an addiction.
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?
If you’re aware of the opioid addiction epidemic, you’ve probably heard the word “naloxone.” This medication, which reverses an overdose from opioid drugs, has been central to efforts to combat rising rates of overdose deaths. Many efforts to address the crisis have focused on getting forms of this overdose aid into the hands of anyone who might be involved in an overdose situation. But one medical device company is taking heat for a dramatic hike in the price of a popular naloxone injector device.
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:
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.
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?).
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!
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!).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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!
Images courtesy of drugfactsweek.gov
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.
This blog post was co-written with Ashley M. Stuck, MSSW, CSW.
With a national drug epidemic affecting more and more families, parents may be increasingly concerned about keeping their kids safe. But helping kids understand addiction can seem like a challenge! Parents and their kids often feel awkward about talking frankly about substance use. While you might feel like you have a responsibility to have that discussion with your kids, not everyone knows how or where to start.
(In case you missed it, read our previous blog post about why you should be talking to your kids about addiction, and how the holidays might be a good time to do it.)
For parents who need some help clearing away the obstacles to discussing drug use and addiction with their kids, we’ve compiled a list of 12 helpful tips. Read on for a short, practical guide to helping kids understand addiction.
The winter holidays are upon us, and for many people, that means more time to spend with family. That goes especially for parents with school-age children on winter break or older ones returning from college. It’s true that this can be a hectic time of the year, but many parents will want to carve out some quality time to connect with their kids. Although it might seem daunting to discuss addiction with your kids, the extra time over the holidays provides an opportunity to do just that.
So why bring up a subject that might make your kids uncomfortable, however briefly? For starters, your kids have probably already heard some things about the ongoing national addiction epidemic. The crisis of opioid and heroin use and drug overdose regularly makes headlines, and social-media-savvy teens and young adults are probably aware of the national discussion on the problem of addiction.
This is an opportunity to begin to discuss addiction with your kids. Having the subject so extensively covered in media makes it a little easier to have an unforced discussion about the risks of drug use. You might broach the topic simply by asking your adolescent children what they think about all the stories in the media about an addiction epidemic or the increases in prescription opioid and heroin use.
Even if it still isn’t easy, it is urgent and important. While many communities are trying to expand prevention and treatment resources, we’re still very much in the middle of a crisis of addiction. In the last decade the number of young adults (18-25) using heroin has doubled. Addiction does not discriminate by age, and people are encountering deadly drugs at ever younger ages.
And the risks are far worse than many people know. Drug overdose rates are still rising and becoming more fatal with extremely potent synthetic opioids like fentanyl on the streets. Those who use injection drugs often don’t realize the other kinds of health risks they’re exposing themselves to, like hepatitis or bacterial infections targeting vital organs. It’s dangerous stuff that can dramatically alter a young person’s life. So why not use an opportunity like the Christmas break to talk to your kids about drug use?
While any starter conversation opening up the topic of drugs and the addiction epidemic would be beneficial, let’s look at three specific reasons that some people might find it even more urgent to have this discussion.
If there is a history of drug abuse or addiction in your family, there’s every reason to make sure your kids know the risks of addiction. That’s because they might have a predisposition toward addiction. Addiction is a brain disease, and inherited genetic factors can make a person more likely to get addicted if they use drugs. Having a family history of addiction makes it vital to know a little bit about the science of addiction. If you’re new to the subject, take a look at our post about why addiction is a brain disease—and don’t forget to share what you learned with your kids. Addiction education is one of the most important aspects of both prevention and treatment.
The conversation we’re talking about is an urgent one if you’ve already seen some signs of a potential drug problem in your teen or young adult. This might be a reason not only to talk about addiction, but also to start thinking about treatment options. But let’s back up a bit. Are you confident that you would know if your kid was starting to abuse drugs or alcohol? Here are a couple of signs that something might be up:
If your kid has had a past problem with drug use or addiction, it’s also a good idea to be aware of signs of increased risk of drug overdose. You can read about those signs in the previous Stepworks post, “Drug Overdose: 4 Signs Your Loved One Could Be at Risk.”
Transitions like entering high school or college, living on one’s own for the first time, moving to a new city, or starting a new job can expose your kids to new risks. There are a few reasons why, and they’re probably pretty obvious. New social environments might mean more exposure to recreational drug use. That’s a common anxiety that parents have when sending their kids off to college. But it’s increasingly a concern even for those entering high school or middle school.
In addition, the stress that can accompany major life changes can also make your kids more susceptible to drug use. Young people struggling to adapt to new living, educational, or work settings might turn to drug or alcohol use in an attempt to escape the stress. Take advantage of the holidays to check in with your kids to see how they’re coping with the changes in their lives. Make sure they’re aware of the resources available to them to help with stress, too. For example, college students can usually go to their campus student health center for physical or emotional health needs.
The kind of conversation to have with your kids over the holidays depends on what they’re experiencing. The three scenarios we’ve talked about in this post can provide some direction. However, the really important takeaway is to have some kind of conversation about drug use and addiction. Stigma still makes it difficult for some people to discuss addiction, so think of the holidays as an opening to check in on this important subject with your kids. When you know what’s going on in your kids’ lives, it’s a lot easier to spot a problem with addiction as it’s developing. Helping your kids avoid falling victim to the prescription opioid and heroin epidemic is a gift you can’t put a price on.
© Stepworks Recovery Centers, LLC
